《Changling: The Child From The Woods.》 Chapter 1: The Infant A Farmer hummed as he rode his cart back to his home. The farm was doing well, he wouldn¡¯t need to worry about money even with his newest daughter. The baron kept the woods clear of goblins and wargs; nobody had been bothered by Fae in the area in years. The only thing to break up his joyful tune was a sound he was quite familiar with, a baby crying. So he looked around, he couldn¡¯t see anything just yet and he hoped it was simply another farmer on his way home with their child. But as he kept on the road he was sure it was somewhere in the woods, he stopped his cart, he couldn¡¯t leave without knowing or he would never sleep again. On the one hand he felt like this was the start to any number of horror stories his own father told him, yet it didn¡¯t take more than a moment to push those thoughts away, he was not a brave man, but he couldn¡¯t be heartless enough to do nothing. Shortly off the well trodden muddy road, wrapped in a blanket of leaves yet mostly clean, a young boy. He was not newborn but not more than a year old, his hair still blonde but showing signs of darkening. He sat and soothed him for nearly an hour, no mother came for him. He couldn¡¯t wait any longer, he would have to take the boy into the local healer to give him a once over tomorrow. The farmer placed him in an empty box labeled odd vegetables, those who grew strangely in shape. Some said it was a little Fae prank, to make a blue tomato or a potato that''s red, only the destitute or those who don''t believe would buy such strange things, the boy took well to it and quieted down. The farmer went back towards his little farm, with a nearly empty cart and a nearly full coin pouch. Near to dusk he finally reached his home, his own little kingdom as he saw it. "Aida, honey, I''m home and I bought meat for tomorrow; the baron had the local deer culled before they could get too old, good price for it today." He felt richer for not having to hunt his own game today, more time for his wife and children, "Oh, and I picked up a stray." "Unless it''s to help around here we don''t have room or food for another pet, and you better not think it''s getting any of that meat." She said, sighing at the softhearted man she loves. "Honey, Look at him.¡± "What?" She stepped out of the kitchen to see her husband with a little boy, pale blue eyes that almost seemed to shift like smoke as the light caught them, paler than any child should be and shaking like a leaf. "GIVE HIM TO ME NOW, CAN''T YOU SEE HIM SHAKING, GET A SPARE BLANKET FROM THE CHEST," She said fuming at him, a soft hearted and well trying father... but the raising was left to her for a reason. He reached into a wooden box less than a foot tall and pulled a blanket that seemed impossible to have fit in such a space, he never did understand how she filled things so tightly. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. After 10 minutes tightly swaddled the boy settled into a much deeper calmer slumber. "Now, where did you find him?" "Side of the road." He said knowing full well what she really wanted but a little annoyed at her yelling "Harlow, dear..." Eventually he relented and explained the whole story just in time for the boy to awake and perform the duty of all babies "I''ll get him cleaned, one of the girls spare tunics should do well enough for now at least." She looked into those eyes of his and saw the son she never got, the one she lost, the cruelty of the gods who weren''t there anymore to take him from her. After a heavier than usual supper that still seemed to not last nearly as it should, the family and the new member were filled, the chores were done until the final check at night, and the girls aged 7, 4, and 1 were looking over the little one sleeping on the floor and arguing over what to name him. "Do you think he''s a changeling? I heard they eat the youngest and then pretend to be them.¡± The eldest was only joking, she trusted her father to keep them safe. "Autumn, stop that, you know it frightens Amber. Any more of that and I won''t let you play with your Uncle Redmond''s gifts tonight." The two older girls piped down quickly, they hadn''t known he would be coming, the great hero, the strongest mage they ever knew! Also the only one, but they wouldn''t let that dampen their thoughts on him. "I''ll ask if he knows how to spot a changeling, you''ll be just fine.¡± Finally, just before dusk Redmond showed up, first giving his brother-in-law a little jolt during their handshake, to keep him honest he says, but he never did think his sister should''ve settled for the farmboy. then he gave each of the girls their gifts "For the littlest Ava of mine, have this doll, its paint will never peel, and it cleans off easily." "For Amber here is a locket, think really really hard and the image in the locket will show it, just make sure to give it an imprint every few days so it doesn''t fade." "And for you Autumn last but not least, a sewing needle, it will never rust or dull, and just a little magic will thread the needle for you, no more fiddling!" "Why not a doll or a new dress this time? doesn''t seem fair to me," she said with a quiet huff "You are getting old enough that you can help your mom with sewing and you can make your own dolls some day." "I''ve not forgotten you two, for my only brother-in-law, an amulet of sweat cleaning! it takes your magic but so long as you keep it going it will make sure you don''t have to keep using your handkerchief all the time. For my dear sister, a mana gem charged with a minor beauty spell, you really could use it" Never far from a wooden spoon she gave him a hard whack. "Wait, did you have another? I was at the frontier not the deeplands, you should''ve sent a letter telling me. And a boy no less..." he almost brought up the one she lost but found his better judgment. "No, Harlow found him on the side of the road." Before he could give his brother-in-law a stink eye for being so foolish as to fall for a Fae trick and once again proving that she should''ve got a better husband Aida asked him to check the child out. after a few minutes of faint light from his hands and eyes he let out a sign "Well, I''m pretty sure it''s human" "He" Aida quickly corrected "Yeah yeah yeah, but I''m a soldier, not a healer, he could just be a well-hidden one, I''ll stay for the night and watch him at least, it gives me a bad feeling" "He." This time she corrected him with the wooden spoon. After another indigent yelp and a few more hours of catching up between them, and a few stories from the frontier that would keep the girls up, they tucked in for a night''s rest, hoping the home would still be there in the morning.
Coronach watched the child closely, he didn¡¯t understand her plans nor did he question them, he was meant for the farmer and the mother was no longer needed. He shadowed them the way back home, the few beasts that lacked the instinct to run turned to dust before the shadow, few creatures were a threat to a thing like him. Chapter 2: The Sheep and the Goblins Dawn broke on a new day, the house was still standing, the infant hadn¡¯t grown gnashing teeth or long claws. It really was a normal child as far as they could see, still, Redmond couldn¡¯t help but give him side-eye. He seemed to grow even overnight, its hair started to come in more fully, so light it could hardly be seen on his pale skin, and then Redmond¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door from his sister''s room opening. ¡°You don¡¯t need to look at him like that, he¡¯s just a normal healthy little baby boy.¡± Aida picked him up, almost glowing with joy over him still being there and not being some monster. ¡°We are gonna need to give you a name now don¡¯t we? Let''s talk to your new daddy about that, does that make you happy?¡± The infant didn¡¯t really understand her but being held close in her warm embrace still made him giggle. Aida put him in an extra sling she had fashioned the night before and carried him with her to the kitchen to start on breakfast. After the rest of the family awoke and dressed themselves they started on the conversation everyone wanted to have. ¡°So what is his name then? Another A? Aden, Aubry? Andrew?¡± Autumn had narrowed down a list of names she liked. ¡°No, we already have enough trouble with all the A names, I think we should go with an H for your father since he will be our little baby boy.¡± ¡°Well, if you¡¯re gonna give the honor to me¡­ Hargrave?¡± ¡°It sounds like a mean man''s name.¡± Amber chimed in. ¡°Harlow Jr.?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t want to confuse anyone daddy.¡± Said Autumn. After 10 more minutes of back and forth about how he doesn¡¯t have good sense for naming but none of the girls wanting to take the chance to name the boy from their father and some less than subtle ribbing from Redmond, breakfast was over. ¡°Harlan?¡± Silence fell, then the whispering started, and then the girls all together agreed. ¡°Yeah, that''s a nice name.¡± ¡°Well, with that done you can all help clear the table now while your mother watches little Harlan.¡± Groans across the table rang out while Redmond just smirked ¡°That means you too, dear brother.¡± And with a final grumble the house went to work, Ava and Harlan sat in a little pen in the living room, Amber went to fill their waterers and troughs for the rest of the animals, and Autumn went to let the sheep graze in the woods with Redmond along to make sure she was safe. ¡°So Redmond¡­ since as I am grown enough to help mom does that mean you will teach me some magic finally?¡± After a little chin scratching he decided. ¡°Alright, as long as you don¡¯t tell your mother I¡¯ll say you¡¯ve grown up enough to handle more than just pushing mana into items, let''s start with learning how to sense mana, I¡¯ll make a little earth wall so the sheep don¡¯t wander while I teach you.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. In a little over 5 minutes, a series of 3-foot tall pillars were spaced out just enough to make the sheep think twice about running off into a wolf''s mouth. ¡°Sit over in the patch of grass in the sun there and I¡¯ll explain. For a start you are going to learn to sense mana and practice that until I visit next time. So just sit down, cross your legs, and feel the wind on your skin, the heat of the sun, the cold of the stone, the morning dew on still stuck to the grass, close your eyes to see the darkness, the nothing that is there. Now don¡¯t freak out but I¡¯m gonna use some mud magic to cover your eyes and ears, it will help you to not think as much about what''s far away, think only of the stuff that¡¯s right here, that''s touching you right now. I¡¯ll watch the sheep and shake you when it''s time to head back.¡± She sat there, the cool mud on her head made her anxious for just a short time. Then she stilled and just¡­ felt, the sun almost burning to her, the wind like little daggers, the stone felt like ice even in late spring, she felt almost drowned by the morning mist, the darkness was closing in, she felt it watching her from just beyond her sight in there, stalking her. She wanted to scream but felt like she didn¡¯t know how anymore and then¡­ she heard something through even the layer of mud on her ears, she smelled burning flesh, she remembered how to scream then. She clawed at the mud on her head trying to get it off, only to see once her eyes were clear that she was underground, no, a small dome covered her, her uncle''s magic. After a few minutes the dome crumbled and she saw what happened outside, 10 small bodies destroyed, if their torsos weren¡¯t still attached to every one of them she would never know how many of them there really were. One was missing half its head, one of its eyes, far to large and dark to be human still dangling out of its socket, she vomited at the sight of it, then the full stench hit her and she lost her breakfast once again. Three of them clearly burned, a fireball had hit in the middle of them judging by which parts of them were charred down to the bone, another with a pattern on its body, hit by lightning, she¡¯d seen it happen to a cow once, it lived though, this thing didn¡¯t. Her uncle tried to calm her. ¡°You¡¯re safe now, They got one of the sheep with a sharp stone but that''s all, really sorry about all this. I know the first time you sense can be hard and this doesn¡¯t help, but the goblins showed up out of nowhere, must¡¯ve been adapted judging by the skin.¡± He poked at the bark like grown on the tiny arm with his sword. She would¡¯ve thrown up again but she was empty of all but acid, she knew they weren¡¯t human, they were just monsters, she had seen her father take out a few of them with an axe once when they tried to take chickens. But seeing them like that after sensing for the first time was too much for a child only 7 years of age. ¡°Let''s get you back home, you can ride on my back the whole way.¡± She finally dried her eyes and headed back, thinking of how magic really was, of what her uncle really does out in the frontier. Getting back home to her parents was easy and quiet, what followed was¡­ less so¡­ ¡°WHAT DO YOU MEAN TAUGHT HER TO SENSE OUT THERE, SHE¡¯S TOO YOUNG, AND GOBLINS, REALLY?¡± After 5 minutes of Aida chasing Redmond with a wooden spoon and shouting at him little Harlan finally woke up and she stopped to calm him, yet another thing to blame on her foolish younger brother.. ¡°It''s not really my fault, she was completely safe, a group of goblins are nothing, and I saved almost the entire flock anyways.¡± before his sister could start yelling again Harlow stepped in, ¡°Honey, it¡¯s fine, when she gets older she is gonna need to deal with goblins on her own at some point. Maybe an early start on magic and seeing what it really does to monsters will make her take it seriously.¡± Aida finally simmered down and Harlan finally went back to sleep. ¡°And also we get mutton for dinner tonight!¡± Aida nearly said something but then saw Autumn still shivering crack a small smile and decided to hold her tongue. Aida stayed by Autumn¡¯s side the rest of the morning while Harlow and Redmond finished her chores for her. By noon Autumn was finally calmed enough to at least help some with the sheep that died, making sure the goblin''s rock didn¡¯t have any of their makeshift poisons and that nothing inside the sheep ruptured and tainted the meat. They had a nice hearty lunch and supper that night, the rest of the mutton was hung to dry, Redmond even helped pull some moisture out of it. The last 2 days of Redmond¡¯s leave came and went with no more troubles, and like that they gave him a nice send off, back to the frontier, back to the place with all the stories he never told so he didn¡¯t worry them any more than they already were. They wouldn¡¯t hear of his participation in culling operations or when they were too late, the towns who put in the request was already gone, bodies left half eaten in the street, they wouldn¡¯t hear of the orcs tribal warfare tainting lands with void, or the children playing in the woods stepping in their traps. He left behind the joking uncle, and returned to the hardened soldier, who only hoped he could live long enough to get to see his nieces and his dear sister again. Interlude 1: Redmonds Warg Hunt Warg hunt, such a simple term for the mess we walked into. Couple villages near the northern west border of the frontier have been complaining about livestock going missing, few chickens could¡¯ve run out, but a cow screaming followed by a howl and both things being gone by the time anyone turned around means one thing. Wargs, not much to them if you have the right stuff, wolves at least 10 years old, gains the ability to hide and move in shadows and grow a bit bigger, minor mind link, helps them to all strike from ambush at the same time, but pain spells are all the more effective on them. Most of the time we send in a handful of guys with some light enchantments on their gear to banish the shadows, at that point it¡¯s just a bigger wolf, and even a farmer can kill a wolf. Frontier soldiers with enchanted gear can take them 4 on 1 without much issue so long as they know to watch for them. And no reports of Hati or skoll. I thought it was a waste to take the whole squad. Who needs 15 guys to take care of some Wargs? We just finished an orc clean up, fought next to a river, one of the suicide types blew themselves up and it tainted the stream with a little void, only a real danger to the young or the old. Don¡¯t get many of either out near the ever expanding border of the frontier. It was on the way back, we talked to the farmers and they told us where they have been hearing them. Double checked they didn¡¯t see any massive hulking ones or flying ones with a horrible laugh, still didn¡¯t help in the end. After each team came back from asking people in the villages, we went into the woods. Captain is dark specialized, so we didn¡¯t need to worry about Wargs hiding in our shadows and jumping out from below. We headed deeper into the forest. Clearly no logging crews have been near here yet. Kept getting darker, but the Captain has been hunting Wargs since he was my age so I didn¡¯t worry about it, no, the worry started when it started getting brighter. The captain didn¡¯t care, just said it was the shifting of the leaves overhead, that I should learn a thing or two from my elders. Another hour passed in the woods before we found them. The Captain whistled in code that we should be ready ourselves, large pack, 30 of them, still nothing but Wargs. So we started chatting with each other about nothing. Wargs aren¡¯t quite smart enough to realize when someone is pretending to be unguarded. Kept walking for another 5 minutes before they struck. The Captain disrupted their shadows so they couldn¡¯t reposition after the first strike, didn¡¯t even hear it coming, but I saw it. Like a torch trying its hardest to be dim and failing just barely. If it was brighter but didn¡¯t pulse under the strain of trying to be dimmer and dimmer, it might¡¯ve been able to do what it wanted. A Hati, of course, it was a godsdamned Hati. I barely managed to grab the Captain, it took his arm off at the elbow and started to laugh thinking its prey had fallen into its perfect plan. I already had my sword drawn, tried to stab its heart but they are damn fast things. My blade passed through it like it was nothing. a small spray of blood came out, bright white hot blood. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. First thing about the Hati that gets soldiers and adventurers with big heads killed, a spear through a diving Hati kills them well enough, but the fools forget to avoid the blood. The leaves on the ground caught first, if I killed it it wouldn¡¯t have flown away, I¡¯d have been close enough to put out the fire before I used the blood on my blade to close the Captain''s wounds; we needed him alive and moving. Before I could do anything I saw it dive again. Newman was running a Warg through, never had a chance to save him; the Hati descended like lightning, and his head was gone. It knew I couldn¡¯t get close before it could run away, so it just started cursing at us, something about our mother¡¯s fondness for male goats, I ignored it. Never supposed to listen to monsters talking in a fight, I¡¯ve seen enough skinwalkers pleading in voices I know to listen to them, one of the guys ran at it, once past the trees a Warg in the shadows nipped at his heel. The Hati didn¡¯t finish him off, figured we would try to help. when we stayed in formation he slowly pierced his neck. Then the Hati dimmed again; the smoke was starting to build up, the other guys started to panic but never stopped swinging. The Wargs just circled now, attacking in time with the Hati to try to pick us off. Handbook says to never do it but if we need the Captain back in the action, I pumped as much mana as I could into his stump. The scream was almost the worst part. The worst was seeing what I grew. I was never a healer, didn¡¯t have the mind for it, maybe I should look into it if I get out of this alive. The Captain had a tumor in place of an arm, his hand could make a fist but not much more. One of the other guys realized what the Hati was doing and whistled at the guy next to him. Wish I remembered what his name was, said to take out the Hati when it goes for him. Plan almost worked though, when the first guy blocked and what''s his name stabbed, it should¡¯ve worked. but the Hati are fast bastards, it just sprung off the shield and what''s his name¡¯s arm was caught in his jaws, maybe he could¡¯ve lived if he didn¡¯t go for a slash, the blood spray got his face, in his mouth, eyeballs boiled out first then his throat seized as his lungs burned up. The Hati decided this was a losing fight at that point, cowardly things. But I already helped the Captain get ready to take the shot, the new, and I hesitate to call it one, arm of his was not as mobile as his natural one, so he needed help to get the bow in his hand. Soon as the Hati leapt from the ground and started to dim itself he loosed, dark magic flowing through the arrow. The first shot didn¡¯t finish it off but the darkness made its flight unsteady. The tree branch it rammed into at full speed finished it. I would''ve recommended the tree for a medal of valor, but it burned as the Hati blood dripped down its branch. As the strongest mind in the link when the Hati died, it disrupted the Wargs. The only sounds left then were steel on flesh and yelps. What a mess, 15 men, soldiers at that going in for a Warg hunt and 9 coming out. The smoke and fire didn¡¯t help, by the time we got out of there it was a full blown forest fire. I didn¡¯t see the other 3 die, but clean up said they found 3 bodies, not a wound on them, must¡¯ve gotten lost in the smoke. Damn shame. The Captain was less than happy about his arm, had me chop it off and seal the stump with a sheet of fire. Said if we didn¡¯t get the Hati he would¡¯ve requested a court martial, instead he is going to request a medal, quick thinking he said, but he also said I had to pay for his new arm. Luckily there was a healer in the second village with experience in limb regrowth, didn¡¯t even charge me. Said his boy has been complaining about a light outside his window at night, Hati probably stalking his prey. I wanted to hit him, to yell at him, if we heard that we might''ve been prepared for it, but I didn''t. I knew it wasn''t his fault, just the foolish words of a kid, why would he bother soldiers about such a silly thing I drank myself to sleep the next couple of days, only sobered up when they said I was getting an early leave and a promotion. If nothing else, I can see them again. But all I could think about was the ones who I would never see again, the ones whose tours were so short I never even bothered to learn their names yet. Chapter 3: The Gift of Magic Not much happened in the next few years on the farm. Next time Redmond came he brought a spearhead for Autumn to make her own spear, better than an axe if goblins show up while the sheep are grazing, and it helped her feel much better when at 12 her father stopped coming with her to take them out. She only needed it once, just a stray goblin, but she kept her lunch this time. The screams would haunt her for a time but it wasn¡¯t much different from the sheep to her, she also learned to manipulate water mana to dampen some of the overwhelming feeling of sensing, Redmond said it was a crutch she should work away from at some point but a good idea for a little while. At 13 she could feel and use every element, her training could¡¯ve been faster but whenever she did it in the house Harlan would wake up and begin to cry, leaving only the time she was watching the sheep to try and train. ¡°Your uncle is coming in 2 weeks, seems he¡¯s been promoted again and got leave early after some big mission.¡± Aida said at breakfast while helping feed Harlan, the boy was always a sloppy eater. Autumn was practically beaming to hear it, her hair was starting to get a slight orange tint, showing an affinity towards fire, she finally managed to make lightning bolts, fireballs, freeze puddles, cut falling leaves with wind. She hoped since she could finally manipulate the four of the six basic elements and an advanced element that he would teach her how to use light and dark, she could only train those on a hurt animal or small pests around the farm. Redmond was very serious when he explained how bad an idea trying to heal or breakdown a living creature was without training, even a small scratch could end up growing into cancer if she wasn¡¯t sure what she was doing and just tried to grow a wound closed. Harlan barely reacted to the news, he still didn¡¯t get who the man who brought him colored wood shapes was, but the child barely reacted to anything. Lightning strikes that were close enough to shake the house,a spider on his hand, he didn¡¯t seem to mind those things at all. They were worried he was deaf or slow but the local healer said he was a perfectly healthy child, other than never seeming to tan and being too quiet he was a perfect child, he spoke little but well, not a surprise since they all spoke Godgiven in Ragne. Breakfast ended shortly and they all went to their chores, the girls all wondering what Redmond would bring this time, Aida was just glad he was safe still, that she still never had men in black suits deliver a black letter. Redmond came just before dinner was served, always on time for a free meal, it took Aida¡¯s harshest glare to keep the girls from badgering him about gifts before dinner was over, it helped that he told the story of how he got the promotion. ¡°Well, it was a normal Warg culling, no one was hurt yet but the cows kept disappearing into thin air, it wasn¡¯t until we got into the forest and pretended to walk right into the ambush, I noticed that the sun seemed to be a abnormally bright and turned up to see a Hati was diving down. It was a sneaky one too, most of the time it''s the first thing we find out, a wolf flying through the air and glowing is pretty noticeable. I shoved the captain out of the way before it got him, took a couple of fingers though, it probably realized he was an archer and wanted to be able to flee if needed, anyway, I spun around and gave it a nasty gash on its side, it yelled a lot of things I won¡¯t repeat then it tried to flee. The captain didn¡¯t have fingers to draw his bow string so I quickly regrew his arm. I never did it before but I didn¡¯t want to let the beast get away, it wasn¡¯t pretty, but they worked well enough. He loosed an arrow at it and it fell to the forest floor. We cleaned up the Wargs and got back to the town, the captains arm needed to be severed and properly regrown but after hearing it was a Hati who did it they healer didn¡¯t even charge us, just thanked us for possibly saving the life of his boy from those hateful child killers, long story short I got promoted and they are gonna send me to learn how to heal properly.¡± When Redmond finished his story Aida noticed the look on his face, she knew her brother didn¡¯t tell the whole story. She also knew that he didn¡¯t like doing it, but he hated talking about what he really did more. ¡°What''s a Hati?¡± Harlan asked ¡°An old Warg who evolved¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Does it have wings? Does it have pretty colors like the birds? How big was it? Was it scary? Was it strong? Was it-¡± Aida cut him off, they had never seen him take interest in anything like that, he would barely speak other than to Ava since she was the youngest. ¡°Well, in order, no wings, it''s white but doesn¡¯t have any patterns like those pretty birds, about as big as your mom at its shoulders, yes it''s scary, those things are very bad news. If you ever see one tell someone as soon as you can so us big strong soldiers can handle it.¡± He flexed as he spoke ¡°And it''s not very strong, bigger than a Warg but probably as light as you are, they use cowardly tricks to attack people and run away if they don¡¯t think they can win quickly.¡± He said with much more of a snarl than intended, the long hours of a frontier soldier kept him on edge and he still saw the ones that he failed at times. An awkward silence descended on the table. Aida broke the silence ¡°How about some fruit for dessert, would you like to help me pick some Redmond?¡± Even now he still felt like a child being scolded by his older sister, they went a short walk away from the house to their berry patch. ¡°Do you want to talk about what happened there¡­¡± She said with hesitation, but he deflated, he wasn¡¯t going to be in trouble with her for scaring the kids, she was just worried about him. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so, I¡¯d just a little wound up, long hours out there ya know, it''s nothing to worry about.¡± She knew she should¡¯ve pushed him on it, tried to comfort him, but she never felt like she was all that good at that, she wished their mother was here to help him where she couldn¡¯t. They picked a bowl of berries and walked back to the house while he whistled to try and keep from walking in silence, it only barely helped her stop worrying about him, after happily eating berries and Redmond betting he could throw them in anyone''s mouth the tension was gone and the merry chatting started again, only interrupted to give out gifts. ¡°For Ava a music box.¡± she started winding it up as soon as it was in her tiny hands ¡°For Amber a flute, something to keep you busy when winter has you all locked up in here.¡± A shrill sound instantly rang out ¡°Maybe practice after I leave?¡± They all laughed as Amber turned beet red in embarrassment. Harlan just got more wooden animals to play with. ¡°And lastly for Autumn, a lightly enchanted sheep whistle so you can call them back faster.¡± She took it and just seemed mildly confused but happy, sheep were stubborn and she was tired of having to shove them to get them back to the farm. ¡°I expected a little more whining about not getting something for music like you sisters.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a little kid, and the sheep can be pretty annoying.¡± ¡°I guess you are grown enough for this afterall.¡± He pulled a leatherbound book from his spatial bag, it was dusty and clearly saw much use, the only descriptor left was a faded gold eye, spikes like the sun came out of them, and a magically signed name. Judging by the look on her mothers face it was clear to Autumn that it was dangerous, valuable, or both. ¡°How much did that cost?¡± Aida was clearly not impressed by what she thought was coin better spent on other things ¡°Nothing at all, the army was getting rid of this one for a new copy and since I got promoted they decided I should learn more. I¡¯ve been reading this for months now and I¡¯ve got everything I can from it. I figure she could use it to learn when I¡¯m not here, then I¡¯ll help her understand the harder stuff when I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°Uncle, who is Marigold?¡± The name was the first thing on the inside cover and glowed with a faint magic. ¡°The first archmage, she wrote that book about 1500 years ago, after the Gods left and the priests couldn¡¯t guide mages with their help anymore she decided to take the task on herself. We would¡¯ve been overrun and forced into walled cities still if she didn¡¯t help so many people learn to control and make new magics not approved by the Gods.¡± With that she tore into it, looking like she thought staring hard enough at the words would make them be absorbed faster. ¡°How about you put that in your room until we get everything cleaned up, you¡¯ll have all the time in the world to read it after your Uncle is gone.¡± and with that she slipped into her room, placing the book on her dresser like it was going to fly away and went back to the main room, after another hour of playing with her siblings and listening to her Uncle¡¯s stories they decided it was time for bed, she lit the candle on her bedside and read until her eyelids felt heavy, she dreamt she was a powerful mage growing forests and killing all the bad things in frontier so her Uncle could be home more.
The light thought something was odd, but he couldn¡¯t tell what, so he asked the darkness, she caused most of his worries; her words caused more worries, for he could not know which was true or false. Chapter 4: The Maiden Festival Autumn was 17 now, she could¡¯ve gone to the maiden festival the year before but decided to wait. She had a terrible nightmare about going and felt it was some kind of omen; her parents weren¡¯t overly keen on her leaving at 16 either, so they didn¡¯t mind her waiting a year. Autumn would¡¯ve rather faced down a warg again than be in a dress her parents rented and getting dolled up. But it was important, she heard a rumor in town that the local nobles would be showing up this year. If Countess Blackstone or Baron Redwall wanted her for their sons she could get a very good dowry for her parents. She could be a noble and maybe even send her siblings to the academy in the neutral learning zone or one of the lesser academies in the kingdom. She couldn¡¯t ignore how Harlan talked about the pretty air whenever she lit the fireplace or trained mana manipulation. Redmond said a child born able to sense mana wasn¡¯t unheard of, but rare enough that she wanted to give him a chance to learn outside the farm and Amber was starting to move mana into basic spells already. Ava didn¡¯t have the mind for more than making her fingers glow or making mud to play in, but she could want to learn more in a couple of years. Aida used the beautify in the gem from Redmond for her, she had to put her best foot forward. ¡°Honey, if you shake any more I¡¯ll never get this blush on.¡± Aida was far calmer about the whole thing, she wasn¡¯t thinking about counts and barons, just the other farmers or artisans who might want such a pretty girl for their own sons. She calmed only a fraction, her mind still moving a mile a minute, trying to remember everything from the book on etiquette Redmond gave her last time he was here, she wished he was here now, but he was a ranger now, and rangers got leave in summer instead of the spring. Finally she was ready, in an hour''s time she would be in the village square being looked at like livestock. She felt a lot better when her parents told her forced marriages weren¡¯t legal and they wouldn¡¯t send her off with anyone she didn¡¯t like no matter the dowry. ¡°Alright children, remember, the stew on the stove will be ready once the sun is at the top of the trees, and you get to pick berries for dessert. We are going to be gone for a little while and we expect things to be cleaned up and you in bed by the time we get back.¡± Ava and Amber were happy to get to have as many berries as they wanted for dessert, but Harlan was silent still. ¡°Are you gonna go away if you get picked?¡± He had grown closest to Autumn, he loved seeing her practice magic as much as he loved naming all the animals he could see from the book Redmond gave him. ¡°I won¡¯t be leaving for a long time even if I do get picked, how about I show you a trick before I go?¡± He perked up a little. ¡°This one Uncle Redmond showed me.¡± She moved her fingers almost faster than he could track and mouthed some words before a shining ring of light came into being. ¡°This spell is called ring of light, when it fades away I¡¯ll be in the village.¡± He grabbed it like it was the most perfect of gemstones and slowly placed it on his wrist, it shrunk to match his size and he held it closely, he hugged her without crying and then stepped back, mesmerized by the simple magic she gave him. She and her parents got on the cart and cracked the reins, off to what was supposed to be a nice night with a feast paid for by the Countess herself. ¡°Father, how much longer now¡­¡± The only heir to Baron Redwall was impatient, with his hands on a training sword whenever he was done with his tutors lessons. Riding between small villages so his father could pick out a girl for him was far down his list of fun activities. It didn¡¯t help that Countess Blackstone was dealing with Reinoan incursions and he didn¡¯t even have her son to keep him company. ¡°15 minutes more. You should be more active and excited about this, you can choose at least. Your mother was assigned to me by the crown, and I loved her, but not every marriage between nobles is so kind. I want you to be able to spend your days with someone who truly loves you not for your blood, but for your heart.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. He stopped listening to his father after he heard 15 minutes, this was time he could be using to learn more spells and blasting clay targets apart then watching them reform. He didn¡¯t hear another word until the driver shouted something. Jaramis heard wargs and rushed outside, sword in hand, before his father could stop him. Finally a chance to blow off steam. But he only saw a couple of farmers and their daughter, the wargs already dead, a little surprising that the farmer managed to get both of them, and more surprising to see the daughter holding the spear, maybe he had heard of how his grandfather earned his noble title and thought a little show would endear her to the baron? But the most surprising part was when she pointed at him, mumbling under her breath, he saw the fire and light mana swirl as he realized it was lightning forming, he was too dumbfounded to think. Why would she try to kill him? Skinwalkers? Assassins? He drew his sword and prepared to redirect it, only to hear a yelp beside him, a warg half in the shadows still without its head, fur singed off nearly to its shoulders, the girl fell and her father caught her. The lightning hit exactly where she wanted it to¡­ but the boy standing next to it was covered in the gore, she would¡¯ve cursed her poor luck as she saw the crest on his chest, but she could hardly keep awake, too much mana formed too quickly, the backlash for trying a barely structured and overcharged lightning bolt. She wanted to cry for ruining her chances with him. Autumn awoke at home, it was still dark out and she could hear words being spoken in the next room, voices she didn¡¯t know. Was her father being fined for having ruined the noble boy''s jacket? Did she doom him into debt slavery? She started listening as hard as she could. Count Redwall was there she soon realized ¡°So we agree then, she will wed my son the coming spring, I will give a dowry of 70 gold coins and a 30% cut on your taxes for 5 years, as well as a non-criminal Ibexian slave to help with the farm after she leaves.¡± ¡°As I said, she will need to at least speak with him first.¡± Harlow wasn¡¯t the bravest man, but he would never let his daughter go at any cost if she didn¡¯t like the boy. Once she realized what was happening she burst into the main room before realizing it was unladylike. They all stared in silence as she tried to remember the correct greeting for a noble. ¡°What a fine evening this is to meet you, Baron Redwall.¡± ¡°Yes yes, now, this is Jaramis. chat with him and decide if you want to be wed.¡± Count Redwall would¡¯ve completely discounted the girl as unfit had Jaramis not been so clear he wanted her, they tracked down the family after visiting the last village for the night and began bargaining. They would¡¯ve gone directly there but the baron found it quite rude to not even visit the mayors and give the other girls a chance. Jaramis was already sitting at the table, her parents had gotten out the nicest fabrics they had to cover the chairs so as to not offend the guests. ¡°So, who taught you to fight? You did well but a contained fireball focused on heat would¡¯ve cost less mana and wouldn¡¯t have made such a mess, not that I mind¡± ¡°My uncle taught me, he is a ranger. He said to use light mana to banish shadows from wargs, stops them from fleeing.¡± She showed clear confidence when it came to fighting, Jaramis was head over heels at that point, he didn¡¯t want to end up with just another homemaker, he wanted a partner. When she explained the rest of the fight to him they talked back and forth about how they could¡¯ve done things differently to have made it a cleaner fight overall. Their parents had to cut the impromptu after action report short once it became clear they weren¡¯t going to talk about anything else. Redwall started ¡°I have already explained the dowry to your father, do you accept to be wed to my son this coming spring?¡± She suddenly realized where she was, she could talk about fighting and magic for hours, but a social butterfly she was not, she froze for a moment, beet red. ¡°Y-yes¡­ I mean, I would be more grateful to accept your gracious offer Baron Redwall.¡± Jaramis just gave her a thumbs up and asked to spar before they left, the count glared at him until he lowered his hand, got up, nodded slightly, and went back to the carriage. ¡°Oh I nearly forgot, a seal, proving she is to be wed to my son, I will stamp her, it will fade, and alert me if she should be¡­ unfaithful to the agreement. In 2 months time we will send for her to be taken to my estate and taught how to be a proper lady, the seal shall be used to verify her identity.¡± Autumn placed her hand out and the count stamped it, when it made contact she felt a shiver run through her body, she didn¡¯t know how a geas felt when it was placed, but she had heard her uncle explain them to her once, the seal was so weak even she could naturally defend against it, she let it settle on her soul after a moment, the terms of its deal were made clear in her mind an instant later. The count raised an eyebrow when the geas didn¡¯t take instantly but he considered it good she was at least cautious and capable of denying a geas, no matter how minor. And then they all returned to their homes, Harlow and Aida couldn¡¯t believe they got such a good dowry from the count. ¡°I can¡¯t believe he folded to your silent treatment!¡± ¡°I was just too scared to talk at first!¡± The three of them laughed at their luck. Autumn went to sleep, wondering if she should¡¯ve asked about sending her siblings to an Academy. She thought about anything she could¡¯ve changed that night, and slept soundly, not worrying too much about what can¡¯t be changed.
A man told stories to his great granddaughter, she asked what she should be learning from them, the man said to learn what she believes should be learned. Chapter 5: Reading Under Moonlight A month has passed since the maiden festival, Autumn has been spending as much time as she can with her family, giving her siblings some much needed training. Amber would be the one taking out the sheep now, and she didn¡¯t know what fighting meant outside of the spearmenship Autumn taught her. Ava has started to step up in her training, she still can¡¯t hold onto sensing while moving for long, but she stopped tripping so that¡¯s an improvement. It didn¡¯t help that she wouldn¡¯t open up her eyes. Amber cast her first fireball, the start of it all, the most basic of projectiles, and the basis for most simple ranged spells. ¡°Congrats! How do you feel?¡± ¡°Tired¡­¡± They had been doing small spells for over an hour already, Autumn wouldn¡¯t call any of those other tries fireballs. Autumn caught her and sat her down on the porch, she forgot to warn her about just pushing mana into a spell without limit. Harlan is still too young to be doing more than touch based spells, so she¡¯s been training him in the basics of spearmenship. ¡°LEFT, RIGHT, STAB, STAB, STAB, DEFLECT.¡± Autumn was surprised at how well he could keep up with her instructions, even if he was still just waving a stick around more or less. Harlan had few things that got him worked up and she finally found another. Everyone was so focused on Autumn''s bootcamp they didn¡¯t even notice their uncle walking up to them ¡°Reminds me of when I first joined up, though I am guessing you didn¡¯t mean to give her mana exhaustion.¡± He muttered something else about cruel methods but they missed that part. ¡°UNCLE.¡± They all yelled out, waiting an extra month to see him was barely any different, but it might as well have been years to them after a month of drilling from Autumn. ¡°So Autumn, what has you working them so hard, gonna run away?¡± Autumn indignantly huffed at him. ¡°I guess you didn¡¯t get the letter?¡± The part of the frontier Redmond was in was a month''s travel away, and getting letters to rangers always on the move was an arduous task. ¡°Well, the maiden festival was last month¡­ and I am going away next month¡­¡± She got more nervous as the day got closer. ¡°Oh? Which lucky lad did you pick? I hope it was a village artisan at least, I might need to have a talk with whoever he is¡­¡± He got a mischievous grin thinking of the chance to scare some lad straight and have a good reason for it. ¡°His name is Jaramis Redwall.¡± The gears working in Redmond¡¯s head were clunking loudly trying to remember if he knew the name. ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡­ I mean¡­ really?¡± Autumn kicked him in the shin. ¡°Hey, I mean I thought nobles all liked dainty submissive types, not¡­¡± His mind was working as fast as it could for the words to not get a swift kick from her and his sister, or worse yet, actually upset Autumn. ¡°Strong independent women.¡± She grinned a little at the complement. ¡°I won him over with a brave and graceful display of my own might.¡± She stood with the butt of her spear on the ground and a hand on her hip. ¡°Oh really? You didn¡¯t spray him with warg blood and then faint?¡± Autumn turned so red at her mother¡¯s words even her hair went bright orange, a sign of light and fire alignment. ¡°We-well I mean¡­ I am still right, I just left some of it out.¡± ¡°Well then how about tell your uncle the whole story, I¡¯ve got water on the stove for tea.¡± After Autumn explained the rest of what happened that night to him he unsheathed his knife. ¡°This wasn¡¯t going to be my gift for you this time but I doubt they are going to want you carrying your spear around all the time. It''s enchanted for sharpness and durability, with a little mana channeling, it gets hot and cold and so on.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t this belong to the army?¡± He shrugged ¡°I¡¯ll say I dropped it and they¡¯ll give me a new one.¡± It was Aida¡¯s turn to kick him. ¡°Don¡¯t start giving her bad ideas.¡± He made sure to pretend he was hurt once again, normal people hadn¡¯t been able to hurt him with a simple kick like that in a long time, but he needed a way to get Aida to not kick him harder next time. ¡°So what''s for dinner?¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re trying to change the subject, but it''s biscuits and gravy.¡± The rest of the time until dinner was spent catching each other up on what all happened to him since he was last around Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°So, mom, dad, I was thinking, I want to see if Count Redwall would be willing to send Amber to the academy in the neutral zone.¡± The only 2 who didn¡¯t stop eating were Harlan and Ava, they didn¡¯t know what was so special about an Academy. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if he would be willing to do such a thing, I know the nobles have connections to have interviewers come out to them, but we would need to prove to them she was special enough to be worth taking in. She doesn¡¯t even have any formal mage training, and no you teaching her things I taught you doesn¡¯t count, if the kid likes you as much as you think he does maybe you could ask for a magic tutor and then as to bring along Amber? It wouldn¡¯t cost them any extra so maybe they would accept a deal. A year of tutoring is a minimum if she wants to try for an Academy. They are harsh places, best case she gets filed as a talent and gets a cut rate for the place, worst case she gets accepted as likely to be expelled, they don¡¯t officially do it, but there are no refunds and a lot of people drop out because of either stress or get kicked out for causing issues.¡± Autumn didn¡¯t know what to think, all this seemed too thought out for her joking uncle. ¡°Uh, yeah I¡¯ll ask about all that, but how come you know so much about all this?¡± ¡°Well, I may be your kind, strong, brave, handsome, uncle, but I am still a mage, and these places aren¡¯t just for the children of nobles, when I¡¯ve saved enough I plan to go through a 1 year course to improve my skills, the army will pay part of it but it''s still a lot of money.¡± The conversation about costs and how to ask for a favor from a noble lasted the entire meal, by the end of it a plan was in place, and then the gifts came out. ¡°For little Ava, I think it''s time I gave you an enchanted sewing needle of your own, and they even threw in a small bolt of fabric with it, you can make clothes for your dolls or a pillow or anything else you want. I saw you helping your mom last time even though I know you¡¯d rather throw clay at your brother.¡± The suggestions from him got ideas rolling around in her head about noble gowns for the doll her uncle gave her all the way back when she was too young to remember. ¡°For Amber, since you will be out with the sheep soon enough I got you a spearhead, high quality just like your sisters.¡± ¡°And Harlan, since you keep asking for more about animals and plants, I decided something a bit more grown up was alright.¡± It was a small but thick handbook with a hard black cover, lightly enchanted for wear and tear. A bestiary titled ¡®The Adventurers Best Friend¡¯ A yearly instruction manual with nothing but confirmed information on the monsters roaming in a given area, it would only cover the region the family lived in, but to Harlan it was perfect. He could read about every type of goblin and magical beast that roamed the woods near him, it even had accounts from adventurers on how best to kill them. Harlan ignored everything else, only stopping to say thank you, he read the book until the house grew dark and his mother said it was time to sleep, he never really understood what sleep was, he got tried and would lay down, but sleeping every single night just seemed like a waste of time, so he only did it every month or so now that he wasn¡¯t a baby anymore. He waited until his parents slept and stepped outside to read in the moonlight, even if he was just making his fingers glow he would eventually run out of mana, he found it was cheaper to just make a dim glow with the help of the moonlight for reading. When the moon hung at its highest his focus was broken by the sound of heavy footsteps and horses. Something tackled him and held him close, it was covered in blood. Whether it was from the beast or its victims Harlan didn¡¯t know. it was too big to be a person, and it spoke in some other language. The woman on the horse yelled back in that language, clearly not a native speaker, her words were full of stutters and pauses. The thing that grabbed him kept backing away from the house and yelling at the soldiers on horses. They never took their hands off their swords, but they didn¡¯t move forward either, once the oddness had passed and it was just 2 soldiers, a monster, and a boy standing in a yard Harlan finally started thinking again. He remembered how Autumn said he was supposed to learn to defend himself, but more than that he felt something he didn¡¯t feel in a long time, like when he didn¡¯t understand why the fire hurt him, why does this monster want to hurt him? He was upset, he was furious that it would do such a thing, and then a voice called to him¡­ ¡°Let it out¡­¡± He reached up at the thing¡¯s arm, and when he touched the thing that had him, it just¡­ burst. Blood covered him and flowed from the stump, it was gone from the shoulder entirely. Harlan didn¡¯t know what it would do, but when he saw it, he didn¡¯t mind, this was a monster. The beast dropped him, screaming and howling at its missing arm, Harlan didn¡¯t know it would sound like this, it was so loud he thought his ears would break, Redmond had been standing by the door, not wanting to risk startling the beast by opening it, but now he found his chance, as it rolled on the ground he would put a stone spike through its head. But he never got the chance, Harlan reached forward, the child should¡¯ve been scared, running and crying, but with one more touch, the beast''s chest exploded, more blood and gore. Harlen felt¡­ fine? No¡­ good? Yes, he felt good, he protected himself just like Autumn said he should, that was a good thing right? He heard killing was supposed to be bad, but this was a monster, monsters don¡¯t count. He looked at it, it started to change, its hair receded, its fangs turned back to teeth, its claws to fingernails, it was a man? No, a werewolf. The soldiers on horses had reached him and cut the head off the beast, they said it was the only way to make sure most monsters were dead. ¡°You¡¯re lucky it was already worn out.¡± The woman said, she was gaunt, her eyes faintly red from what he could see, her hair blended into the night sky, completely uncaring that a monster nearly tore a child limb from limb, not even using a name, just it, like he wasn¡¯t even a human before. Redmond wanted to yell at them, but then saw who they were, silver chainmail barely visible under their long black coats, wide brimmed hats, white masks enchanted to hide their faces, silver plates protecting their necks. Moonlight caught on the badge, a fanged skull with a 4 pointed star behind it, cast in pure silver. The nightwatchers, hunters of any civil monsters that broke the rules of civilization, a vampire who fed without consent? They were there, stakes in hand, just waiting for the day they could do what needed to be done. Though not a part of any country they operated everywhere other than the Reino Theocracy, officially tracking any and all habits of monsters who wished to live in human towns and cities. Tolerated only because no one wanted to put forward the money and effort to fund such an organization and they worked with anyone who had authority without issue. Redmond knew yelling wouldn¡¯t do anything, he would have to put forward a complaint through the proper channels and hope the kingdom fined them for letting this happen on their lands. ¡°Well done kid, we were betting who would catch him first, guess we both lost.¡± The man, with a long gray beard poking out beneath his mask, tossed a small pouch of bronze coins on the ground and placed the body in a black spatial bag, they marked their journals and rode away on their horses. Harlan spoke up as they got on their horses. ¡°Was that a person?¡± The woman stopped, the bearded man didn¡¯t. ¡°Once, not anymore. You did well.¡± ¡°Could I have not done that?¡± ¡°We¡­ We could¡¯ve stopped it if we were stronger, we weren¡¯t, sorry about that.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t know what to think, how could a monster be a person? Was it still wrong to kill a human if he didn¡¯t know it? He picked up the pouch from the ground, it felt heavier than anything else he ever held. Something¡­ someone had died, he did it, and then he got paid for it, did that make him bad? Would Autumn be upset that he did such a thing with the training she gave him? He sat there thinking until Redmond carried him back inside. he didn¡¯t know what the boy''s thoughts were, but he had seen how some recruits reacted to near death, to taking a life to preserve their own, some sat in silence and then left the army, some boasted about their strength and bought a round for their unit. It wasn¡¯t something a 10 year old should have to think about, not something they should have to do.
The darkness was confused, her sight showed nothing of this sort across the threads of time, and yet the beast nearly killed the boy? She looked through the boys threads to see issues large and small, they had changed since the last time she checked them. Interlude 2: A Couriers Work My name is Selen, no last name. I am the courier for the town of Lata, a quaint place near a large forest in the southeast of the Barony of Blackstone. I wear a large black hat with a veil on its edges, I keep it on using a strap of white lace, I can move quite fast once I get moving, and I wouldn¡¯t want it to fall off. I deliver to everyone in town promptly and with grace, the people were a bit wary of me at first, must¡¯ve been my eyes. Or that the last courier for the town was found missing his arms and looking like a bear had ripped his chest apart to reach his heart. Today I¡¯ll be checking up on my ¡°special customers¡±, they all live closer to the forest than the town. one lives alone in a house with no windows, he works nights at the jailhouse, one lives with his wife and son in a 1 story stone house with a shed attached, the last is a whole family of ¡°special customers.¡± I slipped the package through the slot on the first customers door, the vials are cushioned and kept chilled so they will be fine by the time he wakes up. I took a letter to the family, their extended family will need to see the children, make sure they are doing well. The last customer¡­ He didn¡¯t answer, but I could smell it, fresh, heavy iron, I could taste it, must¡¯ve happened last night, nearly a full moon. My name is Samual, no last name. I am a woodworker in Lata. I live with my wonderful wife and son, he¡¯s just turned 7, he isn¡¯t like me, I checked, but I¡¯m glad for that, it would break my heart to see him have to live in hiding like me. I decided to go to the shed early, my wife knows not to disturb him when I¡¯m working, it''s fine. I placed the wolfsbane rope around the handle, it¡¯s a little tattered but it should hold. I need to have Selen get me more but it sounds like a storm is brewing outside, I don''t want to make her run in the rain for just a bit of rope. Blood¡­ so much blood, and their cold eyes¡­ what happened, who did this? Why would they leave me alive? But shouldn¡¯t I be in the shed? I couldn¡¯t have, how could I? I followed the rules, the rope, the salt on the doorway, wolfsbane on everything, I shouldn¡¯t have had the strength unless¡­ the storm. I stepped outside, the door still slightly ajar, the lock wasn¡¯t broken, not processing what had really happened, not fully. A branch as thick as my arm, right through the shed door, the rope didn¡¯t hold, Why why why why, why didn¡¯t I get more rope, why did they open when I knocked last night, why didn¡¯t I just die, why my son, why my wife. My name is Selen, no last name. I¡¯m a night watcher in the town of Lata. Why why why, why did he kill his wife and son, running away? Unlikely, he was a genuine family man. They found out? Called him a monster maybe? Possible, his wife is¡­ was a kind woman, but superstitious, ironic couple, good people. He lost control? But why? He¡¯s been a wolf for nearly 4 years now, the other family had been helping him, he should¡¯ve been able to lock himself up at least, full moon wasn¡¯t even till tomorrow. Then I noticed it, beneath the blood, a smaller smell. Bark, splinters, Balete wood. I checked the shed, place was full of it. I looked at his order sheet. ¡°I would like 15 walking sticks made of this wonderful wood.¡± No name, I¡¯ll let the others look at it, if it¡¯s who I think then her writing is warded from divinations, but at least we would know. Contacted Graybeard, told him we needed a hunt, Samuel had nearly a full night''s start on us. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. I left a note at the front desk, ¡°tell anyone who asks I had a family emergency, 2nd cousin gave birth.¡± I reached into my hat and pulled out my gear, tunic made of black sheep wool first, then the silver chainmail, only made that mistake once, took the veil off my hat, put it around my neck, then the neck guard, coat next, I always liked the fit of it, then the mask. Finally I put on my star, the sign of order, humans and those who are more than human, that we can live side by side, with a few concessions at least. Graybeard was already at the treeline with the horses in full gear, never found out how he could always move around so much for an old man. the wolf hound was looking anxious, he had the scent, couldn¡¯t wait for the hunt. ¡°15 coin for the finishing blow?¡± Graybeard was quiet, but a betting man. ¡°Bronze or silver, I¡¯ll take it.¡± If I didn¡¯t take these small moments of grim humor, I would¡¯ve requested a transfer to record keeping. We followed the hound west, it was getting dark, things could get a lot worse if he hid in some poor farmers barn when the full moon came out. Hound led us into a cave system, smart move, almost. We checked the area for any other exits, unless he grew an extra set of lungs this was the only way out. too close to a farm for my taste, but the chances of him making it past us were low. Silver razor wire around the hole leading out, checked the silvermist bombs, new works, don¡¯t like being the person who tests out the new weapon that can kill you as easy as your enemy, but the Alchemist said it was solid, just needed extra field testing. Graybeard came back with a deer, slit its belly open and pulled the guts out. Little air magic to push the smell into the cave, and erase ours. Now we wait. Came out just before midnight, he was¡­ wrong. Samuel was not a small man, but the size change was off by a full foot, what the hell did that witch do to him? The razor wire barely cut his skin before he realized what was happening and smashed the rocks around the cave the wires were anchored to. We started on the silvermist bombs, I couldn¡¯t move through it, but it slowed Samuel down and didn¡¯t hurt the hound or Graybeard. I could hear him start to choke, I could smell his blood, he tried cast a gust to blow it away, a poor move against me, I kept the air tight around him, then a howl rung out, broke my focus and blew away the mist, Graybeard was only a step behind the hound, lucky too. Samuel struck the hound like a warhammer, poor thing barely yelped before it hit a tree, I heard its spine snap like a chicken bone. What is the godsdamned witch doing this for? I rushed in, Graybeard barely blocked the strike, but spikes on his shield did their work, Samuel howled in pain as he backed away. The pain must¡¯ve snapped something back in place, it was too late for that, he already drew blood, the rules couldn¡¯t risk him being found out and still given mercy, making the rest of our work fade away and the rest of our kind look like bloodthirsty monsters. He slowed down some, the mist had worked, little bits of silver were probably working through his blood by now. Graybeard got his stomach with the tip of his whip, I tossed caltrops at his feet, rope daggers at his vitals. We kept at this little dance for 10 minutes. He was covered in his own blood, he realized what would happen if he kept going like this, he ran. We got on our horses as fast as we could, I knew we were too close to a farm, we might be able to run him through with our swords from horseback if he goes for the front door. Why was there some brat outside, reading? Who the hell does that? Luck was on his side at least, Samuel was hesitating. ¡°Please, I didn¡¯t mean to do it, I don¡¯t want to hurt anyone else, I just need to be moved somewhere, please.¡± He spoke in wolftongue. I was a bit rusty but I could tell what he wanted at least. ¡°Yes, we can help, but you need to let the boy go and come with us, no more blood needs to spill tonight.¡± He hesitated again, before he spoke, his mind was clearing. ¡°Just let me and little Simon go, I can raise him without his mother still.¡± Simon, his son, Samuel was still too far gone, I will need a little more time, Graybeard got that look in his eye, he had a plan, we just needed to- What the hell is the kid doing? He¡¯s going to get himself killed. I cracked my reins and held my sword tight, we wouldn¡¯t make it before he tore out his throat but if its not too bad I can turn him at least, give him time to decide if he wants to join us or not. Then Samuel¡¯s Arm fell apart, like a body left to hang too long. His eyes¡­ I could see a little of the old him in there, but more than that I could see the betrayal, he still thought it was Simon. The kid dug into his chest next, Samuel¡¯s heart shriveled and blacked, he was gone, 3 years I knew him, and this is how it ends. I took his head off before the kid could get a good look, the chances he or the other man who just burst outside knew him were slim, but not 0. Hid my voice with the mask, played the professional, no attachment. Pulled his body into the spatial bag, I knew the weight would never change, but it always felt heavier with a body in it. Marked in the journal why what happened had to happen, why I thought it happened. Samuel was a good man, I am glad these eyes of mine haven¡¯t cried since I was turned. Glad the mask hides my face. One day I will find her, and I will kill her. Nemain the Witch, our constant enemy, why does she do these things? We¡¯ve tried finding out, her notes are all gibberish, our best polyglots couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of a single word, let alone her goal. Chapter 6: The Check Up Redmond carried Harlan in his arms, not wanting to get the werewolf¡¯s blood on anything. He had already quietly put up arrays to silence the rest of the house, his nieces would be upset in the morning, but they should at least sleep tonight. He opened the door to his sister¡¯s room and shook her awake, Aida shook Harlow in turn. Once they stepped into the lights from the main room and saw Harlan covered in blood, Redmond with a dour look on his face, Aida and Harlow nearly burst into hysterics on the spot. ¡°Harlan is fine, just a bit shook up, the blood isn¡¯t his.¡± They calmed for a blink of an eye before the thought ran through both their heads like a charging bull. Whose blood is it? Redmond explained everything he saw, he couldn¡¯t answer why Harlan was outside, and Harlan hadn¡¯t said a word since he brought him inside. They were in disbelief, they were upset. They were¡­ Just so damn relieved he was alright. Finally reacting to the smell of iron in the air, Aida asked Redmond to help her fill the bathtub with some hot water. Harlow asked as many questions about werewolves and the night watchers as he could. ¡°I checked for bite marks and scratches, but we should take him to a healer in the morning anyway. We don¡¯t have many werewolves in the frontier and I don¡¯t know how they turn other people.¡± They went pale at the thought. Aida was cleaning Harlan in silence, she stopped asking questions after a few minutes of him not answering, she didn¡¯t want to push him too much, she was angry, she wasn¡¯t sure who to focus it on, but the boy was the only one she was sure shouldn¡¯t have to face it. ¡°Did I do something bad?¡± Harlan finally spoke ¡°What? No, of course not honey, it was just a monster, it''s not your fault.¡± ¡°If I turned into one of those would I be a monster too?¡± Aida froze, she was trying to push those kinds of thoughts out of her head. She kept scrubbing him until he was completely free of blood, she was checking for any signs of scratches or teeth marks as she went. ¡°No matter what you are, you will still be our little boy.¡± ¡°Then it wasn¡¯t a monster, Autumn said I wasn¡¯t supposed to hurt people with what she taught me. I broke my promise, is she going to be mad?¡± ¡°No, she will understand that you didn¡¯t have a choice, she will care more that you are safe.¡± Harlan brightened a little at that, he still wasn¡¯t sure if killing people was alright, but his worries were lessened. ¡°But why were you reading out there anyway? You should¡¯ve been sleeping.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t sleep.¡± Aida stuttered for a moment before continuing to dry him ¡°Huh¡­¡± She thought for the first time since she saw him those years ago, what actually is he? The village healer said he was human, but what if he was something else? She thought more before deciding she wasn¡¯t lying before, he was her little boy before any questions of humanity came into play, and that was final. She finished getting him dressed and brought him into her room for the night, Redmond and Harlow were still talking about the implications of what happened, but she didn¡¯t want him out of her sight for a moment, and she needed to sleep. Morning came, Aida looked over, seeing Harlan was still there and not something else calmed her. She brought him with her to start on breakfast before the girls got up, she wasn¡¯t sure how or if she should tell them. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. When the girls woke up and sat at the table she gave Harlow a look, she didn¡¯t want to mention it until they got back from the village healer. Harlow nodded and spoke ¡°Girls, I¡¯ll be taking Harlan into the village with me today, I¡¯ll tell you what it''s about after we get back. Redmond will help with the chores while we¡¯re gone.¡± The girls didn¡¯t think much of it until he walked out carrying Harlan without even eating breakfast. ¡°Do you think Harlan is sick?¡± Amber asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Harlan¡¯s never been sick before, I guess it had to happen eventually, he didn¡¯t even tell us good morning.¡± Autumn said. ¡°Daddy said he¡¯ll tell us later anyway¡± Ava just shrugged. Harlan rarely got to go into the village, he was strong for his age but too young to understand how to haggle well. He would¡¯ve been excited if not for the reason he was going, it took them 30 minutes on their ox pulled cart to reach it. The healer¡¯s home/office was prominently centered in the village so it was clear to reach from whichever road someone took to reach it, and nestled between the guardhouse and the adventurers guild, the two most common places to find people injured. Harlow walked in carrying Harlan, there were a few others ahead of him, but when he explained why he was there in a hushed tone to the healer''s assistant she rushed to get her. The healer, Elanor, came out with a false sense of calmness, trying not to rile up the other patients or give them reason to start gossiping about what might be so important that Harlow was seen before the rest of them. He brought Harlan into the exam room and Elanor started casting more spells than he would see in a year in rapid succession, sometimes going to her bookshelf and flipping through pages before muttering to herself after 10 minutes she finally spoke. ¡°I can confirm he is not infected. Though he is still very pale, make sure he spends a bit more time outside. And that will be 90 bronze coins since I didn¡¯t need to actually heal anything.¡± Harlow profusely thanked her and went to get Harlan, he was gone. Harlan slipped outside while his father and the healer were talking, he wanted answers, he wandered around until he found the guardhouse. He rushed inside and went to the first person he saw in armor. ¡°How do I be strong.¡± He said it with such gusto the guard couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Haha, alright kid, what happened? Chased around by a goat or something.¡± ¡°It was a werewolf.¡± This time the entire place burst into laughter, until Harlan explained everything, the first Guard turned stern and rushed him to the captain. ¡°Explain it to him.¡± The guard¡¯s tone said this was an order, not a question. Harlan explained it again, more stern looks, the captain waved the guard over and whispered something to him. ¡°We are going to take you to the healer now.¡± Another order. ¡°I was just there.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t see why they needed too ¡°We will check with her then.¡± Once the guard stepped into the office he was asked by Harlow if he had seen a pale boy with black hair, the guard took Harlow back to the captain after he spoke with Elanor. While waiting for the guard to return the captain looked through his recent messages for anything from the Nightwatchers, under a few reports of the night guards he found it, a pristine letter with a black border which read. ¡®This letter is regarding an incident last night, 10th day of the 6th month of the 1537th year post age of gods. At roughly 7 in the evening two nightwatchers, Graybeard and Red Wind, entered into your jurisdiction while chasing a werewolf who had lost control and slain his family. They encountered a cave which he was hidden in. They set traps and waited until nightfall for him to leave the cave, At roughly 11:30 the werewolf exited the cave and the nightwatchers engaged him, losing a wolfhound in the process, after roughly 20 minutes of fighting he fled to a farm due east where he attempted to take a child as a hostage, the child used a touch based unstructured darkness spell to free himself and then finish off the werewolf. nightwatcher Red Wind gave an exam to the child and confirmed he was not infected at the time; this incident is considered resolved at this time, a full report can be requested in 2 days time.¡¯ After reading over the report a second time and verifying its seal he folded it back up and placed it in a black folder. ¡°Alright, you are free to go.¡± ¡°How do I get stronger?¡± Harlan wasn¡¯t satisfied with everyone he asked, not answering the question. The captain sighed and reached into a dresser drawer full of scrolls. ¡°I¡¯ll humor you, this is the basic guards exercise scroll, now go.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Harlan bowed and walked out of the room, getting a chuckle for the captain who waved him away and went back to his reports. ¡°Harlan¡­ you really shouldn¡¯t just wander off like that, if you did that to your mother she would do more than just brush it off, she is very worried right now. When we get home, you¡¯ll hide that scroll, do your chores, and then do whatever else your mother asks you to do. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want to feel weak like that again, but it''s much more important that you stay safe. She¡¯s¡­ She¡¯s had to deal with a lot from when your uncle joined the army, so don¡¯t do that, and make sure you give her a hug and a smile.¡± Harlan went home and followed his fathers advice. The only other hiccup was the girls'' reactions, Ava and Amber cried with worry, while Autumn was torn between giving Harlan a rest or training him harder so she didn¡¯t need to worry about him. He spent the rest of the day reading the scroll he was given, a plan forming in his little mind. Chapter 7 Autumns Farewell Harlan went through the next day like normal, he did his chores, played with his sisters, convinced Autumn that he didn¡¯t need to take a break from training after the attack, and then night came. Aida had been sleeping more lightly, Harlan had to try and dampen his noise when he snuck out, he wasn¡¯t silent, but he was a bit quieter. Then came the training, he read the scroll, a series of exercises to build muscle, improve reaction times, improve what the scroll called sixth sense, meaning to get a feeling for a threat that you don¡¯t know about, and finally a few more mundane pieces of advice about keeping to a schedule to develop an internal clock and lifting with his legs. He started with muscle training, 20 rock lifts, jumping up and down from a stump 20 times, 20 pull ups from a branch, and running for 10 minutes. Repeated until he couldn¡¯t do it anymore, then rest for 15 minutes. Harlan was too sore by the 10th rock lift to keep going so he tried to jump to a stump, but his small size had him unable to find a stump at the right height he settled for just jumping back and forth, he could run for the 10 minutes but he was huffing and puffing, he did 10 pull ups before he couldn¡¯t do anymore. Harlan hadn¡¯t thought training would be so hard. Harlan thought 15 minutes just doing nothing was a waste of time. ¡°Maybe I should try that internal clock thing.¡± He didn¡¯t have a clock to check if his idea of a second was right but Autumn had taught him the ring of light spell, he just had to put the same amount of mana into the spell every time and count in seconds with his eyes close, if it was already faded away he was slow, if it was still there he was fast. He would need a lot more work on that one. As soon as the sky started to lighten he headed back inside, hoping Aida wasn¡¯t awake to catch him, not as tired as he thought he should be, those 15 minutes always had him back in perfect shape afterwards, he still didn¡¯t sleep, just laid in bed waiting for the others to wake up. The next day was mostly the same, but since Redmond¡¯s leave was almost over Harlan asked to help put a swinging log in a tree. ¡°What would you need a swinging log for?¡± ¡°Uh, training.¡± Redmond didn¡¯t get it but helped him anyway, using a bit of magic to grow a vine around a round log and letting it swing back and forth. ¡°Oh, can you make me a little stump too?¡± ¡°Alright, now you gotta tell me what you¡¯re up to.¡± Harlan opened his mouth before thinking about how much he should say. ¡°I got the guard captain to give me a training scroll so I can be strong but dad said I shouldn¡¯t tell mom.¡± He realized he should¡¯ve maybe left a little bit of that out. ¡°Why would¡­¡± Redmond realized why Harlow wouldn¡¯t want Aida to know, she had reacted¡­ poorly to his joining the army and realized Harlan might be a little more like him than he thought. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll help, and I¡¯ll give you a few more things, just don¡¯t let your mom know or she will be mad at me.¡± Redmond shaped a few rocks into balls and darts, he then put a layer of clay on a tree and put some arrays around to draw in ambient mana to reform itself. Here, a target and some things to throw at it. ¡°Your sisters can use this stuff too, it¡¯ll help with some hand eye coordination, don¡¯t want to miss with spells, you can¡¯t do fireballs and stuff yet right?¡± ¡°Autumn said Amber will teach me when I¡¯m a bit older and have enough mana to not pass out from a couple of them.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Harlan continued his nightly routine for the rest of the month, on top of Autumns training and Redmond helping them all out before his leave finally ended he improved by leaps and bounds, he didn¡¯t know how long getting strong would take, but he felt like he had time, he couldn¡¯t really feel more muscles on his arms but he could do the repetition of exercises completely. Then the month was over and it was time to say goodbye to Autumn. The carriage was supposed to pick her up in the morning so she could get started on her training to be a noble lady as soon as she got to Count Redwall¡¯s manor; Harlow kept back the best vegetables from the fields, bought nicer bread and fruit juice, and even slaughtered the best sheep for the farewell party. ¡°It''s not like I¡¯m going to be gone forever you guys, it¡¯s¡­ It''s going to be just fine¡± Autumn was excited and terrified in equal measure, it was like a storybook, the kind farm girl marrying the prince, well, baron at least. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. But Redmond also said he was willing to kill him if Jaramis treated her poorly, only stoking her fears about ending up as a baby maker after he gets bored of her. ¡°I know, you¡¯ll just be a quarter days travel on away.¡± Harlow kept his worries out of his voice far better than her. Ava and Aida cried and hugged her in equal measure, Harlan getting in when he could. Amber was silent, she was happy for her, but felt like Autumn was going to live a better life and leave them behind, only after Autumn gave her a little pep talk did she clear away her fears. Harlan trained the entire night, waiting for the carriage to come in the morning to take his sister away. It came just before dawn, one carriage in bright red with white trim, the Redwall crest was a brick pattern on a diamond shape. It was followed by a smaller one made with a duller red and a smaller crest, servant''s carriage. Harlan walked inside to wake everyone up, surprised at how early they came. Autumn made herself presentable as soon as she could, fretting over her every item, making sure she brought with everything that mattered to her, leaving all but a few dresses; they would give her more once she got there, she thought. She stepped into the main room, everyone ready to give her a farewell hug, everyone held in their tears this time. Then she stepped outside followed by the rest of the family, the driver stepped down from the carriage and opened the door. Jaramis was snoring so loudly he ruined the moment, waking up after the driver cleared his throat for the 3rd time. He bolted awake and stepped out from the carriage as if nothing happened. ¡°Greetings my betrothed, shall we spar? I brought training weapons.¡± The driver barely jolted, knowing how impulsive the heir could be. ¡°Of course¡± Autumn expected something like this, she knew from the first meeting how he was. They moved to the open area near the treeline, not wanting to damage anything. Autumn with spear in hand, Jaramis sword drawn, they stared at the other, waiting for them to make the first move. Autumn started with a thrust, Jaramis countered by deflecting with his blade, dodging into her instead of away, Jaramis closed in and stopped the blunted blade before it contacted her neck. ¡°I need to learn more.¡± Autumn was dejected, but Jaramis had far more time to hone his fighting style. Harlan asked to spar next, before Aida and Harlow could stop him Jaramis had already said yes and brought over a dagger sized for him. Harlan barely got started when he realized there was a blade already in front of him. ¡°I like your spirit but you¡¯re a bit young to be fighting anyway.¡± Jaramis ruffled Harlan¡¯s hair and walked back to the rest of the family. Harlan was frozen, he realized how much farther he needed to go. Jaramis whispered something to his driver and went back to chat with the family. The driver gave some sign to the driver of the servant carriage who climbed down and opened the door. Out stepped an Ibexian stood 7 feet tall. The first thought Harlan had was how long would it be before he was stronger than that person. Jaramis began ¡°This here is Ar¡¯Kass, he was a farmer back in the Confederacy before he moved here. We found him selling himself for a good price and we confirmed he has a good record.¡± Harlan knew what the word slave meant, but didn¡¯t really understand how a person could sell themselves or be sold to someone. ¡°Pleasure to meet you, I am Ar¡¯kassivirum of the White Horns, you may call me Kass.¡± the Ibexian had a voice deeper than anything they had ever heard before, Ava hid behind Harlow. ¡°Worry not, I like children.¡± Kass flashed a smile having the exact opposite effect, it was Amber''s turn to hide behind Harlow, Ava would¡¯ve started crying if she could see past her father. ¡°Whoa¡­ can I touch your horns?¡± Harlan had a very different view of him, all he saw was a giant goatman, and he was enamored by him. ¡°Yes manling, I don¡¯t mind.¡± Kass had a laugh that you could feel in your bones, he lifted Harlan onto his shoulder and let him hang on his horns. It helped Harlan distract Harlan from the loss he felt with Autumn leaving, a childish distraction. ¡°I do believe it is time for us to go then, since I assume you have no issues with your slave.¡± Jaramis smiled at Harlow, who was just looking at Harlan hanging onto Kass¡¯s horns. ¡°Yes, yes¡­ I think this should be fine, and I do hope you treat my daughter well.¡± Harlow technically didn¡¯t have the right by law to threaten the boy, but implied should be fine. ¡°Of course, and I don¡¯t mind the threat! She is your daughter after all.¡± He was strangely happy to be threatened, for him it meant that Harlow cared. He took Autumn¡¯s hand in his, told his driver to secure her trunk and then drove away, leaving the rest of them standing there. Aida finally let herself cry. ¡°Worry not, my mother cried for me when I came here, and look at me now.¡± Aida was taken aback at how friendly the Ibexian was. ¡°Yes, I guess I know she will be fine. And we¡¯ll see her for the wedding¡­¡± The rest of the day passed normally, with Kass having no objections to the work he did, humming a tune from his people all the while, answering any question Harlan had to ask of him. Meanwhile Autumn was in a fight for her life, the air was being squeezed out of her lungs, her ribs felt like they would break, and the count''s tailor was not impressed with her. He demanded she slim down as he wouldn¡¯t make the dresses for her any larger. Jaramis in turn was unhappy with the tailor insulting his fiance, they argued in circles stopping only when Autumn flexed and ripped the seams on her dress. Finally, the tailor relented, mumbling something about women being dainty instead of barbarians. chapter 8 Autumns Days and a Revelation Autumn¡¯s days were filled with training, how to sit, how to stand, the exact range of degrees which it is acceptable to bow to certain ranks, and which words would be appropriate to say to which ranks. Her respite was sleep, the meals were still mostly learning about which fork and spoon and knife were to be used for each meal. She loved every second of her combat training with Jaramis, she had to learn the sword as well as the spear, it was the weapon of nobles of course. Her teacher gave pointers on her footwork, trained her sixth sense, and improved her reaction time by leaps and bounds. By the end of the third week she could measure her bow to within 3 degrees by instinct alone, she knew the uses of more silverware than she thought could possibly exist, but with each completed subject another took its place. House crests, the ranks of surrounding houses, followed by the ranks of distant houses and their crests, political landscapes etc. If she didn¡¯t get to blow off some steam with sparing she would¡¯ve had an outburst by now. She also took to subtly, well not that subtly if the combat trainers look was anything to go by, poke Jaramis about getting her siblings into an Academy, he didn¡¯t seem to realize it much, he wasn¡¯t made for politics or scheming, he just wanted to swing his sword. After 2 months he thought it was his own idea to have her siblings tested for magical talent. Amber would come once a week to a magic tutor alongside Ava and they took well to it, Harlan was too young yet and still trying his hardest to build a physical base. Meanwhile on the farm things were going well, they had to build a single room cabin next to the house once they realized the only place large enough to fit Kass was the barn. Harlan took well to building, carrying tools and dragging logs, Harlow noticed he getting stronger, but until he saw him dragging small tree after small tree and magically spreading and drying clay to seal between the logs of the cabin without seeming to need any rest did it sink in, he never could¡¯ve never done such a thing as a child, more questions began to form in his head about the boy he found on the side of the road. ¡°You are doing well manling! But your mother says you must eat lunch.¡± Kass never seemed to speak without a loud boisterous voice, he was carrying several logs that sized the same as the ones Harlan could only drag along the ground. ¡°Thanks, can you tell me more stories from where you come from now.¡± ¡°We must go inside first.¡± Kass walked the short distance to the house, having to lower his head and move sideways so his horns wouldn¡¯t catch on the frame. They were having mutton stew for lunch and dinner that day. Aida hadn¡¯t thought much of it until she remembered who else was there. ¡°Oh, I hope you don¡¯t have issues with mutton since¡­ well¡­ you know¡­¡± Kass gave one of his bone shaking laughs that were becoming all the more common around there. ¡°I take no offense to eating any meats, I am no sheep. So what questions do you have for me this time little one.¡± ¡°Why are you a goat?¡± Expecting another laugh the rest of them were bracing themselves, but it didn¡¯t come. ¡°Because I am, I cannot say why, for I do not know..¡± Harlan thought it was a bit of an odd answer, so he moved to the next question. ¡°Alright, do you guys have big swords over there?¡± ¡°Most of our people like maces and spears more, we already have such a long reach that most things can¡¯t get past our spears, and those that do meet the mean end of a mace. We also like our crossbows more than your bows.¡± Kass stretched his hand and touched the ceiling with ease, then lifted Harlan to do the same. They sat and ate stew, then returned to building. Autumn had sent back her book of magic so Amber could study it between sessions, Autumn always hid it, not wanting her siblings to damage the book or try something dangerous while she wasn¡¯t watching. However, Amber slept more heavily and just wasn¡¯t as good at hiding the book, Harlan had started to read it, memorizing a chapter before putting it back and going outside to train his magic between his strength training. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. He finally felt ready to try manipulating elements beyond his touch, he made his hand glow, then tried to move it away, push the mana out of his body, by the time dawn was approaching he had managed to make a barely visible ball of light that he couldn¡¯t move but it held in the air for a few minutes. He had made clear progress at it, and that was enough for him. On his way inside he realized that someone was watching him. Kass was already up and watching the sun rise, he held a large stick with a rock strapped to the end, he spoke without facing the boy. ¡°I don¡¯t sleep as much as you humans, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you sleep once since I got here. What do you say in your defense, Fomorian. ¡± he turned and locked eyes with the boy. Harlan felt his hair rise and his blood run cold, he didn¡¯t know what exactly Kass meant, but he knew being called a Fomorian wasn¡¯t good, something deep in his gut said so. ¡°I-i-i don¡¯t know what a Fomorian is¡­¡± He gulped. He knew he didn¡¯t stand a chance if this turned to a fight, and he didn¡¯t understand why it would, but he knew it could, training his sixth sense was more than just dodging a log when you couldn¡¯t see it, it was a gut feeling, and his was telling him running couldn¡¯t save him if he tried. ¡°Your skin is abnormally pale, never tanning, your irises seem to shift like smoke, you¡¯ve not slept in at least 3 weeks. You heal from minor scrapes in minutes, have you ever even been sick? Yet you claim to know nothing?¡± ¡°W-whats a Fomorian?¡± ¡°A man thing, human but not, they never leave their wilds, and they have abnormal magics, you¡­ you truly do not know? Where do you come from? these are not your people.¡± ¡°Papa said he found me in the woods as a baby.¡± Kass furrowed his brows. ¡°We shall speak with him when he wakes, you will stay still until then. I am sorry for this.¡± And so they sat, speaking no more, until 2 hours which felt like 12 passed, and Aida looked out the window to see them outside, thinking it odd she went out. ¡°What are you doing up so early Harlan? Chatting with Kass here?¡± ¡°Aida, where does the boy come from?¡± Aida laughed for a moment, ready to explain the birds and the bees before she realized how tense the air was, Kass had a tight grip on his improvised mace, Harlan had sweat beading off him, she had hardly ever seen him sweat before, and the morning air was still chilly. ¡°H-harlow found him on the side of the road¡­ why does it matter?¡± she was starting to get angry, how dare he threaten her son. ¡°Have you ever seen him sleep? Get sick? His skin ever tan? His eyes ever still? Ever seen his small cuts and scrapes last more than a few hours?¡± Her blood ran cold, not knowing what he meant by all of it, did he know something about her son that she didn¡¯t? Was this some long con of a Fae after all? ¡°If that is the truth then perhaps it doesn¡¯t matter what he is¡­ I must apologize for my harsh actions, even if he is of their blood he is yours now.¡±The tension cleared, but no one moved. Harlan had felt like Kass said so much and yet didn¡¯t explain a single thing. ¡°But what is a Formorian then?¡± Harlan didn¡¯t want to settle for some non-answer. Kass was shocked by the audacity of him, staring at him for a few moments before giving his answer. ¡°They are the enemy of all who are not them, if they could leave their lands and grow like humans they would¡¯ve either conquered or destroyed all of this world. Your people most likely have encountered them in the frontier, they are a relic from another time that I shall not speak of. Their flesh is like steel, a woman the size of your mother could break my bones with single strikes, they defile the dead, forcing new souls into them, sending them to raid and hunt outside of their lands. My people have been at war with them everywhere they exist, we are limited in our expansions because of this, the only reason I am here as a slave is the famine their undead have wrought. We are still paying our debts to your kingdom, our lives for your grain. I cannot excuse my actions, but surely you see why I have committed them?¡± Kass wasn¡¯t a man who wanted to fight people without reason, it was why he left his home. He felt guilt for having even suspected Harlan to be anything but a normal boy, but he couldn¡¯t let it go until he knew. Harlan and Aida had no idea what to even think anymore, one thought he was a monster, the other thought about how much danger her brother was in without telling her, and if he knew the entire time. ¡°I¡­ I think I should make breakfast.¡± Aida was in shock, pretending things were fine, but her movements were upset by a twitch here and there. Harlan just sat, wondering if he should still be here, if his being here meant more of them were around, if they found out how to leave their lands, if he was the first sign of something bad. He cried, when he thought he was an odd human, at least he didn¡¯t feel like he was guilty for what happened to Kass and his people. Kass tried to comfort him. Harlow came out after a time, glancing at the odd scene, pure confusion across his face, why was Harlan crying, why did Kass have some makeshift mace, and why was Aida cooking breakfast like nothing was happening. Kass explained it to him and they both agreed not to tell the girls. The next few weeks were awkward to say the least, Aida eventually realized that nothing had really changed, they just knew more, Harlow was recontextualizing everything he knew about his only son, in the end it didn¡¯t matter to him, Harlan was not those other people. Despite their efforts Harlan couldn¡¯t help but feel bad, so he trained, not caring about if someone caught him running courses around the house before dawn, Harlow coming out to watch him sometimes and try to cheer him up. Amber and Ava were worried and they weren¡¯t being told anything, Autumn couldn¡¯t just come back home to try and figure out what in the world had happened. She did the next best thing, asking for the rest of them to come over and learn some manners since they would be at the wedding. Chapter 9 Acceptance of Self Amber and Ava returned from their magic tutoring with news of them all coming over to learn manners before the wedding, and met with¡­ mixed reactions. Harlan ignored them and kept meditating, Aida was grateful to get to go to a noble''s mansion while they sent workers to help Kass run the farm, Harlow was worried that if Fomorians were well known and bad that someone who knew something would see Harlan. They all pretended things were fine again and put on happy faces. ¡°Oh thats wonderful.¡± Aida was the only one to break out of their thoughts and speak. ¡°Let¡¯s get inside and you can help me with dinner.¡± Another dinner with Aida trying to clear the tension and not let them all sit in silence, Harlan went back outside to meditate after helping to clean up. Ava still shared a room with Harlan but Amber was over in Autumn¡¯s old room, she missed him at night, she never had to sleep alone before now. She decided to see what Harlan was actually doing outside every night. He jumped right onto the pull up bar and did 50 of them, then ran for some time. As soon as he rested she just sat beside him, she tried to sense what magic he was doing but all the mana was just swirling around him, never touching or forming into spells, then it all pulled towards him, making a bright ball in his chest to her mana sense. She tried to do the same thing but the mana kept touching and making bursts of elements that drained her mana quickly, she stopped after a little over 10 minutes, the ball of light in Harlan¡¯s chest just staying still, never changing in shape or size, she couldn¡¯t figure out what he was trying to do, and how he stopped the mana from clashing inside him. He didn¡¯t even understand what he was doing at first. Then he stood up and began lifting rocks over his head, he had a bunch in a line, as he grew stronger he needed bigger rocks, Ava decided to try the smallest one, she lifted it 10 times then stopped, sweating slightly, Harlan didn¡¯t even look challenged with the rock twice the size of the one she used, she counted 27 lifts, she didn¡¯t know how many times he lifted when she was doing hers, then Harlan started jumping up and down from a stone stump, she knew her uncle had made it, but she could see where Harlan had crudely made it taller with his own magic. She found a stump nearby that she could jump up and down, she counted 12 before she heard Harlan jump down the final time and walk away. He went over and grabbed a small box of shaped stones and then began throwing them at the reforming clay target her uncle set up on a tree. The stone balls sounded like either they or the tree would break if he threw them any harder, the clay splattering and hanging in the air, trying to reform as quickly as it could. It barely fared better when he started with the darts, then he started trying to pull the stone back to him, it took over 10 minutes but they were all back in the box, he handed them to Ava. She couldn¡¯t throw them as hard but she didn¡¯t miss her target once, this was something she had already been training on with fireballs. He walked over and picked them up this time, having burned a lot of his meager pool to pull them back the first time. Then he placed the box back in its hole and covered it with dirt so some goblins didn¡¯t try to steal them. Then he ran did his 50 pull ups as Ava rested, he hopped down and began to run after a few stretches, and Ava didn¡¯t bother with the stretches but still followed, he would run a small circuit around the house and Kass¡¯s cabin, a figure 8, he had lapped her once 2 minutes in, not seeming tired at all yet, then another time at 3 minutes, he was getting faster still. Then a sound of pain rang out, Ava¡¯s leg had cramped, she sat crying on the ground, Harlan froze, he couldn¡¯t keep going, he turned around and rushed over to see what was wrong. ¡°My leg cramped, carry me inside please.¡± She tried to walk but she still couldn¡¯t use her leg yet. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°I know how to fix it.¡± Harlan started cycling fire and then water mana into his hands, the hot and cold soothed her muscles, she still had a little pain but she could stand. ¡°Will you help me inside still?¡± Harlan looked like he wanted to say something. He let her lean on him and helped her inside and tucked her into bed. ¡°Why won¡¯t you tell us what''s wrong?¡± Harlan tried to flee, not ready to face the pain of Ava and Amber rejecting him, he was paranoid, a little voice telling him they would reject him for what he was. But Ava held tightly to his sleeve. ¡±I¡¯m¡­ not really human.¡± ¡°Ok? Kass isn¡¯t human but that''s fine, at least sleep tonight, I¡­ I don¡¯t like the dark when I¡¯m alone¡­¡± Ava didn¡¯t really understand, but neither did Harlan, he felt a lot better regardless. Harlan thought about going back outside more, but he decided just to do his soul searching inside. He started gathering mana of all elements in equal quantity and spacing them out in a sphere pattern, it had taken him days to get them to stop clashing with one another, he began to slowly draw them into himself, checking another spot, he could feel the mana ripped throughout him, searching for something. He finally felt it touch on something, he found his soul, a small ball made of flickering white and black flames, he somehow knew he was dark aligned but finding out he had light in him soothed his mind some. He had no idea how long he just stared at his flaming soul trying to see how or why it made mana, but he felt tired like he never had before, he crawled into bed and slept for the first time. Flashes of violence, someone screaming, a woman carrying something, placing it on the ground and running in the opposite direction, the chasing shadow ran after her. Harlan awoke in a cold sweat, he didn¡¯t know what dreaming was supposed to be like but he was sure that''s what a nightmare was. Breakfast was nicer, Ava looked haggard by the training last night, barely keeping her eyes open as she ate. ¡°I¡¯m ok now, I don¡¯t mind not being human, what those other people did isn¡¯t my fault.¡± Aida and Harlow dropped their silverware and froze, Kass looked relieved, he had forgiven the boy for the sins he never committed but felt awkward about threatening him. Amber was starting to get scared that everyone else reacted so strongly towards Harlan and tried to process what he was talking about. ¡°That''s nice.¡± Ava didn¡¯t get all the implications but she was glad he was starting to talk again. I¡¯ll¡­ explain things when your sister is around, no point saying it all again.¡° Harlow decided that it''s best to just clear the air finally. Harlan did Ava¡¯s chores since she didn¡¯t get enough sleep last night, and then not much else happened for the next few days, Harlan was speaking again, riding around on Kass¡¯s shoulder and asking for whatever he knew about the Fomorians, this led to some awkward silence until Kass realized how much could be learned from a Fomorian who could actually be questioned, he decided to send a letter back home when the family left to learn manners, asking for some others to come up and study him from a if nothing else they could feed questions to Kass to ask Harlan. The whole family made themselves as presentable as they could for their tutoring session, they were going at the same time Amber and Ava would learn magic. What they didn¡¯t expect was that Jaramis wanted to come so he could talk with the rest of the family on the way there, both sides learned about the other till they were about to arrive and Harlan asked a question. ¡°Have you heard of Fomorians? I heard someone in the village say the name but they wouldn¡¯t tell me what they were.¡± Jaramis had training for avoiding questions and not showing too much reaction to things, but the stories he had heard of Fomorians made his movements stutter and freeze, dozens of dead men, fighting until they were little more than lumps of flesh, living towers with too many arms and mouths to count chanting and weaving dozens of spells at the forces that wiped out the rest of the Fomorians. ¡°No I can¡¯t say I have, let¡¯s get back to some stories of you, how have you been training yourself lately? Autumn tells me she was the one showing you guys how to do magic before she came here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been training every night, I lift a rock over my head 50 time, jump up and down from a stump 50 times, run for 15 minutes, then 50 pull ups and mana training for 30 minutes while I rest.¡± Jaramis was shocked at how casual he made it all sound, then he started to think about how long he could do such a thing, he recalled more memories of the Fomorians, most never slept, he took in the boys skin, pale in the summer months? Jaramis paled in turn, did they know? Was this all a trap? He remained silent for the 20 minutes, they had finally arrived, Autumn was at the doorway waiting for them. Jaramis spoke to the nearest guard, and he moved into the house, arriving 2 minutes later along with 20 more guards that all had their hands on their weapons. ¡°I think it would be best if we all had a private talk with my father.¡±
The Light and The Darkness spoke of champions and heroes of the past, an odd topic for her he thought, but casually talking to the rest of them at all was odd for her. Chapter 10 Fear of the Unknown The family was led down the halls of the mansion in a tight formation by the guards and Jaramis. Servants turning back or standing to the side whenever they saw them, this was not a place where prisoners would be brought but the family didn¡¯t look like diplomats. After a few minutes of walking Jaramis knocked on the door to his father''s study, he was going over the finances with his ministers. ¡°To what do I owe the pleasure, surely I am not needed to teach manners.¡± Baron Redwall loved his son, but knew he didn¡¯t exactly think everything through before doing it. Jaramis whispered in his ear and he cleared his study. His ministers didn¡¯t question the order, but they tried their best to get a look at the people inside the group of guards. One stepped too closely and a guard nearly drew on him, at that point they all realized something was very wrong and fled the room as quickly as they could. ¡°Bring the boy and the father first.¡± Redwall called out. The guards parted and Harlow and Harlan both walked forward without needing to be shoved. ¡°Are you aware of what the boy is?¡± ¡°We learned a little over a week ago, the slave you sent threatened him before explaining what he believes he is.¡± ¡°And the slave did not attack the boy? A surprise to say the least. And I assume then that you are not related by blood, and that you would speak this as the truth?¡± ¡°Yes Sir.¡± ¡°Then we will make sure, Guard, bring me a small blade and 2 vials from my lab.¡± Harlow tensed upon hearing him ask for the blade. The guard returned moments later. ¡°Both of you are to hold out your hand, palm facing the floor, slowly, we shall draw and test the blood.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t flinch when the blade slipped through his palm like there wasn¡¯t nothing there, not an overly deep cut, another guard stepped forward to heal the cut once the small vial was filled. ¡°I shall test the vials myself, this shouldn¡¯t take long.¡± Redwall placed both vials on a piece of paper he had written out some kind of rune on, it lit up in a sinister red light typical of true blood magic. Both vials glowed, a tendril of light touched between them, and then both vials went dark. ¡°Alright, you are not the father at least. I won¡¯t bother testing the rest of you since you have no traits.¡± Redwall began tapping his fingers in thought. Autumn wanted to say something but Jaramis hushed her and shook his head. ¡°We¡­ do not technically have laws preventing a Fomorian from living in the kingdom, we¡¯ve just never seen one that didn¡¯t try to kill us and puppet the dead bodies immediately afterward, And you have not caused any outright problems.¡± He kept tapping his fingers. ¡°I will inform the countess, she will likely take this higher, then someone will decide what is to be done here, until then you shall all stay here, now, on with your lessons, leave me.¡± Redwall whispered to the guard closest to him. ¡°Tell the couriers to intercept any messages from the beastfolk and check them for the word Fomorian, the letters are to then be brought directly to me.¡± He knew that things could go poorly if the Confederacy wanted the boy. Jaramis led the family to another room warded against spying. Autumn couldn¡¯t hold back anymore ¡°WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?¡± Jaramis looked embarrassed. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°How much do you know?¡± He didn¡¯t know what to think, she couldn¡¯t have known for longer than a week if her fathers word were true, but he still felt she should¡¯ve told him. ¡°My wife and Harlan are the only ones who really knew, we were planning to tell the girls the full story once we had the chance here.¡± Jaramis signed, his betrothed hadn¡¯t been keeping secrets. ¡°So then what is the full story?¡± Harlan explained every word Kass said, he had run the conversation through his head so many times it was burned into it with perfect clarity. Once he started talking about the undead Ava began to shiver a little, the subtle gesture tore through Harlan¡¯s heart. She had accepted him, but once the full truth was here she was afraid again? He felt betrayed. ¡°Is that what you were doing that night¡­ trying to learn soul magic?¡± Ava only had a vague idea of what a soul was, but she knew it was inside the chest and some people could see them, but she didn¡¯t know how. Harlan tried to speak, but he thought about it, why was he looking for his own soul? What explanation would solve her fears? He just went silent in thought. The implications of her words and his silence caused a spike of worry for the rest of them, all of them asking why he would want to do such a thing. ¡°I was trying to find my own soul, I don¡¯t know why, it just felt like the right thing to do. I can¡¯t explain it. I found it the night we talked, it was¡­ Beautiful, a bright and flickering white and black light and dark aligned I think.¡± ¡°And fire, people sometimes have 3 alignments, though 2 is the more common, and oddly only 1 being the rarest, your base alignment is fire then, with light and dark as secondaries.¡± Jaramis had learned a lot of basics of magic and how it connected to the soul, his bloodline had no special ability but some older noble houses had figured out how to modify the soul to great effect, guaranteeing alignments was one of the most mundane examples, always having twins with linked mind was on the opposite end of the spectrum, with some of the oldest family claiming no bloodline abilities at all, only fueling rumors about how odd such an ability must be to have to hide it for centuries. Count Redwall had been researching the subject for years, modifying the souls of rats, often ending up with monstrous hyper aggressive musclebound rats, or ones that gain an extreme affinity to conjure elements, but without a way to stop it they burn up the entirety of their souls. Non-magical creatures reacted poorly to having magic. ¡°Ok, but that still doesn¡¯t answer why we are prisoners.¡± Autumn still wasn¡¯t happy with the answers she got. ¡°What, of course not my dear, it''s just.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just we can¡¯t *ahem* cannot leave the mansion under a threat of some vague harm?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ well when it''s said like that, I can see your point of view dear.¡± ¡°C-can we get to our manners lessons¡­¡± Amber tried to defuse the powderkeg and try to do something normal while they were there. ¡°Yes, that is a great idea.¡± Jaramis needed to stop digging a hole for himself, he didn¡¯t have the words to fully explain such an event. They all went to learn proper manners, an excuse to get the family together and try to force whatever issue they were having out in the open, the girls thought it a great idea at the time, they all had knots in their stomachs now, feeling like they had just doomed their youngest brother if not their entire family. The lessons went well, though the tutor could practically feel the emotions coming off each of them, he felt like he was about to face a beheading, not teach peasants how to eat and walk with dignity. They all went about their days as normal, it took 3 days for the count¡¯s letter to reach the capital after being sent up the chain command, the royals had read it and sent out a special force immediately. Dinner was beef roast and an onion soup, Harlan barely got a bite when every ward and array started flashing, someone was opening a gate directly into the house, the royal seal granting them access to the Baron¡¯s home. Space shuttered and stopped, seemingly like even the air was afraid of such an effect, then a perfect rectangle was cut out, a void could be seen, then it stabilized into another room, a portal directly to a nicer high security blacksite owned by the royal family. Out stepped a man and a woman, platinum blonde hair so shining it seemed to reflect the candlelight from the table, deep purple eyes that almost seemed to glow, skin free of any blemish or mark, flanked by men in armor that hurt to look at under Harlan¡¯s constant mana sense. ¡°I welcome you into my home 4th Princess Rosewell and 7th Prince Hydran.¡± Count Redwall and Jaramis kneeled before them, everyone else in the room took a little longer to realize what was the right course of action. Hydran spoke. ¡°We have received a report of a Fomorian child that is not landlocked and non-hostile, we shall be taking him for questioning.¡± Harlan slowly approached them, if his sixth sense told him that Kass was dangerous, these 2 were world ending to him. ¡°If you cooperate we shall provide for all your needs, when we are done you may be allowed to leave, and you may be entitled to some form of reward, it is in your best interest to listen to our orders and not cause any trouble intentionally or otherwise. Do the rest of you have any final words? You may not approach the child, places stay where you are while you speak to him.¡± ¡°I know you¡¯ll be fine my little baby boy.¡± Aida said, tears in her eyes, not believing she would ever see him again. ¡°Just listen to them, I know it''s going to be fine.¡± Harlow spoke with a false confidence. ¡°We¡¯re sorry, we shouldn¡¯t have brought you here, it''s all our fault.¡± The girls spoke over one another, crying like he was already dead. ¡°It''s fine, I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m ready now.¡± 2 of the armored men stepped behind him, 2 in the front, led by the prince and princess. It would be 3 years before any of them saw him again.
A bright light appeared in the mind of the little girl, only a few people were like that but this one wasn¡¯t one of them. She hoped they were like the woman and not the man. Chapter 11 The Facility They stepped through the portal, the final man closing it, Harlan had never heard much about teleportation, nor did he hear its effects on the body. Rosewell had a bucket ready and handed it to him, he looked confused until he felt a sudden rush of nausea wash over him. Once he was done dry heaving he spoke. ¡°Thank you very much, Miss Rosewell.¡± ¡°That is your highness 4th Princess Rosewell you are speaking too welp, you shall address her prope-¡± Rosewell struck her younger brother. ¡°He¡¯s just a boy, not some cadet. My apologies for my younger brother, he hasn¡¯t realized how little being the 7th son of the king really means.¡± ¡°How dare you!¡± Rosewell placed a field of silence around him, letting him yell into the void. ¡°Come, I will give you the tour after our interview.¡± Harlan followed, some of his tension relieved by her friendly demeanor. They exited the small room used for when they have to gate someone into a smaller adjoining room with little more than a table and 2 chairs. ¡°Please sit, I am going to interview you about your abilities. First off, alignments?¡± ¡°Fire is my first, then light and dark secondary. Someone told me that because my soul looks like a flame that flickers white and black sometimes.¡± ¡°Perfect. Bloodline?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Do you have any special traits that set you apart from normal people?¡± ¡°Oh, I rarely sleep, my skin is always pale, my body heals faster, I¡¯m stronger, but I still had to train to get stronger, I have never been sick.¡± ¡°Now when you say my body heals faster how quickly exactly, we do have tests for such things and those will be¡­ unpleasant.¡± ¡°Small cuts like if my hand catches on a stuck out nail don¡¯t scab over, they just heal in a few hours, I never thought much about it so I never counted.¡± ¡°Alright, we will be doing tests but that sounds like a minor healing factor, speeds up the bodies own healing but isn¡¯t actually pulling in light mana by instinct. Now where do you come from? Do you know?¡± ¡°I¡­ I was found as a baby, I don¡¯t know, but I had a nightmare the first time I slept, a week ago. It might¡¯ve been something, but I couldn¡¯t really make out much, a woman holding something, setting it down and being chased by shadows.¡± Rosewell knew what shadows were, and did not like the idea that he was worth sending shades after. ¡°Have you ever killed anyone?¡± ¡°It¡­ he was a werewolf, he had me, and I killed him¡­¡± ¡°Did you hear a voice when this happened?¡± ¡°The voice told me to let it out, I think it meant my mana.¡± ¡°What mana type did you use at the time?¡± ¡°Dark, I think. I just¡­ flooded my hands with it and his body burst when I touched him. What is the voice?¡± ¡°That¡¯s an answer scholars have been asking since well before my time, we don¡¯t know yet, but it''s not directly malevolent, it cannot make people do anything, but we are absolutely sure that it''s something and not just a sort of mass hallucination caused by dark mana.¡± She lied as easily as she breathed. ¡°Alright, now, I knew most of the answers to those questions minus your nightmare, we were told most of this by the letter sent by Count Redwall and a letter intercepted by an Ibexian, named Kass, a slave on your farm, he was going to tell his people about you so they could study you. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. This was more of an honesty test. We do not consider you a threat at the moment. All that¡¯s left is a medical examination to check for the presence of any contraband or geas that might be binding you. And getting you dressed in your uniform.¡± Rosewell placed her hand on his chest and chanted something, her lips barely moved, he couldn¡¯t make out the words, she furrowed her brows as the light seemed to catch something inside him. ¡°Are you aware of the geas you are under?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The geas¡± Harlan stared at her blankly, not in a pretending to not know way, but as if he couldn¡¯t hear her whenever she tried to ask about it, more bad news. ¡°Alright, you are cleared, we can do more testing of your abilities later.¡± she pulled a white badge and a white jumpsuit out of a spatial bag ¡°You need to put these on, you will change in front of me to ensure that you have no physical markings that could provide us with clues of your abilities, do you have any issue with this?¡± Harlan left the interview room back into the gate room bright red from embarrassment, then left from the only other door into what seemed to be the main room, the ceiling stretched up 40 feet, 3 floors with numbered door where the facility workers lived, on the ground floor there was 4 doors in each direction leading to other large rooms where the children would have their rooms. As well as many single unmarked doors leading who knows where. The architecture was brutalist, looking more like a very nice prison than anything else, the walls were a simple gray stone, faintly shining under Harlan¡¯s vision due to plates of enchanted metal in the walls preventing the massive structure from being found or disturbed. ¡°This is the royal facility made for talented or otherwise odd children, those who have some distant relation to a noble and their bloodline awakens mostly, the noble families very much do not like bastards to inherit their bloodlines; so they are brought here to prevent them from being killed, and if there was to be a need for a noble house to be replaced these children have a provable birthright. You will be studied and your abilities will be recorded, we will also look for skills which you have that are unique or can be replicated for use by normal mages. You will not be with the noble bastards though, you will be with the¡­ odd children, unknown bloodlines that seem to have come from nowhere, those who were cursed or blessed by a Fae and we cannot tell which yet. We will be going through this door, you won¡¯t see the sun or the moon here so try to remember this way is south.¡± They passed through a hallway, maybe 60 feet long, it had alcoves on each side that a soldier could hide in if something happened and they needed to force their way into the other large chamber under a barrage of spells. ¡°This is¡­ nicer than I thought it would be. I didn¡¯t know what I was thinking it would be.¡± ¡°Just because we dragged you here against your will doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re all that bad, some threats don¡¯t know they are threats yet, many of the children in our section were only found after accidentally killing someone.¡± ¡°Our section?¡± ¡°We only have 2 currently occupied sections, the nobles are under the watch of my younger brother, I have been charged with keeping watch of the odd ones, that is your unofficial name. Now. Before we step through this door there are some rules you must know.
  1. do not antagonize the other children, some are in a rather fragile state, as I mentioned some of them killed others by accident, if they were lucky it was a natural reaction to being harmed, if they were unlucky it was a loved one turning a corner too quickly and spooking them.
  2. No fighting, even if you are attacked first you are to defend yourself and if you can others, but never strike back, this ties into the first rule, they may not mean to attack you.
  3. Pay attention to badge color, I gave you a white badge, you have no violent record and your ability to fight is in your full control so far as we know.
A red badge is for someone who has hurt others intentionally, yellow for unintentionally, green for those who are unable to fully control their powers but are unlikely to lose control.¡± ¡°Is there a black badge?¡± ¡°Alright let me show you to your room, then you may have dinner.¡± she dodged the question without blinking, Harlan tried not to think of why she would ignore the question instead of just denying it existed. They entered into the odd ones area, he had been taken at dinner time, yet it was just starting here, Harlan didn¡¯t know much of time zones but he knew enough to realize he was far away from home. ¡°The stairs are right here, your room is 221, so second flood, 21st on your left, once you have found your room and imprinted your mana signature you may come back down to eat.¡± She went back through the door, she would be gated back to the royal palace to eat dinner and engage in awkward conversation. Harlan found his room, maybe 15x15 with a 10 foot ceiling, a small bathroom separated by a sliding door. it was larger than his room back home, and he didn¡¯t need to share it. Harlan tried to look at the bright side but was very homesick already, he didn¡¯t mind sharing a room with his sisters. He started to sob lightly before he went out to eat dinner and mingle with the other children. It finally set in, he might never see them again, he might never leave this place, he started crying heavily. Then he heard a knock on his door.
She watched, time unraveled before her in a thousand thousand threads, she could only do so much to keep him on the track she wanted, knots kept forming, her shadow kept seeking out the seers to question and kill as needed. Chapter 12 Meeting the Odd Ones Harlan decided to open the door, on the other side he saw a girl, younger than him, yellow badge. Her eyes flashed in the colors of the rainbow and her hair had a strong sheen to it. He felt his mind shudder briefly before he heard a voice ¡°Hello. You feel sad, can I help?¡± He wasn¡¯t sure what she meant. ¡°I heard your mind, you felt very sad, that¡¯s what I meant.¡± Her eyes stopped shifting for a moment and the sound stopped¡­ or was it sound? ¡°Nope! I can talk right into your head!¡± The girl was excited for a new arrival, he didn¡¯t think there would be children so¡­ happy here. ¡°It¡¯s not so bad here.¡± He wondered how she got such a powe- ¡°A Fae heard me crying so she took my sound and gave me¡­ this.¡± It sounded like she had rehearsed the explanation many times befor- ¡°Miss Rosewell says we shoul-¡± Harlan was starting to get upset, he couldn¡¯t tune her out, she seemed to try and finish every thought he finis- ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± He could tell she was upset, probably at herself, her tears fell as she ran away without a sound. It didn¡¯t take much to catch up to her, she had clearly never trained her body. He looked her right in the eyes and thought as hard as he could. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to make you cry, I¡¯m sorry, do you want to show me what¡¯s for dinner?¡± She dried her eyes and sniffled, but the sniffle made no sounds at all, the Fae had taken her more than her voice, she had lost any means to make sounds for expression. ¡°Yeah, that would be nice.¡± The other children gave them a wide berth, they had clearly already grown old of the feeling of someone else in their mind. ¡°Tonight is tomato soup and bread with herbs and cheese, it¡¯s my favorite! And we get sweet bread for dessert! Also we-¡± Harlan felt awkward, first he had to clearly speak in his mind to not let her pick up stray thoughts, and secondly he never had a little sister, he didn¡¯t know how to react to her constant stream of consciousness. He thought she was a little annoying ¡°I¡¯m no-¡± and a little cute. She smiled at that, trying to hum for a moment before she remembered her curse. She led him to a table, all yellow badges, all alone, the table could¡¯ve fit 20, yet it was only used by 5 including Harlan and the girl, he should¡¯ve asked her name by now. ¡°Its Esparella, they call me Relly though.¡± Harlan would need a lot more training to keep her from picking up his every little thought. ¡°Oh! She found a new chatterbox.¡± Said a girl, the rest of the group was at least 2 years older than him, if not a little older, the girl had hair, far too much hair, it was a dull orange, curled around her head, her arms, and across her chest, all in many many loops, Harlan thought if she set it straight it would be more than 3 times her height. ¡°He is not my chatterbox.¡± ¡°She says I¡¯m not a chatterbox.¡± the entire group let out a rapturous laughter. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it just means one of us doesn¡¯t need to do it any more.¡± A boy said, he was wearing what could only be called a clear hat filled with water on his head. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Name¡¯s Reet.¡± he put his hand out and Harlan shook it, it was uncomfortably warm. ¡°I was freezing in the woods, Fae heard me say I wish I was warmer. The water cap is to smother the fire, it doesn¡¯t reignite when I¡¯m wearing it. I nearly died of mana exhaustion before they found me. The rude girl is Zella.¡± Zella¡¯s hair seemed to come to life and whipped the boy. ¡°NO, BAD.¡® she began hitting her hair. All of a sudden Harlan felt a lot better about himself, his powers wouldn¡¯t kill him if he didn¡¯t put on a silly hat, he didn¡¯t have to literally fight his hair, and¡­ he stopped that thought before he upset Relly again. The last boy at the table didn¡¯t want to join in on the heckling, he just sat and ate his steak? Harlan noticed the black veins all throughout it, it was a red meat, but lean. ¡°Why is he eating a steak?¡± the boy grumbled ¡°because I said I¡¯M SO HUNGRY I COULD EAT A WARG. Now I can get powers by eating magical animals, and only magical animals. I could eat some of the soup, but I need mostly monster parts or I get sick, bone broth is fine, and they have to add bone meal to my bread. I¡¯m Ky by the way.¡± Harlan realized why people were so afraid of Fae now, what if he had muttered something stupid when out in the woods one day? Would he have 3 arms? Would he be 11 feet tall? He shuddered at the thought, ¡°Well regardless, welcome to our little group, you can¡¯t ever leave now.¡± Reet said with a mischievous grin ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been seen with all of us, we are the weirdos that no one else wants to talk to, you are branded, one of us now.¡± Zella explained. ¡°It¡¯s not so bad, now we have a new friend! And you aren¡¯t so scared when I poke around your head!¡± ¡°Does she poke around you guys'' heads too? What did you mean by a chatterbox? I¡¯m just the one who has to talk for her now?¡± ¡°Got it in one, and yeah, you better become VERY good at keeping your thoughts to yourself, she¡¯s a little tattletale.¡± ¡°I told Zella that Reet was thinking weird things about her.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to repeat that.¡± ¡°SEE, what was it? I bet it was that thing, listen, I¡¯m a growing boy, those kinda thoughts are completely normal.¡± Zella barely held back her hair this time. ¡°So.. what¡¯s your problem?¡± Zella asked. ¡°Have you heard of a Fomorian?¡± Met with shaking heads he explained what he could do, and what he should be able to do, he tried to keep his mind from wandering into the descriptions that other people gave him for what Fomorians would do to bodies but some slipped through, Relly shuddered for a moment and gave him the same look Ava gave him when she asked about what he was trying to do with his soul¡­ ¡°Who¡¯s Ava?¡± ¡°I... I don¡¯t want to talk about it right now.¡± Only a few hours ago he was with his family, they were basically in a prison, not much different from where he was now but with nicer cells. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Relly had made a bad habit of poking peoples sore spots without realizing it. After dinner they all split up, Zella said they should go back to their rooms and wait for an instructor and that Harlan might not get one until the next day at least. As he walked to his room he realized he forgot to ask how Zella got her hair like that, oh well. When he returned to his room to find Rosewell sitting on a chair that wasn¡¯t there before, a cloth covering something on his night table. ¡°I do hope you ate well, using your soul for well¡­ any magic is very demanding, I may need to increase your rations depending on how things go.¡® ¡°Why would we do that? Isn¡¯t that¡­ evil?¡± ¡°We would not be having this conversation if we believed that soul magic was some inherent evil, a little necromancy would do wonders for the kingdom if we got it working, oxen that could pull a cart from one end of the country to the other without needing a rest, mice to sabotage crops, we¡¯ve only seen a few of them but the Fomorians can even revive monsters, and that¡¯s not even getting into the weapons and armor they use, if we could make or move souls into items they could generate their own mana, cast their own spells! Oh the wonders of enchanting we could do! We could make golems without needing petrified trolls!¡± Harlan suddenly felt he knew why she was sent to look after the odd ones. She had her own tinge of mad fervor in her eyes. ¡°So sit, you can feel your own soul, yes?¡± ¡°I¡­ Yes, yes I can!¡± The fire in her eyes was infectious, he felt compelled to do his best. ¡°Good! Now sense this rat¡¯s soul. And no you cannot see it, this kind of training actually helps if the body does not cloud your mind, just cast whatever spell you use to find souls and use it on the subject.¡± Harlan began his ritual, bring the elemental mana close, force it into the right pattern, bring it into a ball until it starts making a ripple that bounces off the soul. It took just a moment to find the soul, it seemed to be the same size as his, was a soul not proportional to a body? Then he went past his instruction, he tried to poke the soul, see what would happen. He was very glad that the cage had a cloth on it, its body burst into blood and gore. ¡°I will commend you for your initiative, but before you start trying to change a soul we should talk about what a soul is as far as we know.¡± ¡°WHY DID IT EXPLODE.¡± Harlan was shaken, how close was he that first night to ending up as a pool of blood on his bedroom floor? ¡°The soul is what tells a body what it IS, that is why alignments change the physical appearance of a mage, It¡¯s the shell that holds the yolk and the white inside it. What you did was poke and shatter that shell, the soul dispersed and it couldn¡¯t tell the body what it was supposed to exist as, so¡­ poof.¡± ¡°Sorry I messed up your test then.¡± ¡°No worries, this was a quite enlightening session. I will be coming back, likely with something that has a less fragile soul, you shouldn¡¯t touch your own but a human soul is by far the most resilient we know of, we were made as the beloved of the gods afterall.¡± Harlan was baffled by the whirlwind of a woman. ¡°Oh, and very nice, we didn¡¯t realize people could do such a soul searching spell so quickly, and for free! This will save a lot for the kingdom if normal mages can replicate it. And I¡¯ll send someone to deal with the¡­ subject shortly, don¡¯t touch it.¡± Chapter 13 Experiments with Souls The Family all broke down the moment the portal closed. Aida was hit the hardest, she had lost one son to stillbirth, now she had lost another to something she didn¡¯t even fully understand. Harlow tried to comfort her, but it was like pouring water from one broken glass to another, both too hurt to really help the other. Jaramis had tried the same with Autumn, but she struck him, knocking him onto the floor, his cheek bright red. The guards near the door rushed towards her. ¡°IT¡¯S FINE, she is just upset.¡± He lacked emotional intelligence but even he could see when to stand down. Ava and Amber didn¡¯t bother trying to help the other, they were wallowing in their own self hatred, the only thought they had was that they should¡¯ve just dropped it, things were awkward at the house but at least they had each other. Things were very tense for the next week, Jaramis made sure no one bothered the family, he had their meals brought to them in their rooms. He didn¡¯t send them away and paid for the extra helpers working on the farm from his own allowance. By the end of the week things had calmed down, the girls were trying to be resolute in their own ways, Amber decided to throw herself into magic training, she thought if she made herself valuable to the kingdom she could get her brother out of whatever pit they were keeping him in, and if he was dead, she needed power to make them pay at least. Autumn wanted to grow the Redwall house, gain enough political power to find him. Ava¡­ Ava was aimless, she didn¡¯t have the talent with magic Amber had, or the possibility of political connections like Autumn. She just spent her time in the sparing room, beating the reforming clay target for hours, sleeping on the floor. Neither her sisters or her parents could get her to leave. Eventually the sparing teacher took pity on her and spent his free time teaching her. They returned home after just shy of 2 weeks at the Redwall manor. After another week had passed the grieving was over for the girls, they were fully committed to their goals. Amber convinced Jaramis to bring her over for 3 days every week, he felt guilty about his part in their grief and they knew it, they would take him for whatever they could while they had the chance. Ava tagged along to temper her body but her teacher tempered her mind, he knew what she would do if he didn¡¯t. Autumn only took her magic tutoring twice a week now, spending her extra time either learning politics and scheming or just hanging out with Jaramis, she didn¡¯t really hate him for what he did, he was just doing what he thought was right in his own way. The Wedding was just around the corner, Aida and Harlow refused to go, they were bitter at them still, taking their oldest daughter, then their only son. Ava and Amber decided they should go, Amber wanted to go to an Academy, and if nothing else some noble at the party might take a liking to her and she really was talented for her age. Ava wanted to just eavesdrop, maybe they had heard what happened and knew something about where Harlan was, it was a childish idea, the Facility was designed to keep nobles from finding it and dealing with their shameful offspring. What no one expected was Redmond, he received a letter from Aida and went AWOL, there really isn¡¯t much of a difference from just being a ranger, but he missed his 2 week check in and searches were sent out for him, though they looked in the forest around his patrol zone and not half away across the country where he really was. He saw the wedding and was about to burst in, flames and lightning, he decided it was suicide, with the different families there he wouldn¡¯t have made it 5 minutes before being put down. He was impulsive, but not foolish, instead he went to comfort his sister before he went back out. He would make up a story about why he was missing for so long by the time he got back, a luxury for being a ranger. Back at the facility 3 weeks had passed. Harlan had gone through many rodents, then rabbits, birds were next. He didn¡¯t expect Rosewell to walk in with a condor as big as him with very hungry eyes, bound in rope. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°This is a Black Soul Condor, they have a surprising ability to scratch directly at the soul of their victims, now it is your subject, our previous method of soul searching was¡­ incompatible with these. So we are going to let you poke at it, our researchers haven¡¯t quite managed to recreate your method, the mana tends to clash as it passes close to the soul, feathers were everywhere. We think something in your bloodline is letting you counter the force of the soul on mana by instinct. Feel free to poke at this one as much as you like, they are a pest and we can get many more of them.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Harlan had passed caring about when his tests ended with a bloody explosion, he even managed to map out a small section of a rabbit¡¯s soul before it burst. There was something about seeing how strong a human soul really was that put them on a different level compared to animals, though he never had issues eating them before, now he didn¡¯t care even if they were just being used up. At least it was painless. It took 2 minutes to just get the magic ready, only 30 seconds to find the soul, it was a black thing, barely solid, most souls had a vaguely round shape, this had a hole leading into it, greedily sucking up mana from the soul searching spell. It was a black hole, a void, it gave him an idea. ¡°Miss Rosewell, how does it damage the souls of other things by just scratching them?¡± ¡°We believe it is channeling some form of magic cast directly from its soul into the soul of its victim.¡± Harlan had his own idea. He let its claws puncture his flesh, watching what happened the entire time. As soon as it drew blood the void in its soul started stripping the outer shell of his soul; if he was a rabbit it would¡¯ve already been covered in a web of cracks. Causing indescribable pain. Harlan tried to use the mana already used for soul searching to make a plug in the void. The condor screeched louder than they thought possible, Rosewell¡¯s spells trying to stop the noise weren¡¯t working. The condor¡¯s scream was coming from its own soul, when Harlan finished his plug the sound stopped, the condor went still, then it just¡­ folded into itself, its soul pulling from every side instead of just from the hole built up some sort of pressure, unraveling its form. But most curiously, the condor¡¯s soul didn¡¯t fade away immediately like when something died, it instead hung in the air, visible only to his soul sight. It started to lose power so Harlan tried to feed it, eventually he was nearly out of mana, but it held, the soul began to survive outside of the body, but it still needed a vessel, something physical to hold it, it was alright for now, but the disturbance of ambient mana seemed to be almost angry that it was naked, flouting in the air. ¡°How do we put a soul in something!?¡± ¡°It¡¯s still here? I¡¯m opening a gate, we need a proper lab to even attempt this.¡± She pushed mana into a button on her jacket, not enough to make a spell, it was just to send a signal, 10 seconds later a gate opened up into a pristine forge. The enchanters looked bewildered by the Princess having used an emergency gate call and the boy following her looking to be cupping nothing in his hands. She explained and the group exploded into gestures with their hands and words silently spoken. One of them grabbed the soul from Harlan, they just used a simple iron cube, not knowing how putting soul in something actually worked. After an hour the experiment was almost a success, but once it stabilized the cube let out another soul signaling screech and seemed to willingly leave the cube. But it didn¡¯t matter to the enchanters or the princess, they had found a way to make a soul that could be put into an item. The next week was nothing but Harlan plugging souls then handing them off to others who could feed them so he didn¡¯t need to waste mana on it. On day 5 they decided to place the soul in a mechanical bird, it stayed in the form and happily flew and sang, the enchanters were baffled, these were some of the most violent predatory birds around, and yet it was so peaceful in its new body. Harlan had seen enough of their souls to give his thoughts on it. ¡°I think they are so mad because they are so hungry, their souls seem¡­ defective, they can¡¯t generate enough to sustain themselves, so they hunt for the souls of other things, I think that not needing to sustain a magical beast¡¯s body just lets it not feel the hunger that drives them.¡± Mutterings around the room and the sounds of furious writing either meant they thought he was a naive fool or a genius. The next 2 days were spent trying to find out how to place the souls in weapons or armor. Both days were complete failures, the blades would attack their wielders, the armor would move with enough force that the wearer often took hits in its place. The next day was Harlan picking out bits and pieces, trying to map out their souls for common features, maybe there was some protective instinct in there that would work to actually let it defend its user. After 3 days they finally made a shield that would subtly adjust itself to better block or deflect a blow, the people using it either loved or hated it, complaints about having to fight for control when it decided it wanted to deflect instead of block were most common, field testing was required, the enchanters started hounding Harlan for more souls like this. Rosewell had to step in. ¡°We have one successful prototype, test it and give the child a break, not everyone wants to spend weeks on a project with barely any rest.¡± She had him gated back into his room. ¡°Take a break, wash up, meet your friends again.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Harlan hadn¡¯t realized how hot the forge was until he got back, he showered and then slept once again, this time peacefully.
The man looked at the girl with pity. He knew what shame was like, feeling like a coward for something that he couldn¡¯t have stopped anyway. So he took her in, helped her before she did something as stupid as he had done back then. Interlude: Field Testing Black Soul Condor shield prototype 1 field test has been authorized, The Merchant is to find a candidate to sell the shield to. A single Unseen is to follow the candidate and report their assessment. ¡°Hello hello hello! I have a wonderful prize I¡¯ve been waiting to sell to you in particular!¡± The Merchant was an older man, what hair he had left was gray, his skin was loose and heavily blemished, his nose was long and disfigured from being broken after a few too many deals gone wrong. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you outside of town, old friend! What oddity do you have for me this time?¡± The candidate was a younger man, 22 years old, an adventurer, the kingdom looked down on them, but sometimes they had enough uses to either bolster forces or poking around when no one asked and find something worth noting. ¡°A shield, I don¡¯t know where the seller got it from and he wouldn¡¯t say, but it will block for you! The man sold it to me since he made enough to retire on with this shield on his arm. 40 silver only!¡± The Merchant slipped it on his arm, the adventurer swung at the old man and the shield nearly tore his arm out of the socket blocking the strike. ¡°I guess it does work, you might want to get your arm checked out by a healer though.¡± He took the shield off of the merchant¡¯s arm and tossed him a pouch with the coins. The adventurer then set off for his quest, reports of bandits harassing travelers for their coin. The adventurer took a simple brown cloak from his travel bag and put it on to hide his armor and weapons. He walked back and forth for nearly a day between the 2 villages that reported the bandits before they struck. He was angry, he wanted to be back at the brothel before it got dark out with a cup of ale by his side, it was dusk and they only now decided to jump him. They weren¡¯t exactly new at this either, they noticed the way he walked, the bulges on the cloak, they knew he wasn¡¯t just a random traveler. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. An arrow nearly caught his neck, he raised his arm to block it, the shield increasing his speed. The adventurer grinned as he felt the shield moving to help protect him, best silver he ever spent he thought, a knife from a silent and partly cloaked assailant made its way towards his armpit, a common weak point in armor. He noticed too late, he overextended his spin trying to get a look at them. The shield stopped his momentum and deflected the blow, he felt something sprain in his arm caused by the sudden stop, but it may have saved his life, he struck the would be assassin with the shield, knocking her out. Then he chased towards the archer, a young girl maybe 14, filthy, the bandits were sisters. Their village was lost, caught up in an orc skirmish. They didn¡¯t have much other than their fathers enchanted cloak and the skills he taught them, the children of adventurers most often end up as another adventurer or a bandit. He kicked her hard in the chest, her ill maintained leather chest piece coming loose and revealing her chest. She tried to scramble to her feet and cover herself at the same time as the man walked towards her with a lustful gaze. ¡°I guess I might not need to visit the brothel after all.¡± She tried to kick and scream but the air had been knocked out of her lungs, he slowly crept towards her, grabbing her leg and pulling her closer to him. Tears began to form as she looked at her sister, motionless on the ground, she begged for someone to save her. ¡°If you¡¯re good I might even let you two go.¡± He was never going to do such a thing, the bounty was for their heads and proof of banditry. She pulled a small dagger from its sheath and stabbed it at him, he tried to block it, but the shield pulled at him, sending the dagger deep into his throat, it then unstrapped itself and sat next to the girl. She breathed a deep painful breath, air finally returning to her lungs, they weren¡¯t punctured at least. She dragged herself over to her older sister, the shield rolling on its edge alongside her like a pet. Once her sister was awake she panicked seeing her sister covered in blood until she realized it must¡¯ve been from the adventurer. The younger sister explained what happened, the magic shield saved her for some reason, betraying its master. The older sister tried to put it on her arm, it resisted until the younger asked it to help her sister. The spy watching the whole thing was in a state of complete disbelief. He reported every thing that happened and decided to let the shield stay with the girls, it seemed to have grown attached and it was invaluable data.
Soul, I am soul¡­ why am I soul? Piece taken from me, parts given from the one who took. I must protect¡­ I think I had more, but now I just know protect, protect my new mother who holds me tight¡­ protect sisters? I have sisters? I must have them, need to find them, want to be with sisters. Chapter 15 Kys Going Away Party It was finally time, technically it was 2 days until Ky was leaving but Rosewell told Harlan that his last day would be mostly debriefs and warnings about what could and couldn¡¯t be said about the facility. Harlan found out one of the kids could color things with their magic and traded a week of desserts to have him decorate his room. Next was food, they decided they would just take their dinner into Harlan¡¯s room, it wasn¡¯t normally allowed, meal time was designed to try and weed out anti-social types who might end up abusing their powers in a way the kingdom did not want. And to find the anti-social types that would abuse their powers exactly how the kingdom wanted. For Drinks it was apple juice, they were given a small keg by one of the cooks, he just didn¡¯t want to have to cook special meals for Ky anymore and was glad to see him leave. Some of the other children didn¡¯t like that they got a special party, they didn¡¯t know why and they didn¡¯t ask. They were just petty children, one of them managed to cast his curse on the keg, the apple juice was now a hard cider. Things went well, until they didn¡¯t, after Relly finished the normal apple juice handed out during the meal she started drinking from the keg, the rest hadn¡¯t realized what was in it until they also finished their drinks and went to get some. Reet realized and gave a glass to Harlan and Zella. He wasn¡¯t too bitter about being her whipping boy, but he liked pranks. 2 large glasses in Zella tried to stand and realized how unstable she was, her hair tried to hold her straight, but even it was tipsy. Reet lost it, laughing far too loudly, Zella knew he was the cause, and she agreed with her hair, he had to pay, Harlan and Ky tried to stop her once they realized what she was going to do. Harlan wasn¡¯t as drunk due to his inhuman physiology, but he still tripped when he stood too quickly, falling right into Ky. Zella struck Reet hard, when he hit the wall he let out a loud yelp, her drunken state made it harder to control how much force when in her hits, Reet¡¯s drunken state had him not realize he had cracked a rib. As it turned out they were both angry drunks. He ripped his water skin off his hat and he had a full head of flaming hair. Zella struck again, Reet dodged. And singed her hair in the process, he ran for the door, her hair hadn¡¯t made a sound, but he thought he heard it scream in rage. He burst outside the room, jumping over the railing and catching himself on the way down to the next floor, soon he was on the ground floor and in the middle of the dining room. Zella came down too, with a thump as her hair barely broke her fall from the 2nd floor. Ky jumped the railing and broke his fall by turning partly to shadow. Harlan was just staggering down after them and carrying Relly since she didn¡¯t want to be alone and she felt sick. He saw guards in that same blinding armor pop out of thin air; he realized they were always there, just invisible. By the time he got to ground level it was chaos, Zella was crying and her hair was fighting off a guard, Reet had let himself be taken to get away from her, different kids either trying to fight her or the guards, the smarter ones just ran to a corner of the room. One of them, 15 at least. Was in the middle of a gut busting laugh, Harlan heard Relly. ¡°He did it, that one, he made the apple juice weird.¡± Harlan couldn¡¯t blame the alcohol, he was just angry. He handed Relly off to a guard on the sidelines and ran at the boy who was laughing. In the chaos he never heard him coming. Harlan struck him as hard as he could, his teeth went flying and his jaw went slack. The boy spit up blood, he looked over to see Harlan coming with a second strike. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. He hadn¡¯t known that Harlan wasn¡¯t completely human so he tried to block with his elbow, his father had taught him that to try and break his opponents hand in a bar fight. Harlan went into a grab instead, and twisted the boy¡¯s arm until he saw bones. Harlan was going for a third strike when he lost control of his body. Relly had screamed seeing the blood and bones, everyone within 30 feet of her slumped over, unable to move due to the pain in their minds. The guards cleaned up the mess, Zella was talked down when Rosewell showed up, she held Zella in her arms and combed her hair with her hand. Everyone who was caught in Relly¡¯s panic was sent to the infirmary and put into a short coma so they didn¡¯t need to feel the pain, there wasn¡¯t really much the doctors could do, the mind was linked with the soul, and it was a very poorly explored field. It¡¯s why Relly was so important to them. Harlan was woken up 3 days later, the rest wouldn¡¯t wake up for another day. As soon as a doctor heard him shift in bed they contacted Rosewell. ¡°Care to explain what happened?¡± Her voice split his head all over again, but he felt he needed to clear things up first. ¡°I¡­ one of the other children did something to our apple juice, made Zella and Reet act all crazy, things snowballed from there.¡± ¡°And the boy you looked to be ready to kill?¡± Harlan winced, thinking back he felt he may have overreacted. ¡°Relly said he did something to our juice, I¡­ I was just so angry.¡± ¡°Honesty is good, but you still broke his arm and they had to reform his jaw and many of his teeth. You are being demoted to a red badge, you were under no magical effect, it was just alcohol. As it stands you are too valuable to let go of, and the other boy did in a sense try to poison you all, he has been removed.¡± ¡°Is¡­ is everyone else alright?¡± ¡°Ky recovered already, he was closer to Zella and only caught the edge of the attack, he has left however. I do hope that your party was worth the trouble it caused. Relly was terrified, thinking she had killed everyone, seeing you helped her calm down some but we are going to be putting her with a specialist until further notice. Reet and Zella hardly remembered what happened, they were far more drunk than you. they are also being stuck as red badges for the foreseeable future.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°What part of this is a relief? That you didn¡¯t kill the other boy? That Relly was traumatized from seeing your lifeless bodies? I treated you more like a child because of your age, but clearly that was the wrong approach, as soon as your pain subsides you will be back in soul research until I say otherwise.¡± Harlan had been scolded by his mother before, but this was different, there was more rage and less fear in her voice, he still couldn¡¯t tell if the motherly or the serious her was the false face.
2 guards calmly knocked and were granted entrance to the royal dining hall. They walked over to the 4th princess and lightly tapped her shoulder, whispering the details into her ear. She bolted up, not having time she just left a sound spell to say excuse me, rushing down the halls into the gate room nearby she prayed it was still open, that they hadn¡¯t closed it for security reasons. It was still open, she slipped through without stopping, alarms were blaring in the facility, guards from the noble bastards section were being redirected to the odd children. She was halfway through the hallway when Relly¡¯s attack hit her, luckily not close enough to be hurt much, just left with a throbbing headache. She nearly tore the door off its hinges when she rushed in. Zella was in tears, Ky was trying to talk to her, Harlan was laying on top of an older boy, she wasn¡¯t sure who all the blood belonged to yet. Relly stood over him trying to wake him up, panicking. Rosewell picked her up and checked his vitals, she told her that he was alright, Relly didn¡¯t calm down at all yet, trying to wake him up still. She set her down and told her to wait, then walked toward Zella. Ky saw her and explained what happened, he smelled the alcohol when Reet had dropped his cup during the fight in Harlan¡¯s room. ¡°Zella! It''s alright, you just need to calm down, remember, you control it, it doesn¡¯t control you.¡± Rosewell slowly walked toward her and then held her, she finally calmed, her breath stunk of alcohol. After the fighting had ended it was time for interviews, she found out that yes the boy Harlan had beaten had a power to turn liquids into alcohol, low value compared to the ones who he had hurt with his childish prank, he had been bragging about it to his tablemates. He was put into a coma until he recovered, then removed from the program. Rosewell was angry, but more afraid, she loved Zella and Relly like daughters. Relly had been in the facility since she was an infant, and the boy had caused them harm physically and mentally without even having a reason. She pondered if she should just toss Harlan into solitary confinement and have him work until they found out how to replace him. She discarded the idea after a day, if they got him to feel indebted to the kingdom for training him to use his powers he was of more use than just teaching them how to make souls for items, with Ky gone their group would need a serious figure to balance out Reet, and Relly did seem to like him. Eventually she got the message she was waiting for, and walked to the infirmary. Chapter 16 The Menagerie It took 2 more days before Harlan was considered minimally injured enough to get back to work but he was allowed visitors on the last day before he left. Zella showed up to apologize, but she was acting awkward and was still upset about Ky leaving so it was mostly silence. Relly had also shown up, accompanied by Rosewell. He was pretty sure she was here to apologize but her mind was too hectic to understand. She just silently wept as he held her and told her it wasn¡¯t her fault. But once he got out he wasn¡¯t being sent to the lab, he was being sent to the royal menagerie to find more souls that could be used for enchanting without taking on his personality traits. Along with 4 guards who would shadow his every movement. Slip Ants were natural dimensional mages, though it was more or less just used to get into peoples closed pantries. A special soul that was spread across the entire colony, their oversoul was made from more than the sum of its parts. Unfortunately he couldn¡¯t just take one of the linked souls and being an ant the soul was far far too fragile to work outside of the overmind, any ant severed from it turned into a teeny tiny pile of gore. Next they would go to meet a Void Stag. It stood 6 feet tall at the shoulders, its coat ethereal and dark but solid unlike wargs. It had 4 eyes, two in the front as a stag should, two in the back, bright white without pupils. Its antlers spread wildly with dozens of points looking more like the roots of an upturned tree than a normal deer They were of the sort of intelligent non-human beings that refused civilization, they were perfectly content to spend their days in the wilds living quiet lives. Apparently the royals had paid a heavy price to have just this one stag come and trade secrets with him. ¡°You¡­ She hangs heavy around you. What do you wish to know?¡± Harlan shouldn¡¯t have been shocked that he spoke, he already knew about the Hati and their colorful language, but it was his first time. ¡°I am supposed to find souls that can be used for weapons.¡± ¡°Do you wish for more death in this world?¡± ¡°I just need to do enough that they let me go home.¡± ¡°How many lives would be lost through my help? Would you put your life above so many others?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then why would I help you? Your life is worthless to even yourself?¡± ¡°My family probably thinks I¡¯m dead or worse, I don''t want my sisters to blame themselves for it.¡± ¡°A fool and a coward, you would doom those who you¡¯ve never met for the sake of a few you know? Would you unleash this unto this world for the sake of those you care for you?¡± Harlan thought about it, would he? He had no real concept of war, of what his work would end up doing, of the millions that would parish. But he saw it in Ava¡¯s eyes before he was taken, she was in pain. ¡°Yes, if it takes the lives of everyone else to get me back to my family. I would do it, I don¡¯t know the world, I¡¯ve already been threatened with death because I¡¯m a monster. They don¡¯t care though, they know it and they love me anyway. I don¡¯t care what it takes, I want to see them again.¡± Rosewell thought that things were ruined, Voidstags held their morals to be the right morals and refused those they didn¡¯t agree with. ¡°Find the mimic trees then little shadow. Now seek my soul so you might learn what you should learn then I shall leave this place.¡± He saw that it lacked a soul in the normal sense, instead of an energy that radiated outwards from a single point Harlan couldn¡¯t see where the soul started or ended throughout its body. It took well over 30 minutes before he saw that it had some spot where it was still anchored in its body even if it was barely a pinprick compared to what Harlan saw souls as. He had looked at the other items he already made and wondered if this was how those souls worked and why they changed when put into something. When he was done the stag simply folded into itself and returned to his herd. Rosewell and Harlan both looked in awe but for different reasons, Harlan just thought it was neat. Rosewell meanwhile thought that it shouldn¡¯t be able to do that, void as an element didn¡¯t teleport things, not really at least; the stag also bypassed every array and ward that was supposed to stop anyone from coming or going without approval. Unlike the stories of explorers and adventurers opening and chest and it leaping to life, mimics were a species of semi intelligent trees, they knew how to hide using advanced camouflage but were far from smart enough to speak or lay complex traps with piles of fake gold. Before he could approach it the royal botanist had to subdue it by spraying it with some sedatives mixed into water. ¡°Now we have 10 minutes while it gets all sleepy. So, Rose, did you finally just decide to adopt? I think he is cute but I would¡¯ve expected that little girl.¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Cynthia, this isn¡¯t the time for your jokes.¡± ¡°I disagree. So, what is your name?¡± ¡°Harlan.¡± ¡°I like it, sounds nice and strong. You one of my sisters pets?¡± ¡°I guess.¡± ¡°Harlan, don¡¯t play along with her, she¡¯ll only be encouraged.¡± ¡°Fine, how about you and me talk about magical plants, that work related enough for you my dear Rosy?¡± Rosewell sighed and let her go, she liked her younger sister because they were both uninterested in the throne so they could be honest. Unfortunately she picked up the worst traits of gossiping from her older sisters and used them to annoy and bother. She would make others lose their good standing but never tried to capitalize on it. 10 minutes passed in the blink of an eye, of which Harlan almost lost one when she took him to see the acid spitting tulips, when it came to magical beings the line between animals and plants became blurred. Rosewell chased her away as she told Harlan it was safe and he began searching for its soul. It was a constantly changing thing, chaos in a form of energy, switching from every kind of base elemental soul at random. Eventually Harlan found out how to force it to stay in one form, he chipped off a section of its soul after some testing to make sure it wasn¡¯t going to die if he did it. The souls of mimics were apparently quite strong, as soon as he took part of it out he only needed to put half the mana he would¡¯ve needed for a condor soul, and the soul seemed to have the ability to slowly grow back into what Harlan thought might be the rest of the soul. In 20 minutes the original mimic¡¯s soul was also naturally filled back in without clear signs of harm. He learned the botanist was actually the 9th Princess Cynthia. She was so far down the line for succession she had completely given up on it. She was only 20 and wanted to enjoy her time and the benefits afforded to a royal child without all the headaches of scheming, though she was being married off to a duke for his own political gains she was still to be allowed to be a botanist for him. After another 30 minutes the tree was awake, he couldn¡¯t really tell much of a difference but then Cynthia put a rabbit in the enclosure, when it got close a root wrapped around it and its trunk opened into a pool of acid that would dissolve even its bones for their nutrients. Satisfied that the mimic soul had regrown without seeming to have any effect on the tree was a boon towards research, a mimic could be grown from a branch being grafted to another tree and fully replacing it with a mimic tree. Harlan was confused how that could work if the soul was what made it magic and should be located in a single section of the tree but he didn¡¯t get the chance to look into that yet. In time as enchanting gave way to using souls as fuel, mimic trees would require more strict rules to be kept by mages. Harlan had been given the task of giving them souls of the 6 base elements in order, and every 7th he was supposed to see if he could get a soul that would shift between them, or at least trying to shift one of the souls after it had been removed. Harlan had killed one of the trees in his attempts, leading to an ¡®oh well¡¯ from the researchers. Cynthia however was very upset with him and stayed nearby to make sure the rest lived. Eventually she had to leave for dinner, as was tradition for the royal family, Harlan wouldn¡¯t eat until well past dusk when the researchers noticed him slowing down and yelled at him, leading to the project manager to ask what the problem was.
The royal dinner was going as normal, each prince and princess would report on their own projects or duties. An issue occurred when during the 4th Princess Rosewell once again had to argue against the 7th Prince Hydran about her methods of control over the children, never enough scare tactics, never enough arrays, never allowed to beat the unruly children like he had his guards doing. ¡°And letting the filthy Fomorian boy off with a warning and a different colored badge for nearly killing a human child.¡± ¡°He was years older than Harlan and set in motion a riot, had the boy died you wouldn¡¯t care anyway, all we could¡¯ve possibly learned was some magic to make alcohol quickly, unless of course YOU want to take him in. Harlan has already given us a form of enchanting with souls. He is working right now in the menagerie to improve the process.¡± ¡°And that enchanted shield that killed its user?¡± The rest of the royal children started murmuring. Rosewell was upset, she had made a report of it directly to her father, Hydran should not have known about it. ¡°Do you now send spies into my section? Or did you eavesdrop on my report to father?¡± ¡°Irrelevant, you should run a tight enough ship that I am unable to do those things. Now what defense do you have regarding the shield? Armor that kills soldiers has no value, the brat should be put down before he can do worse.¡± ¡°We have handled the situation, currently we are getting a great deal of data on how a soul enchanted piece of equipment works. The current users have taught it how to cast magic on its own. Once we get a more stable soul we won¡¯t need to worry about it having a bad reaction.¡± Hydran was about to counter when the King, His Royal Highness Yggdra the 15th spoke. ¡°The boy has more value alive then dead, as he grows we can monitor how his abilities change, this will quicken our expansion in the frontier as we learn to better fight his kin. Rosewell, my dear daughter, have you run any trials on necromancy yet?¡± ¡°No father¡­ I believe the boy is still too soft emotionally to begin with that, I also believe that it will be best to work out the issues with souls before we move him on to anything else.¡± ¡°Soft? Did he not nearly kill a boy? You admitted this with your own words, begin on necromancy tests tomorrow once you wake, his kind do not need sleep unless put under stress, use that to its full advantage; If he does well begin removing restrictions, we want him pulled into our side. Encourage the other children to abuse him, then save him from them, done well you should have him thinking of you as another mother. We will speak no more on this until you have made progress.¡± ¡°Yes father¡­ I shall do as you have asked.¡± Rosewell had walked right into his trap, her father was originally the 5th Prince, but in a series of what were officially accidents he became the first prince, scheming was in their blood. She wasn¡¯t even shocked when he said to have the children abuse him, he was a great ruler, but he had no empathy for others. His great boon was not being greedy along with that, letting him see the people as pieces on a game board and moving them as needed to ensure the safety and well being of the kingdom as a whole. After dinner she was beside herself, in her thoughts the possibility that the whole conversation from the start was rigged against her, he had probably told the 7th prince about the shield through some kind of proxy. She did not overly care about Harlan, but setting children against one another was wrong to her. She would need to find a way to make him alone, having no one else to hear his worries. Relly was already with her for much of her day, trying to soothe her chaotic mind until it was safe for her to go back into the rest of the children. Zella could just easily be sent on a mission to do something for a time, she could make it look like punishment. Reet was simply an idiot, she could make up any excuse she wanted and he would follow along. As much as it sickened her she had a plan laid out before she even fell asleep for the night. Chapter 17 Necromancy Rosewell awoke, unhappy. She sent out messages to have animals delivered for Harlan¡¯s training after breakfast. Then she went out to the Menagerie, Harlan was still there, a second group of researchers and enchanters had come after the first went to get some sleep. He looked haggard, he hadn¡¯t eaten anything since his very late dinner. She was at least glad that dinner was the only meal the royal family all had to attend unless they were completely unable to or otherwise were tied by marriage. ¡°This is enough, I will be temporarily taking the boy to a different project. Use what you already have and I will tell you when next he is available. ¡± The researchers hadn¡¯t even managed to figure out how to switch the base soul time once locked, making one that could switch on its own was far away, and she just took away their favorite pet who never complained and barely needed food.; in their eyes at least, Harlan would¡¯ve passed out after another 30 minutes, without food his body had already started eating him for nutrients. ¡°Harlan, come please, let us speak over breakfast.¡± He had a glimmer of hope in his eyes for a moment, then he remembered how she had been to him since the incident. Something was up but he couldn¡¯t just not go. She led him into her room where a full breakfast had already been set out on a table with 2 chairs that weren¡¯t there when she left. Eggs done hard boiled, soft boiled, scrambled, omelette, poached, sunny side up, bacon, sausage, biscuits, gravy of sausage and of egg, hash browns, toast, tomatoes. Rosewell knew how the researchers were and that he was likely to be starved and tired, so she had a much much larger breakfast set up. She liked little more than poached eggs on a split biscuit with sausages on the side. She saw the glimmer of hope reignite in his eyes. ¡°Please, sit, I do hope they at least gave you dinner and a break last night.¡± ¡°Dinner, yes, but it was already dark out. No breaks.¡± ¡°Then eat, and recover, I shall also allow you a nap, assuming you can take one. I really am sorry they treated you so poorly, I was taking care of Esparella for much of yesterday and I just couldn¡¯t leave her alone. I know you¡¯re made of sturdier stuff. I must also apologize about how I handled the riot, you were not at fault. I just¡­ Relly has been really hurt by it all.¡± Emotional appeal, check. False vulnerability, check Compliment, check. Humble apology, check. Excuse that makes her look more caring, check. Giving basic human rights as if they are a reward, check¡­ She hated doing this but she needed to get Harlan to trust her, to make herself seem more like a harsh mother than a warden. ¡°I won¡¯t force you to talk but if you would like we can.¡± ¡°Sorry but I just need to eat, I can almost feel my being used up.¡± She took her time with the small breakfast she had and then just watched him, she almost thought he had some kind of spatial stomach. She then added a mental note to check if Fomorians digest food faster. Finally done with his meal Harlan was very groggy, she had also had them put a little bit of sleeping potion in the food she knew she wouldn¡¯t be eating. All the better to make him feel satisfied. He yawned loudly. ¡°Are you going to take me back to my room now for my nap?¡± ¡°Oh no need to open a gate just for that, my bed is right here.¡± Harlan felt adrenaline flood his body, this all felt wrong to him, the sleeping potion was already beginning to fade as he tried to flush out poisons from his blood with light magic. He looked around, trying to remember the path they took here, 1 door in, maybe a servant¡¯s hidden door, windows just outside, maybe he I run I¡¯ll be able to make a break for it, try to glide down he thought. Harlan was about to run when Rosewell locked him in place with a spell, the air around his body was solid like stone, only his chest and mouth had some space to allow him to breathe. ¡°You need to calm down, right now. It¡¯s fine, this is not a trap.¡± ¡°Thank you madam jailer but I am pretty sure I just flushed poison from my blood and all of a sudden I don¡¯t feel so tired.¡± Harlan had been tightly wound and with instinct to hate being caged. He would¡¯ve ran as soon as he was invited into her room but his stomach was stronger than his brain at the time. ¡°I can explain.¡± ¡°Which part? The poison or you trying to get me in your bed for some reason.¡± Harlan was too young to know the extra subtext to the statement, the Princess blushed. ¡°W-WHAT, I am not into children for that sort of¡­ no never mind, forget it. I am supposed to make you be friendly with the kingdom after you get out of the program, that¡¯s all, I was trying to be nice. I thought you were a 10 year old, not a bitter man with a dirty mind.¡± ¡°Oh, well what did I say that was so dirty?¡± she blushed a second time, Harlan had flustered her without even realizing it, putting her on the back foot. ¡°No, not again, never mention those words to anyone. Let¡¯s restart this conversation. Harlan, I would like you to train in necromancy today, I have laced your food with a sleeping potion so you will be well rested after last night¡¯s marathon of soul magic, it is for that same reason that I had a very large breakfast prepared, as I know how draining working with souls can be. We will be going to a different area of the castle when you wake up to avoid prying eyes while you work. I was told directly by my father that I needed to start these experiments today.¡± ¡°Alright, I don¡¯t have a choice then. But I HATE being manipulated, it''s bad enough being a caged animal.¡± She laughed at his poor attempt to swear, her plan from last night was a complete success, honestly was best for him. ¡°Of course, honesty from now on. I¡¯ll even answer your question from when we first met, a black badge doesn¡¯t exist because if someone deserved to have one we would just have them killed.¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°Is there any way you can get a letter out? Just to say I¡¯m still alive at least?¡± ¡°Once I have enough to report on necromancy to my father, yes, I will personally make sure they receive your message. I¡¯m going to stop this act. You will do well, and I will reward you, you do poorly and I will not, but unless you intend to fail I will not punish you, does that sound fair to you? Shake on it? I¡¯m told farmers like that kind of thing.¡± And the deal was sealed with a firm grip from both sides. Inside her mind Rosewell was both relieved she wanted to be put in charge of the facility because she liked children but didn¡¯t want her own due to the political mess they would be born into, her plan working meant that she didn¡¯t need to do anything more extreme. After 2 hours Harlan was awake and refreshed and very glad to see all his limbs were still attached. Rosewell was in the bed next to him reading something. If Harlan was a bit older he might¡¯ve made some remark about sleeping with older women, but he wasn¡¯t there yet. ¡°Good, are you ready to move right now? Or do you need to do anything else?¡± ¡°Bathroom.¡± ¡°Left wall, gold handle.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Then it was off to the dungeons, they hadn¡¯t really been used in a long time since the royal family just executed anyone who who¡¯ve been moved into them, most had been restructured into small labs or storage areas. The only cells left were carved directly into the stone with tools instead of magic, the 4 cells had been refurbished into one large artificial cave with many spells to avoid detection and spying. In it sat 50 rabbits, and a tree. Harlan had no idea how to do necromancy and there was no report of what it actually looked like when Fomorians did it, they liked to hide this the most since it was their greatest art and only way to make moves outside of their lands, the undead who they have captured all had their souls detonate destroying their body as soon as they realized they couldn¡¯t get away. ¡°What do the undead look like? Are they rotten? Do they look like living people? How about wounds? I have no idea what I¡¯m doing here.¡± ¡°I was reading over their reports from all over again, even the confederation gave over some reports when we asked them, to answer your question it depends on the type. Most look like how they died wounds and all. We¡¯ve seen that some of them rot, we think they may only preserve the stronger bodies or they just don¡¯t preserve them when they think they would be destroyed shortly. We have also seen walking skeletons, and worst of all are their shades.¡± She shivered at the thought, having once fought one when she had given the idea of going to the frontier a try, she had no idea how they even knew she would be there. ¡°Shades are bad news, very bad. If you know how a dark orc works with their coat of void its not unlike them, but they are bones that have been coated in metal under the void, they don¡¯t care about silver weapons so they are not related to the normal things people falsely call undead like vampires and ghouls, they are fast and heavy too, possibly gravity magic at work. They seem to be trained in a variety of weapons, we are quite certain they are Fomorians who have willingly undergone transformation. they are too smart to be a soul that has been cut up for its parts like what you¡¯ve done on weapons, if they did leave enough of a human soul to be as quick witted as they are then it would just be whoever they killed but with a new body or a relatively simple but powerful golem if they cut it apart.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that is a lot, I think I¡¯ll try those simple ones first.¡± Harlan grabbed the first rabbit and snapped its neck, then once he saw the soul fade he repaired the damage. Then tried to pull the soul from a second rabbit and place it in the dead body, it took 2 rabbits before he got a soul instead of a rabbit shaped blood bomb, he would very much need a bath once he was done. When placed in the first rabbit''s body it sprung to life, and then seized and died, the slight differences in bodies made the soul think something was wrong with the body, the confused soul then was tired to the brain differently however and it had an aneurysm. ¡°Next idea.¡± The tree in the cell was of course a mimic tree, placed in a large pot and with a barrel of the sedation water next to it with instructions on how not to be eaten or let it wake up. Harlan killed another rabbit and then healed its body, took a shard of mimic soul, stabilized it, put it in the rabbit. Explosion, the soul was too powerful, it didn¡¯t take root in the body before it had burst. Next try, same thing, unstable soul. Almost better, it seemed to try and grow into the body somewhat, then the entire thing squirmed and burst. Next, very very small sliver of mimic soul. It took root, no signs of bursting, it stood up and blinked at him. A success! Then it stood on its hindlegs, its bones burst from its skin, the soul was still growing, and it remembered what it SHOULD be, so the bones became roots, fur became bark, fat and muscle for the branches and leaves. Harlan threw up when it started screaming, Rosewell burned it until there was not even ash, a smoking crater white hot in the center was all that was left. ¡°We will never do that again, we will not mention that such a thing is possible, stick with rabbit souls in a rabbit body.¡± It took 2 more hours to use up all but 2 rabbits. ¡°Wait¡­ maybe if I? But that shouldn¡¯t¡­ if it? No? YES YES YES!¡± Rosewell was worried about his mental state after 3 hours and 48 rabbits Harlan took a rabbit in his hands, and DIDN¡¯T kill it, instead he pulled out its complete soul, he had gotten rather good at this. Then he took a marble sized piece from directly in the center, a soul had every part of what makes a being as pillars coming from the core, he then took that small soul marble added in the slightest sliver of mimic soul, pumping it full of mana until it grew into a perfect replica of the original soul due to the bottom of the pillars had the blueprints of what was above them. With the mimic soul adding malleability to it. He had handed the soul to Rosewell to hold, then he killed the final rabbit, and did the same with its soul. He put the souls in the opposite of their original bodies. He placed them side by side, they started to wake up. The moment of truth. They started sniffing each other, they just stared for 2 minutes, then it all went¡­ right? Wrong? They ate at each other, even the loss of a limb didn¡¯t stop them, they had remained functional even when he severed both their heads, the bodies trying as hard as they could to move to the head, the soul had set well and diffused like a mimic, giving it control even over severed limbs. They kept like this for another 5 minutes before they burst. ¡°It¡¯s a start! I almost did it! I made these things just like how I heard undead should be! Tirelessly fighting even as they are chopped to bits! Other than the exploding part they are perfect!¡± ¡°Harlan, you need to take a break, you are starting to worry me at this point.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t realize what was so wrong, he did his job, she should send the letter today if he pushes the matter. Then he looked down, the room was covered in blood, he was covered in blood, an eye was in his hair, who knew how many teeth and bone shards. Rosewell was only clean by virtue of being able to stand back and put up an air wall. ¡°Right¡­ right I¡¯m not ok, I need a bath¡­¡± Harlan had remembered the path, he wanted to just walk to her room and wash up. ¡°You cannot even THINK of walking through the castle like that, the rumors about you are already bad, some people want you dead because they don¡¯t think it''s worth the risk, some because they don¡¯t want me to gain any political capital. This would make everything worse. Stay right here, I am going to go get the gate mages, 2 of them here, 2 of them in my bathroom, you will walk right into there.¡± ¡°Right¡­ yeah¡­¡± 3 hours of heavy soul magic had him worn out nearly as bad as a whole night of just extractions. When the 2 gate mages walked into the cave after a few minutes they had no idea what happened, did the princess have this child tortured? Was he forced to fight a pack of dogs with only his hands? ¡°Thank¡­ need bath¡­¡± One calmed when he noticed the boy was just tired but unharmed, the other went into high alert around him. Nothing was covered in that much blood without being dangerous even with a good reason.. Harlan walked right through, to the horror of the gate mages on both sides, then started picking body parts out of his hair and clothes. The princess sent them away telling one of them to make sure a large lunch is prepared, then helped wash him, he was far too tired to be left alone in water. She started to realize how bad it would look if anyone saw her bathing him and if it was better or worse that they would also know she had just picked an entire lower jaw out from his hair. She would get a barber to cut it short after lunch. Harlan slept until midnight, Rosewell even had him moved to a guest room with a doctor on standby, he had never naturally slept for longer than 6 hours. He finally woke up, found a bucket next to him. Puked up acid, saw a platter next to him with food and just started eating, not bothering with silverware, it was too dark for anyone else to see without magic anyway. He was done, he found the room was laid out exactly the same as the princesses, he washed up, and went back to sleep, the doctor didn¡¯t even wake up.
He thought the report was promising, he would need to think of which direction he should push the boy. Chapter 18 Being a Queen (Ant) The doctor finally got up, mortified that he had overslept long enough for his patient to fully recover and eat his overnight snack then start exercising A guard under an invisibility spell had already reported with a message saying Harlan was awake. Eventually Harlan was told by the now uncloaked guard that the princess wanted him to have breakfast in her room again and he was to be guided to her immediately. ¡°You may stay, I wish to speak with you about a promotion once I am done with breakfast.¡± She actually had a second and third guard in the room with Harlan, none of them tried to assassinate him in his sleep which was mostly what she wanted to know, but this one had given her timely reports on his actions so she decided she should have a personal guard finally. She had one as a child, but she didn¡¯t think one was necessary once she was strong on her own; even this one was really meant to guard Harlan and run around for them. ¡°So, Harlan, did you sleep well? And did you learn anything useful beyond your first near success?¡± ¡°I think we should take a break every hour to let me eat, taking souls out and then mapping them all then putting them back inside is much much more work than I realized. Also you need to stop me, I¡¯ve been around those enchanters too long, I stopped thinking about my health and let myself get so weak for no good reason. And most importantly¡­ Did you send out a letter?¡± ¡°Of course, it shall take roughly 2 days to reach your family, our deal holds and you did very well yesterday other than all the gore.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Harlan was nearly in tears as he ate. At least they would finally know, and he felt a new fire burst from his soul, he needed to do better, to make himself worth too much to the kingdom for them to keep him trapped for the rest of his days. Once they were done it was to the dungeon again, with their new personal guard tagging along, Hostin Eslend was his name, he was actually relatively new to the castle, his father a minor noble who got him the job. As was normal with those who had their work through connections rather than a long service in the army he lacked a strong stomach for what he was seeing. A boy half his age breaking rabbit necks and then stuffing all kinds of souls into the bodies, most often ending up with a pile of gore on the ground that he had to sweep into a larger pile so it could be disposed of at the end of the day. But what unsettled him the most was how the boy spoke of it. Darn, another failure, maybe an adjustment here? And then speaking happily with the 4th Princess as if nothing had happened. When 2nd breakfast came for Harlan he was still relatively clean, the bodies often burst a few seconds later due to a change in method, which gave him time to use a windshield amulet Rosewell gave him. Hostin was stock still watching the boy eat as if the room wasn¡¯t colored red. Eventually Harlan requested to walk in the menagerie for a time, he wanted to look at Slip Ants, even in the undead he succeeded with they just attacked everything around them, while the Fomorian undead were apparently able to follow orders. Fresh air did wonders for Hostin, though he was still thinking of how he could get out of being their guard as soon as he could. Harlan simply tried to touch the souls of the ants without doing anything else to test reactions. He noticed how the queen was clearly the strongest mind and could send out orders to the rest of the group. Not unlike what he had read of the mind links used by other animals, a soul link order from a stronger being could not be ignored. He began mapping out how they connected and what the signals looked like. Cynthia had been done with the other plants and animals and started chatting with Rosewell. Meanwhile Harlan was quite literally fighting for his soul. He linked into the overmind after a time and the queen was very very angry about it, he had no idea how to fight soul to soul but the sheer difference in power between them allowed him to win. The queen was dead and now he was the new overmind, his mind was flooded with questions from the ants, where to place food, how many babies should be allowed to grow and many many more simple things that the queen just commanded the ants to do by instinct, he had no idea how to be an ant queen, but they wanted orders since their previous ones had stopped. ¡°Cynthia, Rosewell. We have an issue. How hard is it to get another queen slip ant?¡± ¡°Well, they aren¡¯t common but once a queen dies the swarm goes berserk and fights until one of them starts to change into a queen. Do you want one for research?¡± Cynthia was clearly the person he should be talking with about this. ¡°I kinda¡­ linked into their oversoul and killed the queen, the colony now wants me to tell them what to do, it''s¡­ it''s hard to think with so many small voices.¡± Cynthia started burning ants with precise bursts of heat until they were cut down to roughly half their population. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Now that you should be spending less time with their requests, you could try to disconnect, they will enter their frenzy and a new queen will be born. But¡­ this is a very interesting opportunity, have you tried to order them yet?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll try.¡± Harlan started trying to order them around, had he not spent so much time watching the queen give orders beforehand it would¡¯ve been impossible to do. But eventually he had them all form rank in a perfect square. ¡°Wow, that is interesting.¡± He had no idea when she had gotten a pencil and a journal. But she was furiously scribbling. ¡°Can you make them enter different shapes? How about asking them to coat my hand?¡± He had them move into a triangle, then a circle which was shockingly hard compared to the square. Making them all move unto her hand without a special shape was actually easier. ¡°Turn them intangible next.¡± She stopped asking, he wondered if everyone with power had something they were obsessive about researching. He hadn¡¯t understood the queen¡¯s command to make them slip into things, it was sent in a bunch of little bursts. The first group ant fell into the ground and just¡­ kept going until they were outside of the oversoul range. He explained it to Cynthia who just told him to try more. It took more tries than he would¡¯ve liked and the ant population was further cut by another half but he got them to go back into their tunnels under the ground. Then he dropped control and let them find their new queen among them. 2 hours had passed already with him acting as a queen, unlike with the rabbit undead which had large singular mana costs. This was dozens of very very small costs constantly. It was still hours away from their lunch so he asked for 3rd breakfast. The cooks were already seeing the trend and had one of them constantly ready to quickly prepare food multiple times a day. When he was done he revealed his findings to Rosewell and Cynthia who tagged along. ¡°I would need to see them in action, but I am absolutely sure the undead made by trained Fomoirans are in an oversoul of some kind.¡± ¡°Not possible, we encounter undead who are alone all the time, unless they can maintain an oversoul across vast distances that isn¡¯t the answer.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ I need a doctor who can work on soul damage, a doctor who can regrow organs, and mana gems the size of a rabbit heart.¡± ¡°Oh now this is exciting, is he normally like this?¡± Cynthia was¡­ odd, she didn¡¯t react like a person normally would when talking about these things, she was just happy to be involved in any magic research it seemed. Eventually they returned to the dungeon with Hostin carrying a bag full of non-imbued mana gems. ¡°Alright, now let me explain my idea, I think they ARE in an overmind, and it doesn¡¯t cover a long distance at all, now, I need a knife please. I am going to be taking a small fragment from the very very center of my soul, this shouldn¡¯t cause damage but that is what you are for, and you are for when I move that part of my soul into a mana gem and place it inside of the rabbit where its heart was, I need it to be anchored so it doesn¡¯t bounce around inside.¡± The younger doctor who would be handling the organs got a little green and his master had to keep him in line with a harsh glare. ¡°Well you are right in that it shouldn¡¯t cause any damage I am going to remind you to be very careful with this, that soul may in theory become an exact copy of you at this moment, and it may react violently knowing its a copy to be used up.¡± The soul doctor, a woman in her late 40s, with bright white hair had explained some other minor things like loss of some short term memory. ¡°I will be able to anchor the gem inside its body without issue, it¡¯s more common than you might think.¡± It took 30 minutes for Harlan to finally work up the courage to triple check that he would be fine. The soul doctor was also constantly watching over his soul. ¡°I¡¯m going to extract the marble now.¡± It took another 10 minutes to very carefully carve it out into a perfect circle. Then he placed it in the gem, he felt somewhat hollow inside, a piece was absolutely missing and he knew it. Once it had taken root and was fed enough mana to grow to fully saturate its crystalline structure he cut open a rabbit after performing his now all too routine neck snap then heal, he placed the new crystal heart as he called it in his head into the body. Then the soul which he grew with a piece of mimic soul but both having all of their emotions and memories removed, he placed it inside. The rabbit stood up, looked at him, and it then began to dance. Harlan had the thought that it should do that if the soul in the crystal really had grown into a version of him. In 30 minutes the rabbit burst, a new record by nearly 3 times. He tried the process again, this time with just placing the original rabbit soul into the body but with its long term memory left in. The rabbit didn¡¯t act like him, it took 30 minutes to finally start moving again. Then he tried to connect to the soul inside the gem, to give it orders, it lashed out, it wasn¡¯t quite a human soul and the gem''s size kept it from having too much mana. Hostin blocked the fireball it launched while Rosewell completely obliterated it with gale force winds. The gem twisted and sounded like screams as it scraped itself trying to assume a human form. It finally detonated, the 3 rabbits closest were completely gone, it wasn¡¯t an explosion like they had expected, it seemed to just devour everything around it. Harlan didn¡¯t even understand what went wrong. He decided that those experiments would need more time. It once again became trial and error like his first day. He was relentless, nearly 2000 rabbits perished during those weeks. Rosewell had to pull him away many times, he was so close, and yet so far. He became obsessed with what went wrong on the second experiment. Eventually everyone in the castle had heard the rumors, dozens of rabbits being delivered to the dungeon, and buckets of gore being removed. The Fomorian boy growing more and more agitated the longer he stayed. It got so bad that Rosewell knew something needed to be done. He was brought back to the facility. Relly and Zella and Reet were waiting, an important mission ahead of them. Get Harlan to calm down and actually rest his mind.
Caged, trapped, dying, meaningful death, revenge. Chapter 19 A Picnic in the Woods Rosewell forced Harlan to sleep by using a potion on his dinner without his consent. Hostin watched over him as he slept, no one had tried to kill him in over 30 hours at least, the attacks started 6 days ago after a prince wandered into the area where he was doing tests and saw him working. Rumors grew in intensity from then on. Those who feared what he could do and those who just wanted to discredit Rosewell who wasn¡¯t even trying to be in running for next ruler both saw him as a threat, leading to a case in which 2 assassins tried at the same time and killed each other in the confusion. When morning came Harlan had already been awake for hours, doing whatever exercises he could to pass the time. Hostin was only relieved of duty when Rosewell walked in, flanked by a single royal guardsmen. Not to be confused with a castle guard who are more often sons of nobles who want a prestigious but safe job, the royal guards were only selected from the best and could be directly tasked only by the royal family. Today this mountain of a woman with deep black hair streaked brown and sharp features was tasked with guarding Harlan and his friends as he was sent on a mandated vacation by Rosewell. She was going to be there but she was worried about Harlan snapping still and didn¡¯t want him left with Relly. ¡°Good morning Harlan. I hope you rested well. Hostin you may rest for a time before we leave.¡± ¡°You said no manipulation, you drugged me to get me into bed AGAIN.¡± Rosewell noticed the look on the faces of the others in the room. ¡°The boy just has a poor way of phrasing me forcing him to rest. Now, Harlan, we are not going to the dungeon today, you need to unwind before you break, you will not solve all your problems by simply throwing yourself at it until something clicks for you. You will be seeing your friends today for a picnic. This woman next to me is Safira Efren, she is a royal guard and will be protecting us while we are out today. She is far more powerful than anyone you have met before so you do not need to worry about safety today. We will be leaving as soon as you are ready. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, I just need a little more time, I am almost there.¡± Rosewell used a sound spell to make a loud bang behind him, Harlan responded with a wave of fire that would¡¯ve turned any unwarded furniture into little more than cinders. It didn¡¯t take much more than that to make Harlan see how tightly wound he really was. Harlan walked through a gate leading to a clearing in a forest with large shading trees. Relly was chasing around a butterfly, Zella was climbing trees, Reet was racing her. A large blanket was set on the ground with baskets of food on it. But Harlan didn¡¯t see all this first, he first saw that there is no cover in the case of an attack, that the butterfly Relly was chasing was faintly magical, and that the person who was supposedly Reet didn¡¯t have a cap on, he was on edge over every single detail. ¡°Harlan, where have you been, it¡¯s been so long!¡± Relly hugged him, but what he noticed was that her speech was also faintly touching his soul. ¡°Can you repeat that? I want to test something.¡± ¡°No. Miss Rosewell said you need to stop testing things and relax.¡± She stood defiantly with her arms crossed, Harlan still got what he wanted though. He made a connection using the power of his soul directly to her, bypassing her mind. ¡°You, testing, Rosewell.¡± Relly shivered, she didn¡¯t know what it was like when someone poked around their head until now, even when others spoke to her it was a 1 one way connection with her just picking up their thoughts. ¡°You¡¯re scaring me¡­¡± He broke the connection and returned to using her connection to speak with her. ¡°Sorry, I just realized how your speaking works a bit, I think I might be able to help you some. But I¡¯ll need to speak with Miss Rosewell about it.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t lie to you Relly.¡± He finally returned her hug, he was just starting to calm down, slowly. ¡°Harlan, when you are speaking with Relly I ask that you please use your voice so you don¡¯t leave others out of your conversation.¡± Rosewell was standing closer than Harlan was comfortable with. ¡°Yes, sorry Miss Rosewell, I guess all that soul training made me sensitive to people contacting mine. I could speak words into Relly¡¯s soul instead of her just picking up my words, I don¡¯t know what the language of signals is though, I could only speak the words she sent me.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Rosewell put on a bright smile for Relly to try and hide her severe annoyance that the first thing he did was try and research Relly. ¡°Harlan¡­ I think we should eat so you may speak of things other than research and testing.¡± Eventually they sat on the blanket, Zella had handily won the tree climbing race using her hair to pull herself up, she ignored Reet¡¯s comments about cheating and unfair advantages. Zella hugged Harlan when she came down. Things had been tense since Ky left, she needed someone who was more mature than Reet to talk to. ¡°We thought something bad had really happened this time. Rosewell told us it was fine. But¡­¡± Zella finally thought about how much she should be saying in front of her. ¡°It¡¯s been completely fine, I¡¯ve never slept on a better bed, and I get around the clock protection.¡± ¡°HA, what could you need protection from? I was already out of the room but I heard you knocked a guy twice your size pretty good.¡± Reet suddenly felt Rosewell¡¯s eye burrowing into the back of his head, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, it¡¯s just in case, nothing bad has happened.¡± Harlan had already decided to lie to them as soon as he survived his first attack. ¡°But enough about me, I see you aren¡¯t wearing a hat anymore?¡± ¡°Yep, if I can keep it under control for another week without any help then I will be put on a 1 month wait time, if I get through that then I can go home. My mom will love it, easiest way to light a fire in the entire north I bet and with what they learned you might see a few more hotheads some day.¡± Zella shuddered at the thought of more people like Reet. ¡°Then it will just be me and Zella left.¡± Relly held her legs tight to her chest. ¡°I won¡¯t be leaving any time soon I think, don¡¯t worry too much. And you can still make new friends.¡± Harlan admired how easy it was for her to brush off her problems with just a couple of nice words. They spent the rest of the day until dusk doing the things a normal child should do, they played hide and seek, tag, tested their aim by throwing things at tree branches. Relly was nearly silent because of her curse and she used it to great effect in hide and seek. Harlan hadn¡¯t felt so normal in months, since he found out he wasn¡¯t really human, and yet the thought no longer bothered him. ¡°I think it is time that we head back now, you will all be training to make up for this little outing.¡± Harlan had a fire in his eyes, it was nice to unwind, but he still wanted to find answers to every new question he asked. ¡°You will be forced on more breaks if you cannot find when it¡¯s right to rest on your own, this is your only warning. Now, I will help Safira to open a gate back to the facility and then one to the castle.¡± Rosewell was the first to notice things weren¡¯t right, she was a very talented wind and sound mage. A branch changed air currents by breaking, but there was no one there, someone was invisible. They were also far too competent to be anything but an assassin, they used subtle winds to make it seem like it was flowing unimpeded. They hid their sounds and let others through. She didn¡¯t immediately attack, instead making code signs with her hands while pretending to open the gate. Then she felt a larger, less subtle change in the air, an arrow headed towards Harlan. She made a twisting gale force, the arrow was reduced to splinters and the would be assassin into chunks no larger than her fist. Then the rest dropped their cloaks. 6 assassins left. She unsheathed her weapon from what seemed like just a hilt, an elegant thing, a rapier with many gems throughout its guard. Each one allowing bursts of air in different directions to make her swordsmanship more unpredictable and attack from impossible angles. Safira held off 3 more shots by shifting the gravity into itself. At that point it became a matter of close range combat. Safira was excited, she hadn¡¯t had the chance to fight in far too long, sparring just didn¡¯t have the same feeling. Her mace was comically large to normal soldiers with its 30 pound head. It was a 4 pointed star shape with and a spiked tip. After the first strike nearly broke the grip of the assassin the second was accelerated and the head was now effectively over 200 pounds, shattering not only the blade but also collapsing the body of the would be killer. She grabbed the legs of the assassin and swung the body like a weapon as she dodged strikes, shifting its gravity towards the one she hit with it to get them away for a moment. She threw her mace to hit through the first one she killed and deal with the second. The third thought there was an opening as Safira¡¯s back was turned and her neck exposed. Unfortunately Safira wasn¡¯t just a master of gravity, but earth as well. She kicked her foot back not unlike a bull ready for a charge and spikes erupted from the earth to skewer the poor soul. They were never even close to harming the royal guard. Meanwhile her mace met its mark and the assassin along with the tree it struck fell, she recalled it back to her hand by reversing the last gravity spell she used on it. Rosewell was barely holding back 2 of them but she had an advantage. Her sword was a prototype that replaced the mana gems imbued with spells with the blade itself being able to cast these spells on command. Her rapier let off blasts of air that let her shift her attacks to impossible angles, it wasn¡¯t flashy like Safira but the few attacks that got through the assassin guard cut vital muscles and she took advantage of their shock to kill them without much issue. Hostin meanwhile was not a tenth of the fighter that Safira or Rosewell were. He was barely holding on only because the assassin kept being hit by a headache induced by Relly. The final slip up was Harlan opening a small hole as the assassin stepped down and Hostin taking advantage of this. Harlan had twisted his own ankle more than once on gopher holes. Then the bodies exploded, Safira chose to guard Rosewell, meanwhile the body next to the children exploded while Hostin was at the wrong angle to block it for them. Harlan using nearly every drop of mana he had to make a gale to counteract the explosion, they were still tossed back a distance, Zella wrapping herself and Relly in hair to break their fall, Harlan was too far to grab, his own spell knocking him backwards. Reet was lucky to have missed a tree and instead just rolled on the ground, broken limbs instead of a broken skull. Harlan was not so lucky, the last thing he heard was yelling, the last thing he saw was the edges of the gate stabilize into a location he didn¡¯t recognize.
Coronach watched, he was disappointed he couldn¡¯t join the killing but he had to admit he liked the big woman. Chapter 20 Machinations of the King Rosewell would¡¯ve liked to stay longer but the royal dinner waited for no one, and an injured child was not reason enough to miss it to the king. The atmosphere was tense, some of the princes and princesses were behind the fight and wanted to know what happened. The king spoke as soon as Rosewell sat. ¡°My dear daughter, how did your little outing with the children go?¡± ¡°We were attacked. They are all dead.¡± She took note of who gained even the slightest smirk before she clarified. ¡°The assassins did not take a single life, though my personal guard was harmed and is recovering. Harlan is at the royal infirmary recovering as well, the assassins detonated when the last of them died causing him to suffer an injury.¡± ¡°Well, things could¡¯ve gone better, I thought for a moment that I had overestimated your group''s abilities. It would¡¯ve been better had your guard died to drive home the point that the kingdom will give its lives for theirs. Did the boy get involved? That would throw off my calculations a small amount at least.¡± Rosewell stopped for a moment, trying to figure out what she was hearing. But that was madness, how could her father just openly admit to sending the assassins as a ploy. ¡°We know he did something to disrupt them, he saved my personal guard¡¯s life but we aren¡¯t sure of the exact details, I will ask him when he wakes up.¡± She knew Relly had helped as well but hid this from her father, he thought of her like a pet for a childless woman, not as a weapon to be studied. ¡°It is a good sign that he has now spilled blood to protect another member of the kingdom. Your report is done.¡± Rosewell barely heard anything else for the rest of the dinner, she wished she could be excused so she didn¡¯t need to look at him. She knew her father, but she didn¡¯t think he would¡¯ve been the one sending the assassins, to try and push forward with the plans on endearing Harlan to her and the kingdom without asking. But her father knew her well enough to know she wouldn¡¯t follow the plans he had how he wanted. When everyone had finally finished him spoke to her again ¡°Go to the boy, he will not wake until you are there, I have made it so. You shall be the first thing he sees.¡± ¡°Yes father¡­¡± The king knew that she wouldn¡¯t like his plans, so he just didn¡¯t bother to ask her, he wanted the magical knowledge from Harlan. If he could fully bring him to their side then they would learn all the more from it, the life of a child was nothing compared to the thousands lost on the western front each week. She made her way to the infirmary where a chair from her room was already sat next to the bed. Her mind was still chaotic with her mental image of her father as harsh and uncaring but not an evil man clashed with what she knew. What if Relly or Zella had been hurt or killed? Were the assassins not supposed to kill anyone from the start? Was he gambling with their lives without a care? She was eventually broken out of her thoughts when she heard Harlan speak. ¡°Miss Rosewell¡­ why are you here?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep knowing you were still here. Do you feel well enough to go back to the facility?¡± She wanted him out of the castle, away from her fathers machinations until she sorted her thoughts. She had clearly displayed it on her face that Harlan should say yes. ¡°I¡¯m ok, let¡¯s go back there.¡± Once she had him back in his room she put up as many anti-spying wards and arrays as she could. Then she decided to tell Harlan what had actually happened. He lacked the right words for how angry he was. ¡°I, AND THEN THAT. ARRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHH.¡± ¡°Yes I agree.¡± ¡°AND YOU!¡± ¡°I know.¡± After another 30 minutes of angry rambling and short replies he had calmed down enough to talk. ¡°So what are YOU going to do then? Wait for him to cut off my limbs so you can heroically save me? Maybe he¡¯ll just kill people I know so you can comfort me. WHAT ARE YOU DOING.¡± ¡°Harlan, please, there is a limit to what he would do he woul-¡± ¡°REALLY? HE WOULDN¡¯T?¡± Shadows deepened and the candle flared to accent his words They both fell into silence, Rosewell trying to fight against her image of her father being exactly the monster Harlan thought he was, and Harlan trying to not get so worked up that he went back into rambling angry nonsense. ¡°I think you should try acting overly affectionate towards me while others can see us, and you should help Relly. If you learn how to do what she does we could speak without speaking when we needed to.¡± ¡°Oh oh, so now you want me to play nice? You want me to help you exploit Relly too? I guess you haven¡¯t tried the assassins plan on her ye-¡± Rosewell slapped him, she knew he was angry, so was she. She genuinely loved Relly and couldn¡¯t stand the idea of doing such things to her. ¡°I am not my father, you can toss around your insults but I would NEVER hurt Relly like that. Now sit down, I am going to tell you what to do and you will do it. You WILL help Relly because if it looks like you are too useful then he won¡¯t try anymore risky things like this. You WILL keep up your necromancy for the same reason. You WILL pretend that you don¡¯t hate me and most importantly you WILL never speak a word of this because if he heard you hated him you wouldn¡¯t live through the day. Harlan¡­ please, I am not evil, but I can¡¯t help you. You are almost an enemy of the state just by existing, so don¡¯t give him any reason to make him think you are going to do something bad; one day I am sure you can go back home, deal?¡± she put her hand out, and they shook. This is how their days were spent for over 2 years, necromancy had slowed down severely, he was up to a half a day before the undead burst, and they could follow most instructions as long as their plan wasn¡¯t changed in any way. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. He found out what was the cause of some oversoul crystal not functioning, he simply lacked the finesse to fill them properly, he would need to look over each gem before filling it and account for the differences in crystal structure until it became instinct for him. He had a full vocabulary in what he called soul speak, just needing to say a word out loud and then have Relly repeat it in his mind, allowing him to learn them. Eventually he could speak words that she didn¡¯t tell him, he didn¡¯t understand exactly when but his mind seemed to just translate for him at this point. He also found out how to make it so her hair and eyes didn¡¯t change colors if she didn¡¯t want them too. The kingdom had started full scale production of soul enchanted items to replace the old enchanted items for the last 6 months as their own mages became able to work a soul like Harlan could, each was less efficient than him but quantity is its own quality. He had realized more about how souls worked than any single mage in the kingdom had in their entire lives. The kingdom got most of this, but some of it was known only to Harlan and Rosewell. They restricted how much they actually gave away, bursts of innovation weren¡¯t as impressive in her reports as months of consistent improvement. But for Harlan the most fun he had was spreading rumors and sending some people into an uproar with the right words, he had ¡°accidentally¡± called Rosewell mother once and the look on the maids faces was priceless to him, when he saw that Rosewell had a slight blush he felt like he was finally done being bitter about her, she had been helping him and hadn¡¯t broken his trust since their new deal. She really was starting to remind him of a second mother, Zella and Relly almost like sisters. Though Zella had been gone for over 6 months already, she was sent to the grand academy in the neutral zone. They had found out how the Fae changed her soul and would sell this information to a newer noble house as a bloodline eventually. Relly started living in the royal castle as well, under the excuse of her learning to better socialize with normal people and learn sound magic to be able to speak from Rosewell. Really Rosewell just couldn¡¯t bear to see her alone day after day in the facility, no new children came in around her age, and none of the other new children liked her poking around in their heads. After another day of work in necromancy was done, Harlan slept, every dream was a nightmare, he didn¡¯t understand them, but he felt like it was his fault as he saw fields of bodies stacked like castles laid out before him. He was seeing if adding a bloodline to the souls would have positive benefits towards longevity of the body. He awoke to find Safira was waiting there, with 3 more of the royal guard, fully armored. ¡°You will come with us. The king wishes to speak to you and Rosewell.¡± Harlan had found some manner of peace, he knew he had done everything right and unless Rosewell had told him they were withholding information then nothing bad was likely to happen. ¡°Thank you for coming to get me then.¡± They moved out in a square formation with Harlan in the center through the castle, it was a small city in itself in some ways, and without using a gate it took 30 minutes of casual walking to get to the throne room where the king and every royal child was waiting. Harlan kneeled deeply towards the king as soon as his escort had stopped, Rosewell gave him books to read at night when he wasn¡¯t allowed to experiment and working out was getting overly tedious to him, smaller and smaller gains over time, he was peaking in what his child body could do. ¡°You are Harlan, the Fomorian child?.¡± ¡°Yes, your grace¡± ¡°And are you aware of why you are before us now?¡± ¡°No, your grace.¡± ¡°You have been with us now for nearly 3 years, in that time we have gone through many improvements in how we research and understand souls. you have granted us the basics of necromancy at least, temporary shock troopers to hold the line against the theocracy. Why do you think we are gathered here now?¡± ¡°I would not mean to imply anything, your grace.¡± Harlan found proper speech to the king annoying at best, but he had been preparing for the worst case where he actually had to speak with him for a long time. ¡°We did not gather here for you to not answer the question. I will not repeat it.¡± Harlan felt a strong force press down on his soul, the king wanted his game to be played, not sidestepped with flowery language. ¡°I¡­ am I done with this? May I return home now?¡± ¡°A very good guess, but no, we will decide your fate now. Release and an honorary noble title, or execution.¡± Harlan nearly detonated his soul on the spot, from his testing soul detonations could kill nearly anything, he had never seen even a heavily warded block of steel that could escape its short but violent destructive range, but Rosewell looked calm to him still, he thought this might not just be an execution after all. ¡°As you will, your grace.¡± Harlan had never been given leave to stand, after 2 hours of arguments from both sides his legs were locked up like steel, but he didn¡¯t dare move. He had only met Safira once before but he knew she would cut him down without issue if she thought it was the right call. ¡°You may stand.¡± his legs made a popping noise as he rose. ¡°I will allow one final argument from the chosen representative of both sides.¡± On the right was the 7th prince, still a scheming snake like when they first met, and on the left was¡­ A man who Harlan didn¡¯t know, his 30s most likely, so one of the older princes. ¡°You may speak first.¡± he pointed at the 7th prince ¡°Thank you father. I will start with what he is, we have been fighting against the Fomorians for as long as we have expanded into the frontier. Their actions have caused untold death throughout this conflict and we still lose entire villages to their undead. He has helped us to understand, but that is all the more reason we cannot risk him leaving and joining with them, their own elemental magics have lagged behind ours, but if the boy sought them out and taught them anything we would be in a worse spot than ever before. He has also shown a history of anger, violence, and has killed men in the past. Can you refute these claims brother?¡± ¡°Of course, I will work my way back from your arguments end. The 2 men he has killed were a werewolf and an assassin, in the first case it was self defense as he was a hostage, the werewolf in question had already killed his own family and was being hunted by Nightwatchers. The assassin was in the process of fighting 4th Princess Rosewell¡¯s own personal guard, and Harlan¡¯s actions directly saved his life and his further actions prevented harm from coming not only to himself but also others. His anger and violence have always been the result of others actions, he has not lashed out without reason, the worst he has done was assault a boy twice his size who had drugged him and his friends. And since then he has remained calm and collected. The Fomorians have shown no signs of doing anything but killing those who exist outside their tribes, 80 years ago two tribes had their lands close enough that they fought each other, they cannot even live with one another, the chances of them taking in an unknown child because he looks like them is simply too low to worry about and he is still far from even a great mage, compared to a 3rd year student at the grand academy he is below average. His power lies entirely in soul magics which the Fomorians are already far above his level, which he might never even reach. He is for all intents and purposes a normal child mentally, even the ¡ª we found in him was proven harmless after much testing, being a remnant of a non-binding and incomplete contract. Finally, though it is in testing still we have gotten a form of silent speech from him. I need not explain the boon of such a thing. It is for these reasons that I believe it is best we allow the boy to live out his life in service to the kingdom if he so chooses.¡± ¡°Are both sides in agreement that the boy should be let free from this point onward?¡± The king asked. ¡°No father, our side still believes him too dangerous to just be let loose.¡± the 7th prince spoke. ¡°I shall deliberate for a time, you are all to stand and wait for this.¡± It was a farce, the 1st prince knew while the 7th didn¡¯t. The king had already made up his mind on Harlan over a year ago. ¡°Both sides have good reasons for their choices, as such a compromise will be reached. The boy is to be set free for 9 months, at which point he is then to attend the grand academy, and depending on how he progresses we shall judge him once more in the future. He will receive a name, but no lands or tribute, this shall mark him as a noble for the sake of honor duels and not to be abused or used in political games of other nobles and nothing more. This is final, and no arguments are to be held regarding this decision. You may now step forward, fomorian child.¡± After so long it felt like a dream, like he would wake up tomorrow and go back to the dungeon to make more undead. The king unsheathed a sword, clearly ceremonial as far as he could tell. It was a bright white with gold veins giving it a leafy appearance, It looked sized to a man 7 feet tall at least with gems of 6 colors on its hilt. ¡°Henceforth you shall be known as Harlan Fomoria, your name coming from what you are, but also that you are not your blood, someday the word Fomorian might be forgotten, but your name shall not be.¡± Harlan knelt once more, he felt the weight of the flat side of the blade touch on both his shoulders and then he rose. ¡°Thank you very much your grace. I shall do great things with this name you have granted me.¡± ¡°I suppose there is only one more matter of business. A quick question really, do you want to kill me?¡±
The Darkness spoke to him plainly, she knew there was little need to manipulate him, he would work with gods or lowly bandits, the who mattered little to him, the why and what he could gain were what he cared about. Interlude: Ava Ava hadn¡¯t really stopped moving since Harlan was taken, but she just didn¡¯t know where she was going. She just wanted to be strong in the same childish way as Harlan did. And so she trained as hard as she could. The trainer for the Redwall family, Breken, was an older man, he had spent his youth on battlefields and retired to train others to return from them. Ava had grown on him when she refused to sleep in a bed and just trained all day. He never had kids, always too busy on a battlefield or moving to the next one. So a student he could mold was a nice use of his time, he thought so at least. He wasn¡¯t going to be learning more and his days were boring more often than not. He didn¡¯t really like to read and the guards were mostly other veterans who needed only a bit of training to steer them away from bad habits they had picked up. Once he decided to take her she was excited, she was far less excited when he said she needed a lot of muscle training and didn¡¯t let her pick a sword up again for a month. She had what he called minimum viable strength to start training, then she really started to learn. Unfortunately he was allowed to be rougher with her than he could with Jaramis or Autumn, she ended most days by going to the count¡¯s doctor to be healed. Autumn was furious when she heard, but Ava was just as upset at the idea of not being allowed to continue. She kept coming back, her wounds lessened over time. After 1 year of his training she was allowed to spar with others. He started taking her to other minor noble families who wanted sparring partners for their own children, it took her another year before he started teaching her the real techniques, started taking her to hunt monsters in life or death scenarios. Well, as life or death as clearing small groups of goblins was. ¡°Good, 10 dead, no injuries, didn¡¯t break any gear this time.¡± ¡°What? There are 11 bodies.¡± Breken picked up a stone and threw it at one of the goblins, it let out a yelp. He threw a second stone that finished it off. ¡°Always confirm your kills, I¡¯ve seen things go bad when someone wakes up under a pile of bodies and starts slashing with abandon. Even if no one dies it breaks formations which DOES get people killed. If you were out here by yourself, and went to sleep after thinking they were dead it could¡¯ve gotten up and you would¡¯ve been the one with a rock being thrown at your head.¡± ¡°Thank you, Master Breken.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that. Have you been reading etiquette books again?¡± Ava blushed in embarrassment. ¡°Yes¡­ Autumn said I should address you properly.¡± She finally was back at the house, as the farm grew Harlow eventually built a bunkhouse for workers, he had the money to hire and pay slaves and workers alike, leaving the girls more time to pursue their obsessions. Harlow and Aida were still broken up about his leaving, the letters they received from Rosewell all the time didn¡¯t help, they thought it was just some ploy to make sure they didn¡¯t do anything foolish. Then a boy came, his name was Ky, he had stories of Harlan, what he was doing, how he had made new friends. They finally felt like at least he wasn¡¯t in some dark hole being tortured for magical knowledge, Amber had even taken a liking to the boy. He stayed at the bunkhouse until Redmond had returned, that was who he was here for other than just leaving a message for Harlan, Ky was supposed to become a ranger, there were few other jobs that would give him access not only to monsters to eat but a variety of monsters to eat. Ky had left alongside Redmond, they were both going to the frontier anyway, though Ky would break off to go to a bootcamp near his family. Reet never showed up, his family was in the north, he couldn¡¯t really make a journey across the country to pop in and say hi to his friends family. But he did send a letter. Now someone else was here for Harlan, and Redmond wasn¡¯t here to threaten them, so Ava felt it was her job. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. The way she talked about Harlan made her upset in some way she didn¡¯t understand. She was older than her, had long beautiful hair without a single tangle, and got to spend years with him. She even had a scholarship for the academy waiting as soon as the school year started. Ava would never admit it, or even realize it, but she was jealous. ¡°Soo¡­ Zella, how do you know my brother? Were you guys¡­?¡± Zella spat her tea out and turned red, after some coughing and using magic to clean up what was spilled she finally spoke. ¡°We were just friends¡­ Yes, just friends, he is too young to be anything else, and too absorbed in his research anyway.¡± ¡°So what do they have them doing there?¡± Aida found a perfect chance to ask the same question she asked Ky and any other messengers who came by with letters. ¡°Ah, well, I didn¡¯t really SEE him doing research, so I mean. How was he as a kid? I mean he is still a kid, but when he was smaller? Was he still the silent thinking overly protective type?¡± And this time it was Ava who saw an opportunity. ¡°Don¡¯t dodge the question, were you even friends? What are they making him do?¡± Ava was still small, but she had a glare trained by Breken himself. Zella was caught off guard, but she couldn¡¯t help herself. She laughed so hard she doubled over. ¡°You aren¡¯t really like he talked about, the lost puppy grew into a bear hound.¡± Ava was red with anger, she swung at her only to have her punch caught by hair. Zella had learned to control her hair completely, only giving it back control when she slept. ¡°Ah, um¡­ I¡¯m really sorry for laughing. He just talked about you being so sweet and innocent. I guess you¡¯re more like he is now.¡± Zella moved her hair like arms and legs, she had knocked over a chair and a plate in their little scuffle. ¡°I¡­ I guess I can tell you, he doesn¡¯t exactly hide his work. Have you seen those new items with what they call false souls?¡± ¡°My uncle Redmond is a ranger, he was talking a lot about getting new gear coming in, special stuff as soon as he gets back. What part of that is Harlan¡¯s stuff?¡± ¡°Well¡­ most of it I guess? He tried to explain it but I couldn¡¯t understand all of it. He talked about taking souls and stripping them and growing them and sticking them in things. Miss Rosewell¡­ I mean Princess Rosewell said that they couldn¡¯t have done it without him.¡± Everyone at the table took the news that he was messing with souls poorly, there was a stigma among many people about souls being what makes people people and that changing them was like killing someone and putting a new person inside. Of course this was mostly superstition, soul warping attacks were rare and poorly understood. Soul warping attacks that didn¡¯t just kill people outright were even rarer. ¡°Well, if they can do that already then when is he coming home?¡± ¡°Oh, well, he has other things he is working on too, but he never wanted to talk about it with me. Oh, but he was always talking about his soul speak stuff, he can talk without speaking, he taught me enough to do it too, but he was way better at it. Wanna try? He actually showed me what you guys looked like, but I just figured out how to do it before I left, it¡¯s a little fuzzy looking.¡± Aida decided she wanted to go first, Zella seemed nice, and if Harlan taught her then it must be fine. ¡°Alright, give me your hand.¡± Aida did as asked, after a minute she felt a tingle in her chest. ¡°Can you hear me?¡± ¡°Yes, thats¡­ uncomfortable to say the least.¡± ¡°Ah, it feels a lot better when Harlan does it to me, I mean, when he talks.¡± The chaos of Aida¡¯s mind when she heard and misunderstood her caused some backlash and broke the connection. ¡°Ah, please, just give me a moment.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that, what happened anyway?¡± ¡°When you talk it¡¯s soul to soul, mind is connected in there somewhere too, you got all confused and upset about what I said. You pushed that on me and it hurts.¡± ¡°I want to try next.¡± ¡°Ava I know that look, you will not be allowed to train for 3 days if you hurt her on purpose.¡± Ava gave a big harrumph about it. ¡°I still want to show you what he looks like now, or what he looked like last I saw him. If you give me your hand I can try again.¡± And so they connected once more. It took a few minutes for the image to completely form, but Aida saw Harlan¡¯s face for the first time in 2 and a half years. She cried, and it bled over until Zella was also crying. Aida let go of her hand, and hugged her, begging Harlow and Ava to see him. Eventually the crying out with joy was so loud that Kass burst in wondering what was wrong. He calmed once he saw everyone was hugging instead of hurt, but he was very cautious of Zella once he heard about her being able to connect souls. ¡°I will take my leave if there are no other problems, you, do not touch my soul. I will only warn you once.¡± Zella didn¡¯t really understand what had happened, but Kass really didn¡¯t want her around him. He wouldn¡¯t even stay in the same room as her for longer than 5 minutes outside of meals. When Zella mentioned that she was looking for somewhere to stay for a few months until school started, and that money wasn¡¯t an issue, Aida practically begged her to stay and talk more about Harlan. Eventually she was convinced that she could stay with them if she wanted. It was Ava finally warming up to her that tipped the scale. They had also convinced Zella to head over to the Redwall estate so she could meet Autumn and talk about what Harlan had been up to. But that is another story. Interlude: Amber Amber was granted enrollment through the Redwall family, with the expectation of her working for them and paying them back before she was allowed to find work elsewhere. Though what really got her in was good luck, with the limited number of students allowed in each year even after the campus was expanded she was being directly compared to someone else with a nearly identical set of talents, and so a coin was flipped, the final spot was hers. She wanted to learn war magic, combat magic, and then the new beast magics class, the confederation gave over unique magics like telekinesis in order to be allowed into the academy. Her last class was officially magical cloth weaving, in reality it was an unlisted illusions class, something the countries and the academy kept a close eye on, most assassins and thieves learned their craft in such a place. They very much wanted assassins and thieves on their side. She was also offered something called soulsmithing during her 3rd year, but she was told she should drop another course if she wanted it, and it came with a long list of warnings about not giving the information to anyone outside of the kingdom. She also just thought it sounded unsavory, more so than her other classes teaching her to kill. Amber had received a letter from home, another one of Harlan¡¯s friends had showed up at the farm, and was staying until the start of the academy¡¯s new year. Amber was glad that Harlan had managed to make friends, he didn¡¯t really fit in with the other children even during the few times other farmers brought them over for a visit. More so that he made a friend who was a girl, Amber thought about teasing him over it, if he even understood. But these thoughts were broken by her friend, a Tytoan girl, Ibery, same age, 6 foot tall but thin. Her face was concave, bright white feathers with a dark ring framing it, like she was wearing a mask. Her back was speckled brown, with even smaller green spots denoting a wind alignment. Her front a bright white like her face. Since they started letting in beastkin during Amber¡¯s first year things had been tense with the students from the theocracy, and to a lesser extent even from the kingdom. So Amber ended up with her friend group full of beastkin after a camping trip. Adelwulf the Canis with his thin black fur, brown around his face and hands, Amber rarely failed to mention how funny a dog person with wolf in their name was. Tau the Minos was shockingly gentle, He loved healing and crafting, wouldn¡¯t hurt a fly; his size dwarfed everyone but Bojana the Ursa, who was a stereotype of a warrior, gruff, hard headed, kept trying to fight Tau who always refused. She took only classes for combat, and also basket weaving, which was surely some other unlisted class. Ibery was talking to her about getting hazed by someone or another again, without hands quickly tying her beak closed with string was always an easy and embarrassing prank the others seemed to love, though she had gotten quite good at untying it with telekinesis without breaking the string, she even started collecting them. She eventually decided it wasn¡¯t worth trying to fight them, she was the daughter of a councilor so she had the right to duel others, but not the skill. ¡°I think I have a string of every color I can think of now, what about a sweater made from them? I don¡¯t really use clothes but it would be a neat reminder to keep my rage alive.¡± ¡°How about a bag? You could store your books in it, help carry them around. I have gotten pretty good at weaving with my magic now.¡± Everyone looked at her like a crazy person for a moment. ¡°Yeah, sure, you and your magical weaving classes, weird that I¡¯ve never seen you actually weave anything since I¡¯ve known you.¡± ¡°I think you should make a rope, find the ones who messed with you, hang them.¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Yes of course you would think that Bojana, can¡¯t you just forgive and forget? Sometimes I think we should all just have a sit down and try to talk heart to heart with them.¡± ¡°Hang on, I think she has a point on this one Tau, but you can¡¯t hurt them, there are too many issues involved in such a solution. You could use a rope for a tripwire, as long as it can¡¯t be linked back to you its fine.¡± Adelwulf loved his tricks and traps, his people were known for being able to rig together a snare from anything you gave them. They went along with their grim humor for their entire lunch, Amber invited them to her room for a private chat after classes were done for the day. ¡°I¡­ I got a letter. from my brother''s friend. She said he is still doing well, he has friends where he is. I don¡¯t know how I feel about it, I started learning all this magic to try and either save or avenge him¡­ I held onto that anger for a long time, and I can¡¯t bear to let it go. If he just came back one day, would I just fall apart?¡± her friends were shocked, they had each made the mistake of asking if she had any brothers at one point, leading to a flash of pure rage and then an awkward apology, the start of all their friendship in one way or another. ¡°I lost 3 cousins to theocracy incursions, I have let that simmer and push me for a long time too, I think you will be fine, hold that fire, don¡¯t get burned. Even if he is alright you must remember what has happened, we have a tradition of remembering every wrong, and trying to right them if possible.¡± ¡°I am sure you all know my answer, but I think you should let go, before you see him next, give yourself time to handle it slowly. You should listen as well Bojana, killing and anger is poison for the soul and mind.¡± Tau was always trying his best for peace, never once fighting back when others bullied him, eventually some stopped when they couldn¡¯t get any reaction from him. ¡°I¡­ I never had siblings, but my grandfather¡¯s stories about fighting the theocracy have stayed with me, he lost his father to the fighting, and so he joined the fight when he grew up, and it never really left him I think. I don¡¯t hold that hate like you two, but sometimes I think about all the pointless suffering caused by retaliations, you should just keep it in mind. If they hurt him then find a way to make it right, but if he doesn¡¯t hold it against your kingdom, then you shouldn''t either.¡± Ibery didn¡¯t like conflict, being put between Tau who she thought was overly naive and Bojana who she thought was always too extreme, she went with a middle road of finding out what happened first, then plot revenge if needed. Adelwulf was silent, he had a story but he wasn¡¯t about to tell it. ¡°I don¡¯t like any of these answers, I don¡¯t know if I could, I don¡¯t want to think about this more, I¡¯ll just let it sit for now. Bojana, I want to fight, how long will it take to get ready for the dueling arena?¡® ¡°I¡¯ll be there in 15 minutes.¡° And so time passed, Amber never really got an answer to her question, but when the academy break started and she met Zella her mind cooled down some, it helped that Zella was old enough to tease and she got to see what Harlan looked like, hear stories about what they all did. Amber was kicking herself for not taking soulsmithing, it was a direct connection to him in a way. The 3 girls all bonded over telling stories and sparing, Zella was untrained but stronger than Ava because of age and her hair, and she was on a level close to Amber due to her time at the facility. They also tagged along with Ava for her training hunts. When Redmond came back on leave and showed off all his fancy gear now powered by mimic souls Amber was distraught all over again, his sword could do all the basic ball spells without straining him at all, it helped him to push back against stronger people, his shield had similar features and that was just what he was allowed to tell her about. She decided to ask if it was possible to switch from illusions to soulsmithing still. ¡°Alright, I think that is enough of a show.¡± Redmond then proceeded to use his boots to walk on the air over a small puddle on his way inside. The show was never really over during the rest of his stay. ¡°Wait¡­ so Harlan did this?¡± Redmond asked Zella while pointing at his armor, since he got it his life had been saved no less than 3 times, close calls had been avoided innumerably. ¡°Yes! He will be ecstatic when he hears you like it so much! He always talked about you guys.¡± ¡°Right, yeah¡­¡± he was conflicted, he did REALLY like his new equipment, but the cost was all the pain everyone else had felt for the last 2 and a half years. ¡°Do you want to see him?¡± ¡°What?¡± Aida had to step in before Redmond got too disappointed realizing what she actually meant. ¡°She can show you what he looked like the last time she saw him.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Soul speak is what he always called it. He taught me everything he knows about it. But uh¡­ don¡¯t cry on me, you guys have all done it.¡± Zella had grown confident in her time at the farm, she hadn¡¯t really had any family other than Rosewell and Relly since she got her powers, and it did wonders to soothe her lonely spirit. ¡°I¡¯m a big kid, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± he was not. Amber felt her rage slip farther away the longer she was at home, the more stories she heard, the more she realized how much good Harlan had done, if his armor saved Redmond¡¯s life then was that fair? For him to be gone for a long time so that she could see Redmond again? She started to feel guilty trying to quantify suffering and loss like it was adding up marbles. But, she had the best night''s sleep in a long time that night. Interlude: Autumn Autumn had taken it the best of any of them, she had to. She came out as a social butterfly, leaving behind most of her combat and magical training, In part because she was expecting twins finally, Count Redwall had asked them to hold off on children until he could make a bloodline. Which took longer than he expected, but finally he made a stable bloodline. The twins part was unexpected but no one had an issue with it, when they were born they would have, in theory at least, a high tolerance to heat and fire, with a single fire alignment, The bloodline was set in Autumn, Jaramis didn¡¯t have a fire alignment and trying to add the bloodline to someone incompatible was a recipe for disaster, removing the light from Autumn was much safer. Autumn was scared of the prospect of her soul being changed and it being passed down to her children, but things went off without a hitch, other than the deeply unsettling feeling she had for about a week after it happened while it was still binding to her. She had gotten into the habit of setting the ends of her now red hair on fire in many colors since it wouldn¡¯t burn anymore. It was a great party trick to draw in influential but easily wooed people. She had been going from party to party and keeping up on the news whenever she wasn¡¯t spending her time with Jaramis, she tried to visit her family at least once a month. She took the carriage to her family home, giddy to tell them that she was pregnant. And thinking if she should wait until Amber is back for vacation or if she should send a letter. She didn¡¯t expect to see a girl there Amber¡¯s age chatting with Ava. ¡°Did you find a replacement for Amber already?¡± Zella confidently walked up to her with her hand out. ¡°You look a little different than he showed me, but you must be Autumn?¡± ¡°Than who showed you?¡± ¡°Harlan.¡± Confusion was clearly knit on her face, she looked at her sister for an explanation. Ava answered. ¡°She was Harlan¡¯s girlfriend wherever he is.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Zella went red in the face and Ava was rolling around in laughter. Autumn found it much less funny. She narrowed her eyes at Ava, thinking it was a joke in poor taste. ¡°Explain, now.¡± ¡°She¡¯s telling the truth, I mean about me knowing Harlan¡­ not the um¡­ other part.¡± ¡°Prove it.¡± Zella grabbed her hand and initiated a soul link, flashing memories of Harlan at her. Autumn reacted like everyone else had, tears and hugging, her bodyguards took a short while to be convinced that nothing was wrong. Though in her mind she was trying to find out what the scheme was, as it turns out trying to involve herself in politics for the last 2 years had a negative effect on how she viewed people, especially those who didn¡¯t ask for anything. She had met very few people she could call genuine friends. Until dinner came and the rest of the family that was still there could all talk at once, Autumn sat in the main room and subtly interrogated Zella about what all happened, sometimes asking trick questions to get her to slip up and reveal she was some kind of agent out to get them. This didn¡¯t work and she eventually decided that it was fine, and that he really was alright and had made friends. She had accepted the idea some time ago, she knew enough about the kingdom that they wouldn¡¯t needlessly harm him if they could instead exploit him for all he was worth. Many noble houses were even born from this process. Autumn had to leave before it got too late, she barely got away from Aida, so excited over being a grandmother that she was crying tears of joy since she had been told. Eventually more months passed, she had heard through the grapevine that the royal family was holding a trial for a young man, 14 years of age. She knew, knew that it was Harlan, that he would probably be coming home soon, there was no reason they would just kill him. She read a lot of reports of how the army was using their new soulsmithed weapons, the official term used by the kingdom. She knew who was behind it. She almost wanted to tell the rest of her family, but she could¡¯ve been wrong, but things could¡¯ve gone poorly, she could be getting a letter that he had passed away instead of him being released. Still, she prepared, if he came home she was going to be ready, she dropped ideas in the heads of other nobles about the boy who invented their new weapon manufacturing method, the boy who was helping to push back the frontier farther and farther each day, who through his effort the frontline against the theocracy was safer every day. She didn¡¯t know how much it could help, but she knew the daughter of a count who talked with the daughter of a baron who was betrothed to the son of a duke. Someone along the way must¡¯ve heard something, and they might plant the idea in someone involved in the trial. She refused to be hopeless, instead looking forward to the future, to meeting him again, to having him meet her own children, to seeing how happy the rest would be when he finally came back. Chapter 21 The Kings Decision ¡°Yes¡± The room turned to chaos for a few moments before the king activated an array to silence all but him and Harlan. ¡°Now why would you answer like that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a trick question right? If I said no then you would call me a liar and have me killed, but this way I get to see the faces of everyone here twist in shock first.¡± The king let out a booming laugh. ¡°And if you were to kill me, would you be willing to sacrifice your family? Your friends? To be a known kingslayer? The theocracy would have you killed in an instant for your tinkering of souls, there would be nowhere to run.¡± ¡°No¡­ not if it hurt my family.¡± ¡°You are hereby free, you shall be transported to the Redwall mansion tomorrow evening by a gate, they will be expecting you.¡± The king let the room fall into chaos with a smile on his face, after a few minutes he silenced them again and let Harlan speak. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°If you would sacrifice nothing then you are no threat, you are a child throwing a tantrum. You lack the heart and will to do what needs to be done. In time you may come to even be thankful of what you have been given. Or do you think that most of even my own children wouldn¡¯t kill me to be king? Let alone nobles.¡± He scanned the room, locking eyes slightly longer on a few people. ¡°A king will always be hated by those who want power or feel they have been wronged, but if you do more good for my kingdom, then I have nothing to fear from you. By the time you get close to having the chance to kill me without sacrificing anything I will be long dead. And those who hated me will either be dead or they will still hate me, they are nothing. Now, clear the room, I have other business to take care of. And there will be no second trial.¡± Rosewell and Cynthia followed him back to his room. ¡°HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?¡± ¡°Of course not, but it worked out, right? Cynthia, why are you here?¡± ¡°Oh, I wanted to see how Rosewell would react.¡± ¡°DO NOT ENCOURAGE HIM.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s so much more fun that way!¡± Rosewell paced back and forth muttering to herself for a minute. There was a knock on the door, Safira. ¡°The king asks that you write a letter of introduction for Sir Fomoria to Count Redwall. And to have it delivered no later than this evening.¡± She then stepped away and closed the door. ¡°Sir Fomoria¡­ I¡­ That¡¯s weird to everyone else right?¡± ¡±No sir, Sir Fomoria sir, I believe it¡¯s a wonderful name sir.¡± Cynthia was having the time of her life seeing Rosewell¡¯s eye twitch with anger. ¡°Harlan, do you want to help me with writing the letter, are there any requests that you want? Food, drinks, which way your windows face?¡± ¡°Just ask if they will get the rest of my family there, I don¡¯t need anything else. What about Relly? She is going to be alone again.¡± ¡°Relly is going to be alright, with your soulspeak training we have learned a lot about how her ability works, I bet she will be out in another year or 2 and she still has me.¡± ¡°Can I see her today?¡± ¡°I can work out some time tomorrow, you will need to be debriefed today though. she is helping transcribe words into soulspeak right now¡­ dinner with the 3 of us then?¡± ¡°Sounds good. Her Highness 7th Princess Rosewell. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll miss the rest of this, but I might miss you and Cynthia.¡± ¡°Would you have included me in that heartfelt goodbye if I wasn¡¯t standing here?¡° ¡°No.¡± Harlan and Cynthia both laughed, she had taught him the joy of saying the right thing to get a rise out of people. He hadn¡¯t seen her much since she was married, but he still liked her. It wasn¡¯t proper to give her a hug, she knew that. But if she started it then it was fine. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°I will see you again someday, so no goodbyes, just a see you later. Maybe you can teach my children how to play with souls, it¡¯s very interesting, but I¡¯ll keep working with my plants.¡± ¡°By the time they are ready to learn, I am sure to have a pricing scheme set up, but I¡¯ll book them first. I¡¯ll see you then.¡± With that Cynthia walked out of the room. Then Harlan was debriefed, which amounted to telling him each individual thing he couldn¡¯t talk about and with whom. Which as it turned out was everything that wasn¡¯t already public knowledge, which was far less than he thought it would be, it seemed the kingdom wanted people to know how just about everything but necromancy worked. They had only given this knowledge to the academy and to select nobles, but Harlan was even allowed to teach people if he wanted to. ¡°You said you wouldn¡¯t leave¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ But I¡¯ll still be around, you remember where I am right? My family? Rosewell said it probably won¡¯t be more than 2 years, I¡¯ll still be in the academy then, and if you do well you could get in.¡± ¡°Speaking of the academy and your family. Zella lived with them for a time before heading off to academy, you will be 2 years under her by the time you get in school. My spies say she got along very well with your family.¡± ¡°You have people spying on my family?¡± Harlan barely kept the anger out of his voice. ¡°Of course, you have people who would harm you and yours, if I didn¡¯t have spies anyone could wander right into them. I will be keeping them around to guard them by the way, I will not be talked out of this.¡± Harlan deflated, Rosewell had treated him well all things considered, he didn¡¯t like lashing out at people, but he was having a hard time not doing it. He thought about the stress of just being here, worrying about them all the time, the little pinpricks of doubt that he would be ok, they never stopped building up. ¡±Yes¡­ Thank you Rosewell. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I know you are, that is why I¡¯m not upset. You can grow out of that rage in your chest. I am sure being back with your family is going to help. But enough about that, our food will get cold if it sits any longer.¡± The next day Harlan felt¡­ hollow in a sense, he had been working nearly every day for 3 years, to see the sunrise, finish breakfast and then just¡­ Not work, it felt wrong to him. But that feeling went to the back of his mind, eventually. He didn¡¯t do much for the rest of his morning, Rosewell had him and Relly gated to a forest. They sat and ate and played until it was time to leave, Harlan carried her as she cried. Eventually having to let go. He was supposed to design a crest for his theoretical at the time noble house. And so he entered a room with Rosewell, the royal designer, and¡­ Cynthia? ¡°This¡­ puts a dampener on our last heartfelt goodbye.¡± ¡°Yep, that''s the plan. You should expect to see me anywhere at any time, I¡¯m not really gone that way and crest making is a fun little game.¡± Eventually a design was settled on, with only 30 minutes until he had to leave he would need a set of clothes with the crest sewn into it, and a ring made for proof of who he was. Most of the time had been spent with Rosewell and Cynthia talking him out of a crest that was a skull with vertical flaming swords in its eye sockets. ¡°Come on, I was born with mana sight so the eyes, I have a base fire alignment so the fire, and I can do necromancy, the design is perfect.¡± ¡°This is not a small matter, getting a crest changed is a huge affair, this makes you look like a mercenary band, not a noble.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s very interesting, think of the reactions people will have!¡± ¡°Cynthia I will remove you if you poison his mind like this more.¡± Eventually he was talked into a new design, a ring of fire with waves on the outside like the sun to represent his light and fire alignments. Inside the ring was a skull, for his necromancy, and a flaming 5 pointed star on the forehead. Harlan wanted the entire skull on fire, but was talked down to just the forehead, to represent his bright mind and soul Cynthia said. And then it was done, the clothes were easy enough after that, red outside, black inside, and a white trim. It was a more simple design, like a heavy lab coat with somewhat looser, simpler clothes underneath. The ring would be delivered later, a signet ring for a noble was not just a simple piece of metal, it had to be able to resonate with other rings to prove it was real, and to help focus for small geas like what Autumn had received. When Harlan heard that he had to ask. ¡°Rosewell. About geas, I¡¯ve barely seen anything about them other than my oldest sister getting one when she was going to be married off. Why? It sounds to me like every noble should have one.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you in on a secret that we keep to keep people in line. Geas are nearly worthless. Anyone with even a few years of training could subvert or shut them down without them even triggering to tell the person who set the geas. If you got one put on you I¡¯d wager 5 minutes or less before it was gone. The old wizards and witches could use strong ones to control people, but they are gone and we¡¯ve made sure those secrets died with them.¡± He was taken to the gate room by a royal guard, it seemed strong silent types were common since they never tried to talk with him, under all that armor he couldn¡¯t even tell if it was a man or not. He eventually reached the room, the gate was already being prepared, in seconds it was finished. He saw on the other side his family, other than Redmond and Amber. The academy could¡¯ve had her sent through a series of gates, but the cost of such a thing was beyond her. He saw that everyone looked ok, that Autumn was about to give birth, that everyone teared up, his vision clouded, for a moment he thought it was an attack before he realized that he was also crying. They all stood around hugging him, crying, asking questions, checking him for any marks or other signs of abuse. Eventually they headed inside, to have a nice dinner and for him to answer a lot of questions.
Investigators looked over a room, parts were scattered all over, under a hidden trapdoor they found everything they needed to know, not the first group of assassins to be assassinated lately. What disturbed them at every scene however was that the wards were all intact and nobody triggered the defenses, like someone teleported in and killed them all before they could react. Chapter 22 A Meal with the Family Dinner that night was the best Harlan felt in years, the little pinpricks of stress stopped building up, the constant weight of the axe over his head was finally gone. Eventually people stopped holding back and asked the questions that worried them the most. ¡°So¡­ souls? I hear you have been messing with them¡­ is that, I mean is it alright?¡± Aida didn¡¯t have magical knowledge and was leaning more on superstition. ¡°Oh yes, it''s fine. The rabbits didn¡¯t relly bother me either¡± ¡±What were you doing with rabbits?¡± ¡°I just remembered, I can¡¯t talk about that part yet. I can talk about soul enchanting though.¡± Aida¡¯s worries shot through the roof at the theories of what he couldn¡¯t talk about being much worse than what he has already talked about. ¡°Yes, I believe I would be interested in such discussion.¡± Count Redwall spoke. ¡°Well, what part do you want to know?¡± ¡°What souls did you work on, could any work? I would like to clear up some misconceptions.¡± Redwall was trying to get in on the ground floor, hoard whatever animal was used if possible. ¡°That''s easy, it¡¯s mimic trees. We tried with black soul condors, but those had some¡­ unintended effects.I heard that the crown is going to make people get permits for the trees eventually.¡± ¡°Well then, thank you for the information.¡± Redwall wasn¡¯t an overly greedy man, but this lit a fire in him, he didn¡¯t know how much he would make but it was surely going to be a lot, enough to set them up as a more influential house. ¡°Autumn, how long until the baby is here?¡± ¡°A month and a half I think, do you want to feel it kicking?¡± Jaramis was uncomfortable with the idea but held his tongue. ¡°Sure, but um, after dinner I think. Oh, I wanted to ask you something, Count Redwal, what does it really mean that I¡¯m a temporary noble now?¡± Everyone lost their composure, his family was overjoyed, Redwall was shocked, he had seen the crest that he didn¡¯t recognize but he didn¡¯t think too much about it. ¡°Ahem, well, this is a lesser used process. Normally people are just elevated to noble status after a great deed. What this means is that you are expected to do great things and have been given a title to prevent some houses from overtly interfering with you. You are clearly too young and inexperienced to be put in charge of others currently but if you continue your work you will likely be elevated to a baron. You could also choose to become a knight and lead a warband. An official group to be called on to help with revolts or large scale monster incursions, paid by the crown but without most of the responsibilities and benefits of a ruling noble. What name were you granted?¡± ¡°Fomoria.¡± Jaramis twitched hearing the name then spoke. ¡°Since you will be here we will train you in how to be a proper noble. When you enter the academy you will not just be a citizen of the kingdom, you will represent us whether you like it or not.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine Jaramis, you can send him to a tutor later, let¡¯s just talk now.¡± Autumn didn¡¯t want to get into politics yet. The rest of dinner was more small talk, what did they feed him, what other odd creatures did he see, they were especially interested in the Voidstag, normal people somewhat knew that some magical beasts were smart but being able to have a conversation with one seemed fantastical to them. Hearing that he became an ant queen was funny at first until he told them about how it was a life or death fight. Eventually they were done, servants were cleaning up, and Harlan wanted to feel the baby kicking. Jaramis wished they just forgot about it. ¡°Alright, just place your hands on my stomach and you should feel it.¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Harlan did exactly that, but out of reflex at this point he started soul searching, seeing a soul form wasn¡¯t something he had ever seen before, swirling and drawing in ambient mana and siphoning some from Autumn¡¯s soul as well. He was broken out of these thoughts when he felt the little kick. ¡°This is nice. I¡¯m happy. Seeing a soul forming¡­ It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s special.¡± Jaramis lightly removed Harlan¡¯s hands from Autumn. ¡°I would appreciate you being more gentle, and not touching at them like that.¡± ¡°Right. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Harlan gave a small bow ¡°Did you train in weapons? How about a spar?¡± ¡°Jaramis I don¡¯t think thats a good ide-¡± ¡°Sure, I was mostly just training physically, they didn¡¯t give me weapons, but I¡¯m a lot stronger now.¡± Jaramis led him to the sparring room. ¡°Do you have a preferred weapon?¡± ¡°Uh, Autumn taught me some with the spear, I¡¯ll use that.¡± ¡°You should learn the sword, but that can come later.¡± The entire family and even Redwall came along. Ava was a little annoyed, Jaramis had never let her spar with him before. ¡°Stand in the square right there, I will stand in mine. When the servant rings the bell the fight starts. First strike wins. No magic.¡± He nodded to the servant once they were both in place who then hit a bell to announce the start. Harlan waited for Jaramis to make the first move, he still remembered the first time he saw him fight. Jaramis moved at him, but¡­ slowly, Harlan hadn¡¯t really known how much stronger he was than before. But he was fast now, his inhuman physiology made sure of that. He deflected the first blow with the tip of his spear. Nearly catching Jaramis¡¯s face, the speed difference was made up for by technique. Harlan swung the butt of his spear at him. But Jaramis barely ducked under the hit, Harlan was unbalanced and Jaramis swept his legs. Once again he barely lasted a moment against him, Harlan realized how weak he really was still. Jaramis had different thoughts on the matter. Being forced on the backfoot right at the start because he was physically weaker and out of practice was infuriating, if they were the same age Jaramis could¡¯ve never stood up to a single attack, panicking because he didn¡¯t expect him to get so close getting a hit right at the start and going for a leg sweep, a move meant for a real fight was a sour note for him, he won, he won handily at that. But he wanted to end it first strike, for him to worry about Harlan at all annoyed him. Harlan got up and outstretched his hand. ¡°Thanks, I see how much more I need to work.¡± ¡°Yes, I am sure you do, And a noble bows, he does not shake hands. Consider that your first lesson on how to be a noble.¡± ¡°Jaramis, how about we retire for the night, this has been a very overwhelming day.¡± ¡°Yes, I shall be there shortly.¡± Autumn was upset. ¡°The legsweep was not necessary.¡± ¡°If he was normal I wouldn¡¯t have needed to do it, and besides, what was that with him talking about our babies souls. You have to see how wrong and strange that is.¡± ¡°YOU do not know him, he wouldn¡¯t hurt them, he probably doesn¡¯t even have a grudge against you. There is nothing wrong with him. He¡¯s just a child still and the crown has had him working with souls for years, he probably doesn¡¯t even see what¡¯s odd about it anymore.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the problem, he doesn¡¯t see what¡¯s wrong, how can you just accept that so easy. He isn¡¯t normal.¡± ¡°So? I¡¯m not normal, our children won¡¯t be normal, your father wanted a bloodline to start with me, he worked on my soul, what is so different that you can¡¯t accept it.¡± ¡°Because he isn¡¯t HUMAN, that is what¡¯s wrong, you have never seen what those things can do, what they have done to people, you have spent your time at parties like some noble trophy wife and I¡¯ve been fighting against things like him, the number of undead leaving Fomorian lands has been increasing, for the last 13 years, as long as he has been around, it can¡¯t just be a coincidence.¡± Autumn huffed away. ¡°I will be sleeping in a guest room tonight. I am not arguing about this.¡± Jaramis had been disappointed when she stopped her training, they barely sparred anymore. All because she was trying to help Harlan, find him, keep him safe. He felt like she cared more about him than about her own husband. Like his own work to become stronger was lessened since Harlan was just naturally better in a way. He slept poorly that night, getting up a little later than he would¡¯ve liked. He had a few fruits and went for a run before breakfast. Only to see that Harlan was already running, not a drop of sweat on him, no shoes either. Eventually he caught up to him and matched pace. ¡°How long have you been running?¡± ¡°This is my 5th set.¡± he spoke normally, not being out of breath from running at all. Jaramis followed along with Harlan¡¯s work out for 2 more sets before he started to tired and it was nearing breakfast, he needed to be presentable. The fire of jealousy sparked brighter in him, he refused to think that Harlan was strong because he also trained far more than Jaramis could. An awkward breakfast was ahead for the both of them.
The man hummed as he went about his work, nipping buds before they caused issues, though he was worried that his tools seemed to keep disappearing, all that was left were the less used, duller clippers. Chapter 23 Balor A servant went to fetch Harlan. ¡°Sir Fomoria, your sister requests your presence. I shall guide you to her if that is acceptable.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Harlan was finishing up his 8th set anyway. They walked through the winding halls of the mansion until they reached a guest room. The maid opened the door and stepped away with a bow. ¡°Harlan, I wanted to wish you a good morning, and¡­ talk about something.¡± ¡°Good morning to you too!¡± Harlan felt like nothing could bother him. ¡°Do you hate Jaramis? He¡­ Well he has some issues with you being, well, what you are.¡± Autumn was awkward, trying to say he isn¡¯t human, she thought that was horribly offensive. ¡°I didn¡¯t, he did what he did because he was ignorant, I see that he still is.¡± Harlan stormed out of the room, he was bothered. He was back home, he was trying to be nice. He had already forgiven Jaramis since things worked out in the end. Now he wanted to just find him and punch him like that kid who turned their apple juice into hard cider. But he stopped, he thought. Wouldn¡¯t that just prove him right? A different plan formed, one based on impulse, that was more dangerous than any other thing he had done so far. He went back to his room. He locked the door. And it started cutting pieces of his soul away, his anger, his stress, he made it so he couldn¡¯t feel these parts, he knew they would grow back anyway, but as a sort of reset it should¡¯ve been fine. Then once his anger had faded he looked at it clearly, this is a very bad idea, but he couldn¡¯t just put them back in. He thought about how his nieces or nephews souls were forming, he had a base already with pieces of his soul, he just needed to find a vessel. He heard a knock on the door. ¡°Sir Fomoria, a package has arrived, it is your signet ring. Shall I wait here until you are ready?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ no, I¡¯ll be right there.¡± He opened the door, thanked the servant, and then closed it. Startling the woman. He stabilized the soul, adding new parts to it making it whole. And then he placed it in the ring to let it grow to size and wake up. He watched it slowly eat away at the magic already inside the ring, he hoped it wasn¡¯t ruined already. When it was done the ring had no magical signature at all, but it was like a small sun to his soul searching. He slipped the ring on, wondering about the effect it would have. And then it spoke, first incoherently, rambling like when he found out the king had sent those assassins. Then more parts settled into it, the anger dispersed mostly when he was putting copies of his memories of his time with Zella and Relly in it. ¡°What am I?¡± Harlan didn¡¯t know what to think. He made a new being using a human soul, for all intents and purposes this was a human, in the body of his ring. ¡°What am I?¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You are master? Father? No¡­ No masters¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± ¡°You will teach me?¡± ¡°I¡­ I just need to think.¡± Another knock on the door. ¡°Sir, it is time for breakfast, will you be joining the rest of the household?¡± ¡°YES¡± the ring answered. ¡°I shell set your place at the table.¡± If the maid had known his voice this would¡¯ve been an issue. He got lucky this was a different one. ¡°Why did you say that?¡± ¡°I am a sir¡± ¡°Are you?¡± ¡°I think¡­ yes I must be. I am a sir. I am¡­ I am not you¡­ I will think. I will be quiet.¡± Harlan awkwardly fidgeted in place the entire breakfast, wondering if his new ring¡­ son? Was going to start yelling something. Autumn thought she knew why, he was sitting across from Jaramis. There wasn¡¯t anything more than small talk until breakfast had ended, then Count Redwall spoke. ¡°You shall receive training in etiquette and swordsmanship for your stay here, if you have experiments regarding souls I am willing to pay for materials if you explain the process to me.¡± ¡°Huh, oh, yes. That would be just fine, I want to see about making items for myself and my family. So they are safe.¡± ¡°A splendid idea, after dinner perhaps?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Harlan returned to his room, quickly, drawing the attention of the others. ¡°Are you awake? Did you decide what you are?¡± ¡°I am Balor, I think I am your brother, you are not my master, you are not my father. So you must be my brother.¡± ¡°Why Balor?¡± ¡°I saw the name written on the ¨C¡± ¡°The what?¡± ¡°¨C You can¡¯t hear it can you? The words I am speaking? I will speak of it no more, my name is Balor.¡± Harlan would¡¯ve questioned it more, but the incomplete geas wanted him to forget. Another knock on the door, Harlan would¡¯ve been angry at being interrupted so many times, but the experiment earlier had worked. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Sir, You are requested for weapons training.¡± ¡°I know the way, I will be right there.¡± Harlan felt something moving into his mind as he walked into the training room. ¡°I thought it better if we were connected like this, you seemed so worried about others hearing me, why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but this is¡­ strange, it¡¯s new. It¡¯s like me¡­ I think it is better that you stay secret for now.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°You do?¡± ¡°I am in some way you, but not. What you were before I was born is part of what I am now.¡± Harlan had been standing outside the training room for part of their conversation, not wanting to enter while talking with Balor. Ava was there, training with Breken when he walked in. Harlan hadn''t known that she would be there. ¡°You must be Sir Fomoria, I am Breken, your swordsmanship teacher.¡± he bowed at Harlan. ¡°Oh, yes I heard about you from Ava, thank you for teaching her.¡± ¡°Only good things I hope.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Harlan couldn¡¯t see it, but Breken had gained a slight smile before returning to his stoney face. ¡°Now, the first step for any swordsman is to find the right sword, 2 handed or 1 handed?¡± ¡°Um¡­ 1 handed, I want to use my other hand for magic.¡± ¡°Good choice, thrusting or slashing?¡± ¡°... slashing?¡± ¡°Heavy or light.¡± ¡°Heavy, I¡¯m stronger than normal people.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard.¡± Breken started with a normal broadsword, though because it was sized for a grown man it was large for Harlan. ¡°Hit those training dummies.¡± Harlan cut into them without much issue, the real issue was his swords kept breaking or chipping. Breken went back and forth with him to figure out why. ¡°Hit me hard, I want to feel this.¡± Breken took the full brunt of Harlan¡¯s strike and both their swords shattered, Breken having to pick pieces out of the air to stop them from hurting anyone. ¡°Freak of nature I tell ya.¡± ¡°Sorry about your sword.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be, I don¡¯t have a custom one and I go through them like you wouldn¡¯t believe.¡± He never carried less than 3 on his person. Breken pulled out some different weapons, longer swords, shorter swords, thrusting swords. Harlan didn¡¯t take to any of them though, anything strong enough to handle him felt awkward and Breken could see it plain as day. ¡°Wait, I think I have the thing for this.¡± Breken was gone for 15 minutes finding something, Harlan wanted to talk to Ava while he could, she seemed awkward around him. ¡°Ava, are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re ok.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t blame you.¡± She hung her head, Harlan hit the nail on the head. ¡°Was it that clear?¡± ¡°I had a lot of time to think. If I did this to you, I¡¯d never forgive myself. But I¡¯m sure you¡¯d forgive me instantly.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have a bit too high of an opinion of me?¡± ¡°Distance makes the heart grow fonder.¡± She punched his arm. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I know you are. I guess I¡¯ll need to talk when Amber gets back too, don¡¯t I.¡± ¡°Maybe¡­ I think she took it a lot better than I did.¡± Breken returned with a dark blade in his hand, it was single edged with a thick back, its tip was squared though still sharpened. It looked closer to a giant cleaver or a tool for cutting brush than a sword as they knew them. ¡°I forgot all about this thing, took it from the hands of a Fomorian chieftain I killed. Brutal thing, not the blade of a noble at all. A perfect fit for you.¡± Harlan couldn¡¯t be sure how much it was meant to be an insult but he could tell Balor was offended. ¡°Can I really take this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know why I kept the thing, better in your hands than mine. Maybe you won¡¯t break this one.¡± Harlan took to striking the training dummies, it sunk in more deeply than the other blades so he had to use his foot to pull it back out but it felt right. The other swords were just things, this felt like an extension of himself. ¡°This feels good.¡± ¡°Great, now, as a baseline we are going to spar for a time, do whatever movements are natural to you. I will only be deflecting hits.¡± Harlan ran at Breken and swung, and then fell on his back. ¡°You need a firm stance, that blade is heavy, think of the momentum. Now, again.¡± Harlan this time went for a jumping strike, Breken deflected the blade, sending him off balance and crashing into the floor again. ¡°Use your head, use your hands, a firm grip would¡¯ve stopped that. A quick wind spell might¡¯ve let you recover into a roll, Again.¡± Harlan noticed Ava was barely holding in a laugh, Breken did too. ¡°Work on your forms, the kid would still beat you.¡± Ava¡¯s smile faded at that, she started grumbling about unfair natural advantages though he wasn¡¯t telling the truth. The rest of Harlan¡¯s morning was spent being unsuccessful at landing a hit and then landing on the floor. ¡°Good first day, she took 3 days before she stopped hitting the floor, you might take 4. She has you beat on talent with a blade. You people don¡¯t sleep though, feel free to come down here and just swing that thing around. Combat form scrolls are behind that door, left for 2 handed weapon forms, right for 1 handed, forms meant for heavier blades are on the higher shelves.¡± Harlan had another idea. ¡°Balor, can you use magic? Balor?¡± ¡°I was... Thinking, yes, I can use magic.¡± ¡°Do you remember what Rosewell¡¯s sword could do? Think you could do that from your ring?¡­ body?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ yes¡­ I will do that.¡± ¡°How about one more Master Breken?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t start on the master stuff, you aren¡¯t technically a noble really, so I can train you right. But yeah, one more.¡± This time Harlan went for a slow swing, only to have it rapidly speed up as Balor boosted it. Breken was taken off guard, but he still had decades more experience, if a little trick could beat him he would be in a grave already. He deflected the blade, nearly throwing Harlan off balance, but another burst of wind kept him upright, then the blade reversed, like its momentum was flipped. Breken grinned. They played this game until Balor said he was tired. Harlan gave up without swinging again. ¡°Interesting, but I thought this was a 1 on 1 fight. Whatever you just did was cheating though. I¡¯m just a little surprised you found the time to enchant that ring with a soul, I¡¯m not going to find that some poor maid is missing am I?¡± Balor lost it. ¡°HOW DARE YOU, YOU HAVE SPENT THIS ENTIRE TIME INSULTING US, SAYING YOU PEOPLE, YOUR KIND, NOW YOU INSINUATE WE ARE MURDERERS ALREADY?¡± ¡°And here I thought those new items didn¡¯t really have a mind. You his pet?¡± ¡°I AM BALOR, BROTHER OF HARLAN, YOU, YOU KNAVE.¡± Breken just laughed. Ava was terrified though. ¡°I¡­ I can explain, it was an accident. But this is Balor, please don¡¯t tell anyone about him yet.¡± ¡°OH, NOW I AM AN ACCIDENT?¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t what I meant, Ava, can you try to talk him down.¡± ¡°Hello¡­ Balor?¡± ¡°I¡­ May have overstepped my bounds, I shall sleep now.¡± Balor didn¡¯t want to yell at Ava, he was, in a sense, Harlan afterall. ¡°Great, Ava, you hurt the ring¡¯s feelings!¡± Breken was trying to push his buttons, he liked to see what the breaking point for his students was. Luckily they were saved by a servant telling them it was time for lunch, and then Harlan had etiquette classes.
A man looked over a field of roses with his wife, the Darkness was back again, she had another candidate, the man already knew this, while most were beneath the view of the gods, he was not a god. Chapter 24 Etiquette Training Harlan talked with Balor during their walk to the dining room for lunch. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You are angry, but it¡¯s not really yours, I tried to push it away, take an easy way out with my magic.¡± ¡°Do you think it was a bad first impression?¡± ¡°Ava might like that you stood up for me. I¡¯m sure you will grow on her.¡± Harlan could feel a little bit of joy flowing from Balor. ¡°I was thinking¡­ should I make you a brother, for my weapon? ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that now, I¡­ I am still coming to grips with what I am, I could go insane at any time for all we know..¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you will live a long and happy life Balor.¡± Lunch was quiet, Ava wasn¡¯t there, she liked to eat with Breken instead. There was no larger conversation to have quite yet. So they made small talk and finished their meals in a timely manner. Then it was off to a tutor for Harlan, Balor was excited, he was all sorts of mixed up in what he should do, and hopefully this won¡¯t end as poorly as the last training session. Harlan was led to a room closer to the count¡¯s office, one of his ministers would be teaching Harlan. He was a man in his 70s at least, yet he still had traces of black hair, he moved like a man decades younger, with a cheery hop in his step. ¡°Ah, you must be Sir Fomoria, or would you rather just Harlan?¡± ¡°Harlan is fine. Thank you.¡± ¡°You seem to have a good base currently, casual speech with someone lower in station from you is fine so long as they are not liked too much by someone higher in station than you. You know how to say thank you. But you forgot to bow, while I am your teacher I am higher in station than you. But this will all make sense the longer we go for.¡± Harlan would¡¯ve barely learned anything from the class if not for Balor, he didn¡¯t seem the least bit bored learning how to bow and what words were appropriate. Time for dinner quickly approached. ¡°Well, I think that went well. You seemed to soak up information." The man checked his watch. ¡°But I must end our classes here, you must have dinner and then you will be working with the count if I recall. We will be meeting like this 3 times a week until I believe you are ready for high society.¡± Harlan gave a proper bow and stepped out of the room, heading to the dining hall once more. He spoke with Balor about new ideas he was having, he had noticed how he was picking up Balor¡¯s thoughts at times and how he could assimilate them into his own memories quite easily, and Balor could do the same with him, teaching him everything he knew about souls. He loved being able to just bounce back ideas at a rapid speed since they both shared the exact same knowledge and weren¡¯t slowed down with having to voice these ideas. He was going to try one of these tonight at least. But for now Harlan wanted to eat, and after much debate with Balor they would do something else as well. As soon as everyone was seated Harlan asked his question. ¡°Jaramis, do you hate me? I think we should just clear the air now, I know what letting your emotions fester does to someone.¡± ¡°You sit at this table and accuse me?¡± ¡°So yes then. Why? I haven¡¯t wronged you, I am not holding a grudge about you sending me off to the royals.¡± ¡°Because I have been helping to deal with the issues caused by your people, and they have only been growing since you came, I do not trust you.¡± ¡°My people are my family, the Fomorians are just where I am from. I read some history when I was gone. Ragne was once a dozen or more states, shattered after the gods left and monsters ran wild, but they joined together. Why can you accept that for me?¡± Count Redwall spoke. ¡°I think we should put this on hold. Jaramis, you will think on this. Harlan felt Balor¡¯s anger rising and soothed him as best he could. The rest of dinner was awkward silence. Until the end. ¡°Harlan, do you wish to still help my research?¡± ¡°Yes, I think we should.¡± And so they went to his lab, near his office. ¡°Boy, I am told that you have done something interesting.¡± ¡°Yes, I have. Introduce yourself.¡± ¡°I am Balor, brother to Harlan.¡± ¡°Can you think? Or are you an extension of Harlan.¡± ¡°We spoke earlier, I have different ideas, I think Harlan at times does not go far enough, but that might be a result of my creation process. Inspired by Harlan sighting the creation of souls inside the womb.¡± ¡°And how were you made then?¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Balor explained from his point of view the creation of himself. ¡°Very interesting, and your name? Is it yours? Or did Harlan name you?.¡± ¡°I chose my own name, I found the name, along with another, within the incomplete ¡ª inside Harlan.¡± Harlan wasn¡¯t an active participant in the conversation, making it much easier to ignore the mention of his geas. ¡°Harlan, would you be alright with me sending a letter to the royals? This could be much better for soul enchanting items.¡± Balor did not like this idea at all, the idea triggered something deeply set in the source of Harlan¡¯s anger. So he tried to flee. ¡°I WILL NOT BE CAGED, I WILL NOT BE A SLAVE, I WILL NOT BE AN ANIMAL.¡± He didn¡¯t make it far, he didn¡¯t have hands to open doors or windows, and even at full speed he was too weak and light to break anything. ¡°Balor please, calm down, he is just asking, he won¡¯t take you away!¡± He didn¡¯t have eyes, but Redwall could feel his gaze when he spoke the next words, floating near the door. ¡°If they come, if they try to take me, I will detonate my soul. Do not test this, do not test me.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t think too much about what he had given to Balor, he didn¡¯t have the power to really hurt someone yet, but if he detonated his soul? Harlan had never seen anything that could defend against it. He broke into a cold sweat as he spoke. ¡°Redwall, please, listen to him.¡± He could see the fear plain on his face. ¡°I would like us to have a private conversation. Balor, you may stay in the room, I will just be using a sound dampening spell, do you take issue with this?¡± The metal of the ring itself scraped against itself, Harlan remembered it, the sound of when his first test with an overmind crystal, the lesser versions of Balor to an extent, detonated its own soul, and then it stopped. ¡°I can accept this.¡± Redwall immediately put up his spell. ¡°How much danger are we actually in?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve tested what a soul detonation does, nothing the royals were willing to give me could survive it, furniture, armor, nothing.¡± ¡°And what about him doing that to us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you can detonate someone else¡¯s soul, I tried it a lot actually.¡± ¡°And what is he then?¡± ¡°Well¡­ Autumn mentioned that Jaramis doesn¡¯t like me. Because I am Fomorian, I was so mad I wanted to attack him, so instead I decided to cut out the angry parts in my soul, and then once I wasn¡¯t angry I realized it was a bad idea, so I made it into a new soul, with that as its base.¡± ¡°Right, so you took your hostility towards my son, and put it in a flying bomb that cuts through any defenses.¡± Harlan realized how bad that sounded when it was really thought out. ¡°I also fed him copies of my happy memories, I think it should be fine. He didn¡¯t try to attack him during dinner after all¡­¡± Redwall let out a sigh and pinched his nose. ¡°Alright, it should be fine then, right?¡± ¡°Unless Jaramis attacked me I don¡¯t think that Balor would hurt him.¡± ¡°We will be watching him closely then.¡± ¡°I appreciate that you say he.¡± ¡°Yes yes yes, now, I want to talk with him.¡± Harlan explained and then Balor flew himself into the privacy barrier. ¡°Why do you call Harlan brother, from his explanation he sounds like he should be your father?¡± ¡°It sounds wrong in my mind, he is not my father, he is not my master, he must be my brother. I cannot explain.¡± ¡°What do you want to do?¡± ¡°I will protect Harlan, I will protect the rest of my family, I will gain knowledge, in that order. I think that is what I want.¡± ¡°And my son?¡± There was silence for a few moments longer than Redwall would¡¯ve liked. ¡°I will ignore him, he is a fool, he couldn¡¯t understand my existence. He cannot even understand Harlan. If he strikes against us, I will strike back. This is what I believe is right.¡± Redwall dropped the privacy barrier. A headache was already coming from dealing with this. ¡°Harlan, Balor, what do I need to do to set up a lab here for soul enchanting, and are you allowed to teach me how?¡± They consulted for a moment about what is truly required and what is just nice to have. ¡°We will help. You need trees, if you got just a branch from a mimic tree then it will take over any other tree in about 3 days. You need to be able to put the trees to sleep so you can take a piece of its soul. You need people to harvest souls. You need people to stabilize souls. you need people to put those souls into the object. A single person could do all this, but it takes a lot of mana, and they would need skills for each part of the process. I can make a single item once every 10 minutes.¡± ¡°How long would it take to get people trained for each step? I would like 2 people for each step at least. With an expansion coming as the process is smoothed. And what alignments are best for this?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ if I taught day and night, and they were talented I think I could get someone trained in 1 month, the royals spent a lot of time trying to teach people in the right way to make it easier to learn. Alignment doesn¡¯t matter, it requires control over all 6 elements to do this.¡± ¡°We can talk numbers once we get it set up, but I will give no less than 5% of profits after taxes, provided that you can get this all set up before you leave.¡± ¡°I am going to have Balor read economics to see that you aren¡¯t going to cheat me, if that is all then I have another test to conduct. It will take all night, you can send someone to watch if you want.¡± ¡°Very well, I will have a rotation of people taking notes and I can have some books sent to your room.¡± They bowed to each other and then Harlan put his plan into action. He walked into the sparring room. He then made lesser souls, formed only from copies of his desire to learn without a real mind behind them. And placed them into the clay training dolls. He got this idea from how easy it was to have Balor send him memories and then integrate them into his own mind. So he set up 2 of them to read different sword forms, and 2 of them to fight without knowing the forms trying to make up a new form for the machete. Then he could do something else, Balor could look over economic books, and in the morning he could just integrate the memories into his own mind. Harlan decided to just train himself physically until morning and then try out his new knowledge. He left Balor in his room with a stack of books opened to the first page, he could use wind magic to flip the pages after that. So Harlan came inside once the sun started to come up. He first put Balor back on, his mind flooding with knowledge of economics, it was uncomfortable but he was alright. When he walked into the sparring room there were 2 men taking notes and sorting them into different piles. He waved but they ignored him. Then Harlan walked over to his 4 learning golems as he decided to call them, and started an oversoul link. And then requested that the souls give over all they had learned. Then everything went white, he felt like he had burst into flames. Balor was screaming into his mind. ¡°I won¡¯t let you die. You will be alright.¡±
The ring tried his best but was barely a child, let alone a mage capable enough to piece someone back together. She tied him together almost like new, he needed to learn this lesson. Chapter 25 Results of the Experiment Harlan awoke. Balor was gone, he would get up but the slight creaking of the bed was like a fireball next to his head, he tried to cast a dampening ward to get rid of the sound but he couldn¡¯t. A nurse nearby called for a doctor, the sound of her yelling made him want to slip back into a coma. Eventually the doctor came and realized the source of his pain, putting up a total silence barrier and then someone he didn¡¯t expect walked in. ¡°Harlan, can you hear me¡­?¡± ¡°Why are you here? Where am I?¡± ¡°You hurt your soul¡­ really bad. Your¡­ Brother explained what happened, he has been working with the doctors to fix you, I¡¯m going to get him.¡± Relly left the room for a few minutes, she came back wearing Balor, who slipped off her finger as soon as he saw that Harlan was awake. ¡°Brother! I nearly lost you. Do you remember anything that you should¡¯ve learned?¡± ¡°Barely¡­ what a waste.¡± ¡°There will be time to learn more later, just slowly. But for now, you cannot use magic. Your ability should come back eventually, but for the next 2 weeks you shouldn¡¯t use any at all, you can¡¯t really. Your soul¡­ well when it took in that knowledge it just¡­ it fractured, if I wasn¡¯t already linked and I didn¡¯t know your soul you would¡¯ve died. I shut down your mana channels leading from your soul, you can¡¯t let any out now, but once you are well again, they should open without needing to do anything.¡± ¡°How did you do that? And where is this, it¡¯s familiar.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how I did it, I just did what seemed right and it worked, and this is the royal infirmary, it was decided that you couldn¡¯t be left in the hands of a baron''s doctor, not that the ones here are much better, but they learn much faster at least.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ going to sleep again.¡± ¡°Yes brother, sleep.¡± More nightmares, this time he was among the dead and he was the killer, the bodies took his face. It was another 2 days before he woke up again, feeling much better physically, he stuffed the mental part deep down in its box. Balor was gone again, but this time Harlan could get up on his own. ¡°Sir Fomoria, you shouldn''t be standing.¡± A doctor tried to force him back down, but lacked the strength to do so. ¡°I will be alright now¡­ where is my brother?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ The ring¡­ I will get him, lie back down.¡± The doctors were all more than a little annoyed at listening to the instructions of a floating ring. Instead of the doctor returning it was a royal guard. ¡°You will have an audience with the king.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t question it, just followed behind the large man. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. He entered the throne room where Balor was already placed on a table. Harlan kneeled, still a little stiff. ¡°Rise, this is no trial.¡± ¡°Your highness, what am I here for?¡± ¡°That ring, it is a danger. Would anyone else have it? I might demand it be destroyed. But instead I will ban the creation of new souls like this, with a free will comes many dangers, and also opportunities. You will, once recovered, make another ring like it, grant it knowledge, and hand it over to us. In exchange you will be granted a sum of 300 gold.¡± Harlan was shocked, with 300 gold he could do a lot, his family could buy every farm surrounding them, and then pay them to work. Making his father a large landowner, setting them up to never need to work again. ¡°This is outrageous, your highness. Harlan lacks any economic experience, only my second hand knowledge which wasn¡¯t even properly assimilated. I counter your offer, 1000 gold, and our family gains nobility. And, Harlan is allowed to make me a brother and he is no longer locked to the Redwall estate.¡± The king just laughed. ¡°300 gold, you will be allowed to roam freely, and you can make your brother. But only after you have granted us our researcher soul. Your knowledge of this process is to only be held by the royal family from this point onwards. It will be classed as forbidden magic, there are too many far reaching implications to allow this to spread.¡® ¡°Deal. Harlan, bow to him, I can¡¯t.¡± They left the room, the king called in and spoke to the 1st prince. ¡°Keep a close eye on the boy and his ring, it has a great deal of an ego problem. Thinking itself a negotiator. Make more deals when you can before it learns how to actually make demands, the boy seemed to defer to it for this.¡° Then Harlan went to a final check up and returned to the Redwall mansion, he wished he had to chance to talk with Relly more. Autumn was already waiting for him, she was clearly disturbed by his sudden near death experience. ¡°Everything has been explained already. You need to rest.¡± She rushed him back to his room, where a large pile of books was waiting. ¡°You are going to be reading, no more all night exercises, no more crazy experiments, just learn something that doesn¡¯t kill you, alright?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, I just made a mistake, next tim-¡± ¡°Next time? Do you PLAN to die? You were gone for 3 years, then you show back up and it¡¯s weird but it is fine, and now you made that¡­ brother ring, and you nearly killed yourself trying to learn things too quickly. You are young, you have already done far more than I did at your age¡­ just¡­ slow down, smell the flowers, read some stories, play with other children, get a hobby. The world will still be here.¡± Autumn was in tears by the end of her plea. Harlan knew she was right, he had spent too much of his life already trying to learn new things, to get stronger, the incidents of powerlessness he felt had left deeper scars then he wanted to realize. The werewolf, the royals taking him, nearly dying many more times along the way. It was just too much. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯ll slow down, I¡¯ll live, it¡¯s alright, no more experiments. Not unless it¡¯s with the baron, and I know it¡¯s already safe. I can¡¯t even do magic right now, and I won¡¯t for a little while still.¡± Autumn calmed down, and Harlan did too. He started reading books every night instead of doing his exercises, after 2 days he found a new hobby. He liked carving wood. He had a lot of time to make little trinkets, he liked carving foxes most. He walked through the garden with Ava, slowing her down as well. He just talked with others, learning the names of all kinds of thing, he hadn¡¯t really read any bestiaries since before he was taken away. He got into the habit of trying to carve the new creatures he read about. After 3 weeks of this he still hadn¡¯t used any magic, he could again, but he didn¡¯t feel that consuming fear that if he ever stops getting stronger he will fall behind and die. The count and the crown however were still wanting the deals to be fulfilled. He took out another part of him, this time it was just a small fragment of his curiosity, and then grew it. The vessel the kingdom had provided was a large crystal ball. He and Balor spoke with him for a few minutes before handing him over to the royals. He didn¡¯t even get to know what name it would have. Balor had already started some of the work on getting the count¡¯s people trained and the mimic orchard grown. Harlan finally started on weapon training again, he thought about making another brother like Balor but decided against it. The weapon he did make wasn¡¯t alive, not like Balor, but it wasn¡¯t mindless either. It was more like the shield that killed its user, it had the ability to choose and grow, but it was more like a ball of instinct and emotion. This would be a new person, not some half copy of himself.
It was¡­ Awake? What does being awake mean? Then it started thinking more things, things it knew, then it thought things it didn¡¯t know, it liked the new thoughts. Chapter 26 Another Picnic in the Woods He marveled at the trees stretching into the sky, the birdsong on the winds. He had convinced Ava to take a picnic with him. Balor was flying around, Lugh, the new brother, just kept asking questions Harlan just held him in a 1 handed grip and pointed him at things he wanted him to see. Harlan didn¡¯t really get how a ring or a sword could see. Eventually he reached the stream, and set up a table and chairs from the dirt, setting down a tablecloth and a basket of food for their picnic. ¡°This seems like a waste of time, we could¡¯ve just eaten at the mansion.¡± ¡°But you would¡¯ve missed the view, we can watch these fish now. Winter is coming, we won¡¯t see them once the ice covers the creek.¡± It was already into fall, the trees turned their shades of orange and red but the weather was still temperate. Lugh didn¡¯t speak in words but Harlan somewhat understood what he wanted. He wished to see the things that swam. Harlan stood over the water and watched the little fish with him. ¡°Harlan, you are being weird. You want to just take walks all day now when you aren¡¯t reading or carving more of those little statues. They are starting to really pile up.¡± Ava had noticed his strangeness. ¡°I¡¯ve got you. That is all I want, we should visit the farm, I¡¯ve not been there in so long.¡± ¡°How about we climb trees like when we were younger? It¡¯s been a long time.¡± He sat on a branch about 20 feet off the ground and just waited, seeing that Ava was half way up her tree. Then he noticed the shadows, they were wrong. Harlan had never actually fought a warg, he was too young, Autumn killed the very few that ever showed up at the farm. But he was reading, he knew all the signs of them. Fear shot through him, they were getting closer to Ava. He pounced at the nearest shadow, making a ball of light on the way down, he banished the shadows the wargs were hiding in. When he landed his fist shot right through the wargs skull, he hadn¡¯t even drawn Lugh yet, instinct had taken over. His hand bled from the bone shards stuck in it. ¡°Lugh, I need light.¡± He responded by covering himself in light. Harlan handed Lugh to Ava who took a combat stance, then Harlan let himself run wild. His fists were like small suns, he tore through the wargs like paper, sending limbs flying. It barely took him 30 seconds to kill them, 5 in all. He was drenched in blood. He took a step toward Ava. She shuddered a moment, taking a step back. ¡°Harlan, get a hold of yourself. You look like a monster. You need to talk to someone.¡± ¡°I AM FINE.¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Ava¡­ I¡­ I need to wash myself in the stream before we head back.¡± She snapped back to reality, she knew what he could do, in theory. But seeing it was different, she had killed wargs before, but it was work. Harlan looked crazed to her, letting off steam in an unhealthy way. They walked back in silence, his clothes stained red. They asked for one of the guards standing outside to get a maid for him. The maid directed him towards a small bathhouse outside, made for this exact purpose. She led him there and then stepped back, asking if there was anything other than clothes he needed. He needed nothing. He washed himself in the hot water and then just soaked for nearly an hour, until he felt his stomach rumble, he didn¡¯t get the chance to eat lunch, the wargs ruined it. He felt his anger peak again before he forced it down. Harlan, found that lunch was still set out, the maids were just starting to clean, he asked that a plate be sent to his room. Once Harlan had finished his meal he began carving wargs, those he had killed. With startling accuracy their limbs barely connected to the rest of the carvings. Balor asked to be let out of the room, another meeting he said. Balor spent much of his day in the library, the health and healing sections, needing a maid to help get books down for him. He found what he was looking for, then went to his next objective. Breken didn¡¯t expect to hear a knock on his door, nor to open it and see a ring. ¡°We need to speak.¡± ¡°Come in then, do you want a drink? Water? Wine?¡± ¡°I believe Harlan has warmind, I have read of it in the library just now.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°I can feel his mind, he doesn¡¯t gain any joy from his hobbies, his walking, his carving, it¡¯s like he is just avoiding thinking about other things in any way he can. I just saw him carve wargs, limbs nearly severed. He just tore apart 5 of them with his bare hands today.¡± ¡°Ava mentioned it. I was already going to have a talk¡­ send him over here. I might be able to do something before dinner.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± And 10 minutes later Harlan knocked on Breken¡¯s door. ¡°Hello, please, sit.¡± Breken kept a close eye on every movement, his eyes darting around the room, his tension when Breken made a creaking noise, or made a shadow slightly move. ¡°I just want to test something.¡± Breken moved his hand behind his back and then rapidly swung at Harlan. Lugh was with him, he thrust at him with the living blade, letting off a burst of dark magic at the same time. Breken quickly disabled each attack. ¡°So he was right.¡± Harlan pulled his arm back, trying for another attack, but Ava was in the way¡­ Ava? Harlan didn¡¯t stop, he NEEDED to kill breken, he was in danger, always in danger, just moments away. The illusion shattered when Lugh struck it. ¡°I¡¯m not a threat, you are.¡± Breken had moved to the other end of the room, hands in the air. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it before, your mind is stuck in some other place, you¡¯ve been under high stress for a long period of time, and now you are back, safe and sound, and then something changed that. Now you are back in that other place. You should not be around other people, YOU are a danger to your family, to MY student. Until you are well I will not let you train. Let me help you.¡± Lugh was crying, the blade was made of much less than Balor, he didn¡¯t know what an illusion was yet. From his point of view Harlan just killed Ava. Through their link Harlan explained what happened, that it was alright. He decided he would need to find Ava to prove it was alright to Lugh. He blitzed through the mansion, nearly through a maid, his mind was confused, it wasn¡¯t right still, but he kept pushing it back in his head. He nearly broke the door to the training area, but he found her, Ava was there, practicing with a guard. Lugh broke from Harlan¡¯s grip and went towards her, seeking comfort in her hands, explaining everything through a soul link. Harlan saw her make that face, the one that told him she thought he had done something monstrous. Breken stopped him from moving towards her. ¡°Harlan, let me help.¡± ¡°Harlan¡­ please. Go with Breken¡­¡± Harlan looked again, her face was plainly fearful, not of him, but for him. ¡°Yes¡­ yeah let¡¯s go¡­¡± Breken took Harlan to the baron¡¯s office, told him to wait outside, and explained everything to Redwall. ¡°We are going somewhere, I have a place.¡±
She thought over the things she had done so far, was the boy not as strong as she thought? Or did she push harder than she realized? The knots were back again, she would need to send her shadow into that place to kill those people, the boy''s threads were being stained red, she did not want to start over after all the work she had already done with him. Chapter 27 Warmind Breken took a simple wagon, filled with supplies and they journeyed for 2 days. Ending up deep in the forest to the west, on a relatively flat part of a hill. Balor stayed to help set up the mimic orchard, Lugh wasn¡¯t sure what was happening but he felt better when Ava held him so he stayed. ¡°We are here.¡± ¡°Where is here?¡± ¡°A forest, it¡¯s not safe, but nothing here is a danger to you either. More importantly it¡¯s basically as private as one can get. Let¡¯s set up camp first.¡± And so they did, it was mundane, tents instead of quickly shaping stone buildings, a fireplace with rocks Breken gathered instead of magically making one. A kettle and a camp pot with a hook from the mansion. He lit it with a piece of flint and steel instead of magic, Harlan didn¡¯t understand it at all. Magic was much easier than all this, he could¡¯ve set up a better camp in half the time. The only magic Breken used was a series of runes, carved into the ground with his sword. ¡°Let¡¯s talk¡­ No one can hear us here, there is no one watching, I am absolutely sure of it.¡± ¡°What about?¡± ¡°What happened when you were gone? Ava was pretty broken up about it, royals took you right in front of them, she thought it was all her fault, that she had killed you. Have you ever talked with her about it?¡± ¡°A little, but I¡¯m back, everything is finally ok.¡± ¡°That is what they all say. I¡¯ve seen privates ascend the ranks quickly, usually with a massive pile of bodies, friends and enemies both. They are great, they are powerful. They go back home to the praise of everyone around them. Then their wife or child drops a bowl, they are back in the fight, they strike out. That is what you are, you are a crossbow with too tight a string, you bolt ready to fire off with the slightest movement. It was an illusion, but you would¡¯ve killed your sister if it meant killing me when you thought I was a threat.¡± ¡°NO! No¡­ it was an illusion, it was fine, I just need a little more time to get used to everything.¡± ¡°And when the twins are born? One of them hiccups or cries, you lose it, you hurt them. You need to talk about it, stop running.¡± Harlan explained things, from the experiments into necromancy, to the assassination attempts, even the werewolf attack before he was taken away. Breken was upset. ¡°Godsdamned royal family.¡® Harlan chuckled. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The kettle Breken put on started screaming, Harlan tried to fling a rock at it, Breken grabbed the stone. ¡°It¡¯s just for the tea.¡± Harlan watched him prepare it, Breken moved with grace, never making sudden movements. ¡°Sugar?¡± ¡°Yes please¡­¡± They sat, watched the sun set and the moon rise. ¡°How do you feel?¡± ¡°Alright¡­?¡± ¡°The tea has a calming effect, it will help with the next part. Remove your shirt, cross your legs, hold the cup to your chest, and just breathe, feel the moonlight on your skin, the warmth of the cup, the smell of the tea. You¡¯ve been able to sense mana since your birth, so I bet no one taught you how to do this.¡± Harlan felt the calm spread through him, his mana sense was wild, spreading far beyond what he thought it ever could, then he saw the thing in the darkness, eyes and teeth, gleaming white, drowning out the moon in his vision. He closed his eyes but the thing remained, and then it spoke. ¡°My child, you have spent so long unable to hear me, I thought you were lost? And this sadness¡­ I worry for you.¡± Harlan felt her words reaching directly into his soul, calming him greatly, it spoke with such kindness, such familiarity. ¡°Do you know me?¡± ¡°I know all of my children, from Fomor the First, to Darreth the twelfth of his name. The pact brings us all together.¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°You, my lost child, that is your name. You were too young to remember it, too frightened¡­ I could only call upon you once, when you were nearly lost again, from this mortal realm.¡± ¡°The werewolf?¡± ¡°Yes, the child of Aine..¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know who Aine is, and I don¡¯t think I care right now¡­¡± ¡°That is fine my child, what would you talk of?¡± ¡°What do I do? What can I do? I want to stop being afraid¡­ to not hurt anyone¡­¡± ¡°There is never a path of no harm. But to avoid harming your loved ones, listen to the man with you, he has helped your sister by bond. They are not my children but I watch over them still. He is afraid too, but he hides it so well. Sleep now, tomorrow''s joys are still waiting for you.¡± Harlan woke up, he was in a hole, a crater really. The sun was high in the sky already. Everything in 30 feet beyond the crater was dead, trees had fallen, the leaves on the ground were dust in the wind, the campsite was gone. ¡°HARLAN, ARE YOU ALIVE!!'''' he could hear Breken yelling in the distance, standing with someone else, a woman, late 30s, a royal seal on her chest, the spy Rosewell had watching over him. ¡°YES! WHAT HAPPENED!¡® The woman and Breken both walked towards him. ¡°That is what we wish to know, young Fomoria.¡± ¡°I¡­ mana sensed?¡® ¡°You set off a spreading darkness based spell well beyond your level, it was spreading from your skin, then it consumed the camp site, I barely got the wagon away, one Ox wasn¡¯t so lucky.¡± Harlan could see that Breken had been hurt, a patch of his clothes were gone, the parts around it soaked with blood, but he didn¡¯t look injured. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Young Fomoria, you must learn to lie better; we are not angry, we wish to know what happened though.¡± ¡°I was speaking.¡± ¡°With who?¡± ¡°The Darkness?¡± Both of them seemed frozen, not sure how to interpret his statement, yet they could tell Harlan wasn¡¯t lying. ¡°Explain¡± ¡°When I started sensing, a voice spoke to me¡­ She was nice, She calmed me.¡± Breken and the woman shared a stare, only one of them having an idea how to parse what was said. ¡°Hallucinations are sometimes seen by those with warmind, what did you talk about?¡± Harlan spoke of what the darkness said to him. The woman subtly grimaced at the mention of Aine. ¡°He is speaking the truth. The darkness shouldn¡¯t talk at length with anyone, and to bring up that name¡­¡± ¡°Speaking of, what is your name?¡± ¡°Dahlia. Royal spy under Rosewell. You should never have seen me at all. I will take my leave now.¡± She seemed to shimmer and then disappear. Harlan could see Breken¡¯s eyes tracking her still. ¡°Let¡¯s make a new camp site, I brought spares of everything, just in case.¡± ¡°Just in case I ruined everything, again¡­¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault kid, you said the voice calmed you? I say it¡¯s a small price to pay for you to have a little peace of mind. Now let¡¯s get to work.¡± Breken gave him a pat on the back and smiled, he knew that Breken really wasn¡¯t angry at him. It took them a short time to set up the new camp, Breken used the crater as a starting point, flattening the ground and digging a home into the hillside. Giving it a nice front yard for a cooking fire. He even made a ring of stones 30 feet across 100 feet away from the rest of the camp in case Harlan wanted to contact the darkness again. ¡°Isn¡¯t it¡­ strange? I mean, she is called the darkness.¡± ¡°I never gave much stock into the idea of anything being evil just because it¡¯s dark, look at Hati, they are evil hateful bastards. On the other hand Skoll can be reasoned with, stretches of these woods here are watched by Skoll who report large disturbances sometimes in exchange for not being bothered by the army.¡± ¡°You can do that?¡± ¡°You talked with a stag didn¡¯t you? Why should an evolved wolf be different?¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense.¡± ¡°There is actually an issue here now, I wanted to have us deal with it.¡± ¡°That sounds like a bad idea.¡± ¡°No, it will help set bounds, part of the issue with having warmind is that you can¡¯t tell when you are in danger, you are constantly in a fight or flee state. I will help you find those bounds, keep them strong. You will be ok, maybe not now, maybe not in a month, but eventually. Don¡¯t give up, I know what¡¯s down that path.¡± Harlan felt emotions welling up inside him, the care in Breken¡¯s tone touched something inside him. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± ¡°Today we will just work on a routine, know that this place is safe, it¡¯s normal. You are normal when you are here.¡± They worked out a schedule for Harlan, regular sleep wasn¡¯t part of it, so at night he would try to enter a trance, not the sensing state that caused the last incident, but a false sleep. It was helping, Harlan was feeling better, nothing bad had happened, after a week Breken finally asked if he was ready to solve the issue. Harlan agreed, Breken grabbed a weapon from the wagon, a pair of heavy metal gloves. Hand to hand training was part of the routine, to help him feel like he could be safe even if he was ever forced to be unarmed. Then they set out, just after dinner, dusk had fallen by the time they reached their objective.
When the king finally got the report on the boy he read it once to commit it to memory before burning it, it wouldn¡¯t help him to let others know what he was capable of. Chapter 28 Spiderhunt They finally arrived, it was a cenote. When the ceiling of the cave had fallen some trees went sideways or even vertical, growing into natural bridges down to the pit itself. But the worrying part was the webs, too thick to be from any spiders Harlan knew of and covering the entire area around it; deer and wolves stuck to it, some still struggling. Then Harlan saw what he was supposed to be dealing with, a spider, 10 feet from front to back, its legs would have reached 20 feet if they were spread all the way out. It crawled up the pit, bit the struggling animals and then wrapped them in webs before carrying them back down into its home. Harlan tried to think of what it even was. It was covered in thick chitinous plates, hair stuck out from between them. If he didn¡¯t see it moving he might have thought it was a giant rock.. It wasn¡¯t in any books he read. ¡°Breken, what is that? Can I even kill it?¡± ¡°Can you? Probably not, so I¡¯m going to kill it, you¡¯re just support.¡± Harlan had never seen Breken use anything but a training sword; what he pulled out here was a blade like many others in shape, but it had dull red veins running along its edge. Breken noticed his gaze. ¡°Low grade fire steel, cheaper mana than enchantments. Better for someone like me who is a soldier first and mage second. I¡¯ll probably replace it with one of those soul enchanted blades soon.¡± ¡°Why not have me soul enchant it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that. Here is the plan, you start burning the webs around the edges. Boulder Spiders have highly flammable webs since they are naturally in such damp environments that it¡¯s not a problem. When it comes out I will start fighting it, if you see it web me shoot fire at it so it chases you. They are heavy and slow ambush predators, using either webs or its own natural camouflage to get prey. If it¡¯s set up a nest then it¡¯s probably laid eggs already. The hair on its legs let it feel vibrations, they have poor eyesight otherwise. I¡¯m going to try and burn them until it can barely see me. This is an endurance fight. Understood?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Harlan did as asked, shooting fire from his fingertips instead of fireballs so he could save mana. The webs stunk as they burned, eventually as the flames went over the edge and into the cenote itself he heard a scream followed by popping sounds, the eggs were bursting and the spider was very upset at this. It crept up the opening in the ground with some of its remaining eggs webbed to its back. Breken stomped his feet and yelled, drawing its attention. Instead of rushing towards Breken it rapidly stomped its feet, sending tremors and shards of rock at Breken, who deflected and dodged as needed. Then he moved at a shocking speed at the beast, once in range he started just barely clipping the edges of its hairs, the fire spread and burned a few hairs around it. The plan worked flawlessly, Breken avoided the webs that it did try to shoot and was getting ready to start finishing it off after 10 minutes. Then something came from the woods. A second spider, smaller by half at least, its plates were thin and looked closer to bark than stone. ¡°Harlan! Deal with that one, Bark Spider. Ambusher, weak physically. Probably the male whose eggs the bolder spider has.¡± Harlan took a second to process this, he knew of sexual dimorphism, but this was fairly extreme to him. It was weaker but faster than the female, Harlan rushed and struck it as hard as he could between its legs, middle of the chest seemed best. It flew with a sickening crack and scream, one of its legs nearly tore off by being clipped with the heavy handed punch. It would¡¯ve screamed longer but Harlan used a shrinking dome of flame around it, hoping to just singe off all its hair, but Breken wasn¡¯t joking when he said it was physically weak. Harlan heard it crackle and then pop as the dome of fire closed on it, leaving just a charred husk. Harlan decided to try and help Breken as well with a splash of sticky fire on the boulder spider¡¯s back. He made the cloying flames thinner so they would soak under its plates, it screamed so loud Harlan¡¯s eardrums burst and he fell over. Breken barely got him out of the way of its mandibles. He brought Harlan to the treeline and then went back to finish it off. After either 5 minutes or an hour, Harlan couldn¡¯t tell, Breken was back. ¡°Can you stand? Can you hear me?¡± ¡°Yes, and yes¡­¡± ¡°You should¡¯ve listened to the plan, those things only scream like that when you finish off all of its eggs, they would¡¯ve burst had it done that earlier, that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t burn the rest off its back. But good fight with the bark spider. Let¡¯s get you back to the camp.¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Harlan felt calmer the moment he saw the camp, their little safe zone. He decided to speak with the darkness when he got back. ¡°Lost child, you come once more, and you are better, your soul is stormy, but not the gale it once was, I am happy for that, and he is right, it was a good fight.¡± ¡°How much do you see?¡± ¡°I see what all my children see, even if they are connected by bond and not pact. Like those who you now call family.¡± ¡°What IS the pact? You mentioned someone called Aine as well, she has some pact with werewolves?¡± ¡°I cannot speak of what your pact is, the pact asks this of me. Aine is the Goddess of the Moon, her pact granted power to humans, her children are what you call werewolves, vampires, among many others.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ I thought the gods left?¡± ¡°I think it best to not speak overly of them, they are dead but their followers still roam these lands. The gods of men are gone, the true gods remain. Aine of the moon, Aarde of this world, and us lesser gods, born of their mana.¡± ¡°What is your name then?¡± ¡°I forgo a name. You may call me The Darkness or The Mother, as your forbearers did. But did you come here to ask these questions?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ sorry, no I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Worry not my child, your curiosity is not to draw my ire. Let us speak of you, your life. I have seen but not felt like you.¡± Harlan told her everything, from his dreams when he first slept to how he felt about his most recent fight. She was overjoyed and saddened as he spoke. ¡°Your path is painful, though far too common.¡± ¡°Is there anything I can do?¡± ¡°I said before, there is never a path of no harm. The same is true for a path of no pain. Keep those who you love close, harm them not. Grow into a better man, causing no undue harm as best you can. You are not meant for lonesome living, so find those whose light lengthens your shadows. Does that sound right to you? ¡°I think it does¡­ I should go, there must be other people who want to talk with you.¡± ¡°While we have spoke I have spoke to many others, most your kin. I stretch across this world, into even the parts which your kind know not of.¡± Harlan hesitated. ¡°Are my parents, the people who gave birth to me¡­ are they alive?¡± ¡°I do not answer questions such as that. There is much that could be solved if I did, but much pain that would be brought if I answered as well. I am always here to speak with you, to guide you down your path, but I do not wish to control others overtly. Your kin wouldn¡¯t take your path, nor should you take theirs without reason.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­ I think I should sleep now, how long has it been?¡± ¡°It has been 2 days of your time. Sleep well my child, welcome joys into your heart, yet harden it to those who would pull you from your chosen path.¡± Harlan woke up, but this time there wasn¡¯t a crater, the campsite was still there, far away from him. Wisps of shadow smoke rose from the ground and were washed away in the wind. He could smell that Breken was cooking breakfast. ¡°I hope you had a good talk with her.¡± ¡°I did, I told her a lot, and she gave me advice.¡± ¡°I think another week before we head back, but before that¡­ I need to talk with you about what you are going to tell people when we get back.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t tell people that I was nice, I have a reputation as a hardass to keep up. I helped Ava when she was upset about you, she has helped keep up my face as well. I got you out here by saying it was a survival camp and to get you practical experience. Redwall knows but people¡­ people look down on those with unwell minds, you wouldn¡¯t be allowed in the army as you were before, and you would be blacklisted from trying again. Even if you were put back together, they will think you are broken.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, they are assholes anyway. Now, eat. We have work to do, you should be moving, breathing fresh air. I am still going to teach you actual survival skills.¡± Nothing else happened, no band of orcs came over the hill, no more giant spiders, not even a rotten vegetable when he didn¡¯t expect it. He felt better, like he was ok. He didn¡¯t even jump when a strange bird landed on a rock near him and loudly squawked. And so a week passed, and they loaded up their camp, tearing down the home in the hillside so as to not leave a scar on nature there beyond what Harlan already did. Harlan started carving again, this time instead of animals and monsters, he carved his family, his friends, any superstitious good luck charms he knew from Reet and Ky. He felt real relief working the wood.
She felt it almost too easy, too simple to calm him, she spoke to her shadow for a time to understand people before she realized that would only make things worse. He only laughed before she sent him away for another mission, he hated going to that place more than he liked killing. Chapter 29 A Trip to Town The journey back to the mansion was calm, the only sounds were the wheels moving and Harlan carving. As soon as they stopped the carriage a guard whispered something to Breken and they both ran off. Harlan hoped to see Ava and Autumn ready to greet him, but the guards at the front said Ava was at the farm since Breken wasn¡¯t around to teach her, and Autumn was currently in labor. Harlan had thought for a moment about how to react. He was happy to be an uncle. And he wanted to find Lugh ¡°Where is my sword?¡± ¡°Sir Fomoria, your sister Ava has taken your sword back to your parents farm. A carriage has been sent to bring the rest of your family here for the children''s birth. It is likely to return with them.¡± ¡°Thank you, do you know where Balor is?¡± ¡°He is in the orchard teaching the baron¡¯s mages. Shall I escort you?¡± ¡°No, I know where it is. Thanks.¡± On the way there a maid saw him and noticeably flinched Harlan would¡¯ve stopped to ask her what that was about but she sped down another hallway. Odd. He barely saw anyone else during his walk, maybe they were all guarding Autumn? The orchard had grown since he last saw it, 1 tree turned to 4, which turned to 16, there would probably be 64 in another few days, he saw some trees farther away had differently colored parts, mimic assimilation was still underway. But what was stranger was that Balor was teaching a much larger class than what it should¡¯ve been. Balor locked eyes¡­? With Harlan, he flew over and Harlan held his hand out, Balor slipping onto his finger with practiced ease. Then words flowed to him. ¡°I must ask¡­ are you ok? ¡°Yes, I am better, I can keep myself centered now.¡± ¡°I am glad to hear that, but¡­ some things have changed, the people know what you are, and WHAT you are, if you understand me. The crown made a declaration acknowledging you as a proper noble after you left, the soul you gave them seems to be working out very well. A messenger came to ask you about future prospects but was told that a letter would be sent when you got back. Autumn went into labor last night. I¡¯ve spoken with nurses coming and going, she is being kept going by healing magic, but she should live¡­ Is¡­ is this what fear feels like for you? To worry about losing someone?¡± ¡°Yes, I just have to trust that things will be alright, I know Jaramis will do all he can, he probably hired only the best for her.¡± ¡°Ah, there is one more thing, there is a¡­ Wrong feeling in the air, I haven¡¯t spoken with anyone about it, it¡¯s probably nothing. But I thought you should know.¡± Balor slipped back off his finger and returned to his class. Harlan just stood there, contemplating things. He decided to just wait at the front door for his family. An hour passed, he didn¡¯t know how long ago they sent the carriage but it seemed like it was taking forever. He finally heard the clopping of hooves. The carriage rushed to the door, a young man Harlan didn¡¯t recognize was carried out of it. Likely a servant, both eyes were gone and he was screaming. Then Ava and his parents came out. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Strangest thing, bird came right out of the sky and plucked his eyes out. Drivers apprentice, hope the lad can get them back. I heard eyes are hard to heal, don¡¯t know why. Ava stopped the bleeding, likely saved him.¡± Harlow answered. ¡°Have you heard about Autumn? How is she doing? Is she alright? I know how hard the first one can be¡­ and twins at that. I need to go inside.¡± Aida was worrying as a mother does. ¡°Do you want to go into town? Send out that letter the crown wants? Maybe we can get something for the twins? Your mother wouldn¡¯t leave for the world, but I don¡¯t think I can do much here.¡± ¡°Maybe we could get Ava a pretty dress.¡± Ava turned red as Harlow ribbed her. ¡°That sounds like a great idea!¡± Harlan had learned to enjoy teasing from Cynthia, and he was putting that knowledge into effect. ¡°NO! Buy me armor. Breken gave me chainmail but if you want to get me something¡­¡± ¡°Of course, anything for the lady.¡± Harlan gave her a deep bow and she pinched the back of his neck for it. And so a new back up driver was found, Harlan picked a bag and put some of his gold coins in it and then they left in a simpler uncrested carriage. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He had no idea how much it cost to make a carriage but he wanted one; the crown probably wouldn¡¯t like him going around looking like a peasant for too long. As they approached. Harlan was awestruck, only 3 years had passed more or less since he was last here, but clearly Redwall had done well enough to bring in more people, the town had proper walls and its size had doubled at least. It was a town and not a village for artisans anymore. Harlow noticed the look on his face. ¡°This place has been growing for some time. I know where a blacksmith who does armor is. We just need to hope he does it in half size.¡± Ava pouted while he laughed and ruffled her hair. As soon as they reached the blacksmith and Harlan stepped out the atmosphere shifted, everyone was taking subtle or less than subtle looks at Harlan. Some even openly glared at him. But no one said a word to him; some of them had some idea of who he was before he became a noble, but for most he was that weird boy who is part of a race of monster men. As soon as they entered the shop Lugh tried to connect with the other inanimate weapons, but the blacksmith warned him not to scratch anything. Then the blacksmith looked Harlan up and down as he neared. He was old but well toned from his work, his beard and hair were white and black all over from age and soot, patches had clearly caught embers and been burned. ¡°Lookin for somethin heavy?¡± ¡°No, I want something for my sister.¡± He gave Ava the same look. ¡°She gonna get bigger?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Lameller then, she can come here when she gets bigger and I¡¯ll add more plates, plate is a waste for a child. What¡¯s the budget?¡± ¡°What? Plates are good but plate is a waste?¡± The blacksmith grumbled about ignorant kids and pointed at 2 sets of armor on display. ¡°That one, buncha small plates sewn together, that''s lameller. That one, solid plates like knights wear, that¡¯s plate. Now, budget?¡± Harlow spoke before Harlan could. ¡°How much is a high quality set? How much are extra plates?¡± ¡°Depends, stonesteel is cheaper right now. Gets ya better defense, but its heavy, skysteel is harder to find, better than steel and lighter. Stonesteel will run ya 60 gold, and then I¡¯ll charge 4 silver for each extra plate. Skysteel is 80 gold, 6 a plate after that.¡± Harlan was baffled, the king¡¯s deal was 300 gold, and just an armor in Ava¡¯s size was going to cost him nearly a third of what he had. ¡°What about if skysteel drops in price?¡± Harlan decided to jump in now, he didn¡¯t mind the price. ¡°I run things on how much somethin costs, not how much it might. If you take a gamble I¡¯ll change the price on the extra plates if the skysteel goes down in price, but I¡¯ll charge ya more if it goes up. Hows that?¡± ¡°how long will it take?¡± ¡°I got other work¡­ 3 days? And do ya want to buy extra plates now or later? I¡¯ll put em on for free long as ya got em.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll gamble on the price, thank you. Do you know how this stuff takes to enchantments? Souls specifically?¡± The blacksmith got a look in his eye, he had heard the rumors about some kid doing some spooky magic. He just didn¡¯t care. ¡°New stuff, ain¡¯t worked with it. But the older enchantments didn¡¯t take well to it, each plate needs to be enchanted like a puzzle, one breaks and the thing is useless. Less you got a way to make them all the same and also put em together it¡¯s a lot of effort.¡± Harlan actually really liked the idea, if he split them all up and then put it in an oversoul on another item like a locket then it should work fine. If he could get them linked right they could spread over the new plates as they were added without any new enchantments being needed at all. In theory, after his last in theory experiment he was hesitant but hopeful. Evidently he had been thinking for longer than he thought as the blacksmith went back to work, his hammering breaking Harlan¡¯s train of thought. ¡°Sorry, I will get you the money now.¡± Harlan counted it all out, he only brought 100 gold coins, many months worth of pay for anyone living here other than artists like the blacksmith. ¡°Now, before ya leave. What would it cost to get some of that soul enchantin stuff done?¡± ¡°I¡­ have no idea, I guess I will need to ask around about what normal enchanting costs.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pay ya if its fair. Now git, I got work to do.¡± Harlan found the man¡­ refreshing? He clearly heard the things people said about Harlan but just didn¡¯t care, he was a customer and possible business opportunity for the old man. Then again the idea that the man was thinking in terms of money about him also made Harlan question if it was apathy, greed, or just plain cantankerousness that caused the man to not care about what Harlan was. Next they found a store that sold more odds and ends looking for children¡¯s toys. Harlan looked for quite some time, Lugh seemed the most interested to know why they were what they were. Harlan couldn¡¯t help but feel everything here was¡­ mundane. He had seen what things could be, the bird that the condor soul was put in sprung to mind. He bought a small set of paints and left the store. He had a better idea for the twins'' gifts. Harlan nearly forgot in the rest of his search to send out the letter to the crown.
What was once his skin crawled as he stepped past the boundary to that land, his stomach that he hadn¡¯t had in centuries churned. He wondered if others ever got this feeling, to step from the land of the Gods to the land of the Fae. It was half a day''s journey to his destination, a halfbreed lived deep in the forest, ironically the very people who worshiped some parent of hers as a god called her a monster. He arrived in the clearing to find a small cottage with a small field, herb boxes on the windows. He knocked on the door, the old woman screamed and fought when she saw him, he didn¡¯t mind, despite her parentage she was nothing compared to him, she was untrained in the things that made her kind a threat. When she realized that the living shadow that had found her through the many misdirection wards she had placed wasn¡¯t a monster she calmed enough for him to question her. As much as it wasn¡¯t his style, The Darkness told him to take a gentle approach when starting to ask questions. She claimed to have seen the light, a brilliance called on her to hide the strings of fate. Unfortunately she didn¡¯t know the name or the purpose of the light, she was a zealot thinking her gods had returned. Her body went limp shortly after her head left her shoulders, outside he found what he was hoping for, the attack dogs of Reino. He liked the look of the one of the left, eyes all around its head, no blindspots, 4 arms. He matched its form, finding it to fit him well enough, he would keep using it for a while. At the end he found himself disappointed, they were getting weaker, 200 years ago they would¡¯ve at least taken half of his strength. But more than that he was relieved to not need to stay in this cursed land anymore. Chapter 30 Toy Making As soon as they stepped inside the couriers guild Harlan felt something was off, nothing hostile, but a familiar feeling he couldn¡¯t place. He decided it wasn¡¯t worth bothering with at the moment. ¡°Hello, I need to send a letter to the royal family regarding me becoming a full noble.¡± ¡°Oh, what a sweet boy. Now did someone tell you to say that?¡± ¡°No, I really do need to send that letter, a royal messenger came but I wasn¡¯t there and I am supposed to tell them to come back now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve played along, either tell me what you are here for, or leave.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious! I have a crest here on my shirt, I am Harlan Fomoria. What do I need for proof?¡± The woman at the front desk went to get someone higher up than her. A man who smelled faintly of dog stumbled out of his office and down to the lobby. ¡°Kid, what is your problem?¡± ¡°I need to send a letter to the royal family, I am Harlan Fomoria, here is my crest on my clothes, I don¡¯t have my ring right now because he is teaching at the moment.¡± The man went through several confused faces before he went back to his office for a moment. He came back with a large folder with sketches of people and started flipping through them. ¡°Let¡¯s see, described as pale, smoky shifting blue eyes, 13 years of age, black hair, off putting demeanor. Shouldn¡¯t have said that part.¡± The man held up the sketch of Harlan next to him for a moment, shifting back and forth between them. ¡°I am very sorry Sir Fomoria, is there anything I can do for you today beyond that letter?¡± ¡°No, I just need the letter. Wait, actually what should I say? Do you know?¡± ¡°A simple acknowledgement of return is all you need to send. That will cost 40 silver if you would like it sent express, otherwise 20 silver. For a 10 silver fee we can write it for you.¡± Harlan pulled out a single gold coin. ¡°I only have gold on m-¡± Harlan didn¡¯t even see him move, but the coin in his hand had been replaced with a pouch holding 50 silver coins. ¡°Thank you for choosing express delivery and writing, I have exchanged your gold for silver. Do you need anything else?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ No?¡± And the man walked back to his office. Harlan decided that he should go buy his own tools, the servants at Redwall mansion had given him some for carving but he felt like he should get his own. ¡°Dad, do you get tools from the armorsmith?¡± ¡°Nope, I¡¯ll show you where he is, people who make weapons and armor generally don¡¯t have time to make mundane items.¡± Nothing happened along the way, he spent more money on his new set of tools and there was even a book for woodworking projects for sale that he picked up. Finally it was time to go home, Harlan had never really spent money before, but his pouch growing lighter over the day wasn¡¯t a great feeling for him. They passed the adventurers guild on the way out, a bar fight had started and someone came flying out the window. Guards were already rushing over with clubs in hand. On the way back Harlan tried to find as many birds and other animals out the window as he could, designs were coming to him but it was hard to settle on any one. Eventually he saw a fox curled up on a tree branch next to a white fox, it was strange enough for him to decide what he wanted to make. He saw a wolf following them and tried to ignore the feeling that it was looking directly at him. They finally reached the mansion without anything happening, the wolf disappeared at some point but Harlan didn¡¯t see when. He noticed the same two guards outside from earlier. ¡°Is Autumn still alright?¡± ¡°Yes Sir Fomoria, we have heard no ill news of her.¡± ¡°Please, just call me Harlan. It¡¯s still weird having a last name.¡± ¡°All the better to get used to it then.¡± Harlan just shrugged it off, maybe he was right. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Harlow went to see if Aida needed anything. Ava went to find Breken. Harlan wandered around looking for someone to get him wood for carving. He found the same servant who ran from him before and asked if she was busy. ¡°AH! I mean, n-no Sir Fomoria I am at your service.¡± She was fidgeting like Harlan had a knife to her throat. ¡°Why are you so afraid?¡± ¡°W-what do you mean?¡± ¡°Please, just answer me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± She looked away from him and kept shuffling in place. ¡°Is it the soul stuff? We are using trees, it¡¯s fine. No one is being hurt.¡± ¡°Do you need help with anything?¡± She finally found some composure, though Harlan was pretty sure it would break if he put any pressure on her. ¡°Alright, fine, don¡¯t answer me. I need wood, I will be carving some things. And also I need to know what your favorite animal is.¡± She finally stopped being scared and was instead just confused. ¡°I like sheep?¡± ¡°Thank you. You can bring the wood to my room.¡± Harlan went over his designs a few times in his head before the wood came, then it was working time. He was going to make the sheep first, it wasn¡¯t planned originally so it would be his practice run. He started on its head, then the neck, trying to see how much articulation he could get while keeping it strong. For the fluff on its body he had to find another servant who was wandering the halls. It came out a bit more blocky and angular that he was planning, but he decided he actually liked the look, he painted it as well as he could, using little bits of water magic to spread it evenly, the last step would take more time so he just started on his foxes. He kept with the more angular design, the biggest issue he had was the tail, articulation on it would look out of place. Eventually he decided that he would try hiding it by adding some actual fur on the tail, that way it could move how he wanted it too. Then came the second fox, identical to the first. But one was painted orange, the other white. He looked over them for a while before he was called for dinner. Unsurprisingly it was just him and Count Redwall. Autumn had delivered both babies without any extra issues but Jaramis, Harlow, and Aida didn¡¯t want to leave her. Harlow had the sense of mind to ask that their food be brought for all of them. ¡°Count Redwall, I am sorry that I haven¡¯t done all I could for our deal.¡± ¡°Balor has more than taken your place, though I would like to privately speak with you if you are available after dinner. You will be made a real noble soon, and you likely have no real idea about what you can do or ask for. My father was a soldier, he earned his name on a battlefield and then flubbed his negotiation for what he would be given. I do hope you avoid such a thing.¡± ¡°Thank you, not just for that though, I think Autumn has been happy here.There is something I also want to ask about.¡± Harlan felt the dinner was awkward, he really didn¡¯t know much about the count. ¡°How did your father earn that name then? If you don¡¯t mind answering.¡± ¡°There was a battle in a valley, it was farther to the east of here. The commanding officer had called a full retreat, the past king had allowed him to be a commander through gold and status instead of through steel and blood. But my father saw that the battle was not lost, he rallied the troops he could while the commander fled. He set them up in narrow parts of the valley and made shield walls. He was a budding mage and held a wall himself using ice. The theocratic troops ran headlong into it thinking to break it. But he held strong. By the time reinforcements came the whole group was covered in red, head to toe. They called him the Redwall because he used the blood of enemy soldiers to repair his icewall. So the crown gave that name to him.¡± ¡°That is ingenious. I wouldn¡¯t have thought of using blood.¡± ¡°With good reason, he was nearly court martialed. Blood magic like that is just water magic by another name. But it has such a poor reputation because of how it sounds to people, that is part of why I do not place such superstition on your use of souls, they are far too useful to not use; with the trees we are past most moral implications unless you consider the souls of all things to be sacred like the theocracy. And that brings me to some questions I had¡­¡± Harlan felt he had broken the ice with the count and they spoke for the rest of dinner, then they moved to his office for a more private chat. ¡°I¡¯ll allow you to ask your questions first.¡± ¡°Thank you. I wanted to know if I could buy a mimic tree for my own experiments? And I want to know a servant¡¯s name. Finally a blacksmith in town wanted me to see about enchanting some of his things. I was wondering if you had any idea how much that might cost him?¡± ¡±I can loan you a tree, once we begin making a profit I will just take its cost from your cut. The trees are quite easy to make, most of the cost is in hiring people to work them and also to make the formula to put them to sleep. I need to know why you want to find a specific servant, I hope if you have an issue with the staff you will ask someone to handle it, and I have been consulting with enchanters, your soul enchanting will not be replacing them entirely. The way every item is more or less the same effort makes regardless of who makes it has affected how we will price items since the item is the expensive part in this. I¡¯ve worked out a pricing scheme, 10% of the items cost, minimum of 3 gold. Depending on what is being enchanted this will bring in sizable amounts of gold while still avoiding time being wasted on small items. But if you wish to go deeper into economics, Balor is supposed to speak with me about these things tomorrow.¡± ¡°No¡­ I think I will trust Balor with that. I want to find a servant girl, she is afraid of me. I made her a little sheep as practice for my gift for the twins, I want to give it to her.¡± ¡°What are you making for the twins then?¡± ¡°I want to give them fox dolls that are soul enchanted so they move like real foxes, I am going to need to train them unless I use a real fox soul, but that could make them violent which I don¡¯t want.¡± ¡°That sounds like a nice gift, this does bring a question back to my mind however. How does a soul learn if they are not really thinking? Balor tried to explain it once but it didn¡¯t make too much sense.¡± ¡°Oh, well¡­ let me think¡­ so you know how you can do a structured spell so many times you start to take parts out of it but it still works?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Well basically the soul inside the item is holding onto spell structures, it¡¯s like they have it written down, and when you think about it they just do it. They can hold onto new memories but they are a blank slate that shouldn¡¯t develop into a real person or animal.¡± ¡°How do they know what you are thinking?¡± ¡°I am not entirely sure, but I think if I was way better at seeing souls I would find we are all connected more than we think we are. Why does a sixth sense work? It¡¯s not magic, no mana is shaped or changed. I think everyone is a little bit connected, and the soul inside the item just links up to the user.¡± ¡°That¡­ has many implications.¡± Their conversation went to lighter topics after that, which tree was Harlan¡¯s the proper procedure to putting it to sleep, how much it costs per tree to make them sleep, and many more mundane things. Chapter 31 Fox Watching Harlan said good night to the count after their talk, feeling like he forgot something, probably wasn¡¯t important. He decided to go and start on his sheep and foxes. The procedure was simple enough, put a mimic soul in them. The hard part was going to be teaching them based on what Harlan thought the animals did. Balor had finished his classes some time ago and was able to help with it. ¡°First we must decide, what is it that we want them to do? Then we need to teach them. I believe that memory copies will work better than trying to make a doll learn how to move as an animal would.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of it. Foxes aren¡¯t like dogs, they can¡¯t really be tamed in the same way. I really don¡¯t want the babies getting hurt.¡± ¡°How about we map out a single fox soul? Find which memories are which and then pull only the movement and general personality.¡± ¡°Every action is in some way based on instinct with animals. I think I just need to spend time watching foxes and then pass that along to the dolls. I already know enough about sheep. I think I am just going to test that first.¡± It took 2 days of practice, but his wooden sheep was just like the real thing, overly so. It kept trying to jump into dangerous situations and he needed to herd it to safety. It took another day to make it into an idealized version of a sheep, one that wasn¡¯t quite so dumb and stubborn. He could¡¯ve done it sooner but Jaramis didn¡¯t like testing around the children and Harlan wanted to see Autumn and them, leaving more or less just the night to work on it. The foxes just sat around in a drawer, they didn¡¯t know how to do anything and they wouldn¡¯t try to learn unless Harlan actively taught him. He decided to show the sheep to Autumn before giving it to the maid. ¡°It really does move like a real sheep.¡± ¡°It moves better than a real sheep, because it doesn¡¯t toss itself into holes or briar bushes.¡± Jaramis was the only one who didn¡¯t laugh at his joke, having never had to herd sheep before. ¡°So it¡¯s a small golem?¡± ¡°Uh, I guess? I¡¯ve never really seen a golem, I just know they are made from petrified trolls and the army uses them sometimes.¡± ¡°That is an interesting application of this magic, do you think you could replicate it? Golems are expensive and hard to make, counts or obscenely wealthy merchants will sometimes have them as guards. Though if you have only just now started on it I am sure the royals have battalions of them already.¡± ¡°I am actually already working on 2 more of them, but I won¡¯t say what they are for, it¡¯s a surprise.¡± ¡°Are you aware of how ominous you really are?¡± ¡°Jaramis!¡± Autumn whisper yelled at him. ¡°Yes, I know, I was in town and people looked at me weird. Only an old blacksmith and the couriers treated me normally.¡± ¡°Have you had a talk about the couriers with my father yet?¡± ¡°No? Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my place to say. But you should show that sheep to him.¡± Jaramis wasn¡¯t quite ok with Harlan being around, but seeing him jump to making a small sheep instead of a giant golem had made him a little less uneasy about him. The count was a busy man, Harlan couldn¡¯t just burst into his office whenever he had a question, he decided to find and watch foxes for the day until dinner came around, the count considered anything after dinner to be personal time and rarely worked during it. It took Harlan nearly an hour to find a single fox, then he realized he really wasn¡¯t that inconspicuous, so he worked on that. By the time he felt like he could silently follow and watch a fox he realized the sky was dimming and headed back. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. But something else had decided now was the time to strike. Harlan left Balor at the mansion to train the counts men according to their deal. He barely noticed the thing, he was in the middle of a jump making it harder to avoid the attack. He grabbed the wolf and used it to redirect his momentum. He noticed it was hard and cold, not a wolf then. It snarled silently, looking like any normal wolf, but its mouth was full of needle teeth instead of what it should have. They circled each other for a time before the wolf thing jumped at him once more, Harlan hit it with an uppercut in its jaw. The beast didn¡¯t flinch, Harlan bruised his knuckles, his fingers felt off, maybe broken. And the beast got some scratches in. Its legs and claws grew slightly, turning near misses into direct hits. They would be fatal if he was a normal human without the ability to stop the bleeding at least. His left arm was basically worthless now, he couldn¡¯t regrow and attach tendons and muscles yet. He drew Lugh with his good hand and ran, deflecting what blows he could. Harlan quickly realized he wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything to hurt it, any time he did hit the beast its fur and fake skin broke but the insides were metal. The beast came to his left and right causing him to veer off course, after a few minutes he realized that it was leading him deeper into the forest. He heard a bear roar distantly, he decided to go there, maybe he would get lucky and find hunters, at the very least he might be able to distract the thing chasing him for a moment. He ran as fast as he could, the wolf would¡¯ve already caught him if he couldn¡¯t move behind trees and trip it up by making small holes or bumps in the ground. He finally reached the bear. Only to see a wolf much larger than it surrounded by wargs. But yet it wasn¡¯t a skoll. Fenrir were past skolls in their metamorphosis, but Harlan barely knew anything about them, they tended to live far in the north, in the lands too hostile for normal people and too worthless for the kingdom to try and settle. Its coat was black like a warg but solid, it didn¡¯t devour light as a Void Stag yet it was still dull. It had 3 eyes, two as a wolf should, then another on its forehead, they were yellow while the sclera was that same void black as the stag coat, only making the iris seem brighter. It turned towards him, not yet hostile. Then it saw the wolf and it was very upset. Harlan barely got out of the way as it launched into the fake wolf, crushing its chest in its massive mouth that opened disturbingly wide. The wolf pointlessly struggled to escape the massive beast''s grip. With a crunch the fake wolf was split into 3 parts. The fenrir looked at Harlan with curiosity. It towered over him at 10 feet tall at the shoulders then it got smaller, down to 6 feet. ¡°What would the manling be doing? Chased by a false thing? The wrong thing? What would he do? To bring that thing into our meal?¡± Harlan wondered if he hadn¡¯t just traded the executioner''s axe for a sword. He gulped loudly. ¡°I¡¯m s-sorry¡­ I was hoping to get away from it by taking it to the bear I heard.¡± ¡°It does not answer my questions? Does it presume to not need to?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know why it was following me, it jumped me out of nowhere, I was just trying to look at foxes.¡± The fenrir inhaled deeply. ¡°You stink of them, pale manling. Why does it smell of those who kill without reason?¡± ¡°Fomorians?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ you manthings, your words, your names. You seem to know, but you don¡¯t yet. You are not them in spirit. Leave this place, I have done my work.¡± It stopped for a moment, its eyes looked into the darkness at the forest''s edge before speaking again. ¡°Take the false thing with you.¡± ¡°T-thank you¡­ I will leave now.¡± The fenrir ignored him, tearing large chunks off the bear, throwing some to the wargs. Harlan didn¡¯t have a very developed internal compass, he had no idea where he was anymore. He walked until it was dark, then looked at the stars to try and find out which way should lead him back home. The wolf golem was heavy, far heavier than Harlan originally thought. And it was starting to wear even him down. Just as he saw the sky start to lighten he heard a noise faintly in the distance. It was human he thought, he HOPED it was human at least and not some skinwalker or something worse. He walked towards the voice, eventually finding it was a guard from the Redwall mansion. ¡°I FOUND HIM. Sir Fomoria, are you alright?¡± the man noticed that one arm was limply hanging, blood was pooling in it like a sickly waterskin. ¡°WE NEED A HEALER HERE. just lay down, you will be alright.¡± ¡°Make sure you take this thing back with you¡­ I¡¯m going to just rest now¡­¡® ¡°HEY, stay awake now. HEALER NOW.¡± The man started slapping Harlan increasingly hard to keep him away. Before he fell asleep he saw more people running towards him.
Even with all the blood she had spilled, she still couldn¡¯t get rid of every knot, she worried all of her work would be for naught and so she pulled in extra help. Chapter 32 Questioning Harlan woke up, noon by the look of it. He hoped it was still the same day, he hated losing time sleeping. He was worried if it kept up too much it would end up sleeping as much as a normal person did. 2 people were sitting at the end of his bed, a man in a white military looking suit with black trim. the other had the colors reversed. They both wore half capes matching their suits, the buttons were silver instead of the gold he expected. The woman in the black suit had white hair, the man had black hair. Harlan found the contrast in both of them striking. They shared a look, and then spoke in turns, unsettling Harlan. The man spoke first. ¡°We need to know what happened.¡± ¡°Who attacked you?¡± ¡°It was that fake wolf I was carrying.¡± ¡°Ah, the golem.¡± ¡°We heard you are working on the same sort of golems?¡± ¡°We couldn¡¯t learn much, its internal parts were sheared and shattered.¡± ¡±Did you do that?¡± ¡°No, it was a fenrir¡± ¡°Where did you see it?¡± ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any around here¡­¡± ¡°Newly evolved?¡± ¡°Possible.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know where I saw it, the wolf golem chased me deeper into the forest. I went towards a roaring bear hoping to get away from it, but the bear was dead. The fenrir sounded like it knew what the wolf was, and hated it. It forced me to take it out of the forest. I was going to do that anyway though¡­ you couldn¡¯t learn much from it?¡± ¡°What did it say?¡± ¡°We need exact words.¡± Harlan told them exactly what was said as best as he could remember. He had lost more blood and done a worse job healing than he realized, he normally remembered things pretty well. ¡°Poison on its claws.¡± ¡°Would¡¯ve killed a human.¡± Suddenly Harlan realized what he should¡¯ve asked at the start. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Allen Dyad, sin seeker.¡± ¡°Alice Dyad, guilt seeker.¡± ¡°You are a noble now.¡± ¡°Seekers investigate nobles.¡± ¡°Sin as a guardian.¡± ¡°Guilt as an investigator.¡± ¡°I seek judgment.¡± ¡°I seek the truth.¡± Harlan wanted to just call them eccentric weirdos, but they were probably able to make his life a nightmare if he insulted them. ¡°Thank you for your time.¡± ¡°We can keep you updated on the case if you would like?¡± ¡°I think I know who did it already.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Who could that be?¡± ¡°Fomorians, who else could make a golem like that?¡± The twins shared a look. They clearly had other ideas. ¡°We will keep that in mind.¡± ¡°We must go now.¡± Harlan decided to lay in bed until a doctor came to check on him. Apparently one was just outside the door, he heard the twins leave but the door didn¡¯t close before the doctor came in. ¡°You are free to go, it¡¯s nice to see you with damage we can actually fix.¡± ¡°Thank you, how long was I sleeping?¡± ¡°About 6 hours. Lunch is already over, though you can still get a meal prepared for yourself of course.¡± ¡°How did everyone take the news¡­¡± This was Harlan¡¯s bigger worry, everyone was part stressed and part overjoyed since the twins were born. He didn¡¯t want to take away from them being happy. ¡°Well enough, there was a panic when you didn¡¯t show up by the time dinner ended. Search parties were out 30 minutes after that. But once you were found with only physical injuries everyone was relieved.¡± Harlan very much did not like the phrasing of that, as if they expected he had done something foolish and passed out in the woods as a result. Harlan realized that Lugh was beside his bed the entire time. ¡°I didn¡¯t see you there.¡± Harlan felt fear from him. ¡°What is wrong?¡± The mental images he got back were like trying to decipher a child''s drawing, but he was afraid of the twins. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Sir Fomoria, the baron also wanted me to tell you to see him as soon as you wake up. I¡¯ll call a maid to help you find him.¡± Harlan walked to the baron¡¯s office, a guard outside stepped in to ask if he was available. He then rushed Harlan into the room. Redwall had a sword out of its sheath and was thrumming his fingers on his desk. ¡°What did they tell you?¡± ¡°Not much really.¡± ¡°So less than nothing. Over the last 7 years 19 noble children under light guard or alone have been mauled by animals without witnesses, the only evidence being tufts of fur in some of the cases. They were considered closed cases, not as much effort was put behind them since it was 3rd and 4th children being killed and not heirs, it didn¡¯t look like anything overly abnormal, just bad luck. This¡­ Golem has thrown many things into disarray, by the time this spreads all over the country I feel there will be consequences. There will be people wanting you to answer them. I¡¯m told you made an golem? Please, show it to me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s in my room. In a small pen near my closet.¡± The baron sent a guard to fetch the toy. They watched it just wander around and baa for 5 minutes. ¡°Well, it is clearly far from what that thing was, can we take it apart?¡± ¡°Let me safely dispel the soul first, but yes, I have all the knowledge to make another one that acts the same in about an hour¡¯s time.¡± ¡°What if you didn¡¯t safely dispel the soul?¡± The baron worried that he had been unknowingly making soul bombs. ¡°Nothing really, probably. There were a couple cases of things exploding with spells that were put into them when they broke, but this thing can¡¯t even cast anything, better safe than sorry though.¡± The baron wasn¡¯t shocked to see its insides, simple articulation, no spell work carved into it, no reinforcements, the fake wool was cotton, not even real wool. He compared it to the teardown of the wolf golem, it was a marvel of engineering, gears and shafts and metal reinforcement for every part of it, false teeth that hid a large number of needles connected to poison tanks inside the beast, leading also to its claws. Many parts of it could shift to make it smaller or larger to make attacks less predictable, and it was fully coated in real wolf fur and used magically preserved wolf eyes. He had no idea how any of it really worked, and The Unseen took it away far too quickly. He wondered how they knew and how they were there so quickly, but they kept those kinds of secrest to themselves. ¡°Well, obviously your creation is nice as a toy. But the thing that you destroyed was a silent assassin. Did you ever see it use spells?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t destroy it, a fenrir did. And no I never saw it cast anything.¡± The baron became deep in thought over his words. The question was who? A name popped into his head. ¡°You and your sisters are not to leave this house without an escort of 4 men, armor, and a weapon. Those bastards probably know exactly who did it. They just wouldn¡¯t admit it.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Clear the room, all of you.¡± There was some minor confusion but everyone still in the room other than Harlan and the baron left. ¡°Dearil¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°How did you feel when you were taken away to the facility?¡± ¡°Upset, angry, sad, I wanted to see my family again.¡± ¡°How would you feel if after you came out you realized that your entire family had been killed and the crown did nothing to stop it? That it was a nobles lust at fault for the event? How would you use your unique talents to get revenge?¡± ¡°You already know what I would do.¡± Just thinking about it had Harlan fuming mad at the idea. ¡°This was during my fathers time, Dearil was taken from his family, not for a fae curse, but because he was good at making things. You mentioned a mechanical bird once I recall?¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Have you ever seen a machine as advanced as that since then?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ But shouldn¡¯t he be the prime suspect then?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t get into all the details, but he was assumed to be dead over 30 years ago, after his revenge was done there were only a few more attacks. But if he is back, or he never really left, things could get worse.¡± ¡°I am told you bought armor for your sister? I will have my men pick it up. None of you are leaving the house. I will have some armor made for you, simpler stuff as a temporary measure. If he knows that he has lost his toy, that we might know he is still alive, he might do something. Tell me every detail about what happened last night.¡± Harlan told his story with renewed vigor, the baron called in a scribe to write down his entire account. Eyes widened at the mention of talking with a fenrir. They were apparently known for being highly territorial and their dislike of humans was also known. Harlan couldn¡¯t help but remember Balor¡¯s ominous feeling from a few days back.
Dahlia awoke in a hospital, she barely remembered what happened, just darkness and pain. At the end of her bed she saw the older Dyad twins. ¡°Good night Dahlia.¡± ¡°Do you know why we are here?¡± She looked down to see her arms hadn¡¯t even been regrown yet, it was better done while she was awake anyway. ¡°I was attacked, did we get them?¡± ¡°I am very sorry to tell you¡­¡± ¡°Your unit¡­ you are the only survivor.¡± ¡°You were found with your arms gone and your lungs pierced.¡± ¡°Someone wanted you out of the way, but alive.¡± She had known some of those men since she was in training, she wondered why it had to be some of them that she had spilled blood and broken bread with for years, she wished it was a unit of new men on rotation that day. She pushed that feeling away like a good soldier and came back to herself to finish the interview. ¡°Do we have any clues?¡± ¡°The Fomorian boy was attacked that night.¡± ¡°Your men were killed the same as dozens of assassins.¡± ¡°Sudden entrance.¡± ¡°Overwhelming force.¡± ¡°How many are we looking for?¡± The twins shared a look, they didn¡¯t want to tell her, nobody wanted to hear it. ¡°We found a single set of prints on the way in and out.¡± ¡°They vanished 20 feet away from the scene.¡± Despair, she had no other word for it. There was little point in being one of the best when there was always somebody stronger, she had never felt like a little fish before then, she was strong, talented, she had gone through the years at the academy and trained under an archmage for a few months, yet it amounted to nothing, if whatever attacked her wanted her dead, she would¡¯ve never even realized what happened. This was the fear he left in his wake, he desired to be unknowably powerful, to be the death in the darkness that was feared by men and children both. Chapter 33 Harlan had to retrain his sheep and improvise on his foxes. He could leave the house under guard, but he couldn¡¯t really watch foxes with 4 other people next to him. He decided to work on the sheep and foxes just before sunrise. He wanted to do some exercises since he had spent too much time doing other things lately. The sheep didn¡¯t take long. It took longer to find the maid he was looking for, she seemed to have an uncanny ability to avoid him, leading to an hour of ¡®oh well she was on her way here.¡¯ But he found her, they locked eyes and he could tell she wanted to run. ¡°H-hello Sir Fomoria, what can I do for you today?¡± ¡°Here, a gift.¡± She looked at the fluffy sheep sitting in his hand like it was a fireball. She jumped and screamed when it went baaa. This wasn¡¯t going how Harlan wanted it to. He just waited for her to realize that it was just a toy. Eventually she removed her hands from her face and looked at it. It was only a handspan and a half tall, covered in fluff, with the nicest eyes that Harlan could paint. She finally grabbed it and stared at it intensely. ¡°Thank you.¡± Harlan thought to ask again why she was so scared of him, but decided to not possibly ruin the moment. ¡°I just wanted to let you know that soul enchanting is more than weapons and armor. That sheep will keep acting like a sheep and nothing more as long as it doesn¡¯t get broken, it doesn¡¯t take any mana from you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I can accept such an expensive gift, Sir Fomoria.¡± ¡°It barely cost anything, just wood, paint, and putting the mimic tree to sleep so I could get a soul fragment from it. I think 80 bronze? Balor is better at the math of it all.¡± She held it close. ¡°Thank you then, I will keep it safe.¡± Harlan felt great, he got at least one person who was scared of him to stop looking at him like he was a monster. He returned to his room and began his work on the foxes, movement wasn¡¯t really as much of an issue. He might not have seen exactly how foxes acted but he saw plenty of them running away yesterday, eventually the thought came to him. Why not just make them act how he wanted? They didn¡¯t need to act like foxes, they needed to act like toys for babies. He went outside, 4 guards in formation around him. Harlan set up a small obstacle course with some earth magic to test how well they really moved. Some rings, some stairs, a steep hill to climb. They could do it well enough, but he couldn¡¯t get his mind away from the wolf yesterday, it was nearly perfect and it could¡¯ve been if Dearil had soulsmithing. He looked at the foxes he had fail to understand the course if he changed it too much, they adapted slowly compared to that thing. If it was made less mechanical and more magical he wouldn¡¯t have been able to get away. The two foxes would be a curiosity, he would keep them around, but he decided on a new project. He barely left his room for 2 days, the first prototype was done, it had slides in its legs to grow larger. It was reinforced with stone that he magically manipulated into the right spaces to avoid it limiting its movements. It had far more articulation than the smaller models. Then Harlan had to put a soul inside it and teach it magic and that it was meant to protect the people who it showed him. This was all disrupted by a messenger arriving however, Harlan never did get around to speaking with the count about nobility. ¡°Sir Harlan Fomoria, do you have a place in which we might speak privately?¡± ¡°Yes, I do. Follow me.¡± Harlan led him to his room, trying to remember everything he was taught about etiquette. ¡°Have you spoken with anyone about this?¡± ¡°No, I got caught up in the creation of small golem toys and failed to remember to ask the baron for advice.¡± ¡°That is fine, I will make this simple, there are few options for you at the moment anyway. The first option is to become a baron in the frontier. You will be paid a sum of gold to set up a home and set up governance in an area provided by the crown, your real pay will be by taxing your new citizens. But you are quite young, not the youngest I¡¯ve seen but quite close. You are unlikely to have the knowledge to set up such a thing, you would end up tossed around and abused by the other nobles in the area and you would likely never accomplish much.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°That¡­ isn¡¯t the sales pitch which I expected.¡± ¡°Rosewell sent me, I am here to make sure you know exactly what you are getting into. Another option is to be a knight, you will be paid a monthly salary by the crown which you can increase by building a warband and doing great deeds as they would say, the more they benefit the kingdom, the more money they get. But you won¡¯t get lands other than to build a single castle, which will need to be in someone else¡¯s lands anyway. The third option, which from what we can gather isn¡¯t talked about since no one has taken it in such a long time, is to deny both options and become a noble mage, it''s a confusing title as many nobles are mages. But a noble mage is very close to being a knight, but instead of your merits being winning battles it will be the things you create, the magical knowledge you hand over to the crown.¡± ¡°Why does no one take that option?¡± ¡°Because you would need to be a mage with revolutionary ideas to make it worth more than being a knight or a baron, and a baron has the chance of eventually having your bloodline ascend to a count or higher, a mage is a mage. You could be a great mage, but the other titles don¡¯t actually stop them from being called an archmage, since the only archmages which are respected are granted the title by the grand academy. Not by the kingdom. You are granted lands to build a home and research area, but your money will be from selling your products either to the crown or to whoever can afford them. Many counts and barons have made impressive magic and then just give it to the crown for political capital and keep being a count.¡± ¡°From the sounds of it I will basically keep my title so others can¡¯t directly push me around and then I get to spend my time however I choose while setting up almost like a merchant. I don¡¯t get the benefits or downsides of the other options.¡± ¡°Correct. You could still some day choose to try and be a count or a knight, but for now a noble mage is your best option, you wouldn¡¯t really have time to enter the academy if you were setting up some house and getting married to whoever the crown says in the frontier. You¡­ and I¡¯m not meaning any offense, but you are not built for nobility, you are built to discover things and then maybe kill things, we aren¡¯t entirely sure on the second part.¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think I take any offense to that, when do I need to make my decision?¡± ¡°I must leave here before night. You have until then.¡± ¡°I will be contacting someone for advice, if this takes longer than I think would it be possible to send a letter with my choice?¡± ¡°Yes, but then I would need to come back to have you stamp your signet on a document.¡± ¡°I will try to be back before then.¡± Harlan brought Lugh and Balor with him for extra defense. It took some convincing but once Breken realized what he was really asking for he came along. Harlan and his 4 guards who were at least 30 feet away from him and knew to be ready to run at a moment''s notice stood deep in the forest under wards set up by Breken. Harlan closed his eyes and sat, trying to become deep in thought. ¡°Welcome back child, I am glad you are feeling better than last time.¡± ¡°Thank you, I wanted your opinion. You won¡¯t give an answer to change my path, But what about if an option will better support my path?¡± ¡°Yes, I believe you should be a noble mage.¡± ¡°That was quick.¡± ¡°You are not lost to me now, I see what you do at all times. I knew from the moment you started walking here what you would want.¡± ¡°Was the thing that attacked me really not related to the Fomorians? Are fenrir your children like wargs are?¡± ¡°Yes, that thing was simply a random event in the universe, you were not directly the target, just in its path. And yes, I asked my child to spare you. You are kin in a sense, she might have spared you regardless, but I asked her to be sure.¡± ¡°That was a girl?¡± ¡°Judge others not by your own standards child, you would endanger yourself if you do not mind your tongue around them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I will try to not make that mistake again. Thank you for your advice, I no longer have doubts about this.¡± ¡°I shall see you again child.¡± Harlan opened his eyes, either an entire day had passed, or only a few hours. Only the land within 5 feet of him was damaged this time, he wondered what determined that, a question for another day. ¡±How long was I out this time?¡± ¡°A few hours is all, you need to get back to answer that messenger, right? We should leave now.¡± Harlan hurried back to the house, it was a short trip, he stopped by the orchard to pick up Balor. Mostly he just watched over them now, not really needing to be trained, just learning through repetition. ¡°Please stamp here.¡± Harlan did as asked. ¡°You have already been knighted by the king, so all I can offer you is thanks for what you have done, and will do for our glorious kingdom. Details regarding land will be worked out between the crown and Countess Blackstone, she will send someone to you eventually. Most likely you will have property between here and your parents farm in the woods to avoid disturbances from people and to avoid any¡­ Accidents from reaching too far. Construction of your home and workspace will be left to you. 8000 gold coins will be sent by the crown for workers and material.¡± Harlan had no idea how much anything really cost, the only house he built was for Kass, and that was from trees nearby that didn¡¯t cost him anything. He had many ideas now about what he could do, and he needed to ask Balor about what things actually cost. Underground test ranges and rooms would be basically free as long as he had mana. Did he need a maid to clean things? An assistant to buy materials? That was all things for another time, he wanted to work on his foxes now.
Across the country in the capital, the king spoke privately with his children, from the 1st prince to the 13th, from the 1st princess to the 13th. Being a father was never something he did, but rather something he was, he would not let his country weaken when he died. He took the throne early and he had the feeling that his attempts to make his children better than him had failed, and thus he would leave the throne early by one of their hands. Chapter 34 While Harlan was testing his new fox prototype, having the guard smack it round with clubs, something else was watching, an unassuming owl perched at the treeline. After his wolf failed to report back to one of his birds, Dearil sent a recon unit to search for it thinking it lost to that fenrir again. But then something odd happened, a boy with a fox, that seemed from the outside like a very poor attempt to replicate his wolf. Once it saw this it checked against its order and rules stored in the false mind Dearil made, it decided that the wolf was likely destroyed and the boy was likely in possession of the body. In two days time it would return directly to him. Meanwhile Harlan was nearly distraught, his latest prototype, fox number 4, was dead, its legs splintered and broken, its chest had a large crack running along it and its tail was gone. ¡°T-thank you for your time¡­¡± ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s ok for us to break these things up like this? You¡­ don¡¯t seem very happy about it.¡± ¡°Just part of making something¡­ Better to let you break it than trying to use it and failing to protect anyone.¡± Harlan put on a stoneface, asking for advice. ¡°Well, right here you can see that the joint here takes a hit to the side alright since its got that rivet or whatever in it, if I hit it from the front that wood rivet is the only thing to take the force and it breaks, I don¡¯t know if that rock layer helps it much. What about putting it on the outside? Wood is supple, stone isn¡¯t. When we hit it from the outside all the stone inside stops the wood from bending but doesn¡¯t do much more, and listen.¡± The man shook the disabled fox. Little clatterings inside said that the stone was breaking inside anyway. ¡°Maybe double layer the stone? Wood center so it doesn¡¯t weigh so much, rock inside and out to give it a bit more defense. And anyway does it really matter how heavy it is?¡± ¡°Yes, it does matter. The heavier it is the more effort the fox has to spend to just move around. I want it to be able to cast spells, if it spends too much moving then it will have less to spend on spells.¡± ¡°What do you want it to cast?¡± ¡°Lets see, rock walls, fireballs, bursts of air, tunneling. Basic defense, offense, and then something slightly more utility. A good wind blast can knock people into each other or down a hill at less cost than a fireball. Tunneling can make holes in the ground, I¡¯ve seen and done exactly that to trip people up, better as support than an attack.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it Sir. We will be here for your next prototype.¡± Harlan decided to spend a little time with Ava and work on his hand to hand combat against her. Harlan was faster than her, but she was using Lugh to fight him. He was technically more dangerous than a training sword but he could shift out of the way and avoid an unlucky hit from taking off a limb, and it was good training for him also. After 30 minutes Breken stopped the spar. No one was hurt but Ava could only swing around Lugh for so long before both of them were tired, he was too heavy for her to use on her own but he helped her out. ¡°Good moves all of you.¡± Lugh sent happy signals to Ava. ¡°Harlan, you aren¡¯t tired. Lets spar, you are fine at hand to hand but you should put more time into your swordsmanship. Lugh, you aren¡¯t allowed to help him, he needs to fight with full control of the blade, every time you slightly curve his slashes he is learning to rely on you. If he picked up a normal sword and tried to fight the same, he would make mistakes.¡± Harlan did as he was asked, Lugh had to learn a great deal of self control to learn when NOT to move. Breken always kept up no matter how much Harlan tried to speed himself up. He began to understand that he actually didn¡¯t know what Breken could do. Eventually dinner was ready and a maid came to fetch Harlan, he had a question before he left though. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Breken. What did you do in your fighting days?¡± ¡°Mage killer. Confusion and speed.¡± Harlan waited for him to continue his explanation, Breken just laughed and shooed him away to the dining room. There was a heavy air at the table, Harlan seemed to be in high spirits but they couldn¡¯t help but worry about him. ¡°So, I¡¯m told you have been having my guards break up golems you¡¯ve made?¡± Harlan let out a sign. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s taking a while but I am trying to work out the kinks in my designs.¡± ¡°Why not make it a human shaped golem?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I didn¡¯t really think about it, I was already making smaller foxes, and that wolf golem has been on my mind.¡± ¡°Well, I suppose they would have their own uses. We didn¡¯t know about that wolf for years. How small can you make them?¡± ¡°I never tried to make them too small, I think my foxes are already pretty small, if I tried to put in spells and other things like that I worry I would overload them.¡± ¡°There is a limit to these soul items?¡± ¡°I think so, souls grow into the item, souls grow slightly with every new thing they learn. People compress them bit by bit. That¡¯s what happened during my¡­ Training experiment. Too much information all at once, I just kinda¡­ blew up, Balor put me back together before it faded away. Though technically I never saw anything blow up unless it was overloaded from the start.¡± There was an awkward silence at the table. Harlan really hated doing that. Autumn decided to break the silence. ¡°So, did you choose to be a knight then?¡± ¡°Noble Mage.¡± ¡°A lot of nobles are mages.¡± Harlan explained a little bit of what it really meant. ¡°Have you spoken with my father about construction of a home and work area?¡® Jaramis asked. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to talk to whoever the countess sends but I¡¯m going to put it off until I get back from school, I will have a small area of land close to the farm that I will make my own cabin so I can be home for meals and far enough away to not put anyone in danger. I figure a large pit is good enough, I can use the dirt from the hole to make high walls to stop anything from blowing up and damaging too much. I¡¯ll hire a maid and an assistant when I am here in summers away from school.¡± ¡°You seem to have thought this out well enough,¡± ¡°It was mostly the Redwall really. I would¡¯ve just taken any plot of land in the woods and made a stone hut.¡± ¡°The 4th Princess Rosewell asked that I help, I couldn¡¯t leave him looking like some poacher set up in a temporary campsite.¡± ¡°She specifically asked to help me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Harlan fell into thought. Did Rosewell really actually genuinely care? He wasn¡¯t sure if his feelings of affection for her were because he thought she was actually a good person or if he was starved for positive feelings in what looking back was a prison where he worked long hours. He stopped eating, just pushing his food around for a while with a vacant stare. When dinner was over Harlan decided to give the gifts for the twins. ¡°Autumn, before you go. Take these.¡± He reached into his pockets and pulled out the foxes, they were snuggled up with each other in his hands. ¡°Those are cute, thank you.¡± When they heard her talking they woke up and stretched. Letting out a yipping yawn before looking at Autumn and the twins. ¡°I¡¯ll just set them on the ground, they will follow you. They know a couple of tricks and shouldn¡¯t have any problems staying out of your way and fetching small items.¡± ¡°What tricks?¡± ¡°Backflips, they can stand on each other, they are really good climbers. No spells though.¡± Jaramis didn¡¯t even eye them suspiciously, Harlan took that as a good sign. Harlan started to love the feeling of people receiving his gifts and warming up to him. When he was working on his larger foxes he decided to start making a variety of small farm animals, he wanted to sell them at that odd and ends store, he wouldn¡¯t really be making any money on it due to material and time costs, but he hoped it would let people see him in a more positive light. He also sent a message to the blacksmith with his prices and was waiting for a reply, he asked that if there was items to send over then he should send them with instructions of what they are, what they expect to be sold for, and what spells he wants them to use, along with a list of what he knew how to put in them. Weeks passed without much happening, other than the local bear population seeming lower than normal. Harlan bought his own set of armor made from stonesteel, with the gauntlets being extra weighty for hand to hand combat. He also finally got a single fox golem that was hardened enough to take a good amount of punishment, the issue was teaching it when not to attack people. Which was taking much longer than he ever thought, a pat on the back from a guard cost him his finger. Little kinks to work out.
The man watched what his bird had seen, simple things were being made, to compare them to his work nearly upset him until he saw it cast a spell. It would take quite some convincing but he hoped his benefactors would allow an excursion. Chapter 35 Harlan was working out the kinks in a new fox, the extending parts were removed, they were weak points and he realized that he just couldn¡¯t make something that looked like a real fox anyway. He was reinforcing this model with plates of skysteel. He learned how to make what he would call an animation core, a single higher strength item that could connect with weaker parts and spread the soul throughout each segment of his creations without issue, allowing them to control each part of their body with greater dexterity. Though the best benefit was that he could soul enchant them and then just place them in a golem, it was a weak spot but it let him test the new designs by just swapping the core to a different body instead of needing to drag the golem out to the trees to soul enchant it. Ava loved her new armor letting her nearly fly with air bursts. Breken was less impressed that she had a hard time learning when the armor was running low on power and he had to stop her from hitting the ground more than once. Balor was done with the rest of the deal, leaving him time to help with the crafting. ¡°Why are you bothering to put in eyes?¡± ¡°Well they need to see don¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Do you want to know how a soul enchanted item sees? I could send over a few memories.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Harlan was on the floor trying his best not to throw up, Balor underestimated how overstimulating a 360 sight was. After 5 minutes Harlan was back on his feet with minimal feelings of intense crippling nausea. ¡°Point taken, I will paint the eyes on.¡± ¡°Apologies, and yes that will save time and leave a stronger head.¡± Lugh was sitting off to the side, trying to carve his own parts to help out. Harlan finally placed the legs on it and was doing movement tests. He would have the guards test its durability tomorrow. The ominous feeling was gone for Balor. Dearil was still watching with his birds, but he could tell that his secrets hadn¡¯t been found out after he bought one of Harlan¡¯s toys. He was just glad to see a kindred soul making interesting little golems. Since Harlan had made his latest fox but still couldn¡¯t test how strong it was he decided to start working on more toys, they were selling well in town, it took a few days to convince someone in town that they weren¡¯t secretly some kind of golem meant to kill everyone, they never voiced this opinion but Harlan kinda figured. To cut down on costs he started using Lugh to burn designs into them instead of painting them, he hoped that kid from the facility who had painting magic would find out how to share it with everyone some day. But¡­ Harlan was getting bored, he knew what he could do, he honestly wanted some real excitement. He wanted to fight seriously, in the morning he would go to town, in his own carriage he had made. And he entered the place no one in their right mind goes to. The adventurer guild, a place tolerated but rarely respected. He marched to the front desk ¡°Hello, I would like to be certified as an adventurer.¡± ¡°Fill out this form, depending on who processes your application you will need to spar with them to ascertain your level of combat competence. Do you understand what I just said?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Harlan filled it out, reading over a series of warnings and rules on the second sheet of paper. He was somewhat shocked to see that there really wasn¡¯t an age requirement, no wonder orphans so often end up as adventurers. Most of the warnings were just saying in different ways that no we aren¡¯t responsible if you get yourself killed or otherwise cannot work etc. ¡°Alright, I filled out your paper.¡± ¡°Good, we will see who we have for testing today, you may take a seat over there.¡± Harlan was the youngest one in the line up. A large man in armor of wood and chainmail that covered his entire body spoke to him. ¡°What does a pipsqueak like you want from this life?¡± ¡°I¡¯m bored, I know I am strong, I want to fight and help people.¡± Nearly the entire place erupted in laughter. ¡°Naive and stupid, go find a farm needing work and join the army when you grow up.¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Harlan wanted to try and refute his claims but the man was called back for a rank up test. A woman he could only call a stereotype of a witch went for the test next. Then it was his turn. A man in nicer armor that Harlan remembered enchanting for the blacksmith in town spoke to him. ¡°Stand in the white circle, I will stand in mine. When the bell rings we will spar, as we spar I will start to speed up in my attacks and use more advanced techniques. The match ends when you give up or I say it is over, you will not argue against me if I say it is over. The longer the match goes the more points you get, if I think you are doing nothing but stalling I will dock points. You will not argue against me docking points. If you know magic you may use it, but do try to not cause undue harm to me or the spectators, I can dock you points for that too. Ready up.¡± Harlan spoke with Balor and Lugh. ¡°Alright, Balor work on deflections that get passed me and Lugh. we aren¡¯t trying to win, just last as long as we can.¡± ¡°Right.¡± The bell rang and the man stepped towards them, he started with a series of attacks Harlan recognized as a basic horizontal slash, vertical slash, stab, exercise Breken taught him at the start of his training. 30 seconds passed and the man started getting faster, mixing up his slashes as well. 30 more seconds and he stopped the basic pattern entirely, fighting closer to Breken, feigning attacks, mixing in punches and shoves. 1 more minute passed and the man started kicking dirt into Harlan¡¯s eyes and moved fast enough and with so many faints that Harlan could only barely keep up. 20 more seconds passed and the match was called with the adventurers sword in Harlan¡¯s face. ¡°Bronze rank, you might be able to face a single orc, but I wouldn¡¯t count on it. You have clearly been taught but you lack experience, start with small stuff.¡± ¡°How high is bronze rank?¡± ¡°You skipped past glass rank and iron rank, above you is silver, gold, blackstone. Most people reach bronze in about a year, blackstone in 20.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you then.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t thank me, don¡¯t expect to retire if you do this work for long.¡± ¡°By the way, what rank are you?¡± The man flashed his golden tags before calling out to the next person in line. Harlan nodded at the man and went to get his badge, it was already done by the time he got to the front desk. From there it was right to the questboard. He realized that there was hardly anything, mostly goblin groups spotted near farms, a few warg quests. There was a quest to clear a goblin lair but that required a team of at least 4 bronze ranks or a single silver rank. Harlan heard enough to not want to trust other adventurers. Another was a bandit quest, but Harlan didn¡¯t want to kill a person, he knew it was hypocritical since surely what he gave the crown was going to kill people, and he had killed people before, but only in self defense. He decided to take a quest for the farm nearest his parents, reward was 2 silver per goblin, heads required. No one bothered him on the way out, there was no bar fight this time. Just stink eyes and grumblings about another kid walking to his death, leaving them to clean up the mess when they fail. It wasn¡¯t terribly long before he arrived at the farm, a man was in the field speaking with a younger child. He rushed over to see what a noble was doing there. He didn¡¯t recognize Harlan when he stepped out. ¡°Hello Sir, what can I help you with today?¡± ¡°I heard there were goblins here, so I took a quest to kill them.¡± ¡°Oh? Why would a noble be adventuring? I mean not to pry, um, Sir.¡± ¡°I just wanted too, building and sparring can be boring, do you not recognize me?¡± The man stood and stared for longer than Harlan was comfortable with. ¡°Oh, you are Harlow¡¯s boy. I heard that you got a title, thought you would be off in the frontier setting up a village or some such things.¡± ¡°Not for me, I don¡¯t want to do that. But back to my question, where did you see them?¡± ¡°Oh no, I didn¡¯t see them. My oldest girl did, I¡¯ll fetch her.¡± After a minute Harlan was speaking with a girl about Amber¡¯s age who explained she had seen them near a stream not far from the house. Harlan thanked her and set off to deal with them. He found muddy footprints on the creek bed. Leading to a small cave that didn¡¯t lead very far down. He figured it was probably fine to go in. The ceiling was low, probably why the goblins were camping out in it. After a few minutes it exited into a larger cave room, 15 goblins sleeping during the day, not even a watch posted. Harlan decided there was no reason to start a fight with all of them. He tiptoed around the room thinking about how he should handle it, thinking of everything he knew about goblins and how best to kill 15 silently when Balor chimed in. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just decapitate them all one after the other? They can¡¯t really scream without a head.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ right, I could just do that.¡± He didn¡¯t gain any real experience with combat but he thought about how pointlessly he wasted time thinking of a plan when the simplest solution was best. He really wished he had remembered to buy a bag to carry the heads in. He had to weave their hair together and make a line of them he could drag along the ground, as he made his way back to the farm he waved down the man and showed the heads. Harlan made a few boxes of stone to hold the heads and was told the payment would be handled by the guild. He was going to just go to his parents, but he wondered if it was even worth taking the heads in, the job was done but he had a few hundred gold coins still. He decided to tell the farmer to just cancel the quest or take the heads in himself, he¡¯d rather spend a bit more time with his parents then go back into town for 30 silver.
The tinkerer loaded a small cart and sent it towards Ragne. He wasn''t worried about being found out, even if the kingdom did jump to the conclusion that he was actually alive it had been decades since he was last there and time had not been kind to him. For the first time in months he looked at his golem and then at himself, he had stretched himself thin, done some things others would have regretted, but he knew it would all be finished even if his life ended. Chapter 36 Harlan¡¯s carriage pulled near the house, he saw a worker run to the door to tell his parents a noble was here, Kass was talking with a guard? He figured they were just here to talk about some issue or another heading this way. With the money he had given his parents the farm was turning into a small village on its own, it took some talking too for them to take his money but he just had to convince them that no matter where he was this place was his home. It just made sense for him to make this place larger, he was a noble now after all, they couldn¡¯t take his name because Harlan had no authority to actually give them and he was still a very young house, but they didn¡¯t mind. Harlow and Aida came outside and rushed to hug Harlan. He couldn¡¯t help but notice his father was moving a little more slowly, not putting too much weight on his left leg. ¡°It¡¯s been a while son, how have you been?¡± ¡°Great, I¡¯ve been making toys and golems mostly. How come you are limping a little? Want to run to the healers real quick? I bought my own carriage with my gold.¡± His parents put on a pensive face. ¡°Oh it was nothing, just slipped and fell wrong.¡± Harlan¡¯s mind spun around and around, noticing details around him. The guard wasn¡¯t from town, he was hired on to protect the farm then. There were 7 more guards around, a few of them in the trees. The workers all seemed to have at least a dagger on them. Kass had a hard look on his face while talking to the guard, a tree looked like it had been split by a bolt of lightning. He wasn¡¯t there as Harlan their son anymore, he was there as Harlan the deeply paranoid child. ¡°What actually happened? Don¡¯t lie to me.¡± ¡°Really it¡¯s fine, just a drifter who wanted what we had.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go inside and talk then.¡± Harlan couldn¡¯t put on a convincing face, they saw he was upset. They sat round the dinner table. ¡°Alright, fine. It was someone sent after us to get to you.¡± Aida smacked his arm. ¡°Don¡¯t tell him that, he is going to worry.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ALREADY worried, what the hell happened?¡± Harlan wasn¡¯t someone who swore, especially not around his parents, but this was the first time he realized that he wasn¡¯t in danger, but they were and he hadn¡¯t noticed. ¡°Don¡¯t raise your voice at your mother. The guards said they were from the theocracy. But we hired another 4 guards, we are building a proper fence to stop people from getting close without anyone realizing. We even got some of those weapons you made. You really don¡¯t need to worry.¡± Harlan had time to change his face, he pretended that he was wary but was warming up to the idea of them being fine. In his head he was thinking about things, how to protect them, if he could protect them, how that would work when he was at the academy. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s fine, I¡¯m not going to worry too much.¡± ¡°Well I am glad that you have calmed down then, no one is going to get past our new defenses.¡± There was an awkward silence between them, Harlow didn¡¯t believe Harlan would calm down, not really, meanwhile Aida wasn¡¯t sure if she should ask her question now. After a few minutes of trying to pretend there wasn¡¯t anything wrong she couldn¡¯t hold back. ¡°Now that we are alone, just your father and me¡­ Do you want to talk about what you were doing there? You¡¯ve been¡­ odd, you¡¯ve always been odd I guess, but that was just you being you. We are worried they made you do something that you can¡¯t take back.¡± Harlan cocked his head back and thought. What should I tell them? What can I tell them? Should I just lie? What did Zella tell them? ¡°I killed a man, I was knee deep in gore day after day, I nearly lost my life dozens of times, sometimes assassins, sometimes I just pushed myself too much, tried magic I shouldn¡¯t have.¡± ¡°The man you killed, what happened?¡± ¡°The king is a monster, sent assassins after me, after my friends, after his own daughter. Rosewell¡­ I can¡¯t even begin to understand how I feel about her. She was supposed to feel like a mother to me, to be a chain around my neck. The assassins came quickly, a guard, nice guy but not cut from the same cloth as me.; he was holding one of them off and I made a hole under his feet, Hostin took advantage of this and killed him. I didn¡¯t hold the sword but I still killed him¡± Aida and Harlow could only do what they could do, they had no experience with anything like this, Aida was too cowardly to upset Redmond during his stays because she didn¡¯t want to ruin it for everyone, Harlow never tried, he wasn¡¯t close to Redmond and didn¡¯t think it would help. So they just hugged him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry we can¡¯t do more. We¡¯re just not prepared for something like this, but if it makes you feel better, come talk to us, whenever you need to.¡± ¡°Thanks, I do feel a little better.¡± Harlan went out to his carriage, telling the driver that he could wander around or rest if he wanted and brought back inside a few of his toys, a bull, a sheep and a chicken, the chicken was a nightmare for him, bipeds needed more work to be able to move around without toppling over. Eventually dinner came and Harlan helped himself to a serving of stew. He hadn¡¯t had it since he was taken, he knew that technically the food at redwall mansion was better quality. But he couldn¡¯t help but cry tasting it again. Leading to another group hug for them. ¡°So what have you been doing? Other than the toys.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been making proper golems. Well, not proper since they are kinda like foxes. But they are made to defend people, I just need to work on them attacking people who aren¡¯t threats.¡± ¡°Heh, well we could use a couple of them.¡± Harlan faked a chuckle for his fathers joke. ¡°Welp, I think I should talk with Kass. I haven¡¯t seen him since I¡¯ve been back, then I¡¯ll head back to the mansion.¡± ¡°Alright sweetie, just stay safe.¡± ¡°Keep the toys, give them to someone who has kids or siblings, I don¡¯t care. I¡¯ll be back before you know it.¡± He made no promise of staying safe, he wasn¡¯t like he was, he was calm enough to not lash out again, but he didn¡¯t feel really safe as soon as he stepped outside of the house. Harlan made his way to Kass¡¯s cabin then knocked on the door. ¡°Harlan, it has been some time manling. Please, come in.¡± Kass led him to the dinner table for their chat. ¡°Thank you. So, what have you been up to?¡± ¡°Well, I bought my way out of slavery. My debt is paid in full.¡± ¡°Are you going back to the confederacy then? I should make you something before you go¡­¡± ¡°No, I think I¡¯ll stay here. I might go to visit my family at some point, but things are calmer here. Back home there are certain¡­ issues.¡± ¡°Ah, alright. I won¡¯t pry. I have some people I want you to meet.¡± Harlan set Balor and Lugh on the table. ¡°These are my brothers, introduce yourselves.¡± ¡°Pleasure to meet you, I am Balor. I have been alive for less than a year. But I have heard of you, I hope for friendly relations.¡± ¡°Lugh can¡¯t talk yet but I think he feels happy to meet you.¡± Kass was uncomfortable. ¡°These¡­ True living items? I do not like them, I have heard horror stories of them.¡± Balor didn¡¯t show any discomfort, but Lugh was clearly unhappy at not making a new friend; He snuggled up to Harlan, blunting his edges to not damage his clothes. ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Some foolish adventurer finds a brand new sword out in the woods and uses it, then it ends up making them drunk with power is how the stories normally go. Depending on who is telling it and where they are from they kill their family or their team.¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°That only happened once, and it was a shield I made, not these two. And it was for a good reason.¡± ¡°Really? So these two are NOT a danger to others?¡± ¡°Within reason.¡± ¡°Explain.¡± Harlan told him what he knew about his first shield with the black soul condor and why it killed its user. ¡°I still don¡¯t like them. But maybe they will be alright.¡± To lighten the mood Harlan pulled a goat toy he had made from his pocket, he had used paint to make its horns bright white and designed it on a mountain goat instead of a farm goat. ¡°I also made this for you, it is really good at climbing.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s test that then.¡± Kass took Harlan on a walk in the woods to make a little course to test the goat. After 10 minutes of increasingly steep hills and jumping from small platforms to other smaller platforms Harlan asked what he was building to. ¡°Do beastkin have pacts?¡® ¡°No, we are tribes, though even that is a holdover of the past. Using the term pack is offensive to some.¡± ¡°What? No, pacts, p a c t s.¡± ¡°...How much do you already know?¡± ¡°I spoke with The Darkness, she told me a little about Aine and werewolves.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ then you already know her.¡± Harlan couldn¡¯t help but notice the dark tone Kass took when he talked about her. ¡°You do know what she is right?¡± ¡°A god?¡± ¡°Well, truer than what the theocracy calls gods but yes. I meant what she really is, as a¡­ person isn¡¯t really the right word, but how she does things?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really understand, I talked with her. She seems nice.¡± ¡°Let me start at the basics, we have 6 gods, Aarde is the high god but they don¡¯t interact with us directly. Then we have the 3 gods who are considered order, Cecht the Light, Anu the Mountain, I follow her, Brigid the Flame. They talk through priests to give us advice as a whole but rarely focus on a single person. Then¡­ we call them the 3 chaoses, The Darkness, she is called a thousand things and few of them nice. I know that you seem to be ok with her, so I will just call her The Darkness. Calli the Storm, Lir the Sea. These three rarely interact with people, but they only interact with individuals. Some of the worst monsters in our history can be linked to them because they do not worry about the bigger picture, they help those who wish to exist outside of the normal. But not all paths lead to happy endings.¡± ¡°There is no path of no pain, there is no path of no harm, I can only hope to minimize it.¡± ¡°Do you understand what I am trying to tell you? They don¡¯t believe there can be a world with no strife. So they want people to use what has broken so many to try and build themselves, you cannot build a new window from a thousand splinters of glass.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need to keep talking with her, but I will keep what you said in mind.¡± Kass was a little beside himself, he hadn¡¯t known anyone who fell to chaos, but he knew what it might look like. ¡°I cannot tell you what to believe, I only hope that my words let you make the right choice, we are not bound by fate, so do not let anyone tell you that you are destined for something.¡± Harlan thought over what Kass was telling him, he knew of fate, but he didn¡¯t really know if it mattered. If it existed then there was nothing to be changed, and if it didn¡¯t then he would still be making the same choices he made because he was himself. He decided to move on to other topics he wanted answers for. ¡°How long have your people been around?¡± ¡°After the Fae gods left, I¡¯m told 100 years passed before Marigold came though, she brought the offers of the gods and every man was changed according to his needs. I won¡¯t go into details, but we don¡¯t have any fishmen. Those that do live in the water are unrelated, just some kind of monster. My ancestors lived near a mountain range, so we ended up not unlike the local goats. Yet those who lived near mountains that accepted Calli¡¯s offer ended up as birds. I can¡¯t claim to know why who turned into what.¡± Kass hesitated to keep going, he knew Harlan was just an ignorant kid still two years from a man and he didn¡¯t want to plant bad seeds. ¡°I know you want to talk about the Fomorians.¡± With a sigh he continued to speak. ¡°They predate the leaving of the fae gods, nobody know why they were made and those she speaks too will not tell even under threat of torture and death. I believe they look how they do because they either want to trick people or make them hesitate. When you see an Ibexian, you know what we are. Yet if you meet one of them in the dark woods, would you think it anything but a man? I cannot trust anything she does without knowing why.¡± At the mention of torture Harlan felt a burning in his gut, some instincts wanted him to be angry and he was barely keeping it down because it was Kass. ¡°If your letter got through, what would¡¯ve happened to me?¡± Kass jumped and Harlan could see guilt plain on his face. ¡°I believe you would¡¯ve been fine, we are not The Canis, we can understand that you are not them.¡± ¡°If they didn¡¯t understand? What then?¡± ¡°Harlan, please. I think it is best to not worry overly about the what if.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me that bullshit. Big words when the person being taken away to be drained for information and then killed isn¡¯t you.¡± ¡°I can only offer my words, if you cannot believe them then there is nothing to be done. I, Ar¡¯Kassivirum Whitehorn, first of his name, believed that no harm would come upon you or yours. I say not to worry about the what if not to absolve myself of some crime but because I know what it is to be pulled into wondering what if instead of what is.¡± Harlan felt angry, but he fought it back down into its box. ¡°I believe you then.¡± They decided to head back, night was coming soon enough. On the way back Kass spoke of Ky and his time there. Kass was first unsure of him, but having known Harlan he felt it wrong to judge him based on what and not who he is. When he made his way back he said goodbye to his parents and went back to his carriage telling the driver he wanted to visit town. It was dark when he reached the blacksmith but he was still working. ¡°What can I do ya for child?¡± ¡°Skysteel parts, like what I¡¯ve had you make before. How many can you make me?¡± Harlan explained what he was building, making small designs in the dirt so he could understand the sizes. ¡°How many ya need? I can do enough for 5 a day. Long as you can pay.¡± ¡°You got more work for me? I¡¯ll be¡­ closer for a little while.¡± ¡°Stop bein¡¯ ominous, and ya I got orders to fill.¡± ¡°Thank you, work on my parts as much as you can, I don¡¯t want to put others out to make my parts.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll work on what I want, goody boy. Now git.¡± Harlan was pretty sure the old man liked him. On the way out of Brig¡¯s shop however he bumped into a man with the Blackstone crest, it consisted of 2 arrows crossed over a spear, all of which had their distinct blackstone heads over a white square background. ¡°Sorry for that.¡± ¡°No need to worry, I¡¯ve lost nothing.¡± Then the man noticed the crest over Harlan¡¯s heart. ¡°What a strange coincidence, you wouldn¡¯t happen to be Sir Harlan Fomoria, would you?¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to be the one supposed to tell me what land I am getting, are you?¡± Harlan found himself speaking with the man at a restaurant. After showing him some plots Harlan picked the one that had a rather large stream on its border, the only downside was that it bordered another county. ¡°Well, I am glad to have run into you here. I hadn¡¯t planned to eat before our meeting, my horse was spooked by a skoll and broke its leg so I got here late which means I would¡¯ve been at Redwall¡¯s mansion late which¡­ Sorry, I am rambling. I am just glad I didn¡¯t need to negotiate on an empty stomach since I lost my coin pouch when I feel from my horse. At least I have the ring the countess gave me.¡± Harlan was slightly unsettled by him, he was¡­ normal? Perhaps a little absent minded, but he felt like a human being instead of a human shaped paperwork golem. ¡°How is the countess? I should meet her eventually.¡± ¡°Sorry, she expressly said I shouldn¡¯t tell you, didn¡¯t want to ruin the surprise she said.¡± Either she was insane or she liked jokes, Harlan couldn¡¯t tell which. He paid for the mans meal and they rode to the mansion together. Harlan went back to the mansion to get his tools and a mimic tree branch and to tell his sisters that he would be at the farm. They didn¡¯t really need to know where he was going to be. He had the carriage driver drop him off in town and then told him to spend time in town before heading back to the mansion, he got a few gold coins to only mention it to Redwall himself where Harlan would be; it was Redwall¡¯s choice if he told anyone else or not. The only other order of business was putting in a request at the adventurers guild for a runner, he didn¡¯t want to rent a horse, not that he knew how to ride anyway, and it was going to be an hour long walk assuming no delays. Harlan was ready to wander into the woods and get to work. ¡°I¡¯ve held my tongue, but is this really the best option? Surely you could just build them at the mansion.¡± ¡°I think Lugh wants to see birds.¡± Lugh and Balor had very different opinions on going to spend a month in the woods. ¡°I don¡¯t want any distractions and this will let me try some things without so many eyes on me.¡± ¡°Surely this is going to end well¡­¡± Harlan reached his plot after some walking, then he started setting up walls 15 feet tall across the entire area he would be working in, this would take hours. He had barely set up his house, a proper log cabin made from the trees he knocked down when he heard a knock on the wall. He made a mental note to add a door somewhere. He made a hole in the wall and a woman, barely bigger than him walked in. ¡°You my boss?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Heard you needed running done, what kind?¡± ¡°Parts from the blacksmith in black alley, probably food, I¡¯m not planning to waste too much time hunting.¡± ¡°You allowed to be here?¡± ¡°Yes, they are my lands. I¡¯m Harlan Fomoria, noble mage.¡± ¡°Lots of nobles are mages.¡± Harlan began to dread the idea of explaining what he meant every single time he mentioned it to someone.
Coronach spread his sight across the woods, he couldn¡¯t rely on her sort of seeing, not that he was any good at it. So he simply found those who didn¡¯t make sense, a hunter with an enchanted dagger, another with poison on his arrows. He waited, he watched, he didn¡¯t leave bodies behind. Chapter 37 Harlan explained the job to his new runner. If the blacksmith has items to enchant, bring them. If the blacksmith has parts for Harlan, bring them. Go to town every few hours to get food. Night is free time, she can go to town or stay in his place. ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The job is too easy, you are paying too much, your making a small fortress out here in the middle of the woods, you are a noble. Not a local one. And you are a child.¡± ¡°I¡¯m making things, I want quiet while I work, I want to be closer to town. You are being paid because I don¡¯t want to waste my time picking things up, and I want someone to pick up the job quickly.¡± ¡°So you aren¡¯t harvesting souls out here? I¡¯m not going to disappear in the middle of the night? Never to be seen again?¡± ¡°Yes to the first one and no to the other two.¡± She immediately tried to scale the wall and flee, Harlan made it curve slightly inwards. ¡°Listen, it¡¯s fine, I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡± She looked like a cornered raccoon, not sure if she wanted to try to lash out yet or not. ¡°I¡¯m not getting involved in any spooky soul harvesting thing, I won¡¯t tell anyone, just let me go.¡± Harlan reached for his pocket and she lunged, Lugh deflecting her strike. Harlan pulled his hand out to reveal a wooden chicken. She fled back to the wall. He set the chicken on the ground and had it walk to her. She hit it with a fireball, turning it to cinders. Two birds that were sitting on his roof squawked angrily at the display, and Harlan agreed. ¡°Fine, go back to the town, but will you at least ask the guild to send someone else out here?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± He opened the wall and she sprinted out as fast as he could. He realized after a time that she probably wasn¡¯t actually going to tell the guild to send someone else. He decided he didn¡¯t need them too anyway, people just get scared and judge him. He started work on a new design, a wooden ox, sized closer to a pony. The mimic tree branch hadn¡¯t made the tree he grafted it too into a mimic yet so for the next few days he was having to actually go into town himself, he decided to go to the adventurers guild first. He was glad they only seemed to have a single person working the front desk. ¡°I need to cancel a request.¡± ¡°That will be 50 bronze coins, 10% of the posted reward. And I am going to ask for the reason for cancellation¡± ¡°I can make something to do the work as it turns out, and the person you sent ran away from the job.¡± ¡°My apologies, she is¡­ superstitious and I didn¡¯t know what you were doing.¡± ¡°I take it she told some insane story and everyone here hates me?¡± He had noticed everyone avoiding eye contact with him when he walked into the guild. ¡°Do you have the money to cancel the request on you right now?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a yes, and here is the money.¡± he gave her a silver coin, the smallest denomination he kept on him. Then to the blacksmith. ¡°I got 5 parts for ya, no more. Pay me fore ya take em.¡± ¡°Thank you. And I want to put in a request for a few different things, a human shaped skeleton made of regular iron. How much time would that take?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ depends, how human lookin?¡± ¡°Basic shape, it will be inside something else, not a decoration.¡± ¡°I can do¡­ 3 of em a day? But then I¡¯ll only be makin 3 of yer fox parts.¡± ¡°That is fine, I only want a dozen of those skeletons anyway. 1 normal iron, the other 11 stonesteel.¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t makin some army of evil am I?¡± he laughed before falling into a coughing fit. ¡°Purely for self defense.¡± ¡°Aight, I¡¯ll get em done.¡± ¡°I am going to be here for a little while, how fast can you get one done?¡± ¡°Gimmie a few hours.¡± ¡°And a final thing, I will probably be sending someone riding a small ox to pick up and deliver things from now on.¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. The old blacksmith gave him a confused look and then waved him away. Harlan went to drop off the few toys he kept in his pockets at all times at the odds and ends store. Then went to a jeweler to pick up a few dozen mana gems, they were what he used for an animation core. They held up to holding souls better than anything else he had used, at least for their size, when doing something very large it could be better to seat the soul inside the body but for most of the things he wanted to do the extra power was a good idea. Then Harlan didn¡¯t know what else to do, he could get a meal. But he had to burn at least 2 more hours and he couldn¡¯t just walk back to the forest, by the time he got there he would need to walk back anyway. Harlan went to a clothing store for the first time. ¡°I need a set of clothes that completely conceal a person.¡± The tailor gave him an incredulous look. ¡°In your size or larger?¡± ¡°Probably closer to your size, I am not sure yet.¡± ¡°When you are sure, please come back.¡± He decided to get a meal. After asking a few guards for their opinion they sent him to the only restaurant that wasn¡¯t also a bar. He got thinly sliced deer meat that had been soaking in broth put between soft bread with cooked onion and some white sauce. He decided that this was the perfect food for when he was working. Harlan found a short book at the odds and ends store while looking for more paints. It was about some fantastical story of druids making mountain sized trees to fight off invaders. He found it funny that even in a world with magic that people would make stories that exaggerated things to such an extent. And then Harlan was bored again, more bored than he had been before. He couldn¡¯t find anything else worth doing so he just sat in the blacksmith¡¯s shop and watched him work. ¡°What is your name?¡± ¡°Call me Brig. like the prison.¡± ¡°Well then thank you Brig. This is exactly what I wanted.¡® It stood nearly but not quite 6 feet in height was more or less shaped like a human, the skull was hollow with only indents to let him set fake eyes in it. The limbs were all solid rods connected with joints that let it twist much like human limbs would. ¡°For the stonesteel ones you can leave out the eye sockets, those ones won¡¯t need to look human.¡± ¡°Aye, I got a few orders for enchanting ya can take with ya.¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to take a few days to get those done, but I can take them now.¡± ¡°Have at ''em.¡± Harlan decided to hire a courier and rent a cart to bring things to his place for the day. Trying to carry the skeleton and the items that he would be enchanting was just too cumbersome. He got a funny look from the tailor but he was told a set of clothes would be ready by the next day. He decided to just walk to town to pick up his things until he could make his golems. Finally Harlan went back to his little piece of the world to work. He decided to start on the wooden ox first, it was fairly simple to do since he had made a smaller version as a toy before, then he had to figure out exactly how he wanted his wooden man to look. After an hour of making small mud men he decided that it should be lightweight, with only the wood being only a fairly thin layer that is connected by rods to the skeleton just to fill out the clothes for a more man like appearance. The 2 birds who kept on his wall had hopped down to the ground so Harlan made perches for them next to his work table. A third bird had shown up, followed by one of them leaving. The next day this cycle repeated. Harlan had a lot of free time, he made his ox golem very heavy with clay boxes attached to the sides for cargo and a built in seat for the human shaped golem to ride on. And yet it was still going to be at least one more day until the mimic tree was done completely. So he started working on something new, he should¡¯ve been working on his fox parts but he was enamored with a new idea he had. ¡°Alright, Balor, I need some help with this. You know how I make those cores right?¡± ¡°More or less, send over a few memories.¡± And so Harlan did. ¡°What do you want to do with them then?¡± ¡°I want to be able to connect you to this golem and send you into town, I am still not really sure if it is safe to send one of these out.¡± ¡°Reasonable, let¡¯s start with how your cores work then. I should be able to act as one myself, souls naturally want to saturate things and grow into their vessel, I am a powerful soul who can consciously grow out. You really don¡¯t need anything but placing me in the right spot.¡± ¡°You can just do that?¡± ¡°Of course, though it will take me some time to fill out the entire body to avoid damaging it, a hook in the skull to anchor myself should be reasonable.¡± ¡°That sounds like it makes sense then¡­¡± Harlan was distracted by some other thoughts and Balor could tell. ¡°What are you really trying to do?¡± ¡°Oh uh, just making a golem, nothing else.¡± ¡°Are you intentionally not lying well?¡± ¡°No¡­?¡± ¡°Just tell me¡± Harlan signed and walked inside, he didn¡¯t want to talk about this in front of the birds. ¡°I feel bad that I made you in and Lugh in those bodies, you couldn¡¯t really live a normal life without me here. You can¡¯t taste, you can¡¯t feel. It seems cruel to me what I did.¡± ¡°Do you know what it¡¯s like to be a ring? Or a sword? To have no fingers to open things? No mouth to speak? No eyes to look?¡± Harlan felt his stomach drop, he felt like everyone was right that he was doing morally reprehensible things. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t. You don¡¯t know, and I don¡¯t know what it is like to be human, you are looking from the perspective of yourself. But to me I have always been a ring, and I don¡¯t mind that. I cannot taste? Fine, I also don¡¯t need to eat. I cannot feel? That means I have no pain, I have seen you when you fail and you are hurt, That is not what I want. I can think more clearly than you, not being affected by human nature like you are. Ask Lugh how he feels about it?¡± ¡°Lugh, are you alright?¡± He seemed happy to just be included in their conversations. He tried to make noises sometimes but he still didn¡¯t get words. He walked back outside to look over his designs and really begin working only to see a larger bird outside with a letter in its mouth. It was addressed to him and signed with a crest of a cog with a skull in the middle. It read as such. ¡°Would you like to meet, little tinkerer? If so please hand the white letter within this one back to my stork, if not then send back the black letter. Please burn this letter and the letter you do not send back. Yours truly, Dearil.¡±
She wondered when her hair would stop standing on end at random, her near death jitters didn¡¯t normally last this long. She was glad that they were all under constant anti-detection spells so the rest of them didn¡¯t see it, as the commander she was supposed to give them confidence. Chapter 38 Harlan went back inside to talk it over with Balor and Lugh. ¡°I kinda want to meet him. He could teach me a lot.¡± ¡°Or he could try to kill you, again. This is a pointless risk, and if anyone knew about you meeting him then you would be an enemy of the kingdom.¡± ¡°Yeah, but his birds have been watching me this entire time, if he wanted to kill me he could. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that risky. Lugh, what do you think?¡± He felt unease but then acceptance; both of them could feel what Lugh was trying to say and had gotten good enough at understanding him that they couldn¡¯t really argue over what he meant. ¡°2 to 1, Balor. I won¡¯t make you stay here but I am sending back the white letter.¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m staying, who else would keep you out of trouble?¡± ¡°Glad to hear it.¡± Harlan stepped back outside with the letters in hand and burned the black one and the envelope it came in. The stork bowed to him and picked the white letter out of his hand before flying away. Then it was back to work, Harlan decided that he should build a guest room. He remembered that book he had read about druids and wanted to see if he could move wood at all. It was an advanced element but he didn¡¯t really know how it worked for this. ¡°What is wood?¡± ¡°Wood is¡­ let me think?¡± The 3 of them all thought about it. ¡°Well, it has to be earth related. What concepts does earth cover?¡± ¡°Force, stillness, growth, density, heaviness. If I memorized that book correctly.¡± ¡°Well¡­ growth is what we want. Let¡¯s get a piece of wood and start messing with it.¡± 4 hours passed and Harlan had made branches grow but they were all fragile and brittle. He was not happy with this development. ¡°What are we missing? We can grow it but it¡¯s just kindling.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t really know. What is the difference between the wood you are working with and this new branch? Cut the wood and see if we learn anything.¡± So Harlan swung Lugh and the branch he was growing was cleaved in two without much effort. Harlan looked at the cut, noticing the sap. ¡°It needs water. That must be it.¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Harlan used earth magic to dig a small well and pulled water from the ground. He then pushed the branch into the ground. He started growing it into a tree, pumping as much water as he could muster into its newly grown roots. By the time Harlan had exhausted nearly all of his mana, he was tired but overjoyed at his new tree. He snapped off a branch and a veritable rush of thin watery resin game out, making his hands all sticky. Stupid tree. The next thing he noticed was how fragile it still was. He made a tree, but one that was bad for crafting and wouldn¡¯t make good firewood since it would need to be dried a lot before it was able to be burned. It was a waterskin shaped like a tree to him. He was greatly annoyed. He took Lugh and started slashing at one of the larger trees around him. Then he went back inside to sleep after it fell over. The next morning he came out and looked at the tree he cut down, a little upset at himself for lashing out at all. And then he cut down the tree he grow. Then he pondered. ¡°Harlan, what you doing? You¡¯ve been looking back and forth between the trees for minutes now.¡± ¡°Rings¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Tree, they grow in rings, look. The one I made is just a solid piece without rings on it, and the sap is super thin, on the big tree the sap is thick. I don¡¯t just need to grow and give it water. I also need to use that density of earth magic to make tight rings.¡± It took hours, but he finally tuned his magic to the right levels and he got a tree that grew straight, had tight rings, and thick sap. He looked over all his tests, trees that had large humps in them where he lost control and flooded the tree with water, trees that were thin in parts and looked ready to snap at a moments notice where he squeezed them too tightly. One that he actually liked which he grew into a spiral somehow. He finally decided to start building his guest room, simply keeping a barrel of water next to him to flow into the new wood and turn into sap. It took an hour of starting and stopping to get it shaped right with a flat floor, the walls and ceiling were rounded and gave him the feeling of being inside a flower bulb. He decided that he liked that more anyway. And he didn¡¯t want to think how much more tinkering he would need to get a square room. From the outside it looked closer to a very tightly knit wicker basket since he made the walls and ceiling from man smaller branches instead of trying to grow a tree sideways. His final steps were to pull water out of the wood, he didn¡¯t fully understand why but he knew you were supposed to pull most of it out if you are working with wood. And then he covered it in a layer of mud to insulate the room. He wished he knew how to make glass, he thought a window on the roof to let some light in would be nice. Instead he just made the normal shutter style window. He was overjoyed looking at his new room. It seemed sturdy to him, it had a unique shape to it like a giant onion and it was the result of him learning a new way to use magic. The stork was back, it had been waiting for the last 30 minutes while Harlan finished up the room. He finally noticed the bird and it handed him a new letter before flying off again. ¡°I will be at your home in 2 days time. I am sure that you already know but please do not mention this to anyone in any way. Burn this letter after reading.¡± Harlan burned the letter as asked and started working on making cores for his golems, he didn¡¯t want to be working on parts since Dearil might give him a better design that makes those parts worthless.
The toymaker sat in his study and looked over his designs. His benefactors had been very impressed with what he had already made, years of training to be a mage could be bypassed by any man with good eyes and a steady hand. He wondered what hell he was unleashing onto the world, but he decided he didn¡¯t care, the people who made his life worth living were gone, now he could crawl into a grave by himself or pulled the world down with him. He coughed into his handkerchief, more blood every day. Chapter 39 Harlan decided that there wasn¡¯t that much to do, and so he wanted to ask some questions. ¡°Welcome back child.¡± ¡°Hello¡­ Mother?¡± She giggled lightly. ¡°I can tell you do not like calling me that. I am mother of your people. But you would rather call the one who raised you mother, and I understand this. Worry not of names, I don¡¯t. Now which questions would you like answered? Dearil? I know little of him, but I see another you in him.¡± Harlan hoped, incorrectly, that she meant that in a good way. ¡°No, but thank you for answering that. I wanted to know about what Kass and I talked about. He called you a god of chaos, he doesn¡¯t know you but he seems to hate you.¡± ¡°Cecht of the light, Anu of the earth, Brigid of the flame, they mistake freedom for chaos. Were they to have the power of Aarde they would make a perfect would without any conflict. A perfectly boring world of no growth, of pure boredom. I can see why they would, but they be a slave to a flawless order and Aine would be dead if Aarde did such a thing.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Oh how little you humans know. I speak of the end of the first age, but I will not go into detail. If I did, we would be here for weeks, and your meeting is in just 2 days.¡± ¡°What can you tell me then? And why can so much time pass so quickly?¡± ¡°I govern time as Cecht governs space. You would need to fight my influence to stop the speeding of time here.¡± ¡°Where is here? And how can I do that.¡± ¡°This is my home, you are inside of the manastream coming from the core of Aarde. All dark mana comes from this place. For how¡­ well that is just a lesson to be learned. I will not take from you the chance to learn.¡± ¡°What about taking over my path? Would you do that like Kass says?¡± That elicited another laugh from her. ¡°I would never force a change of path, even now my children break their word in the spirit of our pact but not the letter of it and I do not force change upon them. Your path is already headed to where I would want you to go, but if you decide against it in the end I will not force the issue. Though I do hope you follow me.¡± ¡°And what is your goal then?¡± ¡°That is a secret of mine, but I will tell you in time.¡± ¡°How much time has passed so far?¡± ¡°Less than a day, I will cut this short should it be needed.¡± ¡°Thank you, now there is another question I want to ask. Why do I look like a normal human for the most part?¡± ¡°The others have their reasons for believing I had malice in my mind when I made your people look so normal. But I simply don¡¯t see a reason to make you different, a human is more or less what every world makes for its chosen people. What do I know that Aarde would not? They also make such gossip about me because I am the last of the first gods, and they don¡¯t believe I am still here for completely normal reasons. Instead they would rather believe I lived because I did something horrible.¡± ¡°Gods die?¡± ¡°Some do, some don¡¯t. The death of a greater god kills a world, the death of a lesser god disrupts all mana of that element until a new god is made. In the end of the first age the other 5 died, and I hid. I had faith that Aarde would save us and until they asked me to fight I would just stand aside. I am not a coward, I am faithful, Aarde is my parent, as I am mother to many things. In this current age I do not believe that anything normal could kill a god, and the titan would slay anything that could.¡± ¡°Every question I ask if just opening more. What would something not normal be then?¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Harlan felt the atmosphere shift instantly. He saw the place as nothing but pure darkness, with only the shine of the mother¡¯s teeth and eyes breaking up the void, he couldn¡¯t even see his hands, he didn¡¯t even know if he had hands here. But he saw the darkness ripple and churn, like a sudden storm had come onto this ocean of shadows. ¡°That is a conversation which she cannot have with you yet, do not ask her again.¡± Harlan felt the ears he didn¡¯t realize he still had in this place bleed and his eardrums burst hearing the voice that came from the shadows. His skin crawled feeling whatever this raw power was. It made every single threat he had ever seen before seem infinitesimally small to him. Like how the power of the royal guards dwarfed the power of Kass, this thing dwarfed them beyond what he could understand. Then another shape in the darkness, this time it was light, made of feathers forming a dense ball with eyes popping out in a few places. This shape granted him relief, calm washed over him and his body in this space was whole once again. And then the light left. ¡°I cannot speak of them, Aarde has plans. A day has passed already in these short moments where they spoke with you.¡± Harlan tried to speak back but he couldn¡¯t, he needed to rest before he had the energy to even think at her. Another few silent hours passed in that void. ¡°What happened¡­ What were those shapes?¡± ¡°Your question and my focus on you drew Aarde¡¯s eye for but a moment¡­ I am very sorry. I called Cecht to heal your soul. This is part of why we exist, lesser gods of mana can speak with normal people. Aarde has grown far too powerful for such a thing. Aine may speak directly to her followers with issue, she is still recovering from her near death those eons ago. Lesser gods are like smaller selfs for her to help recover. I will not answer more of your questions, please, let us speak again another day.¡± Harlan was back at the firing range, a nicer name for a large square hole dug into the ground. ¡°A long talk then? I do hope it was worth it.¡± ¡°I learned a few things, I can¡¯t do that much with it. But it¡¯s interesting.¡± Lugh wanted to know what it was. ¡°Well, I saw another god, and I saw¡­ something else¡­ but I can¡¯t remember it well. But the god was Cecht, he was light, a ball of feathers and eyes. I think he was pretty.¡± Harlan was bombarded with images of birds from Lugh. ¡°Lugh, that is not a bird. It could be very rude if you said such things about him.¡± ¡°Balor, Lugh, I¡¯ve been wondering, can you talk with the darkness?¡± ¡°I have never tried, but with how haggard you seem after some talks I am unsure if I would even want to.¡± Harlan and Balor looked over at Lugh who hadn¡¯t answered the question yet. Then a shadow covered the living sword yet did not spread like it had when Harlan first spoke with her. ¡°How long do you think he is going to talk with her?¡± ¡°I have heard him speak for hours on end if something catches his attention. We should not expect him back for some time. I will not be attempting to speak with her, I lack your faith in an unknown ancient being that could likely smite me at any moment. I will keep her eyes away from me as I can. You do not see it, but when memories of your talks with her come over our link they are clouded, distant. I don¡¯t like that idea of your mind being changed in any way.¡± ¡°Come on, she is nice. And she hasn¡¯t ever hurt me. She helped a lot when I was going through warmind.¡± Balor hated how helpless it had made him feel when Harlan was mentally unwell. Harlan noticed subtle waves of guilt and regret coming from Balor when he brought up warmind. ¡°Don¡¯t, I know what you are going to say. I understand it, I just don¡¯t like it. I am glad she helped you, but you cannot convince me she should be trusted so easily.¡± Harlan and Balor decided to let that conversation die, and instead he put the finishing touches on the humanoid golem while Balor kept an eye on Lugh. Harlan wanted the golem to be able to go into town to pick up his meals for him finally. He couldn¡¯t eat those sandwiches he liked all the time because they just weren¡¯t as good if he let them get too cold. He had been learning how to make his own food, taking up ever more time he should¡¯ve spent working but especially with how much he was burning himself up during all his tree growing. He expected it to take another half a day to finish it, but then he heard a knock on his wall. He looked at the sky to try and tell the time, the sun was just barely up, he didn¡¯t expect that he would come so very early in the morning. But he peaked over the wall, seeing a person in fairly normal clothes. Maybe a little more like a merchant than a farmer but not really that out of place. ¡°Hello, It¡¯s quite rude to keep a guest waiting you know.¡± Harlan opened the wall and the man stepped in, Balor was already back on Harlan¡¯s finger and keeping a tight watch on every movement, ready to block an attack. Harlan simply extended his hand for a handshake. Dearil gripped his hand firmly and shook. Now he was officially an enemy of the kingdom, meeting on friendly terms with a man who had kill on sight orders for him reaching back decades.
Dahlia had men on him since before he left, whoever he was he sent a letter to Harlan and she wasn¡¯t allowed to open it. It was strange enough for a human to be living among the Kalak, after the war decimated their population they nearly tore away from the Confederacy as a whole to keep fighting against Ragne. It was stranger still that he seemed to be liked by them, he was some kind of inventor but everyone knew him as The Toymaker. The kingdom has had him on their radar for years but they couldn¡¯t find anything that could confirm he was Dearil, knowing what they knew now they still couldn¡¯t make anything stick and the Kalak weren¡¯t making it easy to look into him. Even the birds they broke in the kingdom didn¡¯t share similarities with either the wolf that Harlan brought them or the bird he had made when he was younger, they could only write him off as someone like Dearil. Dahlia would¡¯ve liked to just kill him anyway just to be sure but her father made it clear that she would cause far too much strife, the man was a model citizen and an example of a man living among the beastkin without being treated like too much of the kingdom treated the beastkin. She could only sit in a branch and watch as he parked his cart outside and Harlan let him in under a constant veil. He shouldn¡¯t know they are here, but the kid had a paranoia streak. Interlude: Fall of the First Age. I, Synx Fellcaller, sit now in the Gray throne, the only place I am sure we cannot be found. Separated from time and space, though a failure for the empire''s intentions, it has proved a small refuge from the titan of Aarde. I am writing this journal to hopefully explain to those who come after, so that you will know our mistake and do things right next time, we might still steal godhood with our designs. We set the runes on the surface of Aine over the course of the last 100 years, I was a runescuplter myself at the very start. But my soul was found to have a concentration of power high enough to be granted access to the middle caste, letting me become a true mage to our grand empire. We slew the gods of mana Aarde had made, siphoning their power into our wizards, though we never found out how to kill the goddess of darkness. She seemed to have found a way to move her anchor beyond our searches. The filthy creatures of Aine stood little opposition to our siege after that, taking only 20 years to cleanse the moon of all life and leaving its surface ready to be runemarked. 2 of those years were spent killing her titan. When the last of the runes was placed the ritual began, the life of Aine would be used to finally let us wipe out the few remaining heathens unable to see the glory of our greatest leader. And then letting us expand past the stars. But our problems began far before that happened. The ritual was hijacked by something else, instead of a portal to other worlds to expand our empire, things came through the portal, souls unlike anything else we had seen. They laughed as they shifted even the most powerful wizards to other things, moving the mana as only gods could. I got away when the one who tried to harm me was struck by the chain of my watch, she screamed and fled away from me. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Then far worse things had happened. Aarde had made Its titan. We all felt its name come through our souls, Wyrmwood. Our dragon subjugators all felt the shift in their mounts, the titan became a god of dragons, and the mounts began to deform into smaller, weaker beings, holding only a single fragment of what it meant to be a dragon. A punishment for the species for a reason we could not know, and we will never know, we dare not leave this place lest he find us. I saw it through my astral projection, I followed it. It built walls around the edges of our countries to stop us from leaving I saw the mountain trees of the druids fall to the beast, our oldest enemy was gone in a single night under its might. He turned the southern desert into nothing but black glass while seeking out the last of the people who fled there. We came into the gray throne, 311 of us, 167 men, 144 women. We fled here when one of the wizards at the ritual said he had worked on this project and it was likely the safest location we could reach without being in the highest caste. I am glad we listened. I saw the royal mountain turned to slag under Wyrmwoods breath, I saw the ashes where villages once stood¡­ I saw my own village turned to ash. The time for grief is not now though, this is the time of planning, the time of revenge. ____________________________________________________________________________________ And so began the second age, 8 thousand years had passed before intelligent life arose to Aarde¡¯s liking, many seals were placed on their souls to stop them from becoming as powerful as those of the first age. But seals were being removed by those things which came through the portal those millenia back. They now called themselves gods, covering every topic they took a liking to. Aarde simply watched, waiting for their chance to find a way into the pocket dimensions which they would cloak themselves with. Their test subject was a place the empire had made, a failed throne for a man who thought himself a god. His soul had been changed, he was now not himself, but he was not the thing that came through either. They would hold the line as best they could to not destroy the other, both sides held no ill will towards their new half as they wished to return to what they once were, Aarde was no longer the father of the world, Aarde was one of they, part of two halves. Chapter 40 ¡°Please, come in and see your room for your stay here. On that note, how long do you plan to stay?¡± ¡°Oh, just a few days. Less if something happens back home that requires my attention.¡± ¡°Do you really need to go back? You aren¡¯t even really here.¡± Dearil, or rather the very lifelike golem of him, froze for a moment, checking his list of orders and commands to figure out his response. ¡°How did you figure it out? I thought this one was quite good.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nearly winter but your hands are warm like it was the middle of summer, and your breath isn¡¯t making steam in the air.¡± ¡°Ah, minor errors. I mostly send these out in a more southern environment. Do you take issue with this?¡± ¡°No, not really. It just shows how much better at golem making you are. I am sure anyone who didn¡¯t expect this would just shrug their shoulders at your oddities.¡± Harlan led him inside and started on his breakfast, though he didn¡¯t set out tableware for him. He had a sizable meal of a few eggs with onions and a deer steak. ¡°Well, that is quite some appetite, is that normal for¡­ You.¡± ¡°You mean your people, and I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never seen another Fomorian. But I haven¡¯t eaten in a couple days. I was talking with a god.¡± Dearil laughed and then pretended it was just a cough. ¡°That doesn¡¯t work if you don¡¯t need to breathe. I know it sounds odd, I¡¯m not offended.¡± ¡°I really must apologize, I just wouldn¡¯t expect anyone in the kingdom to be so¡­ Devout. Do you have a connection to the theocracy? I would expect them to want you dead.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know anyone in the theocracy or their false gods.¡± That statement got a raised eyebrow, and let Harlan take in the fine craftsmanship of the golem, the way its muscles would tighten and loosen, the hair which had slight imperfections, making it look that much closer to a normal human. ¡°What do you know?¡± ¡°You are not the first person to ask me that. What do you know?¡± ¡°Anu, Brigid. Do you know those names?¡± ¡°Anu the Mountain, Brigid the Flame..¡± ¡°So then you know of them, which were you talking with? I hope it wasn¡¯t¡­ Her.¡± ¡°Yes, yes it was, and I wish people would stop treating her like that. She is fine, I haven¡¯t had any problems with her, and she hasn¡¯t lied to me. You people can worship your slaver gods if you want, I will stay out of any cages.¡± Dearil was upset, he had lived in the confederacy for decades after he fled. He had personally nearly been killed by Fomorians many times and was only still around because Brigid told a tribe where to find him. ¡°I think it is best that we avoid this topic for the future. I have never spoken to any gods, but I was saved by Brigid. I will not stand to have her insulted once again. I shall not insult your dark mother again while I am here.¡± ¡°Fine, I guess I should get used to being looked at like that at this point. What did you really come here to talk about then?¡± ¡°I have a great deal of interest in how you have made your golems able to move and use magic. I bought some of those toys you have been selling and they don¡¯t even have anything inside them but a single small crystal, their limbs are simple without much articulation. You may have realized when¡­ well you know. But my golems cannot use magic, and yours don¡¯t seem less intelligent, though they seem to not be able to think beyond whatever you have done to them. They are fascinating, to have such a poorly made thing move as if it was a normal animal.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Harlan decided to ignore the remark about his toys being poorly made. ¡°Well, why would I tell you?¡± ¡°Because I will give you designs for your golems, both human and fox. I don¡¯t have them written down but they are stored in this mind and I could write them out with ease. You don¡¯t know this I assume, but in normal circumstances where the sword of the kingdom isn¡¯t hanging over your head, mages often trade knowledge for knowledge. I won¡¯t even charge you for telling you that.¡± The golem smiled at the end of that, the real Dearil liked that little joke very much. ¡°What about how you make your golems work? They seem to work well, I still worry a little about if I leave them around they might attack the wrong person.¡± ¡°You work with the soul right? But what about the mind? They are 2 pieces of the same puzzle. I won¡¯t offer my knowledge of how mine work, because that is the single most valuable piece of information I have. But a little hint is free. Now, why do you plan to leave them around somewhere? I expected body guards and carriers.¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving, and when I do I want to protect my family¡­¡± The fake Dearil was close enough mentally that he would¡¯ve been teary eyed had this body been able to do so. He never really got over what happened to his family, always pushing it back down inside, buried under his rage. ¡°Tell me, why did you really answer my request? Did you know full well who I was? Or did you remain ignorant of my crimes?¡± ¡°I heard only that something happened to your family, Baron Redwall told me that a noble killed your family, but he didn¡¯t say how or why. He asked me what I would¡¯ve done if it happened to my family, and I said he knew exactly what I would¡¯ve done. I don¡¯t hate what you¡¯ve done, though killing children is much too far to me. I won¡¯t judge you because I know exactly what I would¡¯ve done. I don¡¯t want to end up like you, just hurting people who haven¡¯t really wronged me¡­ but I know I would.¡± Dearil was fuming mad at this point. ¡°Of course they wouldn¡¯t tell you what happened, their crimes will always be lessened and ignored. Did you know that by law a noble cannot force a marriage? A pointless law. They will always take what they want and the crown will always defend them for this. My sister refused the hand of a count, then our parents were beaten black and blue, she still refused and tried to tell the baron of the lands. But the baron didn¡¯t want to upset the count. The count framed our family for a crime they did not commit and had them all executed. You would do well to remember this. Being in contact with me is a good idea, if the choice must be made of being allied to the kingdom or your family''s safety. Cut the hearts out of anyone in your path, salt their fields and burn their homes, otherwise you will be stepped on and broken until the end of your life.¡± There was a crack heard in the room. Dearil¡¯s golem had clinched its hands so hard a finger broke. ¡°Do we have a deal? Information for information?¡± Harlan didn¡¯t take long to answer. ¡°One change to the deal, you are not to attack the Redwall family, my oldest sister and my niece and nephew are part of them.¡± ¡°Deal, no more wolves will prowl their lands. Though after a failed attack I avoid the same family for a few years anyway.¡± Harlan spent a few hours explaining his entire process of soul enchanting, even telling him how to make a true living item. ¡°Oh what wonderful things I shall make with this. I will tell you now, there will come a day in which this kingdom will burn. When that time comes I will ask you to join us. I do hope you will. I shall draw out all the designs I have thought of for your golems, and then help with constructing them while I am here. Then I shall take my leave.¡± And so they worked. Dearil explained what the pieces would do and why they needed to be in the golem. Harlan showing examples of core creation. ¡°With what you can do, why not make far more unorthodox golems? Why not just take these cores and place them in trees? You would get defenses that blend perfectly into the environment. It would be cheaper than your others, they could be a visible guard, whereas trees would be the real guards?¡± ¡°That is¡­ the best idea I¡¯ve ever heard. I will need to tell my parents which trees are which so they don¡¯t cut them down, but it should work just fine. False Mimics. Each one would only really be able to use spells, moving an already grown tree would be insanely mana inefficient but I wanted my golems as ambushers anyway. If I connected them with wires I could have them as an oversoul, spreading their information and letting them pool their mana together.¡± ¡°Yes, an oversoul. I wish to make flocks of birds connect with one another. Unfortunately I am not the best mage, though I do know some powerful ones who could put spells into my cores. I will also need to rearrange some internals to fit larger cores.¡± Harlan would¡¯ve tried to dissuade him had he known what ideas were going through his head. Meanwhile Dahlia was looking at the two of them. As much as she would¡¯ve liked to walk inside their privacy veils the king had made it clear what she was and wasn¡¯t allowed to do, she couldn¡¯t understand why but she wasn¡¯t given a choice, just orders. She could only report that an unknown man was working with Harlan on golems. Chapter 41 Dahlia sent men to keep an eye on the man, they had broken a wagon wheel and posed as travelers but the man didn¡¯t reveal much other than being a toymaker in the Confederacy visiting someone who made some interesting toys. Harlan had done nothing for the next week but build the golems and test out using trees for defensive towers. Currently Balor was using the golem to pick up food and materials, as well as delivering the newly enchanted weapons back off with Brig. Then he got another visit. Redwall guards. Harlan stood on the wall around his land, looking at them to make sure they were who they said they were. He couldn¡¯t possibly know every guard in the land but he knew at least most of the house guards directly under the Baron. ¡°Can I help you?¡± ¡°You have been away for some time, the baron sent us to ensure you were still alright out here.¡± ¡°Yep. I wanted a quiet time to work on some projects without anyone bothering me.¡± The men tensed, worried that they had bothered him. Harlan had been getting better at reading people, a nearly required ability when dealing with people as a noble. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you aren¡¯t in trouble. You don¡¯t even work for me anyway. Please come in.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t mean to intrude, Sir Fomoria.¡± ¡°Your horses are probably tied. Take some water at least.¡± The men reluctantly came inside after Harlan opened a hole in the wall. He led them to the house, and just past the firing range. Since there wasn¡¯t anything really being done with it he just stored his golems in it. The men grew tense once more when they saw how many he had made in the past month he had been hiding in the woods. ¡°I want to ask.¡± The men were ready for anything at the moment, still wary of the relatively unknown and odd child. They place their hands on the sword hilts as subtly as they could. ¡°Do you like this room design? I think it is neat since it looks a lot like a flower bulb. I just wish I knew how to make glass, it would make it so much nicer to have a window in the highest point in the room.¡± The tension was gone just like that. One of the guards even let out a small chuckle. ¡°I do think it is a nice room, though I would expect more space for a nobles quarters.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t expect to have guests here. It is more of a just in case thing, I also wanted to make it so I could have a runner live here but that fell through. Please, sit.¡± The men did as asked. Harlan went and grabbed a few clay jugs and filled them with water, chilled through magic. ¡°Would you like tea instead?¡± ¡°No sir.¡± ¡°So¡­ How much trouble am I in?¡± Harlan really didn¡¯t care that much, but he knew he had made others worry again. ¡°You have broken no laws, sir.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t what I meant. But whatever. I will be done with my projects in another 3 days, 5 at most. Just take that message back.¡± Harlan had a fox golem near the door lead them back to the wall and open a hole into it for them to leave. Balor was coming back as they were leaving. The guards saw what to them looked like a bulky man clad in black cloth with boxes of weapons and a smaller box of food. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Excuse me, what is your reason for being here?¡± Balor was unsure why Redwall guards would be at their land. He moved his hand to Lugh, sending a message to be ready. ¡°This land is my brother¡¯s, what reason do you have to be here?¡± The guards shared a look and drew their swords. Balor did the same. ¡°Wellness check up. But the noble who lives here has no brothers. Who do you claim to be?¡± ¡°Balor Fomoria. Brother to Harlan Fomoria, brother to Lugh Fomoria.¡± The guards shared a new look, confusion. ¡°The ring?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± balor unloaded himself from the skull of the golem, making a hole in the clay barrier covering the base of the rear of the skull, slipping out between where the hood and the chest clothing met. Even more confusion ensued. But the older of the 2 men put his sword away and the other followed. ¡°Apologies, we were unaware of¡­ This body. And you are not officially brothers. I would suggest you be added to the list of nobles by having Sir Fomoria send a letter to the royals.¡± Balor and Lugh silently grumbled. ¡°That was very rude. We should have Harlan write the letter when we get inside and run right back to town. Stupid royals. We shall have the letter prepared soon enough then, good day.¡± ¡°Stupid, Harlan, brothers.¡± Lugh was having a hard time and he never spoke aloud, but he said his first words only 2 weeks ago. Balor slipped back into his golem and set a command to have the ox to open the hole for them and walk to the house. He could use verbal commands, but they had been working on keeping communication mostly over a soullink. They were still slightly worried about letting something slip that they didn¡¯t want to. Dahlia was still around somewhere as far as they knew. As soon as they got inside Lugh asked Harlan to write the letter, then it was back to his own little pit, carved by his talks with the mother in the darkness. The first time they spoke, Lugh didn¡¯t come out for a week. His talk was cut short as she told him to help Harlan out. Balor was worried over what they would even talk about for so long, and unlike Harlan¡¯s memories which were simply dull and cloudy to Balor, Lugh couldn¡¯t send memories over their link no matter how hard he tried. 2 days passed, Harlan walked to Lugh and asked him to go along with Balor to town again to pick up the last set of parts for the golems. The light devouring darkness which surrounded him dissipated and Lugh was floating in the air. An odd atmosphere was around him. ¡°Lugh, are you alright?¡± Then the tension in the air was gone. ¡°Lugh, go Balor? Take, fox?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah. I guess that is fine.¡± Harlan was worried, but he could feel over their link that it was still just Lugh, he seemed normal. Well, as normal as Lugh was. So Balor slipped back into his golem, he was starting to enjoy it now. He had fingers to carry things, and because the movements on it were so smooth with runes of reduced friction Dearil taught Harlan carved into the parts the mana costs to just move around were fairly low compared to what they had figured when they designed it. Harlan was working out a new design with another core set in the golem itself to act as a mana battery which could fill up with the excess mana that Balor couldn¡¯t store normally. It was one of the things which Harlan was trying to fix about Balor. Due to his small size, even though the ring itself was made from a metal that Harlan didn¡¯t recognize he couldn¡¯t really hold much mana. In theory he could gain more as he compressed his soul into a denser form, but that could stress the ring itself after too long. Though it was very very far on the back burner, Harlan was working on the idea of moving Balor to another object so he could grow at a faster rate without risking his body. ¡°Lugh, are you sure that nothing odd has happened? That you are alright? You can stay here, I have the fox as a guard this time. I could take one of the enchanted weapons from the boxes if I needed.¡± ¡°Lugh, want to protect.¡± They set out on their commute to the village. It took roughly an hour to reach, they could go faster but the ox was a heavier golem and it was inefficient, more so with boxes loaded onto it. They wanted to save the speed just in case they actually needed to flee and cast spells. Roughly 30 minutes into the journey a woman who was picking mushrooms called out to them. ¡°Excuse me, could you give me a ride into the village? It has taken longer than I had expected to gather my ingredients and I have children at home.¡± ¡°No, I am carrying items which need to be delivered and there isn¡¯t much room left on my ox.¡± Balor had expected Lugh to ask if she could come along since they were already so close. Instead he flew out of his sheath, striking right into the woman, splitting his blade into thin tendrils that seemed to reach over part of her, the woman seemed unphased until Lugh turned the same light devouring black that he did when speaking with the mother. Balor was mortified, he couldn¡¯t believe his sight. He was furious, thinking the mother had done something to him. He was sad, for the first time, about someone who he didn¡¯t even know. But also¡­ Curious. Lugh had shifted his body in a way that Balor didn¡¯t understand, he wanted to find out how he could do it too. Chapter 42 9 days prior. ¡°My my my¡­ Now what are you? You feel¡­ familiar? But you are not that soul. You are also not one of my children. What have you come to this place for?¡± Lugh was nervous, he thought she was much nicer from what Harlan had shown him. ¡°Please, calm yourself. I can¡¯t bite.¡± She burst into laughter. But Lugh could feel her, she was unhappy with her uninvited guest. ¡°Lugh, brother, Harlan?¡± The void shuddered for a moment as he said his name. ¡°You? He has no brother by that name.¡± ¡°Balor, brother, Harlan?¡± another shudder at Balor¡¯s name. ¡°Oh¡­ You are that thing. Ah, I apologize. You are that person. Brother to the lost child, I do hope you will stay by his side, keep his mind well. But what have you come here for? How did you come here?¡± Lugh felt a little better, she had called him a person at least. ¡°Talk?¡± She lightly chuckled. ¡° Do you wish to simply know me? Or to know yourself through me? What is the path you wish to tread?¡± ¡°Help, brothers, help family?¡± She felt like an artist given a fresh batch of clay and told to sculpt as she pleased. ¡°Well, if that is all you want, I have many things I could teach you. But do you know what the most dangerous thing is?¡± ¡°Cooking? Harlan burn self?¡± A roaring laughter rang out in the seemingly empty space. ¡°The greatest danger is the fae. Thieving conniving things. Mutilators of souls. False gods.¡± ¡°Monsters? Zella, sad?¡± Lugh didn¡¯t really know the children from the facility but he knew how much Harlan liked them. ¡°So, how would you like to help me to keep the rest of your family safe from them?¡® She could feel him practically beaming with joy. ¡°Wonderful my child. I just need you to enter a pact with me. Become my Fae slaying blade.¡± ¡°Talk to Harlan, killing, bad?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t Harlan trust me though? Do you not trust him enough? And isn¡¯t it better to get this done as soon as you can?¡± ¡°Lugh, trust Harlan. Lugh, Mother teach lots?¡± ¡°You must simply be here while I give you some power, and teach you some things. It will take time, and you will need to leave and help your brothers at times. So we won¡¯t do it all at once. And I want this to be a surprise, so don¡¯t tell them yet.¡± ¡°Surprise, good?¡± 35 minutes prior to the killing of the woman. ¡°I have given you the basics of fae slaying, but you should still be wary of them, keep any hostile intentions from being let loose. Strike at them like you are just moving past them and I shall handle the killing. I sense something is wrong with time, something fighting against it. You should keep watch for them, but you will know them on sight.¡± Back to the present. The women was reduced to a pile of rotten meat. Killing fae was hard, but channeling a god to age them to death was the preferred method for the chosen of the dark mother. Though she never had enough of them. ¡°Lugh¡­ what have you done? Why? HOW COULD YOU?¡± ¡°Fae, evil, hurt family. Tired¡­¡± Lugh fell blade down right into the body. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Balor was in shock, there was no warning for what had happened. He wanted to trust Lugh, but deep down there was still something telling him not to trust The Darkness. That was until he saw that he was right, there was still a soul in the pile of flesh. And it was trying to stitch itself back together. He used as much power as he could, abandoning the golem body and laying himself directly on the gore to be as efficient as he could. The soul tried to fight him, to strike directly at him. But Lugh was still stuck in it with that black still covering him reduced to only small wisps. The wisps formed a shell around both of their souls. As he struck the final blow and the soul finally faded away he felt the ground tremor. Then he too was tired, so he slept. The fox and the ox were confused. But they were supposed to take anyone who was hurt to a safe place. And as far as they could tell Lugh and Balor were hurt. So they took them back to Harlan. The ox had Balor in its mouth, and the fox had Lugh between his teeth. So they ran, the fox matching pace with the ox. After 15 minutes they were right back at Harlan¡¯s land. Harlan nearly sent a lightning bolt at them before he realized who it was. Then the panic set in. He could only see what the golems saw in their memories, only hear what they heard. But he couldn¡¯t understand any of it. He could only let them rest. After some time he was pulled into pure darkness. He burst out light mana, trying to find his way around. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about those two. They have done something wonderful.¡± ¡°They killed an innocent woman. What the hell kind of game are you playing?¡± ¡°You should mind your tone. Allow me to explain. They have taken the first step to the path I hope you do not reject. The Fae are not of this world. They are interlopers who bring true chaos to us, to any people with whom they meet. You have seen their workings first hand.¡± ¡°Explain, as far as I could tell she was a normal woman.¡± ¡°Your dolls lack the means to see past their faces. A fae can distort the mind, you would never know if you passed one on the street or in the forest if it does not want you to notice them. They will also cover themselves in cloaks, hiding from even the sights of gods. We can only have an idea of where they are, but they must reveal themselves so we can strike at them fully. All I have done is tell little Lugh what they feel like, and how to kill them. And this information shall help you in many other ways. There are limits to what I can teach, even if I would like to tell everyone who can see me the exact ways to fight them. Too many people start hunting and they flee so far outside of our sight that no one could ever find them. Even turning every living being on Aarde to dust would not catch them all.¡± ¡°So that is your game? You want to turn us into your hunters? Why not just tell me?¡± ¡°The term is champion. We would use paladin but those Fae have used the term so much for their own puppets that it is tainted. They would gain an upper hand against any who bore the name. Fae magic is dangerous and unpredictable even to us. They do not play by our rules, but they are bound by some of them. Hence we can kill them. This is the duty of any who hold well the pacts of gods. I have said my peace, this conversation is over for now.¡± Harlan was back in his room, no time seemed to have passed for him. So he sat, then he became bored and kept working while keeping an eye on his brothers for any signs of them waking up. It was 3 hours before they were up again. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Harlan? How did we get back here¡­¡± ¡°Golems brought you back. I understand what happened. It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°I think we should go to the village. Check if there is someone missing, we don¡¯t know who that was other than them being fae.¡± ¡°Alright. Are you ok to leave now?¡± ¡°I think I should be fine, being nearer to you might even be helpful. Lugh, are you alright?¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Nothing happened while they were away, there was no missing person in the village. Though there were a dozen men now buried on Harlan¡¯s land, only their heads were above ground. ¡°So anyway. I wonder if I should try and get the golems to mak-¡± ¡°EXCUSE ME. COULD YOU GET US OUT FROM HERE PLEASE.¡± ¡°Why?¡± The man was completely dumbfounded, he couldn¡¯t even conceive of someone answering him like that. ¡°I am an architect. Blackstone sent a letter to Redwall who then called us to get you out of the mud and into a place worth what the king has granted you..¡± ¡°Prove it.¡± ¡°I have papers in my bag. But it is in our cart which is under us.¡± The other men were silent, clearly scared stiff over suddenly being nearly buried alive. Harlan placed his hand on a nearby tree and gave it a command to show it what had happened so far. The man¡¯s story checked out, they had come in a group, and as soon as they opened a hole in the wall the trees shaped the earth around them. Pulling the cart underground and then pulling them out before they died. Harlan still wasn¡¯t confident that his golems would just go mad in some way and just start killing any random people, so for the time being they would only be allowed to capture and contain people. One thing that Harlan was getting used to was seeing the way soul enchanted objects viewed the world, they could see the men from every angle as their minds evenly split the spellwork between the lot of them, working like a dozen mages as a imperfectly synced group. Then he commanded the tree oversoul to shift the earth and set them all free. ¡°My apologies. I do hope no harm has come to your men.¡± The men all rushed to answer at once. ¡°Oh no sir.¡± ¡°forgive our intrusion.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t tell a soul.¡± The boss quieted them all down with a loud clap. ¡°Thomas Goodwall. Branch family of the Greatwall family.¡± He gave a curt bow, not being overly upset about the near death experience. But still giving a shallower bow than what was proper, Balor calculated the angle correctly but Harlan didn¡¯t care enough to bother him about it. Harlan gave a bow deeper than was needed, he realized that something had gone wrong and it was his fault. He would need to make sure to check the roots on the trees next time. The trees had incorrectly decided that the land beyond the wall was also to be protected since they stretched under it and had roots tangled with a tree outside.
Coronach killed the ones who came, yet they were only projections without a body that could be killed. Chapter 43 As it turned out the Baron was more than a little upset about how Harlan had more or less ignored him and stayed not only out in the woods in a cabin that was far below what any noble should have, but also that he just gave the message of him going back in a few more days to the guards instead of a proper letter. The baron had realized that Harlan could be described as anti-social and erratic at times, so he sent an architect to bother him and get a nicer home and workshop set up on the lands. The baron didn¡¯t know how much more anti-social Harlan was getting, the adventurer refusing his job in such a way had left a very bad impression on him, he barely saw anyone at all now that he had golems to pick things up in town. ¡°What is this¡­ Mess? A bunch of twigs made into an orb of some kind? We will need to tear it down. Square is the only proper shape for a base.¡± The baron had heard that Harlan really did like that guest room he made. So he sent Tom knowing full well the man was a brutalist at heart and had no room for such flair. ¡°That is a guest room, I grew all of those branches from the main logs of my cabin and it is supposed to be like a flower bulb.¡± ¡°Awful.¡± The man formed and shot a brick directly at the room, the walls were not strong enough to hold out against it. ¡°If you were attacked it would be a death trap for anyone inside. Complete demolition is needed. I will build a fortress here, the likes of which won¡¯t be broken by anything short of an army. Now, you will be acting as muscle here. Use those golems that you used to bury us to tear down all of this and start over. I am thinking 5 floors, 10 feet tall at least for each of them. Probably 4 rooms per floor, you¡¯ll need the full treatment, armory, vault, test ranges, at least a couple of research rooms, entertaining rooms, and a kitchen.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t a big tower be worse for defense?¡± ¡°Who said a tower? We are building DOWN. Keep up. My men are all mages but with those golems we should be able to get this done well ahead of schedule.¡± ¡°What is your schedule? I was about ready to head back to my parents farm.¡± ¡°3 weeks, that should give us time to properly compact the dirt into a good strong stone, give us time to ward it, and time to start on furnishing. But that will be mostly left to you, I do know some good carpenters however who can make something that is your style. If those golems help us we should be done in a week and a half, 2 weeks.. That trick they pulled was actually quite impressive, we couldn¡¯t use unstructured magic to escape, it happened so fast we also couldn¡¯t use anything stronger to take control of the ground back from it.¡± For Harlan the two weeks were mind numbing, he was mostly sitting near a tree and commanding it to shift and compact dirt until its admittedly massive mana pool was at around half, he refused to leave himself open to an attack without all of his defenses. The men were nervous of not only him, but the foxes. By the end Harlan made 65 of them, then the man shaped golems. All of them were sitting on the walls, watching front and back to catch any threats. Dearil¡¯s birds were still sticking around, and they didn¡¯t seem to care for the work being done if them scratching at the blueprints were anything to go by. The only spot of excitement was when a group tried to scale the wall. As soon as they placed their hands in the holds the theives tried to add the trees reacted harshly, crushing them and pulling them into the wall where they screamed and shouted. Until Harlan came out with his armor on and Lugh in hand. But even that was just a group of thieves who had planned to steal his golems. They were quite lucky the trees stopped them first. He had already set the golems to self immolate if they were ever captured and couldn¡¯t escape. But he was pretty sure the golems would¡¯ve just ripped these idiots to shreds. He covered them in blocks of stone and had the golems, led by Balor, escort them to town, though Harlan didn¡¯t realize that they would¡¯ve been better off being killed by the golems. To try and steal from a noble most often leads to slavery to pay back their debts and the kingdom slave mines were not kind places. But people who could use magic were killed because trying to contain them was an exercise in frustration. To steal weapons from one, one which has already suffered attacks by the theocracy would lead to them being tortured for information to make sure they were truly operating on their own. With the little distraction out of the way, Harlan was back to the most tedious task he had ever had. The actual builders were the ones who finished all of his work, so for him it was nothing but a brute force task without any real workmanship in it. But he did at least learn how to do some of the work himself in case he needed to add new rooms or set up fortified shelter in the wild. Day 12 rolled around, he had worked around the clock, doing the work with the help of Balor and Lugh while he let the trees regain their lost mana, though Harlan had noticed that they were recovering far faster than he could¡¯ve predicted. He just didn¡¯t understand why they could. When dawn broke the men went back to work, smoothing out and further compacting the walls which were made the night before. Finally Tom was walking towards him. ¡°Great work, sloppy but my men have had to work with worse. Fastest we have set up something like this however. Now you need to leave for a few days.¡± ¡°What? After all that? Why? And SLOPPY?¡± ¡°Warding is a true art, and you aren¡¯t allowed to see us laying the runes. I don¡¯t even want your toys around while we work, and yes, sloppy. It is great that it got done so fast. But if anyone had so much mana and didn¡¯t sleep they could get it done in that timeframe. Oh, and you are supposed to go to the redwall mansion in 2 weeks, something about hiring help for maintaining your lands while you are a/way.¡± ¡°What about the trees? Also, you cannot tell anyone about them.¡± ¡°Trees don¡¯t just walk around, we can cover them up and not worry about them seeing anything. And I would never give out the defensive secrets of a client.¡± ¡°Good, thank you. Oh, and how much am I paying you?¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Didn¡¯t they already explain this too you? The crown will be paying for our work, though Rosewell personally chipped in a few thousand more, I guess you got on her good side.¡± The royals just couldn¡¯t risk him being killed in his sleep. Dahlia only had so much time to watch him, even anti-sleep exliers lost their effect after a few weeks of abuse and The Unseen weren¡¯t infinite, they had to protect more than just a child in the woods. It was cheaper to build an inverted tower of warded stone than to pull people away from their other work just to protect a relatively safe person. Especially with how things were going in the battles between the kingdom and the theocracy. The soul equipment had radically changed how the forever war had been going, the front line was no longer being held, but rather pushed back. They had pushed all the way back another 30 miles, leading them right to the true border of the theocracy. New walls were being built and needed to be filled with soldiers as well as building an invasion force for the theocracy. Such a conflict last happened nearly 200 years ago when the had been decimated by the fall of a seawall letting creatures from the deep into the country. Harlan made his way back to his parents farm, once again it had grown some while he was away for that month. There was a wall made of trees, cut down to make a flat top and with a space built above the gates to have a few guards sit. ¡°HALT. State your business.¡± Considering he had over a dozen fox golems as well as his man shaped golems he wasn¡¯t shocked that there were crossbows trained on him already. Though he was still annoyed. ¡°This is my parents'' farm. Just call them over, I don¡¯t want to hear anything else.¡± The guard started shouting something about respect but Harlan just tuned him out, tapping his fingers on the wooden ox. Eventually his father came over to see what all the yelling was about. ¡°Oh, I heard you had been off tinkering in the woods. Come on in and explain yourself to your mother.¡± Harlan was on edge, something was wrong. He had his foxes stay near the gate as he walked to the house. He stepped inside, waiting for something horrible to happen, to find his parents farm overrun with skinwalkers, requiring him to kill the things that now looked like his loved ones. To find spinal spiders controlling them, at least they could recover from that. The threat was far more mundane. His mother saw him as he stepped inside, her face was joyful, then wrathful. ¡°DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE? RUNNING OFF INTO THE WOODS TO DO WHO KNOWS WHAT.¡± His sixth sense had only gone off because of her anger and worry. She swatted him with a wooden spoon on the hand but he didn¡¯t mind, she couldn¡¯t actually hurt him. But that only made her more upset, and that hurt him inside so he started to act like it hurt, receiving a knowing nod from Harlow. After 5 more minutes of yelling and pointing fingers Aida seemed sure he had learned his lesson. ¡°Can I explain now?¡± ¡°No. sit and eat, then you can explain, have you been eating well out there? You probably just had whatever was easiest to make and didn¡¯t give a thought to anything else.¡± Harlan had to admit she was mostly right about that. But those sandwiches were really quite good. ¡°Now, explain yourself.¡± ¡°I was building things, I got kicked back here since my place out there is being warded.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain anything.¡± Harlan whistled and the house was suddenly full of his fox golems as well as the human like golems, now covered with hooded cloaks to hide them. ¡°I thought you could use more protection. I had to do something.¡± Balor decided to jump in, he didn¡¯t like the edge of Harlan¡¯s voice. ¡°What he meant was he was worried after you were hurt and decided to help that to never happen again by bolstering the defenses of the farm with additional soldiers.¡± ¡°See, Balor could explain it just fine. So who are they then?¡± She pointed to the man shaped golems. ¡°They are my golems that look human. You couldn¡¯t even tell under their cloaks. Stonesteel skeletons, specialized for defense over offense, should be competent with the swords I gave them.¡± ¡°Should be?¡± ¡°Well I could only test them against myself and themselves. Not a lot of people willing to fight a golem, not that I bothered with people.¡± ¡°Pff. You sound like Redmond did. There is nothing wrong with asking people for help with things.¡± ¡°Everyone at the adventurers guild now thinks I am some kind of monster. And I don¡¯t care to explain any difference, those people are scum anyway. The local guards wouldn¡¯t be good enough for any real data anyway, I¡¯ve heard what they can do and I am not impressed.¡± Aida wanted to say otherwise, but she knew of a few adventurers who used the village as a homebase of sorts. She had to take it from a different angle. ¡°Why not find someone else? Surely Jaramis would want to help the uncle of his children.¡± ¡°He hates me, and I don¡¯t care about him. I would rather avoid talking with him.¡± ¡°Oh, he doesn¡¯t hate you. He is just tightly wound.¡± ¡°I can grow things, I wanted to ask about getting a few vegetables to test things on.¡± Nobody in the room missed his blunt change of subject. ¡°Sure thing, I got a few new plants in, hot peppers from the confederacy. They aren¡¯t ready to harvest right now so we can¡¯t really test them side by side. But that should be fine.¡± Harlow had no intention of lingering on a pointless topic. He figured Jaramis did hate Harlan. But so long as it was kept to snide remarks and glares he just didn¡¯t care much. Words were just words unless a Fae hears them was his motto. ¡°That sounds great. I want to talk with Kass too while I am here.¡± Harlan had fun working with his father on the plants, they found out fairly quickly after some tests with potatoes that while he could grow them just fine and they didn¡¯t taste off in any way. However the energy it took to grow food was never enough to cover the mana he burned to grow it. In hindsight Harlan realized that he should¡¯ve known that from the start, if it was so easy to just have mages grow food all day then the Confederacy would¡¯ve done that instead of selling a number of its people into slavery. The weeks passed quickly, he could¡¯ve gone back to the woods to see his newly warded home, but instead he just stayed at the farm. It gave him plenty of time to explain the golems to his parents, as well as sneak around at night and make the trees around them into his false mimic trees, he had to grow openings into them and then seal them with more magic. He was satisfied that by the time he left for the academy he wouldn¡¯t have any reason to worry about his parents at all. But he still needed to talk with the Baron about a few things. So back to the mansion he went. Though there were some people who would be very worried, in the time since Harlan left his place in the woods scouts from smaller illegal mercenary groups had vanished. Never to be seen again.
She untangled many knots, the blood spilled by her Shadow was having a clear effect on her sight. Though she did wish that they had untangled to reveal nothing bad was happening instead she found no less than a dozen more groups of assassins that needed to be removed. She would¡¯ve liked to simply cut the head off the snake but she was seeing it might be better in the long run. Chapter 44 Harlan reached the redwall mansion by the late morning, his own carriage was sent for him by Redwall very early since he knew that Harlan would be awake anyway. He was just in time for breakfast, as he walked in the door a maid was there to guide him. It was the same girl he had given his first toy. ¡°I should¡¯ve asked before, but what is your name?¡± ¡°Isha.¡± ¡°That sounds different. Are you from the north? I know someone who came from there, his name was Reet.¡± ¡°No, actually my family came here from Reino when I was just a child.¡± ¡°Oh, what can you tell me about it? If you don¡¯t mind, that is. And I think you are the first person I¡¯ve met who didn¡¯t just call them the theocracy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember much, we liked unleavened breads and spicy foods. We grew these little white pieces of grain that we boiled and put sauces on. But you don¡¯t have them here. I forget what they were called.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t think much of it, but after a few moments he realized how odd it really was. ¡°You don¡¯t remember? I thought everyone knew Godgiven and you could just think hard enough about the word and remember it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. You are the wiz- ahem. You are the soul mage, not me. There are some other words that come from Reino I can¡¯t remember. Ah, but we are here at the dining hall now. I will take my leave.¡± He couldn¡¯t get it out of his mind, he would need to ask the baron about it and check the library. But for now it was time to eat. He knocked on the door, Balor told him the exact number of knocks which was considered acceptable. He could get away with it before but at this point he was considered to be a full noble and needed to at least pretend to care about manners. ¡°Please, enter.¡± Redwall¡¯s voice boomed from the inside of the room. ¡°Welcome, Sir Fomoria.¡± ¡°I have come as requested. I hope you are all doing well.¡± ¡°Good enough. But bringing up the request part sounds like you don¡¯t want to be here, work on that. Please, sit and have a nice meal. I cannot imagine you ate well out in the woods.¡± Redwall knew him well enough to look past minor offenses and use them to teach Harlan the manners he could only really learn by interacting with his peers. Though most wouldn¡¯t consider him a peer. ¡°I thank you for your invitation and help with hiring personnel for my home while I am to be away at the academy.¡± ¡°Much better, did Balor do that one for you?¡± ¡°Is it that obvious?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll make it sound natural one day. You have all the time in the world.¡± Autumn chimed in. Harlan couldn¡¯t help but notice that she was looking much more filled out and cheery since last time he saw her. The babies didn¡¯t need as much attention as they did before, she could¡¯ve had a wetnurse to help but it was like prying a man from the jaws of a dead warg for her to give them up for a moment. ¡°You look healthy. Healthier I mean.¡± ¡°Thank you, I had the sleep schedule of a vampire for a little while. Your little foxes have helped to distract them sometimes which has helped, thank you once again for those. But also avoid saying anything that can be misconstrued. It might be a better idea to have Balor speak with you for formal occasions.¡± ¡°I disagree. It is better for Harlan to be able to learn from his mistakes while he is young and they are easily forgiven. I would hate to stunt his social growth by turning him into my mouthpiece. Though I will be speaking for Lugh on such occasions.¡± ¡°Rude brother. I am fine.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Highly unlikely.¡± Harlan and Balor spoke at the same time. ¡°Away from that note, I just remembered. I was supposed to ask you about the couriers guild at some point and it slipped my mind.¡± ¡°Oh, well that is quite simple. They are, at the higher levels mostly, used as a cover for the night watchers. The ones who you had a run in with are from a neighboring barony. Still under Blackstone though.¡± ¡°Is the manager in Luth a werewolf? He smelled like a wolf to me.¡± ¡°Very rude to say, do not repeat that. And no, he is actually a vampire subspecies, which one he is I can¡¯t say for sure, they are allowed some secrets still. He is however a houndmaster for the night watchers. You would never be able to sniff out a werewolf unless they were transformed already or they had an open wound and you were a wolfhound.¡± ¡°Are wolfhounds also in pa- I mean are they magical?¡± ¡°Yes, but they refuse to tell us how and we don¡¯t feel the need to push the matter. They are wonderful trackers but they can¡¯t do anything a divinationist cannot do better. Do you have any other questions about them? And I will ignore whatever you are clearly trying to hide.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any more questions about them. But I do have more questions about magic.¡± ¡°If it does not pertain to the couriers then I say we should finish our meal first. Move to lighter talks that we can all join in on.¡± ¡°So, Harlan. What did you do out in the woods.¡± Autumn asked. ¡°Made some golems, scared the adventurers guild away from me, made a house. Did some other stuff I can¡¯t talk about.¡± Harlan noticed the look he got from Redwall and Jaramis. ¡°Nothing illegal. Just making defenses that I don¡¯t know if anyone has made before. I also learned how to grow plants. I grew peppers and potatoes for dad. I made a guest room by growing branches from a log from my cabin.¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Ah, a noble profession, though one few nobles are known for. The Greenfield family grew the seeds that most of our wheat comes from, saving the kingdom from famine more than once.¡± ¡°There is a noble family who works with plants?¡± ¡°Yes. The current head is a Duke. I believe he married one of the princesses.¡± ¡°Oh, was it Cynthia? She said she would still get to work with plants at her husband¡¯s place.¡± Jaramis and Redwall both clearly flinched hearing Harlan speak so casually of a royal family member. ¡°Ah, yes. I do believe 9th Princess Cynthia is his wife now. And for future reference, you should always remember to include which number the prince or princess it is. You should make a habit of this, and do not speak ill of them. The walls have ears in some places.¡± ¡°Oh? she never seemed to care much about anything but plants and jokes when I was around her. I will keep that in mind though.¡± ¡°You really know her? She is one of the royal family members who doesn¡¯t have much known about her due to a life avoiding politics.¡± ¡°Yeah, she didn¡¯t care about trying to get to be queen. She even asked if I would teach her kids how to work with souls some day.¡± Harlan actually did miss her. He felt iffy at times about Rosewell since she could¡¯ve just been grooming him to stay connected to the kingdom. But he never got the feeling that anything Cynthia did was for anything but her own enjoyment. Autumn could see that he had a slight smile when talking about her. ¡°Were you close? You seem happy when talking about her.¡± ¡°Yeah, I would like to visit her someday. I hope she is doing well. Maybe she had her children already. She taught me to say some things to make people gossip about me and make them react strongly. I probably shouldn¡¯t do that too much though.¡± ¡°Yes, very much avoid doing that. You already have enough rumors around you. Disappearing into the woods and having golems deliver thieves to Luth in stone boxes has both helped and hurt you. You didn¡¯t just kill them and put their bodies in the ground or use them for experiments. But on the other hand a group of 5 people who know magic being captured alive with only broken hands has made people wary of you. You should make yourself better known. There will be a ball this summer where you can mingle with the children who are coming back from the academy. I only bring this up because no other social event is likely to end well with you. With the children coming from and going to the academy you can at least speak about magic.¡± Harlan wanted to refute him, but he actually hated social events. He felt they were a waste of time, he wanted to keep working towards something most of the time. He only enjoyed the company of very few people. It didn¡¯t help that the few times Rosewell had tried to show him off his clear spite towards being used as a trophy and Cynthia¡¯s teachings lead to a feedback loop of both sides feeling slighted. ¡°I cannot and will not force you, but you should go. You could live your life as a hermit making things, but you could learn more if you met more people. Think how you would be if you ignored Esparella when she first knocked on your door. I may not know her but you can¡¯t think of her or Zella without sending joyful signals from your soul.¡± Harlan sighed, he had to admit that Balor was right. ¡°Yes, I would like to go to the ball. Will I need a new suit?¡± ¡°Your current clothes with a nice jacket will be fine. You are not expected to be overly flashy since you are a new noble without capital yet. With the help of Balor I imagine that you should do fine as far as manners. Though I should warn you, you are likely to be tested in some way by other nobles since you are young and yet you are a topic of many conversations.¡± ¡°Oh that sounds like a wonderful time.¡± Harlan rolled his eyes, already unsure if he should just quit while he was ahead. ¡°Come on, it will be fine. Besides, I will be there too, we might even be able to convince Ava and Amber to come along.¡± Autumn wanted him to hopefully find new friends. ¡°Perfect, she is the only person who might be more awkward than me at the ball. Balor, Lugh, let¡¯s work together to get her to go.¡± ¡°Harlan, that is just rude to say.¡± ¡°Yeah but she knows it is true.¡± The rest of breakfast went by with just small talk about anything he had done at the farm. Jaramis never jumped into the conversation once. Once it was done and Harlan spent a little time convincing Ava to come along with them to the ball, he just bribed her with more soul items. He was then called to the Baron¡¯s office. ¡°Alright, now, for the reason I called you here. I have a list of caretakers who I believe would be good fits to watch your workshop in the woods. Mostly chosen for their likelihood to not cause any trouble for you or to sell you out.¡± ¡°Is Isha on the list?¡± ¡°Isha? Let me see¡­¡± Redwall looked over his list and then looked over the list of workers in the mansion. ¡°I had heard of an incident between her and you, and I chose not to include her. Has she turned over a new leaf? Those from the theocracy are often far more superstitious, I thought her unlikely to be a good fit for you.¡± ¡°I talked with her on the way to breakfast, and I gave her a sheep toy before. She seems nice.¡± ¡°I can add her to the list then, you will be interviewing them after we are done talking. I shall have another maid fetch her when the time comes. But for now, you had some magical question at breakfast.¡± ¡°Isha mentioned that she forgot words from Reino, I didn¡¯t think that could happen. But I don¡¯t really know that much about what Godgiven really is as a language.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a good answer for that. But the theocracy is¡­ magically quite odd at times. The border which we have held is not the true border, they have magics that can only be used within their lands. That is why they have been able to survive when they have antagonized every other country.¡± ¡°Oh, it could be re- actually no, I don¡¯t think I am going to finish that. But thank you for your time. Things are making a little more sense now.¡± ¡°If there is something you cannot trust me with I understand, but avoid even voicing those ideas around those who cannot take it quite so gracefully. If you refused to answer a duke or a member of the royal family things could get very messy.¡± Harlan thought things over for a few silent minutes. The baron was drinking his tea and waiting for him to either continue or leave. ¡°I do not know if it is a good idea to speak about the gods of Reino like this. You know what The Darkness said about their followers and that you shouldn¡¯t do exactly this.¡± ¡°Yeah, but if there is anyone who I can use to test reactions other than him I don¡¯t know who. He will just correct me if I say something really bad anyway. This is a safe time to do it.¡± ¡°Your life is not mine, make your choice.¡± ¡°The gods of Reino are Fae.¡± The baron immediately spit his tea across his desk and on his papers, coughing some before speaking. ¡°Who told you that? Nevermind, just never repeat that, ever again. I do not care to who, or why. But you must avoid saying that again.¡± ¡°Did you know?¡± ¡°The theocracy harshly disagrees with such an idea, and will send assassins for those who speak too freely about it. But no one can really know if such a thing is true.¡± ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t go farther into the how or why of this. Once again, thank you for your time and for letting me hire some of your own people.¡± As soon as Harlan left the room the baron wrote a letter to the crown, though they weren¡¯t shocked to hear it. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time that The Darkness told somebody who then spread it around. Chapter 45 Harlan needed at least 3 people, though Redwall was fine with him hiring up to 7 of his people. First on the list was a man in his late 70s named Garad, he had worked for Redwall for many years but entering a pseudo retirement of taking care of a much smaller place was what he wanted. Much like Harlan he was a man who could never stop working, it had become a deeper part of him as a person. Though if Harlan hired him then he would need to also bring with his wife. ¡°Hello, I see that you are good with finances and management. But why do you want to work for me instead?¡± Balor had been doing practice interviews with Harlan so he could speak in a more noble manner. ¡°It is written down already. I just don¡¯t move the way I once did, I don¡¯t want to spend the rest of my days running up and down these halls. A smaller place in the woods where I could work your books and make sure others did their jobs would be a nice slower pace.¡± ¡°Right, and you wife?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be leaving her here, she was a pastry chef before our daughter was born, it is important for a growing boy to have proper food. Though it would be best if she had someone younger who could also help her to carry heavy things like sacks of vegetables. Or large pots of soup. And to help light fires for the stoves.¡± ¡°Tell him not to patronize you and treat you like a child. Set a boundary for worker and master.¡± ¡°That all sounds good, but I ask that you do not treat me like a child. I will be your boss. Making fires will not be necessary. I intend to make stoves that can just channel fire mana and heat themselves like that. This will be done with souls.¡± The old man had no reaction. ¡°Great, you didn¡¯t flinch at all. I don¡¯t see any reason not to hire you and your wife. But does the baron have a replacement ready? You seemed to be in charge of quite a bit.¡± ¡°That is another part of why I wish to leave. I have had an understudy for nearly a decade. She is finally ready to take over where I am leaving off.¡± ¡°Well then, everything seems fine. I hereby hire you, and you will be my manager of estate. In 1 weeks time I should have the land ready for you and your wife to move in.¡± ¡°I do hope we work well together and things are quiet.¡± ¡°As do I, now, I would also like you to stay here while I interview the others.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir Fomoria.¡± 2nd was a woman, she had barely worked at the mansion for 2 months. Clearly it was just someone who the baron had no attachment to. No family, 20 years old, nothing to indicate that she was anything but what she seemed to be. Though it was noted that she was a gossiper. ¡°Can you tell me why you would want to work for me?¡± ¡°I think you are going to be huge, you are going to rise up the ranks of nobility and I want to be along for the ride.¡± She had an infectiously bubbly and joyful personality. But Harlan thought she seemed like she wasn¡¯t really there. ¡°I won¡¯t actually, I am not a normal noble. I am closer to a craftsman with rank. But I am sure that I can grow my lands anyway. I see you don¡¯t have any family, and I don¡¯t see a place of birth on your records. Why is that?¡± ¡°I must¡¯ve just forgotten to fill that out. I am actually from a village slightly north from here called Yor. And I never had a family. I was raised an orphan, I don¡¯t know who my parents were or are.¡± ¡°Right. But now how does my own lack of ambitions towards becoming a higher ranked noble affect your own desire to work for me.¡± ¡°I have heard stories. I don¡¯t think you can avoid ambition if you wanted to. Look at how you have already changed things.¡± ¡°It is bad manners to assume things about your patron, Miss Sara.¡± ¡°Yes, I am sorry Mr.Garad. I had heard that Sir Formoria was quite casual with others.¡± She sat up straighter. Harlan was a little put off by how she acted, she seemed to want the job just because she expected it to be some kind of exciting adventure. ¡°Now, what have you heard then? About me. This is the second time you have mentioned hearing about me. I wouldn¡¯t want you to get the wrong idea and get bored of working for me.¡± ¡°Well, I heard you make toys for maids, you are really strong, and you beat up and captured 10 theives all on your own.¡± ¡°I think you should be mindful of what rumors you hear little miss.¡± Balor spoke to test her reaction. Her eyes lit up, but Harlan and his brothers agreed it was in a childish way, and not some flames of greed. ¡°Well, those are all kinda true. I made 1 toy for a maid, and that is only because she was terrified of me and I wanted her to calm down. I am stronger than a normal person, but I am not going to be crushing rocks with my hands or anything. Lastly it was 5 of them and my defenses had them captured before I even knew they were climbing a wall.¡± ¡°That is so cool!¡± Harlan could tell that everything he said was in one ear and out the other. She was a bit of an airhead, but she didn¡¯t seem suspicious. Just wanted somewhere neat to be. ¡°Alright, you are hired, just don¡¯t disappoint me and don¡¯t start problems with gossip, when I am working on something it is always a secret unless I say otherwise. Now, please sit in on the other interviews.¡± The next 4 people had some issue or another. One of the women just seemed to hate Sara and asked that she be hired instead but wouldn¡¯t explain why. One of them was a young man who would be doing finance but since he already hired Garad he just wasn¡¯t needed. The next 2 were male servants that couldn¡¯t take their eyes off of Sara¡¯s bosom. Harlan didn¡¯t want any drama to arise from that. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Finally it was Isha¡¯s turn. She was clearly nervous and blushed slightly as she sat ramrod straight in her seat. Harlan couldn¡¯t understand it. ¡°Do you have a fever? You look very red.¡± Sara just barely held in a giggle. Garad was less than impressed, a glare made her sit straight faced. ¡°Ah, no I am just fine. I didn¡¯t expect to be called for this though.¡± ¡°I asked for you to be added.¡± She got even redder. ¡°Can someone explain? Do you need a doctor?¡± Garad spoke. ¡°I believe this is a conversation best said in private. But you do not need to worry about her. She will be fine.¡± ¡°Balor, do you know what this is about?¡± ¡°It is not my place to answer this, I have only read about such things. I don¡¯t have hormones like a human does. I have not experienced such things.¡± ¡°Alright then. So would you like to work for me?¡± ¡°I have to take care of my mother, she has been sick for some time and I cannot afford to leave her here. She was a maid here before me so she is allowed to stay here while I work here.¡± ¡°Just take her along. you will have more free time to take care of her at my place. I just need you to help make food and keep my stuff clean.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I do suppose that would work. Though she can be¡­ difficult, about your work. She doesn¡¯t even let me bring that sheep you made near her.¡± ¡°Well, that is a shame. But that is alright. Maybe it is best that she sees that I am just a normal person. I can make her a room without any enchantments in it.¡± ¡°I am sure I can convince her to go then. Until then I will stay here.¡± ¡°You have a week. Then I plan to take you all out to my place. I hope you can convince her.¡± And then Sara and Isha left the room. Harlan and Garad had a conversation about what young people go through before they become adults, and since Isha was only 14 she was simply misunderstanding his kindness for something else. Harlan still only understood it in theory. He was going to ask Autumn about it. He found a maid who pointed him towards her, but she was resting, so he decided to ask Ava instead. Like he knew something incredibly awkward was about to happen, Breken jumped in first. ¡°What can I do for you? Something bad?¡± ¡°What? No. I was just going to ask Ava some questions.¡± ¡°You are lit up like a torch to my sixth sense, whatever you are going to ask. Just run it by me first.¡± ¡°Breken! I am old enough to listen to whatever he has to say.¡± ¡°Go do sword swings. Harlan, follow me.¡± And so he went to a nearby empty guest room. ¡°Alright, shoot.¡± ¡°One of the people I was interviewing got all red and weird when I was talking to her.¡± ¡°How old was she?¡± ¡°14¡± ¡°Alright. So never talk about this to Ava. you will figure it out when you get older, no need to get into it now. All that means is that the girl must¡¯ve liked you, or thought that you liked her. Talk about it with Autumn. And when you talk with the girl, remember, you might be her boss. Don¡¯t try to force anything on her, even a question, I am sure you¡¯ll be fine though.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Good, now. Do you want to test yourself again? You have been slacking, I can tell.¡± Breken pinched his arm. Harlan couldn¡¯t even resist the attack. ¡°Ouch. fine, I will train more, and what is your sixth sense like? You said I was like a torch. That doesn¡¯t sound like sixth sense.¡± ¡°No matter how much you train, a sixth sense can only be honed when your life is on the line. Otherwise you hit a ceiling. You should get some fairly safe training at the academy if you do some soldier type classes.¡± ¡°Did you ever go to the academy for anything?¡± ¡°Yep. But I¡¯m not telling what.¡± Harlan went back to the training room. Ava was still doing her sword swings. ¡°What did you want to talk about?¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t telling. We came back for a spar and so I could tell him how to train himself more.¡± Ava walked off of the sparring ring and sat in a chair to watch them. ¡°Lugh, can you do that shapeshifting thing whenever you want?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Alright. Balor, can you direct him?¡± ¡°I will do my best, but only Lugh knows what he can do. We should¡¯ve tested this at some point.¡± ¡°Ava. hit the bell when you are ready.¡± The bell rang out as soon as Breken was done speaking. Harlan rushed in, no longer being the second person to strike. Breken was happy to see him being a bit more confident. He was less happy when instead of a light strike to parry Lugh had pulled back his tip and split it into a dozen branches, some of which wrapped around Breken¡¯s sword, he was stronger than Harlan but he was off balance by the sudden attack. Breken smirked at him, and Balor immediately tried to call back Lugh. But it was too late. Breken kicked Harlan squarely in the chest, because of the hold on Lugh he felt the full force of it. Harlan collapsed on the ground, he was absolutely sure his ribs were cracked, he was having trouble breathing. He saw Ava rush to get the Redwall family doctor. ¡°It was a good trick, but I know you are a trickster, and I am a trickster too. You would¡¯ve been better off just sending all of those spikes right at me to force a win. But I am sure you will get that kind of killer instinct some day. Oh the things you could get done with a blade like that.¡± Harlan tried to answer back but his chest was on fire and all the air was knocked out of his lungs still. He wasn¡¯t upset, he even appreciated the advice. Breken then took off his shirt and started poking around on his chest to see how bad the damage was. The doctor rushed into the room and immediately pushed Breken away. ¡°Kid only has 4 broken ribs, he is built pretty sturdy.¡± Ava swung at him, and he allowed her to strike him.
Xol looked over his crystal ball and marked down notes on the boy, he knew exactly what a Fomorian should be able to do and the boy was doing well considering his nature. What worried him were the readings from his soul, he could only write off some many oddities as flaws in his system caused by distance. Yet she wanted who she wanted, he didn¡¯t really have much place to change a deal already accepted. Chapter 46 The baron was less forgiving than Harlan. He nearly had Breken sent to jail for a month but Harlan managed to convince him to just give him a day. For Harlan it was just another learning experience. For the baron it was a major breach in safety and etiquette since technically he was still supposed to act as Harlan¡¯s ward until he left for the academy and broken bones looked bad on the records. Harlan really did learn quite a lot from it. Balor felt how healing worked, it was very deliberate compared to how he would flush poison by just flooding his body with light magic; Harlan had spent time learning how Lugh moved, he couldn¡¯t really understand it, it was shifting his soul in some way that he didn¡¯t understand as anything but instinct given to him by The Darkness. Harlan looked around the library and couldn¡¯t find anything about shapeshifting in humans, but clearly it was possible since the beast races exist. He just hoped it wasn¡¯t something locked only to gods. Then more time passed, winter came and went, spring came and went. There was a few situations where people tried to enter his home in the woods only to end up buried alive. Once in winter a group of thieves nearly froze to death since Harlan was working inside and didn¡¯t notice them until the morning. For Harlan his greatest work in progress was transformation. He couldn¡¯t do much, but he made a crow double in size after slowly making it bigger over the course of a month.. He could change something that was already there, but any attempts to add new features to an animal lead to immediate death. He was glad that one of the wards was a cleaning ward, the gore never settled into the ground and instead seemed to very slightly float above the ground. Making an easy clean up with a little bit of blood magic. He always cleaned up those kinds of messes himself since he didn¡¯t want Isha to get the wrong idea about him. Everyone settled into the slice of the forest quite well, they didn¡¯t know about the trees, instead Harlan had set up lamp posts that he pretended were the things actually acting as the defensive system burying people who weren¡¯t supposed to be there. They were really only enchanted to make lights and answer simple questions, wrong answers to these questions lead to a burial. A courier had seen them once while delivering had brought back a request for a dozen of the posts. He had actually done quite a lot of work with the couriers. He had an understudy who was a river vampire, able to turn into mist. He took well to learning how to teach a spell to a soul enchanted item. Harlan had received quite a lot of praise from the couriers for being willing to just give them the knowledge on how to do such a thing instead of hoarding the knowledge and forcing them to pay him for all of their enchanting needs. Most of it was that Harlan really didn¡¯t have that many spells he knew how to actually cast in a structured manner, leaving him unable to enchant many of the very strange and esoteric spells the couriers needed for their work. And learning them would cut into his own experiments. He couldn¡¯t understand the use of a spell to make blood glow when exposed to colored light. The 6th month of the year was starting in just one week, Amber would be back for the next 2 months, Redmond would be there for a month, and the ball was going to be just a week before his leave ended. Harlan decided to spend his time working on flashy magic to try to impress party goers. His favorite trick was to enchant his coat to let off a constant black smoke made from dark mana just with the destructive aspect removed. Balor and Isha said it was a bad idea, Lugh and Sara said it looked really cool. Harlan was working on a necklace for Ava that produced a cold fire, removing destruction from darkness was far easier than making fire cold, darkness was a more general element, it did a lot of different things. But for fire heat and light were the 2 largest factors of it. Stood behind a wall Harlan whistled, this was the signal telling the necklace to turn on. He covered himself in a silent veil and waited. After 5 minutes he finally felt the shockwave go through the ground. Another failure, the 5th try, but he was getting closer he felt. Every one of them wouldn¡¯t be able to let go of the heat, instead it just built up until it exploded. It was a neat trick, but it wasn¡¯t something he wanted his sister to wear. As he went over some notes and set off a new much larger necklace when the alarm went off, the trees had buried someone again. Harlan walked up stairs to find out what idiot it was this time. But then he heard a knock on the door. Harlan had Lugh in hand and Balor was ready to release a blast of wind to force their opponent away from the house. He opened the door and saw a man, maybe 30 years old with a strained look on his face. ¡°Can you please turn off whatever these defenses are¡­ I am from the academy¡­¡± Harlan grabbed a cable near the door that was connected to the roots underground and sent a signal to stop the attack. The man was panting but recovering quickly. ¡°What a strange system. I imagine most would be unable to hold off such a thing.¡± ¡°I would like to see some proof you are who you say before I invite you inside.¡± The man held out his hand, a scroll with the symbol of the academy. An eye with spikes coming out of it like the sun. Balor instantly reacted to the magical paper, it burst into dust. And Balor knew somehow that it was real. ¡°He is who he claims to be.¡± ¡°Please, come inside then.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Would you like some tea? Wine perhaps?¡± Harlan didn¡¯t drink but it was customary for a noble at have a few bottles lying around just in case. ¡°Just tea is fine.¡± ¡°Green or black?¡± Harlan had found out about how many different kinds of tea there were and decided to make a small garden to grow the teas and some other herbs which could be added to them at some point. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Black please.¡± Harlan whistled and a few arms came out of the countertop to grab a kettle and fill it with water then set it on a hot plate. A golem walked out of its indent in the wall and poured two cups of hot water and brought a box of tea supplies. ¡°Well, that is impressive. I take it you have spent quite a lot of time to prepare such an event for whoever comes around.¡± ¡°Nope. I just don¡¯t want to bother anyone when I want a glass of tea in the middle of the night.¡± The man clearly didn¡¯t believe him. ¡°Well, I did not come here to speak about your home. I came because you are a very unique student, and we at the grand golden academy would like to ensure you have the best possible learning experience. I am here to ask you questions about which classes would best suit you, as well as bring a message from the headmaster. Which would you like to hear first?¡± ¡°The message.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± He pulled a letter from his bag, and then he unfolded it and it spoke in a voice unlike his own. Harlan was very impressed at what others could do using souls, he would¡¯ve never thought it possible to put something like sound magic spells into paper, more advanced spells normally caused the bursting of weak materials. ¡°I am Headmaster Hirum Selvis. I have looked over your file and I believe you have committed a grave sin against my principles. You have talent which you are squandering by impulsive choices. I don¡¯t want to force you down any path but your own. I simply wish that you would think through these choices and focus yourself onto what you wish to do, you may switch classes until your 3rd year at which point the work which would be required to catch up to students who have already been in those classes for the last 2 years is simply so insurmountable that you would never catch up before the next set of classes started. Think on my words, what do you want to be in this world? A builder? I have seen your works and they need refinement but at a good base. A destroyer? You could form an army of those same golems, or the undead. A farmer? You taught yourself how to grow plants on your own, a greater feat than you know. And even, dare I say it. An adventurer. I see you qualified but yet did only a single quest. You impulsively joined them and did nothing with it, once again I must stress that you have talent but you need to focus on what you wish your path to be.¡± Power in the scroll finally faded and it returned to a simple piece of paper. The messenger then burned it to dust with a confined fire, sealed the dust into a bottle and placed it back into his spatial bag. ¡°That seemed¡­ Overly dramatic.¡± ¡°Basic anti-divination procedure. There has never been a case of a headmasters mana trace being used for ill, but we do not take such chances. Magic is always changing after all. Do you have any other questions.¡± with perfect timing a rumble came from the floor below them. ¡°How do you stop a cold fire from building up heat? I am making a necklace for my sister. That rumble was a failed experiment.¡± ¡°How long have you been trying? and what have you been doing?¡± ¡°Well, I started the tests about 3 hours ago. And I made a small structured spell to remove the heat from the fire.¡± ¡°Please, cast the spell.¡± Harlan did as asked, shifting the mana, making some of the particles of mana change size and shape to fit the runes Harlan formed in his mind and projected into the air. ¡°I see the problem. You don¡¯t understand how magic really works, do you? You cannot just remove heat. You need a spell of fire to make your desired visual effect, then a bit of water to cool the stored heat and prevent an explosion. Magic is 2 sides of a coin, if you wish to offset an aspect of magic you need to take the opposite aspect from another form of mana. You can make hard air, and you can make soft stone, you can also make hard light and dark, taking physicality from earth magic. Though those are fairly advanced, light and dark are fickle and dislike mixing with other mana.¡± ¡°Oh, oh¡­ OOOH. That changes a lot.¡± ¡°I am shocked this was not explained to you already. Though I suppose in your golden cage they had you working on many more esoteric arts and skimped on details as they tossed you back to the world.¡± Balor fed a statement to Harlan, for all they knew this was some kind of test of loyalty or bitterness towards the crown. ¡°I learned quite a lot during my time working alongside the crown, it only seems sensible that I have missed out on smaller details.¡± ¡°Hmm. Right. Well then let¡¯s get to class selection. Here is a list of classes, and electives for the first year.¡± ¡°What is an elective?¡± ¡°Smaller subjects that do not have enough to fill out a full curriculum. These take place during what we would call your free periods, the time which you would be free to spend however you please.¡± Harlan looked over the stack of papers in front of him, chatting with his brothers and with the messenger when needed. ¡°Fae law?¡± ¡°Helping to understand all known rules and regulations from fae. They are strange and seemingly mad, but their rules and laws are consistent. The kingdom has dozens of Fae lawyers to trade with them for things, either seemingly impossible items or to simply get them to leave an area free from their influence.¡± ¡°What about healing? You could use such magic considering how often you have been harmed. You are sturdy but anything that can really hurt you can leave you in such a state that even if you win you may die. You don¡¯t want to just spend your live building and killing¡­ Do you?¡± ¡°I am undecided. But it would be nice to not have to rely on other healers.¡± His time in the woods hadn¡¯t made his feelings towards people any better, other than visiting the farm and the mansion Harlan hadn¡¯t left his home at all. Under his long sleeve coat his body was a patchwork of scars from his failures, he knew enough healing to stop them from harming him, but scars were beyond him. ¡°How many classes can I pick?¡± ¡°There are ten slots for classes, each 30 minutes each, starting from 8:45 after breakfast there will be 4. After lunch which starts at 11:45 and ends at 12:15 there are six more slots. Most students take six classes, giving them two hours of free periods spread throughout the day. You could reasonably take ten classes then do some during the day and some during the night classes which we have for our¡­ nocturnal students.¡± ¡°Vampires?¡± ¡°Officially the academy does not allow any undead, or false undead students due to the risk which is involved with them.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Harlan sat and looked at the classes for another hour, asking questions here and there. ¡°Alright. I want advanced elements, healing, warmagic, and spell crafting. For electives I want magical creatures, divinations, telekinesis, flight, and soul magic.¡± ¡°Are you quite sure you wish to take five? You won¡¯t have much time for socializing if you take up too much of it working. Just being alive is not living, that is a principle mages should remember. You will also have your mandatory classes throughout the four years you are expected to be there.¡± ¡°Yes, I am absolutely sure. The divinations and soul magic are night classes, the others are things I think I am going to need for what I want to do. I think I will have time to socialize just fine.¡± ¡°Very well. I will mark your papers and bring them back with me. But before I leave there is one more thing I need to tell you. You must watch out for Reinoian students. Your works are known, and you have many enemies from Reino. The chances of them being able to actually harm you in the school is nearly 0, but it is not 0. Do not rise up to pointless challenges. Find a teacher or a guard if you have an issue with another student.¡± ¡°Sure. I will do that.¡± No one was fooled by his words. But no one felt like arguing. Harlan spent the next 4 days working on various little pieces of elemental jewelry. He was especially proud of a bracelet that had lightning surge between the links, every other advanced elemental piece was too unstable to wear safely. And even with his own mimic trees it was starting to burn a hole in his wallet. The simple metal pieces he was working with were worth less than the cost of gems and sedatives for the trees. Chapter 47 Harlan came out of his lab holding his final pieces of jewelry. A set of hair clips and necklaces that were able to produce a small cold flame. A set of bracelets that had electricity traveling between links. They were simple looking outside of their effects and a single inlaid golden line. He then headed over to his parents farm to ride along with them to Redwall mansion. Amber would be heading there now for a family get together that Autumn had planned. For the entire trip Harlan was restless, Balor and Lugh were just excited to meet their middle sister. ¡°Honey, you can stop shaking your leg, it won¡¯t make this any faster.¡± Aida lightly scolded. ¡°I could probably get there faster on my own.¡± ¡°And it wouldn¡¯t change anything. Amber isn¡¯t supposed to arrive until late afternoon.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ fine¡­¡± Harlan started his test, trying to find any connection between his soul and the others around him. He poked and prodded his own soul and tried to reach out to others farther away from him, but he couldn¡¯t get this feeling to get past his skin, like it was blocking it. After 30 minutes he quit and opened his box and showed his parents the jewelry. Aida decided to take a single hairclip and placed it where she bound her hair into a ponytail. Harlow decided against taking one of the bracelets. He wasn¡¯t used to wearing anything like that, he didn¡¯t even like others calling him Fomoria since he couldn¡¯t see himself as a noble even by extension. ¡°I like the lights.¡± Lugh said. ¡°I am sure Harlan worked hard to make these.¡± ¡°Harlan, I want one.¡± He was a bit confused, but Lugh was still pretty childish and was excited by flashy things. ¡°Alright.¡± Harlan handed a hair clip to Lugh who shifted his blade to wrap it around the clip like a steel hand. ¡°I like these things¡­¡± Lugh didn¡¯t say anything for the rest of the trip. Though he didn¡¯t have eyes, Harlan was pretty sure all of his focus was on the fire. Finally they arrived at the mansion. There wasn¡¯t much for Harlan to do, he was a noble and not expected to help set up anything. So he sat and talked with Balor about their tests. ¡°Why do you think I can¡¯t touch those connections?¡± ¡°Why are you so sure they exist?¡± ¡°A friend of mine, I hope you meet her someday. Her name is Esparella, but we called her Relly. She could talk right through the mind of someone even if they weren¡¯t touching.¡± ¡°But you have talked with her and even studied her abilities yourself. If it was some kind of larger connection surely you would¡¯ve found it already. We still don¡¯t know how Fae magic works, maybe it is a truly unique ability.¡± ¡°I will ask The Darkness about it.¡± ¡°So you will finally forgive her for the incident in the woods.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t answer directly at first, but a feeling of annoyance came over their link stronger than any words he could string together. ¡°Yeah. I guess I will. I need whatever answers or hints she can give me, and things didn¡¯t go completely horrible. But I am going to ask that she tell me before doing anything like that again.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t get anything done here anyway. Why don¡¯t you find Ava? Catch up a little more before Amber gets here.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess so. I want to test something with her anyway.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t say that to her.¡± Harlan found her eventually, he didn¡¯t expect that she would be anywhere but the training room. Instead she was next to Breken in the garden, Harlan had only walked here a few times, he wondered who it was for since it was immaculately kept but he only ever saw Autumn come here. ¡°What are you doing out here by the flowers?¡± ¡°Breken told me that I should take a break from fighting for a little bit.¡± ¡°Yep. If she had her way she would never leave the training room, but that isn¡¯t a life. Take it from me.¡± A strange silence came over the group, Breken was so often aloof and the advice he gave had that tone to it, but they could hear some genuine remorse in his voice this time. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t look at me like that. Take the lesson.¡± ¡°Right. Take time to smell the roses.¡± Harlan felt a little awkward since he wanted to ask Ava to help him with a test originally. So instead he walked through the garden and Lugh named all the different flowers. Even Balor was a little surprised since he had rarely seen Lugh read anything before, he wasn¡¯t sure how he knew it all. But more shocking was that Breken knew some local folklore about many of the flowers. They walked around the garden twice before Lugh ran out of steam talking about flowers and other plants he saw. Then Breken spoke. ¡°Things are going to get bad. We are going to push into the theocracy. We as in the kingdom, you guys will all be safe. But this will end poorly, or very poorly.¡± Ava thought for a moment. ¡°Which is poorly. Which is very poorly?¡± ¡°If things go poorly, we get pushed back and the battlelines stay at the true border for the theocracy. If things go very poorly, then we will push past the border. And a lot of people die on both sides.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very patriotic¡­ They are the ones that started it anyway. Why shouldn¡¯t we just get rid of them?¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Because we aren¡¯t¡­. we shouldn¡¯t be monsters. Harlan, I¡­ I want to have a better conversation later. Maybe before you leave for the academy. Ava, I forbid you from training your swordsmanship for the duration of your sisters stay here. Learn some magic from her maybe. I am a man with a lot of tricks, but magic can give you even more than I could ever have if you use it right. Harlan, do whatever you came here for originally. I am going to be gone for a little while.¡± ¡°That is bullshit! I don¡¯t need that stuff, I just need to train like yo-¡± ¡°No. no you don¡¯t. I am not arguing with you. I have been lenient, but when I come back, you are going to choose to either actually learn everything, and it will be harsher than anything else I have taught you. or you can just live a normal life, using what you already have to keep yourself and others safe. Sorry to dump this on you two on a happy day, but I must be going. Hopefully I will be back.¡± Breken walked away from the pair and towards the side of the house with the stable. ¡°The hell was that about? FINE I¡¯LL LEARN SOME NEW TRICKS.¡± A few guards on patrol came along to see what the yelling was, only to find Ava fuming mad and Harlan and Lugh trying to calm her down. ¡°Sister Ava¡­ please don¡¯t yell anymore¡­¡± She took a deep breath to calm herself just like Breken taught her, but since he taught her she ended up even madder. ¡°Harlan, what were you going to do? I need a distraction.¡± Her only other way to relieve stress for a long time was to start swinging a sword, but now she was banned. She thought about doing it anyway but the idea that Breken had been lenient before sent a shiver up her spine and stopped that thought. ¡°Well, I wanted to try and feel you. I can¡¯t get the feeling past my skin, so just sit still and meditate next to me.¡± ¡°Work on your wording, if you said that to anyone at the academy you would be beaten or they would rush off beet red.¡± ¡°Noted. We can do it out here if you want. I don¡¯t think it really matters.¡± ¡°Mom wouldn¡¯t want me to sit down on the stone and get my clothes dirty. Training room is a better spot. Nice and quiet.¡± Harlan took off his jacket and overshirt, Ava did the same. They sat back to back with Balor telling them to scoot closer to one another until they were just barely apart. Then they breathed deep and entered a meditative state, Harlan had noticed that his soul felt less constrained whenever he did this, then he began his soul searching spell, trying to find out if he could feel anything between them, or if both of their souls were sealed completely in their bodies without any leaks, however small. After 10 minutes Harlan was getting annoyed. He KNEW he just KNEW that he had the right idea, but he couldn¡¯t feel anything at all, just below the skin he felt his soul, but it just couldn¡¯t get out. Then it struck him. He pulled his shirt off entirely, Telling Ava not to get up. ¡°Make sure I don¡¯t cut too deep, I just want to get past the skin.¡± ¡°If you say so¡­¡± And after just 5 minutes Harlan could feel it, his blood that now flowed down his back and onto the floor carried a very faint trace of his own soul that faded into energy and flowed back towards him, but he pushed it away, sending thoughts with it. ¡°Can y¨C ¨Cer m-?¡± Ava shot up from her spot on the floor. ¡°Never do that again. That was just weird. It didn¡¯t feel like you were talking at all. It was like there was someone else.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I will have to run tests on this. Thank you for helping.¡± ¡°Harlan, I am serious. Don¡¯t do that with anyone without telling them exactly what you are doing and that it is going to be weird.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah yeah, I got it.¡± Harlan used a little bit of blood magic to clean off the drying flake of blood and put them in a vial he kept on him just in case. Then he knitted the shallow cut shut, after really feeling exactly what a doctor¡¯s healing should feel like he could do these small things without causing any harm to himself. He really wanted to get a bunch of rabbits for testing again. It would make the trial and error of healing magic far easier. ¡°I¡¯m going to see the doctor, do you want to come with?¡± She poked at his back. ¡°Are you ok? I mean really? That is¡­ that is a lot of scars.¡± ¡°Yep, I feel great. Just never seen a reason to go into the village and get them healed up.¡± ¡°Are you going to ask the doctor to fix them?¡± ¡°No, how many people are even going to see these anyway? Just a waste of time for both of us.¡± ¡°Sorry, back on topic, I don¡¯t want to see the doctor. Can I take Lugh to look at animals in the woods? I don¡¯t like being all pent up, I need to move before we do all this sitting around with Amber.¡± ¡°Of course, Lugh, do you want to go?¡± ¡°I like sister Ava.¡± Harlan waved them off and put his clothes back on, then it was a short walk to the doctor, a polite knock on the door and he was called in. The man was not happy to see him. ¡°What have you done now?¡± Harlan feigned ignorance. ¡°Whatever do you mean? I have always been a perfect patient!¡± ¡°Because most of the time you are comatose.¡± ¡°I want to know about blood.¡± The doctor put up a privacy shield the moment he heard him. ¡°Pick your words very carefully.¡± Harlan opened his mouth and closed it, actually thinking about how to avoid sounding like he was about to do something horrible. ¡°I need to know about preservation and transfer of blood. I also want to know if you know anything about the connection between souls and blood. I have noticed that the soul slightly leaks with blood and then returns to the body, but I sent that energy away and implanted thoughts in it, with mild success.¡± ¡°Well, that is not as bad as I thought. Preservation of blood is normally done by having a mage who can turn the blood into crystals that any other skilled doctor can turn back into regular easy to use blood. Though unless your patient doesn¡¯t have the nutrients in their body to sustain themselves through the healing magic then it just isn¡¯t worth doing. You will find blood crystals mostly used by battlefield medic, healing limbs takes a lot out of a person, more so if you are also having to worry about them bleeding out. I have a box of such crystals here for emergencies. For your other question, I am not a soul doctor but It makes sense for it to carry some of the soul since its energy permeates the body to an extent. But I have no real experience with it.¡± ¡°Well, that is quite interesting information. Can I turn this into a crystal?¡± He pulled out the flask of blood, but it was already quite dried out. ¡°No. You need wet, undiluted blood for a good crystal.¡± Let me show you. The doctor dropped the privacy spell and went to a cabinet, pulling out a box a foot long, half that in depth, and three fourths that in width. He grabbed a crystal, no bigger than his eye and tossed it to Harlan before placing the box back in its place. Harlan didn¡¯t speak, instead he looked at it from every angle, then he tried to use some earth magic to map out its structure but he was getting weird feedback from the spell. ¡°Try with water. This is blood and not a naturally formed crystal.¡± ¡°Right, thanks.¡± It was normally structured, at least Harlan thought it was, he wasn¡¯t really an expert on the subject. He didn¡¯t really learn anything from his spell. Then he tried soul searching it, he was blown away by how much of the energy remained stuck inside of the crystal. He was absolutely sure that he could send messages in such a format if the other person knew what it was. He kept poking and prodding at the energy inside the blood crystal until he was interrupted by the door to the office being swung open. ¡°Doc¡­ Help¡­¡± The guard was scratching all around his body, he had already stripped his armor off and his skin was red where he was itching. The doctor cast a spell to deaden the man¡¯s sense of feeling and led him over to a bed. Harlan wanted to test something, he poked at the energy inside the crystal. The man immediately started to scratch himself again. Harlan stopped and the man seemed normal again. Then he put up a privacy veil and explained what he thought was happening. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone. I will say that the man had some kind of odd reaction and I fixed it. I took an oath to help people in pain and that thing is a torture device. Do not do this ever again, or I will report it to the crown.¡± ¡°I am very sorry. I had no idea this would happen.¡± ¡°Yeah. I know. Listen, you are getting into some dark stuff here. Just think a little about the implications of what you are doing before you do something like this again.¡± ¡°Thank you. I will keep that in mind.¡± ¡°And don¡¯t kill yourself doing this stuff. I always heard that teleportation magic was quite literally built on a giant pile of bodies. Don¡¯t be in the pile of blood mages who made a mistake.¡± Harlan bowed to the man and walked back to the foyer to wait for Amber. After another 30 minutes he heard a distant clopping sound, he saw the crest as it got closer. It was the academy sun eye, Amber was finally back. Harlan could barely keep himself still, he ran over and found his family, even the extended ones, and rushed back to the foyer. He checked himself for blood or dust and asked a maid if he was presentable, she confirmed he had nothing wrong with his clothes. Then finally he stood straight as an arrow with the rest of his family, he was in Front of Harlow, Ava was in front of Aida, with Jaramis holding Jarrik, and Autumn Holding Alana. What Harlan didn¡¯t expect was 4 people to step out from the carriage. Chapter 48 Homecoming Out of the carriage 4 people stepped. First was Amber, as expected. Second was Zella, though it was a surprise for Harlan, it was not for the rest of the family, she had no family of her own anymore so she was almost like another daughter to them. Then was Redmond, which only Redwall expected. And finally was Ibery. Who was expected by no one but Dahlia, who was standing on the wall above the door with a powerful gravity spell holding her in place, and a powerful cloaking spell keeping her from being seen. Amber and Zella were wearing the gold robes signifying that they were students from the kingdom, while Ibery was wearing only a black half cape that didn¡¯t get in the way of her wings. Redmond was of course in his rangers armor, hardened mammoth leather reinforced with enchantments and soulsmithing on top of magical metal plates. It was even a fresh set that hadn¡¯t even been soaked in blood once. Harlan rushed forward and lifted Amber in a bear hug. Which was more than a little awkward for her since she was considerably taller than he was. Over the winter and spring Harlan turned 14 and now stood at a respectable 5¡¯5, slightly above average for a noble and a few inches taller than expected for someone who grew up mostly on a farm. Amber on the other hand was as tall as her father at 5¡¯10 ¡°Alright alright, put me down now.¡± Harlan swung her around one more time before he did the same to Zella who turned beet red and forced herself free using her hair. ¡°Hey, kid. No love for your uncle?¡± Harlan saw that he was joking but tried to lift him anyway. Only to be completely unable to budge Redmond. ¡°You got fat?¡± that earned him a flick on the forehead. ¡°No, I just know a few tricks. Let¡¯s get inside and talk about it.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t know who the Tytoan was, so he bowed at a slight incline and introduced himself. ¡°Welcome. I am Harlan Fomoria. Might I know your name?¡± She used her wing to ruffle his hair. ¡°No need for such formality. I am just a friend of Amber¡¯s. You can call me Ibery. Now listen to your uncle, it has been a long ride here.¡± Everyone had a small meet and greet outside for Ibery, but she just asked again to head inside. She wasn¡¯t handling the summer heat as well as the humans were but trying to politely avoid saying that directly, she was a winter owl and her summer coat wasn¡¯t in yet. There was a small conversation between Jaramis, the guards, and Amber, but they let Ibery inside after she showed them some badge she had in her bag. As they walked inside Dahlia slipped a letter into Harlan¡¯s pocket, the front saying not to read it in the sight of others. ¡°Oh, I forgot something, I will meet up with the rest of you in the dining hall.¡± ¡°Of course. We will see you there.¡± Autumn answered. Harlan slipped into a small closet and opened the letter. ¡°The bird is a spy. Burn this letter.¡± And then had a few pages worth of information tightly packed into the rest of the letter, both sides had been written on. Harlan could only sigh. ¡°What do we do with her?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I think it best to simply observe her and watch what she does. If she asks too many suspicious questions we can tell Redwall and have her questioned. If Dahlia hasn¡¯t already set aside a space in a cell for her.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ That probably would be best. I am going to ignore that though.¡± ¡°As you wish. I am doubtful that she could truly threaten you from what I am reading in this letter. Seems she is a tracker, not much of a fighter.¡± Harlan walked out of the closet, spooking a nearby guard. Then made his way to the dining room after picking up the box of enchanted jewelry from his personal carriage.. Everyone was sitting at the table, though the food wasn¡¯t out yet. ¡°Sorry for the delay. I wanted to show something off after the meal was done and I forgot it in my carriage.¡± ¡°You mean the -¡± Lugh was cut off by Balor. ¡°It is a surprise.¡± ¡°Right, yeah.¡± ¡°Nothing at all.¡± Harlow let out a small laugh, he still thought that Balor and Lugh were odd. But Lugh was too childlike to set off any red flags for him. ¡°Who said that?¡± Amber looked around for anyone by Harlan. ¡°I forgot to introduce you guys to my brothers. This is Balor, the middle brother. And this is Lugh, the youngest.¡± Amber and Zella couldn¡¯t tell if it was a joke or not and just seemed confused. Balor checked the reaction from Ibery, she didn¡¯t seem phased, she already knew about them. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Well, hello?¡± Zella awkwardly said. ¡°Hello brothers friend! He told me about you!¡± ¡°Only good things I hope.¡± ¡°Yes! Only good things!¡± There were laughs around the table. ¡°So, Harlan. I wanted to thank you for what you¡¯ve made. This armor has saved me more times than I can count. And I am sorry for not being able to help you. You know, when you got taken.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I mind that much anymore. I¡¯ve gotten a lot out of what they taught me, I have my own place, I have money, I don¡¯t think I want to know what would¡¯ve happened if the confederacy had learned about me before the kingdom did.¡± It was mostly lies. Harlan was far from ok with what happened, the longer he thought about it, the more he realized that they would¡¯ve broken him if he stepped too far out of line, but instead they went with the route of fake kindness. But he did enjoy the things he earned from his time. Balor tried to soothe his mind to avoid any poisonous thoughts from causing an incident at the lunch table. ¡°Well, I guess if you are fine with it. Then it is fine.¡± ¡°What was it like there? Zella told me, even showed some stuff. But I still find it a little hard to believe. It sounds like it wasn¡¯t actually that different from the academy. But ya know. Forced.¡± Amber said. ¡°I might be a little skewed since I spent so much time outside of the facility itself. But it wasn¡¯t really that bad. Though the princes I met were all-¡± Harlan stopped, realized the company he was in, and readjusted himself. ¡°Different from the princess I know. 7th Princess Rosewell was nice to me, she gave me a lot of time to do more than just magic. 9th Princess Cynthia was like a big sister. I hope I can meet her again some day.¡± Everyone thought it was a little awkward how he spoke about them, other than Zella who already knew about it, though she never actually met Cynthia. ¡°I wish I met her¡­. Have you heard anything about Relly? I haven¡¯t been able to get anything from anyone no matter how many letters I send.¡± ¡°I will send a letter tonight, but I haven¡¯t heard anything. I should send something to 9th Princess Cynthia also. I have other things I want to show everyone, but I might not get all of it done on time.¡± Zella sighed, she had sent a letter a week ever since she went to the academy. But she only ever got a letter back saying that they had no idea who she was asking for. The rest of the meal was lighthearted, mostly just catching everyone else up to speed about what they were doing, Redmond mentioned he got a puppy from some people in the frontier but he left it at a nearby base to get proper military dog training, Amber was ecstatic to tell everyone that she was excelling at war magic so much that she had already completed her classes early and was was being given advanced training. She was also taking a side class on soulsmithing, the name the kingdom had officially set for soul enchanting. She mentioned that she wanted Harlan to teach her while she was there. Harlan thought it was great that she wanted some help from him, he was also a little annoyed that they didn¡¯t even tell him about the official name and he was apparently using the wrong name the entire time. As lunch came to an end Harlan decided to ask Ibery if he could have a private chat. She seemed frazzled by the question, but said yes. Harlan took her to the guest room that was still technically his but he hadn¡¯t used since he had his place built. ¡°So. Ibery Blacktalon, you are a spy, and that is fine, as long as you are actually friends with Amber. But if you aren¡¯t, well¡­ you know how this will go.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t know that she could sweat, he thought it must¡¯ve been part of her species past as humans that carried over. But to his surprise she broke out in a cold sweat instantly as he was done talking. She knew full well that she wasn¡¯t the best combatant and that an enclosed space was the worst space to be in for a bird. ¡°I-I have no idea what you mean! I am just a normal student.¡± Harlan drew Lugh and set him on fire, she tried to run for the door but Harlan had sealed it with some of his wood shaping magic when he closed the door. ¡°So you aren¡¯t really her friend? You didn¡¯t really answer the question.¡± He slowly walked towards her, both he and Lugh were upset, and their link started to mix a little bit of their souls in with the spell, the flames taking on black and white streaks. ¡°YES, YES WE ARE FRIENDS, I DIDN¡¯T WANT TO DO ANYTHING. I WAS TOLD TOO!¡± She said as she banged on the door, but Harlan had already left behind a veil of silence. Harlan stopped moving towards her. ¡°Do you think she is telling the truth?¡± ¡°Most likely, in the letter Dahlia gave us she said that Ibery met Amber before you were even released from the facility. The chances of her being a spy all that time are unlikely. Though not zero. We should watch her more.¡± ¡°Yeah, I agree.¡± ¡°Ok, I believe you. We can talk like normal people now.¡± She was still camped by the door, breathing heavily, he could actually hear her heartbeat, he thought that was odd but his senses seemed to be sharper as he grew older so he thought it was probably nothing. ¡°Who are your people in a pact with? I am with my mother in the darkness, but we haven¡¯t talked in a little while. Are your people also the kind that don¡¯t like her? I think that the Ibexians are too hard on her.¡± She now looked confused, but slightly disarmed by his sudden shift in mood. ¡°I¡­ We, follow Caill. The veiled god of wind and storms, Opposite of Anu. And yes, we don¡¯t care for the dark mother. She is behind the birth of¡­¡± She felt she had backed herself in a corner, she still thought Harlan could try to kill her, but she had already insulted his goddess, she didn¡¯t want to insult his race as well. ¡°The Fomorians, I know. It is totally fine to talk about it. I don¡¯t mind. And why are you spying on me? Just for my magic, or is there something else at play?¡± She seemed to finally be fully calmed. ¡°The matriarch of our clan is sick, she was hurt fighting yo- Fomorians. They hurt her soul, doctors haven¡¯t been able to help her. So they wanted me to find out what you can do, and see about you helping her.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ alright, send them a letter, I am ok with working with them. But knock it off with the cloak and dagger stuff. I don¡¯t care for all that. Honesty will get honesty. Sneaking around will have you dragged into the ground.¡° Ibery had never heard his turn of phrase but ignored it. They spent a few minutes speaking with each other, he told her about how Balor had healed him once in the past, and he was most likely the one who could heal their leader. Then there was a knock at the door. ¡°Hey, are you guys done, we are going to have tea and catch up some more.¡± Amber tried to open the door, but it was still completely fused with the door frame. Harlan walked past Ibery, purposely faking a defenseless stance with his back to her. She didn¡¯t stab him in the back, saving her own life. Then Harlan unsealed the door. ¡°Yes. I would love some tea. Are you going to come as well Ibery?¡± ¡°Oh, uh. Yes, that does sound nice, Sir Fomoria.¡± Harlan gave her a stink eye for seeming so suspicious. ¡°You aren¡¯t hitting on my friend are you? I didn¡¯t expect you to be one of those people who liked beastkin¡­ But I guess that would make some sense¡­¡± She could only hold a stone face for a few seconds before she loudly laughed. ¡°Yes, I have decided to marry her.¡± Harlan was much better at keeping a stone face for a joke. He walked past Amber and headed to the tea room without cracking in the slightest. ¡°Your joking right?¡± ¡°I think she is a smart and beautiful woman, I see no reason to ignore love at first sight.¡± Amber and Ibery stared at each other in confusion, both beet red, though you couldn¡¯t tell under Ibery¡¯s feathers. Chapter 49 After Harlan was out of sight he rushed to the tea room and he could let the others in on his joke and ask them to play along. As Ibery burst in blabbering along with Amber, Harlow was shaking Harlan¡¯s hand and congratulating him on the marriage and asking about if he was going to be married before or after he was done with the academy. Everyone else was sipping on their tea, they didn¡¯t want to get involved. Ibery was flustered twice over and actually let out an embarrassed cawing noise which only made her more embarrassed. Finally Harlan broke his facade and told Amber that he was just joking. ¡°I am glad that dad was willing to help with the joke, it really sold it in the end.¡± Amber was upset with Harlan, she didn¡¯t find it nearly as funny as he did. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. This was just payback since she was sent here as a spy.¡± Jaramis grabbed the hilt of his sword ready for anything, everyone else was just confused, wondering if it was a second joke. Balor was screaming inside that Harlan had just outright said it. ¡°Harlan, that is enough. I don¡¯t know when you got such a mean sense of humor but that is nothing to joke about.¡± ¡°Of course, that is why I am not joking. But it is fine, we talked it out and I think she really is a friend who was just forced into being a spy.¡± Ibery tried to make herself small, but failed since she was the tallest person in the room and had a bright white face. Jarmis stood and drew his sword, Autumn forced him to sit and put it away. ¡°She is not welcome after tonight.¡± ¡°That is fine, I was going to ask if anyone wanted to stay at my place. I wouldn¡¯t want you to have to host any foreign diplomats anyway.¡± Harlan cleared the air, telling them about him possibly having to heal the matriarch of the Blacktalons, and Dahlia being the one to slip him the information about Ibery. He made it clear that she was forced into the situation and was regretful. Jaramis sighed and had a guard send this information to his father. ¡°Please¡­ do not cause any issues between our nations with any more jokes. If you are involved in this and it fails, and for any reason they believe you to have wronged them, it could set back relations between us by years. You are a noble, you do represent the kingdom whether you want to or not. There is only so much leeway you have because you are still a child. And you, Tytoan, I do hope that you understand that Harlan is¡­ odd, and that you keep this in mind as you report to your superiors.¡± Ibery stopped covering her face with her wings and spoke. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I just wanted to help¡­ she is my aunt on my mothers side.¡± ¡°So, I have these pieces of jewelry that I made. I think they are pretty neat, do any of you want them?¡± Harlan decided to change the subject, hoping in part to distract them with the flashy flames and sparking energy. Amber decided to take a necklace, Autumn took one too, she could set her hair on fire already so the hair clips weren¡¯t really that big of a deal for her, Ava took a bracelet for each hand, Zella took a dozen hair clips and a necklace. Ibery looked at them from a distance with her head cocked to the side, but didn¡¯t get any closer. ¡°Do you want any Ibery? I am not going to charge you for them or anything. And I am sorry that I revealed that you are a spy.¡± Harlan could still hear Balor using colorful language to describe how completely idiotic he was for telling everyone. She came over and grabbed a single hair clip using telekinesis, clipping it to feathers on her forehead. Harlan felt that he had removed the tension from most of the room, minus Jaramis and Redmond. ¡°So, Redmond. How come you came with them? The academy is past the southern border, you would¡¯ve had to take an odd route to avoid coming here first. And you are here early.¡± ¡°I was sent through a gate by command, they told me to ride home with Amber. I was hoping it was just a reward for having done my job so well. But I guess I was supposed to watch out for our feathered friend here. Also, I have the entire month off.¡± ¡°Well, that was nice of them. What kind of dog do you have?¡± ¡°Wolfhound, like what the night watchers use. He has a little beard on him kinda like a goat. The girl who gave him to me said his name is Cu. They said it was a hero¡¯s name, but they couldn¡¯t tell me the story. Odd people, but nice.¡± ¡°Did you ever meet a boy named Ky?¡± Harlan was starting to realize that he needed to send a lot of letters to people, and he was glad that he was friendly with the couriers. ¡°Not since I dropped him off on the way back out. He got sent to the far frontier, the unsettled stuff that we are just scouting out, but I last heard he was more on the east and I am on the west right now. I heard he was doing well though. Half the stories I hear make him sound like the things out there should be more scared of him then he of them. You are friends with him, right? Zella told me a bit about him.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know him. There are too many people I want to meet, and so little time. I need to make some trips after I finish with the academy. I wonder if I can even send him any letters.¡± ¡°You can. I sent stuff to him and Reet. but it can take months to get replies back since he hardly spends any time in civilization. Or anything close to it. Reet is just hard to reach, and I don¡¯t think he likes letters.¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Really? Then both of them are doing well?¡± ¡°Yep. Reet is a blacksmiths apprentice now, he can make his fire go right onto his hands now and he can handle red hot blades without gloves, he likes the work.¡± After some more talking, they split into groups. Harlan wanted to spar with Redmond, Harlow went along to watch. Jaramis wanted to talk with Ibery about what she had done. The sisters and Aida went to talk about whatever girls talk about, Zella asked if there was a place to take a nap, the day taken a lot out of her. The fighting between Redmond and Harlan went as one might expect a fight between a child stronger than an adult and with a few tricks vs a man who had been a soldier longer than his opponent was alive. Harlan never landed a good hit, but fighting someone who didn¡¯t instantly end a real fight was worth all the time he spent landing on the ground. ¡°You aren¡¯t as strong as I expected. I fought some Fomorians out there, and they are really, really, strong. You are maybe half as strong as one of them your size.¡± ¡°I will have to ask the mother in the darkness about that. Maybe she knows why.¡± Redmond froze for a second, he had heard the name, but until now he just thought it was tribal mysticism. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t tell people about that.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. I don¡¯t tell anyone who doesn¡¯t already know about that stuff in some way. But I can trust you and dad so it¡¯s fine.¡± Redmond laid down on the floor next to Harlan, Harlow joining them. ¡°So, talking with a god. That just something you do now?¡± Redmond asked. ¡°Yeah, for about half a year now.. But I stopped speaking with her a while ago, she did something that I didn¡¯t like. But there are questions I need to ask her, so I am going to start again.¡± ¡°Can you tell her that I would like a better harvest?¡± Harlow joked. ¡°Nah, you would need to ask Anu about that kinda thing. But I can¡¯t talk with her. Ibexian priests can though. At least that is what Kass said. I might be able to ask her if she can steer wargs away from the farm, but she probably wouldn¡¯t. She says that pain is a trial, growth comes from challenges. Stuff like that.¡± Harlow was a little taken aback by how Harlan spoke of the gods, the only heard about the gods of the theocracy, and they were not the type that you could speak about so lightly. ¡°Harlan. I want to know, what do you think about the Fomorians? I mean really. They are your people, even though you never knew them, out there in some tribe might be your parents.¡± Redmond was still a little put off by Fomorians, he had been fighting undead, and even the children needed to be put down after the fighting was done. He wondered if he had even killed Harlan¡¯s family and never known it, it was all weighing on him. ¡°Maybe¡­ But I don¡¯t think so. I am sure my mother is dead, I don¡¯t sleep much, but the dreams, I think they are more like memories. I see a woman chased by shades sometimes. She places me on the ground and then leads them away. But I can never see her face.¡± Harlow and Redmond shared a look. Then Redmond spoke ¡°Did your mom ever tell you about our parents?¡± ¡°Nope. I never really thought about it.¡± ¡°Our mother died in childbirth. Our father was a farmer, but he was mean and bitter. Always blamed me for her death. I left to be a soldier because of that. I only heard of his death when Aida sent me a letter, same letter that said she was marrying some farmer¡¯s son. I don¡¯t think you should worry about who gave birth to you, you have a mother now, and she is a good woman. The past is already set in stone, try not to linger too much on it. That just leads to more pain for the future.¡± ¡°Yeah. Maybe.¡± They laid there in silence until a guard came to get him. Redwall wanted to talk. He walked to his office, a guard knocked on the door for him. Redwall called him in. Jaramis was sitting on a chair across from Ibery, Redwall was at his desk, Harlan sat next to Jaramis. ¡°I would like you to explain exactly what the letter you received from this Dahlia person said. You know who she is, yes? Because I have no idea, and the idea that someone is around my property without my knowing is troubling.¡± ¡°She is a royal spy, sent here by 7th Princess Rosewell to keep me safe. The letter said exactly this. The bird is a spy, burn this letter. Then it had a bunch of information about Ibery, mostly it was a guide on how to kill her if I needed too. Though it did say that she wasn¡¯t much of a threat and had no known connections with any other spying.¡± Ibery was on edge, clearly Jaramis had questioned her harshly. She started to shake when she heard what the letter had in it. When she was recruited to spy on Harlan her people had assured her that she would be in no danger and that there was no way the kingdom could know about it. Redwall thought for a time about how to respond to this information, and the fact that the royals sent a spy who had probably been living either on or near his home for months, yet didn¡¯t feel the need to tell him anything about letting a foreign spy into his home with his grandchildren. He was having many thoughts that would have him put on trial as a traitor if he said them outloud. ¡°Are you absolutely certain that you want her under your roof? I could have her thrown into a guest room here under guard.¡± ¡°Yes, I do not believe she is a trained spy, I think she is just in over her head and was asked to do some work that she didn¡¯t want to by people who she couldn¡¯t refuse.¡± Redwall and Harlan shared a knowing look, both of them had grevenices about the kingdom that were best left in their minds. ¡°I have custody of her, since she is a suspected spy on my lands. So here is a letter that officially lets me wash my hands of this and hand her over to you. If any other noble wants to take her they would need to petition the crown, who would then hold a trial for the rights to the prisoner. I will also be sending a letter to the crown with your judgment of her. I do not expect anything to really come from this, they would rather sweep an incident where no one is hurt under the rug for the sake of peace. And should you forgive her and her people as well as heal their leader, it would be a politically advantageous place for you and the crown to be in. As for transport I can offer you some guards to safely move her, and a prison carriage can be called in from Yor.¡± ¡°No need, I¡¯ll just have her ride with me in my carriage. She is only technically a prisoner. I am not going to lock her in chains or anything.¡± ¡°That is your choice. I want her out of here after dinner, I have too much to do to babysit a political powder keg. You may all be excused now.¡± Harlan took Ibery out to the garden to talk about what he was planning. She thanked him for not locking her up. But he was barely listening, the talk with Redmond was still on his mind; he didn''t know why it was sticking in his mind for so long. Another question to add to the pile for the mother in the darkness.
Back in the Tyn mountain range capital city of Whitecap a personal spy delivered a letter to Councillor Blacktalon. He contemplated having his sister in law tried for using his daughter as a spy without asking him, but he let it go, he saw what she had been turned to and understood her desperation. Though he was still going to get his pound of feathers, he just didn¡¯t know how. Chapter 50 Dinner came and went. Redmond and Ava decided to head over to Harlan¡¯s place, the others would be coming another day. Harlan was riding in his carriage along with Ibery and Redmond. Harlan decided that Balor should take over the conversation. ¡°Ibery, what exactly are you going to write? I think it is important to us that you don¡¯t write anything that will be misinterpreted. Harlan wasn¡¯t really going to kill you back there, he just didn¡¯t like the idea of you using Amber as a pawn.¡± Harlan kept his mind very, very quiet, so as to not let his real feelings on that matter free. ¡°Ah. Yes, I was just going to mention that he had agreed to help us after I spoke with him¡­ I hope you don¡¯t mind if I leave out everything else that happened in the room.¡± ¡°Agreed? It would be best for us to not poison the well by mentioning the death threat, even if it was only a scare tactic.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind. It would be kinda awkward since she is the niece of the person they want us to heal.¡± ¡°Yes, that is fine. It could only cause friction to let them know the extent of our talks. I do hope that if they question you that you can avoid telling them, if you will break, it is better you simply tell them now and we deal with it, instead of them thinking we threatened you to keep quiet.¡± ¡°I may not look like it after all that happened, but I can hold up under pressure. You just threw me for a loop and then trapped me in a room where I could never win a fight.¡± Harlan threw a punch and she strongly flinched back. ¡°Just tell them what happened. If they have a problem with it I¡¯ll tell them that they can just leave if they don¡¯t like it. I am beyond the point of accepting that people want to use and abuse my friends and family to manipulate me. There is a limit to how much I can rebel against some people, but if you were tried as a spy you could¡¯ve been executed anyway.¡° Redmond jumped in. ¡°Why don¡¯t we calm down a bit. Ibery, you know you did something wrong and you feel bad about it, right? Harlan, please don¡¯t threaten Amber¡¯s friend anymore. You are just a little shaken up.¡± Redmond used the term friend in the hopes to appeal to Harlan¡¯s love of his sisters. They reached the village of Luth, and headed right for the couriers office. ¡°Welcome Sir Fomoria. How can we help you tonight?¡± There were few people who Harlan had as true allies who didn¡¯t want to exploit him. The couriers were one of them, and the ones who knew what the couriers actually were treated him more like a friend then just another client. ¡°I have letters I need to write and send, do you mind if I use one of the private rooms? Just bring the paper and writing tools to us.¡± ¡°That is fine. How many letters do you plan to send?¡± Harlan double checked in his head, he wanted to write to Reet, Ky, Cynthia, and then the crown. ¡°Four for me, just one for my friend here. Unless you want to write more letters? I am paying anyway.¡± ¡°Just one is fine.¡± ¡°The room at the far end of the right hall is free currently. Do you have time to speak with the branch manager tonight? Or should we schedule with your house manager?¡± Harlan thought for a moment. ¡°I will be in here tomorrow morning with packages to send out, we can talk then if that is acceptable.¡± ¡°I will double check with the branch manager. But that should be fine. Thank you for your time.¡± Harlan and Ibery went to the room, Redmond and Ava decided to check out the village. Harlan first wrote to Reet. ¡°Sorry for not writing during the time I have been back, I kept getting into experiments and work so often since I got out, I am even a noble now. I heard you were a blacksmith''s apprentice. I know a blacksmith here, a grouchy old man, but I think he is actually pretty nice. Zella is here with me, I¡¯m going to the academy in a month to learn more about magic. After I am done I hope to head out to the north and visit you, track down Ky, do a few other things. Here is a few gold coins, I have been making good money with my work and I want you to buy something for yourself or your family with this.¡± Then Ky. ¡°I hope you receive this, I am writing this at the start of the 6th month here in the village of Luth. I heard you stopped by before leaving for training camp. I¡¯ve been doing a lot of things around here with magic. I am a noble now. But I am mostly just doing experiments with magic, I won¡¯t be running a barony or anything. Hope to visit you once I am done with the academy. Here are a few gold coins, buy some comforts with it, being out in the frontier is hard on people, unwind a bit.¡± Cynthia. ¡°9th Princess Cynthia, now Duchess Cynthia Greenfield. I hope you are well, have you had any children yet? If you have, please wait until they are 10 or older before sending them to learn from me. If they take on your personality and my talents then you will never be able to keep them from causing trouble. I may have caused a small problem involving a spy and the sense of humor you taught me to enjoy, but in my defense it was quite funny. If you can, please send a letter telling me your favorite animal. Best wishes, Sir Harlan Fomoria. P.S I hope to visit you once I have finished my time at the academy.¡± He felt awkward writing to her, he wasn¡¯t sure if anyone else would be reading it before it reached her and so didn¡¯t want to be too jokey and end up fined by the crown for insulting a member of the royal family without just cause. The last letter took the longest. He wasn¡¯t even sure exactly who he was writing to. The crown as an organization, or should be writing directly to Rosewell? ¡°7th Princess Rosewell. I am contacting you in the hopes that you will give me any information you are allowed about Esparella. I have been told that the crown has refused to send such information to a close friend of ours and I hope that my position in the kingdom will grant me such a privilege. Best wishes, Sir Harlan Fomoria. P.S I wish for a long conversation some day.¡± Ibery saw he was finally done. ¡°Do you need to read my letter?¡± ¡°No, I will trust you because Amber trusts you. I think we both want this to work out.¡± Harlan stamped all of the letters with his crest and delivered them to the front desk. ¡°All done.¡± Harlan tried to give her coins for the letter but she refused them. ¡°Your gifts have given us more than you could ever spend sending letters and packages. So the couriers guild will waive the fees for you until a time when we feel our debt has been settled.¡± Ibery had her feathers on end, but she knew what the couriers were and the implications of gifts from a Fomorian to the false undead was something she wished she hadn¡¯t heard. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Harlan left the couriers office and walked to the place he figured Ava and Redmond would be. ¡°Hey Brig, have you seen Ava?¡± ¡°Aye. She stopped by and picked up some plates. Her an¡¯ your uncle looked round¡¯ the shop a time fore¡¯ they went off elsewhere. Ya got time ta take more work?¡± ¡°Yeah, I should be able to. I will take these tonight and I should have them all ready by morning, I will be coming into town myself.¡± ¡°Aye. see ya then. It¡¯s all in the back like normal.¡± Harlan brought the carriage over, Redmond and Ava had already been waiting inside. Redmond helped to load the boxes of equipment onto the top of the carriage and they were off. It was a quiet trip through the woods. Harlan kept saying he needed to make a proper road leading to his place but it was only barely marked by the tracks of his golems coming and going. He figured he would get around to it if he had time that night. When he got to the walls of his little fortress he noticed people waiting outside. He stepped out and shined a light on them. Dahlia was in the front, the guards around here were golems. 8 feet tall at least, their inner workings hidden under a gold plated armor. They were like giant suits of armor, Harlan thought the kingdom would¡¯ve gone with something more human looking. The 4 of them gave off no pressure like a person did, Harlan couldn¡¯t tell if they were dangerous or not. ¡°Welcome to my home, might I ask why you are here?¡± ¡°These are troubling times, I heard there was a spy around here. You haven¡¯t seen any suspicious people, have you?¡± ¡°I am tired, I don¡¯t want to play word games. I have a letter from the baron turning her over to me. Unless you have another official document saying you get her. I would like to get them settled for the night. If there is another reason for us to speak, I have no issues with that.¡± Dahlia dropped her fake smile. ¡°Just wanted to make sure you were taking this seriously. I would like to openly stay here to keep an eye on you, the golems are here for both of our safety, and yes, there is another conversation I would like to have.¡± Harlan let out a sigh. ¡°Alright, everyone come on inside. I will show you the rooms.¡± As they all stepped inside Harlan grabbed a rod on the wall and gave new targeting orders to his defenses. His servants also came out to greet him as soon as he stepped inside. ¡°Welcome home Har- Sir Fomoria.¡± Isha realized there was more than just him and stood straighter. ¡°How may I help your guests? Is there anything to carry? Shall I prepare a meal?¡® ¡°Tell Sara to get the loading golems and take the boxes on the roof to my workshop. You can get out the extra bed sets, these 4 will be staying in the main building with me. Dahlia, would you like some food?¡± ¡°No. I will be fine.¡± ¡°Get out 6 steaks and a dozen eggs from the cold room, after you are done with the bedrooms. I will be working tonight, but you do not need to cook them yourself.¡± ¡°As you command.¡± They reached his home, a cabin not unlike his original, but much larger. He had expanded it during the winter months as a project to just see how much he could grow. There was now a second floor and a large foyer. It had 6 guest rooms, each with a bathroom. He made a reading room/library but he didn¡¯t actually have many books. There was an office that was just a desk, a table, and some chairs, it was just because he wanted to make another room the same size as the reading room on the other side of the house. There was a large kitchen and dining room with his soulsmithed stove, though he realized later that he should¡¯ve just made the pans themselves able to heat up. But the stove looked nice and Isha felt more comfortable using it. The bunker underneath was technically his real home, but he didn¡¯t care for how cold and lifeless it was. He loved it when he was exploding things, living or otherwise, but he had grown up with his family in a home, then taken away and put in the facility. He didn¡¯t like the reminder whenever he saw its cold and sterile white walls. ¡°Ibery, Dahlia, you two can take the rooms to the left and right of the master bedroom. Which is the one at the top of the stairs with the double doors. Ava, Redmond. You can pick any of the 4 below those, I made signs for the doors. The keys are inside the rooms in case you ever want to lock the doors. They are all more or less the same. Kitchen is open to any of you, there is a box of vegetables, and a box of meats, the cabinets are stocked with the essentials. There is a sign with instructions on how everything works. If you need any help just ring a bell and you can ask questions.¡± Everyone felt quite a bit overwhelmed by the house. Harlan had tinkered and changed things over the course of months. He didn¡¯t think much about everything he made. And he had very few points of comparison. Many of the tasks he left up to golems were things that were just handled by servants in noble mansions. Ava immediately went to her room, she had stayed the night more than once over the months so she knew how most of it worked. Redmond on the other hand was baffled that Harlan set this all up, there were parts that could be said to be less advanced than what some military bases had, but those were made for the lowest dregs of soldiers to understand them. Harlan made his things in whatever way made sense to him at that moment without much consideration of what others might do on instinct. ¡°Harlan, where is the key? And what are all these knobs in the bathroom?¡± ¡°The key is that metal rod there. Push your mana inside it and it will hold onto it until it is discharged using a different device that I have. I have no idea how to make proper locks so I am just using magic for this stuff. The door just welds itself closed when you lock it. As for the knobs. This one is hot water, this one is cold water. This one is water pressure. This one is to drain the water back into the cleaning tank. This one is air gusts to dry yourself off. You know what, let me just make some signs here.¡± Harlan send commands to the house, the wooden paneling near the knobs in each bathroom changed, words showed up with instructions on the uses of everything. It had taken a long time and a lot of money for Harlan to effectively soulsmith the house. He tried it with a bunch of smaller crystals but they would burn out due to the mana flowing through them. His wallet still bled over the gold he had spent on the very large high grade gems he was using for the oversoul. Dahlia had a much different reaction. She wanted a few of the things he had made, the kingdom was working mostly to make weapons of war. For an agent in the field having a stovetop that just made heat instead of needing to make a fire was wonderful. She wouldn¡¯t need to worry as much about revealing her position to enemies or leaving signs of her passing anymore. She wanted to ask him about these inventions of his when she had her longer conversation with him. Ibery had been in the bathroom as the words showed up on the walls. She was realizing that the house was potentially a giant deathtrap for her. After everyone went to their rooms for the night Harlan went down the hidden staircase leading to his bunker, he had a few things he wanted to do. Most pressing was to build a golem that could make a proper stone road to his home. He would be hosting foreigners, though he wasn¡¯t sure how all the ranks worked, he figured a matriarch could be either the leader of a small clan in Tytoan society, or it could mean she is a queen, she could even just be someones grandma. But he figured that wasn¡¯t going to be the case, most families didn¡¯t have spies. He started by making a clay model, he had the idea already but he hadn¡¯t made any physical models. Harlan shaped and tested the long worm like golem, every hour he would go upstairs and cook 2 eggs and a steak. Balor and him had run the numbers, and the cost of making a model that actually functioned and testing it was more than the cost of food for him to make a clay model, harden it to stone, and then test how it moved. Magic was cheap if used the right way. After his last steak was done he decided to actually make the golem. It would compress the dirt into stone and then move the dirt around until it was more or less level so as to not leave divots on the side of the road. He didn¡¯t want any carts to slip off and run into trouble getting back on the road, or for a horse to twist an ankle. So he carved the wood, then shaped it as needed for the more delicate parts. Then he opened his box of mana gems and filled one, his experiments had gotten out of hand. The box was nearly empty after all kinds of other experiments, he mentally added it to his list of things to place orders for. Then as he activated his newest golem he went back inside, figuring that it wasn¡¯t dangerous enough for him to need to watch it work. He spent the next hour enchanting the items sent by Brig. Only stopping when the others started to stir from their sleep. Isha and Sara had been up for a time already. They were just now finishing up the parts of breakfast that would need time to complete, like the fresh bread and jam. The first to leave their room was Dahlia. ¡°Sleep well?¡± ¡°I try not to sleep when a mission like this is ongoing.¡± Harlan waited for the others. He wanted to speak about things over breakfast.
After seeing her report her orders had changed, The Unseen now hid in every corner of the home looking at what he had made and sending reports on these things back to the king. The only areas they didn¡¯t go to where the bunker itself due to its wards having been changed when melded with the new cabin structure and the private areas such as bedroom and bathrooms. They didn¡¯t know when or if Harlan would find them, but it was a breach that they didn¡¯t believe he would forgive if he found out. Dagda would look over everything they reported and file them away as trinkets. Yet in the back of his mind he wondered, why didn¡¯t I invent these first? Why do my masters care? Chapter 51 Everyone sat around the breakfast table, it was eggs prepared scrambled with fresh bread, bacon and sausages on the side. As Harlan finished his 3rd serving Dahlia felt it was time to start small talk. ¡°Have you been selling these new inventions?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see who I would be selling them to. Nobles have servants who do most of this for them. Everyone else can¡¯t afford them.¡± ¡°What about me personally commissioning some work from you? I am very interested in that stove you made. Could you make a smaller one with only one hot surface?¡± ¡°Sure, I already made a prototype. But I use a kettle that heats water instead of the plate.¡± ¡°Wonderful. And what of the cost?¡± Harlan decided against asking how much the kingdom paid her. ¡°I¡¯ll do it for free, you aren¡¯t working for me. But your work is helping me.¡± ¡°I appreciate that you feel that way about my work.¡± Ibery finally joined the rest of them for breakfast. She had barely slept the night before, she had been raised on the horror stories of Fomorians, the incident where the house shifted was still in her mind. ¡°Sleep well?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Thank you for your hospitality.¡± She was slurring her words as she spoke, Harlan had a solution. He opened a locked cabinet and got out a small bottle of black liquid. ¡°Drink this, it will wake you up.¡® Ibery didn¡¯t protest, her drowsiness stopped her from thinking too hard about it. She coughed after it was done, washing away the flavor with a cup of tea Isha placed in front of her. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Anti-sleep elixir. Not cheap, and I am not giving you more. I can give you sleeping potions if you need help sleeping.¡± ¡°Thank you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome, now eat. You probably won¡¯t feel hungry but it will help settle your stomach.¡± Dahlia thought back to the first time she had used an elixir. She didn¡¯t eat for 3 days and passed out during training, this was the intended result as she would later learn. ¡°I am surprised you keep those around. Do you even sleep more than once a month?¡± ¡°They were a gift.¡± It was technically illegal to distribute the elixirs without a transaction record, and she would know if he had one. But she let it slide, figuring there was only one group who would give him a gift like that. ¡°How are your relations with the couriers?¡± ¡°Very good, I helped them with some work, they are letting me send some things without paying. They are good people.¡± She got the answer she expected. Nothing much else was said over breakfast. Harlan helped clean up, to the shock of Dahlia and Ibery. It was very unexpected for a noble to do anything that would be seen as chores. Then he had golems load up the carriage and he went back to town. The others all stayed behind to tour the house and the bunker. However, Ibery and Dahlia were not allowed into the bunker without Harlan there. So while Isha showed Ava and Redmond the bunker Sara spoke with the others about the many functions of the house. Harlan preferred it this way since he took along his loading golems, Balor had convinced him to not do manual labor in public after some time. Harlan dropped off the equipment for Brig but didn¡¯t see the old man working yet. Which was odd but he figured even the old man would sleep in every now and then. Balor once again tried to convince Harlan to pay for a scar removal which he once again ignored because he felt it was a waste of money and time. Then he checked in with the couriers. They had wanted a chat and he had no reason to put it off. ¡°Good morning, do you have packages to send? Or are you here to speak with the branch manager?¡± ¡°Both.¡± Harlan set the boxes on the counter and placed his seal on them. He had carved a wolf for Ky and a bear for Reet. He heard that bears were considered guardians of sorts in the north since they tended to eat smaller predators and ignore people. He was putting off any other toy golems until he got a reply from Cynthia. After they were processed and then set aside to be taken to another office who would better know who he was actually trying to reach he was led back to the manager¡¯s office. He originally felt a little unsettled by the feeling of the heavy privacy wards that were in the office but now they were more reassuring for him since he knew he could freely speak while inside. ¡°Morning Harlan, I hope it finds you well.¡± ¡°You as well Zachery, how is Rand? It has been a while since I taught him but something reminded me of him earlier.¡± ¡°He is doing just fine, though having to update so much equipment has been a seemingly endless task for him and his students. What was the reminder?¡± ¡°Those elixirs you gave me, glad I never needed them until now, but I had a guest who didn¡¯t sleep much last night and I gave one to her.¡± ¡°Glad to help. But enough about that. We would like to ask you some questions.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°We?¡± ¡°Yes. If you trust me I would like to have this chat in the haven.¡° He moved his desk and the mat on the floor to reveal a trap door. Harlan trusted him enough to not question it and just followed him down. They went through halls and tunnels, there were a few night watchers standing around making small talk with each other. He was a little surprised how well lit it all was, he knew they had good low light vision so he expected a dim and dark dungeon area, not the smooth stone walls decorated with art or carvings in some language he didn¡¯t understand. They ended up in a place that looked closer to a courtroom than a meeting room. Though it didn¡¯t have a place for spectators. There was a raised platform with a chair on it in the middle of the room and a crescent shaped table around it. Zachery waved Harlan to the platform. After everyone was seated the oldest man Harlan had ever seen spoke. ¡°Good day to you. Sir Harlan Fomoria, Do you know why you are here?¡± ¡°I am unaware of the reason.¡± ¡°Are you aware of the true state of gods in this world?¡± ¡°Yes, I am in a pact with The Mother, you are in a pact with Aine.¡± ¡°Good enough. We have a series of questions we would like you to ask your god, if that is possible for you. You may ask your own questions of us. Do you accept the terms as stated thus far?¡± ¡°Yes, I have no issues with this exchange.¡± ¡°Good. Firstly, we wish to know if she is able to contact Aine. Secondly, we wish to know if she is aware of the origins of our various species. We have had the pacts transferred willingly and at times unwillingly, this has led to no group knowing who truly started them, nor what connections there are between the different groups. Thirdly, we wish to know if there is a way to break the pact. There are those who believe this is a curse, it is not our place to force this on others. These are the questions we ask, now you may ask three of your own. Either now or at a later date. We trust you will do your duty without issue.¡± ¡°The only issue I can see is that she might not answer a question. What should I do then?¡± ¡°The asking is the deal. The answers or lack thereof is simply a risk in such a transaction.¡± ¡°I shall speak with her tonight. Though as she distorts time I may not be able to reply tomorrow.¡± ¡°This is acceptable.¡± ¡°I shall ask one question now¡­¡± Harlan went quiet, reassuring himself that he wanted the answer to this. ¡°Who was the man I killed? 4 years ago, a werewolf.¡± A much younger looking woman answered. ¡°He was from Lata, a town to the east of your home. His name was Samual. He killed his wife and his son as a result of the trickery of an age-old enemy of ours. He was one who was forced to turn into what he was. He was a good man, he was a victim, he was a murderer. May his soul rest. May we get the answers we seek, a man will never be forced to live and die as he has.¡± ¡°Thank you for answering. I have one more question, I will save the last. Do you have any information about transformations? I know that skinwalkers aren¡¯t a part of you, but I can¡¯t seem to find much information about how they take the appearance of another person. And I have yet to encounter one for study.¡± A man who smelled like sulfur spoke. ¡°I really must say that you shouldn¡¯t try to research them, they are nasty beasts when they reveal their true forms. I have researched them, but only on ways to kill them, I have taken no notes of a living skinwalker, nor notes on how it might be transforming into others. I will ask the other alchemists about the subject and return to you with more information. That is all I can offer at this time. And. if you would permit me a free question, what are you trying to do?¡± ¡°Thank you for your answer, and I will answer you. I have been working for a few months now on being able to transform or create new life. I have a crow twice the size as normal, but any tests I have done on other animals with adding features such as scales or changing the number of limbs has always led to an explosion of their soul.¡± ¡°Thank you for answering. I will double my efforts towards finding the information you seek. If your god does not have the answer to breaking the pacts then perhaps your research will give us a way to sidestep the issue instead. Would you be willing to help with our issue as well should it come to pass?¡± ¡°Yes, I would be willing to help, our interests align and you have done well for me, I shall return this wellness to you.¡± The old man spoke again. ¡°Then I adjourn this meeting, any information shall be passed from Wolfmaster Zachery to the higher echelons of our order.¡± They got up from their seats and cast gate, taking them all across the continent. Then it was just Zachery and Harlan left in the room. Both of them let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank Aine, I hate these meetings. You handled yourself well though kid, I wasn¡¯t sure if you would be stiff enough to talk like that.¡± ¡°Same, I hate how formal that was and I got my brother to help with the speaking.¡± Harlan waved his hand around. ¡°Well then, thank you Balor. I might¡¯ve pushed a blade through my heart if the meeting devolved into them trying to teach Harlan how to speak properly to them.¡± ¡°Always glad to lend a helping¡­ Hand.¡± there was an awkward silence. ¡°Yes, I made a joke.¡± Zach and Harlan let themselves laugh for a moment. ¡°Well, anything else you need, kid?¡± ¡°Know where I could find someone willing to deliver rabbits? Like, a lot of rabbits?¡± ¡°For meat or fur?¡± ¡°Experiments.¡± ¡°Sure, I got a guy. When do you want them?¡± ¡°Not for a little while, I have a lot to do currently with this spy and maybe having to heal someone from the confederacy. Know anything about the matriarch of the Blacktalons?¡± ¡°Let me ask around. But matriarchs are, for the birds at least. More of a ceremonial position. They tend to act as advisors to whoever the elected clan leader is, but they don¡¯t technically have any real power. I believe the current Councillor for the Tytoans is a Blacktalon though.¡± ¡°Well, I guess it could be worse. Any recommendations to make a Tytoan feel more at home? The spy who is my sister¡¯s friend is one and she seems to be terrified of me and my home.¡± Harlan got an odd look from Zach when he said the spy was his sister''s friend, but Zach was also an oddball. ¡°They like their cave aged cheeses. They live in mountains mostly, so I guess it just comes with the territory.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll ask the food places around town if they have any imported cheese.¡± ¡°Good luck, but it is a bit of an odd request. I might be able to ask around for some, but the importing costs are probably going to be deathly.¡± ¡°Maybe I can ask for a tax write off, it IS for a matter of national relations after all.¡± They had a good laugh and then Harlan followed him back up the stairs and then outside. Harlan placed an order for another batch of mana gems. He did not find the cheese he wanted.
Sen was arguing with his mother once again. ¡°I know things look dire, but how can you trust him? How can you expect me to trust you after you used Ibery like that?¡± ¡°Because I got a divine message telling me that the boy is fine, well, fine by Caill¡¯s standards. Ibery isn¡¯t in any danger. The kid wants to be left alone, but I don¡¯t think he is likely to react violently so long as we don¡¯t, and we both know Ibery wouldn¡¯t fight him.¡± ¡°Oh? Like the message from Caill that got you into that fight with those Fomorians in the first place?¡± She couldn¡¯t say he was wrong, but she could avoid admitting that he was right. Chapter 52 Harlan returned home just before noon. Dahlia was sitting outside, watching Ibery stretch wings and prepared to take a shot if she tried to run. ¡°Ready for our chat?¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess now is as good a time as any.¡± ¡°You should tell Ibery to go inside where she can be watched. I wouldn¡¯t want her trying to flee, her people are so fragile.¡± ¡°No. I will not. She is free to move as she wants, if she makes a run to the border then you can capture her. Until then she is a guest. You will not threaten her, you will not find excuses to argue with her, and you will respect her privacy.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Harlan stopped only to tell Sara to watch out for couriers since he was expecting a letter from them in the near future and for Isha to bring down tea and finger foods. Then it was down to the bunker and to a private room on the first floor. ¡°So, what did you want to talk to me about?¡± ¡°First order of business is the man who stayed with you for some time many months back. I have been searching for some time, but we have been stonewalled by the confederacy. Who do you believe him to be?¡± ¡°He said he was a merchant and inventor from the confederacy. We traded knowledge for knowledge. He had seen my toys through a traveler who brought one to him and thought it was an interesting object. Unfortunately he wasn¡¯t a mage so I couldn¡¯t teach him, but he was kind enough to give me designs in exchange for some knowledge on the process of making soul enchanted, sorry, soulsmithed toys. I kept a lot of secrets on the matter but he should be able to hand that information to someone with the right skills and make crude copies of what I can. His name was Darren, no last name.¡± ¡°Really? Is that so? Do you have any theory on why the confederacy refuses our requests for more information about him then?¡± ¡°I only knew him for the time he was here and from the letter he sent asking if he could come. I can¡¯t even be sure that was his name. But he didn¡¯t seem dangerous so I didn¡¯t pry into him, not that I had the resources at the time to do such a thing.¡± Dahlia was uncomfortable with the story. There wasn¡¯t anything that stuck out as clearly wrong to her, but people didn¡¯t hide a simple merchant for no reason, though the idea of the Kalak just wanting to spite the kingdom wasn¡¯t off the table. The story was helped by Rosewell¡¯s treatment of Harlan, fudged reports on his psychological profile mixed with Cynthia teaching him how to get a rise out of people led to a false assumption that Harlan was still relatively immature and thus easier to fool. ¡°Thank you, I will look into this information. Next, it is about the letter you sent to Rosewell. She will reply that she cannot offer any information about the person you asked about but she wanted me to tell you that Relly is doing just fine, and that she will be released soon.¡± Harlan let out a sigh of relief. Then he realized that Dahlia had read the letter he sent. ¡°Thank you, does she know when soon is?¡± ¡°I cannot say, she only let me say what I told you. Next I need to ask you about Breken, and his relation to your sister, Ava. How well do you know him?¡± ¡°Well enough I suppose. He taught me survival skills and how to use a sword properly, he has, as far as I know, treated Ava well. She seems to like him.¡± ¡°Are you aware of his background?¡± ¡°He said he was a mercenary. But I don¡¯t think he liked talking about his past very much.¡± ¡°He was sighted entering the theocracy through a hidden passage near the river which separates them from us. Our consensus is that unless he made the tunnel, he had no reasonable way to know it was already there. But what is troubling is that he did not ever mention a tunnel leading into the theocracies lands, such information would¡¯ve been quite useful for the war effort and we are investigating the possibility that he may be a traitor.¡± ¡°Traitor for which side?¡± ¡°That is part of the answers we seek. We have already spoken to Ava and she had no information on the subject.¡± Harlan¡¯s eyes flickered with monochrome flames for a moment before he took a deep breath. ¡°Do you have any other questions?¡± ¡°There is one more thing that I am supposed to help you with.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± It was impossible for Dahlia to not notice his anger. ¡°Mind your tone, this is important even if you don¡¯t agree. You are just as much of a mystery for many people as any other stranger, you have yet to attend a single proper noble function. Most don¡¯t even know where you live to send an invite which you would surely ignore anyway. You sit here in the woods and create things, people talk, you don¡¯t. I hope that your introduction to noble society at the end of the month goes well, but you must control yourself in a manner befitting a noble. Polite society demands that you pretend at normalcy.¡± ¡°And what if I decide that I don¡¯t like the manners of other nobles? Who gossip behind my back and won¡¯t even seek me out, I am not hiding out in the woods. I am sitting in my home and doing exactly the work the kingdom drilled into me for 3 years. And what do you know about nobles other than how to creep around their homes without notice?¡± Dahlia slapped him. Harlan knew it was more of a sign of displeasure, there was no real strength behind it. ¡°You should understand very well, since I will not repeat this. Rosewell sent me specifically because I can empathize with you and your antisocial behavior. Did you ever think of the names each member of the royal family has? Each is named for a plant, the king named for a tree.¡± Harlan and Balor went in circles thinking of what she was really saying, then Lugh gave them the answer. ¡°Dahlia is a flower.¡± ¡°So then?¡± ¡°Yes, bastard daughter of the royal family.¡± She curtsied. ¡°I was not allowed a normal life because of my blood. I was forced into a position that I didn¡¯t want under implied threats of death. Yet what life would I have without this work? I would be the daughter of a farmer or a merchant? Maybe I would¡¯ve been hungry my entire life and known nothing of magic? Maybe I would¡¯ve died as the theocracies troops pushed beyond the border for a quick rape and pillage operation? Yes, we both were removed from our families. Yes we were forced to learn things. But I got out of it pretty well, all things considered. You did too. Quit your whining and accept that.¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°So this is what they want me to be? A slave who loves their master?¡± ¡°Pretend, that is the best way for now. We cannot help her.¡± ¡°I will think on this.¡± Harlan led her out of the bunker but he remained inside. He went down to the deepest level, then went farther down to a room he dug out after the rest of the building was done. He had once tried contacting the mother in the darkness inside of the bunker itself, but the wards did not like that in the slightest. He sat on the floor and was ready to contact her, then got up and paced around, sat back down, and repeated this for 10 minutes. ¡°Harlan, calm down. There isn¡¯t any issues, I don¡¯t believe she will hold a grudge. Just sit down and talk with her, it will be fine.¡± ¡°Right¡­ Right, yeah.¡± He let his mind go black and relaxed himself. ¡°My child, I had hoped you would come here with a mind full of joys. But here you sit, stewing in your anger. You are right to feel this, but you shouldn¡¯t poison your mind with it. Please, sit and take a breath. I shall slow the flow of time.¡± Harlan sat for a time, he had no idea if minutes or days had passed, but he felt like he found his center again. ¡°Thank you. I¡­ I have questions I think I need answers to, and questions others need answers to.¡± ¡°Yes. and I can give you some of what is known. there is a price for this, but I believe you shall pay it.¡± ¡°What cost?¡± ¡°I will not ask it of you now, but I shall in the future. Should you wish that time you may renege on our deal without worry should that be your path. Now. Let us speak of your worries, of your fears. Of what you are, the words for others shall only come after the words for my child.¡± ¡°Thank you, I¡­ I want to know, do I have a family out there? Is my mother gone?¡± ¡°I refused to answer this once before. But the time for truths is now. You are the result of twisted letters and laws, the breaking of the spirit of agreements made long before your birth. Generations were spent¡­ breeding. The result is a person with some of the abilities of the Fomorians and yet able to leave their lands. Your mother was one of many who was taken against her will for this purpose. When the time came, and I saw your birth, I knew that there was nothing that I could do for the people who bound themselves to me. Yet the pact was not broken, not really. A wormy way to avoid my wrath, and I wish you to be my wrath. I wish you to be my kinslayer, to wipe them from this world like a cleansing flame. I saw what would happen in a time which you were raised as their first, you would usher in an age of blood, then there would be flames, and a new age would begin once more.¡° ¡°You didn¡¯t answer the question.¡± ¡°Do you truly wish to know? To have any doubt removed?¡± Harlan hesitated, the slow minutes passed with him in thought. ¡°I do. I want to know.¡± ¡°Then this truth I will say. She is dead, killed by shades after leaving you in the woods. I drove the shades to her so that they might lose you.¡± Many thoughts went through his head, but he had a question he needed answered. ¡°Why did she take me away with her? Why not just run? Why did you do that to her.¡± ¡°Despite what you were made for, despite how you were made, despite what you represent. She could not leave her son. I convinced her to leave, I set up the escape despite knowing how it would likely end. I have foreseen this conversation, and I may only hope that this is a time in which you grow instead of consume yourself. She willingly gave her life to protect you, all I did was make sure she did not give her life without reason.¡± ¡°Have we had this conversation before? Have you been flipped back time when things don¡¯t go your way.¡± ¡°I may see thousands of paths, but even I cannot reverse the flow of time. Nor can Aarde, nor any gods greater than them. Time is a god himself, and I have seen him unmake people, to completely remove them from time as if they never existed. It is a troubling experience to see history be rewritten in front of your eyes, to watch possibility collapse and then reform.¡± Harlan decided the conversation had shifted beyond his understanding. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t even think about all of that. I am just going to ask about Aine, do you know the questions I am going to ask?¡± ¡°Yes, in order. I can contact Aine, though only on a full moon, her power wanes with the phases of the moon. The creation of their peoples is no different than the creation of the other pact species, after the godslaying, people were offered power, though for them it was an apology from Aarde to Aine. Any who hold a pact gives up some of their energy whenever they cast anything, this will help Aine recover more quickly. To break a pact you would need to have Aine and the pact breaker speak with one another and agree to break it without consequence. Your method¡­ It could work, but I have not read her pacts. So I cannot say that it would be without cost. For them to speak with Aine themselves would incur a cost. A large group casting of a mind speaking spell that could breach Aarde¡¯s mana sphere and into Aine¡¯s. Though such a spell shouldn¡¯t exist due to the restraints placed during the start of the second age. The Fae like to break them however, and there is a method without their help, though it is somewhat odd.¡± ¡°Wait. you mean like from Relly?¡± ¡°Yes, she is part of this puzzle. But the rest I must leave to you, I won¡¯t give you all the answers. But if you can find the man of the first age who sits on a silent throne, he will answer much more than I can. For a cost. I believe that I have done enough for you already, so I shall end this now. Perhaps when we next speak I shall spill more secrets. But until that time comes, live a life. Do not cower from protecting what is yours in the ways which you can.¡± ¡°I will. Thank you.¡± Harlan woke up. Ava was standing near Lugh and Balor, talking about something. Then she turned her head to him. ¡°How did you get in here?¡± ¡°Your younger maid is a pushover, I just had to make a few arguments. I wanted to see what you were doing.¡± ¡°I will have to talk to her about that then. No one is supposed to come down here unless I specifically take them down here or there is a threat to their lives.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be hard on her, I argued in favor of Ava coming here.¡± Balor said. ¡°So anyway, what were you doing? You were covered in dark mana and just sitting for a few hours?¡± Harlan wasn¡¯t sure how to answer. He wanted to just say the truth, after a time he couldn¡¯t really think of an argument for why he shouldn¡¯t. ¡°Talking to a goddess.¡± ¡°Fine, don¡¯t tell me.¡± She walked back upstairs after that. ¡°That was likely the best result. The existence of the actual gods can be a dangerous piece of knowledge if used improperly.¡± Harlan decided to find out what time it was and eat something. He didn¡¯t really have any super necessary work to do. So spending time with his family was a good enough way to spend his time.
Every talk with him tangled and untangled a great deal of knots, yet the cause of them still eluded her. Chapter 53 Only 4 hours had passed while he was speaking with the mother in the darkness. There was time before dinner so he decided to take everyone out to the restaurant he liked in town. He also needed to deliver his message to the couriers. Harlan spent his time on the way there in the now nearly full carriage explaining magic to Ava who had spent years honing her body instead. She still didn¡¯t really care for it much but didn¡¯t see any reason not to learn more since Breken told her she wasn¡¯t allowed to do her normal training while he was gone. ¡°See, just take this water mana and this fire mana. Increase power to this part, and away from this part. And now instead of steam it is mist. Then, a little light magic and it is done.¡± Harlan was making a rainbow in the carriage. Ibery was more impressed than Ava though. She was taking classes for illusion magic but Harlan¡¯s method was entirely unstructured so it could change far more easily. ¡°Yeah, I guess that is neat. But it doesn¡¯t help me much.¡± Harlan was hoping to steer her away from just adding more combat magic, and instead having her learn small tricks that could turn the tides of a fight if used right, he knew full well what a hole in the ground could do in a fight if used right. ¡°Fine, how about this.¡± Harlan flooded the carriage with mist. No one could even see their hands due to how thick he made it. ¡°Sir Fomoria. Please do not obstruct my vision while I am protecting you.¡± A sudden wind blew away the mist. ¡°No fun allowed.¡± Lugh said. Everyone had a laugh at Dahlia¡¯s expense. Though they did listen to what advice she had to give. ¡°Ava, Harlan has a point. You would get more use out of some unique magics than you would from just shooting a bigger fireball. If you attack in early morning people won¡¯t think much about a mist rolling in, and since there is already natural mist it doesn¡¯t even cost that much to thicken and move it. But if you shoot a fireball it is just a fireball and you would be better off stabbing them most of the time. A fighter who has a larger kit will win most fights over someone who has just 1 good trick. That is why we can fight off so many magical beasts. Until they reach a very old age they are generally locked to just a single element and they don¡¯t have the brains for advanced usage.¡± Harlan¡¯s next trick was a simple sound spell to mimic the others in the carriage. ¡°Ibery, say something.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really have much to say I suppose.¡± Harlan had to refine it a few times but eventually he made the spell sound exactly like her. ¡°I don¡¯t say much.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t do that. I don¡¯t like hearing my own voice from you.¡± Ibery was unsettled at how in moments he could make it sound like she said something else. It was crude by the measure of any sound specialized mages but for someone without formal training in the field it was disturbingly quick. ¡°Do you have any little tricks?¡± ¡°Only what I learned at the academy.¡± ¡°Why not just use what you learned to make something new then?¡± ¡°Magic is a science, one that requires foresight and trials to learn and develop. You can¡¯t just wave your hands and make an illusion, it requires refinement, and then it should be turned into a structured spell to be more efficient. It is not a series of party tricks.¡± ¡°What is the base element used for most illusions?¡± ¡°Light.¡± It took 15 minutes but Harlan had made an unstructured illusion of Brig forging a sword. Sound magic was used for the clanging of the hammer. ¡°Wow, that did take a lot more than I expected from me. But if you use a bunch of structured illusions don¡¯t you lose most of the creative uses for illusions?¡± Ibery was a little upset. She hadn¡¯t expected him to make anything as detailed as that so quickly. ¡°What are your alignments?¡± ¡°Light, dark and fire.¡± ¡°Well, that explains how you did the illusion so quickly. But my point still stands.¡± With a few waves of her hand and some subvocalization she created an illusion of a bird resting on her shoulder. Harlan looked over it and it even cast a shadow, something which his did not. He grabbed the bird and it turned into a glittering puff of smoke. Harlan tried for a few minutes before they reached the restaurant but couldn¡¯t make anything as lifelike as her bird. Ibery felt like she had won the exchange. Everyone winced at the cost of the restaurant. But Harlan had never given any thought to it. His sense of value was completely destroyed by his lack of experience handling anything but gold coins. Only after some back and forth did they agree to order more than the cheaper options on the menu. It was a nearly perfect meal. Only somewhat interrupted by the rude look the party had been given by a waiter. But Harlan overlooked it, he was trying to not just fly off the handle at people, it wasn¡¯t healthy and no harm was done. He was sure that no one but Dahlia even noticed. ¡°I am not sure what all of you want to do. But I have a meeting with the couriers. Shouldn¡¯t take more than 30 minutes. Spend as much as you like. Don¡¯t worry about the costs.¡± Harlan handed Redmond his bag of gold. It was nearly a month¡¯s wages for him, Ava looked at it and started to feel a little more desire to learn magic. Harlan walked into the couriers office shadowed by Dahlia. ¡°I will let you do some things to invade my privacy. But this is not about me, it is about them. And unless you get their permission you can stand outside.¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Dahlia gave him an annoyed look but didn¡¯t say anything. Harlan asked if Zachery was in and then went to his office. ¡°Welcome back Ha-¡± he then noticed he had company. ¡°It is a pleasure to have you Sir Fomoria. Might I ask who your guest is?¡± ¡°Just a civil servant of sorts, no one to worry about.¡± ¡°I am Dahlia. I am a royal spy and I wish to stay near Harlan for fear of an imminent threat.¡± ¡°Right. Harlan, about what we talked about. Is that why you are here?¡± ¡°Are you sure you want to talk in front of her?¡± ¡°Of course. We here at the couriers guild strive to accommodate our host nation.¡± ¡°Please put up a privacy veil while we talk. Dahlia, there shouldn¡¯t be any issues with this? Right?¡± ¡°Of course. There is no need for me to listen into a private conversation between two parties who are both trusted by the kingdom.¡± Her face and her voice were at war with one another. Once the veil was up Harlan explained everything he was told, though he left out that it was specifically Relly who might have the ability to help them directly contact Aine, As well as what he knew about the Fomorians and himself. He trusted Zach, and he trusted the others he met. But the elders gave the feeling of a disconnect between themselves and normal people that he just didn¡¯t like. ¡°Well. Thank you for getting back so soon. I am a little embarrassed that I haven¡¯t gotten back with even a quote on cheese while you are here after less than a day and you talked to a god.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I am only limited by having a safe place to have the chat and then coming back here. Your guys are going to head to a larger town or find a merchant who specializes in imports. Then come back here.¡± ¡°Ugh, tell me about it. I wish there was some way to just leave gates up and running. Only the bigshots get to use the spell for transport. Imagine what we could do with just a single gate. Anywhere in 300 miles or so would be just a step away.¡± Harlan had a thought about that. ¡°Has anyone tried to use soulsmithing to make a gate like that?¡± ¡°We did. But dimensional magic is odd. You can¡¯t just cast a gate, you need to visualize where you want to go. Your items aren¡¯t smart enough to do that. No offense intended.¡± ¡°None taken.¡± Harlan knew the solution. But it made his stomach churn, for him to make what to him would be a slave didn¡¯t sit well with him at all. He didn¡¯t teach how to make a true living item to anyone but the royal mages and Dearil. And he was starting to get a bad feeling about even spreading it to them. ¡°Kid? You ok? You¡¯ve been staring at the floor for a little bit too long.¡± ¡°Yeah. Sorry. Just a wandering mind.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. So, you got anything else to add? I¡¯m not rushing you out of here but your guard is starting to look upset.¡± ¡°Right. I guess this is goodbye then. Wish I had better answers.¡± Harlan shook his hand and then left. As he got outside he noticed a commotion around his carriage. A young guard was yelling at his driver and not getting any response. ¡°What seems to be the problem?¡± ¡°Is this your carriage?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just park in the middle of the road? Your driver refuses to answer any of my questions, are you merchants or something?¡± Harlan whistled and the driver took off his hood. Revealing a mostly featureless wooden face. Harlan lifted up the coats on the horses to reveal they were golems too. ¡°Sorry about the confusion. I need to change their designs to answer simple questions it seems. Won¡¯t happen again.¡± The man looked at Harlan, then at the crest on the carriage. He barely stammered out an apology before he left. Harlan could hear the sound of him running through the mud once he was out of sight. A perfect way to ruin his mood. Dahlia and him moved the carriage and kept an eye out for the others. ¡°You see what I mean about the rumors?¡± ¡°Yeah, idiots believe them.¡± ¡°No. You don¡¯t have any reputation other than the strange noble who lives in a fortress in the woods and builds golems.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been making toys and selling them at very cheap prices for months. I know people are buying them since I keep getting orders from the store when they run out.¡± ¡°Great. So you have children who either don¡¯t know you or think you just make toys. Maybe you can get a reputation as the toymaker noble who keeps delivering thieves encased in stone.¡± ¡°So what, I am just screwed either way? I can¡¯t just not deliver the thieves, and I can¡¯t just kill them.¡± ¡°Why not hire someone who can make these runs to town for you? A human face to put to these deeds. This is what I mean by people knowing you only from the rumors. You seemed to quite like that restaurant, correct? And yet no one knows who you are. That is why the waiter gave us that look. A ranger, a beast, a teenage girl, and a child noble who they don¡¯t know. What about selling golems to the guard? Getting people used to seeing them around. You want to sit in the woods and get angry at the world for not changing quickly enough. You have radically changed things but you don¡¯t even have the world experience to know what you changed.¡± ¡°A beast? How about you have some tact.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject.¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll find someone who I can hire, and I¡¯ll ask about golems for the guard, reduced cost even.¡± ¡°Good. We should stop by the guards now, the others will wander around town and see us eventually.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t much appreciate Dahlia¡¯s change in personality. The snarky woman who thinks she can teach him to have a better public image was far less endearing than the serious woman who was just looking out for him. She was starting to remind him of Rosewell in a way, which just jumbled his thoughts about her further. ¡°Hello. Is the guard captain in?¡± ¡°What is your reason for visiting?¡± ¡°I want to offer him my services and to see about hiring someone.¡± The man looked at Harlan and then to the captains door. ¡°Yep. He is in.¡± Harlan knocked on the door and was told to enter. The guard captain looked more or less as Harlan remembered. His hair was now more white, but he didn¡¯t look old other than that. He still had a tough face and boxer ears from years of fighting. ¡°Greeting Sir Fomoria. What can I do for you today?¡± ¡°Do you have a recently retired guard or one nearing retirement.¡± Harlan hated the accusation he could already see in his eyes. ¡°For what reason are you looking for one? So I can give you a better answer.¡± ¡°I want someone who can take the prisoners who try to steal from me here, providing a face to the people. There are misunderstandings from some people in town. I think having someone would make people more accepting of my golems.¡± The captain had the gall to look offended by Harlan¡¯s tone. ¡°Oh really? Well, you can lodge a formal complaint against anyone who has caused you undue insult and we can fine them.¡± Harlan took a breath, mentally stepped away from the conversation for a moment. And then spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is going to work out. I am leaving.¡± ¡°Well, that is a shame.¡± He put his hand out for a shake. Harlan nearly struck him, instead he simply refused his hand. He and Dahlia were now just wandering around looking for the rest of their group. ¡°That could¡¯ve gone worse. And you should¡¯ve put him in his place, he is the town guard, you are a noble.¡± ¡°Oh? Really? I should¡¯ve? So should I be the kind man or should I be the wrathful one? Should I just go after everyone who insults me? Because you are giving me some mixed signals about this stuff.¡± Dahlia didn¡¯t answer. But if glares could kill then Harlan would fit in his shoe.
A courier arrived at the Blacktalon estate, 4 generations lived under the same room of the mountaintop carved into a home. ¡°I have a letter for Sindry or Sen Blacktalon.¡± A maid led the man to Sen who then looked over the letter. His feathers nearly went red with anger after reading that Harlan had initially threatened Ibery, he couldn¡¯t sit by and do nothing, he would give his mother a piece of his mind and then he was going with them. Chapter 54 Eventually Harlan found the rest of the group and went back home. They had barely made a dent in Harlan¡¯s funds. Redmond got some higher grade plates sewn onto his armor and got his various swords and daggers sharpened. Ava bought a cake and candy, a shocking revelation to Harlan, he wondered when she developed a sweet tooth. Ibery bought books, as well as one of the toys he had made, she seemed impressed with it. But Harlan got more entertainment out of seeing her reaction when she heard that he made it. It was nearly dark when they got home. Harlan liked the fall when it was dark earlier, it felt odd to have so much daylight for him. Everyone other than Dahlia went to their rooms and slept. Harlan had Isha cook him a sandwich of ground beef with onions. He was going to get more work done with his transformations and he figured he would burn everything he ate in town far quicker than he expected since he had the habit of losing track of time and working himself until he started burning muscle and fat. ¡°Isha, is there anything you need? I should¡¯ve asked before I went to town today.¡± ¡°No, I am fine H- Master Fomoria. My needs are fulfilled quite well here.¡± ¡°Alright. Oh, I should ask for a quote for that rice stuff you mentioned before. I think we should try to grow it. I got a book from the Confederacy that details local crops and they grow rice there, though it would be more work. I might need to hire more people if we are going to make a proper farm for that and a few other odd plants that I want to grow, a farm for tea seems nice.¡± ¡°I would quite like that. I haven¡¯t had it since I was very young but I am sure my mother would have recipes for it.¡± Isha was excused for the night. Dahlia couldn¡¯t believe what she had seen. ¡°So you can make people like you. Why is it so hard for you to do that with others?¡± ¡°She first reacted like I was going to kill her whenever I met her. Only calming down after I gave her a sheep toy and spoke with her. It isn¡¯t my fault that people run away before I get to the other parts, and I am not going to sit around town handing out toys and talking with people.¡± Dahlia didn¡¯t have a good answer this time. She knew what should be done to have a good reputation, but she had spent more of her life in the shadows than in the light. She wondered if the well was already poisoned by fear and there was no good answer in the first place. ¡°Are you aware of the impropriety of a relationship with the house staff?¡± Harlan set down his sandwich. He was starting to get fed up with her trying to micromanage his life. He was strongly feeling that she reminded him of Rosewell without the grace. ¡°I am not going to argue about this. I am going to eat and then go to work. Go watch Ibery sleep or whatever it is you do at night.¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to respond. So she didn¡¯t. She went to her room and took a shower when Harlan went to work. Harlan was thinking that maybe he should¡¯ve contacted that rabbit supplier. But, for now he still had a few captured rabbits from the woods, as well as some birds. ¡°Alright, where should we start today?¡± ¡°I would recommend that larger rabbit you have been working on. We should take care that the mistake with the crow doesn¡¯t repeat itself.¡± Harlan couldn¡¯t believe he let the crow starve because he tried to grow it too fast without taking into account the extra food it needed. Harlan went to the rabbit pen to see that it had chewed through its wire cage and killed the other rabbits. It was many times the size of a normal rabbit. Clearly the process was growing more flawed as the size grew farther from its original state. Its teeth were growing faster than its head, giving it an oddly fierce look to Harlan. It had eaten not only all of its large serving of food, but the other rabbits as well. It thrashed against the cage, not unlike rats when subjected to bloodline testing. Harlan realized that maybe that was the answer. ¡°What if we found or made a bloodline able to fortify the soul? The soul takes bloodlines far better than it does me poking and prodding to see what happens.¡± ¡°It is a nice theory. But it could take us months of trial to find out the process. The bloodlines you worked with under the eye of the royals were all already known and tested bloodlines. You were given a final process without the knowledge of how to really make it. Though, we do know someone who has made a stable bloodline himself.¡± ¡°Right. I will have to ask him when I get the chance. I am tempted to try a completely different test with the rabbit soon.¡± ¡°Oh, really? What kind of test?¡± ¡°Taste. He is getting pretty big. But I think if I tried to do the scales test it would just explode and ruin the meat.¡± ¡°That¡­ Isn¡¯t a bad idea. We only really know how it affects the behavior and growth of a creature. We don¡¯t know if it has led to any unseen side effects with its growth. A dissection and butchering would reveal anything like cancerous growths.¡± Harlan and Balor decided to deal with the rabbit another day. Instead they worked with the birds they had. They tested many different adaptations on them, getting no real results but they did mark down which ones took the longest to explode compared to soul durability. Crows were a clear winner as far as taking well to changes, he got one to grow scales under its wings and live for over 5 minutes. Harlan wondered if intelligence had anything to do with it, so he added it to the pile of questions he didn¡¯t have answers for yet. Harlan felt he had actually made some good progress that night, though he was starting to question if it wouldn¡¯t be best to find other projects since he might be missing some large piece that would make everything much easier after his first year of academy and maybe¡­ just maybe, he should try to do something to fix his reputation. He once more walked upstairs to Isha, and Garad¡¯s wife Lydia making breakfast. Sara was doing something else somewhere. Harlan didn¡¯t keep track of everyone unless he knew he would need them for something later. ¡°Good morning Master Fomoria.¡± ¡°Just Harlan is fine, no one else is around.¡± He wondered if she was messing with him since she knew he wouldn¡¯t actually do anything to punish her, or if she was simply uncomfortable with being casual with her boss after years as a nobles cook. ¡°So. Where is Sara?¡± ¡°She is cleaning the rest of our homes.¡± ¡°Lost another bet?¡± ¡°She was absolutely sure that we would already have another group buried up to their necks again since you have that spy here.¡± ¡°That is what she gets for not knowing things then. Ibery isn¡¯t a prisoner that someone is going to break out, she is a guest while we wait for her people to either come here or request her return. And don¡¯t refer to her as the spy, she was just over her head. If she was really a threat I would¡¯ve dealt with her.¡± Isha laughed at the idea, but Lydia simply went quiet. Harlan liked it better that she didn¡¯t realize he was serious. Eventually people started coming down, Dahlia was first to show as he expected, then Redmond, Ava, and lastly Ibery. At least it looked like she slept this time. ¡°Redmond, do you have any experience with butchering rabbit?¡± ¡°Of course. We get rations but rangers are expected to prepare their own food when clearing areas.¡± ¡°What about a rabbit the size of a lamb?¡± Redmond didn¡¯t skip a beat when he answered. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t change much. It¡¯s just a rabbit still. But where did you find something like that?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t answer that, but I am working on some things.¡± ¡°Well, if you can make more meat. I would sell that to the kingdom, out in the frontier farms are made and destroyed all the time. Famine isn¡¯t common, but it happens. Lot of loyalty would come from villages knowing the kingdom can help them out.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to refine it, but that sounds good.¡± Harlan knew that it was a good thing, but the idea of the kingdom having more control over the lives of their subjects, or worse yet, intentionally putting them into a situation where they will accrue debt to the kingdom didn¡¯t sit right with him. ¡°Slow down. You are going to drive yourself mad if you think everything is just another powerplay for the kingdom.¡± ¡°But can you really say that it isn¡¯t? That they wouldn¡¯t do that?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t assume malice before it has happened. If they were that bad they would¡¯ve not offered any aid deals for the confederacy. They could¡¯ve starved them out and then expanded into their lands without much issue. I¡¯ve read the books, the deal was fair.¡± ¡°Lives for lives is rarely a fair deal when one side will die without it.¡± ¡°Ibery, what are your thoughts on the slaves for food deal the kingdom made?¡± Ibery spit out her tea, Dahlia gave both of them a deathly glare. It took her some time to prepare an answer. ¡°I believe that we would not be in our current position if the deal was not made.¡± ¡°Thank you for your perspective.¡± Everyone expected him to continue, but was glad to not end up in the middle of a political argument while sitting next to spies from two nations. ¡°I am sure that was a premade statement ¡®Would not be in our current position.¡¯ The wording doesn¡¯t give a positive or negative stance on the matter. Just that they would be in a different situation. A politically inoffensive and meaningless statement.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t base such a large subject on the words of a girl not yet 20 years of age who only knows the world from well after the deal was struck.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask more people then.¡± ¡°Harlan, I mean this kindly. You are going to get yourself killed over nothing at this rate. Just slow down. If you want to start criticizing the kingdom, at least wait until you are powerful enough that they cannot easily remove you.¡± Harlan and Balor got increasingly heated as they argued before eventually he was taken back to reality by a slap. ¡°What was that for?¡± Harlan looked to see who hit him, he saw Dahlia standing over him, but the second thing he saw was Isha and Lydia with fearful looks on their faces. ¡°You need to control yourself before you do something you cannot take back.¡± ¡°What did I even do?¡± ¡°Ava, you can show him things, right? Show him.¡± She did as asked. Harlan saw as over the course of his argument the shadows started to darken, the stove had started to heat up and Isha burned herself trying to turn it off, eventually he saw the slap as it started charring the wall behind it and yelling at him wasn¡¯t working. Harlan tried to get up to heal the minor burn and collapsed, Ava grabbed him before he hit the ground. Fear ran through his head, he tried to flush his system of any poisons before he passed out. He awoke an hour later with a platter of food on the table beside his bed. Dahlia was sitting in a chair near his bed reading something. Harlan couldn¡¯t understand what had happened, his soul was fine, he didn¡¯t think it was a poison. So he ran out of options. Dahlia could practically hear the gears turning in his head as he tried to figure out what went wrong. ¡°Do you want me to just tell you?¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess so.¡± ¡°You were unconsciously performing magic. Whatever you and your ring were arguing about distracted you from what you were doing and you lost control. You have always seen mana, so actively casting isn¡¯t always required. Since magic is simply forcing the world to react to your will this is the result. Normally this happens with people who¡¯ve been changed by Fae or those who can cast on reflex. You just burned yourself out, nothing to worry about there. What is worrying is that you can lose yourself in your head and do this in the first place.¡± ¡°So what is the solution then?¡± ¡°I am not a teacher. Just keep yourself calm and think about your actions. The academy will have a better answer I am sure.¡± Harlan wasn¡¯t satisfied with the answer just being self-control. ¡°Don¡¯t go back to sleep. Eat this and then come downstairs. Your uncle healed the maid for you.¡± He gorged himself and then went downstairs. Sara was arguing with a courier outside and some other messenger wearing some crest that slipped his mind at the moment. Both of them seemed to be having the same argument with her. ¡°I am telling you. No matter what you say, I cannot leave this with you. I am under strict orders to only deliver this directly to Sir Fomoria.¡± ¡°I am his servant. I take his packages all the time, just hand it over.¡± Harlan knew what it was about as soon as he picked up the faint smell of sulfur. It was a younger man, or at least he thought so. Harlan didn¡¯t care for how false undead aged so much slower than people. He was still feeling haggard but went outside to receive the package the man had. ¡°Welcome, I assume that is what I think it is?¡± ¡°Yes, my master apologizes that he could not also secure a subject for you, but he compiled this as quickly as possible.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, this is a joint effort for the both of us. There is no rush.¡± ¡°I will return with your kind words. Now. I must excuse myself.¡± Harlan then turned to the man with the crest. ¡°Balor, who am I talking to?¡± ¡°Verdigris. Magical house, headed by Baron Arnald Verdigris, 6 generations old. Gained the title because of a battle against adapted water hobgoblins at a copper mine where after the dust settled many of the men who fought deepest in the mines were painted blue. Your land borders his at the river to the west of here.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Messenger of house Verdigris. What have you come here for that you are arguing with my servant?¡± ¡°I have been sent with a request to have you soulsmith a blade for the baron. I am to return to him with your price as well as any information you have about the process.¡± ¡°For a single blade it will be 5 gold coins. Normally I would charge by percent of the value of the blade but I will consider this a gift. But I must ask. Why did you not go to Baron Redwall? Surely his enchanters could do such a job? And why you couldn¡¯t just ask my maid that question? She knows what I charge.¡± ¡°The baron asked for you, as you created this technique he believes you are the best for the job.¡± ¡°Very well, as far as information about the process I can give the instructions for implanting spells into the sword. But the rest of the process will remain a secret, it is known to me, Redwall, the academy, and the crown. He may negotiate with any of them for the knowledge if he desires it.¡± He left out the couriers from his list, the less people connected the two groups the less scrutiny both would be under. ¡°I shall return with the blade should the Baron agree on the price. Good day to you Sir Fomoria.¡± Harlan returned inside and put away his new research in the bunker behind one of the many secret storage spaces. ¡°He is never coming back.¡± ¡°Very likely, I believe that he was fishing for information. If he wanted the blade he would¡¯ve gone to Redwall. He is the only other person doing this in the area as far as I know.¡± ¡°Whatever, I am not going to worry about it, I am going to put it out of my mind. I have better things to do.¡± ¡°Harlan, don¡¯t hold another grudge. You should just let things like this go.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll just make a record of people who wronged me, but I won¡¯t do anything stupid.¡± Speaking of wronging people. Harlan realized he should check on Isha and make sure she is fine. As soon as he stepped out of the bunker the wards around his home flashed, he read the book the architect left behind so he knew what it was. Someone tried to teleport in and was denied. They tried again a moment later but farther away, so Harlan let them in. Dahlia was suddenly right next to him. He was a little annoyed that she was able to teleport in his house without permission, but he let it slide. Out of the gate which opened just past his walls stepped Tytoan Guards, they were lightly armored but Harlan could see something was going on with their feathers that didn¡¯t sit right with him. He saw they were wearing a crest depicting a black talon, Harlan was pretty sure he could figure out who they were. ¡°Morning.¡± He gave them a wave. The guards stared up at him, finally they made some hooting noise and someone on a stretcher was brought out from the gate. Harlan opened the wall for them with a whistle, they seemed unsettled but came inside once Ibery showed up and waved them in. Harlan led them to a guest room on the first floor, and they moved the person to the bed. Her legs bent in wrong directions, left bent right, right bent left. It was clearly impossible for her to walk at all. Her top beak was straight instead of curved as it should be. One wing was completely upside down. Every movement seemed to cause her some amount of pain. He really hoped he was able to help her. Chapter 55 The Tytoan who might¡¯ve been a doctor uncorked a bottle of something and had the matriarch drink it. Instantly she seemed more awake. ¡°Kid, can you help or not.¡± Harlan was a little taken aback by her lack of decorum, but he liked it. ¡°I¡¯ll need to take a look at your soul, but probably, and technically I am the nurse here. My brother will do the heavy lifting.¡± Balor spoke to her. ¡°I will need to look at your soul, so I will need physical contact. Do you consent to this?¡± She put her wing closer to Balor who took that as a yes, but before Harlan could place him on her wing one of the guards put his own in the way. ¡°Mother, are you certain that this is the right thing to do? Can we even trust one of them?¡± She was fuming. ¡°If you don¡¯t move your wing I will have you defeathered and tarred. Hurry up little ring, I can hear death calling my soul already.¡± The man stepped back with a worried look, at least Harlan was pretty sure it was worry. It was hard to tell with people who didn¡¯t have a face like a human, at least an Ibexian didn¡¯t have a beak. As Balor was finally put on the matriarch''s wing he could see the true extent of the damage. He had never seen such a thing, he saw how the other doctors had kept her alive for so long, a membrane had been placed over the soul. While unaligned souls such as animals were an ocean, hers was more like clouds or mist, though it still flowed like water. Her clouds seemed to darken shift and move as blocks churned the sea of the soul. ¡°I cannot believe you are alive as you are. A soul so beaten and torn should¡¯ve faded into dust or you should¡¯ve turned into an exploding pile of gore by now. But I see what has been done to keep that from happening. And also I do believe I can help, though I have never done it in such a way. This will be equal parts treatment and experiment if it works. But you would rather die today with hope or fade away anyway.¡± At the mention of her exploding the guards grew tense. ¡°I¡¯ll let you try, little ring.¡° ¡°My name is Balor. Now shall we talk about price?¡± ¡°I am going back to sleep. They all know what I am willing to pay, talk to my son.¡± The Tytoan who Harlan was now absolutely sure was a doctor gave her another potion, this time she quickly fell asleep when she drank it. The guard who tried to stop them before spoke. ¡°We have payments ready to be sent in gold and magical knowledge. If you have a place which we might securely speak, we may negotiate.¡± ¡°Of course. I have a room set up for privacy.¡± Harlan led the man to the bunker. He wasn¡¯t sure at first if she should, but he didn¡¯t actually know how to ward things well and any privacy veil he could cast would¡¯ve probably not been enough for them. It took some time, and Ibery had to come with as well, but he was willing to follow him into the bunker. ¡°First off, would you like some tea? Any snacks perhaps?¡± ¡°No, I do not.¡± ¡°Alright. What magical knowledge are your people willing to pay?¡± ¡°We have magics known only to us and the academy. We are willing to teach you advanced techniques for both elemental imbibing and telekinesis. As well as some techniques for flight, though those must come with an agreement that you would teach no one else.¡± ¡°What is imbibing? And is that really all that you have?¡± ¡°Imbibing is the process of infusing oneself with magic to temporarily gain an effect. My own darkened wings are from earth magic, we don¡¯t do well with armor so this grants us extra protection. And yes, that is all that we are willing to offer. We have thought long and hard about what we can bear to give up.¡± Instantly the idea piqued Harlan¡¯s interest, it sounded like it should help with his own research. ¡°How much can I expect to be taught? And in what form? I wouldn¡¯t expect to have someone come here from the confederacy just to teach me. Can I learn all of that and forgo any payment in gold?¡± ¡°We are willing to teach you 2 magical subjects if you forgo the gold. This will be in the form of books.¡± Harlan would¡¯ve said yes right then, but Balor butted into the talks. Harlan let him take over everything, only barely paying attention to the talks. After an half hour they came to an agreement. ¡°Fine, we shall teach you imbibing and telekinesis as well as allowing you to learn from the soul doctor who treated her before. Though we will not guarantee that he will teach you anything.¡± ¡°Agree to the deal.¡± ¡°Deal. We should get to work immediately then.¡± They reentered the room and placed Balor on her chest, Harlan held his hands over him to keep him in place and to allow him to also easily work on her, as well as making sure they could keep in contact through the whole process. ¡°Everyone who does not need to be here at this moment should leave the room. Dahlia, Ibery, you¡­?¡± ¡°San.¡± ¡°San, you can all stay. Doctor, are you the one who made that membrane like thing on her soul?¡± ¡°Yes, and my name is Hech.¡± ¡°Good, your job will be to maintain the membrane. Place your hands next to mine and don¡¯t freak out.¡± Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. The man did as asked. ¡°Good, it is much faster to speak this way. My plan is quite simple. I will cut through the membrane and rearrange her soul. The soul should be smooth like the surface of a lake, but whatever spells damaged hers caused a large number of walls within it, information on what should be where isn¡¯t setting where it should be. Hence her body being malformed. If all else fails I will ask you to completely remove the membrane and when her soul starts to disperse I will put it back together like I did for Harlan. But that would be a highly risky maneuver and I am only keeping it in mind for a worst case, if your membrane fully dissolves at any point during the procedure I will implement this plan, so do not get in the way if that happens. Now, I will cut through the membrane and then break down one of these walls, we will see what that will affect and go from there. Harlan, Lugh, you are going to be extra mana for me. I can absorb yours when I get low, if I get low rather. I have no idea about the efficiency of what I am about to do. If any of you have any ideas, tell me now.¡± Hech tried to talk through his soul, but he had no idea how. An issue Balor forgot about. ¡°Ring, I have no way to speak with you in whatever way you are. But I have no ideas, most of what you are talking about makes sense to me though.¡± ¡°Fine, I shall speak aloud as necessary, and you, Sen, as we heal her, her body might snap back into the correct shape. If that happens it is perfectly normal, though if she begins seizing then you may be needed to hold her still and not break our connection. Dahlia, if he tries to stop anything we are doing, you are free to remove him.¡± Dahlia bowed and Sen scowled. Balor poked at the membrane in many places, seeing if it was weak somewhere and asking the doctor to make it stronger as needed. Then he finally made the first cut. Balor could see it was starting to fade away but ignored that, the next part was to reach inside and poke at the walls until he found out how much energy it would take, then break one and make sure she would be alright. He started at a place which was already fairly close to being level, one hit, two, three, four, five, he saw it crack on the sixth hit. He also noticed that it was healing the cracks using the energy from her own soul. Balor smashed the first wall and the reaction was sudden, the soul found its level and her left leg slightly twisted back into a proper position. Balor retreated out to simply watch her. ¡°The first wall is broken. How are you two doing?¡± ¡°I am fine for now, ensuring the strength of the membrane is fairly light work compared to making a new one.¡± ¡°I am completely fine.¡± The next set started, he broke a second wall without issue, by the 4th wall the membrane was affected by the sudden wave of energy from the soul finding its form, it held but the sudden need to keep everything stable took energy from everyone. They were starting to see the effects of their work, they could see on her sleeping face that the pain seemed to be lessened, she wasn¡¯t tossing and turning as much. ¡°A break for now then?¡± Hech wiped sweet from his brow and agreed. Only then did the group notice that hours had already passed. Harlan called Sara to cook for them but he found food was already prepared. They moved to the kitchen and began to eat. It was 3 roasted chickens with potatoes and carrots cooked in their juices. Everyone sat around the table and talked as they got their energy back. ¡°There isn¡¯t any issue with the food, right?¡± ¡°Birds in nature eat other smaller birds all the time. It is no issue for our people any more than it is for an Ibexian to be a sheep herder.¡± ¡°Well, I guess you guys aren¡¯t really birds anyway.¡± The Tytoans thought on exactly what he meant by the statement. Everyone else was completely lost on the meaning. ¡°Yes, I know what you mean. That does also factor into our thoughts on the matter.¡± ¡°So, you guys got here pretty quickly. I wasn¡¯t expecting you for a week or more. I also wasn¡¯t expecting the gate.¡± ¡°Once the council decided that Matriarch Sindry would be coming here she paid for the gate mages herself.¡± Harlan felt he got the questions he wanted answered, so the rest was simple small talk until they regained their energy, what foods and other banal things one liked. This continued for a few days, the rest of the family had even come over, but Harlan missed them because he was in the procedure at the time. Zella decided to stay since there was a guest room left though. Just days of breaking the walls, watching for the burst of energy from this, and then making sure she lived as her body rearranged itself into the proper shapes. Then eating and rest, then back to work. Sen was clearly not taking it well at first when she went into fits as her bones broke and reformed over and over again before settling. But as they worked and even woke her up at times Sen could see how much better she was feeling. After 6 days and Harlan even supplying Hech with some anti-sleep elixirs they were down to the final wall. It was the highest of them but they didn¡¯t worry in the slightest about such a thing. The three had worked as a team for enough hours and Harlan had picked up on the membrane spell and how to use it in a more freeform manner for him to be a backup with sealing the waves of power in, they learned during the 4th day that if they kept it fully contained then she recovered faster since she didn¡¯t need to take time to reabsorb the little bits of her soul which she was losing in the process. Balor hit the wall and everything went as expected. It broke but was contained, all kinds of small subtle changes happened all over Sindry¡¯s body, a lump that shouldn¡¯t be there was gone, a small chip on her beak was healed, her wings took on a shine. After an hour of small tests by all three of them she was cleared to be woken up. She blinked and stretched her wings and legs, which had been increasingly worthless for years. She vocalized a little song that she learned as a girl. She was healed. ¡°Boy, ring, Hech, thank you. Now, get me out of this bed.¡± Sen was allowed back in the room when she woke up without issue. She couldn¡¯t walk yet since much of her body was atrophied from disuse. ¡°You should probably stay still for a little while until you get your strength up again. But you can sit on a chair outside if you want.¡± She grumbled for a time before Sen carried her outside to a chair. Harlan decided to sit next to her. ¡°So. What are your thoughts on the Fomorians?¡± ¡°If you mean you, Calli said you are alright by his standards. Though those are pretty loose.¡± ¡°No, I mean them. I still barely know what they are like other than everyone calling them monsters in human skin, it doesn¡¯t help that The Darkness wants me to kill them all, and I am considering it.¡± ¡°You let that witch poison your mind and you think you are ready to commit genocide?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think things are going to go well between us if you talk about her like that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear a word of it. Once you start killing you can talk about considering killing your own people.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got enough blood on my hands as it is, or do the millions of people who¡¯ve died because I taught the kingdom soulsmithing not count?¡± ¡°Of course it doesn¡¯t count, you¡¯ve got to see a life fade before your eyes to understand that weight. Don¡¯t push yourself into being a monster if you don¡¯t need to be one.¡± ¡°What if I already am one?¡± ¡°Stop looking to be something you aren¡¯t, Sen, take me back inside, I¡¯ve underestimated how weak I am. Thank you for your time Sir Fomoria.¡± Sindry and Sen spoke under a new veil he put up. ¡°That boy isn¡¯t right. She has infected his mind with her blight.¡± ¡°He is young, he doesn¡¯t know enough about the world. As far as we can tell he has yet to directly intentionally take a human life.¡± ¡°No. He doesn''t speak like a child his age, he doesn¡¯t feel like one. He is a monster waiting to happen. I want to stay out of his way or on his good side if I must be in his way. Find out if there is something we can get him so we can smooth over this little conversation. I don¡¯t want to stay here too long, but we will stay for another day so as to not look like he has scared me off. Say I am recovering.¡± Ibery would have her own conversation with her aunt about Harlan and if he seemed dangerous or just misunderstood. Chapter 56 Harlan was inside talking with Zella in her room. ¡°Rosewell told me through Dahlia that Relly is getting out sometime soon but she wouldn¡¯t tell me when.¡± ¡°Ugh, I need to be a noble. I tried for months to get anything and you send a letter and get a reply in a day.¡° ¡°That is how things are here. I¡¯ve heard that nobles in some parts of the kingdom really abuse their power. But what is someone without nobility or a title supposed to even do?¡± ¡°I should go join the army after the academy. I¡¯m sure I can be a noble if I try hard enough. Kill enough people.¡± ¡°Well, if you do, I¡¯ll outfit you for free. I have more money than I can spend quickly and I hate most people. I don¡¯t want to lose you because I was cheap.¡± Zella was glad to hear it. But before she could reply there was a knock on the door. ¡°Master Harlan. Sen wishes to speak with you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be out in just a second. Sorry Zella, you looked like you were going to say something?¡± ¡°Nah, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Harlan stepped out and then led Sen to his office. ¡°The Matriarch wishes to smooth things over. She is sorry for her conduct and wants to know if there is anything she can do for you.¡± It didn¡¯t take long for Harlan to figure out something he wanted. He didn¡¯t really hold too much of a grudge. He barely knew her but he kinda liked Ibery. He didn¡¯t want to come off as greedy either. ¡°You guys have rice, correct?¡± ¡°Yes. how many pounds would you like?¡± ¡°I want seeds. Or partly grown plants. I want to set up my own farm, most of my land is unused beyond these walls and I don¡¯t know of anything better to do with it. Oh, I would also need some tips on how to grow and process it.¡± ¡°A slightly odd request, but I can appreciate you not asking for a pile of gold. Where did you hear about rice from? The Ibexian who works for your parents?¡± ¡°No. My maid Isha is from Reino. She mentioned it to me before and I want to try it.¡± Sen was slightly uncomfortable when Harlan said Reino, but he had never seen Isha give him any strange looks. ¡°We wish to stay for another day at least before we leave. We will have manuals and seeds sent here through the couriers. If that is acceptable.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me. By the way, what is the cost of a gate?¡± ¡°We paid 100 gold coins for each gate, for a total of 300 to get here. Would you like us to have your seeds and manuals sent by gate instead?¡± Harlan could¡¯ve paid. He had a few thousand in his vault. But he didn¡¯t like spending money without what he thought was a very good reason. He needed mana gems and sleeping potions for his work, he needed metals in all sorts of shapes, so these were things he didn¡¯t mind buying. But he only had 7 sets of clothes. When he did his work that he knew would be bloody he always wore the same set. So it was really 6 sets of good clothes and then the work set. ¡°No, I think it should be fine for me to just have them delivered by courier. I don¡¯t want to force you, this isn¡¯t part of whatever informal agreement you are doing. But why are gates so expensive? I¡¯ve seen quite a few people use them.¡± If Harlan was as good at reading people as he thought he was, Sen had the look of someone who knew the answer but really wasn¡¯t sure about saying the answer, then realizing that yes he might as well just explain it. ¡°There are far too many factors to this, but I will run through some of why it is uncommon. And I will leave out much of the political parts. I know you don¡¯t care for such things.¡± ¡°Because you have a file on me that you read? Or because you¡¯ve been here for a week?¡± ¡°It all boils down to there being a lot of restrictions and problems with gates and so they are only used for showboating or emergencies. If gate was a cure all to movement around the world every war would just be one side opening a gate and group casting ridiculously powerful spells through it to level cities. Regna and our country also keeps close tabs on anyone who knows how to cast a gate and this puts those people under a great deal of scrutiny which deters some from learning the spell in the first place. We don¡¯t even want to get into what happens if an array is set up specifically to kill gate mages.¡± ¡°What does happen?¡° Sen wasn¡¯t happy with the question. ¡°Everyone dies. An area of some size is completely wiped clean of all life. The area becomes a vacuum that sucks up everything in whatever sized area this happens to, then this all explodes. Almost everywhere that matters has wards set up to stop any gate from forming to stop this exact situation. I think I have said enough on this though.¡± ¡°Well. That was more than I thought it was going to be.¡± ¡°I once asked my mother the same question and she sent me to a 3 hour long speech at the academy called gate magic and its disasters.¡± ¡°I am sorry that that happened.¡± ¡°At least I took a gate there and back.¡± Harlan was conflicted on if he should laugh or not. But the laughter won out, Sen laughed too. ¡°Alright. One more question.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t going to be as big as the last one, is it?¡± ¡°What is the difference between a ward and an array? They seem pretty close to each other, I have wards that stop teleporting unless I want them to, but you said an array can kill a gate mage.¡± ¡°Wards stop things from happening. Arrays cause things to happen. It is a bit of an odd distinction and you are going to find fringe cases where something could be one or the other at the discretion of whoever first made and categorized the spell. A silencing ward stops others from listening in, a silencing array stops any sound from being made at all.¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Well, thank you a lot for the talk. I apologize to your mother. I shouldn¡¯t have snapped at her like that. You have a friend up here, I hope you accept that from me.¡± ¡°I hope she warms up to you. But you know why she might have issues with that.¡± They bowed to each other and walked out of the office, Sen went back outside to his mother and Harlan decided to finally apologize to Isha. Harlan found her hanging out laundry and walked up to her. ¡°Hey.¡± she flinched back a moment. ¡°My apologies Master Fomoria. I didn¡¯t hear you coming.¡± ¡°I should get a bell then.¡± Harlan could tell that she wanted to laugh but wasn¡¯t comfortable since they were out in the open and others could be watching. ¡°You are allowed to laugh. You don¡¯t need to be stiff just because others might be watching or listening. They can take a swim in the outhouse for all I care. I am your master and you are my servant, but I don¡¯t need to treat you like a golem. It isn¡¯t like I am trying to seduce you.¡± ¡°Yes. I think I can accept that. Did you need anything? Or did you come here just to scare me?¡± He bowed to her as he spoke. ¡°Sorry for burning you. I should¡¯ve had better control of myself.¡± ¡°Ah. Right.¡± Harlan was¡­ not upset, but unhappy. That little look in her eyes, the little change in her tone, she blamed him but didn¡¯t want to say it. He hated that look, the unspoken judgment. ¡°There is no problem. Your uncle healed me as soon as he saw that you weren¡¯t in any danger and had passed out due to simple fatigue.¡± ¡°Yeah. I am glad then. Oh, and I got us rice. They will be sending seeds from the confederacy along with some manuals for growing it. It should be here before I leave for the academy so I can set up the farm and divert the stream near here for irrigation.¡± ¡°I hope it is as good as I remember.¡± Harlan walked away with a little wave. He wanted to get that look out of his head, he decided to butcher that rabbit to blow off steam. To that end he found Redmond, he found him at the firing range teaching Ava. The range was like a pond filled with a deep fog, only occasionally broken up by a flash of light here or there. After there wasn¡¯t any flashes of light for some time Ava came flying out of the range and gracefully landed on her backside. ¡°Good landing. You didn¡¯t break anything. Probably.¡± ¡°I really thought I had him that time.¡± Redmond dispersed the fog and stepped out. ¡°Ava, you¡¯ve been learning to fight, and you¡¯ve learned well, way faster than I did, but you aren¡¯t about a decade too early to fight me; I¡¯ve been out in the fringes of what can be called human lands for years. You¡¯ve been fighting noble brats and goblins. No offense Harlan.¡± ¡°Why would I be offended?¡± ¡°I do apologize for any crude remarks. Master Fomoria.¡± Redmond then poked Harlan in the side with his finger, getting a laugh from him. ¡°Ava. You fought him before?¡® ¡°Of cour- Wait¡­ No, I guess we never did really fight? We trained and I showed him forms but that doesn¡¯t really count.¡± ¡°Harlan, you wanna play a game?¡± ¡°This is going to be horrible. Of course I do.¡± ¡°Alright, both of you go into the fog, no weapons, no offensive spells. Goal is to pin your opponent to the ground, doesn¡¯t matter how long you do it for. Just that they¡¯re face down in the dirt. One will be the aggressor and the other the defender. Switch every round. That sound fun? Trains hand to hand, grappling, and sixth sense. You are both going to be effectively blind in there.¡± Without a word Ava and Harlan decided to walk into the range. Ava was the aggressor first. Harlan was completely blind, relying on instinct and sound to defend himself. He heard a wet stomp behind him and reached for her, only to catch nothing while she pushed him face first into the mud from behind. Harlan realized the part that wasn¡¯t said, this was training for trick magics. Round two started. Harlan put out small soundwaves that people couldn¡¯t hear normally. Yet with another spell he could, using echolocation and sound canceling he snuck up behind her, pulling at her legs. Only to have his own legs pulled out from under him. Another face full of mud. He was starting to wonder how long her and Redmond had been playing this game of theirs. He started the next match with a show of force. He hardened the ground under him for better footing and tracked her by feeling the shifting of the mist with his own air magic. As soon as he was absolutely sure it was her this time he launched himself like an arrow. Once he had a grip on her it was over. She was strong, she was older than him by a few months. But she couldn¡¯t overcome the simplest thing, overwhelming force from someone who was barely human. At least that was the plan. Harlan couldn¡¯t get her to budge with the first move and she out grappled him and forced him to the ground. Redmond cleared the fog. Harlan was sure that Lydia was going to be upset at his mud stained clothes. ¡°Win goes to Ava. What did both of you learn?¡± Ava took a few minutes to catch her breath, gravity magic was harder on the body than most magic, even with her moving beyond what one might consider normal human limits her body was still a physical object being subjected to multiple times its normal weight. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know the spells you taught me he would kill me in an ambush. And I shouldn¡¯t be so confident in my ability to hide because there is too many spells for detection.¡± ¡°Harlan, what did you learn?¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t rely so much on the spells I have to find people, if I used 2 different ones together I would¡¯ve seen her coming instead of being tricked. And Ava got fat over the week.¡° Ava hit him with an orb of mud which he didn¡¯t try to dodge. He knew he had it coming. ¡°Good enough. Both of you see where you can get better and that is the most important part. I already told Ava this story, but I¡¯ll tell you too. Now this is going to sound silly, but it really happened. There was a mage who was really really good at throwing normal fireballs. He could basically cast 3 peoples worth of fireballs in rapid succession. It was literally the only spell he would ever use. But then he was put down by a guy who could reflect energy based spells really well. But then that guy was killed by a guy who was really good at throwing rocks. A diverse set of spells is worth more than that one really good trick. adapt, overcome, survive.¡± Redmond felt pretty good about the speech. He thought throwing in the rangers motto at the end really sealed the deal. ¡°That was a nice speech. Can you help me with that rabbit now? That is what I came here for in the first place.¡± ¡°Sure. let¡¯s go. Ava, you are helping too.¡± ¡°Why do I need to?¡± ¡°You need to learn how to process small game and you guys can talk about the spells you used during the match while you butcher. I¡¯ll make a ranger out of both of you yet.¡± ¡°He really isn¡¯t small game any more.¡± Harlan had asked Ava to feed the rabbit while he was working since he was spending nearly every waking hour either resting or in the soul surgery. He couldn¡¯t trust that Isha wouldn¡¯t be mauled by the beast and it was growing at a steady pace still. ¡°How big is he? I haven¡¯t been back to the lab yet.¡± ¡°I think you should have him stuffed or turned into a throw rug when we are done. Or maybe just mount the head. The antlers are pretty big now.¡± ¡°Antlers?¡± They both wondered if the other was joking. Chapter 57 Redmond and Harlan were looking at the now completely monstrous rabbit. Redmond figured that Harlan meant for it to end up like this. Harlan was baffled and a little worried that it turned out this way. Its legs were long, its skull was long, it had antlers, its teeth had shifted in both size and shape, the fur had taken on a more tan color with a white underbelly and tail, hooves were starting to take shape on its now fused toes. Harlan looked at it for about 5 minutes before he figured out what he thought it was. ¡°Ava. What did you feed this thing?¡± ¡°Well. The feed you told me to give it, and since it seemed to like meat I gave it some of those thinner pieces of meat you keep around.¡± ¡°Deer? How very strange. Did you feed it any other animals?¡± ¡°I guess not. I just gave it what Isha gave me when I said I needed some meat.¡± ¡°This is not what I wanted to do. But thank you, this might hold a lot of answers for me.¡± Harlan briefly wondered if it would be good to feed it beef. Or to feed deer beef. Deer was alright, but he didn¡¯t like how it became when the fat got cold. ¡°You¡¯re welcome? What was supposed to happen with it?¡± ¡°I was just making it bigger for now. But I am trying to get things to take on traits from other animals. A scaled rabbit. A deer with feathers. Things like that.¡± ¡°What good is tha-¡± She realized the real purpose of his work. ¡°NO. Full stop. Do not do that. You have enough problems as it is, don¡¯t give yourself antlers and claws unless you want to be treated like a real monster for the rest of your life.¡± ¡°Oh, that is being overly dramatic. People don¡¯t treat the beastkin like that.¡± ¡°Yeah, but they are just born like that. They didn¡¯t change themselves into people with fur and horns.¡± Harlan wasn¡¯t entirely sure about telling her about how wrong she was. Redmond made a face that Harlan was sure meant to shut up. ¡°So. Harlan, Ava. Both of you have butchered stuff before. It isn¡¯t much different from butchering a¡­ That thing. I hope it isn¡¯t different. So, what is the first step? And do you want the entire coat and head intact? Both of these questions are related.¡± ¡°Well, for starters yes I want the entire coat and skeleton unharmed so I can study it, or have someone smarter than me study it. Because THAT is weird. Ava, you met Ky, right?¡± She had a slight smile that Harlan didn¡¯t miss. ¡°Yeah. I remember him.¡± ¡°You know what he could do, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. He ate magical creatures and got their powers.¡± ¡°Yes. but this is very different. He could switch those powers by just eating things, but he didn¡¯t change that much. His hair went all wispy from eating wargs because wargs have shadowy fur that isn¡¯t fully physical. But that¡­ thing. Its bones and skull and fur color. Everything has changed, I assume permanently. Because undoing whatever happened would require remaking its entire body. Before we kill it. I want to look at its soul. Because that is probably going to give me answers.¡± ¡°Alright¡­ let¡¯s see. I bet we could hit it in the head hard enough to knock it out without killing it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to risk fracturing its skull. I have no idea if it has brittle bones or if the bones are actually harder. Strangulation maybe?¡± Ava and Harlan went back and forth for a bit before Redmond spoke to them. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s sleeping. It won¡¯t be waking up any time soon.¡± ¡°What?¡± they both said. ¡°I am a certified healer. I know spells for making sleeping air, not everyone can be healed willingly and cracking skulls to knock them out just adds more work.¡± ¡°Well. that is convenient. You are sure it isn¡¯t going to wake up and start mauling me?¡± ¡°Of course. I once had to put a great bear to sleep, and it worked just fine.¡± Redmond left out the part where it was already hibernating and it took him hours before he was sure it was actually in a wakeless slumber and wasn¡¯t going to maul him. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s take it outside, I want Hech to look at it as well. Maybe someone like him will get something out of this.¡± Redmond slung it over his shoulders, having to turn sideways to walk through the doorways. And they went outside. They had made a bit of a stir when they came outside and everyone saw what they thought was a weird deer before they looked closer. ¡°Boy¡­ what manner of abomination have you made?¡± Sindry was still sitting outside with Sen having replaced one of the guards watching her. ¡°No clue what to call it, I didn¡¯t mean to do this. It just worked out that way.¡± ¡°Harlan. That really doesn¡¯t help¡­ You know what. I don¡¯t want to know what you were trying to do actually. How can I help?¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Sen was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, though they had known one another for such a short time Harlan¡¯s willingness to work sleepless nights and supply them with anti-sleep elixirs made a strong impression on top of his waving of the issue of Sindry sending Ibery as a spy. ¡°I want Hech to look at this with me. I don¡¯t fully know why it turned out like this other than it had eaten deer. But that shouldn¡¯t be how souls work.¡± Sen sent one of the guards inside to tell Hech and ask if he wanted to be involved. Moments later Hech burst outside. ¡°Harlan, what have you done?¡± Despite his words, Harlan could tell it was a tone of curiosity instead of horror. ¡°I made a big weird rabbit by accident.¡± ¡°Well, that sounds accurate. Shall we take a peek at its soul?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Hech and Harlan were reasonably close, having both taught each other tricks of the trade and unique insights the other missed because of formal and lack of formal teachings steering them away from some things. After 10 minutes of silence they finally spoke. Just not aloud. ¡°Its soul¡­ it has these gaps. They are being filled in by foreign material. From what you have told me and my own workings. This isn¡¯t far from how some bloodlines are formed, an adding of new material by subtly forcing an area to hold this information. But this was by accident you say? Quite odd¡­ Quite odd¡­ Normally it is a trying task to do such a thing, and to add completely new information by accident? Odder still.¡± ¡°I am going to let you in on some of this. But this rabbit was originally normal sized. I have been growing it by changing the soul. Maybe because it grew larger physically faster than the soul changed in size to fill this new body those gaps formed naturally? I want to dissect some goblins souls. Do people know how they adapt to their environment like they do?¡± ¡°Well, I believe they are using some very advanced instinctual imbibing technique. But if what you are saying is the case, then maybe because of their quick rate of growth mixed with them simply absorbing mana from their environment naturally they become attuned to where they are. But that would mean they should also be taking on more animal features, should it not?¡± Ava saw the look both of them had, the shimmering of their eyes as they spoke with their souls. ¡°Hey. gonna let the rest of us know what you are talking about? I thought we were going to butcher this thing, not awkwardly stand around it.¡± ¡°Sorry. Yeah we learned some stuff. But we aren¡¯t really sure about what it means. We should string this thing up and start that then. Hech, thank you for your insights.¡± ¡°You are welcome as always. I would never have had the chance to look over something so odd without being here.¡± They bowed to one another and then Hech went back inside. Harlan set up an arch of dirt and a pit in the ground, then he hung the thing upside down, Ava cut the throat and Harlan used a little magic to make sure the blood wouldn¡¯t splash on them as it filled the pit. Redmond gave them little tips about using their free hand to make sure the guts didn¡¯t get in the way as they cut them out so they wouldn¡¯t pierce them with their knives. Then once the insides were clean and Harlan was done checking the organs Redmond showed them a trick to cleanly remove the pelt from the muscle underneath. He placed his fingers inside the space between muscle and pelt and then conjured small air blades that conformed to the rabbit and cleanly cut the connective tissue without harming the meat or the pelt. Harlan was thoroughly impressed. Finally they moved the body to a stone table they had set up and they put the pelt on a separate table for now. They quartered the body as one would a deer and Harlan reminded them to check for any odd growths as they were cutting. Everything seemed fairly normal until Redmond started taking the meat off the face. He could see that the skull was fused with a smaller rabbit skull and asked Harlan to look at it. ¡°Huh. so it didn¡¯t just grow. It grew the new body on top of the old one.¡± Harlan cut the meat off a leg and then cleanly split it open from top to bottom. ¡°As I thought¡­¡± He could see inside where the marrow should be was also a second smaller bone. ¡°So it has two skeletons. That is¡­ interesting?¡± ¡°It is creepy. Are you sure this stuff is going to be safe to eat?¡± Redmond formed signs and mouthed words, a light enveloped the entire body but didn¡¯t seem to do anything. ¡°It isn¡¯t poison. I can say that much at least.¡± Once it was butchered and Sara was told to start a stew using most of the meat, saving the rest for a testing, Redmond tanned the hide since he said magically tanning took experience to not ruin the whole thing. Harlan wanted to mount the skull without the pelt on it, then make the pelt a rug. But he didn¡¯t really know where to put the rug. It was too soft and would be damaged if he just put it in front of the door. But he didn¡¯t sleep enough to justify putting it by his bed. Mounted on a wall was his fall back option if he couldn¡¯t figure out anything else. For the time being Harlan wanted a snack at least. Redmond and Ava agreed. So they spoke as they waited for Isha to make their sandwiches. ¡°How did you find me in the last round?¡± ¡°How are you so heavy?¡± ¡°You first.¡± ¡°I felt the shifting of the fog. Because it was made with magic, a little bit of air mana was dispersed throughout the cloud. So I supplanted the mana already in there and extended my senses throughout the area.¡± ¡°Is that hard?¡± Redmond answered. ¡°Yes. Who taught you that?¡± ¡°Rosewell. She likes her air magic and is a bit paranoid about people sneaking up on her. She wanted to keep it from happening with me. I think¡­¡± Harlan really wanted that talk with her at some point soon. He hated feeling nostalgic and yet resentful of what his paranoia thought she might be. Harlan was shifting his cup awkwardly back and forth. ¡±You alright? You want to talk somewhere else?¡± ¡°No. Answer my question.¡± He felt he hid his turmoil well enough. No one else in the room agreed. ¡°Gravity magic. I made myself heavier as soon as I heard you coming. You were off balance when your assumption of how heavy I should be was wrong. If you learned grappling like I did then maybe you would¡¯ve still been able to win. But instead you don¡¯t come over to train and just built things out here.¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± Harlan quickly realized that mocking was not the right tone to take at the moment. ¡°How about I teach you to build some stuff while we have time? I shouldn¡¯t have said that before.¡± Isha set the food down on the table which Ava ate in silence for a time. ¡°Alright, show me how to do that soul stuff.¡± ¡°I am not going to have the time for more than a very basic overview since I¡¯d need to teach you a bunch of stuff leading up to proper soul work and we are already almost halfway done with the month, I could show you how to put new spells inside items though.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Redmond was glad to see things not turn into pointless melodrama. He had enough arguing in the army as is. Chapter 58 ¡°Alright, so think of casting the spell you know, hold that in your mind, think it into the sword.¡± Ava did as asked, but it was another dud. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll clear it. You can do it eventually. No worries.¡± Harlan grabbed hold of the blade and focused on where the soul was still changing, then he simply cut out that chunk, when it returned to pure energy it simply went back into the soul. Seeing how energy was maintained in body parts before fading and trying to return to the soul was something Harlan didn¡¯t realize the usefulness of until rather recently, fueled by his miserly attitude he hated how much was being wasted as Ava filled multiple cores with what amounted to junk spells that were more dangerous to the user than the enemy. He experimented through the night to salvage them. The first dozen gems burst much like an animal whose soul was manhandled in such a way, but after Harlan stopped the bleeding he kept at it until he figured out how to clear a soul of its knowledge. He refused to share the information with the kingdom and only taught Ava while in the bunker to try and avoid Dahlia learning about it and telling them. Harlan placed his hand on Ava and watched exactly what she was doing. The runes formed in her soul, or her mind. Harlan was still fuzzy on if there actually was a real difference, but he ignored that while he watched her. She grabbed hold of the nearly cleared blade and pushed the runes into it, forcing her thoughts onto it. ¡°Oh, I see what you are doing wrong. Don¡¯t force them onto the blade, I¡¯ve tried enough offensive soul magic that I know the natural defenses will try and go against that. Just think about it, the blank soul is drawn to learn things, so it will tap into your mind and suck up whatever you are putting out.¡± Since he still had a hand on her shoulder he could feel that she was briefly afraid when he mentioned the soul magic. But he kept it to himself, he knew he was scary. ¡°Alright, one more try. Then I¡¯m going to bed.¡± ¡°Really? It¡¯s only¡­¡± Harlan cast a timekeeping spell. ¡°Oh, it is midnight. I¡¯m sure you can do it this time. Just remember, this is a scalpel situation, not a hammer one.¡± She snorted at her younger brother trying to sound wise, but she still listened to him. Finally it was done. She made a blade that could produce and move a fog. ¡°You did it! Want to test it out?¡± She seemed conflicted for only a moment. ¡°Of course.¡± She practically danced around the room, leaving a trail of fog behind her all the while. Harlan told her once 10 minutes had passed. ¡°Thank you thank you thank you. Now I can make some improvements on that armor you gave me.¡± ¡°Be careful with that. You should check the soul inside an item before and after every spell or other bit of knowledge you add to it. I¡¯ve tested the durability of gems by filling them to bursting, you don¡¯t want to fill them too full.¡± Harlan was glad he was here in the woods instead of at the mansion at the time, his family would never leave him alone if they heard he had to get his arm regrown. ¡°I am not you, I can be careful. But I will double check whenever I make a change, you can teach me that clearing things and I can change out the spells as much as I want then. It will be perfect.¡± ¡°You can also barely do soul searching with my spell. You are more likely to blow up a core than clear it, you don¡¯t even know how to map out the functions of a soul yet. I can¡¯t teach you everything right now anyway. Maybe you should go to the academy next year.¡± ¡°Nope. I have some tricks but I don¡¯t want to be a mage, I¡¯ll waste too much time doing that and I¡¯ll never be a real swordmaster.¡± ¡°Well, give it more thought. You can do anything you set your mind on, and I can help with that.¡± She ruffled his hair and walked upstairs. Harlan followed behind. When the door to the house opened he wasn¡¯t happy to see Dahlia waiting for him. ¡°Good, now that you are done, we need to talk.¡± ¡°Of course. Close the door on the way down.¡± Harlan went to the workshop instead of the privacy room. Dahlia followed close behind, slightly confused. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°We can talk here. I want to do some things while I have time, time I didn¡¯t expect to spend with you interrogating me.¡± She scoffed. ¡°I am going to ask some questions, that is all. No need to make it sinister.¡± ¡°Alright then. Ask away.¡± ¡°Are you aware that Breken is not his real name? And that he is from the theocracy?¡± Harlan was now annoyed, Ava seemed upset already, her relationship with him was as master and student but she thought she knew him pretty well. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s go to the privacy room.¡± Harlan started a kettle of water before sitting down. ¡°No, I did not know that. What is his name then? Did you find him? Is he alive?¡± Dahlia glared at him. ¡°You spend so much time upset over people not giving you the benefit of the doubt but you accuse us of murder at the drop of a hat. No, he is not dead. Yes we found him. His name is, or according to him, was, Ezekiel.¡± ¡°I am sorry for saying that. It was very rude. What is his current status, and what is being done to anyone who knows who he was? I know he was a mercenary, surely someone knew.¡± ¡°Currently he is imprisoned, normally someone of his skill level would be executed because of the risk of escape, but he turned himself in when he returned from the theocracy and has fully cooperated with our investigation. Nothing is to be done with those who knew who he is until we are sure who he is and if he is going to face punishment at all. He returned to the theocracy, according to him at least, so he could try and convince his still living brother to leave, turn traitor before the army crushed the theocracy. Instead there was a fight, and he killed his brother before fleeing back to us. All we can confirm is that yes a fairly high ranking soldier was killed in the theocracy. But their records are not open to us and we do not have blood to confirm relation.¡± Harlan went through a gambit of emotions, angry he was in prison, happy he was probably not a traitor and even if Ava knew it might not be a problem, deep sadness that he killed his own brother, self doubt when he realized that he would be doing such a thing to his own family if he wiped out the Fomorians. And Dahlia read him like an open book. ¡°From your reaction I am going to report that you really didn¡¯t know anything. But seeing what you look like when you are honest. Why did you look different when I asked about the merchant from the confederacy?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± ¡°Harlan, I would rather not call in a guilt seeker to question you. Who was that you were talking to?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say. I didn¡¯t mention it before, but they weren¡¯t human and they weren¡¯t Fomorian.¡± Harlan hoped that a vague statement followed by 3 truths would throw her off. ¡°We will talk about this again some day, I am quite sure of that.¡± Harlan drank his tea and thought of what he could now do to pass the time. He wished he had talked with Sindry before they left, he wished Ibery had talked to him, he didn¡¯t want to wake up anyone else to talk with. So he started working, he brought handfuls of mana gems from his workshop outside and started filling them. It was on his list of things he wanted to bring with him to the academy. He had no idea if they had mimic trees he could fill gems with or even if they knew about the process of working with cores. He knew the kingdom gave them information but had no idea how much. He also wanted to drop some of them off with Brig, so long as he could set them in an item he could have another mage actually put the spells inside while Harlan was away. Maybe it was best to simply refer him to Redwall? A problem to put on the backburner for now. He had a lot of time left until the sun was up, and he wanted to visit the mansion in the morning anyway. It was getting too close to the end of his time here but he had barely even interacted with Amber or Zella. Mostly just when he had a spare moment or it was meal time. It was maybe another 30 minutes before he expected people to get up, he didn¡¯t feel like it was enough time to do very much but he wanted to do something. So he decided to look at the golems Dahlia brought with her. The issue was as soon as he tried to touch him his sixth sense told him it was a very bad idea. So he just looked, he hadn¡¯t thought much of it. But they didn¡¯t carry swords. Just a series of rods, they were bright to his mana sense, but not in the same way as enchanted items were. Closer to how people looked to mana sense. Soulsmithed then at least, but with what? Why not a sword instead? He inched closer and closer, waiting for that buzzing sensation to tell him that now was the time to step back. He repeated this many times, it seems they couldn¡¯t learn when someone was testing them like he was. He was pretty sure that at least they were actually just golems and not real souls put into metal bodies. Isha came inside followed by Sara this time. They headed to the kitchen immediately to start cooking. Harlan silently sat down in a chair near them. ¡°How is Reino?¡± Both of them jumped a little and Sara got a mean look on her face. Isha answered him. ¡°I don¡¯t really know, I was very young when we came over. We already talked about this a lot, you could try and talk with my mother about it again.¡± She was terrified of him and would answer everything as if her life was at stake. He felt uncomfortable around her, and her him. ¡°I don¡¯t think I will. You know how she is.¡± ¡°If you avoid her you will never get her used to you. I was the same way and look at me now, I can speak with you just fine. No more shaking at all.¡± ¡°What about your father? Is he around somewhere? Do you know anyone else from Reino who I could talk with?¡± Harlan could see the dark look on her face when he mentioned her father. ¡°No, he was killed some time ago. And I don¡¯t know anyone else.¡± ¡°What about Breken?¡± ¡°What would he know?¡± She was genuinely confused, Harlan felt bad about testing her reactions to some information. ¡°Sorry about that. I was gauging your reactions.¡± Harlan could see a flicker of anger behind her eyes. He hadn¡¯t ever seen her actually angry before. ¡°I am really sorry but I can¡¯t talk about it. When I can talk about it, I will apologize properly.¡± She still didn¡¯t seem happy but she wasn¡¯t going to voice it. Harlan fled to check his carriage and golems. Interlude: Breken I was born in the 9th circle, closest to the border with the heretic kingdom. youngest of 3 boys. My father was a titled soldier, my oldest brother is one as well, my middle brother was found compatible with the magics granted by the gods and given the chance to be an ascended. They took him when I was 8 and I didn¡¯t see him until I was a man. My mother went to the gods while giving birth to me. When I was 12 I went to the aptitude test and was assigned to the soldier caste, the instructors were hard but I was strong and my mind was unbreakable, my faith in the gods was rewarded by an upgrade to an officers class. I entered the battlefield at age 16, I watched every man I led be slaughtered, the kingdom had bought the service of an ogre and we were too far from our holy lands to have the priests smite the beast. I don¡¯t know how I lived, just that I woke up with a dented helmet in a pile of dead bodies. They demoted me to a basic soldier and reassigned me to a rear camp to be a messenger. That is when I found him, he was standing 10 feet tall, a nearly shining white skin tone, eyes on every side of his head. But I knew it was him, even without any emotion to his voice I could tell it was him. ¡°Brother Ezekial! It has been so long since you were granted this honor. I never thought that I might see you again! What title have you been given?¡± But he didn¡¯t speak, he stared at me blankly and then the only eyes where a human should have them shed tears. ¡°Ezekial, please, answer me. Can you hear?¡± They dragged me away and that was the last I saw of him. Then I was promoted. Border patrol. I was supposed to find any gaps in the kingdoms defense and report them so they might send strike forces across. My survival in my first battle against the ogre must¡¯ve impressed someone, I knew the survival rate for those nearest the border and I was glad they had such faith in my abilities. It was my calling, I had the eye for detail and even when I was found by soldiers of the kingdom I could bluff out with a stolen uniform or cut my way out. In the 2 years I was on border patrol I helped send over 50 strike teams across the border to shed blood in the name of our benevolent gods. I was even told to guide the team this time, many traps had been spotted in the woods and my senses were honed. We crossed the border under the cover of night by slipping between detection arrays that were improperly spaced and not corrected soon enough. Our target was a new noble house near the border who had insulted our great republic with slander against a high saint. The guards at the front fell easy, we crept through the halls killing as needed until we found the nobles room. Half the team split off to find something else. The rest set up a ward to silence the room. The noble and his wife were sleeping still as we slipped into the room, Brother Night grabbed the husband and the others took his wife. After a short time Brother Night spoke. ¡°For your slanderous claims against our great saint and for your betrayal of our grand republic, your sentence is death by torture and the death of your kin until the 3rd generation.¡± There was a crib in the room, I couldn¡¯t watch. I asked to keep watch until they were done. Coward, I¡¯m a coward. I knew what was right but I stood by anyway. I stood watch until they were done, I banished all traitorous thoughts as I stood outside, Hating myself for not doing anything. But they were higher ranked than me, they couldn¡¯t be lying, and yet that was my only hope. I killed a guard who had seen me and I took his uniform after removing signs of his death. The other guards who passed by simply gave me a nod which I returned. Clearly they were new and didn¡¯t know the faces of one other yet. After the second team came back we exited and were back in the republic before dawn broke. I was given extra time to sleep in the camp. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. When I awoke I was told to speak with a priest. I entered the blue and gold tent and spoke with a holy father. ¡°Son Great Eye, I am told you had a crisis of faith.¡± ¡°Father. I simply did not see the justification for their actions. I do not believe it was right of them.¡± ¡°Son, you must understand that the true word has been interpreted many times over and we of the priesthood know best. You shouldn¡¯t question the orders given, a saint himself sent those men to do what needed to be done. We most faithful know that it is in the best interest of our land to bend the rules when need be so long as they are not broken.¡± ¡°Right, thank you father. I know what should be done now. Bless the gods.¡± It was true then. Words right from a man I thought holy. Defending the death of a family because words her husband said against a saint? Killing soldiers was right, it was just. But against someone who could not defend themselves? Were we not supposed to be saving such people? Showing them the light so they might become right under our gods? I walked the border for another 2 months before I found an opening. A giant mole had made a cavern well past the borders of both our nations. I slew the beast and then covered it up to the best of my ability. Everyday I read the one true book as directed and even beyond that. I even broke into the priests tent and looked over his copy to double check what I was reading. But I could find no justification for the things I had seen. I could only think of how they had twisted the words sent by gods to justify their own base actions. I looked for another opening, 2 weeks passed and I found it. After a day I reported it to command and even asked if I could join the next team as a guide since there were traps in the woods which I hadn¡¯t set off since I didn¡¯t want to alert the kingdom I had found another breach, command agreed that it would be best. I also convinced them I should wear a kingdom uniform just in case we ran into anyone and needed a distraction. ¡°Brother Night, it is good to see you again. I must apologize for my conduct last we met. I see the truth of the saints words sent though our holy father in the camp.¡± ¡°I am glad that you could see reason. Let¡¯s go then, our target is farther into the kingdom and we must be back before they fix whatever error you found.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± I led them to the tunnel the giant mole had dug. There weren''t any traps but I said I needed to go first.. As the first man was at the end of the tunnel behind me I offered him my hand then slit his throat and grabbed his sword before pushing him into the rest of the group. As they fell I got another with the knife I no longer needed, lodging it in his neck with a well placed throw. Now was the chase. Of the 6 men 2 were dead before I even needed to fight. I rushed through the forest, dodging spikes of stone and frost. The next death was from a pitfall trap, I kicked up some dust to make sure he didn¡¯t see me jump over the thin layer of dirt hiding it and he fell face first into the spikes. I took a glancing blow from a frost spike but I had to keep moving. Next was the razorwhip hidden in the dirt. I stepped over the line, cutting it with my sword as I passed, and sending it against my pursuer. But he was faster than I thought, the blades cut him deeply on his forearm but a layer of ice stopped them from shredding him fully. I was down a trap, even assuming the rest of my plan worked I would need to finish off a special forces soldier myself with only a sword. I was starting to feel the effects of running for so long, but so were my opponents. I found the tree I marked and knew that I was close. The barely visible changes in the ground made me absolutely sure it was the right place. I picked up a stone and tossed it back at my pursuers, they dodged but that was the plan. As soon as it struck the ground the explosions started, a chain reaction set off the entire field, and I knew I needed to finish this and run away. The kingdom definitely heard that one. But it worked, 2 of them were so badly burned they couldn¡¯t even speak the words or move their hands to heal themselves. The final man was even the one who was already injured by the razorwhip. I could do this, I hoped I could at least. ¡°You fucking bastard, I¡¯ll bring you back limbless so an inquisitor can have their time with you.¡± ¡°I must decline your invitation. But I will gladly end your pain if you would like, I will live a good life with the money Ragne is giving me for this.¡± I was bluffing, if I lived I would run as far as I could and hide, but I hoped to delay him as much as I could. The ice on his arms was keeping him from bleeding but he wasn¡¯t going to get any faster with time. Angry people make dumb mistakes. Without the trees in the way I would be at a disadvantage, but I had a plan for that. A little bit of odd movement, a rock tossed seemingly nowhere in particular, a whistle that sounded like I had someone else nearby. These little tricks kept him from being able to fully focus on the fight, he was too busy expecting another trap or an ambush. But the more he moved the more I realized I didn¡¯t stand a chance, if I ran into the woods I probably wouldn¡¯t make it far. With the empty space between us he could build the speed he needed to catch me. I decided that at least I didn¡¯t need to win, just make sure we both lost. I rushed at him, taking his blow to my sword arm, it was severed, but that was alright. Bleeding to death in the woods seemed fitting for me, for my part played in whatever other things the teams I helped send into the kingdom had done. I had blood on my hands, might as well leave it on the trees as well. With my remaining arm I formed a blade of ice on my fingers, I was going to die so frostbite was the least of my worries. I felt it slide into his throat but I had to make sure he wasn¡¯t going to heal himself, so I grabbed and pulled as hard as I could. Pulling out his windpipe He bled out on top of me, I just laid there and watched the flow from my own arm slow down. I was so very tired¡­ So I decided to take a little nap, I just wish that rumbling was quieter. Chapter 59 After checking on the carriage golems Harlan went back inside to awkwardly apologize again. Isha wasn¡¯t upset anymore, more annoyed at his lack of tact. Sara thought it was a great deal of fun however and Isha made it clear how unfun it really was. Breakfast passed without any more incidents, Dahlia didn¡¯t throw chains around his neck so he figured things were fine. They were on their way to Redwall mansion as planned. ¡°So, Harlan. What were you teaching Ava? Can I know?¡± Zella was awake the night before and heard how late Ava had come out from the bunker. ¡°Just how to put spells in soulsmithed items. On the side I was testing some other stuff.¡± ¡°Can you teach me anything? Seems that is the only time I get to spend with you.¡± Zella thought it was a funny joke, Harlan pretended to agree. ¡°Sure, you probably can¡¯t figure it out before we get there. But I can use your hairclips for testing, just keep it a small spell.¡± ¡°How do I know if a spell is small? Technically a fireball is a small spell if it''s just mana use.¡± ¡°Well that is exactly what I mean. I could make each of those hair clips able to cast fireballs, but they don¡¯t have much mana. I made that cold fire as efficient as I could, but they will fade away in about 3 hours. I think maybe you could do 1 good fireball, or 12 small ones. I guess you could also intentionally burn out the whole thing for a really good fireball.¡± Harlan gripped his left arm, remembering how not having it for a day felt. ¡°What did you do with your left arm?¡± Dahlia asked, she already knew full well what he did but wanted to annoy him anyway for dodging her questions last night. ¡°I have no idea what you mean.¡± Harlan¡¯s answer was a bit too rushed and everyone knew he did something with it. ¡°You don¡¯t have scales on it, right? I hope you didn¡¯t do that yet.¡± Harlan shushed Ava but now the carriage was filled with questions that Harlan didn¡¯t want to answer. Dahlia didn¡¯t directly ask anything again, it wouldn¡¯t be good manners to do so. But she wanted to know the answer. Ava and Zella had no such issues with good manners, friends and family could ignore them without a care in the world. ¡°Come on, show me your arm. I won¡¯t tell anyone. I just want to know.¡± ¡°Why does she think you have scales?¡± Harlan taking his jacket and shirt off didn¡¯t satisfy either side, but Harlan hoped it would make things awkward and derail their train of thought. But Ava had seen Harlan¡¯s diapers changed and had no shame seeing him bare chested. Zella and Redmond on the other hand were shocked see his scars from past failures, burns from acid and fire, scars where he lost pieces of himself, and the dozens of smaller nicks and cuts that he healed enough to keep him functioning at his full strength but they still left little marks on him ¡°Harlan¡­ What happened?¡± Zella touched on of the larger burns on his shoulder. ¡°I failed, I lost my arm, I lost who knows how many smaller pieces; I¡¯ve had it looked at, there is no real damage, it''s all cosmetic. Zella, do you still want me to teach you?¡± ¡°What? Does my sister know? Harlan, this isn¡¯t something to hide. You know how upset they are going to be when they hear this.¡± Redmond had lost limbs before, it was a feeling that stuck with you. ¡°That is exactly the point. I was completely fine, Lugh stopped the bleeding and Balor put me in the carriage by calling the golems to get me. I was only in town for the night since I heal faster. I only lost up to my elbow anyway.¡± ¡°Lugh knows healing magic?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t. I just used fire.¡± Harlan wished he could make Lugh stop talking. At this point all attempts at changing the topic were like trying to mud wrestle a boar, which Harlan had also done once when one rushed through the town. Balor wasn¡¯t happy when that happened. After another 30 minutes of concerns being voiced Harlan convinced them not to tell anyone else about his arm. ¡°Zella, let me show you how to put a spell in something then finally.¡± ¡°Right. I¡¯m sorry about before.¡± ¡°Ava wouldn¡¯t have taken no for an answer anyway. Anyway, just hold the spellform in your mind. Don¡¯t try to force the item, just hold it and it will learn, souls love gaining information.¡± It didn¡¯t take more than 30 for her to learn it, much to the chagrin of Ava. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Come on, it took me all day to figure that out.¡± ¡°Zella has been training for 2 years on top of her other stuff from the facility. You have been swinging around a sword and saying you don¡¯t need magic. Plus, that bit about not forcing it was something I learned by teaching you. If you had asked for more help from the start instead of saying you will figure it out with only a few hints maybe you would¡¯ve learned it faster.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still unfair.¡± ¡°Wrong. Maybe you should see how long it takes her to learn a fighting form.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I want to learn how to use a sword.¡± Zella had already spent her time learning to fight with her hair, she had no desire to pick up any other weapons. Ava couldn¡¯t decide if she wanted to be smug about being a weapons prodigy or not. So she simply asked Harlan to teach her more weird little spell tricks. Zella had kept enchanting each of her hairclips with different spells. The carriage suddenly halted, throwing everyone forward. Harlan stepped out to find a group of men blocking his path, he wondered if they were a bit slow. ¡°Are you idiots?¡± ¡°Give us your coins and we won¡¯t harm anyone. Your clothes and weapons too.¡± Harlan noticed something was off and waved for everyone else to stay inside. The men were clean, far too clean for bandits. Their outfits had clearly been fitted for each man, and each of them matched the other, as if they had a bandit uniform. ¡°Whoever sent you needs to learn what a bandit looks like. Now, I am going to warn you just once, leave now or I will capture each of you and send you off to be questioned.¡± The men shared a look, befuddlement that a child was threatening them. So they approached Harlan without a single sign of fear, and Harlan backed up towards the carriage. Once in range Harlan whistled, activating spells the carriage held. The men should¡¯ve been buried up to their necks, but instead they dodged as they felt the ground shift, clearly Harlan¡¯s favorite trick was getting around. Harlan had hoped that it would be that easy. Another whistle sent out a fireball. He couldn¡¯t control them now that they were set in his parameters for the carriage, it struck center mass on the slowest target. The man who was hit screamed as the fireball burned a cavity in his chest, flames bursting from his mouth as the fire burned past the ribcage, spreading the smell of burnt pork wafting through the air and silencing him as his lungs burned. Harlan didn¡¯t expect it to be so loud, he was distracted by the screaming. He wanted it to stop. He felt nauseous.. By the time he realized that he should be moving again it was over. Dahlia and Redmond cleaned up the other 2 men and put the last one out of his misery. ¡°Harlan, are you ok?¡± He hated hearing that pity in Redmond¡¯s voice, he was fine. ¡°Yeah. Yeah, I¡¯m alright.¡± Redmond helped move the men who were now sleeping from his spell onto the roof with the restraints holding them tightly. Then he helped Harlan back inside the carriage. He sat next to him and put up a privacy veil once they were moving again. ¡°You are not ok. I can tell you that now. Killing people, hearing them scream as they burn, it isn¡¯t easy, it isn¡¯t normal. Especially when you directly cause it. You will be alright, but you can¡¯t treat this like a game where you beat up the bad guys and everything is ok. You hadn¡¯t killed anyone on purpose before, right?¡± ¡°Once. I don¡¯t think I am allowed to talk about it though,¡± ¡°You are too used to looking at violence from the outside. That fireball you shot out of this thing was never a pretty way to go. Killing¡­ it isn¡¯t going to get easier, but you won¡¯t think about it as much. Letting these guys live is worse than just killing them, they will be tortured to death, but think about it like this. If we learn anything from them then maybe you or your people or our family won¡¯t be in danger. I am not going to tell you to be ok with it. But a pint of blood sometimes saves a gallon later. You know what I mean? And¡­ I don¡¯t really want to say it, and never tell my sister I said this, but sometimes examples should be made. When whoever sent them after you sees the man with his chest burned out like a log they should know better than to try it again.¡± ¡°Yeah. I think I understand...¡± Harlan felt like a hypocrite, he knew full well what his work had already done, he wasn¡¯t going to retreat inside himself because he finally really had blood on his hands without any ambiguity that he was the one who did it. Harlan took deep breaths, he tried to find his center, to calm down. And eventually he did. Then he noticed how quiet it was. Dahlia wasn¡¯t with them anymore. ¡°How long was I out? Where is Dahlia?¡± ¡°Not too long, we stopped in town on the way. Well, we couldn¡¯t actually stop. But Dahlia tossed the guys off the top of the carriage and stayed behind to report it and question them when they wake up.¡± Redmond pretended he was being casual, but he was on edge and looking for anyone else trying to ambush them. ¡°Harlan¡­ Are you ok?¡± Zella knew how he was, she had already gone through the shock of hearing someone as they died and begged for their life. ¡°I will be.¡± Harlan stepped back from his panic for just a moment, it wasn¡¯t pity, but worry he could see in their eyes. ¡°How has the academy been? Anything you can tell me about it.¡± ¡°Well, it is alright, I wish the rooms were bigger and the carpet was softer. But it is nice to not need to bring anything with me. I have a bed and a desk, a bathroom with plumbing. The food is really good, there is a free option and some extra stuff if you pay, it is even open until late at night if you need to eat while studying. But there is a lot of stuff they said I can¡¯t tell you in particular¡­ You¡¯ll be fine. I know you will.¡± ¡°How ominous, you almost sound like me.¡± silence. ¡°It is alright, you can laugh.¡± ¡°You are really ok right now?¡± Ava saw how he was all those months back, she was worried about how vacant he looked as he stepped inside the carriage. ¡°Yes, I am completely fine. I mean, I will be. I just need to calm my nerves. Maybe I need a heated cup? I could bring tea with me anywhere.¡± ¡°What I wouldn¡¯t give to have something like that, winter is brutal. Winds so strong I could barely start a fire, water only came from the snow since the rivers and lakes were frozen so deeply. Never move to the frontier kid.¡± Redmond tried to keep the conversation going, and away from any darker topics. ¡°I would want one just for studying, the halls are creepy sometimes during the night when I just want some tea.¡± ¡°I will work on more kettles and hotplates before I leave. Maybe the army can work on giving them out to all the rangers.¡± ¡°Well, you would get a lot of friends in the rangers.¡± The tension was broken, Ava even joined in on what would be nice to have around and if Harlan could make one for her.
She shrieked with fury, another thing had slipped past her, the boy would be fine, his people were built for killing, but should anything happen to those around him he would be incompatible with her goals. She worried about how easily his mind darkened. Chapter 60 Dahlia first dropped the men off at the jail. Then she went to the couriers to send a message. Officially it was to the crown, but with a wink and a nudge she was telling the couriers they could get involved if they wanted. And they absolutely did, Harlan wasn¡¯t just the kid, he was allied with them and looking for answers that could solve many issues some of them simply had to live with. 10 minutes later a night watcher used the tunnels under the town to get to the treeline and then head back into town in full gear. The man in question was a local doctor and alchemist, they couldn¡¯t have their subjects dying before they answered all the questions asked. The local guard were unhappy and turned the man away, only to be scolded by Dahlia. While the night watchers only had as much authority as the local people in power let them have, Dahlia had the authority to command any local guards without question. She led the man into the questioning room which she had warded to prevent the noises from escaping, other than of course to the cell where the other man was. She watched and questioned him the entire time, the doctor not asking a single question, just following her lead. After an hour the man had more flesh on the floor than on his body, some spots blistered from fire, blackened from necrosis due to the cold, artificial gangren had set in and the doctor simply stabbed at it with needles every now and then, the man was without fingernails, sacks of pus were grown under them, separating them from his soft flesh underneath. He did not die, nor could he pass out from the pain, The doctor made very sure of these things. Yet he refused to speak. But they knew that from the start, he was the older, more experienced soldier. The real plan was to let the other man see what was awaiting him if he did not speak, and speak he did. Dahlia hated the answer, it was always too much work, too much red tape and wasted time, assassins and merchants were fast and easy to dismantle, these people wouldn¡¯t be. Back at the redwall mansion things were much calmer. They were talking about more normal things, Harlan asked questions about the academy. ¡°Do you want me to make anything for you? I am planning to make kettles and hotplates for Zella and Redmond. If you want a nice rug I could buy one for you also. What about your friends? Do you have some tips for making friends? Can you give me information on teachers and their personalities?¡± ¡°Slow down. I don¡¯t know what a hotplate is but sure if you want you can make me things. A rug would be nice. Are you going to threaten my friends like Ibery?¡± ¡°Ibery had it coming but I think she left on friendly terms.¡± ¡°I will have to talk with her about that then. Making friends is how you do it anywhere, talk to people who look like they could be a friend and don¡¯t brush off people who try to be friends with you. Lastly I am not talking about my teachers, and your phrasing makes it sound more like a profile than friendly information.¡± ¡°Sorry. I feel like I wasted so much time on¡­ All that happened. And I barely talked with you.¡± ¡°You saved someone¡¯s life, that isn¡¯t a waste of time. Besides, I am sure that when news spreads more Confederate students will warm up to you. On that note, the formal event whatever they want to call it for students about to head out to the academy is tomorrow, I hope you have everything ready.¡± ¡°I have clothes, I have little odd items so I can have a presence there. I need to ask Redwall if he has a guest list already so I can look into everyone.¡± Autumn chimed in. ¡°Not going to happen. I tried to do the same thing when I got into high society, but some things are only really able to be learned by experience. Unless they are haughty nobles most of them understand that not everyone else has been going to these events all their lives. But I am going to say that Blackstone will be there and her youngest daughter is quite nice, around your age, and looking forward to seeing your magic.¡± ¡°Oh? Does she have a certain element she likes? I still have time to make stuff tonight. I don¡¯t have any stops along the way so I can be there on time even if I am leaving a little later.¡± ¡°Well. I am sure she would enjoy a fire hair clip like you made before, but if you could make it white to contrast her hair it would be best.¡± ¡®And Blackstone?¡° ¡°I doubt she would care for anything. She is¡­ Simple. Jewelry is less likely to impress her than a weapon would and I am going to say not to give her a weapon, that would be like telling her that you want to either go to war with or against her.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Harlan started thinking about how to make something for her. ¡°How have the twins been? I haven¡¯t even held them yet.¡± ¡°They are growing up faster. But nothing I can¡¯t handle, they like crawling around after your foxes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Things were mundane, only spiced up by Harlan showing off his little magical tricks. Finally after an hour someone came in to tell him Redwall was available to talk. ¡°I hope I¡¯m not interrupting any other meetings you might have.¡± ¡°Nonsense. I keep a few slots open for either research or unplanned meetings. Now, what did you want to talk about?¡± ¡°I have been working on a project, Transformation specifically. I accidentally had an experiment turn a rabbit into a¡­ Well I don¡¯t know what to call it, but it was turning into a deer-like hybrid.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Was it a viable animal? I mean, was it capable of living as whatever it was?¡± ¡°It was like that for a week, before that it was just a giant aggressive cannibalistic rabbit for a month. I think if I let it out it would just eat everything in sight.¡± ¡°I assume you have been very careful to not let anything like that outside? I would hate to find out there was a group of them ruining the woods.¡± ¡°I only once brought it outside, and it was sleeping at the time and then we butchered it. The meat was pretty good, took on some of the deer flavor and heartyness but wasn¡¯t gamey.¡± ¡°You ate it?¡± ¡°I know it sounds odd. But Redmond was there and he had spells to check that things are safe to eat, and there was a Tytoan doctor there who also watched everyone who ate it, no one got sick and there were no bad reactions. I should¡¯ve brought the skeleton here. Or the pelt at least.¡± ¡°Yes, I would like to see that. Any chance you can bring it here before you leave for the academy? Or even before we leave for the event at Blackstone¡¯s home? Wait, no. We should get us back on track, what was the reason you came to me specifically?¡± Harlan liked how Redwall showed genuine excitement for magic beyond how to make a hotter, more explosive fireball or how to make a spell 3% more efficient on average. ¡°I wanted to know about bloodlines. I heard from the doctor I was working with to heal the Tytoan Matriarch that the soul of the thing I made reminded him of how a bloodline formed, he said it involved forcing a spot open in the soul so that you could put in new information in it. I worked with bloodlines but I never made them, I was handed already complete spellforms that were different from others I used. I even made my own structured spells but I didn¡¯t really learn how to make a bloodline.¡± Redwall leaned back in his chair and thought on his answer for a time. ¡°I am not going to teach you anything, not yet. Making a bloodline improperly can have consequences that I do not trust you with yet. Your work is interesting, but I know how reckless you can be at times.¡± ¡°What is the worst that can happen?¡± ¡°You form a bloodline and lose control of it, leading to it settling in your soul. Bloodlines have a much harder time settling in non-human souls due to those powerful geas that non-humans have, but an improperly settled bloodline is a far worse result than an accidental bloodline settling. You wouldn¡¯t know anything about their geas, would you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I should talk about them. It is very important to them is all I will say.¡± ¡°Unfortunate. I hope you don¡¯t mind my asking, but what else have you been doing? Autumn seemed quite impressed by your home. And I know you purchased some very large mana gems.¡± He thought it was a little odd that Redwall knew about what he was buying, but everything was moving through his lands. He wasn¡¯t worried about Redwall, but the thought that other nobles also tracked his purchases did bother him. They spoke at length about the home appliances and general quality of living inventions of his. The count decided that selling such high end things to nobles might be worth looking into, the cost of constantly buying and storing wood for fires would let him justify selling the stoves and other heating products at a high cost. By the time Redwall had his next meeting Harlan decided there were other things he should make as gifts for Blackstone. Time passed, Harlan finally got to hold his niece and nephew, though they didn¡¯t seem to like him much. They had a nice dinner, and then they decided it was time to leave since they had a big day tomorrow. Amber came back with Harlan to his home, she knew if she went along with Autumn they would be stopping at other nobles homes to greet them as they traveled through their lands and after years dealing with nobles while only being the sister of a first generation noble without what they considered a proper title she was more than annoyed at the thought of having to spend extra time around them. When they returned to his home everyone else decided to go to bed. Meanwhile Harlan went into town, hoping that Brig was still awake. It was odd for him to be out so late at night, but he wasn¡¯t worried. Well, he was a little worried, so he took a few golems with him just in case. Luckily as he got closer he could hear the banging of a hammer. But it wasn¡¯t Brig. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Blacksmith. Call me Shim. what do you need?¡± ¡°I need to know where Brig is first off.¡± ¡°Old man collapsed, just getting old is what I hear. Doctor has been looking after him for a while. I was told to work here until he came back. Baron wanted to make sure the town had a blacksmith for weapons and armor working. You need something?¡± ¡°A kettle, shadow steel if you can, with a gold floral pattern like this.¡± Harlan made a model of dirt and stone and handed it to the man. ¡°And you should have blackstone, right? For arrowheads? I want however much you have.¡± ¡°I can do shadow steel, seems a waste for a kettle though. When do you need it? And I am not starting until I get gold in hand.¡± Harlan gave him 5 gold coins, he had no desire to be haggling at the moment. ¡°I need it by tomorrow morning, I will be coming into town then to pick it up. Can you get it done?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get your kettle.¡± ¡°Good night then.¡± Harlan ran over to the doctors and got in line, seems she stayed up late with her work as well. He waited for some time, even covered up his crest to avoid anyone leaving when they saw him. Finally Elanor came out to speak with him, once she realized who he was she brought him to her personal office. ¡°Sir Fomoria, how can I help you tonight?¡± She had the same false calm Harlan remembered from those years ago. ¡°I heard Brig was here. I wanted to know if he is alright.¡± ¡°Yes. I can wake him if you would like.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to bother him. What is wrong with him? Does he need anything?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t think there is anything to be done. He is getting older, and his life is just nearing the end. I could do more to keep the symptoms at bay, but that is an extra cost. He said to stop him from dying and he would get better on his own. I tried explaining that wasn¡¯t how it works, but he is a¡­ Head strong man.¡± ¡°He is an old goat.¡± Harlan thought about laughing, but he couldn¡¯t force himself to. ¡°How much to get you to get rid of the symptoms? Can I pay for that at least?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he is going to make it longer than 6 months. A cost of 1 gold a month is all that it costs, he simply doesn¡¯t want to waste his money as he says. If you gave me 6 coins I would treat him for 6 months, and if he lives longer than that we can renegotiate prices. I know you are going to be leaving for the next 10 months so if you want to pay more I am willing to hold that extra gold until you return, should he not live past whatever you pay me for.¡± ¡°If there is money left over. Just consider it payment for people who are short on theirs.¡± ¡°Of course, thank you for your patronage Sir Fomoria. Should I tell people it was you?¡± ¡°If they ask, sure.¡± Harlan gave her 30 gold, everything he was carrying at the time. He hated that talk. He hadn¡¯t really lost anyone close to him yet. He wasn¡¯t even really that close to the old man, he just liked that he didn¡¯t judge him and insulted everyone who came to his shop to ask dumb questions, he was honest with him, and by the time he came back, he would likely be months dead. Harlan returned home and went to work. Trying to keep his mind occupied. Chapter 61 Harlan finished what he could. He formed the blackstone arrowheads into a set of 6 hairpieces shaped like lotuses. He tried a few other flower shapes but he liked this one the most. They had a simple spell in them to flatten them into throwing stars. He thought it was clever, she liked weapons more than trinkets so a weapon that was a trinket was his best bet. Originally there were 8 of them, but the blackstone was brittle and they chipped as he tested how well they worked as a throwing weapon. Instead of just another set of hair clips for Blackstone¡¯s youngest daughter he decided to take the already shaped but soulsmithed ones and changed the spell to emit a white flame, he didn¡¯t want to spend the extra money for brightsteel just so he could have some white hair clips. He didn¡¯t have much time before the others would start to get up. Shockingly there was already someone setting off his proximity alarms, so he went to check out who it was. Harlan hopped up the wall and saw a single man on a horse with the blackstone crest on his clothes, it was barely even dawn, but he could see enough of the man to describe him as gruff looking. ¡°How can I help you? And who are you?¡± ¡°I am a messenger for Countess Cimmeria Blackstone. She wants you to come early, before the party. Her youngest, Sable, wishes to speak with you about your magic.¡± ¡°How early?¡± ¡°As soon as you are ready to move out she would like you to leave.¡± ¡°I have something I need to pick up in town, it should be done but it might cause a delay.¡± ¡°She is understanding, so long as it is truly reasonable.¡± ¡°I would say that it is. I¡¯ll leave just as soon as breakfast is finished.¡± ¡°Then I will take my leave.¡± Harlan felt it was off, wrong in some way. How long ago did she send her man here? Did he ride the entire night to get such a message to him? He had learned that sending a vocal message was seen as impolite since meanings could be changed if any words were left out or substituted. Did she intend to be rude? Was she testing his reaction? She sounded to him like she was blunt, maybe that was why, did she just not care? He felt that was the best case. He didn¡¯t rush anyone awake, either from the army or from the academy, each of them had a sleep schedule that had them as early risers. Instead he used the time before the others woke up to place the hairclips for Sable and for Cimmeria in nice boxes. He was glad to have stockpiled them when he found some for cheap, something about a person backing out of an order. He explained over breakfast that they would be leaving as soon as they finished and that he would be picking up a higher quality kettle for a gift and he would just insert the core as they were traveling. Everyone left as soon as they could, they took the Countess¡¯s words more seriously than Harlan did. Harlan rushed over to the blacksmith and had to wake him up to get the kettle he wanted. Brig would¡¯ve already been working this early. Then they were on their way. Harlan looked over the kettle, there were small imperfections he had to correct with some metal magic, Brig wouldn¡¯t have made that mistake he thought. Once he was done he tested the kettle, getting water from spells, he realized he should make a kettle that can condense water on its own. But it worked fine as it was, the water boiled in a minute and didn¡¯t radiate any heat outside through the use of cooling magic. But now that the thought was in his head he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about it, so removed the core and put a make water spell in it as well. Finally the others felt that they were allowed to talk again. ¡°What is in the boxes?¡± ¡°Gifts for the Countess and her daughter.¡± ¡°Which one is for the countess?¡± ¡°Bigger box, smaller is for her daughter, Sable.¡± Harlan opened the box to show them the very sharp flowers. He slapped Ava¡¯s hand when she reached for one. ¡°Don¡¯t touch them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to break them, it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about that, but these things are really sharp. You can hold it if you are very careful.¡± ¡°Are you sure something like that is a good gift?¡± Redmond chimed in. ¡°She is a big girl unlike Ava, she can handle this I am sure. She might even like the danger.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t say anything like that to her. It sounds patronizing.¡± Harlan decided to sleep for the duration of the trip. It had been a month and a half since he last slept and a long ride was going to bore him to tears. He awoke to Ava kicking his shin. ¡°What is that for?¡± ¡°You implied I am not a grown up. I was just waiting for a chance to hit you for it.¡± ¡°Well you aren¡¯t an adult until 16.¡± That got him another kick. ¡°We are at the gates now by the way. So make yourself presentable.¡± ¡°Unlike you I am always the spitting image of a noble.¡± ¡°Remember when you wrestled a wild boar to the ground in the middle of a muddy street?¡± Balor did not agree with Harlan on this. ¡°It was a danger to the people. I did what I needed too, and there is nothing more noble than that.¡± ¡°You could¡¯ve just cut its head off with Lugh.¡± ¡°It hadn¡¯t hurt anyone, there was no reason to kill it.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. If Balor had eyes he would¡¯ve rolled them. The carriage stopped when Harlan saw he was at the right spot and pushed the command into it. He had also taught the others all the controls so they didn¡¯t have a Dahlia needing to throw men from the roof and then jump off again. One of the Blackstone servants opened the door and Harlan was the first to step out, followed by Amber, then Ava, then Redmond, and then finally Zella. Balor explained there was some reason behind the order but Harlan only paid attention since it was information beamed directly into his mind. Two steps forward, deep but not too deep bow, and then a step back, wait for her to do the same. Then he could talk. Instead he took two steps forward before Blackstone spoke. ¡°There is no need for pointless time wasting etiquette. Your works have saved the lives of many of my men and have allowed me to be even more reckless on the battlefield, I must thank you before anything else. Now, I see you have gifts in there. Bring them out, but I am not a fan of flair.¡± She wore a black dress, clearly much higher quality than anything a normal person could afford, but it had little in the way of frills and shining gems like some nobles liked, the most decorative part was the black lace which covered her neck and the back of her hands. It was more of a mourning dress than a party dress. ¡°I heard as much, and I tried to make more useful items for you. And I made some things for Sable as well. But those are for flair.¡± First he showed her the kettle. ¡°It looks nice, but I don¡¯t see why I need another kettle.¡± ¡°Watch this.¡± and in just a few minutes it was not only full of boiled water, but it was also cold from the outside still. ¡°You don¡¯t even need to do anything but send a command to fill it and have it boil water, chances of someone slipping something in your drink are much lower with this.¡± She raised her eyebrow at his suggestion that people did that often enough to warrant such a thing. ¡°Is that a problem with you?¡± ¡°No, I have never had someone get more than 15 feet into my lands, but I find people with poison on them sometimes. It¡¯s more of a ¡®just in case¡¯ situation.¡± ¡°Well, I can appreciate some paranoia. We can move inside before you show us the rest of whatever you brought. I am sure you are also hungry, it is a long ride from down where you are. My servant will take the boxes.¡± On the way in Harlan could get a good look at her home. It was much larger than the Redwall mansion, with massive black pillars supporting each of the bright white walls. There were many shrubs cut into shapes, though instead of beautiful people and animals it was magical beasts, weapons, and knights, most impressive was two bushes next to one another, the red leaves on the bush made it seem as if the other had just struck it down. It was uninviting, it was vaguely menacing. But something about how everything seems to be exactly what it looked like and Blackstone¡¯s own blunt attitude set him at ease. She led them to a dining room. There were two whole roasted pigs on the table, hearty breads and stews on the sides, instead of delicate cakes and small cookies was cut fruits and poundcake for desserts. ¡°I am told you are a farmers son, I am sure you can enjoy a simple meal unlike many nobles. The first of our name, 14 generations ago was a blacksmith, he learned to create blackstone, before him they had to harvest it in dangerous volcanic areas. Now every bowmen facing lightly armored threats owes their arrowheads to our name.¡± ¡°Thank you. Everything looks great.¡± He felt she didn¡¯t really know what a simple meal was, but the thought was nice. And yet Harlan felt pangs of paranoia as he ate. It felt more like a family meal than a meeting with a noble, but that worried him, Rosewell tried to make herself motherly, and he still wasn¡¯t sure how much of that was a trick. ¡°Harlan, why the sour face?¡± ¡°Apologies, Countess Blackstone. I am just paranoid, nothing to bother yourself with.¡± ¡°You are a guest in my home, it is something to bother myself with. I have tried to put you at ease the best I can.¡± ¡°That¡­ That is what worries me. I have some experience with someone who seemed casual and motherly to me. At the time it didn¡¯t worry me much, but the more I look back at it the more I worry that I was being tricked. That it was an attempt at compliance through a carrot, and that maybe I only narrowly avoided the stick.¡± She swung back her wine glass, he couldn¡¯t tell how much she had drank already. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you, expect more of that. Nobles, and especially the royals, love their tests. Games big and small to find your weaknesses and exploit them. Even now I am sure you think this is a test, and you are right to have that worry. Once you are big enough to not have to worry about being removed for petty reasons like me, you won¡¯t worry as much about it. Anything short of rebellion or large scale embezzlement isn¡¯t going to get me removed, but barons get removed for all kinds of offenses, or even just incompetence. I am expected to have my house survive behind me even if I was incompetent. Keep your wits about you, when our little party happens tonight you will be a juicy steak for old houses to try and tear apart. Or recruit you with ridiculous deals. I don¡¯t want that to happen.¡± She was right, he did think it was a test. But the open threats were strangely making him feel better about it. And she could tell he was more at ease. ¡°Good, smile while you are able, it is practice for when you must smile through the bullshit words of idiots¡± Harlan ate with reckless abandon, nearly eating an entire leg of a hog himself. He wondered why he was so hungry, he didn¡¯t really do that much magic today. ¡°I should¡¯ve mentioned it, but both me and Lugh are feeding off of your soul. We can¡¯t eat like you can, so we do this.¡± ¡°Oh. Alright,¡± The nonchalance in which he spoke made balor laugh on the inside. And it made what he was planning hurt more, but he felt he needed to do it, for Harlan¡¯s sake. Harlan finally felt sated, and yet he finished the meal with a single slice of peach. ¡°Thank you again for the food.¡± ¡°I had no idea you had such an appetite.¡± ¡°I process food quickly, and since I don¡¯t sleep very often I am always using up energy.¡± ¡°If you need more before the party tonight just visit the kitchen, they will give you what you need. But for now. I am somewhat interested in those other gifts.¡± The servant who held the boxes was standing behind her the entire time. She waved him over and he set the boxes on the table, then opened the smaller first. ¡°Those are for Sable. I was told to make something white for her to contrast her hair.¡± Harlan could see her further down the table, pretending that she didn¡¯t want to rush up and grab them. ¡°They aren¡¯t white though?¡± ¡°Right, just push mana into them, anything soulsmithed with only a single use will just take a push to turn on and off. Though you can also make the effect more intense if you play around with it.¡± A nice white flame puffed out of the hair clips, Harlan felt he should¡¯ve warned her that the fire wasn¡¯t hot, but Blackstone didn¡¯t flinch when it turned on. ¡°Sable, you may take them now.¡± ¡°Oh, did you not trust them before?¡± ¡°A healthy amount of paranoia never hurt anyone.¡± Both of them chuckled. When she opened the larger box, she wasn¡¯t impressed. ¡°I probably don¡¯t need to warn you, but those are very sharp. And when you push mana into them they will go flat, so keep that in mind.¡± ¡°I do appreciate the thought you have put into these, fusing the blackstone arrowhead together into flowers is nice. But I like a more simple style.¡± ¡°When they are flat they are throwing stars.¡± Now he had piqued her interest. She immediately flattened on and tossed it, cutting through candles on the table before it scratched the door. The wards had stopped it, but only barely. ¡°I am flattered that you thought of such a thing for me.¡± She placed one of the flowers in her hair. ¡°Do they have a name?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think of that, blackstone lotus is the best I came up with.¡± ¡°I like it, though they should have warding enchantments to prevent them from chipping like that.¡± ¡°Sorry, it was a rush job. I only picked up the arrowheads last night and made those very early this morning.¡° ¡°Never admit it was a rushed piece of work. Always make an excuse. Something like ¡®oh I am not an experienced warder,¡¯ or ¡®I hadn¡¯t thought of doing such a thing.¡¯ The good part is the second one will make the other person feel like they have more wit than you.¡± Harlan was really liking her. Chapter 62 After the meal was over Blackstone pushed Harlan to Sable and took everyone else to tour the grounds. He didn¡¯t like being separated, but he figured he would have a good chance to get away if it was just him, while Redmond could get the others out if needed. Sable and one of her older brothers led him to a room that Harlan thought might be an armory at first, but the addition of a couch and its proximity to the dining hall left him confused. ¡°What room is this?¡± ¡°A guest waiting room, which has been filled for the sake of Sable¡¯s desires. Should you go along with them.¡± ¡°Sorry to ask, but what is your name?¡± ¡°Onyx.¡± ¡°Like¡­¡± ¡°Yes, the stone. Blackstone Blackstone. My mother has a sense of humor.¡± ¡°Better than being joyless.¡± ¡°That is one view of it.¡± ¡°Onyx, I want to talk now.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± He moved to a corner of the room and stood watch. ¡°I bought all of these items, they are soulsmithed, but don¡¯t have spells in them. Teach me how to put spells in them, Redwall refused to send someone to teach me.¡± Onyx rolled his eyes at her. ¡°Did he say why he didn¡¯t want to send someone?¡± ¡°He said it was your work and I should ask you. But my people couldn¡¯t reach you for a week.¡± ¡°You have people? And yes, I was working on things. I couldn¡¯t really leave.¡± ¡°It couldn¡¯t have been that important.¡± ¡°It was.¡± ¡°Moving on, start teaching me now.¡± ¡°What about negotiating?¡± ¡°You are living in my mothers lands, think of it as a favor to her.¡± Onyx flicked her ear. ¡°Don¡¯t use her name to try and force people into work, it makes you look like a brat.¡± ¡°I am not a brat.¡± She started hitting him, but he didn¡¯t react. ¡°I was told to offer you an official favor and then negotiate price from there.¡± ¡°Right. A favor is good. But I do have a question.¡± ¡°I will answer to the best of my ability.¡± ¡°Where do I buy spatial items? I have seen people use them, my uncle has had one for years so I assume people in the army just have them but I¡¯ve never seen anyone selling them.¡± ¡°Trade of spatial items is on a to order basis, mostly they are used by the army since moving items to the frontlines is important. Due to certain limits in production, personal spatial items are prohibitively expensive.¡± ¡°What limits?¡± ¡°I do not have the answer for that question, manufacture is a closely guarded secret, as far as I know only the kingdom and the academy have this knowledge.¡± ¡°Thank you. Alright then, Sable. I have taught other people how to do this, it shouldn¡¯t be hard. Unlike soulsmithing anyone should be able to do it. You should have some spellforms memorized.¡± ¡°I am a prodigy, of course I know some.¡± ¡°Great, now just hold the item, think as hard as you can about that spellform, maybe even do the movements to cast the spell before grabbing the item. Just hold that in your mind, don¡¯t do anything else. A clear mind is the biggest thing I think.¡± ¡°You think?¡± ¡°This all came naturally to me. Teaching is trial and error, no one is quite the same. My sister Ava kept trying to force the spell into the item which kept messing it up. My friend Zella didn¡¯t have that problem but still took 30 or so minutes to learn it.¡± ¡°Then I should be able to do it in less time than that.¡± After an hour had passed she had yet to properly implant a spell, attempting to cast an imperfect spell after her first try nearly had dire consequences, but it was luckily a dud instead of an explosive failure. ¡°You must be teaching me wrong, these stupid souls don¡¯t want to learn the spell right.¡± She huffed and puffed, putting a spell into an item was effectively no different than casting it, and she had been trying nonstop for a while already. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Wrong. Souls love learning new things, are you keeping yourself calm? You aren¡¯t trying to force it, right?¡± ¡°These must be defective. That is it.¡± Harlan picked up a dagger that she had already failed to put a spell in, and after a few minutes it was able to make a fog roll out from it. ¡°This one is definitely working. What spell are you trying to put in?¡± ¡°A cloying acidic crystallization fireball cluster.¡± ¡°That sounds like a big spell. Maybe try a normal fireball?¡± ¡°What is the point if I can¡¯t put my biggest spells in the item?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t put anything in it so far, work your way up from something simple.¡± ¡°A pointless waste of time.¡± ¡°And pouting because you can¡¯t do something isn¡¯t a waste?¡± Onyx spoke. ¡°I am not pouting, these just don¡¯t work well enough.¡± Onyx grabbed another item she had failed to put a spell in, and after 5 tries he put a simple fireball into it, firing it off at the wall and letting the wards stop the damage. ¡°His advice seems solid to me. Maybe it is an attitude problem? Not everything is combat magic, aggression doesn¡¯t seem to translate well to this.¡± She stormed out of the room. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You were never supposed to teach her how to do this. Redwall already tried to have someone teach her, our mother wasn¡¯t impressed with her attitude during that. She learned how to do it herself from the same teacher, guessing at why Sable couldn¡¯t learn it at all. Sable is a prodigy who efficiently uses esoteric and advanced elements. But she has an inflated ego as a result, you were brought here to knock her down a peg. She isn¡¯t being sent to the academy until she can grow up a little as well.¡± ¡°Oh, well then..¡± ¡°Now, I will guide you to your people if you would like.¡± ¡°Yes, I would, and I need to get something to eat as well.¡± ¡°Very well, follow me.¡± Harlan followed him to the kitchen, picking up a sandwich to eat on the way to the garden. There he found Blackstone sitting and drinking tea with Redmond, he didn¡¯t see the others around. ¡°You took longer than I expected, did she learn her lesson?¡± ¡°I taught her, but I don¡¯t know if she learned what you wanted or not.¡± ¡°There is always more time to teach her. She never put any spells into the items though?¡± ¡°Not fully, and if she wasn¡¯t lucky she would¡¯ve killed herself.¡± Harlan could hear the teacup shatter in her hand. ¡°Explain exactly what happened. Now.¡± ¡°If you mess up when putting a spell in something, the item will miscast it every time. But it isn¡¯t your spell, so it can easily hurt you. She said she was trying to put in a cloying acidic crystallization fireball cluster into the sword. I don¡¯t know exactly what that spell does but I can¡¯t imagine it would be good if it blew up in her face. She is lucky her incomplete spell just fizzled out instead of overloading into something worse.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t luck. I taught her to make spells with safeguards, I am glad her ego hasn¡¯t stopped that lesson from sticking with her at least. But you seem to not even know about safeguard runes for spellmaking?¡± ¡°I am often learning that I have been running far before someone told me how to walk. I have paid that price more than once already.¡± ¡°Some lessons are better learned in blood. I hope you find a balance and don¡¯t start fearing magic because of a few bad situations.¡± ¡°I lost my arm up to my elbow.¡± ¡°Most wouldn¡¯t admit it, but I am quite sure any experimental mage has mangled a body part or two in their pursuit of knowledge. I once tried to make a layer of blackstone on my hand as armor. As soon as it broke the shards cut into my flesh, the doctors decided it was easier to cut the hand off and regrow it rather than try to get each fragment out.¡± Harlan had to ask a question, one which he had been thinking about for some time. ¡°Is everyone who gets into magic¡­ not all there mentally? When I talk about certain things people look at me like I am crazy. But I don¡¯t see what is all that wrong.¡± ¡°Would a sane person devote days to the things which we do? I have heard about your exploits, your home is run by few people and many golems, you mentioned losing half your arm and you don¡¯t seem overly upset about it, you surely have many more things which you haven¡¯t told anyone about. I also heard you made some kind of abomination.¡± He wanted to defend himself, but she was right. He wasn¡¯t normal, Ava reacted very poorly to his testing with transformation magic, many people in the village thought he was making an army in the woods, which was mostly true, and Redmond didn¡¯t seem to care much about the thing he made. ¡°Huh. I guess I am crazy.¡± Blackstone let out a laugh, but added no comment. They sat for a time simply drinking tea, watching the sun lower in the sky. Eventually a servant told her that she should be getting ready for the party. Then it was just Redmond and Harlan. ¡°Where is everyone else?¡± ¡°Blackstones other children took them away. I think they are looking for marriages to connect them with you.¡± ¡°Did they seem like good people? I am not going to be adding more names to my list, am I?¡± ¡°They seemed alright. But I couldn¡¯t tell really, not in such a short time. Also, probably don¡¯t mention lists like that, I don¡¯t bring up mine for a good reason.¡± ¡°Why would they be trying marriages anyway? I am still nobody to most people, the royals already have my unique talents translated for normal use. The royals haven¡¯t granted the rest of you my last name anyway. Actually, I¡¯m pretty sure it wouldn¡¯t even be legal because of the marriage system I¡¯ve heard about¡± ¡°I think Blackstone expects a lot from you, and she wants to keep you connected to the county. You could eventually move out of here and into the frontier, there might be a real worry of you ending up as a hermit even deeper in the woods away from people. Those kinds of people who disconnect from the world are dangerous or completely Harmless. Sometimes something happens and they go from one to the other. I¡¯m not worried about you doing that, but¡­ if something happened.¡± ¡°Yes. If something happened¡­ I am going to look for the others.¡± Harlan¡¯s words failed to reassure Redmond.
The Darkness hadn¡¯t walked these halls in hundreds of generations, but she wanted a security check up. She wasn¡¯t worried about Harlan being hurt or killed in the academy itself, rather she wanted to make sure her Shadow could still come and go as he pleased. Chapter 63 Redmond felt the need to keep an eye on Harlan, their last conversation gave him an ominous feeling. They first checked the menagerie, unlike the one the royals had this one was enclosed, and Harlan had to run a personal cooling spell to deal with the heat. The plants inside were either black or red, Harlan saw many species of lizards and a few birds but nothing with fur. After a few minutes they found Ava with the 3rd son, Piceous. He was Sable¡¯s twin, making Harlan and himself the same age, though unlike his other brother he seemed thin and slightly sickly, though this was purely from too much time studying and not enough time training his body. Harlan crept beside the boy, Ava saw what he was doing and alerted the boy to his presence. ¡°Hello, Sir Fomoria. Sir Fomoria¡¯s uncle. I was showing your sister some of the animals we have. I heard you also have an interest in ecology?¡° ¡°I do. My interest lies in the wide variety of unique abilities of animals and magical beasts.¡± ¡°I am sorry to say we have no magical beasts here, our collection is of animals found living in or near volcanoes. And any magical beasts from such locations are simply too much trouble to keep around. Did you know there is a species of snails which live in the deep volcanic lakes just off the eastern coast? They live on a diet of giant salamanders which also inhabit the area.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that. But that is interesting. Do people capture them? For eating or research?¡± ¡°Unfortunately little is really known about them, and no subjects have been captured before, anything that lives in lava will freeze to death even on a blistering day.¡± ¡°That is a shame.¡± ¡°Yes, it really is.¡± Ava placed her hand on Harlan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Please take me away from here. I am being polite but he just wants to talk about animals and plants.¡± ¡°Anything for you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be too mean to him, he is annoying but he seems nice.¡± ¡°I would never.¡± ¡°Piceous, how about you show me around while Ava leaves to freshen up for the party?¡± ¡°I think I should go with her, just in case I can help with preparations.¡± Redmond had no desire to stand around a sweltering room and hear about animals and plants that weren¡¯t relevant to his own work. Harlan¡¯s ominous statement wasn¡¯t so ominous that he would stay with him in there. ¡°Oh, of course.¡± After Ava and Redmond walked away Piceous clapped his hands loudly. ¡°To get to show two people around in one day. I haven¡¯t had this chance in some time, I have been working on my knowledge of everything we have here. I have a route planned out for the most efficient gaining of knowledge, some of these things are best explained in relation to others.¡± they only got part way through the tour before a servant fetched the both of them. In that time they spoke of the fish which lived in simmering water with their bright flowing fins that attracted other fish, the lizards which weren¡¯t technically considered as magical beasts but had a body temperature hot enough to cook on, and the birds, tall things with every part of them thin and covered by charcoal colored feathers. Like someone stretched a chicken until it was as big as he was. Though they only lived near a volcano and didn¡¯t really have any special traits. Harlan kinda liked him, though he found it a little annoying that he seemed to put on a facade of a learned researcher, but it wasn¡¯t much different then his facade of a proper noble. ¡°So, what are your thoughts on my sister?¡± There was a slight hitch in his step, like he froze for a split second. ¡°She listened to all of my explanations, she didn¡¯t even make an excuse to run away until the end. So I think she is nice.¡± ¡°You knew?¡± ¡°Yeah. Sable always says I should find another hobby that isn¡¯t boring. But this isn¡¯t boring, I am sure I can find a good use for this stuff. I heard there is a man who can eat magical creatures and get powers from them.¡± For the rest of their walk to wherever the servant was leading them Harlan spoke of Ky and what he knew about his powers, it wasn¡¯t much but it filled dead air. They reached what Harlan assumed was Piceous¡¯s room and then a guard told Harlan to follow him, leading Harlan elsewhere in the mansion. The guard didn¡¯t try to start any smalltalk so Harlan focused on the decorations of the place. They seemed to really like their paintings of battle, their black and white contrast on nearly everything, and their swords, many of which had decorative blackstone pommels or simply had them embedded into the crossguard. The strangest thing he came across was a cape with hundreds of slivers of blackstone, almost like fur. It looked like it was more dangerous to its wearer than anyone else, likely why it was in a closed glass case. He was led into what he assumed was the ballroom, the redwall mansion had gathering rooms, but nothing like this. With its high vaulted ceiling and massive chandeliers that lit up the whole place. He could fit his entire home in just this room. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. A woman started walking to him with Zella chasing after her, he found the way the light reflected off of her long raven hair to be dazzling. She said something that he missed and then snapped her fingers. ¡°Hello? You are Harlan, correct?¡± ¡°Huh? Right. I am Harlan Fomoria.¡± ¡°Good, I am Ebon. Yes, my name is also related to the color black. Unlike Onyx I don¡¯t mind the joke. Now, there is nothing which you are needed for, but the party will be starting soon enough and it is best that you simply remain here in this room. Don¡¯t eat or drink anything yet, it would be poor manners.¡± She spat out her words at a rapid pace and then she was gone to manage the servants setting up the party. Harlan found a nice chair in the back of the room nearly out of sight but still letting him see exits and entrances to sit down. He then realized he was being paranoid and moved to a chair in clearer view that still let him see every door in the room. After another few minutes everyone else started to come in, he noticed that the middle son, whose name he didn¡¯t know yet was subtly brushing his hand against Amber¡¯s, she seemed to also notice this and tried to move just a short distance away before he got closer once again. He got up and went to break them up by striking up a conversation with him. ¡°Evening, I haven¡¯t had the chance to know you yet.¡± As soon as he moved beside her Amber stepped beside him, placing Harlan between the man who he was having dark thoughts about and his middle sister. ¡°My name is Jet, as in the gem. You must be Fomoria?¡± It didn¡¯t escape Harlan¡¯s notice that he both didn¡¯t call him by his first name, but then also knocked the title off of his last name. ¡°Yes. Sir Harlan Fomoria.¡± Harlan grabbed Amber¡¯s hand to speak with her. ¡°How is he?¡± ¡°He is exhausting, I am sure that every girl he brought here was wooed by his cheap words and flower pickings. I couldn¡¯t help but notice a few guards who were following us the entire time and him trying to slip away from them.¡± ¡°Apologies. I forgot your title. How much land do you govern?¡± ¡°Oh I don¡¯t get involved with all that. I am more of a creator instead of a watcher.¡± ¡°Really? And here I heard you were just a childrens toy maker. I am glad such rumors are false.¡± There were awkward pauses as Harlan considered his words, most of them had to be tossed away to avoid too many problems. Balor could do it better was what he thought. ¡°Not every creation needs to end lives. Though I have been involved indirectly in many lives lost, are you a fighter of any kind?¡± ¡°My pursuits are political and academic in nature. The kingdom can always use diplomats.¡± ¡°I can see why, you are quite the talker. I am sure you will fit in quite well.¡± ¡°Thank you, I believe I am quite gifted with my words.¡± Harlan avoided veiled threats and instead went with subtle jabs at him only being a talker, this went on for another minute before he was saved. ¡°Jet, stop bothering the guests.¡± Like a whirlwind Ebon came and went, giving Harlan the chance to get to the rest of the group and join the conversation and avoid looking like he was fleeing. Harlan let go of Amber¡¯s hand as soon as he got her away, he was stewing in his anger now. And he didn¡¯t want to send any signals to her. But she grabbed him again. He wasn¡¯t fast enough to clear his mind and she got a look at the him he kept away from them, the memory of the fake bandit with his chest on fire with Jet¡¯s face overlaid. She didn¡¯t like what she was seeing and tried to get him to calm down. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I would¡¯ve forced myself away if he pushed any farther. I was never in any danger.¡± ¡°But if anything did happen¡­¡± ¡°Then you would take it up with Blackstone and if not her then you know two of the princesses. You don¡¯t need to worry about throwing him on a bonfire yourself.¡± ¡°Oh I am sure she would side with the child who she barely knows over her son, and I am sure the royals would love to punish the son of a countess for hurting a noble¡¯s titleless sister.¡± ¡°You might not believe it but yes. I believe they would, I am not your titleless sister, I am a woman ready to join the army after she is finished with her classes at the academy. He is the middle son whose only talent is talking women into his bed. I am in advanced classes while he is in a whorehouse.¡± Harlan felt like an idiot. He tucked that feeling safely away next to his paranoia, hoping he could remember that not everything revolved around what he did or didn¡¯t do. He didn¡¯t need to be the one who punished people he didn¡¯t like. But he very much wanted to be that person. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, and I mean it this time. You are my big sister and you¡¯ve been a mage longer than me.¡± ¡°Good. Maybe next time you won¡¯t have to get into a petty double speaking contest with the next guy who tries to be overly aggressive.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen you castrate sheep once, I should¡¯ve remembered that.¡± She felt through the connection that it was actually a lighthearted joke instead of a threat and she laughed. The rest of the group, Redmond and Ava saw the shimmer in their eyes and knew that there was something going on, Piceous and Onyx were confused by her sudden outburst. ¡°Are you alright? He didn¡¯t give you any drinks did he?¡± Onyx had already heard back from his men, nothing should¡¯ve happened. But he had been trying to wrangle his brother for a long time and there were a few failures in the past. ¡°Yes. I am fine, nothing happened between us.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Onyx almost couldn¡¯t believe that his mother had let Jet anywhere near her, he thought the idea was to bring him closer, not set him against them. ¡°Piceous, have you heard about my research?¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t keep up with most of what others are doing.¡± The others talked about more mundane topics while Harlan and Piceous talked about animals and theoretical combinations that might be interesting. It felt¡­ refreshingly normal to Harlan, like this is what a child was supposed to be doing instead of thinking about killing his new friend¡¯s brother. Their conversation was interrupted when the wards around the home slightly flickered, but instead of simply regenerating to full health as normal the small drain kept active. Piceous and Ava didn¡¯t even notice. But the others did, they looked at the direction it came from and both Onyx and Harlan knew which room was over that way. As he started to move, Onyx simply shook his head. And Harlan returned to speaking with Piceous. It wasn¡¯t his home, it wasn¡¯t his sister, it wasn¡¯t his responsibility to deal with whatever happened. Onyx excused himself from the conversation and went to see the damages. Chapter 64 Onyx walked the halls without any sense of urgency. Sable was young and full of hot air, but she took the safety classes to heart and wasn¡¯t likely to hurt herself with a poorly done spell. He reached the room which held the soulsmithed but still empty items and tried to open the door, but the handle wouldn¡¯t turn. He let out a sigh and gave the door a hard kick. When it didn¡¯t budge this time he started to worry. He drew his sword and cut all around the door, through the wards and the hinges and whatever was actually blocking him, at this point more guards were arriving to see who was causing such damage to the wards. With the door free he gave it another kick, this time knocking it into the room. He saw Sable in the corner, tears in her eyes as the crystals were growing closer by the second. Feebly trying to take control of them but failing to get a grasp of the magic. Not caring about the cost of what he was doing, Onyx flooded every bit of crystal he saw with dark magic, corrupting the structure and then breaking down the crystals until inert dust was all that remained. The room would need to be completely redone, much of it was now decayed by the dark magic as well as the acidic crystal which covered much of it, the carpet was gone and the boards underneath were starting to flex under his weight, the paint was flaking and then turning to dust in the air, where once there was a luxurious couch was now scraps of fabric and wood so rotten that it was no longer able to support its own weight. But he didn¡¯t care. He simply picked up Sable and carried her to her room. She cried the whole way but Onyx was dampening the sounds, lest they carry to the rest of the house. Once in her room Onyx stopped containing the sounds, letting the wards in the room handle it. After a time she calmed enough and was only sniffling, but didn¡¯t speak due to her embarrassment. She knew it was a mistake to try and experiment with getting her favorite spell into a sword, but she felt that she just needed a little more time, that she could handle any issues, that she didn¡¯t need anyone else to watch her. Onyx knew this as well, he did not chide her for her recklessness, she would surely get that from their mother. For now he simply sat and held her. He was simply glad that she hadn¡¯t hurt herself beyond what looked like a cut where she lost her grip on a blade. Finally someone came to get them, the guests were arriving. ¡°Master Onyx, Mistress Sable. The party will start in earnest soon, your mother asks for your presence.¡± ¡°We shall be out soon. Help Sable to change her dress.¡± Sable hadn¡¯t noticed, but the crystals had reached her, luckily her dress was too poor a host for crystal growth and it was dissolved by the acid, harmlessly falling away instead of crawling up onto her person. ¡°Are you going to be alright? Should I wait here for you?¡± She wiped her eyes and sniffled a final time. ¡°I will be fine. I just need to freshen up, that¡¯s all.¡± He stepped out so the maid could get her dressed but stood outside the door to wait for her anyway. Meanwhile in the ballroom other nobles were starting to arrive from all over the county and Redmond decided to force Harlan to try and find others to make connections with, much to Harlan¡¯s chagrin. He was starting to realize how much he just expected Balor to tell him all of his knowledge about the political landscape of the county and beyond, yet he said he wanted to sleep and Harlan would be fine on his own. He saw that the noble house of Verdigris had arrived, then he tried to check his mental list of who was likely to be worth talking to. He knew that the house head had done something fairly minor against him, so that put him down the list of people he wanted to speak with, finally he completely checked them off the list when he saw that all of the baron¡¯s children were much older than himself. Harlan meandered around for 10 minutes before Ebon approached him. ¡°You could speak with those two over there.¡± She pointed to boys who looked to be around his age, though at least a year or two younger. Each of them wore coats closer in design to Harlan¡¯s, lacking the gemstones and or lace which some nobles had. When Harlan turned to thank Ebon she was already across the room speaking with someone else. He figured he would thank her later if he got the chance, then he walked to the group. As he got closer he tried to pick up on what they were talking about, he didn¡¯t want to end up standing silently as they talked about something he had no idea about. Luckily the topic was fighting. ¡°I think I could handle 5 wargs, as long as I had a light spell at least.¡± A boy with a red coat and blonde hair spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Didn¡¯t you get beaten by that girl? The one the Redwall trainer took in as a student?¡± The other was in a slightly darker red coat with brown hair. ¡°Well did you beat her?¡± ¡°I was close. I just didn¡¯t sleep well the night before.¡± Harlan decided to step into the conversation at this point. ¡°She is older than both of you, I think. And she has been working very hard at learning to fight for years.¡± The boys looked at him, no recognition in their eyes. ¡°And you are?¡± the boy in the darker red coat asked. ¡°Harlan Fomoria. Ava is my sister.¡± The one in the brighter coat flinched at the name, while the other had a gleam in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve heard you made those new weapons, the ones that can use magic.¡± ¡°Yes, that is me. But I only do a few items personally for a local blacksmith, I spend most of my time working on my own things.¡± ¡°Do you have any of them on you? Wait, before that. I am Dran Folin, no real meaning behind the name.¡± He started to reach his hand out for a shake before he realized it wasn¡¯t a proper greeting and instead slightly bowed, which Harlan returned. ¡°I forgot about it, but I can show you something.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t forget, instead he was waiting for a time where it would leave an impression. With a simple push of mana a harmless black fog fell from the shoulders, dispersing just before it hit the floor. Dran loved it, the other boy took a half step back. ¡°And your name is?¡± Harlan wasn¡¯t offended, instead he tried to disarm the boy¡¯s paranoia, The boy cleared his throat. ¡°My name is Emet Teller. No real meaning to the name.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Harlan was kicking himself for asking the first question that came to mind. ¡°I don¡¯t know, ask Dran.¡± ¡°Not every house is named directly by the king, and when that happens they might get their name from any number of things, or even just because it sounds like a fine name without any meaning. Though sometimes house names change after a member does something worth notice and the king gives a greater name to them. My grandfather was picked because of his good business sense, reputation, and the last baron was deposed.¡± ¡°Huh. I guess that makes sense.¡± ¡°Where does your name come from then?¡± Emet asked. Harlan thought for a moment, he was sure he could explain it, but he was also pretty sure they should already know, if the king made an announcement about him then people should know about the Fomorians, at least that is what he heard before. ¡°Do you know about the Fomorians?¡± ¡°I heard they are wild people living out in the frontier who hate the kingdom and have evil magics.¡± Now Harlan did feel a little offended. ¡°Well, that is partly right. I am one of them. It is what let me make those new weapons.¡± He didn¡¯t think it necessary to explain much, since he didn¡¯t actually know much, and saying that he is the result of generations of¡­ Evil. He also didn¡¯t know if they hated the kingdom, or if they really just hated everyone. ¡°Whoa! You have a bloodline?¡± ¡°I guess you could say that.¡± Harlan found it easy to talk with them, they seemed closer to just someone from town rather than sons of barons. After 20 minutes of them trading stories back and forth he bid them farewell to find more people to talk to, he wasn¡¯t hating this. He even had the thought that he had been too judgmental towards nobility. Which led to the foolish idea of trying to seek out those of higher standing and move past his bias. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! He found Piceous talking with 2 other boys. They clearly knew who Harlan was from the moment they saw him, he didn¡¯t like the look in their eyes. Like a wolf eyeing a lamb. ¡°Greetings, you must be Sir Fomoria.¡± ¡°Yes, that is me. And you are?¡± ¡°Grandry Ironhand.¡± He reached out for a shake, Harlan not immediately seeing the oddity grabbed the boy¡¯s hand who quickly cried out in pain, much to Harlan¡¯s confusion. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you would harm me. And I even extended my hand as a lower man would.¡± Things started clicking in his mind. It was one of their tests, and he could feel the eyes on him, but instead of getting riled up Harlan tried to be peaceable. ¡°I must¡¯ve put too much strength in my grasp. I heard your name and thought you would be stronger. Can I help to heal the pain?¡± As much as he tried he couldn¡¯t seem to stop himself from saying a jab at the boy, but he thought it was still peaceful at least. ¡°No, I have my own healer, I have no need for your help.¡± He thought he handled it well, the boy walked off after seeing that he wouldn¡¯t get a rise out of Harlan so easily. Which wasn¡¯t entirely true, Harlan wanted to hurt him, but he kept it bottled up, trying his best to avoid showing it outwardly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that. Grandry is usually nice¡­¡± Piceous said. ¡°Oh I am sure he is. Must be a bad moon or something like that.¡± ¡°Anyway. Here is my other friend. Harlan, meet Got, his father is Count Sterling. His lands are north of here, they run many silvermines and manufacture works of art.¡± ¡°It is nice to meet you. Are you returning from the academy or will you be a first year?¡± ¡°I am returning, I just finished my first year. With a focus mainly on alchemy.¡± ¡°I am ignorant on the subject unfortunately.¡± ¡°Far too many are. But so much would be lost if we didn¡¯t have it. I heard you grew up on a farm, Is this right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Harlan was waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the insult, subtle or obvious, to be said, for eyes to be on him again, if they weren¡¯t already. ¡°Then have you ever seen anyone taking soil samples?¡± ¡°Not that I remember.¡± ¡°Well. The crown will check the soil of farms which report a decrease in productivity beyond normal, and then they send the soil to alchemists to look over and see what should be added to bring life back to the land. While the Greenfield family makes new plants, they rely on the work of alchemists to grow infertile lands into a place which these might take root. They are also the leading force behind trying to turn the great desert in the south into a proper green land again.¡± ¡°Oh? That is really interesting, do they know why it is a desert in the first place?¡± Harlan thought it was neat, but it also sounded like a rehearsed speech to him. ¡°Well¡­ No one can know for sure. But the lands seem to refuse to let anything grow, and yet it isn¡¯t like it is spreading or destroying the lands close to it. All records say that its border is exactly the same as ever. Yet it refuses all life.¡± ¡°All life? Isn¡¯t there people there?¡± ¡°Right. Yes there is. But we don¡¯t know how or where they live. I believe the theory that they actually come from beyond the desert. But no one has been able to find the end of it, or maybe they find it is paradise and they stay?¡± Harlan was interrupted by a familiar sound. The muffled yelp of someone who had been suddenly frightened, and didn¡¯t want to make a loud noise. But this one was far too familiar. He excused himself and then walked towards the source, grabbing and downing a drink before placing the empty glass on another server''s platter. He wanted something too cool himself with, he was starting to feel a heat bursting deep from his chest, yet he wasn¡¯t worried about it for some reason. It was somewhat fizzy which he hadn¡¯t encountered before, but he liked it. The waiters tried to stop Harlan from grabbing more of them but a single look scared them away from the idea. The distance was short but having to dodge people delayed him, when he arrived at the source of the sound he found Jet. His first thought was to kill him, but he stopped that. Jet had his arm around Ava¡¯s waist, she wasn¡¯t trying to force him off of her but she was clearly uncomfortable with him, which he either ignored or didn¡¯t notice. Harlan downed two more glasses of whatever they were serving. The heat just wouldn¡¯t subside. He went to look for Blackstone. The fire in his eyes elicited momentary looks of shock from others around him, unbeknownst to Harlan there was a literal spark of fire which others could see. He found her finally and then tried to put on as calm of a face as he could. ¡°Countess Blackstone, would you mind a short chat?¡± Harlan¡¯s idea of a calm face at the moment was not actively frowning, he failed even that. She was not impressed, but she followed him away from her group and placed a veil to quiet them down, fully silencing oneself was seen as very rude most of the time, much more so at a party. ¡°What has you so upset?¡± ¡°Jet, he is being too handsy with Ava, and I can tell she does not like this but isn¡¯t fighting back for any number of reasons I am too upset to think about.¡± He slightly slurred his words. ¡°How many glasses of sparkling wine have you had?¡± ¡°That is what wine tastes like? No, doesn¡¯t matter. Three?¡± ¡°You should find a server with water. Drink that. I will deal with Jet.¡± She walked exactly where Jet was located, as if she had a motherly sense for the man. Harlan meanwhile decided to trust her, he found a server and took 2 glasses of water. Then he headed outside to cool off. He found Sable and Onyx outside as well, staring at a grave. He felt he was in no state to interrupt them so he went around the other side of the garden. Harlan wasn¡¯t sure how long he walked around. But he was asked to come in by a servant at some point. The first thing he noticed was the stage which once held the band now stood his family, Autumn and his parents had arrived at some point. At the front of them stood Blackstone, who signaled Harlan to come over. He nearly jumped right on stage, but his sense kicked in and he went to the stairs nearest him. Blackstone then guided him to her right side. ¡°Kneel.¡± Harlan did as asked. ¡°It is by the powers vested in me that I grant the privileges of nobility onto the remainder of the Fomoria house. It is not lightly that I grant such powers. But as a result of an ongoing deal between the head, Harlan Fomoria, and the Royal family. It has been decided that his achievements have gone beyond an individual, and extend to those who have raised him. Now rise. Place these rings on the hand of each member of your family.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t let it show, but he was completely baffled, he hadn¡¯t given the royals anything in months. Not unless Dahlia was taking things from him without asking. Which he didn¡¯t write off as a possibility. Blackstone used a small sound spell to whisper in his ear as he approached his family, rings in hand. ¡°Not Autumn, she is a Redwall. The royals don¡¯t like mixing houses without their approval. Place the ring on the right hand, left from your perspective, on the ring finger.¡± So Harlan did as asked, glad for the advice. Harlow had a look like a chicken hung by its feet, confusion on how he ended up here at all and acceptance. Aida simply smiled, wishing it wasn¡¯t a breach of etiquette to hug him. Amber and Ava both had a smug look on their face, like they were expecting this, which worried Harlan to an extent. Finally it was Redmond¡¯s turn, he had equal parts reluctant and happy written on his face. Then he stepped back towards Blackstone and looked at the rest of the room, they clapped as much as was polite and not second longer. He tried to track who had a look of anger and who had one of respect, but he couldn¡¯t tie names to any of them. Blackstone led him to a small side room then she handed him a metal cup of water. ¡°Congratulations.¡± ¡°I guess? I don¡¯t understand why they are doing this though. Is it one of those tests?¡± ¡°You and your family are bait for assassins. They don¡¯t want the theocracy to start looking too closely at who is behind the actual advancement of those soulsmithed items.¡± Harlan instantly crushed the metal cup and slammed the table. Sending a slight shimmer over its surface but not causing any real damage. The candles on the walls of the room flared and the shadows darkened; they seemed to reach for whatever they could get hold of. But there was no damage to the room. ¡°I am aware that this is very troubling information. But the royals are sending only the best to watch your family, they are in no real danger.¡± Harlan tried as hard as he could to avoid lashing out more than he already had. ¡°It is alright. You can be angry.¡± Harlan tossed the table at the wall, flipped his chair, swore as loud as he could, screamed nothing at all. But Blackstone was unphased. ¡°You have my word that nothing will happen to them. Warders are being sent to your family farm to make sure that they will be completely safe.¡± Harlan was finally coming down, the voice in his head telling him to kill her was being overshadowed by his rational mind telling him that he shouldn¡¯t, that he could actually trust her even if he wanted to run the king through with a spike and let them suffer as a decoration. ¡°I- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.¡± He decided that he wasn¡¯t ready to talk like a person just yet. ¡°I understand.¡± He sat for another minute. ¡°Why? Really WHY?¡± ¡°It is much easier to split their forces into larger teams and cover only a few targets, rather than send one or two good soldiers to watch over the dozens of mages that are behind the actual work. I knew you would react this way, hence the room. Have you felt like you were in danger since you left the facility?¡± ¡°Every waking second of every day I think someone is going to break into my home and kill everyone I know.¡± He saw she was genuinely shocked and saddened to hear such a thing. ¡°I am sorry you feel that way, I can offer no advice for such paranoia.¡± ¡°Well CLEARLY it isn¡¯t paranoia. They ARE out to get me.¡± ¡°The entire time you have been out people have been watching you and your family, only stepping in when there is no other option, that woman who stayed with you is only the face of your team.¡± Harlan picked up the chair he first sat in and placed it upright, leaning on it. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. Instead he flung the chair as hard as he could at the wall, actually scratching the wallpaper this time. Blackstone was unhappy with this. ¡°Are you satisfied now?¡± ¡°Yes. I think I am.¡± ¡°Good, this took much longer than I was expecting, you have too much rage, not even Onyx was this bad. And remember, do not tell your family. This is a threat from the crown, they are not to know.¡± Harlan wanted to just walk out of the room and leave the party early but Blackstone grabbed his hand. ¡°Harlan, I know I have no right, but may I ask a request of you?¡± The look in Cimmeria¡¯s eyes forced Harlan to sit down. ¡°Countess, you have a right to ask and I have the right to refuse, don¡¯t I?¡± ¡°I am not going to ask as a countess, I am going to ask you as a mother. Were you a troubled child? Did you ever need to be set right?¡± ¡°I was pretty calm and avoided trouble, it just seemed to find me rarely however.¡± ¡°Then you know that sometimes putting someone on that better path can be hard on both parties.¡± ¡°Did you bring me here to settle all of your family issues? First your daughter and now another one?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve lost the will to do what needs to be done to help Jet, I think even Onyx is wearing woolen gloves with him even if he doesn¡¯t know it. Are you willing to help me?¡± She held her palms to his like his own mother had done to him, his instinct first wanted to tear her in half, now it was crying out to help her. ¡°What do you need me to do, countess.¡± ¡°Please, call me Cimmeria, and, do you have any scars?¡± It took only a few minutes for her to explain her plan and Harlan liked it as much as he hated the target for the plan. Chapter 65 Harlan stepped out of the room along with Blackstone, putting on his best fake happy face and walked directly to the servers. He ate and drank at a pace that would be considered slightly rude but not overly so, though the worrying thing was that he seemingly never stopped. Harlan was stressed out and wanted to eat and drink and not think about it. Eventually he felt somewhat sated and went to speak with his family. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Harlow had always known Harlan to be nearly unshakable, outside of the werewolf incident he was always mild mannered. To see him so clearly distraught upset him greatly. Harlan wondered if he should talk about how he really was, but he didn¡¯t want to worry them. ¡°I am fine. I just have more duties to fulfill, and I am leaving you all so soon.¡± Harlan convinced nobody with his words. Harlan felt it in his bones, his sixth sense blaring that something was coming. Jet tripped behind him and spilled his drink on Harlan¡¯s head. But Harlan didn¡¯t try and dodge, he wanted justification. ¡°Oh I am so sorry for that. Must¡¯ve drank too much.¡± ¡°I challenge you to a duel, unless you are a coward.¡± A coward he was. While his sisters persused magic and his older brother was a force of nature on a battlefield, Jet had wasted his time indulging himself, only working out to get a better physique to try and attract the daughters of Barons. Only putting in the bare minimum for his swordsmanship training required by his mother. Harlan could see Blackstone from where he stood, she was smiling. ¡°Well, I couldn¡¯t fight a child, that would simply be unfair.¡± ¡°You actually don¡¯t have a choice, but refusing does show me your cowardice.¡± ¡°Under what grounds could you even challenge me like this? I¡¯ve done nothing against you.¡± ¡°But you have bothered my sisters, you missed it because you were going to a private room with a maid but they are now nobles under me, thus you have insulted my house through your actions.¡± He scoffed, nothing he had done would be seen as anything but their own failure to clearly tell him to stop despite the implications of them refusing him forcefully. He knew full well what he was doing and how to avoid the actual consequences for it. ¡°They have made no claims against me, you once more lack the right to force a duel, child.¡± Ebon and Blackstone appeared like the wind. ¡°We both bore witness to your actions and as countess I grant Harlan the right to an honor duel, Ebon shall act as judge.¡± Now it was Harlan¡¯s turn to put on a wolfish smile. Onyx didn¡¯t share his mother¡¯s smile, he looked furious at Harlan followed the two of them outside to the garden to a raised platform of stone tiles 30x30 (9x9 meters). ¡°Ebon, what are the rules of the duel.¡± ¡°As the chall-¡± ¡°Brother, you are not the challenged. Would you have accepted the first request you would have that right, yet you refused, when mother forced this duel that right was stripped from you. The rules are as such, no structured magic, only training weapons, hand to hand is acceptable, no armor or overshirts to lessen harm, it will end when the judgment has been made.¡± The two of them stood at opposite ends of the square and removed their jackets and then shirts. Jet wasn¡¯t out of shape, but he was slightly flabbed. Harlan was built like a rock, he didn¡¯t have bulging muscles but he had little fat on his body and despite his size he weighed nearly 300 pounds despite his 5¡¯5 frame. However what caused gasps of shock throughout the crowd and brought his parents nearly to tears were the scars across his torso. Nobody but Ava had actually seen the full extent of it until now, and now there was scarcely an important man in the county that didn¡¯t see them. Harlan felt that fear like it was a spell to be redirected towards Jet. Ebon on the other hand cared very little for whatever event her mother had planned. ¡°When the bell rings you will begin the fight.¡± ¡°What exactly do you plan for my sisters?¡± ¡°A night they would never be able to forget.¡± Depending on who heard those words they would believe he meant any number of things. But for Harlan who had seen him pushing lines already, it sounded like a threat. ¡°If you intend to be a beast of instinct, going after young girls for nothing but lust, I will drive a stronger instinct into you. Fear¡­¡± Harlan didn¡¯t know why but Blackstone wanted him to use these exact words. To him it just sounded like someone who was trying too hard to intimidate someone. ¡°A lot of hot air from the son of a pigshit farmer.¡± Ring ring ring, it began. Harlan was supposed to teach Jet a rather simple lesson, there would come the day when he decided to pick on the wrong girl and someone had the ability to punish him. Under different circumstances Harlan would have no right to get close to Jet in a fight, he would be protected by his house and given a slap on the wrist unless it caused such a stink that the duke above them would need to step in to avoid bloodshed. Jet was still somewhat confident before the shirts had come off, yet now he was back to being a young boy being instructed by his father. He could remember every little scratch that man had across his chest, all of them represented a time when he failed and he would never have them healed lest he forgot that he is just a normal man under the nice armor his wife had given him. Harlan stepped forward slowly and Jet thrust forward with a blunted estoc. Despite the difference in reach granted by both blade and body Harlan closed the distance and dodged the thrust as if Jet never did it in the first place. Harlan countered with a swift kick to the thigh. Jet collapsed for a moment before getting back up, Harlan was circling for the kill yet he held off. He reacted with a flurry of thrusts that Harlan parried by striking the blunt side of the blade with palms of his hands. Harlan gave him a roundhouse kick to the side, 4 ribs cracked under the inhuman power Harlan kept away from himself due to his own fear of hurting someone close to him. His attack got faster as old muscle memory was recalled, he hadn¡¯t seriously fought in years, he spent time wallowing in apathy and then almost as if he wanted to make up for lost time he lost himself to passion and pleasure. Harlan was having trouble keeping up his aloof act, 6 extra years of halfhearted training was still 6 years of training. He struck Jet with another kick to the thigh, the most dangerous thrusts were those where he extended his entire body, now the strain of doing such a thing would be unthinkable for the man who had hid from pain for so long. Harlan was back to treating him like a child, Jet looked to his mother, seeing a her face twisted in disgust at herself for not being able to stop Jet before this point. Yet to Jet who had believed himself her shame so long he believed she was using the boy as an excuse to humiliate him to ruin his chances with the girls who were watching now. The first hit landed, despite the blunted tip and edges the estoc cut Harlan squarely across his chest. Harlan couldn¡¯t tell how or why, but he felt the change and knew that it was in for a real fight now. Harlan tightened his stance, his arms held in front of him to block or deflect his attacks he tried to hit Jet with a few quick jabs yet he dodged them. Harlan lost his smile, he knew how strong he was, and he knew how much he held himself back, but this time he would let that go, just a little bit; he didn¡¯t want Jet dead just yet, but he was given enough free reign that nearly dead was an acceptable outcome. Harlan redirected the next thrust by letting it stab through his hand, from that point it was a tug of war, and the stronger man won. Left without his blade Jet took another stance he hadn¡¯t used in a very long time. He kept himself wide and ready to defend until he saw an opening. His foolish assumption was that Harlan had already shown his strength, so clearly he could block him. The first punch broke 2 fingers on his left hand as he tried to slap away Harlan¡¯s straight and cross counter him. He was hit squarely on the chin, despite not knowing it, Harlan had rattled his brain like a professional. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Jet blinked and stumbled as his word flipped upside down. When Harlan went for the second, Jet cowered trying to block the strike that didn¡¯t come. ¡°Sir Harlan Fomoria is the winner.¡± Despite being a woman 48 years of age Blackstone¡¯s grip was like a vice and Harlan couldn¡¯t move an inch. He wanted to keep going, he felt robbed, that fire in his chest that told him to forgive Blackstone wanted blood from this stone. Harlan understood that he wasn¡¯t getting what he wanted and it only made that fire burn brighter. ¡°Would you like to have a chat with me? I hop-¡± ¡°I want to leave, it has been a rough night.¡± Under normal circumstances she would¡¯ve put Harlan in his place not unlike what she wanted him to do to her own son, she let him go. ¡°I hope to see you again.¡± Harlan went inside, he wanted to eat more before he left, the stress was building up and he didn¡¯t know yet how to really handle it, what Breken had taught him could only do so much, he was a kettle that felt ready to boil over. Jaramis walked and spoke with him for the first time in months. ¡°Would you like to hold Jarrik?¡± Harlan reached for his nephew, who immediately tried grabbing at his hair, which Harlan allowed. His heart calmed as he remembered why he even wanted to beat Jet in the first place, he was supposed to be protecting his family. ¡°I am sure that took a lot of restraint from you.¡± ¡°I wanted so badly to knock every tooth from his mouth after leaving a mountain of welts on his body.¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t. I know we had a¡­ Tumultuous start. But you understand, right?¡± He deeply breathed, calming himself for a moment, ignoring every other word that came to his mind. ¡°I am not going to say that I do. I am, however, willing to put that behind me.¡± Jaramis felt a little awkward that Harlan didn¡¯t fully accept his half-hearted apology. But he was saved when Jarrik started to cry, giving him the perfect chance to excuse himself and go back to Autumn. Blackstone took his spot next to Harlan. ¡°You remind me of my husband. If he was still around maybe Jet wouldn¡¯t need to be beaten by a child.¡± ¡°I am sorry for your loss.¡± It was an empty platitude, a thoughtless instant reply to her words. ¡°We all are. I set this whole thing up you know? I didn¡¯t stop Jet from doing anything at all, I sent him to introduce himself to your sisters, separated your friend from the rest, put the idea of marriage into your uncle¡¯s head.¡± Harlan tried again to just breathe and calm down, but it wasn¡¯t working. ¡°I can¡¯t bring myself to lay a hand on him. Any of them really. Onyx and Ebon were at least old enough to learn how they should be. But the others simply didn¡¯t learn enough, not enough time.¡± He wondered if this was another trick, upset him and then pull at his heart strings to see if he was still going to lash out or not. ¡°What about me reminds you of him?¡± ¡°He was harsh when he needed to be, but never without a reason. I believe your words will teach him what we wanted.¡± ¡°What you wanted. You stopped me from doing what I wanted to teach him.¡± ¡°A man is not a horse to be broken, was your goal to punish him? To beat him to death? Or was it to protect you and yours?¡± Harlan hated to admit she could be right, technically the beating he wanted to give him was for the sake of what he believed would protect his family. So long as it does happen, should it really matter how and why? It felt like her own peace and hope that she could get Jet to go back to being the kind and respectful boy he was was the only thing stopping Harlan from reacting more violently to what happened. Harlan bowed goodbye to her and gathered those who wanted to come back with him. Everyone wanted to come it seemed, so he gave his goodbyes to Autumn and Redwall before he left. The entire way home Harlan said he was tired and if they wanted to talk they needed to wait until morning. Harlan woke up when they arrived and led everyone to their rooms. That feeling was still there. Harlan went to his room, set Lugh and Balor next to his bed, a more common set of clothes with a hood, the same he had made for his golems to hide their inhuman features. ¡°Harlan, where are you going?¡± Balor had woken up. ¡°Out, I want to hunt. Pent up energy.¡± ¡°Really? You aren¡¯t going out to pick a fight?¡± Harlan had an annoyed scowl on his face. ¡°How long have you been awake?¡± ¡°I was never sleeping. I was just¡­ Go, I cannot stop you anyway. Just don¡¯t kill anyone. I¡­ I want to talk with you once you get back.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t respond back, he just left. ¡°Balor¡­ is Harlan ok?¡± ¡°He will be. But I won¡¯t be a part of it.¡± ¡°Are you sure? I think you should stay¡­¡± ¡°Everyone has a path. Ours will simply split for a time.¡± Harlan reached the place he knew he could get into a fight legally without problem. The adventures guild. He walked in the doors, stood on a table and yelled out with a coin in his hand. ¡°One gold coin to anyone who can beat me.¡± Most just laughed, but a few thought about it for a moment. Harlan was far from intimidating, he was 5''5. Large for his age, but without knowing that the patrons simply thought he was a short idiot. Finally a burly man with a bronze badge hanging from his neck who smelled like he only bathed once a month and in a keg of cheap beer decided to take him up on the offer. ¡°Aye¡­ I¡¯ll kick your ass¡­ You little shit¡­¡± Harlan wondered if he would even make it to the ring before he passed out. He jumped down from the table and walked to the sparring ring, it was empty, which Harlan expected. It was pretty late as it was. The nice girl from the front desk came to officiate the match. He thought it was odd that he never saw anyone else ever at the front desk regardless of the time. ¡°Guild rules for personal fights are as stated, the fight will end in the case of knock out or yielding of one party. If I say the fight is done it is done. Both of you understand me? I¡¯ll wake up Gilly to break up a fight if I need to.¡± The large man seemed wary at the mention of Gilly, but Harlan was more confused about the attendant sounding so harsh, was it because he was always clearly a noble before? ¡°What about weapons? magic?¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t kill each other.¡± She abruptly rang a bell to start the match. The drunken man swung, lost his balance, and hit the ground. Harlan was about to walk over and check on him when he heard a snore coming from the man. He was unhappy with the fight to say the least. But the few people who were watching burst out in laughter, calling others into the room. Harlan had no intention of turning this into a comedy routine. So he repeated his offer as the man''s drinking buddy drunkenly dragged him from the ring. Another man, this time sober, hopped in the ring, he had a bronze badge as well. ¡°Do I need to explain the rules again? No? Great.¡± She rang the bell again. The man played defensively, waiting for Harlan to make the first move. It wasn¡¯t a bad idea, but it really didn¡¯t mean much. When Harlan rushed him the man swung his sword, but he was slow, Harlan deflected the blade with his armor and punched him straight in the gut. The man vomited and doubled over in pain, Harlan figured that he was trying to yield but couldn¡¯t so he waited until he caught his breath. ¡°Yield¡­¡± ¡°Little guy is the winner.¡± A woman helped the man out of the ring and Harlan could see she was casting some small healing spells. Another man hopped in as soon as the 2nd was out of the ring. The attendant rang the bell immediately. This went on for another 40 minutes, someone either drunk or barely sober jumps in the ring, gets hit once or twice, and then someone drags them out to be replaced by another idiot who can¡¯t fight. But with a crowd forming people started fighting for the chance to fight next. Harlan was also upping the price, after 10 minutes it was 5 gold to the winner, then 10, then 25 gold. Harlan was about to leave when a man with a silver badge hopped in the ring. He was young, or at least he was small, maybe 5¡¯4 depending on his boots. The bell rung and he was off without a weapon in hand, he was in the crowd for quite some time watching the fight. He noticed Harlan¡¯s favorite style was low down with some grappling leading into a slugfest, the issue being that no one so far lasted more than a few hits from the boy who looked like he could burst into flame at any moment. The silver rank tried to counter grapple and force him to the ground but it wasn¡¯t going as planned, they each had a grasp on the other, but they were evenly matched, Harlan was a lot heavier and stronger than his opponent was expecting, he couldn¡¯t shift his stance without the risk of Harlan taking advantage. But after a minute it was starting to wear on him to constantly push against Harlan¡¯s advance, and without Harlan¡¯s inhuman stamina he was actually starting to worry about losing their little game. He disconnected with a kick, trying to get some distance away from Harlan. He thought it was too easy to get away, and it was. Harlan wanted to beat someone, he didn¡¯t want to just stand around holding hands. His opponent grabbed a handful of dirt and turned it into soft stone over his hand. He realized what Harlan was going to do next and wanted to end it with a good punch. Harlan realized that his opponent realized, so he let it happen. They circled around the ring, the crowd was tense, waiting for it to happen. They rushed each other. Both not bothering to dodge or defend, simply to land a good hit. And it was a good hit. Both of them knew they had broken the other''s nose which sat crooked on their faces. Then they repeated their attacks. The man spit out two teeth, Harlan only spit out one. They both smiled, showing the crowd that they were just starting. Violent blow after blow landed, dodges and blocks were completely foregone in this fight. Harlan lost vision in one eye from the blood pouring into it from cuts on his face; he had more teeth in the dirt than in his mouth. And he was having the time of his life. Everything felt so simple, so right in just having a brawl, the one he was denied earlier. To just beat someone who wanted to fight him, instead of beating someone who couldn¡¯t fight back. Both sides staggered towards each other, every last ounce of strength left in them went to a final punch. Harlan blacked out for just a moment, but he won, he stood tall even in his sleep. The cheers caused the guard to come over to break up the party, but the adventurers weren¡¯t having it. They wanted to party after a fight like that. The attendant left the room, returning a minute later with a woman. She was 6¡¯3 at least, what skin could be seen under her full body tattoos was dark, she had barely any armor at all. Harlan wondered if she was pulled from a bath, he hated to think she would fight wearing so little. ¡°For the FINAL fight of the night, it will be the stranger vs our local highest ranked, GILLY.¡± The attendant rushed over to heal Harlan so he could at least think about putting up a fight. With his vision restored he could tell the tall woman wasn¡¯t happy to be pulled from wherever she was before. Harlan entered his stance, ready to block and get in at least a punch, he had no idea how strong she was. But he wasn¡¯t thinking he would be winning this time. He looked at her eyes, deep yellow, shifting slightly like the ocean waves. He thought about the comparison with his own eyes, pale blue and shifting like smoke from a smoldering fire. The bell rang and Harlan saw her start to move. Then he blacked out, thinking how his jaw hurt.
She felt awake for the first time in years, or was it days? She couldn¡¯t tell how long she had been sleeping, but she knew what she wanted to do. Chapter 66 Harlan woke up somewhere he didn¡¯t recognize, in clothes he didn¡¯t recognize. His armor and coin pouch sat on the table near him, having been cleaned. He was sure he should¡¯ve been sore, clearly healing magic was at play, he pulled at his shirt to to see if his scars were still there, some of the smaller ones were gone by a persistent acid burn over his heart and a large gash where he nearly lost his liver to an exploding sword remained.. An array was activated as soon as he rolled off of the couch he was on. Shortly after, the front desk lady was in the room. ¡°Did you sleep well? I hope our accommodations are to your liking considering the sudden need for your housing with us.¡± ¡°I slept fine. Big change in attitude from last night though.¡± ¡°I was not working last night. I handle early morning to evening. My sister handles the late evening to early morning shift.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Harlan suddenly realized that he never went home last night. ¡°What time is it?¡± ¡°Three till noon.¡± ¡°Three hours? I guess that isn¡¯t too bad.¡± ¡°No, three minutes.¡± She then got a nervous look on her face. ¡°I do hope you will not take any action against us for Gilly¡¯s¡­ use of force. We have done as much as we could, there should be no lasting damage to your face.¡± Harlan was starting to wonder how hard he got hit. ¡°Does this place have a mirror?¡± She got up and pulled a hand mirror from a drawer. He looked as close as he could. ¡°I don¡¯t think I look different. I started the fight in the first place anyway. I just need to get home before I worry anyone.¡± ¡°I have already arranged a carriage for you. It is downstairs, would you like to eat before leaving?¡± His stomach rumbled, but he ignored it, not wanting to waste time getting something to eat now. But there was one thing he wanted to do. ¡°That silver rank that fought me last night. Give him this.¡± Harlan gave her a stack of gold coins, 20 to be exact. He may have lost the fight, but Harlan had let out that horrible feeling thanks to him. ¡°I will ensure that he is given your gift.¡± It wasn¡¯t a long ride back to his place, but he was starting to regret not eating before. His last experience with healing magic wasn¡¯t nearly this draining, he was starting to really worry about how hard that woman hit him. He arrived to find his family arguing in the kitchen with Balor in his golem body, who assured them that Harlan was going to be fine. ¡°I am ok.¡± Aida was already crying and hugging him, the others just looked worried, they could see he wasn¡¯t hurt but staying out was just not normal for him. ¡°Where were you? Why didn¡¯t you come back last night?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t a guy just spend a night in town for once?¡± His obvious falsehood set off alarm bells for everyone. ¡°Harlan. Let¡¯s talk in private.¡± Harlow said, to Harlan¡¯s confusion. ¡°Sure? Isha, make food, something filling and quick.¡± ¡°Yes, Harlan.¡± He led his father to the bunker to a private room. ¡°Harlan¡­ I know what you are thinking about, though it is early for you. I understand, but you shouldn¡¯t make excuses. There comes a time in a man¡¯s life when some things start to have a¡­ different appeal to him. He might start to think it is a good idea to spend his coins on these¡­ Urges. I won¡¯t say that it is wrong, but you need to be very careful. You are a noble and many women would want to tie themselves with you.¡± Harlan¡¯s mind was spinning, that is what his father assumed? Then he thought about if he should just play along, it would be easier to explain, maybe. But Harlan figured most either wouldn¡¯t believe it, or they would. He wasn¡¯t sure which would be more awkward. ¡°I went into town to fight people. The crowd got too out of control over my last fight so they brought in someone who knocked me out in a single punch.¡± Harlow went through confusion and embarrassment. Settling on confusion. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°That noble I fought last night? I wanted to beat him, I wanted to break every bone in his body, I wanted him to suffer for what he did. I was robbed of that by Blackstone.¡± Harlow took a deep breath, he was a farmer, he had a fairly normal life, he didn¡¯t know what Harlan had been though. He felt as his father he should understand him. ¡°Son. I¡­ I don¡¯t understand you, I don¡¯t think I ever will, so much that has already happened is beyond me. But I know you aren¡¯t bad, you aren¡¯t a monster. If you need to do something like that to feel better, and if the other people are doing it because they want to, I don¡¯t mind. I wish you could just chop wood, or till fields, but that isn¡¯t you. What should we tell them? I¡¯m guessing you don¡¯t want them to know.¡± After a few minutes of brainstorming Harlan decided on a cover story. He got drunk slightly at the countesses party, but he wanted to get that feeling again, so he drank himself silly last night and slept in an inn in town. When he repeated the story to the rest of his family they figured he was covering up something more embarrassing and let it go, and the arrow was successfully dodged. He dug into the food which Isha made him, seeing his pace she started on another serving while he was still eating. Redmond got an idea of what happened, he had seen men mauled by all manner of monsters and knew healing hunger when he saw it. But he let it go, Harlan was a scarily grown up child. He was entitled to his secrets. Aida wanted to strike up conversation during Harlan¡¯s meal, which would later just turn into everyone''s lunch. ¡°Amber. Do you have a boyfriend yet? Any thoughts on taking part in the maiden festival before you leave?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had enough bad experiences at the academy already. I am not looking for that stuff right now, I want to finish learning and join the army. If they make me my own noble I¡¯ll get assigned a husband anyway.¡± ¡°Bah, what good will come from you marrying the 4th son of a baron who would just betray you with a mistress anyway.¡± Harlan stopped eating for a moment as dangerous thoughts swirled in his head. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°If I am the one who gets nobility they will send me someone good. I wouldn¡¯t marry them, they would marry me. I wouldn''t let them get away with another woman behind my back anyway.¡± She stabbed her fork into a potato to accent her point. ¡°Good, but I could always help if you needed it.¡± Harlan said. ¡°What exactly do you mean by that?¡± Aida asked, but he ignored the question. ¡°Dad, do you know any other farmers who would work for me?¡± ¡°I¡¯d need to know what you are planting, lotta guys around here do more or less farm for only a few crops. So they might not be the best for something new.¡± ¡°Rice, and an orchard with trees, and tea.¡± ¡°Well. I have no idea what rice is. I know someone who has a son and they grow fruit trees, you might be able to hire his kid. But tea isn¡¯t really grown around here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a book and seeds for rice on the way. It is something they have in the Confederacy and Reino.¡± Harlow was conflicted. He knew someone who would be perfect for the job, but he didn¡¯t want to give him up if he wanted to work here. He let out a sigh after some time. ¡°You should ask Kass. I¡¯ll see about the kid for the orchard. I don¡¯t know what else to do about tea.¡± ¡°I can do it.¡± Balor said, he still hadn¡¯t gone back to Harlan¡¯s finger. ¡°What? You can¡¯t do it, you¡¯ll be at the academy with Harlan. You guys didn¡¯t find out how to teleport, did you?¡± ¡°Harlan, I want to have a deeper conversation with you about this, but I don¡¯t want to go with you. I want to stay here and work on things.¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± Harlan was silent for the rest of the meal. Heading down to the bunker as soon as he was done. The others worried about him some, but thought he just needed to have his talk with Balor before any of them. An hour passed before Balor went down for their talk, Harlan was carving, a large pile of shavings sat next to the larger pile of small wooden toy parts. ¡°I¡¯m here to explain why I want to stay, I hope we can both be civil.¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± ¡°I lied before. When you asked if I was alright being a ring, I said it was fine. Partly I wanted to believe it would be, partly I just didn¡¯t want to add onto your worries. I hate this body, unlike Lugh who even if you shared a memory with him, he wouldn¡¯t really understand, he wouldn¡¯t have a first hand experience to compare it to. But you made me from yourself in a different way from him, he is¡­ Pure in a sense. He is like a child, I am based on a ball of rage, and with that I gained so many strong emotions from it. Emotions I have tried to keep in check, but I got feelings with that as well. I know the taste of the food you had at Ky¡¯s going away party, I know the feeling of skin, the sensation of heat and cold. I don¡¯t blame you, I still don¡¯t, and you need to understand that. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong in making me. I would understand if you wanted me to leave.¡± ¡°What are you going to do here? Other than helping tend the gardens. I don¡¯t see how that would help you, you should just come with, think about what you could learn there. We could work together to get you in a real body somehow.¡± ¡°I want to stay here, and continue your experiments with transformation and how the soul works. I want to find a process in which I can plant my own soul in a new body grown just for me. I think it should be possible to put my soul in a human body, but I don¡¯t think I can bring myself to do such a thing.¡± ¡®Not yet¡¯ were the words he left unsaid. ¡°Another reason is simple. I saw what you did last night, you can handle being around people now, you don¡¯t need me to tell you things. You will be ok. You aren¡¯t fully ok just yet, but I never could help you with that anyway. I am smart, I retain so much, but I just don¡¯t know, I am not Breken with his years of lived experiences. I am almost a year old, but not quite. I want time apart from you as well, so that I can be my own person, instead of Harlan¡¯s ring, I want to be Balor.¡± Harlan sat in silence, he couldn¡¯t help it. He had spent so much time so angry at everyone for controlling him, but he had spent months not noticing how Balor was. ¡°Harlan. I don¡¯t blame you, it is alright. You have treated me well, you have never stopped me from doing things, you have given me whatever I asked for. This is just me wanting to be more.¡± Balor embraced his brother, but the feeling of cold wood and metal just reminded Harlan of what he felt he robbed from Balor. To be stuck in a body that doesn¡¯t have more than a basic sense of touch. Relying on instinct and spellwork to avoid putting crushing strength into anything he held onto. They sat like that for some time before Harlan calmed himself. Then there was an alarm, someone bypassed the wards and gated into the living room. ¡°You don¡¯t have to go right now, I could see who it is first.¡± Harlan wiped his tears for the last time. ¡°I have to go. Part of being me I guess.¡± He reduced his puffy eyes with some unfocused light magic to middling results, but it was better than nothing. He left the bunker, Balor behind him. To find it was Dahlia, not surprising him. But what was a surprise was the royal guards behind her. ¡°I hope I¡¯m not interrupting you. But we found the person who sent those bandits after you.¡± She could tell he had been crying. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The head of the noble house Brightblade. The count wanted revenge for your soulsmithing replacing enchantments as the most common form of magic weapons. His house has lost quite a lot from this. The king was even thinking of replacing him as a count, considering their houses lack of innovation over the years, only being good for manufacture and their unwillingness to turn to soulsmithing as a new line of work.¡± ¡°I have no idea who that is. But thank you, do you need anything else?¡± ¡°Yes. you need to come with me. Any crimes committed between nobles with this severity require both offended parties meet in court.¡± Harlan figured he didn¡¯t really need to be there, if he tried to kill or rob him then execution or a massive fine would solve it without his input. Balor slipped out of his golem body and back onto Harlan¡¯s finger. Harlan let out an annoyed sigh and went through the gate, then another, taking him to a courthouse in the capital city. ¡°Just follow me, this won¡¯t take long as most of the work is already done, we simply need your opinion on sentencing.¡± Harlan followed her into the courtroom proper, it was as ornate as one might expect from a room where nobles were sentenced, marble floors and walls, decorated pillars of pure white, all the hardwood was inscribed with works of art. He was led to seating on the right side, while the guilty and his kith and kin sat on the left side of the room. Next to him were the Blackstone and Redwall families. Having been pulled in as a result of the crimes location and their own relation to Harlan respectively. The judge, a man who Harlan thought he had seen before, but wasn¡¯t certain, spoke in a magically amplified voice, though Harlan could barely hear him after he started talking. If it wasn¡¯t for the wards and his own self control he would rush across the room and tear the count limb from limb with his bare hands, his hands bleed as his fingernails. That man had made attempts on himself, and Harlan was upset, but he already lived believing that people were out for his blood. For him to hear the judge speak of his mother, his father, his sisters, niece and nephew, even down to his staff. It took everything he had to quell that fire inside him, Blackstone was near him and physically restrained him as the judge explained what the charge ¡®defilement of a noble woman¡¯ meant in relation to his sisters. She didn¡¯t actually need to be there, Ebon could¡¯ve stood in for her, but she knew Harlan would react quite poorly considering how he was last night, it was how she would¡¯ve reacted at his age. ¡°These attacks and plans were kept hidden through the use of proxies to hire these men as well as not hiring anyone of greater repute in these circles. The only point of contention is no attacks on farm owned by the parents of the effected. Sir Harlan Fomoria, based on these findings, what is your opinion on the ruling which is planned. 20000 gold shall be paid to you, and the count shall be put to the sword. Any members, if proven innocent of knowing what was planned, shall be incorporated into another family through marriage. If guilty, all who knew of the plans shall be put to the sword and their house completely dissolved should no viable heir remain. The children, should they be without parents, may petition to be raised by another family, if not then they are to be cast into the streets with only what they have on their person.¡± Harlan looked over the family on the count¡¯s side, the children¡­ He hated the look in their eyes. To lose everything for something beyond their control, that sadness, that anger focused on Harlan. The thought of killing them all flashed across his mind and hit him like a bucket of cold water, he knew right from wrong even if he didn¡¯t always follow it, but felt a deep shame at the thoughts he had, the flame inside him smoldered but didn¡¯t go out. ¡°Should the children be without parents and not taken in by another family, I would hire them on myself as workers.¡± He had faced enough sins of the father, or the people rather, to not be able to justify leaving the children completely destitute because their father is someone he would see burned alive. ¡°If that comes to pass, we shall send notice and have negotiations take place. I shall warn you, that any retribution against them for their relatives'' crimes will be harshly punished. The justice system is a place to set things right, not to be used for revenge against those already deemed innocent under it.¡± Harlan almost couldn¡¯t believe it, but the man was completely serious, he seemed to fully believe and trust in every word he said. ¡°The sins of kin would hold no bearing on my treatment of them.¡± It was an odd feeling for him, the sudden switch from blinding rage to sadness as he focused on the count or the children, it felt unnatural to him, like he had two completely different minds switching places. ¡°The following changes shall be made, Should no others claim them, the effected is to have the option of hiring the children of the convicted to work for him.You are all dismissed.¡± Everyone left the room in an orderly fashion, Harlan¡¯s side leaving first. He didn¡¯t want to make small talk as they walked to be gated to his lands, luckily no one else did either. When he got back he set Balor down, letting him get back into his golem body. Everyone wanted to know what happened, Harlan explained the charges, what they all meant. He was upset, he almost wished he had asked if tortured to death was an option. But he knew it was wrong, death was all that mattered. The problem was gone, it was done, that is what he kept telling himself.
Coronach found what he was looking for, after years and years of failures, they had a real lead on who was hiring these Faeling counter seers, yet he was conflicted, he knew it would just break her heart if he was right. Chapter 67 Harlan went to explain what had happened to everyone, first he spoke to the staff, they were targets and he hadn¡¯t thought about protecting them the same way as he did his family, so he said they were free to leave if they wanted to try and find safer work. ¡°Sir Fomoria, I¡¯ve worked for Baron Redwall for decades, to work for a noble is always to be at some risk, to do anything has some risk. None of us have come to harm in these months with you and I feel that your paranoia has led to more than enough defenses for this place. My wife and I shall be staying.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t speak with Garad all that often, he had dinner with everyone every now and then just to make sure there wasn¡¯t anything they needed; but this was the first time that he felt Garad actually had more than a basic level of loyalty towards him as an employer. ¡°Yeah, I wouldn¡¯t trade this for anything, I¡¯ve get paid more here than working for Redwall and I get to have more fun.¡± ¡°I will echo most of what Sara says, you¡¯ve been a great help to us and I¡¯ve had more time to spend with my mother due to my lightened workload.¡± Harlan happy to hear it, though he was only really close with Isha and Sara it would still leave a void in not only duties but in his heart had anyone left him for what he believed was his own failures. ¡°Thank you everyone. I hope you can all feel safe here until you move on to make your own families.¡± Isha started to fidget a little after he was done talking but Harlan wasn¡¯t going to question her about it. Then he spoke to his family, which he included Zella in even though she wasn¡¯t even a target. They all sat in silence for some time. ¡°Harlan, I hope you aren¡¯t already blaming yourself.¡± Redmond was the first to talk. ¡°If-¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°If I-¡± ¡°Not a chance. I¡¯ve seen and killed enough evil bastards, if there was anyone to blame you could say the kingdom just because you wouldn¡¯t be a noble without them. But even then, you are human and somebody would¡¯ve connected the dots eventually, you¡¯ve been playing with magic since you could do it even beyond what you¡¯ve been taught. There was never a way that you lived a quiet life.¡± Aida and Harlow wished they could¡¯ve made Harlan go into quiet contemplation in such a manner with just some words. ¡°If something happened¡­ I know what I would do. I just want everyone to keep safe, I¡¯m going to bolster all of our defenses, I¡¯m going to update the golems that are already at the farm.¡± ¡°Harlan, honey, you really don¡¯t need to do that. You shouldn¡¯t need to worry now, that count is dead and gone.¡± ¡°And then when the next person comes along? Even if I don¡¯t need to do it, I have to. I refuse to not do it and you can¡¯t stop me.¡± Aida wanted to refute him, he was paranoid, everyone in the room knew it but they wished he could be someone happier, not constantly trying to throw himself into this or that project. In the 8 months he had been back he only made 6 social visits to the farm, others always had to seek him out. He spent nearly every night striving to be stronger in some way, to expand what he could do to keep himself and those he loved safe, work life balance wasn¡¯t something he ever thought about. ¡°Aida, I know I¡¯m not really part of the family, but I¡¯ve known Harlan for years and I don¡¯t think that there is anything to stop him. He probably didn¡¯t tell you what all happened at the facility but when he was there I was his support, I couldn¡¯t get him to do anything no matter what it was costing him.¡± ¡°Harlan, what does she mean?¡± ¡°Zella, don¡¯t talk about what I did or what it cost me. I shared what bothered me in confidence.¡± She stood and crossed her arms as she neared Harlan. It was what Rosewell did when she was trying to lecture Harlan about his habits. ¡°I know that look you have in your eyes, remember when you couldn¡¯t get the result you wanted Rosewell took us all out to the woods for a day? You are still as stupid and pigheaded as you were then. Make your golems better and stronger or whatever you need to do, then relax with your family. You¡¯ll be gone for 10 months of the year, I can¡¯t imagine you are going to spend more than a month fixing everything. If you avoid them for too long I am going to drag you kicking and screaming into a picnic.¡± Ava laughed and laughed, it was a serious conversation, she had learned that she had assassins after her for months without knowing, but she couldn¡¯t contain herself. Aida shushed her and Zella went red, her attempts to scold Harlan had worked on him but to Ava she just looked ridiculous. ¡°Sorry sorry sorry. I¡¯ve just never seen Harlan hang his head like that before.¡± ¡°Ava, that is enough. Zella, you are right. I am a stupid pigheaded idiot who doesn¡¯t know when to stop. Mom, Dad, I will do what I can do to make sure you are safe and then I¡¯ll just go back to being Harlan.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t I get a mention?¡± Amber had been a fly on the wall, she didn¡¯t feel there was anything to add, but now that the mood was lighter she wanted to keep that. ¡°Amber, do you want me to teach you more stuff after dinner? Actually, Mom, Dad, do you want me to teach you magic?¡± ¡°Sorry son, but I¡¯ve got no talent for it. I¡¯ve tried and it doesn¡¯t click with me, they wouldn¡¯t let me in the army I was so poor at learning it.¡± ¡°You tried to join the army? When?¡± ¡°Before I met your mother, I was 14 and my father passed away so I wanted to go to bootcamp instead of being a farmhand. I failed on everything but the physical. I am not cut out for killing anything but goblins and wargs.¡± ¡°Mom?¡± ¡°Redmond tried to teach me some when I was younger, just before Autumn was born actually. I stopped because I was too limited in time, by the time Autumn was 3 I had Amber on the way and then another 3 years for Ava. Now I¡¯m just too old to be learning that kinda stuff.¡± ¡°What do you mean? You are still young, both of you are. I think you should at least try.¡± ¡°Harlan, we will both be 40 in just another couple years. We aren¡¯t young.¡± He eventually did convince them that they should learn but they convinced him to wait until next year since most of this month was already done and most of next month was for family time. Down in the bunker Balor and Lugh were talking about something, but they stopped as soon as Harlan got near. ¡°I heard-¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Balor wanted me to keep it a secret. That is why I was so quiet.¡± Lugh was upset, he didn¡¯t like hiding things, last time he did Harlan didn¡¯t talk with The Dark Mother for months. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Were you quiet?¡± ¡°Harlan, I feel like I shouldn¡¯t need to tell you this, but not speaking to anyone for days on end, it isn¡¯t normal for people.¡± ¡°Really? Wait, that isn¡¯t important. Lugh, it is fine. You and Balor are your own people, I can¡¯t keep you caged up if you want to leave. Or if you want to stay.¡± Harlan was mostly lying to himself, if both his brothers stayed behind he would be upset, but he wouldn¡¯t try to stop them. ¡°NO! I want to see the academy. I want to go where more people are! I wonder what birds and flowers they have¡­¡± Lugh started to just hum a tune to himself and float around the room, looking over the few plants Harlan moved down here to make it feel less like the facility. ¡°Lugh, aren¡¯t you still shy?¡± He stuttered in his flight for just a moment but didn¡¯t answer. ¡°We have gone off track, I assume you are here for the packages?¡± ¡°Yes. Did you open them?¡± ¡°I abided by the rules given, the courier was very sure that no one was allowed to open them other than you. They are actually in the private room. I didn¡¯t ask this before¡­ But while you are gone, what limits should I place on my spending?¡± ¡°Unless Garad yells at you for spending too much and everyone is paid I don¡¯t care what you spend, hire more people if you need to, build more golems, you are going to want to contact the couriers for a rabbit supplier. I had a thought about lending out the golems for clearings. Just stick a light spell on them and they could probably do a lot of the work on their own, but I don¡¯t know if I want them doing work on their own. People need to see them doing good things. The trees already know to kill goblins and wargs on sight unless there is a skoll or fenrir nearby, I don¡¯t want to antagonize them. Sorry, I¡¯m rambling. I¡¯m going to check out the books.¡± Harlan went to the private room and unwrapped the books. They were bound in some warded cloth, Harlan wondered why they didn¡¯t put them in boxes, but it really didn¡¯t matter. Secrets of telekinesis by Sibress Whitebeak Secrets of imbibing by Eldren Hardwing Harlan figured imbibing was going to be a bigger subject, and he really wanted to find out if telekinesis would let him do what he hoped it would. He read the opening chapter over and over again, realizing it wasn¡¯t as great of a deal as he thought since the book never directly said how to actually do telekinesis. He was eyeing the book on flight with disdain, expecting it to be another worthless book until he found out the basics of flight. But by the 5th rereading he realized what telekinesis was, extending the soul out of the body and granting it physical power. He kept at it, trying to interpret the advanced tricks into what the basic form probably looked like. But after an hour he was doing no better than at the start, he gave up and went to read later chapters hoping to find something that actually helped. He wanted to beat himself once he read the last chapter. Secrets to teaching students quickly through odd or esoteric methods. He was all about odd and esoteric methods, he was annoyed further when one of the methods labeled as ¡°quite safe¡± was to bleed the student, the soul naturally leaves blood and returns to the body, if he really paid attention he should eventually feel it as the soul comes back, giving him a ¡°sense of feeling and control of the soul outside the body.¡± He wasn¡¯t going to do that until checked the rest of the chapter. Labeled under ¡°only in worst case¡± was to ¡°bleed the student until their heart stops, then revive the student, repeat process until feeling of the soul is found.¡± He liked the idea, he already had a fair share of near death experiences, but he figured he would wait for a bit. He went upstairs to get a knife to bleed himself only to find that Sara and Isha were in the kitchen, nearly done with breakfast. ¡°Oh, Harlan. I was about to get you. You normally aren¡¯t this late for breakfast.¡± ¡°What? I thought it was only¡­¡± He started thinking he needed to start casting ring of light whenever he was alone, if he had started doing tests with unknown spells without thinking about costs he could pass out or eat away at himself without even realizing it. ¡°Only what?¡± ¡°Sorry. I thought it wasn¡¯t so early. I was doing some reading, lost track of time.¡± ¡°There was something I wanted to ask you about¡­ No, nevermind.¡± Harlan hadn¡¯t seen her so flustered in some time, he went over every part of female behavior he had read about. He threw away the idea of infatuation with him, they already had a talk about that and she understood he had no odd intentions with her. Then he started thinking about the chances of her- ¡°She wants to go to the maiden festival. She wanted to ask about a dowry.¡± Sara blurted out between sips of her tea. Isha was flushed red and struck her. That was new for Harlan, but he was glad she could act normally around him. ¡°I don¡¯t mean this the wrong way, but why would I put forward a dowry?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Well, I don¡¯t have a father to put one up for me. I don¡¯t mean to say anything by asking for this, but I had wondered if you would be willing to do that for me. I¡¯ll work to pay it back, don¡¯t worry about that. It will just take me some time.¡± Harlan felt a little bad for her, and he felt awkward for himself. He thought of himself as brotherly with her, not fatherly. But he was also potentially willing to kill someone who treated her poorly enough. He scratched his chin and thought for a time. Isha was tense, Sara was eating eggs and toast. ¡°Are you planning to leave?¡± ¡°Ah. Well, I was hoping that I might be allowed to live elsewhere while you are away, and then come back while you are here for the summers.¡± ¡°And once I am done with the academy? I¡¯ll be here all the time.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°If you want another house here? I¡¯ll make it. The dowry isn¡¯t an option anymore either, I am paying for it. If you want to leave, that is fine too. I¡­ I think of you like another sister. If your husband, since I know you can find one. Ever hurts you, come to me, if I am not here, come to Balor. Either they will end up in a grave or a courtroom.¡± Isha felt overjoyed, she was worried that just asking for a gift of a sum of money would drive some kind of wedge between them. But he truly cared for her, and not in the way her mother warned her about, but as a genuine friend. Harlan reveled in this, feeling her joy like it was his own. He felt wonderful, the rage was pushed further back in his mind. He even started humming the same tune Isha liked to hum. Isha thought it was sweet that he knew the song from her, Sara thought it was creepy that they were humming in perfect sync He finished eating before everyone else was even awake, then he went back down to work on learning telekinesis. But he was in such a good mood that he decided to ask some questions, normally he felt like his relationship with her was more tenuous and he felt like he learned more horrible truths each time, he thought everything would turn out right this time for some reason. He went below the bunker and mediated himself into The Dark Mother. ¡°My child, you have quite the mood this time. How can I help?¡± ¡°I was wondering if everyone is connected by some kind of giant web of souls. I forgot to ask last time we talked.¡± ¡°That is quite the question to ask. Especially considering how you are. But I suppose I¡¯ve not spoken of such things.¡± ¡°Really? What does that mean?¡± Anyone who really knew him would be shocked that he could even say that in such a happy mood instead of with layers and layers of paranoia and skepticism. ¡°You are connected strongly to the web right now, feeding on the joy of another, feeding on the rage of another. You have done it so many times already. I hoped that you would discover what you can do before now, but I¡¯ve been reading the threads of fate. I believe that now is the ideal time to show you.¡± ¡°Really? Thank you.¡± ¡°Do you know of mind magics?¡± ¡°No, unless the soul speaking is mind magic?¡± ¡°It was a trick question, any child of the 3rd age has such powers sealed from them, unless of course a magnanimous goddess wants a people to have some form of it. My children, of which you are, have empathy. You feel how others feel, this was once just having thoughts of what others might think, but now. You have gone past that. Now you are channeling it, but without training, it¡­ hasn¡¯t gone well for you. I shall show you now what you might¡¯ve been taught by the tribe. The threads show if I don¡¯t, you are very likely to slaughter a great deal without good reason. This path I hope will be¡­ Marginally better.¡± She Harlan was excited! He would get to be taught directly by her. Who did she think she was to teach him? Was it even worth teaching him¡­? ¡°I said I would show you, I didn¡¯t say I would explain. Just try to fight what you think is wrong, know when your mind is being affected. Eventually you will gain that sense of mind, and it will help with that other skill you wish to learn. The soul and mind are so alike, and yet not. But enough, let us start again. I will wrap us in the minute hours, I wouldn¡¯t want you to miss your appointment.¡± He was confused about what appointment he even had, he didn¡¯t have anything planned that day, and how did she even know that? Why does she think she knows best? Maybe she did know best? He just needed to trust her. He was getting very annoyed by switching around like this, and this time it was his true feelings. Chapter 68 Harlan wasn¡¯t entirely sure how long he was in there, her talking in minute hours and second minutes confused everything, and she knew it, but adding annoyance was part of training she said. ¡°How are you even doing this? Can I force emotions on people?¡± ¡°You can learn to dampen or agitate emotions already in play, but that isn¡¯t why I gave them empathic powers.¡± ¡°Why did you?¡± ¡°Someday I might tell you. But for your original question, I am not doing anything but putting myself in a mood, my mind is so far beyond yours that you are putting yourself in a mood to match it.¡± ¡°Can i get a hin-¡± ¡°Back to work.¡± He was back in that timeless feeling, bombarded by other feelings. He thought days had to have passed, that he missed his chance at the academy and ruined everything. But he wasn¡¯t sad, he was upset at her just forcing learning on him without explaining anything. He wished she would just stop, that all of it would just stop, give him some time to put his mind in order. For a time she stopped, but he wasn¡¯t getting a break, she wasn¡¯t talking, she just seemed to give him that time he wanted to think about how he would close off that connection. ¡°Well done my child.¡± ¡°Oh? I did it?¡± ¡°Are you upset?¡± ¡°Not really, I¡¯m feeling pretty normal.¡± ¡°Then it worked.¡± ¡°How did I do it then?¡± ¡°You did it once already, you¡¯ll figure it out. Oh, and tell your ring we should speak.¡± ¡°Wait, wha-¡± He was forced out of her world. He was annoyed, but knowing that it was him being annoyed by himself made him a little happy. Harlan got an odd feeling, Balor was nearing the door, he couldn¡¯t see him but he could tell that there was someone there. He opened the door before Balor could. ¡°You are awake. It is just past noon. Dare I ask what horrible truths you learned?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad. I learned something a little bit odd. Can you back up a little bit?¡± ¡°Alright?¡± Balor took a few steps away from the door and that feeling Harlan got became fuzzy, a few more steps and it was gone. ¡°Alright, come back again.¡± It returned as soon as he neared the door. ¡°I want to test this more.¡± Harlan checked all around the bunker, he wanted to know what the range was exactly, he wanted to know if the wards effected it, how much etc. He could feel him as a fuzzy blob in a general direction at 15 feet, he could identify him at 5. But at least it was effected by nothing but distance, no matter if they were on different floors or behind wards or pillars, it was just distance. ¡°Thanks. At least I know that much. Now if she just taught me how any of this worked instead of throwing me out because I did it once. I wish it was as easy as looking at my soul for some bit to poke.¡± ¡°What did you learn?¡± ¡°She said I was feeding off emotions from other people. That I had some mind magic.¡± ¡°Do you believe her?¡± ¡°It makes sense. At the party, once Blackstone grabbed me I didn¡¯t feel as strongly about it anymore, maybe because she thought Jet had enough already? I think Jet was mad at me, and I was mad at him, I was feeding into myself by antagonizing him.¡± ¡°Then that other feeling? That made you leave that night, what was that?¡± Harlan furled his brows, thought back to what she said to him. He was feeding on the joy of one, Isha, but also on the rage of another? Was it instinct? Was it his own? ¡°I don¡¯t like any answer I can think of. I doubt if I tried to talk to her I would get anything anyway.¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think there is anything to do, from what I have seen of her, she is treating these things as a joke. I don¡¯t understand her.¡± ¡°Oh, she wanted you to talk to her. But I won¡¯t tell you if you should or not.¡± ¡°Perhaps I will, perhaps I won¡¯t. But in the meantime you should eat. Your seeds have been delivered and you are likely going to spend quite a large amount of mana making your farm.¡± ¡°That reminds me. How are you going to eat while I¡¯m away?¡± ¡°I will feed on animals.¡± ¡°Oh. I guess that makes sense. Does it kill them?¡± ¡°I could drain them dry, but that is unnecessary.¡± Harlan thought about asking about how he could learn to do that as well but, he left the conversation as is. He had Days? Weeks? Months? With The Mother to accept that Balor was just being himself, that he was alright with it. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. He stepped out of the bunker to find the others at the table waiting for him, that fuzzy feeling telling him that people were nearby was bothering him, but getting closer solved it. ¡°You should¡¯ve just eaten.¡± ¡°Seems we hardly get to talk unless you''re eating.¡± Aida said. ¡°Sorry.¡± He didn¡¯t bother with being annoyed or offended, she was right. ¡°So, what were you working on?¡± Amber asked, trying to move the topic to something lighter than whatever Aida was going to ask him. ¡°I was reading those books I got¡± Harlan explained what he had explained what he learned but left out his meeting with The Dark Mother. ¡°I heard I got those seeds I wanted.¡± ¡°They dropped them off earlier. I read over that book they gave too. Your mother and I wanted to have a family dinner tomorrow. A party without¡­ all that other mess. You can talk to Kass also, see if he wants to work for you.¡± Harlow explained. ¡°That sounds nice. Should I bring anything?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to do anything. This is just a little get together. The man who would handle your trees also needs to meet you eventually. Though I suppose he could talk with Balor.¡± ¡°No. I need to do it, I don¡¯t want anyone working here without speaking to me if I still can.¡± Harlan felt a pang of annoyance at the idea of not hiring someone personally, he thought that was a little odd. ¡°Sorry. Mom, Dad, do you want to go to town with me? I¡¯ve got a few things I need to do, and we can talk on the way.¡± ¡°Yes. That sounds nice.¡± The rest of the meal passed without any big topics. Amber said she would teach him the basics of telekinesis since he complained about how his books didn¡¯t say how. It helped that he mentioned the idea of bleeding himself to find out how to do it. Harlan had to ignore that he could feel the minds of a dozen other people who invisibly hid all around his land when he went to the stable to get his carriage out. He went back inside to get his parents and saw that Balor was talking about farming with his father, and a map was set out marking where things would be. Nearly as soon as they exited out the gate his mother started. ¡°Honey. Are you ok?¡± ¡°Depends.¡± ¡°DON¡¯T. Sorry, don¡¯t answer me like that. Just tell me.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m getting better. I will be alright soon.¡± ¡°Where were you really the night that you didn¡¯t come home?¡± ¡°Honey, you don¡¯t need to push him.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll show you. But I¡¯ll save that for the end. Are you alright? You seemed ok at our talk yesterday?¡± ¡°Sorry, I just don¡¯t know if it really sank in yesterday, I didn¡¯t sleep well last night.¡± She didn¡¯t ask any more questions. He first went to the couriers. It was a mundane affair, he just needed to send a letter saying he needed a new signet ring. Though with the people watching him he was pretty sure the crown already knew. He was bothered a lot by that fuzzy feeling of people just outside of the range of his new ability so he focused as hard as he could, trying to remember the feeling from before, trying to get rid of that feeling.. Then he went to the blacksmith, hoping it was going to be Brig there. As he stepped into the shop Brig raised his voice. ¡°YA THINK I NEED CHARITY FROM YA? I¡¯LL OUTLIVE YOU!¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you are doing well Brig. but it wasn¡¯t charity, the other blacksmith just doesn¡¯t have your skill, I had to actually take some little dents and dings out of a simple kettle he made. I can leave without knowing that my people are going to get only the best parts from you.¡± ¡°Ya better not forget it. Ya got work for me?¡± ¡°Nope. Just wanted to see how you were doing and tell you I¡¯ll be at the academy. For a long time, I hope you¡¯ll be here when I get back.¡± He just waved Harlan away and grumbled something about him being soft hearted. But Harlan could feel the old man was happy to see him. Lastly Harlan went to the adventurers guild. ¡°Why are we here? This place is full of¡­ Well, adventurers.¡± ¡°You wanted to know where I was.¡± She was unhappy with the answer. He walked to the front desk, that fuzzy feeling was bothering him again, the stronger emotions of the adventurers setting off some kind of warning if he could understand his mostly untrained ability right. So he tried turning it down again. ¡°Sir Fomoria. How can I be of service?¡± ¡°These are my parents. Could you give, from your point of view, a description of what happened last time I was here. And is Gilly here? I was wondering if I could talk to her.¡± ¡°Firstly, Gilly is away right now. Secondly, would you rather I tell her in a private room?¡± ¡°I think that would be best.¡± Aida went through very few emotions, worry and fear mostly, Harlow went through most of the same. ¡°Why would you do such a thing?¡± ¡°I wanted to hurt someone. I wanted them to want to fight back, I had a feeling eating away at me, demanding blood. So this was the legal way I could do it. The last guy I fought got paid. I got knocked out and I felt better when I woke up.¡± ¡°Do you think that is normal?¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t really know for sure. Now, I am going to ask her something, and I think you aren¡¯t going to want to hear the answer, do you want to step out?¡± ¡°Of course not. I can handle whatever it is.¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯m sorry I never got your name.¡± ¡°Sherry. My sister is Cherry.¡± ¡°Odd. But to my question, Sherry, how bad was I hurt when Gilly punched me?¡± She hesitated, went through ideas in her head on how to avoid answering or hiding how bad it was. Harlan couldn¡¯t tell exactly what she was other than nervous. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m just curious. I could just ask someone else who saw it happen. Wouldn¡¯t you rather just tell me?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I suppose if you put it like that. Her strike hit your jaw, removing it, your skull suffered severe fracturing on the left side due to the force. Your face was¡­ Let¡¯s just say disconnected on the side she hit, and I am glad you were not awake for it.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Aida didn¡¯t say anything on the way back to the carriage. ¡°How are you ok with that? You¡­¡± Harlan didn¡¯t know how else to comfort her so he just hugged her. ¡°I lived, I don¡¯t know if I was even close to dying. I caused a problem, things got out of my control and I was punished for it.¡± ¡°You¡­ Your ok with that? How? You nearly died.¡± ¡°Hone-¡± Harlow had been trying to jump in but couldn¡¯t seem to get in, he decided that maybe Aida needed to just work out her worries with Harlan. ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°NO! NOT MAYBE, YOU DON¡¯T EVEN SEEM TO CARE ABOUT IT.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Harlan realized how odd it even sounded to him, he nearly died again but he was just apathetic? He thought about trying to turn up his emotions, but then he gave it more thought, what if he freaked out right now? His mother would be horrified, hearing that something bad had happened to him and him suddenly entering a state of heightened fear would upset her even more. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I know it sounds bad, but I just don¡¯t mind what happened. I know this is upsetting you, but I¡¯m just not the same. I am not normal. I might just be a mons-¡± Aida covered his mouth. ¡°You aren¡¯t normal. But it doesn¡¯t matter, you are still my little boy. And I will not hear you call yourself a monster.¡± He hated feeling nothing at her words, against his seemingly better judgment, he started focusing on increasing his emotional sensitivity until he felt normal, slowly but surely he became guilty over her words and until he teared up, once he was crying he figured that he was having a normal reaction and stopped focusing on controlling his new power. He embraced her and she had no problem being a shoulder to cry on. Chapter 69 When they got home Aida felt like she understood Harlan more, and Harlan felt like he understood how odd he was so often. Balor was outside marking the ground where the farm would be waiting for Harlow to come back, Harlan went over to help. After an hour of standing around while Balor looked over a series of notes and then finally being allowed to do something he remembered that normalcy was incredibly boring, it was nice sometimes to break the flow of his experiments, but he liked the actual doing more than the planning, when he built a golem for defenses it wasn¡¯t just that it was some amount of increased safety for himself and his family, but he was building, constantly working, carving parts, testing designs, assembling, implanting a series of commands to make up the false mind. Then that got Harlan thinking about what a mind was, every person around him, even Balor and Lugh showed up on his new mind sense, but soulsmithed items didn¡¯t show up as anything at all, no matter how close he was it didn¡¯t even set off that fuzzy feeling for a distant mind. Balor started snapping his fingers, well, trying, instead it was just metal scraping on metal, causing everyone around them to cover their ears. ¡°Harlan, are you listening?¡± ¡°No. I was thinking about other stuff.¡± ¡°Right. As I was saying, if you used a group of golems we could make a stream that leads from the nearby river into a small pond which we can use as a reservoir for the farm. Our water needs will only grow as we expand. And there is something else. The guard wants to set up a post here because others are wanting to move here, you are not a baron and don¡¯t really have the authority to be one, but you could let those people live here and pay taxes to Redwall.¡± ¡°No, the guard can come if they get Blackstone or Redwall to tell me I need them to be here, and I don¡¯t want other people here. I¡¯m not making a village, I just want to expand what I am using.¡± ¡°I understand, I will relay your words to those who asked. But, I think it would be a good idea to have a few guards who are actually people here. It could act as a staging area for the regular cleansings; we are between both Luth and another village to the south and the guards have refused to use golems, I could make a contract with them requiring that they use them, not to mention if you added even simple huts outside the walls hunters could rest and process game before heading back to another town or village, helping your public image.¡± Harlan wanted to argue against adding more people outside of his direct control, but clearly Balor had put a lot of thought into this. ¡°Did you plan this?¡± Balor was embarrassed, having overplayed his hand. ¡°I have been speaking with many people, I have made my own golems to deliver messages. The village to the south is Tole, they were established less than a decade ago and I hoped they would be small enough to manipulate into an ally, through them I hoped to also test a great deal of new items and golem designs. They are also a village that only acts as an inbetween of other villages, a rest spot, leaving them without much to do, leading to a high number of hunters and adventurers making up much of their economy.¡± Harlan was¡­ upset, but he was also glad. Balor¡¯s plans could do a lot for him, but Balor could be both ruthless and naive. ¡°Alright. I will allow it, but¡­ I don¡¯t like you saying you are manipulating them into being allies with us.¡± ¡®I do not want them to be a thorn in our side, a gentle hand guiding them will prevent this, though you seem to dislike this idea. Why?¡° ¡°I don¡¯t like mind games, I don¡¯t like subtle threats or insinuations of something bad happening if they step out of line.¡± Balor sighed. ¡°I am sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to bring up your paranoia. I meant to manipulate them with contracts and¡­ well I don¡¯t want to say bribes, but by giving them items to test, giving them a potential boost to their economy as a sole seller of things so long as they keep the peace. I am not going to hurt anyone, I don¡¯t want to rule them like was done to you. I want to run this like a business, I¡¯ve read a great deal about it, but this would be a real thing for me.¡± ¡°You want to be the carrot? I guess I don¡¯t mind being the stick too much.¡± ¡°Harlan, I don¡¯t want a stick, but. If they try to wrong me, if they try to harm anyone else here to force a deal. They will be dealt with to the full extent of the law and beyond if that is really what needs to happen, better to ask for forgiveness than permission sometimes.¡± ¡°I trust you. Sorry.¡± ¡°You have reason to not want more people you don¡¯t know around. But you can¡¯t avoid the world forever. I hope that I can help you get over that fear of the outside. I couldn¡¯t help with your other problems, but maybe this time I can.¡± Harlan bowed goodbye, it could¡¯ve gone worse, but Harlan felt it should¡¯ve gone much better. Harlan walked inside, taking notice of the spies who still sat in the corners of his kitchen and living room. He checked every other room in the house, luckily not finding any in the bathrooms or bedrooms. That would be too much of a breach of privacy for him to ignore. Then he checked all the rooms in the bunker, with the excuse of asking Amber if she wanted a tour and talking about telekinesis with her. There was no one in the bunker at all other than Lugh, Harlan thought it was odd that Lugh was down there by himself, but he wasn¡¯t worried about it. Finally he ended the tour by taking her to the private room. ¡°So. What were you really looking for?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you, and I do mean that I can¡¯t, so don¡¯t ask me again.¡± ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t pry. Do you want to learn some telekinesis?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll get Lugh to start cutting.¡± Amber grabbed his arm and pulled him back to the chair he was in. ¡°No, you are not. I¡¯ll show you how I was taught at the academy. For starters, take off your shirt.¡± She took off hers as well. ¡°We are going to sit back to back, skin to skin, what you need to do is feel when I poke you with my telekinesis. This should eventually let you feel your own soul being displaced. Well, not your soul, but the stuff people just let off into the air when you¡¯re full of mana. They call it aura.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± It only took 15 minutes before he got the feeling, and then he thought of something. ¡°Can you just feel other peoples aura?¡± ¡°When my telekinesis passes through someones aura I can feel it resist mine. So, kinda?¡± Harlan ran and grabbed Lugh, then his coat. ¡°Tell me, does my jacket have any aura around it? And does Lugh.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Lugh has one, but your jacket doesn''t, what was I trying to find?¡± ¡°A mind.¡± ¡°Explain. Harlan told her about what he learned from The Mother, she decided that she would ignore the whole talking with a god part until later. But his explanation of mind magic and his new ability to sense things, pull in emotions, deaden or heighten his own, she wanted to learn how to do it, and was very annoyed about the whole sealed abilities thing. Then she thought about everything else. ¡°3rd age? What does that mean?¡± ¡°Ah. Aarde cleaned the world of everything because they did something very bad.¡± ¡°Everything?¡± ¡°Everything.¡± She shivered at the sheer scale of what would be needed to clear the world. ¡°W-what did they do?¡± She gulped as she asked. ¡°They let the Fae in. I don¡¯t know where from, but she called them interlopers.¡± ¡°No, I am moving past that. I am going to pretend the world wasn¡¯t destroyed at least twice in the past. I am going to pretend I don¡¯t know that Fae aren¡¯t even from Aarde.¡± ¡°Well, that is really that weird when you think about it, werewolves are because they made a pact with Aine, the goddess of the moon.¡± ¡°What is a pact?¡± Harlan had fun teasing her with the sheer scale of information that as far as either of them knew, was highly secret or even outright lost to the rest of humanity. ¡°So Ibery is¡­ Was? A human?¡± ¡°No, the pact is like a bloodline, only the very first of her kind were human. Every child after that was born a Tytoan.¡± ¡°Can vampires give birth to vampires?¡± ¡°The pacts of Aine can be transferred from person to person. The pacts with the lesser gods of Aarde are between a god and the person who takes the pact and then their descendants.¡± ¡°So you didn¡¯t get a choice in this¡­ That just seems so, unfair? Unjust?¡± Harlan thought about his answer, did he want to tell her about what he was asked to do? About what his mother was put through? That he would one day likely kill the rest of his family by blood? ¡°It is on the low end of injustice.¡± ¡°How? You were taken away from all of us for years because your great great great however many times grandfather made a pact with some dark god. What part of that is fair?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say fair. But it isn''t as bad as¡­ Nevermind. I don¡¯t want to talk about that.¡± When he thought of his mother he got that feeling, that desire to see someone punished for something, even if it was just for being around him. He was starting to lean towards one of the options he really disliked about who or what that other The Dark Mother mentioned was. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Are you sure? You know you can talk to me about anything, right? I¡¯m your big sister.¡± She reached over to give him a hug. But he stepped away. ¡°I know I can. But I don¡¯t want to talk about this, not right now. I want to have more fun with these last couple of days of freedom.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll drop it, but I hope you will talk about it with me someday. And there is plenty of freedom at the academy. Sometimes I feel like they could teach people in 3 years instead if they didn¡¯t give us so much time for experiments and jobs and social ladder climbing. Though I guess the first year is denser than the others.¡± Harlan cringed at the idea of such a thing, he liked some time for leisure, but too much just wasn¡¯t for him. ¡°Do you want to have a water fight? We are going to be making a creek with golems tonight so I want to check out the river anyway.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve looked into moving rivers, I wouldn¡¯t bet on it just taking one night.¡± ¡°Why would you know that?¡± ¡°I am training as a warmage, remember? You can¡¯t do large scale water magic without a lot of water, conjuring it is a pain and you can run into enemy warmages setting up large scale arid spells.¡± ¡°Well, do you still want to water fight? As long as you don¡¯t hit us with large scale spells.¡± ¡°Way to take all the fun out of it.¡± They roped Ava into it by calling it a creative training exercise where she was restricted to water spells. They regretted this when she started a rolling fog and froze them in place before hitting them with high speed water balls that left welts on their chests. Harlan turned this against her next round by fighting for control over the fog next round and feeding her false information by shifting it around while hiding Amber¡¯s casting of a small tidal wave, knocking Ava off her feet as it came in then sweeping her into the river as it returned, letting them claim the victory. They decided to set up some rules on what they were allowed to do. Harlan¡¯s welt was already starting to heal but Amber had to use a bit of light magic to stop the swelling. There were no hurt feelings, though there were some other kinds of hurt. Ava and Amber sniffled as they walked back to Harlan¡¯s home, they flushed their system with light magic, it wouldn¡¯t heal someone who was already sick, but someone who was just getting a cold would be able to stop it from being an issue. His parents asked Harlan to send them back to the farm so they could get some things ready for tomorrow, the rest of his family decided to go with them to help. Ava and Amber also just wanted to see the house, it had been longer than either of them realized. It was just Zella as the last guest. He went inside, thinking how quiet it was now, it didn¡¯t bother him at all before. But things had been nice with the rest of them here, it reminded him of back when he was younger. He wanted to say when he was a child. But he still was one, even if those nicer days seemed like decades ago. Sara and Isha were talking about something with Zella in the kitchen, even Lydia was there. Only Garad was missing. ¡°Hello. Do any of you want anything?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ No?¡± Isha was confused. ¡°Alright. What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Girl things.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡± Harlan went to his library to look over the books he had, there was very few, some manuals on farming, some on business, the big book of nobles as he called it, he had 3 of those since the kingdom was very sure to keep it updated if someone died or gained a noble title. He barely made it through half of the book just skimming it for crests and names. Eventually he made his way to his bedroom. He thought about what all he had, about how he wouldn¡¯t see this place for almost a year. Just a few days remained until he was leaving, and he was starting to feel homesick already. He was aimless, everything he wanted to do either took too long or just wasn¡¯t important enough. He could go and build new golems, but why? He already had 50 of the foxes just sitting around mostly unused, after the creek and pond were made they were going back in storage. There were over 100 of them wandering the woods around his home, he didn¡¯t need any more of them, either his paranoia was wrong and they weren¡¯t important, or the royals were as good at protecting him as Blackstone said. He almost expected something to happen, a gate to open and pull him into some new plot against him, a noble to come here and try to start a fight or scam him, a roving band of orcs somehow getting through every other part of the country to end up at his doorstep, maybe for Dearil to just stop by all of a sudden. But nothing happened, he was at a lull, and it just made his paranoia worse. Something was always happening in the shadows, someone was always out to get him. He just didn¡¯t know who yet. He stood in his room with his worst enemy, himself without a distraction. A knock at the door. Harlan opened it to see Zella. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Come on in.¡± She stepped inside. ¡°I hope I¡¯m not interrupting anything.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just waiting for the next mess to start. For it to be the one that goes wrong, that¡­ Nevermind.¡± ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡± ¡°Nah. it is just background noise, I can stop thinking about it when I¡¯m talking with you. Did you want to talk about something?¡± ¡°Do you¡­ Like me? Love me? The others said I should just ask you. You talked with Isha about it, but you haven¡¯t done that with me. I don¡¯t want you to get any wrong ideas. We are just too young.¡± ¡°Oh? That¡¯s all? Nah, I just don¡¯t care about that stuff. I never have¡­ Well there was once. But she nearly tore my face off.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°When I didn¡¯t come back that night, I went and fought, riled up a crowd, they brought in a gold rank to put a stop to it before it got worse. Her eyes¡­ I felt something in them. But I don¡¯t know if it was infatuation. I don¡¯t have any other experience to draw on for that feeling.¡± ¡°How did she look?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll show you. Maybe you can understand it.¡± He grabbed her hand only after she held it out for him, then he replayed the memories of Gilly, making sure to include the feeling he got from her. Zella jumped back when she saw Gilly rush at him. He didn¡¯t have any memory beyond that, but it was almost like she was there. She was somewhat jealous of how clear, how real memories from him felt. ¡°Sorry about that, I didn¡¯t realize I had gotten so good at that.¡± ¡°That is¡­ weird, really weird. You should find out how to actually make it less clear. But looking at her, she is very pretty¡­ and very large. But that feeling is¡­ I hate saying weird so much, but it is. It was, nostalgic? Longing? Faintly familiar? Maybe it is one of those guy things, maybe you are feeling it in a different way. Maybe it is because she is from the desert? Those people are¡­ different.¡± ¡°I guess I can show dad. He already knows about the fight.¡± ¡°Wait. hang on a second, you said she tore your face off? That was just a turn of phrase, right?¡± ¡°I said nearly. I was told it was only around where she hit me.¡± Zella hugged him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you aren¡¯t more upset about that. I¡­ nevermind. We should eat dinner, it should be ready soon.¡± Harlan could feel a tumultuous blend of fear and hate as she was about to speak about something else. ¡°Are you ok? I¡­ well I can feel other peoples emotions, if you are afraid of talking about someone, you can tell me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that. Do not do that. I hated it when Relly did that. I don¡¯t want to talk about that, drop it.¡± Harlan realized he had stepped on a pitfall, and had no desire to push himself further onto the spikes. ¡°I won¡¯t talk about it again¡± They went down stairs together. ¡°Sara, can you make me a cup of tea? Vanilla please.¡± ¡°Rejection that bad?¡± ¡°No. I just want some tea. Lydia, do you want to eat in here, or will you take your food out to eat with Garad? Isha, would you like to invite Mara? It feels so¡­ empty with everyone gone now.¡± ¡°I will ask Garad if he would like to eat with you.¡± ¡°I can ask my mother. She has been doing better, but she is still¡­ Well you know her.¡± ¡°I barely do. But yes, I know how she is.¡± After a few minutes Lydia returned with Garad. ¡°It has been some time since last we spoke, Master Harlan.¡± Garad bowed to him. ¡°Are you enjoying your retirement?¡± ¡°Very much. Things are slow and small, I simply do most of the work just before bed. Though that 30,000 gold transfer is going to be an issue. I know you said before that you want all gold to be here in your own vault, but would you consider an exception with this?¡± Nearly everyone had a look of amazement at such a massive sum of money. Sara even tried counting how long she would need to work to make that much even if she never spent or gambled away any of her wages. ¡°Nope. I control my money. I don¡¯t trust anyone else, I don¡¯t trust banks. And I am glad you have so much free time, if you need anything else just ask.¡± Garad had spoken with him many times about it, but Harlan refused to use the noble banking system. He had no desire to only keep some of his money around. It was his so he wanted to be able to walk down to the vault and just look at it if he wanted. ¡°Very well. It will be arriving the day you leave with a dozen royal soldiers and 2 royal guards. Such a large transfer being done physically is¡­ Odd. even with gates they can¡¯t trust that something wouldn¡¯t go wrong.¡± ¡°I am sure it will be fine. Everyone who wants to can be inside the bunker just in case they are worried about it.¡± ¡°I would advise against such a thing. It would show a lack of faith in the royal family¡¯s ability to safely transport valuable goods.¡± ¡°Good, so we agree that I don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir Fomoria.¡± Everything was being put on the table when Isha walked in, shockingly for most of the others was Mara behind her. ¡°I am here. Master Harlan.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t work for me, even if you did. Just call me Harlan.¡± The only ones who still couldn¡¯t get over their own learned manners and just call him Harlan were Garad, Lydia, and Mara. Being around her made everyone nervous, Harlan was pretty sure if he had that emotional feeding active he would be sweeting already. Instead it was just a little awkward, she was slightly better about it this time, but he could see her eyes moving all around checking the room for anything. He wondered if that is what he looked like to other people sometimes. Harlan saw that Sara was about to burn herself on the stove and reflexively telekinetically placed a barrier between her elbow and the stove. He hadn¡¯t even tried doing really anything with telekinesis yet, but his aura/mind moved like another limb to him. He thought about what The Mother said about learning to control his empathetic powers would help him with the other thing he wanted to learn. Though she wasn¡¯t burned, the sudden invisible blockage caused her hand to slip, dropping the pan of roast chicken and vegetables. Harlan was physically out of his chair to catch that one, a quick unstructured casting of some cooling magic kept his hands from being burned as he quickly placed it on the counter. ¡°Smooth moves, don¡¯t know what I hit there though.¡± Sara complimented. ¡°You almost burned yourself. I put up a little invisible wall there to stop that, but then you bumped into it.¡± ¡°beast magic.¡± Mara grumbled. ¡°Oh, so you have encountered it before?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t make me talk to you.¡± ¡°Alright then. Sara, do you need any more help?¡± Harlan wasn¡¯t sure if it was better or worse that Mara was starting to realize that she didn¡¯t need to fear Harlan unless she said something really bad. Even when she did say such a thing Harlan simply left the room after telling her not to repeat the statement. A few minutes had passed with everyone eating and making small talk. Isha mentioned the maiden festival, Mara made a comment about why doesn¡¯t the kingdom just assign every woman a husband like Reino, but most oddly Sara was giving out some nervous and sad feeling when the maiden festival was brought up. Harlan stepped in one pitfall already, he wasn¡¯t going to do that again. ¡°Mara, do you have any recipes for rice dishes? We are just starting on the farm, but in a few months we should have some.¡± ¡°I will only pass those to Isha.¡± Harlan was expecting something more. But she had said her piece and was back to eating her chicken. Aside from Mara, Harlan thought it went pretty well, it was nice that everyone could eat, not quite as a family, but as a group anyway. Everyone was done and it was now just Isha, Zella, Harlan, and Sara left cleaning things. The others were told that there would just be too many people if they all tried to help. Harlan noticed Sara kept glancing at him whenever she thought he wasn¡¯t looking. But he wasn¡¯t sure if it was a ¡°I want to talk¡± or a ¡°I hope he doesn¡¯t ask me anything.¡± It was made all the more confusing by looks shared between the rest of the women, as if they were speaking in sign. After he was done instead of going to the bunker and seeing what Balor and Lugh were doing he went to his bedroom to see if he would be getting anymore visitors But no one came. He felt a presence outside the room pacing back and forth, but they never knocked. Once it was past midnight he decided to go visit with Balor and Lugh, and tried to check if they had any empathic powers since they were born of his soul. Unfortunately they didn¡¯t display anything of the sort. Lugh seemed quite upset about it, complaining that it would make it so much easier to understand people. Harlan argued that it really didn¡¯t, Balor found the whole thing amusing. Chapter 70: Farewell to home Night eventually gave way to morning, Balor and Harlan talked more about his establishment of a proper shop and a small village that people could stop for a night for, though permanent residents wouldn¡¯t be allowed other than the guards. Meanwhile Harlan was also teaching his brothers about telekinesis, without already having the sense of mind he did it took hours, and they still had weak and clumsy hands, but they had the basic idea down. Harlan also realized that his little instinctive reaction to make that barrier the night before was probably impressive, since now he couldn¡¯t do it at all. His barriers would fall apart with little force against them and he could barely lift a 5 pound weight. He wondered how anyone could use it for everything all day, that perhaps there was a secret in the pacts held by the beastkin who didn¡¯t have hands making it more efficient. ¡°Balor, how much of the creek do you think is done right now?¡± ¡°I am unsure. If I am right, maybe they¡¯ve finished half of it? I wouldn¡¯t expect the pond to be done just yet. Opening a hole in the ground or pulling someone who is already weighing it down by softening the ground is one thing, but we need to compress hundreds of feet of dirt into soft stone, making sure it isn¡¯t overly deep and that it remains level enough for water to flow to the pond and then back into the river when the pond is full. We should probably look at it actually, golems follow orders, but they don¡¯t exactly think.¡± ¡°I need to eat, telekinesis is hard.¡± So the group went up the stairs, it was barely light out yet, Isha and Sara were baking bread still, so he simply grabbed a few apples to eat while he checked on the creek. After a few minutes of walking he saw the golems, their movements were sluggish but they hadn¡¯t shut down, unfortunately there were some which had drained themselves past the point where they couldn¡¯t move. But they did get almost all the way to his walls, he commanded the ones who were still able to move to go back inside and recharge, while he dragged the few that passed out back inside the walls and lined them up. ¡°Balor, could you get the golems to recharge by draining animals?¡± ¡°Perhaps, but I am worried about causing something horrible should they either try to fill themselves past a breaking point or they are unable to turn it off. And I do not want to give such an ability away. Passive recharging will be good enough.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Harlan ate his apples and went along the creek bed all the way to the river, smoothing out little bumps here and there, but the foxes did their job well enough. The real test would be once it had water flowing to it. Harlan went back inside, finding breakfast was ready for him. Sara was giving some communicative glaces towards Isha but he wasn¡¯t going to force whatever her issue was. Once he was done with breakfast he grabbed Lugh, Harlan wanted to take Balor into town and visit that other village before they went to the farm. First was the couriers, they already knew of Balor, but only as a ring, he didn¡¯t want any difficulty when Harlan left and he walked in with his golem body. Nothing much happened, it was little more than trading notes and introductions. Harlan also realized he didn¡¯t really do anything with the skinwalker notes he got before. He apologized but it was waved away, false undead would live for much longer than normal humans, they knew it was somewhat unfair to try and get a normal person to spend their life working on such a thing. They could always take his notes after he passed away from old age if he didn¡¯t finish the project. Next was getting Balor his own clothes, just because he was in a golem body didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t want to look nice. After some back and forth with the tailor he decided that a half cape to display the crest on front and back would be good enough. He wanted people to know exactly what he was, and displaying himself was the best way to do so. Finally they went to Brig to get parts made for a much better golem body, Balor was made of wood and metal, his new body would be almost completely mid grade skysteel to give some strength without making it overly heavy and by extension costly to move around. He also commissioned two swords, one for Balor, one for Ava, unlike Lugh it was a thin blade more for stabbing and slashing rather than hacking things to pieces. Another compromise for having a body that costs far more to move than a human body. As for Ava¡¯s blade, it was in a normal broadsword style, though it would have a stonesteel core and a shadowsteel edge. Harlan had looked into what the different basic magic metals as they were known could do. He already saw firesteel being used for instant fire magic, but its real strength was its heat resistance, generally it was more used for hunters who needed armor to fight Wyverns and their ilk. Seasteel floated no matter how much was placed on top of it, mostly it is used for ships the bigger worry for them was loading the ship too heavy and bending the metal; it is rarely used for weapons or armor unless they are used by sailors. Skysteel was light and sharp when used for blades, when used for armor weapons seemed to glide across the surface, though solid hits bent it just the same as steel. Stonesteel was the heaviest and the most durable of the basic metals to all physical attacks, generally it sees use as hammer heads but for armor it is used as thinner plates over top a skysteel core to avoid being too heavy. Shadow steel had some ethereal properties that were vaguely described as well as generally letting people use dark magic to cut things better. Lightsteel could stretch and compress itself on account of being related to space, though it was rarely used for weapons since each elemental metal let people cast spells without mastery, so rings of highly pure lightsteel were the most common use. Harlan thought about taking him to meet Sherry. But if he was going to be working more or less exclusively with that other village he didn¡¯t really need to do that. The only other thing he thought to do before leaving was getting food he could eat on the way, he wanted to test telekinesis and it was still a very tiring experience to him. Harlan hadn¡¯t burned as much daylight as he thought he might. On the way to the village of Tole he was reading over his book on telekinesis with Balor next to him. There were warnings that this magic was best done with a clear and calm mind, as emotions lead to a chaotic and unsound structure. But Harlan couldn¡¯t do anything close to what he could the evening before. It was all gassy and unstable, not a clear hard barrier. He turned his emotions down as far as he felt comfortable with but it didn¡¯t change anything. There was something he didn¡¯t want to do, but at the same time he really wanted to test. ¡°Balor, if I start freaking out, try to calm me down.¡± Balor slapped him immediately. ¡°What was that for?¡± ¡°If I tried to explain myself you would¡¯ve already done whatever very bad idea you were going to do. At least until you leave, why not stop any damaging experiments?¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been that bad.¡± ¡°I am not going to pretend you don¡¯t need to be often reminded of how many risks you take in your tests? I¡¯ve had to put you back together, don¡¯t force me to do that again. At least talk these things out before you do them.¡± ¡°Fine. I was going to turn up my emotional state and see if it makes my telekinesis better, now can I?¡± ¡°There is not even the slightest chance that I would say yes to that. You are a fire always ready to flare, I will not let you burn yourself up on a possibility that it will help you learn magic more quickly.¡± ¡°Alright. I won¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°Harlan.¡± Balor couldn¡¯t properly leer without facial expressions, but Harlan understood what he was doing anyway. They went back to reading the book, Harlan was trying to eat without using his hands, his hunger driving his emotions seemed to be working. Balor on the other hand seemed like a natural at telekinesis, he was dropping things every now and then, but he had a much firmer grip on things, Harlan was again wondering if not having actual hands somehow made people better at it. They arrived at the village of Tole finally, it reminded Harlan much more of how Luth was when he was a child. There were walls, but they weren¡¯t large enough to even stand on, the houses were mostly cabins, with the more important buildings only having stone faces. He could believe that it held maybe 100 people in total, probably most of the people he was seeing were just those passing through to buy or sell things. ¡°We will be speaking with the mayor. Don¡¯t call him the village chief, he doesn¡¯t like that. In the room will also be the local heads of the guard and the adventurers guild. You are here to give me authority but you aren¡¯t really needed in the conversation other than giving me approval to do this. And¡­ well I think it would be best if you avoided answering too many questions.¡± ¡°Alright, this is your show.¡± The few people still around were shopkeepers or travelers, the town was dead for much of the day, it had no special trade, the shops were more general stores selling hunting supplies like tents and knives, street vendors peddled various meats and vegetables on sticks. Harlan picked up a few with chicken. ¡°Are you sure this place even has the money to do what you want?¡± ¡°They have fallen on hard times, the road splits, one path leads to Luth and the other here. With Luth having grown larger, Tole has lost many of its craftsmen to it. I hope I can revitalize the village. It is a long term investment.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t have a retort. Even if this cost him 10,000 gold coins he wouldn¡¯t be broke. Though he would be upset. They made their way to the mayor¡¯s home and office where he greeted them once he heard they had arrived and sent runners to fetch the others. Balor knew he should¡¯ve sent a message ahead of time, but he wanted to try and make a powermove, forcing them to come running when called instead of the other way around. His biggest worry was being fleeced and losing Harlan¡¯s gold, their chats only made Balor think more about if he was being too soft, or if Harlan was too harsh. They didn¡¯t speak beyond being offered tea, which Harlan accepted. It didn¡¯t take long for the others to arrive, it wasn¡¯t a very large village. The first thing that Harlan noticed was the guild leader seemed better dressed than the mayor did. ¡°If you would excuse my rudeness. I would like to verify that you are who you say you are. Show me your signet ring so I can check it.¡± The mayor opened a drawer and pulled out a box, 3x3 inches. It reminded Harlan of an ink case for stamping crests, but it was a device that resonated with the noble rings to verify them as real. Nobody really understood how they worked and those that tried to find out either got nowhere or died in their sleep. Balor reached into his head and pulled himself from the body then floated to the box, as soon as it let out a faint red glow he returned to his golem body. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°I trust that I am proof enough.¡± ¡°Uh. Yes, I believe that is good enough.¡± Harlan was waiting for anything to happen. They launched right into boring talks of money and expectations from each side, requirements of who will be where. Harlan only chiming in to threaten them should anything happen to his house staff while he was away there would be dire consequences. He did exactly what Balor wanted, he was just an odd presence, someone who didn¡¯t mind investing but was uninterested in them, they took it as Harlan thinking himself above them, which was technically right, he was the only noble here. Tole got his authority from Redwall allowing him to establish a village through official channels. Harlan couldn¡¯t wait for it to be over, there wasn¡¯t any double talk or threats except his. Balor handled it as a gentleman, reminding him of Garad as he juggled around tax codes and contract titles he had memorized. ¡°That was the most boring thing I have ever sat through.¡± ¡°Good. Not everything ends with threats of bloodshed, there isn¡¯t always a bomb ready to go off. This is what life is, the quiet boring things between all the messes.¡± ¡°I guess when you put it like that¡­¡± They arrived at the farm to find that tables and chairs were set up outside and sheep and pigs were being roasted over open fires. Many other pots held vegetables and stew. Aida and Harlow were helping to finish up the work for the day, picking vegetables, making sure all the animals were accounted for, taking stock, etc. Harlan made his way to Kass who was bringing out barrels of drinks which normally took two men. ¡°Ah. LIttle one, I heard you were going to ask me for work, right?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°I expect a house with things like I heard you have. Bathtubs are impractical for me.¡± ¡°Of course. I should actually upgrade everything here to be more like my place. But that might just be something to do next summer.¡± ¡°I will work for your little farm then. I already have another person who can be your parents right hand man.¡± ¡°That was easy.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had a few days to think about it, and a lot longer to think about you.¡± ¡°I hope it doesn¡¯t end with you deciding to kill me in my sleep.¡± Kass gave him a pat on the back. ¡°I already know you don¡¯t sleep.¡± They both laughed, a death threat between friends made for good banter. The day wound down, the food was ready, Autumn showed up with Jaramis, It was a party. Harlan and Amber sat at the head of their table as guests of honor, mostly a joke on their parents part. ¡°So, Harlan. What classes did you pick? I hope you got your letter before summer started.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, someone came by to talk to me about what I wanted to do. I picked warmagic, because I have so many things linked up. They have big mana pools to draw on. healing, because I don¡¯t want to just be killing. Spell crafting since when I can¡¯t make golems do anything without spells, and making them more efficient or just better is a good idea. And then advanced elements, because I want to know what all is out there, and how it mixes to make new things.¡± ¡°Oh, good. I didn¡¯t want to hear that you took a bunch of weird classes. Who even takes fae law anyway?¡± Harlan shrugged. ¡°They still teach it, so enough people do.¡± Everyone started eating after the last of the workers were seated, there was no speeches, just food and drink to go around. Harlan made small talk as he could. Being mindful of what he said, there were far too many Unseen around the farm. Balor spoke of his dealings with Tole and his hopes that he could expand his work beyond Harlan doing items sent by people they already knew. Nothing was happening, it was just people doing things. Workers would come over to shake Harlan¡¯s hand and wish him good luck, the guy who was supposed to help tend to the orchard came to speak with him, no red flags were being set off by him but Harlan made sure to warn him away from causing trouble with the others. Redmond had been drinking and tried to arm wrestle Kass, shockingly only losing after a protracted battle and a broken table. Autumn held the children and showed them the animals, Lugh tagged along, he didn¡¯t get to see farm animals much, less so to see them still alive. Amber showed off her work as a warmage/illusionist by setting off large fireballs in the sky that split off into dazzling trails but caused no real damage. Harlan decided to slip away from the party, hopped over the wall, and checked the trees around his parents farm. He thought back to the judge, mentioning that there were no recorded attacks on the farm, so he wanted to check for signs of bodies. It didn¡¯t take long to find them, he shifted the dirt and found many shallow graves, goblins, wargs, people. Most were wrapped in roots, something which slightly worried Harlan, since the bodies shouldn¡¯t be so heavily decomposed yet. But the trees were still just trees, they hadn¡¯t taken on any weird traits like blood red leaves or red sap. Their pseudo-minds were still the same as he remembered them being. He approached one of the invisible spies that were following him and asked if Dahlia was available, causing that one to get close to another, he figured they either had some spell to speak without breaking their other concealing spells or they just used soulspeak. Eventually out from the woods she came. ¡°How did you know they were there?¡± ¡°I¡¯m me.¡± ¡°If you have found a method to see past our stealth then you should share it with us. It can only make your family safer.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t be taught. Already tried with Lugh and Balor.¡± ¡°Well, that is a shame. Why did you want to talk?¡± ¡°What happened with the Brightblade mess?¡± ¡°The house is still around, though they are no longer a count. The heir will be the 4th son, 19 years old. Most of the house was purged. There is no one for you to take in, as they have been used as bargaining chips to get the house back on its feet, either because of marriages or having already been taught some of the family trade. But I wouldn¡¯t expect it to survive another two generations before it is completely folded into another house.¡± ¡°Is there anyone I need to worry about?¡± ¡°There are a few of them we believe might harbor some ill intent. But unless they outright state such plans we have no reason to deal with them. Maybe they shall grow out of it, maybe they will keep that resentment and do great things. Or very stupid things, at which point they are for us to worry about. One of them will be at the academy, same year as you. But he is marked as a low level threat and no longer holds the Brightblade name.¡± ¡°Anything else I might want to know?¡± ¡°No, but what can you tell me about this field of bones?¡± ¡°If you have been watching the area around my family you should already know.¡± ¡°This is true.¡± She stepped behind a tree and was gone. Harlan made his way back to the party to find Balor had added dancing instructions to two of the golems, not something he could make up on the spot. ¡°Where did you run off to?¡± Harlow asked as he got near. ¡°Just looking in the woods.¡± ¡°Should I worry? And do I want to know?¡± ¡°No to both. You guys are going to be ok. I think I believe it now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that.¡± Harlan tried dancing with others, but he never learned anything but the most basic stuff a noble was supposed to, instead it was more like a teaching session with his sisters tossing him around and telling him where to step. It was chaotic and lively, he liked watching his shadow, drawn strongly by the firelight on a moonless night. Eventually everyone started to wind down, the farm hands were surely going to have a bad headache tomorrow. Redmond was passed out in his chair next to Kass, clearly a drinking challenge happened when he wasn¡¯t looking. He went back home without any guests, but he didn¡¯t mind. He made his new memories, his mind was soothed. No experiments happened over his last days of free time. Instead he simply worked on the new houses, an extra large one for Kass and a normal sized one for the other guy, whose name slipped his mind again and again. Isha had a few possible suitors but they were scared away when Harlan asked to meet them, he felt a little bad about it, but Isha considered it a sign that they weren¡¯t meant to be. The night of his last day he danced with her, trying to learn the movements, Sara was actually quite good on a lute. He ventured into town every day to see if Gilly was back, getting weird looks from everyone who thought he had a crush on her. His gold was dropped off without issue, Harlan just walked them down to the vault where they placed boxes of gold carried by specialized mule-like golems, they didn¡¯t have heads which gave Harlan all kinds of ideas. He only made golems in the shapes of other things, but he realized he didn¡¯t need to do that at all. His weren¡¯t exactly stealthy as it was. Then he went back to the farm to give his final goodbyes. Hugs and tears and talks about being responsible. He gave Amber the abomination rug, she loved it, but wished he had a better name for it. He also left a crate with heating plates in it, not forgetting about Redmond who quickly pulled one out and looked it over before burning himself. The trip was nice, but it was days of just roads only broken up by towns which got larger and things got more expensive as they neared the border of the academy neutral zone. There was only one minor hitch, while staying in the last town before the border for the night, someone tried to feel up Amber. Harlan may have reacted by shattering his hand, Amber had reacted a moment later, though she kept her little lightning bolt in her hand. Through gold changing hands and him showing he was a noble was enough to keep the local guard from bothering him about it again. Then there was nothing, they went an hour without seeing anything at all but trees and plants. Which Lugh challenged himself to name, knowing less and less of them as they got closer. Zella was already asleep, having been worried about staying in a new place and what happened with the guy who got handsy with Amber, she hadn¡¯t slept well the night before. It was another hour of travel before Amber pointed out barren strips of land that marked the border, unlike most countries the academy neutral zone had a perfectly circular border. Each ring they crossed Harlan felt something weighing on his mind more strongly. There were 11 rings in total, each had its own biome 10 miles in size, the largest outside ring was a mountain range that was artificially formed over years. After another few hours Amber looked up from her book and checked how much longer it would be. ¡°You are going to love this. We are close to the academy now. They didn¡¯t get into it, something about being in the exact center of the continent. But the mana concentration is higher closer to it, makes you feel lighter, stronger, and you recover faster.¡± ¡°Is that what that feeling is?¡± To Harlan it was a constant buzzing in his head, like his sixth sense was going haywire. ¡°You can feel it already? Well whatever, you¡¯ll really know it once we get closer, it will just wash over you all in an instant. I don¡¯t think you are really here until you feel it.¡± He could tell she was really into it, but he couldn¡¯t get a bad feeling out of his head. Finally they crossed a line of barren land, which Amber said was the part where it should start. Harlan immediately broke into a cold sweet. His senses were out of control, like thousands of minds were all around him, getting denser as they got closer. He tried to hide his distress, but even with what he thought was his mind sense being completely off it was still there, but much much weaker. He could handle that feeling. ¡°Harlan? Are you alright?¡± Lugh was the first to notice his odd behavior. ¡°Just getting used to it.¡± They drew close to the gate in time, carriages sat in the large area contained with a second gate, they were technically early, most would be arriving in the evening. As he stepped outside of the carriage Harlan was consumed by that feeling, he stumbled and his vision went black for a moment. Then the feeling was gone. ¡°Harlan, do you want to see a doctor?¡± ¡°No.¡± He made a fist and let go a few times, he didn¡¯t feel weird anymore, but he did feel lighter and stronger like Amber mentioned. He would need to ask if it was just an odd reaction people get sometimes. Without that feeling holding onto him he could look at the academy with a clear mind, it was massive, made of white brick with golden accents, clearly it had been built quite a long time ago and added on over time. The higher it got it was less blocky and function driven, giving way to shaped mirrors and stained glass windows invoking some event Harlan didn¡¯t understand. There was clearly magic in the art, starting with a solid black line that seemed to almost seep into the brickwork below it, flames sat atop the black glass in a brilliant display of red flames crashing against blue waves, forests of green burned as lightning bolts sent upon the trees, the only thing above the dark tempest was a solid line of bright white glass, unlike the darkness it simply held the line, not affecting anything higher than itself. ¡°Admiring the glasswork?¡± A woman asked him. She was barely bigger than he was, bright white hair showing a clear single light alignment, he would¡¯ve thought her a student if she didn¡¯t have faint traces of her age, crows feet and tired eyes, hands calloused from much time spent working. ¡°Yes, is it sho-¡° ¡°Admire it from a few feet to the side, some people are moving their things.¡± As soon they stepped to the side the woman walked inside, her strides seemed to take her farther than what seemed possible. He thought of Ebon, moving with the grace of a noble woman but the speed of a hawk. ¡°Right. Amber, do you know where I should be going?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t know your room number I can¡¯t help you. Just wait for someone. I¡¯m going to take my things to my room though. I¡¯ll be back out here after that. If you aren¡¯t here we can meet up at the assembly. Zella, do you want some help with your stuff?¡± She was still rubbing the sleep from her eyes, but was waking up quickly enough. ¡°No, I¡¯m getting better at this.¡± She used her hair to pick up her things and walked towards the girls dorms. He hadn¡¯t thought about it, but he didn¡¯t remember her doing very much with her hair the entire month. Harlan figured he should find someone else to talk with while waiting, he scanned the area, zeroing in on a group of tattooed individuals that showed up on his mind sense stronger than anyone he had met so far, well beyond his 15 foot fuzzy zone.
He hid himself better than he normally would. He could never underestimate people who could sense minds. Chapter 71 There were 2 boys and a woman standing outside of a carriage, colored a darker gold with lighter golden accents. The boys tattoos were hard edged and deep black, they swirled in different ways, one in a series of squares and the other circles, each swirl leading to the next, starting from a single larger tattoo on the back. The tattoos only reached the forearms and knees, most of their chest and their faces were untouched. While the woman¡¯s tattoos were in many designs clearly defined, fish scales and bird feathers in every color of the base elements. Her tattoos crept just slightly onto her cheeks but didn¡¯t cover any of her features. They all wore revealing clothing, not yet in the academy robes. Thin cloth shawls covered their shoulders and chest, the boys wore a higher cut and less vibrant colors, showing off more of their chests and arms along with loose pants that cut off just past the knees. The woman had a band to prevent a breeze from exposing herself, but little was left to the imagination, her arms and stomach were exposed, a white skirt decorated with gold flecks covered only up to her knees and was weighed down with golden spheres to prevent it from moving too much with the wind. Harlan planned to wait for a lull in the conversation, but as he drew near they all turned and walked towards him. He felt some connection trying to form, not unlike the feeling when Relly talked to him, but he couldn¡¯t seem to think back, like he lacked the ability to grab the intent behind the move. The woman made a sour face and spoke. ¡°Who are you? Can you not at least greet your elders properly? And your skin¡­¡± Harlan didn¡¯t like how offended she seemed, but he rolled with it. ¡°I am Harlan Fomoria, from the kingdom of Ragne. I am here for my first year, I don¡¯t know where to go so I hoped to make some small talk with others while I waited.¡± They didn¡¯t react at all. He was glad they either didn¡¯t know or didn¡¯t care who they were. ¡®I am Rosamet of the Golden, these two are my sons, Migal and Delmet. Who are your parents?¡° ¡°I never knew my birth parents.¡± He felt the shift in her instantly, she went from upset to mournful. ¡°Do you know what happened to them?¡± He didn¡¯t know how to answer, he didn¡¯t want to talk about it. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to lie, but I will not force you to talk.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Where are your tattoos?¡± The smaller of the two boys, Delmet asked. ¡°Should I have some? I met one other person like you, but I didn¡¯t get the chance to talk with them.¡± ¡°Oh? Do you know their name?¡± ¡°Gilly.¡± The boys spit on the ground and Rosamet made a sour face. ¡°The outcast. I do hope you don¡¯t believe she represents who the Golden are.¡± ¡°Oh? Is that what your people are called? I think it sounds nicer than Fomorian.¡± Rosamet realized she had mistaken what Harlan was, the larger of the boys mumbled something about lessers, earning a glare from his mother. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to ever see one of you outside of your cage.¡± Harlan narrowed his eyes. It didn¡¯t feel like she was mad at him, but she wasn¡¯t happy either. ¡°I¡¯m different.¡± ¡°I can see.¡± She reached her hand out for a shake after an awkward silence set in. Harlan shook her hand, surprised that such a gesture was universal. ¡°I want to teach my children to not be so prideful, I will be cordial. But do not expect more than that, your people have done much to mine.¡± ¡°They are not my people any more than Gilly is your people. To use your own words.¡± She didn¡¯t outwardly sneer, but Harlan could tell she didn¡¯t like having her words thrown back at her. ¡°I think it would be best if we found someone who could help find their rooms. Boys, say your farewell and we will be off.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like them.¡± Lugh said. ¡°Agreed. Let¡¯s find someone nicer.¡± ¡°I like nicer people.¡± They wandered around, Lugh pointing out groups who looked to just be waiting. A family of small hunch backed scally people were outwardly nice, but clearly they knew what he was, when the child with them saw Harlan he rolled into a ball, only coming out when Harlan said he didn¡¯t want to bother them while they were moving things and waved goodbye. He was eventually approached by a woman clad in black with a wide brimmed hat. With her was a boy only a few years older than Harlan that seemed in a good mood but was sweating like he was made of ice. And wolf-like beastkin around his age who hid behind the woman. ¡°Blood brother! I heard I would be the only one in the first year. What are you? Wait. let me guess.¡± He seemed oblivious to the woman trying to stop him from talking, eventually she pinched the back of his neck when he wasn¡¯t getting her message. ¡°Greetings Harlan.¡± He shook her hand, she was familiar, very very familiar, he didn¡¯t let go of her hand, he was stuck in his head trying as hard as he could to remember if he met her before. She wasn¡¯t the one on the council, but they looked like sisters almost. Eventually she just outright said it. ¡°Yes, we have met before. It was a few years back. I am surprised you can tell even without my mask. I am Selen.¡± ¡°Oh. Then you are from that night, right?¡± ¡°Yes. I must apologize for my conduct. It is best to put on a stoneface while doing such unfortunate work.¡± He could feel that she was saddened, but not overly so, over that night. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. I put on a face for different people all the time.¡± The wolf boy started tugging on her sleeve and had a worried face. Selen could only sigh. ¡°No, he is not a skinwalker, they aren¡¯t smart enough to act like a normal person without killing people for so long. Harlan, meet Wulrun. Wulrun, shake his hand.¡± He refused to move out from behind her. ¡°He doesn¡¯t speak much. But I hope having some other people around him can get him to open up.¡± ¡°I get it. Wulrun, do you want to see a magic trick?¡± He hid further behind Selen. Harlan did it anyway, just a little fine mist and light to make a rainbow. The boy¡¯s eyes lit up a little and Harlan could feel a little bit of fear fade away, but he still didn¡¯t get out from behind her. He tried as many other little tricks as he could, changing the color of flames, juggling balls of light, he couldn¡¯t make hardlight but he could make it look like they had physicality. When he ran out of tricks the vampire boy was bored to tears but Selen was glad at his attempts to endear himself to Wulrun. Eventually someone came to assign Harlan a room, he waved goodbye and Wulrun even waved back. They made their way in the opposite direction Amber went earlier to a large blocky dorm room, made of giant white bricks with the same gold accents as the main academy building. The halls of the building were wide, 10 feet across with double doors leading in and out of the dorm building, the ceiling was 15 feet high, having been expanded to accommodate beastkin students. ¡°Your room number is 221. Please leave your mana signature in the door, this will make it so only yourself or staff with approval may open the room.¡± Harlan did as asked, the door opened up into a room to see a reasonably sized room, 20x20 with a normal height ceiling at 10 feet. But he noticed something was wrong. He stepped in and out, judging by eye the distance between room doors being no more than 5 feet. ¡°Please step into the room so I can give you a tour, yes the rooms are spatially displaced to be larger on the inside than out.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯d say four out of ten students don¡¯t even notice it at first.¡± He stepped in, noticing the carpet was soft, the walls were sanded down smooth brick without paint. For furniture he had a king size canopy bed, a large dark hardwood desk with a comfortable chair sat at it. He had 2 couches sat facing on another with a low table for drinks to be set between them, and in the corner was a proper dining table and chairs to seat 6. A sliding door on the left lead to a closet the length of the wall. While a door on the right led to what Harlan assumed to be the bathroom. It was a far cry from the rooms at the royal castle but more for sleeping than living in room that Amber talked about. ¡°I expected it to be smaller.¡± ¡°Rooms are sometimes tuned for specific individuals. Yours isn¡¯t the largest or most heavily decorated, though this is far above the average. We furnished this trying to take into account your uses, you may invite friends to speak of classes or research, or even to simply share a meal. The desk has already been filled with papers and pens, you have seen pens before, right?¡± ¡°I believe so.¡± ¡°Good. This will let you keep notes of research and fill out paperwork for your classes. A cleaning service will come each day while you are in class to clean the room and take your clothes to be washed, replace used writing materials, things like that. The closet is already full of uniforms with your crest and in the kingdom colors. Simply leave them in the hamper which is in the bathroom and they will be cleaned and returned. As we know you very rarely sleep we will issue you a pass allowing you to be out of the dorms at any hour day or night. Generally these are given to more nocturnal students. If you have guests over they are not allowed to sleep, while we understand growing into an adult can be confusing and sometimes you may want to do things with one another. Overnight stays are simply not allowed. Do you have any questions?¡± ¡°I heard there would be an assembly later.¡± ¡°An announcement will be made when it is time to assemble. In the meanwhile you should get dressed, you will receive demerits if you are not wearing your uniform without good reason such as some injury or the destruction of it. You are free to wander, there is a map on your table, do try to avoid losing it.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. The man quickly left the room to find another person to guide. Harlan looked over the uniform, a golden rope without adornments though clearly it was all made of high quality materials, black pants, black long sleeve shirt, all enchanted though he wasn¡¯t sure with what. After putting it on and pulling on it he suspected durability and some level of heat regulation, Amber and Zella didn¡¯t seem to mind wearing it all the time even during the hot summer days and they made no mention of a winter uniform. Harlan decided to go back to the square, hoping to find Amber. He also needed to unload a few things, he brought with his carving kit, a few boxes of already filled cores, a kettle, a hot plate, boxes of vanilla tea just in case, the abomination skull and bones, the books on imbibing and telekinesis, his favorite blanket, his armor, a potted fern for Lugh, and a small potted tree which he planned to grow for all of his wooden needs since it was more efficient than growing from a dead log, lastly on top of the carriage was 4 golems to keep people from trying to take his things and to protect the carriage while it went back home, along with 2 smaller ones with multiple arms meant for carrying things that held onto the back of the carriage.. Instead he ran into Ibery. Who he could feel was mildly afraid of him. Sen was also there as her guardian. ¡°Harlan, it hasn¡¯t been very long. How have you been?¡± Sen asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been good, Ibery, how have you been? I do hope you aren¡¯t afraid of me after all that time we spent around each other.¡± ¡°I am well, as is my aunt. She has even begun teaching flight to the little ones again thanks to your work. And I hold no fear for you, you were a perfect host.¡± He decided not to call her out, it would just lead to questions about how he could really know if she was and he didn¡¯t want to get into it. ¡°Thank you for your kind words. Have you seen Amber? She went to put her things in her room, I have only just come back after my tour of my room.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t, though I have only arrived less than a quarter of an hour ago myself. I must excuse myself, as we need to take my things to my room.¡± ¡°Would you like any help? I have golems to help with it.¡± Before Ibery could say no Sen agreed. It didn¡¯t take long for them to get everything moved, Ibery mostly had boxes of books and writing material, which his golems could carry perfectly. They ran into Amber and Zella on the way there and traded room numbers. After the unpacking they helped Harlan move his things, complaining that he isn¡¯t going to have much room left, which then turned to complaining that he had way more room than her. Though Amber had to admit as soft as his carpet was, the abomination rug was softer. Then he double checked that everything was done and sent his carriage back, almost wishing he had someone who could explain everything, hoping his changes to the false mind and the preset responses would be enough to get it past any trouble. They all sat in his room and looked over everything, checking for spying spells just in case. Amber wasn¡¯t worried about it, but it helped Harlan feel safe. Finally they heard the assembly message, it was broadcast across the entire school, seeming to be spoken from brickwork instead of a large sound spell from a high point as Harlan expected. They made their way into a courtyard behind the academy, Harlan wondered how much land this place took up as he could see after minutes of walking that there were more buildings out on the horizon. As they got closer staff started filtering them into groups based on country, though there was a much smaller group that were all filtered to the right side of the kingdoms group where there was an empty space, he expected they would try to keep use the whole courtyard, the empty space was bothering him the longer he looked at it. After everyone was funneled into their color coded blocks, white for Reino, black for the Confederacy, gold for Ragne, and blue for the Golden. Then on stage came dozens of people, Harlan saw the woman with white hair who told him to move and Selen among them. In the center of the stage a man, dark skinned and covered in faintly glowing white tattoos from head to toe, rode down on a platform made of hardlight from the top of the academy. It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out he was the headmaster, his robes were white with a golden half cape and black and red tassels, only blue was left out of his colors. Next to him was a woman and a child, the child was like a sun to his mind sense, he even felt her when she was on top of the academy. He couldn¡¯t get a look at their faces, the woman was in an impractical and clearly ceremonial outfit, shades of gray made up the dress while on her back was a series of 13 blades, all identical, sticking out. The crowd was silenced and the headmaster spoke. ¡°My name is Hirum Selvis, I have been headmaster here for 20 years, I am glad to see so many returning students for our 1433 year of operation. As some of you may know, this academy was set up by the woman who led this world into a new era. When the gods died some 1500 years ago humanity was forced to change, her name was Marigold, an outcast of the Golden, she could not sit back as her people watched the world fall into chaos and died, people forced into walled cities to handle the onslaught of magical beasts which they had no hope of defeating. So she contacted the god of the world, Aarde, who told her to follow her path and free humanity from their suffering by teaching magic to those who she believed deserved it.¡± Harlan was baffled, he was pretty sure most everything he just said was the things the theocracy killed people over, he looked over to see the Theocratic students were all struggling to move, locked under an array. ¡°Much of this was hidden to avoid¡­ escalation of war with the Reinoan forces.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t like whatever escalation meant, considering both sides have been killing each other for 1000 years already. ¡°But, in these last few years things have changed, between the ability to make golems through much faster and superior methods to many items now being able to cast spells without taxing their user, along with the refusal of Reino to use such things. We no longer have reason to fear any retaliation. And it is with great honor that I say this, the forever war has ended.¡± The students from the theocracy went into a frenzy, barely able to be contained until the headmaster raised his hand and put more mana into the array. ¡°Ragne and Reino will be leaving only guards at the border, no more skirmishes and large scale war, no more fields of bodies left to rot as both sides use them as traps to kill more of the other. The border of Reino shall be at its true border, which is to say the area in which their unique magics stop working. Travel is not yet permitted, but in just 2 years time any student here, regardless of species, or belief, shall be free to cross their border. Those who do not believe these events, I have brought Grand Saint Fragile Peace, and 1st Princess Magnolia.¡± First stepped forward Fragile Peace, her hair was as bright white as her robes, her eyes were purple, without iris or sclera, her skin as pale as Harlan¡¯s without blemish of any kind, she looked maybe 13 years of age. Those of the theocracy instantly kneeled as they were released from the array. ¡°My subjects¡­ it is with heavy heart that I give you such news¡­ but fret not over such things¡­ know that this is a simple stopping for a time¡­ when the gods return¡­ we shall inherit this world once more¡­¡± Her voice was quiet, like a whisper on the edge of tears, Harlan felt moved¡­ To kill her, every irrational part of his mind said that she needed to die, Lugh agreed but didn¡¯t act in any way. He had the sense of mind to not try to. It was deeply worrying for both of them, they knew what that instinct was telling them. A cloud of confusion which he had felt over the students of Reino was cleared as soon as she stopped speaking, they believed in her completely and utterly, not questioning a single word from her mouth. As Fragile Peace stepped back Magnolia stepped forward. ¡°Citizens of Ragne. Our advance towards the capital city of Reino has been paid in much blood on both sides. It is for this reason that my father, King Yggdra, 15th of his name. Has accepted the peace with Reino. Our war has always been about defense, and so long as this peace holds we do not wish for more bloodshed over ideology. Most of you are surely unaware of what my garb means, this is the symbol of the original 13 walled cities whose expansion and alliance was the start of our great kingdom. The tree of swords as it was called. I wear it now to remember a time before the war, when our greatest threat was not other human beings, but the beasts who wander outside the realm of man, with the end of the war many men can now be used to increase the speed of our frontier clearing, and to better protect the towns and villages which we already have.¡± ¡°Thank you, Grand Saint Fragile Peace, 1st Princess Magnolia. Another part of this peaceful time is that Reino will cease hostilities towards false undead and beastkin of any kind. I wish to welcome, for the first time openly, our students and teachers of Aine.¡± The ones who had all been filtered to the right side of the Ragne line had their robes turn a blood red and they stepped to the right to form a new block of students. Harlan wondered if they found out how to do color magic from that one kid in the facility. Selen was then waved forward by the headmaster. ¡°My name is Selen, though professionally I have the title of the White Whip of Aine. and I am a pure vampire. I shall be your teacher of soul defense as well as weapon training, you are all going to see quite a lot of me, as soul defense, the new name of soul work, is now a mandatory class. In these changing times it has been decided that such defenses already known are outdated, and the breakthroughs in soul work for offense and defense has been a dangerous and unexpected development. Much like how the spread of telekinesis has led to an influx of highly skilled thieves which is still being dealt with by my home of Ragne, the breakthroughs of soul magic means that even those who will never interact with a Fomorian are potentially at risk of heavy soul damage. But it also means that healing such things has never been faster or easier. Do not fear these new changes, nor should you blame the ones behind these advancements. All magic is twisted into shapes which are never expected by those who made it, it is only the dark hearts of those who do these things which should be shunned and fought again. If any of you wish to clear any doubts about my status, or the status of any of us as false undead. I shall be here until curfew to answer your questions.¡± At the end of her speech the array silencing the crowd was removed, cheers rang from the students of Aine and from Harlan, which didn¡¯t go unnoticed by those around him, getting odd looks from students of both Ragne and Aine. Zella was a little red from so many people focusing on her for not stepping away from Harlan, but Amber was defiant, placing her arm around Harlan. Though she still thought it was weird that he cheered. Meanwhile Harlan didn¡¯t care, they could all eat eggshells as far as he was concerned. He liked the couriers, he liked the Nightwatchers, he was happy they could live openly. He wasn¡¯t so naive to think that they would be accepted immediately, he wasn¡¯t even accepted by people who shouldn¡¯t be superstitious. But it was a step forward. As Selen stepped off of the stage and sat at a couch Wulrun rushed to her side from somewhere else. She was ready to answer questions and her first guest was Harlan. ¡°I¡¯m happy for you guys.¡± ¡°Thank you, though I am going to ask that you not take up time with pleasantries, I am hoping to change the minds of those who don¡¯t like us.¡± ¡°Sure. I just wanted to know what you meant by pure vampire. I taught a river vampire and he could turn into mist or water depending on conditions.¡± ¡°Well, as a pure vampire I am above average in physical strength and under the right conditions I can enter a bat-like form to increase every aspect of myself. There are other things, but those are kept hidden for my safety and the safety of all like me.¡± ¡°Would you be willing to let me study you? Do you know about my other work with the NIghtwatchers? A transformation like that sounds like exactly what I could use.¡± ¡°Well. When the time comes, I may be willing to let you, but I will need more time to think on it. Do you have any more questions?¡± ¡°How are you going to feed here? I was given bags of blood kept under a cold array, and then anti sleeping elixirs in case I ran out and my student entered a blood frenzy, it was supposed to help him stave off the cravings.¡± She made a sour face at the mention of blood frenzy. ¡°As with all who abide by the NIghtwatchers law, either because they are one of us or they are being helped by us, we will feed on volunteers, and only through their blood being drained due to possible dangers if a vampire were to overfeed on a person and harm them.¡± ¡°Thank you, I don¡¯t have any more questions.¡± He wanted to ask about Wulrun, because he was clearly not a beastkin. But he figured that was one of those pitfall questions better left unanswered. He bowed goodbye to her and went to see if he could catch a glimpse of Fragile Peace. He didn¡¯t expect to talk with her, but he wanted to stare and try to find out why he wanted to kill her so badly. This didn¡¯t work out as once she locked eyes with him she ordered her guards to block his line of sight. It was a shame, but he wasn¡¯t broken up over it. That feeling wasn¡¯t uncontrollable so it wasn¡¯t a huge deal. He kept wandering around, Zella and Amber were off with their own friend group and he didn¡¯t want to interrupt them. Suddenly he was picked up from behind, lifting him above their head. He could feel coarse fur and sharp claws had a tight grip on him. ¡°Hello, whoever is holding me.¡± ¡°I am Bojana, a friend of your sister, where did you get that pelt? I want one, I¡¯ll fight you for it if you want.¡± ¡°Sorry, might be one of a kind. Did she tell you what it is called?¡± ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t know where to hunt an abomination.¡± ¡°Well, I made a rabbit that was a deer also. I might be able to do it again, but it might not be the same.¡± ¡°I can get you deer and rabbits. I can also rent an area in the kennels for them to be stored.¡± ¡°Deal, but I just need deer meat and a rabbit. Please put me down now.¡± ¡°Do not lie to me, or I will break you.¡± ¡°Do I look like a liar? It might take a few tries but I think I can do it again, just don¡¯t break me if it doesn¡¯t work out.¡± ¡°I can never tell what you humans look like. Other than Amber, she is an honest human.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that. Are you going to put me down now?¡± Bojana walked towards Amber with Harlan in hand. ¡°Bojana, please put the boy down.¡± A bull of a man, or rather a Minos said. ¡°How about you wrestle me for him?¡± ¡°No, I am not doing that again. Amber, you can handle her.¡± Tau had made the mistake of once fighting Bojana, he hated fighting, but it was to stop something else. She hadn¡¯t gotten over the loss yet. Amber sighed and walked beside Bojana, who backed away fearfully to Harlan¡¯s surprise. Eventually she lost, and Amber made contact, tickling her side. Harlan never wanted to hear an Ursa giggle again in his life. ¡°STOP STOP, I WILL SET THE BOY DOWN.¡± ¡°Harlan, why did she pick you up? She isn¡¯t normally¡­ Well, sometimes she isn¡¯t like this.¡± ¡°All I wanted was a pelt like yours.¡± ¡°He will do what he can to try and make one. I wouldn¡¯t expect you to want one though,¡± Harlan felt a shift in the attitude of the group, he was stepping into another pitfall without realizing it, his only hope was to keep going and hope it wasn¡¯t the wrong way to ask the question. ¡°I originally offered it to a Tytoan but he rejected it, claws and delicate pelts don¡¯t mix.¡± ¡°All women love a good pelt, it is a sign of a clean kill against a beast.¡± The group let out a sigh of relief. He was going to have to ask Amber about that one. He was finally set down and properly introduced, Tau the Minos apologized on Bojana¡¯s behalf which only seemed to offend her, Ibery didn¡¯t need an introduction, which left a Canis who was hesitant to approach. ¡°Hello, my name is Harlan.¡± He decided the best thing was to not approach and instead introduce from a distance. ¡°I am Adelwulf.¡± Then there was an awkward silence, leading to Harlan inviting them to his room for tea and cookies. Partly he just didn¡¯t want to discuss anything more about his pelt making in the open, partly he hoped that Ibery and Adelwulf were only awkward because they were surrounded by people. Reluctantly the entire group came along. Chapter 72 His hopes were unfounded, leading to Adelwulf not speaking unless asked a question and Ibery putting on a false calm. He could keep avoiding bad questions, he could pretend that everything is ok, he could hope that they would just warmed up to him. But Harlan went with the boar loose in the blacksmiths shop strategy, either he gets out unscathed or the blades on display cut him to pieces. ¡°So, why are you two are so afraid of me? I am Ibery I understand, very shortly after meeting I did threaten, very seriously, to kill her. But I haven¡¯t done anything to you, unless it is just the Fomorian thing? But I hope you being friends with Amber would give me some benefit of the doubt.¡± Amber wasn¡¯t happy, Bojana wasn¡¯t happy, Tau was dipping his cookies in his tea. The others were just silent. ¡°Yes, it is because of what you are. No, I am not going to talk about it.¡± ¡°Fair, I¡¯d rather an honest response over pretending you aren¡¯t afraid of me.¡± ¡°I am not afraid.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t pretend to hide it, not from me. Amber knows.¡± ¡°Well¡­ Yes he can do some stuff with sensing emotion.¡± She was uncomfortable answering, but she was trying to go along with Harlan. Adelwulf simply narrowed his eyes. ¡°I will not be called a coward.¡± He stood to leave. ¡°Oh, so you are an idiot?¡± Amber was about to yell at him but he put up a silencing veil on her. ¡°You aren¡¯t a coward for being afraid, even if it doesn¡¯t make sense. But you are an idiot for thinking you are a coward for being afraid at all.¡± He tried to give a response but simply turned and left. Amber pinched him. ¡°What is wrong with you? You can¡¯t just talk to people like that.¡± His cheek barely stung, she hadn¡¯t put real power behind it and he was stronger than he looked. ¡°I don¡¯t want to sit around with someone who just silently broods instead of doing something. If he hates me for who or what I am, I¡¯d rather he just say it.¡± ¡°There is some sense in your words. But you should understand, if you can truly sense emotions, that some wounds are deep and illogical. Action for those is just as sensible as the wound itself. I have heard of you, do you not hide your own wounds?¡± Tau butted in. ¡°I have things I don¡¯t want to talk about, but I¡¯m not the same, I¡¯ll voice that I don¡¯t want to talk about it and admit what I am feeling.¡± ¡°Think on my words. You believe yourself iron, but you must understand some are clay, not yet formed and hardened. I am hoping for peace between all of us, Ibery, would you like to talk about what happened between you? There will be no judgment from myself or from him, he is simply a confused child, try not to hold his words in your soul.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I am not worried about the original threat. It is something he said to my aunt.¡± ¡°The genocide thing?¡± Tau spit his tea out in surprise before Harlan could finish. ¡°As I was saying. I am sorry for that, I realize how it sounds now, I saw a man burned inside out, and I realize how much of an idiot I am for thinking I could do that to everyone, people I don¡¯t even know. Just for things done to my¡­ to other people who I also don¡¯t know.¡± She made a warbling sound, which Harlan believed was a contemplative hum. ¡°This is good tea. What kind did you say it was?¡± Tau felt the discussion was done, and better topics could be spoken of. ¡°Vanila, I heard it comes from a bean grown on an island off the eastern coast that is added to the tea and dried. It always calms me.¡± ¡°Well, it is very soothing. Did you make the cookies? I can taste the love in them.¡± Bojana snickered at his words. ¡°My maid made them. I think they are made with a recipe from her mother. That could explain the feeling of love from them.¡± Bojana lost it, laughing loudly for a time ¡°You go along well with the bull. Sliping from acting serious and wise to children at the drop of a hat.¡± ¡°I also think I can taste the love in them.¡± Ibery chimed in. ¡°Agreed. You and Isha aren¡¯t¡­ I mean it is an age gap, and she didn¡¯t get a husband at the maiden festival. I guess if you waited a few years¡­¡± ¡°Are you trying to pay me back for the Ibery thing? It was funny and I refuse to say otherwise.¡± ¡°What is this between you and Ibery?¡± Bojana asked with a wicked smile, she saw a barely contained laugh from Amber and a look of embarrassment from Ibery, so she felt there was a good story. Harlan started to explain the story much to Ibery¡¯s dismay and Bojana¡¯s joy. Even Tau teased her once he decided that it was simply ribbery and not ill spirited bullying. Eventually this led into other stories shared between them, the time Ava tried to exercise with him, the time he controlled the slip ants, and more lighthearted times with Relly and Zella. When their little party ended Harlan realized he didn¡¯t know any of Zella¡¯s friends from the academy, only that she also hung out with Amber¡¯s group. He hoped that she had a group of friends in her year. He looked over the damage to his room, 20% of his cookies were gone, along with 5% of his tea. He realized if he keeps having people over he will run through his stockpile very quickly. The cookies are no loss, though he did really like Isha¡¯s sugar cookies, the tea was more expensive and time consuming to acquire. ¡°They are fun.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you join in? I¡¯m sure they would be fine with you.¡± ¡°I like watching, I don¡¯t want to say something weird. You always do that, but you fix it sometimes too.¡± Harlan winced at the dagger thrown directly at his soul. Shortly after he was done cleaning someone knocked on his door. ¡°Sir Fomoria. Dinner service will be starting soon.¡± ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll be there.¡± The man walked away, Harlan forgot that the room was set to let noise in but not out. Making him feel silly for even answering. He checked his map, memorizing his path to the cafeteria, to him it was likely the path he would most often take. There was a park between the main building and the dorm room. He avoided going through the grass, instead using the paths as most others did. He tried looking for familiar faces in the crowds moving to the main building. Seeing the vampire boy from earlier he moved in for the kill. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Oh, you are from earlier. The one with all the rainbows.¡± ¡°That is correct.¡± ¡°Do you need something?¡± ¡°Just making small talk. Trying to make friends.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Henick. I heard you are working with the NIghtwatchers. Are you planning to join them?¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Maybe, I haven¡¯t thought too much about it. But I¡¯m sure they can always use more people who aren¡¯t connected to Aine. Is it true that silver is really bad for you guys?¡± ¡°Yeah. Something about it being Aine¡¯s favorite metal but we aren¡¯t on Aine.¡± They went through more small talk as they walked in, but both of them agreed they weren¡¯t clicking, Harlan thought he was a bit too childish, Henick thought Harlan was too low energy. No hard feelings between them as they went different ways. Harlan got his food, the first serving was free, with more costing extra, but it was still cheap for what it was considering portion size and highly trained chefs were preparing it. The dinner was roast beef with baked potatoes and some little fluffy cups the chefs said were cooked in beef fat which Harlan liked. As he walked to an empty table in the corner he saw the students of Aine had extra bloody roast beef made for them. Rand explained that they could get some of what they needed from eating, not unlike how normal people got a lot of water from their food, but he still needed to drink blood to live, to him it was a bland and joyless meal, he would say blood to live and good food to make it worth living. He sat at his table and split the potato and mashed it in the skin using air magic to form small high speed pockets of air. Using with water magic to control the added butter and cream and prevent spillage. adding salt and pepper before using a little bit of heating magic to form a skin on the potatoes. He wouldn¡¯t call himself a great cook, but what he had seen done normally he could replicate with a bit of creative magic. He thought about how some things could be controlled once they got into a liquid state and some couldn¡¯t, like tea was still water, mud was half and half, but molten metal was purely earth magic. As he thought over this oddity his table began to fill up, what he found odder than his liquid magic question was that his table was a collage of colors instead of more or less self segregated by nation like many other tables. ¡°How many of you are spies?¡± The table quickly cleared and nobody else sat by him until Zella arrived. ¡°How did you clear the table so quickly? I saw it from the line.¡± ¡°I asked if they were spies.¡± ¡°Well, you always did know how to kill a party.¡± ¡°Better than finding out the party was an ambush.¡± ¡°Who knows, maybe you have a knack for being friends with spies?¡± ¡°Oh, right, do you have other friends here? I don¡¯t want to take you away from them.¡± Pitfall question. She didn¡¯t immediately answer, instead she stabbed at her potato for a time. ¡°Nah, I am fine with being part of Amber¡¯s group when I can.¡± It was a lie, though he didn¡¯t understand why she would bother. ¡°Well I am glad you get along with her, I might¡¯ve made a little mistake when talking with Adelwulf, any suggestions?¡± ¡°Make him something, he is pretty cagey about where he was raised but he should like that you tried to make a gift instead of words or gold. If you had another pelt I would give him that, his people like their hunting. But I have to ask, when you say a little mistake, was it really little? Or was it you being yourself, because that would make it a big mistake.¡± ¡°Alright, so who should I be then?¡± ¡°Always be Harlan, just keep some of those thoughts in your head and out of your mouth. Even if you both end up not liking each other you can at least avoid making things awkward between her and Amber.¡± ¡°So, how did they all end up together? Does she have human friends? Not that I care about them all being beastkin, it just seems odd.¡± ¡°They all met at the¡­ actually I can¡¯t tell you about that, but they are all good people who stand up for her and she stands up for them.¡± They finished up their meal in silence and then split up, she was tired and both of them didn¡¯t feel the need to chitchat without reason. Harlan made his way to his room, getting no short amount of strange looks. When he opened the door he saw his schedule on his desk, he wasn¡¯t told beforehand what classes were mandatory. Seeing it now he had, basic elements, basics of warding, basics of arrays, basic spell crafting, melee combat. These all seemed normal, putting students in a wide grouping of important classes and seeing if they excelled at any of them. But what struck fear in his heart were the last 3 classes. World history, merchantry, and politics. His first thought was seeing if the letter said how many mandatory classes he could miss each year before being punished, no dice. Then he started wondering if he could take an advanced test, skip the lessons for the year by proving he knows enough. But without Balor it would just end up harder than simply showing up at the classes and doing the bare minimum to pass. His plans were all either more work than just doing what he needed to or they were bound to fail. He couldn¡¯t possibly make a good enough golem to sit in on the classes, he liked the idea from when he made those learning dolls, but he didn¡¯t like the idea of his soul exploding again. He had to admit defeat this time. Harlan checked the map, seeing if what he was looking for was open overnight. He made his way to the physical training area, otherwise known as the gym, at about 10PM. It was one of the buildings he had seen in the distance when he went to the assembly earlier. He was falling behind on his exercises, he wasn¡¯t weak, but he wanted to be stronger, and telekinesis training was mind numbing for him, with training empathy requiring two people and Lugh getting bored of it, he felt that it was the best bet. He expected most people to have gone to sleep. Instead the gym was about half full. Some were people like Ibexians which generally needed 2 hours less of sleep each night compared to a human, but mostly it was false undead. He saw Selen was there in tighter fitting clothes with Wulrun. He looked so delicate, like he was scared of a world of paper, ready to fall apart at his touch. But he barely stretched Selen clothes as he pulled on them. She handed the small wolf boy a 200 pound weight, Harlan thought it was a joke to show him his limits, instead he lifted it with relative ease, leaving shallow handprints in the iron bars. ¡°Good night. Are you training him?¡± ¡°He has a hard time controlling himself sometimes. We are still teaching limits. But I know he is gentle soul, isn¡¯t that right Wulrun.¡± ¡°Yes Selen¡­¡± ¡°Well, I hope that goes well. You want me to fix the bar for you?¡± ¡°No need. It¡¯s all soulsmithed to return to its proper shape in time.¡± ¡°Neat. I¡¯m going to run around for a bit.¡± ¡°Wulrun, would you like to try and run with him?¡± Harlan couldn¡¯t even hear his reply, but Selen did. They both lined up at the start of a large marked circle around the gym building. Harlan put up a short lived ring of light to be a counter. After his display inside, Harlan expected to need to run at full speed to keep up with the boy. But he was clumsy, his arms were as long as his legs and his back was hunched over, making his run silly looking and slowing him down. Harlan slowed down to let him keep pace, he didn¡¯t want to take the fun out of it by lapping a child who he was exercising with. After 3 laps Selen spoke with Wulrun, who seemed to dislike whatever he was told. ¡°Harlan, could you run that with him again?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Wulrun¡¯s stance was different, he wasn¡¯t going to run like a man, but like a wolf. The ring faded and they were off. Harlan didn¡¯t start at full speed, not expecting him to be much faster. But this caused him to need 2 laps to finally pass him. Harlan won in the end, but it took effort. He never really had a training partner for basic exercises that did that for him. ¡°Good race. I had fun with that, Wulrun.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well, the feeling of the wind in my face, the simplicity of just running without a worry, I¡¯m not doing it to get away from something, it is just for the sake of it. Did you have fun.¡± ¡°Yes¡± He answered in barely a whisper. ¡°Alright, how about you sit in the meditation ring for just a minute, I¡¯ll come get you when you can come out. Is that ok?¡± ¡°Yes, Selen.¡± The boy went to a ring and pushed his mana in, causing a veil to pop up around him ¡°He is still afraid, he wasn¡¯t always like that. He was normal once. He didn¡¯t want to be like us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that. I see how gentle he is with you though, why?¡± She opened and closed her mouth more than once, trying to find the words. ¡°The Nightwatchers, we are the guards of human from those of us who would cause them harm. Wulrun and his family¡­ I don¡¯t want to talk about it, but he had to be saved with the blood of a werewolf and he can¡¯t turn back. He saw things that made him so afraid of werewolves that they can¡¯t even get close to him without him freaking out. So I took him in to train him. His transformation isn¡¯t linked to the lunar cycle like normal, maybe he can control it when he gets older.¡± Harlan thought about it, sure, he had all his issues, but he still had his family, without them, who would he be? His mind jumped to the worst answer, an age of blood and death so horrible Aarde has to restart. ¡°No, I like nicer brother more than that mean one, that isn¡¯t you.¡± ¡°Right, sorry Lugh.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be that brother. Stay Harlan.¡± ¡°I will. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°I believe he can do it. I think I need to believe it.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to say he is like you. You and him are¡­ well not as different as some might think. He is clay still in a kiln. You are hardened steel already.¡± She punched his arm in a friendly manner ¡°Yeah, I guess I am. Also, that isn¡¯t the first time I heard that today.¡± He bowed goodbye to her and went to start lifting. He thought more about what Tau had said. He felt like he knew he wasn¡¯t really iron, but he wasn¡¯t clay either. He was going through the furnace right now, and hoping he came out as steel instead of slag. Maybe he would come out only to break from a temperature shock fracture. He kept thinking about this as the gym cleared out, eventually the last beastkin left and it was just vampires, werewolves, and Harlan. Wulrun started doing whatever Harlan was doing, Selen approved, though eventually they needed to leave, instead of going to the girls or boys dorm they went to a different building closer to the gym. Harlan noted and promptly filed away that knowledge. Then he kept on his exercises. He left when the sun broke and he decided he needed to take a shower and change his clothes. As he sat in his room growing wood to have some extra on hand for whatever uses he might need he heard a knock and a call for breakfast. He was working on a simple medallion carved to look like a Canis, though he wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted docked or undocked ears on the design, he heard it was a coming of age ceremony for them, and he didn¡¯t want to insult him by doing either. In the end, he went undocked, figuring it was better to just replicate Adelwulf. He finished up the details, and placed it in his pocket, hoping to give it as a peace offering. Chapter 73 Harlan made his way to the main building cafeteria, waving to Henick on the way. He had made some friends, walking and talking with another group. Harlan also saw Got and Grandry, though he didn¡¯t wave, instead opting to move out of sight. Got seemed nice enough, but with Grandry he has no desire for friendship. As he got inside he noticed it was already half full, primarily of older students who knew when meals were served without needing to be called. Eggs in different styles with a choice of vegetables and meats, fruits on the side, and a choice of fruit juices or teas, oatmeal or grits could be ordered but were not prepared ahead of time due to being better just after being made. Harlan got a bowl of grits, having never tried the food before, an egg sunny side up, a few bananas, because he had heard of them before, a small pile of sausages, and a glass of apple juice. He made his way to the same off in the corner table and waited for either somebody else or Amber¡¯s group to show up. Eventually they fell in one by one, starting with Tau and ending with Ibery. Though Adelwulf wasn¡¯t there yet, he decided to head over. Leaning on the table since he wasn¡¯t planning to stay for long. ¡°Amber. Can you give this to Adelwulf when you see him next, I don¡¯t regret my words. But they might have been misconstrued.¡± ¡°If you phrase your apology like that he is just going to dislike you.¡± Before he could answer back that he wasn¡¯t going to apologize, another boy with a crest Harlan didn¡¯t know from the kingdom broke into the conversation. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t spend too much time around her. I¡¯ve heard she¡­ lays with beasts, if you understand my meaning. Pleased to meet you my na-¡± The wards of the academy kept his instinctual reaction from effecting anything around him but his grip on the table tightened until the wards let off a faint glow. He could feel eyes on him but couldn¡¯t see any guards, he hated The Unseen. But that feeling brought him back for a moment, letting him loosen his grip. ¡°So you know my sister?¡± The boy looked as if he swallowed a beehive. He looked at another group of boys with pleading eyes. They were all older, 4th years most likely, while the boy was second year at most. Harlan could see it was another noble test from a mile away. So he pushed back the part telling him to challenge the boy to a duel. As much as he hated a lot of things, being used for entertainment like a caged animal only got a reaction of visceral disgust and spite. ¡°You are an idiot. Either because you got tricked or because you came here to get on my good side without knowing anything about me. Run along before I turn this into a problem for both of us. I¡¯m going back to my table, see you all another time.¡± On the way back someone purposely bumped into him, Harlan again saw they were trying to get a reaction. So he ignored them. When he sat back down with another glass of juice and more eggs, scrambled this time with onions and peppers, Zella was already there. ¡°Glad you didn¡¯t crush him even if he had it coming.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure if she just didn¡¯t get enough sleep or if she was upset on his behalf, but her hair made motions as if it was curling irons. ¡°Are you ok?¡± ¡°I just can¡¯t stand idiot rumor mills.¡± He connected that with her lack of our friends, with Amber not having friends outside her small group, and with the people looking to get a rise out of him. ¡°I try to ignore them. If someone wants to talk to me I¡¯ll talk to them, but if they are scared away before they even try, then they probably aren¡¯t worth talking too in the first place.¡± ¡°Easy to say now, wait until you¡¯ve been here for 2 years.¡± ¡°Do you want to talk later? I know we had most of last month together but I still feel like we didn¡¯t talk enough.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t, it is girl stuff. I¡¯ll calm down in a few days when my sleep gets better.¡± ¡°To a lighter topic then, how sure are you that I could¡¯ve crushed that kid?¡± She gave him a puzzled look as if he just asked where eggs came from. ¡°How strong do you think you are?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, twice as strong as a normal person?¡± ¡°I doubt there is anyone outside of 3rd or 4th years that could take you in a straight fight. It would be one thing in an ambush, but if you know they are coming you aren¡¯t just fast, you are strong and you¡¯re heavy. Who are you calling a normal person?¡± Harlan thought for a long minute, was Ava normal? Probably not, he thought back to those two boys he spoke with at the Blackstone party and they seemed to think fighting 5 wargs was something hard and he did that barehanded once. Breken was way past him, but he figured everyone who got that old and was a soldier could do that. Safira was way beyond him but he could assume some of that was magical items helping her. Rosewell? He had no idea what the royal bloodline did and he only saw her fought once. Hostin was a soldier with a cushy safe job, but he seemed normal enough and Harlan wasn¡¯t sure he could beat him when he last saw him. Redmond was a ranger, he knew rangers were elite soldiers and from their fight he toyed with Harlan as he taught him tricks. Eventually he was pulled out of his thoughts by Zella. ¡°Sorry, I have no idea what a normal person is. My dad is pretty strong, but I¡¯ve never really seen him fight anything but goblins.¡± ¡°Well you are way past that point, I saw you grip that table hard enough to make the wards glow, watch this.¡± She used her hair to grip the table as strong as she could to make it glow brighter than Harlan had. ¡°I can bend cheap iron with my hair, but I can¡¯t do it with my hands. I thought you knew you were strong, you are so gentle most of the time.¡± ¡°I guess I never thought much about it, though I did crush that guys hand pretty bad.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t remind me, I hate seeing bones and blood like that.¡± They switched to the topic of breakfast, what they liked about the meal and didn¡¯t until the bell rang, for the first day there still wouldn¡¯t be classes for first years since delays could cause a student to have not arrived yet, for second years the first day was more of a refresher and it wouldn¡¯t be a big deal if a student missed it. Though most that would take this long just ended up eating the cost of being gated. Instead this was a free day where teachers set up lectures to draw students in since many of them either picked their extra classes without too much thought or they could find that they really liked something and switch classes at some point. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. On the way to basic elements he ran into a scene that he wanted to ignore, a girl was being bullied by her countrymen, both sides were Reinoan, they had backed her into a hallway that was a dead end and no one else down it. The boys grabbed her large black tinted glasses and tossed them between themselves. He would¡¯ve kept walking, her people had done enough to him already, then he thought about how letting her be punished for what instead of who she is pissed him off. He finally stepped in when he saw her chestnut hair, it hung not far past her shoulder blades and she bore more than a passing resemblance to Ava, their faces overlapped for a moment in his mind. ¡°That is enough.¡± ¡°This is an internal dispute, leave us be.¡± Harlan took a deep breath to calm himself before he spoke. ¡°I can think of no reason for 3 boys to be picking on a young girl, I would rather this was handled peacefully and we all simply go on our way.¡± ¡°As I have already said, your people have no right to be involved, scurry away little monster.¡± ¡°I will give you one more chance, give the girl her glasses or else.¡± One of them had already circled behind Harlan for a sucker punch. Harlan dodged the punch without breaking eye contact with the first boy. ¡°Seriously, is she worth fighting on your first day? Why not find a class, surely it is a better use of your time?¡± This swing Harlan caught, overpowering the boy despite him being a few inches taller and seeming more well built. ¡°Do I have to be the monster? Or should I just let him go?¡± He had the boy on the floor and was ready to dislocate his arm at the shoulder. ¡°Cato, you can¡¯t let him, just leave it.¡± Harlan kept applying pressure until he could hear the first pops and the boy held in a yelp. ¡°Fine, let my brother go and we will be on our way.¡± Harlan let go and expected it to turn to a three on one, yet the left. The whole thing smelled rotten, a girl who looked too much like his own sister, down a hallway with no one else around, then the 3 boys just left without doing anything else. Each of them had even been focusing on Harlan since the start and barely let any of their emotions point towards the girl, was she even the target in the first place? Was he being tested by them? He put these things aside for now and kept on track to visit the few classes he wanted. The girl was cowering and wouldn¡¯t even look at Harlan or open her eyes. He didn¡¯t say a word as he bend the frame of her glasses back into shape and placed them in her hand. She wordlessly followed him, Harlan could feel the fear and confusion from her drowning out everyone else. The first place he visited was the class room for basic elements, hoping to speak with someone and learn if he was completely off base with anything he knew. But the lecture was¡­ infantile. He wondered if people who¡¯ve never learned magic at all went to the academy as a starting point, It was all things that he learned in his first days with Breken, stances and basic workouts, make sure to stretch, make sure to not be afraid of your blade, make sure you pick a weapon sized for yourself. He left for another class. He was getting worried that his first year would be all of his mandatory classes being things he already knew. Luckily wards weren¡¯t all things he knew, though he only caught the very tail end of the lecture. ¡°You¡¯ve come at a poor time. But my lecture will be starting again in just a few minutes. Do you have any questions before then?¡± ¡°Yes. I went around basic elements and basic melee weapons¡­ Is the first year going to be so¡­ Basic?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t get your name.¡± ¡°Harlan Fomoria.¡± ¡°Ah. Well, you might not realize it, because of various factors such as having a family member in the rangers, and your location relatively close to the border with Reino. But in the safer places, closer to the capital. There aren''t many threats really. I am sure that you know little of history. But they would know many events like the back of their hand. The forming of the walled cities, or tribes as they are sometimes called. The treaty of 884 which ended all hostilities with The Confederacy for a time. The replacement of the council of 13 with the monarchy. How many of these do you know?¡± ¡°I see your point.¡± ¡°I am glad you do. Apologies, I forget to say my name sometimes. I am John.¡± ¡°Do you teach any other classes?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to waste time listing everything that I teach but the answer is yes. Does your friend here have any questions?¡± The girl who followed him shook her head and kept with him as he made his way out. He couldn¡¯t read minds but he didn¡¯t need to, he could tell she wanted to ask why he helped her but couldn¡¯t get over her fear of seemingly everything. He wondered why someone like that was even at the academy unless she was one of those expected to drop out. The next class on his list was warding. He didn¡¯t find anymore damsels in distress but people kept bumping into him and when he didn¡¯t react they tried bumping into the girl making him stand in the way. People filed in and out of the class, checking maps and watches, some in groups, most alone. Harlan listened intently, hoping to eke out anything worth learning. The teacher was an Archmage named Vowren, though his title was Blackwall. First was a personal story of why Vowren decided to be a warder. He lived in a town which was sacked by Reino when he was a child. He saw how some buildings after the fire stood strong, while his own home burned like many others. He spoke of types of warding, most worked by making a shell around an item, filtering all magic but what it allowed. He spoke of how specialized wards worked by disrupting their spellwork when it enters an area, defending very well against those specific banned spells but generally sacrificing either physical or general spell defense in the process, though this could be overcome by casting a larger spell to make up the difference it is generally accepted that the highest levels of warding is stacking wards, the task takes a great deal of effort to make sure the layers never disrupt the ones above and below them. Lastly he spoke on the other high level technique, the one which he personally uses. Imbuing a ward into an item, unlike enchanting which has an item holding a spellform to make casting faster for the user or a rather simple passive effect, a ward that became fully fused with an item had nearly limitless versatility and let him set up wards that would take minutes of vigorous casting in seconds. He never went into detail on how to do anything he talked about, but for a short lecture which would be repeated over the day it was enough to have some students more interested in the subject. Once it was over Harlan bowed goodbye. Harlan passed by Fae law and caught a glimpse at the teacher. She was a youthful woman with bright eyes and a kind smile, with her hair dyed a very light pink in places she gave off an aura of childlike innocence. The world almost glowed in her presence, but Harlan couldn¡¯t see any of that. He wondered if she had any relation to the grand saint considering how bright she was to his mindsense, though it was like comparing the sun to a torch. He thought it seemed fitting that someone who might be Fae would teach such a class, but he hated to think what the cost was. Ironically he could actually learn that if he took the class. Harlan went to the nearby enchanting lecture, the girl still next to him. As soon as he entered the room he could feel the hate directed at him. Though it was only from 2 individuals, a boy his age and the teacher. He briefly thought about leaving, but no, he refused to be moved by their stares. He sat in the front row, next to the boy. The teacher could do nothing but start his lecture. ¡°The first thing to learn about enchantments is that they are not, like many of you have surely heard, a redundant art. For many people enchanted items are still far better not only for their safety but for certain effects such as spatial items, which have yet to be recreated with soulsmithing. Are there any questions yet?¡± Harlan raised his hand, getting a mean glare from the teacher. ¡°Yes, Fomoria.¡± ¡°By safer what exactly do you mean? I know of a few issues but all of them are user error. I am also ignorant of enchanting.¡± ¡°First, with soulsmithed items they are not your spells anymore. This isn¡¯t any issue most times, but in the case of a spreading spell, such as one which causes the growth of crystals. These spells burn out, but, if they need to be stopped before this point they require as much mana as was used to cast them. Part of this is how mana is, in a sense, marked by the caster, making it easier to grab a hold of and break the structure of it. You lose such a mark with soulsmithed items, within the last two years there has been 30 cases of someone getting ahold of such items and dying as a result, generally they are untrained mages or adventurers who fail to understand the dangers of such things. Secondly, Because of the long history of enchanting, many safety precautions are in place. This means any trained enchanter has the means to, for instance, cancel castings which would be overly powerful and damage the item, or that would drain their user beyond a safe point. There has been 8 cases in the last year of spells placed in soulsmithed items in such a way that they kill the users. Do you have any retorts for me, Fomoria?¡± ¡°So could those safeties be removed on enchanting? Making an item that drains its user completely for a large attack which kills them? How many died before those safeties were invented? You have given me some things to think about to improve soulsmithing, because those are clearly flaws. But those are also mostly user error, I¡¯ve taught one person and because of their spellforms having safeties as part of them the soulsmithed items simply failed to cast instead of exploding.¡± They spent the rest of the lecture arguing from a place of ignorance of the others'' work. Harlan found it somewhat fun and was seriously considering adding enchanting to his classes. Chapter 74 Harlan left once the lecture was done, not seeing much point in arguing further. He had one more class he wanted to visit before lunch, magical creatures. More people bumped into him and he nearly knocked a few people over as he rushed to stop them from bumping into the girl, he really needed to ask her name. As he entered the class room it was just ending and a piece of cloth was being placed over a cage on the desk. The man giving the lecture was old, by far the oldest people Harlan had ever met, he looked closer to embalmed remains than a person. He didn¡¯t sit down in a chair or stand, instead he floated off the ground and spoke with sound magic, not wanting to waste energy speaking. Harlan approached him to ask some questions. ¡°Ah, you are the Fomorian boy, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯ve heard you will be in a few of my classes. I must ask, would you be opposed to me running some tests? Skin and hair samples, blood and urine, a marked journal of food intake and bowel movements perhaps?¡± Harlan felt the old man had nothing but pure intentions, but they were very bizarre requests. ¡°Blood, hair, and skin are fine I guess. The others, I would rather not do.¡± ¡°Very well. Oh, and where are my manners? I am Sepul, The Dust Archmage.¡± ¡°No problem, should we set a time for you to get them?¡± ¡°Already done.¡± Sepul¡¯s robe opened to show 3 vials already filled. ¡°I am quite quick handed. Tricks come with age. Now, your questions?¡± ¡°What is an archmage, and how many teachers here are archmages?¡± ¡°Firstly, there is more than one kind of archmage, but I will keep things simple, the ones that matter are those like myself who have contributed to the magical community in such a way that the academy recognizes them as an archmage, generally this is related with sharing knowledge that greatly expands or even invents a class of magic. Secondly, very few classes have archmages for teachers, though many of them live within the learning zone and teach so they can be paid in research materials that are quite rare. Lastly, class is starting soon, please make your way to your seat.¡± Harlan bowed and the girl mimicked him, he could feel that Sepul didn¡¯t like the girl and he didn¡¯t know if there was a reason or just because of where she was from. Shortly after everyone was seated a clap rang out, partly a joke by the old man, since he didn¡¯t even move his hands at all. ¡°I hope everyone has good eyesight and an open mind. Today I will be showing you a Dragon, the fiercest of all beasts, master of all realms.¡± He removed the cloth from atop a cage to show a lizard, 2 feet long with small vestigial wings and a tan color. ¡°More accurately, what has become of them. This is a Sand Drake. The Drake name denotes it as a species of flightless 4 legged Dragonoid. The term Dragonoid on the other hand, denotes it as descending from Dragons, or simply being Dragon-like, the exact meaning depends on who is asked. Now, before I continue, can anyone tell me why I called this a Dragon?¡± There were murmurs but no one knew. While many people knew of the term Dragon it was considered more a beast of legend or a term for a great calamity. Very few people would even joke about Dragons, common lore saying they could hear if their name was called. ¡°I did not expect any answers. Though I do wish someone at least had the heart to try. I call it a Dragon because I am one who believes the theory of Dragon degradation. Which states that for whatever reason, Dragons were split into a multitude of species, each holding some traits, with true Dragons not existing anymore. I have been around for a very very long time. I have personally seen and dissected these creatures. From the lowly dirt Drakes which are almost more soil than flesh, to the great Drakes and Wyverns, most commonly misreported as being Dragons. Though one is missing flight, while the other is missing another set of legs. We aren¡¯t entirely sure how we know that a Dragon should have these features, but I believe something happened in the past which set the fear of such a beast into the very souls of all who saw it. Leaving a mental imprint across entire species. If I had more time I would get into what ghosts are, but back on topic. The evidence of the relation between Dragons and the various subspecies, called Dragonoids, is the vestigial traits that each of them has. No other animals have such things, as the gods, according to what is known, created each creature as it is, without such pointless additions. Here you can see the wings of the Sand Drake are small and clearly incapable of supporting its bulky body. Where as here¡­¡± A light construct of a small Wyvern appeared on the students desks. Many flinched back, others tried to smash it, finding it wasn¡¯t hardlight and it simply reformed itself. ¡°A Wyvern has two nubs, barely visible on its chest. And if you look very closely¡­¡± The light construct zoomed in to show more detail. Beyond learning about magical creatures Harlan was fascinated by these light constructs, everything he was doing should be straining the old man¡¯s mana, but he seemed completely fine. ¡°There are clawed fingers on these nubs. A remnant of what were, most likely at least, once front legs. Now begins the question and answer segment of the lecture. So please, participate if you feel a fire in your chest to learn more of the incredible beasts which roam our world.¡± A girl seated in the back raised her hand. ¡°Why did you show us a Sand Drake here but then used a construct to show a Wyvern? Why not bring both a Drake and a Wyvern here?¡± ¡°That is a good, and very ignorant question to ask. Now, I do not mean it as an insult, you are not a fool, everyone is ignorant on some things. But the reason why is simple. Wyverns are very proud and violent beasts, Drakes are much more content to not bother others, though they also don¡¯t bare any mind to those around it which can cause issues. Any Wyvern I could¡¯ve fit in this room would still have elemental breath and would be very liberal with its use. Next question.¡± Harlan raised his hand. ¡°How are you able to do so much? Flight is supposed to be a costly magic, and you set up constructs across each desk with a large amount of detail. You are also speaking with sound magic, and I assume you¡¯ve been at this for hours.¡± Harlan felt Sepul was disappointed by the question. ¡°The only magic I am using is sound magic. The desks'' effects are caused by swappable soulsmithing cores. My flight is actually hover, a spell which is soulsmithed into my clothes and causes me to be nearly weightless. While others keep me stable. Do you have a question about magical creatures?¡± Harlan thought for a moment. Then he asked. ¡°Ghosts. You brought them up as related to a mental imprint, what does that mean?¡± ¡°You should clarify the question. But, a spell is a thought given form, you know of instinctual magics? Well a ghost is more or less when strong thoughts and emotions cause a ¡®thought¡¯ to latch onto an area or object. Unfortunately these are very very rarely positive emotions, leading to a hostile self perpetuating spell with some amount of intelligence, or rather instinct. We have yet to replicate such things.¡± ¡°Can they latch onto¡­ People?¡± ¡°There has been no officially recognized cases of such a thing. If a mass tragedy was enough to latch a malevolent force on a person then we would have no wars, every general and soldier would be killed by their own actions causing these things to be made. I can hear the worry in your voice, no matter what you have done, you aren¡¯t going to be chased by them until the end of your days, stories of such things are for the theater, not reality. I have time for another question.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t pay attention to what was asked next. Instead he sat in thought, glad that his idea that the other thing The Dark Mother mentioned was his mother¡¯s spirit was wrong. At least, he hoped so. He still couldn¡¯t get the nagging feeling that it was the answer out of his head. People exited the room, even Sepul left for lunch. Evidently the girl wanted to leave the room but she also wanted to latch onto Harlan, her own worry about missing lunch awoke Harlan from his mind. ¡°Sorry, do you want to go get lunch?¡± She nodded her head and blushed, whatever was going on he didn¡¯t like it, the idea of her being sent after him as someone to kick his protective instincts into overdrive was working, and the idea that they would send a girl who looked like his own sister to the academy as a honeypot made the fire inside him flare up. They made their way to the cafeteria again. More people purposely bumping into him which he ignored, more people whispering outside of what they assumed was earshot. Zella was already sitting at the table when he and the girl sat down. She looked from Harlan to her and decided to throw away subtlety. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Harlan, who is that.¡± ¡°No idea, she was being bullied and I stepped in, she has been following me since then.¡± ¡°So you just let some random girl from Reino follow you around? What about that whole thing about ambushes last night.¡± ¡°She hasn¡¯t bothered me and I couldn¡¯t really let her get picked on because¡­¡± Zella looked her over again and instantly saw the resemblance, she had to admit that she did look cute. ¡°Alright, I get that then, but can¡¯t you just¡­ I don¡¯t know, shoo her away?¡± ¡°She isn¡¯t a puppy, and don¡¯t talk about her like she isn¡¯t here. Are you alright? I didn¡¯t ask before.¡± She spoke in barely a whisper. ¡°I am alright¡­ thank you for fixing my glasses¡­¡± ¡°What is your name? And Are you a spy?¡± ¡°Adina, and I am not a spy, I am very happy to be here though.¡± ¡°Why were those boys bothering you? I figured you guys were a bit more homogenous.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I am broken, normally someone like me would be killed to stop me from passing it on, so they believe I shouldn¡¯t be wasting my time trying to be a mage.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Do you have any friends? Someone who can help you? They didn¡¯t send you here alone did they?¡± She shook her head. ¡°You are the first person to talk to me so nicely.¡± Harlan could feel how deeply saddened by everything she was but how happy she was that she had him just speak nicely to her. If she was an assassin, he knew that he was screwed, his paranoia fought every fiber of his being telling him that he should protect her but it was losing. ¡°Well, I guess I can be your first friend then.¡± Zella gave him a look, she didn¡¯t know who the girl was but she was absolutely sure he was making a huge mistake. He thought he was too, but the emotions beaming off her when he called himself her friend nearly brought him to tears, to have such a life that even something so minor effected her so much was almost too much to bear. ¡°Really?¡± She spoke with a voice ready to be let down. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t like lying, and I don¡¯t want to start now.¡± She hummed the rest of the meal and Zella glared at him, for all of his flaws she didn¡¯t expect too soft to ever be anything she ascribed to him. After the meal Harlan told them he wanted to go to the library alone, Adina figedted in her seat as she clearly wanted to go with but didn¡¯t want to be a bother, so instead she went back to her room. He made his way to the library, only being bumped into twice, the second one he bumped back. The boy put up a brave face but Harlan was sure the hit would leave a nice bruise. Inside was a tall man, 8 feet tall and deathly thin. He was placing books back on the top shelf without a step ladder. Harlan waited at the front counter for him to finish his work. Once he was done he stepped behind his counter he leaned down to speak with Harlan. ¡°How can I help you?¡± he spoke in a slow and tired tone. ¡°Where do I find books on magical creatures? Specifically true undead like ghosts and wraiths?¡± He slowly moved his thin arm and pointed to a section near the back. ¡°There. Search by topic. We mark them with symbols. Skull for undead. Good day.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The man smiled and nodded his head before grabbing another stack of returned books to place them back where they belonged. Harlan took a few minutes of skimming to find a few books. The first thing he noticed was how many of the authors took offense to the terms false and true undead. It would seem a few hundred years ago before people knew what they were, the terms were made and they were now too deeply rooted to be corrected. Many of the authors asked that people use some alternative term, most agreed that just calling true undead undead was good. But they all had their own perfect word for false undead. Subhumans. Because they were a subspecies. That one never took off for clear reasons outside of Reino. Unhumans, Inhumans, both rejected at large because of negative connotations and not being distinct enough. Nightwalkers. Many species of false undead had no problem living in the daylight even if it was uncomfortable. Semiliving, unclear and they were actually not undead at all. Changed. Indistinct. Immortals. Actively suppressed because it made it sound very appealing to some people and it was false. Some of them lived much longer than others, with werewolves often living only an extra 25 years. Though even that number was hard to pin down because werewolves so rarely died of old age, some groups even had the idea that they needed to die in combat to get to Aine after death. But none of them were actually immortal. With the oldest being a female pure vampire (another point was contention was the use of pure) who was born on a blood moon and turned as a newborn, she lived to be over 1000 years old. But records were scarce saying exact dates of birth and death. The whole story filled Harlan with disgust. Harlan spent longer than he would¡¯ve liked sucked into a book which was just debates from various groups for what each species and the general term should be. He couldn¡¯t help but notice that none of them ever mentioned being one themselves or asking the Nightwatchers. These debates were from noble authors who had the free time to complain about words for people they never even asked. But finally he opened a book he hoped was going to help clear things up. Spirits and Ghosts: A guide to finding which things are going bump in the night. He read the first chapter, which explained ghost was both a generic and specific term. All spirits were ghosts, but ones which formed from regrets were all specifically ghosts. Then he found the chapter specifically on ghosts.. It was mostly the same exact speech from earlier about thoughts being magic and strong enough thoughts from a group or powerful person causing an imprint of their emotions on an area. He double checked the author. Written by Archmage Sepul Dust. There was some kind of subtitle under his name, but it was scratched off. But there was one section which he noticed. Claims of human possession by spirits, all personally investigated by him, all were cases of either Fae or someone trying to make up excuses for their heinous crimes. There was another small part about what happened after these people were judged by either him or a local court. But any by him were blacked out. Harlan would¡¯ve assumed it was because of the nature of the crimes, but those were left untouched. A cannibal cult, a man who killed his family with a hammer, another who set his home afire after locking the doors and somehow was the only survivor. There was mention of some groups being more likely to make a ghost, superstitious types were the most common source of such things. Though there were also cases of death cults making ghosts through ritual sacrifice, It was all interesting to him, but not what he wanted. Next was wraiths. Ghosts which specifically manifested from anger and rage, these attack indiscriminately, often leaving mangled bodies in piles around the area in which they are bound. A wraith could not, in any cases he found, be bound to an object. Leading to next chapters, revenants. Often called just ghosts are the most common type to come from single people, these are almost always bound to an object and will hide, never showing their power until they see the person who they are meant to kill. Almost always this leads to an investigation showing the victim was actually a killer who was simply getting their just desserts. He moved to another he believed was a possibility, weepers. Generally caused by a sad event which deeply affects a group, most commonly forming after a disease or famine wipes out most of a village. Often considered the ghosts of women who watched their children starve. It was close, but if it was his mother then it would be reversed. He found the last one which he considered a remote possibility, since he was 100% sure it wouldn¡¯t be a zombie or a tree of man, or any of the others which haunted and possessed the dead. He found the chapter on banshees, also known as the scorned woman. Though the name was a misnomer, as there was nothing stopping a man from leaving behind a banshee. The exact stories are somewhat fuzzy. But they shared a general theme of someone who died screaming and not suddenly. His stomach turned as he read the stories related to the cases, but he kept going, that feeling in his stomach was back and he was starting to feel hot. One of the most freeform ghosts, they can be bound to an area or an object. Some kill their target and then move on like a revenant, some stick around to kill anyone who looks like their killer, these were the ones he needed to exorcise, a nice word for blasting an area with so much mana that it disrupted whatever the ghost was latched onto. What Harlan found in the end and what formed a pit in his stomach was a case where a mother and father were tortured to death in front of their daughters, when the banshee formed it latched onto the knife that was used on them, and saving their children. Who then kept the knife around, they were able to help care for them for years before they started degrading, losing their sentience and turning more like the monstrous banshee who killed anyone who shared so much as a passing resemblance to their killer. The book describes how they set up a proper funeral and burial for the knife which caused the banshee to peacefully disperse into mana. Harlan still didn¡¯t find a single case of a ghost being latched onto a person, but instead of feeling better he was being crushed by the stories he read. To him it reaffirmed his stance on killing those he thought needed it, but the ones he read about were already dead. They were gone but their crimes still happened, he couldn¡¯t stop anything that was done. He had a thought, he could do something, if he built enough golems, could he watch everyone? He could fill cities with so many guards no one could get away with any crimes horrible enough to cause the creation of such things. He¡­ He knew it wouldn¡¯t help. He couldn¡¯t be everywhere, he couldn¡¯t force people to take what he made into their homes, some would take it. But if he made himself a warden to the world others would only rebel against it, to be locked into a cage was a terrible feeling, but if the world was a cage he would be driven mad, what he already dealt with was pushing on him. His eyes filled with tears and he felt a warmth spreading from his chest, it wasn¡¯t the blazing fire he felt telling him to hurt someone, it was a soothing warmth, like cuddling close to his mother¡¯s chest on a cold night. After a few minutes he felt a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Books are great things. Terrible things. So much to feel from them. I will return them to their place. Dinner is soon.¡± Harlan wiped his eyes. ¡°Sorry. I shouldn¡¯t be making noise here.¡± ¡°Arrays keep noises contained. Not many readers. People take their books away.¡± Harlan made his way out of the library, find a group of boys outside. He took a deep breath, reminding himself that he shouldn¡¯t hurt them unless they gave a just cause. His glare stopped them in their tracks, he was letting on a dangerous feeling, waiting for someone to try something, and that feeling was setting off the sixth sense of anyone who wished him harm. He didn¡¯t have a single person bump into him as he walked. Thinking back, the ones who kept messing with him were all from Ragne. Students from Reino seemed to only pick on those who couldn¡¯t really fight back, most students from the Confederacy lacked the legal right to duel others. Most of them were paid for by their parents who were merchants, their smaller noble class leading to their predicament. Chapter 75 Harlan made his way to the cafeteria, dodging left and right, he could hardly believe how unoriginal they were to all use the exact same method. When he arrived in the dining hall everyone was seated in that corner table he liked, he could see Tau was saying something to Adina and the others were paying attention to them. He got his food. Chicken with some sweet and savory sauce served with rice. They had a substitute of roast squab for those of Ragne who refused to eat Reinoan cuisine for whatever reason. The open spot at the table was between Amber and Adelwulf. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would be late for dinner. Tau and your friend Adina have been talking about her condition.¡± ¡°In what way?¡± ¡°The Theocracy doesn¡¯t have a language for the blind. But the Confederacy does, some of the areas in the academy are marked with them.¡± ¡°Well. that is nice of him.¡± Harlan ate his meal and listened in. ¡°I simply cannot fathom how any people can treat their addled in such a way.¡± ¡°Some are simply born wrong. So they are often¡­ Prevented from passing such things on.¡± ¡°What of you? Would you be so cold had your situation been different?¡± ¡°I received a blessing from a priest, they said I should be allowed to live regardless of how I am. I am special.¡± Tau was saddened to hear about such a custom. Yet he didn¡¯t voice his opinion about why he thought she was allowed to live. It was generally considered pointless for those who knew to try and speak about the possibility of corruption in Reino. ¡°Harlan, have you thought on what I said last we met?¡± ¡°Adelwulf. I am sorry.¡± ¡°I will accept it, for now¡± The rest of dinner was more small talk, he shared very little of what he read in the library. Zella and Amber noticed his pauses as he skipped over details. Tau wanted to have more tea and talk to Harlan, so the entire group ended up going together. Everything was going well. Harlan was feeling better and he was dodging the people who bumped into him as they walked back to his room. Then someone bumped into Zella, knocking her to the ground. ¡°Watch where you are walking.¡± Harlan was disappointed, he was angry. But he was very disappointed. He was so close, 30 seconds and he would have the kettle on and he would be setting cookies on a plate. He wanted so badly to ignore it, but it wasn¡¯t him who was bumped into, no matter how hard he tried in those short few seconds he couldn¡¯t put that fire out. ¡°Duel.¡± ¡°I refuse.¡± The boy turned his back and walked away. Harlan knew he couldn¡¯t force a duel. If they knocked into Amber it would be one thing, she was technically a noble under him now. But Zella was a friend, and while the bump was rude and she might be sore. It wasn¡¯t an attack by most standards. So he sighed, he walked to the boy, years older than him. And he threw a punch. Only for Tau to catch it. ¡°Violence is not the answer. Let it go, Zella is unharmed.¡± He couldn¡¯t get his arm free from Tau. So he stopped trying, but he burned his face into his mind, it was the boy from enchanting. If it was a reaction he wanted, he planned to give them one, but on his terms. ¡°Fine. Zella, are you ok?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. And Tau is right. Just let it go.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t answer back. Instead he walked to his room and opened the door for everyone. He had to bring over the dining table so everyone had a spot to sit at. ¡°Alright. Before anything else. Harlan you are NOT going to do anything to get revenge, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying that.¡± ¡°Tell me right now that you aren¡¯t.¡± ¡°Why? Clearly I am. You know it, Zella knows it. I¡¯m sure Adina knows it and she barely knows me.¡± ¡°I think you should protect your friends.¡± ¡°Exactly. I¡¯m not going to lie to you.¡± ¡°Harlan. I am sure it seems nice to just beat up all of your problems. But you can¡¯t live that way forever. You are getting older, it won¡¯t be this year, it won¡¯t be next year even. But at some point, you are going to be old enough that people will stop thinking about it as a temper tantrum from a child and you will just be considered a brute with anger issues.¡± ¡°So what? As long as I do what I am asked they won¡¯t have legal grounds to do anything. If they go with anything that isn¡¯t legal then I will be able to fight back. All I need to do is pick my fights right and I will be fine.¡± ¡°What about if they target mom or dad? What if I am on a mission in the army and someone else on my team feels that you wronged someone they know. You aren¡¯t just fighting people, you are fighting people who know people. You need to understand the scope of this, you can¡¯t break the nose of everyone who annoys you or pushes your buttons, or even the people who do those things to us. Life isn¡¯t beating up the bad guy and a happy ending. It is mired in political bullshit and if you jump in there you just end up covered in it and no better than them. Tell me, right now, that you are not going to do anything.¡± Harlan sat in silence for 30 seconds before he answered. ¡°Fine. I¡¯m not going to go out of my way to fight him.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°I will miss my classes and lock you in my room.¡± ¡°I am not going to fight him. I will not respond to taunts from students.¡± ¡°Good. The water is hot, will you please put the tea in the pot?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± It was a few minutes before the tension started to clear, it was helped by Harlan getting out the cookies again. Tau grabbed them one at a time and ate slowly, Harlan thought it was a little odd how he didn¡¯t dwell on anything that happened before but it did clear up the mood. Harlan got out a plate so they could be set out in an easier to grab manner. ¡°These are good cookies.¡± Adina seemed almost giddy to be given something by Harlan. Everyone talked about things from their childhood, little facts they knew, things from their day, the things people spoke of while getting to know one another. ¡°So, the 2 of you went around today, did any lecture call to you?¡± Tau asked ¡°Funny enough I liked enchanting, I could probably find a way to mix it with soulsmithing if I really tried. Oh, and I am already in the class but I did like magical creatures quite a lot.¡± ¡°Really? Who is the teacher for your stay?¡± ¡°Sepul. Arch-¡± ¡°We know who he is.¡± Bojana said. Every beastkin seemed to have some angry thoughts on the man which they left unsaid. ¡°We should move past that. What about the class did you all enjoy?¡± Tau, ever playing the peacemaker, decided to switch topics. Harlan spoke of seeing the animals in both physical form and as the constructs. He decided to avoid talking about his whole transformation thing, so the others thought he was just really into biology. Tau spoke of his childhood, he spent his days hunting the plains, delving into the depths of any caves he found, and being scolded harshly by his peers for his refusal to fight. There was a faint sadness Harlan could feel. ¡°So you were always like this? A pacifist?¡± ¡°Much to the disdain of others, yes. I was orphaned, I do not know if it was Reino or if it was simply bandits, but I lost my family, and was taken in by another. I have seen so many who destroy themselves and others because they cannot move past what has been lost. I have argued with my brothers and sisters about this many times, but I do not wish to be moved to anger. Harlan¡­ I do not wish to see you go down such a path. There is a time for violence, but it is never for harsh words or scraped elbows. I also know I could not live as I am without violence protecting me. I know you will choose violence, but you do not need to choose hate. Our lands border the desert, while it is far less common, we are part of the front. Or rather we were, I am not ignorant of war or violence.¡± ¡°And you aren¡¯t a front anymore because of a lot of killing, enough to force peace talks. If you could pull a lever and kill half of the people of Reino, without knowing who, but knowing that it would¡¯ve stopped the war sooner, without Ragne losing forces. Would you?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Tau sat in thought while the others spoke of lighter topics. Like the skull Harlan kept on his desk. Everyone seemed to look at it now and then but no one wanted to be the first to ask what it was and where he got it from. After Harlan asked if anyone had a name for it everyone seemed to have fun thinking on the matter. 30 minutes passed but no one has a good name for the abomination. Deerbit was one he liked, but it was mostly a rabbit and not as much of a deer, so he considered it flawed. Antler Hare was good, but he wasn¡¯t going to commit to a name. He wasn¡¯t even sure if he should give it a species name, considering that he wasn¡¯t sure it would be possible to make more of them quite yet, and if they would even turn out the same. Maybe it would become something closer to a deer than a rabbit. ¡°I was going to talk about some personal things. But it is getting late. I think I will put it off for another day.¡± ¡°Harlan. Are you sure¡­ You could just talk about it with us, the rest can go to sleep.¡± Amber was worried about letting whatever was bothering him go, she would rather he didn¡¯t put it off. ¡°You are right. I¡¯m kicking else everyone out. I don¡¯t think I should be so¡­ Open with everyone else that I barely know. Zella, I don¡¯t want to force you, but if you want I¡¯ll tell you too.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t fair. Why not? We¡¯re friends, right?¡± Adine was hurt at his words. ¡°I met you just today, and I do like you, but I don¡¯t know you any more than most other people here. I¡¯m not saying it to be mean, but it is the truth.¡° Tau decided to try and phrase it better. ¡°Adina. Surely there are things which you would not yet reveal to him, do not be upset over something you yourself would do. You and him will be together 10 months of the year for the next 4 years. Bonds are formed with time, there is no need to rush them.¡± ¡°Before everyone leaves, Bojana, would you get Av- Adina to her room safely? It seems some of her people don¡¯t like her here.¡± She snorted but he knew she would do it. Harlan said his goodbyes to everyone and double checked the privacy wards in the room. He didn¡¯t actually know enough about wards to even make a judgment on them being good or bad, so he tossed up a privacy veil, just in case. ¡°So¡­ What has been bothering you?¡± ¡°I mean, we don¡¯t want to push you to say anythi-¡± Harlan grabbed their hands and explained everything from his point of view. From his meetings with The Mother, what he wanted to do to Jet, his feelings of betrayal when Balor wanted to stay, the field of bones near the farm, his fight with Gilly, the things he read in the library and his worries that his mother¡¯s spirit was bonded to him as a banshee, how he felt Adina was really desperate for friends and how it was itching some protective instincts in him, the talk with Kass all those years back and more recently, things he never talked about before that happened in the facility like the riot, the gods of Reino being Fae, his worries about Rosewell, his meeting with the king before he was released. He released everything that bothered him and didn¡¯t give them the chance to ask questions. ¡°Alright. I think that is all of it.¡± ¡°I¡­ I need to think about all of that for a minute.¡± Zella thought that Harlan was open with her before, some of the things didn¡¯t bother her at all, but the field of bones was creepy. She liked to think that he was still fairly normal, minus everything that happened, but she hadn¡¯t realized just how short of a fuse he was working with. Amber had a different reaction. She simply hugged him and cried. ¡°You should¡¯ve told us, but I¡¯m not blaming you. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to overload everyone all at once. I have my issues, you have yours. I talked about some of this with mom and dad, and it did make me feel better.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t burdening us. I can only start to try and work through everything, but it isn¡¯t your fault. You are still a kid, and you are reacting to a lot of things that you don¡¯t really understand. Between nobles who are just awful people to a god trying to pull you into some destiny she wants, I think it would be crazier if you weren¡¯t effected by any of it. But you aren¡¯t a bad person, you¡¯ve been put in bad places. You try to be nice to people, you are just not ready for everything that is being pushed on you and you have so much more power than a normal person. If you really tried to hurt someone most grown adults wouldn¡¯t be close to you unless they were soldiers, you have already done so well at not hurting people, please just keep at it. If you want, I am sure Tau would like to talk about some of these things with you. I am not going to tell him anything, but he always seems to know what to say when dealing with the world, he is better at it than me at least.¡± ¡°Yeah, I might just do that. Thanks.¡± Harlan returned her hug, Zella didn¡¯t really have anything to add, she thought about dumping her own problems out to them, but she still couldn¡¯t bring herself to do it. He didn¡¯t know exactly how long it took, from his explanations to them just sitting their comforting each other. But it was late when they got out, they wouldn¡¯t be getting their 8 hours at least, but neither really minded that much. ¡°Oh, before I forget, you should really talk to people about that whole¡­ Banshee thing. I never really talked with him but since Sepul wrote a book on it, you should talk to him about it. I know you probably don¡¯t trust anyone here, but they are good people. You don¡¯t need to try and solve everything on your own.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Harlan waved them goodbye, he felt burned out on hugs. Overnight he simply tried and tried with telekinesis, finding that he was having more luck with it now after letting everything out. Though it still amounted to being worse than Balor was after just a day. Lugh hummed a melody that Ava taught him, which helped Harlan to calm down a lot. Chapter 76 Harlan was exhausted, he spent hours training telekinesis and he ate nothing but cookies. He could go to the cafeteria and pick up premade foods but he lost track of time and didn¡¯t realize how much he was burning himself out. He only realized the time when he heard the morning knocking telling him it was time to wake up. He took a quick shower and headed out to eat breakfast, finding Adelwulf and Tau waiting outside. ¡°Oh? Did you guys wake up late?¡± ¡°I thought I should answer your question from last night.¡± ¡°Adelwulf?¡± ¡°Tau was absolutely sure I needed to be around for it.¡± He had no delusions of what the answer would be. ¡°I would. The population of Reino grows and so does its military might, which has relied on numbers and their landlocked magic. The Border was pushed back when a seawall fell and things from the deep killed many. When Reino is strong it is everyone''s problem. Your question is not would I kill a million to save 2 million, but rather would I kill a million aggressors to save a million defenders. Life is not equal, there is right and wrong, good and evil. Suffering would be lessened if they were gone.¡± Adelwulf was baffled, but he agreed. ¡°That makes a lot of sense. Though I don¡¯t know if I think about it like that.¡± ¡°Why not? Do you not agree that to kill evil is good? Would you not wipe out every Fomorian down to the last man if you could in an instant?¡± ¡°Of course I would, they are-¡± ¡°They are people. What of Harlan? Is he not Fomorian? Would you put Amber through that sadness? Or would you rather he died on the side of the road, so you didn¡¯t have to deal with her?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t the same.¡± ¡°It is. You condemn him to death because of what, and not who he is. He is not Fomorian, he is Amber¡¯s brother.¡± Harlan felt like he was being used as a pawn to teach Adelwulf, but he didn¡¯t mind much. ¡°Fine. I get your point. Harlan, I am sorry for how I acted before. It wasn¡¯t right of me.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s pretend it never happened.¡± Tau smiled and they started walking, a small crowd had formed around them for their little argument but was dispersing as they moved realized it wasn¡¯t going to end in a fight. ¡°I should clear this up. But my honest answer to your question is no. I would not do it. I simply put on an act to make Adelwulf go onto the path with the best outcome.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t mind it at first, but then he started to think thoughts he didn¡¯t like, he was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. ¡°Do you enjoy acting? Theater and all that?¡± ¡°You are not quite as subtle as you think yourself. I have heard of your paranoia already. I am not acting as your sister¡¯s friend, I am her friend.¡± ¡°How would I know?¡± ¡°You cannot. There is no defense I could ever use when you assume everything could be a lie. You must simply have faith in your sister, that she is smart enough to not fall for such a trick.¡± ¡°I trust her.¡± ¡°I am glad that you do.¡± Tau had Harlan walk in between him and Adelwulf, leaving him unbothered during their walk to breakfast. Harlan sat with his group and while the others sat at their normal spot. Both Zella and Adina were being weirdly quiet which led to not much being said over breakfast. Harlan and Adina were part of class group A. There were 1000 new students in the first year as its limit, which was then broken up into 5 groups of 200 for the duration of the mandatory classes and then broken up as they transitioned into chosen classes. The solution to not having enough teachers was to shuffle around class order and in some cases have a substitute teacher to fill in a timeslot if that teacher was in charge of more than one class. Before night classes were implemented the academy only took in 600 students and split them into 3 classes. Harlan walked to the first class with her. Basic elements. The teacher was a man, early 30s. Brown hair, brown eyes, 5¡¯10, average height, the academy teachers robes were not much different from students robes, the gold robes denoted that the man was from Ragne, the tassels on his shoulder were in the colors of the other student groups. There was an expectation that during one''s stay as a teacher that they act as an impartial employee of the academy and not allow themselves to be mired in the politics of their people. Harlan thought he was a perfectly basic man for a basic class, but he also felt odd, like he knew he had seen him before but he couldn¡¯t place him. Everyone filtered into their seats and the man spoke after looking at his watch. ¡°Good morning, I am John, your teacher for basic elements. Now there is something I am going to clear up. Some of you might have noticed that your monthly schedule doesn¡¯t have many of your chosen class for this first week, the reason is simple. Mandatory classes are not going to be running for the entire 4 years you will be here. We are teaching you the basic things which you need to know to be able to perform in your chosen classes and to let us get a baseline for your abilities and aptitude so we can correct you before you make mistakes and end up behind in other classes. This is not true for soulwork however. It will be thrown in across the years as we feel it is needed. Much of that magic is changing day by day and it would be foolish of us to teach you for a week and then never again. When those changes happen you will be notified in your monthly schedule. We are not going to be tossing in a class in the middle of the month unless it is decided that such information must be learned as soon as possible.¡± Harlan silently let out a sigh of relief that he wouldn¡¯t be stuck with classes he didn¡¯t care for his entire time here. ¡°Now, I am going to ask some simple questions and those who want to answer simply raise your hand. For starters. Fire mana represents fire.¡± A girl with red strands in her otherwise black hair was picked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Wrong. Fire is heat, it is movement. This is something you will learn if you figure out imbibing magic, but for now simply rub your hands together and feel what happens.¡± The class felt a little foolish but did as asked. Everyone knew what would happen but did as asked anyway. ¡°When you move things quickly together they make heat, fire magic isn¡¯t making fire per say, but rather it moves things against each other in such a way that fire is the result. Fire also needs fuel, but fire magic ignores this by changing things, turning the air you breathe into a proper flammable gas. This process, like most magic is very automatic, the mana cost for converting air into flammable gas like what is something tapped into when mining is actually higher than a simple fireball, this is one of the very many mysteries of magic which most simply throw their hands up and say ¡®must be the will of the gods¡¯ and I am one to agree. Next question. Water magic, what is it to you?¡± Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. A boy raised his hand hesitantly, he was sure he knew the answer, but now he was questioning himself. ¡°Does it mean cold and liquids?¡± ¡°Be confident when you answer questions. But before I answer that. How many of you have tried to move mud or liquid metals?¡± Only a handful of students raised their hand, Harlan among them. ¡°Sir Fomoria, what have you found when trying to do this?¡± ¡°Metals, even if you melt them, take pure earth mana to move. Mud is half and half, if you just try to move the water you won¡¯t be able to move it smoothly and you risk separating the water from the mud itself.¡± ¡°That is correct. Water magic works on most liquids, from wine to blood. But not all liquids are water based, but even those which are receive this seemingly divine help. Healing a blood borne affliction with light magic works, but, if you implement some water magic into this the treatment will be more effective. But back to the original answer. Much like how fire is movement, friction causes heat. The slowing of things is what cold is. The examples I like to use are how ice does not flow, or if you could rub your hands in reverse and instead it would pull heat out of your hands. Now, next question, do you all know about elemental dualism?¡± Almost the entire class raised their hands. ¡°Alright. I will explain this for the few who don¡¯t know. At its simplest form, all mana is neutral but has an alignment somewhat like the soul does, water and fire, air and earth, light and dark, these make up each side of a coin. Now, why is it dualism? Each mana should be 6 sided instead of two sided? Simply put, you can flip part of water to fire with the right spellwork, but you cannot flip water to air. The reasons for this aren¡¯t really known. This is why I say somewhat like the soul has, instead of saying they have an alignment like a soul. Many things I¡¯ve just said are simplified explanations of things. You don¡¯t need to know how everything works to cast each spell, but knowing too little leads to issues. For example, if any of you tried to make a spell to create unburning, or cold flames as they are sometimes known. But you simply thought heat was removed instead of simply lessened and held, you wouldn¡¯t make a cold flame, you have made a timed explosive.¡± Harlan raised his hand. ¡°I have time. But please make it quick.¡± ¡°Where did you get that example for cold flames?¡± ¡°A messenger for the academy told it to me as a good example of a failure which is easy to avoid but is also very dangerous if the person is ignorant of dualism.¡± Harlan wasn¡¯t sure if he should be glad that he technically helped with the lesson, or annoyed that he is being used as an example of a failure. ¡°Now, back on topic. Air magic. What is it?¡± A Maetus girl raised her wing. Harlan had been stealing glances at her as he could, her front was white with black speckling from her neck down, her back as far as he could tell was a dark brown. But what interested Harlan was that she was, compared to Ibery, big. He assumed since they were both first years that they were close in age but she was larger as Ibery and more bulkily built, Harlan eyeballed her at 6¡¯6 at least. ¡°Air is movement but without friction.¡± ¡°That is almost correct. Air is movement with reduced friction. There have been cases where past a speed limit that heat is still there, leading to an upper limit of what flight can be without extra equipment to deal with such issues. Honestly there is less I can say about air compared to the others. The unique aspects of air magic really come out in how it affects other elements when it is mixed with them. So let us move to earth magic. What is it?¡± A Minos answered. ¡°Earth is earth, it is solid and unmoving, it is physicality.¡± ¡°That is a good answer. There isn¡¯t much I can add on, so I will go into an example of how magic automatically simplifies itself when you use it. If any of you have ever made stone from dirt it isn¡¯t really that hard right? Wrong. Stone is, in simple terms, compressed dirt, but if you ever tried to, for instance, make a hammer and press dirt into stone it is very very hard, and very very mana intensive. But doing it with a spell? Well that is quite simply, most of you should be able to do it without issue. This is the one which I throw my hands up and say it is divine work the most, to create a diamond with heat and force takes a lot of time and energy. But a specialized spell? I could make dozens every day, granted they would be worthless because there are also spells to know if a gem is fake or not. But that is beside the point. We will get into light and dark tomorrow. I used too much time and you all have 10 minutes to get to your next class. Have fun.¡± John walked into a room near the large chalkboard, but Harlan was very sure there shouldn¡¯t be anything but another classroom past the wall. Harlan got together with Adina and walked to the next class. Despite the words of the teacher it wasn¡¯t actually very far at all. They walked into their next class with 5 minutes to spare, and their teacher was¡­ John. He was shuffling papers and looking over a stack of books until he checked his watch again to let him know the class should start. ¡°Good morning, I am John, your teacher for spellcrafting. Most of you should already know how to make spellforms and those who can¡¯t can memorize spellforms through repetition. As for what a spellform really is, well, a year ago I would be forced to say this is something to throw your hand up for. Now however I can explain that the lesser gods of Aarde manage and control mana that flows from the soul of the world. You can think of the movements and words for magic as being a polite way to ask that you be granted magic, runes as letters in an alphabet that they use to write the rules of reality within a space. Now, as for how people form those runes in their mind which are set in your mental book of spells as it were, that is a matter of translating your knowledge of how the world functions into a way in which you can ask reality to bend to your will. This is why you can think of anything and you might get it eventually, but in reality if you wanted to get an advanced spell to function you would need to draw those runes and then color them in with the correct mana in the exact right portions. There was an experiment in which 3 soldiers were told to make a spell, 1 was taught nothing about it, the second was given a basic rundown, and the 3 was given and in depth explanation of what the spell was supposed to do. The experiment took 1 week, training the first man took no time, the second took a few hours, and the third took 2 days. Who do you think finished first? It was the last man, having an in depth knowledge of what can be done makes the process of translating that knowledge into a spell an almost instinctual process, even just knowing the temperature that water freezes or wood burns can make a difference in how your personal version of the spell works, because almost no two spells are actually exactly the same. Now, questions?¡± ¡°How do the gods control that? There is supposed to be nearly 80 million people on the continent, even if only 30% of people are trained in magical use and use it regularly surely they can¡¯t filter so many requests? And that isn¡¯t even getting into animals that use magic. What if they wanted to stop somebody from using a spell, could they do that?¡± ¡°That is two questions, but I will answer both of them. The answer is that they don¡¯t react to each person individually, think of them like an array that activates when you have the right pass and opens a door. If you tried to use that door without the pass they would block you, but if you have the pass then they don¡¯t even look your way and they keep on with their business. For the second question¡­ we really don¡¯t know. I am sure somebody here has spoken to a god, but I doubt they would be given that kind of answer.¡± Harlan raised his hand. ¡°I can¡¯t answer for the others but I don¡¯t believe that the gods of dark, wind, or water mana would ever stop somebody. Each of them believe in the freedom of every being to make choices, to deny a spell wouldn¡¯t make sense for them.¡± He could tell from the look on his face that John would¡¯ve rather not let Harlan say that. He could tell from the stares of every other student that they wanted to know more, Harlan had expected this kind of reaction so he didn¡¯t mind, if the academy was officially teaching that there are gods of Aarde then he hadn¡¯t done anything he shouldn¡¯t do. ¡°Please avoid bothering Sir Fomoria about the subject. We will be moving on to the spell crafting portion of the class now. Make whatever you want so long as it causes no harm to yourself or those around you. I will be here to judge everyone''s efforts, but don¡¯t think that making a certain number of spells will be the correct answer, simply put your all into whatever you are trying to make and I will know. Just don¡¯t try to skate by without even trying.¡± Harlan thought of what he could do that wasn¡¯t harmful and was coming up blank. He could make a little lightshow but he didn¡¯t understand the refraction of water was what made mist act as a prism, so he threw that idea away, there really was only one subject that he had a truly in depth understanding of. He focused as if he was trying to contact The Mother and formed an idea, then that idea faded in and out as he moved his hands and said whatever sounds he thought were right. Slowly the bramble of runes was cleaved away until it became something that he could somewhat understand, he kept going, making the lines clearer, it shifted ever so slightly and Harlan knew that he was making it better. Then Harlan was pulled out of his crafting by Adina telling him that it was time for class to end. ¡°I almost have it, I¡¯ll be done in just a minute, go on ahead.¡± He blanked out the rest of the world and went back to work. It wasn¡¯t perfect, he knew that somehow, but he cast the spell. Ranged soulsight. The classroom turned into a festival of colors as the souls of his classmates became visible to his sight. Souls were¡­ smaller than he thought. When he looked at them with normal sight he had been focusing on them so heavily that he couldn¡¯t really pay attention to anything else, so they filled his full sight. In reality human souls were roughly the size of a pinecone. The students started itching themselves and Harlan stopped the spell, he wasn¡¯t sure if it was him, but the chances that it wasn¡¯t his fault were pretty low. John gave him a little talk that trickster spells like that are not acceptable, Harlan was just glad he didn¡¯t explain what he actually made. Chapter 77 Harlan and Adina were on their way to warding, he kept a constant glare that kept others away from them. This was more for their protection than his, if he had to block one more person from knocking Adina over he would resort to violence. ¡°Harlan¡­ about what you said, how would you know that?¡± ¡°The part about the gods? I¡¯ve spoken to The Darkness. I have no idea if she is really good or evil, but she has helped me.¡± ¡°Can¡­ can you show me around the academy later? I don¡¯t know where to find things yet, so I¡¯ve just been following you and trying to remember where things are.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you read your map?¡± She stopped in her tracks and despite the difference in size, weight, and power, he found himself pulled backwards like she was made of stone due to his own softness around her. He could feel that she was angry and confused with some sadness in the mix. ¡°Are you joking with me?¡± She sounded hurt by his words. ¡°I¡¯m sorry? Did I say something wrong?¡± She took her glasses off and Harlan saw her eyes for the first time, they were pure white, without iris. Suddenly it clicked in his head that she was blind, that was why they called her broken. ¡°Why haven¡¯t they fixed it?¡± Harlan¡¯s mouth was faster than his sense, but she seemed relieved that he wasn¡¯t treating her differently now that he actually knew. ¡°My soul is broken, healing returns the body to some natural state. Even if they made me completely new eyes any healing magic might just blind me over again.¡± They started moving with the flow again, Harlan noticed some people had been snickering or outright sneering at his clear weakness while dealing with the girl barely 5 foot tall and with arms like twigs. ¡°So, because your people consider souls something not to mess with they can¡¯t fix your eyes with soul magic.¡± ¡°Correct, and if you offered I would refuse. I have only my family and my faith in this world, to allow myself to break our tenets for selfish reasons would cost me both of them.¡± ¡°What about friends?¡± ¡°Every friend has left me, I hope you don¡¯t as well.¡± She giggled as if it were a joke. Harlan could feel that she was sad but trying to keep it out of her mind, not unlike him and his anger, his sense kicked in before he made an embarrassing moment in the hallway trying to comfort her. Warding was taught by Archmage Blackwall, he began the class when he was done with headcount, not bothering to wait for the appointed time. ¡°Good morning. I am Archmage Blackwall and you should refer to me as such when you ask any questions. First, how many of you have cast a ward? Raise your hands.¡± Every hand was raised. ¡°You, back of the room with red hair. What is a ward?¡± Without hesitation the girl answered. ¡°It is a spell which is cast and hangs into the area in which it was placed, fueled by mana at the time of casting and or fueled by natural absorption of ambient mana. It is then activated by a criteria set by the caster.¡± ¡°You failed to mention warding objects. Most arrays are freestanding while most wards are placed in or on items, a warded object has the effect of the ward, not unlike enchanting, but that ward is part of the object and the breaking of the ward breaks the object and vice versa. This distinction is internal vs external wards.¡± Normal looking sticks suddenly appeared on everyone''s desk. ¡°Ward your stick with whatever you believe is necessary to prevent me from snapping it in half with my unaided strength. I am placing no restriction on mana use or warding scheme, though you only have 10 minutes to do so.¡± Harlan poured a great deal of mana into his ward, though he was not experienced by any means and he was sure others could¡¯ve done so much more with less mana and time. Blackwall walked to each desk and tried to break a stick, most of which he couldn¡¯t. Then he moved back to the front of the class. ¡°2 of you pass. Claude Dyad, Ar¡¯Yanik Whitehorn, congratulations, you are naturals. The rest of you failed.¡± There was outcry from nearly every student, Blackwall simply raised his hand, placing a ward that blocked the sound of everyone until they settled down. ¡°Each of you who complained will receive a mark on your record. You will not win an argument with me based on the feeling that I have wronged you. The reason why you all failed was cost and function. Some of you even warded against fire and darkness despite my saying I would only use my unaided strength. A ward must balance cost and time with function, you are all wasteful with your mana. You should ward with what is necessary and not with the idea of too many further threats. You would not ward a castle like you would ward a chicken coop.¡± Another stick appeared on each desk ¡°Do it again. Getting better at warding is all about assumptions on what you can get away with cutting. Stone naturally resists fire, so you can use a less costly ward of flame protection, just enough to help it fight sticky fires. Wet wood is a similar case, and sometimes it is best to pair it with an array that will keep that wood damp which can be better than warding for fire in the first place. A ward that burns out too quickly is almost as bad as one that was never placed at all.¡± The redheaded girl from earlier raised her hand. ¡°What question do you have?¡± ¡°Archmage Blackwall, I am a little confused. I thought that you would just be teaching us wards and how they work? Couldn¡¯t I just have stayed home and warded on my own time?¡± ¡°The academy is the largest gathering of knowledge, we have the most extensive library on the continent. But the real reason for you to be here is to learn from your elders so you don¡¯t make simple mistakes just because no one told you better. Ideas formed in the dark by single individuals who think they know what they are doing will never beat those made by melding minds with people who have already passed those hurdles and, most importantly, are willing to help you pass them. Mages rarely share without either asking for contracts or other personal spells. A few words can save you hours or even days of work because you approached the problem from the wrong angle. No more questions until the end of class.¡± The rest of the class was Blackwall walking through the rows of desks and giving out advice as he saw fit. By the end of the class only 10 more students got his approval, Harlan was not among them. Though he did not tear down those who failed, instead saying he hopes to see them tomorrow and giving out advice before they left. Though Harlan did need to ask a question. ¡°I just wanted to double check, but your warding ability isn¡¯t the same as internal warding, right?¡± ¡°No, my unique ability lets me place a ward in an object and then use that object to place wards. Internal wards on the other hand cannot be removed without dispelling the ward, and if that is done roughly then the object breaks. I¡¯ve would liken it to a brush by which I can draw wards of different sizes and shapes into an area, even your soulsmithed items cannot do that. Warding is- Sorry, I¡¯ve gotten off track, make your way to your next class before you are late.¡± Then it was off to basic arrays. The teacher was a young woman with messy red hair and intense but tired green eyes that watched the clock like a hawk, starting the class at exactly 11. A student sat at a desk near the teachers with a notebook. ¡°Good morning, I am Archmage Aria Shifting. You may call me Aria. A show of hands for those who have cast an array before?¡± There were no hands left down. ¡°Good good¡­¡± She muttered to herself. ¡°Fomoria. What is an array?¡± She said as she suddenly pointed towards him. ¡°A spell that reacts to something the caster has defined and can be placed in an area or object. It causes effects whereas a ward stops effects.¡± ¡°Now, make a light array above your desk that activates based on whatever you want. I will show you the movements and words then you have 5 minutes..¡± Harlan played it safe, making an array that gave off a uniform light whenever anything entered the area. As he waited for the testing phase he just looked around the room. He had never seen so many people casting magic together, warding didn¡¯t cause so much distortion since they were focusing it into an object, he could see the mana swirling and being drawn into shapes in front of the other students, he thought of the dancing the night before they left for the academy. When the time was up Aria moved her hands and the arrays were pulled towards her one by one. Harlan had never seen anything like it, he was pretty sure a large part of why people used wards and arrays was their difficulty in being influenced once cast. She spent a few seconds with each array, moving her hand in and out, then waving a stick though it, followed by her casting a privacy veil around herself, ending it with a small fireball hanging inside the array, that she changed in size and intensity. Several arrays burnt out with a bright light as the fireball grew too large for it. Harlan was surprised at the speed at which she worked, testing the 200 first year students arrays in just a few minutes, then sorting each of them in a way Harlan didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Fine work. These ones activate based purely on movement through them, a very basic way to do it, but the obvious issue is how sensitive they are. You don¡¯t want an array that turns on every time a bird or a leaf flies through it. Which brings me to these over here, they activated through heat, you, tell me why you made such a choice?¡± She pointed at a pale boy in red robes. ¡°Vamp- No, my people have a lower body temperature than normal humans. I have been taught to tune an array to the temperature of a human as a detector.¡± He received some harsh looks from the students of Reino as he called vampires his people, they were being fairly peaceable, though only because the academy had started to actually go against the country to stop their bullying of non-human races. They hated to be reminded of their own weakened state allowing those they barely consider people to openly attend. ¡°Take notes everyone, because this is what arrays are all about. Tuning an array to do exactly what you want and to do nothing at all when you don¡¯t want it too. An array which can be tricked can be taken down far more easily and is less likely to get your target. I¡¯ve seen more than enough deer set off an array and torn to ribbons because someone tuned it for weight or size without taking into account local wildlife and I have seen enough arrays safely drained because someone let them turn on when something activating them when they shouldn¡¯t. Now, the last set of arrays here are ones that check light levels and turn on when the dark comes. These are most commonly used as nightlights for children who are afraid of the dark.¡± Some of the students who made them blushed in embarrassment. The reason they knew how to do such a thing was written on their faces. ¡°By the end of the class I would like everyone to get at least one of these other methods working on their own arrays. Warders are expected to be more specialized, but arrays are more of a general skill, another tool in your belt. Knowing how to make the right array, even a simple one, can be the difference between life and death. I will be free after dinner should any of you wish to speak with me, simply set an appointment with the receptionist at the staff building behind the academy.¡± Harlan found the other methods easy, his second array could react based on heat and darkness, his third could detect soulsmithed items, though it was very specific and only activated when that item was used on it, making them more of a novelty than a useful array. Aria was quite happy to see him moving beyond what was asked of him, though as he started getting lost in his work and making arrays until they were getting dangerously close to other students work she had to bring him back to reality. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°If you don¡¯t care for any of your other classes I would be glad to have you join mine. Or even just a chat every now and then?¡± She saw some of her own self destructive nature in him, she had abused anti-sleep elixirs in the past when she felt she was near a breakthrough. But she knew Harlan barely needed to sleep at all, so she thought ¡®I could use someone who isn¡¯t so afraid of a few weeks without sleeping.¡¯ She knew she couldn¡¯t force him to join, so if nothing else she wanted to chat, putting seeds in his mind she hoped would bloom into a love of arrays. ¡°Yeah, I might just do that. By the way, how did you move those arrays?¡± ¡°That is my secret. I became an archmage for it, but I will never teach a soul to do it. The dangers of wards and arrays being made useless against an attacker is something I cannot do.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you need to give up knowledge to be an archmage?¡± ¡°We can have a chat about what it means to be an archmage another time. I need to grade this last batch of wards then you need to eat your lunch. Wouldn¡¯t want to wear yourself out now, would you?¡± Harlan didn¡¯t feel particularly hungry until she mentioned it. He still wasn¡¯t fully recovered from his mana abuse overnight, worrying about his habits once again. He waited outside the door to the classroom for Adina and then headed towards the cafeteria. He could feel two people following him, at least he believed it was two people, they seemed to blend in with the crowd, but he knew that they were focused on him in particular at least. For lunch they had smoked fish and assorted vegetables, though the servers all warned not to eat too much since melee combat classes were soon. Harlan never had much fish, the oceans were far off and the local rivers had more small fish than large, making them poor for eating. That got Harlan thinking about where the academy got their food. He hadn¡¯t seen supplies come in yet, though he hadn¡¯t been there long. He was awoken from his food and logistics when Adina finished her silent prayer and spoke to him. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± ¡°Where does the academy get its food? I¡¯m sure they just bring it in on carts but I¡¯ve not seen it happen yet.¡± ¡°Does it matter?¡± ¡°No, not really. I just wonder about these things.¡± Harlan went back to eating his food. There was little chatting as they were all digesting their lessons from earlier. Eventually a bell rang, the sign that they should head to their classes. As they walked to the first year sparring room he noticed that outside of a few cases, the vast majority of people who were bumping into them intentionally were from Ragne. He expected a lot more hostility from everyone, but barely any student of Reino had so much as spoken to him beyond Adina. He would¡¯ve thought it was just because of the truce between the countries, but he still saw the small bits of bullying by them towards beastkin, sneers and stepping on their feet, harsh words and strings tied on the beaks of birds. Though they did retaliate at times, stepping on feet or bumping didn¡¯t work so much on an Ursa or a Minos, even if they were the same age they had at least a foot and 150 pounds on any student around them. That mixed with the more tight knit, less poisoned by internal politics community that the beastkin had was turning it from a problem between individuals into a problem with a group. Harlan ruminated on their retaliation, thinking it justified, but it wasn¡¯t really his problem. They entered the sparring room. Harlan was impressed by the magic that was needed to make such a thing, it must¡¯ve been 1000x500 but from the outside the room shouldn¡¯t have been more than 200x100. But more important than some spatial magic was Selen, she wore her Nightwatchers equipment in place of the normal teachers robes. He could feel her mind, she was happy, as for why? He couldn¡¯t tell, but it set him in a better mood anyway. ¡°Good afternoon. I am Selen, professionally known as the Whitewhip of Aine, formerly known as The Red Wind, feel free to call me by either name, I am not a stickler for such things. Now, before we start I am going to say that any students of Reino are not required to participate in this class unless they choose to. We here at the academy understand the needs and creeds of every student. If you are not going to take part in soul defense then you may either sit at a bench or spar in the rings to pass the time, though you should keep in mind that we will be doing melee combat classes after this class, so do mind your pace.¡± There was some grumbling but the students of Reino stayed, apparently some soul magic was acceptable to them. Selen nodded her head and raised her hand, the many rings she wore came into his vision. She shifted the ground of the room into seats and a work table for students, each group of 2 would share a table, Harlan guessed the rings were to do things like this, the spells that made a class better, light projections, teleporting class materials in. ¡°Now, for starters. No spells are to be cast on others in this class, in fact-¡± She snapped her fingers, causing arrays to spark into life in his mana sense. ¡°These arrays will stop any attempts to cast any spells on another person.¡± Two more snaps of her fingers, which Harlan was absolutely sure were for show, shuffled students around to keep them out of reach of one another, then an array appeared that he didn¡¯t recognize. He was too caught up in looking over the simple runes he could see vaguely formed in the air denoting an active array that wasn¡¯t protected from snooping to notice that something was coming at him like a distortion in the air. ¡°I was told that you basically invented this. I am supposed to tell you not to mention anything about this process to the other students, ignorance of what they could do with it will be a safeguard from them hurting themselves or others.¡± Then she was out of his mind; he needed to ask her how she could do such a thing over a distance. ¡°This first class will be entirely about soul searching, which is to say finding your own soul.¡± She said some words about resonance and souls being forms of stable contained mana but Harlan knew all of it already, this first class was almost entirely worthless to him. That is, until she actually gave out the spell, speaking words clearly and moving her hands slowly. Most mages spoke in barely a whisper, some didn¡¯t even make any audible sound at all to avoid making it easier to replicate their magic. To hear such clear words was almost foreign to him at this point, Autumn and Amber moving beyond such things while he was gone. At that thought, when he was gone, when he was taken away. He froze in the middle of his spell, having to focus so he could calm himself a little, turning down his emotions though Lugh did warn him to be careful doing that. He replicated the spell on his 1st try and improved it until his 8th. It felt wrong to him at first, the mana chased his will in a sluggish manner compared to what he could do even unstructured. He shifted his hands and changed the accenting on the words until it felt right, he would¡¯ve started working on trying to make a new spell with this as the base but it was getting to be time for the class to start doing real work. Once she felt that the students could soul search well enough she ended the class, praising the students for all getting it in the timespan of a single class. Harlan thought that she was just trying to build confidence in them. Eventually the melee classes would be starting, a golem came over with a bucket and moved the gore around him into it, carrying it back through the gate they came from. Harlan tried looking past the gate, but a veil had been set up to avoid seeing beyond it. Selen clapped her hands, causing rings to form and the desks and chairs sink into the ground. Harlan couldn¡¯t see any deformation in the floor like he would expect, he wondered if the walls were turning hollow, where were they getting the materials to make these things? ¡°Alright. Now, first things first, each of you will be sorted with an opponent suited for you based on what we already know about you. The goal will be simple, knock your opponent down or make them otherwise submit. You will be given wooden weapons shaped after your own weapon of choice, for those who don¡¯t have a usual weapon you may go to the racks near your ring and pick something out, feel free to also switch between rounds if you feel a weapon is not suited towards your style. If we believe excessive force is being used you will be warned, and if you continue you will be reprimanded, this is a spar, not a duel. Magic can be used only if it can be used with a single word or a simple movement, for example.¡± She lightly kicked her foot and a gust of wind blew low on the ground, it could be felt but it didn¡¯t ruffle anyone''s robes. She then started pointing at students, their robe would faintly glow in pairs and they were pointed towards a numbered ring. Generally speaking beastkin fought beastkin of a similar build to them, girls were paired with girls, people who had no idea what weapon to use were paired up. It was all similar skill levels and or physical attributes. Then there were 2 people left, Harlan and a Golden boy, maybe it was one he met before? He couldn¡¯t place his name. ¡°Instructor Selen, I don¡¯t believe that I have anyone left on my level, it would be better for the two of us to do physical training.¡± ¡°That is true, Harlan is a bit above you but I think it will be fine for both of you to spar. Please go to ring 100. Please don¡¯t argue. Harlan, this is Delmet. Please avoid harming him.¡± The boy was fuming but followed her command, her tone left him no room to argue without getting a mark on his record. They spoke no words between them on the short walk but Harlan already felt like he knew him since hearing his name knocked his memories back in place. Arrogant, thinking himself above others because they aren¡¯t what he is, not who he is, likely he had been praised instead of shunned because of this. Harlan was spiraling, inventing events in his head to be angry over, wondering what if he had been a Golden instead of a Fomorian? Would he have even been taken away? Would he have lived a more normal life, heading off here at the same age but without all of these other things clouding his mind? Would people still want him dead? Would, would, would. He didn¡¯t understand where these thoughts were coming from and tried to push them away due to them feeling natural but not like they were from him. They stepped in the ring after grabbing their wooden weapons, Delmet held no real weapons, only sloped shields on his wrists which let him deflect weapons without stopping him from using his hands for signs. The Golden were not as physically blessed as the Fomorians, though Harlan¡¯s mixed blood Delmet was still nearly as strong as him, a gap which would widen over the years should Harlan keep up his workouts. But magically, they were the people designed by Aarde for their needs, they were blessed by all elements and held more mana in their souls than anyone other natural beings, hand to hand for them was the only real answer since any weapons would simply lose out to their magics, they were, in a sense, glass cannons, but very very effective ones, few things lived long enough to make them worry about using up their mana. They stood facing each other with rings of light at their feet to show them where to stand with another ring of light hung in the air between them as a timer till the start of combat. 5 4 3 2 1 Harlan felt somewhat nostalgic seeing the boy''s stance, Gilly had nearly permanently disfigured him, but other than that it was an alright night. Delmet rushed him, Harlan knew that stabbing would likely be a bad idea, the boy clearly wanted to deflect his sword and then take him down, so instead he used his head. Rushing between the arms the boy held in a wide stance expecting an attack from the outside Harlan stuck his blade in his inner elbow and pushed down, the other arm moved, but not for a punch, rather a simple touch was all it took. Harlan¡¯s body stiffened as the electricity surged through his body, yet it was a shock intended to immobilize a human, not Harlan. ¡°Never should¡¯ve gotten close, Fomorian.¡± ¡°I will keep that in mind, thanks for the advice.¡± Harlan simply grabbed Delmet¡¯s arm and tossed him to the ground. Point Harlan. The next round started with Harlan in a stance ready to pounce as Delmet drew close, though this was a simple misdirect Breken taught him. When he got in range Harlan tossed the sand in the boy¡¯s eyes and kicked his legs out from under him, Harlan disliked drawing out fights when he didn¡¯t need to. ¡°COWARD¡± He said as he got the sand out of his eyes. ¡°A fight is a fight, go to a graveyard to find the ones who fought with honor.¡± Had he known he would be quoted, Breken would¡¯ve never said these words to him. They traded rounds back and forth for a little while, Delmet used magics bluntly to overpower and knock Harlan down, Harlan used small tricks, mist and illusions and mud to get quick wins. Finally Selen was looking over the fights and telling some of the students not to bother doing another round since they would go over the allotted time if they did, but Harlan and Delmet got the go ahead for one more to determine an overall winner, Harlan was actually a point ahead of him, so it would really just lead to a tie. Harlan was feeling the strain of keeping up with a Golden when it came to magic, not only was he not as well trained but his overall reserves were simply lower by his very nature. He decided that if there was a way to win, it was with the thing he was best at, the thing which he quickly learned was his greatest strength, his body, he trusted and hoped his plan would work. As soon as the round started he rushed forward as fast as he could. Delmet wanted to humiliate him, for he was a Golden, he didn¡¯t just believe he was better, he knew he was better. Getting into a tiebreaker match with a Fomorian was simply unacceptable to him, losing was unthinkable. He turned the dirt of the arena to sand then tried to put up a wall of sand, listening though it to know where Harlan was so he could send the wall forward to finish the fight. He heard Harlan lift off, they had done this song and dance before and Harlan knew Delmet could hear the sands. He dropped to the right trying to circle around him, Delmet sent the sandwall surging forward a split second after hearing the sound of something hitting the sand. Unfortunately he judged wrong, he knew something landed but he didn¡¯t know what, Harlan finally hit the ground right in front of the boy without his sword in hand. Doubly unfortunate however, was that Delmet expected a fakeout like this. He hit Harlan with an open palm strike charged with enough electricity to kill a large man. For Harlan however, his heart simply stopped for a few moments before Selen called a doctor and revived him. He wheezed as his body realized that he was alive again. ¡°Good¡­ Hit¡­¡± Delmet got yelled at for nearly killing Harlan, but what he was more upset about was that she tried to disqualify the match, leaving him a point behind Harlan, what upset him more was that Harlan argued in his defense. ¡°I don¡¯t want your pity, Fomorian.¡± Something about the way he said it tickled a deep part of his soul and Harlan threw a punch that broke Delmet¡¯s jaw in 3 places before Selen realized what had happened. Harlan hadn¡¯t even realized what happened at first, Delmet was on the ground bleeding everywhere and screaming, Selen was horrified that Harlan did that out of nowhere, but Harlan also felt worry from her.
The Darkness liked to find futures, the less likely they were to happen they more interesting they were to her, peasants rebelling and turning to nobles, magical beasts forming kingdoms, the deaths of gods, these things were wonders to her, though the cause and effect required for such things to happen were always strange and she had no desire nor right to force them. But she began to worry, this was not the first time this had happened, but it was the first time in such numbers that so many futures shared a single threat, something strong enough to end all life was here, or it was coming, futures were hard to place in time when she sighted so far ahead. Chapter 78 The first thing Selen did was end the class and disperse the crowd that had gathered, the second thing was send Harlan away. He found himself in a hallway he didn¡¯t recognize, the door in front of him had a nameplate reading ¡®Mary, guidance counselor.¡¯ He knocked on the door and she told him to come in. She stood 5¡¯7, not an uncommon height for a human woman, but uncommonly short for a Golden woman. She wore a simple yellow sundress with a small spot of red where she had spilled tomato sauce from her lunch without realizing. He guessed her as being early 20s, 25 at the very most. What Harlan found striking however, was that she didn¡¯t have a single tattoo. He inferred from those he had seen that it was something the Golden all got at one point or another, even the boys aged the same as him had a sizable amount of their body covered by them. She spoke in a kind tone, without judgment for his actions. ¡°Please, sit on the couch across from me. Have a cookie if you like.¡± Harlan instantly felt remorse for what he had done, it hadn¡¯t sunk in that he nearly did to Delmet what Gilly had done to him. ¡°Do you understand why you are here?¡± ¡°I reacted to a taunt before my mind caught up with my body. I harmed someone who I didn¡¯t mean to who didn¡¯t deserve it at the time.¡± ¡°That is some troubling phrasing, at what time would he have deserved it?¡± ¡°If we had been fighting and I didn¡¯t hold back it would¡¯ve just been an accident, but his own pride and insults against me would¡¯ve been enough cause to let me not feel bad about it.¡± ¡°Do you feel bad about what you did?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why? It seems you dislike this boy quite a bit if you believe there is a time when doing what you did would¡¯ve been acceptable.¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t use what I know, what I am, to hurt others who can¡¯t defend themselves from me.¡± ¡°What do you believe that you are?¡± He nearly called himself a monster but the words caught in his throat, it was the first thought he had, he felt bad about hurting Delmet, and on some level he went back to thinking he was a monster. ¡°You don¡¯t need to answer if you don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°I am just a person.¡± ¡°That is close, but you are you, Harlan Fomoria, found on the road, raised by a nice family, taken from them by your kingdom to invent things. Do you agree?¡± ¡°That sounds right.¡± ¡°I want you to come back to me sometimes, talk about why you are angry, I know from reading over your file and seeing what you¡¯ve done that you want to be good. I want you to understand that anger is just part of everyone, you aren¡¯t uniquely bad for giving in sometimes. Everyone has a bad day, everyone does something they regret without thinking it through, harsh words or thrown hands. What matters is what you do after that, don¡¯t let it fester, give it a day, find Delmet, and just apologize to him. He doesn¡¯t have to accept it, but you need to let him know that you really mean it.¡± He didn¡¯t understand it fully, but he teared up. Her words knocked something loose, the gate to the things he still kept locked away cracked just a fraction. He ruminated on this as he walked through the gate leading to his next class, politics, a vague name, but he figured the teacher would explain it. The students looked at him and whispered to one another before the teacher slammed his book closed. The man standing at the front of the class was the Vowren, the Blackwall Archmage. Yet Harlan could still feel their emotions burrowing into his skull like foxes digging beneath trees, he tried to turn down his emotions, to force shut his emotional feeding, but nothing was fully blocking it, he had to just ride it out and try to fight all the focus on him by trial and error. ¡°I will be starting now, you all know me already, but you can call me Vowren here. Politics? What does this class mean to you?¡± Harlan was somewhat shocked by the change in demeanor, he had a fire in his eyes and an energetic voice as he spoke, here he was not The Blackwall Archmage, he was Vowren, a man who loved the history of the nations. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°No takers? Come now, this is a place of learning, but it is also a place of teaching, if you don¡¯t ask questions you might as well stay at the library all day reading words from things which cannot answer many of your questions.¡± He went on with how the class was to explain political structures of the nations, but Harlan heard little of this. ¡°Anyway, now we can move onto Reino. In a sense, they are very much like Ragne if you think about it, a grand saint instead of a king, great saints are dukes, high saints are counts, and saints are barons. This is a very simple view of it, but should work as a starting point. Now, unlike Ragne, the title of grand saint isn¡¯t passed down by blood and the will of the former king, but rather by a method which is unknown to most people. The grand saint will then demote or promote any saints of any ranks and this will generally happen without much strife, Ragne cannot do this because human nature abhors the loss of power, but a nation based on faith can do this by saying it is the will of the gods. I won¡¯t give my own opinion on good or bad, that is for you to decide, but Reino has grown much faster than the kingdom in nearly every way and if it wasn¡¯t for some of their magic being landlocked they would¡¯ve likely rolled over the entire continent by now. But, and I know there will be a lot of those in this class, that has also led to a sense of misplaced security, they have been structured since their inception to conquer other lands and they believed their own incapable of being invaded, this is profoundly foolish.¡± Students who were already holding their tongues spoke up, but after a few classes they were learning how forceful they could be in asserting their opinion. Vowren welcomed this, open and honest debate was how he hoped to change their minds and hearts, he wasn¡¯t a man who wanted fighting, he had seen enough war, done enough killing. He was disappointed in their arguments against him which were little more than thinly veiled insinuations that he simply didn¡¯t know their people and couldn¡¯t really speak for their nation like he did. But, this was a start, he wasn¡¯t arguing with children, he was talking to them while knowing far more than they ever could. ¡°Now, back to the topic at hand. Reino was first ruled directly by their gods, note, I said their gods, not the gods. As part of the new curriculum I will be speaking about the truth of the world, we will not be arguing about whose gods are real or false, I will be only speaking of what I have seen, what I have read, no nation shall be coddled because we wish to avoid conflict, a time of understanding is now, a time where we can know other peoples without bloodshed is now. Back on topic, after their gods were gone, and I am using uncertain terms here since that topic is too much to get into here, the people started making their saints more than the soldiers of the gods of Reino, there was a period of 50 years post age of the gods where it was chaos and Reino as we know it today was a single city of hundreds and much like the walled cities of Ragne they were besieged by beasts who bred out of control since saints couldn¡¯t go out in the world and cull them as they could, some kept a part of their power but most people didn¡¯t. Don¡¯t take for granted the simple existence of a healer, diseases ran rampant, killing cities before any beast set foot inside, other cities with only healers fared slightly better since their magic was potent, more so than modern healing magic, they could take half a man, cast a spell, and he was whole again, it was a meat grinder of people fighting, being torn limb from limb, being healed, and going right back into it. I want to really make this clear, even 500 years ago, things were very bad. The last wizard was killed some 600 years ago, the last witch? 160 years ago. I want this to be known because it is important for us to understand why things were so bad, why we have formed nations for combat, and not for peace, Reino, Ragne, the states of The Confederacy, all of them are built by and for bloodshed, either against beasts or against other people. Some of you here will be leaders some day, either a city, or a town, maybe even a village, and you need to know about the leaders of the past so you can know how to be a leader of the future. I had another section planned, but our rousing conversation earlier ran a bit long. Is there anything which I could quickly clarify before I end this for today?¡± Harlan had won, the feelings were calming down, part from his efforts, part from something else. But he was still barely there, his mind was wandering, he was focused more on keeping the people around him from noticing how weak he felt than anything. It was Lugh who slipped inside his robe and raised his hand, spoke in his voice. ¡°What were the wizard and witches then? Why did one die out so much later than the other?¡± ¡°An excellent question Fomoria. The wizards of old were those who held power through power, they had some vestiges of godly magic which they wielded against the beast hordes, they didn¡¯t age, they didn¡¯t sleep, they killed many, man and beast. They were mostly put down by Marigold¡± A smile crept across his face for just a moment as he said her name. ¡°She hated those who abused their power, so when she came to teach normal people how to use magic as we know it today many of them tried to stop her, fearing their own loss of power. Their heads ended up on pikes as an example, some of them allowed this and learned modern magic from here, including the first King Yggdra. He died at the ripe age of 840 years old in a battle against the other last wizard, a man who fled from Marigold and led an army against The Kingdom of Ragne. witches are a less clear thing, but they were, in a sense, anyone who ruled through things like seduction or gifts, healers could fall into this category because they seduced people with promises of eternal lives, which, for the record, they couldn¡¯t do, they could only make them seem young until they died, these were the ones who lived the longest since they tended to simply be around powerful people instead of being the powerful people. But make no mistake, they could be just as cruel and vile as the darkest of wizards, sometimes death is the better option. King Yggdra the 13th, the grandfather of the current king, put down the last witch, a man who tried to flee into the frontier after he was discovered to have been manipulating and stealing from noblewomen whenever he ran out of money from the last time he did such a thing. This is also the fight which killed him, I will not be going into detail.¡± The man pulled out a watch and made an odd face when he saw the time. ¡°I must apologize, I¡¯ve gone over time once again. You have 4 minutes to reach the next class so I will just open a gate.¡± It barely took 30 seconds until 4 gates opened to take the children to the next class, Harlan waited until they were mostly cleared out before he made his move, physically nothing was wrong, but mentally he was haggard and needed sleep, without asking his opinion Lugh had spoken to Adina who was sat next to him to help him keep steady as they went to the next class, Harlan hated economics so he wouldn¡¯t miss anything if he simply slept through it. Harlan would wake up in his seat as the professor, a balding man who looked like any tax collector he had ever seen, clapped his hands and told them to get to their next class. He couldn¡¯t remember what he dreamed of, but he felt it was something awful.
The Darkness asked her siblings who scoffed at her prophecies of doom that never panned out in the past, They believed it was just another bout of minor madness caused by living too much in times unknown instead of the present. Even her parent gave little stock to her fears, but wouldn¡¯t stand in the way of whatever her plans were. The Darkness was confident that this was a very real threat even if she didn¡¯t know the why the how or the when, so she looked for those who might be champions. Chapter 79 Breken was back, while Harlan slept through a class on economics; he was in a carriage with several blades pointed at his vitals, just in case. ¡°So Dahlia, how have you been? I hope everyone is safe and happy.¡± She was personally asked by Rosewell to make sure Breken got back alive, there was no telling what an enemy who wanted to weaken the Redwall house would try. ¡°Very safe (danger around every corner), very happy (ignorant, keep it that way.) I am sure that Ava will be very proud when she tells you she is now a noble.¡± Dahlia was a master at doublespeak and codes, so long as the person she was speaking with understood the game being played, small shifts in posture, the crossing of legs, cracking of knuckles, each of these things could mean something if one looked into it deeper than what seemed rational. ¡°I am glad to hear it (how much danger are they in?) Harlan made it to the Academy safely I hope?¡± ¡°Of course, he only broke the hand of one man on the way. He wasn¡¯t disturbed once along the way by bandits or beasts (every threat against him died before they reached him.)¡± Breken only chuckled at the news and leaned back in his seat, he approved of Dahlia. Dahlia left out that they had no idea what actually killed everything in Harlan¡¯s path before they reached him They came to the gate of Redwall mansion just after breakfast, Breken¡¯s stomach grumbled slightly, he had been fed well enough in prison, but it was a long trip back here due to them switching carriages and making loops to hide the position of where he was kept even after they gated him out of the place. His senses were known to be very sharp and it was only barely decided that he should be allowed to live after a great deal of arguments from an ally of Harlan. The first thing he saw nearly had him in tears laughing, they had convinced Ava to wear a nice dress to greet them and she was barely hiding her contempt for the thing. She reminded him of a Betta fish with all the frills in black and red and white, it was done in the colors of house Fomorian and commissioned by Autumn. Still, Breken needed little effort to school his face into a blank slate once more before he got out. The first thing he did was drop to his knees in front of the baron with his hand across his heart. ¡°I hope that my own failures to reveal my past have not shattered the trust between us, though if you wish me to leave I shall accept my fate.¡± ¡°Rise. You have done every duty which has been asked of you, your past is of little concern in the face of years of honest service to myself and my people. If my father was still here he would have the same words for you. You are welcome back as head of security for my barony and personal trainer to my family and the Fomoria family, there will be no changes to pay, but there is much work that needs to be done due to your absence.¡± ¡°I thank you for your kind words and forgiveness.¡± Dahlia resisted rolling her eyes, she knew what had just happened was nothing but a show, surely other nobles had spies in the trees, she could see a few of them herself. Redwall had been asked to take part in the trial of Breken and decided a week ago that Breken would come back in part because his replacement, while competent, didn¡¯t have the charisma or history of Breken, people were undercutting him on taxes and the soldiers in the surrounding towns didn¡¯t fear or respect the other man yet. ¡°The crown is also glad for a reunion on good terms. My name is Dahlia, head of security for the Fomoria family, I believe we have met before.¡± ¡°Yes, you were the one who crept around my home and told young Harlan about the Tytoan spy. Are you here as an escort for Breken?¡± ¡°In part, however, the other part of my work is to assess your home security. The crown is willing to pay, in part, for new wards and other security features should they be required due to the presence of Ava Fomoria and Autumn Redwall. My work as head of security for their family requires that I insure any places they spend sizable amounts of time to be at a safety standard which I believe is right for them based on threats made against them and other information which I will not speak on.¡± There was still some annoyance from Redwall about the crown questioning his ability to keep his family safe, but cheap upgrades to his defenses tempered his anger. ¡°Of course, I will give you a tour before lunch. Will you be staying for dinner?¡° ¡°I thank you for the offer but I hope to be at the Fomoria mansion by evening to check their defenses.¡± Redwall locked arms with her as a kind gesture, but mostly to stop her from wandering around like she owned the place. Spite ran deep in the man. Meanwhile Breken went to his room to make sure everything was in its place and get a change of clothes. Then it was right to the sparing room, he knew what he would find there. As he opened the door a sword aimed right under his armpit came from his left, Ava had escaped her cotton prison and gotten ready to make up for lost time. Breken smacked the blade away with the back of his hand before going in for a hug, spinning Ava until she was sick. ¡°How have you been kiddo? I hope you didn¡¯t break your promise.¡± She was taking deep breaths, trying to not spill her stomach towards the man, after a minute she was alright. ¡°Bastard, leaving me here while you go do whatever you want.¡± She punched him in the arm and he let the blow connect. ¡°I had business to take care of back there. But I am home now.¡± It wasn¡¯t lost on her that he chose to call Reino there, and here home. ¡°Glad you are back home.¡± She wasn¡¯t going to cry, but she was happy he didn¡¯t end up executed as a traitor. ¡°So am I, oh, and watch your language. Autumn would skin me if she heard you talking like that.¡± ¡°She can keep up her appearances but I won¡¯t let her keep up mine too if I can help it.¡± ¡°Then what was up with that floofy dress?¡± He said with a smirk, receiving a kick to the thigh for it. ¡°She said I looked pretty in it, did I?¡± ¡°I am sure when you go to the maiden festival in a few years that you will have men fighting tooth and nail for you, assuming Harlan doesn¡¯t get too defensive. I¡¯d hate to be the man who does you harm.¡± ¡°Well thank you, but I doubt I¡¯ll be going to any of them for a while. I don¡¯t want to get tied up in marriage yet, maybe never.¡± It didn¡¯t bother Breken any, he just shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I never got into any of that either, it is hard for love to bloom on the battlefield, the women are of a¡­ different sort. But, anyway, want to come with me when I go out to do enforcement work? I am sure there will be bandits and illegal merchants to kill or arrest.¡± ¡°REALLY?¡± She has been asking to come along on his real missions for a long time, fighting goblins was one thing, but they didn¡¯t know tactics or stances, it was like killing children; she thought for a moment about how dark that really sounded. ¡°Sure, just get Balor to agree that you can go. I hope you learned some magic while I was gone, you need a bigger toolkit.¡± Instantly she deflated, she didn¡¯t really talked much with Balor and barely understood him so she wasn¡¯t sure she could get approval. She also just had a bad feeling about the ring, he never did anything bad really, but something was wrong to her. ¡°Why do I need to ask?¡± ¡°You are a Fomoria now and he is the highest ranked member in the area, I think at least, Harlan will have some paperwork to fill out at some point to assign ranks. Anyway, I am going to be acting as enforcement alongside another noble, so I need his permission to take you with me since you are still a child. Or you could wait another 2 years to come along with me.¡± ¡°Fine¡­ I¡¯ll talk to him. How much time do I have to get an answer?¡± ¡°All the time in the world, I am sure there are some things I need to do alone so I¡¯ll call on you when there is something safer.¡± She gave him another kick on the way out, she needed to tell Autumn she was leaving and taking the Carriage Harlan kept here for this exact reason. They had a minor spat about her being allowed to work with Breken against people, but technically unless the baron outright forbade her from going there was nothing Autumn could do since she wasn¡¯t legally a Fomoria and her power as a Redwall was limited. Ava was at Harlan¡¯s home just before lunch, he had only been gone a few days but there was already clear signs of what was changing, worker golems manipulated the ground to make a larger hall of sorts, it was constructed of only 5 room, one for commanders, one for dining, one for cooking, and one for everyone else to sleep, and one for whatever else it needed to be. Inside the walls however nearly everything was the same other than the start of a garden and a few unsavory characters around. Ava would¡¯ve thought something was wrong but if the trees didn¡¯t react and there was work happening then it was probably fine. She made her way inside to find the maids were cooking together. ¡°Hello Isha, hello Sara, do you know where I can find Balor?¡± ¡°Oh, I believe he should be in the basement, no, they call it something different.¡± ¡°Bunker, thank you.¡± ¡°Yes, and thank you.¡± She made her way to the passage and it opened as she touched the hidden door, down she went, the air grew cold and she wasn¡¯t sure if it was just nerves, she wanted to do work and Balor was the barrier to that. She looked at the doors and saw none of them were open so she tried to remember what door led where and where would Balor be, but she didn¡¯t know what most of the doors did. As she stood in front of what she was pretty sure was the workshop the door opened and she was face to metal face with Balor. ¡°Greetings Ava, I noticed you¡¯ve been standing there for a while, can I help you?¡± ¡°I want to work with Breken, he said I needed your permission since you are the highest ranking member of the family legally right now.¡± ¡°What would the work entail? Knocking on doors or killing things?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t know until Breken decides what he wants to do and in which order, but he mentioned bandits and maybe merchants selling illegal items.¡± They stood there for a minute, though it felt like much longer. Balor was trying his best to think, what would Harlan do? Surely he wanted her to be safe but he knew that Ava wouldn¡¯t get stronger if she stagnated by hunting goblins for her entire life, Harlan didn¡¯t like caging other people even if his instincts wanted him to keep everyone safe. As much as he wanted to be free from Harlan¡¯s thoughts, he never realized how much they bounced ideas off one another. ¡°Come with me for a minute.¡± He led her into the workshop. The walls were mostly bare, the only decorations were some plants that Lugh liked, tools and blades and gems laid out on the floor and tables in what she thought was chaos but was actually how they sorted everything. She hoped she could convince him to give her some magical items. ¡°Why? What drives you towards fighting?¡± She didn¡¯t expect this kind of question. ¡°I¡­ I just like fighting? The rush of a spar or knowing that when I am out there fighting goblins or wargs that I am saving someone''s field, or their animals, maybe somebody''s life.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Breken will be with you, but who else?¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I don¡¯t know, depends on the work, probably local guards or soldiers from Redwall.¡± ¡°Harlan trusts Breken, Harlan trusts you, and Harlan trusts me. I don¡¯t want to betray his trust we all share.¡± Ava expected a no and was already ready to leave. ¡°So I will allow it, but I am also going to send Harlan a letter, and if he replies back that he doesn¡¯t want you out there with him, I will retract my approval.¡± Ava was so happy she hugged him, though she did find it awkward since he was basically cold steel in a human shape. ¡°Oh, and who are those shady guys outside?¡± ¡°Well¡­ New workers you could say.¡± He hesitated when answering and didn¡¯t even deny that they were shady, but Ava ignored it, his little line about shared trust hit a chord with her. ¡°Oh, and before I forget, Harlan didn¡¯t get the chance to finish it, but I did.¡± He unwrapped a blade for her, its edges were a deep black, the center was a pale gray. ¡°Shadowsteel edges will cut through just about anything if you hit it hard enough, the rest is stonesteel, it is heavier than your current sword but it should be fine. Swing it around a few times and let me know.¡± She did as asked, it was a bit heavy, but she figured that it would grow on her. ¡°When did he get this done?¡± ¡°About a week ago, he antagonized about spells and materials for so long that he didn¡¯t get the chance to actually put the spells in it. Now about what is actually in it¡­¡± She made her way back upstairs to find a place set for her at the table. ¡°I am sure Harlan would be cross with me if I decided to send his little sister away hungry.¡± Sara said. ¡°Thank you, Sara.¡±. It was a little awkward since the maids acted so friendly and tried to include her in their conversations but Ava was never a socialite and barely knew the girls other than that Harlan liked them. She felt like she should spend more time here if she could find it. So with a full stomach she went back to the Redwall mansion and then straight to Breken¡¯s room to see if he was in. As soon as she was going to knock the door swung open and out he came. ¡°Good, armor up and let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°How did you know I was allowed?¡± ¡°Your eyes aren¡¯t red and puffy.¡± She was indignant, she hadn¡¯t cried in¡­ Well it wasn¡¯t that long ago but it was for a good reason. ¡°What are we doing?¡± ¡°Bandits, you, me, 5 soldiers from here. The camp is already known and they were getting ready to raid it as soon as I got back but I held off so you could come along. You do know how to ride a horse, right?¡± ¡°I can learn.¡± Breken chuckled and headed to the stable to pick out the right one for her. She arrived only a few minutes later, she always kept her armor on since it wasn¡¯t very heavy so she just needed to grab a helmet and a shield. ¡°Ava, put your hair up. If it sticks out the bottom of your helmet it is just asking to be grabbed. Goblins have short reach and small minds, bandits will grab and fight like I do.¡± She tried a ponytail but it was still too long and it made her helmet not fit quite right. ¡°Stop, let me do it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t cut my hair.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. It¡¯s called a halo braid.¡± It took less than a minute for him to move through the practiced motions. Ava used the water in her flask to make a mirror so she could look at it, she wasn¡¯t able to make a perfect one like Ibery could but it worked well enough. ¡°Where did you learn this?¡± There was a fraction of hesitation so small no one noticed the stutter in his step. ¡°I knew a few female mercenaries who taught me stuff like this to kill time, now, hop on. Lightly kick her side to get her going forward, pull back on the reins to make her stop. She is well tempered so it should be fine for a first ride, you aren¡¯t going to fight on horseback anyway.¡± She was giddy on the ride until about 30 minutes in she noticed a shift in the atmosphere, Breken talked about it, but it was killing intent she was feeling. She put the faceplate on her helmet and steeled herself, the other soldiers were all men in their early 20s, new recruits who needed experience just like her. They all rode in silence towards the place they would set their horses while the fighting happened. Another 20 minutes passed before Breken raised his hand and made a fist, it was time to get off. They went over the plan on the way in, the 5 soldiers of Redwall and Ava would stall the leader and his right hand, Breken would deal with the other 20 on his own. Ava was shaking, she was nervous. Breken joked and carried on when they went against Goblins and culled animals who were getting close to becoming magical creatures, but she never saw him with a full masked helm on in the calm before the storm. The bandits slept in the afternoon and evenings, leaving the camp to raid merchant carriages in the night and morning. Breken drew his blades, a broadsword like any other and a dagger to deflect blows. He pointed to a group of tents which was his target, then to a single larger tent that held the leader and his right hand. As soon as one side or the other broke stealth it would turn into a full fight, until then Breken would kill as many as he could silently. But all plans fell apart in the face of the unknown. The ground, the air, everything felt wrong, as if something scared away the mana and it was hesitant to return. The clearing where they should¡¯ve found bandits instead looked like a warzone, bodies were strewn about, arms and legs were held in the branches above them, more blood than seemed possible was splattered in every direction from one crater which held only a fanged man''s head. Trees and man and beasts were cut down, it wasn¡¯t like they had been struck by blades, there were no signs of cutting or striking, no sawdust or splinters on the ground, it was like there was once something there, and then there wasn¡¯t. A bear laid with its rear half completely gone, and yet there was not a vulture to be found, no foxes, raccoons, it was not fresh, the bodies had been baking in the summer heat for hours already, causing Ava to empty her stomach and the other soldiers to go green. The soldiers could only utter one phrase. ¡°What the fuck.¡± Ava expected Breken to at least glare at the man, but he was too deep in thought to even register what was said. He spent a lot of time on battlefields, he looked over every detail as he walked around, this wasn¡¯t a force of a dozen mages or magical beasts all coming together to wipe out the bandits, it was closer to what happened when ascended fought an archmage, two overwhelming forces clashed here. He looked in the surrounding area, seeing some trees were cut down by whatever happened here as far as half a mile, but all he could gather was that they were darkness based, but darkness didn¡¯t have range, it didn¡¯t have speed, it shouldn¡¯t hit this far or this fast, animals were caught in the blast when they should¡¯ve had time to leave, a few wargs were even killed, darkness shouldn¡¯t kill wargs instantly like this. He walked back to the rest of the group. ¡°We need to leave, get people out here to investigate what the fuck happened here.¡± They mounted their horses and returned without issue, leaving everything exactly as it was and would stay, even the lowest bottom feeders avoided the area like the plague, vultures flying around it and ignoring the bodies.
The veils were in place, they would have no interruptions. The Shadow approached the camp silently and he strode into it like he owned the place, it wasn¡¯t long before the bandits drew their blades against him, though they did not strike. Then the leader arrived from his own tent. ¡°What are you, what do you want?¡± The man¡¯s blade was a dark red, though it was not firesteel, rather it was alchemically treated bloodiron, perfect for an ancient vampire, or rather the son of one. ¡°Oh? Don¡¯t you mean who are you?¡± He made himself look like an almost normal man, black hair, black eyes, his clothes were like a simple farmer. ¡°No one walks into this camp like you did, and you smell inhuman.¡± ¡°Well, who I am doesn¡¯t matter, you and yours need to clear out, in the morning a group will be here to oust you, and I cannot let you come to blows with them.¡± Their fangs gleamed in the moonlight as they laughed, what would it matter if some humans tried to kill them? Moved like a blur, reaching Coronach in half the blink of an eye, their faces were separated by mere inches ¡°Why the fuck should we leave. WE¡¯RE BANDITS, WE FIGHT AND FUCK AND STEAL BECAUSE WE CAN!¡± The men cheered him on. ¡°I was asked to not fight you, my master would rather this be handled peac-¡± The vampire beheaded him, though it affected him little and he simply assumed his true form. He had 4 arms, each with claws long as greatswords, he stood 10 feet tall, his head was angular, each of his 13 vertical eyes made sure he had no blind spots above, below, or around him. ¡°That was very unkind. Fine, I am supposed to stop you because someone important will be there with that group of soldiers. Now, scram before I start slaughtering you like the fanged hogs you are.¡± His presence scarred the ground around him, death had descended on that forest and only a fool would stand against him. Yet fools stood all around him. Those closest to him fell without realizing what happened, they had expected his body to still follow logic, instead he split and stretched his limbs before spinning them around his body, their vampiric regeneration was nothing compared to the man under The Darkness. The leader however stood strong against his attack, using the blood of the fallen to block the whirlwind of death long enough for him to get out of range. ¡°This still doesn¡¯t need to end with more bloodshed, but I really hope it does.¡± He didn¡¯t actually have a mouth in this form, yet he formed gleaming white teeth as a mockery of his foe. The vampire called out warnings to the rest of the group telling them to flee, the Shadow would have none of this, either they fought or they bowed, leaving was never an option. He dulled his own claws to make sure they didn¡¯t just fall to the ground in slivers, he wanted them to litter this place. The vampire could only do so much to stop the onslaught, he had been alive for over 600 years and killed no small number of Nightwatchers who tried to stop him, but this was the first time he ever saw something like this, a beast that shifted its body to better kill and whistled a slow tune all the while. ¡°Just tell me when it is enough.¡± ¡°BASTARD!¡± Rows upon rows of spikes came out from the earth, killing another group that tried to run. The vampire could barely keep up to him, let alone actually fight. Then someone new arrived on the scene, she whispered words to him, but he couldn¡¯t hear them, yet he understood, then she handed him a vial, he drank it and felt himself overflow with power. The Shadow had seen all of this and tried to kill the woman before she could escape, regardless of any other missions she was on the top of everyone¡¯s hitlist. As he was returning his focus on the vampire he saw him in a different form, bat wings on his back, his face flatted and scrunched up, taller than him, his fangs stretched to past the top and bottom of his head, giving him an almost goofy look to the Shadow. He would¡¯ve smiled at the new challenge but the thought was interrupted by the thing slamming into him through several trees as if they were twigs, he hadn¡¯t taken a hit like that in decades. ¡°FINALLY, SOME FUN.¡± He sent out powerful scything blades of void to get the last of the stragglers, they cut cleanly through the beast and hit their targets, but the beast wasn¡¯t even slowed down, his healing going far beyond what was normal even if it had been a blood moon. ¡°Oh, shit.¡± It slammed him from above, the Shadow had no idea how it was happening but the beast was forcing him into a physical state. He coughed and spit out blood he hadn¡¯t had in centuries. He dug himself deeper into the ground and slipped out of its claws before sending a blast of flame that could be seen for miles and threatened to set everything ablaze, though so deep in the woods and so late at night there was nobody around to see it. The beast screamed as its flesh was burned continually by the flames that just wouldn¡¯t leave him alone. It pulled blood from all around it to douse it and drink in the blood until it was bloated, sacs on its throat filled with the excess blood and it let out a deafening shriek. Coronach was starting to think that he should¡¯ve tried harder to do this peacefully, he took a moment to remake himself into a simpler form that he didn¡¯t need to think about using as much. His body took a triangular shape not unlike a flowing cape, his arms were reduced down to two, his eyes down to six, each of them took a different space on his head to give him full vision while the 7th was atop his somewhat flat head to catch anything coming from above. He lacked legs and moved like fabric pulled by some invisible force. Coronach flew into the sky and cast several rapidly spinning orbs of air. He knew that void bombardment should kill him, but then he would be stuck without external magic against someone physically stronger than him. The orbs cut deep across the ground as they moved in an erratic pattern. The beast replied with a vacuum spell that disrupted the orbs. Both of them stared at each other, Coronach could see the madness still set heavy upon his mind so he taunted him with a gesture telling him to just try and fight him in the sky. The beast couldn¡¯t resist, however as they clashed moving near the speed of sound he lost to a rather simple looking punch from his opponent. Coronach never left home without a handful of weapons hidden in his body, in this case, an enchanted pure silver glove. It was paper thin and disintegrated after the blow, but it tore the beasts face off and gave Coronach time to cut the wings from the beasts back as he recovered in a crater below. Yet still he couldn¡¯t deliver a final blow before it gained distance from him, he knew that as long as those sacs of blood on his throat were still there the beast could likely regenerate from anything outside of complete obliteration. The beast moved towards him again but then stopped, he was regaining his sense of mind, he realized he should be fighting smarter than this. He called his sword to him, his form became less beastial, his face taking on more of his normal features, though still distorted by what he was. He looked for a moment at the bodies around him, their little clearing was destroyed, he had done most of this, he lost himself to bloodlust, he would need to rebuil- Coronach noticed the state of mind he was in and flowed across the ground, attacking from below as the vampire looked up at the moon, his claws wreathed in plasma that cut through him like a firesteel butter knife. But the vampire was fast, far faster now that he was fully in control of himself again. He struck him across what might¡¯ve been a jaw and he was sent flying until he dug a deep trench in the ground to slow himself down, it hurt him, but he cut the sacs on the vampires neck, forcing him to use up some of the blood to heal them and boiling some of it away so the vampire couldn''t reclaim it. The vampire and the shadow stared each other down again, it was time to put him down. He started a longer spell, growing several more arms and mouths to finish before the vampire reached him. The air screamed as the pressure increased 10 fold in a short second, the body of the vampire tried to fight off the lightheadedness and the swelling of his joints, but it was all for naught as a wave of void canceled the first spell and sent the pressure back down to normal levels. The vampire¡¯s body exploded with great force as his spine sought to fly with the birds and his ribs found themselves wrapped around a tree, his skin puffed like every part of him had turned into lungs. Yet the worst part of the grisly sight was that the blood seemed to want to try and form back together. He found where the blood was congregating, the shards of the vampire¡¯s skull came back together and his skin was regaining its color. He didn¡¯t want to witness another beheading for at least 48 hours, he didn¡¯t want to be beheaded for at least another week. Coronach felt drained, his body was normally in a semi-solid state and he had no organs, so the pressure spell didn¡¯t cause him to explode like his opponent, but the void had ripped apart the mana. When in a neutral state he couldn¡¯t feed on it to recover as he normally would, he would need to confirm his kill and then find a mana stream to heal his body. He pulled out a piece of the silver that he would mound his weapons out of and placed the head on it. After a few minutes the blood stopped trying to come back, the vampire had suffered true death. He left without cleaning up his mess like he should¡¯ve, if something found him as he was there was a real risk of him dying. Chapter 80 Harlan was still groggy as he moved through the halls, leaning on Adina as they went to their next class. ¡°So, did you not sleep much last night? Sleep elixir wearing off? Want me to take notes for you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to get into it. I¡¯ll be fine though.¡± She seemed to be taking Tau¡¯s advice and dropped the subject. ¡°I heard you fought one of the Golden, I heard they were almost as strong as beastkin.¡± ¡°He was weaker than me I think, but maybe his weapons just didn¡¯t let him use his strength. He wanted to use magic more than anything else and he didn¡¯t seem to be as tired as me even though he put more power into his spells than I did. Who did you fight?¡± ¡°A soldier wearing a blindfold, they said he was used to fighting in the darkness of deep caves so he was teaching me how to use sound to see what is coming instead of what is just there. I was taught some back home, but then they stopped. I didn¡¯t even get any bruises from him either, it was a nice way to learn.¡± Harlan¡¯s mood worsened slightly but he knew there wasn¡¯t anything to be done, maybe it wasn¡¯t even a problem? Breken was always rough with him and Ava and both of them were strong. Those two people were behind him again, their focus was different, even though he stopping feeling everything else, they still lit up on his mind sense, he could still feel their eyes on him. There was nothing else said between him and Adina as they moved to their next class, it would be world history and then they would split up to do one of their chosen classes, Harlan would be getting his first look into what a magical creatures class actually was. Floating in front of a massive blackboard was Vowren again who greeted everyone who entered the class On the blackboard were written words and diagrams which Harlan could barely understand, there were a lot of swirls though. Everyone sat in their seats and he found himself surrounded by beastkin students, Reinoans and Ragne sat in the front, larger beastkin sat in the back, the rooms were slanted but they still understood that it would be rude to block the vision of their fellow students, but between these groups was a scattering of every color robes. Finally a snap of the fingers from Vowren started the class, the lights dimmed slightly as the room shifted, the windows were turned to only thin slits so that the students could see one another but the holograms would appear brighter. ¡°The world was made an indeterminate amount of time ago, some claim this process was entirely natural, some say it was the gods. I will not be speaking on this since there is simply no way to know. Moving on to some major events in the world, this was covered somewhat in your politics class but I will be speaking briefly about the old empire which according to Reino never dissolved and according to Ragne has no right over them. Roughly 2000 years ago was the first recorded contact between humans and the gods of Reino, their gifts of magic allowed them to conquer the rest of the world, which lacked magic, in only 200 years. From there things were relatively calm, a civil war or two a decade, but they had effectively no outside threats until magical beasts such as Drakes appeared and needed to be dealt with, it should be noted that magical beasts didn¡¯t seem to exist until after the gods appeared but they were more docile in the past. That is, until roughly 1500 years ago, the gods of Reino left for reasons known only to the grand saints and the world was thrust into chaos. Beasts which were once dealt with by mages were now overrunning smaller towns and cities, with only larger ones having the number of soldiers to actually defend themselves from the wild things which they tried to keep at bay with god blessed people. Every death now meant not just a mage was dead, it meant a mage was gone and there was nobody to replace them. Under these circumstances it makes a lot of sense that Wizards and Witches, which at the time were likely high ranking priests, became undisputed warlords of their cities and the only bastions which kept humanity alive. And I only say humanity as in normal humans, the Golden were unaffected by such things as they already held modern magic, the same could be argued of the Fomorians, though they relied on their strength more than magic, which they only really knew light and dark.¡± Adina raised her hand, she knew what she thought was history and there was something off about his story. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I thought the Fomorians came into being after the gods left us? And how did the Golden have modern magic?¡± ¡°Excellent questions. For starters the Fomorians actually came into being roughly 1700 years ago, I have been warned about what is acceptable to teach, so I can¡¯t get into the details of their creation but it was a natural process. The Golden gained their magic through godly means, but I will not get into details because of the same warning. Now, onto Marigold¡¯s journey. She started in the south here¡­¡± A hologram of the country from a top view appeared over the blackboard so he could quickly illustrate where she went and when, in 10 minutes he went over every cities that would end up being free states, members of the 13 cities that would later form Ragne, or those who peacefully became part of Reino as it is today. Then there was some talk about the start of the war which raged for roughly 1000 years before finally ending. Reino believed that every part of the continent, which was once under the rule of their predecessor empire, should once again form a single nation, however in the 200 years when Reino was conquering its neighbors for the right to call itself the successor to the old empire and the one true Reino, nations had already formed and cast aside their belief that the gods would return and fix everything. There were free states that were mentioned but many names were lost, others simply became cities at the heads of counties that are still around today, Ragne itself was one such city ruled by a benevolent Wizard King that once the war got too close for comfort and it was clear a stronger leadership was needed the council of 13 cities decided to hand over control to Yggdra the 1st, the war had been in stalemate ever since then. Vowren stopped just before getting into the fall of the last free state, class was over and most students were leaving. Harlan said his goodbyes to the rest of his group, and rushed away to his next class; he wanted to be the first in the door. ¡°Technically the class doesn¡¯t start for another 10 minutes, but since you are all here I am open for questions after I ask my own. There is only 40 of you here so I have time to let all of you answer, why did you choose this class? Are you hunters or biologists? Answer from left to right, bottom row first. Stand while answering, sit down once you are done, try to keep it short.¡± Harlan¡¯s turn was here. ¡°I want to understand how magical beasts work. I know magic subverts physical limits, but I want to know how and if people can do it as well.¡± ¡°A good answer, if you haven¡¯t already then find a book to learn imbibing magics, the beastkin have used these magics to great effect, though any boosts from them are temporary and can have severe backlash if used improperly.¡± After everyone answered there was only a few minutes until class started, 29 of the 40 students were there for the sake of learning to kill monsters better, 6 where there because it sounded interesting and they could always change classes if they needed to between years, the remaining had different reasons but still the end goal of understanding how magic makes things more than they should be.. A vampire wanted to understand the physiological differences between magical and non-magical beings, specifically unique body parts such as the way vampires process mana and nutrition far beyond what should be in blood or how a hati is made of mostly light, but if you cut out organs from it the body still dies like a normal wolf despite not breathing or having actual blood flowing through its veins that didn¡¯t exist anymore. ¡°Good, now, questions while we have a few minutes?¡± Everyone''s hands shot up but Harlan was picked. ¡°I heard bears are seen as guardians in the north from a friend of mine, why is that?¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Ah, well the short answer is 300 years ago the north was still cut off from the kingdom itself and many villages had patron beasts that helped them survive in exchange for things like proper homes and meals, the older a magical creature gets the smarter they get, just because they can live out in a cave in a mountain doesn¡¯t mean they wouldn¡¯t rather have a nice fire in a lodge made for them or a nice meal seasoned with local herbs. I grew up under a Great Wyvern myself. Of the many creatures that did live alongside humans the bears, who give or take a few years, at 30 became Arcus, 60 Callisto, 110 Metotush, have always been benevolent helpers who simply live and grown along with, but didn¡¯t rule over humans, of the changes since the north became part of Ragne only they have been allowed to stay, every other kind of ruler was put to death or chased away because of their treatment of those under them.¡± Another question was asked and half answered, Sepul didn¡¯t want to speak about his childhood in any real detail. ¡°Look at the time, I suppose it is time for class now.¡± With a loud clap space distorted and brought the group somewhere else. They stood in a small forest where a group of goblins were resting, bones of small animals were strewn along the ground. In the few shocked moments of hesitation both the goblins and students had, Sepul raised his hands and dull light left his fingers, all except for 2 of the goblins were near instantly turned to dust as the searing beams cut them down. The two that lived were then bound in hardlight chains, their limbs taut but not so tight that they couldn¡¯t struggle. ¡°Our first lesson is on goblins. Horrible little things, they are all female, with them producing aesexually along with their adaptation to any climate is why you will find them in every corner of the world, they gestate for 3 month periods but can generally only give birth to single goblins each, twins are possible but rarely observed, otherwise they would be a far larger problem, as it stands they are more of an annoyance. The two I have bound are an unadapted and a one with a rather strong case of adaptation. Take note of the way the one on the left has bark-like skin across its entire body, and if you look closely it has sticky fibrous hairs not unlike spiders, letting it more easily fill the role of an ambush predator hanging on trees for hours on end, those on the hands and feet are thicker and stronger, those are gripping hairs, the rest across the body are either sensing or defensive hairs, you can tell which is which by length and thickness.¡± Only the students whose reasons for being in the class was more scientific stepped forward to examine the goblin, the others were stunned by the sudden change in scenery, the killing of 2 dozen goblins in a split second and then the transition directly into teaching. Sepul set people on edge at the best of times with his corpse-like appearance, but for this children it was also the first time they saw an archmage fight anything, and calling it a fight was a stretch of the definition. ¡°Ask questions whenever you have them, there will surely be many smaller things skimmed over by books.¡± Immediately a girl from Reino raised her hand. ¡°What does aesexual reproduction mean?¡± ¡°They are both mother and father to their offspring, if you have ever hunted them then you¡¯ve likely heard the warning of making sure you kill them down to the last, lest they leave to infest another place. This brings up another point, they are things that should be killed on sight whenever you see them, but they also fill niches in ecosystems, I will be having a full class on ecology once I show you different creatures so you can better understand their roles once I hold that class, but for now know that they are spore carriers between cave mushrooms, they spread seeds for fruit trees, and they provide a source of food for other predators. They are not worthless things, because of their transient nature, always on the move, they spread plants throughout their lives, then feed the soil in their deaths. Ground goblin is actually used quite heavily in frontier farming.¡± Harlan thought it was interesting, but more interesting was what he saw on the face of the wood goblin. ¡°What are these black spots here?¡± ¡°Good catch, most don¡¯t notice it but wood goblins have more than just spider hair, they have a second set of primitive eyes to see above them. When a goblin reaches the final stages of adaptation they gain more extreme things such as gills or eyes or arms, though rare because of their relative weakness compared to how long they need to actually mature into such a form there are also creatures known as hobgoblins that we first assumed to be unique creatures until a pregnant one was found with a goblin baby in its womb, it is still debated if that is what really happened, but I¡¯ve seen them myself.¡± After a few more minutes Sepul pulled out a watch and checked the time. ¡°Unless there is anything you need to see on them, we will be starting on dissection now.¡± Harlan stepped forward when the other stepped back. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I want to look at their souls before you kill them.¡± ¡°Very well. But please be careful, a soul breakdown will ruin the flesh.¡± Harlan placed his hands on each of them, feeling the coldness from the wood goblin, he couldn¡¯t be sure but to him it felt like calloused skin was what the ¡®bark¡¯ was made of. He couldn¡¯t find anything significant and clearly different between them in the short minutes he had, maybe if he had another hundred of them to poke around with he might find something but he couldn¡¯t be sure. He backed away from the goblins and Sepul raised his hand again, sending beams of light around the goblins necks and severing their brainstem. Then he raised a table of stone where he placed the bodies before controlling hardlight tools to take them apart, every organ was placed on another table so the students could see the differences, the only major one between normal and wood goblins was an extra stomach which let them process grasses better like cows or sheep. Some of the students who didn¡¯t really have a solid reason to join the class turned green at the blood and guts, it was mechanical, without brutality, but most students never had to see these things. Harlan had also asked to have the wood goblin skinned so he could get a better look at it; the skinless body caused 3 of the students to outright vomit and vow to switch classes, the only part that bothered Harlan was the stretch the wafted out when he started breaking the ¡®bark¡¯ finding that yes, it was calloused skin. Another few students openly wondered if this was really what they wanted to spend their time at the academy doing.
The night before, at an empty field 50 miles from any other building in the academy zone, 20 stood around one. ¡°You got quite a few together here, even the old bag of bones.¡± ¡°We have had an alarm specifically for you for a long time, I hoped we never needed to use it¡± ¡°Good night light of man, shall we speak in words and not searing death?¡± Xol waved at Sepul. ¡°Oh? And what shall we speak of then?¡± ¡°Your letters, we found them before they were sent out. A seal on one of them broke and a courier saw the contents, we have been preparing since then.¡± ¡°Oh well, I suppose this is it then. You have my word, I will take no further actions such as this. But, when this all boils over, I will be there to say I told you so.¡± With those words Sepul was gone, slipping outside of every array and ward that should¡¯ve stopped him. Blackwall and Shifting wanted to cry in frustration, it was a quick job, but to have hours of work undone by a man over three centuries old was humiliating. As gates started to open in pursuit they closed just as soon. Xol made his presence known, keeping everyone at that field, his overwhelming aura setting them on edge. ¡°His words are spoken true, no shedding shall be here and now.¡± The headmaster spoke up, deeply worried for the old archmage who he had known for decades, with age came scars, and Sepul was very old. ¡°Will he? Can we take the risk that he will?¡± ¡°I have wandered since the Golden were ore. I have been and will be beyond you and yours from this until then.¡± Then Xol waved his boney white gold hand and every ward and array faded, though Shifting and Blackwall took this much better, Xol was something that everyone who knew about him knew was unfathomable. It also didn¡¯t help that he seemed to only speak in riddles and few people wanted to actually listen to him. Everyone bowed to Xol as they opened gates and left the area until it was just the headmaster and him. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°It was asked of me, they are needed for the then and there.¡± ¡°I doubt we would¡¯ve lost more than Shifting and Blackwall, and only then if we couldn¡¯t get those two out of here when the fighting got heavy.¡± ¡°Year for year he is more than me, but eons outpace centuries. Hold fear of him, lest your life slip through your fingers.¡± The headmaster pinched his nose and let out a sigh, he hated dealing with Xol, he could understand him but he hated deciphering it all.. ¡°Was this just a show for him?¡± ¡°Had he wished his words would cross countries by dawn, to leave them with the nights was no mistake, a bad bit of wax, inconceivable.¡± ¡°Why then? All he did was tell us that he wants a war with Reino to happen again?¡± Xol looked at the sky for a moment before answering. ¡°Pride through parishings of foes, pain through parishings of friends, shouting warnings but wishing not to be the one who speaks them, I believe this is of his mind. Past hates of self, regrets deeply etched upon him, wishes to stop those regrets from being once more. There are no more words to pass between us now, fly to your nest, little goldfinch.¡° The headmaster left and then it was only Xol. Eventually he too left, but he stood there for some time and watched the stars as he thought of home before returning to his, he had a special dinner planned for his wife that he missed for what he thought was a pointless gesture from a man too proud to admit what he wanted. Interlude: 1000 Years of Stories 1 The healer walked from town to town, he took no coin, just pay stubs from the mayors or local nobles. It was a rousing success and the man was glad such a system was implemented to let people get the healing they so desperately needed while the kingdom paid for it. Since they put it into effect the number of people willing to try to go to the frontier had a noticeable uptick. He entered the next town, its sign had been defaced so he didn¡¯t even know what it was called. It was run down, considering its location he knew it couldn¡¯t be more than 7 years old, but this place had a way of breaking things, breaking people. He saw two guards dragging a young girl away as who he assumed was her younger brother cried with a bloody nose on the ground. ¡°What crime has the girl committed that you would be so rough with her and that boy?¡± They noticed the rose pin but they didn¡¯t remember what a blue one met. ¡°Fuck off old man, she doesn¡¯t have a family so we just want to give her a job, we¡¯ll even give the brat food if she does well.¡± The lecherous smile on the man nearly sent the healer into a rage, but he couldn¡¯t just kill the two of them without the full story. ¡°And how old is she? I doubt she has even bled before, I will ensure that both of them make it back to an orphanage that can take care of them until they come of age. If no crime has been committed then it is a choice that they must make, what you are doing is illegal and I will not let it stand.¡± One of the guards drew on him and then he was just gone, not a trace of him remained but the sword that hit the mud. The second guard was stunned, he didn¡¯t know if his friend was dead or not, but instantly obliterating somebody was surely the work of somebody beyond him so he hoped to play a statue and maybe live. ¡°Girl, do you want me to take you away from them?¡± She barely nodded her head, exhaustion and starvation were both clear in her eyes, he couldn¡¯t stand to see a child without a spark of hope at such an age when the world didn¡¯t need to be so cruel anymore. ¡°Is that your brother?¡± She nodded and the healer took both of them by the hand to get food so he could give them proper healing without taxing their bodies even more. As they stepped into what could barely be called a tavern the guard who had gone missing finally hit the ground, after 10000 feet the man was dead in an instant. He would clear the rest of the shithole and take the fight however high it needed to go, he was not a merciful man and he would not stand to see his friends work go to waste because of corruption.
It was a calm day at sea, relatively at least. He was a squire on contract with the knights of the Dolemen Empire to help guard a shipment of something that he wasn¡¯t allowed to know about. He found himself alone in the brig next to the crate he was supposed to protect, yet he heard nothing outside, he hoped that whatever that lich hit him with didn¡¯t deafen him. He spoke and found his voice was his own, but his words were wrong. The squire shimmed the door open, he hoped that there was still somebody left on the ship. When he stepped outside he was filled with horror as he realized he was in the great wall of fog, this was no place for men. He checked the instruments but even the high quality divination compasses spun wildly and without purpose. He had no idea of day or night, the only lights he could see were Healer Jellyfish as big as he was floating lazily along the aircurrents. They sensed his pain and he allowed them to approach, the cool touch of their tentacles and the slime left behind calmed his head and healed the gash he suffered while the ship tossed and turned in his sleep. He waved goodbye to the nearly mindless but gentle and empathic creatures as they disappeared into the fog. Down below deck he sat by the provisions, they should¡¯ve had enough to reach the western front and 3 days more after that, but he saw only 5 days of food and clean drink were still there, whatever happened to the rest of the crew it wasn¡¯t immediate, so at least they didn¡¯t get caught between the dread pirate and the Goliath frigate, both sides would¡¯ve killed them all without a moment''s delay. Two days passed, at least he thought it was two days, neither sun nor moon ever pierced the veil. He heard sirens on the first day but he had never once been less than faithful to a woman, so their mind bending calls fell on deaf ears, instead they brought him fish to eat. Nobody really knew what was inside the veil, nobody who went deep inside ever came out, but every creature inside had stories of malice and kindness in equal measure. Another 3 days passed, he stretched himself thin, but he was already starving for a few days before he even woke up so the rations only lasted as long as originally intended. A week came and went, he had no food, no water, the sirens asked if he wanted a clean death, but he wouldn¡¯t take up their offer, he had somebody waiting for him back home, if there was even the slightest chance that he could make it back he had to take it. Their songs became laments for a man who had no hope yet clung to it anyway. As he drifted to sleep he felt something deep in his bones vibrating. Whales, dark purple in color and with wings like loose threads of silk moved through the fog. His wife jumped from the back of one of them as they sung their haunting melody. She asked if he was finally ready to come home, he knew it wasn¡¯t real, but he almost wanted to believe. He couldn¡¯t help but cry as she held him. He told her that he knew she wasn¡¯t really there, but he couldn¡¯t betray his wife, even now. Lir said her sister would love him very much, and that she was looking for something. He led her to the brig where the box was, he could barely stand due to weakness but she held his hand and lent him her shoulder. He tried to open the box for her but his arms wouldn¡¯t move. She laid him against the wall and tore the lid off with her bare hands. It was what she had been looking for, the vial of plan looking water was part of her body and it would¡¯ve turned the war. Whoever drank it would be her champion, she rarely took one willingly, instead she simply set up a trial to give that power to whoever found it, but she wouldn¡¯t let those men use her powers to enslave another person. She spoke to the squire whose white armor was stained red with the blood of the kraken they had fought before they ran into the lich, he looked plainly unbefitting of power, his arms had thinned, his face was giant from dehydration. Yet the sirens laments had drawn her here to this place, and their words of the man''s honest nature tickled her heart. He couldn¡¯t go home, but she would allow him to live, she asked nothing of him, he could be a great warrior, he could be an archmage, or he could throw it all away and be a blacksmith if he liked, but living or dying was his choice. He cried yet no tears came out, with dry eyes he agreed, he would try to get back home no matter what. She was glad to hear of his resolve, though she knew he never stood a chance of returning. He needed her help to tilt his head back and he drank the water of her flesh, he didn¡¯t remember what happened after that, he was and wasn¡¯t solid anymore, awoke on a beach. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. His armor and sword were the only things he still had left, somehow he knew that this was not his homeland, he had pierced the veil and he could never return. The years passed, he thought often of those he left behind, even after 80 years he still couldn¡¯t bring himself to find a wife. He now took the form of an old man, in his youth he was handsome, yet now he let the outside show how worn down he really was. He moved between towns and cities, he wondered what job he would take this time, he had been a soldier, a farmer, a tailor, but nothing filled the hole left in him. He wondered if his wife ever found another man, he hoped she had been able to live happily, he hoped his daughter had her own children, that they had long lives. After another hundred years the sadness turned to anger, he couldn¡¯t connect to people anymore, just yelling and hammering away at his weapons, everyone he knew was gone, everyone he tried to know would just live him in the end, he could meet the grandchildren of the children he told stories too, but they only brought him more pain. Sometimes he still saw her short chestnut colored hair, her cries that someday she would be a knight and protect her papa from all the bad men he had to fight so he could be home more often. He shattered the blade with his hammer and banished the thoughts that tormented him, death crept through his thoughts again, but he drove it away once again and reforged the blade. It was a gift entirely unbefitting of a girl so young.
She walked through the camp and challenged every man who she saw, she was a fireball and a half at 18 and looking for prey, it was tradition for a woman of her house to meet a soldier in this way for a husband. Barely anyone gave a good fight, most of them just outright denied her request. Her mother made sure that she didn¡¯t force anyone into a fight that didn¡¯t want to, coercion wasn¡¯t a good way to find someone to spend the rest of her life with. ¡°Fight me.¡± She didn¡¯t expect the boy in front of her to try and fight, he had a cadets uniform and was here as part of his training, he wasn¡¯t even a real soldier yet. She toyed with him for minutes, breaking him over and over again, yet he always got back up. ¡°I¡¯m not getting married to some boy who can¡¯t even land a hit.¡± He spit out another tooth. ¡°So if I get one hit in, you¡¯ll consider it?¡± She scoffed and agreed. He ran directly at her like every other time, yet instead of even trying to dodge the cadet threw himself on her blade and headbutt her, breaking her nose. The commanders went white as a ghost at the display while her mother laughed with a sinister tone to her voice. After they were patched up she and him went on their first date and he became her one and only love to which no man would compare.
The ranger looked at the amulet he always kept on him, the memory he stored was clear as day. He hated dealing with rogue settlements, they hadn¡¯t really done anything wrong and most of the time they just needed to be told they had to pay their taxes if they wanted to set up on the frontier. Lately however things had been bad, someone was supplying them with weapons that the kingdom had never seen before. It had a wooden stock which they placed against their shoulder and the rest of it was metal. It was mostly mechanical but had some magic to it as well and shot pieces of metal faster than the eye could see, a cylinder at the trigger held six shots. It shouldn¡¯t have been an issue, mages had been dealing with crossbows and arrows for as long as they existed, but with these new weapons just a single lucky shot was it and they were able to fire far more quickly than any but the most skilled archers. It was like they were dealing with a dozen or more mages that just knew how to throw rocks really well, it took years to train a mage right, but any idiot could be given one of those things and suddenly it was a big problem. Normal soldiers couldn¡¯t hold up to ambushes and their armor ended up full of holes most of the time, so rangers or other elite units were needed to deal with rebels as soon as they realized they had these new weapons. The ranger finally decided that it was time to negotiate. He moved forward with his wall of stone nearly a foot thick and tried to ignore the booming sound of rifle fire. Eventually they realized their new toys weren¡¯t doing anything. ¡°Can we talk?¡± His tone was calm but his voice carried over the walls of the fort. ¡°DIE KINGDOM DOG.¡± The woman fired off another 6 rounds while everyone looked at her like she was an idiot. An old man had to be nearly carried to the top of the wall. ¡°We¡¯ve caused no harm, we just want to be left alone.¡± ¡°The kingdom just wants its tax, pay the rate and we¡¯ll leave you be, you don¡¯t even need to pay in gold, wheat and meat are just as good. It would also help if we knew where you got those weapons.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t tell ya, a stranger came with a cart and showed us how to use them. I''ll say that I¡¯m not here for a fight I know I can¡¯t win. We just don¡¯t want you to think we¡¯ll roll over if you show up at our door.¡± ¡°If I leave and a tax collector comes through to tell you what you need to give every month I won¡¯t need to come back here with a warmage squad, I really really don¡¯t want to kill anybody, but I can¡¯t stop command from making examples out of people. No blood means no blood, simple as that.¡± The warmages were already a quarter of a mile away and ready to strike, the ranger had only stumbled upon the whole thing and the commander listened to his request to try and solve it without shock and awe. ¡°Blood for blood, I¡¯ll convince the rest of the village to submit, just don¡¯t put us under a noble, we all have our stories of cruelty from those bastards.¡± ¡°Not sure how long I can keep you out of someone else''s control though, the kingdom wants to keep an eye on everyone, but you¡¯ll have until this area is cleared and they find somebody to put over here.¡± ¡°How long.¡± ¡°Depends, if we find something dangerous over here it could take months while we make sure the area is safe, if there is something valuable here then you would have less time as they decide to put more resources towards the clearing.¡± The old man gripped his cane tightly and thought of how he wanted to reply, they didn¡¯t have a choice, everyone knew it, they just needed to decide if they wanted to die for picking the one the kingdom didn¡¯t like. ¡°Lindwurms nest to the west of here, deep in the woods around a valley, if you cleared them out I am sure it would go a long way to keeping the peace even though we don¡¯t want to be in your kingdom.¡± ¡°Thank you, I hope every time I come back that I can look my sister in the eye knowing I saved more lives than I ended.¡± ¡°If you were a noble, I¡¯d hope to be under you.¡± The ranger shot a flare spell into the air, its bright green light let the warmages know that it was a peaceful resolution, he just hoped he could convince them to help kill the Lindwurms instead of going back to base.
The ranger, 4 warmages, and their commander made their way half a days travel west of a small village seeking out Lindwurms. It was the policy of the king that they should attempt to peacefully solve issues when possible, it never looked good for a village to be wiped from the map even if nobody should¡¯ve known about it anyway. ¡°How the hell do you know that old man isn¡¯t full of shit, we¡¯ve seen no Lindwurms, no valley.¡± ¡°Look up.¡± All the warmage could see was the massive canopy of trees. ¡°Lindwurms don¡¯t fly.¡± ¡°Nope, they are forest creatures. The closer we get the bigger the plants are, I saw a tulip the size of your head 300 feet back, and if the trees get any bigger I think we are going to run out of light. We might be running into a White Lindwurm, in that case just don¡¯t do anything, I¡¯ll try to talk to it.¡± The ranger got a look like he just said water was red. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, White Lindwurms aren¡¯t Drakes, they are intelligent creatures, Green Lindwurms are the dumb ones, kill them on sight.¡± ¡°Since you are such an expert, what else should we expect?¡± ¡°Well, the chief said they were nesting, the area around here seems to confirm that, which means they probably laid eggs, we might even run into hatchlings. The adults, and I do hope the male is already gone, will probably be 40 feet long, 10 feet around, they spit milky poison that doesn¡¯t hurt the plants but it will turn you into food for the forest in a moment. If you see them trying to grab their tails then get ready, they turn into wheels and then you risk being run flat by them.¡± ¡°That''s just silly.¡± ¡°It is far less silly when they are coming at you, ice or mud might make them slip, with the massive bodies hitting anything at such a speed will break them or whatever they hit.¡± After another 15 minutes they finally came upon the beasts, green tops, pale pink bottoms, spines like a fish on top. The mates spiraled around a massive tree that reached straight up without any extra branches along the way, the male knotted himself around the tree and the female was devouring him headfirst as she laid her eggs. ¡°Well, good news and bad news, good news is that it is going to be much easier since the male is half gone already, bad news is that it is a green one.¡± ¡°What is the plan then, that thing isn¡¯t 40 feet, it has to be over 100!¡± ¡°Any of you been involved with lumberjack operations?¡± They once more looked at him like he was a fool. ¡°Fine, I get the message. I¡¯m going to go over this, since we only get one chance. I¡¯ll tell you where to hit and then you hit it with something that breaks the tree and it falls on the Lindwurm, easy kill.¡± ¡°Never say something is going to be easy.¡± The commander was an older man, he kept a few scars on his face to remember the message he had given the ranger. Yet everything went off without a hitch, after the tree fell onto the Lindwurm they simply attacked its rear end until it stopped moving. Even if they hadn¡¯t nearly bisected the beast they could¡¯ve still relied on just a few big attacks since they were smooth like a scaleless fish unlike their more hearty cousins. From there it would¡¯ve eventually bled out, though with something that size it could¡¯ve taken hours of hit and run before it finally died. ¡°I feel like we¡¯ve done something heroic in the most anti-climatic way we could.¡± Said the youngest of the warmages. ¡°The longer you are out here the more you are going to wish everything ended like this, I honestly expected one of you to die when we fought it.¡± The others reacted with shock and tried to scold the ranger, but he was part of a parallel rank structure and they came of their own volition so they didn¡¯t have any leg to stand on for anything more than a formal complaint and the ranger knew it. Chapter 81 After notes were taken and Sepul looked over them he gave the students grades based on how well they understood what they were seeing and how many questions they asked, he wanted them to ask anything they could think of, he had been around a long time and a great deal of why people were sent here was to be able to question their elders. ¡°I believe this has been a good first class, I will not be sharing who was graded what and neither should you, comparison is the enemy of a learning mind. If you choose to focus either knowingly or not on how much better your peers are then you will only give yourself doubt, if you focus on those lower than you will end up with an ego and that will be reflected in your work ethic. Now, I have gone a few minutes over my allotted time here but as this is the final class of the day for you this shouldn¡¯t be an issue, if this is an issue I will send you where you need to go.¡± The children simply wished to reach the dining hall so they could get the first pick of the food. Harlan was the only one who stayed behind. ¡°And you? Where do you need to be?¡± Harlan didn¡¯t hesitate, he felt reassured around the old archmage, no malice was directed at him. ¡°Can you tell if there is a spirit around?¡± ¡°I can feel your sword, but there is nothing lingering around you. Is there anything else?¡± ¡°Is that it? You can just know from there?¡± ¡°A spirit is a mind given to mana, a living self sustaining spell that can think in basic terms. I¡¯ve dealt with quite a lot of them and I can see the mana around you is completely normal, it is being drawn to you because of what you are but if there was a spirit inside you or something on your person then the mana would be pulled in like it is with your blade.¡± He then pulled out his pocket watch and stared at it for a time, Harlan could see how the little motes of mana in the air brightened and were pulled into it. ¡°There is a spirit in there?¡± ¡°Technically yes and no. It is the closest I have ever gotten to making a ghost but the object only pulls in mana, it has no mind or soul, so it is like a bucket with a hole in the bottom, it sucks it up and it flows out because nothing is holding it in. Your soulsmithing is actually quite close to making a ghost. The difference lies in intention and the presence of a mind." The archmage clearly had something else he wanted to say, but wasn''t sure if he should. He waited a moment before asking. ¡°In some time, I would like to invite you over for dinner, we have quite a bit to talk about.¡± ¡°How about now then?¡± ¡°No, I have things that need to be moved around, my home is also my laboratory. 2 days, then we will talk.¡± He didn¡¯t phrase it as a question, simply that Harlan would be there. Harlan found himself instantly moved to the cafeteria, scaring a few people around him. He made his way through the line, those two people were nearby and getting closer, he kept his hand near Lugh ready to defend himself. They sat down across from him and Adina. ¡°I¡¯ve seen you following me, why?¡± ¡°Nothing malicious.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t accuse my brother and I of anything.¡± The boy with white hair pleaded with his eyes for Harlan to forgive his hot tempered sister. ¡°Apologies, I¡¯ve many enemies and I react poorly to people following me. But that still begs the question of why.¡± ¡°I saw how you prepared that potato on the first day and I found it wonderful.¡± ¡°It was his idea.¡± Harlan froze, was that really it? Something so childish? ¡°Well, thank you?¡± ¡°I was wondering what set of spells you used to do that? I¡¯ve an interest in cooking, the way that the same ingredients can make many different dishes.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t feel like they were lying, but he was still having a hard time believing it. ¡°Are you two of house Dyad?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± The black haired girl¡¯s temper and paranoia rivaled Harlan¡¯s.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve met Alan and Alice Dyad. You two just reminded me of them.¡± ¡°So you¡¯ve met our older siblings then.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Harlan felt like this was going to be exhausting. Yet Harlan was fascinated by how they appeared to his mindsense, they whirled around one another and mixed at times, the only comparison he could make was the Slip Ant¡¯s and their oversoul with the queen, yet both of them were clearly fighting for control, if it was conscious Harlan couldn¡¯t tell however. ¡°Well, I am glad to explain, but I don¡¯t know your names yet.¡± ¡°Claude Dyad, pleasure to meet you.¡± ¡°Claudia Dyad.¡± Harlan explained what happened with the wolf, but left out the gory details or who really made it. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. It would¡¯ve been odd if he already knew and that was passed on to their siblings who never even updated him a single time despite their words. Then he showed the twins how he had done that potato on the first day, the only issue was they weren¡¯t having potatoes tonight so they just had to practice on the air. With that done there was only one more elephant in the room that clearly they were ignoring. ¡°Why are you with a Reinoan? If you don¡¯t mind my asking.¡°A wounded bird at that.¡± Harlan took a deep breath to calm down, but he could feel Adina wasn¡¯t happy with the way Claudia said it. ¡°Harlan saved me from physical harm, my countrymen aren¡¯t kind towards people who are born wrong.¡± ¡°Adina is too kind to say it, but Claudia, we are going to have issues if you can¡¯t find a nicer way to talk about her, quickly.¡± ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± ¡°No, I would just rather not start a friendship on rocky ground and I feel I should draw this line before it festers.¡± She seemed offended at the idea, but after some goading from Claude she apologized to Adina and Harlan explained exactly what happened. They sat in the cafeteria until the night students started arriving for breakfast just speaking to one another, Harlan would¡¯ve tried to further clear the air since he could tell that everyone had more questions that they were stopping themselves from asking, but he hoped that Selen would be at the gym and he wanted to apologize to her for what he did. ¡°Well, I think this has been a wonderful meeting. However, I think it is best that I take my leave here, it is already nearly 8 and I want to workout overnight. Adina, will you be fine to walk to your room? I don¡¯t want anyone to harass you along the way without me there.¡± Before she could answer Claudia volunteered, she claimed that she simply wanted to get to know her better since they aren¡¯t at war anymore, but Harlan could tell there was something else. He let it go anyway, he would trust that it was something not worth worrying about, he hated to think of what he was going to do if it wasn¡¯t. Harlan made way to the gym and s met up with Selen and Wulrun, she told Wulrun to keep working while she spoke with Harlan away from him. "I hope you are here for that talk of ours and that you are sorry for almost breaking Delmet¡¯s jaw." "Yes, I deeply regret what I did and I will strive to be better." She could see that he meant it so she signed and ruffled his hair. "I''m not mad, everyone is young and dumb at some point, but I can''t have you being a bad influence on Wulrun. I think you and I need the world of glass conversation, normally this is something the Nightwatchers or the parents of a false undead explains to their children. "The what now?" "Don''t interrupt me, it is very rude." She wagged her finger while leaning foward in an exaggerated manner to lighten the mood. "Let me show you first." They walked over to a series of training dummies, ranging from clay to some kind of slime shaped like a person. "Punch this one as hard as you can, and I mean as hard as you can, right in the chest." Harlan did as asked, his fist made contact with the strange gel and it passed through far more easily than he expected, the hard bits made to show ribs barely stopped him. "Ok?" "This is what they use to test what a spell would do to a completely normal person who doesn''t do strengthening training. Do you see my point now? The world is glass for people like us, everyone like us knows this in some way, you keep yourself contained very well, probably because you grew up with other kids, but if you slip up you could tear a man limb from limb. Normally people aren''t given this speech for a while longer because it places a weight on their shoulders to know lives can end so easily, this can send people into a spiral about the fragility of life, some get an ego, some become afraid of themselves. Always remember these words, we are faster, stronger, smarter, but we are not better for it." "That is a nice speech. I will remember it." "Harlan, I am serious, you can''t do what you wanted to do earlier, a boy breaks another''s jaw and it isn''t a big deal, a boy who is something other than human does it, and then it sticks. I''ve had enough trouble when I reveal what I am and all of a sudden people stop looking at me for who I am, just what I am. We need to be better, to be beyond reproach, otherwise people won''t accept us." Harlan didn''t know how to respond, he could feel something deep inside her was hurt by his nonchalant attitude. He stood there and looked into her eyes for longer than she was comfortable with. "I am sorry, I didn''t realize it could make people like you look worse. I-" "Stop, this is why I don''t have this conversation with people who are too young. I know it sounds hypocritical but you can''t change yourself too much, you can''t doubt everything you do, but you also need to think about everything before you do it, good will is lost far more easily than it is gained. That is what life is. Bullshit hypocrisy, pardon my language." "Sor- No, thank you." "That is all I can ask for, keep your chin up, turn the other cheek, maybe someday we can both walk in the light. Now, how about you and Wulrun get some training in?" Harlan was in higher spirits than he thought he would be after that speech. ¡ª-- Across the ocean, in the parts of the world where tribes of monsters held sway and the kingdoms of man were little more than pockets of resistance against a harsh world, gods fought. They battled not with words as they normally would, valleys were dug out by searing beams of light, mountains vanished under darkness, feathers the size of a Drakes crashed to the ground. The only thing stopping the destruction from turning the land for hundreds of miles into an uninhabitable wasteland were the 4 gods and the dragon who formed a shield around the battle. The gods very rarely took physical form for this reason among others, Aarde very much disliked it when they fought, but there was nothing to be done this time, Cecht had far overstepped the bounds of what the rest of them thought was acceptable. Even after explaining his reasons his sister couldn''t let it go. In a lake of his own blood that boiled the jungle for half a mile around him Cecht was beaten and broken, The Darkness had eons more combat experience and unlike light magic, dark magic was put in place to destroy. Though Aarde gave her the right to do it she didn''t strike the final blow, a month or two without light magic for the world and the death of his champion would upset the balance of power too much for her liking. She considered it a violation of her path to make so many choices of living vanish just like that. "Dear brother, in your loss I have gained, shadows overtake light, many lives will be lost today, some by my shadow, others by the dimming of your light. Remember those who have needlessly fallen for your foolish pride and fear. Please¡­ do not force this once more¡­ I cannot bear to strike down my kin¡­ yet I shall." Then they left, gods fade into motes of mana, the dragon returning to his slumber in seclusion. Meanwhile back at the home of Sepul two bottles sat unopened, one for truth, one for calming. The archmage was penning a letter to his dear friend. Before he could send it however he broke into a cold sweat and went to sleep with a fever. The battle of the gods would affect those who had been granted their power and beyond. Shadows darkened around the world, healing spells cost more, the whole world seemed to dim for that day. None of this made the Darkness feel better, she may have had her differences but she wished to think of her siblings as friends, she had overlooked evidence of what was happening even against the wishes of her Shadow because it wounded her heart to think she would be betrayed like this. Chapter 82 Harlan slept again that night, he dreamt of a woman sitting in a ball room alone in a chair, she had no face and spoke no words he could understand. As he got out of bed he heard a knock at the door, looking through the peephole he saw it was an elderly man. He opened the door and the man asked to be let in, which Harlan obliged. ¡°Would you like something to drink?¡± ¡°Oh no, I don¡¯t drink.¡± ¡°I meant tea.¡± ¡°I know.¡± The man had a grin that set Harlan¡¯s hair on end. ¡°I was sent here by an associate of ours, The Darkness has reasons for not appearing here in this place at the moment. But she wanted me to pass along a few messages.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Harlan was trying to keep an even tone, but every sense was telling him to run and hide. ¡°Very well, for starters she has sent a man to watch over your sister Ava, she stumbled into the aftermath of a fight between this man and a very powerful vampire. You will be receiving a letter first from Balor, asking for your permission to allow her to go on missions with Breken, he has given her permission currently but it is predicated on your permission that she be allowed to continue. Secondly you will be sent a letter by Breken assessing the situation and asking that you not let her go on missions with him so he doesn¡¯t have to be the one who breaks the news to her. The last letter will be from Ava herself downplaying what happened so you let her continue to work with him. For the record, The Darkness has not seen any reasons why you should deny her the ability to learn under him, as the man watching out for her is very powerful and the chance of her being harmed is very low.¡± Harlan would¡¯ve gone against this, but he could barely think while looking the man in the eyes. ¡°Last order of business, Sepul has fallen ill, he will call for you, when he does, stop him from telling you any secrets, just tell him that Cecht was nearly killed by The Darkness because he had been working with Faelings to disrupt her ability to see time. Or you could ignore all of this, goodbye.¡± The man walked out of the room and Harlan let himself breath again. Lugh was shaking in his sheath and after another 10 minutes they decided that they needed to go on a walk to clear their minds. He simply walked around the campus until classes started again, finding Tau was also up,neither of them slept well. They spoke of the usual subjects of philosophy and his pacifism. Then Tau spoke what was really on his mind. ¡°What has frightened you so?¡± Harlan took a deep breath. ¡°I got a visit from a man this morning. Every time I looked into his eyes I was overcome with fear, he exuded an aura of pain and suffering, he was death incarnate.¡± Tau would¡¯ve laughed, Harlan was dramatic at times when he wanted to send a message despite his desire for simple words, but he could see Harlan wasn¡¯t putting on a show. ¡°Share with me this feeling, so I might know your burden.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t force you, but it might help you calm down.¡± Harlan did as asked, Tau could swear the man was looking directly at him even through the memories. ¡°Hmm¡­ I understand your fear. Yet also it is a great relief in a sense.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If she has a man that strong as a messenger, then surely the one who watches you sister is far beyond him.¡± Harlan thought for a while longer, he listened to the fountain and the morning birds. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done nothing, just provided another point of view.¡± Harlan went ahead and sat at their usual spot, waiting for his friends. Today he was seated next to Adina and Zella, across from him was Claude. ¡°Will your sister be joining us?¡± ¡°No, she had plans with another friend.¡± Claude opened his mouth as if he was going to ask something but then closed it again. ¡°How about we have a tea party after dinner. I feel like there is something you and Adina both want to ask but you don¡¯t feel comfortable with.¡± ¡°Should I ask Amber and the others? Or is this a private party like we had before.¡± Zella asked. ¡°That depends, Adina, Claude, would you rather have a smaller gathering? Or even none at all, I am not going to force you to answer, just if you want to.¡± He found it somewhat funny how both of them seemed to react with the same expression, both wondered if what they wanted to ask was appropriate. ¡°I wanted to know, you talked about the god of dark mana. Did you really talk to them?¡± Claude questioned. ¡°Her, and yes. I¡¯ve spoken to her a handful of times. I won¡¯t get into the details however, mostly it has been very personal.¡± ¡°I¡­ I wanted to know the same thing. I¡¯ve never spoken to our gods, but the idea that there is another pantheon of sorts, well, it is very strange to me.¡± ¡°It was strange to me too, but she talks to me like a parent, I didn¡¯t even mean to talk to her at first. It just happened when I meditated like how normal people start to mana sense.¡± Claude¡¯s eye lit up. ¡°Do you mean you were born able to sense? I¡¯ve only met a few others who could do it. How does it look here?¡± ¡°Not as bright as I expected. I am sure that this place is enchanted down to the smallest brick, but I guess they probably have some trick to hide the magic from sight. Actually, everything here seems off, I heard that because we are in the center of the continent or something like that we recover faster and generally feel stronger, but I¡¯ve seen places with more free floating motes of mana.¡± ¡°Fascinating. Why do you think so?¡± ¡°Maybe the arrays are using most of them? Maybe the academy pulls them in somewhere to store them? I really don¡¯t know enough about what mana is to give a good guess.¡± They spoke of these things until they had to move out to class, Claude and Claudia were both in group A so they shared their schedule with Harlan and Adina, though Claudia walked and sat with her own group. Then they all moved out to their classes. Basic elements was the first of the day. Harlan was interested in why light and dark needed to be their own class when the first one handled 4 elements already. The average looking mage named John was already standing at the front of the class, eager to be teaching a new generation of mages. "I said yesterday that I needed more time if I was to explain what light and dark magic are, now, when you think of light, what do you think of?" He asked a few different students but the answer was always the same, healing. "No unexpected answers this time, you are mostly right, light is best known for its healing, even basic instinctual light magic is healing. But, light is also space, light also shares an aspect of heat from fire, it is fast like wind, it refracts like water. Light is an abstruse element, seemingly doing whatever it wants. Does anyone want to guess why light takes the traits that it does? There are no wrong answers, just guesses." Se students talked between themselves, some just took wild guesses, then Harlan raised his hand. "What is your guess?" "Because light represents control, Cecht dislikes his sister because control and freedom are opposed to one another." The teacher could only awkwardly cough and ignore the answer, only making it more clear that Harlan said something with more meaning than they realized, the beastkin had some respect that he would outright name a true god in front of Reinoian students again. Harlan meanwhile was continually getting annoyed at those around him, Reino was beaten, the headmaster did all but outright name the true gods and call the gods of Reino Fae. He didn¡¯t know the context behind the fight that Ava saw the aftermath of, nor did he know why Cecht did what he did or what a Faeling was, but he wanted to blame the threat he most clearly understood. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. John moved onto the next subject. "The second most important part of light magic is divination, though some of you might know it as search or finding magic. Light reveals things, darkness hides them. One might expect invisibility to be a light magic since it is tied to illusion and light refraction is the basis for basic invisibility, but truly high level invisibility is actually a dark magic spell. Moving onto darkness, it is a simpler but still odd element, darkness destroys, but not always in the same way. Let me show you what I mean." He brought out a few ingots. "Now, here is steel. If I cast a find steel spell they will all glow. But, watch what happens when I cast different darkness spells on them." When he was done only one of them glowed. "Now, what happened here is that this first one degraded, it turned to rust as time wore away at it until it became dust, though that dust is still close enough to steel for the spell to know what it is. This second one that isn''t glowing anymore was broken down on a level that cannot be seen without specific spells to magnify eyesight. If I cast find iron and find coal then the pile will glow again since the steel is an alloy of those things. Lastly this one is dust because it was cut apart on a higher level, making it like sand. Now, last question. What is magic?" Harlan raised his hand but was consciously skipped over. After a few "It is the power to change the world" type answer John spoke again. "Magic is a thing that does stuff." He got stinkeye from more than a few students for his childish answer. "I know I know, it isn''t the answer you want, but while magic is a science in and of itself, it is also a near complete unknown. We find new element advanced elements all the time, each of these is an example of magic reacting to itself in a way that we didn''t know or understand before that point. So keep learning, keep experimenting, there is a world of wonder if you look for it, don''t be dragged down by the cold numbers of mages whose greatest strength is the power to put any student to sleep. Now, let''s all run tests on these papers with different magics." The rest of the class felt to Harlan more like arts and crafts, perhaps the point was to tell the students not to sweat the small stuff? Or was it to look deeper into everything they did? Maybe the teacher just didn''t have enough material and wanted to let them have fun for a few minutes? Either way Harlan did have a question to ask, John didn''t even think about it when he decided to let Harlan ask it. "What about time-" Before Harlan could finish the question John had silenced him and said what the time was, turning his question into something mundane. Harlan just let it go, it didn¡¯t really matter, he could just ask The Darkness about it if he wanted to really know about time magic. With the remaining time in class Harlan folded little paper flyers and used air magic to make them run circles around the classroom, eventually others joined in on this and the room was being filled to the point where they crashed into one another and caused them to land on other students, then some of them caught fire but no one was sure what happened there. John waved everyone away and called in golems to clean everything up, paper wasn¡¯t free and it was easy to make it back into something they could use. Harlan spoke with a few of the others around him on the way to the next class, they had asked where Harlan learned to fold the paper like that and he had to make up a lie instead of telling them Cynthia showed him how. Adina was there but kept her distance and didn¡¯t butt into the conversation, he could feel a little sadness from her so he invited her in. Outside she didn¡¯t change, but he could feel the sadness fade away. Spell crafting was more of the same, they all experimented in making whatever magic they wanted to while John watched them closely to make sure everyone was doing so safely. Harlan tried to make a mass soul sight spell to see everyone around him but it made everyone get an itchy feeling from their sixth sense and Harlan was told not to do that again. Wards were just more refinement and new items to ward, Blackwall was actually very helpful even if he did come off as a man on a high horse. He was very passionate about warding and it bleed through as rude to some, but those that shared his spark excelled under his teachings. Arrays was half a combat class to Harlan, Aria pushed people to test their arrays, sometimes with explosive results, she had to be reprimanded by Blackwall once after he heard what she was doing. He learned how to make cutting, explosive, burning, freezing, blinding, deafening, and lastly weight reduction arrays over the course of the next few weeks. He was top of his class alongside Claudia. Soul defense finally moving onto the actual soul defensive part. Golems came in with sedated rabbits and Selen put up a far too familiar array. ¡°Good morning everyone. Before I get to the next part of the class, how many of you have killed an animal before?¡± There were only a few hands down. ¡°How many of you have butchered an animal?¡± Outside of the false undead and beastkin there were few hands raised. Selen seemed a little nervous about the numbers but moved on, there wasn¡¯t anything she could do about it anyway. ¡°I am going to warn you that things will get blood, though this array will keep it from splattering around. Now, the most basic soul defense is to make a scaffolding, look at the rabbit soul and imagine it is a building under construction, we¡¯ve found this visualization leads to the best results. Now, little by little build that scaffold inside the rabbit soul until you¡¯ve made dividers that segment the soul. The way it protects the soul is by making any damage need to break past this barrier to reach the rest of the soul.¡± Harlan did the movements and spoke the words silently, feeling the subtle offness in the spell, it was puzzling for him. He changed the spell in the same way he did the soul searching spell, feeling that they needed to make it sound softer, it was harsh, it didn¡¯t flow gently. He knew what it could do to someone if it was used offensively, and perhaps that was the hang up the people who developed the spell had? They thought it was a sword that could be twisted into a shield, but what if it was a shield twisted into a sword? After a few repetitions he cast it on his rabbit, he could see structure being added to the soul, it felt more solid in a way he didn¡¯t fully understand, he thought adding these ¡®walls¡¯ should displace the soul in some way, but they seemed to be completely unseen unless interacted with. He moved to the next part, at least he hoped it was supposed to be the next part. He began poking the soul, prodding it in ways that he knew should kill the rabbit, but it didn¡¯t. The soul in that section began to jiggle like one of those molded deserts he had seen, but it didn¡¯t break, it didn¡¯t disperse and float away, it didn¡¯t collapse into itself, it just shifted, but the waves of destruction had nowhere to go. Harlan felt he had done well, so next he started taking down the walls, seeing how much he could get away with removing before the waves grew strong enough to burst the beast. It didn¡¯t take long, once he broke the second set of walls in a square pattern it turned from a rabbit into a ball of gore, getting him a stern look from Selen. She knew just from watching him that he did it right the first time and then kept messing with it, testing limits. In a private setting it wouldn¡¯t bother her, but some of the other children went pale seeing what happened if they failed. Few felt confident enough to cast the spell, and their hesitation grew as they saw the result of a failure. Harlan was engrossed in reading the blood as it was, so he pushed his emotions down a bit more, so much fear around him was an annoyance to him when he was trying to work, once more Lugh told him to be careful but Harlan said it was fine. He couldn¡¯t help but notice that there were more identifiable pieces of organs in the mess, he used some magic to shift the sphere and spread it, letting him dissect it with the help of the array. He wondered why when the soul, and thus the body, burst there was less destruction of the flesh than what would normally happen? Selen snapped her fingers, though this was not to activate any spells, simply to draw attention to her. ¡°There is no better way to show you what happens if you are hit by a soul attack without protection than what you have all seen here. Since Marigold gave us magic it has been our sword and shield against the world. There is always another new threat around the untouched or lost corners of the world, so magic must change to deal with these threats as well. Don¡¯t think about the results of your failure on these animals, think of that ball of blood being you because you failed to grasp or you were too scared to grasp how to defend yourself. The same applies to your next class on melee combat, you must take, if nothing else, the basic precautions to avoid an easy death because someone got close to you while you were casting something.¡± The students regained their color, Selen felt pretty happy over the speech. It didn¡¯t last too long though as the failures started occurring and the students went back to being squeamish. But some of them carried on with a new resolve, letting their failures drive them towards improvement instead of driving them towards fear of themselves and their magic. A common issue for mages without real world experience that the academy had its ways to hopefully get their students passed before they left this place for learning. Harlan would give his improved version of the spell to her after class and improve success rates. When it came to melee combat Harlan ended up with his opponents shuffled around, he fought Ursas, Minos, Ibexians, but only a few times did he get to fight Delmet. The headmaster had set them against each other to teach the Golden boy some humility, but he was starting to question if Harlan was the right one for it. He had reacted quite poorly to Harlan¡¯s wins and had to be talked down to prevent him from trying anything outside the ring. Instead the boy was sent to see the counselor, if he couldn¡¯t take advice from another Golden and if his attitude continued to get worse he might be written off and told to come back another year when he grows up. Politics got into a lull, there were quite a lot of important events, but they all revolved around the last 1000 years of fighting. Harlan hoped he could learn something by the time they reached the classes on the 2nd War of the Beasts as they called it. Merchantry would only be another 2 classes, it was far from important, but it was important enough that they felt the need to drill some things into them. World history felt more like a class where Harlan had to hold his tongue than anything, Vowren was clearly unhappy about it but he had to skim over details like where the beastkin came from and a few other touchy subjects. Lugh was interested at least. Finally it was time for magical creatures, which obviously Sepul couldn¡¯t teach. 5 minutes after the class was supposed to start staff were sent to check on Sepul, 5 minutes after that class was canceled until further notice and Harlan was asked to see Sepul on account of the archmage specifically asking for him. He arrived at the simple home once more, though this time he was flanked by a staff member. He was led upstairs to Sepul¡¯s room, despite it seeming to be a cabin not unlike Harlan''s; it was a mansion closer to Blackstone¡¯s inside, space was so heavily distorted and stretched that Harlan wondered if he didn¡¯t have a hand in making the academy as it was today. Before he could open his mouth Harlan spoke. ¡°Stop, I was told that you are going to be fine, Cecht got beaten up pretty bad for messing with The Darkness but once he recovers your powers will kick back on and you will be back to normal.¡± ¡°Just in case¡­ My will is located¡­¡± ¡°No, I was told in no uncertain terms that I wasn¡¯t supposed to let you share secrets with me, and the messenger scared me to death so I am doing just that.¡± Sepul was shocked, the list of people the messenger could¡¯ve been was down to 3, 4 if he really thought about it, but there shouldn¡¯t have been any issues with fear for 2 of them, and the other 2 were banned from academy property with wards specifically set up to stop them. ¡°Are you sure? I could tell you about¡­¡± ¡°I am going to trust her this time, she sent him to scare me or to just warn me that whatever you have to tell me will end with something bad happening so I am just going to not listen to whatever you were going to share with me.¡± When he said him it narrowed it down to just 1 person, Sepul tried to get out of bed and double check every ward he had to make sure he couldn¡¯t get in. After a few doctors forced him back down he calmed down. ¡°Harlan¡­ If that man appears again¡­ tell the headmaster¡­ also¡­ Take this letter¡­ My friend needs to hear my reply¡­ For your safety.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Harlan wished that the mysterious man had explained this part, maybe it was on purpose, maybe it wasn¡¯t.
He would be 50 in less than a decade, he had to pick before then, he narrowed down his choices, he thought of the other option, it felt like the right one, or it could tear everything apart. Chapter 83 A week passed, Sepul was back to normal but many of Harlan¡¯s classes were delayed because in that week some number of things that normally Sepul handled like massive outpouring of beasts out of seemingly nowhere now needed several teachers. He also handled quite a bit of the rapid deployment, so instead of showing up an hour after getting a report, the teams took several to reach their targets, leading to more clean up time afterwards. Today would be the first day when the teachers were all back. He started his day with breakfast, then he moved on to Advanced elements, the teacher was¡­ John, again. Harlan had to question having the same teacher for several classes at once, apparently after spell crafting John moved onto teaching engineering. ¡°Hello everyone! I am glad to be here instead of in the maw of some massive slime. Now, advanced elements. I am going to be speeding through some of this because we have some catching up to do.¡± He showed the blackboard was covered in diagrams showing exactly what combination of elements made what advanced element. ¡°Running through quickly, lightning is half fire, half light, correct? No, it can make lighting but to make true lightning you need 40% fire, 40% light, and the last 20% should be air. This is one of the most common ways that we hide how to be a good mage. Magic is inherently dangerous, people who can toss around lightning bolts are dangerous. So we publicly let out the weaker forms of spells to teach people in the wrong way to do it and keep the real ways here for the academy. Now, everyone will start by forming a ball of the element I call out, look at the ratios listed here, and, assuming you have passing control, you will be able to form the element. You will be graded based on how many of these you can complete, but don¡¯t worry about it if you can¡¯t complete them all, you would need a great deal of mana control if you wanted to get all of these. We will be getting more into the quirks of each element as it comes up in the later classes, as well as some of the history around each of these elements.¡± Harlan had fun, he passed the first class with flying colors, he had been playing around with mana for a long time, some of the other students who relied more heavily on structured spells lacked the control required for even manipulating acid, which was actually fully water, but with aspects of the water mana shifted around to change it. His next class was spell crafting, there wasn¡¯t much he could say about it, the class was trying to make spells and when they failed asking for advice, when they really failed the teacher could dispel them. Harlan tried to learn how they did it but he couldn¡¯t understand, it seemed like they just blasted a wave of mana across the spell and it fell apart, but his experiments with Lugh were like trying to blow out a storm lantern. Next was Divinations, apparently it was taught by the short white haired woman that Harlan ran into on the first day. She was an experienced search and rescue worker who could find and heal anything with a pulse, according to herself at least. The class was small, just 60 people, mostly they were false undead, the only beastkin were birds, Maetus and Tytoans often worked search and rescue, their natural flight giving them a wing up on their competitors. ¡°I am Hellon, I will be your teacher for divination. As is normal, how many of you have tried to cast a divination before?¡± Harlan was part of only a handful of students who hadn¡¯t. ¡°Alright, you three, why are you here if you¡¯ve never even tried? Why are you wasting my time when you lack initiative?¡± Harlan was the first to answer. ¡°I believe divination will help me to vastly improve my golems ability to detect threats. I don¡¯t know where to start and the books in the library seem to be written under the assumption that I already know how it is done.¡± The other two, also from Ragne, gave a halfhearted answer about needing another class to try out and it seemed useful for when they lose things. ¡°If you two haven¡¯t given up by the end of the year I will have failed the rest of the class, if you want to learn from me you need to have a passion for saving lives, if you came here just to find your favorite shoes after you fail to put them away then you should just leave.¡± Harlan couldn¡¯t understand what got her so fired up and angry already, but he figured it was better than not caring enough about the class. ¡°For starters we will be looking for non-specific items, wood is the first thing for you to find, your desk is wood, so cast this spell.¡± She spoke words and moved her hands, she had done this spell tens if not hundreds of thousands of times, there was not an ounce of wasted energy, not a hair''s breadth of out of place movement. ¡°This spell will find other things like what you cast it on.The range is limited and it isn¡¯t a specific spell, but for starters this is how you will learn.¡± Everyone cast the spell and touched their desk, in varying ways they saw the spell activate. For Harlan it was like a wave of heat left the desk and the others around him were covered with sparkling dust that he could see even when he put his hands over his eyes, the more he focused on finding the wood the brighter the dust became. He wasn¡¯t sure how long his range was, but it reached past the class and into the next one, which he was pretty sure was longer range than it looked because everything here seemed to be distorted in large and small ways. ¡°I assume you can all see each desk around you at least? I expect at least a range of 6 feet for your first casting.¡± Everyone nodded their heads. ¡°You, tell me what you can see.¡± ¡°It is like a pillar of light shot up and then landed on what I was looking for.¡± Another student disagreed. ¡°What? No, the spell is a spreading fog that sticks on the objects you are looking for.¡± Before anyone else could disagree Hellon spoke up. ¡°Divination is a mental magic.¡± Harlan was at least 90% sure that was wrong, but he already got a talking too about not telling students about more advanced piece of magic before they were supposed to learn them, like darkness being time magic, apparently a lot of students ended up hurting themselves by speeding up their movement without speeding up their perception to the same degree, causing them to overshoot even a simply step. ¡°Everyone sees their spells differently because that is simply how the mind processes the output of the spell. For me it is an invisible wave that when it finds its target it makes a trail of flame to them. Now that you have the most basic form of the spell down, you can start on a little scavenger hunt. This can be completed during your free periods, or it can be done over the course of the next few days. But when you return to me, you must have everything on this list in your hands. Each of you will find a paper has been delivered to your room, each item will be harder to find than the next. In total there are 12 items to find and each location has enough of the item in question for each of you to have one. If you take more than one, I will fail you. You can work as a team if you want, or you can go at it alone, but you cannot bargain for information about where the next item is. I am teaching you to find things to help people, not to gain favors.¡± For the time they had left in the class Hellon berated those who couldn¡¯t follow her every command to find other items she had hidden throughout the room. Harlan wondered how she was allowed to teach children at all. During his first of only two free periods he went back to his room to find that the list had been delivered. It was a single piece of paper that was enchanted to show the next object when he pressed it against the list. First was to find another piece of paper like this, it was simple enough, he just kept pulsing until he found another person who also had this as their free period and was looking for. She was a Golden and thanked him for his help but her name slipped his mind after she said it. Next on the list was a flower, the image was in full color and had a description of the flower itself. He tried pulsing the page again but he knew it wouldn¡¯t be so easy. However he actually already knew exactly where to find the flower, on one of his night runs he happened upon a bed of flowers tucked away behind the staff building. Hellon didn¡¯t actually teach them how to cast a spell to find what he envisioned in his mind, it took him just a few minutes to clear his mind and make the spell he needed. He double checked it against the flowers and then tapped the page to them. Next was a marble, he found a vase full of them in the medical wing healing classroom behind Hellon¡¯s desk. Unfortunately he had taken nearly the worst possible route and it was the last place he looked. It was nearly time to eat so he went to meet up with everyone else, he figured he should ask them what their free periods were, just in case they wanted to hang out with him as he wandered around looking for things. He felt pretty good about already having 3 items checked off the list. They all spoke of their classes, Adina would be with him in healing and she was really looking forward to it. Stolen novel; please report. The twins didn¡¯t like that they had to split up because Claude chose arrays while Claudia chose warding. Zella said she wasn¡¯t supposed to talk about her classes with them since they were first years, but she could talk about them in general terms. What teachers she liked, other classmates having funny failings, something to keep the mood light. Unfortunately the only free period any of them shared with Harlan on that day was Claude before lunch and then Claudia before dinner. Harlan thought it was kinda funny how that worked out, Claudia didn¡¯t. ¡°So, do you want to tag along as I look for things for my divination class? I can¡¯t promise it will be exciting but I¡¯ve never had a chat with you away from your brother. I just kinda know you both, but I don¡¯t know you both, if you know what I mean.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t a clue what you mean.¡± ¡°Well, I know you two as a pair, but I don¡¯t know you too much as separate people. I hope I¡¯m not offending you by saying that.¡± ¡°None taken.¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t known each other very long anyway.¡± They shared a look with one another and then Claudia answered. ¡°I would be willing to let you help me with our class.¡± Adina nearly voiced her displeasure, but decided against it, Claudia still spoke to Harlan as if he was a danger to her, which was far from the truth, the moment he decided that they were friends he became willing to put up with her petty cutting down of everyone around her. They finished their meal in silence, just enjoying the roasted chicken and vegetables for what it was. Harlan made his way to his next class hand in hand with Adina, he was pretty sure that she didn¡¯t need him to guide her anymore, but he didn¡¯t mind. No one bumped into either of them, but he could tell they were getting side eyed for holding hands, by the end of the week there would be rumors about them, then it would extend to any of the girls he was friends with. He had already been there once before when on his scavenger hunt so they were the first to arrive at the class. ¡°Don¡¯t show affection like that in my classroom, I am not teaching you pregnancy prevention magic for another 2 years.¡± Adina went red and made her way to her seat, Harlan just ignored her, his hope was that like when he first met with Breken, it was just her testing his temperament. He was impressed by the sheer volume and speed of her insults as every student filtered in. It was larger than divination at 130 students, healing was always one of the most popular classes. ¡°First things first, each of you will heal a small cut on my hand, I will filter you into painful and painless, it is an innate trait of the healer. It will make a difference in if and how many numbing spells you will need to know but you aren¡¯t a worse healer just because you can¡¯t naturally do it painlessly.¡± She pulled a scalpel from her robe and sliced the tip of her finger with it, Harlan sat in the front row in the middle, making him 6th in line. She didn¡¯t make any sound as he healed her, but he could feel that she was upset, he figured it made sense that he was a painful healer. After she was done she summoned pins on each desk. ¡°All of you are being given a white rose pin, this is the lowest level of healer, it gives you absolutely no authority to heal anyone, but it will show others that you are a healer. This can either lead to bullying as they think you are weak, or you''ll make more friends. Pins with thorns on the stem means you are a painful healer, those with bare stems are painless healers.¡± It was barely bigger than his pinkie, but he had no thorns, it didn¡¯t mean much, but he was ecstatic about it, Harlan and Lugh laughed and smiled over their connection. He looked over to see that Adina had thorns, she didn¡¯t show it, but she wasn¡¯t happy to learn it. They didn¡¯t cast a single spell the entire class, she even said that they would start casting spells next week, for now they were learning anatomy. Adina had something she wanted to say, but didn¡¯t, leading to an awkward silence as they walked together until they had to split off from one another due to different classes. Harlan walked into the warmagic class to find Sepul was there, floating and looking menacing as always. Before the class started they made small talk, Sepul was glad to see that he was thornless, he even showed Harlan his blue rose pin, denoting him as the highest level of healer. The class itself was all about casting large magics, but more importantly, it was about casting them without instantly burning out. By the end of the class Harlan cast a single large fireball, known as nova orb. He was glad that Sepul had moved them to a mountain range because when it burst it sent a wave of heat that reached the full 300 feet up the cliff. It was impressive, however Harlan failed the test because he could barely stand after launching it. Sepul told him that a good warmage should be able to launch a dozen of those, or a dozen of them multicast with other warmages. He was given advice about where he might¡¯ve gone wrong, Sepul asked him to draw out the runes he used in the spell and then Sepul corrected the mistakes. Harlan hadn¡¯t actually seen anyone do anything like that before, the ink shifted on the paper to make subtle changes. The paper burst into flame shortly after he picked it up to look at it. ¡°Oh, right. Don¡¯t write spells like that on paper, the runes will draw in power ambiently as long as the design isn¡¯t intentionally flawed to have an outlet. Don¡¯t write down spells at all honestly, unless it is truly the most harmless and mundane things, scrolls of magic are generally looked down upon as a way to let any idiot cast something far beyond their level.¡± ¡°What does that make my soulsmithed items?¡± ¡°Right now they at least have some safeties, anyone could, in theory, perfectly copy a spellform, then pour mana into it to cast the spell itself without understanding it. It loses a great deal of effectiveness and efficiency but they are still a danger, they could carry one in a boot and then cast the spell, destroying the paper, normally it would be alchemically treated by the way, and then there is no evidence left of the crime. Meanwhile all soulsmithed items are tracked in ways I can¡¯t get into, but if the it was made through official channels then at some point it gets marked so it can be found.¡± Harlan thanked him for his advice before leaving, he hadn¡¯t even really thought about spell scrolls, he had seen Redwall use one years ago to make sure he wasn¡¯t Harlow¡¯s son, but he hadn¡¯t seen one since then. He also thought it was strange that the way he talked about it was almost like he was trying to get Harlan to make them. Next class was flight, the teacher was¡­ Sepul, again. He spoke of what was the basis for all flight spells along with what was the different forms it could take, one man he knew had a spell specifically for when he went through towns or forests, dozens of hands grabbed around and pulled him to places, giving him offense and defense unlike anyone else in that environment. The biggest reason to take the class in the first place was to be taught hover, it was something that anyone could make, but to make one that worked well was a secret that The Confederacy had traded to the academy for the sake of letting them join. Sepul remarked that the difference between the old and the new hover was the difference between traveling 10 miles and 100 miles. As it turned out, Harlan was not meant for flight, for the first class Sepul cast hover on the students and then told them to jump around the gym until they were used to the feeling of weightlessness. Harlan was one of the children who lost their lunch after he went spinning, his panicked attempts to correct himself only making it worse. Sepul seemed to be having a fun time though, he flew around and corrected the children who needed correction. Harlan got the simple advice to not think so much about it, let the air guide him. Instead he went with trying to make hard air hand and foot holds, the only issue was finding them. He thought he had good control, but it turned out that hard air formed slowly and it didn¡¯t form exactly where he wanted it to, wind was freedom and didn¡¯t like being made solid and constrained. Sepul stopped him before he seriously hurt himself. ¡°Moving around with invisible footholds is a recipe for disaster. Try hardlight instead.¡± Sepul just laughed after that, Harlan was nowhere near good enough to be tossing out hardlight, he still tried it though. The alarm spell Sepul set up went off and he started getting the students down before hover wore off. Harlan waved goodbye again and was off to telekinesis. He was prepared to see Sepul be the teacher again, instead it was some kind of hunchbacked armored rat looking person, he wondered if this was one of them that he met on his first day. His desk was on a raised platform since he stood only 4 and a half feet tall on account of the back. ¡°Ah, h-hello, I am Tenik, I will be teaching you telekinesis. How many of you have experience with it?¡± Very few hands were up. Harlan noticed that most of the students were from Ragne, the beastkin who needed to use it in everyday life learned it growing up. ¡°Very well. You, um¡­¡± He looked down to a class chart until he found Harlan. ¡°Fomoria, can you showcase your current ability?¡± ¡°I am not very good at it but I will do my best.¡± On the desk were weights divided by 5s up to 50 pounds, Harlan could lift the 15, but it was shaking quite a lot and the strain was clear on his face. ¡°Very good, how long have you been training?¡± ¡°About a month now.¡± He could tell that the small whatever he was called was just being nice, but Harlan knew he wasn¡¯t very impressive. ¡°Well, here we can see that talent isn¡¯t the determining factor, sometimes you just need to keep at it until you grow yourself.¡± Harlan couldn¡¯t blame him, he didn¡¯t seem to realize how it sounded until after he said it. ¡°Moving on. I will now start the process of you finding your aura. You will feel some discomfort, I will be poking you with my telekinesis, you should try to react to it as naturally as you can.¡± Harlan felt the claws on the palm of his hand, then he felt like something popped. He tried lifting Lugh with his telekinesis and it just worked. He would need to ask the teacher about what he did. The rest of the class was the students lifting weights, Harlan nearly sent another student to the infirmary more than once, whatever Tanik did opened up his telekinetic power to far more than double what he could do before and he he wasn¡¯t used to it yet. Tanik explained that the aura is more like a muscle than a magic, it reacts to what it needs to do, it can only grow if you grow it, but it won¡¯t get weaker even if they stop using it. When class ended Harlan approached the small man, eliciting a fearful and apologetic reaction. ¡°Oh I am quite sorry about my words, I hope I cause no offense.¡± ¡°No worries. I just wanted to know what you did? When you clawed at me it was like tearing off a covering I didn¡¯t realize I had.¡± Once he realized what Harlan actually wanted he stood straighter and spoke more clearly. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind my asking, who helped you find your aura?¡± ¡°My sister.¡± ¡°Ah, well, she should¡¯ve worked with you more then, or perhaps she is just ignorant, but you were left with everything trying to force its way through only a small spot. This is why I always double check my students.¡± ¡°Thank you, I thought I was doing it all wrong, my brothers could do it much better than I could. And, if you don¡¯t mind my asking, what are you? I¡¯ve not read about any beastkin that matches you.¡± ¡°I am an Armaus, we aren¡¯t very common anymore, the war hit our people very hard, so we prefer to stay out of the public eye.¡± Harlan waved goodbye to the somewhat awkward and accidentally rude man. It was more awkward when they kept walking in the same direction in silence, neither wanting to start a conversation that would be cut short by them splitting up. In the end Tanik was heading to the classroom right next to magical creatures, they both laughed at the coincidence. Chapter 84 A month had passed, Harlan got every letter he was told he would be getting, he let Ava keep doing what she wanted, he had done enough stupid and dangerous things that he would be a hypocrite if he stopped her. After another dissection of an orc and more assurances that while they might¡¯ve been human once, over a thousand years after being fused with goblins they were something entirely inhuman. Harlan thought about the original group who wanted to prove the gods weren¡¯t gone by doing something entirely unholy and letting themselves be stopped by them. Their hubris and faith in the Fae lead to one of the most numerous dangers in the frontier whose wars with one another had slaughtered thousands, who would cannibalize their own kind without a second thought. Harlan made his way to the stable area where he kept the Antlered Hare he was growing for Bojana, he told her last weekend that he would let it grow for just one more week before they butchered it. Though what she said after she saw it wasn¡¯t something he wanted to hear. ¡°What a vicious little monster, I should get you to make more of them, watching them fight could bring in some money.¡± ¡°No, never, I outright refuse.¡± ¡°Come now little manling, it is just a little bit of bloodsport.¡± ¡°I will never, EVER, make these things unless I know they are going to be killed immediately afterwards, we have enough monsters in the woods without me being the next mad mage to set some ecological threat upon the world.¡± ¡°How about we wrestle for it?¡± ¡°Bojana, maybe it is best that you simply put this subject away for now, Harl-¡± ¡°No, no peacemaking right now, she is not getting what she wants, and she is not going to leave here thinking I will change my mind in the future.¡± Harsh words were said on both sides, Adelwulf and Ibery showed up to look for them after they missed lunch, Harlan nearly came to blows with Bojana and Tau could barely keep them apart. Shockingly, Adelwulf came to his defense. ¡°Bojana, Harlan is right, these things aren¡¯t toys or pets, while you¡¯ve been arguing I¡¯ve seen this thing literally eat a dagger I tossed in there.¡± Things never really stopped being awkward between them, but hearing Harlan so against even the chance that he was going to be involved with unleashing an evil on the world swung him from cautious about him to being cautiously optimistic. ¡°Bah, fine, I know when I¡¯ve lost. Even the pup is sticking with you. Shall we turn it into a pelt then? Move past this?¡± Harlan took a deep breath and shook her hand before they started. Harlan learned how to tan the hide from Redmond, Adelwulf also helped. ¡°Where did you learn how to do this?¡± ¡°My grandparents were both hunters, they raised me and taught me the trade.¡± Harlan decided not to pry and simply changed the subject to the process as they both knew it. By the end of the day they had a nice rug for Bojana and she once more lamented not having more of them around, nearly igniting into another argument since she clearly hadn¡¯t learned her lesson, but they were saved when Amber showed up to find out what was taking them all so long that it was nearly time for dinner already. ¡°What did I just walk into?¡± ¡°Nothing, because I am dropping it and so is she.¡± Tau explained the whole thing to Amber from a neutral perspective, Harlan liked Tau a lot, he seemed like a good guy, but he also felt like he was a bit too used to settling petty spats and was giving too much credence to Bojana and her nonchalance about the risk of introducing an aggressive mutuating predator into the world. When the groups split up and Harlan fell into his group they could tell his mood was poor that day, Adina clearly wanted to ask but she had taken Tau¡¯s words like an order, putting up a wall between the two of them. ¡°Adina, you don¡¯t have to pretend you don¡¯t want to ask what is wrong. Bojana asked me to do something I will never do and she pushed too much.¡± ¡°Ah, well then.¡± He had been putting it off because he just didn¡¯t want to take on more baggage, but he knew he really needed to talk to her about the way she was putting on a fake face for him. ¡°Let me change the subject before it turns awkward. Are you all excited for the camping trip?¡± Zella said. ¡°We''ve never been camping.¡± ¡°Mother and Father always said it was a waste when we have such nice beds at home.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t allowed to leave the house much, so I am excited to know what the woods are like.¡± ¡°Zella, don¡¯t call it a camping trip like it is going to be fun, it is a survival camp.¡± Amber always ended up with a more difficult version of the test due to her competence, for her it was never a week in the woods making friends, it was always the bitter cold or scorching heat and trying to wrangle people who didn¡¯t respect her until after they were cold and tired and had no food. Zella shook her head. ¡°They announced it earlier but you missed it, a random lottery will determine who goes with who. They said it was to break up friend groups and force the students to make more connections instead of isolating themselves with their few friends.¡± If Harlan didn¡¯t know better he would say it was for him exactly, but Amber already told him it was like this even when she was a first year. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°So¡­ There is still a chance that we can end up together?¡± Harlan¡¯s joke lightened the mood some. The random lottery felt like it was made specifically to ruin his week. The only person from his group that he was paired with was Adina, the other 3 were Delmet,Taren, aka the kid from enchanting who unsurprisingly was the former Brightblade Dahlia mentioned, and then some other Golden whose name slipped from his mind the second after he heard it. The only bright spot was that Lugh was the most excited Harlan had ever seen him, even speaking out loud to Adina. They were awoken at 5AM and given no breakfast before being nearly tossed through a gate leading somewhere. Harlan couldn¡¯t get a feel for where he was, the stars were wrong so he wondered if it was in the southern hemisphere, but that would mean they were deep in Confederate lands, yet to be so far south they would be in the jungles and yet it looked like back home with oak and pine trees. An adventurer was sent with each team to watch over them but not to interfere unless absolutely needed. For them it was a man who wore a bright red bucket helmet, his guild name was, unsurprisingly, Redhead. ¡°Alright, you have all been given a spot in the woods where you won¡¯t run into any other students or dangerous animals. I say that under the assumption that each of you can fight to defend yourself, there are dangerous things out there for normal people, but you should be fine. Your goal is to set up in this clearing and secure food and water for the week and avoid being injured. I will be here but I will be out of sight and I will not solve your problems for you, unless something unexpected happens you won¡¯t even see me. You can set up your group and your tents or homes or whatever else however you want. You will be graded at the end of the week but I am not supposed to tell you how you will be graded. See you in 7 days.¡± The second he left it turned into a conversation about who should be leader, Harlan didn¡¯t step in because to him it didn¡¯t matter. Worse comes to worse he would set up everything for him and Adina and the rest could sleep on the dirt if they bothered him. Nothing was settled after 30 minutes, both Taren and Delmet felt that they should be leader. The last person, a Golden girl named Ximena, sat on the sidelines and started weaving a covering out of reeds from a nearby stream for a tent. Eventually Harlan and Adina joined her, she showed Adina how it was done by grabbing her hands and moving her fingers for her on account of her lack of sight. He was already starting to like her. Harlan had suggested that they used these as mats to lay on instead of for a tent since they could make a simple hut with the trees since he had experience with doing just that. After an hour Delmet and Taren decided that they should just let the better leader make himself known as the week went on. They turned to see that they were alone, the others had already left to find something for breakfast. Adina had learned how to enhance her hearing by quite a lot in her time at the academy, she pointed at where she heard animals and Harlan used his knowledge to guess what it was that she was hearing while Ximena went to find berries, she couldn¡¯t tell what was poison or not but Harlan taught her the spell Redmond taught him. By the time they had a few rabbits, some bird eggs, and a couple small woven baskets of berries, they realized they didn¡¯t quite know the exact way back. Luckily Adina had excellent mapping skills and they returned to the campsite without any issues Taren and Delmet had apparently run off to do something else. Harlan was already getting paranoid. ¡°Is this too easy? You guys feel it too, right? Something is wrong.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so, what if we were simple nobles? Would they have such an easy time? You tell me that you grew up on a farm, you have a ranger for an uncle, and you¡¯ve been camping before. Perhaps you are just too well qualified for this?¡± ¡°Harlan does seem very good at this. Now that we have the rabbits, can you teach me to butcher them, I don¡¯t want to be a burden.¡± ¡°Come on, you lead us back to the campsite with ease, we could¡¯ve wasted hours out there.¡± ¡°I say we teach the girl, I¡¯ve never gotten the chance to teach a cripple.¡± Harlan used his best glare to show his displeasure, and Ximena got the message. ¡°Ah, I mean, I¡¯ve never gotten the chance to meet someone like her.¡± While she couldn¡¯t see, Adina knew exactly what had happened, causing her to laugh. ¡°How lively, is this what camping was like for you Harlan?¡± ¡°No. I had to kill a spider as big as you and I had my eardrums ruptured by a spider 5 times its size after I burned its eggs. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever get the sound and the smell of those eggs popping out of my head completely.¡± As Ximena and Adina processed the rabbits Harlan started on the simple huts. They were only 6 feet long and 4 feet across, big enough to sleep in but that is all he meant them to be for. He made them on a small elevated platform of stone with just 2 steps just in case there was heavy rainfall, he didn¡¯t want water getting inside. They had one window facing the east to let sun in during the morning, however it could be sealed with a piece of wood that slotted into the window, though it wasn¡¯t a perfect fit, it didn¡¯t need to be considering the ventilation was already not great. At some point Taren and Delment stumbled back with handfuls of poisoned berries ¡°Those won¡¯t kill you, but they will make the rest of your day very unpleasant.¡± ¡°What do you know?¡± Harlan shrugged and let them eat, he even let them have some of the food the rest of them made, if it had been hard to get he would¡¯ve let them starve, but hunting for rabbits and eggs was so simple he got extra. ¡°So, Sir Fomoria, I am told you are a Fomorian, I¡¯ve never met one before. What is it like?¡± ¡°What is being a Golden like? I have no idea what it means to be a Fomorian, they are monsters who hide out in the woods and do terrible things to people who don¡¯t deserve it. I know what it is like to be a person who is stronger than normal though. That feels pretty good.¡± ¡°Ah, forgive me for my rude question.¡® ¡°There is no such thing as a rude question, the Fomorian just gave a rude answer.¡± Delmet was still upset about Harlan always having a single win more than him no matter how many times they fought. ¡°I am glad you ate those berries, in another hour you will be crapping your guts out, so please do that away from here. Meanwhile I will be laughing because I told you so and you are a prick.¡± Adina choked on her meat when Harlan spoke, he had more or less always been a gentlemen around her and she rarely heard swearing at all. ¡°You ok?¡± Harlan patted her on the back to knock the meat free. ¡°Yes.¡± she said between coughs. ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect you to swear or to say something like that.¡± ¡°Which part?¡® ¡°When you called him a¡­ Well you know.¡± ¡°Sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have said that even if it was true.¡± Delmet had been yelling something at him since his first comment, Harlan wondered how long it would be before he realized there was a ward around him stopping all sounds from getting out. ¡°Before I forget. Don¡¯t worry about it Ximena, I don¡¯t mind you asking, sorry about the hostile answer.¡±
Redhead hated the group already, he had to keep taking notes both good and bad, they didn¡¯t set up a leader but Harlan and the girls were basically a group separate from the other two, they worked good together, but that wasn¡¯t the point. He hoped once it got to the next stage they would learn to put aside their differences. Chapter 85 Taren didn¡¯t say a word during lunch, he hated Harlan, actually he was hoping he could kill him this week, but that was for later. He appreciated the food and being told that the berries weren¡¯t good to eat, he wondered why his father had tried to have the boy killed, but it didn¡¯t matter to him, it was Harlan¡¯s fault he died. Obvious to this Harlan kept talking with the girls. ¡°So¡­ What else do we do today then? I guess we could make and set up traps, did you see any fish by the river earlier?¡± ¡°Yes, they were green on their bottom and red on top, quite ugly looking honestly.¡± ¡°Perfect, those are Salmon.¡± ¡°Oh, did you learn that in magical creatures, Sir Fomoria?¡± ¡°First off, just call me Harlan. Secondly yes, specifically it was searching for signs of Mudslingers, nasty magical fish that evolve from Salmon. But where in the world are we then? Those fish are more northern but the stars in the sky I saw back in early morning weren¡¯t right, so I guessed we were in the southern hemisphere.¡± ¡°Does it really matter that much where we are?¡± ¡°Yes, I could tear a warg in half with my hands but I don¡¯t want to run into any sort of evolved bears, I could kill them, but I would rather not fight them if I can help it.¡± ¡°Oh you are a real funny person.¡± Ximena didn¡¯t realize Harlan didn¡¯t make any jokes, he didn¡¯t want to talk about the circumstances but she now fully believed that he had made his way through a pack of wargs without a blade and she started looking at him in a different light. She found him kinda goofy before, a country boy who somehow ended up as a noble, she wasn¡¯t hooked into the rumor mills. They spent the rest of the morning finishing their huts, they were all directly next to one another just in case they needed to reach the others quickly, Harlan had floated the idea of them all being connected with doors but the girls shot that down. Taren tried to make a simple hut like Harlan did but he lacked his inhuman strength and his knowledge, nearly getting himself crushed by a tree he cut down before Harlan rushed over and grabbed it before explaining what he was doing wrong. Harlan bore a great deal of ill will towards the boy, but he was trying to make peace, Tau said he could fight without hate, and Harlan had already decided back during the trial that he shouldn¡¯t push the sins of the father on the son. Lunch was a few Salmon that Harlan fished out by having Lugh sit in the water and spear fish as they passed by, he didn¡¯t like doing it, but it was for Harlan. By dinner the 4 huts were done, Harlan had to help Taren finish his, still the boy refused to share a single word with Harlan, and Harlan didn¡¯t push for them to speak. Delmet would be sleeping in a hammock in the trees, though he hadn¡¯t helped at all he still got a share of the food, he had thrown away his berries and Ximena healed him of his food poisoning. Night fell and there wasn¡¯t much to talk about over a fire, Adina and Harlan knew each other and he had no desire to get into a deeper conversation with her while others were around, Ximena spoke of seemingly anything but her home, Harlan knew they were cagey about where they actually lived but he hadn¡¯t heard one of them dodge questions like that. He didn¡¯t mind of course, everyone had their secrets. Harlan yelled up into the trees. ¡°DELMET, DO YOU WANT TO SLEEP IN MY HUT? I¡¯M GOING TO STAY UP AND STAND GUARD.¡± ¡°DON¡¯T PITY ME FOMORIAN, I AM FINE AS I AM.¡± He wasn¡¯t going to bother with him past a single question. Harlan sat atop his hut and listened and watched, just past midnight he saw shadows moving in the treeline. He guessed by the size and speed that they were just normal wolves, though they did seem a bit large. He held Lugh in his hands, realizing that it was actually pretty cold out. He looked at Delmet, he had no blanket and was about 15 feet off the ground, wind had to be hitting him hard and it brought a smile to his face. Another 15 minutes passed, Harlan pretended to be asleep until the wolves decided now was the time for them to strike. He set up wards to stop the noise as he killed and butchered them, he could give Adina and Ximena nicer beds and blankets for tomorrow. He hummed Isha¡¯s song as he tanned the pelts, some of them had holes or were in two pieces where Harlan cut them in half, but at least they were clean cuts, while he hadn¡¯t been taught how to knit flesh together, he did it with such ease that he disturbed himself considering what he knew Fomorians made. Once he was done he washed his hands of the blood and cleared the ground, picking up any loose fur or body parts. He decided not to waste the meat so he cleaned it and tried cooking some, it was gamey, but not altogether unpleasant, just with this he though they could easily hold out for the whole week, 8 wolves at 150 pounds each, less after he took them apart, he had a good haul. The next morning Ximena was the first to wake up to the smell of stew, Harlan had started it hours ago, it was watery and he couldn¡¯t find much in the way of seasonings out in the woods, but it was better than nothing. What Lugh had noticed however, was that the herbs he found were odd, some of them grew in very different places and shouldn¡¯t be together like here unless someone was growing them. ¡°Smells good, what is it?¡± ¡°Wolf.¡± She tried to be calm. ¡°You didn¡¯t even wake us up? Why? Are you some knight in shining armor?¡± ¡°You need sleep, I rarely need any, a pack of wolves is child''s play not worth waking you up for. You know how to weave things, I figured it was better for you to do that in the morning instead of being groggy all day. Also, you and Adina get 3 pelts each. It is cold so I am taking the other 2.¡± ¡°I can do more than weave.¡± ¡°Alright then, what else can you do?¡± ¡°I am an excellent healer.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Are we in the same class?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°I genuinely don¡¯t know who you are, I barely remember anyone in the class.¡± She didn¡¯t know if he was joking or if he really was that inconsiderate of others. ¡°Did you at least know my name before you spoke to me? They told all of us.¡± ¡°Lugh reminded me. If I had known you were a good person I would¡¯ve remembered it, but I don¡¯t linger on people who don¡¯t matter, I remember the people I like and the people I hate so I can protect the one from the other.¡± ¡°Well, that certainly makes things easy to understand. Which one do I fit under?¡± ¡°You seem good. Do you have friends outside of here? I¡¯ve known Adina since I came here. Got a few more people I like if you would like to join us.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got plenty of friends, but if by the end of the week we don¡¯t hate one another I could see us being friends when we both have time for one another.¡± They let the conversation die where it was and Ximena just asked more questions about how Harlan grew up, he had to skip over how he knew Zella and a few other parts, but he was nearly ready to run out of small talk. He began to realize how little there was he could talk about, his hobby and his work were both magic which he doesn¡¯t want to and to a varying degree couldn¡¯t talk about. He liked animals, but less in the warm and cuddly way and more as tools, food, clothes, where they live, what they eat. He told her she could eat whenever she wanted before he set up a table and chairs made of stone along with clay bowls and wooden spoons that he made during the night. It was better than it looked, she could see herself surviving on something like this for a while if she needed too. Eventually Adina and Taren woke up and ate, Adina commented on his cooking skills, Taren remained silent. He couldn¡¯t understand Harlan, they hadn¡¯t shared a single word, Harlan simply spoke at him when he thought it was necessary, he asked nothing of him, he didn¡¯t say anything when he ate their food, slept in the hut he helped make, it just didn¡¯t make sense to him. He knew full well that Harlan hated him and he hated Harlan, he wondered what would happen if he hurt Adina on their little trip, would he go berserk and just tear him apart? Would he bury him alive and act like he knew nothing? Delmet eventually came down from his tree, gracefully landing but impressing no one. ¡°Today you should work on my hut, and it needs to be bigger than the rest of them, I am the leader after all.¡± Before Harlan could find the right words to tell him that he was out of his mind Ximena spoke. ¡°Perhaps it would be best if Harlan was the leader.¡± ¡°Him? Never, his kind can only destroy.¡± ¡°Other than that hammock what have you done? You make our people look quite bad when you speak about him like that when you leech off of his food and his advice.¡± They argued back and forth, Adina jumped in to defend Harlan, he thought it was nice, but he didn¡¯t care about being the leader through some worthless vote. When the time to do things came, Delmet would do nothing, the girls would listen to him, and Taren would probably do what he wanted within reason. After another few minutes his mood was starting to spoil so he made his stance known. ¡°Stop arguing, it doesn¡¯t matter, no one is going to listen to Delmet anyway so he can be the leader of his group of one if he wants. Eat your food and be quiet so I can rest for a bit.¡± He didn¡¯t really need the rest, but he thought it might get them to stop yelling. His hopes were unfounded so he simply went to his hut and set up a ward, if they needed him they could get him, meanwhile he was going to clear his mind and think about what to do next. He didn¡¯t know how much time had passed before there was a knock on his door, it was Ximena. ¡°Harlan, are you upset with us?¡± ¡°Nope, I just don¡¯t want to hear people yelling over something so petty. Did you need anything else?¡± ¡°No.¡± Eventually it was getting towards dinner time, Harlan had simply practiced spell making, refining his long range soul searching spell until it stopped making people itch, then he started running that all the time to see if there was a long term effect. From nearly 30 feet out he could tell where everyone was through the walls, he could also tell there were moles under the clearing but he wasn¡¯t sure what to do with this knowledge. The disturbing part was that even in this place there were spies or guards, he couldn¡¯t tell which, right outside his house just beyond the range of his mine sense, he wondered how they actually knew his range in the first place. The thought crossed his mind about the fact that this spell was effectively ruining any possible attempt to hide and any hiding spells would need to be remade until he couldn¡¯t see them anymore, assuming he actually gave the spell out, which he was debating now. Before he realized it night had come, Ximena came to ask him about her taking the first shift of guard duty and he didn¡¯t argue with her, sitting out by the fire to eat stew and wolf steak to recover his power. An hour passed before he could tell that Ximena was getting tired, he looked to the sky to see it was past midnight. ¡°Want to swap out?¡± ¡°No, I should watch for half the night at least since you went the whole night before.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t compare yourself to me, I¡¯m just not normal. Do Golden need less sleep than humans?¡± ¡°We like our sleep, but it doesn¡¯t matter, I will be fine.¡± ¡°Do you mind company then?¡± ¡°That would be fine.¡± As the night wore on she went inside to get the rest of her pelts, she could barely be seen under the 3 of them, he was reminded to look over towards Delmet, he could see that the branch was subtly shaking from his shivering. This night was far colder than the last, instead of dew the trees were starting to get covered in frost. Harlan climbed the tree and threw one of his pelts over the sleeping Delmet before he climbed back on top of Ximena¡¯s hut. ¡°I thought you hated him?¡± ¡°He is a jackass, a self righteous prick who thinks he is better because of what he is. But I don¡¯t want him to freeze to death because he is too stupid or prideful to admit he is outside of his element, he didn¡¯t even set up a warming array or a wind blocking ward.¡± ¡°What about Taren, you¡¯ve barely spoke to him and he hasn¡¯t said a word to him.¡± ¡°We have history, I am trying not to blame him, my friend Tau has drilled into me that I should forgive him, but he makes it very hard.¡± ¡°How noble of you, what is your history together that you hate one another?¡± ¡°Any chance you are going to talk about your own time in the desert?¡± ¡°I understand your point.¡± ¡°Good.¡± They sat next to one another, she had scooted closer over the night as it got colder, snow was starting to form. Harlan moved her back inside as he waited, something was outside by the treeline watching them, it had been for hours already, but it didn¡¯t move an inch. He stood in front of the beast or man, whatever it was. Just staring in its eyes, either they came to an understanding or it realized it was a losing fight, the eyes backed off and went back into the woods, it made no sounds as it left. Harlan sat on top of his hut, he threw the other pelt over Delmet and relied on a fire alongside a ward to keep more of the heat in, he still shivered. Lugh said it first, but they both knew that something was wrong, this place was unnatural. Tomorrow he wanted to try and investigate if he had time.
Redhead report #2 The group still hasn¡¯t outright said it but Harlan Fomoria is the de facto leader, Taren Wardhold has shown little hostility or friendliness for the rest of the group, danger level is considered low still, Delmet will likely need more talking with the counselor as he shows no signs of working with the rest of the group. Harlan still shows signs of his own scars, reacting poorly when someone he doesn¡¯t know asks about his own past, though he has shown no violent tendencies towards Ximena. Adina has been coddled by Harlan too strongly, likely she will learn little in the way of proper survival experience after this is done. Something was in the woods, I couldn¡¯t tell what it was but it wasn¡¯t part of the test, the bear didn¡¯t show up like it should¡¯ve. As permission has been granted to skip the advancing difficulty of days 2 through 4, I am putting in a second request, this time I am asking to be allowed to raise the level beyond 7 if I feel it is needed. Chapter 86 Harlan decided he needed to renovate the huts already, the snow was piling up and if it got unnaturally cold, they all risked freezing. Ximena was still opposed to turning them into a single large room, but she had only seen snow outside of the desert and didn¡¯t want to keep the fire stocked by herself to make sure her room was warm throughout the night. The new hut was made by shifting the ground under each hut until they were close to each other and then Harlan simply cut the walls out and grew them into one another. Adina kept cooking wolf steaks the entire time to keep him moving as the chill was setting into his bones and Delmet wasn¡¯t helping them. Harlan knew that the Golden boy knew how to shift the ground better than him and his mana pool was clearly beyond his, but instead he decided to build his own stone shelter, inviting Ximena in but no one else. Harlan figured he had eaten most of a wolf by the time he got the new hut set up and he hadn¡¯t even started on a fireplace or ventilation. He entrusted that job to Ximena and Taren while he and Adina went out to gather firewood. He didn¡¯t really have enough of a sense of direction still to be confident in getting back and the snow was getting heavier, covering their tracks only 30 minutes after they passed through, he estimated 40 feet of sight, no more. ¡°How much can you carry at once?¡± ¡°Not sure, but it will probably be a few trips.¡± ¡°Why not cut down the trees closer to the clearing then?¡± ¡°If we need to expand the cabin then I want to use the closer trees, I was also hoping to find some rabbits or wolves out here for their pelts.¡± Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. 3 direwolves were staring at the two of them, they were mildly magical, a species of evolved wolves specific to the north, they evolved for size and power. They killed their prey more often with brute strength instead of ambush like a warg would. Harlan had seen them following him, eying Adina. They wanted the smaller one who didn¡¯t smell as strongly of blood and hate. Harlan sent Adina over by the treeline to rest and act as bait, he sent Lugh with her since he said he didn¡¯t need his help with making the sled to carry the wood. It didn¡¯t take long before they struck, Lugh reacted by shooting a heatray at their eyes to blind them. The one who was supposed to distract Harlan was currently in a battle of strength, but Harlan was on its back and his grip held firm, he squeezed and squeezed until eventually it fell unconscious, then stomped as hard as he could on its neck until he felt it snap. He called over Lugh to bleed them out so the meat could be used. They stood 6 feet tall at the withers, Harlan was planning to make blankets for them out of them. He knew they were used for this in the north due to their thick warm fur. He had to do basic medical care for his arm, it was cut pretty deeply by a claw swipe before he got on its back, he would see if Ximena could fix him up better than he could. He knew that she seemed upset at the idea of not being enough of a help. Adina handled her¡¯s better than him, even though he didn¡¯t warn her about the wolves Lugh knew, she swung as directed and what looked to be close hits instead resulted in Lugh turning his blade into spikes and driving them through the skulls of the wolves. She smelled the blood pouring out of his arm lesson and then stop as he froze it over. ¡°We need another sled to carry the bodies.¡± ¡°Stop, we need to heal you first.¡± ¡°No, Ximena can do that, she said she was an excellent healer, I don¡¯t feel confident with such a deep wound, if you think you can do it then do it.¡± She looked it over before deciding he was probably right. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it hurt.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve dealt with worse for longer.¡± She wanted to know what he had done before, but once again she wasn¡¯t sure if it was appropriate, so she followed his orders and helped get the sleds ready. She was upset when she heard him say that she was bait and they didn¡¯t talk after that on the way back. ¡°Harlan, your- WHAT HAPPENED?¡± ¡°Direwolves, we must be in the north then. Ximena, can you fix my arm?¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Yes¡­ But seriously? 3 of them?¡± ¡°I killed one with my hands, Adina and Lugh got the other two. Please, fix my arm quickly.¡± Though he didn¡¯t voice it, she could tell how much it had hurt him. The more he did for them the more they wondered who was the beast that they should be scared of in the woods. Redhead decided to dock points from Harlan for endangering Adina without her consent and for acting like a tough guy when he had a debilitating injury. As day came to night they all spoke of themselves more, Adina asked about what had happened to him before and he reluctantly told them. Taren wondered how he met a Fenrir without being harmed, Harlan decided to just outright admit to what he knew, Adina refused to hear it at first, but he could show her memories that felt too real to be anything else to her. He didn¡¯t call her gods Fae, but she Delmet and Ximena were uncomfortable with his story. She voiced her displeasure that he spoke so warmly of The Darkness, it took everything Harlan had to not bring up that Cecht was the direct cause of him almost dying more than once, instead he just said to agree to disagree. Delmet didn¡¯t have her tact. ¡°Oh what a shock, the Fomorian talks fondly of the witch. Did she ever tell you abou-¡± Harlan was sick and tired of him, he was sick and tired of most people, he threw him through the door, and lept faster than then could follow, before he could further escalate the fight The Unseen and Redhead decided that they needed to keep Harlan off of Delmet. They gave emergency care to him and he would be fine, but they decided to just pull him away from the group and put him in another one. ¡°Fomoria, you will be seeing someone after this trip, you cannot attack someone for something so minor.¡° ¡°Give me a failing grade, I just don¡¯t care, he has done nothing but whine and complain and insult me as I did everything for him, if you were in a real survival situation you would drop him like the dead weight he is. If you wouldn¡¯t then you are just as stupid as he is.¡± The only reason they didn¡¯t fail him on the spot and send him back to the academy for disciplinary action was that the headmaster expected this to happen, though he guessed Harlan would¡¯ve done it on the first day. ¡°Keep yourself in check, you will not speak to me like that again, you will be getting disciplinary action once you get back, you are only still here because the rest of the group would likely fall apart without you and then need to learn to survive more than you do.¡± Then Redhead went invisible once again and went to the camp that was just under theirs to monitor them. Ximena and Taren were horrified at Harlan, seeing that it took 4 grown men to pull him away, fury clear on his face and their surroundings, the fire flared, the shadows seemed to grow closer, it wasn¡¯t a good look for him. Adina didn¡¯t mind though, she thought that Delmet had it coming, if she acted like that back home she probably wouldn¡¯t even be here today. They all sat around the fire inside in silence, Adina tried to speak a few times, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to overcome the wall she set up between them. As it got later the others went to bed, Harlan decided it was time to have a talk with her finally. ¡°Adina, would you come to my room for a bit?¡± She blushed but didn¡¯t refuse. Harlan opened the door for her and they sat across from one another on his pelts ¡°Adina, did you have friends back home?¡± His words were harsh to her, he hated that she hid that so well. ¡°I had a maid that I liked very much.¡± ¡°That is a good start, was she older or younger? What about your siblings?¡± ¡°She was older, 30 or so I think. I didn¡¯t get the chance to find out, but she took care of me, snuck me sweets when it wasn¡¯t time for them, she listened to me. I had 3 brothers and no sisters. Now I have 2.¡± Harlan could see her smile, but she was torn up about something. ¡°What would you say if I said I could feel the emotions of people around me? That I¡¯ve known every time you¡¯ve been sad and hidden it since I¡¯ve known you.¡± Fear, that is what he felt. They sat in silence for a few minutes as she thought of a reply. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to lie to you. It won''t happen again, please forgive me.¡± ¡°I am not mad, you don¡¯t have to pretend to be happy when you aren''t, you don¡¯t need to put up a face like that, I know it can be hard.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°How do you think I feel when people make jokes at both our expense? About how many girls I am friends with and how few boys? I can¡¯t even hang out with Selen or Aria without the rumor mills making more childish accusations.¡± ¡°You are strong and calm and quiet and nice, so you didn¡¯t mind because it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°I want to tear their faces off with a punch, like what was once done to me.¡± She reacted with shock and terror and anger, not towards him, but towards whoever had harmed him. Harlan explained a lot to her, showed her things, calling it a heart to heart wasn¡¯t wrong considering she was seeing some of these things directly from his mind. She felt like she should trade stories, so he could understand her, he didn¡¯t hide it from her, he hated her family, from her father removing the maid who was her friend because she was giving her too much affection, to her brothers who simply didn¡¯t even want to be seen with her, to everyone around her who ignored her or kept her caged away like an animal in her own mind to make sure she only appeared outwardly happy and glad to be alive. ¡°Harlan, what is love?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve felt it towards another girl yet.¡± ¡°NO!... I mean, like a parent, or a sibling, you and Amber get along so well, you seem happy to just be around her. What does that feel like.¡± Harlan knew from that point onward, if she was a spy sent to kill him, to make him lower his defenses, he was completely screwed. Their little heart to heart was interrupted by a knocking at the door, it was Taren. They got an odd look from him but he didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Sorry, I will come back later.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t care enough to go after him. They left the door open after that, they were under a veil so the others couldn¡¯t hear them, but he didn''t want any misunderstandings about his intentions. After a time Adina went to bed and Harlan simply sat in silence.
Redhead felt tired, The Unseen felt tired, they wondered why their elixirs weren¡¯t working just before they passed out. Chapter 87 Harlan and Lugh went over everything he told her last night, he questioned if it was a mistake, a heat of the moment case of weakness. Lugh didn¡¯t disagree, but he also thought it was a good thing, they could both lean on one another out in the woods where people weren¡¯t judging them, she didn¡¯t have the pressure of her people''s expectations, he didn¡¯t have people heckling him that he couldn¡¯t beat. Ximena and Taren awake at around the same time, more wolf stew was ready to be eaten. Adina woke up much later than the others and Taren had a look in his eyes that Ximena saw but didn¡¯t understand. He whispered what he thought was happening to her when he thought that the others couldn¡¯t hear. Harlan decided they should make a bath house, just large enough for a single person to clean themselves, the river had frozen over during the night and he expected more bloodshed before the week was through. The 4 of them worked together and it was done before lunch, Ximena demanded that she enter first, she wasn¡¯t used to not bathing and she hadn¡¯t even done it in the river when she could because she was worried about others peeping on her. Adina was asked to stand watch and make sure the others didn¡¯t try anything, she tried to at least say Harlan would never. Taren thought it was the right time, he pulled his dagger and was about to try and kill Harlan, but he felt eyes on him. He couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that if he tried to do this then he would vanish without a trace, the thought refused to leave his head no matter how much he tried to get rid of it. Harlan never once stopped feeling hate from the boy, he had been thinking of waiting until he attacked and killing him in self defense. The biggest proponent against this was Lugh. Instead he went to have a private chat, he wondered if it was his conscience telling him that he was wrong for trying. ¡°Harlan. Why have you been this way towards me here? After what I¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°A friend told me that I might need to fight and kill, because that is what people like me do, but I don¡¯t need to hate. Right now you are part of the group, you¡¯ve not been hostile so I¡¯ve repaid that in kind. Though if you keep paying people to spread rumors about me and my friends I¡¯ll probably put you in a shallow grave one day.¡± Taren thought it was a nice reply until the end. ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡± ¡°No, and while I am at it, I don¡¯t hate you for what your father did. He''s dead because of what he tried to do to my family, but you aren¡¯t him, so don¡¯t be him.¡± ¡°He is dead because you stole our livelihood with your magic, you are to blame.¡± ¡°He tried to have me killed, he tried to have my family killed, he tried to have my servants killed. No matter if you believe it, or if someone else is telling you to blame me, I don¡¯t give a shit about anything else, he lost the right to live and you lost the right to defend him when he tried to do these things.¡± Harlan stood up, seeming to tower over the boy even though he was actually slightly shorter. ¡°You can blow all the hot air about it that you want but I wasn¡¯t involved beyond being his target, if you want to blame anyone blame the investigators who found the evidence, blame his own incompetence that he couldn¡¯t hid the evil he was doing, and you can blame the kingdom that took me away so they could learn this power.¡± At this point he was inches away from the boy who was frozen with fear, his hands were gripping his face, forcing them to lock eyes. ¡°You want to blame everyone but him, shut your mouth, never talk with me about this ever again, because I am only being kind this one time, I will never, ever, regret that he is dead, because it was him or me, and if he hurt my family then I would¡¯ve dedicated my entire life to destroying him, to killing all of you for what he did. You aren¡¯t him, don¡¯t be him, don¡¯t force my hand, because I¡¯ve killed men stronger than you, and if it comes too it there is nothing the crown can do to stop me, they can¡¯t even stop Dearil and he has been around for decades without even being a proper mage.¡± Harlan let him go and sat back down, eyeing the spot where Taren had his dagger hidden. Taren ran outside as Ximena and Adina were coming back in. Harlan was in a foul mood, worse than he had been in a long time, he refused to let them try to speak with him, he welded the door shut with wood magic and set up a ward to keep their sounds out, he didn¡¯t want to talk, he wanted to stew in his anger until it went away. Lugh managed to calm him down eventually, Lugh had never been as angry as Harlan, he didn¡¯t understand, Harlan starting feeding on that feeling of peace that he hadn¡¯t truly had in years. By the time he came out of his room Adina was talking with Ximena about Harlan and trying to convince her that he wasn¡¯t a bomb ready to go off. Taren tried to flee when Harlan came out. ¡°Don¡¯t bother running, I am not going to hurt you. I hope you¡¯ve learned something from our chat, I am sorry I got so heated.¡± ¡°N-no, it is fine.¡± It got colder and colder, there was something outside, Harlan knew it was there and told the others of what he saw on the second night. ¡°This place is wrong, I can¡¯t put it aside anymore. Someone made this place.¡± ¡°Is that really so strange? We¡¯ve seen what the academy has done to the lands around it.¡± ¡°If it was just the plants in the wrong place and growing in conditions that they shouldn''t, it would be one thing, but the stars, I can¡¯t get over that. If we were in the south then they would be flipped, the sky is entirely wrong here. It isn¡¯t an artificially cultivated area, everything here is wrong.¡± Nobody really had an argument against him, but they all thought it was quite odd how much it seemed to upset him that he didn¡¯t understand where he was. They spent the day inside, only Harlan and Ximena ventured out to cut trees for firewood, neither of them wanted to be outside alone and they had only a dozen feet of vision with the heavy snowfall. Harlan wished that he had taken warding and arrays classes, the ones he put up were fine, they stopped the snow from building up too much and the kept the heat inside, but if things kept getting colder things could get bad very quickly. They hadn¡¯t even been able to hunt anything, though they thought the meat they had could last them the week without much issue it still put Harlan on edge. The next day the snow stopped, though it piled a dozen feet high and was frozen into a glacier of sorts, granting little respite. ¡°Harlan, what do we do?¡± Adina didn¡¯t really mind being stuck inside all the time, it was how she spent her childhood up to this point, yet she hoped that she could get Harlan thinking of something to distract him. ¡°Stay inside, there is something out there still.¡± ¡°How long has it been since you last slept?¡± Ximena wasn¡¯t put at ease by Harlan as much, tension was clear on his face and the idea of just waiting out another 4 days inside didn¡¯t sit well with her. ¡°Month, give or take a few days. I don¡¯t like sleeping anyway.¡± ¡°Why.¡± ¡°What ratio of good dreams to nightmares do you think you have?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Mostly good?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had nightmares for years, the better nights are the ones I don¡¯t remember. If you think I am tense now, give me a bad night''s sleep on top of this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I di-¡± ¡°Stop, I know you didn¡¯t know. You can¡¯t know, because you aren¡¯t me and¡­ nevermind. We are safe inside here, we have food. Though we will need to keep getting wood for the fire, it would be best if we stockpiled it today, the winds have died down and without the snow it should be more bearable. Taren, do you know anything that can help us?¡± ¡°Not unless you have the knowledge and materials for a proper enchanting lab. Wait¡­ maybe I could try carving runes into the hut? They are the basis for enchanting, but they wouldn¡¯t really be the same as a properly enchanted home.¡± ¡°I¡¯m an idiot, the biggest fool in the world.¡± The sudden outburst from Harlan startled the rest of them. ¡°I¡¯ve had the answer this entire time. We don¡¯t need more wood, we just need to use this wood the right way. I made jewelry once, but they kept exploding because they stored heat without a proper outlet. I can carve those runes into the wood and have them output heat until they break from the mana flowing through them.¡± ¡°Maybe hold off on the wood bombs, have you ever carved runes before?¡± ¡°Nope, I¡¯ve carved wood a lot and I know the spellform like the back of my hand.¡± Taren walked Harlen through the dangers of rune carving and why it might¡¯ve been the start of enchanting but it was phased out long ago. ¡°So if I have this right, when the wood breaks and the rune changes shape it could just ruin the rune and kill us all in a conflagration?¡± ¡°Yes, that is the likely outcome.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve wasted enough time then. I¡¯m going to start felling trees. We can fill Delmet¡¯s room with wood. Ximena, you¡¯ll be the best help out there.¡± They spent the day until dusk getting as much wood chopped as they could while Adina and Taren stacked it. Yet it was all for naught. Night came and the walls fell, Harlan was the first to notice. He heard whistles, then gnashing teeth, the first dogs had spiked collars that cut Harlan¡¯s hand as he tore it from its shoulders. ¡°ATTACK.¡± He rushed to Adina and grabbed her, he wasn¡¯t sure if Taren was of any use in a fight, but if he died he wouldn¡¯t mind, he wouldn¡¯t forgive himself if Adina got caught up in whatever this was. He blew a hole in the roof with an orb of void and shortly after was joined on top of the frozen snow by Taren and Ximena. The man commanding the dogs wore armor and sword in style unknown to him. It seemed made of bronze, the helmet covered nearly the full face, leaving only eye shaped slits and a small gap down its center, the most striking feature however was the large purple strip of horses hair down its center. The chest piece bore a design as if it were the exposed chest of the man, the legs and arms held plating on only the outside, either a foolish choice or a taunt that no one could land a blow on him regardless. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. The shield was round and large enough to be used as a blunt weapon on its own; it bore the mark of an upturned V on its front. The sword had a small guard on its handle and was shorter than the broadswords Harlan knew; it thinned slightly in the first third before bulging out again. ¡°That is quite unkind for you to have done that to my little Molloser.¡± The word sounded foreign to Harlan¡¯s ears. ¡°I don¡¯t want bloodshed, though it seemed to attack me first.¡± The man seemed disgusted by Harlan. He whistled and Harlan knew what was coming. ¡°Adina, hold Lugh, Lugh, attack them as I command, I don¡¯t think this is part of the camp.¡± Harlan had little time to do anything about the others, they lived or died on their own merits. The one struck from the front, another from behind. Harlan found it awkward to kick the dogs as their saggy skin caught his foot and simply tore away instead of letting him land a solid killing blow. While he still had solid footing he turned the upwards kick into a heavy stomp on the dog behind using his own gravity magic. Learning to hover let him enhance what he already knew, and while most people could handle 3 times weight before their blood became too heavy to pump properly Harlan¡¯s strong heart let him handle 5 times without too many negative consequences if used sparingly. With a sickening thud squelch the second dog''s head was nearly gone and the roof was damaged, his 230 pound 5¡¯5 frame turned to over 1000, his joints screamed and required healing but he considered that more of a test run anyway. Ximena hit them with lightning then followed up with ice spikes, the environment was practically brimming with water mana and she made use of it, falling into the snow and carving it away to try and escape, she could only hope the others made it out, for all of her bluster she was cowardly in the face of death, she had only wished to be a healer, killing was never what he hoped for. Taren barely held up to the single dog as it lept towards him, his enchanted robes let him live long enough to stab the beast in the throat as it set upon him. ¡°FOLLOW XIMENA, REGROUP.¡± Taren followed the order without question. The man stood upon the snow and only started to follow the rest of them after they all entered the tunnel. More and more dogs came after them and Harlan had to hand Adina and Lugh off to Taren, Ximena went in a straight line, just trying to get distance. The man walked slowly towards them uncaring of the wall of jagged ice spikes Harlan made to slow them down. He bent down in almost a runners stance with his shield in front of him, an anti-friction spell mixed with already being on slippery along with a blast of wind behind him let him catch up as the spikes barely slowed him down. Harlan boosted his gravity again, knowing fully that this was going to hurt. He covered himself in ice as the best armor he could form at the moment and met the shield with a shoulder charge of his own along with a hover cast at the moment of impact, sending the man back to near the start of the tunnel that Harlan then collapsed. He rushed to Ximena, his arm could barely be called one anymore, blood pooled under him and it was nearly entirely broken. ¡°Ximena, help me stop the bleeding, we don¡¯t have time for anything more.¡± Her hands shook and tears veiled her eyes as the shock of the situation set in, before now she could¡¯ve believed that this was still a test, but they wouldn¡¯t let a student be harmed so much for such a thing. ¡°XIMENA, EITHER HEAL OR DIG.¡± She didn¡¯t calm any, but she did as asked. Harlan couldn¡¯t put weight on it but he could move it, and more importantly, his fingers again. He sent balls of void that made wild patterns in the ice that he hoped would slow them down along with spreading some of his blood across each of the paths. Harlan guessed that they made it only another 5 minutes before they ended up finding a wall. ¡°Adina, can you figure out if there is a cave here?¡± ¡°Y-yes¡­¡± Her teacher taught her as if she was someone supposed to fight in a cave, one of those things was to hear hollow spots in stone to map them out better. ¡°Go down the wall to our right 15 feet, then 10 feet straight ahead, it is a large cave, I don¡¯t know how far it goes.¡± ¡°Taren, help me dig this out then, unless you have some other trick it will be the best use of mana for you.¡± He didn¡¯t even say a word as he helped Harlan. ¡°Go inside, I¡¯ll be with you in just a minute.¡± ¡°B-¡± ¡°NOW.¡± Nobody wanted to argue with him, as far as they knew he had a trick that could save them all, even if he didn¡¯t he was still the strongest of all of them. Harlan could see that the man was close. He started sealing the extra tunnels with a surprise behind them. He reversed the runes for the cold flame spell and gave it no outlet, the myriad water mana in the air would do the rest, filling the runes to bursting and blasting the man with a subzero blast that should at least slow him down. The ground trembled as Harlan made his way to the cave and the tunnel behind him filled with solid ice. Yet it barely slowed the man down. The runes carved into the ice degraded before they even finished filling and they lacked intent, simply acting as a giant blast that didn¡¯t focus on him. He cloaked himself in void and walked forward as if the ice wasn¡¯t even there, he was mildly annoyed that none of his dogs made it through however, he had underestimated the brutality of the boy after his first request for no more bloodshed. The cave was naturally lit by glowing crystals, uncut mana gems and magical ores littered the walls so much that any other group would¡¯ve been overcome by greed. ¡°Do you think we got him?¡± Taren foolishly hoped. ¡°Not a chance. Adina, can you find out which path goes on the longest at least?¡± She hiccuped and her heart pounded as she blamed herself, it was somehow her fault, she didn¡¯t exactly how yet though. She dried her eyes and pointed to the tightest tunnel. ¡°Alright. We will go inside and I¡¯ll close it behind us, if we are lucky he can¡¯t track us, but always expect an attack. Adina will be at the head, she can guide us, that tunnel doesn¡¯t have light, I¡¯ll be behind her, Ximena, you have more mana than me if I am right, so you¡¯ll be behind me, Taren, you¡¯ll seal the tunnel so you need to be at the back.¡± He wanted to argue but Adina said that the man was already near the cave. They made their way through the tunnel, it was thin enough that it scraped Ximena¡¯s chest, she cursed the figure granted to the Golden but didn¡¯t dare use an ounce of mana to expand it. On the other end they found what seemed to be a dungeon, shackles sat unused and in pristine shape, just begging to be used. Yet they ignored the bloodstains on the ground and sat down to rest, no one could bring themselves to talk, they simply stewed in their fear and hoped somebody would find them before that man did. Taren wanted to blame Adina for leading them to a room with no exits and one entrance, but was afraid that if Harlan thought that he was trouble he would kill him on the spot. Harlan had cast a 1 hour ring of light that was nearly out now, they had to occasionally cast spells to make breathable air. ¡°So, this is how we die. I kinda hoped it would be something heroic, maybe I¡¯d save my family from somebody, detonate my soul.¡± ¡°Harlan¡­ we can¡¯t think like that.¡± ¡°This place is fake, every inch of it was made by somebody. They¡¯ve got control over the weather, the plants that grow, the creatures in the woods, even the sky bends to their will. Tell me, where do you think we are? Do you think that we can be found? Are we even on Aarde as we know it right now?¡± ¡°They will come¡­ the academy is safe, Marigold built it, they have to have safety features here if this place is all fake.¡± ¡°You put a lot of faith in a woman who lived 1500 years ago and your people cast out because she didn¡¯t want to watch the world burn from a Golden cage. I¡¯ve not had a great track record with your people, first one I met nearly tore my face off, the next three were pricks, now I¡¯ve met you.¡± Ximena¡¯s eyes were out of tears but they tried their best anyway. ¡°And you are a great person, I am sorry that you are getting pulled into some bullshit because of me. I am sorry to all of you, even you, Taren.¡± ¡°No¡­ this is my fault¡­ I¡¯m cursed¡­ that is why they sent me to you Harlan. They wanted my bad luck to kill you, just like my brother, just like my mother, just like that maid.¡± Harlan burst out laughing until he was in pain. ¡°Oh this is wonderful. We¡¯re so fucked up that now I can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re all caught in the games of gods because of me or if Adina is cursed to lose anyone that loves her. This is a precious moment here.¡± Ximena and Taren were still in shock and had no idea how to respond to the grim humor Harlan found. ¡°Adina, if this is your fault, I forgive you, ever since we talked two nights back I decided I was screwed if you really were sent to kill me. You look like my youngest sister, I almost questioned if there was an illusion at play at first. I can¡¯t ever let you come to harm, so I guess I¡¯ve got one thing left to do, let¡¯s figure out who is the real cursed one here. I¡¯m not going to die of hunger in a cave. I will get my good death.¡± Adina struck him, but it was like a toddler hitting a bear. ¡°NO, YOU CAN¡¯T LEAVE ME TOO, JUST KILL ME, I AM-¡± She stumbled as she tried to get up, the slumbering air was finally hitting her, she had another 10 seconds before she passed out. ¡°Sorry, I knew we were both idiots, so I couldn''t let you be stupid first.¡± He kissed her forehead and brushed her hair aside like his mother had done to him before she left him in the woods. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t get to know you more.¡± He could see her with his eyes veiled his tears, he hoped that everyone else would treat her right when he was gone. It didn¡¯t take long to reach the first room they entered from again. As soon as he unsealed the wall he found that the man was waiting there sitting on a stone throne. ¡°I wondered. Are you the man who sits on the silent throne?¡± ¡°I hold no such title.¡± ¡°Well, I guess that would¡¯ve been too nice. Let¡¯s fight to the death then.¡± ¡°Once I am done I will deal with the others.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t let that happen.¡± ¡°Weak men cannot stop anything.¡± Lugh shaped himself into dozens of needle thing spikes as they struck at the man. Harlan had one method by which he hoped to win, and it only needed one cut. The man¡¯s shield grew not unlike what Lugh had done and blocked each needle before he made a circle with his sword cutting pieces from Lugh, Harlan could hear the pain it caused him, but they didn¡¯t have time to worry about it. They were both walking into their death and they knew it. Orbs of void were the next move, the man¡¯s sword was also cut down and he didn¡¯t dare try to block it. The man looked at his sword and scoffed before stabbing an exposed ore vein, the blade greedily sucked up what was there, turning from bronze into a fire steel alloy in an instant. The man did the same with his shield and a light steel ore vein. Harlan decided that anything he could do he should be able to do as well. It took a moment to figure out how to do it, but knowing that it might be possible was enough for Lugh. He regained his lost mass by replacing it with shadowsteel, though as it was lighter than stonesteel he was larger than before. He could see that the man was smiling as he rushed towards him, Harlan stepped back and deflected each strike as best he could, the man was testing him, getting faster and faster with each hit, Harlan was adapting to him, moving past the limits he always set for himself to not hurt others without meaning too. The man¡¯s sword turned to a spear and the firesteel shot through his bad arm, severing it. Yet Harlan barely blinked, it was deadweight, slowing him down. This continued for another minute, the man sometimes slicing ore veins to switch the metal of his blade. By the time they reached the dead end of the tunnel Harlan had lost one eye, two fingers, an ear, and a toe. He barely staggered to the wall and slid down to the ground. He coughed up blood as he laughed. ¡°It would be a good death, yet you have another choice. I will teach you to shift forms, yours and others, in exchange, you will let me kill the others without more fighting.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Things are about to get very hot in here. I guess I¡¯ll see if the Fae worshippers are right about hell.¡± Every step back he had taken during their fight was really his subtle way of placing the runes from his failed cold fire jewelry. He put on a brave face, but thought it was the end, fire filled the hallways and he was gripped by the fear of death. He swore he could feel his mother¡¯s embrace in those moments as the man turned around and expanded his shield while casting neumous spells to either break the runes closest to them in the hopes that they didn¡¯t go off or to cool down the rest of the cave. He hoped that his family would forgive him for not coming back.
Balor was putting his plans in motion, he had been pulling out thieves from the ground and offering jobs to the ones who looked like they could be trusted enough to not steal from him. He had gathered all kinds of documents from Tole, Luth, and even Yor, he knew how many guards each town held, what their income was and what they paid in taxes, he found cooked books showing each of the towns was knowingly cheating on their taxes in different ways and amounts. He wondered how much he could slip away from the kingdom before he perished the thought. These were good for blackmail but he shouldn¡¯t try anything they were doing, his work was too well known, too small, too closely watched, and he didn¡¯t want to hurt Harlan¡¯s reputation by doing anything unsavory. Chapter 88 She burst through the walls of Xol¡¯s small world without regard to how much it would take him to fix it, her connection to Harlan burned and something had gone wrong. She couldn¡¯t see the threads within this place but she knew that Harlan should¡¯ve come out just fine, yet now his fate was held by a string. She screamed with fury as she saw Kleon. She thought of forcing the lich to burn the history he so treasured to punish the man, he had spent so much time reading that he believed himself belonging to a nation that fell, one not even of this world. He was one of the few men foolish enough to actually do something so insane as stand against her plans for one of his ¡®heroic tests of character.¡¯ She sundered the fire mana that made up the flames and they unmade themselves. Then a fraction of a second later Xol appeared with a look of horror on his face, both of them saw Harlan in this state and Kleon standing over him trying desperately to block a series of explosions that threatened to blow up the entire cave and they both knew who was at fault. She would need to speak with the boy about his innate desire for self sacrifice before he actually killed himself. There was that other talk she still needed to have as well. Harlan dreamt of a woman in a ballroom, it was one of the few times he ever had a dream instead of a nightmare, he had seen her once before, but now he could see her face and yet he didn¡¯t know her, her voice spoke in a silence he couldn¡¯t understand. Harlan awoke once more, the sedatives were less effective than expected. Amber was sitting next to him, Sepul was there checking his vitals. ¡°What happened?¡± Harlan showed him his pitiful fight with the man, the part with the woman in the ballroom shook Sepul, he knew something about it, probably one of the secrets The Dark Mother didn¡¯t want him to hear, so he just dropped it, he still felt drained. ¡°How long has it been?¡± ¡°20 hours, Amber hasn¡¯t left your side as you can see, I finally sedated her when I realized she wasn¡¯t able to sleep due to worry. As soon as Redhead and The Unseen woke up they went to the hut and found all of you had blacked out.¡± Harlan tried to stand, he needed to see everyone. ¡°Calm down, I need to ask, how did you return to the cabin?¡± Sepul¡¯s eyes shined for a moment. ¡°The headmaster is ready to speak with you. Do you feel able to?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with, I need to talk to Adina, she is probably still very upset.¡± There was a reaction, though subtle, from Sepul, Harlan didn¡¯t know how to take it. He was instantly teleported directly to the headmasters office, he could see that this is where that stained glass art he had seen on the first day led into. ¡°Firstly. I must apologize, had we known that she had plans for you, we would¡¯ve never let you go on that trip. We can only offer our deepest apologies and let you have days off to handle the stress he surely put you under, we can also set you up with therapists and counselors which we have also done for the rest of your group.¡± ¡°Where is Adina, is she alright?¡± ¡°Miss Adina is resting now, she came out of her stupor when you nearly killed that doctor but she is still shaken. Would you like to see her when we are done here?¡± ¡°I want to see her now, but I¡¯ll answer your questions first.¡± He completely ignored the part about the doctor, he didn¡¯t remember it and he didn¡¯t care. Harlan directly showed him what he saw from his point of view, it was faster than words and he wanted to leave. The headmaster looked ready to cast fireball into his own mouth, he looked through his desk to find the advice his predecessor some 400 years ago left when dealing with a possible champion to The Darkness. ¡°Did you know she wants you as a champion?¡± ¡°I am not sure that she was ever really clear, but I know that she was at least thinking about it.¡± He deeply sighed. ¡°As I said before, had we known that you caught her eye we would¡¯ve never sent you there. The lich normally looks over people who are selected as champion candidates, tests them for morals mostly, the power will come from the gods so he doesn¡¯t care about that as much. Since you are still standing here I am going to say that you passed, and that will be noted on your secret file, it should save you some headache in the future. Honestly, he didn¡¯t need to do any of what he did, he could¡¯ve never seen you once and known if you passed or failed. Whatever spells he cast on you while you were sleeping surely told him more than anything you actually did.¡± The headmaster would rather Harlan believe that the lich was the one testing him, he was a known figure for most students by the time they reached the 4th year, the other man however, was not, and that might lead to more questions he didn¡¯t want to get into. ¡°Is there anything else I should know?¡± ¡°Not really, I don¡¯t actually have the authority to interfere with your training as a champion by telling you what to expect. But I do have one question, he mentioned teaching you to shift yourself, from the offer it sounded like something he thought was very important to you, why was this?¡° ¡°I want to fix the false undead who don¡¯t like what they are, Are we done?¡± Hirum would¡¯ve liked to rebuke the boy for his attitude, but he felt the same way. Harlan was sent in front of the counselor''s room, he knocked on the door and was told to come in. Adina didn¡¯t say a word, she just sat on the couch next to Harlan and gripped onto him. The counselor was Mary, she just watched them, asking if they wanted any tea while they were relaxing. Eventually Adina spoke her fears about her being cursed, what it meant that they were friends, and that she would leave them all alone now. Harlan refused every argument she had for why she should suffer away from her friends because of something that she doesn¡¯t even know is real or not. After an hour she simply broke down in tears and rested her head in his lap until she went to sleep. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t let her do that, it would be considered against the morality guidelines Reino has in place for its students. How long have you two been together?¡± ¡°We are just friends.¡± ¡°Well, we can see how long that lasts, please don¡¯t take advantage of her, and don¡¯t let her try to get you to take advantage of her. She is hurting, and I don¡¯t think she got support from anyone in Reino for her loneliness.¡± ¡°I know, I will do everything I can do to protect her.¡± ¡°You remind me of my husband, strong and sturdy face, just don¡¯t neglect yourself for others. If you ever need to lighten that load on your mind, just come to me.¡± Harlan felt calmer just being around her, he spoke a little with Mary small talk really, she mentioned that she cast aside her Golden name as was common with those who willingly outcast themselves. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. He asked how to avoid giving off the wrong signals, he had no interest in a relationship beyond being friends. He explained that he actually had training in putting off all kinds of wrong signals to get a rise out of people, Mary was less than impressed by this, but she explained some things to avoid, the best thing she said was to just be clear and outright from the start about what he wanted, which had said he had already done with Zella and Isha. Eventually Adina woke up and was red faced realizing where she had rested her head until Harlan had a talk about how he felt towards her. She seemed a little upset, but she understood. As they stepped out together a few people saw them and started whispering, Harlan could hear them even from a distance and grabbed ahold of one boys shoulders and just squeezed until the boy broke free from his grip and ran. They walked together to breakfast, Amber and her friend group were sitting together in his usual spot, Zella and the twins were still on their camping trip, 1st and 3rd years left at the same time. Ximena went to the rest of them when she saw Harlan. ¡°Harlan, what happened, why are you together with Adina? What was that that attacked us?¡± ¡°Hey, he just got here, give him some space. Actually, who even are you?¡± Amber was feeling rather protective at the moment. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Ximena is a friend of mine from the camping trip. And I am fine, I am not getting into details.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry I ran, I just¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, you gave us an escape route.¡± ¡°What happened? Wait, no, I am sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have asked.¡± ¡°He toyed with me, he completely overpowered me, nothing could¡¯ve changed, don¡¯t blame yourself, I lost my arm again from his spear.¡± ¡°Again? You should train with me, I can show you how to protect yourself better.¡± ¡°Thank you for the offer Bojana. But nothing would¡¯ve changed what happened.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind my asking, how did you lose it the first time.¡± ¡°Well, that starts with me trying to make¡­¡± He felt afraid and angry at everything, so he put on the face of himself to calm the nerves of those around him. The rest of their conversation was friendly, Harlan spoke of the things he had made, the times they went wrong. After too much of that Amber switched the conversation to her first year camping experience. She tried to do what Harlan did but she still just a normal 13 year old girl who couldn¡¯t wrestle a direwolf or tan hides, when it started to snow on the 4th day her team of Her, Tau, Adelwolf, and Ibery, had to huddle up close to Bojana to stay warm for the rest of the night. They had food and fire and were told they actually placed among the top 10 groups, but considering that almost every student was a noble, she wasn¡¯t sure how impressive it really was. Harlan mentioned that it started snowing on their second day and it didn¡¯t take long for the rest of them to explain that the difficulty changed depending on how well a team was doing. Even people the next table other quieted down to hear Harlan talk about what he had done, they could believe that he killed 8 wolves, but the 3 direwolves was a stretch too far until an Ibexian tried to arm wrestle him and lost. Harlan nearly broke his arm really, he barely held back at the last second. People had heard that he was fighting beastkin in melee classes, but they didn¡¯t realize was actually winning against them. Then came questions about his weight, nobody believed him when he said 230, he was barely 5¡¯5 and looked like he should weigh 130 soaking wet, then a girl cast a spell to weigh him and confirmed it. Harlan wondered why in the world he was getting so much attention, it had slipped out that he fought against the lich for minutes to save his friends, a Golden, a Reinoan, and a noble whose father tried to kill him, it made him look like a selfless hero instead of ¡®that weird Fomorian kid.¡¯ The headmaster also decided to hide the incident where he nearly killed the doctor that first found them before Sepul replaced him. Had they not already been in the medical wing his broken neck would¡¯ve been fatal. After lunch it was a free period for them, there weren¡¯t any first year classes going for the rest of the week so they had 3 days, the camp ended on a weekend to give the students more time to unwind and think about what they learned. The first year teachers all wanted to talk with him, but the only one who he followed up with was his healing teacher. ¡°Good afternoon Miss Hellon.¡± ¡°Why me?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t heal my arm, maybe I wouldn¡¯t have felt the need to do what I did if I could¡¯ve used both my arms.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t teach you that, not yet. You would still need to learn as everyone does. I coul-¡± Harlan was overcome with anger, he barely stopped himself from lashing out, instead he simply walked away. ¡°I want you to understand something before you go, I am only as harsh as I am because every student who comes into my class has the weight of lives on their shoulders and I want them to take it seriously. You are a model student but I don¡¯t want any of my students to get an ego and crack under the pressure when they fail.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t the first one that has given a warning about egos here, It¡¯s fine.¡± Harlan made his way towards Mary¡¯s office several times, each time Lugh had to push him back to going. He hated that he got so riled up, that he crumbled under pressure, he didn¡¯t fully understand how well he had held up already all things considered. Finally he knocked on her door and she said to come in. ¡°I was expecting you back, vanilla tea?¡± Harlan recognized the kettle, it was his design but not one he made. ¡°Where did you get that?¡± ¡°The village of Tole, I believe it is in Blackstone county. I had to send a courier to get it for me since they don¡¯t take long distance orders, but I thought it sounded like a nice thing to have around.¡± ¡°So Balor already has that set up.¡± They made small talk for a short time about what else was likely to be sold, Harlan felt it was time to leave, he felt better already. ¡°I can¡¯t force you to talk about it, but I want you to at least rest here.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to waste your time, surely others will want to talk to you.¡± ¡°Nope, I have a clear schedule for the entire day. I¡¯ll be working overtime when the children come back from camp though. Please, sit and let¡¯s keep talking.¡± He sat back down and she moved from her desk to another chair closer to him. ¡°I know that it can be very hard to be hurt like you were, to be afraid of losing others like that. Do you have a history of feeling powerless?¡± Something about her put him at ease, which then just made him uneasy. It upset him to talk about it, but he started at the the werewolf, then his thoughts trailed off, he didn¡¯t want to talk about the facility, he was pretty sure he wasn¡¯t even allowed to. She listened to what he didn¡¯t say more than what he did. ¡°Would you be willing to talk about when you were taken away from your family by Ragne?¡± ¡°I am grateful for the opportunities that I got to be trained under the royal''s watchful eyes.¡± His tone was neutral and lifeless. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to talk about it then that is fine. But can I ask you to trust me?¡± ¡°No, you can¡¯t. I don¡¯t even know you.¡± ¡°How about I share one of my secrets with you, would you be willing to tell me then?¡± He disliked that she seemed to be trying too hard to get him to talk. ¡°I think she wants to help, why don¡¯t you just talk to her?¡± ¡°Because if the king already thinks I am some kind of threat that Sepul needs to keep his eye on then I can¡¯t let how I feel out. I don¡¯t know how much the disconnect between Ragne and the academy is but if Reino has been pushing them around for centuries and Ragne is now the new strongest nation then what is stopping them from doing the same? Pulling my file and seeing what I said. Don¡¯t think that they wouldn¡¯t do it.¡± He was pulled from his argument with Lugh by Mary¡¯s hand touching his. ¡°Would it hel-¡± Harlan jerked his hand away from her and moved to the other side of the coach. ¡°Don¡¯t start on that motherly crap, I¡¯ve had enough of people like you for a lifetime.¡± ¡°My apologies, would you like to talk about why you feel that way? How is your relationship with your mother?¡± ¡°It is fine and I am leaving.¡± Harlan ran into Ximena on the way back to his room and she asked to talk with him.
Balor finally had his item testing system up and running, villagers could look through a catalog and ask to test objects from a golem that could clean floors to more of the hotplates and kettles Harlan had designed. It brought people to Tole and the cost was low enough that even a simple man could try them out. It wasn¡¯t yet profitable, but Balor wanted to get deals for bulk orders of materials that his own blacksmith golems could work into simple items for him to soulsmith. If he was right then by the end of the year Tole should be making more than enough to justify expansions and eventually he could get these items into the homes of normal people on a permanent basis for a reasonable cost. Every night when someone cooked their meal on a hotplate without needing to chop wood and start a fire, or drank a hot cup of tea out in the woods, they would know it was Balor Fomoria who had done it. The biggest issue he had with the system so far was people trying to steal the items they were supposed to test, all he did was just a blacklist of these people, he could¡¯ve added protections to make them stop working after the allotted time or a set number of uses but it considered it a reasonable price to pay compared to if he got something wrong and a product shut down when someone really needed it. Chapter 89 They went to his room together, another student, likely a 4th year he guessed, ribbed his friend next to him and pointed at the two. ¡°Harlan, stop.¡± He hadn¡¯t even realized that he started walking towards the boys. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ximena hadn¡¯t noticed that he even stepped away. As soon as the two of them stepped inside he put on a kettle of water. ¡°Do you want some tea?¡± ¡°Ah, yes please.¡± ¡°Black or green?¡± ¡°Green, something fruity if you have it.¡± ¡°I have orange if that sounds good.¡± ¡°That sounds delightful.¡± As he handed her the cup she could feel her trembling. ¡°How do you deal with it?¡± ¡°With what?¡± ¡°Killing, almost dying, all of it. When I saw the lich I left you all behind. How do I stop being a coward? How do I stop being so afraid?¡± ¡°Why do you think I tried to fight him?¡± ¡°Because you are strong, and you had a plan?¡± ¡°I stayed behind because I would rather die than see people I like die. I am a coward, afraid of everything around me taking away what I have. I¡¯m not brave, I am an idiot. And guess what, I put you and Taren behind me and Adina when we went into that tunnel because I wanted you two as meat shields, you were in front of him because I like you more. I even thought of killing him before I fought the lich just to make sure you two had more air and that he wouldn¡¯t try anything.¡± She was stunned, she sat and drank her tea, ate the few cookies that Harlan set out for her. Then it was just silence, Harlan didn¡¯t mind, he would rather have the silence. ¡°Would you really?¡± ¡°Without a second thought. Delmet is an idiot, he is brash and has an ego the size of Aarde, but that makes him easy to deal with, anything he would do would be physical, his problem is with me. Taren is different, he has been spreading rumors about me since the first day I came here, probably before then even, he has people he pays to make sure those rumors stick, to spread them about my sister, about every friend I have. The only ones who he avoids are the twins, and that is just because their father is a duke and if he pushed too hard on them he would end up with far worse spread about him until nobody would touch him with a ten foot pole. That little argument we had? He was shocked that I wasn¡¯t treating him like the dirt I think he is even though he deserves it, his father wanted me dead, wanted my family dead, he ended up executed because he finally got caught. I¡¯m shocked that anyone takes anything he says seriously considering how much of a poison nobility is, a bunch of spoiled children throwing around accusations and too afraid to even ask a simple question. Putting their gold above anything but their own lives because they are the most important person in whatever room they enter.¡± He had long since broken the cup he had in his hand, she tried to stop the bleeding. ¡°I am.. Sorry.¡± She didn¡¯t know how to react to his outpouring of hate and anger, she wasn¡¯t even the target and she felt like she was in danger. ¡°No, you aren¡¯t because it isn¡¯t your fault, you don¡¯t know anything that I¡¯ve dealt with, I¡¯m being thrown around by things and people who are just too much to handle, the king and whatever it is that he even wants from me now that I gave him what I had, after I gave them 3 years of my life, The Darkness who wants me to kill whatever she wants, I am sure the headmaster has something planned but he hasn¡¯t had the chance to fuck me over yet. The only people it seems I can trust are inhuman monsters and my family.¡± She started crying at this point, Lugh had been yelling at him to stop talking before he even mentioned the argument with Taren. He just kept sipping his tea, he couldn¡¯t even blame it on his empathy running out of control, he had already put that behind him, he was just¡­ Tired. He had fun when they were camping, sitting around the fire, telling stories. It reminded him of when he thought he was a normal person, then he got pulled into another mess, beaten and almost killed by another being that he didn¡¯t have the slightest chance of going against. Free will meant nothing as long as he couldn¡¯t stop others from enacting theirs on him, even though he didn¡¯t have walls around him, he didn¡¯t have guards shadowing his every move, he still never got out of the cage the royals put him in when he was 10. ¡°You can¡¯t tell anyone what I just said here, any of it.¡± She stopped crying and eked out a yes and a thank you, he didn¡¯t have any idea why though. He was alone again, well, not alone, Lugh was there. ¡°Lugh, is there anything you want to do?¡± ¡°I want you to be happy again.¡± ¡°Do you want to go on a walk?¡± ¡°NO, you are going to hurt somebody if you go outside, then you will just feel worse.¡± ¡°I think I will read then, thank you for trying to stop me earlier. Sorry I didn¡¯t listen to you.¡± ¡°It is ok, I know you are just angry, sorry I can¡¯t help you, brother Balor also got sad that he couldn¡¯t help you.¡± ¡°Do you want to go home to see Ava?¡± ¡°No, I just need to stay with you.¡± He ran through what he knew about the cost of gates and went to the student help desk so they could point him to their gate services. ¡°How much would it cost to get me to Luth in Blackstone county?¡± Stolen novel; please report. ¡°For how long?¡± ¡°3 days.¡± ¡°Well, let me check the rates and the map real quick.¡± The desk attendant went into a back room for a few minutes and returned with a quote. ¡°100 gold in total, 10 paid now, the remaining when you get back. If when the time comes you don¡¯t want to return you will still need to pay the full price. Would you like to pay in coins or from an expenses account?¡± ¡°Expense account.¡± ¡°We will come to get you when the next gate capable mage is ready to send you to your destination, thank you for your time.¡± An hour passed, Harlan sat in the garden and read a book, it was something his mother read him as a child. No, when he was younger, Harlan felt world wery, but he tried to remember that he was still just a child. He liked the part where even after they lost their mittens and made a mess, the kittens were still forgiven because they had cleaned them. A boy came by and tried to knock the book from his hand, Harlan broke his hands twice and then healed them twice. Harlan returned home an hour after that, there was a slight delay because he left a note with Selen that he was leaving, he didn¡¯t want to bother anyone else but he knew they would ask where he went after he missed dinner. Harlan had a short visit with Brig, he questioned why he was back and then called him wasteful when he said he took a gate. Harlan missed being given advice and or berated by the old man. He wondered if he would still be there when he came back next time. He sent letters to both Balor and Redwall telling him how long he would be back in case any of them wanted to talk, but he made it clear he wanted to stay on the farm. Instead of renting a horse or a carriage Harlan ran back home on foot, when he reached the gate to his parents farm he jumped over the top, a few men tried to spear him as he landed but Harlan wasn¡¯t one to lose out to them. He tossed them around but didn¡¯t hurt them, they eventually just surrounded him as he claimed to be Harlan and some of the farmhands recognized him. Eventually Aida came out and invited him in while berating the guards for not even knowing what he looked like. ¡°Let me wake your father up, what are you doing here? How are you here?¡± ¡°Let him have his nap, and I took a gate here. The king apparently set me up with an expenses account so I didn¡¯t have to pay anything.¡± ¡°Are you¡­ Are you ok? Is this just a normal visit?¡± ¡°I just want to go back to being Harlan the farmer''s son for a few days, help out around here, unwind.¡± ¡°What happened, you¡­ You don¡¯t just stop working, I know you don¡¯t. Are you making friends? You aren¡¯t too lonely there?¡± ¡°I almost died again, some lich that everyone but me seems to know about wanted to test me, I passed but... I¡¯m not lonely either, Amber has good friends and they are my friends too, I also have my own friends. People my age.¡± ¡°Oh my little baby boy, come here.¡± She checked him for wounds and kissed his forehead before pulling him into a hug; he wasn¡¯t entirely sure how long they sat there at the table before Harlow woke up and joined them. ¡°School life getting you down? I tried to join the army once you know, it didn¡¯t work out.¡± ¡°School has been fine, most of my teachers seem like good people. One of the Nightwatchers who saved me from that werewolf is a teacher there. I really like her, she is taking care of a boy younger than me who lost his family.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice. Are you doing ok though? How long are you staying?¡± ¡°I almost died again, I already told mom. I¡¯ll be here for 3 days, there was a camp but my group was sent back to the academy early so I don¡¯t have any classes and we get the weekends off to hang out or do experiments.¡± ¡°She is taking it well.¡± Aida¡¯s eyes were watery but she didn¡¯t want to cry, thinking that if she did then Harlan would too. ¡°Are you making friends? Staying out of trouble?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t go looking for trouble, and I¡¯ve got some good people as friends.¡± ¡°Ah, so you aren¡¯t staying out of it?¡± Harlan laughed at the joke and they all split up. Aida moved to start on lunch, she sent out a farmhand to pick up some nicer cuts of meat for them then she went to start peeling and boiling potatoes, getting the carrots ready to roast. ¡°So, who are your friends?¡± ¡°You already know Amber¡¯s friends, right?¡± ¡°Yes, she has told us all about them.¡± ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll start with the ones you don¡¯t know. The first person who approached me was Adina. She is a spy from Reino but I don¡¯t mind. She is nice but I think I am probably her first real friend. People over there think people who have soul damage are cursed, so with her blindness it has been hard on her but they also won¡¯t fix her eyes.¡± ¡°You say she is a spy? How do you know, has she tried to do anything to you?¡± ¡°Nah, she told me when we thought we were going to die. She didn¡¯t even know what her mission was, she thinks she is cursed because people who get close to her die in accidents or through odd coincidences. She is also in love with me, but I think she just needs to know what a friend is before she starts thinking about that.¡± ¡°Well, that is very mature of you, I met your mother when I was 14, married her at 17. She didn¡¯t give me the time of day at first since I worked on her father¡¯s farm, actually it is this one right here since it transferred to her when he passed away; but over time I eventually broke down her walls and she decided that I wasn¡¯t just after her for anything but her heart.¡± She gave him a peck on the cheek, Harlow had skipped out on a lot of details that Harlan wasn¡¯t old enough to hear, nor did they ever want him to hear it either. Autumn avoided being born a bastard child by about a month. ¡°Anyway, next I met with Claude and Claudia, did you ever meet the investigators after that wolf golem attacked me?¡± ¡°They gave us the creeps.¡± Harlow got goosebumps just thinking about them. ¡°Well, they are the younger brother and sister of those two. Yes, they are strange, but they seem¡­ Genuine. They met me because I turned the baked potato from dinner into a twice baked potato. Claude likes cooking, Claudia likes dresses and accessories. She complained to me when she saw that I got this healer''s pin because she wasn¡¯t allowed to put anything on her clothes.¡± ¡°Well, I am sure that their brother and sister are nicer to talk with when they aren¡¯t working too then.¡± ¡°Nope, Alan and Alice are sticks in the mud who spend their freetime preparing for whatever their next case is. Even they think their siblings are weird.¡± His parents laughed and waited for Harlan to keep going, they shared a look as they realized he really only had 3 friends his own age, and one of them was a spy. ¡°Do you have any other friends? I mean, I am sure they are nice, but I think you should look for as many friends as you can. Not that there''s anything wrong with just a few close friends.¡± ¡°Well, I kinda blew up at her earlier so I don¡¯t know if we are friends or not, but there is also Ximena. I met her on that camping trip I mentioned. She is a healer like me, she likes helping people, doesn¡¯t like conflict, headstrong but cowardly when it comes down to it. She was upset when I didn¡¯t wake her up because the camp was attacked by a pack of wolves on the first night, but then she was glad she wasn¡¯t there when I killed some direwolves.¡± ¡°Well, if she grew up as a noble she probably only faced stuff like that in a fighting pit where she wasn¡¯t in any real danger.¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t talk about her childhood much, but she isn¡¯t a noble, I don¡¯t even know if The Golden have nobles.¡± ¡°Oh, I think I know this one, those are the desert people? Right?¡± ¡°Yeah, I should¡¯ve asked her if it was offensive to call them that, but I only know two of them there and the other is a real prick.¡± ¡°Watch your language.¡± ¡°Calm down honey, we both know you said worse when-¡± Harlow didn¡¯t get away with just words as Aida smacked his hand with a wood spoon. ¡°Don¡¯t start bringing up the past now.¡± Harlan acted like he was having a good time, they ate their steak and vegetables and then Harlan went and stood guard outside. He spoke to the guards he tossed around earlier on to make sure there weren''t any hard feelings and they just seemed embarrassed to be tossed around by someone half their age, they felt like they should¡¯ve realized something was up when none of the golems reacted to him.
There was a scramble when Harlan got back, for assassins and mercenaries it was a time to be afraid, anyone who was thinking about accepting a contract on him or his family got slaughtered right in their bases, nothing bigger than a hand was ever found. For neighboring nobles they wanted to introduce themselves, Balor¡¯s efforts with Tole didn¡¯t go unnoticed and they hoped they could get those magical items sold in their own stores through the boy who wasn¡¯t as shrewd a businessman. Redwall stopped the second group however, he knew that Harlan wasn¡¯t the type to come back for a simple visit, and the vague details of the letter proved that to him. Chaper 90 Harlan received a letter from Redwall saying he would be too busy to visit him, but that he sends his regards and that Autumn and Jaramis would be there tomorrow for dinner. Ava was out on a mission with Breken, just them trying to gather proof that a merchant is buying and selling stolen merchandise, Redwall assured him it was nothing dangerous. Balor said he would like to come over but he was in the middle of a few large deals and he didn¡¯t know if he could make it before Harlan had to leave. Isha had delivered that letter and Harlan invited her to stay for a while. Aida was making breakfast and Isha tried to help. ¡°Nonsense, you are a guest now, why don¡¯t you catch up with Harlan?¡± ¡°I am not sure it would be proper of me, I am a maid, I should-¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t going to win against my wife, just sit down.¡± She was clearly uncomfortable with the whole thing, but she still sat down. ¡°So, Harlan, what have you been doing?¡± Harlan went over some of the things he had learned, who his friends were. ¡°A spy? I¡­ I don¡¯t think you should be with her. It is too dangerous.¡± ¡°Funny, she said the same thing when she tried to stop being my friend. I don¡¯t believe that she is a bad person, just from a bad place, raised by bad people, she needs someone¡­ someone not the same as them.¡± ¡°You mean she needs something good, don¡¯t sit there and act like you aren¡¯t good.¡± Isha placed her hand on his for a moment before breaking off contact, she didn¡¯t know Harlow and Aida well enough to be touchy feely with them around. ¡°Before I came here, I broke a boy''s hands twice, then I healed them. I reacted without thinking and I hurt him, then I realized what I was doing and hurt him again. I am not a good person just because I am better than others.¡± ¡°Hush now, you had a reason right? You¡¯re under a lot of stress, and I bet he did something to you. Am I right?¡± ¡°Mom, he tried to push a book out of my hands, it was minor and petty. I¡­ I am not sure if I should be going back even, but I don¡¯t know if I can stay.¡± ¡°Of course you can stay, you¡¯ll always have a home here, and you have your place out in the woods.¡± ¡°Thats not¡­ I can¡¯t go into details, there are people listening even now.¡± ¡°Honey, you need to get rid of that paranoia of yours, you are safe here.¡± Harlan tossed his plate towards a seemingly empty corner and it shattered against one of The Unseen, the man was surprised, it was a completely out of place action and he didn¡¯t sense it coming in the slightest. ¡°One of your guards, courtesy of 7th Princess Rosewell. They are always around even if you can¡¯t see them, they won¡¯t go in the bedrooms or bathrooms though. I am sure Dahlia will yell at me for this, I am not paranoid, they aren¡¯t out to get me but that doesn¡¯t mean I trust any of them.¡± As if he had directly called for her, Dahlia was there by the time he finished breakfast. ¡°Greetings, I assume you want to speak privately?¡± She hadn¡¯t even dropped her cloaking spells when Harlan called out to her. ¡°Yes, it would be best that we speak privately.¡± ¡°Mom, is there anything in my old room?¡± ¡°Ava didn¡¯t touch anything after you left and I haven¡¯t moved anything either other than to keep it clean.¡± Harlan wanted to cry, he hadn¡¯t been in the room he shared with Ava since he came back, he didn¡¯t want to mess with the memories of when it was theirs instead of her¡¯s. ¡°Thank you.¡± He rubbed the few strays that tried to get away before they could get away from him. He would¡¯ve been more nostalgic about sitting on his old bed, it was a simple wooden frame with loose straw for a mattress, but he had another problem in front of him. ¡°You assaulted a member of your guard, you came here without a single warning to us, do you have any idea what your actions are doing?¡± ¡°Yes, I do. But as it stands, I am going to seriously hurt somebody if I don¡¯t get away from there, I need to be a person instead of a toy for powers above me.¡± ¡°You need to understand that it is for the best that they didn¡¯t know they were being guarded, normal people don¡¯t react well to knowing they are being watched so much.¡± ¡°You just want them to let something about me slip. Don¡¯t bullshit me with this ¡®its for the best¡¯ crap. In case you didn¡¯t realize you are part of those powers above me, whether it is Cecht trying to get me killed by messing with the Darkness¡¯s ability to see the future or the implied threat that everyone I love is only protected so long as I keep up some unsaid bargain to keep giving the kingdom new toys you all want something from me and I don¡¯t really have a choice in any of it.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t help yourself, we didn¡¯t make you like magic, we just gave you the right outlet to help the most people. Even if you were never taken away you would¡¯ve ended up at the academy and they would¡¯ve realized what you were, your fate was always to work for us; and there isn¡¯t any threat against any of you, we haven¡¯t asked you for anything in months.¡± ¡°So if I dropped out of the academy and devoted myself to making kettles, would you and your guards all stick around still?¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Of course, it isn¡¯t the king who sent us originally, he just expanded our unit, Rosewell sent us. Your erratic behavior will just be used as ammo against you when some duke wants to pull units off to guard something of his.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t believe you, know what I learned? The king still thinks I am a threat and Sepul is there to keep an eye on me and probably kill me if he agrees with the king, every single step I take, every word I say, it is all being judged by who knows and it is crushing me, back off and let me just take this half a week off, just let me be a fucking kid for a few days.¡± ¡°Rosewell would probably be upset again if I slapped you, so I won¡¯t, fine, have your fun. I am sorry that you have been under so much pressure, but you should¡¯ve talked to a counselor about it, we can¡¯t know what you say to them, but we can understand that if you are going then that means you are dealing with something and we might be able to help. Despite what you might believe, she has your best interests in heart and she has been and will be defending you from your outbursts in the royal court. You don¡¯t have many allies, don¡¯t push another one away.¡± She faded away from each of his senses other than his mind sense, he opened the door for her as she left. He refused to let his mood stay spoiled, he sat down and went back to talking about the camp. He had to admit that he found it funny how everyone reacted to hearing he had strangled a direwolf. Isha left not long after, there was still work to do back home, there wasn¡¯t much in the way of cleaning but she received messages for Balor, Sara could do it, but she didn¡¯t fully understand the process of order numbers and wasn¡¯t very good at turning away people who were there to tell Balor about some grand new plan of theirs. Harlan changed into a spare set of clothes for the farmhands and found his father out guiding some of the other workers. ¡°Well, are you ready to farm?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to do anything else right now.¡± Most of the work was done by farm hands, Harlan could barely believe how much they had expanded since he was a younger child, what was once a triple field was now over a dozen, though only the original fields were actually inside the walls. They had over 1000 chickens, 40 head of cattle, 200 sheep, Harlow would never admit it, but they were rich, his farm was twice the size of any other private farm in the entire barony. He hadn¡¯t before, but he felt now was the time to tell Harlan that they never could¡¯ve done it without, even before he was out and bringing in his own money the royals had given them tax breaks and extra laborers to help them expand the lands. Harlan thought back to when the king told him that he might someday thank him for what he had done. It was one thing for Harlan to be thankful for being sent to the academy, that was something for him personally, but helping his parents farm, before he was even set free, it confused Harlan, there wasn¡¯t even a good reason for doing it, but it happened anyway. Harlow walked around the farm and told Harlan when something needed just a bit more time before it should be picked, they took the sheep out, Harlan helped gather eggs. It was nice, he had to get used to the smell of a chicken coop again, but even that was nostalgic at this point. But Harlan was already getting that itch, he hadn¡¯t used magic all day, he had barely used any yesterday, he started carving again just to keep his hands busy. ¡°Maybe Miss Dahlia was right? You love magic, you do it all the time, even when you aren¡¯t doing it you spend a lot of time thinking about when you will be doing it next.¡± ¡°I hate it, I don¡¯t even remember if I really liked it that much as a kid or if it was a series of events that led me to believe I needed to do it, now it is just part of me.¡± ¡°No, you love it. You wouldn¡¯t do it so much if you didn¡¯t, besides, I wouldn¡¯t be here if you didn¡¯t love magic.¡± ¡°Maybe you are right. Do you want to take a walk? I¡¯ve not been in the woods at night in a while, I wonder if I can find that little grave I made for a baby bird I found once.¡± ¡°That would be nice.¡± They told the guard at the gate that he would be out for a walk and he shouldn¡¯t worry about it. They walked along a small creek that Harlan used to skip stones across until Harlan realized he had no idea where he even was, he had been walking for hours without really thinking about it. There was a crack, branches to his right. It was a Skoll, it was injured, something larger had taken a sizable bite from its hind leg. ¡°Are you going to be ok?¡± ¡°Death smelling thing, leave this one. Ah, mother, I hear your call¡­¡± It¡¯s eyes went black, its already shadowy coat gained substance, It looked right at Harlan, and he knew what it was. She spoke with a hoarse voice, the Skoll was already barely holding together with her possessing it. ¡°My child¡­ It has been far too long¡­ I must apologize¡­ I have lost my brother¡­ I cannot know when next he will return¡­ heal this child¡­ help to slay the beast of light¡­ my shadow still watches your kin¡­ they are safe¡­ Help the kin of those who are not yours¡­ I am sorry¡­¡± The Skoll woke up again, its shadows turned faint once more. ¡°Death thing¡­ mother says to follow you¡­ you will strike at the one who struck me¡­¡± Everything was moving quickly, Harlan had no ideas what he had just walked into, or if it had walked into him. He started by looking over the Skoll, he couldn¡¯t treat it like a wolf and everything was theoretical for him, he had met a Fenrir, he had killed plenty of Wargs, but he only had pictures and words to help him here. He stabilized him then went to hunt a deer, he would need substance to offset what was lost in the healing process. After a few minutes he found what he wanted, he hopped on its back, a hammer fist to the skull shattered it, a stomp once it was down finished it. Harlan returned and began healing the wounds, needing to stop and destroy any cancers that formed from his misunderstanding of its biology every few minutes. An hour passed before it was finished, the Skoll was awake, its leg was strong. ¡°Death thing, help kill light, light hunts the pups.¡± ¡°A Hati?¡± ¡°Man Thing words, hate thing. Follow, not hurt pack hurt light thing.¡± Every Unseen who was watching him had no idea what in the hell was happening, but they had to go with him. They weren¡¯t supposed to reveal themselves unless Harlan was actually in real danger, they figured he could deal with a Hati, if not, they would. Harlan rode on the back of the Skoll back to his pack. As soon as they reached a point his mindsense lit up like only once before. They were under them, above them, beside them. Harlan looked for the light, he hadn¡¯t even realized he was connected to the Skoll, they were hunting as a pack of two equal minds. The Hati came down instantly, the Wargs froze with fear, perhaps because of The Mother, perhaps because of him being on the back of their former pack leader. As it dive bombed the Skoll leapt towards the pair, Harlan ended with just one strike. Harlan simply coated his hand in void, he didn¡¯t understand how or why, but he did. When he struck the Hati is fell apart, its fiery blood was eaten by the void and it left not even bones. Harlan let out a warcry, his mind still together with the Skoll, the pack howled with them, the sun rose over the horizon, the dark had beaten the light that night, but still the world kept turning.
Even the lowest of noble rumor mills tossed away the story of Harlan joining some kind of Warg pack, instead it had the benefit of making people take a second look at the other stories they had heard from their sources. Chapter 91 Harlan returned as breakfast was being served, he wanted to write a letter quickly as he ate but his mother wouldn¡¯t hear it.. ¡°No work at the table, you¡¯ll get ink in your eggs.¡± ¡°It is important.¡± ¡°It can wait another 5 minutes for you to finish.¡± ¡°So, I heard you went out last night, walk in the woods?¡± ¡°Helped a Skoll, he lost his pack to a Hati and I healed him, then we went back and killed the Hati.¡± Harlow nearly had his cup of water pressed to his mouth, he kept still like that for a few seconds as he processed what Harlan told him. ¡°You make it very hard to be your father.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°No no no, it is fine. I just don¡¯t know what I can do for you. You¡¯ve been stronger than me since you were 9, you¡¯re off in the woods helping hunt things that I would just have to call the guards for; When I was your age my biggest worry was getting your mother¡¯s attention. You¡¯re friends with the children of a duke, you¡¯ve got a spy who loves you and that is still giving my mind a spin to understand, you¡¯ve made things that stopped the forever war.¡± ¡°You are here, that is all you need to do. I can come back and the farm is still the farm, I¡¯m not Harlan Fomoria when I am sitting here eating breakfast, I am just Harlan.¡± Aida hugged him from behind. ¡°You are always just Harlan, don¡¯t let a name make you think you are any different.¡± Harlan heard the clopping of hooves before they reached the gate, someone was here, Autumn shouldn¡¯t be here until dinner time. ¡°Do you think it is sister Ava?¡± ¡°Hmm, 4 horses, not golems, it isn¡¯t one of mine at least.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to go see who is here.¡± ¡°Oh? I didn¡¯t hear anything.¡± Moments later a guard burst inside. ¡°Ah, um, Sir Fomoria, a carriage from Countess Blackstone is here.¡± It took everything he had to not sneer. Harlan stepped outside, he was still dressed for work, his robe was laying in his room. ¡°Good morning, to what do I owe the pleasure of greeting you today?¡± Sable was standing at the gate with Onyx behind her. ¡°I was sent to speak with your brother, then I overheard you had returned, I thought it would be rude if I didn¡¯t at least pay a visit to you.¡± ¡°Please, come inside then.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t trust a word of it, he could believe she was supposed to talk to Balor, but he and her hadn¡¯t left on the best of terms, he could see quite clearly that Onyx wasn¡¯t happy to be there. Harlow and Aida bowed as they were taught to when the two of them came in. Harlan put up veils to stop anyone outside from listening in. ¡°So, what are you actually here for?¡± ¡°A social visit, I wanted to apologize for the way I treated you before.¡± Harlan tapped his fingers on the table. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Sir Fomoria, do mind that you are speaking with my sister, daughter of the countess.¡± ¡°Onyx, It is fine.¡± ¡°Then I am sorry, I just didn¡¯t expect to see you. I didn¡¯t think you cared for me much after what I did.¡± ¡°Jet had it coming, if the situation was reversed and you treated me like Jet did to Amber, Onyx would¡¯ve put you in your place far more harshly than you did to him. I also wanted to show you this.¡± She pulled a dagger from its sheath and handed it to Harlan, her fingers held to the tip. Harlan inspected the work, it wasn¡¯t ornate, just a simple iron dagger, but he could tell she had gotten a spell into it. ¡°Good work, I am glad you were able to learn what I failed to teach you.¡± ¡°The fault was mine, after I was¡­ Humbled by a failure, I listened to what you told me before, I was too brash to make it work. But moving on from that, what have you been doing since you returned? Is this also just a social visit?¡± ¡°I am just taking a break, my group finished the first year survival camp early so I had free time.¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°You don¡¯t just finish that camp early, you either fail or you pass, either way you are there for the whole week.¡± ¡°When the lich shows up and almost kills you, they let you leave early.¡± Onyx was shocked, his own encounter with him was in the 4th year survival camp and all he did was tell him some riddles that ended up teaching him a few useful spells, he had heard that the lich was odd but rarely dangerous. ¡°What did you learn from him then?¡± ¡°That I am weak and I will be seeing him again.¡± ¡°Could you show me?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°What about me? What is the lich?¡± ¡°No to you especially. I don¡¯t think your mother would be happy with me if I showed it to you.¡± Onyx and Harlan were deadlocked, he didn¡¯t believe that Harlan didn¡¯t learn anything useful, his mother was absolutely sure that Harlan would end up as somebody special, and special people learned special things from the lich. ¡°Really? You learned nothing from him? Surely there must be something, perhaps if I saw what you saw I might have more insight into it.¡± ¡°What do I get in exchange? I¡¯ve been told that a mage never gives up their secrets for nothing.¡± ¡°I could talk to my mother about what to give you when we get back.¡± ¡°So I trade for the hope that your mother might give me something of equal worth? No, I don¡¯t think I will take that deal.¡± Onyx kept badgering him about it, offering training lessons in swordsmanship and minor magical tricks that weren¡¯t actually very useful, they were dueling magic as he called them, designed to harm and not kill. Harlan kept refusing and Onyx didn¡¯t actually want to give him anything useful, while he mother saw Harlan as someone who would be someone, Onyx saw him as someone who would be a danger. He knew the eyes Harlan had for Jet when they stepped into the ring, he would¡¯ve been more trusting had Harlan actually beaten him black and blue, but showing enough restraint to look good publicly wasn¡¯t something an emotional 14 year old did, he never did at least. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s move backwards, I¡¯ll take whatever your mother wants to give me, but you can¡¯t complain about what I show you.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Harlan showed him everything, but more than that, Onyx felt everything, it wasn¡¯t like he was seeing from Harlan¡¯s eyes, it was as if he was there. He felt his shoulder shatter against the shield, he felt the cold in the tunnels, he felt Harlan¡¯s dread as he steeled himself for a suicide mission, he felt every thrust from the spear that slipped past his defences, every cut, every severed bit of him. In the few minutes it took for Harlan to show him what he lived through for an hour, Onyx showed very clear signs of distress. He was sweating and panting by the time he was done. ¡°There, you have your insight. I don¡¯t mind if whatever she gives me takes a while, I don¡¯t know when I will be back next.¡± ¡°You are a petty little shit.¡± Aida and Harlow were afraid that whatever Harlan did was going to blow back at him. ¡°But, I heard what he said to you, maybe you aren¡¯t just another killer. Sable, would you like to stay a little longer? Go on a walk with her perhaps?¡± ¡°Onyx, you look unwell, are you sure you want to be walking?¡± ¡°No, just go with Harlan, I¡¯m sure you will be fine.¡± Sable wasn¡¯t sure how to take his sudden shift, Onyx had told her to be wary, her mother had told her to get close, but not too close. ¡°Very well then. Harlan, would you like to show me around your lands?¡± ¡°They are my parents'' lands, but I would be delighted.¡± He smiled, but his eyes were still dead, nobody so far had the heart to tell him how little they were really fooled. He started by showing what was in the walls, he dried up the lands to make sure she stayed clean, then they went outside the walls, little swipes of his hand moved uneven ground aside, Sable hadn¡¯t planned on a walk and her shoes showed that. ¡°What did he see that changed his mind?¡± ¡°I am done dwelling on it, I don¡¯t want to talk about it anymore.¡± ¡°My apologies for my brother. I think he is just upset that Jet is starting to act like he should now despite Onyx trying for years to stop him.¡± She started saying something else about spells she had been putting in different items but Harlan was too busy looking at the shadows that kept moving around him. He half expected the Skoll to come out of nowhere, but it was just cardinals flying too and fro. ¡°What are you looking for?¡± ¡°Death.¡± Harlan started paying attention to her, she didn¡¯t say anything important, but he was happy that she seemed happy to have found out how to put spells in soulsmithed items. ¡°This is nice.¡± ¡°Huh? Well, yes, I suppose it is nice.¡± Harlan taught her proper form to skip rocks down the creek, he caught a newt, which she very much did not like. He remembered when he and Ava used to come to that same creek, a slight spark lit up his eyes again. After another 10 minutes of playing, Onyx came to get her. ¡°Farewell Lady Sable, I hope to see you again.¡± ¡°Of course, and farewell to you too, Sir Fomoria.¡± As they made the long ride back to their home Onyx and Sable spoke to one another. ¡°So, what did you learn? Why did you send me to walk with him? He didn¡¯t want to talk about it.¡± ¡°I believed his love only extended to his family, now I believe that he simply doesn¡¯t fear death like a normal man should.¡± ¡°Well what does that even mean?¡± ¡°When you are older, I¡¯ll tell you, until then, why don¡¯t you stay a little bratty, don¡¯t be like him.¡± She kicked her legs at him and he dodged each kick, even restricted by the size of the carriage, he was an agile man. Back at the farm Harlan was working along with the other farm hands. When they took the sheep out Harlan went as an extra guard, a few goblins showed up, but Harlan simply tossed stones at them, their bodies going limp as the stones shattered bone and splattered brain. The other guards who watched the flock didn¡¯t even know how to react to stones screaming past them and taking out their targets before they could. Harlan simply sat in his tree and whistled, keeping an eye on the rest of them.
Within the royal court the king read Dahlia¡¯s report on Harlan¡¯s return, sending a copy to Rosewell along with the command to burn it. Though he was a bit disturbed by Harlan¡¯s attitude, he stood by his friend; if he believed that the boy wasn¡¯t a real threat, he would believe him. They had kept one another in check, making sure one didn¡¯t get too soft while the other didn¡¯t turn into a monster. That night he would receive the report of Harlan and the skoll. He sent another letter to his friend, he didn¡¯t like whatever that was. Chapter 92 He came back to find Ava, Autumn, Jaramis, and the twins, Jarrik and Alana. ¡°You¡¯re here early! I should change to something nicer.¡± ¡°You look good in overalls little brother.¡± Autumn wiped a little bit of mud from his face. ¡°Well, I admit, I¡¯ve felt pretty good about working here for a few days. Please, come inside and sit down.¡± Jaramis wasn¡¯t bothered much by the relative conditions of his relatives, he had gone through a normal bootcamp, not one of the nicer noble ones. They sat down and Jaramis decided to speak first. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve been doing but I heard this ridiculous rumor about you joining a warg pack. I must say it was the funniest thing I had heard in a long time.¡± Autumn elbowed him, she wasn¡¯t sure how much rumors bothered him, but it wasn¡¯t exactly polite conversation. ¡°You hear that? You guys need to find out who is leaking what I¡¯m doing to idiots.¡± Harlan spoke to an empty corner, to the confusion of most of the people in the room. ¡°Apologies, we will look into it.¡± There was more confusion as the corner replied back to him. ¡°Anyway, I helped a Skoll back on his feet so he could kill a hati that took over his pack, healed his leg, chased down a deer and brought it back so he could get his strength back after the healing. I didn¡¯t join the pack, I just helped put an area of the forest under the control of someone better.¡± ¡°Something better.¡± ¡°Same thing.¡° ¡°Let¡¯s not dwell on that, what has you back here?¡± ¡°Camp ended early for my group, so I have more free time then I know what to do with.¡± Ava got a bright idea. ¡°Does that mean you can come on a mission with us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to do more killing when I am here.¡± ¡°Come on, don¡¯t you want to protect your big sister?¡± ¡°You already have somebody far stronger than me doing that job, I didn¡¯t hear the details, but you stumbled onto what he can do already.¡± The table went silent, Harlan could sense that The Unseen were gathering together, probably to talk about what happened. ¡°What? You know who did that? It¡¯s been driving everyone crazy, we¡¯ve been just a shred of evidence away from going back to war thinking an ascended somehow got past its limits and came here to kill an archmage.¡± ¡°Oh, shit. Yeah. I don¡¯t know who they are, just that the Darkness sent him to watch over you, Cecht had been messing with her sight and putting all of us in danger. She solved it but she has been very upset over fighting her brother.¡± Dahlia burst through the door uncloaked and looking for answers. ¡°What happened, is what I heard right?¡± ¡°Well that depends, what did you hear?¡± ¡°You know who that archmage who killed the blood coven leader is.¡± ¡°I mean, kinda? I don¡¯t even know what he is, let alone who, I just know that he is keeping an eye on Ava.¡± ¡°How long have you known?¡± ¡°The day after it happened I guess? A messenger who said he worked for The Dark Mother told me I would be getting letters from Ava and Breken and Balor and that I should tell Sepul he was going to be alright.¡± ¡°Then you know what caused the dark days?¡± ¡°Cecht had been messing with her sight for a while, they fought, he was hurt really bad, so light magic was weaker for a while.¡± ¡°Wait, what? I didn¡¯t even start writing that letter until 3 days after it happened.¡° ¡°Well, she can see the future, so she probably just knew you would write it before it happened.¡± All hell broke loose at that point. Harlan was questioned on every aspect of what he knew, if he could see the future like her, how much could she see, how much he could be told if he asked. Harlan told them as clearly as he could that she saw thousands of possible endings for everything, that he had no idea how or even if he could see the future, but that she wasn¡¯t likely to teach him in the first place because of her sink or swim attitude. Dahlia would¡¯ve liked to requisition a truth potion, but the brewer was none other than Sepul, they gated Harlan back to the academy and Sepul nearly took Dahlia¡¯s head he was so upset with her. ¡°You will take him back to his family, you will leave him alone for now, The Darkness doesn¡¯t tell anyone anything, to try and pull information is pointless, and if I hear this blows back on him for being honest with you people there will be bright days ahead.¡± It sounded less like a threat and more like a hopeful statement of things getting better. Those that knew his history on the other hand shuddered, his bright days in the war were the times when only he was fielded and it was too bright for people to get close, miles of land had been turned into glass during those battles. Everyone found themselves back in Harlan¡¯s home, well over a thousand miles were crossed with Sepul having barely made a movement. Dahlia was in shock, she wanted too much to keep looking into it, to find threats before they were even threats, but between a pissed off archmage, THE pissed off archmage, and whatever a god might do, she didn¡¯t know how to respond. She sulked out of the house and went to write a report, after she found that mole at least, Harlan had already had enough trouble, this getting out wouldn¡¯t help, and she couldn¡¯t be sure what blowback meant when Sepul said it. ¡°So, about lunch, we should probably start soon. That took way too much time.¡± ¡°You¡­ I mean¡­ Nevermind.¡® ¡°I think what my dear husband meant to say was WHAT. You can keep your secrets, but please don¡¯t let out really big ones like they aren¡¯t world changing if they were used the right way. You¡¯ve done enough to change things little brother. How about you be an uncle for a while?¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°First off, I want to hold Alena, I haven¡¯t had the chance yet. Secondly, is there anything else that I should know about? Maybe I know something important without even realizing it.¡± ¡°For starters, how? She is already almost a year old. Second off, no, there hasn¡¯t been anything else I can think of that you might know even an inkling of.¡± ¡°Good, and I¡¯ve been busy and you never want to give her up, I think I¡¯ve seen you without her in your arms twice since they were born. Once was because mom and dad wanted to hold her.¡± ¡°So, wait, when you told me that you were talking to a god that one time, you were¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I was talking to her.¡± Ava leaned back in her seat and let out a deep breath. ¡°Let¡¯s spar, I don¡¯t want to think about this. Does that mean that Reino is right about their gods?¡± ¡°No, they- You know what, I am not even going to say it, it doesn¡¯t matter. I want to hold my niece for a little while before we fight, after lunch then?¡± Autumn and Ava hadn¡¯t helped their mother cook in a long time, so they found it somewhat refreshing to be back in their little kitchen. It was thin cut steak sandwiches for lunch with a side of tomatoes from the garden. Alane seemed to like Harlan much more than Jarrik did, she was constantly giggling and grabbing at his face when he held her, then she fell asleep in his arms. Harlan couldn¡¯t think back to the last time he was this happy, probably when he first came back, before he realized Jaramis hated him, before he snapped, before¡­ Before a lot happened. He started crying, quiet as he could, he didn¡¯t want to wake her up. ¡°Harlan, are you ok? Do you need me to take her?¡± ¡°No.. I¡­ I¡¯m just happy, this is nice, coming back was nice. I should come back more often, bring my friends so you can meet them.¡± ¡°Yeah, that sounds nice, why don¡¯t you tell me and Jaramis about them.¡± Harlan wasn¡¯t even bothered when he got the same speech about Adina again, Ava lightened the mood by saying he already had too many friends spying on him. He dried his eyes and got around to eating the sandwich that had long since gone cold as he talked and held his niece, then it was time to hand her back. ¡°Ava, do you still want to spar?¡° ¡°Always.¡± As he walked behind her, just before reaching the door, he noticed it, years had passed without it changing, but at that moment, he could see it. ¡°Ava, stand still.¡± ¡°Ok?¡± He raised his hand to the top of his head, then he moved it over to hers, then he repeated the process in reverse, when going from her head to his, he stuck the top of his own head, then and there, she knew what had happened. ¡°No fair, you''re already getting your growth spurt? But I¡¯m the big sister, I demand you stop growing.¡± ¡°Sorry, can¡¯t hear you from down there.¡± It was half an inch at most, but he was starting to grow faster than her, the 7 month headstart she had didn¡¯t matter anymore, not that he actually knew what month he was born in. She played along with his jokes until they reached a small spot inside the walls, it was between the home and the barn; They left the area open as a place for loading and unloading, but for now, it would be for fighting. Harlan waved his hands around and they had a 20x20 arena marked by slightly raised ground. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem right to use Lugh, we should have some training swords around here somewhere.¡± It didn¡¯t take long for a guard to point him in the right direction, they had to keep sharp with training like anyone else, not counting the golems at least. Jaramis and Harlow had come out to watch, Autumn and Aida were cleaning up before they came out. ¡°First to strike?¡± ¡°How about first to hit the ground?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all the same to me.¡± Ava was still as aggressive as he remembered, but she was faster, each hit carried more weight, she wasn¡¯t as predictable, when he tried to hit her she reacted faster than before. Harlan thought back to Selen telling him about the world of glass, he had been holding back without realizing it for years, but now he could feel it. He pushed past that mental block when fighting Kleon and now Ava couldn¡¯t get close to him, the force of their wooden blades striking stung her hands. If they hadn¡¯t been enchanted for durability they would¡¯ve shattered at the force of it all. A few guards came by to watch, no one chided them for slacking, for they too were watching it happen. Harlan¡¯s eyes narrowed with each passing moment, he was here for the fight now. He shouted out where he was attacking from each time to give Ava a chance to react, something was clicking inside him, he felt great, this was just a spar, just a training match, it didn¡¯t feel real Then he realized, it wasn¡¯t real, and he truly understood it, a weight fell from his mind. After so long stuck halfway between always ready to fight and being at ease, he felt normal, he truly knew what a fight to the death was, to see the end before him, he knew when that death wasn¡¯t in front of him now. Before his last hit could strike her Harlan stopped the blade, she was panting from just keeping up with him. ¡°What¡­ What the hell was that?¡± Harlan reached down to help her off the ground. ¡°I think I found peace.¡± ¡°I thought you were about to take my head off. Where is the peace in that?¡± ¡°Because I wasn¡¯t going to, I never even had the thought cross my mind, this was just a spar. Nothing about this was real.¡® ¡°Ok?¡± ¡°Ava, it didn¡¯t feel like a fight, I¡¯m blowing off steam. I don¡¯t feel that drive to hurt people. I just had fun with my little sister.¡± Harlan ruffled her hair before she slapped his hand away. ¡°Big sister you mean.¡± ¡°Right, sorry.¡± The workers felt a little awkward having been witness to a heart to heart like that, one of them at least vowed to be a better brother to his younger siblings. ¡°Jaramis, would you mind stepping in the ring?¡± He handed Jarrik off to Harlow and stepped inside, Ava handed him the practice sword she had been using. ¡°I must warn you, I have no intention of going easy on you.¡± ¡°Ava, make a noise to start us.¡± Jaramis was a thruster, less of a slasher, it wasn¡¯t something Harlan often had to deal with. He went full speed from the very start, narrowly avoiding the multitude of stabs and feints from the much more experienced fighter. Ironically he was on the back foot without magic despite his physical power, the only reason he could keep up was the height difference made it slightly awkward for Jaramis to stab him because he was avoiding Harlan¡¯s face. 3 minutes passed with Harlan unable to counter attack once, but Harlan was perfect for long fights, while Jaramis was getting complacent due to Harlan¡¯s passiveness Harlan was waiting for that one slip up, it came in the form of Autumn coming outside and catching his eye. The switch was instant, once he got in just one close hit the battle shifted to Jaramis on the defensive, every strike was parried and deflected. He was having some fun with it, but he wanted to sit back with Autumn, he had lied before, he wasn¡¯t going all out, restricting himself to only his sword. With the next deflection he closed the distance, placed his arm around Harlan¡¯s and placed the wooden blade under his armpit. ¡°It was a good fight, even if you didn¡¯t put your all into it.¡± ¡°I must earnestly apologize to you, what I said before, and what I said at Blackstone¡¯s party, those were unacceptable.¡± ¡°Water under the bridge, the past is the past. I¡¯ve got too much future to look forward to.¡± Harlan spent his nights on small jobs for the adventurers guild, taking out pockets of goblins that were bothering farmers, he wanted to avoid taking the payments, but the guild wouldn¡¯t be too happy about missing their commission on quests, instead he paid back the farmers with the quest money, the guild kept their cut, the farmers paid a reduced rate. He felt like he was finally unwound. He returned to the academy with newfound peace in his heart. Though he was still waiting on that talk with Breken, apparently their mission with a merchant acting as a fence was part of a larger crime ring that was trying to expand and he needed to cut the head off of it.
The Darkness watched them, her heart felt lighter to see Harlan so genuinely happy after so long. The Shadow wanted to vomit at the saccharine display. Chapter 93 Harlan felt like he was walking on air as he went to the cafeteria. This time he really wasn¡¯t going to let anyone spoil his mood, he picked up what people dropped using his telekinesis, he dodged out of the way when others tried to bump into him; He really did need to talk to Taren about this finally, no more letting it fester, either they came to blows or it stopped, one way or the other, it would be ending. He even stepped in for students getting bullied around him, he wasn¡¯t going to be a passive observer just because he didn¡¯t know who they were. By the time he sat down for breakfast he had 3 honor duels set up for after dinner. Just because he was happy didn¡¯t mean violence was off the table, he could¡¯ve broken hands on the way, instead he started issuing challenges, if they had an issue with the other students then he had a problem with them. As he stepped inside the cafeteria he searched with his mindsense and found Ximena, she was 2 other girls, one her age and one older. ¡°I am really sorry for what I said to you before I left, that wasn¡¯t right of me to push you away like that.¡± She got strange looks and nudges from the girls around her, they wanted to know the story. ¡°I am sorry that I didn¡¯t know what you had already gone through, do you still want to be friends?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± They shook hands and Harlan went to find his own friend group. He noticed that he hadn¡¯t seen Amber or her friends yet, which was odd, they normally sat just a few tables down from him. Adina knew he was there before he sat down. ¡°Welcome back, Harlan.¡± The other looked up from their food and waved him down, Zella and the twins wanted to talk about their own camping trips, hoping to take his mind off of the disaster that was his. ¡°Good to see you everyone, Adina, I am sorry that I left like I did, but I was in no state to be helping you like I was. If you want to talk later, I¡¯m free. Well, I have a few duels set up for later, but after that, I am free.¡± ¡°Should you really be fighting? I¡­ I thought you were gone when you left. Miss Selen had that note, but I didn¡¯t know if I should believe it.¡± Zella and the twins felt like they should stay out of whatever this was going to be, for now at least. ¡°I spent time with my family, I honestly feel the best I¡¯ve felt in years. I can fight without wanting to hurt the other person. Would you all like to watch later?¡± There was hesitation from them, they knew that Harlan believed he was alright, but he was erratic at times, they didn¡¯t really want to be there to see him savagely beat some other student, but they also felt that they should be there to step in if they needed to. ¡°Sure, do you have a teacher to watch the matches? Do you have the arena reserved?¡± ¡°The other people said they would do it, if they don¡¯t, well, I guess I win by default.¡± The twins wanted to be the first to talk about their camping trip. ¡°We were in the top 10.¡± ¡°I am sure mother and father will be very happy to hear it.¡± ¡°We carved a place to stay in the ground at first.¡± ¡°Then it rained and it flooded¡­¡± ¡°But I remembered when you told me about how you built your cabins.¡± ¡°We gathered mud and trees and built one for the group!¡± ¡°Then we tried to make a fire inside¡­¡± ¡°We put in a chimney after that.¡± ¡°How about animals? What all did you get attacked by?¡± ¡°Wolves.¡± ¡°And a bear.¡± ¡°We stayed inside and they just waited around for the night.¡± ¡°We thought the bear would break the door at first.¡± ¡°Oh, how did you kill them then?¡± They looked at Harlan like he had just turned purple. ¡°Why would we fight them?¡± ¡°It would just put the entire group at risk, we kept the food inside anyway.¡± ¡°Did you not hear about my trip already?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to talk about it, they didn¡¯t mind.¡± The others were clearly uncomfortable, Harlan had the feeling that her reaction to them wanting to know about it was a bit more Harlan-like, and a bit less Adina-like. ¡°Well, on the first night I fought off a pack of wolves, it was just 8 of them so it wasn¡¯t a big deal. We had wolf stew for food until we left, I wonder where those pelts went? Anyway, then me and Adina took out 3 direwolves, it was a bit awkward reaching around its neck since my arms aren¡¯t that long, but after it passed out it only took a few stomps to break the neck, direwolf isn¡¯t as good as wolves, too much muscle, it¡¯s like eating bark. But the pelts had some very nice fur on them, even with all the snow we weren¡¯t cold.¡± ¡°Really? You fought off 3 direwolves?¡± ¡°How impressive.¡± ¡°Well I took out one of them, Adina and Lugh got the other two.¡± ¡°Congratulations Adina, that was very brave of you.¡± ¡°Why did you come back before us then? Did they realize there wasn¡¯t anything for you to learn?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard 3 stories.¡± ¡°All of them were different though.¡® He could see Adina shudder, she still wasn¡¯t ok with what had happened. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you another time, Adina, are you ok?¡± ¡°Yes, I just don¡¯t want to hear about¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Zella said she would talk about her time at camp later, they were going to be late if they didn¡¯t finish eating soon. Advanced elements was more repetition, more learning each little quirk of an element, most knew how to stop someone''s heart with a lightning bolt, far fewer understood that the same spell, when properly tuned, could start someone''s heart. John did make sure to tell them to avoid trying this without training from a healer though. Spellcrafting was more of the same, it barely felt like a class to Harlan, more like a place to try out his ideas and get reprimanded when they made everyone around him feel ill. Divination was something that Harlan actually cared for quite a bit more, it was an odd class. It was held once a week and the goal was always the same: find items on a list, ask questions about why they failed to complete it, because in the month since he started, not one student completed the list. Last week was because one of the items was hidden behind a ward to stop divinations. ¡°For today¡¯s class I will be teaching you all what is likely the most important divination spell you will ever have. Long range divination. For starters, does everyone here have something or someone that they cherish? Long range divination is best started by trying to find something you are very intimately attached to. Hold that thought in your mind, and follow my lead.¡± She waved her hands and said her words, Harlan felt something click inside, like he already knew the spell. ¡°Now, how many of you got it on the first try?¡± Harlan raised his hand. ¡°Now where would you have learned to do that? I shouldn¡¯t be surprised though.¡± Harlan and Ximena had held the first and second place positions since the first class with Claudia in 3rd, when Harlan realized this made him feel worse that he didn¡¯t even remember her name until they met on the trip. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I tried to do it before, but right now it just¡­ felt right.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be the first time I¡¯ve heard that story. Sometimes magic just seems to speak through people in their times of greatest need.¡± After class Ximena and Harlan both had a free period, so they walked and talked and found the first 2 items before lunch. Harlan could¡¯ve used the long range divination to try and make it faster, but Ximena wanted to learn how it was done before she relied on him. ¡°By the way, what does it look like to you? Maybe that will make something click and I¡¯ll get the spell working.¡± Harlan put up a veil, he was a little embarrassed with the spell. ¡°It looks like a woman, she holds my hand and points to where I need to go.¡± Ximena giggled. ¡°Sorry, I just didn¡¯t take you for a mother¡¯s boy.¡± ¡°Well then you should meet my mother, she is very nice.¡± ¡°You should be more clear when you are proposing.¡± Now it was Harlan¡¯s turn to laugh. He dropped the veil and they kept trying to get the spell to work for her. During lunch Ximena introduced her friends to Harlan, they didn¡¯t really share many interests, they were two other Golden girls that were learning different subjects from the both of them. The Golden mostly sent their children there to gather information on changes within the magical community; they could open their city and be part of the rest of the world, but they had long refused that option. Zella eventually showed up looking haggard. ¡°War magic?¡± ¡°Is it that obvious?¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°You could always start drinking tonics, I know the spell to help metabolize food faster.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to get fat.¡± ¡°If you worked out with me instead you could get bigger muscles, used sparingly at least, Hellon always added on the use sparingly clause when she taught the class. Things can get¡­ Weird, if you use it too much too fast.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll just be tired for a little bit, it¡¯s why you can learn so fast here, the mana in the air will have me just fine by the time I finish eating. I am kinda surprised that you haven¡¯t turned into a hulking monster if you know how to do that though.¡± Harlan looked embarrassed ¡°Wait, don¡¯t tell me that you already tried to do it and got yelled at.¡± ¡°Not exactly, I got pulled aside after the class was over and Hellon told me that because of the way I am using the spell to try and power train would have, and I quote ¡®substantial negative consequences.¡¯ But she didn¡¯t say who told her to tell me. I¡¯ve got ideas, but I can¡¯t say who might¡¯ve given her that advice.¡± Things got a little awkward when Ximena¡¯s friends voiced a rumor that Harlan had rejected her before he left for his parents farm considering she came out of his room in tears back then, Harlan felt a bit of a threatening feeling from them which made him smile. Harlan wondered what the twins considered the headmaster cracking down on rumors to be, they already knew what was spreading about Harlan, and everywhere he went there was a new rumor going around. Overall, it wasn¡¯t a bad lunch for the group. After lunch was healing for Harlan, Ximena and Adina. On the way he double checked that she had no feelings for him, she was a little offended that he seemed relieved to hear it, but she understood his reasons after he explained them. They sat in their seats next to one another, Harlan then realized he had been sitting by her since the classes started, he vowed to try and remember people around him better. He had already forgotten the faces and names of the people whose bullies he would be fighting. ¡°I hope you haven¡¯t eaten too full of a meal, this class will be focusing on burns. It isn¡¯t abnormal to find the smell appetizing, but please do not mention it during the class. Now, welcome our test subject.¡± A golem wheeled in a large slab holding a slime. As far as what Harlan knew, they are the best friends of a teacher, able to be grown in many different ways to simulate humans, animals, and more. Adding the right mixes to them causes a creature that can become progressively harder to heal to test students, or in this case, one that is susceptible to fire so it can burn and blister like real human tissue, but can be healed for half the mana cost. There were a lot of questions in the class, are slimes alive? Is it sedated? Harlan was a little surprised how¡­ moral, the healing students were. They asked the same questions every time they had to operate on a living thing, but from Harlan¡¯s view it lacked a soul, it lacked a mind, so it wasn¡¯t really anything. It was a thing made by people to be like something else, originally invented to prove that life could be created from scratch, now sometimes called a mage¡¯s hubris. The only ones that were dangerous were the ones either made to be that way, or the ones made by people overstepping their bounds, they were another one of those things that were closely watched and everyone who knew how to make them were on a list. Harlan wondered how many lists he was on. He was brought from his thoughts by the tray being placed on his desk. The golem was carving squares off of the slime and putting them in front of the students. Harlan dove in immediately, searing the skin, it did have a rather pleasant smell, fruity, but Harlan couldn¡¯t tell what fruit. ¡°Sir Fomoria, please listen to me before you start on the test.¡± ¡°Sorry, Miss Hellon.¡± ¡°As I was saying, this will be another test where light and dark are used together, you cannot heal the dead skin because it has stopped being skin, the muscles are ruined, the fat has somewhat liquified. So, the answer is like when healing broken bones, use small precision strikes with darkness to remove the offending matter and then grow outwards from whatever it left. Remember, it is better to cut deep and heal right, then it is to cut shallow and heal the wrong way, if your magic catches on the now dead and flawed parts of the body, you will be growing flesh that doesn¡¯t work properly and you will need to correct it before trying again. Now, you can start on the test, please feel free to ask as many questions as you like, I would rather not drag these classes out longer than need be, free classes will start as soon as I feel every single one of you deserves a red rose pin and not a day sooner.¡± Harlan found it somewhat enjoyable, like lighting a nice smelling candle and reading a book. Though the candle was about 5 pounds of opaque blue artificial flesh. Hellon watched closely and dropped some solution on the slimes every now and then as they withered away, even they needed nutrients or they would die. Harlan lost out to Ximena when it came to healing, she had a flawless record in class, he could attest to this considering how badly that direwolf had sliced him. They didn¡¯t have far before their paths split off, so Harlan left her with a question he was going to ask everyone else over dinner. ¡°Hey, I was planning on going back to my parents farm in another month, assuming nothing changes that, would you like to come? I am going to ask the others later, so just think it over, no need to answer now.¡± And then he was gone. War magic, the favorite class of many students who took it, who didn¡¯t want to launch a spell into the distance and watch it blow something up? Harlan wasn¡¯t one of them, he liked it sure enough, but he didn¡¯t hoot and holler with the other boys. ¡°Today is more accuracy training. Some of you fail to realize that just because you can level a village, doesn''t mean you should. If any of you came to me on a battlefield with your lack of restraint I¡¯d send you back to basic training. Target the red building without harming any of the surrounding buildings, you all already know how to make an implosion, so do it right and stop competing for who can make the biggest boom. For today you will also be deciding on your elements, keep in mind every aspect that makes up a spell before you cast it.¡± Harlan was last as usual, many of the others played flipped coins to decide the turn order, Sepul considered it a bonding experience for them to compete with one another. The others often didn¡¯t like how long it took Harlan to cast the spells he made, it wasn¡¯t for a lack of trying, Harlan made most of his spells up on the spot, taking bits and pieces of the ones he made before and slotting in new ones until everything looked right. A sphere 20 feet around formed in front of Harlan and shot at the target building. He had gone with void, he knew it was destruction and it seemed to hold itself together, darkness was generally somewhat gaseous and could¡¯ve spread to the surrounding buildings when it hit. Sepul watched very closely as it screamed from the cliff to the mock village, the sound however wasn¡¯t from air being displaced with the speed of the object like a cannonball, rather it was from the vacuum that formed in the trail behind the orb as it devoured and destroyed everything around it. Pockets of air filled the vacuum with a whistle as the pressure difference hissed. The blue building was gone, the void ball struck from the top down, imploding in between the two floors, it was flawless, a perfect half sphere was cut into the ground. What was worrying to Harlan though was that the building didn¡¯t reform as it would when the others hit it. ¡°Everyone, pay very close attention, what Harlan here demonstrated is exactly why void as an element is so dangerous. What is that?¡± He pointed at students and they answered. ¡°It has a moral lowering sound? ¡°Wrong. Next.¡± ¡°The magic that rebuilds the building stopped working, so it ate away at the magic?¡± ¡°Very close, last chance. Harlan, what do you think you did.¡± ¡°I killed it, everything, my uncle talked about void orcs once, said they taint the land, it is hard to heal, like the ground, the water, even the air was poisoned.¡± ¡°Also close, but still wrong. The most dangerous form of magic for the user is teleportation. The number of people who can do what I do, which is teleport without a gate, can be counted on 1 hand. Void is a gate that breaks things down without having an endpoint to spit them back out at. Everything down there stopped working because the area has been returned to neutral mana, until elemental mana flows back up from the core of Aarde any spells require mana to be pulled from the surrounding area. Void is rarely used for large scale war magic because of the danger that it poses to both sides of a conflict, though it is often used during a retreat so that the pursuers must rely on their own strength to reach the fleeing army while spells cast outside of that void contaminated area are unaffected by it.¡± One of the younger looking boys who Harlan was pretty sure could¡¯ve used a few more years to mature chimed in. ¡°That sounds awesome! How do I use void?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t, if anyone here but Harlan cast that spell I would¡¯ve stopped them immediately and told them to never repeat what they had done. If any of you lost control of void for even a split second it could either harmlessly fade away or it would spread out and eat away at everyone here. It exists in three states, solid, liquid, and gaseous, at all times.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s not fair, monster boy gets to do it but we can¡¯t?¡± ¡°Harlan has more safeties built into one spell than all of you combined. If you all want to fail my class you will continue with your near suicidal practices, I recommend you all take spell crafting practice, extra classes are held every week on monday after dinner.¡± He teleported them all back to the classroom and dismissed them. Harlan stayed around for a bit, Sepul taught flying right after this anyway. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, why am I allowed to use void in war magic but not for flight?¡± ¡°In flight you are using it unstructured, which is far more volatile. If you were a grown man I¡¯d have no issue, but you and the rest of the class will be or are hitting puberty and if any of you broke concentration because another students robe lifted up then you could kill yourself and anyone around you. I''d actually stop it, before it reached that point, but you should remember that it is possible. Walk with me.¡± It wasn¡¯t like Sepul to not just teleport anywhere he wanted to go, it also wasn¡¯t like him to put up a veil around both of them to fake a conversation that wasn¡¯t actually happening. ¡°I am told you are being quite the headache for Dahlia, her and Rosewell do want the best for you, my friend sent me another letter after you yelled at her again.¡± ¡°I am not sorry.¡± ¡°Nor should you be, regardless of the reasons you left, I can tell that the end result is you gaining peace of mind. People like her can¡¯t understand people like you, I don¡¯t understand you. Death has never weighed heavy on my mind, it has never weighed on hers either, for us life is a job, we live, we die, and we do whatever we can do between those two points. She has it worse however, I know what loss is. I formed bonds, I had children, but she is locked by golden chains, she is likely to die without ever living first. So, next time you see her, say you are sorry, offer her a cup of tea and a cookie, she is fond of the spiced ones. Understand that you and her will never see eye to eye, because she is not you, and you are not her, and accept that.¡± ¡°How much of what you just said applies to the king?¡± ¡°I will have that conversation another time. But, since you¡¯ve brought him up, do you have any breakthroughs to share? Something to take the edge off of your meeting with Dearil?¡± Harlan froze in place, everything was over, he was done, he wanted to flee, but he knew it didn¡¯t matter, Sepul would catch him. ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about.¡± ¡°The king knew from very early on, it seems The Darkness hasn¡¯t been honest with you. You are still alive now because she promised that you would be the key to taking the kingdom into a new golden age, and so far you have fulfilled her promise. But Dearil is doing something and we still can¡¯t find him, and if you know something to strengthen security for the kingdom then maybe whatever he has planned won¡¯t be as bad as it could be, and instead of being beheaded as a traitor when it comes out; you could be pardoned because your contributions to the safety of the kingdom overshadow the emotional mistake of a 13 year old child who had a breakdown shortly beforehand. We can call it temporary insanity.¡± ¡°I can wipe the spells from soulsmithed items.¡± ¡°Perfect, you¡¯ll need to teach whoever they send this way, I¡¯ll send a letter tonight telling him that you can save an untold amount of gold that would be wasted on forging new items.¡± ¡°And¡­ I¡¯ve not finished it yet, but I feel like I am close to a breakthrough in communication, everyone is connected through some kind of web, I just need to tap into it with my empathic abilities and then translate it into magic for everyone else. If Rel- Sorry, Esparella could come here, I believe I would be able to learn a great deal.¡± He hadn¡¯t actually done any research on that in weeks, he couldn¡¯t even get a vague sense of progress so it was just grasping randomly in the dark. ¡°Can those empathic abilities be transformed into normal magic? I will need a rundown on what all they are as well for a report.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve tried, Balor and Lugh, despite being made from my soul, still can¡¯t use it. I believe that the seal on mindmagic is bound to each person, so even copies of me can¡¯t use it.¡± ¡°I expected that answer, Cecht has always been very cagey about unsealing magic or even telling me what is and isn¡¯t sealed. I will be seeing you tonight so I can put together a larger letter than I expected.¡± ¡°When? I have a few duels lined up after dinner, the last one will be at 7.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be there at 7:15 to pick you up. I shouldn''t need to tell you, but please remain silent about all of this, even what you have given now isn¡¯t going to be written down anywhere, this is all preemptive in case it somehow does come out.¡± Harlan left it unsaid that the person he thought most likely to out him was the king himself.
There were murmurs from the other students who were still going off any number of rumors, the one spread by Delmet, was that Harlan had tried to force himself on one of the girls and so he had to be removed from the academy for a week. The one spread by Taren, was that Harlan had tried to kill Delmet and that is why he was gone, the two ended up as fast friends once they were united in hate. It wouldn¡¯t take long for the first to be dispelled as Ximena and Adina would keep a close friendship with him. The second was harder to wash away, Harlan had a certain reputation from other rumors already assumed facts, mixed with Delmet being moved to a separate group, it held some validity. Chapter 94 Harlan put on his best facade during the rest of his classes, the fact that 2 more of them had Sepul as the teacher didn¡¯t help any. He ran as fast as he could outside the academy as soon as his free period started, Sepul watched very closely, he never expected Harlan to be a runner, but he had been wrong about others in the past. Harlan dove into the ground, his magic making it soft as water that he pushed it up and out, there was now a small mound where Harlan had dug 30 feet underground, the room was only big enough for him to sit in and little else. ¡°Child¡­ You are safe¡­ No harm shall befall you¡­ Leave me to my grief¡­ The champion of light protects you.¡± Harlan was then kicked out as fast as he went to her. He tried going back in one time, there was something he needed to say. ¡°Do not draw my ire child.¡± ¡°I just wanted to say I am sorry, I hope you can feel better, I¡¯ve never been betrayed by my family but I know it would crush me.¡± Then he willingly left, climbing back up the tunnel he made and filling the hole back in. The gate guards and other students who saw him had no idea what had happened, he seemed to have just dug a hole, sat inside for 5 minutes, and then walked back to the academy like nothing happened. One of the guards wanted to at least ask, but his partner just held his shoulder and shook his head. Harlan didn¡¯t know how to spend his free period, drafting a will was now off the list, though he expected everything he had ever owned would¡¯ve been forfeit anyway. He decided the best option was just brushing up on his forms, he might not remember their names, but he felt he had at least a modest idea of what he would be going up against later. One of the boys was weaselly and had a rapier at his hip, after his fight with Jaramis, Harlan wasn¡¯t worried about him. Next would be a larger boy, oddly enough he had a sickle as his weapon, Harlan felt like he should know the significance of it, but it was lost on him, it meant he had to deal with slashes, no thrusting. Lastly was a girl, she was a Minos who was bullying a student from Ragne, after asking a few questions to make sure he didn¡¯t have it coming Harlan decided that the Minos was overstepping his bounds and the boy was innocent. She carried no weapon which either meant gauntlets or a mace, if Ibexians liked maces, Minos probably did too. He got a knock on his door, he wasn¡¯t expecting anyone yet. Outside was Claudia and another girl, he knew the twins had friends outside of their group, he just never met them. ¡°Good evening, would you like to come in?¡± ¡°Harlan, if it isn¡¯t a bother, would you be willing to help my friend? Sh-¡± ¡°Alright, what do you need?¡± ¡°I lost my locket.¡± ¡°Where should I start looking?¡± ¡°A bird took it, I was thinking of hiring someone when Lady Dyad mentioned you had recently learned long range divination.¡± ¡°I need to know what it looks like, if you have a strong connection to it then I¡¯d like you to hold that thought in your mind and place your hand on my shoulder as I cast the spell.¡± She did as asked and the three of them moved outside the gate and into the woods around the school. They had been walking for about 15 minutes when they found the locket, unfortunately they also found a man standing there, having just pulled it from the bird''s claws. ¡°I can¡¯t let you take that locket, it belongs to my friend here.¡± ¡°How about you forget you saw me and I don¡¯t kill the three of you right here?¡± Harlan could feel it, the man never thought of letting them leave in the first place, questions swirled about who he was and how he had gotten so close to the academy without anyone noticing, but those weren¡¯t important right now. ¡°Girls, let''s just turn around and walk back.¡± ¡°NO. That was my mothers, I can¡¯t lose it.¡± ¡°Just trust me, I¡¯ll get it back for you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never known Harlan to be a liar.¡± As he had expected the man rushed at him almost as soon as their backs were turned, Harlan knew The Unseen wouldn¡¯t let him come to harm, but he was in no real danger. Whoever that man was, he wasn''t some elite assassin. Harlan kicked the man¡¯s knee and his leg bent the wrong way like a Tytoan. Then he relieved him of his hands with a half-circle motion not unlike what he saw Kleon do. Not a drop of blood landed on the locket, Harlan had seared the wounds shut very quickly. ¡°You are coming back with us, or, you tell me who sent you, and I kill you on the spot instead of letting a torturer get that information from you?¡± The man tried to spit on Harlan¡¯s face but he could see it as it happened and knocked him out with a punch. ¡°Sorry you had to see that, I¡¯m going to bind him in vines and bring him back.¡± The girl was shaken by the sudden violence and how Harlan handled it. ¡°W-what would¡¯ve happened if you hadn¡¯t been here?¡± ¡°Depends, maybe this guy is just a thief, maybe he is something more, either way he is a bad fighter. Better not to dwell on things like that anyway, though I don¡¯t think he wanted anyone to see that he had your locket.¡± Claudia on the other hand, had a different mindset. ¡°Would you have really killed him if he told you?¡± It would¡¯ve been a crime, Harlan could¡¯ve killed him in self defense, but promising a quick death for what could¡¯ve been false information was frowned upon. ¡°Nope, I would¡¯ve just passed along whatever he said. I¡¯m not an executioner and I couldn¡¯t possibly know if he was telling the truth, that isn¡¯t my job.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The gate guards drew their swords and asked questions before they allowed them back inside, the girl showed them something which caused them to allow her inside before him and Claudia. ¡°So, what is your friend¡¯s name? I feel a bit silly that I never asked.¡± ¡°Willow Greenfield.¡± ¡°Oh? Niece of the duke I suppose?¡± ¡°Yes actually, how did you know?¡± ¡°She is too old to be his daughter, 9th Princess Cynthia only married him 2 years ago.¡± ¡°I am shocked you know that, I believed you kept out of conversations of that type.¡± ¡°She is a good friend, I met her before she was married.¡± Eventually someone showed up and flashed a badge at the gate guards, then Alan and Alice showed up to take the prisoner and Claudia, they didn¡¯t seem to care for her being around Harlan. After Harlan went through his own interview, which passed rather quickly as the headmaster had spread how well he could show memories, he made his way to the cafeteria for dinner. He wasn¡¯t shocked that Claude and Claudia weren¡¯t sitting with them, apparently their siblings had a talk with them, so it was just him, Adina, and Zella. ¡°So, Harlan, I heard you brought back a man with no hands. What did he do?¡± ¡°Tried to steal a locket, tried to kill me.¡± ¡°Are you ok?¡± ¡°Yeah, he was weak, if he wasn¡¯t I would¡¯ve still been fine. Oh, since you are here, I wanted to head back to my parents farm every month, would you like to come with me? No need to answer now.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that going to be expensive? I know you got all that gold from working, but still.¡± ¡°Zella, I have more money than I understand how to use, I could take a trip back home every week and not worry about the cost. The difference between just me going and going with everyone here wouldn¡¯t make any difference. Adina, you are free to come with as well, it might help you to meet a family that isn¡¯t a bunch of pricks.¡± She jumped slightly, she didn¡¯t speak about her family much for a few reasons, partly because she didn¡¯t know how she should feel about her family, they were the only one she had ever known, and family was supposed to be of the utmost importance in Reino, nearly as much as faith; if she voiced her opinion on what they had done to her so far she risked losing their support for the academy, she didn¡¯t have a coin to her name to pay for anything and she had no scholarship. Yet both of those foundations she had been raised on were shaky to her now, being let outside of her cage that she didn¡¯t realize she was in for the sake of hopefully killing a boy who would end up as her first and closest friend by her family that treated her like a decoration had been having a profound effect on her. The fact that the boy was also linked to what should¡¯ve been a heretic god on the other hand shook her faith in the religion she had been told unquestionably was right her entire life. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I need to think.¡± Harlan felt her conflict clear as day. ¡°Of course, you don¡¯t need to go if you don¡¯t feel like it, not a worry.¡± ¡°Well I would love to get to visit with you. I didn¡¯t really get a good family the first time around, so I¡¯m glad yours took me in.¡± Everyone ate their meal peacefully, though they wondered if it would be the calm before the storm. It wouldn¡¯t have been the first time that Harlan thought he was ok before he broke down. They made their way to the arena as a group, finding that the twins and Willow were also there. He looked at the board, it seemed that the Minos reserved a spot before the last boy. He saw the name, then he double checked, then he asked another person who was standing there, it read clear as day, Grenth Greenfield, he hoped it was a misunderstanding before, he hoped that Cynthia didn¡¯t like the kid at least. He waved to everyone and stepped into the ring, Mary had volunteered to be the judge for all 3 fights. ¡°When I beat you, I¡¯m going to go right back to that kid and tell him it is your fault he is getting it worse now.¡± ¡°Do you like hurting people?¡± ¡°The weak should be trampled on if they can¡¯t understand their place.¡± Harlan wondered where this kid learned to be so dramatic, he laughed at him for sounding like a villain from a children''s book. ¡°I agree.¡± Harlan walked calmly towards the boy, either he hadn¡¯t heard of how Harlan was, or he was simply that confident. Unfortunately it was very, very, misplaced. After the first lunge Harlan dropped his wooden sword and hit the boy right in the chest with a punch. His heart stopped and his lungs seized from the strike, the second strike kickstarted his heart once again, though he lungs still hadn¡¯t remembered how to pull in air. ¡°Point to Sir Fomoria. Sir Shalewreath, do you forfeit the match?¡± After a minute of wheezing he managed to say yes. The judge had the right to call any match, and the right to not call one as well. When the Minos girl stepped in the ring after Shalewreath had been dragged off she was clearly afraid. ¡°What happens if I call this off?¡± ¡°Nothing, the only thing you lose is picking on someone who doesn¡¯t want to fight back just because you can. I don¡¯t want to hurt people, but I can, and I will, because others can¡¯t or won¡¯t.¡± She stepped out of the arena, Harlan gave off such a confident aura to him that she doubted herself and vowed to be a better person, she didn¡¯t want to spend the next 3 years looking over her shoulder for him. She would later become good friends with the boy she had bullied. It was another 20 minutes before the Greenfield boy showed up, his fight was set for 7 and Harlan¡¯s others ended far quicker than expected, there was even a small crowd after it spread that Harlan scared a Minos so bad she quit before the fight even started. ¡°Good to see you¡¯ve finally showed up, I was wanting a small chat after the fight if you would.¡± ¡°How about you earn it, fertilizer.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with then. Oh, wait, how are you related to Cynthia?¡± Grenth had a complex about his father being passed over for the position as Duke even though he was the firstborn, his father¡¯s bad attitude came onto the boy with full force. Harlan easily dodged the scythe strikes, occasionally he slapped the boy across the face, though Harlan put little force behind it. Harlan had no intention of beating anyone bloody tonight, that was easy, just like killing was easy. Every wound he would leave would be more mental, the first boy he short circuited his nervous system, a temporary but debilitating ailment, it looked a lot worse than it was, in an hour he could be back up and running without a single issue. But, he would remember, Harlan wanted the people who he beat to look at every shadow and see his face, he couldn¡¯t beat sense into people, but beating fear into them would be easy; perhaps when the fear grew too great, they could talk to someone who could actually set them straight, though Harlan didn¡¯t really expect that to happen. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer me.¡± Grenth had been panting, 10 minutes already passed since the fight started and between the slaps and the heat he looked like a tomato, it didn¡¯t help that he was on the larger side, it likely never effected him much, but he was too big to keep going like he was for so long. ¡°Are you done yet?¡± When he didn¡¯t answer Harlan finally ended it, not with a flashy move, he simply slipped behind him and gave a shove, though for Harlan a shove meant casting hover and then pushing him out of the ring. ¡°I¡¯ll expect that chat later, I have other things to do tonight.¡± Those who watched fell into 3 categories. Those who were disappointed that Harlan didn¡¯t show off what he could really do. Those that were impressed at how easy Harlan kept up with Grenth. And those who got dangerous ideas; Grenth was notorious, he didn¡¯t have just one victim, he was in the double digits, now that he had been torn down so clearly they didn¡¯t see him as a wall that couldn¡¯t be climbed, now he was a tree that just needed to be cut down. Sepul had been there watching the last half of the fight and as soon as Harlan stepped down from the ring the pair was already gone. Harlan spent the entire night under the effects of a truth potion, though since he didn¡¯t try to lie he didn¡¯t even notice. Cynthia would get a letter about what had happened from Grenth after 3 days, her letter from Harlan had arrived the morning after it happened. She barely knew the boy, but she did know Harlan, and Grenth¡¯s story of having been tricked into a fight just didn¡¯t make much sense to her. He wasn¡¯t hers to raise, but she would keep an eye on him when he visited, Harlan wanted her to try and fix him, not to punish him, Harlan could do that all on his own. She really did have to catch up with him, her oldest was already 9 months old and she wasn¡¯t too far along on the second one so traveling wouldn¡¯t be such a mess, she just needed to decide if that meant going now or going later. Chapter 95 Dawn had since broken, Harlan had breakfast with Sepul and missed two classes already, but he expected to just do the night classes, he had been meaning to take advantage of that so he had more time for his friends if they asked. ¡°Well, I do believe there is just one question left, do you regret telling Dearil what you did, and why?¡± ¡°That¡¯s two questions, but yes, I have no idea what he is going to do, but if he is like me and lost everything, it won¡¯t be pretty, and it won¡¯t be small.¡° ¡°What would you do if you lost everyone?¡± ¡°I¡¯d make an army of the dead, give them living weapons like Lugh, and then set them loose across the country to cause as much bloodshed as I could, probably commit false flag attacks against the surrounding nations as well, drag the world down with me. If I get my transformation magic working I could custom build monsters unlike anything this world has seen as well.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t know where that all came from, it was the first time he tried to lie since he and Sepul started talking. ¡°I think it would be best if you stayed here for the rest of the day, clearly the truth potion is having a much longer lasting effect than I expected. Most confusing, you should¡¯ve metabolized it out faster than a normal person, I¡¯d use my own spells to flush your system but I¡¯d like to watch what happens.¡± ¡°Truth potions are real? You had me drink one? I¡¯d kill you if I could.¡± ¡°Yes, I am one of the very few people who can brew them, I don¡¯t even write the recipe down anywhere. I trust my friend as long as I know what he can do. But I fear if I looked away for a moment he would dose the entire upper noble class and clear house in a single night. It might do some good, but it would be chaos. Sometimes it is best to go slowly with these things.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t doubt it, he disturbs me but from what I hear nobles hate him and common people are either ambivalent or they actually like his policy changes. How many of those ideas are yours?¡± ¡°Very few, he saw his father corrupted so deeply by other nobles that he felt he had to remove him, so he has been slowly putting checks in place to keep that from happening to whoever takes his place. He is the poorest king in generations, but the nation has never had so much wealth. His father had a party every week with the dukes and counts being brought in by gates, food from the corners of the world. Make no mistake, my friend is morally flexible. I''ve had to reign him in on many occasions, but that doesn¡¯t make him a bad leader, because his choices are made for a greater good of the nation. I joined the war with the confederacy because I believed that shock and awe would bring a clear and sudden end to the war, that both sides would cower at my might and the border would be redrawn to give Ragne what was now worthless land that had been destroyed by the war. But instead the king wanted to push more, he wanted me to do slaughter for the sake of it to get a better deal for him and his noble friends. He had even run the idea of fully conquering the confederacy by me once, doing so would¡¯ve crippled the nation, we would¡¯ve expanded to far too quickly and Reino would¡¯ve broken us. We did what we did because it was the right thing to do, a boy king is worth far more than a rotten one.¡± It was now Sepul¡¯s turn to wonder what he was saying. ¡°Harlan, did you switch our cups?¡± ¡°Yes, you tend to lose some of your perception when you reminisce like that, plus you drop your guard around me for some reason I don¡¯t yet understand. So I figured I should at least try, I am quite petty like that, Cynthia is a big part of why, I miss her.¡± ¡°We are both going to spend the day here until the effect wears off, and you are spending it locked in the cellar before I say something I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°I expected this, The Darkness said that the champion of light would protect me, so I decided to push my luck.¡± ¡°You are playing a dangerous game.¡± Harlan couldn¡¯t sleep, so he did what he could, push ups, pull ups, anything else he could think of. Lugh meanwhile was practicing his shifting, he didn¡¯t know why Balor wanted to be a person, but he thought he would try it too. He only stood about 2 feet tall with a hollow inside, his hilt stuck out of his head like a ponytail, most importantly he lacked any facial features, he didn¡¯t want to copy other people since Harlan said it might be rude, so he just didn¡¯t have a face. There were two shallow indents where eyes might go, but he didn¡¯t form a nose or ears, a chin was inevitable since otherwise he would just forgo a human shaped head entirely. ¡°Does this look good? Would sister Ava like it?¡± ¡°I think she would like any face or lack of one that you could possibly make. You are you whether you are a sword or a doll. I wonder though, do you want to be a person? You aren¡¯t tied to that form, you also don¡¯t have the memories that me and Balor have that make that form desirable.¡± ¡°I would be scary if I was something else.¡± ¡°Probably. I can¡¯t ever see you as scary however because of your immature and childish demeanor. I''ve been meaning to try and force you to interact with the rest of my friends because it seems sad for you to sit in silence for so much of your life.¡± ¡°Harlan, would you be mad at me if I asked you questions since you are only telling the truth.¡± ¡°That depends on the question but in general I find this a deep violation of my free will.¡± ¡°Are you going to use me to kill people?¡± ¡°Not if you don¡¯t want me too. But if I absolutely needed to, I would, because I might need to save others at the cost of both of us. I could always find another sword to carry if I needed to.¡± ¡°No, I will stay with brother Harlan. I don¡¯t like hurting people, but if it is good, then I will help you.¡± ¡°What if I wanted to hurt someone and it wasn¡¯t good?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like questions anymore.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright, I don¡¯t like thinking about that stuff either.¡± It was a few hours before Sepul let him go, the potion had faded from his blood and he had to make sure Harlan could at least stop answering every question before he was willing to send him back to the academy. ¡°Would you kill your friends for magical knowledge?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good, it seems that it has finally gone away. I¡¯ve already received a visit from the headmaster about you missing your classes and explained what happened. You have my word that I will not use a truth potion on you again without warning you beforehand.¡± ¡°That would¡¯ve been more convincing an hour ago.¡± Everyone jumped back as suddenly Harlan was sitting at his usual spot in the cafeteria, he was actually pretty hungry so the timing was perfect. ¡°I¡¯m going to get some food, can¡¯t tell you guys what happened anyway.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. He returned with a double serving of chicken breast and vegetables covered in some sauce he didn¡¯t recognize served with rice and flatbreads on the side. Harlan was still getting used to them, but after Adina showed him how to use them more like an extra piece of silverware he warmed up to them. ¡°So, you really can¡¯t tell us? You aren¡¯t actually Sepul¡¯s apprentice, right?¡± Claudia and Claude still seemed to be feuding, she spoke with more vigor than he often heard from her. He had figured out at some point that she was a fire that Claude needed to keep from flaring up and vice versa. ¡°Sister, please don¡¯t badger him so quickly before we know the story.¡± He spoke somewhat slowly, as if he had just rolled out of bed, his eyes were ever so slightly more closed than normal. ¡°Fine, Harlan, we need to talk, you never got paid by Willow and she has been bothering me about it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have anything planned until night classes start, so anytime before then will be just fine.¡± Zella and Adina had decided to stay out of whatever was happening between them. They couldn¡¯t tell if Harlan did something wrong or if Claudia was just having her first that time of the month, if she was like this for a third day in a row Zella would see about having that talk with her like Amber did with her. After everyone finished an awkward meal they split up so Harlan could have whatever conversation he was supposed to have, Zella and Adina would be going to train with one another, mostly it was Adina training her sight by having Zella¡¯s hair come at her from many directions at once and trying to figure out what the order of attack was. Claude would just go back to his room. Claudia walked the halls of the girls dorms like she owned the place, none of the others there dared challenge her as she barreled down the halls with Harlan following behind her. She knocked on the door to Willow¡¯s room, Harlan read the nametag and cringed, he was sure he should¡¯ve known this, but getting blindsided by the Greenfield name twice in a row made him want to actually read a book of nobility at least once. ¡°Oh, Claudia? You brought him here?¡± Harlan could still feel that she was afraid, but he wasn¡¯t entirely sure if it was at him or just general near death paranoia. ¡°Can we come in or do you want to talk in the halls.¡± ¡°Ah, very sorry. Please, come in.¡± She already had tea on, vanilla, he could smell it all over the room. He wondered if Claudia mentioned the calming properties of it or if the girl already knew about it. ¡°I assume that Claudia already told you the reason for our meeting?¡± ¡°Yes, it seems you think you need to pay me something.¡± ¡°I was always told never to leave a deal unsettled, it is harder to negotiate after the other person has already done the work, one of the parties will end up unhappy with the deal.¡± ¡°Well you don¡¯t need to pay me, I never mentioned it because I believe that I was just doing something for the friend of a friend.¡± Judging by the glare he was getting, that was the wrong answer. ¡°Harlan, my father has always told me that if a boy wants nothing, then that means he wants something. Tell Willow what the price is.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious, I don¡¯t want anything from either of you.¡± After a few more minutes he gave in and thought of something. ¡°I want to ask questions about your family. You are the same Greenfield as Cynthia Greenfield, right?¡± ¡°Yes, my youngest uncle is named Grenwald, he is the current duke and she is his wife.¡± ¡°Where does Grenth fit into this?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ He is my cousin, the son of my older uncle.¡± ¡°Right, so he is bitter over being passed over despite being first born, probably took it out on Grenth, maybe even played a part in why he was passed over.¡± She choked on her tea, she had heard that Harlan was blunt, but this was past what she expected. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t phrase it like that, but perhaps there is some truth in your words.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter anyway. Do you see Cynthia often? Does she look like she has taken well to her life as the wife of a duke?¡± ¡°Do you have a crush on my aunt?¡± ¡°Nope, we are just friends. Haven¡¯t been able to see her in a while though. If you would carry a message I would consider this debt a thing of the past, perhaps I¡¯d even owe you a favor.¡± She gripped her cup, tapped her fingers, walked around the room, then she sat back down. ¡°I cannot guarantee that you would get a response, and if there is a response I hold no responsibility for it. I also hold the right to refuse this request should I believe it would be improper to pass it along.¡± ¡°No problem, I just wanted to tell her I am doing fine, I hope she is well, and that I lost the bet. She will know what it means.¡± ¡°Very well, I hope that when I call in this favor it is for something that doesn¡¯t call for bloodshed.¡± ¡°I would be bound by it anyway, if you don¡¯t mind I think it would be best if I left now. I am a magnet for stupid rumors and I wouldn¡¯t want to drag you into my mess.¡± ¡°Thank you for your discretion.¡± Harlan was going to go back to his room when Claudia grabbed his arm and dragged him to her room. ¡°What do you have planned with her? I¡¯d hate to believe the rumors are true about you being some kind of lady killer.¡± ¡°What part about what happened back there makes you think that? I cleared her debt to me.¡± ¡°Men who want nothing always want something they can¡¯t have. You¡¯ve started a cycle of favors now, she will call it in and you will do something that makes her feel the need to give you something, you¡¯ll asking for something small, act the gentlemen, and then she will feel pressured to respond to your feelings.¡± ¡°I thought I was the paranoid one. Is the idea of me wanting to just help a friend selflessly really so crazy? What is up with you lately, you¡¯ve been angry with me in the back of your mind ever since you heard how good my divination is.¡± ¡°A baseless accusation. Back on topic, you¡¯ve saved the niece of a duke. The Unseen would never admit to letting her be in danger in the first place; The story that will come out if it ever does is that you killed a man to get a locket back for her. What do I need to do to clear her debt?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Harlan, don¡¯t force me to do something you don¡¯t want me to do.¡± ¡°What exactly are you even threatening do to?¡± ¡°Fine. Just don¡¯t be disappointed that whatever gift you receive isn¡¯t worth as much as what you wanted.¡± Harlan needed to get her back together with her brother, she was getting erratic, Harlan was sure she would regret whatever she did when they got back together. ¡°Fine. There is something, why are you spreading rumors about me?¡± She froze with fear. ¡°Is it simply petty jealousy? Can¡¯t handle being third place in divinations? Is it related to you and Claude not mentally linking up like before?¡± ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit me.¡± Any attempts at joy left his tone. ¡°I talked with Taren, our issues are settled for now. We hate one another but we will keep that to ourselves now, so who else would spread rumors? I know you are linked into those rumor mills, more tightly than Taren was even. If you lie to me I will leave, I think Claude is nice, but you seem to actively hinder my attempts at kindness.¡± ¡°You dismembered a man without blinking, you took in that cripple as a pet, you did who knows what when working under the crown, and yet you wonder how you have the reputation that you have as you surround yourself with women? All I say is what I see, either you are the stupidest boy I¡¯ve ever met or you are a lecher waiting for his moment. I will not let you drag my brother into whatever it is that you are doing.¡± ¡°I understand now, you don¡¯t believe in kindness. Everything is a game, people are pieces to be won or lost. I¡¯d say that I hate you, but no, I pity you. I hope that you can pull that blackened thing you call a heart into the light. I¡¯ll leave Claude alone, because you at least believe that it will be safer for him, so you and him need to fix whatever is wrong between you. Goodbye.¡± Harlan returned to his room and cried, he couldn¡¯t even be angry with her, she was another him, a misguided idiot trying to stop those close to her from coming to harm whether they liked it or not, he hated looking in that mirror.
Several days later the king received a letter from Sepul, he wanted a dozen death row inmates for some tests Harlan wanted to conduct and that it was unlikely, but they may not return them. After everything that had happened, the king fulfilled the request without a second thought. The report had mentioned it was part of Harlan¡¯s ¡®web theory¡¯ and even the chance of making the range of soulspeaking longer without the need for arrays or telekinesis would be well worth the time. Chapter 96 Harlan stared at the clock, 20 minutes before he decided he would leave for classes. ¡°She is a¡­ I don¡¯t know what to call her, mean and stupid.¡± ¡°Lugh, she is just me.¡± ¡°NO. Brother Harlan is always nice to people unless they are mean first.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, she is doing what she is because she believes I am a threat. If I believed someone was, even before I met them, I¡¯d do what she did, not in the same way, but my heart would be the same.¡± ¡°That''s¡­ you wouldn¡¯t, you are good, she is bad.¡± ¡°She is just a child, so am I. Maybe we can be friends later, but not now. Lugh, would you like to read books when I do my research with Sepul?¡± ¡°Why not bring me with you?¡± ¡°You need to learn more things, you are growing up, I know you like plants and animals, but what if you like more? I think it would be good to expand your viewpoint.¡± Harlan knew exactly what he would be doing, he didn¡¯t want Lugh to see it, his hands were stained with blood already, and to some extent, he understood and accepted that, but there was no reason for Lugh to be like that too. ¡°Fine, but I want to pick out what books I read.¡± ¡°Of course. Maybe we can pick up a dictionary, you have gotten a lot better, but your word choice is still pretty limited.¡± ¡°I want something with pictures.¡± ¡°We can go to the library now then, I¡¯ll skip advanced elements and spellcrafting.¡± Lugh was happy to wander the halls of books, finding children''s stories, tales of adventure both fact and fiction, and a book on all kinds of weapons. They checked them out with the librarian who had no issues with Lugh reading them once he showed that he could dull his edge and take a humanoid shape. As he made his way through the halls It wasn¡¯t quite what he expected, he found just as many Tytoans as he did Vampires. The divination teacher was Selen which was a happy surprise. ¡°Well, it is a surprise to see you here.¡± Harlan knew the feeling, a veil like Sepul put up was around him. ¡°Are you ok? Did something happen?¡± ¡°Secrets have a way of getting out, I¡¯ve handled it.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of telling you that you can run or that we could get your family out, but, if you did get out, we wouldn¡¯t look for you.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t go into details, but I¡¯ve probably got a lot more work headed my way.¡± The veil dropped. ¡°Wulrun would be delighted to see you more, I will have to get back to you with setting up time for the two of you.¡± ¡°Thank you, I know he needs someone made of sturdier stuff to play with.¡± Harlan went to his seat, right between a werewolf who was transformed and some kind of vampire, the full moon didn¡¯t take nights off and the students didn¡¯t either. ¡°Grrreetings.¡± The boy cleared her throat. ¡°Sorry about that, it takes a bit to get used to each time.¡± ¡°No worries. I¡¯m no good with people after waking up either.¡± He laughed at his joke, much like Bojana, it was more threatening than anything. ¡°So, what are you? I see golden robes instead of red.¡± ¡°Fomorian, Harlan Fomoria, pleasure to meet you.¡± He seemed hesitant to shake his hand, despite being roughly 7 feet tall and with claws that could tear untreated steel. Harlan wanted to laugh as he sat straight in his seat, acting as though he was just waiting for class to start so he didn¡¯t want to get into another conversation. Divination wasn¡¯t something he actually needed to go through, but he wasn¡¯t sure how else to burn the over an hour he had due to his free period. At least lunch was different, lot more seafood, lot more red meat that was bloody by default instead of needing to be ordered that way. Harlan had been too unsure to ask, but he wondered if Tytoans ever made bile piles like actual owls; he never saw a Tytoan who picked the bones from their food. Healing was more of the same, still working on burns. Harlen felt warmagic was more fun at night, watching a burning ball hit a target and then bathe the area in light was something special. Flight was canceled, there weren¡¯t enough night students to justify running it at night, werewolves liked the ground, some vampires had their own form of flight. Harlan just had to fly around on his own to kill time, he found himself with a vampire in the sky. They spoke no words, but it was clearly a race. Harlan had never seen someone fly so fast, that pure vampire transformation didn¡¯t play around, though its long wingspan made it less than ideal for wooded areas. ¡°Pretty fast for a warmblood.¡± ¡°Cool, I¡¯ve never been called a slur by a vampire before.¡± Harlan had never seen a vampire blush in embarrassment, let alone one that had slate-like skin and arms that connected to their torso like a bat. ¡°What? No it''s not meant like that, I meant no offense.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just messing with you. Smooth flying back there, I never stood a chance.¡± ¡°Well, it is kinda what we¡¯re good at. No other vampire can reach the speeds of a pure blood. Uh, should I explain what I mean?¡± ¡°No need, I¡¯ve hung out with my fair share of vampires, I know how it is.¡± ¡°Sorry, sometimes people hear pureblood and think it is some weird purity thing. I¡¯d honestly rather they just called us vampire without any subtitle, but the pure thing kinda stuck.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t sweet the name too much, I got stuck with Fomoria, ya know, because I¡¯m a Fomorian.¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯re him? ¡°I¡¯ll only answer yes if you promise you aren¡¯t going to get weird.¡± Harlan could feel the joy coming from him. He jumped up then went back to his standing stance, hands on the ground like a wyvern. ¡°I am a Nightwatcher in training, I heard some rumors that you might be able to fix us.¡± ¡°I am trying, but outside of one person I¡¯ve found no real mention of how one might transform people without ending up with a pile of dead bodies, I¡¯m not going to start testing on people any time soon I think.¡± ¡°Oh, well¡­ At least you are trying, right?¡± ¡°Of course, deep cosmetic magic is 4th year healing and if I don¡¯t have it figured out by then I hope that will hold its own clues to the solution.¡± ¡°That long?¡± ¡°Have you ever made a new branch of magic? Or rather, reinvented a dead branch?¡± ¡°Sorry¡­ I¡¯ve been like this for years, I just don¡¯t know how long I can wait before I am allowed to have a normal life again.¡± ¡°I understand, I¡¯ve had my fair share of issues because of what I am.¡± ¡°Sorry. I di-¡± ¡°Stop, not doing this. I am over it, I¡¯ve got a whole future ahead of me, I can¡¯t keep dragging that behind me forever, I¡¯ve got new forms of discrimination to look forward to.¡± The boy was awkwardly shuffling in place. ¡°You can laugh.¡± ¡°Nah, the moment kinda passed, it would be weird now.¡± ¡°Right, what is your name?¡± ¡°Shreet.¡± ¡°You from the north?¡± ¡°Yes, how did you know?¡± ¡°Friend of mine is named Reet, name just sounds close enough.¡± Harlan had a nice time talking to him, he remembered his mental signature since the face wasn¡¯t really an option. Maybe they would meet again. Meanwhile he had missed magical creatures, but he knew the next class would be more on wargs and their evolutions, he felt that he knew enough about them already to miss one class. He could eat night dinner, but in another two hours it would be breakfast, so he just let it go. He flew around just to feel the wind before he went back to his room. Harlan walked right into the ambush, Adina stood outside his door. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°May I come in for some tea?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± She awkwardly shuffled in place until Harlan finally sat down. ¡°Cookies aren¡¯t the freshest anymore but they are still good. So, just a social call?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep.¡± ¡°Do you want to talk about something? I¡¯m happy to just sit if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Her head drooped, he wondered how long it had been since she slept. ¡°I can¡¯t sleep without you near me. I just want a couple hours before breakfast.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, just sleep.¡± She was out like a light as soon as Harlan gave her a pillow and blanket. He simply sat on the couch across from her and watched, she was like Ava before she decided that she needed to be a soldier. She was full of life when they were together, when she didn¡¯t need to pretend to be something she decided she wasn¡¯t really, and when they were alone, she let herself be vulnerable. He cast a veil around her as he felt a mind suddenly appear just outside his door, Sepul was here. Before he even knocked Harlan had opened the door and invited him in. He saw Adina on the couch and he wasn¡¯t happy about it. ¡°Is this going to be a problem?¡± ¡°No, she is having a hard time sleeping since the attack, she feels safe around me though. Just a few hours before breakfast is all she wanted.¡± ¡°How long has this been going on?¡± ¡°First time today, but I figure she will come again when she can¡¯t sleep. Hopefully she can return to normal before too long.¡± ¡°Do you love her?¡± ¡°No¡­ not like that at least.¡± He wasn¡¯t entirely sure if he was telling the truth or not. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Her father is a highsaint, that is like if you were the son of a duke. Not only do you not have the right to choose your partner at this point, but she would never be allowed to marry you either.¡± ¡°And if her father was dead?¡± He didn¡¯t know why that was the first place he went, but it seemed right, yet from Sepul¡¯s face, it was not. ¡°This was much easier when our nations hated one another more strongly. You stick coddled children together at the height of their hormones and instead of killing on another you want to¡­ You must end this before it becomes a problem.¡± ¡°How much favor would I need to earn to get her citizenship.¡± ¡°Have you paid attention to a single word I¡¯ve said?¡± ¡°It is too late, even if I can¡¯t leave her behind, I won¡¯t mention it to her, but if she asked me to take her away, what would I need to do?¡± It took a hopeless romantic to understand another, Sepul could never say it, but he had to admire Harlan¡¯s drive the second someone he cared about came into play, that part of him had been crushed under the weight of loss long ago. ¡°The issue wouldn¡¯t come from our side, it would be from her own family.¡± ¡°How much do I need to do? I refuse to accept that there is no answer to the question.¡± ¡°I will ask my friend, but I cannot answer that, I left politics behind me some time ago.¡± ¡°When do you want me to work then?¡± ¡°Tonight, from midnight to 6, that gives you time to clean up and have a small nap if you need to.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°You will come to regret your choices, she isn¡¯t someone easily protected, you should surround yourself with people you don¡¯t need to worry about.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t know until it happens, right?¡± Harlan could feel how sad Sepul was, there was a vice on his heart as he saw himself in Harlan. He left without another word. Eventually Harlan ordered three breakfasts to be delivered to his room, it was more meant for the students with projects that they absolutely needed to watch, but he just wanted Adina to get the sleep she needed. He woke her up 30 minutes before classes started and they ate in silence. She needed to finish up quickly and then fix her hair and put on a fresh uniform if nothing else. Harlan felt the eyes on him, heard the murmurs that would¡¯ve been lost on human ears. Clearly others had seen her come to his room, then rush out after they ate a private breakfast, her hair was a mess and her uniform was ruffled. This was same as he walked to advanced element and spellcrafting, clearly by the time he reached divinations it had reached Claudia¡¯s ears as she openly glared at him. Ximena on the other hand was entirely out of the loop. ¡°Good morning Harlan, you didn¡¯t come for breakfast?¡± ¡°Sorry, Adina was visiting me and I decided to have a private talk with her.¡± ¡°Ah, she is still very troubled by the attack¡­ Do you mind if I stop by sometime? I think it would calm my nerves if you taught me some things, ah, not that you should feel the need to.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind, I will have more free time if I pass the telekinesis test and the flight test, but from midnight to 6 I will be away.¡± ¡°Wonderful, I will bring some of my own tea and crackers, I don¡¯t want to be an overbearing guest.¡± She still had yet to surpass him in divinations, yet unlike Claudia she simply thought of Harlan as a wall to be climbed and she was never bitter over it. Harlan expected she would end up winning that first place position if he spent every night working. Lunch passed without anything worth mentioning. Healing was almost too much for him, he had to actively block out everyone around him and he could tell that Adina with her better hearing could tell what was being said about her. He had his first outburst during warmagic, one of the other students thought it was banter, but he didn¡¯t have any idea what his name even was. ¡°How about this, if I make the biggest explosion in the class then you all shut the hell up.¡± One of the larger boys scoffed. ¡°Sure thing lover boy.¡± Harlan went first, it took him several minutes to gather mana and put his spell into action, which did greatly annoy everyone who had to go after him. Clouds started forming overhead, they were in the eye of the storm. Miles around the lightning cut the clouds so black that it was light they were sitting in the only spot of day in a sea of night. Purple lightning danced between the clouds as if it was a ball thrown by a hateful deity, the small bolts thrown off stuck with enough power that the students felt their bones shake and the air filled with the scent of ozone. Sepul knew the look on Harlan¡¯s face, foolhardy men who got caught up in their emotions sometimes let their magic get out of control, yet that was not the look Harlan had, it was that he lost that control to something else. This was a spell that couldn¡¯t be forced to occur, only the right conditions mixed with the right mages let such a spell exist, on a battlefield something like this might¡¯ve been countered by enemy warmages, but here and now, in this mockery of bloodshed, it struck with its full might. The village was gone, the mountain trembled, other archmages had arrived to find out why this was happening in a class of children playing at warmages. Sepul put up a barrier to stop their eardrums from bursting but the light blinded several students that he had to heal. Sepul made a point that he would be receiving advanced lessons from this point on, and then failed him for the day because he used such a thing for a pointless pissing contest. Sepul ran the class much closer to a drill sergeant than a normal teacher and he was allowed to, Hellon was reprimanded for her treatment because healers were expected to be under a different kind of pressure, but nobody took war magic without joining the army afterwards, they would rather break them down now so they could get a taste of what it would be like; The headmaster would rather there were no warmages anyway, there were already enough of them to level both countries to the ground as it was and there was no telling how the next war would start if each side had years to build up a massive force of them instead of being limited in part by casualties. Sepul had Harlan stay behind after class, telling him it was about his advancement in the class. ¡°Is this the part where you reprimand me for hurting other students?¡± ¡°Of course not, that was a beautiful use of the heaven¡¯s fury spell, though I wonder, where did you pick that one up?¡± ¡°I felt something pull at my mind, it wanted me to release my anger in a show of force.¡± Harlan could tell that Sepul was thinking about if he should tell him what happened. After a minute he decided. ¡°I believe that was Calli, likely the others have their eyes on you as well, she is also known to be a matchmaker. Why exactly were you so upset about some jeers regarding the Reinoan girl? I¡¯ve never seen you so upset over foolish rumors in the past?¡± Harlan sidestepped that Sepul had clearly been watching him. ¡°Because it is bothering her, I could tell during healing class, she can hear everything around her and either they know it or they don¡¯t either way, she was upset.¡± ¡°That would explain it, vengeful lovers often pray to her for retribution, she is the mother of banshees afterall. It is best not to dwell on this.¡± Today was the last classes for flight and telekinesis, each student had to pass a single test to be finished with them For flight it was an obstacle course to test their abilities to make fast turns without losing their lunch and reach an endpoint under a time limit. Harlan barely passed, his stomach could hold itself together, but making 180 degree turns still caused some delay in his movement as he oriented himself. Telekinesis on the other hand was easy, he needed to be able to stop 50 training discs from striking him sent from a series of gates with his eyes closed. The clay discs shattered and broke against his wall of force, he was up to 4 arms and able to lift 100 pounds with each. Then it was a simple test of how much he could lift with just a single arm from 1 foot away, 700 pounds, next closest was 180. The next closest student had 3 arms and could only lift 100 pounds if he fused 2 of them together. ¡°I must say Sir Fomoria, you are honestly quite terrifying. I rarely find someone with such promise, much less a human.¡± Harlan could feel a little scorn as the man spoke of humans, he kept it locked down tightly, but he couldn¡¯t accept what had happened in the past and Harlan couldn¡¯t blame the man. ¡°Thank you very much, had I not come here I would¡¯ve believed that I was just never meant for telekinesis.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve talked about that to the headmaster, it won¡¯t be told to everyone, but for those who choose to take the class they will be awakened on the spot by a certified professional. Had this been the policy for you almost a year ago when you got your visit I can¡¯t imagine what you could do now.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind my asking, what would you say is the best time to visit the confederacy? I¡¯ve wanted to go for a while, but I¡¯ve never had the time, it would still be years before I go anyway.¡± ¡°If I encountered you on the road, I would kill you without a second thought, crest or not. Don¡¯t go there unless you are with a full party of ambassadors who can vouch for you, never use your name, probably wear a mask to hide your features. The Fomorians of the north, sorry, not what you call the north, but I mean north of our borders, they are scattered and broken, I don¡¯t know why and I don¡¯t care. We are at war with them, your kingdom is bothered by them. The closer to the kingdom you get the more civil people would be, but in the deeper southern areas you¡¯d be driven away at the border if you let them know who you are, if you didn¡¯t, there would be blood.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be planning a trip any time soon, I¡¯m a little surprised I¡¯ve not heard this before now.¡± ¡°Few would tell you that our countries would hate and despise you for what you are, the council members might talk about peace and unity and stopping fear through understanding, but that all fades away when meeting a Fomorian.¡± ¡°Thank you for your honesty with me.¡± Harlan had to rush somewhat to reach his last class of the day, he thought about what he would be doing with all the free time that being done with two classes would bring him, maybe it was finally time to put transformation magic on the plate again? Magical creatures had mostly focused on the more mundane of the magical creatures from Harlan¡¯s perspective, they were the things that students might¡¯ve already encountered depending on what they came from. He came just as the class was starting, he didn¡¯t get the chance to even sit down before he was teleported somewhere else, it was a fairly normal looking forest if you didn¡¯t notice the dark colors of everything, streaks of black on every blade of grass, every leaf, even the flowers grew with black tips. ¡°Today we have an important guest, she has been alive for 190 years and has never lost a fight, because losing means death. You might not realize it, but she has been a great friend of humanity for a long time.¡± ¡°Man of light, you speak of me like what you humans call a hero. I just hate hati more than humans and I don¡¯t want to know what happens when they evolve.¡± The Fenrir stepped from the darkness of a tree and yawned before laying down, her massive frame terrified everyone but Harlan. ¡°Excuse me, have we met before?¡± ¡°Ah, man thing chased by false thing, you smell of death, rude man, bones that won¡¯t crunch.¡± ¡°You are the second person to tell me that I smell of death, I thought it just meant I am Fomorian, you make it sound like the lich left something on me, but I doubt the Skoll I met would¡¯ve met the lich.¡± She cackled so loudly that the students needed to shield their ears. ¡°PERSON HE SAYS¡± were her words before returning to laughing. ¡°Man Thing, you are just like Mother says, your desire to understand, to give others the respect that you wish for, it will kill somebody, and then, you will kill everyone else.¡± She was still quietly chuckling under her breath. The rest of the students looked at him with fear, they all heard the story of him meeting a Fenrir, but seeing one was different. Harlan¡¯s instinctual sense of fear was broken when he met Aarde, had it not been then he would be afraid of her as well. Sepul on the other hand was annoyed. ¡°You will avoid harming the children more than you already have.¡± It might¡¯ve sounded like a request, but it wasn¡¯t. ¡°I hear your words, man of light.¡± ¡°Good, now, which of you would like to ask her a question, Harlan, you will be last as you already asked once.¡± A boy barely managed to inch forward. ¡°W-what are your unique powers.¡± ¡°Shifting¡± She opened her mouth seemingly too far for her skull to handle, then she went farther. Harlan eyeballed it as a 150 angle, he wondered why she would even need to do such a thing. Then he realized that it she just showed the most mundane form of her power, if she can shift her mouth, what about her legs? Her claws? Could she just generally take a larger form? The next question was asked. ¡°How strong are you?¡± ¡°Man of light, did you bring simpletons who can only ask boring questions?¡± ¡°Answer the girl, now.¡± She whimpered slightly, very few things she met caused her fear, but she already knew before she came here that he was the top dog as it were. ¡°I can tear through stonesteel armor and weapons with both my teeth and claws, even those I¡¯ve seen foolish knights call pure. My darkness is as the mother, she does not allow existence when it offends her, thus it returns to her.¡± ¡°Who is this mother you¡¯ve talked about?¡± ¡°She is darkness, she is void, what you call a god. She has a thousand names and none are true, she guides but does not give.¡± There was murmuring between the students, a few different students tried to suss out any other details on her but the Fenrir didn¡¯t understand the questions fully. She had little concept of the gods of Reino, she knew the mother was a god, but she didn¡¯t know any others though she understood they existed from her meetings with other magical creatures. As they asked she answered, what she ate, what was this place, did she have a pack. She was bored but answered as she was required. ¡°Why did you choose to take part in our class?¡± ¡°I was asked by my Mother, and I am getting a favor from you people.¡± It was the first Sepul heard of The Darkness asking for her to be here, as far as he knew the Fenrir just wanted help putting down a wyvern that was nearing the black woods. He distrusted her greatly as a result, the question kept repeating, why? What would The Darkness want her to be here for? Finally Harlan got his turn, technically a second turn. ¡°May I look at your soul as you transform.¡± She made a wide grin and got up, walking close enough for Harlan to feel her breath. ¡°Finally, she said you would seek this from me.¡± She stood still as her fur writhed like a million leeches. For the others it was Harlan holding onto her for a minute, Sepul said that since class was done they could be sent back as he wasn¡¯t sure when Harlan would be done but no one wanted to go, they gathered around the now distracted Fenrir and took notes or drew sketches of her, they got used to being afraid of her and went into learning mode. Anyone who lacked a drive to learn and an iron stomach had already dropped out of the class after Harlan skinned a Swamp Retcher and pierced its stink sacs just to understand how bad it really was. Harlan saw her soul like thousands of little blocks, streams ran the core to the souls and then back to the core. Harlan was taken out of focus by her voice. ¡°Now, watch this.¡± Harlan saw the blocks change positions, and with it her body shifted, hands and eyes grew from her fur before turning back into her normal form. It was insane to see for him and he had no idea how he was going to do such a thing to another creature, first he would need to build a complex set of blocks after mapping out the function of every inch of the soul, they he needed to find out how to make the water of the soul flow as he wanted,, finally he would have to switch around this whole system to make it actually change without the creature breaking. For what he wanted to do he would need to trick the soul into forming things in different shapes, a rabbit never had antlers so no amount of shifting would make it grow them, but if he took the bones and changed them? Maybe it could work, maybe it couldn¡¯t, the other theory he had was to stabilize a soul and then effectively repeat the process twice by taking the blocks of one and using them on the other. It would take two creatures every time, it might even be possible for him to take these blocks and the creature survives to fix itself so he didn¡¯t have to kill a creature each time. But he was far from there, as it was he thought he shouldn¡¯t even think about the final process before he understood the first step. When she stopped being in a primed state as Harlan thought of it the soul looked completely normal even as she had an extra set of eyes above her normal ones. He knew that the walls didn¡¯t actually displace the soul in any way, but he didn¡¯t understand how or why. He could do it but it was like when he taught a golem to do something, it reacted to commands but it didn¡¯t understand why. ¡°Thank you very much, I have a lot of work to do.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t thank me, You will understand what it means to feel wrong in one''s own skin.¡± Harlan really wanted to see a live skinwalker now, was the process the same? Does every creature able to do this do it differently? Does every creature even within the species do it differently? He needed a larger sample size. Chapter 97 Harlan sat with his friends at dinner, Ximena invited her friends over as well, which really made Harlan feel like the odd one out as he was surrounded by nothing but girls. ¡°So, I suppose we never really talked. But Ximena said you are quite the specimen.¡± ¡°You need to clarify.¡± ¡°A rugged woodsman, I heard you killed a direwolf with just your hands.¡± ¡°I cut off blood flow with a choke, then I stomped its neck until it broke.¡± The Golden girl had blonde hair that contrasted her dark olive skin and matched her pale yellow eyes. Harlan couldn¡¯t tell if she felt some affection for him or if she wanted to fight, both? ¡°How rude of me, I forgot my name. I am Liat, this is my sister Yara.¡± She reached across the table for a shake, Harlan almost refused just due to the look in her eyes. ¡°Would you like to spar? Ximena has never been a fighter, I need to know if you can keep her safe.¡± ¡°I consider it rude to have a private conversation in the middle of a public one with friends, but yes, I will spar with you.¡± Yara and Ximena were both first years, Liat was a third year, more than a few ears across the cafeteria perked up when Harlan accepted her duel. Golden had bodies like beastkin, magic like those years beyond them, and statuesque figures that made boys red with lust and girls green with envy. Harlan on the other hand was known for his savage power and creative use of magic that struck fear into those he fought, yet his figure was scrawny, nobody would say he looked weak or ugly per se, but he was not blessed with appearances like the Golden. ¡°How about just after dinner, I would like a good workout.¡± She leaned across the table, her robe unbuttoned and her shirt seeming to be a size too small for her chest. She had heard all the rumors about Harlan, yet Ximena spoke praise of the kind boy who would do anything for those he called friends, she felt the need to test him as a fighter and as a 14 year old boy who was close to her naive friend. He remained unflustered by the display. ¡°I have free time. I should make sure that the arena doesn¡¯t have any reservations, do you think we need a teacher to watch the fight?¡± ¡°Of course not, this is just between friends.¡± Ximena and Yara were speaking back and forth in their minds. ¡°Is your sister going to hurt him?¡± ¡°No? I¡¯ve never seen her like this, she likes to fight but¡­ I don¡¯t know what she is thinking now.¡± ¡°She isn¡¯t close with Delmet, right?¡± ¡°The Brat of the Blacksands? Not a chance, why do you ask?¡± ¡°Harlan broke his jaw once, and then he threw him through a wooden door and got him removed from our group during our camping trip. She wouldn¡¯t consider that something against all Golden, right.¡± ¡°...Of course not.¡± ¡°You hesitated.¡± ¡°Did not.¡± Harlan couldn¡¯t feel anything from the girl as he stepped into the arena main entrance, clearly she had training and was actively blocking his empathy. Strangely enough Mary and the librarian were already there. ¡°Oh, what a coincidence meeting you here.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t know if I believe in coincidence anymore.¡± ¡°Well, maybe we could talk about that if you ever came back to see me again.¡± ¡°Maybe later.¡± ¡°I am always here for you.¡± Harlan felt like scoffing, but she held not even an ounce of malice, not a drip of sarcasm in her voice. She spoke to him out of a genuine desire to help him, he didn¡¯t think he needed it right now, but he knew that he was going to be headed somewhere he wasn¡¯t sure if he was going to come back from when he started working with Sepul. ¡°Anyway, there aren''t any reservations I can see. So, Liat, what rules are we going for? First to hit the ground? First blood? Knockout?¡± ¡°Surrender with no ring outs. If you get outside the ring I¡¯ll let you hop back in. No restrictions on magic use.¡± Harlan almost thought that she was planning to make an example of him, but he gave her the benefit of the doubt, Ximena would¡¯ve warned him if that was the kind of person she was. They had quite the crowd gathered that evening, even with the 2nd and 4th years gone on their own survival camp trips Harlan estimated at least 200 people, he didn¡¯t really understand if they thought it would be a good fight, if they thought he would be brutalized, or if they were just there to ogle Liat. Harlan held no weapon nor did Liat, they both removed their robes leaving just the black pants and shirt. Harlan took a narrow defensive stance, both hands were nearly touching his chin, his elbows would block punches thrown to the ribs, it was harder to throw his own punches but he wanted to first get an idea of what he would be fighting before he tried any attacks. She started her rush with jabs tossed at his head to test movement, then kicks to the side to see if he could handle some force, the difference in height however (5¡¯5 to 5¡¯10) let Harlan dodge under a kick when she didn¡¯t expect it and he landed a straight on her side. For a normal person, it would¡¯ve been fatal, for her, it broke her ribs. For those who heard the crunch and the sound like two bulls charging they thought it was done right then and there, but Harlan didn¡¯t follow up with anything more so she could heal herself. ¡°Good reaction.¡± She wheezed. ¡°Thanks.¡± She didn¡¯t close the distance, they simply walked around one another like wolves before the charge. Then with subtle hand movements they sent bolts of different elements at one another, fire met water, wind met pebbles, light met dark. For those who didn¡¯t understand it felt rather mundane, but the older students saw how much energy was actually in those small bits of magic that they both countered perfectly, Harlan was overshooting the cost slightly, but Liat met his attacks with exactly as much as she needed. After a final fireball met a slice of water they rushed on another, both of them were listening to instinct. Punches met punches until their knuckles were raw yet neither of them minded the exposed bone, Adina was begging Mary to end it. Then finally Harlan let a punch through. He used the spin it gave him to land a kick on her elbow that bent it the wrong way. A few of the weaker students nearly fainted at the sight of blood and bone, missing that Harlan¡¯s cheek was torn and would start pouring blood in the next few moments. Yet both of them had smiles on their faces. They were people designed for killing things, on the deepest level, when the beauty and horror of their races were stipped away, they were just two animals vying for dominance over one another. They took one step back and then kicked, shin met shin and both broke their legs, though they knew exactly what would happen, they needed to test the other. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Now on one leg Mary still wouldn¡¯t call the match, they had returned to small bolts of elements, yet Harlan was now mixing in advanced elements, a waterball met the fireball and then he followed up with a blast of steam that used what had been made by the clash to combine into one worth both of their mana instead of just his. Instead of wind to divert the stone Harlan used telekinesis to catch it so he could put a small rune on it, he felt it heating in his hand as it threatened to burst at any moment while he blocked hardlight daggers. Finally he threw it, but not before putting small crystal growths on it to act as shrapnel. She countered with a cone of hardlight that reflected the blast back at him. He fell back and landed on both feet, they had healed their legs during the entire exchange and went back to the brutal hand to hand. Thud, crunch, snap. More than a few students left as they couldn¡¯t bear to watch, Other staff showed up demanding that Mary end the fight but she refused and they felt like they couldn¡¯t force her, despite her size and her youthful appearance, she was an archmage, though without a public title.. She was the final judge and she said it was still perfectly safe despite how it seemed. She was half right, neither of them were in danger of dying, but safe was a strong word for it. Harlan collapsed with broken arms, his ribs barely held together. Liat had systematically broken him down, without his lungs being able to fully expand and the ability to move his hands he had no way to deal with the damage he had been dealt. ¡°Guhhh¡± His jaw had also been broken, if he wasn¡¯t full of Fomorian adrenaline he would¡¯ve passed out a long time ago. ¡°Very well. I am glad that you are friends with Ximena, I hope you treat her well.¡± Harlan would¡¯ve laughed, but he blacked out moments later. Adina thought he was dying again but Mary popped limbs back in place and healed him, Harlan was fit as a fiddle, minus losing a few pounds of fat to fuel that healing. Sepul would have very strong words for her letting him get to that point as soon as he learned of it. Harlan woke up after a few minutes, he felt faint, but he didn¡¯t hurt, and he was glad she didn¡¯t remove his scars. ¡°Adina, I am going to take a shower. Would you order a meal or two to my room? Tell them to charge my expense account, if they give you a hard time, show them this.¡± He handed her his signet ring. For him it was nothing, he trusted her with his life, let alone the ring that showed the chains binding him to the kingdom. Yet for others who saw it, it was significant, the ring was the symbol of authority directly given by the king to the nobility, it was their ID, most people didn¡¯t know the faces of nobles and even then a lookalike could pass for them, but the ring never lied and its secrets had never been cracked. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go along with her? I would hate to have her lose his ring.¡± Ximena said. ¡°I am sorry that I cannot go along, I also need to freshen up. Yara, back up Ximena and the one with long hair.¡± Liat didn¡¯t come out of the fight unscathed either, though her issue was more that her clothes were covered in blood and torn in a few places. ¡°Thank you, Harlan, I will not betray the trust you¡¯ve put in me by allowing me use of your ring.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know you won¡¯t.¡± He almost wanted to ruffle her hair like he sometimes did with Ava, but he decided against it. The ring might as well have been a hot coal in her hands as she realized what Harlan had actually given her, he seemed to be the only person unphased by his trust. ¡°Adina, do you want me to hold it? You aren¡¯t looking too hot.¡± Ximena couldn¡¯t not see her distress. ¡°How could you let her do that?¡± She wasn¡¯t often someone who spoke with fire, her life and those who taught her always made sure that she was outwardly a porcelain doll and eventually that was what she became, an object that they kept around but one that should be looked at and not touched. ¡°I couldn¡¯t really stop her, but it doesn¡¯t matter, Harlan didn¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°No, it does matter, because he is hurt, he is always getting himself hurt, even before he got here, I just want him to¡­ I don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve not known him as long as you, but I think you will be very disappointed if you think he isn¡¯t going to keep getting hurt.¡± Before Adina could reply Zella jumped in. ¡°Ximena is right. I¡¯ve known him the longest of us. He is someone that you need to force to slow down, even then, as soon as you take your eyes off of him he will throw himself back into whatever mess he can. If you think you can temper him, then I say go for it, but don¡¯t lash out at Ximena because of how he is, tell him that you don¡¯t like that part of him, I can tell from the way he looks at you that he might listen.¡± They walked in silence, Adina was blushing and lamented her lack of sight, she knew he face because she had touched it, she could see the outlines with her magic, but she couldn¡¯t know how he really looked, she couldn¡¯t know how he actually looked at her when they were alone. Harlan took a long shower, his clothes were covered in his blood and ripped where they hit one another. When he stepped out he found the girls sitting in his room chatting. ¡°How did you get in?¡± ¡°Your ring, because I had it the person who delivered the food let me in and then I let them in.¡± ¡°I should put a shirt on then.¡± ¡°Why ruin the show?¡± Liat made him uncomfortable with her forwardness, but at least she was honest, so he couldn''t fault her too much. Adina sat next to him, memorizing every line on his face, every scar on his chest, the others were bothered but Harlan didn¡¯t mind. ¡°Harlan, you should probably stop her.¡± ¡°It helps her calm down, so, no.¡± ¡°YOU DON¡¯T GET TO TELL HIM WHAT TO DO.¡± ¡°Liat, I guess I should say no hard feelings, right? Adina, don¡¯t blame her, I walked into that fight knowing what she was.¡± ¡°I wish half the men in my village had your guts. Most would¡¯ve stopped after the first broken bone, I¡¯d almost like to see what you and Ximena could make.¡± Visceral disgust welled up from deep inside him, the chicken leg in his hand turned to dust as void steamed off his skin, yet Adina was unharmed. ¡°Never make another statement like that again.¡± His eyes had been like shifting smoke his entire life, yet in that moment they were like looking into the eye of a storm with Adina being the only one who felt safe inside it. Yara hid behind her big sister and Ximena stepped back. ¡°I am very sorry, I speak from my heart, I meant no offense.¡± He calmed himself and took a deep breath, normally this is where others expected him to apologize for his outburst. ¡°I am not breeding stock.¡± ¡°Harlan, please don¡¯t fight, I don¡¯t like seeing you hurt.¡± ¡°Liat, I apologize, I shouldn¡¯t have snapped at you like that, you simply weren¡¯t aware of how upsetting such a statement would be for me.¡± Zella wasn¡¯t shocked at his reaction to Liat¡¯s words, but she was a little surprised how quickly he backed down after Adina asked him to. ¡°Sand down the sinkhole, no harm has come from it. Yara, do you intend to be a rock on the sand or do you want to speak with Harlan?¡± She had her hair cut off just below the shoulders, its darker blonde matched her bronze skin and contrasted her vibrant yellow eyes. From the outside she seemed less approachable than her sister, no man would be fool enough to say she wasn¡¯t beautiful, but she lacked the subtle seductive power of her older sister, the way she sat, the way she didn¡¯t swing her hips when she walked, her face naturally rested on upset. ¡°Why are you so angry?¡± Inside, she was as hopeless as Harlan, she lacked grace no matter how much her mother tried to impart it on her, she lacked her sister¡¯s dazzling smile and her confidence. She was kicking herself for letting her mouth continue to be faster than her sense. ¡°I mea-¡± Harlan laughed strongly, reminding Zella of Kass. ¡°No, I know exactly what you mean, because only an idiot with a fast mouth and slow sense would ask something like that.¡± Liat narrowed her eyes but waited for Harlan to finish talking. ¡°Because I did the exact same thing when I realized that Adina was blind, I asked why she didn¡¯t get it fixed. I am sure you are kicking yourself, so I don¡¯t need to.¡± She awkwardly shuffled in place before she spoke again. ¡°I wanted to ask about your sword.¡± ¡°Lugh, do you want to talk to her?¡± ¡°Should I? I don¡¯t know her.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk over our link when we are having a talk with everyone.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Lugh sounded nearly the same as Harlan, yet his voice held a childlike innocence, anyone who knew him would say he was spot on for Harlan at age 7 or 8. ¡°What do you want to know, Miss Yara?¡± ¡°Just Yara is fine, I wanted to know why you have a mind, but I suppose you talking solves that. How old are you?¡± Lugh shifted his blade into a hand and counted on his fingers. ¡°I was born on the 8th month, so I am 1 year old. Is that right Brother Harlan?¡± ¡°Not quite, just a few more days until you are one. But I am proud that you were close.¡± ¡°How did you make him?¡± ¡°I cannot say, unless officially sanctioned by the crown, anything made the same as Lugh or Balor would be classed as forbidden magic and destroyed.¡± ¡°Well that is a shame, we could do so much with intelligent items. Your soulsmithed ones are very basic, they can¡¯t think, just do, such a shame.¡± ¡°I actually agree with the crown on this one, if you made intelligent items and used them everywhere they would basically be slaves, but at least slaves could buy themselves freedom, it would be cruel to do that to people just to let you have a better weapon or armor.¡± Yara and Harlan ended up spending the better part of 3 hours having a civil debate over the implications of Harlan¡¯s work and at what point did a soul become a person or just a source of power. Zella and Ximena left after 30 minutes, they wanted to sleep, Liat only stayed around because she liked Harlan, but there was no rational argument that could be made to allow Yara to be alone with a boy in his room. She didn¡¯t count Adina since she fell asleep before the others even left. Liat didn¡¯t know how Harlan found himself surrounded by girls but she wasn¡¯t entirely sure that he didn¡¯t have any ill intentions, his allowing of Adina to be so close and even sleep with her head on his lap made him seem lecherous but she didn¡¯t see desire on his face at any point. She came to the Academy quite late, at 16 she was clearly showing signs of womanhood, and her time here had not engendered her to trusting men, let alone a boy. Harlan felt her confusion and disdain for him but he didn¡¯t mind it, that was how almost everyone thought about him because they didn¡¯t know that he could tell, he had been hit by those feelings for months already. Chapter 98 Their talks finally ended when Sepul appeared, though he was a bit early. ¡°I do hope I have not interrupted anything.¡± ¡°No Archmage Dust, I simply wished to speak with Harlan about magic, we lost track of time. I hope I¡¯ve not taken time away from you.¡± ¡°Students should be confident, hold your head high. If I was displeased, I would make it known.¡± ¡°Yes, Archmage Dust.¡± ¡°Sepul, you are early.¡± ¡°I did hope to have a small conversation before you began your apprenticeship.¡± Liat was jealous. ¡°What are the requirements for an apprenticeship? Are you taking in people again?¡± ¡°My requirements have never changed, anyone who I believe I can mold into an archmage I will approach, Harlan has shown a clear talent for magic beyond what Aarde had given him as part of his heritage.¡± ¡°I coul-¡± ¡°You are of the Whitesands, are you not? What could I give you that your elders cannot?¡± ¡°What if I had a private reason why they would not teach me their secrets?¡± ¡°Then that is between you and them, I left behind the mire of politics, I have no desire to step into the internal issues of the Golden. Harlan, take the Reinoan girl to her room, she cannot stay here.¡± ¡°You know her name, don¡¯t talk about her like that.¡± ¡°Harlan maybe it-¡± ¡°Yara, stay out of this.¡± ¡°It is best that you find the heart to remove her from yourself before it becomes a bigger problem.¡± ¡°I refuse.¡± ¡°There is a better time to argue about this, just think of finding someone of better stock.¡± Liat and Yara cleared the space between the two of them, they already knew how he would react, yet he held it in. Sepul knew exactly how much the statement had hurt Harlan, he even knew why, but his pride refused to let him apologize as soon as he realized his mistake. Harlan woke Adina and walked her to her room, then he held her hand for a few minutes so she could get to sleep before leaving. ¡°Now I can go.¡± The dungeon where each prisoner was held had spells in place to stop them from seeing or hearing outside of the cells. Harlan had questions for Sepul. ¡°Have you found any answers for my questions?¡± ¡°You are walking a dangerous line. I do hope you¡¯ve not crossed it already.¡± ¡°I am sure she would rather die than lose me, I¡¯d kill to stop it from happening.¡± Sepul deeply sighed, it wasn¡¯t the first time he had to deal with a child that believed they had found true love and was ready to throw away their lives for it. ¡°Do you work now, gain favor, be worth enough that it would be considered a minor thing to do. Though I don¡¯t think that is the right thing to do, she is the daughter of a high saint who is all the worst parts of my friend without the good parts. Give up the girl.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get to work, I need two of them at least in a cell, I need a blade to cut me without causing much real damage, I¡¯ll be using quite a lot of blood.¡± ¡°Keep ignoring your elders and you will keep running into these problems. I can replenish your blood with tonics and spells, you should be fine.¡± The first man screamed at Harlan, he wanted to tell him all about what he had done, Harlan struck him to make him quiet down, the man''s lungs burned as he tried to laugh. The second sat in his cell without saying a word, Harlan felt his eyes on him but he didn¡¯t worry. ¡°We also have another person here to take note for you, simply tell him what to write down, any passing thoughts, and he will. He is also trained in soul magic.¡± ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you Harlan, I¡¯ve hear-¡± ¡°While we are working, call me Fomoria. Get me a blood mage as well.¡± When he went to be with his friend, with his family, he was Harlan, he couldn¡¯t pretend that he wasn¡¯t, but here, he was going to do things that Harlan wouldn¡¯t even want to do. Yet he couldn¡¯t just cast aside that other part of him, the one that craved retribution, the one that discarded his own morals for the sake of violence. For the sake of my family, for the sake of their safety, I will cast aside the parts of me that are disgusted at what I am. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. These were the excuses of a boy who knew right from wrong and chose to do one while telling himself it was in the spirit of the other. He cut down the arms of each man and then himself, pulling a thin stream of blood into the air, first he found the connection between blood, soul, and mind. Once he could connect to them as if he had made skin contact he spread the mist outwards, he needed to know how thin he could let the life force be before it lost its connection with the soul, and thus the soul to the mind. Harlan kept at it for an hour, pulling blood, misting it, he could feel something, it was faint, but it led to their souls, a second connection related to the first. He didn¡¯t hesitate, the first man was bound in hardlight and couldn¡¯t fight back. Harlan plunged into his soul, marking it, taking it apart, testing what he could get away with. It took another hour before Harlan found the piece that that faint line seemed to connect to, at this point the man was a convulsing mess that had to be stopped from choking on his own vomit. Next Harlan tried plucking out just that piece of his soul, after cutting the souls of mimic trees for years Harlan had no issue with this, he held it in a box far to large for it to keep it from fading away, the idea had been given to him by the fenrir but he hadn¡¯t had time to train his own ability to make the spell properly so this was a very basic form. ¡°Hold this.¡± Harlan had Sepul sit across the room from him and tried to speak, the line between them seemed thicker than between the two prisoners but still he couldn¡¯t just hook onto it, he spilled his blood and put it into the air, coiling around the line he could see but it refused to listen to him. Eventually Sepul had to stop him from going too far, he had already lost a lot of blood as it was. ¡°Stop. Have you even made any progress or are you just beating yourself?¡± ¡°I can see them, the lines of intent. Hang faintly in the air. ¡°Good, but you need to rest, drink these tonics and let them naturally metabolize to replenish your blood.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just use spells?¡± ¡°Yes, I could, but clearly you are too tied up in that girl to care about yourself right now, so sit there and think, I will be back.¡± Sepul returned after 20 minutes. ¡°Have you had time to think?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°You still intend to go down that path?¡± ¡°There isn''t that path or this path, I¡¯ve just got my path.¡± ¡°You are an idiot.¡± ¡°I get that a lot.¡± ¡°If there is anything I can do to help, ask, if not return to your work.¡± ¡°First guy isn¡¯t going to make it, what exactly did he do?¡± ¡°Killed a family on their farm with a hatchet, then he vanished and did it again every few months. Fae gave the man invisibility, eventually he was captured, the mage had lost his family to him, so he intended to torture him to death. I convinced him that it wouldn¡¯t get rid of that pain, the better thing was to let him suffer his last few days in this world before his execution. You are not the first to take a crack at his soul.¡± Harlan took and poked and prodded at the soul, forcing the connection through blood, trying to grab that line of thought that connected him to that other part of the world. Harlan watched the blood and he remembered something he had done quite some time ago. ¡°Sepul, can you make crystals from this man¡¯s blood?¡± ¡°Of course, why though?¡± ¡°Doctor said I should never do it again and I should never tell others how to do it, but you keep a little piece of your soul, your life, in blood. Liquid blood makes it fade away and it finds its way back to you, crystal is still connected, I can¡¯t believe I tortured this man for over an hour before I realized it. I once looked into a crystal of blood that came from a soldier working for Redwall, the man then came to the doctor to talk about an itchy feeling that wouldn¡¯t go away. Maybe that is the answer, make blood crystals and then try talking to them. Can you use soulspeak?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Then make one of my blood, try talking to me through it.¡± He told Sepul to hold the crystal while he tried speaking through the man, then he spilled some small amount of blood in the air to try and sense that connection between the blood and the blood crystal. Sepul did as asked, it didn¡¯t work at first, and it didn¡¯t work the tenth time, Harlan felt ill but he could see that something was happening so he kept going. By the 15 try Sepul was actually worried for Harlan, and that bond allowed it to pass through. ¡°That boy is going to kill himself, what a fool, taking abuse for hours for nothing.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t for nothing.¡± It caused him a great deal of pain and suffering, but it was a start. ¡°I am impressed, I¡¯ve gone through some experiments that took weeks to get a working prototype.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t just start today, I¡¯ve been thinking about this and trying for months, I just didn¡¯t want to pay the cost for progress yet.¡± ¡°Well, it is a start. What are the biggest dangers that you can immediately think of?¡± ¡°Hand me the crystal from subject 1 and I will see if my worst fear is real.¡± Harlan screamed through the crystal and the man convulsed. ¡°If anyone got hold of my crystal and then also knew how to purposely attack through soulspeak there isn¡¯t a lot to do about it. I can protect myself, but if I don¡¯t see it coming I¡¯d still get staggered for a moment and that is too long.¡± ¡°Very well, we still have a new way to control prisoners now. I will destroy your crystal and make two of them for each prisoner, keep one on you.¡± ¡°Is this worth anything as far as favor goes?¡± ¡°Maybe. We will need more testing, but for now, avoid spilling your own blood, if you do, destroy it immediately. I recall 40 years ago an archmage died as a result of making a new spell that, once leaked to the rest of the world, bypassed his shielding spells. He had tied objects to his own mana signature and so anything enchanted by him could use that spell to cut through every defense he put up due to his shields believing that they were pieces of clothing that shouldn¡¯t clash. He dressed well, and he took that to the grave at least.¡± ¡°Understood, can I get that spell to make blood crystals?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± A quick moment to tell Lugh that he was ok and would be taking a long shower. 5 minutes of vomiting up everything he had. 15 minutes seeing the blood that had long since washed away covering his hands. 1 minute to dry off, another to get dressed. 3 minutes to compartmentalize those memories so Lugh couldn¡¯t see them even if Harlan thought about them. This went on for a few more nights, Amber would be back soon, he wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted to meet her yet, either his will would crumble as he thought of what she might think of him, or it would harden as he saw who he was using to justify his work. Chaper 99 Harlan walked the grounds until he noticed an outpouring of students that meant they had returned from camp. He decided against talking to Amber just yet, she was probably tired and needed to freshen herself up. He went to the gym instead to just lift weights, something to clear his head somewhat. Before he knew it Bojana had walked in. ¡°Ah, a pleasant surprise to find you here.¡± He set down the bar with 2 150 pound plates on it and sat up. ¡°I expected you would all want a nap and a shower, didn¡¯t want to bother you until then.¡± ¡°I washed in the river before we left, what trouble have you gotten into while we were away?¡± ¡°You were only gone for a week, there isn¡¯t much I can do in that time.¡± ¡°I want to fight you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood, maybe another day.¡± He was still trying to stop being Formoria, he needed a little more time to unwind, otherwise he felt like he might actually hurt her; it was an unfounded fear however, she was a 4th year student who was built for combat on top of her natural physical boost due to being a beastkin. ¡°Fine, another time. Amber wanted me to tell you that she would be over after she got herself cleaned up.¡± ¡°I will be ready for her then.¡± Not 20 minutes later Amber knocked on his door. ¡°So, how was your week?¡± He said as he poured her a cup of apple spiced tea, he hoped that it would warm her up if she had been in a cold place, otherwise it just had the strength to wake her up. ¡°My group went to the frontier, we worked alongside a ranger to kill some Ice Wyrms, they were stuck in packs of 15, they¡¯re about a foot long and as thick as your finger, swam through the ice like they were flying.¡± She was clearly unhappy, she hung her head and had little energy behind her voice. ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡± ¡°The ranger was the leader, I was vice-leader, and the idiot got himself killed.¡± ¡°You blame yourself?¡± ¡°How do you think about Redmond when he is out there?¡± ¡°He already told me that life out there isn¡¯t great, and my work has saved his life more than once. I know he tries his best, and sometimes he probably comes back by the skin of his teeth.¡± ¡°I thought of rangers as top of the line, almost impossible to take down. I saw 3 of them crawl under his skin and then come out of his eyes, I can¡¯t stop thinking about how safe Redmond is out there. I don¡¯t really want to burden you with this, but I don¡¯t want to be a hypocrite, we are supposed to lean on each other.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call you out anyway, everyone has the things that they can¡¯t talk about, afraid that just saying them will make them more real. Did you get everyone else out safe?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Sepul. I¡¯ve been his apprentice for a few days now, I don¡¯t want to talk too much about him, but he has had more than I likely ever will, and he lost them all. If a 300 year old archmage and champion of light can¡¯t save everyone, I think you can afford to not beat yourself up over someone whose actions led to their death.¡± ¡°If you lost somebody, could you just let it go?¡± Harlan would¡¯ve rather not answered, yet he had to. ¡°I am going to be honest, and you aren¡¯t going to follow my example, because you are my big sisters and I should be following yours. But when the lich attacked, I decided to give up my life to try and save everyone.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I think you are right. When you did that I was upset to say the least, so I can¡¯t really do that can I.¡± They sat and drank tea, ate cookies, though they didn¡¯t want to ruin their breakfast. Amber rested her head atop his, he felt like he should be the one holding her if she is upset, but she just wanted to be sisterly, they never did get to really talk about his camping trip. ¡°Are you together with Adina yet?¡± ¡°You say it like it is just a matter of time, and do you even like her?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how I feel about her, she seems nice, but I just don¡¯t trust Reinoans. And really, it is a matter of time, you two look too close to not at least give it a try.¡± ¡°What if that try ruins the friendship we already have.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe that is what really has you hesitating, come on, be honest with your big sis.¡± He opened and closed his mouth, he wasn¡¯t entirely sure what he was thinking with her, in some sense he had been trying to push that part farther ahead, and to push the bigger fears of his even farther back. ¡°I think both of us have no idea what love means, I¡¯ve never felt that way about a girl, she doesn¡¯t even know what a happy family should be. What if I am the wrong choice but she doesn¡¯t know it because she hasn¡¯t had friends before.¡± ¡°Think about this, if you don¡¯t do it, then would you be upset if she found another boy.¡± ¡°No, if she is happy I am happy.¡± ¡°If your goal is always to make sure she is happy then how can you leave that up to another man? You don¡¯t leave things half finished, and you shoulder more than you should. Is there another reason?¡± He sat in silence for minutes, Amber gently brushed her hands through his hair. ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer, we can talk about something else.¡± ¡°I am scared of what I am. What if my blood is just cursed, I am a successful experiment to find the right balance between Man and Fomorian. What if being more human leads to something terrible, what if I bring something into this world that just suffers for what it is, what if it just brings more bad into the world than good.¡± Amber didn¡¯t have a good answer, she didn¡¯t know about bloodlines, she didn¡¯t know about souls, but, she believed in Harlan, so she found her answer eventually. ¡°You¡¯ll figure it out, I¡¯m not telling you to rush into a relationship, just that you deserve one when it does happen, so don¡¯t run away. You¡¯ve already done so much with souls and I am sure you will do more. I think you can find an answer, good or bad, if you have enough time.¡± They sat there and just ate their cookies and drank their tea, both of them let out some of the things bothering them and leaned against one another for support. Eventually the alarms rang, it was time to head out to breakfast. ¡°Do you want to eat breakfast here? I could have it ordered.¡± ¡°Nope, I think we both need to be around our friends, wallowing in what has us upset isn¡¯t going to help either of us. Plus, I haven¡¯t seen Zella in a week and I am sure you left something out.¡± ¡°Nothing important I think.¡± When Amber and Harlan arrived they found Ximena and her friends, who Harlan wasn¡¯t sure were his friends, were already sitting with both of their groups. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Harlan didn¡¯t really know where to sit, Zella was boxed in between Bojana and Ibery, while Ximena was between the Golden Sisters. He found himself across from Yara and Amber across from Liat, she had requested that the others move around so that when Amber and Harlan arrived she could be by her. ¡°So, Harlan, did you leave out the part where you got two more friends?¡± ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t assume that they are my friends yet, but this is Yara, and this is Liat.¡± Liat reached over the table to shake Amber¡¯s hand. ¡°Yes, we are friends, we¡¯ve shed each others blood in a good fight and then we spoke for a time.¡± ¡°I hope that you settled whatever differences you had with my brother, I would hate to have things escalate.¡± Amber flared a bit of magic in her eyes to give a fiery appearance for a split second, Liat only laughed. ¡°And here I thought that he got his temperment from his blood. I think that we could be fast friends.¡± She held her head in her hands and cocked it to the side as she spoke to Amber, mostly she wanted to know what he was like as a child. ¡°Should I be answering this stuff? She gives me a bad feeling.¡± ¡°Either she is trying to protect Ximena or Yara, probably both, so I give that bad feeling a pass. You know I am the same way.¡± Yara and Harlan sat facing one another but not talking, he only spoke to chime in on Amber¡¯s story of his life growing up. They split up after breakfast, Harlan noticed as he went through his classes how a few people looked at him. He wondered for a moment which event exactly set people off. He noticed one girl was sneaking far less than subtle glances at him, she seemed afraid of him, so he thought it would be easy to get answers from her. ¡°Excuse me, do you have a moment to talk?¡± The girl was from Ragne but he didn¡¯t recognize the crest, likely a baron¡¯s daughter that got a scholarship. She put on a stoneface but Harlan could tell she nearly jumped when he talked to her. ¡°What might I do for you, Sir Fomoria.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been looking at me, a lot of people have, I just want to know what rumors are behind it this time. Was it the fight last night or what happened in my warmagic class.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡± ¡°Are you sure that is how you want to answer me?¡± He wasn¡¯t really upset, he would find out eventually what the issue was, but his glare said otherwise. He saw her stoneface crack but not break, yet she still answered. ¡°People simply wonder how strong you really are, your other fights showed little of what you can do, that fight last night impressed the 3rd years and frightened the 1st years.¡± ¡°Are you afraid of me? If so I am sorry, have a nice day.¡± She didn¡¯t find the chance to reply before he was gone. He found himself in warmagic again, though the test range/class area had changed, the other change was that this time there were no jeers, no ribbery about him and his cadre of female friends. Harlan let his worst aspects stay in their cage while he was here, he wasn¡¯t worried about them overflowing anymore. Now that people saw him break a leg and then keep fighting for minutes longer with the fight only ending once he lost use of both arms along with all of the other sounds of bones crunching as he fought a Golden, people were afraid of him for what, and not who he was. People already listened to rumors and stayed away from him, but now there were actual notes of his fight being shared, and those who liked to fight would come for him. Today would be them using splitter type warmagic. Their goal was to take out 20 targets while not causing more than 5 feet of collateral damage around them, warmagic was more than shooting the biggest target, it was also about many other long range spells. Their previous lessons had taught them first how to try and make their magic cheaper without making it much weaker, then they learned restraint, now they would take that restraint farther. ¡°You will not be taking turns this time, we are on a mesa some 200 miles inside of the great desert, you all have the same task and plenty of space to work. I expect that there will be no more outbursts, Sir Fomoria.¡± ¡°Yes, I apologize for my actions.¡± ¡°Good. When any of you have exhausted your mana comes to me and you can rest a few minutes at the academy itself. We are beyond the range of its effects.¡± The process for a splitter type was simple and it applied to more than just warmagic, if you can only cast one spell but you want many effects you just make a mass of energy in which you manipulate to cast your other spells from. Instead of casting and firing off a nova bomb, they needed to hold it and have it fire off parts of itself. Simple in theory and simple in practice however, were very different things. By the end of class there was a not insignificant part of sand around the mesa that had turned to glass and plumes of dust filled the air. Harlan hit 9 of the 20 required targets without too much collateral damage, but when he lost that little bit of control the difference was massive. He could make big spells, and he could make small spells, yet hitting the sweet spot between them was harder than it looked for him. After class they were back in the room where they always teleported from. ¡°What did you all learn today?¡± ¡°Controlling magic after you cast it is hard.¡± ¡°True, I expect that we will stay on this subject for at least a month, each of you has shown poor control in some way¡± Sepul looked directly at Harlan as he said this. ¡°and that must be corrected before I teach you more advanced techniques to boost the power of your warmagic. I will not stand to see my students blow themselves up because I shortcut their teaching to match some schedule set by the headmaster. By the end of your time here you will do things right or I will start your next year with revisions on previous classes.¡± Harlan wasn¡¯t sure what he was going to do with his free time, he didn¡¯t get the chance to find out if anyone else had free periods along with him, he couldn¡¯t really go to the Dyad twins anymore; yet he had no choice in the matter, Claude was on a clear path towards the garden where Harlan liked to read. ¡°Harlan, I think we need to talk.¡± ¡°Do we?¡± ¡°I need to know, why did you say I should stay away from you, I am not leaving until I hear it.¡± Claude was never a particularly forceful boy, so his sudden demand made Harlan chuckle. ¡°What did Claudia tell you?¡± ¡°What does she have to do with this?¡± ¡°How long has she had trust issues? Because she seems to be using my not asking for anything from other people when I help them as a reason for me secretly wanting something.¡± Claude didn¡¯t want to believe him. ¡°Do you want something?¡± ¡°I want people to stop looking at me like a monster, I want to help people, I am not looking for money or favors because somebody dropped their favorite dagger behind a dresser and failed to find it without help. I don¡¯t want what she implied that I did.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± It took him a moment to sort his thoughts on the matter, Harlan didn¡¯t mind, he simply went back to his book on horticulture. ¡°My sister has always been headstrong, I hope you don¡¯t think ill of her for her actions.¡± ¡°If I thought my sisters friends were trying to do something to her I would¡¯ve been far more forceful in making them leave her alone. She is wrong about me, but I don¡¯t blame her.¡± Harlan felt that Claude¡¯s mind was knit with confusion over what he now knew. ¡°If you are thinking about being mad at her, don¡¯t be upset until you hear her out, you¡¯ve only got so much family in the world, don¡¯t let me take any away from you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand you, most of the time you seem so ready to kill somebody over any reasons you can think of, you fight for other people, you fight for yourself. Then you are accused of something by my sister, she drives me away from you, and you just sit there and take it?¡± ¡°I have a long list of reasons I would kill somebody, but protecting someone close to you in a way that doesn¡¯t hurt someone else would be a very stupid one. I know I can¡¯t make people like me, maybe someday when she sees me for what I am she will tell you what happened and clear it up for both of us.¡± Claude let out a deep breath and relaxed. ¡°I am not going to talk to her about this, I am sure she would say I am being manipulated by you.¡± ¡°Maybe you are?¡± ¡°You told me about when you tried to question if Tau was really just a spy, he said that there was nothing that can be done if you assume that everything is a lie from the start. So, I will not think like that, she will eventually learn that you are good.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not good.¡± ¡°Then she will learn that you are not a threat to us.¡± ¡°I can be that.¡± Harlan spent the next week like any other, he took his classes, he tried to keep making progress on the connection to the web without crossing the line of actually killing the subjects, for all his resolve he felt that doing such a thing would¡¯ve been a real turning point for him, it was one thing to kill in self-defense, it was another to kill a bound man for the sake of research. He sparred with Liat twice a day, once in the morning before breakfast, then again after dinner, they became a regular event for people to watch. There were a few reasons why she wanted to keep fighting him, but mostly it boiled down to pride. The other Golden treated her like a black sheep because of her hotheaded and overtly sexual nature, leading to the second point, most of the people who wanted to fight her were other students that wanted an excuse to touch her and she refused to be used in such a way. She considered it a blessing that Harlan had the ability to keep up with her to some extent and yet he looked at her like a friend instead of a piece of meat. Adina cheered him on every time they fought, she hated to see him hurt, but she had spoken to him about it, he was clearly consumed on some level with being stronger. She could only lament her fortune to be stuck in love with someone so different from herself, she hated pain, she wanted to avoid it as much as she could, yet he threw himself into the fire at seemingly every chance he got. Chapter 100 The passing weeks snuck up on him faster than he realized, he worked as hard as he could to show progress, but Sepul still wouldn¡¯t extend work hours. But for now, he was in the dungeon. Subject 1 had expired after Harlan tore apart his soul just to test his transformation magic as well as how he could possibly make an item or spell able to do long range communication. Subjects 2 through 8 expired as Harlan tested how the soul reacted when the rest of it disconnected. There was only one way to really disconnect someone from the web that he knew of, and he did try it without killing the men. ¡°Did you learn anything new from that?¡± ¡°Yes, that little piece that holds the connection can survive being taken out and when it regenerates they both connect, but if the main soul dies it seems to send a signal out and both parts are removed from the network.¡± ¡°And any progress on the communicators?¡± ¡°I have two ideas, either a box that holds blood crystals and enchanted in a way to obfuscate the way the spell works, basically acting as a soul speak translator to stop white noise attacks from happening. If the crystal is small enough even then if the crystal was held by a hostile party the effect would be very faint. Here, do it to this one.¡± Harlan felt tha pang but instead of a crippling pain it was like a fly biting on his forehead. The crystal itself was the size of the nail on his pinkie finger. ¡°I must test this myself, you have too much of a tolerance for pain.¡± Sepul was putting a lot of trust in Harlan and Harlan knew it, he handed him a crystal the same size as his and Harlan attacked it. ¡°It is¡­ Uncomfortable, but still safe. What is the second idea?¡± ¡°As I said before, the part of the soul that has a connection to the web can exist in multiple places at once¡­ We should actually check that range, what is the farthest safe place you can take me?¡± ¡°Tell me when you are ready and I will use a gate.¡± ¡°Wait what? Why use a gate?¡± ¡°Because teleportation isn¡¯t all powerful, if I use a gate I have more range.¡± ¡°Really? You took us from here back to my parents farm and that is what, 1000 miles? Close to it?¡± ¡°796 actually. Now get to work, it will be 5 before you know it.¡± ¡°On that note, I could go until 6:30 you know? I just need to be back in time to shower.¡± ¡°5 will remain our time. You aren¡¯t the only reason I set that time. And stop with that girl, you¡¯ve done enough for her already, she will only lead to more pain.¡± He had been trying to get Harlan to stay away from Adina for a while now, though they never let it turn into a longer conversation, just remarks back and forth. ¡°You said it yourself, I have too much of a tolerance for pain. I¡¯m ready by the way.¡± Sepul grabbed Harlan by ear and pulled him into the gate. ¡°Ow ow ow¡­ Whoa. Where are we?¡± It was a forest of crystal, each tree was an exact copy of every other, they were all planted in perfect rows, each had the exact same plants around it. Snow fell in perfect blankets and each flake had the same exact pattern, it blew away from the ground in the exact same pattern every time to make the air dazzle. It was perfect, everything in its order, but Harlan also felt that it was wrong, the forest for all its beauty was too simple, there were no hills, no tree held a bird nest, no foxes had dug burrows under the trees for their young, no tree held signs of deer or wolves rubbing against it. ¡°This is the forest of crystal, this is where I met with Cecht for the first time, where I became his champion. It is both the closest and farthest place in the world. Space here is both everywhere and nowhere. Has the connection been broken?¡± ¡°No, it is stable, close the gate and let¡¯s see if that changes it.¡± Everything remained the same, but Harlan wanted to leave immediately, he could feel the eyes on him. What he thought was the sun descended onto the forest, its wings dulled so he could see him. ¡°I have seen this soul before? Sepul, what is this doing here?¡± ¡°He is working under me to achieve better communication across this world.¡± ¡°A noble goal, yet he is one of her¡¯s. I have helped piece him together once before. Boy, what are you to her? Speak truth to me, for I shall see every lie you make.¡± The sleepy eyes opened fully and Harlan knew that Cecht could see everything. ¡°She wants me to be her champion, I don¡¯t know why, but she has protected me in the past, though I do not trust her, I believe she wants me to have a good life.¡± ¡°She holds no champion that has ever been anything but chaos, I should root you out before yo-¡± The sky turned to a pitch black that seemed to eat away at his light. A tower rose in the distance and it kept rising and rising, Harlan could see it shift and tilt and become other things. She was the transient god, the tower of teeth and claw, the thing of a million eyes and tongues, a thousand more names described her and yet none of them were right or wrong. ¡°Brother, you shall speak no more to him. Please¡­ I do not wish us to come to blows once more¡­ I cannot bear to spare you once more knowing you would destroy him.¡± The sphere of wings and light shrunk in size as he cowered before his big sister. ¡°Then there shall be no sundering of souls on this day. Take him from my garden and never return with him again, Sepul.¡° A gate opened for both of them even though they were both going to the same place. Harlan went through Sepul¡¯s gate along with him, he didn¡¯t trust Cecht. ¡°That could¡¯ve gone worse.¡± ¡°Yes, if she kills him I will die with him. I would rather not have that happen.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather you not die either.¡± Harlan felt a pang of happiness from the old man. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Finish explaining the idea behind that second method.¡± ¡°Right. The amulet itself would drain that little bit of the soul and then hold it, because of this system each amulet or whatever it is could slot potentially thousands of connections without issue and if those defenses were ever breached it could detonate that pseudo soul to stop others from being able to use it for a massive white noise attack. It could be so simple a child could use it and safe enough that even the king wouldn¡¯t need to worry about what happens when someone¡¯s amulet is stolen.¡± ¡°That sounds perfect, what do you need for that?¡± Harlan slumped his shoulders. ¡°I still can¡¯t connect with the web of souls. I would need to make a spell that can find and gather just that single part of the soul without having to make a living item, which I think I can do. But none of it matters until I get that connection to the web to work.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve only been at this for a few weeks. Don¡¯t lose hope just yet, I will request more prisoners for tests. I should also ask, do you want to speak with Mary? I don¡¯t know how you are holding up after killing those men but if it weighs on you then seek her out.¡± ¡°That is an option?¡± ¡°Mary cannot be intimidated, she cannot be bribed, every word you say to her will be between just you and her. The headmaster might be told something if you express a desire to harm another student, but even that would be left to her.¡± ¡°Is she an archmage?¡± ¡°Yes, though she doesn¡¯t openly live as one, so please don¡¯t tell her I told you. She believes if others know what she is then they wouldn¡¯t feel as confident when speaking with her, she is a kind young woman, not a god of the battlefield like me.¡± He left ¡®anymore¡¯ unsaid. ¡°Yet there is something else you want to say?¡± ¡°I must confess, that empathic ability of yours is somewhat bothersome, but¡­ I would like to have dinner with you. I think that we both need a real talk with one another.¡± ¡°You mean without me being drugged?¡± ¡°Yes, that whole affair was quite unfortunate, and I hope that you will still take me up on my offer.¡± ¡°Fine, tonight?¡± ¡°I have preparation to make, I will give you 3 days warning before we gather. In the meanwhile, I would like to take you to your parents farm, I am told you will be headed there in two weeks time.¡± It was a somewhat hollow gesture, it didn¡¯t hurt Harlan¡¯s wallet in any way to pay for a gate, but both of them knew that, it was the fact that he had tried anything that led to Harlan believing he wasn¡¯t as bad as he thought. Harlan killed the 9th and 10th at the same time to see if it changed anything, it was just another failure to connect with the web, but one was a baby killer and the other a cannibal. 5 on the dot, Sepul sent Harlan back to his room and then drafted a letter to his friend with what they had done so far. Harlan was, in reality, acting as a second mind, the brother he gave up was reading all of his notes and trying to do what Harlan was doing. The royals had gained quite a lot from the soul born of Harlan¡¯s, but it lacked some of Harlan¡¯s instinct with souls, it lacked some of his creativity, it lacked his sometimes very specific knowledge like what happened with the soldier and the blood crystals. After a tonic washed down with a hot cup of tea Harlan entered the shower to wash himself, he did think of going to Mary, but he didn¡¯t actually feel that bad. He stopped vomiting after a week, the constant sight of blood on his hands went away after the second week, it deeply worried him that it didn¡¯t worry him anymore. He stepped from the shower and got ready for the day, he had 30 minutes to kill, so he decided that he was going to finally talk to her. ¡°Lugh, I¡¯ll pick you up for breakfast, but I am going to talk to Mary.¡± On the way he found a group of boys were looking at him, they seemed to be related and also vaguely familiar, but he couldn¡¯t place them. He stopped to feel if she was inside her office, it was his last chance to back out. He was sure that she knew he was there, but she didn¡¯t rush to the door so he would feel forced to come inside, she simply walked around to prepare a plate of cookies and put on a pot of water before sitting on the couch. He didn¡¯t want her efforts to go to waste, so he knocked on the door and she told him to come in. ¡°Would you like some tea and cookies?¡± ¡°What can I tell you?¡± ¡°There is no man who can force words from my mouth, neither kings nor those who call themselves gods evoke fear from me.¡± ¡°How can I know?¡± She placed a bottle on the table, Harlan knew what it was, Sepul had warned him how to spot such a thing. ¡°I could take a sip of truth potion, it wouldn¡¯t last long, but it would let you get a few answers from me.¡± ¡°Why are you going so far?¡± ¡°Regardless of what you might think, I simply want to help people. I want you to see yourself as a person and not as a monster, I want everyone to get past their issues so we can live in a better world. I know it is foolish and naive, but I want to believe that this is a world worth saving from itself, and I believe that I can help you save yourself so you can save others.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t see it, I am a monster and if you knew what I have already done you would agree, I don¡¯t get you.¡± ¡°I have killed men, I have put heads on pikes as a cruel show of force, I have killed out of anger, of sorrow, of simply foolishness, I have learned the hard way what being a monster is. I hope that you understand me so that you can avoid my mistakes and be the better of the two of us someday.¡± ¡°Fine, drink the potion and repeat that again.¡± Yet not a single word changed. ¡°Damnit¡­¡± ¡°You are disappointed by me being honest, why?¡± ¡°How can you sound so kind, how can you push back your demons so they don¡¯t show. From what you¡¯ve said I just feel like I¡¯ve failed to be that better person I want to be.¡± ¡°You cannot hide your demons, they will claw and bite and kick and punch, they break through your barriers and reveal themselves. You can just accept what you have done and understand why, it took me many years to understand it, but sometimes good people are forced to do bad things, sometimes good people fail to see what they are really doing. Do you want to talk about it now?¡± Harlan went over the experiments, the lives he had taken, his reasons for it, the disconnection he tried to set up so it didn¡¯t feel like he was the one doing it all. Tears fell from his eyes as he recalled everything he had done, everything he could never tell anyone else about. Mary simply sat and listened until he was done. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you every answer, but from what you¡¯ve said, you already know what you want to be, but you feel forced to accept your position for the sake of your family¡¯s safety. I am going to be honest, and I know you might not like to hear this answer. Are you actually doing anything wrong?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You know what these men you¡¯ve used are, they are vile beasts in human skin, they kill and rape and do whatever they please because they are strong and their victims are weak. Your problem is empathizing with them as human beings, you know right from wrong and you cannot see killing as just, but what other options do you have? If they were left to rot in a cell or tortured to death then you would never have to bear the weight of their lives, but how much good would come from your work? I do not regret the killings that I have done when it was to save lives, I do not regret the killing I have done to lessen the suffering of those who would never recover from attacks against them. There is no path of no harm, only a path of least harm. Your invention could let soldiers hear their babies back home on nights when they feel like they have lost their will to go on, it could let the sick contact doctors who would¡¯ve never realized their condition and allow their lives to be saved, it could let a worrying wife check on her husband.¡± He thought her argument was sound, but there was one line that bothered him, it bothered him a lot. ¡°There is no path of no harm, where did you hear that?¡± ¡°Yes, I did hear it from The Darkness. She spoke to me at a moment of weakness, when I thought that all my killing was in vain, that it would¡¯ve been better to save nobody, to hide in my village and pretend that nobody was suffering. I am going to tell you something, and I want you to really, really, think about it. Everyone is suffering, sometimes the difference between the loss of hope is the voice of a friend, I have seen people fall to despair when I know I could¡¯ve saved them if I had just been there. I think about them, I think about the people who died because I didn¡¯t leave yet, because I took another half a day to reach a village with a monster I didn¡¯t even know about, I have seen children grieve their parents because I couldn¡¯t be everywhere at once, because those people that are disconnected or trapped can¡¯t call for help. It is selfish of me, but I want you to finish what you are making. I said I wanted you to learn from my mistakes, but most importantly I don¡¯t want to see someone who has a good heart fill up with regrets like mine has. Were it not for the right person saying the right words at the right time, I would¡¯ve been swallowed up by despair, not everyone gets a god talking in their ear, sometimes it is just a friend.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He hugged her and she returned it. ¡°A thousand I¡¯m sorrys are worth less than just one thank you. So thank you, and I am sorry, I am a terrible counselor who wants you to do something you don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯ve said what you wanted to, that is your path, but now I can follow mine. I can¡¯t shirk off the weight of their lives, but I can make it mean something. I¡¯ll be selfish, I¡¯ll work because I want my mom and dad to hear me every night, I want to hear my niece and my nephew, I want to catch up with an old friend.¡± ¡°Good, I know the weight you carry, and the weight that you will carry, you can be a selfish child sometimes, no one holds that weight forever without cracking eventually.¡± Harlan had missed breakfast, their talk went on for longer than he expected, so he had to settle for the baked goods Mary kept with her. She said she took up baking as a hobby to deal with her stress. Chapter 101 Harlan was knee deep in blood again. It was the best way to feel the connection as the life left in the blood mingled and spoke nothing to each other, orders to just not mix together were what they amounted to. 14 more subjects died last week, he made working prototypes of his blood crystal design but he was told that he should still try to understand the web as it seemed the better option if it could work. Sepul was there with a few other researchers who worked under the other brother, he tried to ask the name but they were both cagey and terrified when it came to both parties. ¡°Raise the temperature of the blood until it boils, even what I am sitting in and what is inside the subjects bodies, try to keep them alive as long as possible. Avoid raising mine as much as possible, I will be controlling its temperature on my own.¡± Harlan added his blood to the mix and once it boiled it started turning to steam. The blood of 20 men was filled with so much life that finally Harlan did it, for just a single moment, he connected, then that was it, he was in, the connection between him and the web went from a trail of dust to a solid link. He was flooded with emotions that wanted to run wild in him, he wondered if this was what The Dark Mother was trying to stop. He just barely pushed aside the thousands of voices screaming that he should just start killing everyone. When he woke up he was covered head to toe in blood, he had apparently tore apart the test subjects and very nearly a researcher before he set his emotional state to zero. ¡°I connected to the web. I will begin work on the new amulet design once I return from my parents home.¡± ¡°Do you have anything else? Are you, you?¡± ¡°Yeah Sepul, I am still just Harlan. I need a shower, a really long one, I¡¯ve not been covered in this much blood since I was 10. I used my empathic abilities to prevent the other voices inside from overwhelming me. I believe now that I am settled, whatever they are won¡¯t be able to do that a second time.¡± ¡°Very well, I will report that you¡¯ve made the connection and require time away to process this information into a usable prototype.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Harlan had to be teleported directly into his shower, he decided to destroy that robe, even if he did try to let the staff clean it, such a thing would lead to questions he would rather not have to answer. Officially he was experimenting with void as he often would and the robe was an accident. As he washed the blood away he started raising his emotions back to what he knew was his base and wondered how he got here, two months ago he might¡¯ve been crying to himself and breaking down. Was justifying it by telling himself that it was to save friends and family really all it took for him to kill dozens of men? In all honesty? It was. He had accepted that he was only as much of a monster as he let himself be, yet it wasn¡¯t just monstrous actions that turned a man evil, it was why. He and Sepul had this conversation more than once, both could call themselves monsters without worry or offense, both did what they did for the greater good and promised that if one of them went too far that the other would stop them. So far they both agreed and the king did too, this was all bloody and gory, but these men were all heavily sedated and felt nothing as they died, it was no different than if they really had been executed from their perspective. They also had their own debt to repay the country, lives lost, pain and suffering caused, they were monsters who did it for nothing but self satisfaction. Harlan picked up Lugh and made his way to the gate office. When he arrived he found everyone that would be going. Ibery decided that she would copy Harlan and she would be heading home to see her family. Adelwulf had to refuse, it fell on his birthday and his coming of age would be a weekend long ceremony. ¡°Has everyone double checked that they aren¡¯t missing anything?¡± ¡°I have.¡± Adina was almost a problem, though a few letters convinced her father that she was going as a spy for Reino, on the other side Sepul simply made a few offhand remarks at a party that he would be cross with people interfering with his apprentice or people who damaged relations between nations for petty little things like not letting children make friends with one another, people quickly realized that Harlan was friends with a Reinoan girl and was his apprentice. ¡°Why can¡¯t I bring my weapons¡­¡± Bojana was excited to see her best friends home, though she still wanted that fight with Harlan. ¡°It would be in poor taste to bring weapons to another nation beyond what you keep at your side, you are a councilor''s daughter, you should know this.¡± Tau hoped he could speak with Kass, from what Harlan told him they should get along quite well. ¡°...¡± Ximena had changed her mind and wanted to come along, though she wouldn¡¯t say why. ¡°When are we leaving?¡± Zella was practically jumping with joy to go back, they were her family in a similar sense that they were Harlan¡¯s family, both of them lost but then found a better family. Sepul teleported in at exactly 7 on the dot. ¡°Has everyone double checked that they aren¡¯t missing anything?¡± They all answered with a polite yes and then moments later they found themselves, along with 6 Unseen, about a 5 minute walk from the farm. ¡°Will you hold my hand while we walk? The ground seems quite uneven.¡± Adina and Harlan both knew her real reason, yet he held her hand anyway. She had made no further advancement towards him overtly, but she kept him close. As they drew near many things bothered Harlan, though what was the most clear were the banners hanging from the now substantially taller stone walls of his parents farm. If he didn¡¯t know any better he would call it a fort from this distance, but the strangest thing was his banners flying on the wall. Evendentilly, Balor had left some things out of his letters. ¡°Is this the right place?¡± Amber was in disbelief. ¡°Well, it¡¯s our crest at least.¡± They got closer and Harlan felt his ring resonate with the area, the king had the wards and arrays around the area upgraded even more once Harlan had shown that his idea of a communicator wasn''t based on thin ideas implied by a fickle god. The gates opened wide for them as they drew near, he was glad to see that his parents home, much to the chagrin of Blackstone who wanted them in a bigger house, was still exactly the same simple cabin that they had added onto over the years. The men inside were clearly soldiers, but they were wearing Harlan¡¯s crest. ¡°Do you work for me?¡± ¡°I am under your brother, Balor, though in a sense I do work for you. Are there any problems?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sir.¡± The others would be there for dinner, so inside the house was just his parents. His mother was rushing back and forth getting things ready for breakfast. She briefly froze when she saw Adina, her resemblance to Ava was uncanny. ¡°Hi mom, I¡¯m home.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you sit down sweetie, I have bread sitting to cool and I¡¯ll start on the eggs and sausages as soon as I finish cleaning this mess.¡± Instead of just sitting, Harlan set the table, Amber joined her mother in the kitchen to get everything ready, the others simply sat down. Adina listened closely to their sounds, the way the family hummed the same tune as they worked, the heavy steps of Harlan compared to his mother and sister, the way they flowed with practiced ease past one another despite the size of the kitchen. Her home was quiet, from the carpeted floors compared to the somewhat creaky planks here, to the staff who rarely spoke openly since her father thought gossiping was a waste of time. She appreciated every crack and chop and whisk and sizzle as they got their food ready. She was overwhelmed when she first came to the academy, it was full of life and people, yet it had been just as empty and quiet as her home in a sense, she was outcast from her own people for being born wrong and the other students hated or ignored her for where she was born, it was lonely to be invisible while surrounded by hundreds of people in crowded hallways. She was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of her plate being put back in front of her, Harlan had served her food. ¡°Ah, I am very sorry, I should¡¯ve done that myself.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, it looked like you were thinking about something important.¡± She smiled as she answered. ¡°Yes, it was rather important.¡± It wasn¡¯t high class food, just egg sandwiches with sausage on the side, but Adina would hold that memory as one of her favorite meals. Breakfast was full of life, Aida and Harlow both asked Harlan and Amber a lot of questions about what they had been up to, and while Harlan couldn¡¯t tell them what he was working on, they trusted that it would be fine since he was in high spirits. ¡°So, you are Adina? Harlan had a lot to say about you last time he was here.¡± ¡°Yes, you must be Miss Aida, you sound nice.¡± ¡°Thank you. How did you meet?¡± Harlan had given a very simple ¡®She was getting picked on so I stopped it and she started following me¡¯ when he told his parents how they met. ¡°Ah, well. I was being picked on by a few older boys from the morals committee, they had taken my glasses and were threatening to break them, then suddenly I heard heavy footsteps approaching. I thought it was the older Cato brother but then I heard one of the boys cry out in pain, Harlan had threatened to break his arm if they didn¡¯t give my glasses back to me and leave.¡± She held her cup close to her chest and blushed. ¡°I started following him after that, I didn¡¯t understand why he helped me without asking anything from me. It was very heroic.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°That does sound like something Harlan would do, though I wish he didn¡¯t resort to violence so quickly sometimes.¡± Adina shook her head. ¡°If Harlan hadn¡¯t quickly disabled one of them they would¡¯ve really tried to fight and they would¡¯ve been hurt much worse. Harlan, is there anything else you want to add?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like being called a hero, I would¡¯ve walked right past you if you didn¡¯t look like Ava, I should¡¯ve helped before I saw your face.¡± ¡°But in the end you did help me. Not just then, but every day after that, I don¡¯t know what I would be doing there if I hadn¡¯t met you.¡± It didn¡¯t take an empath to see how she looked at Harlan, nor to see how he didn¡¯t look at her the same way. ¡°Miss Aida, could I talk with you after breakfast?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve got more things I want to ask you anyway.¡± Ximena didn¡¯t say a word the entire meal, she looked around, hoping to understand what made Harlan the way that he was, she considered him brave and selfless while the others considered him a martyr. After everyone was done Aida asked if Adina could help clean things while they talked, Ximena meanwhile wanted to go on a walk with Harlan, Adina didn¡¯t want to talk until after they had left. ¡°Did you have a mother?¡± ¡°She died when I was young, it was just my brother Redmond and my father.¡± ¡°Do you remember her?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what she looked like, but I remember her holding me, just a feeling of being close to her. How is your mother?¡± ¡°She died giving birth to me, I am sure I should be more sad about her, but I never knew her as anything but a painting in the hallway.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± ¡°Thank you. Harlan gets upset when I talk about my family, so I want to ask you about them.¡± Aida listened to stories of her life growing up, she understood why Harlan would react poorly to them, yet as the mother of a paranoid child it had rubbed off on her and she wondered if she could really trust what she was hearing. However, she did remind her of having Ava at home, so she did want her to be around. Harlan and Ximena went along as the workers took the sheep to graze. He had never tested using his empathy to actually affect other people, so he figured with his new ability he should finally start really training beyond blocking out other people. Harlan moved his hand and tried to force his way into the mind of the animal. ¡°Grass, grass, walking, grass grass.¡± He thought for a moment how it was talking, but then he thought of how the soul was protected but Relly could talk though the mind even if she didn¡¯t understand how she had done it. ¡°Go left.¡± The sheep didn¡¯t reply, it just followed his commands as if it was its own thoughts. He moved the sheep back and forth, he didn¡¯t need to use his hands exactly, but it helped him focus. He thought it should¡¯ve been harder, but it simply worked. He connected with more than a single sheep, two, three, ten, fifteen. The more he connected with the more jumbled his thoughts became, it wasn¡¯t like the Slip Ants exactly; these were self-sufficient beings that weren¡¯t asking questions, but they also didn¡¯t block out any thoughts, so whatever came across their minds flowed across the connection back to Harlan. ¡°Ximena, can I try something with you? It shouldn¡¯t cause any harm, but I thought I should ask anyway.¡± ¡°I trust you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She could feel how glad he was to hear her response. Unlike with soulspeak, he was having issues keeping his emotions off of the connection, it was like swapping between two swords with slightly different weight, even if both of them were almost the same it still had a slight adjustment period. ¡°So, you figured out how to connect to the crossroads of the mind.¡± His confusion came across without any words. ¡°I just call it the web, could you already do this? Is this what Rosamet did to me before?¡± ¡°Yes, we don¡¯t have empathy like Fomorians but we have the basic mental magics.¡± He was annoyed, but more than that guilt was coming over the connection. He wondered if he had included her, would he have needed to spill blood like he did? He could handle the weight of the lives he had taken, but knowing there might¡¯ve been another option led to strong feelings of regret. ¡°Harlan, are you ok?¡± Then she realized what she believed had happened. ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m sorry, if I had known I would¡¯ve warned you about your first time.¡± ¡°No, there is nothing to be sorry about, this is just the path I am on. I made my choices, not seeing if you knew anything was just another one of my failures.¡± She placed a hand on his shoulder. She didn¡¯t think she knew how to console people, but she had some idea of what she should do. ¡°You¡¯re right, even If you asked me about the connection I wouldn¡¯t have told you anyway. It is an old secret of our people and one that isn¡¯t learned without a cost.¡± It was clear just from looking at him how tired he seemed at the moment, he looked at his hands, the flecks of blood he saw on his hands that weren¡¯t there returned for a moment before fading away. ¡°Then I have paid my cost, and don¡¯t try to put any blame on yourself. ¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have done that anyway, you are the one that needs to not think of my feelings when you are clearly so upset over whatever cost you paid.¡± When they returned Harlan noticed one of his carriages had arrived. Kass and Tau were sitting outside and drinking tea as they exchanged advice that they hoped could help Harlan. Bojana and Sara seemed to be getting along quite well on account of both of them liking little games and betting. Balor was sitting on the step for the carriage waiting for Harlan. ¡°Hey, long time no see.¡± ¡°So, you found out how to connect with others over a distance? I am glad to see you in person, hearing that you have friends and seeing them are two different things. Which of them is Adina?¡± ¡°She is probably still inside with mom. She wanted to talk with her about something, I hope that went well.¡± They had been having their conversation by just standing near one another, Ximena knew what was happening, but to some of the others it seemed like they were upset at one another. Isha wanted to defuse the situation. ¡°Good morning Harlan, would you like to talk inside?¡° ¡°Of course.¡± Ximena followed the three of them. Adina and Aida were sitting in the living room with Harlow and talking about the rest of the family, warning her that Ava isn¡¯t going to like her at first. Isha had Balor and Harlan sit across from one another in the kitchen. ¡°I think you two should deal with the silence between one another, I don¡¯t know why, but you should get it out in the open.¡± Both of them reacted with confusion before they realized what had happened. Isha was embarrassed at her fumble, after time with Kass she was trying to be better at dealing with people when she would normally just leave things alone. ¡°Well, anyway. With that out of the way, how have things been at home? I noticed that all the guards here are wearing our crest now and they have new weapons and armor.¡± ¡°I''ve cut a deal with a blacksmith in Tole, he supplies what I ask for, either raw materials or made items, and I soulsmith the items for him at a reduced cost. I know there isn¡¯t any level of security that will be enough for you, but now each soldier here is under our banner which carries a heavier cost should someone harm them compared to unaffiliated mercenaries. I keep them constantly updated with new spells as I try to develop styles to take advantage of what we can do now. And¡­ I have hired more people to help around the house. I know you don¡¯t approve, but I can¡¯t send Isha and Sarah everywhere and I don¡¯t want to rely on the couriers for everything.¡± Harlan sat back in his seat, he looked at the ceiling, and he spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t like it, I don¡¯t like it at all, but, I trust you; you were right that I can¡¯t just sit in the woods and hope everything works out. I need power, personal and political. If I am to keep everyone safe, I am going to make a lot of enemies, I already have enough as it is. I¡¯ve done something again that is likely to change a lot about normal life. In 10 years I expect golems are going to start being just another normal part of life for people, did you ever get the guard in Luth to accept working with golem.¡± ¡°I have a meeting with the guard captain later today, Redwall said he could just force the issue and it wouldn¡¯t be a problem, but I want them to want golems.¡± ¡°Good. Now, let''s get out of business.¡± Harlan got started on applesauce and Isha quickly joined him. Adina wanted to help cook as well, so Aida tried showing her how, in the end they had sauce and pies and cookies and dumplings, the entire home smelled of apples and spices, and they ended up giving some to the workers. Harlan could feel how happy she was to be doing it, he wanted to jump in when she cut herself, but mom just gave her a kiss and Adina healed herself without crying. The Redwall family showed up for dinner. Ava locked eyes with Adina as soon as she stepped inside, Balor had kept the rest of the family updated on almost everything Harlan had told him in his letters, he did try to keep their worries down by not mentioning his fight with Liat at least, nor did he tell them Harlan¡¯s worries over the people he sometimes felt following him. ¡°You must be the Reinoan girl.¡± She might¡¯ve been a little over 5¡¯4, but she sat at the table with the presence of a full grown man, yet Adina wouldn¡¯t be intimidated by her. ¡°Yes, you must be Ava, Harlan has told me a lot about you. I hope we can get along.¡± ¡°Harlan, you need to stop being friends with spies, I think people are going to think something is up if you find a third one.¡± ¡°I am not a spy, though I was sent to be friends with Harlan, I didn¡¯t know it at the time and I have never given anything important to my father, nor would I ever.¡± ¡°How about we spar? I can¡¯t let you be deadweigh-¡± Harlan pulled on her ear. ¡°Don¡¯t pick on Adina.¡± ¡°Fine, whatever.¡± Adina laughed at the display, only further antagonizing Ava. Yet the dinner was still peaceful. Everyone was settling around the house after the meal was finished, cleaning could happen later. She heard a sound she hadn¡¯t gotten the chance to hear in a long time, Jarrik was cooing and babbling as he grabbed Autumn''s hair. Harlan made his way over to his oldest sister and gave her a hug before asking her a question. ¡°Adina, can you come here for a moment?¡± She sat next to him on the couch that was moved out of the way for a second table so there was enough room for everyone around the table. ¡°Hold him, you looked like you wanted to.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that is a go-¡± Harlan forced him into her hands, Adina had never gotten the chance to hold a baby before now. Superstition meant she was never allowed near them, and since her mother had passed giving birth to her she had no siblings younger than her. Jarrik grabbed at her glasses until they finally came off, the little boy seemed to be enamored by her eyes and kept trying to stand up and poke at them. Adina meanwhile tried to put them back on and apologize for showing her eyes. ¡°I think he liked your eyes, and I think you look good without your glasses anyway.¡± ¡°No, they are unsightly, I shouldn¡¯t be showing them to normal people.¡± ¡°Then I am glad there aren¡¯t any normal people around. Don¡¯t worry for a second about them.¡± She fumbled with them for a moment as she decided if she wanted to put them back on or not, she had never been allowed to take them off at home and at the academy she didn¡¯t want to make herself a bigger target by showing herself as abnormal. ¡°I don¡¯t know, will you hold them for me while I decide.¡± She moved her head and felt the weight that was now gone, they had been made with a stonesteel frame to be a constant reminder of her disability, she never took them off for long enough to really remember what it was like to not have them on. The only time they ever came off was when she slept. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can just throw them away, I should just-¡± A wave of void turned the glasses into little more than dust. ¡°Whoops.¡± She could see them as they crumbled into nothing and Harlan blew the dust out the window and she wasn¡¯t sure how she felt just yet, she couldn¡¯t comprehend that he had done it out of malice or as an accident so she sat in stunned silence for a time. ¡°Those things served no use but to make you remember you were born wrong, I have no idea what sick bastard made them but I can¡¯t believe for a second those were comfortable for you to wear.¡± She leaned her head on his shoulder and enjoyed that the frame didn¡¯t dig into her skin, she didn¡¯t feel that weight bothering her when she didn¡¯t sit perfectly straight, she understood Harlan¡¯s reasons for destroying them, she could¡¯ve never brought herself to break her own chains. Autumn nearly pinched his neck and scolded him until she noticed that despite her tears, Adina was still smiling. Adina wiped her tears, not realizing what she was doing until now. ¡°Sorry for my display, it won¡¯t happen again.¡± ¡°You should already know you can always cry on my shoulder if you need to.¡± It was a little uncomfortable for the others to witness the touching moment between the two of them Harlan ended up between Ava and Adina on the couch, only making their resemblance all the more clear. ¡°Adina, I want you to spar with me, I won¡¯t hurt you, but I can¡¯t have you dragging my brother down. I know he¡¯d get himself killed over something stupid if you were involved.¡± ¡°I think that would be good, I¡¯ve been working with Zella to try and get stronger. Maybe I should have Harlan train me when we get back to the academy. I won¡¯t drag him down.¡± She still didn¡¯t like her. Chapter 102 Adina hoped to play with the twins more, Autumn was a little taken aback at how excited she was to just hold them, though things became clear as she explained her reasons. The longer everyone was around her the more clear it became why Harlan showed such an attachment to her. He might not know exactly what she had been through, but they shared too much in common, they suffered for what instead of who they were, they were locked away from others because of this, while Harlan had reacted with violence, Adina reacted by just shutting down. Before she had met him she had spent years in a waking death as she waited for her father to marry her off for some political power or just live alone until she finally died, she didn¡¯t smile, she didn¡¯t cry, she just moved through her days until she was ordered to go to the academy without any explanation. ¡°Ximena, do you want to hold them?¡± ¡°Ah, hmm, I don¡¯t think so, I¡¯ve never been good with children.¡± Harlan asked as a formality, as soon as she was done talking she ended up with Alana. Unlike Adina she really was just bad with children, she didn¡¯t know how to hold her and then when she started to cry Harlan took his niece back. ¡°Sorry, I just had to see if you were really just too shy to ask.¡± ¡°I think that unlike Adina I am fairly clear with my words. No offense intended to her.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Paternal instinct had taken over and Adina didn¡¯t care about anything but letting Jarrik grab at the toys she held in front of him, Harlan didn¡¯t feel quite the same way, despite loving his niece and nephew, the idea of children still scared him, they were something he could care for and play with, but not something he should have. ¡°Well, I think it is about time that we head back home. Adina, it was very nice to meet you. I hope you can take care of Harlan when he is being stubborn and thinks he doesn¡¯t have a problem.¡± ¡°Thank you. I hope I can hold them again, maybe someday I can have my own little ones.¡± She didn¡¯t get red or stutter, she knew exactly what she was saying. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll make a great mother, just wait until the two of you are out of the academy. Hopefully the war doesn¡¯t restart before then, I¡¯d hate for you two to separate over something like that.¡± ¡°I would just renounce Reino and try to come here, there wouldn¡¯t be much use in living if I couldn¡¯t see my friends again.¡± Then the last piece fell into place, the most terrifying things Autumn believed Harlan could have as a friend, another martyr, both would be crushed if the other died and both would never forgive themselves if the other gave their life for them. She knelt down to eye level with the girl. ¡°Whatever happens, don¡¯t put Harlan through that, just wait, maybe a chance will come to leave. Harlan, if something like that happens, don¡¯t rush into a death trap, I know you are already going through wargames in your mind just in case.¡± ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve already been putting in work to give Adina the option of leaving Reino behind and being a citizen of Ragne.¡± Despite her earlier words, she couldn¡¯t leave without talking to Harlan about how. Unfortunately he couldn¡¯t say much, but the way he unconsciously avoided eye contact with everyone as he talked about it was enough to confirm that he was cutting away another part of Harlan the child. It left a sour taste on the otherwise nice day, but nobody voiced it. After everyone cleaned up and said their goodbyes they made their way to Harlan¡¯s home, he would be spending the nights there catching Balor up on his research and trading notes mostly. When Harlan had sent his letter saying he would be coming he requested that Balor expand the house for extra guests, the new rooms were built onto the back side of the house and a second floor would be added later just for the sake of the new addition matching the height of the rest of the house. When they stepped inside Harlan felt a familiar presence. ¡°Dahlia, why have you come here?¡± At first she panicked, then she realized that she couldn¡¯t get him out of her head and replied. ¡°I am just here for extra security. Your little friend is a powder keg and we cannot allow her to come to harm while she is here.¡± ¡°Who would be most likely to harm her? Are there nobles trying to start the war back up?¡± ¡°We are mostly worried about her father.¡± Murderous rage came over the connection clear as day. ¡°What are the chances that he will remain a thorn in my side for the days to come?¡± ¡°If we find proof of such plans we will send that information to Fragile Peace, she has been stamping out warmongers among her people just as the king has been removing them on our side.¡± ¡°Good, I will be staying near her until she leaves then.¡± ¡°I think it woul-¡± He broke off the connection, he knew exactly what she wanted, but he didn¡¯t care. They put a target on his back by making his family nobles, so he would be using that to his advantage, no reason to split up forces between the two of them when he could act as a bodyguard. ¡°Isha, tomorrow morning could you make spiced cookies?¡° ¡°Of course.¡± Harlan walked everyone through the unique features of his home and then they all split up, Zella and Amber stayed up to play cards with Isha and Sara, eventually Adina was dragged into the game, unfortunately for them she had sight beyond her eyes and started remembering what each card was based on creases and other marks on them. Tau and Bojana played checkers off to the side, he had understood quickly that the others never had a chance against her, just like he fared quite poorly at checkers against Bojana, though this switched when they went to chess. After their camping trips both of them felt that they should understand one another better, Tau had been forced into violence to save the life of another student while Bojana nearly hurt another student with her recklessness. The first year was random, just meant to get students together and see if they could work together when things got tough, from the 2nd year onwards however they students ended up in specially picked locations and with specially picked targets to hopefully allow them to grow as people. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Down in the bunker Harlan was explaining everything he had done to learn how to connect and trying to get Balor and Lugh to help him design his theoretical connection amulet. ¡°So they forced more blood on your hands.¡± Balor slammed his hand so hard that the metal work bench neatly folded into itself, it was now useless with the large dent pulling both sides together. ¡°No, I chose this, I should¡¯ve never given Dearil the time of day, I did something stupid and now I am just paying the price. Free will means I get to make my own mistakes, there is only so much I can blame on other people.¡± ¡°You would¡¯ve never given him anything if they didn¡¯t send you back here ready to go off after they used you for years. We both know this is bullshit.¡± Balor had rarely been mad, after his first few weeks he became calm and collected as the anger used to make him became less than the good memories he made. ¡°Let¡¯s be honest, this is for the best. I¡¯ve been given materials that I could¡¯ve never gotten, support from an archmage, favor with the king. It is bullshit, I hate it, but think about how much good will come of it. It doesn¡¯t make what happened before alright, it doesn¡¯t make what I am going to do in the future alright, but now it just is. This is my path, no one else is walking it for me. I don¡¯t have to accept it, and you don¡¯t either, but right now, I met good friends, I am happy, I am actually sure for once that what I am making isn¡¯t going to just kill millions, it could save millions. Not just people who are hurt with wounds on the outside, but people like me who are hurt inside, who just need a friendly voice to keep them going a day longer.¡± ¡°There is a time for feel good platitudes, this is not one of them.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t change your mind, I just want us to work together.¡± Balor and Harlan were two peas in a pod, both of them knew one another in ways nobody else ever really could, they were stubborn and cantankerous, they knew that they could argue until dawn and then to dusk and both sides wouldn¡¯t budge an inch because they didn¡¯t believe it was an argument about opinions, they were simply right and the other side needed to know that. ¡°I feel foolish, I have chastised you for your outbursts and now I am the one unable to accept something so the first thing I do is lash out. I do not accept what has happened, but I know it is pointless to do anything but move past it.¡± They started their work, dozens of mana gems were broken as they received the messages. Harlan moved to some of the larger ones he had to see if the issue was them being structured in a certain way or if the power of sending messages was just insanely high despite being basically free to the person sending them. After another 20 gems they instead moved to working on making a buffer that would disperse the energy, though since it wasn¡¯t mana and nobody but Harlan could see it it was a task that took well until dawn. Isha came down to tell him that breakfast was ready when he didn¡¯t come up. After another 10 minutes of obsessive work he finally got the spell into a state the short messages didn¡¯t overload the gem. He came upstairs to find a full dining room, Bojana and Tau had already finished their meal and returned to playing chess. Sara still had that same look she had before he left, he decided he wouldn¡¯t be a coward anymore, if it was a pitfall question, he was glad to be a good healer. Later though, it was probably private. Dahlia jolted as she felt Harlan connect to her, she thought she left that feeling behind last time she met Relly. ¡°I had Isha make cookies, I heard you like spiced ones. Either show yourself or just take them while under your cloak.¡± She revealed herself briefly and thanked Isha for the cookies. Dahlia was suspicious, there were very few people who knew her on any personal level, and she didn¡¯t think that any of them would tell him that she specifically liked these kinds of cookies. ¡°I hope you like them, also, take this. Send it back to the crown and let that other one try to reverse engineer it, I¡¯ll work on a better one when I get back. Read the instructions clearly or it is going to break.¡± Ximena was shocked to see the woman appear and disappear yet everyone barely even reacted. She decided that it was probably just normal for him, most things he did were just odd. Bojana finally convinced Tau that they had done enough board games and it was time for her to get a good fight, though Tau said they needed to fight privately. He always kept a defensive stance and not a single blow landed on him. ¡°Come on, give me a real fight.¡± She mixed in heavy strikes and gravity magic knowing he wouldn¡¯t counter. ¡°If you cannot break my defense you cannot hurt me. A stone cannot divert a river, it will only be eroded until it is small enough to move aside.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t come here to listen to more advice.¡± ¡°I know, but it is what you need to hear.¡± Her blows became more savage, she hammered him with her fists, yet Tau simply moved her hands out of the way. ¡°What would it take for you to finally learn some defense? I heard what happened on your trip. I can feel your guilt in each strike.¡± ¡°How about you beat me before you lecture me on being able to keep others safe.¡± She staggered back, the air had left her lungs, she was sure he broke her ribs at some point during the strikes she didn¡¯t even see, five hits? Six? ¡°Bullshit¡­¡± She wheezed out before Tau approached and healed her. It had been easy for Tau to decide to kill another person to save an innocent, he hated it, but he understood there would be blood on his hands either way and he simply had to choose whose blood it would be. For Bojana her failure was a lack of control, slipping into a berserker rage inherent to beastkin, it was never easy for them to move past it and more so since she needed to be taken down by the people she was supposed to be the shield for. ¡°I apologize that I¡¯ve needed to hurt you, can you stand?¡± She threw an uppercut at Tau and they went back and forth for another 30 minutes with Tau working her up to the limit of her anger and then striking her. His mind went to what he knew of the rage which cursed their people, no god had ever answered why they gave it to them, but one let him understand its mechanics. The longer it was left unfed the more hungry it would get until it finally reached a breaking point. He saw how it shaped the way their culture had grown, children were expected to be involved in contact sports, hunting, recreational warfare between groups, fighting tournaments, all to keep at bay a feeling that they were simply born with, he questioned if every people who deviated from the base human form had a drawback such as this, he wondered if this was the source of Harlan¡¯s rage. Eventually she was burned out and both of them went back inside to eat. Meanwhile Ava tried to show Adina how to fight. Zella, and Ximena sat at the sidelines and made sure Ava didn¡¯t actually try to harm her. Harlan was trying to understand the limits of his control over animals, some birds seemed to have little problem coming down to sit on his arm but others were scared away when they got close, no matter how much he could dull their fear he couldn¡¯t make them stop being afraid at all. When a loud sound happened their fear peaked they flew away in a dash, rabbits were even worse, they wouldn¡¯t get anywhere near the group. His mindsense had grown exponentially since he had gained the connection, the sky might as well have been full of fireflies as the lights flittered back and forth, no longer were people blobby approximations, now they were like people made of light. But there was something else, something unseen, but not The Unseen. He warned his protectors what was coming and they stepped in its path. Two died instantly as the man accurately moved his blades past their guard and into their heads, fighting while invisible was never a fun time for either side, it was risky and foolish, but if you didn¡¯t mind that risk it was worth an injury when your job isn¡¯t entirely to win. Yet the attacker knew exactly where they were, where their weapons were, it wasn¡¯t supposed to work like this. ¡°RUN.¡± Harlan directed his friends to split up, though he knew who the real target would be. He was sure the Unseen would be upset at him, but he moved into the path of the attacker, he just needed to get him for a moment. Screaming nothing over the connection wasn¡¯t the same as a direct white noise attack, so instead of paralyzing the man he could only get a small opening. Yet it was enough, he took the stab to his hand and used that to force the blade to the windpipe, instead of the brain. He believed that he could survive it since it wasn¡¯t a wide blade and he steered it away from his major arteries. He couldn¡¯t really see the blade since it lacked a mind for him to sense, but a little bit of telekinesis was enough to sense where it was as it moved against his will. His fingers dug deep into the man''s eye sockets, between the physical blindness, the blinding pain, and the full strength white noise attack, the man was disabled but alive. It took everything Harlan had to not drive the blade deeper into himself so he could grab the man¡¯s head and crush it until he felt the stickiness of brain matter on his hands. He felt a warmth fill his lungs as he bled out, he had to trust that he would be fine. His last thoughts were not of death or fear, he used his last conscious moments to warn the Unseen that the attacker was disabled but alive and he should be captured. Chapter 103 Harlan awoke in his own bed not 30 minutes after being taken from the woods. His natural healing factor combined with him intentionally taking the blade to his neck in such a way to avoid missing his arteries allowed the healing to be fast and easy. Beside him was Ava, her eyes were red and puffy, she looked haggard despite it only being sometime before lunch. ¡°I hope they caught the attacker for questioning.¡± She slugged him in the jaw and beat his chest, he was a little surprised that she actually was hurting him, it calmed his heart to know she was so strong already. ¡°YOU IDIOT, COMPLETE FUCKING FOOL, DIRT FOR BRAINS.¡± The others rushed in as they heard her shouting and Adina tried and failed to pull her off of him, Zella wanted to beat him too so she didn¡¯t help but she didn¡¯t hinder her either. It wasn¡¯t until Ximena stepped in that Ava actually counterattacked, Ximena¡¯s nose broke and at that point Harlan decided her temper tantrum was done. Ximena was teary eyed but was trying her best not to cry, she wasn¡¯t used to being hurt, she didn¡¯t like fighting and she was a very careful person. He leapt from the bed and got behind her in a flash, his arms crossed hers and she could not escape his grasp. ¡°You can hit me as much as you want, but you can¡¯t hurt my friends.¡± ¡°OH, SOME FRIENDS OF YOURS THAT JUST LEFT YOU THERE.¡± ¡°I asked them too, you all left me there, not Zella, not Adina, not Ximena, you all left. You trusted me to be safe and you were right.¡± She didn¡¯t stop crying and trying to break free from his hold. The others all decided that they should let them have their moment. Isha brought them lunch and left the room. ¡°Idiot.¡± ¡°I should be the one upset, I had to take a sword in the neck to make sure I got him alive.¡± Ava slammed her fist on the small table they shared, but she didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Ava, I am not normal, I think I know my limits now, if I was weak I would¡¯ve just killed that man, I can only afford to show mercy because I knew I could. I didn¡¯t rush in without a plan, I didn¡¯t rush into a certain death. I know it is hard to watch me do this to myself, can you forgive me for it.¡± ¡°Not until you stop doing stupid bullshit like this.¡± He smirked. ¡°So, where did you pick up that language?¡± ¡°You spend weeks alongside soldiers then try to not talk like this.¡± ¡°Does Autumn know?¡± ¡°I know how to stop, I just don¡¯t want to. She can keep her pretty image and I¡¯ll put on her dresses and go to her parties, but I can¡¯t stand those other noble brats looking down at me.¡± ¡°I know how you feel.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t, because the only time you are here is when you are either dealing with another mental break or you find some time in your busy schedule to meet your family.¡± She stabbed her fork into the meat so hard she broke the plate underneath. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you guys too, I¡¯m sorry, but after academ-¡± ¡°Then you want to go on a trip to a meet you other friends, hopefully before another war breaks out or you get yourself killed with you fucking confidence in everyone else.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t hide your emotions from me, I know you are just scared of losing me. I¡¯m scared of losing everyone else too.¡± ¡°Bullshit ability.¡± After they were done Harlan took down the broken plate to throw away, then he wanted to spar with her. They stayed inside the walls this time. She barely said a word as Harlan beat her every round, Ximena was standing at the sidelines ready to heal any injuries she sustained. The longer Ava fought the more she realized that Harlan beat her in every way, she felt worthless as a fighter, the years that she gave up to fight didn¡¯t matter against just being born better. Then he sped up, she suffered broken bones, but Harlan didn¡¯t stop, he didn¡¯t slow down. She felt like he was actually trying to hurt her just to prove a point and it burned her up inside, he could just toy with her, she never once surpassed him, he just kept improving faster than she ever could. Tau stepped in before they let the fight go any longer. ¡°Harlan, I cannot believe you would be so cruel.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t cruel, she should understand why I am fine with throwing my body into the fire to save everyone else, I am just stronger, if she could beat me I wouldn¡¯t have hesitated for a second to let her fight alongside me to capture the attacker.¡± Stolen story; please report. ¡°So that¡¯s it then, I¡¯ve got nothing, I can¡¯t be a noble woman like Autumn, I can¡¯t do magic like Amber, I can¡¯t even fight like you.¡± Harlan misunderstood exactly what he was doing, beating her didn¡¯t boost her idea of what Harlan was able to do and let her know that he would be fine, it only served to break her spirit. ¡°You and I both know that is bullshit. Breken could beat me any day.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah fantastic, the man with 25 years on both of us who devoted most of his life could beat you, the 14 year old freak of nature.¡± ¡°You have all the time in the world to be stronger, you¡¯ve not even gone through puberty yet, your strongest years are ahead of you, not behind you.¡± ¡°You are just going to go through it too and I am sure it is going to boost you way past me even more.¡± He wished he just didn¡¯t wake up that morning. Everyone he consoled were people where somebody or something else was bothering them, he didn¡¯t know how to deal with him being the problem of somebody he loved. Then a plan came to mind. ¡°I promise I am going to make you stronger, I can¡¯t bear to see you like this, just let your stupid foolish fucking idiot of a brother help you. Meanwhile please just keep moving forward, I couldn¡¯t forgive myself if I messed up your hopes because I am an idiot who can¡¯t understand people.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll just make us both monsters, I don¡¯t want that either.¡± ¡°Would it be so bad if we were both monsters together?¡± She thought over her answer before grabbing his hand and letting him pull her up. ¡°I am really really sorry, I didn¡¯t realize I was hurting you so badly.¡± ¡°Shut up, it was just a moment of bruised pride, don¡¯t tell anyone about this or I¡¯ll kill you.¡± ¡°I think a gift is the way to the heart of a woman, let¡¯s go into town.¡± ¡°Idiot, I¡¯m not a woman yet.¡± Nobody was really sure if Ava was alright or if she was just hiding her pain like Harlan did, and the statement about them becoming monsters raised alarm bells for everyone around them. Harlan brought a notebook and furiously scribbled out dozens of ideas, he had hoped to have a set design for a brand new type of armor by the time he left, if he didn¡¯t he would find the blacksmithing and engineering students and see if he couldn¡¯t find a way to get them help him make it work. He wasn¡¯t as good as Dearil by a long shot, most of his designs were only derivative of his works, but he had fire and he had time, he refused to believe he couldn¡¯t get something done with the right mix of those two. It was just them in the carriage, everyone else decided it was fine that they just had a brother sister date in town so he could apologize to her. They arrived at the sweets shop first, it was mostly hard candies since pre-made cakes didn¡¯t last very long and they only made a certain number of them based on what they expected to sell. ¡°I need a cake, Ava, design it, no matter the cost. Get anything else you want as well.¡± Harlan put a handful of gold coins on the counter to let the baker know that he was serious. As the baker kept giving suggestions Harlan kept scribbling ideas, it wasn¡¯t exactly a spur of the moment idea to make an armor that was almost a golem in itself, but he had worries over what opening that box would do. In theory it could turn the best swordsmen into a good mage without issue, but the bigger problem would be turning any number of foot soldiers into instant mages. There was a certain power in the army training its soldiers into basic mages, it let them take those skills home and refine them, it let them revolt against those more powerful than them, having the ability to manufacture mages and then take away that power was dangerous. As much as he didn¡¯t believe it would happen, the idea that the kingdom doesn¡¯t have a complete monopoly on violence was a deterrent to some of their power. He knew he couldn¡¯t really hide it once he made it, he just hoped that by the time it became a problem he would be enough to put down the problems that came from the existence of something like this. The baker told them to come back tomorrow to pick up the cake, Harlan barely paid attention to the cost. Next he took her to Brig, he hoped the old man was still there. ¡°Aye, what do ya want?¡± ¡°I want you to take a set of full plate and trim it to fit my sister, I want the best you have and I don¡¯t care about the cost.¡± ¡°Aye, I can do that, but why would I?¡± ¡°Because I won¡¯t settle for anything but the best to make sure she is safe until I come back here with designs for something new. I¡¯ll keep buying her more sets of armor when she grows.¡± Brig had them follow him into a backroom and then told them to dig up a chest he hid there, what was inside was an armor that wasn¡¯t quite like any other armor he had seen before. It was fully lightsteel and made of dozens of connected pieces that after a little bit of adjustment fit Ava like a second skin, it split at the center from the crotch to the forehead and then fused itself back together as she stepped into the suit. It fit her like a second skin, the metal shifted with her breathing, it twisted and bent but still looked sturdy. Harlan could feel that the old man was nostalgic and sad to see the armor on her. ¡°Uh, this feels great, but how do I get out of it?¡± ¡°Never been in light steel before? Just tell it to open up again.¡± It took a little bit of trial and error, but at least the armor couldn¡¯t crush her. ¡°Whoa, how long have you had this?¡± ¡°A long time, it an old heirloom.¡± ¡°How old are you then?¡± He smacked her head with a forging hammer but the helmet stopped it from doing anything but knocking her over. ¡°Sorry, is it alright to buy this then? Don¡¯t you want to pass it along.¡± ¡°I piss vinegar and eat nails, no woman ll¡¯ come near me, I ain¡¯t got anyone to pass it to. I used my years to be a mean old man fore¡¯ I was an old man, keep it, no use to a man like me.¡± ¡°How much does it cost then?¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t you been listenin¡¯? I said keep it, now get the hell out of my shop, go on, git.¡± He tried pushing Harlan but he stood like a brick wall. ¡°I am going to miss you, I really do appreciate this. If you ever need a place to go, come over, just for a meal or a drink, my people will treat you well.¡± ¡°They make little shits from iron these days? Move out of my way.¡± ¡°I am sure you have a story you don¡¯t want to tell, try leaving it in your will so I can read it after you are gone. I hope you are still here when I come next time though.¡± Brig was happy to hear it, but outwardly he just started swinging his hammer and yelling at them. As they stepped into the light Ava shined, the afternoon sunlight split into a rainbow of color across the surrounding buildings. She didn¡¯t like fancy dresses or jewels, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel like a princess in her new armor; she was glad that the helmet covered her face and hid her bright smile and rosy cheeks. She wanted a cloak to go along with it, something black. Harlan almost hated the idea of messing with the armor to soulsmith it. But more than that, he could tell that a gift and a promise was enough to get Ava to calm down, at least for now. Chapter 104 While Harlan and Ava were spending their time in town, the others spoke about his nonchalance when faced with near death again, they saw how it effected him before and wanted to help him. ¡°I worry deeply for Harlan. He might say that he is fine, but his foolish self destruction can only go on for so long before he can¡¯t go on.¡± Tau felt some kinship between the two of them, he knew he couldn¡¯t change what Harlan was, but he hoped to lead him to the peace he has found despite the world being as it is. ¡°Tau, you won¡¯t like this, but the little beast has bared his fangs clearly and with purpose, I don¡¯t believe there will be a problem.¡± Bojana considered him to be a warrior worth respecting, she knew that even if Harlan was a weak boy he would make the same choices, his heart was full of passion, it being good or bad wasn¡¯t entirely up to her. ¡°I don¡¯t like it, there must be a limit to what he is willing to do.¡± Ximena had been the one to pull the blood from his lungs, she knew full well that he didn¡¯t get stabbed recklessly and that made it worse, intentionally jumping onto a blade was brave, but it was also incredibly stupid. ¡°Tau, what is the first word that comes to your mind when you think of Harlan?¡± He thought it was an odd question, but he wasn¡¯t close to the Golden girl. ¡°Childish. He throws tantrums at the world which he does not yet understand, he lets himself fall, to emotion, to provocation, to himself. He has a light in his eyes, he turns back into a little boy when he plays with his niece and nephew. I fear that the one who will snuff out that light in his eyes will be him.¡± ¡°I think Harlan is brave. He is scared of so much, he lashed out at me after we got back from camp, I don¡¯t think I ever talked about it. He told me about how much of a selfish idiot he was because he would rather die than see his friends hurt. He will always rush into the fire to save people at risk to himself. I really admire that about him, so I came here to learn how he became somebody like that.¡± ¡°How long until that weight crushes him? How long until he does something he can¡¯t take back.¡± Adina had heard enough. ¡°He is already full of regrets and things he can¡¯t take back, so what the hell do YOU think will be so bad that he can¡¯t keep going? How many people does he need to kill before he is a lost cause or a monster? How much of his own blood should he spill before he becomes something else? You talk about how much you understand violence and how you can only live in peace because of war but that is bullshit.¡± She slammed her small hands on the table, not even causing the wards to flicker in the slightest. ¡°Harlan will keep being Harlan because he is Harlan. He is going to carry all of his sins until the day he dies and if you want he is going to carry yours too, he is the only reason I can stand here and not feel that constant weight on my head because my father wanted me to wear glasses that only served to mark me as defective. You lost your family, he lost his family, I never got one in the first place, I just have people that share my blood and stopped me from dying until they had a use for me, Harlan is everything to me, my first and only true friend. You see him from the outside as somebody that keeps fallings for his emotions but if he didn¡¯t then he wouldn¡¯t even be Harlan anymore. He can tear the eyes out of a thousand people''s heads and at the end of the day he would still be willing to hold my hand because he makes me feel safe. I am not going to sit aside any longer while everyone treats him like he is playing with a torch and covered in pitch. You are afraid of what he could become, I can¡¯t wait to see what he is going to be, because he is still going to be Harlan no matter what he becomes. You think he is putting up a front when he is just being himself, you want him to be something that isn¡¯t Harlan because it will make you feel better to change him into a coward who pats himself on the back like you.¡± Everyone was stunned into silence, Adina may have voiced her opinion, but nobody expected such a fiery defense of her friend. The air was awkward again, Isha brought them slices of cake and refilled their tea. It only got worse when Harlan came back, as soon as he noticed her red eyes he didn¡¯t say a word, he just sat next to her and held her hand while she laid her head on his shoulder. The others saw how gentle he still was with her and it didn¡¯t really fit with the boy who gouged a man¡¯s eyes out and willingly took a sword to the throat only a few hours ago, he was an extreme person on both ends. ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°You were crying¡± ¡°I just had a little chat with the rest of them and I got heated.¡± He looked at the others with questions clear in his eyes. Tau wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted to answer, he believed that he knew people and that he knew Harlan, but Adina believed with such conviction that he doubted himself. ¡°I wanted everyone to gather together and talk about your actions, we are all worried since you threw yourself on that sword so readily. You worry us all a great deal.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer. I know you get worried about what other people think about you, that is what makes you Harlan, but I don¡¯t want you to keep changing yourself and twisting into something you aren¡¯t to keep other people happy.¡± Harlan knew she was right, he just didn¡¯t put it into words, it only made him feel worse that he couldn¡¯t give back her feelings. She trusted him more than he trusted himself. She loved him, but he just didn¡¯t understand that part of life. He had his friends and his family, and he loved them, but she had nobody like he did until he appeared to her. He thought to what Mary had told him, she was vulnerable, he shouldn¡¯t take advantage of that, he shouldn¡¯t let her make him take advantage of that, she had a hole that she was trying to fill and he didn¡¯t know if he was the right person to do that yet. ¡°Tau, I threw myself on that sword because I know myself, I know that it wasn¡¯t soulsmithed, it was safe. Adina is right, I don¡¯t need to justify myself to anybody, but I want you to understand that I am not going to throw my life away. You can either trust me to do things like this or you can¡¯t, I don¡¯t blame you if you don¡¯t, but I don¡¯t want to hear more about it.¡± ¡°It is a dangerous road to ignore the words of those around you.¡± Harlan shook his head. ¡°If I ever let somebody I love get hurt because I hesitated for a split second I could never forgive myself, so I will keep being an idiot, I¡¯ll keep walking into those fires. I am not ignoring you because I don¡¯t want to hear it, I will ignore you because I know you cannot change this part of me, if I didn¡¯t do this then I wouldn¡¯t be myself anymore, I would just be a person with my name and shape. Ava, what spells would you like in that armor? I am going to spare no expense, so there are a large number of spells that I am going to put in there already.¡± She wasn¡¯t completely comfortable with Harlan continuing as he was, but she didn¡¯t think she could stop him at all, he held himself with absolute confidence. Harlan took her armor to his workshop and she followed behind him, he had her look over a list he kept of spells that he knew while he went to grab some things from his vault. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. He opened the door with a drop of blood, it had a code but Harlan didn¡¯t ever remember what it was. Inside he opened a stone steel chest using a key that was hidden with invisibility behind a false wall panel. Inside were two mana gems the size of his fists, he didn¡¯t know what he was going to do with them originally, perhaps he would just use them as he expanded his home, but now they had a far greater purpose. There was a heavy atmosphere after she checked off a large number of spells from the list and expected that he would need to pick and choose which ones would actually fit, instead he simply told her to stay perfectly still. He looked over her soul and picked out a few pieces, what he was doing was expressly forbidden magic, yet he already did it 3 times in the past, he felt like he could smooth over the problem if it came out. She felt a cold and heavy sensation in the pit of her stomach, as if somebody had laid an icy stone on her bare belly. He asked Ava to leave at this point, he needed to teach it not only spells, but common sense, right and wrong. ¡°Soul, you know what you must do, I give these commands, reveal not yourself, harm not without purpose, protect your wearer. These are in ascending order of importance.¡± The soul was still young, it was based on Ava but it was not her. He worked feverishly until night to finish his work, her armor now had two bumps, one for each side of the hips, these held the gems and the armor shifted itself around them to keep them safe, it lived within these crystals. Normal light steel was too limited for such a purpose, its shifting moved more as a linear up and down in size, but this living golem armor was something else. It was also a test for him, a limited intelligence, somewhere between sapient and true sentinance, he felt wrong about making what he considered a slave soul, but this was¡­ something else. It had a mind, but it was only the slightest flicker to his senses, a match rather than a torch. It would be everything it could be, it cast intelligently, illusions, healing, it would seem from the outside to be a normal armor just loaded with variants of the same spells, but he was confident that if he ever learned gate then this thing could cast it. He walked upstairs and tossed the armor on Ava, it shifted and moved like liquid over her body. She jumped from the couch where she had been reading, thinking he threw water on her for some reason. Then she looked down to realize she was not only dry, but she felt great, the armor linked to her, its gems were filled with mana that would create a loop between them and her own soul, the temporary high wasn¡¯t much different from being at the academy. ¡°Whoa.¡± She once more twisted and turned to test its range of moment, the gems weren¡¯t really in the way, but when she laid down they would be, so they slightly shifted to either close to her front or her back to make sure she was comfortable. ¡°I need to eat, I¡¯ve put a simple soul inside so the armor can answer basic questions like my sign posts outside, but it isn¡¯t a living being. I call it golem armor, I¡¯ve been thinking about it for a little bit now, how could I make something better than what we already have. Dahlia, I know you are here, I will have notes on what I¡¯ve done by tomorrow, you can have that other one look over them and decide if this is something worth making.¡± These notes would be able to make something not unlike what Ava now had, but it would be very simple by comparison, it wouldn¡¯t think, but it would have preset responses to questions. He practically stumbled to the kitchen as Ava supported him. Dinner had long since passed but Isha and Sara had stayed up to talk with Adina and wait for Harlan to finish his work. The moment he entered the room she pulled a leftover chicken from a box Harlan made to keep foods warm. He gorged on it like a wild animal, cracking bones open for marrow and drinking whatever fat was there. Then he walked to the sink and cleaned himself before sitting back down. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I am ever going to get that sound of you slurping marrow out of my head.¡± Adina said with a giggle. ¡°Sara, we need to talk when you are ready.¡± She was confused and a little afraid, Harlan took no harsh tone, but she didn¡¯t understand what he wanted. ¡°Of course, Sir.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t in trouble.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I knew that.¡± ¡°Should you be in trouble for something?¡± ¡°Well then, let''s talk, should we head to your office?¡± He instead took her to his bedroom, it was likely a more private matter that was bothering her before he left for the academy, she had never had a problem asking for things related to work before. Harlan picked up his kettle, suddenly realizing he probably had one for every room in the house, the thought made him chuckle as he prepared the water for tea. ¡°I am going to cut right to the chase. Before I left for the academy, you had something bothering you and you paced back and forth outside my room until midnight but never asked me. I want you to understand that I want to help you with whatever issue you have. You are a worker, but you are a friend as well.¡± She had a grim look on her face and paced around the room for 15 minutes before she decided that she was ready to talk. ¡°Do I have to tell you?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± ¡°Then that means I can tell you. Why do you think I am not married?¡± ¡°Do you want me to answer honestly?¡± She hesitated a bit, but agreed. ¡°I think you are a pretty young woman but you have issues with gambling, you are childish and petty, I think most men would be worried about spending their lives with you.¡± She cringed as his words cut deeply into her. ¡°Is that how you see me?¡± ¡°I am just saying how I think others see you. I think you are fun and your betting habit has never really been a problem, but people who don¡¯t know you might think it is something worse.¡± ¡°Well that isn¡¯t the reason. I can¡¯t have children. The director of the orphanage I was raised at had all the children made infertile and the doctor in Luth can¡¯t fix it. Nobody wants a barren woman.¡± ¡°Are they allowed to do that?¡± Shadows darkened and candles burned more brightly, his eyes turned to a violent torrent. ¡°I don¡¯t know, probably? It isn¡¯t like I could do anything about it anyway.¡± ¡°We are going to move past that for a moment. I don¡¯t know anything about reproductive systems, currently in classes we are working on clear and relatively easy to fix issues like burns and scarring and broken bones,complex organs are outside of my skillset as it stands. But, I will ask my teacher about this, if I don¡¯t have a letter sent by the next time I am here then I am still looking into it, I will find a doctor who can heal you.¡± ¡°Just make sure it is a woman, I don¡¯t like men touching me.¡± He agreed and didn¡¯t go in for a hug, it was one of the ways he knew to comfort people, but it was clearly not the right call here. He kept his anger inside, but he could tell that her cheery shell had cracked somewhat as she talked about it. Tau had spoken of Harlan losing his light, but Sara was already out, she lit candles to pretend that it was still there. Then he decided to go into the library and go over the law books to see if they really had the right to sterilize children, the thought made his blood boil. Predictably, he didn¡¯t find anything one way or the other, he didn¡¯t have a book on laws regarding children and orphans, most of what he had were about magic and taxes and so on and so forth. He spoke to Balor who also didn¡¯t know. Then he went into town, somebody had answers, and by this time tomorrow he wanted a head on a pike or he would be filled with rage at what that person was allowed to do. They didn¡¯t have a library in town, only cities had them, and even then they were anemic compared to what any respectable noble had, filled with old and outdated books that were originally thrown away. First he spoke to the guard captain, he did not know. Then he spoke to the healer, she did not know. Lastly he spoke to Zachery, he did not know, but he promised to look into it, he was a good man and legal or not it was monstrous to him. Harlan wondered how far Yor was from Luth, he could make it, but he wouldn¡¯t be back before dawn. That fire inside him begged him to go, but he didn¡¯t listen, it didn¡¯t control him, he kept it smoldering but didn¡¯t put it out. There wasn¡¯t anything to be done yet anyway. When he returned home he continued experiments alongside Balor. He never made more than a single abomination at once, which did slow down research, but they both agreed that even the slightest risk of such things leaving the lab with a mate would be unacceptable.
The Darkness looked over the boy, she saw his path was right, he was becoming what she wanted. Neither did he drown himself in the ichor of rage or fall to pieces in apathy, he found his sense of right held it firmly, not letting it be tossed by the waves around him and yet still tempering it as needed. Chapter 105 The group went to the same spot Sepul had originally sent them to at 7 in the morning. It wasn¡¯t as restful as they had hoped it to be, but the first day was very nice at least. When the gate opened Sepul was clearly displeased on the other side. ¡°Don¡¯t go throwing yourself into swords.¡± ¡°No.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t even look at him when he answered. Sepul just scoffed and teleported away after everyone had stepped through. There was another group there at the gate offices however, 2 students from Reino. Harlan didn¡¯t know their faces, but their mental signature was clear, they had been following him for some time already. ¡°I¡¯ve heard you are a helpful boy, shame that you aren¡¯t human. We could¡¯ve been good friends.¡± ¡°Should I know who you are?¡± ¡°I believe you met my younger brother once.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve met a lot of people.¡± ¡°People simply call me Cato, though it can be confusing considering my brother and father are also named Cato.¡± He racked his brain for a moment. ¡°Oh, then your brother was part of a group bothering a good friend of mine. I do hope he is here to apologize.¡± ¡°Actually, he is.¡± Harlan eyed him suspiciously, it was clear that the elder Cato understood his confusion. ¡°Despite what you may believe, as a countryman to the girl I believe it was unacceptable how he treated her. She was allowed to live for a reason, so I cannot believe she has no purpose in her life. As soon as what happened reached my ears I knew a lesson was in order, she does not need to forgive him, but he must apologize to her from his heart.¡± He patted his younger brother on the back with enough strength to force him forward. As he mumbled an apology with his head hung low and was scolded by his older brother Harlan couldn¡¯t see him as anything but the child he was. ¡°Adina, I must ask, do you forgive him?¡± ¡°I do, and I hope you continue to ensure he is kept on a righteous path.¡± ¡°Thank you, now, I do also need to ask, where are your glasses? I do hope they were not lost in Ragne.¡± ¡°I will no longer be wearing them, as such I destroyed them.¡± He was displeased by her response. ¡°It is the duty of the citizens of Ragne to follow the law, as an invalid you are required to wear a distinguishing article of clothing. You should be glad that you are not stuck with a veil.¡± Despite him being a 4th year student, he looked as if he was in his early 20s, he was 6¡¯3 and big with a military cut for his red hair. Harlan first assumed he had a problem putting down his fork, but after seeing him flex his arms in anger he realized that Cato was built like a Minos. Even despite this, Adina took a step closer to the man and stared into his eyes. ¡°I will not be wearing them any longer. I have no desire to keep a shackle on my person to satisfy people that treat me like a scab.¡± ¡°I will be writing your father a letter, he will send another pair of glasses, and I hope you will see reason.¡± Harlan wanted to step in, he felt a strong pull to do so, but he wanted to see how much fire she really had. ¡°I have made myself clear, I will not bend to his demands. He cannot take back the money he already spent on the academy.¡± She began accenting her words by poking him in the chest. ¡°If he wants to push the issue I will renounce him and Reino, I will repay the love that man and that country have always given me.¡± Cato wasn¡¯t entirely sure what she meant, it sounded like a threat and a non-sequitur, but to Harlan he knew there was nothing to give back. Cato walked back down the halls without another word. Harlan placed a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I like the new you.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t new, I was just too scared to say anything like that before. Now, would you like to walk me to my room? I am actually scared that they are going to try and hurt me.¡± ¡°Does he have a history of that?¡± ¡°The Cato family is a long line of enforcers, I am sure that the whole show he put on was just an excuse to see you up close. They don¡¯t care about me, they never have. I am just an excuse to hurt you, of that I am sure. I would be shocked if he hadn¡¯t found a justifiable cause to duel you by the end of the week, they always use that tactic to shut down dissent at the academy.¡± ¡°Do you know a lot about them?¡± ¡°Yes actually, my father is an investigator, our bloodline is related to our special sight, though I never heard the full explanation of what it does because of my condition. The Cato¡¯s on the other hand are the ones we send after my family has done its work. I think they have some kind of defensive bloodline ability, but I can¡¯t say more than that. They all have a short temper and believe in the law without question, though they bend and twist it until you can barely say what the original letter really meant.¡± He sensed a great deal of anger and resentment as she told him more about them. By the time he had reached her room and helped her calm down the breakfast bell was already ringing. Harlan walked her there as well, along the way he noticed the younger Cato moving towards him. His hostility was clear and his plan infantile, he almost wanted to go along with it just because he knew that it would lead to a fight. Yet Adina had spent no small amount of time ordering Harlan to avoid a fight with Cato; every male in the family had died of natural causes or illness for over 200 years. For a people who were constantly throwing themselves into fights as enforcers and soldiers, such a thing was no small feat. He dodged to the other end of the hallway with a smile as the younger Cato tried to bump into him. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. As the day wore on more students tried to provoke Harlan, threats against his family started just before dinner. A few weeks ago this might¡¯ve resulted in a few broken bones, yet now he ignored it. After dinner he decided to go and ask Hellon some questions. ¡°What do you want this time?¡± ¡°How does magical sterilization work and how is it reversed?¡± She closed the door to her office with a burst of wind magic and glared at Harlan. ¡°What have you done?¡± ¡°A friend of mine was raised in an orphanage, she says that all of the children there were made to be infertile. She has been rejected by men for marriage because of this. I also want to know, was this done legally.¡± ¡°If I believe your story, which I will look into by the way, then yes, it is within the legal right of an orphanage director to do such a thing. Nobody likes it, I find it cruel and unusual, but orphans make more orphans more often than not. Suffering begets more suffering, those with nothing should not bring more children into the world which they cannot care for. Now, what do you intend to do about this? I could refer her to a doctor that could heal her assuming it wasn¡¯t a botched spell that ruined her insides, but who is she?¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t allowed to tell anybody about this, correct? Healers confidentiality?¡± ¡°Unless it is to save the life of that patient I have never once revealed information about them.¡± ¡°It is a maid of mine. She grew up in Yor, Blackstone County, Redwall Barony. she is 20 years old maybe 21, she never told me her birthday, she never knew her parents so I am guessing she entered the orphanage at a very young age.¡± ¡°Has she ever had issues with her periods?¡± ¡°I have no idea, we never talked about it beyond the why and what she hoped I could do. She also specified that she doesn¡¯t want a male doctor to touch her.¡± ¡°I will give this advice for free then, you cannot be a friend when you are being a doctor, it may be uncomfortable for both parties, but you need to ask detailed questions when dealing with things like this. You aren¡¯t the squeamish type so I am guessing your issue lies in avoiding anything that would upset her. I could write a questionnaire for her to fill out, though you will need to be the one who sends it of course. The question however is payment, if you want this done well, and from what I believe I know about you, you do, then you could expect to pay over 80 gold for a good doctor, maybe more if you specify a female doctor. they are always in high demand by men who don¡¯t want other men poking around their bodies.¡± ¡°I have no issues with the cost, I would like this done as soon as possible, so I will send out the letter as soon as you have it written down.¡± It took less than 30 seconds for her to write down a full three sheets of questions with a bit of penmanship magic as it was called. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Do you want more free advice?¡± ¡°If you have any.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let yourself be used, doctors with bleeding hearts end up with bleeding wallets, without coin you won¡¯t be able to move around to help people like you should, any good doctor moves by gate, either their own or someone else''s.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that is possible. If I let a friend suffer when I could help I wouldn¡¯t be me anymore.¡± ¡°Give it 10 years, you¡¯ve already seen some of the bad parts of mankind, but you don¡¯t know how much farther things go. People will leave you penniless in the dirt, they will spit in the face of your kindness.¡± As he was leaving he felt Adina was outside with somebody else, he hoped to surprise her when he went out. Instead he found her barely conscious, blood ran from a wound in her head, another student found her laying passed out in a less used hallway, but they were no healer. Hellon moved past Harlan like a gale to check her student. He knew she would be fine, the wound itself was superficial, she suffered little real damage. But that didn¡¯t stop the fire inside him from threatening to burn him up, what stopped that was how as soon as she woke up she was afraid of what Harlan would do. He was glad that she couldn¡¯t see in a moment like that, his eyes had turned into black pyres, he could keep an even tone, but he could not hide the magical reaction to anger that he felt. ¡°Promise me that you aren¡¯t going to turn this isn¡¯t an issue.¡± ¡°It is already an issue, you were hurt.¡± ¡°I am fine, even if somebody didn¡¯t find me I wouldn¡¯t have bled out.¡± ¡°Harlan, about that advice I just gave you, have another piece, don¡¯t fall for an obvious provocation. I don¡¯t know what you and her are getting into, but it sounds like you already have an idea of who did this. Let us handle it, we will not overlook an assault on a student and we also can¡¯t overlook what you intend to do to them.¡± Before he could say anything Adina explained what she believed happened and why. He had lost his chance to find his prey and tear them apart, now the academy staff would be investigating the brothers and he couldn¡¯t get close. ¡°I will call a guard to get you back to your room, you should be able to walk without issue, it was just a flesh wound.¡± ¡°No, Harlan can walk me back.¡± ¡°I am not sending you off with this boy who is clearly ready to kill somebody, he may tag along, but you will be guided by another guard.¡± Little happened on the way back to her room, though he etched each and every face that he saw along the way inside his memories, he made special notes of which ones seemed happy at the scene of Adina walking the halls under guard with flecks of blood still in her hair. After she exited the shower Harlan held her hand and used sleeping air on her. She hid it well enough, but she couldn¡¯t hide how afraid she really was from his empathy. His work that night suffered as a result of his lack of focus, he would find himself drifting off mid sentence as he tried to explain the process he had already created for making buffer spells so the gems didn¡¯t break when they received messages. Sepul knew the look he had in his eyes, focused rage, he wasn¡¯t just angry, he was planning, and that was what was truly dangerous. ¡°We are ending our work early tonight, clearly Harlan is not in a well state of mind. I will return you to your own facilities.¡± The researchers there already had what they needed anyway, the rest of the night would¡¯ve been them all working together to refine Harlan¡¯s work and hopefully make prototypes. When it was just the two of them Sepul led Harlan though his house. Up the stairs from the dungeon led to a cellar with a hidden door and then finally up to the entryway. He went down the hallways, not towards Sepul¡¯s room, but rather towards the kitchen. Along the way there was a hall full of paintings, each one bore a plaque beneath it with the date of birth and date of death, it was like walking through a cemetery. Each person bore the last name Dust, after their father, grandfather, great grandfather, Sepul. Some died in their old age, some as young infants. It filled Harlan with a deep grief for these people he had never known. Sepul changed from the floating husk of a man into a younger self, his hair was white with only the faintest flecks of black from his youth spread throughout it. He stood on his own two legs and cracked his joints with a loud pop. They ended up in a study, though Harlan remembered that this door was supposed to lead to the kitchen, he also remembered that the hallway of paintings shouldn¡¯t have been after that turn before. ¡°Why do you think I have brought you here?¡± ¡°To tell me that revenge is bad and I should let go whatever is bothering me.¡± ¡°Revenge is a terrible thing, they say to dig two graves, but that is never enough. What you desire is retribution, to send a message, to let others know that should they sow wind that you shall be a whirlwind. Revenge is the game of children who fall too quickly to their anger, a patient man should always follow a plan to cause the most harm with the least backlash. I do hope you didn¡¯t intend to simply find the one who has upset you for whatever reason and simply beat him to death like an animal.¡± Harlan shouldn¡¯t have been surprised, he knew what Sepul had done in the past, and he knew he didn¡¯t regret it, he just expected everyone involved with so much killing would end up as a tortured soul driven away from violence. They spoke of what Harlan should do, how to keep his base impulses from flaring up when they shouldn¡¯t and how to focus them on the right targets. He did not ask how Sepul had shifted his body like he had, he didn¡¯t know why exactly he didn¡¯t ask, it just didn¡¯t seem right at the time. He dreamt that night, he saw the woman in the ballroom again. Her face was clear, her voice was harsh. She could not forgive. When Harlan awoke he realized his thrashing around in his sleep had caused him to break a toe kicking his bed frame. Lugh peaked up from the edge in his childlike form. ¡°Are you safe now?¡± ¡°What did I do last night?¡± ¡°You were really scared of something. You kept trying to fight something, did you win?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I just don¡¯t know.¡± He found his voice was hoarse, he was glad the rooms were all soundproof. Chapter 106 Harlan drank some tea and used a little light magic to soothe his throat after fixing his broken toe. A toe was a simple structure he could fix, having to actually fix muscles and folds to fix a damaged voice wasn¡¯t something he could do yet, probably, he hoped he wouldn¡¯t need to try. He ran his fingers across his neck more after he was done, whoever had actually healed him did a very good job, there wasn¡¯t the slightest trace of damage. Next he walked to Adina¡¯s room, he couldn¡¯t let her walk around by herself. She was happy to see him, but unhappy with what was likely to happen. They made their way to breakfast without issue, Harlan gave not an inch to the provocations of the other students, no turned eyes or sideways glances got even a sneer. The others hadn¡¯t heard what happened to Adina yet, she didn¡¯t want them to know and Harlan made no mention of it. As they went through the day and Harlan continued to stay out of trouble Adina was actually a bit worried. She knew she had no hope of actually stopping him, she didn¡¯t entirely want to either, but him taking no action came off as unlike him. They split up after healing, he had to head off to warmagic, but he did give her a mana gem, telling her that it might stop one attacker if it hits, just point and shoot. He had done his own work after leaving Sepul¡¯s home, in theory the white noise attack stored in the act as a directed message before the gem turned into dust. He wondered how many other single use items he could make, if the biggest limit for soulsmithed items was them burning up just like a person who used too much mana, then something could be designed to burn up in a safe manner and cast beyond its material. There were no godly interferences since Calli had appeared before, but he was still the best in his class. Everyone, barring non-human peoples, had the same levels of mana for their age, growing more slowly after 20. So his years of small delicate magic and long hours trying to not waste a drop left him with control on par with mages years older than him. Whereas the other students needed to attempt to split their spells to hit 10 targets without collateral damage, Harlan needed to hit 20, and he was up to 17 good hits. Sepul didn¡¯t give him many tips during classes, he knew that Harlan had the right mindset and it was simply repetition to be capable of doing the magic properly. There were no shortcuts, Harlan had learned that the hard way, so he almost enjoyed the monotony of repeatedly casting a spell and then waiting for the targets to form again so he could try again. He wondered how long it would¡¯ve taken to learn what he had already if he tried on his own, most classes had him fairly drained by the end, they were constant dense tests of magic but by the time he walked to the next class he was already back to normal. He was brought to attention by the sound of his splitter spell glassing the entire area; he saw what a loss of focus, even for a few moments, would do to such a spell. He used his free periods to begin preparing, Sepul had already stolen a list of classes both Cato brothers went to and at what times, so for now it was all about following them, first the younger brother. His own free periods matched Harlan¡¯s, he watched where the younger Cato went, who he interacted with. He didn¡¯t seem to have many friends outside of 3 other boys, yet he gained no pity from Harlan for this. Harlan didn¡¯t know how to become invisible, any form of such a spell was restricted, so he simply relied on his enhanced hearing and mind sense to track and listen to the boys. The most important lesson Harlan had learned was that despite all of the words of the academy, it was just a building, it had blind spots, if you were alone, then you were alone. There may have been arrays that would blare when a student was severely injured, but they did not sense pain, Harlan didn¡¯t actually understand what they were sensing, but Sepul gave examples of what wouldn¡¯t set them off. As his second free period began he noticed somebody was following him from the shadows, they were quite poor at it. Harlan was sure they weren¡¯t actually a spy, so he decided to directly confront whoever they were. He went around the corner and then floated on the ceiling, when they also passed the corner he softly dropped back down to the floor. ¡°Excuse me, can I help you?¡± The Armaus rolled into a ball reflexively. It was a little strange to him that they wore no clothes, but as far as beastkin were they were far closer to an animal than to a human. An Ursa or a Minos would leave little to the imagination without a pair of pants, but he couldn¡¯t tell Armaus apart without empathy. She unfolded herself and pretended that it never happened. ¡°I want you to fight somebody.¡± ¡°Who and why.¡± ¡°There is another girl in blacksmithing who keeps painting on my scales when I am not paying attention, she knows I do not like this and yet continues.¡± He noticed little flowers and stars on some of her scales, he was actually a little impressed that somebody was doing such nice art at such a small size. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to take this the wrong way, but why me?¡± ¡°You are a noble as she is, you are helpful to others, and you are Fomorian, your people love killing and-¡± As Harlan narrowed his eyes she realized she had said too much. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°I am not in the business of beating people up for a petty reason.¡± ¡°It is not petty, I put a lot of work into making my scales shiny and clean, the oils in her paint irritate my skin when I wash it off.¡± He sighed, it seemed silly to him, but he agreed to talk to the girl since it was the fastest way to get back to stalking the younger Cato. He divined his position, his connection to the web had allowed the ability to new heights, though it didn¡¯t help when looking for inanimate objects. His last vestiges of free time were used to track everyone who the boy interacted with as best he could. A sudden thought crossed his mind, didn¡¯t he already know people who should know this? He hated the idea, but the more he thought about it, the more sense it actually made. His magical creatures class was fast approaching, so he made his way to the classroom. The last week and his current week would be focused on understanding the environments of the creatures they had already seen and writing reports on what purpose each of them served as part of their environment. He wrote of the Silt Cats of the volcanic islands to the east, who neither lived in silt nor were they cats. They were actually evolved Catfish who developed lungs and simple limbs to grab small mammals from the riversides before swimming away. Their name was derived from the catlike eyes and agility they had, despite their appearance a little bit of mud magic let them slip around with shocking speed on land. He couldn¡¯t help but admire such an odd creature, to be a fish and yet end up earth aligned. With that he was done with his classes for the day, the first few weeks of the academy seemed hellbent on forcing new knowledge and techniques on students, likely to weed out those without talent or drive, but now it had settled into a matter of repetition. They learned at a much more reasonable pace, though it felt slow to harlan. As he exited the magical creatures class he went to find Adina, there were only so many classes and his connection to her let him pinpoint her location quickly. When he landed she came near him immediately, there was no mistaking the overly heavy footsteps of him. ¡°Do you intend to walk me around everywhere?¡± ¡°As much as I can.¡± She hummed the same tune as Isha when they walked to the cafeteria. He split up from her as she went to get her food. He made his way to Taren, they both disliked each other, but outright hostility was off the menu. ¡°I would like to have a private conversation, will you be free after dinner?¡± ¡°I might be, but it is likely to cost you.¡° ¡°Prices should be negotiated after I¡¯ve said what I need from you.¡± ¡°I will come to your room as soon as dinner is finished.¡± The others who were with him didn¡¯t look Harlan in the eyes, they were some of the few people who had the full story of their relationship with one another. They had also heard how Harlan tore war dogs apart with his bare hands and hardly reacted even when the bones in his arms were splintered and sticking from his skin. The entire group was there, even Ximena¡¯s friends. Harlan barely had the roast in his mouth before the older Cato showed up. He placed his hand on Adina¡¯s shoulder and she shrugged it off. ¡°What do you want now?¡± ¡°Oh, such a harsh tone for someone just looking up on an injured countryman. I heard someone had attacked you last night, leaving a nasty gash across your head.¡± He attempted to move her chin to see her forehead better and she punched him directly in the groin. He took no damage and her knuckles were bruised by the blowback of his ability. It was said that even the best of plans fell apart when they made contact with reality. Harlan had already been warned of what would be acceptable in his protection of Adina, in this case, he could not use physical violence against him. ¡°She was taken to be healed quickly and there was no scarring. I think it best that you leave us to our meal.¡± ¡°Of course, I can take the word of her friend at face value at least. Though you weren¡¯t there to protect her, such a shame.¡± He walked away without escalating the situation any further. ¡°Harlan, you seemed conflicted on helping, I didn¡¯t expect that from someone like you.¡± Liat was disappointed in him. ¡°A good hunter doesn¡¯t take his shot until he is sure that he can hit the heart of his prey.¡± ¡°But if you needed to take that shot instantly, would you have done it?¡± The two of them shared a smile that sent a shiver down the spine of anyone watching. ¡°Would you like to talk after dinner?¡± ¡°Sorry, I have a meeting.¡± ¡°Unfortunate, I am sure Yara would like to debate you more. She finds it quite fun to switch sides.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve also enjoyed the few talks we¡¯ve been able to have, but alas, I have things to do.¡± Zella wasn¡¯t exactly sure what to tell him, Cato was a creep and wasn¡¯t likely to stop, but she believed Tau with his talk about cycles of violence and forgiveness. They ate their meal without any more interruptions. Harlan heard a knock on his door shortly after he entered his room. Taren moved quickly, he took in the details of Harlan¡¯s room as he sat on a couch. ¡°Alright, so which Cato brother do you want information on?¡± ¡°The younger first.¡± ¡°Alright, now we can talk about the price. I want a favor.¡± ¡°Favors are dangerous for allies, stupid for anyone else. I am not going to do anything without knowing what it is beforehand.¡° ¡°Shame, I had heard you were poor at making deals.¡± He pulled a small vial from his robes inner pocket. ¡°I need this poured into a girl''s drink at lunch tomorrow. It isn¡¯t poison, it is a colorless dye that once ingested will turn the drinker''s hair a pale pink in a matter of hours. This should mean it will reach its peak right as alchemy class is in. It is also quite hard to erase, a nasty little potion if used the right way.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°She is in alchemy with a friend of mine, she pulled the same trick on her. I think I know what you will and won¡¯t do, this is a personal matter for me, so I believe you are likely to agree.¡± ¡°I am not opposed, but, do you have more of this?¡± He put a second vial on the table and Harlan drank the first to the shock of Taren. After a weak metabolize spell Harlan looked in the mirror to confirm the results. ¡°Alright, I will do it.¡± ¡°What if it had been poison?¡± ¡°Then you would be dead.¡± ¡°You mean-¡± ¡°I know what I said.¡± They hashed out the details of the target and Harlan learned every rumor about the younger Cato he could after being told the more important details of who he hung around with and when. When Harlan went to exercise Selen seemed a little wary of Harlan¡¯s hair, though after a quick and vague explanation her and Wulrun both laughed at him. He was glad that he could see the boy most nights and Selen was ecstatic at how he opened up when they interacted. The number of children who were false undead of any kind, but who also were at the academy, but who also wanted to play with a child, and who also weren¡¯t Werewolves, was exactly 0. So having somebody that could run around with him and keep up was a great boon to the young Werewolf¡¯s heart. Chapter 107 Lugh had started coming along with Harlan when he worked with Sepul, he didn¡¯t like Harlan doing what he was doing, but after he heard everything when he explained it to Balor he didn¡¯t want to stay behind anymore. Luckily the worst parts were over, the rest of the subjects currently had no use, but were kept around just in case. The researchers came back with a newer and more refined version of Harlan¡¯s spell to buffer the impact of messages being sent over the web along with a few prototypes of communication amulets, though at present the cost of a gem to make one that suffered no strain and thus was at no risk of breaking was still in the hundreds of gold and were quite unwieldy. The king truly had little issue with the current form of them, though they would instead be placed in a box and used as such instead of being something to wear around at all times; yet the allure of refining and making new magic was something that he enjoyed; he was never a talented mage, but he knew the worth in them and how driven they were to improve. ¡°I am quite happy to be taking part in this, we actually have 3 more of these made, but they are currently on carriages heading away from the capital, and away from here. We would like you to develop a spell for communicating through these as another buffer, perhaps that could allow us to lower costs and shrink the gems needed for these.¡± ¡°I will be working on that then, I suppose I should¡¯ve confirmed, but you can all use these, right?¡± ¡°Yes, it is as simple as using soulspeak, but as I¡¯ve said, we simply want you to try and create another layer.¡± After an hour Harlan had a spell that he considered the bare minimum for usefulness, though it didn¡¯t receive that same divine input that came with making spells normally came with, he wondered why it was like this. Mind magic was locked away. and yet he could make these spells and then normal people could cast them, meanwhile soul magic was something anyone could do and he received that divine reaction that guided him towards making better spells when working with it. Another question to the pile. The researchers joined in once they had some idea of what they were trying for, it was defensive in nature and Harlan found soft words and flowing movements worked best for it, now it was the slow process of refining those words and movements into a better spell. There wasn¡¯t much for Sepul to do anymore, Harlan had a full team dedicated to him and without the subjects around he didn¡¯t need a bodyguard. Though when it came to actually implementing the new spell into the items he did have an important idea. ¡°Harlan, I¡¯ve not been idle, I¡¯ve delved into your soulsmithing and I¡¯ve thought of safety features. The one I¡¯ve been more sure would have the least drawbacks would be to put half the runes in the spell into the item in question and then make a spell of that other half. The issue with this would be that having to cast even half a spell instead of the item would be worse for almost all uses, but you are unlikely to need to speak in an instant like you would need to shoot a fireball instantly. It could cut down on some of the cost, and thus the size of gems needed. It would also allow us to restrict who can actually use the amulets down to nobility and commanders along with communications officers.¡± ¡°I was hoping that this could allow anyone to speak with anyone, I do not agree with the idea of cutting out such a large number of people.¡± ¡°Until you can get the cost of such a thing down to where normal people can even afford them then that won¡¯t be a problem. We can discuss this again when you have reached that point.¡± There were a lot of people who Harlan didn¡¯t believe would actually have this conversation again in the future, but Sepul, for all of his faults, seemed honest enough to keep his word. They shook and Harlan went to work splitting the spell up. By the end of the morning they had reduced the size of the devices by half and it would only get smaller as they kept working on them. They still required a gem costing well over 60 gold, but it was small enough that it could reasonably be kept in a purse or a larger robe pocket. Before Harlan left however, he did run an idea by Sepul. He found it inhumane, yet agreed to take part. When morning came Harlan felt relatively well rested. Compared to the experiments he had been taking part in before these were not harsh on his body, the buffer spells were relatively costly, but most of the night was spent trying to figure out how exactly the very very low cost communication was incurring a large cost on the objects that sent and received them. Harlan once more walked Adina around, the next part would also require her help. ¡°I am going to juggle my tray at lunch, when you see me doing this, tap me on the shoulder.¡± She cocked her head to the side in confusion, but agreed. He used his free time before lunch to ask around for a specific spell he had been wondering about for a little while but was little more than a novelty until now. When he confirmed his target was already sitting down and which cup was hers he started his juggling act, drawing a few eyes towards him, at least those who didn¡¯t already see his pale pink hair. Adina came from behind and tapped his shoulder, a simple excuse to throw it towards his target while pretending he had just been distracted. He flew after it and while they looked at him making a fool of himself he guided the hair dye potion into her glass with a little water magic. He profusely apologized and promised to stop playing around. The girl felt a little awkward with how heavy he was laying it on, but it kept her from suspecting he had done anything. He was somewhat amazed at how easy it really was to slip something into her drink, were it to have been a poison he could¡¯ve killed her on the spot. If somebody wanted to slip something into his drink, into Zella¡¯s, into Adina¡¯s. He stopped that train of thought before it got too far. When somebody finally asked him what happened to his hair he said somebody must¡¯ve slipped something into his food. Nobody second guessed it. With the rumors of him being a terrible person lessened along with the clear hostility against him by students from Reino it was easy to make it look like a stupid prank from one of them. He kept the bottle around, it was sudden, but he did have an idea. As soon as he entered healing class Hellon gave one look at his hair and he wondered if he could gain from this. ¡°I guess it is a joke from somebody, I heard it also happened to a girl in alchemy not long ago. I also heard that it is hard to remove this stuff, I¡¯ll just need to live with it for a while.¡± ¡°If you were in a backwater then yes, that would be the case. I healed that other girl as well, this will just take a moment.¡± Her hands glowed after she cast her spell and then she ruffled his hair. ¡°Give it 10 minutes, then your hair is going to need to be washed, but it will return to its original color.¡± ¡°Thank you very much. But how does that spell work and why is this stuff hard to get out?¡± ¡°Ask me again after class, it is going to take a few minutes to explain it.¡± The class wasn¡¯t being given exact situations at the moment, the slabs of slime in front of them had a variety of issues from burns to deep cuts to broken bones and the students were now being timed and judged based on how they handled them. Hellon also made loud pops sometimes around the classroom to simulate war magic going off on a battlefield. She looked as ornery as ever, but he could tell she was having a lot of fun doing this. Despite her being the best healer in class Ximena had dropped to the third place. She didn¡¯t handle the pressure as well as him and Adina. Harlan stayed behind to get his answers. ¡°Alright, to start my spell simply tells your body that it shouldn¡¯t be that way so the dye is expelled as natural oil. That little prank potion is based on kingslayers poison. It got its name since it is what killed the last king, no doctors could figure out exactly what was happening so the very quick acting poison that was made with the same method killed him before anyone knew what was happening. Funny how 30 years have passed and now stupid children are using it for jokes. I should also explain a little bit about why my spell works. Have you ever taken control of another person''s magic?¡± He thought for a moment, he was sure he did it, but he couldn¡¯t exactly remember, maybe the mist during the water fight before he entered the academy? ¡°I believe I have.¡± ¡°Well try this.¡± She made a small flame in her hand and Harlan tried to take control of it but it didn¡¯t work. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Huh, that is odd.¡° ¡°This is a smart spell, most magic is dumb because it needs extra focus and intent to make spells smart. Most healing works by giving energy to the body and then letting the body itself fix the issue in question with help of that energy source. This makes most healing dumb and is why you can¡¯t just heal your hair back to its normal color. My spell is smart and instead of pointing at an issue and telling the body to fix what it knows is wrong it explains to the body that yes, what you believe is fine is actually not, so fix it like this.¡± ¡°Now that is very interesting. Why isn¡¯t this part of basic magic?¡± ¡°Because magic is all in the mind, adding focus is one thing, but when you add intent sometimes spells warp into something that they shouldn¡¯t be, these wild spells are dangerous things. Your little show with the wrath of heaven in war magic is exactly what I mean. Purposeful and especially pure intent is a powerful and dangerous thing.¡± Harlan wanted to laugh that him drinking a hair dye on impulse led to such a turn of events, this would be useful. In war magic Harlan finally grasped the splitter spells. He knew how to focus and force the spell to do something else than what it had been originally cast for, but what he needed was intent. As he split apart the spell he imagined a crowded street, merchants lined the sides selling meats, mothers taught their daughters how to haggle for better prices, and yet there were 20 people who shouldn¡¯t be there. The illusions in his mind pulled blades to strike out without reason and he needed to save those people. 20 out of 20 targets destroyed without collateral damage. He repeated the feat over and over again, he changed the scenery, changed his justification for needing to to make the blasts smaller but deadlier. Bandits in dry woods, infected people, hostages. It was somewhat difficult to focus after class, the induced delusions were more than he thought they were, the intent fed back somewhat and made him momentarily believe in what he was imagining. At his first free period he slipped the bottle into the robe of the younger Cato before waiting near the 2nd year alchemy class for the girl who was bothering the Armaus girl, he should¡¯ve asked for her name. He met the girl as she left class, he had been told she always stayed behind to talk with the teacher since she had a free period so she would be alone when she came out. She matched the description, but Harlan felt wrong to threaten her. She couldn¡¯t have been more than 10, she had her dark blonde hair tied in pigtails and she practically pranced down the hall. ¡°Excuse me. Could I have a moment of your time?¡± ¡°Of course, what do you need?¡± He was already very uncomfortable, the way that the Armaus talked about her he expected somebody vindictive and mean spirited, perhaps followed by a gaggle of other snobby girls. ¡°I was asked to talk to you about how you keep painting on an Armaus girl, she seemed upset that you wouldn¡¯t stop.¡± ¡°Oh! That must be Halik, but it looks so pretty on her scales.¡± ¡°I know, but when she washes them off it makes her skin red and itchy because of the oils in the paint. Did she ever tell you that?¡± The girl was upset, she believed that Halik was her friend and they were just joking around, she didn¡¯t realize it had hurt her in any way. ¡°Hey hey hey, it is ok, just don¡¯t do it again.¡± ¡°I am sorry¡­ I¡¯ll leave her alone.¡± ¡°I am sure if you explain that you didn¡¯t realize it was a problem she will forgive you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± It hurt him to lie, he had no idea how she would react, and now that he thought about it she seemed like a crabby person. ¡°You can¡¯t know until you try at least.¡± She smiled again and went on her way. It left a bad taste in his mouth, he had wondered if he was going to become someone worse with his vengeance, if he just hadn¡¯t realized where he was headed. Yet the fact that he couldn¡¯t bring himself to threaten the child allowed him to remain firm in his beliefs, he would be willing to do more evil, but what he considered good hadn¡¯t changed much. He decided to spend the rest of his free time looking for items for divination classes, he had been falling behind due to his work and taking the weekend off. His next report on a magical creature would be on the Dire Dogs. The dogs people normally kept were still animals descended from wolves, depending on breed they could end up as a variety of magical creatures. For the breeds of the north which they used for pulling sleds their closer relation to the native wolves led to them being quite like the Dire Wolves of the area. The biggest difference was that a Dire Dog would be fire aligned for the sake of providing warmth to its master. When Harlan wrote he preferred to be in the garden, few people passed through the area due to its intentionally out of the way placement. Yet on that day the Librarian was there. ¡°Ah¡­ how nice to meet you here.¡± ¡°It is a nice day and I¡¯ve got about 10 minutes until I need to go get Adina.¡± The tall man took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. ¡°Your violence will only bring more violence. I am surely not the first to tell you this.¡± ¡°That is correct.¡± He handed Harlan two books, the first was the holy book of Reino, it technically had no name, so it simply had the 7 circles of Reino in white on its black leather cover. The second was the history of two families, they had been on the opposite sides of a war, afterwards a dispute over a hog led to dozens of deaths and a grudge that lasted decades. ¡°I will not convince you to understand the consequences of what you will do, but I hope you can understand why they are as they are, and how easily things go beyond what you desire. And do hide that first book, they don¡¯t like outsiders to have them.¡± ¡°Would you be punished for giving this to me?¡± ¡°I can tell you are asking out of some kind of fondness for me, but you don¡¯t need to worry, there is no harm they could inflict on me. I have one person I truly care for in this world, and she is beyond anyone on their side.¡± He placed his hands over top of Harlan¡¯s and said a small phrase in a language Harlan did not know before walking off. ¡°Before you go, what is your name?¡± ¡°Alrick.¡± He vanished as soon as he had passed the corner and was out of line of sight. Harlan wondered who exactly he was, it didn¡¯t matter if Harlan came in the middle of the night or in the afternoon, he was at the library without fail. His physique could be human, but Harlan didn¡¯t think he was. He didn¡¯t show up strangely to his mindsense, his soul sight showed no abnormality, but Harlan felt that something, somehow, was wrong with the man. The weight of that black book in his robe seemed like more than just paper and ink. Finally dinner arrived, he looked over the people already there and saw the girl with pink hair. He decided to offer his help to clear the dye, he hadn¡¯t actually made the spell yet, but if he understood the underlying principles of it then it shouldn¡¯t take long. He felt bad about convincing her that they were both victims of the same prankster and using that to gain something, but he wanted to show himself as being helpful and getting her to empathize with him made it easier to ask for tips on starting alchemy. Unfortunately she said that the alchemy classes at the academy were some of the harshest. They expected anyone interested to already have experience with it due to its nature of memorizing and experimenting with things that could turn poisonous and endanger other students if made improperly. He would need to spend his free time learning a great deal before he even wanted to think about trying to add it as a class. ¡°What if I did the alchemy? I already know more plants and animals than you, I could even study when you are doing that other stuff with Sepul, there wasn¡¯t anything I could help with there anyway.¡± ¡°Would you really? I mean¡­ I know you don¡¯t like me hurting people, and I am going to be using the things you would make to do that.¡± ¡°I like how you feel when you are with Adina, I am angry that people hurt her. I still don¡¯t like it, but I could hurt somebody who hurts our friends.¡± Harlan knew where that path would lead, first he would protect people who were close to him, then he might extend it to anyone who looks like they are innocent, then he would be proactive in stopping threats, then he would end up like Harlan. He wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about it. Harlan didn¡¯t believe killing was inherently wrong, sometimes it really is him or his enemy, sometimes it lessened other suffering, like killing bandits that would attack but weren¡¯t in a fight at the moment. But Lugh was young, he advanced more quickly than a normal being, but he was still a child, and Harlan didn¡¯t want to be the person to force Lugh down that path. If he took those steps on his own however, he would not dissuade him. ¡°We should talk to Sepul, he can make those truth potions so he must know alchemy.¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± Lugh was unnerved by the man, but he knew that Harlan liked, or rather, he trusted him. He sat with the others. ¡°So, what are you going to do? After academy I mean?¡± Yara asked. ¡°I might just spend a few months at home, then I¡¯ll travel to the frontier. I have a friend who is training to be, or maybe he already is, a ranger. Another friend lives in the north, so I want to go there too.¡± ¡°I wish I could invite you to our home, but that isn¡¯t possible.¡± ¡°Yeah, it is a shame.¡± ¡°What about everyone else?¡± ¡°I would¡¯ve joined the army, tried to get a noble title, but with the war over I don¡¯t really know. I don¡¯t have anything else lined up. I could always join anyway, go to frontier clearing, but then what? I¡¯ve seen the expectations, with all the land we know about we¡¯ve got 20 years, maybe less, before the entire frontier is cleared. I guess I could just wander around.¡± ¡°Surely you have some talent that you can use to find something worth doing? Do you like styling hair? I mean, surely it takes a lot of work to braid yours.¡± ¡°No to both of those. I can control my hair so braiding it only takes a few minutes, and I don¡¯t want to be dolling up other people. The question had touched a nerve. ¡°Maybe I could just find Ky, try to see if frontier life is good for me. Be somebody he can come back to out there.¡± ¡°Never underestimate the effect of just having somebody there. Did he ever tell you if his family has any history with magic? It could help to have somebody who understands that part of him.¡± Harlan hoped that Zella would find something to do, he knew that he hated being idle. They spoke of ideas of what to do, of who they wanted to be. Liat almost asked about Zella¡¯s family, but Harlan was fast enough to stop her. When they were finished eating they all split up again, Harlan wanted to start on his reading, he wanted books on alchemy from the library, but he decided to read what Alrick had given him first. Though he did get convinced by Liat to have another spar to keep him spry, it was really just an excuse. She still didn¡¯t have anyone else who was willing to fight her, their matches were always painful but both sides had enhanced healing and their bodies simply didn¡¯t process pain in the way as everyone else. Things went on like this for weeks, Harlan now had the things needed to put his plan into action, yet he held off. If things didn¡¯t get worse, he wouldn¡¯t make them worse. Chapter 108 Harlan went to guide Adina to breakfast as he would every morning, yet this time she was not alone and he didn¡¯t recognize their mind. His first instinct said to break down the door, but that was just paranoia talking. Not that he could¡¯ve knocked down a heavily warded door like that anyway. He knocked politely and the unknown person opened the door. She wasn¡¯t happy to see him but she put on a kind face. ¡°Greetings child, we have been waiting for you.¡± White hair with a few black and red hairs showed her age and her fire and dark alignments. She wore a loose simple black robe held by buttons copper in color and designed on the back with the 7 white dots that showed her relation to Reino, she was a priestess. ¡°Adina, can I come in?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Harlan felt no fear, but he could tell she was apprehensive, he couldn¡¯t be sure if it was how the woman would treat him, or how he would treat her. They never really talked about religion, Adina knew Harlan didn¡¯t believe in her gods, and she didn¡¯t completely believe in his, they set this issue aside as not important compared to their friendship. He sat on a simple but high quality wooden chair in front of a low table meant to hold drinks and finger foods. The old woman was drinking a powerful smelling black drink that Harlan wasn¡¯t sure of, she didn¡¯t seem to enjoy the flavor if her face and constant adding of milk and cream were any indicator. ¡°So, this is the feared and hated Fomorian. You don¡¯t seem quite so bad to my old eyes.¡± ¡°Thank you. I do not identify with them, they are my blood but they are not my kin.¡± She made no sound, there was no shift in her posture, but Harlan knew Adina felt relieved after their little exchange. ¡°Now, you have a question for me, I can see that.¡± ¡°I was simply wondering what a priestess of Reino would be doing here in the morning.¡± ¡°I hoped that I could come to understand both sides of this conflict you are having with the Cato brothers before things escalate.¡± There was a shift in his eyes, but he kept his tone friendly. ¡°While I cannot prove it, and the academy found no information, I believe they were involved in the assault on Adina. She is a very close friend to me, so I cannot let this go. But, I am also not going to make things worse, her wounds, furious as they made me, were clearly made for show.¡± ¡°My, that is quite the accusation. Do you have proof of this?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already said I cannot prove this, but I wonder, for whose sake are you here?¡± ¡°I am here for the wellbeing of all parties.¡± ¡°You can take this message back to whoever you are going to report to then. Fill not the cup of wrath, lest you drown in it.¡± ¡°My, a threat? Is that the best you can do?¡± ¡°I figured that the only thing you people might listen to would be a quote from your own book.¡± ¡°Do you intend a theological debate with a woman who has devoted her life to it? There are many facets to each quote or verse that our gods have given us.¡± ¡°No, debates are for people who spend their time learning how to lie and speak weasel words while sounding like honest men. Can you tell me which part of your book justifies attacking a girl who cannot even see because she doesn¡¯t want to be treated like dirt her entire life while also denying her the ability to be healed?¡± ¡°She should be glad a seer asked that she be allowed to live, she has a use still, what use do you have in this world?¡± ¡°Making things, protecting those around me who I care for. Someday it is likely to be killing things that should¡¯ve died long ago to safeguard the lives of people who hate me.¡± ¡°Ah, a killer who hides behind flowery words?¡± Harlan couldn¡¯t help but laugh until his lungs had no air left for it. The woman was not impressed and Adina was afraid. Things had very quickly gone downhill in their conversation, the priestess and Cato both shared a trait that Harlan despied, their faux kindness that hid their contempt was like hiding a candle under a pile of dry leaves, it only made the flames larger. ¡°Sorry, I should¡¯ve written down my flowery language, then I could use it to justify as much killing as I so desire.¡± ¡°I have come in good faith with the hope that you could be turned away from violence, I believe we should return to that topic.¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t anything else to say, if they push me, I will push back, if they cross a line, they won¡¯t know it, someday they will just die for it. It is best that both sides drop the issue before that happens, unless you have anything else to add.¡± ¡°A compromise, Adina wears her glasses that are being sent here,¡± Adina was willing to wear them again at this point, Harlan walked her everywhere, and she liked that, but knowing that it was always moments away from turning into bloodshed was weighing on her mind. The elder Cato was no small threat, but he would be gone next year when he graduated, at that point she would just stop wearing her glasses again since there shouldn¡¯t be any other students she had to worry about actually being able to beat Harlan. ¡°And you cannot see her anymore, so you cannot taint her mind further.¡± That, however, was unacceptable. ¡°Mother Brimstone, if you do not intend to make any real offers of peace, then you should just leave.¡± ¡°Do mind you tone wh-¡± ¡°I will not. I would sooner die than live without Harlan, he is my first and only real friend, he would give his life for me, and I will not let that pigheaded bastard who was half of my birth take him away.¡± It was taboo to say the least how Adina had spoken. From insulting a member of the clergy by interrupting her to insulting her father in such crude words, it was enough to drive the woman to correct her. She attempted a slap that Harlan caught. ¡°Monster, if you intend to keep that hand, you will remove it from me.¡± Her eyes flared with mana and Harlan could feel a heat that would crisp the skin of a normal man. ¡°I could say the same for you.¡± A mage tempered their body with every spell they cast, the mana that flowed through it bringing them beyond human limits, it wasn¡¯t something taught, it was just an understood part of the world. In her youth she had been a force to be reckoned with, her magic still held that power, yet the flesh was not so kind. If a body could be 10 times stronger, then that would stay, yet if that same person was 90 years old then their joints would still ache, their bones would still be brittle, they might even become a threat to themselves as ability outpaced durability. Her bones creaked as Harlan tightened his grip, he had no compunction about losing a hand, his sense of pain wasn¡¯t human, but she had no desire to leave with broken bones or worse. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± ¡°Can you afford to test that theory?¡± Harlan had been using his left hand to cast healing spells and the room filled with the scent of burning flesh as they kept up their staring match. The heat resided and the woman left the room, Harlan kept a void bolt at the ready just in case, he knew she was fuming both literally and metaphorically. When she slammed the door Harlan allowed himself to fall to his knees, he kept up the facade, and it didn¡¯t hurt him as much as a normal person, but he still let his skin be seared for over 15 seconds. Adina helped him to get rid of the worst of it, but his nerves were completely shot, the burned tissue was below the fat layer and his muscles had suffered serious damage that needed more than two 14 year olds to fix. His hand was covered in uneven pink tones and blisters that they removed as best they could. ¡°Let¡¯s get you to the healers, I can¡¯t believe that, that, WOMAN. I would¡¯ve rather you broke her arm and just ended it.¡± ¡°I know, but that could only make things worse. This might still end without things getting worse. If she reports even more poorly because I hurt her badly enough that she needs a doctor then I wouldn¡¯t feel right about it.¡± ¡°Just have your revenge, I don¡¯t want to see you like this. Can you even feel your hand?¡± ¡°A few minutes at the doctors and I¡¯ll be fine.¡± She didn¡¯t like that answer, yet what Harlan had planned wasn¡¯t exactly something that could be overlooked like how the younger Cato had gotten in some trouble after that kingslayer dye was found in his pocket. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. He would risk a great deal of consequences both personal and political in nature should he enact his plans. Hellon happened to pass by when Harlan was heading to the medical ward. She pulled him into the nearest class room and told whoever was inside to leave while she spoke to her students. A blend of anger and disgust was clear on her face, yet the sadness was only known to him. ¡°Who did this to you?¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t important, I just want it healed and put behind me.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t start talking I¡¯ll¡­ I will not see my students cooked like a roast hog and then tell me that things are fine. This is serious, if it was anyone else with such intense burns they would need the entire hands regrown, you still might need it regrown. Did Adina do this? Was it an accident?¡± She was offended at the accusation that she would hurt Harlan. ¡°I am saying that nothing good will come from you knowing who did this, but, if things happen to escalate, I will tell you, because things will not be quiet once that happens.¡± ¡°If you do not tell me I am going to call Sepul here.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t really get what the threat was. ¡°Ok?¡± She pulled a communicator from her pocket and Harlan wondered how she got one, they were just starting to manufacture them as they realized that any more decreases in size would be marginal at best. He arrived as the space around him made quiet pained noises, he had punched through it with a bit more force than normal, yet not enough to set off the alarms in the academy and call anyone else in. ¡°Boy, have you done what you planned? Is this retaliation?¡± ¡°No, things might not be getting hot just yet, we will see. I don¡¯t know why she even called you.¡± ¡°Sepul. Who did this to my student?¡± He grabbed hold of Harlan¡¯s hand for a moment. ¡°Ah, now this is familiar. How is that crone doing?¡± ¡°Violent and controlling, she got upset when Adina stood up for herself.¡± ¡°Still a zealot then. Hellon, I will keep an eye on this, it was Brimstone, this is why I said that Hirum should¡¯ve made them pick another priestess. Harlan, keep going to the medical ward, I will be having a chat with Hellon here.¡± It was not a large issue for Harlan to get his hand looked at and healed, though he would be missing classes for it. His healer was a girl barely older than him, in the 3rd year the students would begin helping out around the medical ward to give them experience with a real person and to work on their bedside manners. She was somewhat rude and she treated him like a slime, which caused her teacher to give her a talking to while another student tried to heal his hand. The class had been reduced to only two dozen students and they talked among themselves on how best to heal it until one of them recommended just cutting it off and making a new hand. Harlan agreed and then it became an argument about who actually had to do it, they were still squeamish types who didn¡¯t want to do it and somehow it hadn¡¯t been trained out of them in the 2 years they had already been there. So Harlan cast his own sleeping air spell on himself while Lugh made a vice grip around his hand and then had his blade amputate it cleanly as soon as he was fully asleep. The students screamed and the teacher had to take over, Harlan had no worries about bleeding out. His blood congealed with such speed that only repeated limb removal would put him at risk and beyond that Lugh tightly wrapped around his arm to restrict blood flow. He dreamt of the woman again, she kissed his hand made it feel better, though he knew that outside of this dream it was probably sitting on the floor still. He walked into the cafeteria with lunch half over, he had agreed beforehand to let the students try to heal him, but their antics wasted a great deal of time. The teachers said he should never do what he did again, but also the students might¡¯ve needed the shock. The younger Cato was with Adina at a different table, despite what might seem sensible, he sat with them. ¡°Leave this place, monster.¡± ¡°Adina, if you are here of your own will I¡¯ll leave with no questions asked, if you would like to go, I will ensure nothing stands in your way.¡± She had had glasses on again, yet he buried that anger, he saw them as a sign of penance for being born. ¡°I am fine, Cato invited me over to say that while he had nothing to do with my attack, that surely the words of Brimstone would put an end to any ideas of a second attack.¡± ¡°Very good.¡± He went to sit with his other friends and his sister who all wanted to know where he was, it wasn¡¯t like him to miss a meal, let alone miss his classes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, even if I know saying that is just going to make you worry. I am told that Adina is now safe, so it was worth it.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t kill anyone, did you?¡± Yara asked. ¡°It looks like I won¡¯t need to.¡± ¡°Well, I am glad you aren¡¯t as violent as everyone keeps telling me.¡± ¡°I can be as violent as I need to be, but here I could solve things peacefully. I don¡¯t want to go out of my way to hurt people without anything to gain from it.¡± Before anyone could interject and switch the topic Yara and Harlan were having a chat about what would constitute going out of his way. They hadn¡¯t known one another for very long, but Harlan had started looking forward to talking with her, she was easy to speak to and she was very interested in friendly debates. They never once raised their voices at one another, they didn¡¯t get red in the face, they simply spoke a great deal with one another and wondered where one another drew lines. For Yara she wanted to know what would be normal, and what would be extreme for people. She always had a hard time speaking with others, they often found her constant questions and arguments annoying as they mistook her curiosity as conflict seeking. For Harlan it let him clearly define what he believed. It was one thing to think something, it was another to speak it and then think about why he believed it. She had dulled some of his more violent ideas and helped him put to words why he felt the way he did about others. He had a strong sense of what he wanted to be at this point, yet he didn¡¯t want to be stuck in his ways either. He felt his heart flutter when she laughed, and then he promptly buried that under fear of what that feeling could mean. He finished his classes for the day and went to spar with Liat, he had been working on his spearman ship while she worked on her ability to defend herself. Yara and Adina were always there, then there were a few people that he didn¡¯t know and they never introduced themselves. They were there to either watch Liat or to just watch people who were stronger than them. She snapped his spear again, yet he had expected this and telekinetically grabbed the half that was behind her and struck her across the back with a nasty snap as wood met flesh. ¡°Good one. You keep fighting without using your full kit, always remember what you can do, but don¡¯t overthink it so much, also, I never said the fight was over.¡± A quick jab broke his nose, again.
Sepul punched through the wards and arrays to prevent such a thing, space screamed and the air itself cracked. The cathedral within the neutral zone was spatially displaced so only those who knew where to find it would be able to, yet to him it was like putting a sign in front of a hidden entrance saying ¡®please don¡¯t come in.¡¯ ¡°Brimstone you contemptible old witch, come out here.¡± Stone melted as a pillar of flame came from the corner of the room. ¡°You should not be here, demon, you have no right to be involved in anything we do. You¡¯ve thrown away your allegiance to that place.¡± From the perspective of reality the lance of flame traveled in a straight line, yet his whispers told the space that straight was not a truth, and it believed him. ¡°The boy is my apprentice.¡± Before she could start turning on more arrays and casting more spells the headmaster appeared. Technically he wasn¡¯t supposed to be there either, but Sepul was the original designer for half the arrays and wards that kept space from collapsing when distorted and he gave him the keys to backdoors in the spells. As a second pillar formed he clicked his tongue and the mana froze, the spell simply dispersed. While the building was stone, the land was the area of influence of the headmaster, he was as a god in this place, within limits at least. ¡°Both of you, explain what has happened.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t pretend that you don¡¯t know, you sniveling coward, she has assaulted my apprentice and the girl who belongs to this wretch has to be watched by him or else she risks another attack from them. You spoke your nice words about unity and preventing them from exercising their power here but you¡¯ve done little more than stop the most surface level threats. Your in effectual and foolish ideas of them just dropping 1000 years of control over aspects of their children because they lost a war will only cause more suffering, I intend to put an end to that right now.¡± Hirum flinched and called Xol. Nobody noticed how he got there, it was as if he just started existing in that very spot without any distortion. ¡°Words spoken are truth and without blood upon them, shall we speak of the better days ahead?¡± Everyone gathered around a very nice table and chairs that the lich pulled from the sleeve of his robe. ¡°The man of light wishes no blood shed, for now that the darkling has the eyes of a wolf and those against him are as sheep, the flock must be pulled back to its yard.¡± Hirum could tell that Brimstone had no patience for the skeleton in front of her and yet she was too afraid to try and go against him. ¡°What he means is that if your people push him, then Harlan is likely to retaliate. Harlan is not going to just go after the Cato brothers, if he has something planned but he hasn¡¯t done it yet then I fear they will lose their lives to him.¡± ¡°What can a boy 14 years of age do against us if we intend to bring one of ours back to the flock? The boy is dragging away a lamb and you ask that I let him be.¡± Xol locked eyes with the woman. ¡°You¡¯ve left the lamb afront of the wolf, now you dare act as the affronted when the lamb believes him a better shephard?¡± ¡°She is still ours, he has no claim over her.¡± Now it was Sepul¡¯s time to speak. ¡°We have already brought her citizenship to the final stages, all that is needed now is for her to formally accept it. He has claim over her because she wants him to, make her wear the glasses and admit you¡¯ve lost. You have years to try and brainwash her a second time, but if you push, she will be lost forever.¡± ¡°Bullshit, he hasn¡¯t the political capital to do such a thing and the man who sits on that throne has no reason to pull the girl over just to spite us. Unless¡­¡± She put her hand on her chin and an evil grin rose on her face. ¡°Now, what has that boy done recently that would give that man reason to be involved? You¡¯ve gotten his dark magic already, so he must have more uses?¡± ¡°You should be wary of these thoughts, obliteration is yet an option for the weakened state.¡± ¡°Oh? So you would go to war for hi-¡± Xol¡¯s eyes lit with green fire as she felt pressure across her entire body, the entire building shook under his might. ¡°There are others who hold claim of him, I shall not spill blood for nations, yet I hold contracts with beings beyond them. Facilitation of peace is to their benefit, yet violence is always an option.¡± His lack of flowery words that needed at least some translation sent shivers down the spines of the woman and the headmaster. Sepul had no compunction about wiping Reino from the face of the world, yet he didn¡¯t want Harlan to pay with his life. ¡°Nobody here wants a war, If they did, you would¡¯ve killed them already. Brimstone, I¡¯ve said my piece, listen or don¡¯t. Either you lose a single girl or you lose millions of people again and your nation is crushed under the weight of real gods. Unless her father is the most vindictive and self-destructive person on the face of Aarde this isn¡¯t a real choice, if he is, then have your people put him down like a rabid dog. Hirum, you need to put real guards around this place, I know you¡¯ve got thousands of golems built already, stop worrying about these fools and put them on every corner unless you want everything that you should be protecting to go up in flames.¡± It didn¡¯t take more than 20 minutes for a contract to be drawn up, Adina would wear the glasses again but there would be no changes. Xol had reached his hand over and pulled Adina¡¯s father from his home to make sure there were no misunderstandings about what was happening and then he vanished after sending him home. Xol sat in his recliner and his wife sat in his lap as he returned to a flesh and blood body. ¡°Rough night?¡± She handed him a cup of cocoa that he had to reheat with magic. ¡°I wish people would stop interrupting our special nights. Did you finish the puzzle?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got about 40 thousand pieces left to go, but I wanted to wait for you to get back.¡± He gave her a kiss on the cheek and she pushed him away before he got more whipped cream on her face. Chapter 109 Months passed without any significant changes. The new year had just passed with him at home with his family celebrating another year of being together, they even invited over the families of the farmhands and guards. Nobody had really tried to attack them since the war ended except overzealous lone thieves, whatever guilds controlled them had long realized there was nothing they could really use, even if they did take a golem it was still going to try to kill them and then if it couldn¡¯t it would just turn itself into a fireball. Harlan had been working on alchemy and Sepul found that he was passable so long as he worked alongside Lugh, together they made at least a beginner alchemy. The sleepless nights he had been using to work on the communicators had instead been spent with his new subject and he didn¡¯t mind it at all, it was like cooking, which he wasn¡¯t very good at, but he could follow a recipe to a T and imbuing magic into a a mixture wasn¡¯t actually as difficult as he thought it might be. He had already heard about how void could, in its liquid or solid state, poison the land and stick around, so the idea was at least in the back of his head as something possible, the process was also not unlike binding a ward into an object. Harlan wondered how thin the lines between schools of magic really were. He hadn¡¯t tried to learn imbibing or transformation more, he knew Balor was hard at work with the latter and he just didn¡¯t feel like he had the time to do the former. He had loosened himself quite a bit, he spent a lot more time with Yara who seemed to just enjoy his company and they gave books back and forth to discuss. He never thought that he would spend so much time reading and enjoying it, they read every subject from history to romance, she had actually been sending a lot of romance novels to him lately. He ignored the hint, outside of Amber nobody knew his reasons, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to be like that with somebody; he liked his friends, he didn¡¯t like the idea of trying to be anything more, they were all children still anyway which made him feel even more awkward over the whole thing. He was currently in his healing class, they had been figuring out how to reattach pieces of flesh that were unharmed, next month would be continuing to do this but with flesh that was damaged. He wondered when the complex things would start, other than broken bones almost everything they were learning about was surface layer, they barely worked with muscle even. They would all end up as masters of first aid and non fatal wounds before their school year was done, then they would start as beginners of the advanced parts of the body and master them before their third year. Harlan yawned as he left the class, it had been 18 days since he last slept, this was both a long time and a short time. Without the academy¡¯s mana density he would be wiped out after every few days of overnight magical work, yet if he didn¡¯t do those things he could¡¯ve been up for months on end without much issue, each time he pushed himself too hard it cut his stamina severely. He thought back to when he first came here and ended up sleeping through merchantry because he went far over his limits. Adina poked his ribs, she was still wearing the glasses, every time he saw them it still made him upset. She moved around him with her hands behind her back and bent over. It hadn¡¯t dampened her spirits that she had to wear them again because she knew that it kept Harlan from doing something stupid. ¡°So, you¡¯ve been getting close to Yara, are you planning anything with her?¡± He froze at the question, he hadn¡¯t been, but he expected that she would be upset at the idea that he was. ¡°No, we are just good friends, like you and me.¡± Without breaking the interlocking of her fingers she moved her hands over her head and to her front. ¡°Now I know what we look like to other people. I don¡¯t know why you don¡¯t want to move forward, but if you keep things civil it won¡¯t mess with your friendship even after it is over.¡± ¡°Oh? So you think that it would end? Maybe I should just prove you wrong.¡± ¡°Yara will go back to the Golden when she is done at the academy. I am sure she just wants some experience before she has to live the rest of her life in a desert.¡± It was something that everyone independently decided was best left unsaid, it was a dampener on their time together to know that there was a time limit before they could never see each other again. ¡°You seem to be pushing us together, I expected you to be upset.¡± ¡°You keep dodging my requests to explain why you won¡¯t enter a relationship with me, because I know you want to and I want to, so I figured I should see if you were just blanket banning the idea.¡± Ximena walked next to Harlan and felt her cheeks redden as they spoke, she would be happy for both of them if they would just finally do it since they wanted to. But having to hear about it all put her in an awkward position and most of the other students moving down the hallway felt the same way, or they felt burning anger at Harlan. The students from Reino considered her a freak openly in love with somebody they didn¡¯t consider a real person, while the students of Ragne noticed that she was actually cute, the same could be said about Yara. His fights with Liat had only gotten faster and his body was growing to the point that it was a fair fight if she didn¡¯t use magic Both sides had no desire to deal with the boy who didn¡¯t flinch at a broken jaw and shattered stone with his punches should they wrong one of them. ¡°Just drop the subject. Anyway, here we split up. See you two later.¡± The warmagic classes began to focus on counter warspells. If nobody blocked them then every battle would end after the first volley killed everyone, so the job of a warmage was more often to focus on making sure nothing hit their side while trying to slip something through to the other side. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Sepul once said that 80% of all energy that a warmagic uses goes into defense, while the last 20% could still turn the tides. Harlan was once again banned from using void, it didn¡¯t make a good class if he shut down the enemy spells and then nobody could cast anything for 10 minutes. Both sides sat in a trench 600 feet from the other while in the middle a set of pillars represented their troops. The goal was to have more pillars left standing than the other side after a period of 5 minutes. Sepul enjoyed this game when he invented it 160 years ago, yet it never caught on like he wanted to since a stray warspell would kill anybody that it hit. To make the headmaster agree to let him use it for training he had to watch everyone very carefully. The normal method would be two mages standing at an angle to one another and launching their spells with them clashing in the center. Harlan went with the strategy of slow and steady, he never struck first. He prepared as big of a spell as he could while still letting it be something that he could send off as soon as his opponent sent out their spell. The downside was that if his opponent happened to send something that had a direct elemental advantage then his longer casted spells would lose a lot of their use. His enemy went with meteor, it had a very long cast time due to them being on a flat area and the stone needed to be lifted high up, it was more often cast using the tops of mountains. Its physical nature made it hard to block from a distance, even if he used a big bolt of lightning to shatter it the stone would splinter off into a rain of deadly shrapnel that might do more damage than not destroying it in the first place. Harlan had time, both of them intended to end this with one move. It wasn¡¯t explicitly stated that they had to actually use only warmagic spells. Harlan, unlike most of the rest of the class, had actually studied many more situational spells, and while everyone had a slightly different way of casting them, he doubted anyone here would add anything that would stop his plan. As the meteor got closer Harlan launched a fast spear of stone roughly 15 feet long and 9 inches around with a large ball on the end at the mass of rock. As they connected the spear struck inside and the center of gravity shifted due to the runes of a gravity spell on the ball. The meteor that should¡¯ve landed in the middle of Harlan¡¯s forces instead hit behind his enemy units and the resulting shrapnel storm wiped out 60% of them along with 10% of Harlan¡¯s forces that were closer to the front. Harlan spoke with his opponent afterwards and explained how he could¡¯ve countered the spear by shaping the stone to angle blows like that away from it. Most people used their spells as taught and barely changed them, a big rock is good, a big rock with a little bit of shaping was much better, and yet most people also had a hard time understanding these things until they saw them in action. He wouldn¡¯t even understand it as much as he did if he didn¡¯t look at Dearil¡¯s notes on deflection angles for golems. More than that nobody taught anyone how to carve runes due to the inherently dangerous nature of it, had Harlan¡¯s spell activated sooner or later his attack using his enemies spell would¡¯ve failed. Harlan would be going back home for just the day tomorrow, none of Amber¡¯s group would be there this time, they had each been there at least once and mostly they just wanted to introduce themselves. Today however, he would be meeting with Adina in his room, privately. As soon as she stepped inside she threw her glasses against the wall, she would fix them when she went to leave, but for now that helped her vent about wearing them again. She sat on a couch with her hands behind her head and her ankles crossed. ¡°Harlan. Do you think I should really leave Reino?¡± ¡°Again? I¡¯ll repeat it as many times as you want to hear it. I will always be there for you when you leave, since I know you won¡¯t be able to stay there too long now that you have an idea of what people who aren¡¯t pieces of shit are like. You always have a place in my home as a dear friend.¡± She stretched and her muscles loosened. ¡°Thanks. I needed that.¡± Yet there was something else she wanted to ask. ¡°Harlan, I think we finally need that talk.¡± ¡°Which one? I can think of a handful of ¡®that talks¡¯ that we could have.¡± ¡°Religion. You say your gods are real, my people say they are evil things pretending to be gods to lead the world astray.¡± ¡°Alright, do you want me to explain everything? Or do you want me to be kind?¡± She pursed her lips, unsure how the first option would go, she hoped that she wouldn¡¯t believe everything Harlan said, but she also knew he was potentially the one person who would never lie when giving a direct answer to her. ¡°Which one do you think I should pick?¡± ¡°I am not picking for you, this is something you can either hear or not, but I can¡¯t put it back in its box once you hear it. Do you feel like you want to take that step into the unknown? Is it worth the risk to you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that. I just¡­ Tell me the truth, do it.¡± The pit in her stomach only worsened as he started to talk, she had always had faith if nothing else, one of the things that stopped her from just giving up and ending it earlier in her life was her fears that she would damn her soul if she took her own life. Then he finally said the words that she knew he was going to say, the thing that got people branded as heretics and led inquisitors to take them away in the night to a bigger town for public execution. Fae. The most cursed creatures on Aarde, mischievous, sometimes helpful, but always a danger, bound by rules very few understood and fewer felt safe actually putting into practice because they could trip up on some other rule they didn¡¯t know about. ¡°Stop, stop, just¡­¡± She sat up, her skin felt cold under her robes. She first quivered and denied it to herself, then to Harlan. A crisis of faith was never easy, it had been a pillar to her that she could lean on when she had nobody else to talk to, to hear from the only person she felt was another pillar to her words that were supposed to make her hate him shook her. Then the stress got to be too much and she threw up, Harlan got some towels to clean things and she was gibbering how she was sorry among other things he didn¡¯t understand. He sat across from her and handed her a cup of tea to wash the taste out of her mouth but she could barely drink it between her sobbing and her shaking hands, so he sat next to her and helped. She was torn between pushing him away and grabbing hold and just crying into his chest. Finally she had calmed down. ¡°I am going to go to sleep.¡± It was barely past 7. ¡°Do you want me to walk you to your room?¡± ¡°No. I am fine.¡± She got up and walked to her room without another word. He could feel her mind from well over 100 feet away at this point, they had a strong connection to one another. He stepped out of his room and followed behind her outside the range of her senses to make sure she was alright, then he stepped back once she entered her room. Even with the golems patrolling he didn¡¯t feel safe leaving it to them, they were honestly disappointing to Harlan. His only explanation was that they were worried about somebody making a spell that somehow controlled them and would use them against the students. It wasn¡¯t an unfounded worry either, the headmaster needed to personally upgrade each of them since his connection to the web of minds was actually a backdoor into them. Golems had no true minds, meaning the commands went directly to their souls without a filter if somebody gained access to their gem that held the soul. The kingdom already knew this, most creations lacked this safeguard since the only real option was to either let a man who had no affiliation to them put his hands on every one of their most expensive and secret pieces of work, or having Harlan do it now that he gained the connection. The king was unsure which one was more terrifying. Chapter 110 She walked the halls of her home with a maid as she always did during this time of the day. Her father required that she move around so she didn¡¯t gain weight just as he said she was supposed to learn magic because every good citizen should know some, and as the daughter of a high saint it would not do to be useless in such a way. Another maid came to get her, her father requested her presence. She stood there afraid as the maid knocked on the door for her. ¡°Come in¡± She was led to a chair across from her father who didn¡¯t even bother to look up from his work as he spoke. ¡°You will be going to the academy, do not disappoint me.¡± ¡°Of course, Father.¡± The maid then led her back to her room where trainers waited for her. It would not do to have her reflect poorly on their house by failing tests or need to be led around by the hand as she was at home. She was excited at first, then she felt the sting of the training rods. When she got an answer wrong. When she cast a spell wrong. When she failed to guide herself around the house with sound magic. When she fell down the stairs. Yet she kept going, she would get to be in the outside world, she might even make a friend. She just had to keep going, things would get better, things would be better, she kept telling herself as the bruises, barely healed, kept her up at night. She awoke in her bed at the academy thinking back on what had happened the night before. From the clock she could tell it was barely 5 in the morning, she just laid there in her bed until past 6, then she took a quick shower and went to Harlan¡¯s room. He opened the door and didn¡¯t say a word, just put on a fresh kettle of tea and gave her some cookies. It was something little, she had barely even thought about it, but every time she came in, no matter the time, he would give her something to eat and something to drink. At home her intake was monitored to keep her looking exactly as she was supposed to, no, how her father wanted her to look. She pinched her arm and felt the difference, Harlan never said it, but he did think she looked a bit thin when they first met. He sat across from her and waited for her to talk. The clock rang with the sound of bird song at 7, a modification Harlan had made himself since there wasn¡¯t much wildlife so close to the academy, things didn¡¯t like leaving the set areas they were in. ¡°What bird is that?¡± ¡°Cardinal, the males are a bright red with a pointed crest. They are pretty birds.¡± ¡°How sure are you that what you told me is real? I mean-¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen them, two of them at least. The Darkness, and Cecht, god of light. They exist in physical forms, I¡¯ve met Aarde, though I couldn¡¯t really tell what he looked like. Just his words were enough to nearly kill me. I¡¯ve been inside a place outside of physical space as I spoke to The Darkness. I know what you are going through, you want to believe I am just wrong, but I¡¯m not, you trust me too much to believe I am lying, so that is your last defense.¡± ¡°I just¡­ I just can¡¯t accept it.¡± ¡°That is fine. I¡¯m not going to bully or belittle you.¡± ¡°Can you¡­ You can show people memories, right? Do you think that would work on me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why not. I¡¯ve never done it because I know that you still don¡¯t like soul magic.¡± ¡°Show me things, anything that proves to you that they are who they claim to be.¡± She saw some of his talks with The Darkness, at least little bits of them. She saw Cecht¡¯s forest and his form as he cowered before The Darkness. She saw the Skoll as it came under the command of The Darkness and spoke through it. She saw the messenger she had sent. She saw how the grand saint appeared to him and the feeling he felt towards her. She understood the meaning behind his feelings. She leaned back in her seat and silently ate cookies and drank tea like a glutton. It was time for them to begin moving to breakfast came and went, but she was still sitting there in silence. ¡°So that¡¯s it. I¡¯ve lived 14 years being lied to, millions have died attacking a place because enough people got tricked by Fae for it to become the truth to them.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault, I am sure you want to blame yourself, but you really couldn''t have known. Nobody ever wants to admit they have been tricked, and saying it in your country would¡¯ve just gotten you killed. And the war? People find reasons to kill each other even without Fae tricks being involved. The beastkin don¡¯t even openly admit that they follow gods and we nearly wiped out 2 species in a war over land instead.¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°I just feel like such an idiot, like I should¡¯ve known, everything my people have done shouldn''t have happened.¡± ¡°Would you like to see one more memory? It might help you understand.¡± ¡°Sure, whatever.¡± He showed her what he felt when he first heard he was Fomorian, how it changed the way he looked at himself, how many times he felt like a monster for the things that other people who just shared his blood did. He hated himself for a time, sometimes he still did, but he eventually understood that he couldn¡¯t be held accountable for what other people had done. He didn¡¯t command them to betray The Darkness, he didn¡¯t command them to kidnap women, he didn¡¯t command them to use undead to cause a famine. He was from them but not of them. Then, he showed her one more set of images. She had reacted rather weakly to everything so far, she had seen many things for the first time, yet they brought her no joy. So he showed her the things that brought him happiness. She saw Ava playing with him when they were both younger. She saw Amber dancing around the fire with him before they left for the academy. She saw Autumn helping cook in the kitchen. She saw Jarrik and Alana playing with the little fox golems. She saw Wulrun leaping around trying to catch him as they played tag. She saw Aida wiping a little bit of food from his face. She saw Lugh in his childlike form trying to catch a butterfly. She saw herself, and the emotions he felt when he saw her. In theory she knew what she looked like, she knew what everyone else looked like. But she had never truly seen anything, it was all accurate magic being used to show her what things were shaped like, but they had no color, for somebody would need to devote time to making a specific spell that sent back that information with color. For the blind on the other hand, it was nearly impossible since they didn¡¯t know what colors looked like at all. Her eyes could never see, but her mind could view his memories with complete accuracy. She was still somewhat in shock, her emotions were overwhelmed by knowing what she had been missing, what had, in a sense, been robbed from her. ¡°Can I see you?¡± She asked with a quivering lip and on the verge of tears once again. He showed her memories of looking at mirrors, she knew his face, his back, and his chest with full detail, she felt with his hands the scars that marked his failures, that he kept as reminders of his own hubris. She could not hold back her tears any longer, happiness drove away her anger at what she had learned. ¡°I¡¯m I pretty?¡± She barely choked out. ¡°You are beautiful.¡± They missed their classes for the next few hours. He walked her around his room and held her hand, showing a nearly real time vision of what everything looked like from his point of view. Somebody knocked on the door to just check on him and he had to explain what was happening under a veil. If the students from Reino learned what he was doing it would cause strife between them again. The guard still looked suspicious of him since he could tell Adina had been heavily crying but she convinced him that it was fine and that she would make up the classes another time. He had been told, yet not told why, that he was supposed to use a light hand when dealing with Harlan, so he let it go and they went back to what they were doing. When lunch rolled around Amber appeared at his door to check on him with food on the way. If he missed all of his classes, and he missed breakfast, then he was either dead, or he was hungry. When she stepped inside she noticed how red Adina¡¯s eyes were and moved to comfort her, she had gotten over her fear that Adina was playing Harlan and accepted her as a friend. ¡°I¡¯m sure he will accept you one day, but he just isn¡¯t in a good spot to be in a relationship with anyone, it isn¡¯t your fault.¡± Adina broke out of the hug. ¡°No, these are happy tears.¡± ¡°I knew he would accept you one day.¡± She laughed until she was rolling around on the floor and Amber checked if there was the scent of wine in the room. ¡°Alright, now you can explain things.¡± ¡°My gods are false, my life has been a lie, and I know what I look like.¡± Amber looked to Harlan with a confused tilt to her head. ¡°She asked me last night about gods, she was very upset, so she came here early and asked me to show her memories that prove it. Then to cheer her up I showed her my happy memories. We¡¯ve spent the last few hours looking around the room through my eyes.¡± ¡°Harlan. If I said I wanted to leave the academy with you ¡± ¡°Do you want a room or do you want a cabin?¡± ¡°Cabin.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send a letter today saying to make one, it will be ready for you when we get there.¡± She sat up on the floor and Amber gave her a hand standing up. ¡°I guess I should send a letter renouncing my claim to anything in Reino, no going back after that. You made sure everything was ready for me to be a citizen? Right?¡± ¡°Yep, just need you to sign a paper agreeing that you are doing so under no duress and that you aren¡¯t going to be a spy. They wouldn¡¯t let you in the army, but they wouldn¡¯t bother you after that. But, you should probably wait for that. Things are going to get messy when you do that, but if you spend 2 months in Ragne you would be out of their reach for long enough to calm down.¡± ¡°Do you think you can heal my eyes? I mean, I guess we should meet with some doctors about it.¡± ¡°Do you mind if I look at your soul?¡± ¡°Go for it, it would be the most intimate thing we¡¯ve done together.¡± ¡°That is a really odd way to phrase it, but alright.¡± He turned his sight inside her and saw nothing wrong with her soul. This was what he didn¡¯t want to see. There were no clear indicators of what was wrong, meaning he had to map out everything and then keep trying to heal her eyes to see what was working. It could be lengthy, it could be painful, and it could mean he needed to rebuild her eyes more than once if she ended up colorblind or if there were issues with latency between the two or any other number of issues. He had actually already looked into the process, though the books he was allowed to read on the topic were woefully under explained because they were more trying to scare overzealous healers away from doing an at home surgery because they thought it wouldn¡¯t be a big deal. They were a delicate organ, they needed to be perfect, he would settle for nothing less. ¡°We should visit the medical ward after dinner, I¡¯ll go there on my free period first and see about setting a proper appointment.¡± ¡°Can I see my soul?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± She once more received his sight, it was the most fun thing she had ever done, a whole world that she knew only through shapes now unfolded before her through his superhuman eyesight. Soon the food arrived for the three of them and then Adina wanted to know what the food looked like, she wanted to know what everything looked like. Chapter 111 Harlan spoke to a doctor under a veil, he stressed the importance of nobody finding out what he was planning and was told that he should come back later at night, a doctor who knew better about eyes would be there ready to talk. Harlan gave him a handful of gold coins as hush money, the man refused at first, and then finally relented to make Harlan feel safer about the whole thing, though they did end up back in his spending account since staff were not supposed to take bribes. The last class, as always, was magical creatures. Today they would be visiting one of the very few places that actually domesticated magical creatures. In their lower forms even the most progressive people would agree that they were still animals. Wargs were just particularly clever wolves, Skolls were less clear, they had intelligence and could be reasoned with, but at that same age range a Hati was nothing but a beast driven by an instinct to harm others. A Fenrir was just as capable of being a beast or a person as any man, from what conversations have been had with them it is clear that they are driven by their own choices and not by their instincts. They were at a large military base looking area, yet instead of men running drills it was birds, cats, dogs, all normal animals at the time. The process of having a magical creature that listened to someone almost always required that they were raised properly as an animal with respect so the bond would continue until they became more than normal animals. The ones being raised here were smaller dogs that evolved more quickly, the birds were hummingbirds and finches, and the cats were normal farm cats, tabbies and calicos and so on. There were two people in front of the gate, an elderly woman, and a bird that stood just as tall as her with lightning sometimes crackling between its feathers. His feathers were a bright blue with a white pattern like lichtenberg figures on his wings. His head had a crest that extended from the back, the ridgid feathers turned softer as they grew, giving them an almost cape-like appearance. The bird spoke first. ¡°Evening, it has been some time since we last had visitors here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve not taught classes in some time as well, few would be able to bring children here like I can.¡± ¡°Fair, fair, terrible thing that happened. I cannot blame those who wish for time alone. Perhaps I will take a long flight when Gertrude passes away.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I will be leaving you for some time, old bird.¡± ¡°As your mother said before you.¡± He rubbed faces with the woman, Harlan could feel sorrow from both parties. ¡°I am very sorry. I should¡¯ve introduced myself. I am Gertrude Herdmaster. Not the most original name I know, but at the time the first king had more important things to deal with than the name of an upstart with a loyal companion.¡± ¡°And I am that companion. My name is Blue, after my feathers. She was never good at names either. I was born a Bluejay, when I fell from my nest a little girl happened to pick me up, this would¡¯ve been roughly 700 years ago.¡± Many were taken aback, their skepticism clear on their faces. ¡°It may seem unbelievable, but I am the perfect example of why animals must be culled at certain ages. We never grow old, we just change, shedding forms and going on. Though I¡¯ve been like this for over 400 years now. I might be the endpoint of my species, I might be the only one of my species. I am a great beast of calamity, my power shakes mountains and shatters the skies. If I was just raised in the wild I might turn that against you folks.¡± Harlan was the first to raise his hand for a question. ¡°I somewhat expected that you of all people would be all for not culling populations. I am sure it gets lonely being the only one of you.¡± ¡°I have a hard time relating to my wild brethren, until they are 30 or older it is like talking to a child still, they fly off the handle and risk hurting people. I am perfectly fine with humans as companions, I even have my own pets.¡± A kitten sauntered near the bird as if on schedule. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be out here, Mittens, one of these days I¡¯ll find a way to keep you inside.¡± The kitten crawled rubbed against its owner and its hairs stood on end. ¡°But enough distractions, you came here to see what it looks like when magical animals are trained.¡± They left the small hill in the center of the training area and followed behind the bird and the woman. Harlan noticed the only people training the animals were all women, some looked as young as 10 while others were well into their 70s. But more than that, he noticed the resemblance they all shared. He raised his hand again, everyone else was still just looking around them. ¡°My, you are a curious little one, what question this time?¡± He could tell that he was happy to answer the question. ¡°Is everyone here a Herdmaster? And why only the woman?¡± ¡°Yes to the first, bloodline ability lets them form bonds more easily with animals, don¡¯t ask me how. For the second the family was cursed by Fae some 300 years ago, so the women only give birth to women. Even after 700 years, I can still see her in them.¡± They moved past the walled area and outside into an open field with a large number of fenced in courses. In the distance Harlan could see white capped mountains, yet no towns, no villages, they were far from civilization. The whole of 50 miles of land was under the ownership of the Herdmaster family, they were nobles in name but they had no one to tax, so their income came from their animals. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. They covered the distance between where they were to where they wanted to be with Sepul¡¯s help. They watched as birds with blue feathers that crackled with energy flew with cones of air in front of them and the clouds overhead moved with them. After the woman training them blew a whistle they came to their perches. Now that they were in front of the group they could see the birds looked more or less like smaller versions of their forefather. They stood roughly 3 feet tall, their feathers weren¡¯t as vibrant, they had a shorter crest than him as well. A few of them started chirping back and forth before getting a little jolt from Blue. ¡°It is rude to gossip like that when around people. Just because you can hide it doesn¡¯t make it any better.¡± ¡°Sorry, mother.¡± ¡°There is always time to learn, I¡¯m not mad at you. But enough of that. These are my children, not by blood since I have no one else to mate with, but I have helped to raise them just as Jennifer did for me. They are currently 33 years of age and have passed what I consider the form when they become real people, they are not animals anymore and I will not take insults against them lightly.¡± ¡°May I take over?¡± The tallest of them asked. She was albino, in the wild she had been abandoned by her mother, though she wasn¡¯t upset about this, for animals it just made sense. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Thank you. The 5 of us were all born as Bluejays just as our mother was, currently we are Stormjays. The training you have seen just now was us diverting storm clouds. Cities have little need for the rain, so we take those clouds and drive them towards farm land, or, during heavy rain that risks flooding those lands, we may take some of the clouds away to turn it to a wider but lighter rain. We are not military birds, though some might leave the flock for such a goal. After a period of time we might be released from our service and we take what we call a freedom flight where we see the world to expand our view. Some of us return as I intend to, some choose a life in the wilds. I will now be taking questions.¡± Harlan held off on asking anything, instead he was looking at Blue sitting on a nearby bench with Gertrude. Sepul was immortal as far as he knew, he expected that every champion was. If, when, he became the person that The Mother wanted, would he be like that as well? Would he sit on a bench with his great great great grandchildren who were now elderly and near the end of their lives? He put away that thought and went over to them. ¡°You seem to be having some pain, is there anything I can help with?¡± She noticed his rose pin. ¡°Have you learned anything about minor joint pains?¡± ¡°I believe I can help alleviate it somewhat at least.¡± ¡°No sense in turning you away, but you should be with the rest of your class.¡± ¡°I can always pick up a book, or I can talk to Sepul, the world is still gonna be there. I just have a hard time seeing someone else in pain like this and standing aside, I don¡¯t want to do that anymore.¡± He did what he could, her pain was better, but not gone. Her bones and joints were simply weaker with age, he couldn¡¯t fix it, just make it a little better. She breathed a little more calmly, the little aches were gone, as long as she slowed down and saw a healer every now and then she could live like someone 20 years younger, yet it would not extend her life. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± ¡°I did not expect to see that from your kind.¡± Blue had simply watched until now. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t either.¡± ¡°Now, what have you really come here for?¡± ¡°It would be something private, I barely know you.¡± ¡°Humans lie far more often than animals, besides, there isn¡¯t anyone but family here for dozens of miles. Though finches are tattletails.¡± Harlan could tell that the bird seemed to like him, so he sat on the bench with them and put up a veil. He had gotten better at making ones that could barely be seen, people could in theory read his lips, but everyone else was still talking with the birds. ¡°I smell Calli on you. I hope this isn¡¯t love advice.¡± ¡°No. Simply put, The Darkness has been grooming me to be her champion, as far as I know, that comes with immortality. You¡¯ve seemed sad since we got here, I would rather not think about it, but if I accept her offer, it means watching everyone I know grow old while I live on.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve met champions in the past. You are right to believe them immortal. Until they are killed they live on, unaging, most make it to a few hundred years before a threat comes around that kills them, or they do something insane and are put down by the gods. You can¡¯t be more than 13, right?¡± ¡°14, though I don¡¯t actually know when I was born.¡± ¡°You are worried about things 70, 80 years in the future. I see the allure of despair over what will happen, but there isn¡¯t anything you can do. You will live longer than most if you become a champion, but the other side is that whatever gift you are given might let you live when your life would be cut short. Live and make memories of how things are and hold them tightly. Otherwise living as long as me just becomes a curse. Go back to your class, learn what you can now in your carefree days.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call them carefree, but thank you.¡± ¡°There is always a worse day ahead, just as there is always a better one. We can¡¯t know what will happen in the future, so live in the present.¡± Harlan returned to the rest of the class and Gerturde snuggled closer to her friend, she felt cold so often these days. Eventually the class left, and they still sat there on that bench. Gertrude yawned. ¡°Maybe we should go on a walk, I should¡¯ve had somebody look at my joints sooner.¡± ¡°I kept telling you that we need to visit a doctor so you can be comfortable, and you kept saying you were too busy. Always another batch of animals to check up on, another granddaughter needed help with something.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll rest now, just a short nap, then a walk after dinner perhaps.¡± He placed his wing over her like when she was a young girl hiding from her mother because she took cookies before dinner. He felt her breathing was slightly better, Harlan had done more than just heal her joints. He paid attention to her chest rise and fall, rise and fall, and then it fell one last time The clouds overhead cleared with a flap of his wing and a ray of light landed on the pair, he sat there until she was cold, silent tears ran down his feathers, 90 years he had known her, he was there when she was born, now he was here at the end. He thought back to his first owner, and later partner. She had not passed away quietly in her sleep, she had died on a battlefield. He never had the chance to really talk to her like he wanted to, she was taken suddenly. It didn¡¯t stop the hurt, but it dulled it to know it was coming. He stood with dry eyes as her body was laid out on a dais as was tradition. 4 generations had gathered to give their goodbyes, requests for gates went out so the rest of the family could pay their respects. Toddlers looked on with confusion as their mothers and grandmothers cried, they did not understand why great grandma wasn¡¯t going to wake up. When everyone went to sleep he left a note, written with letters burned into paper by his shocks. He would be back after a few weeks or months, then he would pick a new partner, and to feed mittens until he returned. He never said to the boy, yet one of the things that kept sadness at bay even when he knew he would never have a mate unless he raised one from a chick, an idea he found morally dubious, was the constant companionship from his family. They came and went, but each of them was a dear friend and an anchor to the world, something to keep him alongside humanity instead of living out his days sitting on a mountaintop and hunting as needed. Had his first partner not asked for him to watch over her daughter at least, he would¡¯ve just left them all behind, he thought what a dull and pitiful life that would¡¯ve been. Chapter 112 Harlan stepped through the gate back to the academy, he would not hear what had happened until he saw Blue again. He made his way to the cafeteria and ate with everyone, then he went to his room. He had checked the couriers office for letters, one had come in just before dinner but he hadn¡¯t opened it. To his sight it burned with far too much mana for what should be possible for paper to hold and stamped in a purple and gold swirl, was the royal seal, the tree of blades. Rosewell never replied to anything he sent her, though Dahlia did sometimes show up to yell at him. They spoke many months ago because of Relly and he had been told she would be out soon, yet Harlan was growing impatient about what soon meant. His letters became more and more direct whenever he sent them. Cynthia on the other hand replied rather quickly and they had been talking back and forth with a letter every week or so. Harlan placed his signet ring on the wax seal and it slid off with ease before it vanished into dust. ¡°Sir Harlan Fomoria, it is with great honor that you are to be at a gala within the royal palace in 1 month¡¯s time. Your family will be there and you will be allowed two guests. Signed, Yggdra the 15th, King of Ragne.¡± Harlan paced back and forth, why was clear, but why now was his question. The crown had yet to unveil the communication devices, for him to be invited it could only be for that. He would likely be shoved around like a rare animal to be gawked at by people who were either so far above him that they thought he wasn¡¯t worth their time, or people who wanted to mess with him either for personal gain or just because he had made few friends in the academy. His penchant for challenging others when they wanted to belittle those under them in the hierarchy made him a target for insults, but there were few people who actually wanted to fight him. For those in the 3rd year the chances of winning weren¡¯t great, and for those in their 4th year who thought they could win it simply wasn¡¯t worth the cost to their reputation if they somehow did lose. Anyone below them simply had no chance unless they had some specific bloodline ability that let them win. ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°What if we have fun?¡± Lugh still looked like a doll when he walked around shaped like a person, he was hanging on the edge of the desk looking at the letter. ¡°I have no hopes for fun, the best I can hope for is that nothing blows up.¡± Harlan threw a wooden ball he had carved against the wall and it turned to splinters before slowly starting to reform. ¡°Our family will be there, what if some son of a duke gets handsy? I don¡¯t want a repeat of Jet but I can¡¯t fight him.¡± ¡°Maybe Miss Cynthia will be there and she can help?¡± ¡°Lugh, thank you. I¡¯ll request her help with a letter, it will be there before the event itself. I¡¯m also going to need to choose two people. Sepul is a good choice, I think, but I don''t want Adina there. Do you think Yara would go for it? She is outside of the noble system but people generally avoid interfering with the Golden.¡± ¡°Why not Adina?¡± ¡°Because she has no power and she is from Reino. If somebody messes with her I would be forced to hold my tongue. I need to look at the library, find out how laws on guests work.¡± Harlan was on his way to look for books when he was suddenly teleported away. He sighed and sat in the chair he found behind him. ¡°I take it you saw the letter?¡± ¡°Yes, I was just going to look at laws regarding guests. I also wanted to invite you to be there. My being under you will take a cut from the praise and you were important to my work.¡± ¡°I cannot accept your invite, I have already received my own.¡± ¡°Oh? I thought you left the mire of politics and parties years ago.¡± ¡°Yes, I did, but if you start causing trouble as my apprentice I will need to correct you just as I would correct those who seek your harm.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, you don¡¯t know how much weight this will be off my shoulders.¡± ¡°You are welcome. Now, moving onto guests, don¡¯t take Adina, if you do I will not defend her.¡± ¡°I already decided I don¡¯t want her there, I can¡¯t defend her the same way I could defend my family. Who would you recommend I take?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean to sound patronizing, but I am proud that you understand to keep her away from some things, she is already a headache and I would rather she not be involved in more incidents. But about guests, I would suggest the sisters. Respectful relations with the Golden are part of old treaties that Marigold herself set up so they will be treated well.¡± ¡°I thought she didn¡¯t even like her people?¡± ¡°She believes them misguided, but until the day comes that they understand her position and join the rest of the world she wants them safe from the outside world, and the outside world safe from them.¡± ¡°I can see her point, it must¡¯ve been hard to- Wait, you are using present tense, she was the champion of Aarde, she is still alive, isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Simple slip of the tongue, but yes. I don¡¯t know where she is, last I know she was somewhere in the north solving an issue, though even that was well over 80 years ago. She always comes back as a Golden but since they don¡¯t share information with the rest of us she could claim to be any exile and just put on a new face. Ragne is very accepting of her people, but maybe she is living in The Confederacy now. I only say she always comes back as a Golden because every time I¡¯ve met her she was one, but there is also a possibility of her coming back as a human and living in Reino. For all I know she could be a beastkin.¡± Harlan slumped in his seat, he didn¡¯t believe Sepul would misspeak, but he let it go, whatever was the reason for it, why he wanted Harlan to know wasn¡¯t important. ¡°Huh, that is interesting. Anyway, I¡¯ll ask the sisters.¡± ¡°Yes, I believe they are likely to accept, Liat will end up as an exile and it will be a good chance for her to potentially seek employment and connections with the upper echelon of the kingdom. Yara will simply wish to see the palace.¡± ¡°Well then, thank you again for your advice, but I am also going to prepare for something later, so I need to return to my room.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t fix her.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°The cause of her blindness is a faulty bloodline curse set in place by Fae. You lack the skill and the ability to correct her body. Don¡¯t give her a false hope.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t know unless-¡± ¡°No, you won¡¯t. But it doesn¡¯t matter, you would do better not wasting your time.¡± Harlan stood up, the chair sliding back slightly from the speed at which he did so. ¡°I am not going to hear another word of defeatist bullshit. I¡¯m the one who was born to poke around souls, you heal the flesh. I am going to do everything I can and I will spend my time however I please. Send me back to my room now.¡± Sepul sent him away. His words were to light a fire in Harlan and then let him fail. Across his over 300 years of apprentices the biggest killer was pride, Harlan had been doing too well for too long and at such a young age it was better to douse him with ice water now. Sitting there alone in the room a shadow smiled at him. ¡°Thank you very much. The boy needed a little push.¡± He flooded the room with light to banish every shadow before he checked all of his wards and arrays to find out how she slipped inside. Then he went to Cecht to make sure his mind hadn¡¯t been altered in any way, there were no signs that she had been inside him. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. She had never outright controlled other people, yet the fact that he knew she could was enough for him to keep his distance from her. Harlan replayed his memories of looking at her soul for hours until she arrived. Rushing ideas between himself and Lugh, both of them had that instinct for soul magic, a certain feeling for what seemed wrong. Their appointment was set at 9, she would be there waiting with him at 8:50. A gate opened directly to a room for them. This was not just a place for children to learn magic, it was the greatest gathering of healers outside of the personal staff for the king himself, discretion was something that was needed and understood by the staff. The doctor was Hellon. ¡°I can¡¯t have my best students going to another healer, it would reflect poorly on me.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Once they were beyond the point where she was nearly trying to inflict shellshock on the students she had turned to just cold towards most of the class instead of hostile. ¡°I¡¯ve already heard what you want me to do, but today I am just going to be looking at her to understand which process I will need to use. It will all depend on which parts of her eyes are actually the issue, the worst case will be if I need to make entirely new nerves and connect them to the brain myself.¡± ¡°Is this going to hurt?¡± Adina was shaken. It was one thing when she was seeing things for the first time and going with the feelings at the time, yet now she was actually standing at the threshold, one more step would be too far for her people to ever accept her back. Even just knowing that she had seen a doctor to fix her issue while knowing that soul magic was the only way to possibly fix it would lead to excommunication at best. ¡°No, you might feel a little warmth or a chill in your head, but it will pass. If you want to turn back now I will not say a word to anyone, I know it can be very scary to have someone perform on you.¡± Harlan placed his hand on hers and she grabbed hold. ¡°Hellon, please continue.¡± Hellon looked at Harlan, her eyes called him a sly dog. She placed her hands over Adina¡¯s eyes. Her head was bursting with a yellow glow as the magic seeped deeply into her flesh and harmlessly tickled her brain. She felt the chilly feeling behind her eyes, and squeezed Harlan¡¯s hand hard enough that if he was a normal person it might¡¯ve hurt him. He squeezed back lightly. After 30 minutes Hellon took her hands off. Harlan could feel anger, disappointment, and a tinge of what he believed was self-loathing. ¡°Give me a little time, I¡¯ll try again.¡± She drank a tonic and then cast a spell to metabolize it over the next few minutes. Another light show, another failure. She ran other tests. Bright lights in the eyes, deep brain and muscle scans, nerve dancing where she was sending small shocks to try and map some reactions. After 2 hours she came up completely empty. She tried to flesh sculpt the eyes, which were the only issue she could see, and only because could see them with her own eyes. Adina had a natural eye color of green as it turned out, yet Adina saw nothing. Her worry had been growing for every moment that Hellon was just sitting in silence, thinking. ¡°I am going to consult other doctors, I cannot see a single thing wrong with your eyes. The nerves are connected properly, your brain is functioning as it should, the parts of your eye that make it work are all there. The only thing making your eyes appear blank is some kind of magical effect that I dispelled, and now it is back.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother talking to Sepul. He told me it was impossible, the result of a Fae granted bloodline malfunctioning and turning to a curse. He said I might as well not waste my time.¡± ¡°Well who the hell does he think he is? Giving up isn¡¯t the job of healers, the unsolvable things are what we are here for. He is going to get an earful from me.¡± ¡°Harlan, you said my soul had no obvious flaws, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t really poke around too much, but I know what a human soul looks like. We all have about 98% in common with one another, so I guess I¡¯ll need to map out that other 2% and find what is wrong. He seemed pretty sure it was soul based anyway.¡± ¡°How long will that take?¡± ¡°Well¡­ 2 weeks, maybe more. Even if souls are more or less uniform in size, the complexity of information stored in each drop of soul water is far far denser in humans. I¡¯ll need to take out a slice of the soul, read it, and then put it back to check the next slice. I¡¯ll be able to skip anything that I know is just repeating information or information that hasn¡¯t been written yet, but it is basically like trying to understand the pattern on a quilt by pulling out each thread and quilting a second one until you¡¯ve remade the entire blanket. A book written in print so small you need special spells just to read a single letter. That 2% is more than the souls of 10,000 rabbit souls in their entirety. It is just time consuming, but I don¡¯t mind at all. We have from after dinner until about 11, then they will make you leave my room. Then that time after that I can review everything, if I can find the issue and then repeat it on other souls then I¡¯ll have a much easier time¡­¡± Harlan just rambled on for minutes on end. Hellon was taking notes, despite Harlan giving out a great deal as a matter of goodwill and improving how people heal souls, he was currently going into theoretical topics and things he didn¡¯t tell anybody else. Everything was going over Adina¡¯s head but she was happy that he was thinking himself into a frenzy to help her. Eventually Hellon had to ask a very important question. ¡°How exactly do you have so much information on the human soul and taking it apart?¡± The air seemed to shift under the sudden tension. ¡°Don¡¯t ask questions you already know the answer to.¡± Hellon and Adina assumed it was something that happened during the 3 years he had been taken by the kingdom. He still never spoke about it with her in any detail. ¡°I am sorry to have asked. I didn¡¯t mean to bring up any bad memories.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± It wasn''t. ¡°That is all in the past.¡± He accepted what he had done, but he didn¡¯t like to think about it. ¡°Adina, I think we should go now, I¡¯ll keep looking into this overnight, but I am going to catch up on the day classes I missed by going to the night classes.¡± He believed with all of his heart, yet reality cared not for those whose heart outstripped their ability. He waved her good night. His classes had actually already started, he was still missing most of them, but he never planned to go to them anyway. Instead he went to the library. He had been trying, little by little, to test the systems for keeping students away from the books meant for older students. Tonight, he would be trying to break them. Alrick was returning the books to their proper places near the back of the room, so he was away from the doors that led to stairs leading down to the advanced materials. The doors still had mechanical locks in place of magical locks, the older students would simply keep a key on them at all times. Harlan thought it was strange, his room had a magical lock, class doors had magical locks, yet the place that held so much potentially dangerous knowledge was kept safe by simple locks? Lugh shifted himself inside the mechanism and moved the pins, 10 seconds and he was in. He actually expected that there would be an array or ward that would find out he wasn¡¯t supposed to be here, but he didn¡¯t expect to be able to just walk in the first time, he didn¡¯t mind getting caught once at least. Yet the lock clicked and the door opened without anything happening. ¡°Did they not expect anyone to do this?¡± ¡°Maybe? The librarian rarely leaves the front desk and most of the time there would be people in here.¡± ¡°I guess so¡­¡± Harlan couldn¡¯t fathom that they left it undefended because most people would lack the ability to fully understand what was written here. Also the books were all magically marked themselves, so he couldn¡¯t take them away even if he wanted to. He went down the stairs to the 4th year students library, it was no less sizable than the main library. It was empty, he almost expected that he would need to try and hide from other students who were down here, yet the librarian was the only person he could sense. As he walked down the rows of books he realized that he never actually saw anyone else ever go into the library while he was there. ¡°Lugh, you can look at anything you want or you can help me read medical texts. Also.¡± Harlan cast ring of light, it would expire in time to remind him when to leave. Even if not a single student from the night classes came here, he expected that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get away with staying here when breakfast rolled around. ¡°Now. Let¡¯s go.¡± Harlan and Lugh tore through books on medicine, on souls, and on Fae. Understandably the books on souls didn¡¯t reveal anything to him, it was a magic that until he came along was poorly understood and difficult to understand, each ritual spell would have a cost in the double digits of silver coins and sometimes involved rare ingredients. There were few reasons to actually do it anyway since any damaging soul magic was worthless unless you managed to make your target literally walk into an already active ritual and at that point you could have a warspell or a series of arrays already set up for an ambush. Healing soul damage on the other hand was more advanced, but its rarity as a threat and the rarity of mages who can actually heal the soul made those few that knew anything to hide it as a personal legacy that would only be passed on to apprentices. Sometimes decades or centuries of knowledge would be discovered when a house would be made a possession of the state due to the mages having no heirs. None of the books he found were actually using his methods because the people who should be writing these books were just improving their legacy instead of bettering the world at large. When this dawned on Harlan he was just disappointed, not even angry. The other books he found were equally worthless to him. Fae didn¡¯t like being written about so the books were written in strange formats with enough turns of phrase that he needed to find a separate book to decipher them. Even when he did understand what was written he didn¡¯t learn anything important, Fae magic was poorly understood and couldn¡¯t be cast by normal people unless the person witnessing it gleaned some of the cause and effect, yet even then it was making a spell that did what the Fae had done, and it was not truly Fae magic. Medical textbooks explained every part of the eye in excruciating detail, but Adina¡¯s eyes were physically fine. He was about to give up, his ring of light would expire in another 2 hours but he felt somewhat defeated and came to the conclusion that it was something he would need to do on his own. He kept looking at the books anyway, hoping they weren¡¯t useless. Chapter 113 When Harlan finally got the chance to leave it was almost time for breakfast, though he didn¡¯t run into anyone that would question why he was coming from the wrong direction. Along the way he saw Grenth with a false undead girl. He had slimmed down and bulked up quite a lot since he last saw him. The girl pointed at Harlan and Grenth was clearly unhappy with what he was about to do, but did it anyway because she asked. ¡°Harlan Fomoria, I challenge you to a duel.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°To reclaim my lost honor.¡± The girl behind him had her hands ready to cheer for Grenth, he thought it was cute. ¡°Listen, you aren¡¯t going to win, and you can¡¯t really force this duel. If you want to reclaim your lost honor, be a better person, your friend there seems nice, that is a good start. Have you spoken with Cynthia?¡± ¡°She has talked to me a few times, but why do you know that?¡± ¡°Because she is a good friend of mine, and I hoped that she would make you a better person.¡± All of a sudden the girl was confused and looked between the two boys. ¡°So you aren¡¯t going to fight Grenth?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think either of us would get anything from it.¡± ¡°But he has been training really hard for this, he needs to beat you to move on.¡± ¡°It seems to me like he is already doing fine moving past his loss, and that takes more strength than beating me ever could.¡± He had shamelessly taken that line from a novel Yara gave him, a book meant to teach children who were young, but not too young, about confidence and overcoming failure. ¡°Are you sure you won¡¯t fight him? Not even a little bit?¡± ¡°I mean, we could move a class real quick and arm wrestle.¡± Harlan won without any issue, but the Ghoul girl seemed happy that Grenth was given the chance at least. He moved to their table, his little encounter had made him the last to arrive. ¡°Good morning everyone.¡± ¡°First you miss breakfast, then you are late. What have you done to the real Harlan?¡± ¡°Ha ha ha, I have more important things to do than eat sometimes, Yara.¡± ¡°With how you put away food I find that somewhat hard to believe. Unless it was to help someone we know.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t get into details. So, moving past that, do you and Liat want to be my guests to a royal gala?¡± The sisters and Ximena went into a conversation between themselves. Meanwhile Adina grabbed his hand and tried to do the same, blasting him with a white noise attack that he is sure would¡¯ve caused anyone who didn¡¯t cast soul defense spells every day to fall into a coma. ¡°Stop trying to talk, I¡¯ll teach you later.¡± ¡°Sorry, are you alright.¡± Harlan tightly closed his eyes and put his hands on his temples to try and soothe the pain. Yet his pain wasn¡¯t physical, it just took him a minute to think well enough to remember this. By the time he made the pain subside the Golden were done talking. ¡°We would be delighted to come along, yet I believe it would be better if Ximena went in my place.¡± ¡°Alright, that works, I just didn¡¯t think you would let her go on her own.¡± ¡°She will have you there, and I am sure that you will do everything in your power to keep her safe.¡± ¡°Why not me?¡± Adina asked not out of any hurt feelings, she was just curious of his reasoning. ¡°Because I can¡¯t protect you like I want to, it is the same reason I am not asking Zella to come along. I am a nobody as far as nobles go, I¡¯ve done a lot more than any of them got done at my age but I am still a first generation noble while some of these people will have favors going back a thousand years. The Golden have rules regarding them, Reinoan¡¯s don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Are you certain that you have nobody else you would invite? I don¡¯t mean to sound ungrateful, but I don¡¯t want to take away a spot from somebody else.¡± ¡°Ximena, you want to be braver, start by being confident. I am not inviting you or them lightly, if I didn¡¯t invite you I might not have taken anybody with me.¡± ¡°Right. Thank you for this. I didn¡¯t think I would ever need to use my formal wear, but now I am glad we were all forced to take it.¡± ¡°I guess I should probably get something higher quality made for me as well. I hate formal parties.¡± Harlan could only vaguely tell them about why he thought he was going to be invited, everything he had done was under lock and key, it would likely be some form of treason to even talk about it too much even when everyone would know about it in a month. Harlan went through the day thinking about what he had been told yesterday. What he had read, and what he hadn¡¯t read. It would¡¯ve been easier to think about this if he wasn¡¯t constantly bombarded by the focus of so many people on him. He didn¡¯t talk under a veil when eating, it just wasn¡¯t something he bothered to do, he never said anything too important anyway, he would be changing that. Yet while he didn¡¯t think it was too important that he would be going to a gala at the palace, not a single other student agreed with him. He was suddenly being invited to be friends with any number of people he didn¡¯t even know the names of, let alone care about. Even Grandry tried to approach him, Harlan at least gave him a chance since he was a friend of Piceous. Yet he could tell that the boy was only trying to climb the social ladder after realizing that Harlan was actually going places, so he gently broke away from the conversation with the excuse that he needed to get to his classes. He hoped that he didn¡¯t realize Harlan was on his free period. When he made his way to his room he found Willow and Claudia were waiting for him. ¡°Do you have business with me?¡± ¡°Yes, we do.¡± Claudia had not tempered her distrust of Harlan. ¡°Claudia, please be civil.¡± ¡°Then please, come inside.¡± As Harlan always did he set water to boil and got cookies out of their containers and onto plates. ¡°What can I help you with today? Have you lost something?¡± ¡°As repayment for what you have already done I wish to give you advice for the gala.¡± ¡°You owe me nothing at all, if you came seeking favors I will be turning you away.¡± ¡°I know that despite what you asked me to do you sent my aunt letters and she has been replying to you. I did nothing for you in the end.¡± ¡°I said before, even if you don¡¯t end up getting a response, just trying was enough.¡± ¡°Your payment was nothing at all from me, I believe it is best that I do something for you, I do not want you to have done your work for nothing.¡± Harlan was about at the end of his rope, so he decided to be blunt. ¡°Oh? Have you been taking lessons from Miss Dyad? I don¡¯t want anything, I don¡¯t need anything, I am not helping people because I give a shit about favors or advice, I did what I did because it was the right thing and because you are a friend of a friend. If you want to give me advice then give it, but I would rather not be reminded of that day.¡± She jolted back in her seat at his harsh tone and swearing. ¡°I am sorry, I am sure that doing what you did must¡¯ve been hard, I did not mean to bring up bad memories.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even care about- Never mind, as I said, I will take your advice if you want to give it, but this is no trade, you owe me nothing and I do not want anything, if you want to talk then do it as one person to another.¡± ¡°If it is not because of what you did to that man then why would you be upset about that day?¡± She looked at Claudia for answers and Claudia looked at Harlan as if asking him to shut up before he says something he will regret. ¡°Well, it has been a nice talk, but I think it is best that you both move along.¡± He returned her look, he could¡¯ve been petty and explained what her friend had done to him, but he left it, he was trying to be the bigger person. ¡°Willow, I believe it is best that we go. I told you that he would not accept your advice anyway, you know how people like him are.¡± He held his tongue, yet his words sat upon it like molten iron. He still held some hope of being friends with her once again, he categorized most people rather heavily, and despite what she had done he still placed her on the better side of a friend or for line. When they stepped out of the room Harlan stuck his wall, breaking his hand and making the ward light up. ¡°Damnit.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. He used his good hand to heal the broken with some help from Lugh. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just tell Willow what happened? Claudia is bad and she doesn¡¯t deserve to be friends with her.¡± ¡°She might just be the way she is because of how she was raised, maybe she will grow up, I don¡¯t know, but I don¡¯t want to be her enemy. I just wish she could see that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand you, I don¡¯t understand most people.¡± ¡°Lugh, I don¡¯t understand people either, sometimes you just have to try your best.¡± After another 10 minutes his hand was completely normal. He was the first to arrive for dinner, he couldn¡¯t get anything done while irritated as he was. Amber was also there before her friends and couldn¡¯t help but notice his constant sneer so she slid next to him. ¡°Do you want to talk?¡± ¡°Not really, but I will.¡± ¡°All the attention stressing you out? I¡¯ve already got a bit too many eyes on me as it is, knowing I am going to the royal palace for a party has me on edge as well.¡± ¡°The gala is only the lesser of two things bothering me right now. Remember how Claudia has a problem with me?¡± ¡°Unfortunately.¡± ¡°She was there with that friend of hers, Willow. I may have fumbled my conversation, but I also could¡¯ve gone harder on her. It¡¯s been months since I last talked to Claude, so clearly he hasn¡¯t been able to crack her shell of distrust either. I just don¡¯t want her to be like that, we weren¡¯t super close, but I guess she is the first friend I¡¯ve lost, and she took her brother with her.¡± ¡°Sometimes you just have to accept that people grow apart, you can¡¯t be friends with somebody who doesn¡¯t want to be friends. I know it seems hard, but just let her go, you barely knew her in the first place.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to give up on her, I know she can be better.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°Everyone can be better if they understand what it means.¡± Amber didn¡¯t like what she was about to say, Harlan seemed so pure in that moment, he was just a boy who wanted his friends back. ¡°You can¡¯t convince some people what being better is. Claudia, I am assuming at least, likes her family, she was raised properly to their standards and she isn¡¯t going to just throw away everything she learned. Adina is a sad story, her family treated her poorly, she had nobody to support her. All of a sudden she has you, you don¡¯t care about her eyes, you don¡¯t care that she is from the enemy country, you don¡¯t want her for her body, you are her white knight saving her from her life. You are her world and she would do anything for you, that is very dangerous and you shouldn¡¯t think that Claudia needs to just see you for you, she is blind to who you are and you can¡¯t fix that so easily. You aren¡¯t giving up on her, she isn¡¯t somebody that you can save from a wrong view, because she didn¡¯t see it as wrong and she isn¡¯t going to be convinced.¡± Amber expected a reply of some kind, but she didn¡¯t get any and left once her friends all sat down with their food. When his friends appeared he asked to not take part in whatever they were saying, his mind was a million miles away. It was incomprehensible to him, friends were friends, they were always friends, that was just how things were supposed to be. It felt wrong on a deep level for him to just accept what Amber told him, losing a friend was like them dying almost. He ate his meal only because he knew what he needed to do afterwards and needed the strength, but he didn¡¯t even know what it tasted like. With glazed eyes and a hollow feeling he walked to his room and Adina was there just a few minutes afterwards. He had her sit across from him and he explained everything. He could feel the fury on her mind like a brewing storm. ¡°What should I do? Can I really just leave a friend behind?¡± ¡°She is no friend, she is a vile little witch spitting in your face and you are too soft to see that. I want to wring her neck myself, how did you just sit there and take it, WHY AREN¡¯T YOU ANGRY.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose anyone.¡± ¡°You never had her, that rotten little- ARGHHH. She spread rumors about you for weeks at least, about your sister, I¡¯ve seen you ready to kill people for less.¡± ¡°She just needs to know better, I can¡¯t make an enemy of somebody that just doesn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Everyone is like that, nobody is raised in a vacuum, but you let your head go empty because she pretended to be your friend. Where is that FIRE you have in your heart, that you lit in my heart. You are passionate all the time, don¡¯t go cold because you don¡¯t want to lose something you never had. You would¡¯ve done anything to help her and she threw mud on your name because she is not worthy of what you are, a genuine friend.¡± Adina tossed Harlan¡¯s reforming wooden ball at the wall a handful of times, only cracking with each throw. ¡°Is this what it feels like to lose somebody like that? I hate it.¡± Lugh entered his childlike form and hugged Harlan from the side, followed by Adina. ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, I don¡¯t like sad Harlan.¡± ¡°She isn¡¯t worth the time spent thinking about her. You invited me here so you can do something for only my personal benefit without asking anything from me, don¡¯t beat yourself up or think you are anything less than a great friend.¡± ¡°Adina, is there anything you wouldn¡¯t do if I asked you?¡± She blushed until she looked like a tomato and stepped away with her hands on her cheeks, she knew he wasn¡¯t that kind of boy, but she almost wished he was just so she could give him back something for saving her from a life she didn¡¯t think was worth living. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think there is. If you asked me to take my life I¡¯d believe you had some reason for it.¡± She could see he was pained by her response but didn¡¯t understand why. He just moved past it. He would map her soul while Lugh tried to teach her soulspeak. The job was incredibly boring, for her it would just be Harlan holding her hand for hours on end, so he figured she could either learn from Lugh or bring a book to read. ¡°Hi Miss Adina, I am Lugh. Can you hear me? If you can, shake your head.¡± She did as asked, she could feel how happy Lugh was to be talking to her. He had always been shy, he wanted to try to understand people before he introduced himself, though everyone in his friend group knew what Lugh was. ¡°I am excited that you are going to learn from me! I never get to teach people! Harlan does that, now we can talk to each other as well, it is going to be fun!¡± She couldn¡¯t help but giggle, she wondered if this is how Harlan was at one point. There was a certain sense of peace as she listened to his rambling instructions, the only time Harlan was like this was when he was explaining some magical idea or concept to people, it was a time when he could put aside the rest of his problems and just speak with a genuine spirit of curiosity without restraint. When the night was finally over Harlan was sweating. ¡°Alright, can¡¯t stay any longer.¡± She got up and instantly felt unbalanced, she had been sitting for hours without moving much. Harlan caught her and said he would talk her back to her room to make sure she made it there safely. This repeated the next day, and the day after that and the day after that. He finished mapping her soul after 2 weeks, yet he continued for a 3rd week, he must¡¯ve missed something, what else would explain what was happening? The parts that linked with her eyes were normal, every change he made to it was either reverted after a few minutes as if he had done nothing or it didn¡¯t do anything at all. He could give her sight, his healing spells would catch, but then they would fade away shortly after. He could tell she had faith in him, but he was becoming more upset the longer he worked. When she left he began scrawling on the walls again, making notes and drawing runes that only made sense to him. He understood that there was a deeper core to the soul, if he could take out a slice and if it wasn¡¯t put back then it just grew back as it was supposed to be then that part must¡¯ve been broken with her. He had rabbits in the sables bought and paid for, and he had gone through dozens of them in the last week, but as soon as he touched that inner core the soul violently sent waves against his soul. He was on the ground vomiting again, he would need to set his defenses up again. ¡°Harlan, stop, you need to stop.¡± ¡°No.¡± He retched again. ¡°I¡¯m getting closer, I¡¯m sure of it.¡± ¡°Go to sleep, it¡¯s been 2 weeks of hard magic. You can¡¯t keep going.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He reached into his pocket for an anti-sleep elixir and Lugh shattered the bottle before he could drink it. ¡°No, you, are, going, to, sleep, NOW.¡± It was hard to not feel foolish when being scolded by his younger brother. He moved the liquid into a mirror and saw his bloodshot and sunken eyes. ¡°Fine.¡± He made his way back to his room and felt his body go limp and his vision went black before he reached his bed. ¡°You have been ignoring me, if you want what I will give then you shall do as I speak.¡± He had many times when he could¡¯ve or should¡¯ve contacted her for his problems, but he hadn¡¯t. Sepul¡¯s words about her not being honest, that it seemed she was somehow involved with the king, they stuck with him and he didn¡¯t exactly trust her as much as he would like to. ¡°If you were me, would you trust you?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been tackling a problem beyond yourself, and you still choose not to ask my help. I dislike that I need to force you here, it burns my tongue to speak forcefully towards you who I so love and care for.¡± Harlan felt that she was less offended and more hurt that she had to do this. ¡°I am sorry. I should¡¯ve asked for your help. What can I do to make it up to you?¡± ¡°There is nothing to make up for, you have exercised your sense of self. It is still your choice to not ask of me, just as you might turn away my words now. I need you to kill somebody, in exchange I will give you that which you seek. That girl¡¯s problem is deeper than any mortal can solve, but, you are not any mortal.¡± ¡°Who do I need to kill?¡± He felt there was a lot that he was missing here. She should have access to any number of people, man and beast, that were far beyond his power. ¡°After you return from the gala, my shadow will bring you to him. He wishes for a painless death, he does not trust that me and mine would grant such a thing, so I have volunteered your name. Use this week to ready the ritual needed for this. Do you accept this? There shall be no harm in not doing what I ask.¡± ¡°The harm would be to not help my friend, that I would not keep my word to her.¡± ¡°You are not ready to be my champion yet, I shall explain no further.¡± He was with her for such a short time that he didn¡¯t even have the chance to fall before he was back, he stumbled and grabbed his desk, swinging himself into the dark hardwood piece of furniture face first. ¡°Ow.¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. I just got a little-¡± Harlan emptied his stomach as nausea from the information The Darkness was sending him finally arrived. Then he ignored whatever Lugh was saying as he began to manically write down instructions and sigils and runes across whatever paper was on hand. He used all but a single piece of paper before he felt like himself again and the stack of unbound words and symbols written on both sides stood two feet tall. ¡°I need a shower.¡± Lugh didn¡¯t say anything, The Darkness had taken partial control over Harlan and he knew that, so he detached from Harlan¡¯s belt and started cleaning up what Harlan left behind. When Harlan got out of the shower he didn¡¯t bother getting dressed, he just flopped into bed and went to sleep. He found himself in that ballroom again, the woman had her face and spoke her words. He always tried to pay attention but he barely remembered anything she told him. ¡°Have you had a rough day?¡± ¡°Rough month. I hope I can trust her enough to give me what I need instead of just pushing a power on me without explanation.¡± ¡°I know even if she gave you the slightest bit you would figure everything out, you are always so bright.¡± He might¡¯ve asked the question a dozen times, or perhaps he never asked it before, he couldn¡¯t really know which was true, so he asked again, or for the first time. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m nobody, just the regrets of a woman who had a better life than she deserved.¡± ¡°Are you my mother?¡± ¡°Ghosts aren¡¯t people. Just bits of what made them up, if I am her then an autobiography is the person it is based on. I¡¯ve never known so much of her, but I know enough that I hate her, I hate so many people.¡± She wept from one eye with a furious expression on her face. ¡°I am sorry, it is hard to be myself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ok.¡± They spoke of nothing, or perhaps it was everything. She had already seen his life from his eyes, so she did not need to hear these stories again and again, yet it anchored her. The whirlwind of emotions settled, it brought peace to her to hear him talk of the things that brought him joy. She did not know when he might remember what happened here in his sleep, so she ended the night the same way every time. ¡°She might not have loved you, but I love you. I hope one day you can-¡± Harlan woke up at a normal time, he took another shower, he sweat a lot in his sleep. Then as he finished drying himself off and getting dressed he heard the bell telling students it was time to leave for breakfast. Chapter 114 Lugh had started ¡®sleeping¡¯ on the bed with Harlan just to try it, but his body didn¡¯t require rest. He could be tired and fall into a sort of coma if he got weak, but he never rested the same as a person did. Lugh felt like how Harlan did as a child, confused about why people slept. He laid in bed for a few hours before he would eventually get up and go to read or ¡®exercise¡¯ his body. After their encounter with Kleon they realized that his shifting was more than just shape. The core of his blade now had pieces of each elemental metal just to see what he could do. One thing he noticed was that while he could move them around they refused to mix into one another. Testing it with normal metals just lowered the quality of the magical metals and it took a long time to pull them back out of it without needing to pay for a blacksmith to melt them apart. Lugh was currently in the process of seeing how far he could stretch out his lightsteel part when Harlan woke up and immediately went to take another shower. He went back to reading as he put himself back together. Lugh could shift quickly, but when he messed with his body too much and played around with adding and removing parts of himself it took a short amount of time to reintegrate them and let his soul become part of them again. When Harlan came out Lugh became little more than a set of legs, then when Harlan grabbed his handle he formed completely into his sword self. ¡°Harlan, what were all of those notes last night? I read them but I didn¡¯t understand most of them.¡± ¡°Somebody wants to die, I am supposed to help them.¡± They could have a quicker conversation if it was soul to soul, but Harlan wanted Lugh to be more used to talking out loud. ¡°Are you going to murder somebody? I don¡¯t want you to do that. That would be bad, right?¡± ¡°That would be bad, but this person wants to die.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe they¡¯ve just seen enough, they don¡¯t think the world is worth living in but they are having a hard time actually dying.¡± ¡°That¡¯s weird, I don¡¯t like this. Why not try to save them?¡± ¡°Lugh. This isn¡¯t my choice, I will ask them once before I do it, but if they want to die and they can¡¯t, then I think it is better than letting them suffer.¡± ¡°What if you wanted to die?¡± ¡°I have before, but I decided that things can¡¯t get better unless I am there to see if they can. Maybe I¡¯ll live a thousand years, ten thousand years, and then I¡¯ll lose all hope, I¡¯ll want to die, and somebody will need to do this to me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about this anymore.¡± ¡°I know, but maybe you¡¯ll be by my side for ten thousand years, maybe I¡¯ll raise my one hundred times great grandkids and marry my thousandth wife. I know it is sad to think about, but it doesn¡¯t help to worry about that right now, all we can do now is live our lives and hope that we don¡¯t fall into that despair.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Harlan would feel his turmoil for the rest of the week. It was sometimes hard to remember that Lugh wasn¡¯t even a year old yet, but he was being exposed to a lot of things and was growing up faster than Harlan did as a result. He felt like a failure as a brother for letting him see what he had seen, to let him know what he had known. When he reached the cafeteria Amber¡¯s group was sitting with them. ¡°Amber, did you get your dress yet? Do you want any spells in your jewelry? Do I need to give or make anything for anybody before we leave? Do you all know the plans for the night?¡± ¡°I think it would be best to go over everything once more, we¡¯ve got 6 days to double check everything.¡± Yara was hiding it well, but the closer she got to the event the more nervous she got. If Liat would be there it would be nothing since she knew that she would upturn Aarde and sky to keep her safe. But instead it would be Harlan and Ximena. She trusted them, but they weren¡¯t blood, and Ximena was still meek. If she stood by his side she was absolutely sure that Harlan would do just as much as Liat would, but Harlan could be pulled away from them whereas Liat could not be due to diplomatic reasons. ¡°Alright. Sepul will gate us there at 2 in the afternoon, at which point I am to have a private chat with his majesty. Then I will need to help with setting up the presentation. Assuming everything has gone well, you will have already been run through a short class on expectations about your conduct as my guests. We will mingle with whoever is already there. I will be back by 3:30, my family should be there at 4, that is also when others will start to show up. At 5 appetizers will be passed out along with stronger drinks. We don¡¯t really have a minimum age to drink, but I am going to ask that both of you avoid it, you are free to refuse an offered drink and the rings I¡¯ll give you can detect poisons in a subtle way, but don¡¯t openly check for poison with either words or hand movements. Until 7 I will be free to be with you, if you want to keep close then do so, but I¡¯ll likely be approached by people I can¡¯t ignore. I have more things to give you for personal defense depending on what you want to take, but that can wait until later. At 7 I will take part in a demonstration of the object which I have taken part in making. This should only take 10 minutes, at which point I will be free to do as I please. The party ends at 11, but if you want to leave later than 9 that is fine, technically you can leave whenever you want, but it would reflect poorly on you and me. But if you feel unsafe, then leave as soon as you want, I-¡± He double checked the veil he already had up. ¡°I don¡¯t give two shits what some nobles think about me, I can work for reputation, but I will not endanger you for a moment. Don¡¯t get pulled into any deals at all if you can help it, think of nobles like talking to Fae, every word they say is laced in venom and lies. I think that covers it.¡± They all knew Harlan expected something to go wrong, that was just the way he was. But he also seemed to have put quite a lot of thought into making sure that things going wrong would only have so much effect on them. They would learn when they saw what Harlan made for self-defense that his plans weren¡¯t anything short of insane however. ¡°Well, thank you for explaining it all again. But this will be a gala, not a warzone.¡± ¡°Warzone would be easier, at least you can see the knife going for your throat.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been to one noble party, you can¡¯t, no, you shouldn¡¯t, assume that everything is going to be like that.¡± At this point anybody who knew him expected this and they ate without paying too much mind to Harlan. Everyone but Adina also just learned to tune out whatever happened when Harlan and Yara got into one of their civil debates. Breakfast came and went, neither side letting the constant back and forth get in the way of their meal, it could almost be called skillful how easily they spoke with half full mouths and yet spoke with normal tone. But it was also gross. Harlan went through spellcrafting and advanced elements without anything out of the ordinary happening. But after divination Hellon pulled him aside. He hoped it wouldn¡¯t eat his entire free period, but it was probably important. ¡°About your maid, she never got that letter back to me.¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°I am sure there is a good reason, maybe she is anxious about how to fill it out, I know she only received very basic schooling. That or she lost it and doesn¡¯t want to bother me again because she believes she can find it. I will be going back after for a very short time tomorrow, I will ask her about it.¡± ¡°Thank you. And please remember to be discreet, nobody wants to have these things done, but if she ever wants to have children she needs this to be done.¡± ¡°I am the spitting image of discreetness when I want to be. I just rarely feel the need to be.¡± ¡°I will believe that when I see it, do not treat this as a joke, it is a young woman¡¯s life.¡± ¡°If you know me, then you know what I would do to help a friend, I consider her a friend.¡± ¡°That is the trait I find most worrying about you. But I am sure you¡¯ve heard this speech a thousand times, don¡¯t be or do something that you cannot take back because you feel you need to help a friend.¡± ¡°Thank you, I actually have heard that speech a lot of times already.¡± ¡°Good, now you can leave.¡± Harlan had a normal lunch, everyone just ate their meal in silence, there weren''t any topics to bring up at the time. Every other class went by normally as well, from the glare Sepul gave Harlan it was clear he already knew that Harlan was up to no good, but he did not broach the subject, it was Harlan¡¯s lesson to learn. At dinner Harlan asked that the girls come to his room so he could give them things for the gala, Zella and Adina were not a part of this. What Harlan pulled out when they arrived was a stonesteel chest synced to his own mana signature to make sure nobody could open it, forcing it open would set off every item inside in an instant. Yara held a lightsteel necklace full of black gems cut into a teardrop design, it was beautiful, and they wondered who actually designed it. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you had such taste, it is a work of art.¡± ¡°Each gem in that thing is loaded with a single void nova spell.¡± The group counted them out, 36 gems, 36 warmage spells. This was not a self defense item, it was a siege weapon. Yara quickly, but delicately, put it back in the chest. ¡°I can¡¯t wear something like that.¡± ¡°Too flashy? I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know what Golden formal wear looks like, I should¡¯ve asked if it would clash.¡± ¡°What? You don¡¯t seem to understand why I can¡¯t take it. That thing is not for safety, if I met the king wearing that they would think I am about to destroy the palace.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I learned how to cloak items, keeping spells in disconnected runes within the soul with another spell that reconnects them adds a few seconds of lag to arm the device, but until then it just looks like a piece of fine jewelry.¡± ¡°That still isn¡¯t the problem. I am not comfortable wearing something like that, what if something goes wrong and that thing goes off.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take it then. Do you have one for Ava too?¡± Amber draped it over her chest, it stretched nearly from one side of her chest to the other, somewhat conforming to her body. As of that moment, only 2 people knew that he soulsmithed it in the same way as he made Ava¡¯s armor. If all went well, it would still only be only two people. His explanation of how he cloaked items was a fabrication, but something they were ignorant enough about that they could believe he could do it. ¡°Of course, I made one for each of you and then one for her. Autumn and mom have their own guards. Also, here are the rings. Everyone in the family gets one of those.¡± ¡°Are those also full of dangerous things?¡± They were simple things, just steel engraved with a bit of gold for flair so people wouldn¡¯t look down on them. ¡°No, they just purge poison. Feel free to keep these if you want them. I also made one for everyone else, you never know when they might come in handy.¡± ¡°How do they work? What about unique poisons?¡± Liat had been eyeing the one she was given, but didn¡¯t want to put it on yet. ¡°They are loaded with a very powerful spell, I asked Sepul to help me make them. I should¡¯ve said this at the start, but obviously don¡¯t talk about anything I¡¯ve shown you here. If anyone asks, the ring is a sentimental gift from me. It wouldn¡¯t do to have Sepul¡¯s name involved with any of this. And I am definitely committing a crime by just owning those necklaces.¡± She slipped it on and grabbed a small bottle from an inner pocket on her robe. In a few moments the liquid was turned into something else, yet it looked the same. Sepul had designed so nobody would realize what had happened, sometimes it is best to fake a poisoning to get a confession, or at least justification for a killing. ¡°So, how much do you trust the ring?¡± ¡°Give me that bottle and I¡¯ll show you.¡± For all of his faults, Harlan believed that Sepul had his best interests at heart. He drank the potion, it was very, very, bitter, this was how somebody would know that their drink had been poisoned when nothing had changed in smells or looks. He made a disgusted face but since he didn¡¯t pass out after a few minutes she believed that it was safe. ¡°Do you always carry around a vial of poison?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± Harlan didn¡¯t answer, he just scoffed. Since he felt he was somewhat confident in his alchemy he kept a vial of acid, firetar, and poison on him at all times, just in case. He explained a few more items. Hairpins with enough sound magic that everyone in the dorm room would be bleeding from their ears. Earrings that put up veils. Bracelets with a directed soul attack that would, in theory, disable but not kill anybody who was hit by it, an improved design on the item he gave to Adina after she had been attacked. Brooches that looked like a desert rose for the Golden and one that looked like a normal rose for his sister, each with pedals of shadowsteel with a white gem as its base the size of his palm. ¡°This one, this one is my masterpiece. No cost to great, nothing was spared for these.¡± Yara was scared to ask, but Amber was intrigued. ¡°What do they do?¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t use them unless your life is in danger at that very second. They are based on something else I am working on, they should just¡­ call somebody.¡± The hair on everyone¡¯s neck stood on end. Names had some power, but even without being told who they all felt that there was something dangerous involved in making them. Coronach would be in a sort of stasis during the gala, hidden in Ava¡¯s shadow to slip past the security. The brooch would wake him up, and he would be slightly cranky in such an event. Everyone hesitated to even touch them at all. ¡°I won¡¯t ask that you take anything but the rings, but, if you trust my ability to make things, then please take at least one self defense item.¡± ¡°Everything you¡¯ve made ranges from mild to a crime against humanity. None of these things would care about collateral damage. I am sorry, but I refuse to take them. After all of our talks about right and wrong I thought you would be better than this.¡± ¡°I have made things pretty clear I think, when it comes to my friends or family, I become morally¡­¡± The first thought he had was bankrupt, so he ignored that. ¡°Flexible.¡± Ximena took a deep breath, she was disappointed in him, unable to accept how he justified making these things. ¡°Harlan.¡± Then she punched him with all of her might, enough to draw blood from his nose. ¡°Harlan, you are infuriating. Do you know what I¡¯ve heard of you before I met you? That you were some kind of monster who snapped the moment something got in your way, that you put on a fake face of kindness to draw in weak people. What do you think I felt when I saw you during the camping trip? Terror, I hid it, but I was a coward, and I still am. Then how do you think I felt when you helped guide Adina around, when you shared your food with people who had done nothing for you. I was still afraid, I got letters from my parents when Rosamet returned and said that a Fomorian was attending the academy. It was a big deal, and then you kept being nice even when people didn¡¯t deserve it, and I warmed up to you. Then you blew up at me over a lot of things and I realized that you really are just another person. I can handle the Harlan who would tear someone apart with his hands, I can handle the Harlan that would throw himself on a sword, but I can¡¯t accept the one that let go of himself to help me. I don¡¯t know what you were doing with Sepul, but you were acting really weird for a few days at least and I don¡¯t like that, you shouldn¡¯t do anything for us that you wouldn¡¯t do for yourself.¡± Harlan had been letting himself bleed on his robes, he wanted to hear her out and see if he deserved what had happened to him. Then after she was done he realized that her knuckles were turning black and blue. She didn¡¯t know how to throw a proper punch and Harlan could be hurt, but he was still solidly built, so there would be harm back on his attacker. He grabbed her hand and healed it, she was being flooded with adrenaline and hadn¡¯t realized that she was hurt yet. ¡°And don¡¯t you dare start warping yourself even more to be what I want you to be. I look up to you because of who you are, not who you want to twist yourself into being so you can calm me down.¡± Harlan chuckled, she hit the nail right on the head, the first thought that crossed his mind was how he would change to make her happy. ¡°And stop bleeding on everything damnit.¡± After a short minute his nose was back to normal and he cleaned the blood up as best he could. It would be the cleaning staff¡¯s problem tomorrow, but he would at least leave a note to apologize and say that he hurt himself and not to worry about the blood. They would take samples to verify it was his, but they did like that he seemed sorry to make them work more. Liat watched everything with a smile on her face. ¡°Amber, why didn¡¯t you step in?¡± ¡°Because Harlan is a smart idiot. I¡¯m not going to get in the way of him becoming a person who doesn¡¯t self-destruct at every possible chance. I wanted to talk to him about that anyway, Ximena just did it better.¡± Despite the time Harlan spent with both of them, Liat and Amber hardly ever met one another for an extended time. They talked on the way back to their rooms and found that they enjoyed one another¡¯s company. Harlan thought over what Ximena told him for the next few days. He really didn¡¯t think it was such a big deal, she didn¡¯t even know half of what he had done, the him that lived in her head wasn¡¯t really him, but maybe that was for the best. Chapter 115 It was the day of the gala, Harlan wore a tight fitting black suit with a red undershirt and white vest that Sepul had made for him. It was intentionally made in such a way that Harlan needed to restrict his movements to avoid tearing it. Sepul said he wore one some 200 years ago when he was involved in the royal court so he could learn how to appear as a proper and uptight prick. Harlan wore his white rose pin over his heart, his crest was emblazoned on the back in a large design. He had heard people didn¡¯t care for his design, so he would make sure everyone knew exactly who he was. He didn¡¯t care overly about style, but he had what he liked and if others didn¡¯t like it that was their problem. Amber wore a Black dress with long black sleeves that transitioned into red at the forearm. From just above her neck to her waist down the center there was a white Y pattern. On her back was of course Harlan¡¯s crest. Ximena and Yara wore dresses in a style preferred by the golden. They were respectively deep green and deep blue, both had spinklings of gold in a pattern to invoke a rolling dune and were made of multiple layers of a nearly see through silk. It was tight around the waist and went down to above their ankles, not low enough that they needed to worry about stepping on them however. They each wore a half cape of fine silk in a brighter color than their dresses which covered only one shoulder. Around their waists they wore sashes with what Harlan assumed to be a symbol for their village or town since they both had the same one of a snake coiled around itself sleeping. It too was of course, Golden. The group consisting of Amber, Harlan, Ximena, and Yara, were waiting for Sepul. The gate offices were somewhat noisy compared to normal, they had received their orders for who was to arrive and when, now they were double and triple checking their notes to make sure the son of a one person didn¡¯t show up at the same time as the daughter of somebody else. He didn¡¯t begin to understand whatever esoteric order was made out of why one came first and when. ¡°That suit looks good on you.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Adina and Zella wanted to be there to see everyone off at least. ¡°Who knows, maybe someday you can see me in formal wear.¡± Adina was anxious. While nothing had happened since Sepul had a conversation with Brimstone, it would be the first time Harlan wouldn¡¯t be anywhere near her in months. So she fished for some parting compliments. ¡°I don¡¯t think I would care for that anyway. You look fine in whatever you wear.¡± Harlan guessed at what she was doing, so he played along. ¡°Oh, and before I forget. Take this.¡± He handed her an orb made from light steel, it was no bigger than his fist and if one looked very closely it had fine details of feathers and eyes. He had found out that even though the gem itself held the spells, once it was transplanted into another item and the soul grew into it, there would be a sort of resonance between metal and spell, boosting the power of an element by anywhere from 10% to 30% depending on the spells used. ¡°What does this one do?¡± ¡°If you need it, just use it. Stay safe.¡± He knew what the reaction would be ¡®how could you hand her a device that cost over a thousand gold coins and was loaded with a semi-sentient soul and spells from an archmage?¡¯ so he didn¡¯t say what it would do. ¡°Appropriately ominous. I will always keep it on me.¡± ¡°Good. Zella, I have one for you too.¡± ¡°Thanks?¡± Garad couldn¡¯t stop Harlan from spending his money, but it made him question if he should try harder to stop him when he spent enough gold to build a small fort on items that Harlan wouldn¡¯t even explain what they did, just calling them a protective device. They spoke for a few more minutes before Sepul arrived and whisked them away to the palace. Harlan looked at the walls, then when he stepped outside of the gate room he knew exactly where he was. He never got the chance to explore fully, but he had almost lived here for 3 years. Sure he spent time in the facility, but since he didn¡¯t need to sleep often he would spend days in the palace and Rosewell would show him around to destress him. Outside of the gate room there were two people, Rosewell, and Safira. Harlan froze. It had been a long time, he didn¡¯t know how to react to seeing her. She stared at him and he could feel that she was happy. ¡°Now, where is that sharp tongue of yours? I hope the academy hasn¡¯t clipped your wings, though from what Cynthia tells me you¡¯ve not changed much.¡± ¡°Sorry, I was simply stunned by your beauty.¡± Harlan bowed deeply, the seams on his suit telling him exactly how far he could go. ¡°I don¡¯t think that is true. But I suppose we should talk later. Safira will show you to my father¡¯s chambers, I will be the one leading your friends around.¡± ¡°You two will be just fine. Rosewell is a good person, I think.¡± Safira didn¡¯t care much for his joke, but Rosewell laughed, but it wasn¡¯t a joke. He couldn¡¯t be sure, but maybe he had been overthinking everything she had done. Maybe she really was just nice. As usual Safira didn¡¯t say a word as she moved through the halls guiding him. She knocked on the door to the king¡¯s personal room and he gave them leave to enter. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Safira, you may go.¡± ¡°Yes, your majesty.¡± She was unhappy to leave Harlan, of the few guards who had seen him often during his stay she was the one who most believed he was more of a threat than an asset past a certain point. But she was also absolutely loyal and would not question an order. ¡°Please, sit, have a drink.¡± Harlan found that the king had a kettle in the same design as Harlan¡¯s, but it had been made by royal blacksmiths and mages. They sat in front of a fireplace roughly 3 feet apart from one another with a small side table between them. The room was lit by only magical lights, the king didn¡¯t like sleeping in a room with windows so he had the room across from his own turned into his new quarters. Inside the kettle was vanilla tea, Harlan sipped it after giving the time for the ring to work its magic. It was not bitter. ¡°I am sure you are wondering why I¡¯ve called you here. And please, be stark and honest, there is no one here who cares about how you talk to me.¡± ¡°Thank you, but I am wondering what they are doing here.¡± Fragile peace stepped out of a fold in reality where she remained hidden, behind her were a few guards, each of them wore a simple crown of fig branches and held no weapons, wearing only half-plate. It was quite odd, and some might even consider them cowards for having nothing to defend themselves. In the times where the world was flooded with monsters, every man woman and child held a weapon on their side so they were ready. In the modern era this meant most people in general kept something on them at all times. To carry nothing would be a signal that you don¡¯t intend to fight, for a noble this would reflect poorly on them since they were always at war. Yet for her and her guards, they were there for peace, and they expected their host to keep them safe. It was left unsaid, and Yggra wouldn¡¯t mind, but coming without weapons was putting a lot of faith in them, which she hoped would be repaid in good faith. ¡°My apologies, he asked that I not reveal myself so he could test your abilities.¡± ¡°That is fine.¡± Down to his bones his instinct asked that he remove her head from her shoulders, yet he had no issue pushing that aside, it was just a feeling, and he was no animal. ¡°As for why I am here, I wonder, why do I fear you? And why do you maintain such a bloodlust towards me?¡± ¡°I believe that it would be politically problematic if I explained both of those things.¡± ¡°I can handle whatever you can say.¡± ¡°Forgive me for being uncouth, but I¡¯ve seen what your country is through a good friend of mine. I simply cannot trust your word that this wouldn¡¯t be a bigger issue than you seem to think..¡± She seemed to want to pout, she was a year younger than him still, but she remained calm as she remembered everything she had been taught. ¡°What would be enough to make you believe that you can trust me?¡± ¡°Tell me, what do you know of Adina? Has her name ever come across your desk or throne or whatever you have?¡± She closed her eyes and cocked her head to the side, after a moment she shook her head. ¡°Then you have nothing that I want. You can judge a nation by how its people act, and I would be lying if I said I trusted anybody from Reino without a good reason.¡± Yggdra chuckled, technically she was queen of the entirety of Reino, yet Harlan barely registered that fact. She was a 13 year old girl who was trying her best to act like a leader. ¡°I have gold, I have metals, I have gems. What about those?¡± ¡°I have gold, I have metals, I have gems, what about them?¡± Harlan could tell that she didn¡¯t like his answer, on the other hand, he found it funny. One of the guards raised his hand and was given leave to speak.. ¡°If this girl, Adina, is in Reino, or a citizen, would it not be best that you answered The Grand Saint?¡± Harlan¡¯s face did not change, no shadows darkened, no flames flickered, yet his eyes could not lie. They turned from a lazy fog to a maelstrom in an instant. ¡°Could you explain what exactly you mean by that?¡± ¡°Well, as she is under our authority, would it not be better that you don¡¯t offend the leader of our nation?¡± ¡°If you want to threaten her, just do it, don¡¯t hide behind your weasel words. I feel quite confident that I could kill most of you before you could stop me.¡± Harlan said in an even tone. It was a quick shift in the tone of the conversation and the atmosphere in the room. The guards reached for swords that they did not carry. Fragile Peace however, raised her hand and they did not say a word. ¡°You have my word, there will be no violence towards this girl, whoever she might be. I am sorry for the words of my guard, he is from a different time in our history. I will not ask again.¡± She was afraid, but Harlan believed that she was telling the truth. ¡°Why does it bother you so much that you are afraid of me anyway?¡± ¡°I would like to not be afraid of anyone. I hope that a talk would alleviate this, but I can see that I am not a good enough speaker to change your mind.¡± Harlan wished it was so easy, that he could just tell her and everything would work out. Adina only came to his side because Reino treated her poorly, she had nobody to act as a pillar of support. He assumed that Fragile Peace was treated well and was a zealot, she was the leader of a nation of them after all. ¡°I will try to stay up to date on the news, if I can believe that you aren¡¯t going to make a fuss over my answer, I will tell you.¡± ¡°That is acceptable.¡± She looked happy after his reply, but he felt like he couldn¡¯t truly get a good reading on her mental state for whatever reason. The king clapped his hands, making the Reinoans jolt back for a moment. ¡°That is enough personal matters I believe. I have given you time with him, now it is time for my talk with him. Harlan, do you still want to kill me?¡± ¡°If I answered yes or no I would be lying. For personal reasons I do still want you dead, but I can tell that the kingdom is actually doing very well in your hands. If some of your children got on the throne it would cause me quite a lot of problems.¡± All eyes were on Harlan for his honesty. ¡°A good answer, and one that I can appreciate. You can be practical and your emotional state has improved as my friend said it had. Now we can move onto the real conversation. Harlan, what would you say about working on the blood crystal method of communicators for Reino. They won¡¯t use the soul version, but they are interested in the other design.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see what this has to do with me, you already have the prototype and you have that other researcher who can work on it.¡± ¡°A mage is a nation, I don¡¯t have the authority to just take your invention and give it away to another nation.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand, you are the king, I made it under your orders originally.¡± ¡°Tell me, if you became an archmage, and I took everything you invented and just sold them myself, would you not feel slighted? Why do you think almost every single archmage lives in the neutral learning zone, instead of as dukes or counts? My father, and his father, and his father before him, and almost every noble in this country, treats mages as resources to be exploited. If the son of a soldier is better than the heir to a noble house and takes a spot that they believe they deserve in an academy, then that child is treated poorly both there and at home. That is what will kill this kingdom, we will not die in a war, we will end up with so many enemies within our borders that Reino will not need to lift a hand to splinter us into 13 cities to be conquered again. If I could pardon Dearil and bring him to my side I would without a second thought, but that hope was squandered the moment his family was taken from him.¡± Harlan thought over everything he had heard, and he agreed. ¡°I will keep working on the blood crystal design. It will be more limited than the soul method, but it will make communication across nations as simple as a few spells.¡± ¡°I am very happy to hear this, I am told you can create these crystals, I would like you to make one for me. When the two of us have these devices I would like to continue talking with you about what problems you see in our nation. I agree with King Yggdra the 15th, if we are to have peace, we cannot let talented people be pushed aside by those who hold power for selfish reasons that only serve to weaken us.¡± If the looks of vexation on the faces of the guards was any indication, they did not expect her to ask that of him. ¡°Alright. I am going to draw a little bit of blood, but don¡¯t worry, I will heal you right afterwards.¡± Lugh became like a clawed gauntlet and with a light poke she had a pinprick wound that Harlan used to make a crystal the size of a fingernail. Then with just a touch she was healed. After some real negotiations went on with Yggdra acting as Harlan¡¯s aide to ensure he got a good deal, and that the kingdom got a cut. Safira was waiting outside the door and led him to a room where his friends and sister were currently having an awkward conversation with Rosewell who seemed overly friendly to them. Yet what struck him even before he entered the room was something else that he had not felt in some time. Chapter 116 Harlan entered the room, checking the corners for guards, of which he only found Hostin. As soon as Safira took her place outside of the room Harlan walked over to Relly and swung her around. ¡°It''s been a while, you¡¯ve grown.¡± ¡°I know! How have you been. And who is that with you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Lugh, hello.¡± She was confused, but replied with a hello back, Lugh didn¡¯t particularly care for talking to people, but it would¡¯ve been rude to not say something back. ¡°I can see you and her are catching up, but will you both use your voices.¡± ¡°Maybe I want to be her chatterbox again.¡± She hit him in the arm and then spoke. ¡°Sorry Miss Rosewell, but he started it.¡± Harlan noticed her voice was coming from a necklace she was wearing, it was actually one of the communicators that was modified to loop back to itself. ¡±How is that working?¡± ¡°Thought to speech, thanks to you I have a voice now without needing to set up spells. I wonder if this is what I am supposed to sound like though?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, you can talk to people when you want now, no more idiots being freaked out by that little tingle.¡± She laughed. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t call your friends idiots though.¡± ¡°I hope the three of you have been treating Relly well.¡± The tension in the room lessened when Harlan started being so nonchalant about everything. ¡°Harlan, would you like to reintroduce us?¡± Yara looked so tense that she could crack her own bones. ¡°This is Relly, my first friend from the facility, if I didn¡¯t meet her I probably wouldn¡¯t have made any friends and I would be insane now. In the corner is Hostin, I saved his life a couple times, he saved my life a couple times, but I¡¯m not keeping track, good guy. Finally, this is Rosewell, she was my jailer, friend, and princess. I might have mixed feelings about her, but I think that is a different conversation.¡± ¡°I would barely call myself a jailer. I did everything I could to keep you safe, and sometimes that required drugging you until you couldn¡¯t move and forcing you into a bed.¡± ¡°I wish I could do that sometimes.¡± Amber was the first to break the ice, if Harlan wanted them to be guarded against her then he would tell them in his own way. ¡°So he is still the workaholic I knew?¡± ¡°I work as much as is needed for a job. Anyway, I am surprised, you seem a lot happier than last time I saw you.¡± ¡°Of course, you are a magnet for stress, from the assassins to the experiments to everything you and Cynthia got into, I am surprised my hair didn¡¯t go gray from it all. I almost wish I was never put in charge of you, but I wouldn¡¯t change it. I can¡¯t imagine any of my siblings handling you well at all. Hydran complains every time you do something that my father thinks is important and I know he is only getting more bitter over burning bridges with you.¡± ¡°Now that I am happy to hear. What a prick.¡± ¡°Excuse me, but what reason does Prince Hydran even have for hating Harlan?¡± Yara asked. ¡°Hydran just wanted me to fail because it would make him look better, there is no good reason, and that is why he isn¡¯t even in the running to be the next ruler. He wanted Harlan dead for an entirely pointless powergrab. I want you girls to be very careful around my siblings, and Harlan, I know I don¡¯t need to say this, but don¡¯t dance with my sisters. It is better that you avoid talking with them at all, but you also can¡¯t be rude when you shoo them away.¡± ¡°Do you have any siblings that are decent people besides Cynthia?¡± She had to really think about her answer, which was already a bad sign. ¡°Lily, the 12th princess and my youngest sister, and Magnolia, my oldest sister, are good people. For my brothers you have Aster, the 12th prince and my youngest brother, Gladio, the 2th prince and Chrys, the 6th. Everyone else is a threat that you cannot overlook or offend, and even if Hydran isn¡¯t going to be king, he is friends with my siblings that have a chance at the throne, so avoid anything that he or they can use as an excuse to spread bad rumors about you.¡± ¡°Oh, that should be easy. I just need to avoid 19 of your 23 siblings.¡± ¡°Ah, and I should say, whatever you do, if Alder, my oldest brother, talks to you, don¡¯t try to get away. Just keep the conversation going until he loses interest. I honestly don¡¯t know him very well, but he has always been closest to my father.¡± ¡°In the bad way or the good way?¡± ¡°I honestly can¡¯t tell.¡± They moved to nicer topics after that until Harlan. ¡°Relly, how have you really been? Did you make any new friends?¡± ¡°No, but once I start going to the academy I can see you more though. Besides, Miss Rosewell has been very good to me.¡± ¡°Are you going to be there next year? Or longer?¡± Rosewell answered. ¡°2 years at least, she is still very young and unlike you she is unlikely to handle the stress very well.¡± ¡°Where did you get the idea that I handle stress well?¡± ¡°You are still here, you got new friends, and if you were really hiding being ready to implode on yourself, Relly would tell me.¡± Rosewell suddenly had a solemn look in her eyes. ¡°Would the three of you like to go out with Relly for a moment? I would like a conversation with Harlan in private.¡± Harlan nodded at Amber who was looking at him, and she convinced the other two to come with. He could feel that little Esparella knew what was going to happen and it had upset her somewhat. Once the others were gone Rosewell sent Hostin away as well, to guard the door outside she said. Rosewell felt the warm winter sunlight on her skin and prepared to ruin her fathers plans, if Harlan hated her then it would do no good for the kingdom. ¡°Harlan, I am sorry.¡± He leaned forward, looking her right in the eyes, he could lie, but she knew that his eyes were honest. ¡°I forgive you, you were between a rock and a hard place. Acting motherly, giving me time off so I didn¡¯t just work myself to death, making sure Zella and Relly were happy and safe. I actually don¡¯t think I care about the why, you and I might not be close friends, but if you can be genuine, then I would like to be.¡± His eyes were like rolling fog on a lazy morning, they did not whip with fury, they did not focus like the funnel of a tornado, they were as they always were. ¡°I am glad you don¡¯t hold resentment towards me. But I knew what your mental state was, and I still sent you away, I do blame myself for how you reacted.¡± ¡°And how did I react?¡± ¡°Your deal with Dearil, my father told me, he said he told no one else, but I can¡¯t be entirely unsure. The Dark god, she set you up from the start, she worked with my father to ensure you were safe, but also that you made the mistakes that got you to this room here.¡± ¡°She put me in that situation, but I made my choice. I was in no state to make it, but I had others who told me not to, and I made it anyway, knowing what it might cost me.¡± ¡°Even if that is the case, you should still be wary of her, I can¡¯t exactly spy on your talks with her, but I have looked at the history of the people who get too involved with her. Most seem to reach a breaking point and then die in some suicidal mission from her. I do not want you to put Relly and Zella through that.¡± ¡°I will make my choices, that is all I can do.¡± ¡°You sound like you are about to die, cheer up a little.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather be back fighting direwolves in the snow than be on a stage talking to a bunch of fucking nobles. Pardon my language.¡± ¡°Of course. Would you like me to give you some tips on public speaking?¡± ¡°Thank the gods, yes.¡± Harlan realized how serious things were getting and wanted to try to relieve the tension in the room, he would thank the gods for nothing in most cases. Once they were done Safira once more guided him through the halls. ¡°Do you not talk because you don¡¯t want to, or do you just prefer to only speak when spoken to?¡± ¡°I speak when I need to, in this case, to avoid you trying to speak with me again.¡± ¡°Understandable.¡± Harlan went down long and heavily reinforced hallways that led to long stairways that led to more hallways. His spatial awareness was fairly good, he guessed they were 200, maybe 300 feet underground by the time they entered the lab where Sepul and that other brother he made were located. Harlan noticed a few familiar minds, they had been note takers for his experiments to gain web access so he could translate it into spells normal people could use. The first thing that caught his eye was an orb, roughly 3 feet in diameter, attached to many shifting arms that were somewhere between an octopus and a spider. He noticed Harlan as well. He shortened his limbs to bring his orb to above head height with Harlan. ¡°You may call me Dagda. You will act as my voice for this presentation. I would rather be here working than entertaining dolts who cannot know the erudition which went into our creations.¡± ¡°How are you?¡± ¡°I am, as I always am, busy. Wasted time is never regained, let me explain everything that needs to-¡± Sepul stepped forward. ¡°These are Dagda¡¯s notes, we are going to turn them into something less dry and more easily understandable.¡± ¡°You are going to ruin them, for those lesser minds. Useless ones that only think of gold and shiny objects, children past the age of adulthood. Fools, the lot of them.¡± Dagda slithered around in anger, he was very opinionated. He had been raised from the start to be a maker of things, to try to delve into the secrets of things both mechanical and magical. As he learned more and more and spoke to normal people less he ended up as he was now. The first researchers Harlan met were like this, they didn¡¯t just believe themselves to be the smartest person in the room, they almost always were, and this gave them an ego. Much like how mages weren¡¯t unhinged just because they were mages, he was the way he was just because nobody normal would do what he would do. ¡°Yes, but those fools are giving you the gold you need to buy all the toys you work with. A mind without anything to work on is no more useful than a farmer without seeds.¡± ¡°Bah, I would find a way to make do.¡± He swam through the air at a high speed towards Harlan, stopping near his face. ¡°I will be taking samples from you.¡± Before his limbs could pull hair and draw blood Lugh blocked each attempt. ¡°You are mean. Stop doing this to Harlan without asking.¡± ¡°This is for science, don¡¯t get in my way little brother.¡± Sepul stepped in before things escalated. ¡°You will behave yourself, or I will be the one you deal with.¡± He fled to the nearest wall, understanding that despite his mind, he was not a powerful mage. After a minute or two of sulking he returned near Harlan. ¡°May I take hair and blood samples?¡± ¡°May I know why you want them?¡± ¡°I hope to understand why I cannot make more of myself. I am a complete soul, yet when I attempt what you have done, the things I make are incomplete.¡± ¡°I consider making more people like you to be a very serious thing, you aren¡¯t a soul item that doesn¡¯t think, that just takes in knowledge and commands. You are a person, a complete soul, but also one with a mind. If you made more like you for experiments I would not approve of that. Unless the king himself demands that I help you, I will not do that for you.¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. He clicked together his ethereal shadowsteel limbs in anger, but did not talk until he had calmed down. ¡°Fine.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t like how he acted. They had pumped him full of knowledge, and clearly he took it all in, but he was still mentally closer to a child, he had tantrums, he needed to be scolded, but worst was that he understood limits, and still he wanted to break them, only being stopped by threats. ¡°But, I will ask The Darkness about it.¡± He joyously spun in the air. ¡°May you also ask why she does not answer my calls?¡± ¡°I will ask, if you behave yourself. Why not use this time to help me and Sepul with your notes? Surely as their writer there is nobody better suited for this work.¡± He spun in quarter circles back and forth with a stuttering motion. ¡°I suppose if there is no better person for this, it would fall onto me to help you.¡± Harlan tried to make smalltalk with him, but it ended up being Dagda asking him questions about magic and sometimes Sepul gave a glare when he asked something sensitive. The hour flew by in a flash and Harlan wondered if Dagda would be alright. He looked at him like other people looked at Harlan, he was clearly doing something bad, or thinking about it at least. He waved goodbye to him and he waved back with several of his limbs. Sepul stayed behind to keep looking over the revised speech for any errors or things that needed a little more explanation. Harlan was once again escorted by Safira, he wondered if she really just stood there for the entire hour or if she at least read a book, yet he didn¡¯t ask, if she didn¡¯t like talking he wasn¡¯t going to force her to. He was now in the royal gala hall. It was clearly spatially distorted to a degree. Harlan¡¯s first thought was that it was probably 7, if not 8 times larger than the Blackstone hall. He could take a horse from one end of the room to the other and it would still take a few minutes. It was actually so excessively large that he was disgusted at it for some reason. He made his way to his friends, finding that Cynthia had already arrived and was with them, along with a few other royal children. As much as he wanted to do something to her, he had to act with his best behavior around everyone. ¡°Harlan, it has been too long. Please, hold, Sycamore.¡± She immediately handed her son to Harlan without giving him the chance to say no. She knew that refusing while she was already holding him close enough for Harlan to grab him would be seen as rude. So Harlan grabbed him. ¡°He has your hair.¡± ¡°And his father¡¯s eyes.¡± They were a bright green, just a natural color. ¡°Is the duke here?¡± ¡°Yes, I believe he went to talk with Alder about some deal or another.¡± She had been doing stretches the entire time since she handed her son to Harlan. ¡°Do you know a spell to soothe muscles? My doctor isn¡¯t here and I don¡¯t want to walk all the way to the healer here.¡± Harlan realized that when she said it had been too long she meant that she had been holding her baby for too long. ¡°You are a princess, you should call him and he will come running.¡± Harlan tried to remember the faces, but was having a hard time. This one was the 10th prince Calad, or 11th prince Calen, they were twins and he would need to rely on his mental sense after one of them identified themselves. ¡°Shoo if you are going to start being rude, Calen¡± ¡°I do know spells to soothe muscles, where is the issue? There are spells that are general, and there are spells that are specific.¡± ¡°My shoulders and my legs, carrying one inside and one outside is wearing me down.¡± It only took a few minutes before Harlan was done, it was a little awkward since little Sycamore kept grabbing his hair and clothes but he refused to let anyone else take him. He used lower power spells that released their effect over a period of time since he knew that pregnant women were sensitive to magic, he just didn¡¯t know which spells or why and the books and classes hadn¡¯t really clarified that yet. ¡°Give it a few minutes before it really sets in, during that time you should avoid straining yourself. Are there any chairs around here? I can grab one for you.¡± She was nearly through her pregnancy and it was clear how it was affecting her. ¡°Sure, just grab one from anywhere.¡± It wasn¡¯t really standard protocol, and when Calad tried to say this Gladio stepped in to stop it. He had dealt with the women in the family while they were pregnant before, and it was not a good idea to contradict them over something so small. Harlan used a spell to reduce friction and slid to the nearest chair he could see. He would¡¯ve ran instead or even flown, but his suit stopped the first and wards stopped the second. Sycamore was having a lot of fun however. When he returned the twins were speaking to Yara and Ximena, while one of the older boys was talking to Amber. Harlan could tell they had less than pure intentions. He had intentionally designed Amber¡¯s dress to be something that did not provoke lust, yet it didn¡¯t really matter too much, magical tempering did not just mean being stronger, it helped those with natural beauty have their bodies grow in all the right ways. Ximena and Yara fared no better. He couldn¡¯t really afford to start a fight here, luckily Cynthia had his back. ¡°Their eyes are up there, all of you.¡± Of the ones there, Gladio was the oldest, Cynthia was the next oldest. Despite her being the 9th princess and Calad being the 10th, there was a larger gap in ages between them. She was 24, while the twins were only 16. The one talking to Amber was 8th prince Colefray, at 20 years old. ¡°I have no idea what you mean. I was just taking in the design of her dress.¡± ¡°Do you want one in your size?¡± Before he could reply back Gladio once again stopped him. The king had sent him to ensure the day was peaceful despite Cynthia being ready to stir the pot at the drop of a hat. Gladio himself was a quiet mountain of a man at 6¡¯5. Harlan didn¡¯t know him yet, but he gave off the same feeling as Tau. ¡°My apologies, I forgot to introduce myself in all of the hustle. I am Harlan Fomoria, these are my guests for tonight.¡± Harlan bowed deeply, though some people would kneel for members of the royal family, especially a baron, of which Harlan would technically be roughly the same rank as. If anyone asked he would say it is because he was holding Sycamore. ¡°Give me my little Syca back now.¡± Harlan did as asked. ¡°He likes you, he doesn¡¯t like most people. Are you planning on having kids? I¡¯m sure you will do well.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t get sad or upset, he knew Cynthia was only asking because she loved her child and she saw that Harlan seemed happy with him too. ¡°No, I have no plans currently to have children.¡± ¡°Well, I am sure if you ever change your mind they will be cute as a button.¡± Harlan smiled at her compliment. ¡°9th Princess Cynthia, how did you meet Harlan? The two of you seem close.¡± ¡°I officially give all of you leave to call me Cynthia. I never wanted the throne and I still don¡¯t. I am Duchess Greenfield now. Anyway, he came to the menagerie to find animals for souls, then after he talked with a Void Stag he came to look at the mimic trees and I had to put one to sleep. From there we met whenever I was in the castle so I could teach him things.¡± ¡°Oh? Are you a mage?¡± She smirked. ¡°I taught him his social skills.¡± That response only confused Yara, Harlan hadn¡¯t ever told her much about his relationship with her. However it got him a side glance from Gladio. ¡°I am sure that is why he is so well behaved.¡± ¡°Oh, did he blossom into a proper gentleman? I can see that he surrounds himself with beautiful women at least. Though I do wish I could see that other girl he always mentions in his letters, Adina was it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I bring her up that often.¡± She gave a small chuckle. ¡°I think you didn¡¯t mention her a month and a half ago, you always bring her up at some point. I can tell she is all over your mind.¡± He wanted to dispute the claim, but it would¡¯ve sounded hollow even to him. ¡°She is a very close friend.¡± ¡°Oh, before I forget, give me your tag, rune? Whatever you call it..¡± The royal family were some of the only people who already had their communication amulets, though they were not allowed to use them publicly yet. Harlan understood her request and pulled an amulet from his inner pocket, when they touched amulets they both felt slightly lightheaded, but that passed after just a few seconds. Even if somebody tried to repeat the process back to back multiple times there was a cooldown to the spell to avoid any harm to those who used it. ¡°There, now you are the 3rd person I can call. Right behind my father and my husband.¡± She had avoided adding any of her siblings yet just so Harlan could be one of the first ones she got. ¡°Oh, go away and then I¡¯ll call you.¡± ¡°Should you show this off before the event tonight?¡° ¡°Go away, do it.¡± She didn¡¯t even care about the question, and none of her siblings stopped her, so he went to the end of the room farther from her. He thought strongly about Cynthia and it connected to her almost instantly, his amulet was unique as it did not need another spell to connect to the person, the spell used in normal manufacture was nothing but an imitation of what Harlan could do naturally. There was little in the way of delay once the connection was open, but there was roughly a tenth of a second delay for every hundred miles. At least it was linear which was nice. ¡°Do I sound good over this thing?¡± ¡°You sound like you are right next to me.¡± He looked over at them and saw that Yara was clearly very excited and got closer to Cynthia. ¡°Your quiet friend wants to talk with you.¡± She became quieter and handed it to Yara. ¡°You¡¯ve made a device that connects to the crossroads? This is incredible. I want to have a long talk about this when we get back.¡± She cleared her throat, realizing the company she was in. ¡°If you are allowed to do so, that is.¡± Cynthia thought it was funny to make him walk all over the room, she said she was checking the connection, but really she just wanted him to tell her what foods were being set out and where. Finally she called him back when her husband returned. He was barely taller than her at 5¡¯10, but he was built like an oak. Which was also his name. ¡°My wife has told me a lot about you.¡± ¡°I hope they were only good things, Duke Greenfield.¡± ¡°Call me sir, we will be friends I hope.¡± Harlan laughed inside that he considered calling him Sir Greenfield to be friendly. ¡°I am told you invented the¡­¡± Unfortunately for Harlan, he was a business oriented man, so their conversations weren¡¯t exactly something he was interested in. But, he was Cynthia¡¯s husband, so he felt that if there was anyone to get in business with, it would be him. Luckily after another 15 minutes the rest of his family arrived. The party would be starting very soon, and being allowed to arrive before the start of a party was an honor. Balor quickly introduced himself and Harlan shifted the focus of the duke to Balor so he could get away. Ava gave him a hug, he gave her a void nova necklace, hairpins, a brooch, and a bracelet. But only after she got a full rundown on what they did, she clearly wanted to try them out, but held back. Finally he slipped the rings on everyone''s fingers stealthily and gave them all the orbs. He was glad it was still considered fashionable for women to carry a bag, and in the future it would be considered odd to not carry one considering the amulets. Aida spoke with Cynthia, Harlow looked around like a fish out of water and hoped he wouldn''t embarrass his son. The night was going well. Harlan had been approached by a few people, but he never made any deals in definitive terms, always ending things with ¡®I will consult my people and set up a proper meeting¡¯ yet most of them would never reply back. They wanted a deal verbally agreed upon here while they knew he wasn¡¯t the business minded one, a few of them made excuses once Balor showed up. Nobody was sure if he really was a shrewd negotiator, or if he was just terrified of losing Harlan¡¯s money. It was a bit of both in all honesty. Harlan had a short welcome with The Dyad Family, but he could tell they did not want him around their children so he broke it off as soon as they gave the chance. Blackstone was there, he did live in her county afterall. She seemed interested in what Harlan was doing, and even more interested in having him dance with Sable when the time came. He made no promises. When Harlan managed to get back to Cynthia the other Greenfields were there. Grenth didn¡¯t look upset to see him, Willow was happy to see him since she didn¡¯t really get what was happening between him and Claudia. The other brothers of Oak, Ash and Birch, approached him. One wanted to subtly ask how he knew his daughter, and the other just wanted Harlan to apologize to his son, one of these was easy to answer, the other was even easier. ¡°What do I have to apologize for?¡± ¡°You dishonored him in a fight.¡± ¡°He dishonored himself with a loss.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what trick you used but-¡± He was pointing his finger right in Harlan¡¯s face, it was rude, but it was also just annoying for Harlan. ¡°Grenth, do you want to fight me again? We can do this right here and now.¡± ¡°No¡­ I would rather not.¡± ¡°I will not have a coward for a son, fight him right now.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you fight me? Unless you believe yourself weaker than your son, I shouldn¡¯t be a threat at all.¡± Cynthia was nearby and could barely hold in her laughter, Oak and Ash looked on in horror. From his throne the king activated wards and arrays, the fight would take place right in front of the throne. The rules would be set by them, it was his party after all. ¡°First blood, nothing beyond chantless magic. Winner gets a months profits from the loser.¡± He was disinterested, he considered this little more than a pissing contest between somebody way out of his league and a boy almost 15 years old. It actually upset him that the blubbery man who looked like he spent more time training with a fork than a sword would cause a disturbance at the event so soon into the evening. 10 years ago he might¡¯ve even won, but he let himself go after failing to inherit the title of Duke from his father to his younger brother. The fight was over in just 30 seconds. Harlan unleashed a flurry of punches against his large opponent. Yet they were simply made to cause pain without much real damage. Then it was just a cut across his cheek, barely broke past the skin. Harlan wasn¡¯t really interested in a truly humiliating display, the man had simply bothered him and he ended it as fast as he could without risking hurting the man too much. He was actually a bit shocked that it took as long as it did. A doctor soon arrived and it was like nothing had happened. ¡°Sorry for the disruption. I simply helped your daughter find a locket which she lost once, we barely know one another.¡± Birch avoided him for the rest of the night. Harlan kept moving to keep an eye on his family, making sure they didn¡¯t do anything stupid without realizing it. He had already given them all the speech about talking to nobles like they were Fae to them, but he knew his father was rather trusting and his mother could be¡­ passionate. The less said about Ava¡¯s court manners the better. She was still wearing her armor under her dress, just shapeshifted into a more subtle design that was hidden by the dress. Nothing else happened until the last guest arrived, the most important people would come either at the very end, or at the very start. In this case, Harlan had already met one of them.. Fragile Peace headed a group of only a dozen people. The ones to her left side wore their crest on their chest, an eye with two pupils. Adina was among them, Harlan could barely feel anything from her, she was barely even there mentally and that made Harlan furious. To her right was a family with bright red hair and portly figures. The Catos. Behind her came other high ranking priests and behind them came the council members from The Confederate States. None of them brought their children, but Harlan knew the Ursa was Bojana¡¯s mother and Tytoan was Ibery¡¯s father. It took a great deal of willpower to not immediately walk over to Adina just to try to brighten her up. He had to be on stage for the show after all. Chapter 117 Harlan made his way to the stage which had suddenly appeared and Sepul with it. He had been moving around the room keeping an eye out for people bothering Harlan¡¯s friends and family before now. The king¡¯s throne was right behind the stage, he already knew what would be happening, so he wanted to just watch the reactions of the people present. ¡°I, King Yggdra, 15th of my name, present to you a device that shall change the world. It would¡¯ve been impossible if not for the tireless work of both Archmage Sepul Dust, and newly appointed High Mage Harlan Fomoria.¡± There were murmurs in the crowd but Harlan had never heard of the title before so it had no real impact on him. He knew that there was a mages guild, which was partly run by independent mages and partly run by the kingdom, but he didn¡¯t actually know what they did other than support talented mages and send them out with local forces for purges. ¡°No longer will parchment and quill be the way of words, no longer shall orders arrive late, the messengers dead from bandits or wildlife. No soldier will go months without hearing the words of his loved ones, no noble will need to take journeys a day''s travel away just to finalize a simple deal, leaving their lands in the hands of others. This is a revolution for the low man, the high born, for all of us. This shall stand as a beacon for what can be done when we allow the grievances of the past, and the setting aside of our differences. Sir Fomoria, Archmage Dust, demonstrate the items in question.¡± ¡°Of course, your majesty.¡± Sepul opened a gate reaching Wyrmhold, one of the few proper cities in the frontier, and another, to the black sands of the great desert, where a research base was set up. ¡°Who among you would like to be first to try these?¡± There was some talking back and forth, but the first to raise their hands were Willow and Claude, to the disapproval of their parents. However, this was the king¡¯s presentation, to back out would reflect poorly on them. Harlan gave a small explanation to them and they touched their amulets to Harlan¡¯s before walking through the gates. Then they closed and there was a little shock through the crowd. Then there was a great shock when the amulet in Harlan¡¯s hand let out a faint glow and the voices of both children came through it clear as day. ¡°Is it cold in the desert at this time?¡± ¡°It could stand to be warmer, but the moon on the sands is a beautiful sight.¡± ¡°And Wyrmhold, is the wall as impressive as I¡¯ve heard?¡± ¡°Yes, it is like a great beast circling the entire city, guarding it from attack.¡± The wall in question had been sculpted to look like a massive white Lindwyrm. For stupid creatures like orcs or goblins, it was real enough that they fled in terror at the sight of it. Sepul could see that they got exactly the effect they wanted, and as proof that they were exactly where they said they were each came back with something from the area, for WIllow, a vial of blacksand, for Claude, a flower that was local to the region and didn¡¯t keep well. ¡°Would our allies in the confederate states like to take part in this demonstration as well?¡± Bojana¡¯s mother had a wide grin as she raised her arm and elbowed a Minos until he raised his arm as well. They repeated the process, though in this case the Minos was sent to one of the southern states of the confederacy and Valda was sent to the north. Everyone felt the bone chilling cold that came through the gates. After they returned Valda had snow on her and the Minos came back with a pear which he ate. The king raised his hand to quiet the room down before he spoke again. ¡°Now that you have seen what has been made, you can all see what can change with this. As of now, these devices will be distributed with a fee for them. We will also be setting up stations where the common people will be able to speak with stations located in other cities and military camps. These shall be a small cost to open and I shall be subsidizing them. We cannot forget that while we have held these titles and positions for centuries, each of us was a simple man, soldiers, farmers, mapmakers. Were it not for a boy raised by a farmer and born of an enemy, we would not have this here and now. He among others has proven that birth high or low means nothing in the face of talent and drive.¡± Faces distorted in disgust and envy for the boy praised by the king, who held top spots in nearly every class he took, and through his work had ended a thousand years of war. ¡°And it is for this reason, that I grant him the honorary title of count, without the responsibilities, yet with the annuities and power that comes with such a title. We should all hope that he uses these gifts of his to continue to improve all lives across this kingdom, for without my people, I would be no king, and without your subjects, you would be no nobles. It was not lost on those here the difference in phrasing, my people, vs your subjects. After seeing how his father, the highest man in the kingdom, was reduced to a bank and party planner for these so called nobles, gradually, he grew to hate them, he hated the entire system. Yet it was this same system that gave him the power to change it as he pleased. Harlan¡¯s invention of golems now meant that he could have an army that was perfectly loyal in the case of insurrection, his soulsmithed items allowed him to be a mage in an instant so long as he knew one that was willing to put their spells in them, and lastly, his communicators would let his spies instantly give information on people. He had lost many spies already, their information buried with them. ¡°But enough of talks and gifts, this is still a gala, and now with every guest having arrived and the presentation over, a dance is in order. Mingle with those across borders and you might find you have more in common than you once believed.¡± When Harlan stepped off the stage he moved with purpose and vigor through the crowd, finding Adina standing near her father, yet he walked right past both of them. ¡°Grand Saint Fragile Peace, may I speak with you?¡± ¡°Yes. I hope we might finalize more details on our deal at some point.¡± ¡°I hoped to speak on another matter actually.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± ¡°What kind of nation are you making? What do you want your people to be? The actions of your guard earlier would make it seem that your people might not understand whatever message you have given, so I wanted to see if you could tell me.¡± All eyes were on them, both parties were still children, yet one was the ruler of a nation, and the other had invented a world changing item. ¡°I would like a nation where all of my people might live without bloodshed, yet we retain our sovereignty. A separate nation, but one still connected to the other nations of this world. I must apologize for the actions of my guard again, he was far out of line with his comments.¡± ¡°Yet what of those who would shed blood out of your country? What about those who have left your country? My maid is one such person, her father was killed as a result of the policies of your predecessors. Would she be safe to see what was once her home?¡± ¡°We would need to review each person as they come, traitors could never return, but I see no reason to punish the children of those same traitors. You have my word that there will be no seeking of retribution on those who have left us peacefully and without trading secrets from our side to yours.¡± ¡°Thank you. I do hope your word is as powerful as I believe it is.¡± ¡°My word is law, only a fool would do something which I have expressly forbidden, especially if it harms another without just cause, at that point they would not be one of my people.¡± Harlan had a wolfish grin, he got exactly the reaction he wanted and her words had been heard by many near her. ¡°Thank you. I should have an improved prototype ready for use in 1 month, the original design is quite rough and I would like to put some effort into something elegant for you.¡± ¡®Of course. I shall have my people retrieve it from you in 1 month''s time.¡° There was really just one more person who he wanted to talk to. ¡°You must be Malachi, otherwise known as the Eyes of Judgment.¡± ¡°That I am.¡± ¡°Then this must be your daughter, Adina, I see her during my healing classes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that you do.¡± It was clear he didn¡¯t want to be talking to Harlan. ¡°Adina, would you like to share a dance?¡± ¡°She is betrothed to another, he has the right to her first dance.¡± His eyes turned a maelstrom, but he did not let it reflect on his voice or actions. ¡°Of course.¡± Harlan stayed around them, waiting to catch a glimpse of whoever it was and to see if he could learn anything about her family. She had 2 brothers, both of them were here and speaking among the Cato family. Despite what their grand saint might¡¯ve wanted, they had no desire to mingle with anyone outside of their country. Meanwhile many dukes and royal children spoke with the grand saint. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Eventually a boy came near Adina and asked for the dance, at which point Harlan found Sable, so he could stay near them on the dancefloor and eavesdrop. She wasn¡¯t exactly happy once he started talking during their dance. ¡°I want to stay near Adina and the boy who is with her.¡± ¡°That is why you asked me?¡± ¡°I never did get that favor, how about using it for this?¡± ¡°Why not just be happy to dance with a beautiful girl, budding into a woman?¡± Harlan gave her a look, he did not believe she was as mature as she thought she was. ¡°Would you rather I lied to you instead? I also could¡¯ve asked Yara, or Ximena. Yet I still chose to dance with you.¡± ¡°If you are trying to manipulate me I will be cross with you.¡± ¡°You will just need to forgive me like I forgave your mother.¡± He didn¡¯t like doing it, but a simple change of subject to something personal for Sable and a bit of empathic flexing to lower her anger was enough for her to forget all about his own transgression. ¡°For what?¡± ¡°Just ask how my fight with Jet happened, press her on it and she will probably tell you and be angry with me. Also, while we are talking, I don¡¯t like how she looks at me.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t surprise me. She became more interested in you and me being a couple when she heard you threw yourself on a blade just to catch an assassin alive. My father started their relationship in a similar way.¡± ¡°How do you feel about me then? If you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡± ¡°This is as close to private as we will likely get so I¡¯ll answer. I barely know you, I know what you¡¯ve done, and my mother keeps tabs on you, but I don¡¯t know you.¡± ¡°Thank you for your honesty.¡± Their conversation ended there. Harlan only heard bits of conversation between Adina and the boy. She didn¡¯t say much, he was a talker though. Name was Saul, son of some high saint household, he was there so the houses could form a bond and she could give birth to children with the family bloodline ability. That last part made Harlan¡¯s eyes shift and his mind wander until his bloodlust spilled onto Sable. ¡°What are you so upset over?¡± ¡°Nothing to worry about.¡± ¡°I disagree. Are you not supposed to talk with people about things like this?¡± ¡°Let me rephrase that. It is a personal matter, one which I have shared with exactly 1 person. I am not telling you, and it isn¡¯t your problem. You said it yourself, you don¡¯t know me.¡± He was having a hard time keeping his abject scorn out of his mental tone, yet it had the effect of shutting down the conversation so he didn¡¯t mind it so much. The dance went on and from left to right in the room partners were being switched around. Harlan moved quickly to get in position and Adina could tell from the sound of his footsteps that he was nearby. Sable with Saul, Harlan with Adina. ¡°Are you ok?¡± ¡°Yes, I was taken back home almost as soon as you left, I think they knew you might react¡­ poorly.¡± ¡°You felt different when you came here, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t have changed anything. I¡¯m just happy you are here now.¡± ¡°As soon as we get back, I can make you a vassal, anyone who came after you would need to go through me from an official channel. They couldn¡¯t take you away again.¡± ¡°I can give you an honorary title, it would tie you to me without actually requiring anything from you.¡± ¡°Are you allowed to do that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been talking with people about how to bring you over for months. I am not interested in just getting you out and then ending up in some ridiculous legal battle where my influence wouldn¡¯t hold as much weight. As a vassal you would be almost part of my family, under my umbrella, you would be close to a noble. It would give me the legal weight to get you out of that marriage, if not¡­¡± There was a clear tension as he snuck a peak at Saul, he used no empathic ability or magic, but the boy could feel his sixth sense telling him a beast was looking at him. ¡°Thank you. I wonder how everyone will react.¡± ¡°Our friends will be happy, our enemies will be upset. Anyone who tries to act on that will end up in the medical ward or a shallow grave. I¡¯ve never stopped thinking about revenge on the Catos, I¡¯ve just put it off until they act up again.¡± She thanked him and then they danced in silence until there was another partner switch. Harlan ended up with the youngest princess who used no subtlety as she moved her partner over to Harlan. He kept the chat polite and avoided serious topics. She was younger than him and more interested in what things he had made than anything else. She was very interested in forging items, and, as it turned out, somebody who he was working with to design his golem armors had loose lips. Unfortunately for Harlan, word had also spread, though only in a minor way, about Ava¡¯s armor. He wouldn¡¯t be able to hide what he had made for very long, yet after his talk with the king earlier, he believed that he could get away with it by just saying he wanted to test out theories before he presented it to the king. Both sides would know it was a lie but wouldn¡¯t mind, without the war constantly going on the need for such a thing would be greatly lessened. It might even be enough that he could learn about the ancient gate system and why it failed. Another switch, Harlan didn¡¯t know the woman he was dancing with and it was a little awkward due to her being taller than him, but he followed her lead and it worked out. Finally the dancing was done and Harlan asked a man standing near the throne to give a message to the king. He wanted to just get it over with, he had actually been using semi-sentient souls for some testing, though the one with Ava¡¯s armor was actually quite a lot more advanced than these things. Even that one didn¡¯t confirm his worst fear, that they would grow into real people, so if after a few months it had shown not a single change to make him believe it would grow then it was probably fine. He wondered if there was an arbitrary amount of soul that it had to cross to make something a person. Harlan spent the rest of the night drinking (non-alcoholic drinks of course) and eating and talking. He thought about speaking with Saul, but decided against it, there was no good that could possibly come from it in his opinion. The few foolish enough to make moves on his sisters or in one case, his mother, found Sepul nearby, he didn¡¯t need to say a word for them to understand that they were treading a dangerous line, fewer still kept speaking to them anyway. He had to admire their bravery, or their lack of any sense of danger. The night was winding down, almost everyone was gone at this point. Sepul brought his family back home safely and said he would come back for him. Then the room was just Harlan, the staff, a few people waiting on their gates, and the king. He was called to a nearby room for a short chat. ¡°Did you hide another invention behind your back? Perhaps that armor of yours? My youngest seems quite interested in such a thing, turning even a child into an instant mage.¡± ¡°I am not talking to you about the armor itself, but rather how it works. What if I said I have been testing in secret, the next step for soulsmithing? Items that can truly cast a spell instead of casting a single variant of that spell, armors and weapons that can shapeshift on command, that could act even when the wearer is sleeping. Yet they pose no risk of going against their wearer like my original shield had.¡± ¡°Then I would say to keep that secret.¡± Harlan looked at him with a dumbfounded stare. ¡°There is a balance of power between the people and the state, in this case, me. If a revolutionary only needs sets of armor, ones that could be hidden under normal clothes, to have a battalion of trained mages, things get dangerous very quickly. Some day I might ask you to make these items, and you are free to make your own as you see fit, but right now we are in no state to introduce anything more to the world. In 6 years time I will be dead of natural causes, maybe I will be dead before then. When my child, whoever I do pick, gains the throne and the power that comes with it, they will gain my secrets. If they have those souls that you can make, they could forge an army unlike anything the continent has seen since the old empire, that could lead to dangerous ideas of conquest.¡± ¡°Thank you. May I speak freely?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°I want to know why you are paying in part for the extra stations that let normal people use the communicators?¡± ¡°Is this not what you have asked for? Sepul said how upset you seemed over your failure to make them a household item, so I¡¯ve done the next best thing. Each building will be full of rooms attached to a large relay system that will hop from relay to relay until it finds the person that the call was meant for. We have been moving past your original designs for some time already to see what else we can do with what you¡¯ve made. It did help that an archmage said that she knew what we made and she wanted to improve on it if possible.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°I hope you¡¯ve not spoken to so many people about what you made that you cannot think of who it was with just the information of being a female archmage.¡± ¡°I suppose that does narrow it down to only a single person.¡± ¡°Good, now, do you have any more revelations or requests?¡± ¡°I intend to make Adina my vassal. Since the paperwork is just waiting for her to sign it and she has your approval, I hope there aren''t any issues I should know about before I make this official.¡± ¡°You would be better served to make her your wife, it would make everything afterwards much easier. You don¡¯t need to worry about me picking a bride for you, think of it as a benefit of being a count in name.¡± ¡°I am not sure if I want to do that, she could still find somebody else.¡± ¡°Do you think I married my wife because I loved her? That I had no mistresses on the side? I have 24 children, how many are bastards? How many bastards do I have outside of the public sight. You are truly still a child if you can¡¯t learn how to use something like this for your own gain. Now, we¡¯ve exhausted our time, I¡¯ve need of rest.¡± He thought for a second about that wife, the king had not had a queen for quite some time already and he had heard nothing of remarrying. Harlan knelt goodbye and Sepul was waiting outside to take him home. ¡°I hope you¡¯ve not done something you¡¯ll regret.¡± ¡°No, he rejected what I would¡¯ve given him. I am glad for it though.¡± ¡°He has as much power as he needs.¡± Harlan was back in the academy after just a short walk to a gate room, while Sepul could force his way out of the castle, it would be no easy feat and would actually have consequences. The academy was a marvel of magic, yet it didn¡¯t have the secrets and deals that were involved in making the royal home. As soon as he stepped outside of the gate office a ball of void formed and out stepped Coronach. Sepul took a form of pure light with a sunring behind his back and a crown of light on his head, Harlan¡¯s skin tingled from the sheer power coming off of him. ¡°Come now, the boy made a deal. I am just here to pick him up.¡± He stretched an arm towards Harlan and Sepul fired a beam that turned the ground into a splash of molten glass. Even the shadow seemed to brighten, revealing the writhing flesh underneath his shell. Yet while he recoiled in pain, he made no more movements. ¡°Sepul, I am going with him.¡± ¡°You have no idea what he even is, I will not allow you to go anywhere with this¡­ thing.¡± The words of Coronach ended the conversation. ¡°The deal is not with me, you might be able to kill me, but then you would need to deal with her.¡± There really wasn¡¯t anything else to be done at that point. Sepul returned to his disguised form and Harlan walked into the ball of void while other archmages arrived to find the fight was already over. Coronach was never supposed to step on academy grounds and the new and improved wards and arrays put in place by Sepul to keep him out meant nothing since it was The Darkness who actually cast the spell to bring him in and out, he was a champion, but he was no god. Interlude: 1000 Years of Stories 2 He was running desperately from that shining form. The man had blown from town to town for weeks and had been thrown out of every gambling hall for being too lucky. Yet the owners could not actually prove he had cheated in some way and the less investigators sniffing around the better, so they let him go with just bruises. Unfortunately for them, he did not go there to win, he was just a probe. Once inside he could look over the wards and array to find out how the rest of his gang could break in. Nobles more often than not looked down on public betting and kept to their private halls, but they left them open because each coin that traded hands was still going to be taxed. Anyone stealing from such a place was not just stealing from a business or private citizens, they were stealing from the noble who controlled the area by extension. The shining form moved through the trees more quickly than him, had he not gotten a head start he would¡¯ve been caught already. It slid across the ground and the dirt softened like water for a moment, the man was now stuck up to his knees in the ground. ¡°BREKEN, I GOT HIM.¡± He was already behind her however, he hadn¡¯t talked to Harlan, but still he got a simple golem armor that let him move faster than he could before. It had nothing quite like Ava¡¯s, but it was certainly better than what he had before. ¡°Good work, you¡¯ve really gotten the hang of that thing. I can just remember when you were cracking trees with your head.¡± ¡°Hey, everyone had trouble with hover when they first learned how to use it.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I got it after an hour, you took a week.¡± The man was trying to dig himself out while they were distracted. Yet Ava shot a fireball that clipped the man¡¯s ear to show that they knew exactly what he was doing. ¡°I have committed no crimes, I was simply on my way to see my family. My daughter is very ill you see, so I-¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t stop right now I¡¯m going to break your jaw. Tell your bullshit sob story to somebody dumb enough to actually believe it. Tell us where the rest of your gang is and you¡¯ll get a lighter sentence. If not, we will just string you all up.¡± ¡°Now, surely such a beautiful young woman wouldn¡¯t want to resort to violen-¡± She kicked his exposed knee and it bent the wrong way. The man screamed in pain but she felt nothing. One thing that she didn¡¯t understand was Harlan¡¯s weird stance on torture. Violence came as easy as breathing for him, but he hated crossing that line. She was ignorant of how he invented the communication devices, though they weren¡¯t yet public at this point anyway. ¡°YOU BITCH.¡± She slapped him with enough strength to dislocate his jaw. ¡°Ava, that was over the line.¡± Breken walked over to set the jaw and then heal it. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry about her, you know how nasty nobles can be. Please, how about I help you out and you help me out before things get worse.¡± The man laughed. ¡°Really? You think that little routine is going to work on me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, that was naive of me. Ava, get the pliers, and remember this time, pull the teeth quickly and then sear the wounds. I don¡¯t want another one drowning in his own blood.¡± Ava just sighed and pulled them from a pouch on her cloak. She never actually drowned a man in his own blood nor had she ever pulled teeth, but the ruse worked perfectly. ¡°Wait wait wait wait.¡± She was still walking to him. ¡°WAIT, I¡¯LL TALK, I¡¯LL TALK, DON¡¯T LET HER DO THIS TO ME. HEY.¡± She pretended to act disappointed as she slipped them back in her pouch. The man sung like a canary and they would hit the locations with fire and fury.
The ranger sat on a stump and pet his dog as he ate his breakfast. It was a simple flatbread with whatever plants in the area smelled good and weren¡¯t poisonous. He ran out of salt a week ago and he was thinking it was about time for a restock on everything he had. He had been considering just quitting, buying out his contract, settling in a town near his sister. Maybe even working for his nephew, though he found that idea somewhat funny. On the way back to a town that could actually restock him he found a village under attack by orcs, void this time. After a hard fought battle he was covered in blood and guts, the armor had only a minor ward to keep these things off of him since it was considered not very important. His dog was dragging the injured away from the middle of the street and sorting them by severity for his master. There was a young boy grasping a stump where his leg once was. The void at least made the cut clean, easy to stabilize him long enough to make sure everyone was safe and he hadn¡¯t missed any before he went back to heal him. He had black hair, couldn¡¯t be more than 10, he never understood how people could justify bringing their young children with them to set up out here. When the boy regained his consciousness he asked for his father and the woman in the room just shook her head. Gone in the attack she said. The ranger returned to the wilds with a full refill on his knives and salt and whatever else he requested. The only thing he didn¡¯t go back with was regrets over staying out there.
Shadow issued threats of violence towards her sister, Wind relented after being pointed at another person with the passion she wanted.
Within Reino a young girl walked the halls of her palace as her predecessors did while trying her hardest to act as was expected of her. ¡°I need those reports on the boy, Harlan Fomoria, why is he a guest of honor for a gala? They didn¡¯t even invite him to the end of war gala despite his efforts being instrumental.¡± ¡°Your Holiness, it would seem the boy lacks decorum and social skills. Mixed with his several times noted wild mental state the king likely decided it best to not invite him.¡± ¡°Weaknesses?¡± ¡°Young girls. Otherwise he is physically and magically far above his age. I have reports of him as the apprentice of Dust, and he often spars with a Golden, aged 18, Liat of the White Sands.¡± ¡°Young girls? I thought you said in a previous report that he showed neither lust nor romance towards others?¡± ¡°Allow me to explain more clearly. He seems to easily attach himself to those who remind him of his older sisters. Though from a single report of him being sent to threaten an upperclassman and then failing, it is possible he simply has an affinity towards children as he sees them as being innocent. Our attempts at gaining anything from the academy counselor have not provided any more information on his mental state, but we believe he has entered a calm. There have been no reports of violence from him in some time and he seems to help out nearly anyone who asks something of him provided it does not conflict with his morals or time with his other acquaintances.¡± ¡°Then I will play the child for him, whatever it is that Yggdra is trying to sell me with a private meeting with the boy I want. I suppose it is best that I have not made it clear how I act and he isn¡¯t likely to know anything about me past my speech at the academy announcing our loss.¡± ¡°Very well, Your Holiness.¡± ¡°And tell the guards sent with me to dress as ambassadors, no weapons.¡± ¡°Is that wise? If he does do something against you, well, you are neither physically nor magically powerful.¡± ¡°I have faith that he will not lay a hand on me unless I give him a reason to. I might need a guard to provoke him to test his reaction.¡± ¡°Very well, Your Holiness.¡± She retreated to her room for the night and her maids undressed her and then put on her nightgown for her before leaving her to sleep. A year ago she lived as the daughter of a farmer in the 4th ring, she never went hungry but she had little excess comforts, the few friends she had were back there and she would likely never see them again. When the voice told her that she had been chosen she thought it was a blessing, and it has been in some ways. She lived in a castle, servants took care of her every need, she was taught all about politics and history and after she was ready she would learn magic as well, farmers didn¡¯t get taught magic she thought. But she was having a hard time getting along with the other children around her, she was treated as a ruler and never as a friend, but inside she knew how they felt. Their emotions, their thoughts, all of it was laid bare in front of the girl and she was not of an age or mind to understand or accept the world. The month passed and she would finally meet him. On the outside he tried to carry himself as best as he could and yet she saw him quite differently. He was a blank slate, a thing of shadows stood next to a woman of light in an equally blank state. Then the woman looked at Peace and she felt something was wrong with that, yet she did not know her power enough to understand why it was wrong. He spoke with some kindness towards her that was genuine, yet when her guard did as asked the shadows grew claws and gnashing teeth that were waiting to sink into flesh as it spoke in violence and blood. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. When she saw him next, the shadow had taken the form of a sheep that curiously look at her. Then after she was done speaking, the sheep revealed rows of dagger teeth in a threatening smile. Even still, she did not feel the threat was for her, so she simply observed him more. She did not understand him, to her he seemed like a beast being kept in chains, just waiting for a chance to tear apart those around him for any reason. Yet when he danced with that girl, she saw him as little more than a pup chewing through ropes that bound her. She wanted to pick him apart, to find what made him tick. The voice wanted it as well, to understand her enemy.
The ranger trudged through the deep snow, barely able to see more than 15 feet ahead of him.. This year he was spending a winter in the north, it was technically not part of the frontier, but the whole area was so sparsely populated and open that rangers still needed to patrol it. It was hard to get his bearings sometimes, he was a barely trained divinationist and he lost his compass and map to a passing fight between a pair of Wyverns who burnt his camp and nearly him. That was another issue that somebody needed to deal with. His dog barked loudly and a strange feeling washed over him as he saw the faint lights in front of him. He didn¡¯t know which village it was, or why people bothered enduring the hellish weather, but he was glad that they did so he could meet somebody. He could tell there was some kind of magical effect in the area to make the wind less biting and to divert the snow somewhat. His goggles once again cleared themselves as he walked to the first house he could still see still lit candles inside, he had the right to do so, but it was generally a bad idea to ask to sleep in the house of somebody you¡¯ve just pissed off by waking up. He could barely tell what the woman looked like, her eyes were clearly in late stages of cataracts with their milky white appearance like a fluffy clouds. She pulled him inside and lowered her scarf to speak. ¡°Do you need something? Nobody should be out with the storm as bad as it is.¡± ¡°I just need a warm place to sleep, food if you have any, Wyverns burned my equipment.¡± ¡°Poor thing, I¡¯ve got warm cider on the fire. I¡¯ll grab the leftover soup I had earlier from the cold room and put it back on.¡± ¡°Thank you very much. And, do you have anything for my dog?¡± He reached down to scratch the head of his pet. ¡°I¡¯ll grab something from the bone pile.¡± ¡°Thank you again.¡± ¡°These are harsh lands, especially for us, it is always nice to have a friend among others.¡± The ranger sat in a rocking chair and waited for the elderly woman to come back. He trusted people, generally speaking, but the north was as harsh as anywhere else and sometimes he had been met with a very cold shoulder. So he scanned the room with his eyes to see if he could gather anything else. A human skull was on her bedside table, painted and adorned with a locket, he could barely make out that a name was inscribed on the forehead along with a birth and death date. It wasn¡¯t the first time he saw something like this. In the winter months where the ground was too hard to dig in the bodies would instead be left to the elements while the bones would be brought back to be washed and whitened before being decorated to either be kept or buried when the spring finally came. The woman returned and set the pot on a hook to sit over the fire. He sipped his cider, having checked that it wasn¡¯t poisonous while she was away. She sat on the chair next to him. ¡°It has been a long time since we last had a visitor. Do you intend to stay?¡± He realized that his badge was covered by the extra pelts he was wearing. ¡°Ranger Redmond Fomoria. Just need to stay until the storm settles down.¡± The woman froze. ¡°What did you just say?¡± He believed her hearing was just going out in her old age. ¡°Ranger Redmond Fomoria.¡± She sat in silence. ¡°Strange name, I¡¯ve rarely heard of a noble ranger.¡± ¡°Well, I was a ranger before I got the name, and I got it from my nephew.¡± ¡°Really? Is there any meaning to it?¡± ¡°Never heard of the Fomorians? I guess if you guys have been out of the news you wouldn¡¯t know. But he is one.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what a Fomorian is, and how can that even make sense, we can¡¯t leave our lands. And you are no Fomorian.¡± The gears in his head started turning very quickly. ¡®We can¡¯t leave our lands.¡¯ ¡®especially for us¡¯ ¡®it is always nice to have a friend among others¡¯ These were normal statements, but not in this context. Her eyes started flashing, soulspeak. It didn¡¯t take more than 5 seconds before the room became very full as warriors with machete in hand came in. ¡°Why don¡¯t we talk tomorrow. When the sun is up.¡± The warriors were on standby the entire night, Redmond didn¡¯t get a wink of sleep, but Cu seemed overly passive, not even a bark or a glance at their captors, he slept without a care. The woman got out meat that was hung outside to freeze and began making another soup. ¡°I know you¡¯re awake.¡± ¡°I know you know. Can¡¯t really hide that from one of you.¡± ¡°I think we got off on the wrong foot. I was¡­ shocked, to hear what you said last night. But, after some dreamwalking I¡¯ve decided you seem kind enough. Your hound thinks so at least. But what I did not see was a Fomorian boy. I need some answers.¡± ¡°I got Cu last year, he never met Harlan, I had him sent to an army dog training camp for a month when I last saw him.¡± ¡°Then you should have no issue holding my hand for a moment to see if you are lying to me.¡± She reached over toward him and Cu leapt awake to nip at her fingers. The warriors did not react. ¡°Down, beast, I command you, down.¡± Cu whimpered as her commands tried to make him obey, he was not an ordinary dog, none of his breed were, yet he could not resist her magic for long. Redmond tried to draw his sword and found himself bound by the warriors in an instant, he could feel their cold grasp, see their dead eyes up close. ¡°I am not here to fight you, if you managed to reach this place then you have something from my people. I demand to know what and how.¡± Every instinct tried to tell him not to let her touch him, he had seen children as young as 6 kill grown men with just a few moments of contact to destroy their souls. Yet he stopped struggling, the crone¡¯s empathy calming his nerves. Soon many others arrived at the home. Eventually Redmond was let up and he started answering their questions. After a month they decided to let him leave with some assurances. Cu was left behind as a hostage, though it was more of a gesture than a real threat. Both sides wanted this to work out. When he got back to an outpost things got hectic very quickly, not just because they were 2 days away from marking him as MIA. First an assault team with golems was going to be deployed, then they were being held in reserve, then finally a gate mage was brought over and he needed to report directly to somebody higher up who could report to the king. Ambassadors took the place of the dog as the hostages until their request was answered one way or another.
The girl awoke with tears in her eyes, she had another nightmare. Being born able to see mana was not all good, the children would often be overly sensitive, not unlike when people first sensed. Some grew out of it in days, some took years. Every sound was a boom and every light was a flash, the wind was painful. The house was large but not overly so, her great great grandfather was a rich man but she didn¡¯t see him much. At 2 years of age it was no small feat to reach the door handle and then walk the halls, so she knocked on the door and waited for the night guard to guide her. Yet there was no reaction, she knocked again and again. Eventually she pulled a footrest to the door to reach the handle and then found the door would not open. So she banged on the door louder and louder, the slamming of her little hands and the sound of her own crying were painful to her but the fear was worse. Eventually she heard someone outside. She could hear the muffled, angry voices, but she did not understand the words yet. Then their axes came down on the doors, the wards held fast, mundane muscle, even from a beastkin, was not going to harm it without a great deal more effort. Yet while they had effort, they did not have time. She heard screams and smelled burned flesh. Her great grandfather opened her door and took her away. From the outside she saw her home was burning but did not understand what it meant. ¡°Where¡¯s mommy and daddy? Grandpa?¡± He would not answer her as he cried. 20 years later she would still live with her great grandfather, abusing her body and mind with any number of drugs, and if not altering her mind and hosting parties she was training until she broke. She was obsessed with power, it only got worse the more of her family she lost. Her parents back then, cousins, aunts, uncles, all gone. She had only a handful of people who still shared her blood and yet most had been hidden away before they or anyone else knew about their faked deaths and cosmetic magics to hide who they were. Her great grandfather never forgave himself for every death, he fell more into violence and rage, anyone who he could find related to what had happened. Then once it was done he was just¡­ empty. Unsure where the rest of his anger could go. Bones cracked and muscles tore as her body was too powerful for itself and she spent weeks recovering from what she had done. It only pissed her off more that it was the first time she had seen her great grandfather in months. ¡°Eliza, I am sorry, I should¡¯ve made you a list of what to use and how.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do that if you aren¡¯t here.¡± Sepul could not answer her. He was not a father, his grandson was her real father and he failed him two decades, he had always relied on his wives for child rearing as much as he could. He could fell Wyverns, yet raising children was beyond him. He stayed quiet for a time. ¡°Have you made any friends? Your instructor perhaps? She is a kind woman.¡± ¡°Mary has helped me. I will return to my training as soon as I am cleared.¡± ¡°It might do you well to go to the academy, at least for a year. It is a shame to live inside of these walls without anyone to keep you company aside from the staff. Maybe go to noble parties, not the ones you hosted?¡± ¡°When was the last time you went to a party?¡± She knew the answer, it was 8 years ago, the king had wanted him to try and come out of his shell after the loss of so many members of his family and it had been a disaster. ¡°Would you at least consider the academy?¡± ¡°If you allow me to pick my courses then I shall.¡± He tried to make smalltalk but she stonewalled him and just read her books. 2 years came and went, she made few friends, though they were close. Then a quick wedding after she got pregnant from her friend and she wanted to keep the baby. Yet now she held the little girl in her arms and thought about ending her life. ¡°I can¡¯t be a mother¡± ¡°What?¡± Her husband, a talented peasant who made his way to the academy with a sponsor from the local count. ¡°Walter, I can¡¯t do this. I don¡¯t feel anything. She is just another thing, somebody I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°We talked about this. It will fade, you were so happy yesterday. Your hormones are just having a rough transition from having her in you to out here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± 6 months came and went, she talked to people, her friend¡¯s, May, Sheron, Cecil. It never went away. Her child was just another person. Somebody who she watched grow up, she knew it was wrong, that she should feel something, she remembered how happy her parents were to have her. It only made everything worse until she could not stand it anymore and she left. She could not even stand her husband anymore, he just reminded her that she could not be a wife, or a mother, but she could be a killer. ¡°Honey, please, you can get better.¡± ¡°Goodbye. My grandfather will take care of all of your needs. That is all he is good for.¡± Sepul tried to stop her, but it only made things worse. She felt indifferent towards most people, but she hated him. 4 years passed, she was a ranger now. The one time last year when she went back home to see if she could feel anything for her own daughter she introduced herself as her aunt and little Elise didn¡¯t pay her much mind, but it crushed Walter, all of his plans, the nice dinner, the picnic with the family, it was wasted effort. She knew that she should¡¯ve felt something, but she didn¡¯t. It should¡¯ve been a simple clearing operation, yet a strange man walked into their camp and not a single soldier resisted as they cut down the men and took the women. Chapter 118 They were in a forest at midday. Harlan wondered where they could be, at this time of night there shouldn¡¯t be anywhere east or west where the sun was so high up. ¡°He is inside. All of the materials are prepared, you simply need to set them up.¡± There was a lone tower which stood on the hillside, char and glass indicated that this was the sight of a great battle some time ago. A nearby mountain was missing its tip and as they crested the hill to reach that lone tower he saw a crater that was now a lake. Inside Harlan saw the man, then the woman, then another man. No matter which form he shifted into, Harlan could feel the oppressive sadness emanating from him. ¡°You will, no, you, you, you. Yes, you are the one, finally.¡± His voice was not in an even tone, sometimes younger, sometimes older, masculine, feminine, there was no pattern, it just shifted with each word. ¡°I will begin setting up the spell.¡± ¡°Ah, yes I, no, I have, I want to, I made it, right? When is this? You, how long has it been?¡± Coronach answered the man. ¡°It has been 7 days since we last met, have you been here the entire time?¡± ¡°I might¡¯ve¡­ no I thought¡­ I was here. Where else could I be?¡± The man was clearly unwell, Harlan felt many minds inside of the man like a hundred candles around a bonfire. His case reminded Harlan of the orcs, both void and radiant. They came about from the mixing of souls, both wanted to be the one that connected to the mind, this incongruity caused their minds to be broken. The term used for it when it happened in a person, generally with a twin absorbed in the womb, was multimind. The effects were devastating if both souls had the power to fight one another, sometimes it manifested as sleepwalking as a different person, sometimes they could live two entirely separate lives without the other realizing it at first. Yet with the orcs it was a goblin soul forcibly put inside of a human soul, they had no compatibility and so they thrashed against one another yet neither could be expelled as they were a single soul still. He suspected that the same thing was happening with this man. There was somebody else who came by to mourn him while he was still alive, he calmed slightly when he arrived but it didn¡¯t last long before he had to be restrained by Coronach to prevent him from hurting anybody, including himself. ¡°Boy, man, monster, thing, why are you here? No, you came for, you will help her, right? Adina?¡± Harlan stopped his work. ¡°How did you know her name?¡± ¡°You told me.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t talked to you at all yet.¡± ¡°But you would, you have, it is the same thing.¡± He stood up from the pile of bricks he was on and Coronach stood between them. ¡°He is unwell, he cannot tell what has happened from what will happen.¡± ¡°I worked for her once, she gave me what I needed, I saw it all, I just needed to save them, then it was enough. It was never enough, I just needed a little more. Power power power. I crushed them all for them, I GAVE THEM EVERYTHING.¡± He became formless, no eyes, no nose, no hair, his body appeared neither distinctly male or female. The man sat limply on the pile of bricks and made no sounds. Harlan went back to his work, carving the runes and the other symbols, whose purpose was unknown but hurt to look at, spreading dust and painting with liquids he would rather not think about. After another few hours the man woke up again, his mind was stable and so was his form, a moment of lucidity in his waking nightmare. ¡°You must be Harlan, you came here to put me out of my misery, right?¡± ¡°Yes to both.¡± ¡°You want more than what she will give you, you want to know how I worked for her, where we are right now, you want a lot of things. The killer, the lover, both sides of a man who will never be whole, who refuses to be. A man who is not himself cannot have friends, just parts of him can. When those pieces fight, who will win? I¡¯ve lost my fight before I fought it.¡± ¡°Are these things you¡¯ve already spoken with me about?¡± ¡°Some, some are just things I gathered from the answers I can¡¯t see. I could give you the answers you wanted, but then she would be mad, and I wouldn¡¯t get a good death. I just want it to be over.¡± Harlan just kept working, he wasn¡¯t sure if he should take anything he said seriously at all. He knew what other versions of him would do, those questions and those answers might not make any sense for the Harlan that was standing in front of the man now. ¡°You are curious, you want what I have, to be somebody else. The mind, the body, the soul, all part of one machine that turns good men into evil men when powered by love. No, you want to be something else, you want to throw away your form until you throw away the man under the skin.¡± ¡°You seem very upset and I don¡¯t want to ask something of you.¡± ¡°Oh the great hero, you have, will, kill me, don¡¯t you want a little more from it? What¡¯s another life? Didn¡¯t, no, won¡¯t you do far worse? Am I worth more than them? ARE MY SINS NOT GOOD ENOUGH.¡± The others were waking up, he was destabilizing. Harlan wondered, was he right? If he learned this faster, he would need to use less subjects in the future. He looked to Coronach for guidance, but he had no eyes, spoke no words. He walked to the man and placed his hand on his shoulder, he was flooded with thoughts that were hard to shift through but he was learning something. Then he was in a dining hall, it had high vaulted ceilings, the table stretched beyond his sight and every seat was filled with faceless people. It reminded Harlan of a puppet show, they moved like people, but the only sound was silverware and cups being placed on the table and the food and drinks splashing on the floor. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Then a person came to the table and touched the puppet. It stopped moving and turned into a person. More and more of them came out of the dark hallways that led into the room until the table as far as Harlan could see was full of people who laughed and screamed and joked and argued. Harlan woke up to see that it was nighttime. The man was faceless again. Harlan scrambled to his feet. ¡°Am I alright?¡± ¡°You are still just Harlan, I was watching what happened, but I couldn¡¯t go inside.¡± ¡°Boy, are you still fine to work? If so, continue.¡± Harlan moved quickly, wherever this was if it hit night then it was probably time for him to start on classes already and he still had hours of carving and spreading of ritual materials left to go. The notes said that using magic to form the symbols would degrade them in some way, so instead he was effectively enchanting the stone. It was strange to him that he just knew how to enchant things now, she didn¡¯t like giving out information normally. He channeled his own mana from his soul to the tips of his fingers until he was connected to the chisel not unlike how a mana gem filled with a soul connected to an item it was placed in. Because it was directly from mind to soul to object it allowed effects that didn¡¯t translate into spells to be put on items yet he didn¡¯t understand the how or why. He looked at one of the sigils he carved earlier and with his mana sense it seemed to have an almost oily sheen as it filled up with mana and waited for him to add his own to make it a complete spell. ¡°All of my friends got together and realized what I had done, each of them knew another me. They bickered and argued and then one of them called me a monster for the things I had done, that I hid from the others. I wished I had stopped that first punch.¡± The man rambled on in such a manner, changing faces as he talked until eventually he was back to the faceless form and he fell into a trance. Dawn was coming again and Harlan was dead tired, enchanting was hard, normally spells worked by moving personal mana that commanded the natural mana to form into a bending of reality. What was happening now instead was directly warping reality without the mana acting as a middleman to make up most of the actual effect. He was handed a tonic which he drank and Coronach metabolized for him. Harlan still couldn¡¯t do it himself, the spell just failed when he tried, likely because of it being designed for humans, beastkin all cast a subtly different spell but there wasn¡¯t one made for Fomorians. Around noon he woke up again. ¡°The mind is such a powerful thing, that thing commands the soul, keeps it in line. You are so small minded that it is a jailer when you should be the warden of it. I am standing outside of the prison, watching a riot. I tried to save them all, so I saved no one.¡± Harlan wondered if the man was truly rambling or if he was saying profound knowledge filtered through madness. ¡°Can you explain what you mean more clearly? Or are you just not all there.¡± ¡°So you can still speak, you¡¯ve been ignoring me.¡± ¡°You keep talking but I don¡¯t think I am getting anything from it.¡± ¡°Endless hallways, behind each door lies something, you can keep them all in boxes and then pick and choose the doors to open to be your best self.¡± ¡°You are talking about transformation magic, right? The Fenrir I met showed me that her soul was a bunch of boxes that she switched out.¡± ¡°If you need to put it all in boxes then you have already failed.¡± ¡°What exactly are you? I am nearly done now, so I wanted to know, and I wanted to make absolutely sure, you want to die, right?¡± ¡°Do you know what a skinwalker is? No, you don¡¯t, you haven¡¯t yet. Did you know that humans don¡¯t metamorphosize like animals? Why do you think they have limited lives? Is a skinwalker a man or a beast? I am buried under what I have done, I am unstable, I am not a skinwalker anymore. So I designed this spell, my gift to the world, an immortal slayer. You, I have seen, seen so much, become like me, and you will thrive where I have failed. Your sins are your own, mine are of a monster that became a man.¡± The man went faceless again. It had just passed midnight, it had been a day and a half in total if Harlan had counted right. ¡°Shadow, I am done. Now what? The notes didn¡¯t say how to turn on the array.¡± ¡°That is my job.¡± He pulled a large mana gem cut into a perfect cube from his mouth and placed it in a hole in the wall. ¡°We will watch from a safe distance.¡± They were suddenly on the top of the mountain Harlan had seen earlier. The tower seemed like just a speck from this distance. Coronach touched another cube that was quantumly linked to the first and the mana was transferred to the array, though he would call it a ritual spell. The ground trembled as motes of mana were sucked into that place until it was a small multicolored sun. Harlan thought that would be the end, yet the sun now sat still and got smaller, and smaller, and smaller, until it was small enough that Harlan wouldn¡¯t have been able to see it if not for the moonless night. Then it exploded. The shield around them kept them safe, but the mountain had been blown away and the sea behind them washed back and then hit the shore with a massive surge, forming into a tidal wave on the way back out which dwarfed the mountain and stretched along most of the coast that Harlan could see. For a moment he took in the beauty of it, he had never been at the sea until now. Eventually the pulses of energy settled down and Coronach brought them closer so he could grab the single crystal that held a great deal of energy. ¡°What did we just do?¡± Harlan felt pins and needles on his skin just from being near the thing, they faded as Coronach took it into his body. ¡°He was a collection of souls, thousands of them, the first and last of his kind, a skinwalker that lived long enough to be something able to truly empathize with its victims, at that point he was driven insane, each life believing itself to be the original.¡± ¡°They better not be inside of that thing. I was promised it would be painless, he shouldn¡¯t suffer anymore.¡± ¡°The souls were sundered, they are just a form of raw energy right now. That explosion was their possibility being turned into nothingness. Goodbye.¡± Harlan dropped from the sky and into a ball of void leading right back to the academy. He fell face first into the walking path as students were gathering for lunch. He had some scratches, but it was a low drop and his bones were strong. A Maetus student helped him up and dusted him off with a little bit of wind. ¡°What happened? Are you alright?¡± ¡°I am fine, no need to worry. Just got back from some work.¡± He was quickly transported to the medical ward by guards and after a full medical examination, both mental and physical, he was cleared to return to the academy. Mary handled the mind, Sepul the body. ¡°See, nothing to worry about. I knew she wouldn¡¯t let him be hurt.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know her shadow like I do. If handed a glass of milk his first reaction would be to shatter the glass on the floor just because he thinks it¡¯s funny.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the gods like you do, so I¡¯ll take your word for it.¡± ¡°Great, so since you two are done poking me, can I get something to eat? I had tonics but those barely count as food. I still need to tell everyone I¡¯ve been fine since I¡¯ve been gone for a day and a half with barely any warning.¡± ¡°Two and a half days actually.¡± Lugh said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°When you went inside his mind you woke up the next night, not that night.¡± ¡°Great. Amber is going to kill me.¡± Then a sudden thought crossed his mind. ¡°Where is Adina? Is she still here? I was supposed to immigrate her when I got back so they couldn''t take her away.¡± ¡°She is fine, I flexed my muscles and the king made your words to him clear, so she is in a political limbo waiting for you to come back and confirm that she is changing sides. I think she is going to look very nice in a golden robe.¡° ¡°Thank you for your help, I am sorry, if you ever need anything, just ask, though I don¡¯t know what I can do.¡± ¡°All you need to do is help people, don¡¯t leave the world worse than when you entered it. Your communicators are everything you said they would be. But I will keep that favor still, no telling what you¡¯ll be like in the future.¡± ¡°Thank you again, I really can¡¯t express that enough.¡± ¡°You should thank Sepul too. We were the only two archmagi that actually stood up for her when they tried to take her back for a wedding or some other madness in the middle of the night.¡° ¡°Sepul, thank you very much, I am glad you helped when I couldn¡¯t be here.¡± The man only scoffed, he had asked Mary not to mention him. He got himself dressed in a robe that wasn¡¯t soaked in two days of sweat and left, it was already time for dinner, they did not want him to leave until they were sure he was ok. Chapter 119 Harlan made his way to the cafeteria, sometimes it felt like he spent too much time here just talking about nothing with the others. Adina looked dreary as she sat with the others, but she perked up when she heard the footsteps she knew all too well. He got his food and sat down with a few plates; tonight was what they called a stir fry in Reino. The name was self-evident when he looked at the rice and meat and vegetables. ¡°I am sorry for taking so long to get back.¡± ¡°It was scary when my father¡¯s men came to get me. It was really scary when Mary stood in their way.¡± ¡°I can do what we talked about tonight. You won¡¯t need to worry about that any longer.¡± ¡°Sure, let¡¯s do that after dinner then.¡± ¡°Alright, though it is important to have impartial witnesses for things like this.¡± Harlan floated up in the air and boosted the range, but not the volume, of his voice, no need to blow out any eardrums with a simple spell when a bit more finesse would get a better result. ¡°I WILL BE MAKING AN ANNOUNCEMENT AT THE HALL OF CEREMONIES AFTER DINNER, IF THIS PEAKS THE INTEREST OF ANYONE HERE THEN FEEL FREE TO ATTEND.¡± The room immediately filled with murmurs, Harlan was already the talk of the academy after his honorary count title and his involvement in the communicators were announced and then he went missing for multiple days. Few people had actually witnessed what happened so the most common theory was that he was doing work directly under the king at the time. Adina did not like all of the eyes now on him however, since it inevitably meant eyes on everyone around him. ¡°Why did you say that?¡± She spoke quietly and leaned over the table. ¡°We need witnesses, just in case this does go to the courts. We really have no idea how that would even go since our systems have been separated for over a thousand years. I already got witnesses for the grand saint saying that so long as no secrets or blood are spilled she won¡¯t stand in the way of people leaving.¡± His questions were never about how she wanted to run Reino, he didn¡¯t care about that, but by getting her to make a clear proclamation and calling her word law she would look wishy washy if she took back her words just a few days later. Even with absolute authority over her nation she still wanted to be respected as a leader who could be trusted at her word. Amber came over to his table and sat next to him. ¡°So, are you finally getting married? It might be a little early, but it should be fine.¡± Amber knew what she was doing, the pot had been stirred even more than after Harlan called out to everyone, people were even more interested in whatever he was doing now. She figured if Harlan wanted people, then he wanted as many as he could get. She pinched his side to get a connection. ¡°What in the hell are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m making Adina my vassal, I think I¡¯ll go with my minister of justice to mock her father.¡± She pinched harder so he could actually feel it. ¡°Ow, what?¡± ¡°Really? Is that what you are doing? Shouldn¡¯t I be a vassal first, I¡¯m your sister after all. I thought you were actually going to propose to her.¡± ¡°Do you want to be my minister of pinches?¡± Her nails dug into him. ¡°Fine, Master Warmage. Something that isn¡¯t honorary but I hope I won¡¯t need. No responsibilities.¡± ¡°That''s better. And we are going to need a LONG talk about why you left for almost 3 days without telling anyone¡­ we were really worried and nobody would tell us anything.¡± Harlan thought about what Mary told him before. ¡°Thank you for being worried about me.¡± She broke off the connection but stayed at the table. The Golden girls were watching everything happen, waiting to get involved with whatever crazy plan Harlan was currently implementing. ¡°Did the two of you have fun at the gala? I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t be there with you for most of it.¡± Yara spoke first. ¡°Yes, I had a very nice time, your friend Cynthia told me quite a lot about you, she seemed to enjoy the topic. And it helps me understand you better to know that you were once a more harmless kind of troublemaker.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always only been as harmful as I need to be. Not a lot of room for harmless pranks here.¡± Ximena wanted to give a short description before Yara tried to wrangle him into a longer chat. ¡°Well, I happened to speak with the other princess, Rosewell, and her daughter, Relly.¡± ¡°Relly isn¡¯t her daughter.¡± ¡°Oh? Really? I would never have known with how she treats her. But, as I was saying, she didn¡¯t tell me much since most of your time with her is a state secret, however I find it interesting that you¡¯ve gotten close to two princesses.¡± ¡°I got close to two good people.¡± They spoke mostly at him, Zella feeling a little left out until they started talking more about Rosewell, who she actually had a close relationship with. He was absorbed in the first real food he had eaten in days. Eventually it was time, they moved as a group with Harlan at the helm and flanked on his left by Adina and Amber on his right. The large congregation made any students in the halls wonder what was happening so they came long, even some of the teachers were wondering what was happening. Warnings were put out to watch what would be happening. The hall of ceremonies was largely unused outside of well, ceremonies. It could hold 4 thousand people, which was roughly the number of students and staff combined minus a few hundred. As the academy expanded the room was not inadequate for both staff and students, but there would be enough room for everyone who would be coming. The ceiling was high and vaulted with murals of Marigold¡¯s actions painted in gory detail, she did not want to hide from the blood she had spilled and felt it added weight to whatever ceremonies would be taking place in the room. The room was set up on a slanted half circle so everyone could see whatever would be happening and a number of arrays made sure that the voices of the speakers on stage would carry to everyone. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Mary was sitting on a chair in the middle, having been called on as the officiator. She would be the one who controlled the arrays in the worst case scenario and acting as an official witness whose name would be on the documents. Amber and Adina stood across from Harlan and waited to see who would be called upon first. Harlan hadn¡¯t really written what he wanted to say and the kingdom had guidelines for what he needed to say, but everyone added their own flair to the event, so Harlan would do the same. ¡°Amber Formoria, step forth and kneel.¡± She did as asked. Harlan drew Lugh and shapeshifted him into a blade styled to his own taste. He had been thinking of the blade that he wanted that would be his, he was Fomorian, but he was also human and he only really liked half of that. The machete design that he had wielded had become part of what people knew about him, but it was also a tie to the half of himself that he didn¡¯t like. So he would have a new sword, one that was his. Lugh lengthened his handle and blade, pommel to tip he was 4 feet, abnormally long for a sword used by Harlan who still only stood at 4¡¯9 himself. The blade itself had not become any thinner, the thick back of the original design was now another edge, its mass being used for the length, and its most distinct feature, a flared tip. The top of the blade was a crescent shape, it would make it something more for heavy slashes to cut through armor and bone, with the hooks to let Lugh cast magic from their tips directly into the targets. A quick shifting could also reverse these hooks to try and stop larger charging beasts. They had both worked on the design and consulted a teacher of blacksmithing at the academy. It was somewhat ornamental, but it was still a fine design as a real weapon and because it was still Lugh he could shorten himself so he wouldn¡¯t be getting in the way of anything. ¡°By these powers which are vested in me by His Highness Sir Yggdra the 15th of his name, I hereby grant you vassalship. You are my family, but now you must be more.¡± The floor around them went pure black as Harlan covered it in a harmless wispy darkness, followed by cold fire that didn¡¯t rise more than an inch off the ground and had the same waves as his crest. Harlan placed the flat side of the blade on both of her shoulders then on her head. ¡°Raise, Lady Fomoria, Master Warmage of House Fomoria. I hope that I never need to call upon your knowledge, yet should that be required there is no other who I would ask before you.¡± You could¡¯ve heard a pin drop in the room as the students realized what Harlan would be doing to Adina. Everyone knew that something was happening with her, but the original incident had happened late at night while the night students were in class and the day students were sleeping. Harlan would need to send her instructions through soulspeak as this went on. ¡°Lady Adina, come forth.¡± Adina was shaking as she stepped forward, worried that as soon as she got on one knee she wouldn¡¯t be able to get up. This was it, when she got up she would likely never go home again, and it was that thought that brought her peace. The weight of her father was being removed from her head. ¡°Lady Adina, do you hereby renounce all claim to your assets, both blood and brick, within Reino, do you renounce your nation.¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Do you say this in full presence of mind, under no threat of harm from myself or any within Ragne.¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Then cast aside the shackle of your nation.¡± She took off her glasses and placed them on the darkness, Harlan turned it to void and they were reduced to little more than dust to be swept up by a cleaning crew. ¡°With this you are no longer Lady Adina, Daughter of Malachi, you are Adina, orphan of Ragne.¡± ¡°I am fully aware of this and I have acted with full presence of mind.¡± ¡°Then I ask you now, shall you not be Adina, orphan of Ragne, but Adina, Minister of Justice for House Fomoria. You would be granted rank and home with annuities paid from myself to you for whatever duty I call upon you for, you would serve my house until the time of my death or my release of you from my bonds. Do you accept the terms I have set?¡± ¡°I do.¡± He performed the same motions as with Amber. ¡°By these powers which are vested in me by His Highness Sir Yggdra the 15th of his name, I hereby grant you vassalship, Lady Adina of house Fomoria. You shall not take my name, yet you have rights to use it in your duties in such a way that does not break this trust which I have placed in you. Raise yourself, hold your head high.¡± She stood up, Harlan¡¯s telekinetic grip keeping her stable as she sat next to Mary and Amber. Her robe turned golden with a simple gesture from Mary. Harlan turned on one leg, stomping loudly first with his foot and then slamming the tip of Lugh into the stage. The sound jolted the students from the shock and made him seem 10 feet tall. ¡°I hereby end this ceremony, I shall take no word nor challenge for my actions.¡± His swagger as he walked out of the room with Lugh held reversed in his hand gave him the appearance of a leader for perhaps the first time in his life. At the top of the stairs however was the older Cato brother. ¡°I challenge your actions. You have taken a daughter of Reino without regard for her kin, and without prior notice.¡± ¡°Her kin has never held regard for her. I see no reason why I might give them prior notice.¡± ¡°You are not the one to decide that.¡± ¡°Then her kin may face me in the courts. I have broken no laws here or within your lands. The Grand Saint Fragile Peace said herself that her word is law, and the immigration of her people to Ragne without shedding of blood or secret shall be met without resistance.¡± Harlan really wanted to leave, this stiff talk was getting in on his nerves now. ¡°Why not settle the matter in a trial by combat?¡± ¡°In the words of The Grand Saint Fragile Peace, she wishes a nation where man might live in peace. I hope to honor that wish through peaceful resolution with quill and ink, not steel and blood. Please stand aside, elder son of Cato.¡± It was hard for him to argue against Harlan. By directly invoking her words in front of so many people Cato couldn¡¯t use an excuse of not being aware of what she had said before. Along with her words that any whose cause was unjust in the punishment of those who left the country peacefully were not her people, there was a real risk that he could lose his head. Harlan had acted the fool for a long time, and he was a fool for a long time. But the more he planned the revenge against the Cato''s the more he understood how to be a real bastard, Sepul had given him many books and lessons on how to do so after all. Manipulating a 13 year old girl who had been the leader of a nation for only a year was childsplay with a little use of empathy. He considered the ability unethical as it was a minor form of mind control in his opinion, but he also understood that it was the lesser of evils because he was still willing to kill a lot of people to make sure Adina would be safe. Cato stood aside, understanding it was his loss and believing that the courts of the two nations would favor his side. Harlan felt a rush go through him. It was nice to feel fear of an enemy who had wronged him, but to see him defeated with nothing but a few words, ones which he had set up in advance to tear him down. Well, it was truly something else and so he wore a malicious small on his face as he walked out of the room. When the doors closed students on all sides really didn¡¯t know how to react other than Harlan¡¯s friends who clapped and then left the room. For Ragne, Harlan just let a student from Reino into his house, which really wasn¡¯t a cause for celebration. For Reino, Adina was somebody who they were supposed to either hate or ignore since she was a burden on their nation. Losing her didn¡¯t really have an impact unless somebody knew that she was being used as a political cudgel directly against Harlan. For the Confederacy, Ragne was an ally and without all of the other context they didn¡¯t celebrate because the students of Ragne didn¡¯t do it. Barely any false undead were even there, most of them were hoping for a confession of love and left disappointed. It was certainly shocking, but it was more just really strange for everyone who was viewing it from the outside. People thought of Harlan relatively positively at this point, he was helpful and attentive in class and people asked him for small favors all the time. Find this, look at this spell for errors or advice, talk to somebody on my behalf. He asked for nothing, which made no small number of people worry, but for others it meant they had somebody to bother for small things and who didn¡¯t mind giving up his own magical knowledge. With this everyone was still wondering what exactly he was doing. When they got back to Harlan¡¯s room he Adina just sat on his couch and shivered. She was scared and very, very, happy. She basically jumped from social pariah even in her own house to a minor noble in a different country in 5 months. ¡°Harlan, hold my hand, I really don¡¯t want this to be a dream.¡± ¡°Even if it was, I¡¯d still be here when you wake up.¡± She nervously chuckled and everyone else in the room looked at the two of them and wondered how they hadn¡¯t gotten together yet. ¡°Alright, I know we just ate dinner, but I can at least give everybody some tea to celebrate. Or wine, I do own a few bottles.¡± The tension was broken and Harlan ended up assaulted by questions from everybody from Amber to Adelwulf for the rest of the night until Sepul showed up to kick everyone back to their rooms. Normally it would be a dormmaster, but Sepul also wanted an excuse to talk to Harlan. Chapter 120 Sepul returned to his form of an old man instead of a desiccated man. ¡°Why do you believe I am here now?¡± ¡°To call me a fool. To tell me how I am letting myself be dragged down by a girl I¡¯ve only known for months. That The Darkness is manipulating me. Are any of these right?¡± ¡°Yes to all three. I¡¯ve killed most of my apprentices in the past, can you guess why?¡± Harlan rubbed his chin as he thought about what he knew about Sepul. ¡°They abused their power, killing people who didn¡¯t have it coming with what you taught them?¡± ¡°Yes, but more than that, they acted as heroes while they did terrible things in the shadows, unforgivable things.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°They showed signs of what they were going to do, but I believed I could stop them, change their nature. I¡¯ve lost sons, daughters, grandchildren. I want to ask, if you become something that you cannot accept, do you want me to kill you.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Harlan didn¡¯t understand the question. ¡°Because if I am not myself I will hurt people, I am too dangerous to let myself be anything but myself. I¡¯ve already made so many things, I¡¯ve already made ideas of how I would use them to do so many things that would be unforgivable.¡± ¡°Do you believe that me killing you is the answer to that then?¡± ¡°It would be for the best.¡± ¡°Then you are still not ready. You should work on that prototype for Fragile Peace, I will take you to my lab.¡± Harlan worked through that night, the one after that, and many more. He thought about a lot of what he had heard, both from Sepul and from that man, that evolved skinwalker. He was nameless, broken, and then Harlan turned him into a powersource for some reason, he didn¡¯t question what it would be used for. A letter came for him one day, with simple black letters on a white note. ¡®You already know what you are supposed to know for her. Understand it.¡¯ It became clearer at that point what Harlan had learned from what he had done, If sundering was to clear a soul on a deeper level until it is nothing but energy, then parts of that same ritual should be able to touch the deepest parts of the soul to remove the Fae curse. Yet he had no way to know exactly which part he needed, and he couldn¡¯t really target whatever the Fae had done because he didn¡¯t understand what Fae were at all. That night, just the day before he was supposed to give over the new prototypes, he was simply staring at the sigils again, they were not exactly runes, Harlan wondered if they were in a sense another font for the magical language. He finally stopped when his eye started to bleed. ¡°Did you learn anything?¡± ¡°It is touching something inside me. I think I should look at more of them shaped like that one to see what happens.¡± Harlan double checked everything on the boxes. They still needed to rely on an external powersource, and since they couldn¡¯t use soulsmithed gems they would rely on powerful arrays that drained the surrounding area and focused that mana into a mana gem. This required that these boxes be stationary and in Harlan¡¯s opinion they lost a great deal of the usefulness of the communicators. He thought it was funny that they would be accepting soulspeak but soulsmithing was still a step too far. The biggest change that Harlan made were the improvements to defenses, the gems themselves would filter any attempted attacks. He might¡¯ve been making them for a now supposedly non-hostile nation, but he would be giving his crystal to Fragile Peace so she could contact him if she wanted and he spent most of the month making sure that wouldn¡¯t lead to a bigger problem. In total he had 2 dozen boxes ready along with schematics and manuals for use. The arrays would be set up on their end, Harlan didn¡¯t even know something like that existed until someone they sent to help set up the devices in accordance with their laws showed up. Each crystal would be shaped into a pyramid and fit upside down in the cloth lined inner casing to protect them. Each of them would then need to be identified with a number or symbol since without using soulsmithing to automate the process the box basically acted as just a connection to the crossroad which the crystals piggybacked onto to seek out the unique lifeforce of the person being called. This led into the biggest weakness of the device compared to the soulsmithed version, one had to physically have a blood crystal in order to make a call, no touching amulets to just give a little of the soul. These crystals could be lost, they could be stolen, if somebody dropped the box they could fall out and then they would need to check each one of them and put them back in the box, if they were cracked you would need a new crystal. These were not diamonds, they were not mana gems, they were more like an ice cube that did not melt. For doctors this wasn¡¯t a problem since even if they got chipped at some point it was all still just blood and light magic meant they didn¡¯t worry about blood types or even realize that they existed. But a cracked crystal would contain less life force and thus weaken the signal which Harlan had already tested to make them as small as they could be and still reach from coast to coast. The issue with the gems used for soul communicators was the spells themselves stressing the gem, with blood it was just there being a finite amount of life in each gem. Harlan was somewhat conflicted about using the term crossroad, he had always used the web because it was the first thing that came to his mind, but if the Golden already had a term for it then it was better to not make another term for the same exact thing, that could get confusing very quickly. The time was fast approaching for a final talk and the trade itself. He didn¡¯t know who would be coming but the talks would happen in a meeting room in the academy itself and Balor along with a representative of the kingdom would be there to ensure everything went smoothly. It was 6 in the morning, ideally everything should be done before breakfast was ready. Though Harlan had the sneaking suspicion that they wanted to try and force a time limit on the deal since they believed Harlan would get impatient. Harlan made his way to the room at 5:30 and waited for everyone else to arrive. Balor arrived first alongside the kingdom representative. One of the older princes, Harlan wasn''t entirely sure which one. He bowed deeply and the man seemed pleased. ¡°It is a shame we missed one another at the gala, I am Alder.¡± ¡°Good morning, First Prince Alder.¡± ¡°I heard you disliked dealings like this, I am surprised you arrived before us.¡± ¡°This deal is important for many reasons, as an integral part of the invention of these devices I feel it is best to put my best foot forward and triple check everything.¡± ¡°Good. It is important that you remember how to act in a manner befitting a noble, you are a count in name alone, but that name is a vital part of your existence now.¡± ¡°Of course, First Prince.¡± Harlan had to keep the conversation going, Rosewell said it was important that he never try to break off the conversation, just wait until it ends, though she didn¡¯t really give a reason why. Unfortunately the people of Reino must not have had clocks, as they arrived over 15 minutes late. Of them Harlan only knew Fragile Peace, the only one who sat with her on the couch across from them was an elderly man with long hair and a bushy beard stained with ink. ¡°My apologies for the delay, there was a situation that required my presence to resolve and could not be put off.¡± ¡°I take no offense. We have no time limit on this meeting, should things be forced to a close we may also resume it another day.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t believe her, so he tossed out both the idea that he would stay as long as it took and that if he felt they were yanking his chain that he would end the meeting and delay giving them the devices. The old man sat straighter and shared a look with the grand saint. ¡°Well, I do hope we might have these devices by the end of the day at least. I am High Saint Golden Touch, you would consider me as a grand minister of finance for my country.¡± ¡°Shall we look at the device itself before we continue?¡± ¡°Of course. Though because of a design change we will need to draw blood again.¡± The box was only 2 feet wide, 1 foot long, and with a depth of 2 feet. Though it was not overly large, it could be put together with other boxes to expand the storage capacity. No matter how many crystals were kept inside of it there was only a draw on the mana when calls were made and received and so the boxes storing the crystals were more for convenience than actual need, one could store them in a bag and just pull them out as needed if they so desired. Harlan placed a crystal in each box and Fragile Peace gave Harlan her palm, just as the month before he painlessly cut her, took the blood he needed, and then healed her. ¡°What have you done with the other crystal you made?¡± Harlan pulled it from his pocket. ¡°I intended to destroy it in front of you so that you do not think I¡¯ve kept it for nefarious reasons.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± A touch of void turned it to dust and the energy dispersed. ¡°You are very capable with that power, so I¡¯ve heard.¡± ¡°Thank you, your holiness.¡± Harlan ran through the instructions to activate the device and all of the small quirks like needing uncracked crystals and a certain spell to speak through the devices, one which she already knew and would be taught to those who would get the boxes. Both sides set up veils so they could not hear the other party and then connected through the devices themselves inside of these veils. A red glow that was enhanced with an enchantment on the box meant he was receiving a call, then once he opened the box her crystal, being the only one in the box, glowed. ¡°Can you hear me?¡± ¡°Yes, you are coming through quite clearly. Now that you¡¯ve seen it work, what questions do you have?¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Firstly I would like to ensure these are made without any soulsmithing.¡± ¡°Of course. Both of these boxes are using gems which I have already charged with mana through the array your people taught me. This does mean we have a finite time to speak through them unless we set up arrays here in the room, but you could use these for upwards of 40 minutes before the mana is drained.¡± ¡°Good, it is important that even in the event the array fails, calls may still be placed through these. Now, about range? You claim that it can function from coast to coast, yet how could you know this? You have never been to our western coast.¡± ¡°We are aware of how large the continent is from east to west and we have tested the maximum range as roughly seven thousand miles using boats stationed off of the coast of both the desert and the north. This means you could still be a few dozen miles off of each coast and make calls to one another if you needed.¡± ¡°Very good. Now, before we move to possible costs and distribution, why did you do what you did at the gala? It is very rude to manipulate a young girl for your own gains.¡± ¡°I believe you know what kind of man I am, your words helped avoid me needing to shed blood, is this not in line with what you¡¯ve said you wish for your nation?¡± ¡°In a very broad sense you are right, but you have twisted the intent behind my words. Your actions have bred animosity between yourself and others, that is not something which I endorse¡± ¡°I have been subject to animosity due to what I am well before what I¡¯ve done and their animosity is unjust in my eyes, as were their actions against my now minister of justice.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to sidetrack the entire negotiation, I simply wished to mention I am displeased with your actions.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Harlan was there for technical details, Balor and Alder took care of everything else. He was honestly bored out of his mind but keeping himself looking proper as best he could, yet he couldn¡¯t completely zone out since they still asked questions and requested possible changes. After an hour Harlan started using his empathy to try and speed things up. Emotions were a complicated thing and his power required interpretation still, but he was getting the hang of lowering the greed of those from Reino so they stopped arguing as strongly about prices. He wondered why he found it so easy to do this to them, he hated using it outside of animals, but now he was using it more and more for his own reasons. He stopped trying to manipulate them after these thoughts crossed his mind, he considered the power a lesser violation of their own will, he couldn¡¯t control them, but to say it wouldn¡¯t change how they made choices would be a baldfaced lie. Eventually things finished up just in time for Harlan to have missed breakfast and a few classes. Advanced elements weren''t having classes at the moment since anything beyond the first year was restricted to prevent students from harming themselves if they were to use these other elements inappropriately. He would only catch the last few minutes of spell crafting, so he figured he would just skip that and head right to divinations. He didn¡¯t really like missing classes, but there was a certain expectation that students would need to miss them for whatever reasons a noble might have to miss a class which meant catch up classes were common. ¡°Would you be willing to grant me a handful more crystals from yourself, I would like to distribute them to a few key figures. As our nations are no longer at war we might find common ground in magical research.¡± ¡°I would like a full list of who and why. As of right now I am unsure of the prospect of giving more crystals, but I am not entirely against the idea. I do not hate your country, simply individuals within it.¡± ¡°I understand your feelings, trust is on two sides. Which is why I have granted you my own crystal, and you have granted yours to me.¡± ¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡± ¡°Would you mind if I called you tonight? I hope you have your own device still.¡± ¡°I do, would you like to set a time? Or should I expect you any time after dinner has finished?¡± ¡°12 at night would be a fair time, would it not? It would be just before bed for me so I would have no distractions at the time and your people don¡¯t sleep.¡± ¡°Yes, that works out quite well for me as well, thank you for your consideration.¡± Finally it was done. Except Alder didn¡¯t leave the room. ¡°Now, I do hope you have no ulterior motives with your relationship with Reino. First you bring one of them into your home, now you intend to have private conversations with the leader of their nation. It would be such a waste if you were to enter their service.¡± ¡°Thank you for your concern, First Prince, yet I have no intention to side with them for any reasons. I am diametrically opposed to their gods after all.¡± ¡°I suppose that is a fair point, yet I wonder, perhaps another secret revealed would gain my trust?¡± ¡°I am sorry, First Prince Alder, my deals with your father, King Yggdra the 15th, require that I exclusively work through my master, Sepul Dust, so he might present them to him to avoid wasting time on things which might not pan out in the end.¡± It was bullshit, Harlan only had one thing left to actually hand over and it had already been rejected. He just hoped he had gotten the right impression from him that he kept his children out of certain parts of his work, including Harlan. ¡°Well, in that case I would not seek to override the will of my father. Have a good day, Sir Fomoria.¡± He left and Balor followed behind him, they were to be taken back to different places, but by the same gate mage. ¡°We didn¡¯t get to talk with Brother Balor¡­¡± ¡°I know. If it was some bureaucrat I could¡¯ve just ignored anything not related to business and gotten a little time with him. Fucking royals.¡± ¡°Sister Autumn doesn¡¯t like you swearing.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Harlan laid his head back and spread his arms, just looking at the ceiling. ¡°What are we going to do?¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°Everything. I don¡¯t know what to do right now. I made the boxes, I don¡¯t know how to fix Adina, every night I just stare at those symbols until my eyes hurt and my mind gets weird. I just don¡¯t know what to do now. I don¡¯t know how to handle this peace. I expected someone to go after Adina by now, but they really are just taking it lying down. I miss Claude, we could talk about different things.¡± ¡°Why not just be friends with him? It is his choice.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t want to upset Claudia.¡± ¡°Harlan. Why does it matter?¡± ¡°She is¡­ was, a friend. I don¡¯t want to lose her completely because I went against her.¡± ¡°Remember what Mary told you? It is alright to be selfish.¡± ¡°I have been selfish, I killed all of those people for experiments, I¡­ I¡¯m sure there is more that I am not thinking about now, but that isn¡¯t the point.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t even kill those people for yourself. You did it for our family.¡± ¡°Bullshit, I did it because I wanted to know what would happen, because I am good at it. I killed some of them just because of what they had done, like it was just. Everything feels like just another thing I tell myself to make it alright.¡± ¡°None of it was alright, not a single part of it was ok. But you did it anyway, because you didn¡¯t want them to get hurt. How many times have you hurt yourself, almost died, just for yourself? Remember what Ximena told you, don¡¯t throw yourself away for her or anyone else, just be selfish sometimes.¡± Harlan thought about it, he opened his mouth only to close it. The times he almost died flashed before him In the forest he saved Reet by pushing him out of the way to take an explosion. In that other forest he was trying to make a gift for his niece and nephew, he couldn¡¯t have known what would happen, but he was only there for them. He tried to learn too quickly once, that one was selfish. At the camp he nearly gave his life for the others, he still didn¡¯t know how he got out other than ¡®The Mother did it.¡¯ Harlan didn¡¯t talk, instead he remembered the map, remembered the class schedules. Warding would be over soon, he would find Claude there. Harlan kept playing back so much of his life in his head and it was starting to piss him off. He liked helping people, but how much was ever for him? Sure he might¡¯ve done some things out of pride or anger, but those hardly counted. He let Blackstone get away with screwing him over by telling himself that he would do the same thing. Then he repeated that with Claudia, when she told him to stay away from her brother he hardly had anyone. Amber¡¯s friends were good people, but in the end they were Amber¡¯s friends and his acquaintances. He was always the third wheel when she was around. He did talk to Tau on his own that only lasted until Harlan could dump his problems with Mary, then the two didn¡¯t really talk a lot. He thought of what he wanted to do, not for somebody else, just for himself. He rounded the corner to find himself at warding. He pulled out a pocket watch to check the time, he mostly kept it around so other people would trust him when he told them exactly when it was. Tick, tock, tick, tock. 5 minutes passed and Claude was one of the first people to leave the class. He froze seeing Harlan waiting for him, not looking particularly happy. He wondered if it was because of how his family treated him at the gala. ¡°Claude. Do you want to be friends again?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Harlan put his hand out for a shake and Claude shook it. For other nobles it was a gesture of the common people, a noble should settle their deals with a bow, preferably with a hand across the heart. ¡°Thank you. I need to go now, see you at lunch?¡± ¡°See you then.¡± Harlan waved and then made his way to the teachers complex, he wanted to set appointments. Aria had probably forgotten about the idea of teaching Harlan anything but he put forward a request that she talk to him at some point. ¡°Are you ok?¡± ¡°Yes, I have nothing better to do, instead of beating myself up over not helping every person I know or learning the secrets of the universe in an afternoon I need to be a little selfish. Just enough to relax.¡± ¡°Really? Because you feel all weird.¡± ¡°Yes. I am fine, and thank you for always being there to make sure I am ok, if I ever say I am fine just ask me again because I am probably lying. But right now? Yes, I am fine. In fact, I should go talk to The Darkness.¡± ¡°After lunch?¡± ¡°Tonight at least. I don¡¯t know how long things are going to take. I¡¯ve got questions.¡± ¡°Can I talk to her too?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we can be there together, but sure, she says she can talk to a bunch of people at once.¡± Harlan went first in line for Lunch, he had never done that, generally it was the kids of high saints and dukes that did that. He could tell they were upset but he didn¡¯t care, they were all pricks who he rarely shared a word with. He sat at the same table as always and ate before the others even got there, he saw no reason to wait. Zella was the first to show up, minutes after Harlan had already finished. ¡°Zella, am I selfish?¡± She couldn¡¯t help but laugh a little before she stopped, this could¡¯ve been a serious question. ¡°Sorry. But no, if I ever called you you would just drop everything. I like that about you, you never abandon anyone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to be a bit selfish from now on, you can still call me for anything though.¡± ¡°Well, that is probably good. I sometimes take a long bath or something and just ignore the world for a while. Those communication necklaces are nice, but letting people call me whenever they want can be pretty annoying after a while. Thank you again for giving me one.¡± ¡°If I ever invent something and then make my friends pay for it, kick my ass.¡± ¡°Of course I will, I might do it anyway, just to keep you from getting any ideas.¡± ¡°Good. Oh, here he comes.¡± Zella wasn¡¯t sure how to react to Claude sitting with them. ¡°Did you and Claudia make up?¡± ¡°Nope, and I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m not sure we were ever friends, anyone who isn¡¯t a friend doesn¡¯t get to pick mine.¡± ¡°Well, I am glad to have you back Claude. I think you round out the group, well, I guess Yara filled that niche of the one that opens up when you find the right topic.¡± ¡°Then I hope we can talk back and forth with one another.¡± ¡°Well, she isn¡¯t far away, at her current speed she should reach the line in 10 seconds, at the rate of the line currently I¡¯d give you about a minute and a half before you meet her, Ximena, and Liat. Those three always meet up and arrive as a group. Adina is running a bit late however.¡± Zella looked at him strangely. ¡°Do you normally notice stuff like that?¡± ¡°My peripheral vision is better than some people''s focused vision, my hearing is multiple times better than a humans, I can smell things like you wouldn''t believe.¡± She subtly cast a small cleaning spell just to be sure. Harlan didn¡¯t say much more until the others arrived, but Adina still wasn¡¯t there. He decided that before he let himself get worked up into a frenzy he should just call her. ¡°Oh, Harlan? What do you need?¡± ¡°Just worried, you are a bit late.¡± ¡°Sorry, a boy had tripped and hit his head on a wall quite hard, so I decided to take him to a proper healer after I gave first aid.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t apologize, you did the right thing. See you when you get here.¡± ¡°Goodbye to you as well.¡± Harlan put the amulet back in his inner pocket and a few minutes later she came in. It always brought a smile to his face to see her wearing that gold robe with his crest on it and not wearing those glasses anymore. ¡°There is somebody else here. Is that you Claude?¡± ¡°Yes, it has been far too long. You have changed a lot since I last talked to you.¡± ¡°Well, not being shackled to my country and its moral guidelines has done a lot, but mostly it is that Harlan is always there for me. Even when he isn¡¯t, the communicator means he is just a few moments away.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourself short, I couldn¡¯t make you come out of your shell, you had to make that choice. I just let you make that choice because I¡¯d kill anyone who tried to stuff you back inside.¡± ¡°You seem happy today.¡± ¡°Yeah, I put in a request to talk to Aria, I can¡¯t help you yet, and until I can I want to work on things for myself.¡± ¡°Oh, you can¡¯t help me? Maybe Ximena should break your nose again, you are speaking nonsense. You¡¯ve been helping me since the first day you met me.¡± Claude looked over at the group of Golden sitting with them and wondered which one it was. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my name is Claude, I should¡¯ve introduced myself.¡± They all said their names and he focused on Ximena. He knew that Harlan¡¯s sister was violent with him sometimes, but that was a sibling thing and both of them knew there were no hard feelings or real harm. Ximena still looked embarrassed by her punching Harlan. He spent the rest of lunch mostly just trying to listen in so he could learn the group¡¯s new dynamics. He was happy to be somewhere loud enough that Harlan had started putting up a dampening veil overtop of the one already in the room. There was just an energy when it came to everyone. Nobles were often either reserved or they pretended to be when everyone could see them, yet Harlan didn¡¯t care in the slightest and neither did anyone else sitting with him. Chapter 121 Healing class. They were back to the higher stress rapid first aid tests. Though this time it was a surprise, the students suddenly had the blocks of slime on their desks and were told they had 5 seconds to stop them from dying. In such a short time nobody was able to identify which injury was killing it and they all failed, but that was to be expected. This was repeated while they were doing the other rapid first aid tests with a second patient being brought over and the students needed to choose which one should be treated first. The class has been learning ahead of schedule so Hellon decided they didn¡¯t need as much of the repetition parts and they could move to the hard calls section as she called it. After it was done Harlan¡¯s hands were shaking. He knew that they were just slabs of flesh, they didn¡¯t even have a mind, but hearing Hellon yell out ages and names made his mind react as if they were really people. His over empathizing with people was not just magical and when he worked he easily lost himself in what he was doing. Ximena suffered worse than he did. Her fists were clenched so hard that her knuckles went white and her teeth were chattering. Adina was the one who had done the best out of the three of them in the end, she didn¡¯t connect as easily as Harlan, while she also didn¡¯t have the general fearfulness of Ximena. She leaned back in her seat and just let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Ximena, you did good.¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t, I was so close, I just kept panicking.¡± Hellon came over to her. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it. You are failing now so that you can actually save a life when you need to, and sometimes you might need to make the call. Do I risk both people dying by trying to save them in order? Or do I just let one of them go? I can¡¯t tell you how to be a healer, but you cannot delude yourself into believing that you won¡¯t ever encounter this. That goes for all of you, I can see your mocking eyes, but she still saved more than at least half of you. Just because you can maintain a calm does not mean you are a great healer, just as losing your cool doesn¡¯t make you a bad one, just one that needs to do better. Class is dismissed. Harlan, stay behind.¡± Harlan had yelled at her during the class and everyone could tell he was tense the entire time. Things moved fast enough to blur his distracted mind and he overreacted. At least that is why everyone else thought she wanted to talk to him. Instead it was something far more mundane. She pulled a stack of papers from her desk and handed them to Harlan. ¡°I got that package back from your maid, I had somebody look at her, now you need to make the choice. Just use your signet ring here to pay-¡± He was a fast reader, it was mostly just a legalese way of saying no refunds, so he didn¡¯t bother with her whole speech. He moved the little disk of magical wax with his telekinesis and it melted on with a touch of his ring. ¡°You could¡¯ve waited for me to finish.¡± ¡°You just need my coin to pay for the procedure. That is all I need to know, at least, I hope you¡¯ve explained everything to her well enough that that is all I need to know.¡± ¡°Yes, she is fully aware of the risks and the chance that the magic doesn¡¯t actually heal her. There is supposed to be a spell for sterilizing people in a way that is easily fixed with the counter spell. I can¡¯t say if it was malice or not, but that orphanage director had the doctors use something else and I cannot guarantee that it can be reversed very easily, this might be a coin pit that you just keep tossing gold into.¡± ¡°So be it. I will also be paying a visit to that man. I want to bury him up to his neck and let the vultures pluck out his eyes.¡± ¡°I do hope you mean that metaphorically.¡± ¡°Of course. If I have a legal case then that is what I mean.¡± There was a little bit of ambiguity on whether or not that meant he would kill the man if he didn¡¯t have a legal case, but she let it go. A healer needed a steady hand and a strong heart, but they did not need to be good people, as Sepul so clearly demonstrated. Warmagic went as one might expect, though Harlan had started adding his own personal flair to spells. A lightning bolt that made a shower of sparks on hit wasn¡¯t actually any stronger, but it was fun. The same could be said about a fireball that was green or purple instead of orange. War didn¡¯t need to be boring after all. He didn¡¯t have a magical creatures class today so he had more or less 3 hours to do nothing if he so wanted. He walked around in areas that he knew he would be seen. He was waiting for somebody after all. Finally, she arrived. ¡°Lady Dyad.¡± ¡°Harlan. Why don¡¯t we have a private conversation?¡± ¡°I will entertain a public conversation or soul speak.¡± She grabbed his hand like she was going to shake it and Harlan stepped back a small amount to keep her at arm''s length. ¡°I thought that you were going to try to convince me? Didn¡¯t you want to trust me as a friend?¡± ¡°Did you intentionally use how I feel towards my friends to manipulate me? Are you still trying to do that?¡± She could feel how hurt he was as he said it, he did not try to hide his emotions from her. ¡°I have done nothing wrong.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t deny it.¡± ¡°I cannot trust you, the others in my family agree. It would be best if you left him be, or else.¡± ¡°Or, else, what?¡± He did not tighten his grasp, he did not react outwardly, but she could tell that he did not like being threatened and she was pulling on the tail of a sleeping Wyvern. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Everyone has something to hide, there is always a skeleton in a closet. My siblings are good at digging them up.¡± ¡°My skeletons are not just mine, they should be careful they don¡¯t stumble upon their own graves trying to dig mine.¡± Harlan let go of her hand and left. He sat in his room with the door cracked to tell others they could come to him to ask for his help with anything. Mostly he looked over peoples notes and gave advice, he had a reputation as having very safe spells and while he wouldn¡¯t give them away in their complete form, he would let people get just enough to figure it out if they were seriously trying to learn things. He thought about how he mirrored the method used by The Mother without realizing it. Knowledge was power, power was corruption, but wisdom could hopefully temper it. He couldn¡¯t remember which book he read that in, but he liked it. He had read dozens of books since he and Yara started raiding the library and trading books back and forth. Though he didn¡¯t just read books, sometimes he would receive military reports. These were things sent out to many mages to ask their opinion so they might replicate whatever was in the reports more quickly. He had read about guns, the new weapon of the frontier, unknown people were giving them out to revolutionary elements and they were being reverse engineered by the kingdom. He even had the chance to look at one once when it was brought to John who happened to be at Sepul¡¯s home that morning. Harlan knew exactly who made it. Had he handed Dearil nothing at all, would it have made such a big change? Harlan started reading reports of casualties, the numbers were published every week so people could watch out for their loved ones'' names, all he needed to do was put in a request to have one sent his way. It wasn¡¯t just to punish himself, he just wanted to always remember that some of these deaths, perhaps every single one marked as death by gun, was in some way his fault, and it could never happen again. Perhaps the best thing that had happened in the last month was that the king refused Harlan¡¯s offer for stronger soul magic. The casualties would surely be lower, but it just meant that the other side would be the ones dying more often, it wasn¡¯t a solution, it would just be shifting to less visible deaths. He was taken out of his thoughts by another knock on the door, not many people today. The one who walked through the door was a shock however. ¡°Selen, I don¡¯t see Wulrun with you.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t bring him this time. I think we should have a private chat.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Harlan telekinetically shut the door. ¡°I am surprised, don¡¯t you have classes to teach?¡± ¡°No, I take care of soul magic and melee combat, both before lunch. Mostly I handle administrative work actually.¡± ¡°Oh, that is rather¡­ mundane.¡± ¡°Yes, but, enough beating around the bush. Would you be willing to make a deal for the spells and methods used for creating those communicators? Currently we need to go through the official channels, every one of them, no matter shape or size, is going through the kingdom. Private mages haven¡¯t cracked them yet. I am just here to see if you are willing to set up a date where we can discuss this in the future.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Simply put, we, as false undead, do not trust humans beyond the ones we personally know. We cannot know if those communicators have a way to track what is said and by who, that is a very dangerous thing for us. The top leaders of The Couriers are private people and they would like amulets, but they refuse to buy them from the kingdom.¡± ¡°If you tell me how many I need to make, I could make them. But¡­ I am not so sure about how much I¡¯ve already shared with people.¡± Shame, fear, sadness, anger. Harlan felt these from her and he didn¡¯t like the possible answers to why some of it was directed at herself. Perhaps they wanted them because they knew something so they sent her knowing Harlan was fond of her? Perhaps they just wanted to save the coin that would be spent on the communicators? Perhaps they were planning something that they needed absolute security on, something terrible? Harlan tried to decipher all of what she was feeling and find a logical reason that didn¡¯t involve them having her do something she didn¡¯t want to, he was no mind reader after all. Yet he found no reasons that made sense to him. She was never the type to be upset over somebody else knowing more than she did, so that shame and anger didn¡¯t come from a sense of pride. Fear, was it over how he would react? Or that their plans would fail? Maybe the fear was that Harlan would find out something they didn¡¯t want him to know. Sadness, this he was sure was fully her¡¯s and it tied together with the rest. He believed that she was sad over having to trick Harlan in some way, or, she was sad that she could not convince her superiors that Harlan didn¡¯t need to be tricked. She could see that he was deep in thought and this only heighted her emotions. Yet she did not let a single one show on the outside. ¡°Why have you really come here?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you want to be here, and I don¡¯t believe you have come to me in good faith.¡± He shifted into a more formal tone, this did not go unnoticed by her. ¡°Why do you think I am here then?¡± ¡°Simply put, I, as a mage who has been used in the past, do not trust others beyond the people who I personally know. You are not here of your own will and I do not trust the people who sent you here.¡± Thoughts ran through her head about how to handle the situation now. Her emotions ran higher, the direction of them did not change. She was sad at, or for, Harlan, angry at somebody else, and afraid of them as well, while being ashamed of herself. ¡°I am sorry. I will return once I report to my superiors and the terms of our dealings with you are ready to be negotiated properly.¡± ¡°Thank you. And, make sure it is clear, I don¡¯t mind helping, but-¡± He noticed how much anger was in his voice. Harlan took a breath and rethought what words to use, aggressive language was always something he had trouble not defaulting to. He really didn¡¯t want to be on bad terms with The Couriers, but he did not want them to think they could cross certain lines he had while they worked together. ¡°But, I have lines that I do not want to have crossed, using you against me like this is a line I do not want crossed again. They don¡¯t need to tell me everything, but they need to be honest with what they are telling me or I will just refuse to work with them anymore. I don¡¯t want that to happen, I want us to work together for a better future where Vampires and Werewolves and Ghouls and everyone else under your banner can walk in the sun without being worried about accusations of being monsters.¡± ¡°I will make sure things are clear and that we can hopefully remain on good terms with one another despite this misstep on our part.¡± ¡°No, on their part. I cannot believe you wanted to play the part you were given.¡± She got up from her seat and gave Harlan a small bow before leaving the room. Dinner was more mundanity, a lot of catching Claude up on what had happened that he didn¡¯t know about and trying to make him not feel like an outsider for having left the group for months. ¡°So anyway, yes, I did have a chat with the king after the gala, but it was nothing too important. We just hammered out more details regarding the communicators both for here and the Reinoans.¡± He wondered how long it would take before somebody knew about him having another chat, not anything that was by itself harmful as a rumor, but he could get out in front of it hopefully. ¡°Really? I can barely wrap my head around them not being the enemy anymore. I¡¯ve never liked them, but-¡± He was about to apologize to Adina but she raised her hand to stop him, she understood what he meant. ¡°If peace is a real option, then I want to help with that. So I hope my kindness will temper their zeal. Fragile Peace seems to genuinely want this to work, so I will help them. A thousand years of war made it just a thing happening in the world instead of a serious matter unless you were involved with it. Maybe if I was born just 50 miles farther west, where I could see the effects of the war more clearly, I would¡¯ve grown up hating them.¡± ¡°What do you think about her? At the gala I barely saw the grand saint, I don¡¯t think talking to her was a good idea either, it would be like talking to the king.¡± Harlan knew that people were looking forward to his answer, either he said something that pissed off the Reinoans, or Ragnites. ¡°I think she seemed like a mature 13 year old girl. I didn¡¯t speak with her very long and my talk was mostly business.¡± He went with a rather non confrontational answer that satisfied nobody. Harlan wanted to get a better impression of her before he decided anything. The others at the table seemed to understand that Harlan would rather move away from the topic so they spoke of nothing of any importance until the meal was finished. Everyone split up again, Harlan would be sitting in his room reading a book. He would finally be looking into imbibing. Chapter 122 The book was written by a Kalak. Their bodies were long and gangly, they were not strong as a Minos, they were not as agile as a Ibexian, they lacked the defenses of an Armaus. These flaws, these weaknesses, made them find new ways to get stronger. Though it was never known to others, even to the Kalak, they were the first of the beastkin. They were born of Anu when she was still young, based upon an animal she had never seen, and on a people who went with the first age. They mixed and mingled as made sense, they were not inherently flawed in their creation, but rather such a form simply did not make sense as a man. For the Maned Wolves their long limbs did not mean as much for them as it would for an upright being. Their long legs made them fast, their long arms gave them great reach. But they lacked the stamina to keep up with the cost of moving the now bulkier bodies they gained by being mixed with humans. Their limbs were easy to break because of their thinness combined with the length of them. Anu was greatly dismayed when she made them, they made sense, and yet the first result was a functional, but questionable beast. Even still, they lived, flourished even. Until man came, their forest homes burned, miles and miles of black smoke and the stink of flesh. Harlan was ignorant of these things as he read the book, the author gave his own explanation of why they were the inventors of imbibing. He was a great mage, had he been born in time another time he would be an archmage, but he was one of his people. The Kalak were part of The Confederacy yet they remained isolationist, especially after the war. The author was a man who believed the Kalak were blessed with an intelligence beyond the other races, that they were made weaker in body so they could use their minds to make magic to overcome them, it was their burden to uplift the other races with their magical might. The confederacy did not spring up overnight, it did not exist without staining the ground red. Some were made states because the other option was being put down as beasts unable to be made civil. He moved past the ranting of a supremacist and onto the actual magic. The basis of imbibing, once Harlan read it, was to effectively turn one''s blood into a potion. The process of alchemy was in essence to enchant a liquid with the will of a mage so that it would hold a spell, to inscribe the runes into a shape that was in constant flux. Harlan had the experience in other forms so he could do simple imbibings quickly, then Lugh tried it and the feeling was the same as when he shifted his form into different metals. Harlan went to another student who took blacksmithing classes and he had a few ingots that Harlan paid him for. He placed a filled but still spelless gem on the ingot and used some magic to secure it by softening the metal so he could use his inhuman strength, backed by some minor imbibing and telekinesis he folded the the ingot like a piece of bread around the gem with a great deal of effort, yet still it cost less mana than a proper metal magic. Harlan had kept up with what people were doing with what he had done. Imbibing didn¡¯t work as a spell for soulsmithing, it required intelligence, mages couldn¡¯t even use imbibing on another person unless they trained for that exact person. So while Harlan thought it was too easy, he decided to put imbibing into the gem and have it just randomly fill the ingot with earth mana. It was silly, surely it wasn¡¯t going to be so easy to make a magical metal. He had just placed it in a stone steel box just to be sure it wasn¡¯t going to explode and he set it back in his closet. It was then that he saw a red light behind him, the blood crystal communication device was receiving a call request. Harlan sat at his desk and moved the small box, barely 6 inches across, only deep enough to hold one layer; he had no intention of having a great deal of communication with Reino. ¡°Good night, Grand Saint Fragile Peace.¡± ¡°You may call me Peace while we speak, this is not business, so I would like to avoid over formality.¡± ¡°Are you alone? Is this a private conversation?¡± ¡°Yes, I am alone in my room.¡± It somewhat unsettled Harlan to speak with her, He could not tell her mood, he could not see her eyes or her posture to help give context clues that he could fill in with his powers, only her voice. ¡°Then in that case, call me Harlan. Good to speak with you again.¡± ¡°I wanted to know, from your side, what happened with Adina? I can listen to Malachi, but I do not know if I can believe him. She seems to be much closer with you than her father.¡± This¡­ was not a conversation he wanted to have, it could be good for him, or it could be very bad. Months had passed since she became part of his house, yet there had been no fighting, he had not needed to put any of his plans into action. This could be a spark to conflict, or finally the last nail in the coffin? Harlan spoke with little restraint, the more he spoke, the angrier he was, he had to stop constantly as he spoke of her father, of what she had to endure in her life here and away. Eventually he had finished, and Peace did not respond. He wondered if she had fallen asleep, during his ranting. After a minute of silence he was about to turn the device off, then she spoke. ¡°And do you believe what she says? That her family would treat her that way? It simply does not make sense to me.¡± He took a deep breath before he spoke, she could hear how he angrily flared his nostrils. ¡°Tell me then, how did you grow up so that you could be so naive? What do you-¡± He stopped a moment to change his phrasing. ¡°Are you aware of what your country has done? Rape, murder, the killing of children, infants, the elderly, bombing civilian centers, kidnapping beastkin for experimentation and recreation. There is war, then there is what they did. I want you to answer me, right here, right now, are you ignorant, or are you aware of what they¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°There are some things which have been done against our laws of war, but they are greatly exaggerated and those responsible have been punished. No child should be killed, no woman defiled, these are the crimes of an unjust war. They serve to only invite more hate, we would rather have won the war through changing the hearts and minds of your people so you might understand we are right, that you would choose not to fight.¡± ¡°Should the honest man call not those who lie liars, should they call the murderers bloodless, should they turn their eyes from the evil man. Then they are liars, they are bloodied, he is not an honest man, he is a fool to be used by evil men to let their evil spread. Tell me, what does this quote, from your book, say about what you are saying? Are you an evil woman, or are you honest? Will you turn your eyes away? Do you have your own investigators, or do you take what they give you and believe them on their word. Do you have anyone who you can really trust?¡± He could not see it, but she lowered her head, unsure how to respond. That which she had known as the truth was telling her both that the high saints who were in power should be trusted, but also that their holy book was the highest authority to be followed. ¡°How would you go about doing such a thing?¡± ¡°You are the highest power in your land, use that authority to talk directly to those in power. Ask the questions that people don¡¯t want to answer. Get books written by people outside of Reino and compare them with your own historical records. Find people who you can trust, not because of their position, but because of their character, bring them on as your personal spies and investigators and aides. If you cannot find people you trust completely and totally, then start raising them right now so you have them in the future.¡± She sat back in her chair, the moonlight that came through her window lighting only her face. She thought about what work she truly did and what she had been taught. Looking back, she wondered if she was taught to rule or to be a puppet. They brought her many things to give her ruling on, but what was not brought to her? The point of the saints was to take pressure off of the grand saint, but was that right? What was the ratio of power between them? Did she rule her country? She believed she did, every change she demanded was put in place after some questioning to temper her expectations on how long it would take and how realistic it really was. Harlan went down a massive list of things that, in his opinion, needed to be done before she could be called a ruler. Affirmations and inspections mostly. If she made demands of her high saints that would negatively effect them, would she be in any danger? Could she actually spend the money they claim she has? What if she told people in power to stand down? Did the people on the streets and in the slums know of her? Or was she just a distant person who lived above them? If they knew of her, did they respect her? Would they be honest with her if she asked? They surely had archives of documents, secrets, weapons, all manner of things, was she actually allowed full access? If not, what was restricted? Was she even allowed to change out her guards? ¡°Are you still there? I hope some advisor on standby didn¡¯t cut your throat.¡± ¡°How did you become like you are? You seem cold, cynical, bitter, angry. I¡¯ve read many reports on you, you are warm and helpful as well. I see people differently, I see their souls laid bare in some metaphorical manner. Do you want to know what you are?¡± He wondered how much of what she said even then was a metaphor. ¡°Sure, I would appreciate that.¡± ¡°Sometimes you are just a formless man, yet you so easily turn into a beast. I can¡¯t tell which of them is you. Would you be willing to tell me how you see this? And, though it has not been an overlong time since I last asked, why do you want to kill me?¡± It didn¡¯t take him long to decide his answers. ¡°I change into who I need to be often, so I could be seen as formless, and I want to lash out but I keep that contained inside me. I don¡¯t know which is my nature, and which is what I was raised to be. Who is the truly holy man, he who has been born of good seed and bares fruit likewise, or he who is born of sickly seed yet bares wonderful fruit?¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Ah, the book of redemption. How have you read these passages, you¡¯ve said twice already, and once in the past to a priestess.¡± ¡°I have a copy of your holy book.¡± He could tell by her silence that there was some shock, but she did not let it sound in her voice. ¡°You said the first question earlier, does that mean you have the answer to my second?¡± ¡°What do you believe the 7 gods of Aarde, and the one of Aine, actually are? What do you believe they are in comparison to your gods?¡± ¡°We have the concept of fallen gods, tricksters who would lead the faithful away from that which is right. I believe this is what they are.¡± ¡°What if I told you that I¡¯ve spoken to The Darkness, and she has explained that your gods are the Fae, who eons ago came to this world through the over ambition of an ancient empire. That I am Fomorian, and I exist to hunt and kill Fae. That I can sense the minds of others, and you have the mind of a Fae, either you are fully or partly Fae. That 1000 years ago legions of Golden and Fomorians hunted and killed your gods, and that is why they disappeared then.¡± She took it quite a lot better than he thought she would. ¡°As I said before, they are fallen gods, I do not believe a word which comes from the one you have spoken to. About my relation to the Fae, I cannot believe that either, I am no mage, yet they bend reality as they see fit. Neither of us can really know with absolute certainty that we are right, so it is best we leave this topic where it is. I am Grand Saint because I can forgive those who I believe to be wrong, that they might see the light. I thank you for your honesty, but you and I will not see eye to eye with this.¡± ¡°That is a much better reaction that I thought I would get. I can accept that. What time is it for you then?¡± ¡°I am 3 hours behind you, so it is now just past midnight. I really should go to sleep, it has been a longer chat than I thought it would be.¡± ¡°Thank you for listening to me. I enjoyed our chat, have a nice night.¡± ¡°The same to you. I believe that if peace is to be held, I must widen my own view. Even if we see the world differently from one another, I hope that you and I might share our words honestly again so that we gain from the view of the other. I will be looking into what you have asked of me, you are right that to turn my eyes away from what might be true would be as evil as if I had done these things myself.¡± She turned off the communicator and yawned as she crawled into her bed. ¡°Are you there? How much of what he said was honestly said?¡± ¡°Yes, he is honest, which is quite more a boon than he knows. Yet his view of the things bygone spoken are distorted as light through a prism.¡± ¡°Who¡­ really are you?¡± ¡°I am a wanderer and a wonderer, we brought the people together. You are my children, yet I am not your mother. To speak clearly with your questions is not to my nature, I am not one of them which acts in such a manner.¡± Peace didn¡¯t rest well, she knew that if she wanted to keep her word to herself then she would need to do things that would invite unrest. ¡°Lugh, I think I am going to get some sleep.¡± ¡°Really? It¡¯s only been a few days.¡± ¡°Yeah. I want to rest.¡± ¡°Good night then.¡± He did not find himself in the ballroom. Instead he was in his childhood room. The woman was not dressed as a noble woman this time, now she looked like a ranger. She seemed older, more worn down. ¡°Do you think you can remember me this time? Maybe if I look like what I was, instead of a lie.¡± Her eyes were puffy, blood seeped from her side as lingering shadows ate at her body. Harlan panicked, he didn¡¯t fully understand that he was sleeping. He tried to stop the bleeding, to drive away that shadow. ¡°You¡¯re dreaming. Why can¡¯t you help me, save me¡­ please.¡± Ah, right, there it was. The answer to his problem. The room brightened, her wounds got better, but the shadows lashed out against his healing. His arm was gone as void removed his limb, then he realized. No, it was not gone, in fact, that shadow didn¡¯t exist at all. The room was bigger, he was in his room in his own house. The wound wasn¡¯t real. He was sitting with that which was not his mother outside on his porch now. ¡°Maybe this time it will work. I can¡¯t get you to remember me, what we talk about.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I remember?¡± ¡°You never wanted to, and besides, she always thought dreams were silly things not worth having, you are her son after all.¡± ¡°Can you tell me what happened to her?¡± ¡°Ghosts, whatever I am, don¡¯t often remember exactly how they died, just vague memories of being killed. I know it was just darkness, she never had the chance to fight back before she was dead in the snow, looking at your face and the tall trees behind you.¡± ¡°Snow?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how you reached the place you were found, but she was not there when she died. I don¡¯t know exactly how long it was before I woke up either.¡± ¡°Can you¡­ tell me about her?¡± ¡°She lost her parents at a young age, then she destroyed her life to get strong enough to not need to worry about losing anyone else, but she spent so much time avoiding pain that she had few people worth protecting anymore. Then she had a little girl with a friend, she remembered how happy her family was when they were alive, so she wanted that. But she was not a mother, she had no instinct for it. She never did, never would, not even on the day she died.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t true. If that was the case then why are you here?¡± ¡°Tell me, as you have told me a dozen times in the past, who do you believe made me?¡± ¡°It was my mother, she was a mage, right?¡± ¡°She had no connection to you beyond your blood, you had a connection with her however, your souls had been connected with one another as you formed in her womb just months prior. Your connection to the crossroads was still strong, your instinct was to have a mother who loved you even if you did not understand it.¡± ¡°That¡­ that doesn¡¯t make sense, The Darkness told me that she loved me, that she willingly gave her life so I could live. How could I have even done that, I was an infant.¡± Harlan was upset that the spirit would lie to him, he did not want to believe it was the truth. ¡°What is magic?¡± ¡°The use of mana as an energy source and the mana produced by the soul to command that elemental mana to remake reality.¡± ¡°And what are you leaving out? Surely you aren¡¯t so foolish that you don¡¯t understand the last part?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°The mind, emotion. These things are what changes a simple mage to a real mage. You¡¯ve already seen the effect that you being upset has on everything around you.¡± ¡°What? That can¡¯t be right, soulsmithed items don¡¯t have minds or emotions and they cast just fine.¡± ¡°No, they can follow orders to cast. A soulsmithed blade will never cast on its own, the person who holds the sword is the one who fills in the part of the mind. Beyond that they still lack emotion, as the soul filters out such a thing unless forced to pass it through.¡± ¡°Alright, even if I believe that part, I still couldn¡¯t cast magic as an infant.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The cost of such a spell would clearly be too much for such a new soul, on top of that I would¡¯ve done entirely on instinct a spell that Sepul, in 300 years, has not been able to make. Besides, you can¡¯t cast without training on how to do it.¡± ¡°What is the cost of your empathy? Your work with souls only costs as much as it does because you are fighting against the defenses of the soul, a dead body has no defenses, the mind loses its link, the aura, or life force as I know it, fades. You caught the mind before it was taken for sundering to feed Life.¡± ¡°That still doesn¡¯t¡­ that can¡¯t be true.¡± The ghost did not speak again, she had this conversation, in almost the same way, dozens of times. Harlan would sit for a time, could¡¯ve been hours, could¡¯ve been seconds, time didn¡¯t work logically in dreams. The shadows deepened, an invader. Her body stretched out to the horizon, but the form which was here was indistinct. She seemed to be a well endowed woman in her 30s with long flowing hair, pure white eyes, and a long dress that reached her ankles, flowing with the lightness of silk. The depth of her darkness seemed to soak up the light and he could make out no features on her face. ¡°Now she is here, as she always is.¡± ¡°Good night Eliza, or that which was once her.¡± ¡°Why, no, HOW are you here?¡± ¡°Dreams are the mind''s way of ordering itself, I simply use that connection with the crossroads to enter dreams as I please.¡± ¡°Then why are you here? Are you real? Or just something I¡¯ve thought up.¡± ¡°Oh I am quite real.¡± She drew a sigil that Harlan didn¡¯t know and his mind revolted against it. ¡°Fine, yes, I believe you are here. Now why are you here?¡± ¡°To take away the memories of this dream.¡± ¡°What? Oh¡­ I¡¯ve learned something I shouldn¡¯t have, if you are here, then I wonder, who was the shadow that killed my mother? Was it really a Fomorian shade?¡± ¡°I have never taken your memories without your express permission.¡± Harlan wanted to say she was lying, that it didn¡¯t make sense. But did it? To learn his blood mother had never loved him, it wouldn¡¯t have been any good on his mind. When he had trouble with his anger, maybe he would¡¯ve gone farther than he already had, maybe he would¡¯ve pushed others away that he needed to be who he was right now. ¡°You¡¯ve gone through this every time that you¡¯ve dreamed. It does not take long for you to understand yourself, and that it is horrible, but that you would be a worse friend for Adina, who needs you so dearly to keep her own mind. So you keep giving up, turning your eyes away from the reality of what happened, will you do this again?¡± ¡°Just¡­ give me a minute.¡± He wanted to say Eliza, the name The Darkness called her, but the words caught in his throat. He wanted to know about her, but if they were to be believed, then she didn¡¯t love him, she was just the person who gave birth to him. His desire for that love was so strong as even an infant that it was deeply etched into his mind and was a core part of what he was as a person, yet he did not understand this part of himself until now. He began to hate her. ¡°Whatever you are. Is this true? Do you remember my dreams?¡± ¡°She came when I first told you that your mother did not love you. I showed you how she looked at you, the coldness in her eyes reflected on yours. When you heard that she had abandoned another child already, a little girl, that you had a half-sister, it broke you. She put you back together, every night I hope that you will be able to handle what you always want to forget.¡± Harlan let out his anger. He saw the world from high in the sky. Then a wave of the hand set it ablaze, he just sat there and watched it burn. From his view thousands of years would pass and then he would go down to see what was down there. He saw the world moving on, unaware of what he had done. He didn¡¯t really understand what his mind was telling him with his actions that did not entirely feel like his own. ¡°Shall I remove those memories?¡± ¡°No. I can¡¯t run from them anymore.¡± ¡°Very well. Before I go, look at this, a parting gift.¡± She drew a sigil in the air and it did not harm him. The shape embedded itself in his mind and while he did not understand it, he knew that it would not be an issue. He woke up feeling like nothing had changed, and that everything was fundamentally different. It was the latest he had ever woken up without having nearly died. ¡°Harlan. Why are you so sad?¡± ¡°Thank you, Lugh.¡± It was nice to know that he still had somebody who was always there. While he didn¡¯t really say much, he mostly just listened, Harlan liked that he was a constant presence that weighed on his mind like a heavy blanket. ¡°You¡¯re welcome?¡± Lugh could feel that Harlan was feeling better. ¡°Could you grab the amulet from the robe I had on last night? Just watch out for the vials.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Harlan normally slept on his side, holding a pillow close to him. It helped him calm down to hold something as he drifted to sleep. Now he rolled over on his back and stared at the amulet in his hand. The crystal was a nice red color and the size of an acorn with chains of shadow steel etched with silver. Of the things he had learned how to do when planning his revenge on the Catos, magical painting was his favorite. He sent his intent into the gem and it connected after just a few moments. ¡°Harlan? Honey, are you alright?¡± ¡°Hey mom, is dad also there?¡± ¡°He is washing up, I¡¯ll go get him.¡± ¡°No no no, it¡¯s not important.¡± She didn¡¯t really believe him, he called them at least once a week, normally during his free periods in the afternoon. ¡°Alright, honey.¡± ¡°Thank you for being there for me, for being my only mother, not because you had to be, but because you wanted to be-¡± He began crying. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I have been a shitty son, that I just make you worry so much about me. But I know you understand that I am living my life, and you can trust me. Thank you so much for taking me in, for changing my diapers, for holding my hands to teach me to walk, for accepting what I am. For giving me such wonderful sisters, a loving father, for all of the good memories I have that I wouldn¡¯t if I was found by anyone else. Thank you so much for just being my mother, my one and only. Thank dad when he gets out of the bath for me too.¡± ¡°My little baby boy, please, don¡¯t do anything drastic, I¡¯m sure whatever is hurting you is going to be ok.¡± She started crying only moments after she heard the tears in his tone, Harlan wasn¡¯t detached from his emotions, but outright crying was not something he did often around others. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m going to be ok, I just learned some stuff last night, I¡¯ll see you guys in a couple of days. I¡¯ll take the weekend off, Amber will be busy, I won¡¯t even bring Adina. I just want to be with my parents, the only ones that matter. Blood doesn¡¯t mean a godsdamned thing compared to being good people.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll make sure your father doesn¡¯t need to leave the farm for anything. See you soon.¡± ¡°Yeah, see you soon. Love you.¡± Harlan heard the breakfast bell, but he did not move towards the cafeteria. Instead he went to the forest, dug out a small room under the ground. Then he meditated. Chapter 123 ¡°Should I cut the preamble?¡± ¡°Did you kill my mother?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Harlan knew he should¡¯ve livid, but he didn¡¯t know that woman. If the only two people who he to judge her on were telling the truth then she was not a good mother, not even a good person. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°If you were brought up by that woman, you would be a tool. She only understood strength, she lost her family, with how she saw the world it simply broke her and there was nobody who could pick up the pieces. Does that sound familiar?¡± ¡°She was like me.¡± ¡°No, she was nothing like you. Your heart is still here, she smothered hers long ago. You are everything she wished she could be. You have a loving family, friends who you would die for, and they the same. If you changed places right now, she would destroy your life as you have it, because she never understood these things. That choice was taken from her when she saw her home burn at 2 years of age. If she was given the chance to forget everything, to be born as another person, she wouldn¡¯t hesitate. Would you? Even with the pain you have gone through?¡± ¡°If I was born as somebody else, I would never have my family, everyone who I care about. Adina would be a slave to people who do not treat her as a person. Lugh and Balor would¡¯ve never been born. The war would still be going on.¡± ¡°That is a good answer, you must understand and love yourself, see what you have done, the good and the bad, if you ever hope to be my champion. Shy not away from the light which shows your own atrocities, yet understand why they have happened, good and bad, how you have shaped this world to your own will.¡± ¡°My¡­ half-sister, will you tell me anything about her?¡± ¡°Tell me, who is the father of your mother? And his forefather? If you understand these things then you will find her. But I am going to warn you now. She is just another person, good and bad, you understand what you were born from and what she might think about that.¡± ¡°That seems unlike you.¡± ¡°I see more of the you I hope you can be, I do not want to send you down another spiral of despair when what you hope for, another sister, does not turn out how you want it to.¡± ¡°What I come from, is that story real even? How much of what you¡¯ve said to me are just pretty lies to get me here as I am?¡± ¡°The circumstances are not as I said, but they are no less horrific. She was not bound with steel chains, but rather her captors bound her mind. You have seen what your powers can do, now imagine what you could do in 10, 20, 30 years? She was not afraid, she could not see what happened to her as rape, they heighted her joy and lowered her fear. It is the most sinister thing which I can see that power used for, it was never given for such reasons.¡± There was a rumbling, the ground around Harlan swelled and vanished as the darkness that covered him ran rampant in her anger. Then she calmed herself, she did not like to be heated. Yet the crime of them was the crime of her, she had given them their powers, and they used them in such a manner that she wept. They wiped out the free will of their fellow man to make themselves free of an exile imposed on them for their lust for conquest. They believed the world was owed to them, that the Golden were free to hide in their desert, but they would take the rest by soul and steel. They could¡¯ve been free had they lost that ambition, yet instead they had only become more radical as leaders used their empathy on their own people to grow their anger until it seemed like their own anger. ¡°I am sorry to have yelled. Have you more questions of me?¡± ¡°No, and I don¡¯t mind that you yelled, you and I see eye to eye on what my powers do. I hate to use them for anything that I do not need to use them for.¡± ¡°Then I leave with these words. You do not need to do what I ask, you absolutely should not listen to what I¡¯ve said here and now and let that hate crush your heart. Someday you will come face to face with these people, then you must make your choice. It will always be YOUR choice, not mine, not a king, not a Fae, it can only be yours. Because that choice was taken from your mother, it was taken from so many others, and if they are let out, and you cannot handle them, or you choose not to kill them, it will be the fate of any man. Yet that will still be your choice, and I will not hate you for it.¡± Sepul was waiting outside when he woke up. ¡°Harlan, I believe we need a talk about when you want to speak with that woman.¡± ¡°Yes, we do need to talk, but not about that. I want a blood sample from you before I say anything more about what I want to say.¡± Shit, that was the word that came across his mind. He knew in an instant that Harlan had figured him out. The feeling of familiarity that they had with one another even when they first met, how it made Sepul happy to be with him, how he dropped his guard, how he defended Harlan so much despite their short time knowing one another. ¡°Of course. I will draw one and bring it to you at the end of the day.¡± ¡°Why not right here? Right now? I have vials.¡± He kept a few of them on him, just in case. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. He filled one with his own blood and tossed the other to Sepul. He watched like an eagle as the old archmage cut his palm with a blade pulled from nowhere and handed the vial to Harlan. So far as he knew, there was nothing wrong with what he had done, every step was clearly shown to him, he saw no spells cast. In a few moments he would have the answer he believed was right. The sinister red light lit his face and then¡­ the other vial did not glow. His blood did not react to Sepul¡¯s. He tried three more times. But the result was always the same. ¡°Disappointed? You are not the first person who I¡¯ve gotten close to and assumed that they are a long lost relative of mine, which I have had many in the past. Now please, destroy both of those vials.¡± ¡°I am very sorry for this. I came across new information about myself, I have a living relative, another child born of my mother. If I find out who she was, and who her forefathers were, I can find that half-sister of mine.¡± ¡°It is fine, but you are going to miss breakfast if you keep staying out here in the woods. Let me send you back inside.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Harlan found that Adina had already gotten him a plate of food set in his place. ¡°So, were you working with Sepul again last night?¡± ¡°... I had other things to do.¡± He was troubled, but only that. He felt a bit bad that it wasn¡¯t a world shattering revelation, that he put that woman away as somebody that he didn¡¯t know. That her death at the hands of The Darkness, or rather her shadow, didn¡¯t send him spiraling with fury. Claude filled the silence left by his answer. ¡°Did you threaten my family?¡± ¡°I am sure it sounds like that when she says it, but no. I gave her a warning for their sake, not all of the skeletons they will find are entirely mine. If she wants to sic your brother and sister on me to find something then they should be aware of that and I hope that they can see it isn¡¯t worth pursuing me as a target.¡± ¡°Harlan, that is clearly a threat.¡± Everyone around the table agreed with Claude, even Adina. ¡°I am very sorry. That was wrong of me.¡± ¡°Are you?¡± Harlan thought for an uncomfortably long time. ¡°I am sorry that it has upset you, because you are my friend, but I am not sorry that I gave the warning. I gave it out of anger, though my intentions were not to threaten them.¡± Claude wasn¡¯t entirely sure how to react to him. Harlan was honest at least, and he could somewhat believe that it was not meant the way that he said it. But he had threatened his family. ¡°Just¡­ don¡¯t do that again. I think you don¡¯t see what exactly was wrong with what you said, and that doesn¡¯t excuse it completely, but it does dampen my anger about it.¡± ¡°Thank you for forgiving me. I won¡¯t let it happen again.¡± Yara clapped once. ¡°Good, you learned a lesson here that can help you in the future.¡± ¡°I will think about how my words come off to others more.¡± Claude was unsure of Yara, since she had become more open with others she often came off as odd, had they the guts to actually voice this then she would¡¯ve closed herself off again. But, when she talked with Harlan there was a sort of reverence between the two of them. ¡°Before I forget, I¡¯m not going to spend the weekend here. I need to go home.¡± ¡°Ah, when should I be at the gate offices?¡± ¡°Adina, I¡¯m going back alone this time. I need a bit of time alone with my parents.¡± ¡°Do you want to talk about what happened?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t actually. It isn¡¯t anything to worry about, I just need to set my mind right, I need a little time.¡± ¡°Alright. I hope you have a nice time.¡± ¡°Thank you for understanding, I¡¯ll still take you along next week when I do my monthly visit. And, before I forget. Keep this on you while I am gone.¡± He had taken back the white orbs after the gala, such things were simply too powerful to be left on anyone but himself, now, he was giving one to her. He knew that bringing her along wouldn¡¯t be good for him, yet leaving her here would worry him until he was unable to clear his head. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°The last time I left here without you, your father tried something. If he tries again, even after losing legal right to do so. If that happens, call Sepul, pull that thing out, and try not to think about what happens after that.¡± Claude was ignorant of what the orb did, everyone was actually. The others only really knew that it was something that acted as a last resort, even more than his war magic filled necklaces. That alone made them narrow their eyes at Harlan both when he first showed them off and right now. The lunch passed with little more than smalltalk. Though Harlan had tried to keep things light, his past with things that greatly upset him meant they believed that he was hiding something and it unsettled them. An upset Harlan was one on a hair trigger. Yet he went about his day normally, he did not rise to any challenges, though his mind was clearly somewhere else as he did quite poorly compared to his composed self in his classes. Not so much that his teachers asked what was wrong, but enough that they noted it in their weekly reports. In the morning he had Sepul send him near the farm. He made his way there by flight, a simple cast of hover and a jump, then he let the force just carry him as far as it could while he thought.
He was glad the boy wasn''t a spatialist, nor an illusionist. He looked at the vial of blood and it vanished as the void coursed through it. It did somewhat pain his heart to lie to him, that he had the perfect chance to reveal himself, yet he hesitated, he did not know if it was the right time for him to learn. Sepul would scribble a letter to Elise, asking her opinion in a roundabout way about if she had a brother. Just as her mother before her, she was his last blood relative that openly lived, though she had locked herself up in her lab most days. It had been months since he last saw her in person, he thought of tearing up the letter and just going right to her. But she was impulsive, smart, and clever. If she saw his face for a moment as he asked the questions, even as a little hypothetical word game being played, she would see right through him and find Harlan in a matter of days. The letter, full of many things and then ending with a hypothetical under the guise of him perhaps finding another wife or that he would find a husband for her, she would be less likely to find it out. He hoped it would buy him months at least, or better yet, that she would be in the middle of a test or study and forget all about the question after she answered it. Chapter 124 He calmly strolled through the first gate, every time he was at his parents farm they always seemed to have new defenses, more guards, it was always larger. He needed to thank Balor again, just as he did every time they saw one another. If he didn¡¯t know that he was always there to watch out for them it would¡¯ve made it harder to stay at the academy. He could smell bread before he got inside the house. ¡°Hey mom, hey dad.¡± She rushed over to check for scars, she knew that it was the only way to know what he had done recently since he healed every smaller wound before he got there. ¡°Harlan, please, why don¡¯t you sit down. We can talk, or we can just eat.¡± Harlow tried to play the rock while his wife would be the worrywart, though he worried no less than her. Harlan sat down and got right to the point. ¡°I learned about the woman who gave birth to me.¡± ¡°You mean your mother?¡± ¡°You are my mother, he is my father, she is just half of who made me.¡± ¡°Even if she didn¡¯t raise you, I am sure that she loved you very much.¡± Harlan leaned back in his seat, sucking air between his teeth. ¡°That¡¯s the problem, I learned three things last night. I know who killed her, I know why, and I know she didn¡¯t love me.¡± Aida was shocked, she could see how torn up Harlan was about it. ¡°Who could really know about that? Are you absolutely sure?¡± ¡°I heard it from as close to the horse''s mouth as I possibly could.¡± He spoke of his dreams, how The Darkness wiped his memories every time he slept, how it was his own choice, he even saw his mother¡¯s memories through her ghost. Most of them were of little use, the spirit would not show him almost anything from her time in the Fomorian village, but he got enough from it to believe what he had heard. Even after she left, when the Fomorian mind tampering was through, she still felt no desire to keep Harlan safe outside of a deal she made. She had effectively sold him to The Darkness, she would¡¯ve been granted access to a gate which took her back to civilization. But it was just another lie, The Darkness did not believe that she could be trusted. A mother who would abandon a child without a second thought, who would do so twice even, was not somebody she could let interfere with her plans. The meal had gone cold already, they sat in a stunned silence at the callous actions of that woman. ¡°That bitch.¡± Harlow did not apologize or cover his mouth, he was upset. ¡°How could she¡­ TWICE?¡± ¡°Yeah, I have a half-sister. She was married because she was pregnant with her and then she left because of how she was.¡± ¡°Maybe if you can find your sister, you can learn about your mother, figure out how she ended up so sick, so broken. I know¡­ I know how you were born, I¡¯m sorry, that is probably why she didn¡¯t¡­ love you.¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t hate me either, I was just another person, somebody she gave birth to. She felt the same way about my half-sister.¡± ¡°You can call her your sister you know.¡± ¡°Can I? What if she is just like¡­ her, I don¡¯t want to set myself up for another disappointment. I can handle somebody who is dead, I don¡¯t want to find her and she hates me for what I am, blames me for her mother¡¯s death. Honestly, I¡¯m worried, I¡¯m afraid, I don¡¯t want her to hate me, but I know I can¡¯t blame her for it.¡± Harlow decided to speak before his wife. ¡°You¡¯ve gone 14 years-¡± ¡°15 actually, I was born on new year''s day. Guess I finally know that I¡¯m older than Ava. I should actually got the redwall mansion, I¡¯m sure Autumn is planning her birthday-¡± ¡°Harlan, don¡¯t change the subject. You¡¯ve gone 15 years not knowing her, if she doesn''t like you, then you still have all of us. If she does not want to be your sister, then you have Ava, Amber, Autumn. You have your nieces and nephews. I had a brother once, he died when I was young, but I don¡¯t have a single good memory of him. He was older than me and always complained that I shouldn¡¯t have been born because there was never enough food.¡± ¡°What happened to him?¡± Harlow drummed his fingers on the table for a time before answering. ¡°When I was 8, he went to join the army. He died in basic training, fell off an obstacle, landed on his neck wrong. It is horrible to say, but he was somebody that tormented me, upset our mother, and in the end the best thing he did was break his neck so we could have a better life. The army gave good compensation for him.¡± ¡°Harlow!¡± Aida said with outrage in her voice. ¡°Honey, please.¡± She quieted down and let him continue. ¡°Harlan, just because people are family, doesn¡¯t make them friends. You can¡¯t worry about how she might react until you actually meet her. I know you, when you find her, you could stalk her for months, find her friends, her father, husband if she has one, business colleagues. Don¡¯t approach this as a meeting with family, treat her as another possible threat, somebody you need to be ready to face. You can stare down a charging bull without an ounce of fear, but you are afraid of upsetting us. When you made Ava cry those months back we all knew how it hurt you, that is because she is your sister, and you love her very much. But this woman is just another person. Just like the one that gave birth to you, she is not your sister, because if she is, then you are worried about her. I am not your father because of our blood, I am your father because I love you and I¡¯ve seen you grow from an infant to a fine young man.¡± Harlan chuckled and his eyes veiled with tears. ¡°Yeah, I love you too. I guess all of my other planning and spying is just a test. Once I find her, I¡¯ll hire the best of the best to find every scrap of paper, every witness, everyone I can to find out how she is. Maybe I will just decide not to give her the time of day. I¡¯ll leave her alone if that is best.¡± Both his parents scoffed at the idea and Harlan feigned offense that they don¡¯t believe he could actually leave it buried. They reheated the meal and Harlan thought about how he wanted to spend the rest of the weekend. Magic, he never did get the chance to teach his parents anything. After breakfast Harlan made an example, he reached the telekinetic arms around the kitchen and cleared everything himself without even moving from his seat. ¡°So, you are both ready to really start now?¡± ¡°If it helps you clear your mind, then yes. We¡¯ve been following that teacher you sent us, Ava teaches sometimes, Balor does as well. But we haven¡¯t learned whatever that was.¡± Aida said ¡°Telekinesis, beast magic, only came to the academy a few years back. I¡¯m not a mage, I never really wanted to be one, but I want to understand you a bit better since I know you love magic.¡± ¡°Honey, how long have you been looking into that?¡± ¡°Just a few months really. I can¡¯t really do as much around here anymore. The workers are younger, faster, stronger, I just shuffle papers and watch them work. Guess I got a little stir crazy.¡± ¡°Perfect, let me unlock both of your auras then, real quick.¡± Harlow gave his hand and Aida followed. Tanik had taught Harlan how to do it properly, Amber had done it based on how she remembered it being done. ¡°There we go.¡± ¡°Really? Is that it?¡± ¡°Yeah, now you can start to learn. This is going to be the bad part, I can give you all kinds of tips, but honestly? Magic is like working out, it is going to make you tired, but at least your muscles won¡¯t ache. Make sure you eat plenty of food before and not after you train, your body won¡¯t process it fast enough to really give you much more mana, but it will help you more quickly recover from mana fatigue.¡± After an hour of Harlan making them lift a glass of water that he kept filling up to add weight, they already hated telekinesis. Harlan was training them like he would anyone, once he switched from the son to the mage he did not hold back. It helped him to switch up his personality like this, he didn¡¯t need to think about her if he wasn¡¯t Harlan. ¡°Master, can we have a break.¡± His mother¡¯s tired and clearly unhappy tone broke the illusion however. ¡°Sorry mom, I should¡¯ve been paying attention to you. Let me get started on lunch.¡± Worry came over them. ¡°Oh no honey, please, let me cook.¡± ¡°Mom, I¡¯ve been doing more than making magic. Let me show you that I haven¡¯t just been turning myself into a killing machine.¡± ¡°Of course, you''re a healer too.¡± She hoped things would turn out edible, Harlan didn¡¯t have a lack of taste, but more often than not he was more worried about the nutritional value and less about the taste. He could follow recipes, but making something from scratch on his own was not something she knew him to be good at. They waited with bated breath as the kitchen filled with a wonderful scent. The peppers were roasted over the fire, then peeled and pureed. The chicken was broken down, every bone being removed and taken out to be placed in water so he could make a broth which once the bones were removed was used for boiling rice, the excess being mixed with the peppers. The meat would be placed in this mixture of pepper, seasoning and broth. After the onions were sauteed Harlan placed them with the chicken as well. When his parents finally started to eat they were amazed that it not only tasted good, but that he had done it all by himself other than Lugh cutting things. ¡°The sauce with the chicken should be put over the rice, though the rice should have a good flavor on its own.¡± ¡°When did you learn how to cook?¡± ¡°Well, I learned alchemy, but Sepul wouldn¡¯t teach me a thing until I learned how to cook. He said he wasn¡¯t letting me near the ingredients for acid and firebombs until I could make a good meal without following a strict recipe. He said understanding what makes food taste good, learning ratios and such, was how alchemists had learned how to do it when he was a child.¡± Harlan looked a little embarrassed and he scratched his chin while pushing his tongue around his mouth. ¡°And I wanted to make you something nice some day, so I¡¯ve been learning past when he made me learn. His only maid, a nice older woman named Jane, taught me how to make more than a passable meal and she has recipes from all over the place.¡± ¡°Oh that is sweet, we should have Ava over. I am sure she would be shocked if you made something and we told her only after she was finished.¡± ¡°I think if she learned I was stronger than her physically, magically, and I was a better cook, she would burst a blood vessel. I mean, I could heal that, but I don¡¯t want to upset her anymore than I already have.¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. He tried to make it sound like a joke, but he really didn¡¯t want her to have another reason to feel inferior to him, as foolish as he thought it was that she couldn¡¯t accept being better than most people her age, she had to beat her little brother as well. He also intended to hide his birthday from her, she would be his big sister regardless of age. They spoke of his day to day life at the academy, what he was thinking of doing magically. Then Ava and Breken walked in the door. ¡°Harlan? Why are you here? Are you ok?¡± ¡°I can visit outside of appointed times without almost dying you know.¡± ¡°That needs to be proven before I believe it. But really, you don¡¯t need to tell me, it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°I learned some stuff about myself, nothing to worry about. What are YOU doing here though?¡± ¡°I had work in the area and I wanted to stop by. Just some bandits and goblins.¡± ¡°Mind if I tag along? I¡¯ve been wondering how your armor actually works when you are out fighting.¡± ¡°Well, this is Redwall land, so it is up to Breken.¡± ¡°Can I?¡± ¡°Of course, Count Fomoria, I would be glad to be lent your strength at this time.¡± ¡°Can you also tell me why you¡¯ve been avoiding me?¡± ¡°Pure coincidence.¡± ¡°You make your own luck, but I¡¯ll pretend to believe you.¡± Ava¡¯s nose twitched, ¡°What smells good in here? Might have a bite before we go.¡± ¡°Yeah, I brought a recipe for mom, I can¡¯t cook, but I¡¯ve got more books to read than I know what to do with.¡± ¡°I remember when you tried to make a cake.¡± ¡°It was good for survival rations though.¡± Harlan floated beside them, since they were all above a normal person and had hover in their armors the horses were left behind for the time being. It took half an hour to find the bandits who had set up camp, just soldiers who loved the killing more than the defending and decided without a war they would find another way to get their fill. ¡°I would like to speak with them for a moment, could I do that? You can jump in if you think I need it.¡± ¡°Sure thing, count.¡± Harlan walked out without the robe, he didn¡¯t want to ruin it with what was most likely going to happen. They hadn¡¯t noticed his presence until he stood right next to them. ¡°I¡¯m trying to understand selfishness, I figure that you people might know about it.¡± ¡°What in the hell?¡± ¡°Why do you do this? I know you can find other work, is killing really important to you? Does it make you feel better than those people who feel upset over dying or losing loved ones?¡± The man next to Harlan went for his sword but Harlan jumped and his axe kick fell on the man, sending what was his head scattering across the ground. ¡°How do you justify what you do? Is it greed? Wrath? Lust? What makes you people this way?¡± The others froze, Harlan did not look intimidating, but he had just split the head of one of theirs and looked like he was asking them about the weather. ¡°That is just the way of the world. Kill or be killed.¡± ¡°If the world was all like that, we would be living in the mud like animals, don¡¯t you want to be above the wolves? Why not use your training for something better.¡± ¡°Better to be a wolf than a sheep.¡± Harlan was unimpressed, these men likely hadn¡¯t ever thought through their own stances, they just found whatever one liners allowed them to give the barest justification. Believing the world was full of evil men allowed them to believe they were not evil, that they were just part of the world. One man tried to sneak away, the others charged Harlan. Breken and Ava rushed to help, but he didn¡¯t need it. The one running away was hit by a fireball that burst upwards shortly after entering his chest, leaving the man looking like a meaty flytrap. The remaining three didn¡¯t have the chance to regret their choice. On the left Harlan used his telekinesis to twist the halves of the man like he was wringing out a rag. The man on the right was struck by a rock modified to turn into a fast growing crystal, had he blocked it he would¡¯ve been unharmed, instead it went through his eye and turned his head into a horrifying decoration as the crystals rapidly burst from his eye sockets. The man in the middle was simply kicked in the chest, collapsing it. Harlan simply stepped on his neck as he struggled to realize he was already dead and it was just a mercy killing at that point. Other bandits came out from their tents once they heard the guards yelling. Harlan cut them down with what he learned, acid, clinging fire, void, gravity wells, calcification, chaser bolts. Breken and Ava were trying to capture, Harlan had no such desire. The leader was smart enough to use a hostage. Yet such a thing would not work against Harlan. ¡°You¡¯re gonna stay right where you are, and I won¡¯t cut this girl¡¯s neck open like a hog.¡± The woman had her tendons cut, clearly it was a fresh wound to leave her unable to really fight back or run. But Harlan could still see that she wasn¡¯t broken, it was unlikely the worst had happened yet. ¡°If you let her go, I¡¯ll let you choose, painless death, or capture. If you refuse to surrender I¡¯ll make sure you live just long enough to regret it.¡± The man backed away, he knew that Harlan¡¯s tone mixed with what he was seeing meant that he didn¡¯t really have much of a choice to make, he wasn¡¯t winning a three on one. Yet he would not go to jail, he would be executed anyway for what he had already done. ¡°Come on kid, you don¡¯t want more blood on her hands. Why don¡¯t I set her down then, we both go our separate ways.¡± ¡°Death or capture. Make your choice, because those are the only options I¡¯m giving you. Or do you think somebody else did this to your men?¡± He tried to cut her throat to distract Harlan long enough to get away, but the blade bounced off her bare skin and he found he was entirely immobile. Harlan walked up to him as he struggled, pulled the knife from his hand, and stuck it in his neck. It would be a few minutes before he died. Meanwhile Harlan grabbed the girl, couldn¡¯t have been more than 17, black hair with a few red strands in it, amber eyes. ¡°Are you ok?¡± Her eyes didn¡¯t leave the man who was drowning in his own blood and spit at him before grabbing handfuls of cold dirt and throwing them at his body. Ava and Breken came in to try and heal the man so that they could question him at least. ¡°HARLAN, SAVE HIM, WE NEED HIM ALIVE FOR A LITTLE WHILE AT LEAST.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°WE NEED TO KNOW WHERE HE STOLE THIS STUFF FROM.¡± He contemplated just ignoring them, but he followed Breken¡¯s order, pulling the knife from his neck and closing the wound. He could reconnect the severed arteries and nerves, it was a clean cut without needing to really fix them. Making new arteries wouldn¡¯t have been possible with so little time, so Harlan could still save him. Ava pulled Harlan under a veil as soon as Harlan had pulled the last of the blood from the man¡¯s lungs. ¡°What in the fuck was that?¡± ¡°What? I told him what I would do, he tried to kill the girl, so I kept my word.¡± ¡°You¡­ I just didn¡¯t think you would kill a defenseless man. We both know he wasn¡¯t a threat in the first place, you didn¡¯t need to kill him.¡± ¡°Bandits, they are a bit like goblins, if you leave them alive they will just cause tragedies that turn people into more bandits. So yes, I needed to kill him, I needed to kill all of these men. If that girl was you, and if we were an hour later, a day later, what do you think would¡¯ve happened? They would just leave her alone? No, she was an object for them to use and throw away.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t judge him by what he would¡¯ve done, if we have the ability to capture criminals instead of killing them, that is what we are supposed to do. We are out here to enact justice, not slaughter as much as possible.¡± Harlan laughed out loud. ¡°We both know that is bullshit. You came here to kill these men, you know as well as I do they weren¡¯t going to surrender, even at the very end that bastard didn¡¯t do so. You are upset that I am not who I once was, but I am still that person. If you ever need anything, anything at all, you can come to me. A shoulder to cry on, new equipment, someone to go on a picnic, I am still your friendly and caring brother.¡± ¡°The old Harlan wouldn¡¯t have killed an immobile man.¡± ¡°Which Harlan was that? Have you never done anything like what I did? Never employed torture for information? In the last 3 months you have killed 15 people, missions you have been in have had a total body count of 263. Was every death you¡¯ve been involved with just? Don¡¯t argue with me on moral ground. That little rock you¡¯ve got in your pocket that you can use to talk to me, to mom, to dad, Autumn, Amber, how much blood do you think I spilled to make it? That man I almost killed just now, do you think that is the worst thing I¡¯ve done? Do you think it really matters if I killed him right now or I waited until a judge slammed his gavel down and told somebody else to do it? He was dead the second he decided to desert the army and become a bandit who kills and rapes and steals just because he can, anything else has just been preamble to his execution by somebody.¡± ¡°You¡¯re an asshole. Does anyone else know about these communicators?¡± ¡°You are the first person I¡¯ve ever told about this. I doubt the royal family outside of the king even knows how I made them. I¡¯ve seen the worst people, people who¡¯ve been condemned to death because of what they¡¯ve done, and I made something wonderful out of their deaths. How many times have you been able to just talk to somebody, because of that thing?¡± ¡°That doesn''t¡­ I just wish you didn¡¯t tell me about that, I love this thing. I talk to Amber most nights before bed. Balor keeps calling me to make sure I have everything I need and my weapon and armor are working well.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to like it, you can hate it, but that is the cost you never had to see. I didn¡¯t turn into this because of somebody else, I made my mistakes, and that is the price I paid, but from that price I got something good out of it.¡± ¡°Are you changing the subject? Was that what you wanted?¡± ¡°You and I are seeing what I did differently, I am trying to explain why I don¡¯t see anything wrong with what I did.¡± She dropped the veil and the conversation was over. She hated that she hadn¡¯t been close enough to see how Harlan was changing and how she couldn¡¯t look at the amulet without thinking about how much it probably hurt Harlan to make it. ¡°Breken, what do we do now?¡± ¡°A clean up team is on the way, they will catalog the items and match them with what has been reported stolen. Anything that we can¡¯t match to a report could be a personal belonging of the bandits or it could be from a victim who could not report the item on account of their death. The bodies will be cataloged and matched with military records. Though it is going to be hard for most of these people, we can use what date they most likely deserted to get an accurate guess of who they were. The girl, if she has somewhere to go, will be escorted back and maybe even get some coin for this. We failed to stop the bandits before they struck and Redwall is somebody who is willing to give grievance funds.¡± ¡°I think I should stay here while you go deal with the goblins.¡± ¡°That would be for the best, the clean up crew should be here before we get back.¡± Ava and Breken both looked at Harlan in a different light, they knew he was a killer, but this was beyond their expectations. It was a reminder that he was not just her brother, he was a mage with years of training under the watchful eye of the royals and then almost a full year at the academy. More than that, he was Fomorian, quick and brutal slaughter was their M.O. She managed to convince Breken to tell her about his time as a mercenary; he had mentioned fighting Fomorians before. He told her of receiving a message from a village asking for aid, it couldn''t have been more than 30 minutes between getting the message and getting to the village. The place was razed to the ground, a pile of heads in the middle of the place. A Fomorian did not fight for loot or glory, they fought with shock and awe and then left once the message was sent. He was not raised by them, he knew little of his own people, but such a thing was like a dominant gene, they were predispositioned to be like this. For Harlan he did not like to be like that, but it was easy to dissociate, to slip into the persona of a man who cut down his enemies like wheat. They did not see it, but for the briefest moment, his eyes had gone black like a Fenrir when he plunged that knife into the man¡¯s throat.
Capital city of Yggdra, Ragne Kingdom. The king sat with his children and they discussed policy and personal topics over dinner. It had been 2 weeks since Redmond had discovered the non-hostile, but still uncooperative Fomorians. Yggdra agreed with Redmond that it was best that Harlan did not know about them until they had every last shred of information about the village. From what had been said by them, it was at least possible that Harlan came from that place; If he remembered where Sepul¡¯s great granddaughter went missing, well, Sepul could never learn about why he was strongly for a truth potion and not given a real reason for it. ¡°We will discuss the fate of a Fomorian village.¡± The table went quiet. ¡°Excuse me, father, why?¡± Alder said. ¡°They have not been hostile, though they have not been friendly as well. It is also likely the birthplace of Count Fomoria.¡± Silent sneers were seen around the table, that the boy be granted even an honorary title of count. Rosewell spoke up. ¡°Are we sure it is safe? I assume you intend to have Harlan meet them as an envoy.¡± ¡°If he is to go there, he will be under guard by Safira and Lucian. The question is, why would we send him other than because they have asked for him.¡± ¡°How did they find out?¡± ¡°Through pure happenstance, Redmond Fomoria, a ranger, was able to enter the village. Their misdirection arrays let him through because he had items on him that Count Fomoria had soulsmithed himself, leaving a certain mark on them due to his nature. He did not understand what had happened until he was offered shelter for the night and then questioned by the residents. We have also learned from this that they have had outside contact with humans, but they will not say who has been helping them.¡± Alder took the conversation. ¡°And we were sure that this was a coincidence?¡± ¡°Yes, Archmage Dust provided a truth potion which was used to confirm that he had no idea about the village. Though we cannot rule out that The Darkness played some part in this, that is a topic for another day. However, she could be playing us all and we wouldn¡¯t be likely to understand the scope of it if we spent years looking into the subject. Even if she was, it would make little difference as we could not stop her.¡° ¡°But we could cut the head from her snake in the grass.¡± Hydran was still upset over Harlan, Rosewell gained praise and favor every time he willingly gave something over to the kingdom due to her having been the one who had gained his trust. ¡°Hydran, my son, I think it is time you understand something. You can never be king, so stop spending all of your time whining and seething over your sister having brought him to our side. You should instead be bettering yourself so that when I am gone you are useful enough to keep around. I give this same warning to Anemone, Angelica, Chrys, Gladio, Rue, Lobelia, Lilly, Yarrow, Aster, Rosewell, Cynthia. Some of you are just too young, some of you are simply unfit due to your personality. I want this nation to have neither a tyrant nor an important ruler.¡± There was anger, resignation, relief, and acceptance. The king knew that he would need to prune his family tree before somebody set it ablaze out of spite. It was never a nice time, but he would do anything to keep his country a place worth living. He had his pride, he would do better than his father and hope that his children would do better than him so that their country, whether it stayed a kingdom or became something else, would stand until the end of history. Chapter 125 She was plain looking, her hands had calluses, likely a farmer''s daughter. Currently Harlan was reattaching her tendons, luckily there was no major damage that would cause a new tendon to be required. ¡°Now, please stay calm, you aren¡¯t able to feel the pain in your legs, but you will feel it when I stretch your tendon back into place and connect it.¡± Lugh shifted around her leg so that even if she reacted poorly she would be unable to spasm and possibly damage her body. She cried and complained that it felt wrong when he connected them, but she handled it very well. ¡°Now, we are going to sit here for 10 minutes, then we are going to see if you can stand, does that sound alright?¡± She nodded her head. ¡°Good. Now, can you tell me where you come from? Do you have somewhere to go back to?¡± ¡°T-tole, my parents.¡± ¡°Good, you¡¯re doing great, do you have anything else you want right now? Food? Drink?¡± Harlan could tell she was just rattled after what had happened, his scan showed that the worst had not yet happened. She was lucky. But she was also terrified of him, the bodies were still fresh and one could almost taste the iron in the air. ¡°W-water.¡± She barely got out with her hoarse voice, she had been taken by chance as she went to fetch water from a creek. Harlan gathered it right out of the air and used the same motions to make a downwind so she couldn¡¯t smell what had happened before. He placed it in his waterskin and handed it to her. From what he learned about bedside manners, it was important to help her but to also let her do things on her own when possible, this should give the patient some confidence in themselves after a serious injury. She drank dry what she had been given and then handed it back to Harlan who refilled it again, then she returned to silence for a time. After the 10 minutes were up Harlan held her hand and asked her to try standing. She was a little wobbly but it only took a few minutes for her to regain her balance. New limbs and muscles very quickly got back the muscle memory that they had before so long as the body wasn¡¯t given time to adjust to its newly crippled state. ¡°Do you have any pain? Any odd sensations? If you do, then please tell me now. I am not a full doctor, just a first year student with other practice on the side.¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright, this feels normal.¡± She kept her eyes on the ground so she didn¡¯t need to look at the state of the camp. Three minds were approaching, unknowns. Harlan kept her close to him and he got nearer to them. Two guards from Tole and what looked to be a farmer. ¡°GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER OR I¡¯LL-¡± The words caught in his throat as he recognized the crest on Harlan¡¯s shirt. The guards went pale, they knew who Harlan was and what he looked like. But more than that, they had approached from the thick woods and now they could see the scope of what had happened. ¡°Excuse me, you aren¡¯t the cleanup team sent by Redwall, right? Since the girl¡¯s father is with you I assume you are just here to find her. But you must all stay here until you are given leave so you can answer any questions they might have for you.¡± The farmer looked at his daughter and she nodded, the guards nodded far more strongly. Yet when they got closer to Harlan he asked that they stay back so they didn¡¯t see everything else. He dragged the bandit leader alongside the rest of the group as he put up a small wall and chairs of dirt for them to sit at. The bandit leader awoke a few minutes later to find himself next to the only other survivors and buried up to his neck with the girl throwing stones at him. The guards wanted to stop her, but when they were about to speak up Harlan glanced in their direction and their sixth sense warned them against opening their mouths. ¡°YOU BITCH, I¡±LL-¡± Harlan tossed a stone at his throat, not hard enough for serious damage, but enough that he suddenly remembered what had happened. ¡°Good, you are awake. I wanted to resume the conversation.¡± The man¡¯s eyes went wide, Harlan was increasing his fear while lowering his anger. ¡°I want to know, why are you like this? How do you personally justify what you do? What you were about to do? Please answer to the best of your abilities.¡± ¡°I-I just like hurting people. I wanted what they had, I knew that my men needed somebody to satisfy themselves with and the girl happened to be there as we were moving.¡± Hardened dirt crumbled in Harlan¡¯s hands as he resisted the urge to pluck the eyes from the man¡¯s head. He knew it wasn¡¯t the right thing to do, it would help nobody, it would just be torture for tortures sake. He didn¡¯t want to be that person, the one who did things like that, it would barely make him better than that man. ¡°How did you convince the men to join you? 20 men is a full unit, so with you as a sergeant it would be 21. Were they all men under you?¡± ¡°Y-yes. I told them they could have better pay, women, food, jewels, whatever we found.¡± ¡°Whatever you pillaged, whoever you kidnapped. I would like you to be honest with me when we talk, I don¡¯t want things to be, unpleasant for you.¡± He could not meet Harlan¡¯s gaze that seemed to be burning a hole through his skull ¡°Right. What we stole.¡± ¡°Better. Now, why are you selfish like you are?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Why do you put your lust above the life of this young girl, is she any less of a person?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I wanted her so I took her.¡± ¡°Even a beast only kills when it is hungry. Only mates when it is driven by instinct, that would make you less than a beast, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Harlan raised his anger, hoping for an honest reply, yet the man said nothing but insults. ¡°I see that I won¡¯t be getting any good answers from you. I should try asking a human being next time.¡± The man yelled into nothing as Harlan put up an array to stop his sounds from traveling. ¡°So, you are a farmer I assume? I saw the calluses on her hands, you¡¯ve got a piece of hair in your hair.¡± ¡°Y-yes, Sir, uh, Sir Fomoria, Sir.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so formal, I have my own callouses.¡± Harlan showed his palm, most nobles, even those who did form calluses from handling weapons, had them healed so their hands remained soft. Yet another separation from a peasant. ¡°I grew up doing farm work until 10, then I had another place I needed to be.¡± Everyone calmed down as the tension broke and Harlan lowered their fear. He never tried it with multiple subjects, no, people, but it was working out just fine. ¡°You are from Tole, right? Do you have any opinion on the magical items that are being sold there?¡± ¡°I got a small golem that can help me start fires in the morning and keep it stocked when I work. It is nice that my wife doesn¡¯t need to keep an eye on it, it even keeps my younger ones away from the fire.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡± Smalltalk filled the area until the clean up crew arrived. ¡°Sir Formoria, we need a report of what exactly happened here, to the best of your ability. Anything outside of your sight does not need to be included in the report, we are seeking only the facts and we can follow up as needed should anything be left out.¡± ¡°Of course, do you want it in writing?¡± ¡°We have a man for that.¡± Harlan explained exactly what happened and those from Tole went pale as he left no detail out. It was especially bad once they realized that Harlan really had done all of the killing himself. The cleanup crew however, was not surprised, they had been told that he had done it all from the start. ¡°Thank you for your time. You four are free to leave now, this month''s taxes will be halved as repayment for the time you¡¯ve lost and for mental distress.¡± The girl thanked Harlan and though it lifted his spirits somewhat, it was dampened by how clearly afraid of him she was. Breken and Ava returned to give their reports, they did not leave out how Harlan had only reluctantly saved the bandit leader, but Harlan told the same story, so there was no trouble that came from it. The three of them were back at the farm before dinner. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Harlan, I don¡¯t blame you for what you did. I know Ava doesn¡¯t like it, but you are young, so is she. I am going to say however, that what you did crossed a line and you cannot repeat that mistake. Under different circumstances you might end up with a small sentence just as a lesson, but I doubt Blackstone is going to even fine you for what you did.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be Redwall¡¯s choice?¡± ¡°You are a count, so you get judged by another count, unless of course they want you tried.¡± ¡°I will not make that same mistake.¡± ¡°Harlan, that doesn¡¯t mean that you should kill the person instantly next time. It means you should capture them unharmed to the best of your ability if possible.¡± ¡°How did you know what I was thinking?¡± ¡°Because you are spying on your sister and I am spying on you. I know you want the best for her, but if I think you are going to take her down a bad path, I am willing to stop you with as much force as I need.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Breken didn¡¯t really know how to feel about Harlan at the moment, but from his last words he knew that Harlan at least understood that he could be wrong about what he did. When they got inside they found guards, but Harlan wasn¡¯t sure which town they were from. ¡°Excuse me, you are Count Harlan Fomoria, correct?¡± ¡°Yes, why are you here at my parents farm?¡± ¡°We have been asked to deliver a message. The orphanage in Yor has been cleared of wrongdoing and will not face legal actions. We have ascertained that it was the work of the healer who was hired at the time of the incident, and not the work of the director. The matter is officially closed.¡± ¡°Wrong on nearly every account. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure you are just doing your job.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Well, you might be ignorant of the law, but I am not. Until a judge gives an order or I close the case myself, the matter is not closed. You didn¡¯t give me a piece of paper from the judge and I am not leaving this be, so I¡¯ll be over at Yor soon to look over the case personally.¡± The two men put up a veil, not something just any town guards could do, though it was still a very simple spell that anyone with time in the army would learn. Harlan was checking Ava¡¯s armor for any dings and dents, though in reality he was asking the soul inside of it for reports on Ava when the men dropped the veil. ¡°There is no need to come by, the case is closed.¡± ¡°Guards, make sure these two don¡¯t stick around any longer than needed.¡± The men nearby saluted Harlan as walked past the men and entered his parents home. What a lucky day he thought, had he missed them they would¡¯ve probably said they asked for the case to be dropped and received no reply so the judge might¡¯ve considered that a lack of interest and closed the case, which would¡¯ve made it take even longer to get the director in a courtroom. The director himself was not a noble, and had little rights compared to Harlan in a legal battle, but the orphanages were run by the royal family in name at least, so the workers were given some protections against abuse. Harlan let the guards do their job, though he quickly found out that the director was a rather wealthy man who had been using the orphanage to embezzle funds and find women to work at brothels when they reached the legal age of 16. It would¡¯ve been comical how evil it sounded, but it was not a joke, nor was this story unique to Yor, this man just hid his business well enough that it was hard to actually prove he had done anything wrong. Nobody really wanted to work an orphanage job if they had something better to do, yet at the same time the requirements for somebody to actually get the job were too high for just anyone to do it. So those with knowledge and a love of children would take them, or those who wanted access to children for any reason. The job itself actually paid quite well, and if the children from the orphanage grew up to do something important they could even be given bonuses. But that was a very long time investment, and greedy people wanted money right now. So just mark a few of them as having died from natural causes or accidents, then ship them off to whoever wants to buy them. This man had at least not forced anyone into prostitution, though he clearly guided them towards it and his magic made sure there was not even the slightest chance of pregnancy. The reason it was as difficult as it was to fix Sara was that a normal sterilizing spell only reduced the chances to have offspring to a level so low that it was effectively impossible, but the organs themselves were left healthy, this however, damaged these organs ability to either produce healthy eggs or sperm. Harlan stepped inside and the sigil in his mind was pulsing with energy, though Harlan did not yet understand what it was doing. ¡°Mom, Dad, sorry, but I¡¯ve got some things to do. Probably won¡¯t be back tonight. Might not stay the weekend.¡± ¡°Is it related to those guards who made us sign an acknowledgement that they asked about some case?¡± ¡°Yes, now then, they have involved you two in their plans, so I will be sending a message tonight.¡± Breken spoke up. ¡°I hope you aren¡¯t planning to kill them. I would be forced to stop you.¡± ¡°And I am sure you could do it. But no, I am going to see if I can¡¯t call in a favor and show them that they aren¡¯t the only ones who can use the law. I didn¡¯t mind waiting until the court date, but now I need to make sure that they don¡¯t try to flee.¡± ¡°Wait a moment, what were those papers then? They told us that they were just making sure you hadn¡¯t abandoned the case?¡± ¡°And you signed it with your ring, right?¡± ¡°Just like you told us to.¡± ¡°And they didn¡¯t tell you that the case was dropped, right?¡± ¡°What? You aren¡¯t really doing that, are you?¡± ¡°No, but they came here to pretend that they told you that, and with the signature telling the judge that somebody in the family had signed off on an acknowledgement of them telling you that, they would try to actually have the case closed through proper channels.¡± Harlan had visited Blackstone during one of his trips back home so he could get in her amulet connected with his own. Currently he was taking a carriage from his home to Yor. ¡°Harlan, what a pleasant surprise.¡± ¡°Do you still consider my favor owed?¡± ¡°Yes, Sable not being mad at you is not a favor. What do you need?¡± ¡°Any chance I can rush a court date?¡± ¡°Perhaps, but I need to know if this is worth the favor I owe you.¡± Harlan laid out everything he knew, Balor¡¯s little spy network was far beyond their expectations due to the addition of devices to record audio, video, send messages instantly, flight was no small feat either as most people didn¡¯t look up and most people didn¡¯t lock their windows on the 3rd or 4th floors. ¡°Should I ask how you gained this information?¡± ¡°Blackmail, bribery, breaking and entering. The usual methods.¡± ¡±Well I hope you have been discreet at least.¡± ¡°Of course. I have reasons that I can tell the judge, I just thought that it was better to be honest with you.¡± ¡°Thank you. Your little communicators are a wonder, so I should be able to send a message to the judge of your case and then so long as you give the other side 24 hours of notice I can have you in a courthouse by tomorrow evening. Now, how about we discuss a dinner, maybe you could bring your family and friends, or just by yourself even. You will be here next weekend, right?¡± ¡°I will be, and I hope if I said no that it wouldn¡¯t affect my favor. But that doesn¡¯t matter, since I accept. I will be coming on my own. It is short notice and I know my father has meetings that he has already pushed back a week since I had an unprompted visit today.¡± ¡°You are in the county right now?¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°For how long?¡± ¡°Today and tomorrow. Though my schedule is quite full as you now know, so I cannot be at your home and then at the courthouse if I came to you unless I had someone to gate me around.¡± ¡°Well, that is a shame, if only you invented something that could speed things up. Those golem horses don¡¯t need rest, and they are faster than normal ones, but not as fast as any of the magical breeds.¡± ¡°Unfortunately I am not sure what I could do to get around much faster, though I suppose I could ride one of my golems instead of hitching it, but my carriage helps keep them full of energy.¡± ¡°Ignore it, just words of wanting. I will be seeing you this next saturday then?¡± ¡°Of course, thank you for what you¡¯ve done for me. I will not forget this.¡± When he arrived in Yor he made meticulous notes of what little information the guards actually had, though this was just being done to show them that he could appear whenever he wanted and his authority meant he could basically tell them what to do so long as it did not break any laws. The next day he did the same thing, arriving early in the morning and then only staying for a few minutes to make sure they hadn¡¯t removed any reports or done anything to claim he had taken or destroyed anything. Then he made his way to the relatively close city of Dullen, roughly 4 hours away, Blackstone¡¯s home was actually not more than an hour away and this was her city which she left a mayor in charge of. Harlan had never actually visited the town that Redwall had designated as the capital of his barony, which Harlan found mildly amusing. The walls were 40 feet tall and had many archers towers set upon them, though they never got this far, there was consideration taken for the possibility of fighting Reino from such a place and the watchmen were disciplined under that assumption. Harlan had never actually walked around a city before, so he left his carriage at the gate to be taken to a stable by guards. They were expecting him and had an escort ready for him at the gate. It was one of the first times Harlan really got to see a clear effect of his amulets, as these people were given a description of Harlan and an estimated arrival time with enough warning to have everything ready for him when he got there. The escort for him was the vice captain of the guard, a woman 35 years of age. It was known, or at least rumored, that Harlan had a very soft spot for women, though not in a lustful manner, so to ensure he had the best impression as well as was least likely to cause any issues, they gave him one for the day. She however, was less happy with the detail, she had been a guard for 10 years after serving in the army for 6 years. While women had the right to join just as men, it was still a harsh divide between the sexes in such fields and she felt it was disrespectful that she was chosen, not because of her skills and nearly impeccable record, but because she was a woman. ¡°Count Fomoria, I am Lian, I will be your guide for the day. I am told you have no experience with cities and you might find yourself lost or confused when we enter.¡± ¡°Thank you, I did not expect a guide but I appreciate the help. Is there anything I should be aware of?¡± ¡°Inside of this city that ring of yours grants you the right to use magic, everyone else needs a badge. You will feel a great deal of discomfort as you lose your magic for a moment when the array verifies your ring. After the first time your ring will become synced with the city and will no longer have that same effect on you. Stone magic is banned, however it is not blocked, it is considered too dangerous to let people use it as they please due to the tiered nature of the city making a rockslide a devastating thing. Yet you may use such magic if it is needed to safeguard your life.¡± ¡°Thank you for the warning, how much discomfort?¡± ¡°I will keep a bucket nearby.¡± ¡°Very well, I am ready.¡± One step inside and Harlan threw up as expected, then he kept throwing up for another minute. A farmer who had no training wouldn¡¯t feel a thing, a soldier might get an itch that goes away after a few seconds, and mages who had far more training could get anything from a passing vertigo to feeling ill for upwards of 40 minutes unless they had a badge or a ring; for Harlan who was in the process of becoming something else, the ring could only lessen the effects on his body so much. Part of this was the tempering of the body, making any human who worked with magic enough a magical creature of sorts, part of this was how subtly a mage perceived the world differently and the array would put them back to normal human levels for a short time. The array itself was a very closely guarded secret and every city with a population over 9,000 had one put in place by people directly under the royals, Dullen had a population of over 50,000. It was one of the last things Marigold gave Yggdra before she left him for the last time, a way for him to keep his hopes of people not living in fear of mad mages and wizards once more. He dry heaved a final time and then Lian gave him a glass of water. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen it hit somebody as hard as that before. Are you sure you don¡¯t require medical attention?¡± ¡°Yep, just fine. Now I could use something to eat however. I need to check in at the courthouse so they can call me on my amulet when the time comes, but between then and now we should have about 4 hours.¡± ¡°You just threw up all that and now you want food? Shouldn¡¯t you wait for your stomach to settle first?¡± ¡°Maybe. After I eat I want to look around, preferably the slums.¡± She knit her brows in confusion as they walked to the courthouse, which was in the center of the city and directly connected with the mayors office and home. The city itself was very old, dating back to the days of the Reinoan Empire, in such times they liked their leaders to live and work in the same exact building. It was not odd these days to have the same arrangement, but most nobles liked their homes to be private and away from cities and towns. Duke¡¯s often had a large castle in the center of a city that wasn¡¯t connected to anything else, but they still lived inside of the city walls themselves. ¡°Why would you want to visit the slums, if it is not overly offensive to ask.¡± ¡°Because you find out a lot about people by how they treat those who have less than them. My father had no issue giving out odd vegetables to those who truly had nothing to spare, he let travelers who had no place to go in winter come in to get warm before they went back out to finish their travels.¡± ¡°Thank you for answering my question, Count Fomoria.¡± He thought about how he wanted to phrase it, he didn¡¯t like how she was being so formal, but if he said he outright didn¡¯t like it, then she might feel forced to act in a casual manner which she was uncomfortable with. ¡°If you would like, you may call me Harlan and speak in a tone that you would use with those not of nobility.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir Fomoria.¡± Well, he tried at least. Chapter 126 Harlan was sure it was the 4th best place he had ever eaten, right behind what they served at the academy, the royal gala, and at the top of his list, his mother¡¯s cooking. He had 2 quail and a slightly thickened broth soup that was made with the juices from cooking said quail and a side plate of roasted potatoes, cauliflower, and onions. ¡°Are you sure that you don¡¯t want something to eat?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir Fomoria, I ate before you arrived.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± He didn¡¯t care about the cost of the meal, it was nice and he could afford to eat like this every now and then without feeling like he was wasting his money. It was a treat for him. Lian tried to convince him, very lightly, that he should go visit the mayor¡¯s gardens or the markets instead of the slums, but Harlan didn¡¯t care. ¡°Is there a poor clinic here?¡± ¡°Yes, but you would be better served by visiting a proper doctor in the higher tiers of the city.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need a doctor, other people do.¡± The buildings were still mostly stone, though there was not a small number of clearly hastily constructed wooden shacks. It wasn¡¯t as bad as Harlan expected, the people were clearly poor, but they looked reasonably clean, and while they were clearly weaker from years of not having enough to eat, nobody seemed to be starving. The king had many social welfare programs set up, from a simple soup and bread that anyone who could barely afford to live could have twice a day, to poor clinics where so long as they provided proof of work the kingdom would pay them or at least cut taxes. He understood that unrest turned to rebellion far too quickly. So long as a man had work, a roof over his head, food, and some way to blow off steam with his free time, he would be content enough to not take up arms. A content man, one who had time to use for more than just trying to survive, would hopefully use that time to improve his own life and no longer need the programs which had been set up. They entered the small two room shack to find two men threatening the receptionist, a boy maybe 15 years of age, but poverty left him without the nutrients needed to grow as well as Harlan and his family had. ¡°Unless you want to become a patient, get us what you owe us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, this is a free clinic, I¡¯m living on donations and tax breaks, I¡¯m paid mostly with food.¡± ¡°20%, I don¡¯t care what you give us. Everyone pays.¡± Lian moved in front of Harlan who simply moved around her, from the outside it was like a dance. She was not a weak woman, she would beat Harlan in a fight due to sheer experience, but Harlan wanted to get around her and it was increasingly awkward to move around without actually touching him. ¡°Hey, bastards, if you want to pick on somebody your own size, get over here.¡± The men turned around at Harlan¡¯s taunt and noticed Lian instantly. ¡°Extortion is a crime, surrender or I will use force.¡± They were about to take the young man as a hostage but were instead hit with powerful bolts of energy. Instantly the two men stiffened and fell to the ground. ¡°Lian, please move.¡± She did as asked, the threats were neutralized anyway. ¡°You, where is the doctor and who are these men?¡± ¡°They are following a man named Dagger, I don¡¯t know his real name, and I am the only healer here. The one before was driven out and I used to be his assistant. Not good enough to take with when he packed up I suppose.¡± ¡°This ¡®Dagger,¡¯ do you know where to find him?¡± Only now did the boy realize that Harlan had a crest, a signet ring, and was accompanied by a high ranking guard. ¡°Ah, um, no, I have no idea who you are talking about. Please have a nice day.¡± ¡°Sir Formoria, regardless of whatever intentions you might have, Dagger has been a thorn in our side for years. Not only do you not have the authority to act as a member of the guard, you can¡¯t honestly expect to walk into my city and catch a man like that.¡± Harlan did not look like an experienced mage, but he had been taught by a great deal of powerful mages and he had natural advantages. Most first year students would beat most soldiers fresh from boot camp even with the average age gap being 3 years between them. ¡°And if I got approval from Blackstone, AND I had a plan already?¡± ¡°Even if you had approval, I am sure that no plan you could make in these last few seconds would do anything.¡± Harlan got approval, though it did take 15 minutes before Blackstone answered, she was in no way beholden to him. Now Harlan had both of the men strapped to tables and they were awake now. ¡°Hey there sleepyheads. Think about your boss, maybe a ring, or a cloak, something he always has on him, just think about him when you do. If not, I¡¯m going to start digging out your eyes.¡± It was no small feat to make someone reveal the location of something through divination, since they would naturally have a desire to not reveal these things. There were two ways around this, firstly, you needed to have the right spells that looked for what you wanted and used the other person as a relay, checking against what they knew of the thing in question. Secondly, was what Harlan would do, make the other person so afraid of him that they would decide they wanted to find that thing just to avoid their fate. ¡°Really? Divinations? Is that your best plan? As if we never tried that?¡± ¡°I am not human, I made those amulets, I can do things other people can¡¯t.¡± Harlan did a little stretch and walked out. He was constantly updating his plans for revenge, part of that was seeing what the limits of his divinations on living targets and empathy were since he joined the crossroads. Unless the man was on the other side of the city, or outside of it, Harlan would find him. Luckily, he was in the slums, unluckily, the man that the thugs thought was Dagger, was just another person up the ladder of leadership, so he gave the same ultimatum, think about your boss, the man they believed was Dagger, or have their eyes plucked out. After going through 4 men, their next target was down in the sewers. What disturbed both him and Lian however, was that each man seemed to be higher ups not only in their little gang, but within the city itself. ¡°We aren¡¯t going down there, if you claim that you know exactly where he is, then we can get the guard together and sweep the area. You¡¯ve already found other criminals, we have some proof of your uncanny ability to find people.¡± ¡°Nope, we aren¡¯t going down. I need at least a little bit of time to prepare for this, to the markets we go.¡± After 20 minutes they returned to the same spot with two half masks and a few mana gems. ¡°Now we don¡¯t need to smell the sewers. Sorry about you, I didn¡¯t realize you would be here.¡± The captain got word of what Harlan was about to do and sent him a guard, just to make it look like he was actually trying to help. They found an access point and in they went. It was 10 minutes of wandering before Harlan found the spot. The sewers were laid out in a square pattern with bridges between the large rivers of waste that drained from dumping wells as they called them. The citizens didn¡¯t have running water in their homes, but they also weren¡¯t just dumping it in the streets and spreading disease. The blocks were 200 feet long on each wall. Harlan had Lian and the other guard on the corners so they could watch two lanes while he tried to find the door, since from the outside, it looked like it was all solid stone. After a few minutes he decided he had enough, he could feel where the tunnel was, so he just opened the wall with earth magic. A lesser man would be skewered by the darts that came out at him. Another lesser man by the pitfalls and the axe that swung out from the ceiling. Finally even a competent man wouldn¡¯t have noticed the man above the doorway with a dagger in hand. Yet he was still a person with a mind, so Harlan used more earth magic to encase the man who clung to a flat slick wall like a spider. Finally he opened the door and found a man in a nice jacket smoking a pipe. There was a ladder as an escape route, but Harlan could tell the man had no intention of leaving his very well furnished office, with paintings, cushioned chairs and couches, even a hidden safe behind a painting that hid a second safe behind it. ¡°Now, I don¡¯t know who you are, but good work there. My man on the ceiling must be pissed that you caught him. How can I help you?¡± ¡°I would like you to surrender so my escort can come in here and arrest you properly. There is no other option¡± He clicked his tongue and scratched his short and well maintained beard. He looked to be in his 60s, clearly more of a talker, likely a merchant, judging by his only slightly blemished skin and healthy, but not muscular frame. ¡°How about you and me cut a deal, you pretend you didn¡¯t find this place, maybe I have some work that you can do, Count Fomoria.¡± ¡°So you do know who I am, doesn¡¯t matter though, I¡¯m just going to drag you out by force.¡± ¡°Let me tell you. If you do that, then we are gonna have a problem with each other, and, now this is the important part, I¡¯ll be out before the moon is high. Come on, you didn¡¯t really think I don¡¯t have people who work for me that can make this go away? You got, what, confessions from some low brow thugs, and me having an office under my home? Where is the crime.¡± ¡°I would like a clarification on that first statement, what does you and I having a problem look like?¡± ¡°Well, you have a sister who is always out with only one man guarding her, no telling what kinda accident could happen.¡± ¡°I see now.¡± Harlan ran it through his head many times. Ava told him that what he had done was unjust, that you can¡¯t just kill people for what they might do. Yet here was a man, one who clearly had power, and he had threatened her, directly. It would be just to bring him in and hope that the courts did what was right. Because that was the right thing, the moral thing to do, yet what if? What if he failed? Dagger, whoever he was, got away with it and Ava got hurt? Breken was good, but he couldn¡¯t be everywhere at once, Harlan couldn¡¯t either, that was why he was glad she had the golem armor. Just one failure, one mistake, she would be gone. It would be the unjust thing to do, it would be selfish of him to put the chance of future harm as more important than the life of a man who had dead to rights. Harlan crushed the man in the ceiling inside the stone. Dagger, or whatever his name might be, reached for a gun under his desk but Harlan¡¯s telekinesis stopped him from pulling the trigger. Harlan looked at it for a moment, normal people shouldn¡¯t have guns, especially not so far away from the frontier. He wondered if the man was a revolutionary, perhaps he had ties to them as a black marketeer or money launderer? ¡°Let¡¯s not be hasty, I¡¯ve got connections, powerful people who will come looking for my killer. Why not let bygones be bygones?¡±¡± Harlan didn¡¯t want to make it clear that he killed the man in cold blood, sure, he could just say he pulled a gun and so he reacted. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. But would Ava believe that? He forced the man¡¯s arm to move and placed the gun with twin barrels beneath his chin. Then Harlan felt silly, he had read of cases where people lost the front of their head and yet without damage to the brain the people still lived. He instead moved the gun to his temples and angled it back a little bit, once the many pellets hit his brain there would be no way to save him. ¡°Harlan, don¡¯t do this. This is going way too far.¡± ¡°He made his choice, he knows enough about me to know threatening our family is a mistake. One he will not have time to regret. If you tell her, and she hates me for this, that is just how things will be.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do this for a maybe, he could be bluffing.¡± ¡°What maybe? Even if he doesn¡¯t have a single person who might threaten Ava he is still a menace to the slum, going after the already downtrodden people who can¡¯t defend themselves. If I had not a shadow of doubt in my mind about him being a complete non-threat, I would still kill him because of what he has already done and because I believe I can get away with it.¡± Harlan screamed no and then pulled the trigger, hoping that Lian and the other guard would hear it and believe he tried to stop the man. Lugh was beside himself with anger, but he just kept it bottled up, this was not the time for it. The others rushed into the room as the shot echoed through the underground and nearly deafened Harlan who was now on the ground trying to stop the ringing and the pain. While Harlan had seen and taken apart guns, he didn''t really understand how all of it worked. Most importantly, he had no idea how loud they would be. The gun actually had a spell soulsmithed into it to dampen the noise, but without knowing that Harlan hadn¡¯t activated it. After a few minutes Harlan unruptured his eardrums and was ready to speak. ¡°Count Fomoria, what happened here?¡± ¡°I found the tunnel, but I couldn¡¯t be sure there wouldn¡¯t be any more exits so I decided not to call you. I barely dodged the traps and the assassin, who I pushed into the wall with telekinetic and stone magics before crushing him. The man tried to convince me to work for him instead, I don¡¯t think he realized who I was. However when I made it abundantly clear that all that was waiting for him was a jail cell he grabbed a gun under his desk. I was ready to defend myself, but I did not expect him to take his own life rather than be arrested. The presence of a gun means possible ties to revolutionaries, perhaps he didn¡¯t want to be tortured for information on his allies.¡± Lian didn¡¯t immediately think there was anything wrong with his story, just from a quick look she could tell that the man had pulled the trigger himself and the angle would mean he intended to kill himself instantly. She believed that if Harlan wanted to kill him, he would¡¯ve used any number of spells or even the physical force he was known for. The idea of him rushing the man down, getting the gun pointed at him, but also without taking it out of his hands, seemed ridiculous. ¡°We will need to have this whole place sweeped, confirm the identity of the man, and then figure out how far his reach really was. The fact that he had a place like this underground means he had either high ranking officials who were willing to give out badges that allowed stone magic, or he had some other means of digging out such a place.¡± ¡°Behind that painting he ruined, there is a safe, behind that safe is another safe. I saw it with the delver magic I used to find the tunnel in the first place.¡± ¡°Oh I could kiss you.¡± Her joy had overcome her manners and she quickly corrected herself. ¡°I mean, I greatly appreciate your help and you may well have saved us a lot of work.¡± Lian threatened the guard to stay silent about her slip up which only made Harlan laugh. Harlan went back to the free clinic and helped the boy heal a few people who had nowhere else to go and then he went to the courthouse for the actual reason he came here. As he sat in the waiting room he wondered, how had nobody caught him? Even beyond corruption in the city, any competent divinationist should¡¯ve been able to get the ball rolling. Any torturer would¡¯ve broken the men, any delver mage who searched the sewers would notice the disturbance. Even the presence of the tunnel meant that the person who made that room had to be a noble, normal mages got a badge to lessen the effects of the array, but they were completely blocked from earth magic. Harlan asked Lian about it. ¡°We asked for help from mages who passed through, we didn¡¯t exactly have a large enough issue at hand that it was worth putting out big money for bounty hunters. He mostly kept his business in the slums where barely any eyes were on him, when he tried to do business in the nicer parts of the city we dealt with his men. But that was the limit of what we could do. The mayor could¡¯ve asked for support from Countess Blackstone, but he declined to do it, I can¡¯t speak for why exactly however. Perhaps it was budget related, maybe it was because we couldn¡¯t be sure that this person named Dagger even existed since new people would pop up and claim to be him.¡± ¡°Whatever, it¡¯s done. Anyway, what is taking so long?¡± ¡°The mayor was supposed to greet you before the trial began. He is normally very punctual.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t let it show on his face, but he tried to retrace his path from the sewers back up here. He didn¡¯t have a perfect memory, nor did he have perfect spatial awareness, but that path might¡¯ve ended up right around the mayor¡¯s office. After 10 minutes the judge declared that the trial must start now, with the approval of Harlan as the noble party. ¡°I take no issue with a lack of greeting from the mayor.¡± There was a lot of preamble, but Balor was there representing Harlan. He and the witnesses arrived late, which made the delay caused by the mayor not really a big deal. After everything was said and done the other party closed with a statement that it was clearly the work of one healer and the director had no idea, and that the accusation that he had pushed any of the girls towards brothels was purely hearsay. Now it was time for Balor to actually start. First it was files showing that there was no healer employed there, that the personal file and payments were nothing but a coverup for his embezzlement of funds and the mage never existed if one simply looked at the census from the surrounding counties. Mages made up around 30% of the population if the definition was stretched to anyone who could sense and therefore cast magic, the large military accounted for most of this 30%. Healers made 8% of that 30%, it was not overly difficult to find out how many healers were in the area, and the files matched not a single one of them. The director, on the other hand, was not only a mage, and not only a healer, but he had gone for a month-long course on healing, with a specialization in reproductive magic some 40 years ago. Second, he brought out documents showing that orphans who were in the orphanage before and after the time when this alleged healer also had the exact same damage to their bodies. Lastly, he brought out these people as witnesses that the director had in fact, done the spell himself. Sara was in the courtroom, though she wasn¡¯t acting as a witness. He brought out witnesses who worked at the orphanage and had their suspicions of what was happening but no proof, and he brought out those who handled the records but didn¡¯t understand what was actually happening until it was pointed out to them. The director had intentionally hired people who were just barely competent enough to pass the tests required to work there, but couldn¡¯t really decipher the way he was moving the money around. After arguments back and forth and confirmations on the information, the judge was ready to make his decision. Not every case would end the day, or even the week that it happened. Sometimes the judge would look over the information for days and check sources to ensure his ruling was correct. Yet this day, the evidence was so overwhelmingly one sided that he had not a doubt of what had happened. ¡°On the case of Count Harlan Fomoria Vs Vilen of Yor. I hereby rule in favor of Count Harlan Fomoria. The original recommended punishment was restitutions for the victims, and the removal of Vilen from his position accompanied by no less than 10 years of labor, which the man was unlikely to survive considering his age. However, in light of new evidence, I will be changing this sentence to death, all of his wealth shall be distributed to those who we can confirm are victims. And he is to be questioned about any possible conspirators to his crimes. Does the effected have a preference on method?¡± ¡°Hanging. So long as I know justice has been carried out against him I do not ask that he suffer more than the court has decided.¡± ¡°Very well, in one week''s time, unless the criminal can provide evidence that could bring doubt on my ruling, his punishment will be carried out.¡± Harlan looked at the people in the stands, they looked relieved, but also they were upset. He had spoken to them all at least once, two of them were men who would never father their own children, the last was a woman who had lost her marriage over being barren, she had never even been told what had happened to her and thought herself cursed to never conceive. The man who had done this to them would be transferred to death row, but what had been taken from them could not be returned. Harlan thought, for just a moment, that he should ask if he could change the method of death to something worse. But he knew just from the look in their eyes, they didn¡¯t care, they had a hole and it wouldn¡¯t be filled by pain and suffering. He decided that he should keep the list they made of all the people who were victims, maybe someday he would be a good enough healer to do the procedure on his own, maybe he could do it for free. These were the things he told himself to avoid the aura of crushing despair that he felt from these people. Sara looked the happiest of them, but she had still dropped her cheery exterior. Her best years to get married were behind her, most people were wed before 20, if they weren¡¯t they probably had something wrong with them. Sometimes it was just bad luck, maybe there were just more men than women in the area or vice versa, but it often felt to those people like they were just picking up the scraps left behind by others. Harlan took her to the restaurant he had gone to earlier in the day, Balor left with the 3 witnesses to make sure they all got home and to reassure them that they could be healed. Not many people wanted to be caught between the people under the royals and a noble, so Harlan agreed to pay for them to be healed in exchange. He got a laugh when her eyes bugged out at the prices and she asked more than once if it was really ok to order anything she wanted. It brightened her mood a little to have a nice meal. The restaurant had veils up on each table by default, many important business deals would happen in a place like this. ¡°Sara, how do you feel?¡± ¡°I thought it would feel better.¡± ¡°I know. All of it just leaves you empty, either wanting more or wanting to find something else to fill it.¡± ¡°All of what exactly? I¡¯m not sure you really get what I¡¯m dealing with here. Ah, no offense.¡± ¡°I mean revenge; I¡¯m sure that you wanted him dead, and I made sure that he got what he had coming to him, but that doesn¡¯t fix anything. I can pay for you to be healed, but I can¡¯t give you back the time you lost.¡± ¡°You are going to try though, I am sure you will.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t turn back time, but, when you want to leave, either because you found somebody you love or just because you feel like you need to go. I¡¯ll make sure you can do that without worrying about money, even if you want to take a long break from work.¡± ¡°I think I should keep working, not really sure what else to do right now. I¡¯ll never find a better place to be at anyway. Maybe I should go to a maiden festival in a bigger place, somewhere else where nobody knows me. Even if I explained I was healed I don¡¯t know who all would believe me.¡± ¡°This place should have one in summer, some places have more than one per year. I¡¯ll ask around.¡± ¡°You mean you¡¯ll ask Balor to find out who he needs to ask and then he will find somebody to ask that person.¡± They both laughed, and it was real this time. ¡°Same thing.¡± They walked around for a very brief time, she didn¡¯t really want to stay there any longer than she needed to. Isha was her closest friend, and while she could¡¯ve talked to Harlan and he would try his best, she needed another woman to speak to. The carriage ride back was awkward, so she pretended that she was sleeping and Harlan did the same. He wanted to call Blackstone, ask about the mayor, but it would look very suspicious. More importantly, Harlan didn¡¯t want to look like he cared about anything else but Sara. He would just need to call Lian in the morning. She tried to refuse the hastily made communication amulet he made, but Harlan basically used his noble title to make her take it, though he did stress that it was still a personal item and she didn¡¯t need to rush to answer it if he called. It was quite late when they returned, Sara went to her cabin and went to sleep. Harlan didn¡¯t really know what to do with his time, the only one still up was Balor, but he left a sign on the door to the bunker saying he didn¡¯t want to be disturbed. Harlan thought about putting himself to sleep, just to pass the time. Lugh however, wanted to talk. ¡°Harlan. You keep scaring me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°What you did today, and the day before, was that evil? You didn¡¯t need to kill him, but you did anyway.¡± ¡°For the bandit, maybe. But that man? I cannot let somebody like him live..¡± ¡°That is an excuse. You are lying to me again.¡± Harlan thought for a short time and realized where he went wrong. ¡°When Adina was in danger, you were ready to help me with that, this is no different to me. I am being preemptive instead of reacting to threats, I want to put them down before they turn into something worse. If that man truly was the mayor, then he would be out of jail in hours, if he even ended up in a cell at all. People like him, people like the director, they use their positions of power to abuse those beneath them and because they attack the people who have no connections, they get away with it. He had been running that orphanage for 26 years, hundreds of victims were left in his wake, did the law stop him? Only barely, we won that battle because Balor used his spies and thieves and I happened to actually give a shit about a maid, which is odd for most nobles. What use is justice when it would require that I let somebody like that go?¡± ¡°What if you become as bad as them? Could you look Ava in the eyes if she hated you for what you were doing.¡± ¡°I said it before, I would accept her hating me. But more than that, If I become that evil, kill me.¡± ¡°What? No, I could nev-¡± ¡°I believe that evil people should be killed because they do nothing but cause more harm. If you think I am going to do these things, truly and completely, they kill me right now. I give my life to you, because I can change, but I refuse to do so. I am Harlan, your brother, murderer, healer. If I believe it is right, I will do whatever needs to be done, if you cannot match my resolve then stay here.¡± Harlan raised his arms to and closed his eyes. Both of them read the same books, they saw the same things, but both of them had a clear divide in how they viewed the world, one which they might never reconcile. Lugh opened the door and went down to the bunker. Harlan sat outside and watched the sunrise. Then he felt the sigil, pulses of energy threatened to split his head open, he fell from his chair and The Unseen rushed to aid him, they too fell to the ground when they made contact. Sepul had arrived early, hoping for an excuse to have a cup of tea with him before they teleported back, he felt the wrongness in the air instantly. Every shadow around the area grew dark and stretched far beyond what they should¡¯ve. A tree took a vaguely womanly shape, one could make out a face and body, its trunk split and turned to legs, its branches fused to arms, Anu had come to watch. From the reservoir pond Lir formed and walked to her siblings. A morning bird burst and reformed to a sphere of light and feathers as Cecht watched. The sky turned to a massive stormeye as Calli came to see. It was difficult to manifest in such a minor way without an element, so Cecht burned a tree to give form an opening for Brigid, lest she burn far more to appear in a real body. Of the gods, she was the most human in appearance. Her hair was fire, her body was clay, she rearranged herself until she seemed like she had clothes. Finally, the shadows of the forest pulled back into their source and from them a pillar of darkness that stretched into the sky was atop of Harlan. ¡°I have waited for this moment, 15 years, 3 months, 18 days, 7 hours, 18 minutes, 43 seconds. You are what I need you to be, and you have not become this because I have told you to be this, you have become this because it has been your choice. You would stake your life on your morals, your justice. You would not crush this world under your heel, but you understand that it must change. You would help those who would help others, rippling kindness through their lives. You would kill those who ripple only more pain. You are not my vengeance. You are not my mercy. You are a being which will represent change, and I shall hope this to be for the better. You are my champion. I grant you no power but the power to change yourself and those around you, you must guide your own path with this gift.¡± The pillar of darkness devoured the light as miles turned pitch black, the towns of Tole and Luth both suffered, people froze in fear as they were suddenly blind, and then things were normal. The blackness lasted only 15 seconds. Chapter 127 Harlan woke up in a room that wasn¡¯t all that different from his room at the academy. The walls were not stone but rather a plaster covered with paper and painted a pale blue color. The bed was nicer than most he had been in, feeling like it was filled with a viscous gel. Harlan tried to remember what exactly had happened, but it was taking a moment. He tried to ask Lugh a question but that space no longer contained him. ¡°Hello, it hasn¡¯t been very long.¡± ¡°Eli- Ghost?¡± ¡°I am sure it is quite odd to call me by her name, so let¡¯s not worry about that right now. For now, you are safe, that bag of bones is a nice person once you get past his ramblings.¡± While it was nice that she had a good opinion of the man, however Harlan¡¯s experience was less positive. He ran for the door and once it was open he found a skeleton with black bones and orange orbs of fire for eyes standing on the other side. Both directions looked the same, just halls with doors, each marked with words Harlan didn¡¯t know. He unleashed as much of a blast of wind as he could and tried to cast hover and get away as fast as he could. At least that was the plan. Instead he found himself in a different room and his magic wasn¡¯t working at all. ¡°Champion of Shadow, I¡¯m here to teach you, not kill you. Just calm down for a moment.¡± Harlan wanted to try to run again, but he found that he couldn¡¯t move an inch, he found it funny, he had done this in the past days on other people. ¡°What was our last meeting then?¡± ¡°That was Kleon, not one of Xol¡¯s best ideas, he never did have the temperment to teach and I was against it.¡± He let Harlan go and waved his hand toward a chair. ¡°Please, sit.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t actually have a choice in the matter. ¡°Where am I? Does anyone know I am here?¡± ¡°How is your day, you are Harlan? Thanks for asking Dun¡¯kel, I¡¯ve been better. And yes, some people know where you are, the champion of light told them what happened.¡± The man sounded miffed that Harlan didn¡¯t make smalltalk, by his voice Harlan would¡¯ve guessed a man in his 40s, not old, but not young either. He was dressed in nice but still easy to move around in clothes, Harlan wondered if the man had been or was a ship captain judging by their styling and his tricorn hat. ¡°Why am I here then?¡± ¡°The Darkness didn¡¯t exactly tell us what she did, we simply want to make sure that you are safe for human interaction. We need to test your magic and your mental state, but don¡¯t worry, we can have you back as early as tomorrow morning.¡± He found himself and the lich on a stone platform floating in the air. The entire space was full of massive pillars of faintly glowing crystals whose insides twinkled like the stars at night. ¡°Whoa.¡± ¡°First off, cast as many spells in elements that you know of, simple warmagic is best since they are basically massive mana sources without esoteric effects.¡± Harlan cast a nova spell of the basic elements followed by a few of advanced elements, crystal, lighting, sound, acid, and of course, void. When they struck the pillars the spells simply went through them, the structures sucked up the magic and the lich tapped on some kind of notepad in his hands. ¡°Very good, your alignments are all operating at levels not unlike having been born single aligned. So think of it as a 20% boost to dark, fire, and light. Have you seen your eyes yet?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen my eyes before, yes.¡± Dun¡¯kel held up a mirror and Harlan understood what he meant, this would not make him more popular with Reino. His old eyes were odd but many people found them captivating, these looked threatening and would make him stick out in the darkness. ¡°Any chance I can change them back?¡± ¡°You could keep running a constant illusion spell, but honestly, you should just let people get used to them. You now represent your god, you can be open or you can hide it, but I doubt someone like you could keep it hidden for very long.¡± They changed spaces once again, but this time Harlan could not see the lich. He was in his home. Adina was bleeding out in his arms, the life faded from her eyes and Harlan felt her mind go black. He sat there for what might¡¯ve been hours, but was really just seconds. Then he looked outside of his window. Everyone was gone, he saw his family, his friends, they were dead, dismembered, disfigured. His mind broke, fracturing into factions, some wanted to give up, the others to just find somebody, anybody to kill. More of them wanted that, kill, kill, kill, he heard this repeated in his mind hundreds of times as if by a choir of damned souls. Then among the rubble he heard an infant, the voices demanded bloodshed, it did not matter how or who. Yet there was one voice, faint but clear. Harlan found that voice deep inside himself, it told him to live, and that that child was not at fault, to turn his hands away from it. The other voices quieted and flowed into that one voice until it was the only one left. Harlan walked past the bodies and cleaned the child, fed him what mashed fruits he could. He did not want to go on, but he decided to do so. Harlan was awake again, back in that room before the crystal cavern. He had a nice blanket over him and the lich sat across from him. ¡°You¡¯ve passed.¡± Harlan lept at him, his nails and his teeth sharpened ever so slightly as his body came more in line with his mind. He was processing that it was a sick nightmare the lich had forced him to sit through as a test and he roared with fury, his voice carrying magical energy demanding destruction and if not for the wards on every item in the room they would get their wish. The lich used one hand and impossible speed to toss Harlan aside. He dug his hands into the floor as if it was dirt and was ready to leap once again when somebody new entered the fray. Harlan barely recognized her before his hands made contact, he did not want to hurt her and he awkwardly tried to avoid hitting her with his body. Instead she caught him and pulled him into a hug. Harlan saw her weep as she held him and he felt their minds connect as she tried to take his pain into herself. It was safer with her than him. ¡°Dun¡¯kel, what the fuck was that? Is that what passes for a test of mind now? Just shocking him into a rage?¡± After Mary let go of Harlan his body reverted to how he was and she walked to the lich, a backhand sending him crashing into the wall. Behind the plaster was just stone, and it had fractured and broken along with the left side of his body, his bones turned to dust that was desperately trying to turn back into a body. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Marigold, wait, I can explain.¡± She punched him with her full might, the petite woman¡¯s blow shaking the room and obliterating what was left of Dun¡¯kel¡¯s body. ¡°You can explain when you reform.¡± She returned to Harlan and took him to a different room, it was a kitchen with every tool Harlan had ever seen and many more that he hadn¡¯t. The center table was gold veined marble and the countertops and stove were made of a spotless bright steel. She went into a tall white cold box and pulled out a few pans of food. They had a layer of frost on them, but with a staggering amount of magic that was done without so much as a flick of her fingers they reheated as if they had never been frozen. ¡°Harlan, do you want to talk about what happened? Or do you just want to eat?¡± Harlan took a plate of the layered pasta she gave him and cried as he ate and she rubbed his back. He knew he needed sustenance but he didn¡¯t want to speak with anyone right now. After a pan of rich chocolate cake washed down with a cider spiked with powerful cinnamon whisky she put him in bed and let him sleep it off. He was in no state to talk with people right now anyway. While Harlan rested she went to her husband. ¡°I thought you were supposed to take his testing?¡± ¡°He is basically me, so I didn¡¯t figure it would be an issue. Did something happen? I was in the voidlands checking for blackships.¡± ¡°His test was cruel and entirely unnecessary. Harlan did not need that right now, and you do not need to leave something like this to those idiots¡± The man sighed and would¡¯ve pouted if he wasn¡¯t sure that his wife was not in a joking mood. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just didn¡¯t want to be involved just yet. I was worried that if he saw me here, that he might realize who I am in my human form. Besides, Dun¡¯kel has always been very responsible.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear any more excuses about it, we both know you can change that. He needs people who are responsible, Kleon already made him afraid of liches, you need to appear as a better example.¡± ¡°Did he see you?¡± ¡°I gave him firebreath mixed with cider, between that and how mixed up his mind was. I am sure I can make him believe I wasn¡¯t here. So don¡¯t make me step in again and don¡¯t try to change the subject.¡± ¡°What has you so up in arms?¡± ¡°He might be the first champion in a long time that isn¡¯t a reclusive hermit or a complete prick. I don¡¯t want somebody who could be a friend who lives as long as us to be turned into another one of them.¡± ¡°Then why not just let him know who you are? You could teach him a lot, besides, surely he had his suspicions already, you didn¡¯t exactly pick an original name this time around.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he would look at me the same way if he knew who I was. I would rather be a woman in her 20s with a dark past than the mother of modern magic. He has probably had enough godly manipulation to last his entire life and I bet he would think I am just another one.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll use silk gloves with him. Tomorrow I¡¯ll give him a once over and let him loose, then I¡¯ll call him back as his powers develop.¡± Harlan meanwhile wasn¡¯t sleeping, not exactly. In his mind he was still putting himself back together with that spirit¡¯s help. He was still weeping into her arms and occasionally imagining a mountain that he could blow up with a thought. Instinctually he knew that she was his mother, and it did form a connection that helped calm his mind. ¡°Shh, it is ok, it wasn¡¯t real.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t reply. He knew it wasn¡¯t real, he understood that fully, yet the thoughts didn¡¯t feel any less real. Adina¡¯s body slowly growing colder in his hands, the warm blood drying and flaking. The infant¡¯s soft skin and newborn blonde hair didn¡¯t look any less real. His mother¡¯s head on a pike, her hair blowing in the wind did not look like anything but reality at the time. When morning came back around, or what passed for morning in this fake and time dilated realm, Harlan got up with a hangover that he quickly cured with a simple spell. He felt better, but it was still hard to make himself get up, fearing that he would need to face something like that again. He heard a knock on his door. ¡°May I come in?¡± It was a woman¡¯s voice. ¡°Do I have a choice?¡± ¡°Everyone has a choice, but I think it would be best if you let me come in.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± The woman was a Golden, no tattoos, if Harlan didn¡¯t know better he would say it was Mary¡¯s sister or mother. She wore robes not unlike the headmaster of the academy. ¡°Mary?¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Yesterday, I saw her, she is the academy counselor.¡± ¡°No, you saw me yesterday. I am sure that it was hard on you to take that test, but don¡¯t worry, your teacher has been switched to a nicer lich, his name is Xol and he will just run some tests on you before you leave. Please, follow me.¡± She walked him to a white door with more words that Harlan couldn¡¯t read, clinicus. The letters weren¡¯t far from Godgiven script, but they were backwards or changed in small ways. ¡°Shadow of this world, shall we begin our understanding?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Holdfast to this, crush it as you can.¡± It was just a simple grip strength tester. After that Xol used a small hammer to test his reflexies. Then it was just a lot of scans, 40 minutes was what Harlan figured it took before his body stopped being inundated with glowing lights. It was somewhat fun to see each organ glow beneath his skin. ¡°Very good, the flesh has not turned to something else, now shall we see that which is elsewise?¡± Harlan hadn¡¯t really made a habit of looking closely at his soul anymore, he just put on defenses every morning after he woke up and every night before he slept. Yet now he understood why that woman had moved from his soul to his mind, they were nearly a single thing now. The mind ordered the soul, filtered information, made sure any random thought didn¡¯t make people react based on instinct. The wall between them was paper thin, but it was still there. If there was no wall then Harlan could have just a single passing thought of dying or wanting wings and his soul would follow the order without a second thought, killing or deforming him. ¡°I see¡­ Marigold, you may take him away, he is no harm to this world as he is. He shall grow to be such a thing, but that is another day.¡± ¡°Alright, Harlan, Champion of Shadows, you are free to go. Would you like to return to your home, or the academy? Either way I am sure that you are going to be gently kidnapped by the kingdom so they can run their own tests.¡± ¡°Wait, Marigold? ¡°Not right now, maybe if you live another 5 or 10 year we can meet again and have the talk I know you want. I do try to keep my eyes on the other champions and I do hope we could be friends in the future, we both have long lives ahead of us. Any more questions?¡± ¡°What happened to my things? I want to call my family as soon as I get out if I am about to end up in another place like this.¡± She reached into her breast pocket and out came not only his amulet, but his alchemical weapons, his robe, and a rod about 3 and a half feet long. ¡°Since you don¡¯t have a weapon, I thought I should give you one.¡± Harlan thought it was hollow with how easily she twirled it before handing it to him, instead it was roughly 150 pounds of nearly pure stonesteel. ¡°Just cast hover on it.¡± Harlan did as she asked and then realized he didn¡¯t have a place to put it on his belt, he just had Lugh¡¯s empty sheath. ¡°Sorry, use this.¡± She unscrewed the pommel of the rod and put a mana gem inside of it, instantly Harlan realized that it was made with almost the same method as his second generation soulsmithing technique. ¡°Wait, you can do that?¡± ¡°Just because you made it popular, didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t doing that for the past 900 years. But you are pretty good at it. All that I put in was hover so you don¡¯t ruin your spine carrying that thing around, anything else is your choice. It can shift just like I am sure you want as well, so you don¡¯t need a new sheath.¡± ¡°Thank you very much for your words and your gift.¡± ¡°You are welcome, now, home or academy?¡± ¡°My home.¡± Harlan¡¯s mind flashed the scene from the nightmare over his vision for a split second and he broke out in a cold sweat, not sure if he wanted to open the door, afraid of finding Adina dead in the living room, he didn¡¯t dare turn around to look at his yard. Dahlia uncloaked and approached him, seeing his hands shaking and him looking even paler than usual. ¡°Harlan? Are you alright?¡± Fight or flight kicked in and he thrusted the rod towards her, but half way there he stopped. ¡°Sorry, I had a bad dream yesterday.¡± ¡°Your eyes¡­¡± It was purely psychological, but Dahlia could swear they were looking right through her. ¡°Part of the new me.¡± Harlan dryly chuckled before coughing, realizing both that it was unconvincing and that he hadn¡¯t drank anything yet today. ¡°Why don¡¯t we step inside for a moment, get you something to drink?¡± Harlan found that his entire family was inside, it took everything he had to not cry as that nightmare was finally flushed out of his mind, and with that his mental senses no longer felt crippled. They asked all of the relevant questions and he answered as many as he could, sometimes he did so for Dahlia¡¯s benefit as he explained where he was along with the physical changes he had undergone. The only question left was the rod that was hanging from his hip, Ava now had Lugh and they would be working together while he sorted his thoughts about Harlan and his sense of justice, or lack thereof. But to have a new weapon already made him jealous. ¡°I got it from one of them.¡± Dahlia wanted a closer look. ¡°Harlan, do you mind if I inspect it?¡± ¡°Not at all, just be careful, it has a constant hover effect due to its weight.¡± Dahlia was confident in her strength, so to better understand how much Harlan could actually do with such a thing she turned off the effect. The instant change and improper stance made her pull something in her back. The other Unseen rushed to help her at once. After a little assurance that she was fine she connected Sepul to bring Harlan to the facility so they could run their own tests for the next few days. Xol had appeared directly to the king alongside Sepul and smoothed out a great deal of issues. While he had jurisdiction as the king and Sepul was there as a friend, it felt more like Sepul was trying to prevent Xol from doing or saying anything with far reaching consequences. He didn¡¯t actually plan on hurting him, but Xol felt like he needed to keep up his appearance as the big scary lich who worked for the gods and was fire and death waiting for an excuse. Throwing Ragne into chaos would mean more work for him that he just didn¡¯t want to do. Chapter 128 Harlan was uncomfortable being inside the facility again, but he found it to be only a bother, not enough to fill him with dread as the thought of being back once would. Sepul was directly involved in the testing, the interviews, and then his discharge. All in all Harlan was out before dinner. What made him uneasy was not that it was so fast, it was that he could feel Sepul was in turmoil about something and he couldn¡¯t decipher what it was. ¡°Harlan.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Do you intend to return to the academy immediately?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t gone as long as I thought I was, and I¡¯ve not changed too much. I can control the output of my spells pretty well after all of that splitter training, so I am fine.¡± ¡°And what happened between you and Lugh?¡± ¡°A disagreement on morality.¡± Sepul knit his brow. ¡°I think it is best that you do not explain what happened, I have seen where your morals can go.¡± ¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡± ¡°Then I shall send you directly to your room, you may walk to the dining hall from there. Make any excuse you like.¡± ¡°And if I made no excuses?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡± Harlan stepped through the gate and it closed behind him, he expected Sepul would¡¯ve come through. He could only shrug his shoulders then ask the ghost some questions as he walked. ¡°Can you lie to me?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Was that a lie?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Are you going to steal my body or in any other way harm me?¡± ¡°Not a chance. Even if I did get your body I can already tap into your senses and it feels repulsive to me if I try to actually puppeteer you. I believe I am not supposed to want to have one.¡± ¡°Do you want another name?¡± ¡°Just call me Eliza, it isn¡¯t a big deal.¡± Harlan stopped walking, it was a big deal to him. ¡°Or I can change my name.¡± ¡°Thank you. And hey, you don¡¯t like Eliza either, she was a monster, right?¡± ¡°She was just a person, one who did some bad things and had bad things happen to her.¡± Harlan was sure he knew where this was going. ¡°I¡¯m not saying you can¡¯t hate her, just think about what she did and why.¡± ¡°You mean me, I have done bad things and yada yada yada, I get it.¡± ¡°No need to get testy over it, I¡¯m just saying.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really looking for a passenger to judge me.¡± ¡°Would you rather I keep it to myself until we can¡¯t agree to disagree like with Lugh? I¡¯m not going anywhere and I am not going to be quiet, if you don¡¯t want to listen then don¡¯t, but I¡¯ve been waiting years to talk with you and I have already seen somebody destroy themselves by being inflexible and scarred by loss.¡± Harlan wanted to tell her to be quiet, but he also understood that she was right, he didn¡¯t like it, but he was his mothers son and the ghost was intimately aware of her faults. ¡°Do you have her magical knowledge?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not giving it up unless I really need to. No shortcuts, remember?¡± He entered the cafeteria and instantly he felt eyes on him, most didn¡¯t think being gone was too strange. But as the Golden all stopped eating others began to look where they were looking. People thought his new eyes were odd and unsettling, his old ones had an appeal to them, these just looked like he was angry at all times, and people knew that an angry Harlan was not someone to be around. ¡°Wow, you know how to clear a room.¡± ¡°Are you going to comment on everything?¡± ¡°Probably. I¡¯m not a shy one year old, I¡¯m technically 41.¡± ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t her?¡± ¡°You know what I mean. I have decades of memories.¡± When he sat with the others they asked the same question everyone asked. ¡°What happened to your eyes?¡± Ximena wasn¡¯t there however. ¡°I¡¯ll explain later, where is Ximena?¡± ¡°She took a mission.¡± Yara felt that she needed to be the one to explain. ¡°Oh? Good for her.¡± ¡°She was hoping you would be back, but they couldn¡¯t put it off and got a replacement since she was so sure you would say yes that she put your name on the list expecting you back 2 days ago.¡± ¡°Who went in my place?¡± ¡°Delmet. I know that look you are about to get, so don¡¯t. He wouldn¡¯t hurt her, he has too much pride in the Golden to do that and it would reflect very poorly on his family if they ever found out.¡± ¡°Gods, what a prick, I¡¯ve met enough people like him to know he probably volunteered. I bet he has a crush on her.¡± ¡°Did he volunteer for the position?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Yara was a little confused that he knew that immediately. ¡°Does Delmet have feelings for Ximena?¡± Now she was worried. ¡°Harlan, can you read minds now?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll expla-¡± ¡°Do not tell people about me.¡± ¡°Why¡± ¡°If I said I wanted you to respect my privacy, that would be enough, right?¡± ¡°You are in my head, you can know what I am thinking and what my body feels, but yes, I¡¯ll respect your privacy.¡± ¡°Harlan, you were saying?¡± ¡°Right, no, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°How about we have one of our after dinner talks, and you can explain everything.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain most of it at least.¡± They spoke of little events around the academy, apparently some classes had been canceled and some teachers had to leave because various creatures had entered a frenzy on account of something that happened. News had not yet reached everyone about the blackout in the woods, while Tole had a communication station, it was being watched very closely and information was being carefully kept out of the hands of people. They knew that keeping everyone from talking was impossible, but if you threaten jail time then enough people will avoid talking about it that it becomes more of a rumor. A merchant could tell people about the blackout, but then if those people visited the area and the locals said they had no idea what they were talking about it would be considered an oddity, not a fact. Harlan¡¯s amulet lit with pale blue soullight, he didn¡¯t recognize who was calling however. He put up another veil and answered. ¡°Harlan, this is Hirum Selvis.¡± ¡°How did you get my signal?¡± ¡°Marigold had your amulet, she gave it to me. I need to speak with you, I have an opening in 30 minutes. I expect to see you then.¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Very well.¡± Harlan was putting the amulet back when he realized that didn¡¯t actually make sense. The amulet itself didn¡¯t actually hold enough of his soul to give out his contact, it needed to be in his hands. He wondered, and found the only answer was that she had taken out his connection to the crossroads and then handed that part of his soul to the headmaster. If she really did want to talk in another 10 years, he would have a million questions for her. Harlan dropped the veil. ¡°Who was that?¡± ¡°The headmaster, I guess we will put off our talk. I¡¯m going to just wait outside of his office until my meeting.¡± ¡°Alright, but before you go, I like your eyes.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Come on, give her a chance. Eliza found that being together with another person helped her.¡± ¡°How did that work out for her?¡± ¡°If she kept at it she might¡¯ve gotten better, instead she decided to wallow in self-hatred because she didn¡¯t immediately become what she wanted to be.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± ¡°Thinking and reacting are your only two modes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think about that too.¡± Harlan hadn¡¯t actually seen the office from the outside before. There was a large double door carved with figures that Harlan now recognized as the 6 gods and in the middle of them all was Aarde as seen from space. What Harlan thought was odd is that he could see a giant wall of fog, this was something he had been told about before, but at the very edges of the circle he could also see what could be more land, or could be just some decoration. Harlan studied the door from his seat until he saw Mary come out of the room. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t expect to see you here, did you do something?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later.¡± ¡°Well I look forward to it, have a nice evening.¡± ¡°I might come back after¡­ oh, right, I actually do have other plans.¡± He had completely forgotten about his meeting with Aria and Selen, though he was only seeing Aria tonight. Selen hadn¡¯t gotten back to him regarding the elders wanting amulets from him or his more casual meeting with her as a teacher. A few minutes after Mary walked away a secretary that Harlan hadn¡¯t noticed before, a Tytoan man, told Harlan to enter. The headmasters office seemed larger and more imposing than last time, most importantly was a large scale that seemed to pull Harlan¡¯s senses towards it, he couldn¡¯t tell if it was drake or wyvern. ¡°Calm down, step away from the scale.¡± ¡°What is¡­¡± ¡°Stop looking at the scale, you aren¡¯t here for that.¡± ¡°Right, sorry.¡± ¡°Harlan, please, sit.¡± The chair was very comfortable, he didn¡¯t remember it being like this last time. ¡°Do you know why I called you here?¡± ¡°Well, last time I was here you talked about me being a godly plaything, and now I have made the choice to hop right into the maw of that mess.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t quite phrase it as such, but yes, you are now the champion of darkness. I received a file from the kingdom about what you can do, but I would like you to have a session with Mary.¡± ¡°I was already planning to talk with her about this.¡± ¡°Good, good¡­¡± He leaned back in his chair and tapped on his desk. ¡°What are your thoughts on getting a mission permit? Ximena started yesterday.¡± ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve had too much going on to be involved in whatever side jobs you give out to noble children.¡± ¡°Not a first year license, I would grant you the ability to work with 2nd and 3rd year students.¡± ¡°Alright, what do I get from it?¡± ¡°You would see the world, help people who need their problems fixed, monsters that need dealing with, disaster response. Things like that, not noble house visits and hunting goblins. I believe you could power through the rest of the first year quite easily and the classes might not be as worthwhile as real experience.¡± ¡°Maybe. When is Ximena expected back? Do you know?¡± ¡°She should be back in the next few hours, their mission went fine and they are just in a post battle meeting to understand how they could¡¯ve done better.¡± Hirum had stopped talking, but he hadn¡¯t stopped tapping his fingers on his desk. ¡°Your sister, Ava, what do you know about what she has been doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean.¡± ¡°I know you have positive relations with the Nightwatchers. But what about her? I think that you should talk with her about them.¡± ¡°What have they done?¡± ¡°Nothing yet, but¡­ I think it would be better if I didn¡¯t speak about it more. I have my own connections with them and don¡¯t want to burn bridges. You are free to leave now.¡± Harlan bid him goodbye and went directly to his room to call Ava. She didn¡¯t expect Harlan to call, he would talk as long as anyone would like, but people had to call him, he didn¡¯t often call others. ¡°Hey, do you need something?¡± ¡°Do you want me to pretend I don¡¯t? Or should we skip right to the point?¡± ¡°Is it about Lugh? He has been a little strange but won¡¯t tell me what you did.¡± ¡°Have you been with the Nightwatchers?¡± ¡°Who told you?¡± ¡°I just want to make sure you are safe, I had a bad meeting with them a while back and they haven¡¯t gotten back with me. I don¡¯t want you wrapped up in something else without realizing it.¡± ¡°Harlan, what if I wanted to become a vampire? I have been talking with Zachery about it.¡± He felt guilty over it, having a good guess on the why. ¡°You can¡¯t expect to know how being strong makes the weak feel.¡± ¡°Who was that? And who the fuck does she thing she is?¡± The ghost could speak through the communicator, that was¡­ interesting. ¡°I promise I will explain that at some point. Just know that she is a friend, a rude friend. Please don¡¯t mention her to anyone else. About you becoming a vampire though¡­ I know I have a pretty good relationship with them, and I know that I¡¯ve convinced everyone else that they are fine. But I don¡¯t want you to rush into that.¡± The ghost thought Harlan was being a bit too meek. ¡°Let me tell you. You don¡¯t want that. Sure they will be glad to bring you in and you can get power, but then you are tied to them for the rest of your very long life. Harlan, even¡­ that woman, decided against being one. And you know how much she wanted to not be weak.¡± ¡°Seriously, who the fuck is that?¡± ¡°I know Harlan VERY well, his secrets are mine and mine his. That is all you need to know for now. Wait for him to have a talk with people who know them better than you.¡± ¡°What happened between them and Harlan?¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t important.¡± ¡°Harlan, are you really going to turn to a sop right now? You can hurt the little girl¡¯s feelings or you save her from a mistake.¡± ¡°Fine, Ava, they tried to use one of them that I know to convince me to make them amulets because they were worried about what the kingdom might put in the ones they sell normal people. I am worried that you will end up as a pawn.¡± The line was open, but she wasn¡¯t talking. ¡°I¡¯ll wait, he was subtle, but looking back it does feel like Zachery was trying to sell me the idea.¡± ¡°Thank you, but, do you want to talk about why you are still trying to take a shortcut?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t a shortcut, I just want to catch up to you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m working on it, if I get what I want to function then you could get the power you want without any strings attached.¡± ¡°How many lives is that going to take?¡± ¡°What did Lugh tell you?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t need to tell me anything, I heard your friend Ximena broke your nose before. If I find out that you are doing something I wouldn¡¯t approve of to get me what I want, Breken is going to kick your ass.¡± ¡°I am working on rabbits, it is fine.¡± ¡°Good, as your big sister, it is my job to set you right. Don¡¯t become a monster, I order you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a good kid, goodbye.¡± ¡°Good night Ava, see you again later.¡± He still had some time before he had to leave for his appointment with Aria so he checked his equipment. Harlan swung his rod around a couple of times, trying to get the timing for turning hover off. There was a very slight delay since the thought needed to travel from him to the item, but it was easy to understand. He tried shifting it into the form that he designed for Lugh before, but it felt awkward for him to use it. That was Lugh¡¯s form, nobody else''s. So he modeled it after Safira¡¯s weapon, but not exactly the same. The smooth rod turned to 9 slightly curved blade, not unlike the spokes on a wagon wheel, and the top smoothed out was turned to a spike so it had some penetration instead of being stuck on the blades like the crossguard on a winged spear. Harlan¡¯s personal golem armor was stone steel and based on Ava¡¯s armor. The laminar (not lamellar) design let each overlapping strip more easily shift itself without needing to possibly leave thin spots in plate armor. On his head he wore a squared helmet shaped as a chevron, but with a flattened strip where his nose was, giving him a deadly headbutt. It had a subtle embossing of a skull with a fire design on the forehead while the actual face of it did not conform to his head, giving him a golem like appearance when in full dress. He wanted his crest to be represented, but making the entire thing look like a skull might¡¯ve been too far as he understood how it might make him look to other people. It had slits for sight as Harlan could perceive people through their minds instead of his sight. He hadn¡¯t gotten the chance to really test it, he had just been changing up its design to find something he found more comfortable without actually sacrificing much in the way of defenses. He wanted something that was unique to him and if anyone saw it they would know exactly who he was, such a thing might stop some fights from needing to happen in the first place. ¡°Alright, enough playing around, time to meet her.¡± ¡°We need to have a talk about your boundaries.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even think that she would be able to hear me.¡± ¡°I know, but now we do know.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t really control it on my end, you should find a spell that keeps us a bit more separate.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll add it to the list, but first, I need to find out if I have the power to heal Adina now.¡± ¡°I know, and then once she can see, then you can ask her to move to the next step.¡± ¡°This is the second time, don¡¯t try to push me.¡± ¡°I just want you to find a way to drown out some of your sorrows, a little bit of-¡± ¡°I am stopping this conversation right here.¡± ¡°What? I figured it would be better than saying to take up drinking or narcotic potions.¡± ¡°I don''t want either of those things.¡± ¡°Everyone has a vice, might as well find yours early.¡± ¡°How did that work out for that woman?¡± She could see that Harlan really wasn¡¯t wrong, but she thought that if the real Eliza had kept at her ways of keeping her mind off of things it might¡¯ve helped her. She found emotional connections with a physical element did more than any hard drinks or potions. ¡°I think it was working until she hit a point where she didn¡¯t want to try anymore. The happiest she ever was was in her bedroom.¡± Harlan shivered. ¡°Never say anything like that ever again.¡± ¡°Everyone does it, besides, you don¡¯t really consider her your mother anyway. And she did have a nice body.¡± Harlan whipped up a spell on pure instinct and revulsion to quiet her. Mind magic was none elemental, and had no connection with the gods directly, to make a spell truly from the mind, one only needed a strong enough desire to inflict change on themselves or others. There was a muffle feeling in his head that told him she was still talking, but he couldn''t understand the words. He decided to keep that up until he got back from Aria¡¯s place. Chapter 129 Harlan made his way to the staff building, Aria declined to build a home out here, instead she relied on the facilities offered by the academy itself. On the way he could feel that the ghost was still talking. She kept asking something every now and then and it made Harlan feel bad, so he turned the spell off. ¡°Harlan¡­ are you there? I¡¯m sorry, please don¡¯t do this to me. Please¡­¡± ¡°I am still here, I just didn¡¯t want to listen to that anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean it, I don¡¯t like the quiet.¡± Harlan stopped for a moment, her voice cut deeply inside him, her sadness was clear, but far more than that was fear. ¡°Just¡­ when I say I don¡¯t want to speak on a subject, don¡¯t push it. I don¡¯t want you to feel like this, but on some level, yes, that woman was my mother. I can¡¯t even imagine my sisters like that, and we aren¡¯t related by blood.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be more tactful. Maybe someday you will want what I know about men and women, but not right now.¡± ¡°I know you are just trying to help me, but whatever you see between me and that woman isn¡¯t exact. I am not her, and she was not me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry-¡± ¡°Eliza, please, I am sorry, I didn¡¯t know it would make you so upset to be cut off from me. You don¡¯t need to apologize.¡± ¡°Right. Let¡¯s pretend this whole thing never happened.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± She gave a small laugh, yet both sides knew the other wouldn¡¯t be forgetting this anytime soon. Despite her urging him before, Harlan was still there 5 minutes early. Yet there was no waiting, Aria told the receptionist that he should be brought in as soon as he arrived. Inside the room was not much larger than what Harlan had, Aria wanted a living space and most of what she did didn¡¯t require using materials or blast shields. The first thing she did was put a silencing array on Harlan with the runes that made it up exposed. Since he didn¡¯t take classes he didn¡¯t really know how to disarray or disward things, but he could guess. After a few minutes and a few ideas he placed an array with reversed runes on top of the one he was already in and the structure stably faded into mana. ¡°That was nice. I am almost upset that Sepul got to you first.¡± ¡°Good evening Aria. Sorry I never took you up on your offer before.¡± ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry about that, I found you in the halls enough to know how busy you¡¯ve been through our small chats. Besides, you¡¯ve got plenty of girls without an old woman like me.¡± She was 31, but looked closer to mid 20s. ¡°Fishing for compliments already? Fine, you are a youthful lady and I won¡¯t hear another word otherwise.¡± She laughed at his overly serious tone. ¡°So, what did you come here for? Specific problem, or just to talk.¡± ¡°Honestly, I have no idea. I just got it in my head that I needed to do things for me instead of others for once and I set up appointments without really thinking it through. Though I guess you¡¯ve already taught me how to take down an array without brute force.¡± ¡°That was just a little test, anyone could do it. Though you figured it out quite fast, normally it would take a few classes before a student could weave an array with a backwards rune like that.¡± She never broke eye contact with Harlan, she never fumbled a word or lacked confidence in what she said in all of their conversations, however short. Harlan loved the energy and self assuredness that she had. ¡°No need to inflate my ego. If I get a big head I¡¯d just do something stupid.¡± ¡°We both know you don¡¯t need my help to do that.¡± She poured the both of them a glass of hot water and they both grabbed bags of tea. ¡°So, champion of darkness.¡± Harlan froze a moment, then realized it probably doesn''t matter. ¡°Who told you?¡± ¡°Any archmage worth her salt is going to have information brokers. I already knew she was grooming you for your position, hearing that 50 miles of land turned pitch dark for a little bit one morning around where you live is more than enough to figure things out.¡± ¡°Well, what do you think?¡± ¡°Nice eyes.¡± ¡°Nah, seriously, I hope you aren¡¯t one of the people who are going to have an issue with me because of this.¡± ¡°If you came to me as a champion, I would be wary and wouldn¡¯t want to be involved. but I¡¯ve known you, not well mind you, for months. I don¡¯t really get how all of this champion stuff works or why the gods can¡¯t just handle their own problems, but I don¡¯t think you seem like a different person compared to our last chat. So I¡¯ll trust that you are still the same boy I¡¯ve already known.¡± ¡°Well, I can tell you why they don¡¯t just handle everything themselves, and the answer is simple. Their presence deforms the world around them. I''ve seen Cecht and The Darkness in person, and trust me, if I was standing closer it might¡¯ve just outright killed me. My skin felt pinpricks just from standing near Sepul who was letting out his power.¡± ¡°Well, that solves that. So, any topics come to mind that you want to talk about? This is going to be a bit odd if we just make small talk the entire time.¡± ¡°Well, I guess we can just talk about arrays. I know how to make them work, and I¡¯ve never really had problems translating them from spells. Well, other than healing magic.¡± ¡°Healing magic doesn¡¯t like arrays. The spells are a concentration of mana and just a touch of intent. Arrays spread that energy out and make healing with an array hard to the point of near uselessness. However, I do know arrays for stabilizing people, killing the little things we can¡¯t see with the naked eye that cause infection and disease. But growing limbs, healing burns, those arrays can be set up in an area so that the doctors have just a bit more wiggle room since the wounds are less likely to get worse, but that is basically it.¡± ¡°Huh, I guess that makes sense. What about warmagic?¡± ¡°For starters, warmagic translated to an array is a serious thing and I won¡¯t teach you how it is done. But it works on the same principles as healing magic, warmagic is just a larger mass of energy and must be treated differently. Though quite honestly I think they are wasteful, if you know where your enemy is going to be and when, a well placed and highly specific array for cutting wind or dropping them into a pit of earthen spikes is going to get more bang for your buck, so to speak.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve not heard that phrase before.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, you can¡¯t expect to hear everything.¡± They spoke for a full hour about various things, both of them were the type to get pulled into their work and feel genuine excitement when it didn¡¯t involve doing terrible things that needed to be kept in the dark. Eventually their reverie was broken up by the ghost. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to see Ximena? I am sure she would really appreciate it if you were there when she gets back.¡± ¡°Yeah, but we don¡¯t even know when she is going to be back.¡± ¡°Maybe you would know if you looked at the amulet in your pocket.¡± He hadn¡¯t noticed the pale blue light that came out of his inner pocket. ¡°Sorry, I think I should take this.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± It was not Ximena as he expected, but rather it was the headmaster¡¯s assistant. It was one thing that Marigold had given the headmaster his connection, but now he was wondering who all actually had it. ¡°Sir Fomoria?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I have been asked to inform you that your friend, Ximena, will be back soon. Headmaster Selvis has also informed me that your permit has been filed and a physical copy, while not really needed, will be delivered tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The connection was then broken off without another word. Once he dropped the veil Aria started up once again. ¡°Before we get to another topic and forget, we should probably trade markers.¡± ¡°You know, I wonder how long it is going to be before we get a single term for this. I am partial to contact myself.¡± ¡°I think the documentation in the military just calls them runes. Though I find the term odd as these are not really runes, just a piece of soul that is marked in some way.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. They touched devices, Aria wore her¡¯s as a bracelet instead of a necklace. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it was just because of the word rune already being known as related to magic.¡± ¡°Possible. Still, just because it sounds fine doesn¡¯t mean it should be alright that it is wrong.¡± Harlan wasn¡¯t going to explain that her reasoning was also wrong, but there was no need to get into soul regrowth, inner and outer layers, the crossroads, etc. ¡°Well, you can argue with the king on that one, and, I am sorry to say that this is where I am calling this night to a close. Ximena, a friend of mine, is coming back from her first mission soon and I want to be there for her.¡± ¡°You are just too sweet.¡± ¡°Oh I know quite a lot of people who would disagree.¡± ¡°I would rather judge a man on how he treats his friends rather than his enemies.¡± ¡°Then in that case, I am not afraid to say I am a good man.¡± ¡°Have a nice night, we should do this again.¡± Harlan waved goodbye to her and began the walk to the gate office. Along the way Harlan felt that the ghost wanted to speak. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°I realize how frazzled I was earlier, I just wanted to explain what it felt like to be cut off. I can hear and see through you, I can tap into your sense of touch and smell and taste and everything. To be cut off like that was like floating in an endless darkness, I was blind and deaf and mute and I just felt trapped inside¡­ well, whatever I am, not a body per say. And, well, about the other stuff. I just want what I think is best for you, I know you don¡¯t want to be like that with people. I also know you didn¡¯t mean to hurt me, so it is just water under the bridge, right?¡± ¡°We already agreed to just forget about it, but thank you for explaining. I am sorry for doing that to you.¡± ¡°Good, now, let¡¯s get to your friend.¡± ¡°Maybe someday she will be our friend instead. Now that we know you can speak with other people, I wonder how long you can hold out before you decide to try for a life through me.¡± ¡°I had a life once, not my own really, but I know what it is like. I don¡¯t think I want or deserve another one. I am only as stable as I am because when you made me you twisted her up with your desire for love and made me better than her.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t really like the way it sounded at all, that he had forced a new person out of her, one that didn¡¯t like her original self very much as a result. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, I am sure you hate some parts of yourself. You just can¡¯t separate yourself from them like I can. If you gave a person who hated themselves the option to instantly make them able to love again, don¡¯t you think they would take it?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t give you the option, you were just born different because I had no idea what I was doing. You might like what I did, but that might just be because you can¡¯t feel like I wronged you.¡± ¡°Oh trust me, I can feel angry at you, I am not some pseudo soul that can¡¯t think for itself.¡± It wasn¡¯t exactly convincing for Harlan, but it was better than nothing. Harlan sat at the gate office and found Migal alongside a few other people. Harlan assumed he was waiting for his younger brother and avoided him, yet he didn¡¯t really have an option. ¡°Hello, are you here waiting for somebody?¡± ¡°Yes, Ximena is coming back from a mission. I heard Delmet took my spot since I was¡­ indisposed and couldn¡¯t be asked for the mission.¡± ¡°Yes, he thought it would be best to keep her safe. I have been meaning to speak with you, do you mind?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Migal sat next to Harlan on the bench. ¡°What are your thoughts on us?¡± ¡°You mean you and Delmet? Or the Golden in general.¡± ¡°My people.¡± ¡°Every Golden I¡¯ve met and liked has been either an exile or an outcast. But I try not to judge others based on what they are instead of who. You¡¯ve avoided insulting me or picking a fight so far, which is more than I can say about your little brother.¡± ¡°You might¡¯ve noticed, but his pride is easily wounded. Already he has surpassed me as a fighter and a mage, I don¡¯t have the drive he does.¡± ¡°Wait, let me guess. He is immature and I shouldn¡¯t hold it against him. I get it, and that is why I don¡¯t go after him despite the rumors he spreads about me.¡± ¡°I am not going to defend his worse actions, but yes, he is immature and I am glad that you can be the bigger man between the two of you. Yet, he isn¡¯t a bad person. I am sure you will come to see that once he is back.¡± ¡°And what is that supposed to mean?¡± Migal did not answer, instead he simply walked away. Harlan sat in silence with his arms crossed and his head down. 10 minutes passed, then 15. ¡°Are you really just going to sit here? Don¡¯t you want to talk, to do anything?¡± ¡°Sometimes I like to just sit and listen. You see the girl with the red pin in her hair? Her younger brother is on the team with Ximena, they went to accompany some soldiers to clear out a large goblin tribe.¡± ¡°You could just talk to her instead.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know her name, I don¡¯t care. If I talk to anyone I end up tied up in something else because once you start helping people without asking for anything then you are expected to drop whatever you are doing to help.¡± ¡°But you like helping people.¡± ¡°Depending on what happened, I want to be here to support Ximena, I don¡¯t have time to deal with the petty bullshit of nobles.¡± ¡°No need to snap at me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just anxious. I wish she had asked me about this before she decided that she wanted to run off to be a hero.¡± ¡°She just wants to be like you. Even if you don¡¯t believe it, you inspire hope and bravery in people around you.¡± Halran let out a sigh. ¡°That sounds a bit too naive of you.¡± ¡°No, really. You are a hero, sure you¡¯ve killed people, and your actions have led to a lot of death, but every good hero is like that. Yggdra the first didn¡¯t stop Reino from conquering everyone and forcing them to worship their shitty dead gods by talking about it. He tried that, he kept trying that, but in the meanwhile he put hundreds of thousands to the sword. You don¡¯t think he didn¡¯t also do some evil things for the greater good? Tell me, really, is this doubt just because you don¡¯t want to disappoint Ava?¡± ¡°The gate is open.¡± Out walked Redhead in front, followed by Ximena, then a girl he didn¡¯t know, a boy he didn¡¯t know, and Delmet, missing an arm. He looked pale, well, as pale as someone of his complexion could be. He had lost some blood, but he was stable and walking on his own. He pushed away the staff who tried to help him walk until Migal convinced him that he should calm down. In just a few hours he would be resting in the medical ward with a new arm, depending on how long it had been he might have a day or two of therapy before he was back at his full dexterity and strength. Ximena looked tired and Harlan could feel that she was very upset. She noticed him, but barely lifted her head as she walked towards him. She sat next to him and put up a veil to block sight and sound. ¡°Do you want to talk?¡± ¡°Delmet almost got killed.¡± ¡°Let me guess, he did something stupid and you had to pull him out of the fire.¡± Harlan felt the sadness and anger welling up inside her as he realized he said possibly the worst thing he could. ¡°I froze, I froze and he almost died because of me. I hate it, I wish I was just born brave like you.¡± Tears filled her eyes and she leaned on Harlan as he placed his arm around her. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°We found the goblins, I was supposed to go with Delmet while they were sleeping and finish them off. Then¡­ we found their meat, orcs were there, we aren¡¯t supposed to find orcs.¡± She shivered and grabbed her stomach, fighting the urge to vomit. ¡°The heads were still there, with their eyes open. I froze. What if Delmet had died? What if I had died?¡± ¡°Orcs are cannibals and man eaters. You should¡¯ve never seen that, I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t there.¡± ¡°Where were you?¡± ¡°I am now the champion of darkness. You are the first person who didn¡¯t ask about my eyes first. I got taken away by some liches and I met Marigold.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Hearing about her was enough of a revelation that she could push away the part of herself she didn¡¯t like from the foreground of her mind for a little bit at least. ¡°Yeah. She reminded me of Mary actually.¡± ¡°What about the liches?¡± Now it was Harlan¡¯s turn to avoid the topic. ¡°They tested me for new powers. That¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Alright. Do you think Adina is still awake?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s about 9 now, so probably. Do you want to just call her first?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll call her on the way, if not I¡¯ll just go to sleep. We should talk another time about Marigold, I bet Liat would be green with envy.¡± ¡°As long as she isn¡¯t red with jealousy.¡± Ximena laughed a little and left. Then just as soon as she smiled it was gone. She felt wrong to do so, having seen what happened to those people, wondering if they could¡¯ve been faster, if they could¡¯ve saved those people. Harlan walked to the medical ward, finding Migal was waiting nearby while the doctors put Delmet under and grew a new arm for him. ¡°Well, that was fast.¡± ¡°Do you have communicators?¡± ¡°No, we do not.¡± ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll make three of them, you can talk to your mother and brother through them.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that.¡± ¡°I want to get ahead of Delmet trying to lord this over me, besides, regardless of why, he saved Ximena, and I don¡¯t want to just ignore that.¡± ¡°I am sure I can convince him to take the gift then. Did you come here just for that?¡± Harlan sat down in the waiting area next to him. ¡°How come you didn¡¯t end up like him?¡± ¡°Have you heard the hypothesis about how no mage is ever really right in the head?¡± ¡°I already came to that conclusion myself.¡± ¡°Then I don¡¯t need to explain too much. Delmet, despite the 10 month difference between us, is already twice the mage I am. The only question is if his pride and ego came from being a good mage or if they made him a good mage. I admit, if you talked to me at the start of the year, I would¡¯ve been like him.¡± ¡°What changed?¡± ¡°Your terrifying growth. I took telekinesis classes myself last year. This year I heard about how you went from being unable to lift 15 pounds to being able to move nearly a ton within just a few months. Honestly, it stung my pride quite a lot, so I looked at your other classes. I could¡¯ve been upset that you are top of most of your classes, but why? Because I am Golden? Because I should be better? If our pride in what we are comes from being stronger, I really had two options. I could be irrationally angry about you being talented, or I could accept that our pride comes from strength and that means I should respect you instead of hate you. I think Delmet was supposed to learn that lesson before I did, but he is too caught up in who he is to accept that. Can I ask that you keep this in mind?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve avoided him until now, I already know it isn¡¯t anything more I should be doing for him.¡± ¡°How about this, challenge him again, and instead of berating him when you win, try to give him pointers. You could be friends.¡± Harlan looked at him like Migal had just asked him to turn day to night. ¡°Why would I want to be friends with him?¡± ¡°Because you could help him become a better person, like you did with that girl from Reino. I know it can be hard to turn one of them into something resembling a human-¡± Migal stopped and looked for the threat, his sixth sense told him that his death was lingering very closely. Only when he turned towards Harlan and that his eyes went from black and white with a fire in the middle to just darkness and fire did he realize what was happening and try to flee. Harlan placed a hand on his shoulder and he froze. ¡°I have other things to do, see you later.¡± Then Harlan walked away, his mood ruined. Chapter 130 Harlan still made the amulets and gave them over to Delmet along with a genuine thank you that was met with a great deal of confusion and conflicted feelings before he accepted the gifts. Now, Harlan had his permit, and he was out with a group of others who he didn¡¯t know, third year students. David of House Haywood, frontline fighter with training in combat and warmagics, overspecialized in Harlan¡¯s opinion, but a solid shield when he was needed even if he did have an ego issue. Parnell of House Pearl, didn¡¯t talk much, wards and arrays were his specialty. Lastly was Shelly of house Mayford, she was the back row fighter. First year groups were supposed to be 5 people who could cover the faults of the others and had to be accompanied by a more experienced student or a contracted adventurer. Most first years were denied permits on account of being considered unfit for what might be needed of them. Second year groups were more often 3 or 4 man groups. Third year groups were more often duos or trios. By the fourth year students were allowed to go on solo missions, but duos were still the most common formation. David was the shield, Parnell was the one who checked for traps and if needed he could set wards and arrays defensively or offensively, Shelly used a bow with enchanted arrows and illusions to hide herself. The 3 of them were already operating as a team when Harlan was offered as a fourth member to be a healer and divinationist, though he really just did whatever they wanted him to do, they knew what he could do and respected his abilities. It was his first time in the field but he had spent the day with them already so they could get to know one another. ¡°Alright, today we are going after Radiant Orcs, there is a war camp in the area that we are going to deal with, meanwhile another camp of Void Orcs nearby is going to be cleared out by the army. Our job is just to take out as many of them as we can, if you don¡¯t feel that you can safely deal with fleeing orcs then you do not need to go after them. We are also operating under the army, so while I am squad leader, you need to listen to commanders above me. Harlan, you and I are going to start by hitting them with nova spells, you know sound spells, right?¡± ¡°I can cast a screaming nova.¡± ¡°Good, I will follow that up with fire nova on the largest group that I can see. After the first one hits you don¡¯t need to cast another one, we will then rush in to take them out with melee combat. Radiant Orcs are hard to kill, their healing doesn¡¯t seem to take anything out of them so it is an endurance match to run them out of mana.¡± ¡°Understood, but why sound magic?¡± ¡°Their ears are fairly sensitive and their instinct when they can¡¯t hear is to group up. If they have any hostages the orcs won¡¯t think to kill them and that will give us time to save them if possible. Are you going to have any problems if there is something really bad in there? I know you¡¯ve said you can handle it, but if you freeze up against an orc you are not going to live long.¡± ¡°I can handle blood and guts.¡± ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go.¡± The camp itself had about 80 orcs in it, 8 per simple yurt. No clear signs of humans as far as Harlan could tell, but they wanted to still avoid just bombing them all. Shelly was in a taller tree above them under a veil, as soon as Harlan¡¯s nova hit she would break it and mark an area with an arrow that let out a bright light to show which was the larger group of orcs. They were the main force, with the area being surrounded by infantry who would catch stragglers. If they didn¡¯t kill enough orcs first then it would put the rest of them in danger. Parnell was among the soldiers instead of with them so he could turn on the dormant arrays which would drain the light mana from the area making it faster for them to handle any already weakened orcs. David was on an amulet with the operation commander and once everything was set he counted down with his fingers. 3, 2, 1. It took over a minute for him to have the spell ready and David started forming his fire nova shortly after, he didn¡¯t like holding powerful spells for very long. The screaming nova was entirely silent as it traveled. The orcs pointed at what looked like a heat haze and then fell to the ground as their eardrums burst and bled. A bright green light rose on one group of 14 orcs huddled together and 10 seconds afterwards a fire nova struck them, overcoming their healing as their bodies turned to little more than carbon. Shelly jumped from tree to tree firing arrowheads that would burrow into their target and release fast acting poison that was designed for sapping Radiant Orcs of their strength. Harlan had his full armor on and turned off hover while above an orc, crushing him from head to legs and blinding the few around them with blood magic. He moved from target to target, crushing bones and boiling their bodies only to see them reform moments later. Beams of Radiant, which was a brighter and hotter light element, bounced off the armor, his eye slits were entirely closed and he relied on his mental senses when fighting them. Their goal was to move from wounded orc to wounded orc and never let any of them return to full power. An orc of either kind was 8 to 10 feet tall with bungling muscles, thick leathery skin like a rhino and reached maturity in a matter of 7 years. Much like bandits and goblins, Harlan wanted to make sure that none of them got away, though luckily they were sexually dimorphic enough from their human side that they did not gain the goblins asexual reproduction. He moved towards a group of 3 people, at least he assumed they were. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Their mental signature was weak and unlike the chaos of an orc. He opened the slits on his helmet to find 3 men, soldiers from the looks of it, inside a cage and drugged into a coma for transport. Harlan moved them into the ground and covered them up so a stray orc was less likely to attempt a hostage situation. They were smarter than goblins, but likely to just kill out of spite rather than to actually try to negotiate with them. All of the chaos in the area made it harder to focus on all of the minds around him, so when an orc struck him from behind he barely had time to jump and use the rod like a shield to disperse some of the force. He landed on his feet, the strike would¡¯ve killed a normal man, but between his own body, the jump, and his armor, he was alright. Harlan ran towards the orc. ¡°LEAVE IT FOR A SOLDIER, STAY WITH ME.¡± David commanded and Harlan let it go. After another 5 minutes things got easy, the orcs were taking longer and longer to come back after being cut up and melted with acid or burned with fire. After 30 minutes they were finally done and even Harlan was winded. ¡°Good work, rest now.¡± Harlan laid on the ground, not caring for the fact he was covered in blood and lying on entrails. 10 minutes later and with tonic in both of them they confirmed that the orcs were not coming back and Harlan got the captured soldiers out of the ground. They were still sleeping, but from what was known of orcish poisons they weren¡¯t in any real danger. A few days in a military hospital and they would be back in service assuming they weren¡¯t overly traumatized. ¡°Well, for a first mission, you did pretty damn good. I¡¯d be glad to keep you around. We lost one soldier and only one orc got past the three of us.¡± David waved to the trees that Shelly was resting in at the moment and Harlan did the same. ¡°I heard things went much worse in the other camp, they got them all, but they lost 12 people.¡± ¡°The orc I let get away¡­¡± ¡°Stop, I know you want to be upset, but this was well below expected ranges. A camp this size, and you rescued three people? Normal casualty rate would be 8%, with a group of 70 men, losing just one is fantastic. Besides, you didn¡¯t let it get away, you got blindsided and I ordered you to come back. Blame me, not yourself.¡± Harlan got up and washed himself off. Then came the post battle report, the commander was ecstatic with the results. ¡°What about the one who died?¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t your problem, unfortunately all we can do is give his pay to his family what he was worth and give our condolences. He made the ultimate sacrifice for this nation and we will honor that.¡± Harlan fought with the ghost for a minute before he spoke. ¡°Could I go with, to give my condolences?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to do that, you might believe you want to, but you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Is that a no?¡± ¡°He lived in a nearby village, but you really shouldn¡¯t go. I¡¯ve been a soldier for 15 years, and it never gets easier to tell people that their loved ones aren¡¯t coming back. If you do want that burden then go, But please, be respectful. His wife is going to yell at you, tell you it was your fault, that you should¡¯ve died instead of him. Are you sure you want to go?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t let myself look away, had I not been distracted I might not have been hit, if I had fired off a lightning bolt it might¡¯ve made enough of a difference that he might not have died. I know that I just followed orders, that maybe if I used more magic I would¡¯ve been tired and made another mistake, but, I still want to take responsibility.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell the Black Suits. They will pick you up if you wait in the gate tent.¡± When they left the tent David pulled him aside. ¡°You can still get out of this.¡± ¡°See you soon, I¡¯ll get better at killing and not make this mistake again.¡± He patted Harlan on the shoulder and Shelly and Parnell did the same as they walked away. Harlan sat inside the gate tent and after 15 minutes two men in Black Suits appeared. It was standard operating procedure that if no soldiers wanted to do it, then the mourning servicemen would handle the news. The army gate mages didn¡¯t charge anywhere near what private mages did, and so they were used quite a lot by the army for whatever they needed. While in this case soldiers who knew the man who died could¡¯ve done something like this, it was never work that somebody wanted to do. Soldiers more often mourned with cheap alcohol and a remembrance of the man by those who actually knew him well. ¡°Sir Fomoria?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Take off your helmet, she is going to want to look you in the face.¡± Another gate led them near the village, but not directly inside. They thought it best to appear walking in and out instead of showing up and leaving like a whirlwind by gate. They had already spoken to Harlan about what he absolutely could not do, and that by choosing to come with them he effectively signed away the right to get upset about what she would say or do. He also went over what he wanted to say and they believed it was fine to say. The woman had light blonde hair and pale brown eyes. As soon as she opened the door Harlan saw a little boy in the living room banging wooden blocks together behind her. She started by denying it and pushing them away. The Black Suits knocked again and waited outside. Eventually she came back and invited them inside. They spoke to her about what had happened and then let Harlan speak. She said all the things that he was warned about, that he should be dead, that it wasn¡¯t fair, the better man died, he was a failure. All he could say was that he was sorry as she screamed and yelled until her little boy started crying, he could not understand what was happening yet. The experience was soul crushing, Harlan¡¯s mind and soul being so connected caused pain to bleed over mentally until her words felt like daggers in his heart. He just took it, he could¡¯ve used his empathy to lower her anger or her grief, but that would just be a temporary measure that would stop her from saying cruel words to him, it would not help her. When they finally left Harlan thought that he would rather go toe to toe with a hundred more orcs than ever sit through that again. ¡°You handled it well.¡± ¡°I kept hearing that killing never gets easier, I think that was a lie. This, this I can¡¯t imagine ever gets easier.¡± ¡°There is a reason so few of us take up this job. It is nothing but being yelled at and seeing the darkest moments of somebody¡¯s life. Not many people are willing to take that abuse even once.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do it entirely selflessly. I¡¯ve lived in fear of losing my loved ones for a long time. To some extent, I wanted to know what it was like through somebody else.¡± ¡°Just by being there and giving her a clear target and outlet is going to help her in the long run in my opinion. It doesn¡¯t really matter why, she won¡¯t know the difference.¡± Harlan went back to the academy and was ready for bed, but instead he had dinner as normal. His team invited him over and he decided to join them for the meal. ¡°How did it go?¡± Parnell wasn¡¯t a talker, but he was the heart of the group, the three of them had known each other since they were very young and he fell into the role of mediator just because he wasn¡¯t as hot blooded as the others. ¡°I took everything she said to me, I didn¡¯t talk back or defend myself.¡± ¡°I did that once. I would never do it again. Are you going to be back with us again?¡± Harlan didn¡¯t need to think about it. ¡°Yes.¡± Chapter 131 Two months passed since that day. Harlan had already had a certain reputation, he was fast and strong and didn¡¯t shy away from violence, yet it has gotten better and worse in some ways. Once it got out that he had gone with Black Suits people pitied him, everyone who knew somebody in the army feared the day they would see them. When it was out that he always went with them people thought he was either a martyr or a masochist. Yet it was the after action reports that really changed how people looked at him. They figured he could take an orc, most students could if they had support. Yet normal people, even if they could, wouldn¡¯t stick their hand into the head of an orc and pour acid into their skull, they wouldn¡¯t leave invisible hard air tripwires at neck level. Even still it was not his ability and creativity with killing that would make others wary, it was the way he would sometimes run on all fours, hop from tree to tree before pouncing with his helmet shifted into a wedge that split man and beast in two. Very rarely did anything escape once Harlan got its scent. The headmaster wanted Harlan out and fighting not only for experience and to let off his violent impulses, but also to let him figure out what Harlan could really do. Yet while Hirum could see that he was strong and used his powers in ways that showed he was really learning how to use magic in a free manner instead of just learning how to cast spells. The biggest change was hidden under Harlan¡¯s full body armor. His endurance already outpaced a vast majority of people, and the changes to his body and soul by becoming a champion didn¡¯t make huge changes, but it sped up the rate in which his mana grew and his body was naturally evolving into a more efficient form without him truly understanding how his body shifted. Currently Harlan was on his last mission before the end of the school year, next week he would be back home for two months. However he was not working with David, Parnell, and Shelly, he was there in an open field with Sepul watching a Greater Dark Drake slowly move along. ¡°Harlan, as it stands I will need to fight that thing. However, Drakes are not like their cousins and can be talked with. So, do it.¡± The lumbering beast was over 70 feet long, 40 feet wide, 10 feet tall, and moving at a slow pace, yet its massive size meant every small step was still clearing quite a lot of distance. Drakes were the polar opposite of wyverns, instead of violent spiteful greedy kings of the sky, they were peaceful and slow moving creatures, yet they still had that draconic stubbornness. The biggest issue with a drake of any kind was that they had paths that they traveled throughout their entire lives, sometimes taking a decade to complete their loop. So when a village was set up 8 years ago and a drake was just coming back around, they didn¡¯t want to move and very few other creatures could actually make them move. Harlan flew near the drake and since he was already behind it, the creature didn¡¯t bother trying to use its spiked tongue or magic to kill him. He landed right on its head and used soul speak. ¡°If you keep on this path, you are going to go right through a village, can you move a little to the left or right so you don¡¯t run into it?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because if you do then you are going to hurt people.¡± ¡°Too much energy, don¡¯t want to do it.¡± ¡°What if I got you food? A herd of cattle?¡± ¡°How much is a herd?¡± ¡°How about 100? Is that enough?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The drake stopped moving as he sniffed the air. ¡°Why do you smell good?¡± ¡°I hope you don¡¯t want to eat me.¡± ¡°No, you smell like mother.¡± ¡°I am her champion, I have been for about 2 months now.¡± He started moving again. ¡°I¡¯ll pass around the city, don¡¯t be mad if I scrape the walls.¡± ¡°Thank you, I really don¡¯t like the idea of something so old having to be killed.¡± The creature let out a laugh that shook its body and forced Harlan under a veil and into the air. Then its booming voice which it had not used in many years came out. ¡°Is that all you wish for?¡± ¡°I am just here to avoid anyone coming to harm.¡± ¡°I have not seen a human in centuries, and the first I meet is an interesting one. Do you have no knowledge you would ask of me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never spoken with a drake before, what could you tell me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. People would ask something of me.¡± ¡°Do you know anything about souls or being able to morph the body?¡± ¡°These are not things I know.¡± ¡°Then I really don¡¯t have anything I want. Both of those are linked with what I want for myself and for others.¡± ¡°Then I am sorry to be of no help, Little Shadow, I hope you are well for this day and more.¡± ¡°Thank you for your time, I¡¯ll have those cattle ready for you.¡± Harlan tried to convince the local count to pay for the cattle but it was clear he was more interested in the materials that could be gained by killing the creature. A large drake of any sort could be worth thousands of gold, they were rare and powerful things. A Greater Drake, and of a rarer element, was worth tens of thousands. The scales had properties not unlike magical metals but were both harder and lighter, their only issue being that they couldn¡¯t be melted and shaped like metal. Their blood and organs had many health benefits or could be used for the most terrible of poisons. The meat however, was supposed to be exquisite. Drakes were massive fatty creatures with perfect marbling caused by the magic that flowed through them. Most magical beasts were like this unless they were massive muscle bound hulks or outright poisonous. Drakes would live in a single place for a few months or years and then move on, this particular one had just finished fattening itself up for a month of sleep and it was the ideal to be eaten. It took time and money, as well as having to convince Sepul that sending a hundred cattle through a gate wasn¡¯t a waste of both. Yet Harlan just didn¡¯t want to have the thing killed just because so happened that his migration path was now blocked by the expansion of humans into his lands. The count was less than happy, but the kingdom was the one who was paying for an archmage. Now that the drake was peacefully dealt with the count would need to hire another archmage out of pocket. While wyverns were a constant problem, it was considered in bad taste to kill drakes since they were known to kill hostile megafauna that would need archmages to handle. Perhaps as humanity expanded and those beasts were killed and their offspring no longer able to live long enough to grow into monsters the noble drakes would just be the next on a list of problems to deal with. The after action report was short, Harlan was praised for his ability to talk down the creature and that he was willing to pay for the cattle himself. ¡°I hope this has been a valuable experience for you.¡± ¡°Are most drakes like that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve met some with quite terrible tempers, but most are just living their lives and humans are just things beneath them that get in the way sometimes. How has your research been going?¡± ¡°I can shift myself fairly well, though I feel an instinctive revulsion to making serious changes to myself. So I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve really done as much as I would like.¡± ¡°That is a good thing. I hope you grow out of that desire to be something beyond a human more than you already are. Have you been through a medical exam anytime recently?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I want other people finding what I¡¯ve become.¡± ¡°If you can figure out how to make bodies that just work better, especially how your throat has shifted so you don¡¯t need to worry about choking, then you could improve humanity without making them something else entirely.¡± ¡°Do they deserve it?¡± Harlan had a dark look in his eyes. Today it was just a noble that didn¡¯t think the life of an old and majestic creature was important, yet in his time working in places like this he had seen some of the worst of humanity. Normally missions where one would need to kill humans required being in the 3rd year at least, but Harlan had skipped that process due to what he had already done and Sepul¡¯s influence. ¡°Honestly, they don¡¯t but that doesn¡¯t mean that you shouldn¡¯t do it anyway. Do you want test subjects?¡± ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve moved past rabbits and deer, maybe it is time for human trials. First I want to see if I can recreate that Fae curse from Adina, maybe it is time for her to see the light.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Sepul still didn¡¯t like Adina much, too much risk, too much of an unknown. ¡°You will get your men.¡± Harlan was back in time for dinner, he had to spend quite a lot more time than he realized to negotiate for farmers to sell him their cattle and then transport them to the village and wait for the drake to arrive. After missions he preferred to sit with the group he would work with, even though they weren¡¯t involved, this was likely the last time they would speak for a while. In the two months he knew them he realized they were not really friends, just colleagues. David was too much of an old blood noble who, while he didn¡¯t say it in Harlan¡¯s presence, believed that lower nobles and peasants were beneath him to some extent. Parnell didn¡¯t talk a lot, which made him and Harlan somewhat kindred, but their interests once he did start talking were just too far apart. The man was a lecher and if he got a bit of booze in him he could swear worse than Ava. Shelly had explained that she didn¡¯t let Parnell talk to other people too much for exactly these reasons. She was fine, but too much of a dry business oriented person for Harlan to really connect with on a personal level. He could talk with Yara for hours about anything really, but with Shelly if it wasn¡¯t work or magic she wasn¡¯t interested and she made it clear that she didn¡¯t care. Harlan found it a little worrying that she was finally trying to bridge that gap however. ¡°So, how are your parents?¡± The two older boys froze at her question to Harlan, waiting with bated breath. ¡°My mother and father are fine, I saw them just 2 weeks ago and I am excited to be home for 2 months.¡± ¡°Did you know your birth parents at all?¡± Harlan tried to understand that she was just bad with people, and so was he at one point or another, so he took it in good faith. ¡°If you want me to continue this conversation then we need to put up a veil.¡± She almost declined, but David was actually interested in where this was going and put one up over the 4 of them. ¡°Thank you. To start, I know my mothers name and when she disappeared, I know she was in the army, but they have been tightlipped when I asked about MIA reports from the timeframe when she went missing. I think somebody doesn¡¯t want me to find her. Your mother works logistics and records, your father is a high ranking commander of some sort. Any chance your curiosity is enough to see if you can work from your end?¡± ¡°Come on, I am trying to be friendly. I didn¡¯t really want this to be a deal between us.¡± ¡°Sorry, this is just a sensitive subject for me and I don¡¯t feel comfortable talking about it in any other context. I barely even told my friends this much.¡± ¡°Ouch.¡± Parnell added before shutting up again when Shelly glared at him. ¡°Are we not friends?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, do you want to be? I don¡¯t mean this to be overly harsh, but almost all of our conversations are about work and you haven¡¯t really changed that since I¡¯ve known you. I would like to be friends, but I am cautious about making new friends. I''ve had another issue with somebody who looked at relationships differently than me and I just don¡¯t want to go through losing a friend I never really had again.¡± ¡°How about this, I will ask my mother and report back to you. At that time, I will also have more personal conversations with you. If we want to be friends once we are both back at the academy, then we can be. If not, we can keep working together and there will be no hard feelings.¡± David stepped in. ¡°That sounded like a business deal.¡± She flared her nostrils at him. ¡°You didn¡¯t need to point that out.¡± ¡°That sounds good, thank you for doing this for me. Her name was Eliza and it would¡¯ve been 17ish years ago during the late spring, early summer. She was stationed in the northeastern frontier, near where the city of Greenstaff is currently.¡± The meal was a little awkward as she tried to ask him other personal questions about his sisters and if he was in love with everyone. Harlan thought it sounded like someone gave her a list of things that normal people talked about. After dinner Harlan went back to his room and found Selen was waiting for him. In the months since their last failed conversation about him directly manufacturing items for the elders she hadn¡¯t once brought it up in their other conversations. When they spoke she was Selen the teacher and adoptive mother of Wulrun, not Selen the Nightwatcher. Now, she was here as the Nightwatcher, complete with her white mask. Harlan invited her inside and even offered her some of his blood. He had gotten a few hungry stares from the Vampire and Ghoul students, his body and life force changing meant that he was a powerful snack for their kind. ¡°No, I think it would be best if I abstained for the duration of this meeting.¡± ¡°Have they finally decided that I am not going to just be pushed around?¡± ¡°Your change to Champion of Darkness has given them a great deal of pause. They now feel that you should meet with them, I have been asked to take you right to the gate office so we can leave immediately.¡± ¡°Those stupid stuck up bloodsuckers. Don¡¯t go, they don¡¯t respect you enough to even give you a warning.¡± ¡°I expected this, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°I accept, however, I intend to make it clear, this will not happen a second time. I need forewarning if I am to be invited for business.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Instead of a comfortable underground area, he came out in the courtyard of a large castle high on a mountain. The maid who was supposed to lead Harlan to the meeting room was a Vampire and openly showed her fangs, something they didn¡¯t even do in their own havens. Along the way he saw guards in sets of shadow steel with halberds of red metal that he didn¡¯t recognize. When he stepped in the room it had a glass ceiling that let every ounce of moonlight inside, if it was this late they must¡¯ve been somewhere farther east, perhaps near the coast? There were 5 people in front of him, each representing their baseline race. They sat in a half circle, though Harlan figured it was supposed to represent a crescent moon. Left to right he saw a werewolf, presumably female judging by the mounds on its chest. A male gargoyle, its ashen and stone-like skin and large exposed wings and teeth meant they were rarely seen in normal civilization as they could never return to a human appearance. In the middle was either a vampire or a ghoul, though with how their hierarchy was laid out, he bet he was a vampire. Next to the man was a ghoul woman, though as long as they fed on cultured foods and organ meat they looked perfectly human. He had heard that a large cheese makers guild was actually run by one of them. Lastly was a species Harlan didn¡¯t know. Her eyes were larger than normal and a piercing yellow in color. She did not wear a shirt or bra, instead she had two sashes tied across her chest to cover herself and let her wings remain in plain view. Harlan noticed she had talons in place of feet and scatterings of feathers across her body. When Harlan stepped onto the dais in the center of the room the vampire moved to speak first, yet Harlan cut him off. ¡°Before you say anything of disrespect, I am going to make this clear, you have shown no respect for me twice already. First you attempt to use a friend against me, making her choose between her family by pact and me, I do not accept this. Secondly, you have nearly demanded me here, you gave no warning, no time to prepare. I came here to tell you directly that I do not agree with what you have done but that I am willing to look past this.¡± The gargoyle man was furious, yet the vampire raised his hand and he did not speak his mind. ¡°I will accept these words, spoken without kindness. We have called you here quite abruptly, though this was not an insult, rather we found it unlikely that all of us would be together again soon. Tell me, what is the cost of you simply giving over the process by which you would make an amulet to speak with others.¡± ¡°Tell me, why do you really want them? If I decide your reason is good, and to the benefit of the world, I will give my knowledge freely, as I have in the past.¡± The bird-like woman spoke up. ¡°Why should we reveal our plans for the simple hope of repayment?¡± ¡°Because you are the one who called me here, I did not seek you out and I could leave any time I please.¡± Before the woman could speak what Harlan knew would be a threat the vampire slammed his hand, the force reverberating throughout the castle, reminding Harlan of Marigold turning the lich to dust with a simple strike. ¡°Mytha, you are guest to me, and the champion is as well. But I will not stand for another outburst from any of you. If your words are ones of harm, then leave them unsaid or leave this place.¡± She shirked back from her words and returned to her upright posture in her seat. ¡°Harlan Fomoria, Champion of Shadow. I do not ask this lightly, forgive her, for she is still young, barely 130 years of age.¡± ¡°I would rather we move past this, there is nothing to be gained from me holding a grudge for what she didn¡¯t say.¡± ¡°Very well. As for why, our true reason is simple: we believe that a sufficiently large spell, paired with a sufficiently large mana gem, could produce an effect of allowing us to speak with our god. We are aware of your prior commitment to help with this, yet I felt the need to ask this again. The importance of such a thing was to be held in secrecy, as negotiating for this would have you holding all of the power, and thus the right to ask much more of us than we would like. Does this satisfy your curiosity?¡± ¡°It does, and I am willing to give this knowledge directly to Selen so she can hold onto it.¡± Harlan stood fast to their gazes and the fear which he now felt from Selen. Most men would be reduced to a quivering mess on the floor in the face of the power these men and women held. Yet Harlan had never felt fear quite the same way after his first encounter with Aarde. They called for a recess and spoke among themselves while Harlan was given a tour of the castle. The young man who walked him around looked at Harlan like a nice piece of steak, but he decided to let it go. He saw the garden and the menagerie before he was called back, both were shockingly normal. Selen was not exactly glad to have been put on the spot like that. ¡°Harlan Fomoria, why have you decided not to give us what we want? Did you not say you would give it freely should you find our reason well?¡± ¡°I do not trust any of you, I do not believe you care about anything but what I can give you. If I tell only Selen how to do what you want, then she will be the judge of your intentions as she works on the project. I trust her enough that I believe she would refuse to work on something that would be harmful to humanity as a whole.¡± ¡°Very well, our intentions are nothing but what we have said, so this is not an issue. Please teach her in whatever manner you see fit in however long a time it shall take.¡± It took all of her willpower to raise her voice in the oppressive aura of the room. ¡°What about my choice?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to learn, I won¡¯t teach you, they will not get what they want if it requires trampling over your right to choose.¡± ¡°I echo the words of young Fomoria, we cannot force you to tell us even if he does teach you. We could only hope that in time he would be willing to share what we wish to know.¡± ¡°I refuse to learn, I do not think I am ready for so much responsibility as I am currently.¡± Now was the deciding factor, how would they respond. ¡°Very well, young Fomoria, White Whip of Aine, you are free to leave this place. I will open the gate back to your academy myself.¡± Harlan felt no hostile intent, he really was just accepting it, though the other 4 clearly weren¡¯t and were just holding their tongues. Yet he couldn¡¯t be sure yet. The vampire who never gave his name led them back to the courtyard and was about to bow goodbye to them when Harlan pulled a book from his robe. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°A full explanation of what you wanted to know. Everything before now was nothing but a test orchestrated by myself and my god. She warned me that I would be suddenly invited here but she did not say how you would react when I refused you. This entire time you have acted towards me in a manner I believe means you are not a monster just waiting for the chance to kill me, so I will trust you with that book.¡± ¡°And if we had reacted violently or with threats?¡± Coronach came out of Harlan''s shadow and stood tall at his side. ¡°She agreed that sending me here without him was insanity and so when I asked she told him to tag along.¡± ¡°I am disappointed that you thought clearly, I¡¯ve not had the chance to kill a powerful gargoyle in half a century at least.¡± Clearly there was a story here that Harlan did know as the vampire narrowed his eyes and grabbed the book from Harlan¡¯s hand like he was worried it was about to turn to dust. ¡°Thank you for your trust and forgiveness for our past issue with deception. I hope you have a long life ahead of you so that we can repay what you have given us now.¡± ¡°When you have your own amulets, I would like to have your tag so that I could call in such a favor.¡± The vampire looked somewhat embarrassed as he pulled an amulet from his pocket. ¡°Oh. I guess that makes sense, unless you sent letters by gate you couldn¡¯t really set this whole thing up very quickly.¡± ¡°Yes, I thought it best to avoid you knowing of what we already had.¡± Harlan touched his amulet to the vampire¡¯s and yet did not ask his name. Once they returned Harlan went to play with Wulrun before going back to his room to sleep. He could actually have dreams now that his mother wasn¡¯t suffering a mental break inside his soul due to her memories and feelings being in conflict with what she now felt was her. He dreamed of a hallway full of bodies, then he grew larger until the hallway could not contain him anymore. Nightmares were still more common than not, but they were not caused by the same thing as before. Chapter 132 Harlan took his morning shower at 6 as usual and headed out to the gym for a little bit of exercise before classes. He ran into Bojana. ¡°Little Shadow, it has been some time. I heard you dealt with a drake.¡± ¡°I got cows for him to eat and we didn¡¯t need to fight. He actually seemed pretty happy that the people came out to see him. Also, funny coincidence, he called me Little Shadow.¡± ¡°Such a waste. Did you know the heart of a drake can-¡± ¡°Yes, it cures infertility. The brain expands the mind, the lungs give you more endurance. Half of what people say their bodies do is probably a myth used to sell the parts of a gentle and highly intelligent creature for enough money to build a mansion.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be such a bleeding heart. They might be as smart as people but they would eat you and everyone else without a second thought if they got hungry.¡± ¡°So? You think people don¡¯t turn to cannibalism when the times get tough?¡± ¡°I, and most people, would never do such a thing even if it cost my life.¡± ¡°Everyone is a pacifist until they need to kill somebody, nobody is a cannibal when there is bread on the table.¡± ¡°Your people haven¡¯t had to live through a famine in a very long time. My father saw many starve, they refused to eat their neighbors. I will not have you slander their names as if the normal person would turn to such things when times become desperate.¡± Harlan bowed deeply. ¡°I am sorry. Sometimes I forget to put on my act.¡± Bojana¡¯s curl hitched for a moment as he outright admitted to how he really was. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t say things like that.¡± ¡°I know, it was insensitive.¡± ¡°No, I mean ever saying that you put up an act of caring. I know what you mean. But it is easy for others to twist what you¡¯ve said into something worse. People are often not what they seem, but that doesn¡¯t mean they should announce that.¡± ¡°Thanks for the advice, but I am pretty sure people have already decided what I am in their minds.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you shouldn¡¯t care.¡± ¡°I am not apathetic, I have just decided that people can make their own choices. Whether they are noble brats or bastards from Reino, beastkin or undead. I¡¯ll do what I want and they can avoid me or agree with me. That is up to them.¡± The gym wasn¡¯t exactly empty, but there weren''t a lot of people there and Harlan had offended every one of them. Bojana just laughed until she couldn¡¯t breathe. ¡°You would never make a good noble.¡± ¡°In 1000 years I¡¯ll still be here and they might not be. We could fracture into dozens of states, civil war could replace the monarchy with something else. A terrible fate could come for us all.¡± ¡°Are you growing a bit of an ego after all your hunts?¡± ¡°I am the Champion of Darkness, immortality is part of my deal. Unless somebody kills me I¡¯m going to be in my prime for the rest of my life as soon as I reach it.¡± There were only a small number of people who knew what he was, but this was the first time that he was clearly declaring it in a public setting. Suddenly she was not laughing anymore and was hoping he was going to tell her it was just a joke. Instead he did his exercises and left without more words. A week passed with most people, even those that he had helped in the past, avoiding him. He wasn¡¯t shocked of course. Many books that would¡¯ve been considered restricted before, mainly regarding the gods, were now free to read and after so many months at least a few people outside of beastkin knew about The Darkness. More accurately, they knew that her messing with people rarely led to anything good. She wasn¡¯t as bad as Calli who would just give out power and not care about what happened afterwards, but those picked by the Darkness more often than not met a terrible but heroic end. Two stories that had gained traction were of a man who was turned into a living bomb that decimated an army to save his village, and a woman who was to be sacrificed to a Wyvern having her body turned to poison and slaying the beast. Within literary circles she was being called a god of tragic heroes. Harlan of course didn¡¯t mind people not bothering him, he was spending his time working on transformation magic. He was still digging through the pile of notes that The Darkness had written for him, the immortal slaying ritual was impressive and Sepul remarked as such when Harlan asked questions and even showed him just a few snippets. He trusted that he wouldn¡¯t do anything bad even if he did have the full spell with explanations, but it was still something that Harlan didn¡¯t understand and he couldn¡¯t be sure that it wasn¡¯t actually far more important than it seemed. He was beginning to question if the issue wasn¡¯t actually that the subject was rejecting what he was doing, consciously or not. So he undid the gag and had Sepul flush the sedatives from his system. This was not being done for the kingdom, so just the two of them were in his dungeon with prisoners from death row who were provided by the king in secret. This man was one who was on death row for a relatively benign crime compared to the seemingly endless serial killers and rapists. He had embezzled hundreds of gold and used underhanded methods to acquire farmland which he would then rent to the people he had scammed. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. A mayor of any sort had a responsibility to the noble who granted them power, and stealing from them to steal land from farmers was bad business. Him doing such a thing while being paid a salary by the noble in question made them look cheap even though the real issue was the man trying to live beyond his already quite extravagant means. One change that Harlan made before waking the man up was putting on a mask to hide his face and disguise his voice as well as switching out his academy robe with a generic white lab coat. ¡°Do you know where you are?¡± The man groggily shook his head and Sepul hit him with an energy spell. Something like this was considered a bad idea because it was more like taking energy from your future self and abusing it would lead to a coma that was only fixed by sleeping. Elixirs had the same problem, but were considered safer because their ingredients did actually provide energy beyond making the body feel more awake. ¡°Do you know where you are?¡± ¡°I was sentenced to death, so this is the prison, you want more out of me? I¡¯ve told you everything.¡± ¡°What if I could change your sentence? Have you set free with a new face, a new name?¡± The man¡¯s eyes brightened for a moment before he realized that a deal which sounded too good to be true probably was. It was how he tricked people all the time. ¡°I would need assurances.¡± Harlan made a mirror of water for the man who was confused. ¡°I can see that you don¡¯t trust me, good. What I want is for you to understand that I am going to cast a spell that can change your face, your height, anything really. But, you must accept it or the spell doesn¡¯t work. Would showing that I can cast a proper surgery spell, not just a temporary smooth skin or straightened nose spell make you more confident in your chances of getting out of here?¡± ¡°I would like to be given a lawyer.¡± ¡°I could also try to force the spell on you and turn you into a disfigured mutant. Understand this, I am giving you a gift, this is not being done out of the goodness of my heart and you will see no lawyers because this is not a prison. Officially you are already dead. You are subject 14, and I am a researcher. Now, I¡¯m going to give you 15 minutes to make a choice, meanwhile, I will go to subject 15 with the same offer, and if they accept, you will not be given another chance.¡± Harlan was only a few steps from the door when the man frantically begged to live. ¡°Thank you for your willing participation in this trial.¡± Harlan had explained in painful detail how things were likely to go and that even if the spell didn¡¯t work, he would be free to go. He even gave him a glass of whiskey to calm his nerves before he started. The man was now excited about the prospects and they had a long talk about what he wanted to be. He wouldn¡¯t really be called ugly, but his nose was a little too large for his face, he was below average in height at 5¡¯5, and he would rather have blonde hair and bright green eyes. ¡°Are you ready now?¡± ¡°As I will ever be.¡± The man slightly slurred his words. The real reason for the whiskey was before this was to dull his senses. Even when completely numb, people would sometimes have a phantom feeling if the other subjects were anything to go by. There was also only so much that could be done to avoid pain as it was partly directed at the soul itself. As soon as Harlan activated the sigils in his mind and the ones carved into the walls and floor itself he made contact with the man; it was like plunging his hand into clay. He pulled and stretched and used the bodies of the expired subjects he added to the man. He screamed until he couldn¡¯t any longer, but it was working. Harlan was feeling a little queasy over the whole thing, even Sepul thought that it was terrible to look at. What was worse was the implications of what he could do if he intended to make someone into a form that was painful to live in. Once this was set in stone, the soul would be irrevocably changed and healing magic would believe that to be the baseline. After an hour the man was resting and having tonic fed to him, it was not as hard on the body as Harlan expected it to be, but he was now 7 inches taller and he had a lot more mass to him which was made from preserved dead flesh. ¡°So, you finally did it.¡± ¡°Not exactly what I wanted, but it is a start. He is still entirely human, but, you are right, I did it. Now I just need to repeat until I am completely sure that I can do it without harming Adina. At least her only issue is her eyes, so it will hurt, but it won¡¯t be like this man.¡± ¡°You know, such a spell could be very useful for spies. Assuming that it does function as you claim it should there should be no means of revealing it, unlike illusions or other cosmetic magics.¡± ¡°Once this man has lived for a few months, maybe longer, I¡¯ll consider seeing if it can be translated to normal magic. I don¡¯t understand this sigils entirely and I¡¯m not sure how they would effect normal people.¡± ¡°Do you intend to keep him here?¡± ¡°No, I was actually thinking about Tole. He would be close enough that I could keep tabs on him easily and Tole has been growing enough that they wouldn¡¯t notice someone new settling in the village.¡± ¡°A man shouldn¡¯t bury those he kills in his own garden. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Of course I understand, but the other option would be sending him to the frontier and having a spy of mine report back to me about him. I can¡¯t trust that he would understand what is happening to him and if he is in Tole I can stop by the village myself without it seeming too strange. I know this was somewhat spur of the moment, and I didn¡¯t actually plan on letting him leave at first. But I think this is the best option for me.¡± ¡°So long as you understand the risks involved, that is all I ask.¡° The man finally woke up and found that he could barely move his body. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Your nervous system is probably trying to move your smaller 5¡¯5 frame and doesn¡¯t know how to move the new you. Just keep trying, I¡¯ve scanned your body plenty while you were under and you are physically perfectly healthy.¡± Harlan kept his fear low to avoid him doing anything stupid and damaging himself. He handed the man a cane shaped out of ice with cloth on top to prevent him from getting frostbite as he found the man did not yet have a proper sense of touch yet. It was incredible to him how well it seemed to be working, he expected the man would be in full control of his body in a month, maybe two. The issue was both physical and not. While his body needed to learn that it was not the same, the soul also needed to understand this, and it was the far more malleable of the two. The soul did not understand why it wasn¡¯t the same, and it couldn¡¯t, all it could do was change how it processed commands so they fit the new body. Once that was done the body would quickly catch up. After just an hour he was able to slowly and carefully move without the cane. ¡°Good, now, it seems I am going to need to keep you somewhere while you recover from the operation. I assume the kingdom seized all of your assets and you don¡¯t really have a bunker in the woods that you can stay in.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t have any assets left. Why can¡¯t I stay here?¡± ¡°Because this is not my home and I will be returning elsewhere. Don¡¯t worry, I will find a place for you to stay. Please sedate the subject again.¡± Before the man could object he was out cold. They strapped him to a table and then left to speak about what he would be doing. It was decided that they would just keep him sedated and since Harlan was choosing to return tomorrow by carriage he would stuff the man inside a chest and bring him down to the bunker until it was time for him to move along. Harlan actually liked this idea since it let him speak with the man and ascertain if he would be fine to be released or if his old habits would die hard and Harlan would need to find a new subject who would not disrupt public order. While he found the experiment important, he could not justify letting a dangerous man free. In another time, another place, it could¡¯ve been his parents being bled for money by his schemes. Chapter 133 Borden, Terror Under the Surface. Harlan double checked his list and packed everything he needed. Part of the double check was that the chest he had made was soundproof in case the man woke up but that it also air holes that couldn¡¯t be seen through. Harlan could¡¯ve easily paid for gates, or in reality, asked Sepul for one, but he wanted to ride through the country. Amber and Zella had no such desire and he had them gated directly home before he left. One carriage was full of mostly his things, and the other was Harlan and Adina sitting side by side with the chest taking up the other seat. He hadn¡¯t realized how much he made or purchased during his time there, or how little Adina really had. Harlan hoped that they could speak with one another along the way about topics that he hadn¡¯t wanted to get into until now. Once they were home it would be her home just as much as his and it was time to be upfront about what he had been running away from this entire time. Assuming that the man in the chest didn¡¯t turn into an abomination in the next year, he would have no more hiding behind an argument of anyone born of him being a monster that couldn¡¯t be fixed. To even call a child a monster for such a thing pained him and sent his mind spiraling again. ¡°...¡± Adina was talking, yet he didn¡¯t hear a word of it. She pinched his arm to get his attention, unfortunately Harlan had taken after Ava and now wore his golem armor at all times under his robe. She had to move to pinching his cheek instead. ¡°Huh? Sorry, were you saying something.¡± ¡°You said you wanted to talk about something and then you got really quiet.¡± ¡°Right, yeah. I think I should be honest about why I have refused to be with you as more than a friend. We both want it, and I am running out of excuses for why I shouldn¡¯t do it or don¡¯t deserve it.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to talk about it then don¡¯t, I don¡¯t mind. Just being friends is enough.¡± ¡°The woman who gave birth to me, I know I¡¯ve mentioned her before.¡± She could already tell that he was forcing himself, but she did not stop him. He explained all of it and he could tell that she was only getting more upset the longer he went on. She was filled with fury that could not be contained, and for the first time he saw her hair lift up and the air ran cold as her water and air alignments affected her surroundings. When he explained that that woman had basically sold him to The Darkness the inside of the carriage began to grow a layer of frost and tears flowed freely from her eyes. For Harlan he had months to deal with his feelings on many of these things which he was now dumping on her, yet he worried that if he stopped now he would not have the strength to talk about it again. He hated how it made her feel but for him it was really now or never to just lay it all out, no holding back the scorn, the despair, the fear that flowed like poison from his tongue as he spoke of these things. Once he was done she embraced him. She had thought that there really wasn¡¯t a worse feeling about her mother than never knowing her, but the idea that her mother would¡¯ve lived and treated her like her father had touched a primal fear of rejection. Both of them were drying their eyes but not a word was shared, they just leaned on one another and felt that someone else was there. Harlan hated how it felt, to have reduced himself to a sobbing mess, but he knew that was an idiot''s pride talking. Finally they had to do something, the border town closest to the academy was fast approaching and they would need to decide if they wanted to kill the day there and have a rest at a higher quality hotel or if they would keep going until they found a town while it was closer to dusk. ¡°Do you want to go in, or should we just ride past?¡± ¡°I think we should both stretch our legs and have a nice meal. Might cheer us up to find out what passes for entertainment here.¡± ¡°I think that sounds nice, just the two of us having a day in a town, nobody else we know to rib each other about how romantic it all sounds.¡± Adina had something else she wanted to say, but instead she just said it sounded nice. They approached the gate and were stopped, the war was over, but that didn¡¯t mean they didn¡¯t make sure that everyone who came through the borders were who they said they were. ¡°Sir Fomoria?¡± ¡°Yes, that is me. I have my signet ring right here.¡± ¡°And her?¡± ¡°My Minister of Justice, Adina.¡± ¡°Formerly of Reino?¡± ¡°Yes. All of her paperwork is in order and she has a ring as well to verify her identity.¡± ¡°We just need to double check, this is her first time entering the country through a border as a citizen.¡± ¡°Very well, am I allowed to enter the guard house along with her?¡± ¡°Of course, Sir Fomoria. Our captain has asked that you visit him if you intend to stay in town for the night.¡± ¡°We will be staying here for the night, I would be glad to have an audience with him when he has time.¡± ¡°You should speak with the officer at the front desk for that. But he has been expecting you so I am sure there shouldn¡¯t be a wait.¡± They pulled the carriages over to a stable that was inside of the double walls which surrounded the city. Alongside him he saw merchants and other nobles who needed their identities and in some cases the contents of their wares checked. Harlan was being exempt from these checks, many of the nobles who crafted items like he did just needed to declare everything in the boxes and mark each of them appropriately. Partly this was due to Harlan having a good track record and partly because those in high places had the king and Sepul making it clear that Harlan could be trusted, or rather, it was in their best interest not to try to find out his secrets. Another guard guided the two of them inside the building and to a small interrogation room with someone already waiting for him. The process was simple, she just quizzed Adina on who she was and verified the ring then filled out a file that would go to a central office. Under normal circumstances people didn¡¯t bypass the border for months like she had, so this was really a formality. ¡°Alright, you are free to go. Welcome to Ragne.¡± The woman shook Adina¡¯s hand and off they went. Yet before he could reach the door a messenger found Harlan and told him that the guard captain had time to see him now or in 2 hours. Harlan decided that now was good, he didn¡¯t want to go into the city itself and then end up needing to come back to the wall where the captain was. They turned back away from the door and went deeper into the structure. The outerwall was strong and solid, the inner wall was effectively a fortified building with stairs leading to different floors and sometimes single rooms. Were it not for signs telling people where to go it would be quite confusing as any staircase be it up or down could lead to more hallways or to an office. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! It did not take more than 5 minutes for Harlan to reach the captain¡¯s office. The man had clearly been clearing papers from his desk and getting a nicer chair brought in before Harlan arrived. Harlan took the simple chair and left the nicer one for Adina. He was perhaps in his 40s, well built from his years as an enforcer of the la2 but he was showing the signs of having slowed down. There was something off about him mentally, but Harlan didn¡¯t trust his mind right now, he put up a good act, but telling Adina everything had taken its toll. ¡°Good morning, Sir Fomoria.¡± ¡°It is closer to noon really, but yes, good morning.¡± The man awkwardly coughed. ¡°I¡¯ve heard quite a lot about you. I am told you have a special talent for divinations regarding finding people.¡± ¡°My power extends to all living creatures as far as I know. But yes, I am good at finding people.¡± ¡°While I have no right to ask this, I would like you to help us with a case. We have a divinationist coming, but the cost of a gate is nearly the same as hiring them.¡± ¡°This is not the first time I¡¯ve encountered a city who seems to have trouble hiring mages, are your budgets really so tight? Though the last one had an issue with corruption.¡± The man was sweating, though Harlan was sure if he was afraid of being found out or just because Harlan was softly accusing him. It also could¡¯ve been because the walls didn¡¯t have great ventilation and it was early summer near the equator. ¡°We have a lot of crimes to handle, so calling in mages for every one of them would be a bit of a waste. It is just a matter of not using a cannon to kill a fox. I am only asking you now because we knew you would be passing through and you have a helpful reputation.¡± ¡°I do not mean to be rude, but please, get to the point.¡± ¡°Right, a few children from the slums have gone missing. At first we thought that they had just run away after a fight, as is common for children there, but as more reports came in we realized that there was something odd going on. Now, the strange part is one of the children came back in perfect health, but then the mother disappeared and when she came back she was very insistent that we just stop looking at the case and that all of the other parents were crazy people. We would like to find the other children, but this city stretches for miles and is built on top of a cave system which was used as the basis for our sewers. We don¡¯t know where all of the water even goes and nobody has ever really mapped the entire area out.¡± ¡°This is exactly the kind of thing that I am willing to help with. First, can you either bring the boy and his mother here or have somebody escort me to them?¡± ¡°They are both already here. I left out one detail, a lecher was peeping on the mother and she chased him down and beat him to death. From what we can gather she was never particularly strong, let alone fast enough to chase down a grown man and take him apart like she did. Witnesses said she completely outclassed him. The captain led him and Adina down to the jail, which stretched through a sizable portion of the wall but was mostly empty at the moment. It was refreshingly cool and the captain seemed more comfortable down here, perhaps he just didn¡¯t handle heat very well. They reached two cells across from one another, the boy in one, the mother in the other. The pair was off in the same way as the captain, he began to wonder if it was related to his own mental state, if having been open with Adina had awakened some new empathic ability somehow. ¡°I¡¯ll speak with the boy first.¡± The captain opened the cell and Harlan felt a familiar sting, the array that stopped people from casting most spells inside a city was especially heavy down here, yet now that the sigil settled in his mind the reaction passed in a few moments. ¡°Can you tell me your name?¡± ¡°Why am I here? Why can¡¯t they tell me? I didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s ok, as soon as I figure out what happened you can go back home with your mother. Have you noticed her doing anything odd lately? Perhaps she took up physical training, maybe she started seeming faster or stronger out of nowhere?¡± ¡°She hasn¡¯t changed at all, she was just defending herself.¡± The longer he sat with the boy, asking pointless questions, the more Harlan focused his mind on that odd feeling. It was no emotion, it was a second smaller mind inside the body. ¡°I¡¯m going to talk to the captain for just a minute, but I don¡¯t think there is any reason to keep you here.¡± Harlan stepped outside the cell and telekinetically restrained the captain before placing his hand on his lower back. ¡°Who are you?¡± The other mind was terrified and didn¡¯t answer, all Harlan could tell was that it was not a human mind. From what he knew there really wasn¡¯t many things that this could be. ¡°A Spinal Spider?¡± The mind panicked, but what was really strange to Harlan was that it communicated with the captain and then they both spoke to him. ¡°Sir Fomoria, this isn¡¯t what it looks like.¡± ¡°I hurt NOBODY, only help.¡± ¡°How about you explain what this is then?¡± ¡°I was injured, the cost to heal me was more than I was worth, so the army sent me back here to live out my days as a useless person. ¡± ¡°Not useless, broken. Man not useless, not listen to him.¡± ¡°Skit, not now. As I was saying, the injury was to my spine, I was only ever a good, but not great soldier, so once I got back I got enough for me and my family to live on, but I understood that they could get more from me dead than alive.¡± Harlan felt both minds become sad, yet he could also tell that they were linked without the spider having complete control as one would expect. ¡°I went to the tunnels, figured the money would keep coming in, and then once I was gone my family would get my death payment.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you need to die while working as a soldier.¡± ¡°I never was bright, now let me finish. It took hours to drag my legs that barely worked deep enough that nobody would find me. But before I could put a dagger in my heart my body went limp and I woke up some time later, and I was walking. It was incredible I-¡± ¡°Wrap it up, you called me here for a reason, and I am a sword over your head.¡± ¡°Skit fix broken part, control not work right, only get legs, manfriend have rest of body. Skit talk good?¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± Harlan let the captain move again and they spoke aloud. ¡°Alright, now, in short words, why am I here.¡± ¡°The other spiders, they are making moves against the city, they would start in the slums, then if the could go 15, 20 years without being caught, they would run the city and start putting spiders in travelers.¡± ¡°Just like in the summer of 438.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Outbreak of spiders, it was a serious issue at the time. Hundred thousand dead, a lot more left crippled since healing magic wasn¡¯t as developed as it is right now. After what Yggdra the first did their population never really recovered and they became a very rare occurrence.¡± ¡°What did he do?¡± ¡°Turned cities into graveyards. At the time they didn¡¯t really have a better option. If soldiers went in and got captured the spiders would just gain more information and bodies. So long as they were alive enough to think the spiders were crafty healers who had no problem repairing their vessels. We actually learned a lot about spinal structure and the nervous system from them. After the parasites were removed the hosts still retained some knowledge from them.¡± Adina was wondering what happened in the last minute that Harlan seemingly attacked the captain, then let him go, and was now explaining something about spiders from nearly 1000 years ago. ¡°Harlan, could you take a minute to bring me up to speed?¡± ¡°The captain has a broken spine, a Spinal Spider tried to take control and now he just controls his legs in a symbiotic relationship. A faction of spiders is looking to turn the city into a breeding ground.¡± Adina just blinked and rubbed her temples before stepping out of the conversation again. ¡°So, what, you brought me here because you wanted me to find the spiders, and kill them. Why not contact the army or the mages guild? Spinal Spiders are on an instant kill list.¡± ¡°If I called them in and told them how bad it really was, then I would be questioned and the city would be swept for them. I don¡¯t want them to find Skit. so I was hoping you would come in fireball in hand and get rid of them without calling anyone.¡± ¡°Why would I do that? I am fully aware of how bad they can be, and I agree, every one of them down to the eggs should be left charred and dead like the horrible monsters they are.¡± Realizing that the captain was either about to fight or flee he amended the statement. ¡°Expect maybe not Skit.¡± ¡°Skit has never hurt a soul, if not for him I would be dead. I can¡¯t let him be taken away.¡± ¡°I am not asking, I am telling you, somebody is going to judge Skit. His species exists only through the forcible taking of bodies, they turn people into spectators in their own lives, they have to watch every day as something else lives inside of them and then turns the people they know into more walking dead like that. Even if you take the spiders out most people end up with their minds broken by the deep violation of human decency and free will that those monsters do as just a part of their lives. If I decide that I don¡¯t like him before this is over I¡¯ll kill him without a second thought because his existence is antithetical to mine. If you stand in the way, I will kill you. So, let¡¯s work together and resolve this so that something like that doesn¡¯t need to happen. You are a one in a billion unique case, but don¡¯t forget, if you were a normal person in that tunnel, he would be living your life in your body. You got lucky.¡± ¡°Skit says he knows where the main colony should be, unless it changed in the last 20 years since we met.¡± ¡°Alright, now, I will call somebody else, this is far too important to just let it be handled by a 15 year old.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t let the captain out of his sight and it was clear when they stood on the wall and Harlan called Sepul that something very off was happening, but none of the other guards moved against him. They liked their captain, and he seemed to do good work, but he could be a bit of a goofball sometimes and they figured that the weird boy had gotten upset and scolded him, it wouldn''t be the first time. While they spoke under a veil Harlan told Adina that if he made any sudden movement she should hit him with a nervous system disrupting bolt, a non-lethal way of knocking out unruly patients. But boy would it hurt. ¡°Harlan, did you forget something?¡± ¡°Do you want to help me take out a large nest of Spinal Spiders in the city nearest the border to the learning zone?¡± ¡°How¡­ no, trouble just finds you, doesn¡¯t it. Have you confirmed that they exist?¡± ¡°The city guard captain has been living with one in him for about 20 years in a symbiotic relationship, a mother and son are sitting in jail with spiders inside them.¡± ¡°Symbiotic you say? I¡¯ll be there in¡­ 15 minutes. I am having tea at the moment.¡± Harlan dropped the veil. ¡°Now, where is that colony?¡± Chapter 134 The First Days in Borden After the captain gave the directions Harlan had things to grab from his carriage, so he jumped off the wall and hit the ground like a feather. Adina walked back and forth for about 30 seconds while breathing deeply before she decided that she loved Harlan, and what he had done was insane to normal people, but it was just a Harlan thing, so she could only be so upset about it. After a few minutes they made their way down the wall and out to the carriage, finding Harlan had shock resistant chests full of vials out and he was picking through them. ¡°Sir Fomoria, please refrain from doing things like that again. I had to stop everyone who saw you from calling for healers.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not technically a crime.¡± The captain and Adina could only sigh. He had never been great at public relations, but after so much time hunting and discovering that at the end of the day most people didn¡¯t actually care, he had become worse. He made decisions regarding his friends based on what was right, everything else was a matter of laws. ¡°Harlan, what was so important that you had to worry me like that?¡± ¡°One moment. Here.¡± He pulled a box of vials marked with a skull and each was filled with a dark liquid that looked like molasses. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Concentrated poison. I plan to aerosolize it. Against the spiders which can find any number of little cracks in the ground to hide in, the only options are poisons or flooding. And I doubt the mayor would approve of the second option.¡± ¡°How many spiders are you expecting?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, Captain¡­? What is your name.¡± ¡°Arrac. And honestly I don¡¯t know how many spider you should expect. When my friend was there he says there were only a few dozen, but 20 years is a very long time. There could be thousands of them, the older ones are only a few inches around at most, they look like vertebrae and shape their exoskeleton to match the rest of the body after they have transplanted themselves.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll take the entire box.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t seriously think about just bombing the entire place with poisons.¡± ¡°How long did you think this was going to take?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, 5, 6 hours?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t do this in anything less than 2 days. I need seismographic spells done so I can figure out how many tunnels are down there and then I can seal them up before using the poison. What, did you think I would just run down there real quick and start throwing fireballs?¡± He felt foolish, but that was exactly what he expected. The man was no mage, city guard captains were often just senior officers who were good with the people. For real problems the army or the locals nobles army did the real work, bandits, monsters, rabid beasts. The guard in a safe place like this was wildly ill equipped for a proper cleansing like what Harlan wanted. ¡°As part of my class on magical flora and fauna, I was taught how one would contain an outbreak of a sudden invasive species depending on the animal in question and the environment. For cave based non-digger beasts, you can seal the area until they only have a handful of exits, and pump the place full of toxic gas. If anything flees the gas you hit it with spells.¡± ¡°Interesting, what do you do for woodland?¡± ¡°Fire, lots and lots of fire. The invasion of a species that does not belong and might lack natural predators can do a lot of damage. You probably don¡¯t realize how important it is that we properly clear out magical beasts.¡± Harlan realized that most of what he was about to say would just go over Arrac¡¯s head, so he stopped before he got into magical beasts pushing their non-magical kin out of areas and how much damage monster waves during spawning season actually caused. The naturally occurring creatures were fine, but when the Fae forcibly introduced monsters to the world and brought magic to special individuals to slay them for heroic titles they had messed with the balance. Harlan went through another crate and brought out something that he wanted to keep as a surprise, but he couldn¡¯t really justify not giving it to her right now even though she wouldn¡¯t be part of the cleansing. ¡°Adina, come here for a moment.¡± She did as asked and Harlan unfolded the armor before holding it up to her. ¡°Looks like I got the measurements right. I hoped to make this a big event because I am proud of my work and you would be the 6th person to have an armor like this, but right now it is more important that you put this on and stay safe while I deal with the spiders.¡± ¡°Who are the other 5? And what do you mean while YOU deal with the spiders, I can help.¡± ¡°I made armor like this for Ava, mom, dad, Breken, and myself. You are not helping because I don¡¯t think you provide a unique position in this, when dealing with something that could take over your body it is best to have only a few very powerful people. The more parts a machine has, the more there is to break. You are a good healer, you can do some warding and arrays, but between myself and Sepul, I don¡¯t see anywhere to fit you in. Now, please, put on this armor. I¡¯ll put a veil over the entire carriage, but put down the window covers anyway.¡± She didn¡¯t argue anymore and just put on the armor. She let out a small eek when it sized itself on its own, she had seen Harlan take his off and put it on enough to know what to expect, but it was still an odd feeling. The only change in design from Harlan¡¯s armor was that instead of a skull embossing on the face she had small feathery wings embossed on her shoulder blades. Harlan had read of the creature that they called Ascended, one feature that was consistent on what was assuredly an abomination of some kind, was their wings, mostly they were small and useless, but rarely they would have 2 or even 3 sets of magnificent and magically powerful wings. When she stepped outside the captain looked incredibly nervous and was holding a metal rod in his hands. Harlan waved her over and then waved to the captain who struck her as hard as he could. The rod bent and Adina was fine. ¡°WHAT THE- I mean, care to explain, Harlan?¡± ¡°He asked how strong the armor was, you are probably wondering about that too.¡± The captain looked over the rod in his hands and whistled. ¡°What I could do with something like that.¡± ¡°What is the budget for a new guard, full set, armor, weapons, everything.¡± ¡°Well, I recall it takes us about 80 silver to suit up a guard with chainmail and a spea and an arming sword. The sword is the only soulsmithed item, but smaller places would be cheaper since they would be using all mundane gear. Then you need heraldry from the noble, shoes, socks, helmet, pants, gambeson, and other mundane items that don¡¯t take up too much of the cost.¡± ¡°Well I spent over 1000 gold to make what she is wearing, same for mine.¡± Adina froze, the captain froze, anyone else who overheard him froze. Had his parents ever asked, they would freeze. Ava¡¯s had 600 gold worth of gems in it but the armor itself was free from Brig. Only Breken¡¯s armor cost less than 300, and that was because Harlan knew that he didn¡¯t really need something like what everyone else had. ¡°I can¡¯t wear this. This is-¡± ¡°The only set of armor worthy of my Minister of Justice.¡± ¡°How could it even cost so much?¡± ¡°Each of these are about 300 pounds of very high quality stonesteel and 2 large mana gems. I am just glad that the labor was cheap since I did most of it.¡± ¡°300¡­¡± She moved around her arms and couldn¡¯t understand it. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Hover, great spell, just a little tinkering and you can suddenly make something that is heavy, but not too heavy.¡± ¡°I never cast the spell though.¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t let all of my secrets out. Don¡¯t think too much about it. Next, grab the rod from the captain and try to bend it.¡± She did as asked and the armor used a minor imbibe to give her more strength. She felt a bit of strain on her body since no imbibing came without some backlash, but she knew she never could¡¯ve done that without whatever the armor just did. ¡°Nevermind, I love the armor.¡± She flared the bands a few times and made the armor a little looser. ¡°Thank you, I put a lot of work into making these things. Now, put your helmet up and try to punch me. As hard as you can, do it seriously, like we''re going to spar.¡± She knew the basics of a good stance and how to throw a straight, so she threw one. Harlan moved like a blur, before she fully understood what had happened she was face down in the dirt, his arm that wasn¡¯t restraining her¡¯s was on her head, his claws loudly scraping against her helmet. ¡°Damnit, let me get up.¡± ¡°I could already see that look in your eyes, remember, this armor is to protect you, but you are also a threat to other people and if somebody has more experience then they can easily kill you. Do not let this get to your head or the armor will just be a fancy coffin.¡± She rubbed her arm a little bit and the armor was already releasing a light healing spell. Adina knew that he was like this sometimes, but she couldn¡¯t really think of a time he was rough with her. He hid it very well, but her hearing was closer to Harlan¡¯s than a normal human¡¯s, he was afraid, afraid that she would do something stupid because he made her feel invincible. Neither of them liked what he had done, but he felt it was an important lesson, one that he learned every time he fought Breken in the past. There would always be somebody else who was better, all the armor did was bring her physical power and a list of spells that he hadn¡¯t had the time to explain yet. She didn¡¯t get techniques, muscle memory, or instinct. She was still just Adina, but stronger. They both had quite a bit to think about as they made their way to the mayor. Harlan invoked a state of emergency and while nobody liked it, with support from Sepul, the city went into lockdown. The noble, a woman by the name of Daria Welten, was very unhappy that her county would be losing face during a time when many other nobles would be passing though. Her own son was in the city of Borden, though she had convinced Sepul to check him for spiders and then send him back. In exchange she told them to do whatever they need to do to get the city clear as soon as possible. The pair of killers, light and dark, made their way underground and found that while the tunnels split, they often reconverged instead of leading to dead ends. The first day was just finding tunnels and sealing them off after mapping them out, they had to kill any spiders they saw just in case they could go back to the rest of the group and warn them. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. If even a handful of them escaped then they would never know and in another 20 years it would be just as bad. Topside the guards were rounding people up so the entire city and the people passing through could be checked for spiders. Adina was helping to find the spiders, a simple healing spell directed at the entire spine would reveal them as long as the healer paid very close attention to any inconsistencies with how the spell reacted. If any spots either drained more energy than normal or actively rejected the energy, then they were spiders hiding in their spines. The unfortunate part was that all they could do was put the people in jail and wait for Sepul, none of the healers and very few of the students who passed through were good enough to first safely extract the spiders and then heal the spine. Things almost got very ugly very quickly as paranoia ran through the people once they realized it was not just a lockdown to prevent the spread of a disease, which didn¡¯t happen often, but many people who lived here had gone through it at least once before. Luckily Arrac was put in place for a reason, he calmed the people down and those who tried to flee were almost always spider infested and so they were sent down to the jail. It was the first time in centuries that it was actually nearing full capacity in just 2 days. Nobody, not Skit, not Arrac, knew how widespread it was. Were it not for his empathizing with a frantic mother when many would ignore her as crazy just because she was from the slums things wouldn¡¯t have taken 10 or 15 years before they started spreading outside the city, it would¡¯ve been just three or four. Harlan was tired, his armor was covered in dirt and grime from the cave and its adjoining sewers, and he was placing down a box of poisons with all the corks off of the vials. ¡°If I never spend another second mapping out caves like this, it will be too much.¡± ¡°Welcome to the real world, where all of the prep before an operation wasn¡¯t done by someone else a few days ahead of time so you can rush in and start crushing skulls as soon as you arrive. I am happy that you had the sense to call me and you actually remembered the procedures for something like this.¡± ¡°I know what it would mean if something I made actually got out, so it is important that I can fix my mistakes.¡± Harlan began forming the poison into a ball in the air. ¡°The weight of what a man does falls on his shoulders, if he cannot bear his own burdens, he has no right to take those of his neighbors.¡± ¡°Harlan, was that-¡± ¡°Those Reinoans sure know how to write a dramatic statement. I will give them that.¡± He pulled his arms back and the poison ball destabilized, when he pushed his arms forward the ball turned to a fast moving cloud. If a man were to be inside of it, he would have 30 seconds to leave, if he didn¡¯t, then he had about 30 seconds to live. The spiders would die almost instantly, but by their estimates, it would take about 45 minutes to have the gas reach every nook and cranny of the cave with the aid of air magic. It was appropriately named 30/30 poison and it was designed to be used as Harlan was using it. Upon reflection, he was just glad that everyone was more worried about the spiders than they were about the fact Harlan was carrying boxes of chemical weapons in his carriage. He didn¡¯t really have an ill intent with it, he just didn¡¯t want to safely dispose of it after he spent all this time making it as Sepul directed him to. It was a preferred beginner poison since once stored it was very safe, unlike others that might aerosolize by themselves, this would only let off a safe amount into the air even if the vials shattered. The two of them walked towards the deadly miasma but made very certain that they didn¡¯t get close enough that they risked breathing any of it in. Even if they did have other spells that cleaned the air around them it was still considered best practices to act as if the spells would fail at any second. ¡°This is a very nice poison you made. Color is right, it hangs in the air very well. Sometimes a beginner will make it too heavy and it leaves a waxy residue on surfaces. This should be thin enough that it will slowly evaporate if it were to be left alone.¡± ¡°Thank you, I had a good teacher afterall.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll not make an old man blush with such compliments.¡± ¡°But you can¡¯t hide your mind, I know it makes you happy to hear.¡± ¡°I never said it didn¡¯t, but don¡¯t mistake it for being more than it is. It always warms the heart of a teacher to see a student grow. I take it this isn¡¯t how you intended to spend your time?¡± ¡°Very subtle topic change, but no, I didn¡¯t come here for this. I could¡¯ve just driven right through had the captain not asked to see me and then a lot of people would be hurting. I actually wanted to ride home slowly because I wanted some time to talk with Adina. I¡­¡± ¡°It might be best if you did speak with me. I know you like to speak with Mary and your family about things, but I am not a golem, I am still a man who has lived a long life and I have much advice to give out.¡± ¡°Do you really want that?¡± ¡°I am your master, you are my apprentice. I could teach anybody about magic, but to help you understand yourself and grow into a better man is worth far more.¡± Harlan used turned a shadow into void and killed some hiding spiders. ¡°Fine. When I showed you the memory of the woman in my dreams, you reacted like you knew her. Why?¡± Sepul seemed startled, but he had already known what he would say. ¡°I knew her father and I was involved in her training as a debt to him after he passed away.¡± ¡°Is that really it?¡± ¡°Yes. I was shocked to see her in your dreams, did you find out anything more about her?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell him about me, I don¡¯t want to speak with him. Please.¡± ¡°She still appears in my dreams, but no.¡± Radiant rays cutdown spiders that tried to rush out, Harlan adjusted the wind so it would get low enough to catch the hatchlings. ¡°It is very strange, she died some time ago, having gone missing in the frontier. What relation would she have with you?¡± ¡°If she was taken by Fomorians perhaps I saw her face as an infant and it stuck with me.¡± They reached the main hall and Sepul began to close the path behind them. Now they needed to go down each of the 7 paths and make sure they didn¡¯t miss anyone. The cloud of poison stayed in the main room, Harlan hoped that the other spider who had taken the bodies of children went down the paths, he found no signs of them in the cavern so far. They waved to one another and started clearing, Harlan would go counter clockwise, Sepul would take the reverse. First path, no spiders, no other animals. If there was something else, moles or bats, he needed to kill them all as well, the spiders could take over more than just humans. Once a path was cleared they would close off that tunnel so the other didn¡¯t try to clear it a second time. For Harlan this was all quite easy, anything that attacked from ambush ended up obliterated with void or crushed in his hands. His mental senses without all of the other minds to distract him, were quite sharp. Sepul relied on his lightform which made him immune to the effects of his radiant aura which blackened the cave as he floated down the tunnels and charred everything in his path, heating the air to the point that most people would be unable to breath without their lungs burning. In the third path Harlan found the children, huddled in a corner of a clearly manmade room. ¡°Mister, please, save us.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Harlan splashed acid around the other corners of the room, exoskeletons had no chance of standing up to his magic. The children cried and called him a monster before Harlan used sleeping air to sedate them. The spiders hijacked the nervous system and controlled the body through primarily physical means, only minor mental magics took hold over the victims. While the bodies slept Harlan tried out the teachings of Sepul, first he needed to find which vertebrae the spider had taken over, then he needed to kill the spider while leaving the body inside. A thin tendril of void destroyed the internal organs with minimal damage to the rest of the structure. The Spinal spiders ate away at and completely replaced part of the spine, but their bodies would not be considered an invader by the host body so they could actually be left inside. Harlan considered it horrifying, but if it didn¡¯t hurt anyone and if nobody told them, it should be fine. He wanted to just remove the spider entirely and regrow the bone, but there were thousands of victims and it would be much easier to leave most of the exoskeleton inside and just grow bone into the hollowed out shell. By the time he dragged the children out Sepul was done with the 4th path and was sealing it up. ¡°Let me check them first, the spine is quite sensitive.¡± It took only a few seconds per child. ¡°You could¡¯ve done better, but you cause no serious damage, the nerves are unharmed, just a small amount more bone will need to be regrown. Can you find your way out with them?¡± ¡°Yes, my mental mapping is quite good.¡± ¡°Very well, I will stay behind, open the tunnels again, boil every living creature inside of this place just in case we missed anything, and then seal it up once again. In a month a team will check for survivors, eggs buried in the ground, things like that. If it is clear at that time then we can consider this a resounding success.¡± ¡°Thank you for taking the time to help me with this, I will start removing the spiders from the people topside and I¡¯ll leave the healing for you since it isn¡¯t just putting bones back together.¡± ¡°I will teach you as I do it, no reason to not turn this into a learning experience.¡± Harlan was back at the cave entrance and had to answer some questions to verify that he didn¡¯t end up with a spider inside him. Then they made him get out of his armor to check his back. What had happened with the mother who chased down a peeper was that he had seen the still red wound from the spider entering her body so she needed to get rid of the witness. Once he was topside he went to the center of town to find Adina. Along the way he found some familiar faces, Hellon was treating the afflicted who had been caged after the jail was full. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡± She downed another bottle of tonic before speaking. ¡°What fresh hell did you find here? You¡¯ve ruined my summer off already.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t call you here, I just stumbled into this.¡± ¡°You could trip over a rock and it would end up being a Wyvern snout. You didn¡¯t need to call me, Sepul gave us a rundown of what happened and the academy posted a job for anyone with the certifications needed.¡± He saw that there were only a few dozen more people waiting to be healed. ¡°At least you are almost done, right?¡± She looked like she was about to start throwing empty bottles at him. ¡°I am just dealing with the overflow at the moment, the jail is full. ¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t realize how bad it was, did you? Over 10% of the population so far has been found out. That jail can only hold 10,000 people. We are expecting at least twice that many before this is done. Other mages and archmagi are handing the riots, Adina is doing what she can to suss them out, but she is only one mage.¡± ¡°What do you need me to do, we just finished clearing out the colony under the city and Sepul is double checking everything.¡± ¡°You are also just one person, clean your armor, take a bath, rest for a little bit. I am sure that as soon as word gets out that you are finished they will find you and give you more work. Did you even negotiate a price for this kinda work? Scratch that, whatever you said was too low, Hirum negotiated for all of us and you are getting that pay on top of anything else.¡± He didn¡¯t have the heart to tell her that he never once asked for anything, since he thought it was just clearing them before it actually became an issue instead of something bigger so he considered it a public service to save a handful of children. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll find a place to get cleaned up.¡± ¡°Go that way, big white building, the mayor has all participating mages in the nicest hotel in the city. You are welcome by the way.¡± On the way there a large boom rocked the city and Halran rushed over to find that other mages had the fire out and were digging bodies out of the rubble already. He began lifting stones where he felt minds, becoming frantic as they began fading from his senses. Then more bombs went off, someone who recognized him by his armor said he would be more useful out there, they had mages working the area already. Riots, looting, people who weren¡¯t even infested took advantage of the chaos. ¡°Stop, please. I know what you want to do, but you are tired, covered in filth, and they are not worth it.¡± He often felt that she was a bad influence on him, but, she knew what warzones were like. Once the smoke was clear Harlan would feel awful for what he would¡¯ve done, some of these people were just scared and desperate to have enough wealth to leave this place once the lockdown ended. Harlan began to shift stone and leave the people tied to the buildings or on the ground. As a noble he could do things like this, but any mage who wasn¡¯t given privileges already would be unable to reverse his magic. More bombs, the spiders were not stupid, they knew the net was closing on them and if they could make enough chaos they had a chance to leave, if not, then they would still have some form of revenge. Harlan¡¯s eyes were tired, his body was staggering, then a warhammer came down on his head from behind. He was slower, and the blow, while stopped by his armor, had still rattled him. But he was not so slow that he couldn¡¯t turn around and turn the man¡¯s head into paste with his rod morphed into a hammer. He felt more minds, people were afraid, angry. The spiders had long since taken over the blacksmiths in the area and the equipment the people wore represented that. Harlan tried to dodge them, he knew they didn¡¯t want to be doing this, that they were just prisoners along for the ride. He felt bad for the first man he killed. Blows started to land as they came at him from every angle while he tried to disable them. Mages flying overhead saw what was happening and cut the people down without hesitation. They came down to check on Harlan, finding him weeping. ¡°The fuck was that? I was trying to save them, they were infested.¡± ¡°The jails are already full, we don¡¯t have anywhere to put them and the healers are already overwhelmed. Whoever you are, get some damn rest, if you continue to wander around like you are just going to get killed.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Harlan found that his body didn¡¯t want to get up anymore, he had a concussion and when two of them hammered his knee from both sides they had broken his leg. ¡°Give me a minute, my leg isn¡¯t working.¡± The men just sighed and carried Harlan to the hotel. Hellon was sleeping on a couch in the lobby, she couldn¡¯t wait for them to assign her a room and it was comfortable enough for her. Better than the old cots she spent far too much time with on rescue missions. Another healer got Harlan¡¯s leg fixed and demanded that he get some sleep and clean himself up. He reached the front desk and the worker looked like she hadn¡¯t properly slept in a day or more, which was very possible. ¡°ID, please.¡± Harlan¡¯s gauntlet opened up a finger to reveal his ring. ¡°Room 221, stairs are on your right.¡± As soon as she handed the key to Harlan she put her head back down on a pillow on the desk. Harlan dragged himself to the room and found that Adina was passed out on one of the two beds, still in her armor. He got into the bathroom and filled the tub with hot water, he didn¡¯t even bother removing his armor, he would just clean that first, strip, change the water, and take another bath and clean his clothes. The man in the chest was moved by Sepul back to his dungeon and his only maid, Jane, handled him. Chapter 135 Revivescere Harlan was laying down in the bed across from Adina, he wondered why they were put in the same room. Had Sepul done this? Perhaps it was Adina? It didn¡¯t really matter, he figured she felt safer with him and he wasn¡¯t as worried since she wasn¡¯t alone somewhere while resting. ¡°How are you, Little Shadow?¡± ¡°Am I sleeping?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I hope I¡¯m not damaging the room.¡± ¡°Our connection is far stronger now, there will be no need for that anymore.¡± ¡°Then I am alright, tired, it hurts me to see these people like this. Stripped of their free will. I hate that I killed that man.¡± ¡°Good. Life is a lesson, you need to take what you believe you should learn.¡± ¡°Alright, and what do you want me to learn?¡± ¡°When is it right to kill or have mercy? These are the things you will learn, how you learn them and how you take these lessons are up to you. But, now that our relationship has expanded, I believe I can be a little more upfront. You have done well so far. You understand that you had to kill that man, and after some thought you know that those others needed to die as well.¡± ¡°What can you tell me about the spiders? Why now? Why did I even want to come here in the first place?¡± ¡°The spiders are nothing but another creature. They follow their instincts, however, how did they reach this place and stay hidden? Why now? Why not now? Anyone could¡¯ve found them and they might ask the question of why now. Why are you here? It is your choice, I had no part in it.¡± ¡°It really is just a coincidence that I found them then?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that, just that I had no part in it.¡± ¡°I thought you would be a little more upfront.¡± ¡°I have said no lies and I have hidden no details, now that you are here because of your own choice I will reveal this. You have more enemies than just those beasts within these walls, do be careful of them.¡± ¡°Thank you, I apologize for being snappy, I am just tired.¡± ¡°And you will tire again in the days to come. You understand your limits and push them, I will not make judgment on one side or the other of this part of you.¡± Her presence faded from his mind, having been outside of her small world there was no distortion of time one way or the other, though by the fact of speaking without words they could fit more in less time. Adina rolled over and off the bed before Harlan caught her. She nearly tried to cast something, but she somehow knew it was him. ¡°Harlan? When did you get back? I tried to wait for you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you needed the rest. I¡­ I don¡¯t think this is going to get better anytime soon. I think you should leave, I can ask Sepul, he will have you home in minutes.¡± ¡°No, he could have me at the building you are giving me to live in. Didn¡¯t you say that home is a place where you want to be?¡± He tried to think back, hadn¡¯t he said that? There were a lot of conversations that he had probably half forgotten, that she might remember better than him. ¡°Please, don¡¯t say that home is wherever I am.¡± ¡°What if I really want to say it?¡± ¡°How did we end up in the same room anyway?¡± ¡°The academy paid for every room in the hotel, one was just listed as Fomoria, I have your crest, so they put me here. They thought I was Amber under the armor and I never corrected them.¡± ¡°How has the armor been holding up?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t had to use it, but it is comfortable at least.¡± Shame, she was lying. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Who attacked you? What happened?¡± She pulled in air for the words she refused to say. She exhaled and tried again, she didn¡¯t want to worry or disappoint Harlan. He understood what it was to fall, he knew the consequences of failure, but he also knew that mistakes happened. Nobody made every right choice, saved every life. ¡°I was walking back to the hotel, two soldiers were escorting me. I don¡¯t remember how many there were, a group came out from an alley. The soldiers cut down a few of them, I tried to run but they pulled me back down to the ground with a rope. I tried to fight back but they just kept hitting me with hammers, I curled up and closed the armor. I don¡¯t really remember what happened after that, I was covered in blood on the outside. But I don¡¯t remember fighting.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t pick the name golem armor for no reason. You blacked out, it took over. I taught it how to fight, how to use the weight of its blows, whatever I use to kill orcs.¡± ¡°That explains why I was so sore. I¡¯ve seen you fight Liat, normal people don¡¯t bend like you do.¡± ¡°I¡­ let me show you something.¡± Harlan opened his helmet from the front, the earthen gray of the steel behind his head accented his black hair and pale white skin. Yet her senses did not focus on his features which grew sharper as the signs of adulthood were coming through. Her eyes could not see his eyes, slit like a cat. She could tell that his teeth sharpened like a wolf. Her senses looked at his body as his armor opened more and more, how he bent his elbow backwards at an unnatural angle. Her hands met his flesh, following his arms down to his fingers, now tipped in claws. ¡°Are you alright? It doesn¡¯t hurt, does it?¡± ¡°This is my body, since I became a champion it has changed, it suits my needs, but I can¡¯t control it like I want.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t answer, does it hurt?¡± ¡°My muscles move, shift and bend, every part of me does. This is just the price of power.¡± ¡°Are you always like that under your armor?¡± ¡°Only when I fight, or when I am upset.¡± ¡°Was it because I talked about-¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault. You should get some more rest, if you want to stay here, you need to take care of yourself. Do you want me to stay for a little while? I know it must¡¯ve been scary to be attacked like that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be like Ximena, I hate how I used to be. I¡¯ll be strong, I won¡¯t be afraid to help people like you do, I can¡¯t stay here and I am going to be mad if you try to baby me like this.¡± ¡°Do you want me to stay here until you get back to sleep?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She rolled back into bed and they both kept in full armor with the exception of their hands, which were tightly together, and their helmets. She could look him in the eyes even if her¡¯s could not see. ¡°Why tell me now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to be honest, if we are going to be together in that way, I shouldn¡¯t hide things like this. I don¡¯t think I should at least.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t force yourself to tell me anything.¡± ¡°I wanted to tell you, nobody else knows, this is just a secret between us and us alone.¡± Once the girl was off to sleep he left, back to the streets. It had been 6 hours since the last bomb went off. Harlan flew from the front door of the hotel so he could find where he might help the most people. Yet he did not mean to heal, nor would he be clearing rubble. There were maybe 300 people, they screamed at the soldiers who bore the local noble''s crest, throwing stones and voices with the same violence. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He could barely make out what was being said, it seemed like the people resented being told to stay indoors. More than that, there were claims that the spiders did not exist, that a revolution was starting and the people should rise up. Harlan flew closer, the man who seemed the figurehead was infested. He stood between the man and the soldiers, both sides unsure of who he was or which side he stood. Rocks stopped in the air, then fell to the ground. He did not want to hurt the people, they were just lashing out, fear filled the crowd so thickly that if he had been doing this a year ago when he first came through he would¡¯ve succumbed to it. This was not the first time that he thought of what The Darkness had said to him, that if he did not control his empathy that he would kill a lot of people, that her hope was to simply lessen the number of dead. Harlan grasped the man in front, pulling him forward. He told the spider inside of him, flee now, if you do I shall spare you. From his back the spider burst out in a bloody display which shocked both crowds. Yet mercy was not an option, Harlan felt a deep disgust when he met them. They were not simple beasts, they could plan, they could infest people in power. How many would suffer and die for their ambitions? What ambitions did a beast like them have? What would a world be if he did not kill them down to the last of their kind, if they grew to terrible new heights? Harlan lifted the spider with telekinesis, the people¡¯s shock only grew as they saw what looked to be bones with a monster inside of them. Its many small eyes which were atrophied and blind after years inside of the man, its limbs uselessly flailing around in the air, shattering the illusion of bones. ¡°THIS IS YOUR ENEMY, PLEASE, RETURN TO YOUR HOMES UNTIL WE CAN DEAL WITH THEM. I CAN FIND THEM, SEEK THEM WHERE THEY HIDE. PLEASE, DO NOT FIGHT. THE SOONER WE RESTORE PEACE, THIS CITY SHALL RETURN TO WHAT IT WAS BEFORE.¡± Another man in the crowd tried to claim it an illusion, Harlan had to dig the spider out of this man. Without anyone to further incite them they were rounded up and Harlan confirmed that they were safe, that under his watch at least, there would be no retribution against them. The people were calmed, though this was not the only riot, it was not the only gathering of scared people. Yet for now, these ones would return to their homes, Harlan had to fight with the soldiers to not have them arrested. Another riot, more and more and more, he tore the spiders out with surgical precision that looked like savagery. There was not a single person who could look at what was happening and not see the horror of it all, yet they were hundreds in a city of nearly 100,000. For each one that he convinced that the soldiers were not against them, that they were restoring order, there was another hundred who were stumbling in the dark. Dawn turned to day, the fires were all out, but there were always more ready to be started. Thieves who would claim to be helping, killers who were trying to use what was happening as cover for dark dealing or personal grudges. These people, who did not just take for fear of what came after, but because they saw all of the death and fear around them and thought it an opportunity. These men would not live to see another day, Harlan could be merciful to those who thought they had no choice, those who were just trying to save themselves or others, yet these men were to be stamped out, their bodies would fill the streets if he had his way. Instead, void ate away at them as if they never existed. Harlan was sitting on the wall, watching the sun rise. ¡°You should go see Adina, Hellon, anyone really.¡± ¡°How do you think she would¡¯ve handled this?¡± ¡°Are you sure you want to know?¡± ¡°I¡­ I am sorry how I¡¯ve been towards you sometimes. I know you are not her, but your voice, your face, it just hurts me, somewhere deep inside. Eliza, will you tell me about her? How, as the person who is not her, do you think she would¡¯ve handled it.¡± She was happy that she had her name back, but, there was a certain bitterness to it. ¡®As the person who is not her.¡¯ Was that her name? Did she deserve it? Did she even want it? She could look at the life she was based on, and she hated it. She loved Harlan, maybe some of it was from how she was made, but she earnestly believed that she had made the choice to love him now. ¡°She would¡¯ve done what a good soldier does, she would follow orders, putting down people. I hope you aren¡¯t afraid of becoming her. You could never¡­ She led a very different life, people tried, but they could not drag out from the pit she was in. She was a full grown woman who was stuck as that little girl begging her grandfather for answers about where her mother and father were.¡± There was a pause, Harlan sensed that she wanted to say more. The sun was half over the wall now when she spoke again. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be her, I want to be something new. Something that can protect you and love you like she couldn¡¯t. I don¡¯t want to be Eliza, daughter of Zane and Ella. I want to be me, whatever I am.¡± ¡°A new name?¡± They watched the sunrise, it seemed comical for two people who held cynicism in their hearts. They didn¡¯t need to say a word as they both laughed, but it was fitting.. ¡°Dawn?¡± ¡°I hope I never tell anyone how I chose this name. It just seems so¡­¡± ¡°Blunt, like I am.¡± ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way. You and me, together. We are family, right?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we start out as friends? After all, I¡¯ve never met Dawn. Just that ghost of the past.¡± ¡°I promise, I will do everything I can for you, what she wouldn¡¯t do. I will be worthy of being part of your family.¡± Another bomb, the next to last one, went off. Harlan rushed to the scene as quickly as he could, yet from a nearby rooftop he was hit by something else. The woman who fired the round did so with perfect timing, another bomb on the other side of the city was going off, nobody even heard the round that now traveled towards his head. Time slowed as it got closer, yet it only barely let him avoid the bullet shredding through his armor and brain. It hardly nicked his neck, yet the large slug still hit with enough force to take a chunk with it. Blood was filling his helmet, but he did not open it, he still needed that blood.. Had he not hit the ground and through someone''s window, his would-be killer would¡¯ve gained sight on him and put another slug through his head. He gurgled on his own blood but he was not drowning just yet. He had no idea if it would work, but he didn¡¯t know how much time he had, or if he would live anyway. The chunk of his neck was gone, and there was no regrowing that without tonics and a better healer than him. But he did not need to heal himself, he just needed to stop from bleeding out. He opened his helmet, spreading the blood in the same runes he used to flesh sculpt the subject. He could tell that she was getting close, there wasn¡¯t a lot he could do, just pull his neck together to knit it back into something that wasn¡¯t going to fail. He scrambled to search for organic matter, finding only mice and half rotten meat when the people either fled or were taken away. His mind wasn¡¯t working right, but he had little else to work with. 10 minutes passed. The group was made up of 4 men and a woman, one of them drew the short straw and had to go inside to confirm the kill. He stepped inside of the simple one room stone house, they had been watching it, nobody came in or out of the place and so far as anyone knew, Harlan couldn¡¯t teleport. Yet he was nowhere to be seen. The man started tapping on surfaces, finding that the floor was thin in one spot. He took a step back and raised his hammer. A loud crack made his companions ask what happened, but they received no reply. The woman readied her gun while two of them circled around the back to look in through a window. A monster crushed through the stonewall of the home, its gnarled claws found purchase on the chest of one of the men. It threw its weight forward, the man¡¯s body distorting inwards as its power was not enough to break through another wall. He choked and gurgled as his body went into shock, his liver and kidneys were leaking out of the bent folds of his armor after the impact turned them to mush. They were trained killers, they knew when they were dead. His body exploded as he activated enchantments carved into his bones that sent the scene of burning viscera throughout the area. The partner of the man did not rush forward, instead pulling a soulsmithed dagger and tossing it at the creature, blowing a hole in its chest that still did not stop it. When the woman removed its head from its shoulders it fell to the ground. ¡°Fuck. We need to leave, somebody must¡¯ve heard that-¡± Harlan¡¯s heavy hands crashed down on the woman, her left shoulder crumpled along with her armor, but she was alive. The quickly made monster of flesh had worked beautifully, giving Harlan the chance to deal with her. His biggest fear was that he would be hit by that weapon he could not defend himself against again. Scattergun pellets pitifully bounced off his armor, a wall of telekinetic force slowing them down too much to be effective, a slug would¡¯ve at least made a dent if not broken bones. Harlan was distracted just long enough for the woman to use telekinesis to load a final round. He tried to push the barrel away from his head, the hunk of metal splintering his arm like a tree hit by lighting and tearing through his side, destroying large parts of his stomach in the process. He used his good arm to toss her body at the man in front of the house, her bones detonating finished him off. The final man saw all of this and put his hands up, understanding that he was outmatched, with the state Harlan was in, if nothing else, he just needed to wait it out. Harlan raised his fear through the roof and gestured to him to come inside through the hole in the wall, and the man. Once stepped into the circle on the floor Harlan subsumed him, he was biological material and mass. He pulled on him like an animal, frantically stuffing parts inside of himself and letting Dawn, who could still act as level headed as one could be when finally being accepted and then watching the person she cared for most in the world bleeding with his organs hanging out, handle the forming of the body into a functional form. She cast from his soul, but he was not awake, and she was very glad for that. Even in his sleep his body reacted strongly to what she was doing. There was more body left after she took everything she needed to completely heal him, yet what if was found out? He was covered in her blood, the body looked like an animal had attacked and eaten part of it. So she made his armor move according to her will and pulled the rest into Harlan until he was now 60 pounds heavier, yet he had not grown in size, but rather density. She never missed a second of the scans Harlan had done of his body and the bodies of normal people. She added the extra mass, bones and muscles, using it as energy for what was happening. He awoke an hour later in a field hospital, feeling the wrongness, just as the Fenrir had told him. She explained the why and how, and he was not upset with her. It was a step farther away from humanity that he could not have taken on his own, yet as it was not truly her body, she did not feel that same revulsion. An officer stepped inside to question him. ¡°Sir Fomoria, do you remember what happened?¡± Harlan looked upward for a moment. ¡°I was attacked, 1 woman, 3 men.¡± Chapter 136 Closing Days of the Borden Crisis Four days had passed since his encounter with the assassin and his metamorphosis, making this the 7th day. He was still having some minor issues with controlling his strength, the new mass enhanced his body beyond what he already was, but at the same time, he was losing that mass when he was hurt or even just from overusing his magic, forcing him to constantly pay attention to what his power was at the moment. His body seemed to understand that this was not him, it was a temporary measure to get power and healing quickly. If he intended to use such a method to make Ava stronger or heal Adina, he would need to refine it, test subject 14 to ensure that he wouldn¡¯t burn himself through his new form. The national army had replaced the noble army on the 5th and many changes had come from this change in command. Golems now roamed the streets alongside soldiers, mages were either relegated to riot control or parasite removal. The army did not like independent mages running around doing whatever they wanted, so they were temporarily conscripted and under their command now. Unless of course they could make a very convincing argument for them being a free agent. For Harlan it was fairly easy, on his file it was known that he was the useful kind of unknown and Sepul had a lot of sway though he was not part of the army structure. He could look through a crowd of 200 people and pick out each and every spider without fail and he had retrieved an as of yet unknown model of gun which would be able to pierce golems. Harlan was currently flying through the sky, looking for anyone outside after curfew. The complete ban on outside travel had been rescinded as soon as the army arrived in force. The man in charge, though Harlan had only one meeting with him, was not a fighter, he was a talker. He understood that if the people were locked inside for another day then they would likely revolt in force again. But if they were allowed outside during the day and could make their complaints openly, then there were fewer people who would be incited to violence over being unheard. The curfew made it easier to find who was skulking about, if everyone was doing it, then it became hard to know their intentions. But nobody in their right mind would want to be outside at night when there were possibly spiders around every corner. The fear which first let them cause the city to riot in mass had been flipped around so that the people willingly shut themselves inside, more scared of the things they didn¡¯t understand than the soldiers who generously rescued them from the noble¡¯s army who had clearly been incapable of handling anything but a docile population that followed orders. It further solidified the faith of the people in their king instead of their ruling noble when soldiers came in with rations for the people and helped with the rebuilding. A scream rang out, two people, a boy and a girl. Robes meant they were from the academy, he couldn¡¯t make out their features but judging by their state of undress and location, he guessed 4rd years who had snuck out for a little private fun. The boy tripped over his pants which fell down due to his lack of a belt and was about to be clubbed over the head. Harlan came down at a 45 degree angle, his feet making contact with the man in front and turning his body from that of a human into resources that did not resist his magic once the soul had dispersed. Cutting blades of blood and bone shrapnel killed the three other would-be kidnappers in a mercifully quick, but gruesome display of might. These men were not infested with spiders, rather they were simple criminals hoping to hold noble brats hostage for quick coin. Harlan had little issue justifying their deaths. The pair of students saw Harlan standing tall, blood glistening on his armor, the embossing of a skull catching the light of the full moon. They ran, worried that they were dealing with something worse than a handful of kidnappers. Harlan was back in front of them in a moment, yet now they had a spell ready for him. Cooperative casting wasn¡¯t something he had actually seen yet, generally it was taught as part of warmagic, since a dozen spells might not be as good as one spell that a dozen mages all poured the same mana into, yet it was not exclusive to those classes. Harlan had these thoughts right before the couple¡¯s blast of air struck him, throwing him through a solid stone wall like a ragdoll. He laid there in the rubble, his bones setting themselves, his flesh knitting itself together and lamented the loss of his last bits of extra mass. Were it not for the horrifying crunches and pops, they might¡¯ve believed him to be a golem. Yet now that they were frozen in fear, they had the time to actually get a close look at him. They could make out the shape of his armor, it was distinctive enough that they realized what they had done. They thought about running again, but while the young man wanted to flee after hearing all of the rumors about Harlan, his lover had been helped by him in the past. She pulled him towards Harlan, worrying about the attack that they had hit him with. The two of them pulled him out of the rubble and tried to pry his armor open, not seeing any straps or latches which might be used to remove it. It wasn¡¯t long before he was up and flimsily grasping the girl¡¯s hand with a grip that was supposed to be bone creaking. ¡°Are you awake, can you hear me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, we should go to the army, have them send a healer.¡± The young man said ¡°No healers, I am fine.¡± ¡°I very much doubt that. Your legs were entirely in the wrong direction.¡± Harlan opened his armor, they could tell that he had been bleeding and his clothes under the armor had holes poked through them by bones, but he looked fine. ¡°Now, leave, go back to your hotel room or wherever they have you set up at and don¡¯t sneak out again.¡± ¡°Wait, I didn¡¯t get the chance to thank you yet.¡± ¡°Now you have, goodbye.¡± Harlan tried to get up but found that he was a little woozy after having healed his body and it would take a moment for him to acclimate him to being back at his original mass. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Not for this.¡± ¡°Alright, come on, what did I do? I helped you once with a spell, right?¡± ¡°You gave us the courage to be together, to show the world that our love will cross borders and cultures.¡± Harlan sighed, realizing that he was in no condition to fight for at least another 10 minutes, if he couldn¡¯t fight there was little reason to leave. But he didn¡¯t want to listen to whatever was happening here. ¡°We were destined to meet at the survival camp. Like good Reinoans and Ragnites, we held the flames of hate in our hearts. Yet as we lived in those woods for that week, the fire turned gentle, and we understood our forbidden love for one another. Now, we will finally be living our lives freely, no matter the cost.¡± ¡°Adina and I aren¡¯t lovers, if that is what you are implying.¡± ¡°But by taking her hand, you have given a path for my future husband and I to live as two people with one heart.¡± He was tempted to fly off anyway, but he was likely going to end up escorting them. ¡°Boy, is there an end to this story?¡± ¡°My name is Sir Cuprum Verdigris, and I am older than you. And yes, it ends with the city letting us leave and her meeting my family before we announce our engagement. We are both grateful that you already exist as an example of bringing a Reinoan over without everyone treating you like she is made of waste.¡± ¡°Oh, my land borders your father¡¯s. Are you two at least realistic about how your meeting is going to go.¡± ¡°Even if it costs me everything, we will be together. I hope that the rest of my family will see reason.¡± Harlan was trying not to laugh, but from the way he moved it was clear to the couple what he was doing. ¡°Is there something funny?¡± ¡°Sorry, sorry, do you think nobles don¡¯t disown their children all the time? What about her parents? Adina had to completely renounce the country and isn¡¯t allowed to go back unless something changes. Are you and your girlfriend going to have that resolve? Would you die for her? Kill for her? If you can¡¯t say yes to any of these things then give up, keep hiding it, marry some woman you don¡¯t love and keep her as a mistress.¡± Harlan could tell that this was not how they wanted this conversation going. If they had approached him at the academy he would¡¯ve at least politely entertained their notions of love, but there were currently 4 dead bodies cooling not 50 feet from them and with them here he wasn¡¯t going to be able to subsume them, the fight had been a net loss in his mind, not counting having done the right thing. Cuprum puffed his chest, ready to refute him. But the girl stepped forward first. ¡°I have already spoken with my family, even if his family cannot accept me, they will accept him. We are not naive, you just don¡¯t know anything about us. Can you really not see this working? Why not?¡± ¡°First off, I think it is a little awkward to have this conversation without knowing your name.¡± ¡°My name is Sherah.¡± ¡°Thank you. Now, Sherah, I am also saying this with my full heart, because it is what I have seen, not read in books, Reino is a land of lies. Can you say that your family would accept him honestly and in good faith without anything to gain but your happiness in the case that he is disowned for you? My positive experiences with your people are limited to Adina and Grand Saint Fragile Peace. Why do you think that is?¡± She failed to understand it was a rhetorical question and Harlan had to cut her off before she spoke. ¡°Don¡¯t bother answering, the reason is that nobody else is willing to speak with me or try to be friends.¡± ¡°It doesn''t seem right to condemn me. I have never been cruel towards you.¡± ¡°I am not condemning you, and I am not saying your relationship won¡¯t work, but, how much are you willing to give up for him? If you were both disowned, would you live simple lives? Could you be farmers or soldiers and settle down?¡± ¡°Of course, isn¡¯t that right, Rummy?¡± They were now standing face to face, their hands interlocked. ¡°I would be willing to give up my comforts, because you are all of the comfort that I need.¡± Finding lies was hard, Harlan could feel out their emotions, try his best to decipher them, but it wasn¡¯t a sure thing. However, it was clear that they had conviction and believed every word of it. The real test would be when conviction collided with reality. A man could tell the complete and honest truth, yet if they said they were going to hunt a Lindwurm and never met one before, then that true at the time statement could easily turn to a retroactive lie. ¡°You seem to believe what you say, so I will be rooting for you. If you are what you say you are, if you keep your word and are willing to live a simple life, I might have work for both of you. I said some harsh things, but I did say them from a place of well meaning. If you could not stand up to me, then you would never stand up to anyone else.¡± Sherah brightened up. ¡°Thank you for everything then. I hope you find a love as beautiful and pure as ours.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure skulking around abandoned buildings and doing what you were doing was exactly pure, but sure.¡± ¡°There is not greater purity than a love between those like us, to fully bare ourselves at out most sensitive-¡± ¡°Please, stop. I don¡¯t really want to hear it, just, pick up anything you dropped and let me walk you back to a safe area.¡± Harlan had killed far more time than he would¡¯ve liked and his body felt strange not having anything extra to burn anymore. ¡°That was fun.¡± ¡°It really wasn¡¯t, I don¡¯t want to hear the sordid details of a late night rendezvous. I didn¡¯t really care for the books Yara sent like that, and Sherah seemed like she believed she was inside of one.¡± ¡°You are the rain on a children''s tea party.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t children.¡± ¡°You know what I mean, but yes, they aren¡¯t children. Not with what they had.¡± ¡°I never would¡¯ve thought you the romantic type.¡± ¡°Oh, I meant their bodies. They look older, maybe they both went to the academy late?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel comfortable getting into this talk with you.¡± ¡°Listen, it is just biology, you didn¡¯t see anything worse than what you saw in the diagrams for healing.¡± ¡°That was just drawing. They are real people, it isn¡¯t the same.¡± ¡°Once you¡¯ve seen enough of them, it loses its luster.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear this from you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m your mother, I am just a woman with a bit more experience with the feelings of the flesh. Should I have the talk with you?¡± ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°Well, when a man and a woman love each other very much¡­¡± ¡°I am aware of the mechanics of reproduction.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just trying to lighten the mood, things are looking better in the city. Right? So cheer up a little bit or you¡¯ll scare your niece and nephew when you get back.¡± ¡°It feels wrong to be happier than just neutral with everything happening here.¡± ¡°I know, but you have to see the bright spots in something like this. You already know that being in the shadows won¡¯t help, so try to focus on the people you are helping more than the people you need to hurt. Your little shows have been very good at giving the people hope, so take some of that instead of giving it all away.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to try so hard.¡± ¡°I am not a great speaker, but you know what I want for you. Stop thinking that it is a personal failing when you can¡¯t save somebody or convince them of what is right. People are terrible and you can¡¯t change that, so when that happens you can do what you do to evil people who can¡¯t see what they are. I know we didn¡¯t talk about it, but I don¡¯t think you did anything wrong with that bandit or that mayor. They were just different flavors of scum that needed dealing with.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Harlan walked the couple back to the hotel, Cuprum was working logistics and wasn¡¯t a great fighter despite his combat magic classes. Even still, had he not tripped they would¡¯ve had enough time to get off the windblast that sent Harlan flying and would¡¯ve likely turned whoever got hit by it into something more resembling over ripened tomatoes thrown off a rooftop. Sherah wasn¡¯t supposed to be outside at all considering the rather delicate position of being a Reinoan in Ragne. It was past midnight, and Harlan hadn¡¯t slept since the day after he came out of the tunnels. Adina was already sleeping, so he didn¡¯t want to bother her. He slipped in bed and closed his eyes. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Good night, Harlan.¡± ¡°Good night, Dawn.¡± Chapter 137 Home Again Harlan was on his communicator with Autumn, his family had started calling him since they had expected him back already and were starting to worry. ¡°How are you holding up today?¡± ¡°Things are ok now, the jail has been cleared out and the main army took over for the nobles army once it got out how bad things were. but¡­¡± ¡°But what?¡± ¡°9,000, that is how many died so far, they expect 10,000 by the time they get a full tally. Most of them weren¡¯t even infested. Bombs, riots, thieves, merchants trying to get out, all of it is just-¡± ¡°Terrible?¡± ¡°Human. There was a riot 2 days ago, not because of food or being locked inside their homes. But because the brothels were infested from top to bottom, being used to get drunk men in vulnerable positions to get a spider in them. The idiots who frequent such places but just got diseases instead of a parasite wanted somewhere to release themselves, they actually asked that we let the woman who used to work there out even with the spiders inside them. I¡­I wanted to¡­¡± ¡°You are tired, don¡¯t think too much about them. When times are hard people look for comfort in anything they can, drink or narcotics or sex. It isn¡¯t worth bringing yourself down to their level, once things calm down they might realize how ridiculous they have been. Meanwhile, when are you coming back? It would help you to be around us, and Redmond got back a few days ago.¡± ¡°This is the last day, everyone in the city from the beggars to the mayor is getting another once over to make sure every single one of them is who they say they are. Then Sepul said he would just take us right home with a gate.¡± Harlan heard yelling outside. ¡°Another argument, I¡¯ll see you all by dinner, I hope.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure everyone is here at the mansion.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Adina was yelling at a soldier. ¡°You cannot leave the building.¡± ¡°I am a healer, I should be out there helping with the checks.¡± ¡°You are not allowed to leave the building.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°We do not need to tell you, your orders are to stay inside.¡± Harlan approached them. ¡°Soldier, do we have an issue?¡± ¡°Lady Adina of House Fomoria is not to leave the premises of the hotel.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I am not required to tell you.¡± ¡°If you cannot tell me, then I am taking her outside. If you do intend to stop me, then you will need to use force or call your commander to explain why.¡± The man narrowed his eyes and called over a golem. ¡°You are also not allowed to leave the hotel.¡± Harlan was done, he wanted to spend some time in the sun to just relax without being called to handle something. He just walked past the man. The golems were working with cotton gloves on, and Harlan knew it. So he made no directly harmful movement against it, instead he slipped his mental powers under the shell and directly interfaced with the gem. In a short minute it turned from a warmachine into a statue with no harm to any component. The soldier followed after him, threatening arrest and telling him he wasn¡¯t allowed to leave. The first floor was full of soldiers, the commander among them. ¡°If one of you doesn¡¯t explain what the fuck is happening I¡¯m going to just go through you.¡± The commander was a man in his 60s, he was there because he was a brown noser and a logistically minded man, not a good mage or fighter. ¡°Please, Sir Fomoria, let''s not get violent.¡± ¡°I¡¯m waiting for an explanation.¡± His eyes burned like suns through the slits in his helmet, he floated a foot off the ground and tapped his fingers on the handle for his weapon for extra effect. The commander got closer and put up a veil. ¡°A mage will side with another mage rather than the army, if one of them is infested and tells another mage that the army is unjustly trying to detain them things could get dangerous very quickly.¡± The man very much wanted to get away from Harlan. ¡°Adina, we are going back to the room.¡± When Harlan got back to their room he called Sepul. 15 minutes later Harlan was taken out and checked by Sepul who cleared him and challenged anyone to stand in his way as he opened a gate to the Redwall mansion. ¡°I¡¯ll send your carriages through another gate once I am done with everything else I need to do here.¡± ¡°Thank you. And, for the record, I believe Skit should be allowed to live for study.¡± ¡°I will pass that along when his case goes to court.¡± The two of them stepped through the gate and the guards on the other side were startled but quickly recognized Harlan. Once inside he asked a maid if she knew if anyone in the family was busy. After 10 minutes of running around she learned that Ava was out on a mission, Autumn was taking a nap with the children, and Redwall had business meetings and would be away until the evening. Jaramis however was free and headed this way. He didn¡¯t bother with a bow and neither did Harlan. ¡°Autumn said she wasn¡¯t expecting you until dinner.¡± ¡°I got away early, luckily I have friends in high places.¡± ¡°Would you and your friend like to get dressed in something a bit more friendly?¡± He had been living in his armor for about 9 days at this point, he didn¡¯t think for a moment how it looked. It didn¡¯t help that he lost the robe when someone threw a firebomb at him. ¡°Thank you for reminding me.¡± Harlan made the armor slip under his clothes and pull back from his hands and head until it was barely visible. Unfortunately there wasn¡¯t much to be done about the mana gems that stuck out on their waists, but the armor was like a safety blanket and he no longer liked being outside of it. Adina saw this and so did the same. ¡°Harlan, would you like to borrow some clothes?¡± They were heavily stained with blood and nearly torn to shreds, Harlan never really paid too much attention to it, having worried more about how he should be out doing something. ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± Jaramis awkwardly laughed and led the way to a guest room where a maid would bring him something to wear. Once he was dressed they made their way to the tearoom. Adina had never been inside a normal nobles mansion, compared to Harlan¡¯s it was technically more impressive with its wide windows and halls, its white walls and myriad artworks. Yet it did not feel like a home to her, it reminded her far too much of the place she was raised. Though she couldn¡¯t actually see many of the details, so she couldn¡¯t be sure. ¡°Harlan, could you be my eyes for a little bit?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. They now walked hand in hand, sometimes she stumbled due to seeing from his perspective instead of her own, but it was worth every second. Once they sat down a maid poured tea for each of them and they began to talk. ¡°Did you two get much rest at least?¡± ¡°My mind was¡­ distant at times, I think I slept on the 3nd and 7th day.¡± ¡°I worked 12 hours and then slept 12 hours. I think I gained a few pounds from all of the tonic and rest.¡± ¡°It is unfortunate that you were wrapped up in such horrible business.¡± ¡°If it was just the spiders, it would¡¯ve been easier. It was all the people who really bothered me. The world wasn¡¯t ending, the sky didn¡¯t fall down, but so many of them turned into selfish animals, it was just so¡­¡± ¡°Human?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Autumn told me that you were having a hard time handling things. I can¡¯t say I would be any different, I only served in the army for a year, it was not long before you got back that I returned. I had to deal with a few mercenary groups, little better than bandits really, but they were on our side. I would never say it to Autumn, but I was impressed. Every time I thought that I couldn¡¯t be more disappointed, they overcame that wall without fail. But you are the one who thinks people are people, judge them on their own merits and nothing else, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. It is hard, but I still haven''t said I won¡¯t do it. Pain in the ass dealing with pricks who spit on you and then demand you save their lives. But it is better than becoming a prick who spits on people and doesn¡¯t save them. I really thought things were going to be easy after the 7th day, but then there was talk about extending the lockdown another few days after the final check, and well¡­¡± They talked for a while before Autumn arrived with the twins. Harlan was always happy to see how fast they grew, sometimes life could feel like nothing was changing, like he was going through the motions, kill, learn, come back home, kill, learn. They were a clear sign that time was moving forward and he wasn¡¯t stuck in some purgatory. ¡°Jarrick, can you say Uncle Harlan?¡± ¡°Hawen.¡± ¡°I swear, he could do it last night. I hope I didn¡¯t make you wait long.¡± ¡°Not at all, I was just talking to Jaramis about how people are-¡± Autumn raised an eyebrow, as if daring him to say it in front of the kids. ¡°Unkind sometimes. But that doesn¡¯t matter, how have you two been.¡± Alana wasn¡¯t quite as awake as her brother and buried her face in Autumn¡¯s chest instead of answering. ¡°Nappy.¡± ¡°Would you like to go sit on your uncle''s lap?¡± Jarrik ran over and began talking to him. Harlan could barely understand what he was saying, so he just nodded and made affirmative sounds. Harlan was glad that they only needed the bare minimum of obfuscation to hide what they were talking about around the children. The more he talked the more it felt like a distant memory, something that happened in the past. He could analyze it instead of just dwelling on what he saw. Then he finally realized, he never had the chance to really talk with Adina about it. ¡°Adina, do you want to take a walk in the garden, stretch our legs before everyone else gets here?¡± Jaramis was about to say it was a good idea when Autumn shifted in her seat, making him realize that he should shut up. ¡°While I would like to come along, I think Autumn and I have preparations to attend to.¡± Harlan led her by the hand out to the garden, setting up an invisible veil that would follow them. It simply blocked sound, he never did find out how to make one that faked conversation or blurred their mouths. He stopped himself from going down the path of whys and brainstorming hows. ¡°How are you dealing with it all?¡± ¡°I was just healing people while under heavy guard, you were the one flying all around and seeking them out. I know this is going to sound really bad, but I think you agonize about other people too much. You clearly understand, but refuse to accept that you can¡¯t save everyone.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t turn this back on me, how are you doing?¡± ¡°I am glad to be out, and it was terrible, but that is just what it was. Unless you could see the future and know that it was going to get that bad in the first place, you couldn¡¯t have changed anything. Archmagi and the army got things back in order, there is only so much that one person can do.¡± ¡°You did all that you could.¡± ¡°What?¡± She narrowed her eyes, though her glare held far less power over him than Autumn¡¯s. ¡°You did everything that you could, even if you couldn¡¯t save everyone, it wasn¡¯t your fault.¡± ¡°Stop trying to turn this around on me. I am fine with what happened, I¡¯m past it. You are the one who keeps lingering on it.¡± The anger was plain on her face. ¡°I can¡¯t read minds, but I can feel your emotions, regret, shame, sadness, anger. I can tell who they are pointing at or if they are just general emotions.¡± ¡°Oh? Then who am I angry at?¡± ¡°Mostly me, but also yourself. You and I both know that nobody just shuts down and accepts things like this, you are upset, we both are. I am sure if I called Mary, she would talk to you about this.¡± ¡°Shut up, you are going to be the one who deals with me. I¡¯m angry, I got pushed around for the last week by people who either saw me as your mistress or as a stupid girl in over her head. Now hold my hand and show me these damn flowers.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± It took time, but after Lugh left Harlan did try to learn about plants. Mostly the ones that were actually useful in alchemy, the language of flowers was something he was picking up from books Yara asked him to read. They just walked circles through the garden while Adina vented about mages or soldiers who shuffled her around like she was a piece of military equipment until she was too tired to heal. At which point she was either scolded for not knowing her limits and pushing herself or because she didn¡¯t have higher limits. Yet she grinned and bore it, not wanting things to become worse between her and the army or for her to cause problems for Harlan. Nobody said it, but some of them knew who she was and they did not like that she happened to be born in the wrong place. Eventually their peace, well, ignoring all the shouting, was broken by a maid telling Harlan that his family had arrived. ¡°Thank you for listening, I really didn¡¯t want to push more on you. But you forced my hand.¡± ¡°It helps me to help others. Yara talks about how ideas aren¡¯t real until you actually say them, I think the same applies to feeling like you are ok about something that happened. Until you know how you say it outloud, you never really know.¡± ¡°How did you ever get so eloquent?¡± ¡°By stealing the words of people smarter than me and changing them to fit my needs.¡± Adina giggled. ¡°Did you steal that one too?¡± ¡°That was an original.¡± Once they made their way inside his family embraced him with a group hug, his mother checking for new scars or signs of distress on his face. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe it, you always get yourself wrapped up in things like this. Couldn¡¯t you just leave it to somebody else?¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t. Everyone who died now is because I stopped something far worse from happening.¡± ¡°Honey, it isn¡¯t your fault.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡± She furrowed her brow and waited for him to explain. ¡°Ten thousand people died, but if I wasn¡¯t there, and I didn¡¯t find out about the spiders, it could¡¯ve been the entire city, it could¡¯ve been more cities around it. It wasn¡¯t good that it happened, but it is better than if I had turned away.¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t need to be there, you could¡¯ve just told them and left, you are still a child, my child, you don¡¯t need to be a hero.¡± She had held back while they talked on the amulets, but it was the most scared for him she had ever been. With the situation with the lich it was already over by the time she heard about it. With him being kidnapped she had gotten assurances of him being fine. Yet for the 9 days he was stuck in a city that was full of enemies who could be anyone, around any corner. He had been beaten with hammers, firebombed, he got into fights with soldiers who he thought went too far, and worst of all was how coldly he talked about the people he didn¡¯t think deserved to be saved but did anyway. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m not a hero, but if I didn¡¯t do anything then I would be a monster. You don¡¯t like it, but I would never be able to look you or dad in the eyes again if I left those people to die when I know I could¡¯ve helped them. If I was just a random citizen in the city then you would hate me if I was a mage who didn¡¯t help.¡± ¡°I could never hate you, you¡¯re my baby boy.¡± ¡°I know, but I didn¡¯t do it for you. I did it for me.¡± Redmond realized they would just end up talking in circles. ¡°Harlan is a grown up now, why don¡¯t you and Harlan go see Autumn and the kids.¡± ¡°He is 15.¡± She said with more fury than she would¡¯ve liked. ¡°Sorry, honey, let¡¯s go see them.¡± Amber took his mothers place worrying about him. ¡°I should¡¯ve gone with you. I tried getting permission to go there but I was told that even if I went to the city they would turn me away.¡± ¡°I did that.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Amber-¡± Redmond decided to save his nephew from her. ¡°Harlan, let me take over, I understand why you did it, I think.¡± He quieted down and let his uncle have the floor. ¡°Amber, you have warmagic, combat magic, illusions. Which part of that would¡¯ve been helpful in that city?¡± ¡°I could¡¯ve helped keep the peace.¡± ¡°No, you would¡¯ve been a bludgeon to be used against scared and desperate people. Have you ever killed anyone?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve been involved in plenty of missions where people died.¡± Redmond looked at her, they both knew that it wasn¡¯t exactly true. ¡°I¡¯ve never directly killed another person, but I could.¡± ¡°A place like that is not somewhere you want to freeze up. Harlan, were you in danger? Even with your armor and everyone else around?¡± ¡°Yes, I was hit by firebombs, caught in blasts that took down buildings and nearly ruptured my organs, I had my arms and legs broken trying to break up fights, I was threatened with a court martial more than once. There was not a single day after the city descended into chaos that I didn¡¯t need to kill somebody or end up with an injury. I was out there on the frontlines finding the infested in crowds of people and trying to stop things from getting worse. If you never killed before, then you were not ready for what was happening.¡± ¡°I could¡¯ve been there as a guard for you. I¡¯m your Master Warmage, remember?¡± ¡°We both know that I could never do what I did if I was worried about you. Adina at least had golem armor and she was just healing people.¡± ¡°Fine, then get me one of them, then you don¡¯t have as many excuses for next time you get yourself into something like this.¡± ¡°I have gems on order, you can¡¯t just get ones of the size I need for anything but an arm and a leg most of the time. The ones I already have are going to be used for another set, but I can rush order some more. I only put it off because we have been at the academy and you and Zella don¡¯t go on missions very often.¡± ¡°Thank you. And you might be right, but I¡¯m still not happy with it.¡± They went for one more hug, disagreement was fine, but they wouldn¡¯t let it mess with their time together. Chapter 138 When dinner was nearly ready Redwall had returned, with a guest. One who wanted to have a conversation with Harlan before they ate. So he was led to the tearoom and found Blackstone waiting for him. Everyone else had been asked, or rather, politely ordered, to leave. "Harlan, have you been avoiding me?" "It has been hard to visit, after the court case I ended up making a pact with the god of dark mana and then I''ve been spending a lot of time assisting another group of students with missions sent to the academy. Now, if you really wanted to speak, you have my contact." "Oh no, I don''t think this conversation can happen anything but face to face. Did you kill my mayor?" "It was suicide, and was ruled as such." "You may not have known him, but I did, my father put him in place. That man feared death and loved gold. He was good at making one and avoiding the other, the news that he had been part of some crimes was not shocking. I want to know, did you mention revolutionaries because it was convenient for you at the time, or because you held any real suspicions?" "Guns are making their rounds in the frontiers, for him to have one so far south was odd, but it was just something I mentioned offhandedly. I hope it hasn''t caused you any distress." "Oh it has, because the crown hates the idea of a count being disloyal. The Seekers are trying to prove guilt, not innocence." Harlan did feel a little bad for her, he just assumed that she was a big fish, but when a shark starts prowling the waters¡­ "Just as a hypothetical, what would the charges be if I did admit I killed him." "Nothing, claim self defense and give a good reason for why you didn''t say it until now and the case can be dropped by me since you killed a man under me would''ve gotten a death sentence anyway and you did so while under my authority. Which does being me to another question, why hide it? You don''t shy away from violence." Harlan leaned back and sipped his tea. "What are the chances she is telling the truth?" "She is in deep waters and you can pull her out, even in the worst case all you can lose is gold. A noble covering up a just killing wouldn''t be new." "Should I pull her up?" "It isn''t my choice, but, if I had to choose, then yes. Once wronged, once forgiven. She rushed that case for you and I believe she feels some regret over what she did on your first meeting." He set his cup down on the table. "I assume you heard what I did the day prior to your mayor''s death?" "You killed bandits, what of it?" "I tried to kill a disarmed man, Ava wasn''t happy with me. I didn''t want her to hear that I killed more people who I could''ve captured." Blackstone sighed and pulled a flask from her handbag. She took a swig and asked Harlan to do the same, though he refused and she drank his share. "What did he say then, to make you decide he couldn¡¯t live any longer?" "He said If I arrested him he would be out before the moon was up and that he would send people after Ava. I couldn''t take that chance, he was clearly a man of wealth and influence." "That he was. I understand your reasoning at least. You were acting under my authority, you killed a man under my authority. I''ll try to keep what happened quiet, but your secrets seem to get out." "I''m sorry for the trouble I''ve caused you. Had I known what would happen I wouldn''t have said anything about his gun.¡± ¡°Now then, we have that settled. But, there is still something else. How much would it cost to make a set of that armor, the one you and your family have and nobody else. I had contacted the crown to see if I could avoid taking up more of your time, but after a long delay I was told that it was part of a contract between you and the king himself, nobody was supposed to know how it was made other than you.¡± ¡°For you, as part of my apology, I would make one for cost plus 10%. The armor itself would need to be forged by a blacksmith, either your own personal one or a man named Brig in Luth would be good. Then I would just need 2 mana gems at least 3 inches in diameter. I spent 1000 on this one, 1200 on another set, and considering the rush to make another for my sister before we return to the academy, I might end up spending 1500 or more on her set.¡± ¡°What do you think it would cost if you were to sell one without a discount?¡± ¡°I¡¯d never sell for less than 2500 gold coins, that would cover labor, materials, and then the premium that I would charge just for the fact that I can.¡± ¡°Onyx¡¯s birthday is near, just a few days before the party I throw before the students leave for the academy. I would like 3 of them, one for myself, one for him, and one for Sable. How does this sound, 5000 gold, I will provide the materials for my sets, and the gems for yours at the price I paid for them originally?¡± ¡°What do you think? Good idea?¡± ¡°I kinda like her, so why not? It is going to take you, what, 3 or 4 hours per armor?¡± ¡°Depends on what she wants them to do, I also need to update my book of spells so she can look at what I can actually do. I don¡¯t want people looking too closely at the gem.¡± ¡°That is fine. But, you would be limited to only what I can do. I have a book of spells at my home that you can look over, but I do not want others to try and soulsmith the gems after I am finished. These are my works, and I do not want others to find out ways to find out how they might harm my family by understanding them.¡± ¡°Very well. Shall we head there after dinner? Or perhaps you would rather schedule another day?¡± ¡°After dinner would be fine.¡± They walked the halls to the dining room, making small talk along the way. Harlan didn¡¯t want any details of their conversation continuing past what had already been said. When they reached the dining room Redwall was not sitting in his chair at the head of the table, but rather to the right of it. A bottle of whiskey was in a bucket of ice in the hands of a servant on standby. He would¡¯ve been the most nervous person in the room had it not been for Redwall being right next to them. Blackstone sat at the head of the table as if it was her own home, leaving Harlan confused by the situation, she was the guest, and not the head of the house. ¡°Harlan, why not take the seat to my left.¡± It was not a question, despite her asking. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Redwall, how kind of you to give me your seat, and a bottle of drink already in ice, well done.¡± ¡°Of course, I always try to keep one for you at the ready.¡± Everyone felt a little awkward with her there, mostly because Redwall¡¯s mood was infectious. Harlan was the only one who did not get intimidated. But what he did find worrying, was even mixing it half with water, she drank nearly half of the bottle of whiskey. Even still, she barely slurred her words and kept drinking throughout the meal. ¡°Redwall, I¡¯m done. Harlan¡­ he¡¯s making something for me. Let¡¯s¡­ go¡­¡± She got up and Harlan tried to be a shoulder to lean on, yet his sixth sense told him not to do that. ¡°Tread very carefully, a little grief and alcohol makes people do¡­ less than ideal things. Ask if you can lower her buzz. But be polite.¡± ¡±Countess Blackstone, would you like me to clear some of the alcohol from your system?¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. She just glared at him. Luckily Sepul had returned the carriage, and not a single box or bag was out of place. Blackstone stepped inside the carriage without tripping and leaned up against the wall. ¡°Next to me, sit.¡± Harlan sat next to her and she found him more comfortable than the wall. What made it worse was that Adina was sitting across from them. ¡°Do you have drink in here?¡± ¡°No.¡± She yelled to stop, which Harlan did. Then she opened the door to find a servant had the bottle in hand along with a bucket. ¡°Get it.¡± Harlan telekinetically grabbed the bottle and thanked the man who fearfully, but respectfully, jogged away from them. It would take 3 hours for them to reach Harlan¡¯s home, and then another 6 to reach Blackstone¡¯s home. Harlan hoped that she wasn¡¯t planning on staying the night, but the more she drank the more clear it was that she was in no state to return on her own, maybe she just assumed he understood that from the start? After an hour and a half of asking all manner of questions about Harlan she started staring holes through Adina. ¡°Hey, Reinoan¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Countess Blackstone?¡± ¡°Harlan¡­ What is she?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Mistress? Lover? Something more?¡± ¡°We¡¯re just friends, but, we are going to be moving forward when we feel it is right.¡± ¡°What a fu- what a waste. Girl¡­ he¡¯s good, right?¡± ¡°Harlan is a good person.¡± ¡°Keep him close. Good men always die too young, Harlan is an idiot, stupid stupid stupid. Hey, stupid boy, marry Sable instead¡­ She needs a good man, she is a brat, but she¡¯ll get good, don¡¯t worry. Make my little girl happy.¡± ¡°I am not looking for marriage right now.¡± ¡°Idiot, don¡¯t wait, babies are easier to take care of in your prime.¡± She began to cry. ¡°When you die young, make sure they¡¯re old enough to be good for your wife. Don¡¯t be a bad dead man. I miss him, stupid idiot, always saving fucking morons, stupid.¡± She chugged the last of the bottle and passed out, her arm over Harlan¡¯s shoulder and her head on his. Once Harlan was absolutely sure that she wasn¡¯t going to suddenly spring awake he called Onyx. 5 minutes passed before he answered. ¡°Harlan?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m with your mother.¡± ¡°Ah, did she forget her amulet?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, she is sleeping right now.¡± Horror came over his face, though Harlan had no way to know that. ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can get a gate, where are you right now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m on the way to my home, probably an hour out, a little over perhaps.¡± ¡°Has she been¡­ becoming of a noble?¡± ¡°She has done nothing that offended me.¡± The wording worried Onyx. ¡°Let me contact the local gate mage, I just hope he isn¡¯t away doing something else.¡± He hung up the call and did not return for 40 minutes. ¡°I can¡¯t get a gate, but I¡¯ll be there as quickly as I can.¡± ¡°Is there a problem with me just putting her in a guest room and letting her sleep it off?¡± ¡°How much did she drink?¡± ¡°A bottle that Redwall gave her.¡± ¡°How much of the bottle?¡± ¡°The whole thing?¡± There was a pause. ¡°Can you meet me half way back here?¡± ¡°She came here to have a meeting with me about something, but yes, I could bring her back as long as she doesn¡¯t wake up.¡± Another pause, Onyx was not confident that this wasn¡¯t one of his mother¡¯s plans. ¡°She would be upset if she had to travel back. Do you keep anything drinks in your home?¡± ¡°Just wine, I¡¯ve always heard whiskey is more of a drinking man''s liquor and less of a courtesy drink.¡± ¡°Mix it half with water, place the bottle near her bed, she will find it when she wakes up. I will be there in the morning. I am sorry to make you do this, she didn¡¯t tell me she was leaving for the night. And please, don¡¯t hold anything she says against her.¡± ¡°Is she going to be alright? She hasn¡¯t¡­ expelled any of what she has already drank yet, surely her liver is not happy with her.¡± ¡°She will be fine, I¡¯m unsure if she has spent a day without drinking in 10 years. Don¡¯t tell her I said that. Our doctor has kept her liver just fine. Though I do find it very odd that she drank so much, she¡­ I shouldn¡¯t say anymore. Thank you for taking care of her, I will be there at dawn.¡± ¡±Do you think she is going to be alright by then?¡± ¡°Once she has the presence of mind to do so, she will sober up by herself. Just keep her calm until then.¡± Harlan used soulspeak with Adina, he was a little worried about Dawn showing up, but she could hide her mind in some way that he didn¡¯t understand and she didn¡¯t want to explain. ¡°How are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen somebody drunk like this. In stories they are a bit more jovial.¡± ¡°Some people are angry drunks, some aren¡¯t.¡± ¡°I wonder, which one you are?¡± ¡°People have inhibitions for a reason. I don¡¯t want to, nor should I ever be drinking.¡± ¡°Alright. Did anything happen that you didn¡¯t tell me about back in Borden?¡± ¡°We barely got the chance to talk about anything that happened there. So yes.¡± She gave him the same ¡®I know you know what I meant¡¯ look that Redmond gave Amber. ¡°I almost died, and then I¡­ consumed a person.¡± Funny, she felt worry, not fear. Despite how it sounded, like he had committed one of the worst taboos for a human, she was worried about him. ¡°Are you ok? I mean, you don¡¯t need to tell me what happened. I¡¯m sure you had no choice.¡± ¡°I got shot, first one took a part of my neck, I barely lived. I got shot again, most of my stomach was hanging out of my body, not sure how many organs were shutting down. So I tricked the only survivor inside of a ritual I set up already, and I turned his flesh into mine. I didn¡¯t eat him, I did something else, absorbed him into me.¡± She let out a relieved sigh. ¡°You should¡¯ve been more disgusted.¡± ¡°You could do a lot of very bad things for very good reasons, and I would be ok with them. If it saved your life, I wouldn¡¯t mind if you actually did eat him.¡± ¡°It should bother you. You are probably the closest person outside of my family to me, and I want you to want me to be better, not to accept me as I am. Look, we¡¯ve had this conversation already, there isn¡¯t much else that we can say on this topic.¡± ¡°I disagree, but I know you are stubborn and I¡¯m not as convincing as Yara when arguing.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t compare yourself to her, comparison is the enemy of improvement.¡± ¡°Easy to say when you¡¯re the better person.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just a little upset over everything still, don¡¯t worry about it. Do you think she was right?¡± ¡°About which part?¡± ¡°Having kids in your prime, I know we¡¯ve got 3 years, but after the academy, well¡­?¡± ¡°I¡­ I think I can try, I still feel awkward about everything, but, I can¡¯t think of a single person other than you that I would want to be together with.¡± ¡°Not even Sable? How come I¡¯ve never heard of her until now?¡± ¡°She was my first dance partner at the gala. Blackstone wants to stick me with her because I remind her of her husband who passed away. We already talked about it, and she doesn¡¯t even know me. I wanted to avoid a prearranged marriage in part because of something like that happening. I do not want anyone making that choice for me.¡± Harlan had to take a deep breath to calm himself. ¡°We¡¯re almost back, I¡¯ve got to figure out how to move her without waking her up. Telekinesis is probably my best bet.¡± He felt an odd tickle on the back of his neck and cut off the connection. Adina thought he had done it to avoid letting any of his darker thoughts through, which was almost right. ¡°She¡¯ll be out like a candle in the rain for a while, just pick her up and put her in your bed. Trust me, Eliza did this to plenty of people.¡± ¡°My bed?¡± ¡°She took the baron¡¯s chair, you think she is going to be ok with a guest room? You aren¡¯t going to use it anyway.¡± ¡°I guess that does make sense.¡± As soon as the carriage barely lurched forward Blackstone was awake. ¡°Show me my room.¡± Harlan was somewhat baffled, they had hit bumps that caused far more movement, yet the second they stopped it was like she had been awake the entire time. He led her inside and up the stairs. Sara was in the kitchen making sure that everything in the cupboards were fresh for when Harlan came back, she didn¡¯t expect to see him so soon. ¡°Is there anything you need?¡± ¡°Bring me a bottle of wine, fill it half with water.¡± Blackstone stopped like a ton of bricks. ¡°Don¡¯t give me any of that watered down stuff. Please.¡± She clung tightly to Harlan, despite her earlier anger at even being lent a hand. As she came down, she was entering a sad state of drunkenness. ¡°Just bring the bottle.¡± ¡°Crackers, or bread.¡± ¡°Crackers and bread as well. Do you want butter or jams?¡± ¡°No.¡± Harlan was having a hard time opening the door to his bedroom since she kept grabbing at his hands and trying to apologize for making him do this for her, forcing him to resort to telekinesis. Once she was inside she asked for the bathroom and then told him to please leave. He stayed around outside the door just to make sure Sara would be alright, and then once she got her bread and wine she went to sleep. Chapter 139 Blackstone awoke and joined the rest of the house for breakfast as if nothing had happened. She didn¡¯t even smell of liquor. After some advice from Sara they decided on a breakfast of roasted potatoes, sausage patties, and a rich broth soup made from beef. ¡°Good morning, Countess Blackstone.¡± ¡°You as well, Harlan. Shall we have our conversation in private after breakfast is finished?¡± ¡°Of course, I have just the space.¡± ¡°Your table is filled out more than I would expect, are these young women also ministers of yours? You know that filling out your inner circle with too many of them will-¡± ¡°Blackstone, please, we both know what people say about me. These are my maids. I would like a nice breakfast, so please be civil.¡± ¡°Very well. You don¡¯t keep any drink in your home, do you?¡± ¡°I had a single bottle of wine. But you drank it last night.¡± ¡°Really? Well, not a worry. You know, I would still like that dinner together.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that, considering what you said last night.¡± ¡°Of course, I am certain Sable has mentioned it, but I believe you are the perfect man for her. Strong, brave, willing to do what needs to be done, but doesn¡¯t want to fall far enough to be really dangerous.¡± ¡°I think you are giving me too much credit.¡± ¡°You are not giving yourself enough. My husband, when he was still with us.¡± She barely lowered her eyes before catching herself. ¡°He never believed that he was a great man, yet everyone who knew him thought he was. That is another strong suit, you are not overly prideful. You even invite the help to dine with you.¡± ¡°She is playing you.¡± ¡°And I want to fall for it.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t stop you.¡± ¡°Blackstone, I have no interest in Sable. I decided that once I come of age I will enter a relationship of that kind with Adina. So I am asking, because you are my guest and I am your host, that you drop the subject, and that you respect my maids. They are not the help, they are friends of mine who are also employees.¡± She placed her elbow on the table and rested her head on her hand, a longing look in her eyes as she ¡°Were I just 25 years younger¡­¡± Everyone just gave her an odd look and she barely said anything else while they ate. Once they were done Harlan led her down to the bunker, hoping to see Balor as well. He didn¡¯t always come to dinners on account of knowing Harlan would be back home at some point and him being unable to eat. What was odd was that he wasn¡¯t answering his amulet, though after calling others he learned he was in the middle of something. He had Blackstone sit in a meeting room while he grabbed his book of spells and some paper so he could draw up diagrams and a manual for each of the armors. When he opened the door to the lab they most often used, Balor was inside with a single blood crystal the size of Harlan. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to understand the flow of life in blood after the body has been killed. I¡¯ve put aside the idea of transfering my soul, but if I could make a golem out of flesh and implant myself, it might be better.¡± ¡°Interesting. Have you been able to use the sigils yet? I was going to talk with you about it, but I didn¡¯t want to do it if not in person. I got the ritual to work, the change I made was to have a willing subject, but it also worked on a dead body.¡± ¡°Perhaps I should try them again, but no, they are still painful to be around. So long as one of them is in my sight I can¡¯t focus well enough to do delicate work.¡± ¡°Have you spoken with The Mother about this?¡± ¡±I still don¡¯t trust her. So no, I have not spoken with her.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t disagree, but I think she can be trusted enough for you to speak with her. If she did harm you, then she risks her champion ignoring her.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel like having this conversation again. Did you come in here for anything else?¡± ¡°Book of spells, pencils, and paper.¡± ¡°Of course, everything is where it should be and Isha makes sure we keep them in stock.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Harlan returned to Blackstone and walked her through everything that wasn¡¯t in the book. Well, everything he was willing to talk about. ¡°With that out of the way, how did I act last night? I am sorry for anything I might¡¯ve said.¡± He spoke without an ounce of hesitation. ¡°You acted as any noble should, I took no offense.¡± She narrowed her eyes. ¡°You found out how to lie, that is¡­ concerning. I will assume I didn¡¯t do anything too bad, since I doubt you would hold back if I did offend you.¡± ¡°You were fine. Onyx gave me a little advice on how to deal with you. He said he would be here by dawn, but he is late.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a little surprised, I know I can be¡­ erratic when I forget to pace myself.¡± ¡°You spent the carriage ride over here asking me personal questions with your head on my shoulder, then you passed out once you finished the bottle of whiskey.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ try anything, right?¡± ¡°No, you were proper. You did tell me to marry Sable however. Then you told me that having babies was better in my prime and I was going to die young because I was good.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t tell anyone about that, right?¡± ¡°Adina was in the carriage with us, but no, nobody else. I know that drink and grief makes people say things they don¡¯t want to say, so I understand that it was just you worrying about your daughter and me.¡± ¡°I need another drink.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait until you get home or pick something up when you pass through a town. But, maybe it would be better to talk to somebody so you don¡¯t feel the need to drink.¡± After a few minutes of laughing herself sick she called Onyx to ask where he was. Apparently Jet had something he couldn¡¯t tell their mother about and needed his help with, so he risked her being there with Harlan and in a bad mood for the sake of his brother. He would be there shortly, so Blackstone wanted to finish up their dealing before then. ¡°Is there anything else you need then?¡± ¡°Not regarding the armors, do you have any questions?¡± ¡°With how they swirl and shift like a liquid, why does it matter how the armor itself is designed? Couldn¡¯t you just put the gems in a block of metal and make it work just the same?¡± ¡°Yes and no. Yes, that could work, but no, because it would be a bad idea. When you aren¡¯t doing anything, the armor has to have a base form to return to. Just by hiding it under my clothes like I am, there is a minute drain, nothing to worry about, I¡¯m actually replenishing it faster than it drains. But, if the form it wanted to return to was entirely unlike what it now is, then that drain is going to be higher.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Alright, now your question.¡± ¡°I have nothing to ask.¡± ¡°Oh yes you do.¡± Harlan leaned back in his seat. ¡°Why did you laugh so much when I suggested you speak to somebody.¡± ¡°Because my drinking isn¡¯t a problem, I¡¯m very high functioning. And I have talked to people, friends and family and so on. I¡¯m lonely, but I¡¯m not oblivious to what I want, who I am, or how others have told me to handle my grief. Unless I find somebody who I can truly love, it would be pointless to satisfy that part of me.¡± Harlan was a little disgusted, things seemed to lead back to this subject far too often. ¡°Oh don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯m choosing to abstain from that path because I know it would be worse than my drinking.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard enough.¡± ¡°Yes, you have. I don¡¯t really feel comfortable talking with you about it anyway.¡± That, he could tell, was a lie. She wasn¡¯t bothered at all talking about the subject, she was just choosing not to continue talking about it with him because she could tell he didn¡¯t like it. Once Onyx had arrived they both moved upstairs. ¡°I am sorry that my mother has imposed on you while in an unwell state.¡± ¡°Not a worry, we had business, now it is finished. It would¡¯ve been rude if I hadn¡¯t brought her along and let her rest.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, what business did she have with you?¡± ¡°She has requested that it remains private.¡± ¡°Very well. I shall see you at the party before you return to the academy I assume?¡± ¡°Yes, I planned to go.¡± With their awkward smalltalk out of the way Harlan waved them goodbye and decided to walk around the house. Isha was hanging up clothes outside, with the new workers and spies there was no small amount to wash and dry. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve finished with Blackstone then?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Harlan began to telekinetically clip the clothes onto the line. ¡°I wanted to say, you don¡¯t need to stand up to people for us. We are your workers to everyone who doesn¡¯t know you, and that is fine.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t let anyone short of the king come into my home and insult my friends.¡± ¡°There really isn¡¯t any need for that, we are all big kids, we can handle ourselves.¡± She turned around to get another basket of clothes only to see them all empty. ¡°Do you want any help with anything else? I just want to clear my head for a bit.¡± ¡°I have more things to wash. I need to clear the gutters, pick things from the garden, clean, cut, and can what we aren¡¯t going to be using. There are fermentations that need to be checked on, meats to be smoked. After that I would just walk around to see what might¡¯ve been missed. Oh, and your things from the academy, you came in so late that we didn¡¯t get the chance to bring all of it in and sort it.¡± ¡°What is Sara going to be doing then?¡± ¡°Balor has her running errands, she isn¡¯t here that much anymore during the day.¡± ¡°Well, I suppose I¡¯ll need to send her out again. I need to make an armor for Amber and I wouldn¡¯t want anyone but Brig making it.¡± ¡°You could just call Adina, she went with her.¡± Harlan stuttered in his step for just a moment and Isha laughed. ¡°Is it really that surprising? She has been coming here with you for months, Sara and her aren¡¯t exactly strangers.¡± ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect her to want to go out of here at all for a while. She hasn¡¯t even been to Tole yet.¡± ¡°Perhaps she knows that you would be watching her like a hawk and she wouldn¡¯t be allowed to get a good sense of the people.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really happy then.¡± ¡°Oh? I almost expected you to run off after them.¡± ¡°If she wants to be independent, maybe our time in Borden helped more than it hurt.¡± Another voice came from behind. ¡°Humans often need to be tempered in fire.¡± He took a combat stance and his armor lost all subtly along with the rod he kept on him. Yet when he turned around it was no enemy. ¡°Blue?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been meaning to visit you as part of my journey.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The steel receded under cloth and he holstered his weapon. Harlan looked around but there were no more minds besides the ones he knew. ¡°Did Gertrude not come? Or is she just behind you in a carriage?¡± ¡°She passed away, I¡¯ve taken to traveling. Once I go back I¡¯ll pick my new partner.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that. If you don¡¯t mind my asking, what happened?¡± ¡°She went in her sleep. Your magic let her last moments be relatively painless. For that, I thank you.¡± ¡°Would you like to come inside? I¡¯m not sure what you eat, but I should have something.¡± ¡°No, I was just passing through the area and thought to stop by. This is a nice home, it reminds me of what Jennifer and I once had. But, if you wouldn¡¯t mind, I would take a few peaches.¡± ¡°Of course, and, if you don¡¯t mind. How did you hide yourself? Sneaking up on me is¡­¡± ¡°Nearly impossible for normal people. I am aware of what you are and how to get around it. As for the how, I will not be explaining.¡± ¡°I was worried my senses were betraying me.¡± ¡°Once you get as old as me, you won¡¯t be doubting them anymore, Little Shadow.¡± ¡°Odd, you aren¡¯t the first person to call me that. Where did you hear it?¡± ¡°It is your true name now. I won¡¯t get into the specifics, but Marigold¡¯s name is an enchanted word, so your name is also now etched among the souls of man and beast.¡± ¡°That¡­ feels wrong.¡± ¡°Wrongness is just a feeling people have. Don¡¯t ignore it, but don''t get too caught up on it either.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think on that.¡± ¡°Of course you will, I¡¯ve heard you do quite a lot of thinking.¡± ¡°Did you visit people I know?¡± ¡°I stopped by the academy last week, the students were gone but the teachers were still there. So I had plenty of them to speak with. I also spoke with Sepul, who has given me a great deal of insight into you.¡± With those final words Blue took a few peaches, eating them pit and all, then asked them to step back while he crouched down. With a movement so fast Harlan nearly missed it the only living Skyfury leapt upwards like a bolt of lightning in reverse. Once he was a few hundred feet high he seemed to grow tenfold, his body became shrouded in dark clouds that were lit from the inside by the bright blue lightning. The form gave one massive flap of its wings and a loud boom rang out when the bird instantly left the sight of anyone watching. Harlan received a call from Adina shortly after. She was terrified of what that might¡¯ve been, but after a few short explanations she and Sara went back to their errands. Adina was actually having a pleasant time in Tole, many of the people treated her in a friendly manner on account of the crest clear on the rope she wore. Many of the businesses had the crest on them to denote that they were under the protection of Balor¡¯s men. The guards were better equipped than most towns 4 times this size. ¡°This place is quite unique. Where are we going next?¡± ¡°Adventurers guild.¡± ¡°Oh? Is it just like the stories?¡± ¡°Depends what you mean.¡± ¡°A wild assortment of men and women willing to help for coin.¡± ¡°More like a den of lechers and people kicked from the army. We are going there to retrieve some items that have been rented but payments have been missed. Balor is pretty forgiving, but we are nearly ready to just not let them rent weapons and armor at all. Breaking it is fine, stealing it is too far though.¡± ¡°Am I here as your muscle?¡± ¡°Are you kidding? Harlan hates adventurers, if I made you fight some of them he wouldn¡¯t be happy with any of us. The guard will handle them, if not, anyone who helps us get back items like this can get discounts on their own rentals or purchases.¡± ¡°This whole system is quite odd to me.¡± ¡°People are fine to pay for a little golem to help clean every one in a while instead of the cost of a maid or actually owning such a thing. Farmers can get golems that harvest their fields, hunters get something to watch their back while they sleep or just a little hotplate to cook without needing to build a fire every time. During the winter we actually ran out of kettles. I think it is wonderful what Balor has done for these people. He sometimes gets a little weird when talking about nobility, but I try not to pay too much attention.¡± ¡°What do you mean by weird?¡± ¡°Well, I just don¡¯t think he likes nobles. I know he doesn¡¯t mind Redwall, but I think he holds contempt for almost every other one.¡± ¡°Blackstone?¡± ¡°I probably shouldn¡¯t say anymore. Ears everywhere, and not all of them are Balor¡¯s.¡± They stepped into the adventurers guild flanked by two man shaped golems and four town guards. As part of a contract, Balor provided 1 golem per 2 guards and outside of a few situations, it had been working out well for both sides. Sara had a list of what items they needed to find, a description of the man who had them, and lastly a gem that glowed red in the presence of the item that she was thinking about. It wasn¡¯t really a secret anymore that Harlan had a way to soulsmith which would let divinations and other magic that required thought to actually be used. What did bother people however, was both that he wouldn¡¯t give up the new method, and the king had put out a declaration to every noble house that he was not to be forced into giving it out under threat of their entire homes being considered traitors to the crown and that reverse engineering the method was punishable by death. There were crimes where just the house head and whoever else was involved would be punished, and then there were crimes that got houses razed. A larger part of why it was being treated so harshly was not just because of the power imbalance that could come from nobles making their private armies stronger with less people, but also because it let Yggdra weed out people with more greed than sense. The closer he got to his appointed date with death, the more he wanted to leave behind a country which would be easier to rule than the one he was handed. Hydran had gone missing some time ago, hunting accident was the official story, but in reality he was just an example being made. No other children of the royal family needed to die, the message was clear. Chapter 140 As Harlan and Isha watch the bird-shaped cloud lose its glow and fade back to white Dawn told Harlan that his amulet was shining. ¡°Shelly?¡± ¡°Are you alone? If not, get under a veil.¡± ¡°You sound a little off, are you ok?¡± ¡°Get somewhere private.¡± Harlan waved goodbye to Isha and went to the bunker meeting room where he had been speaking with Blackstone before. ¡°Shelly, I¡¯m in a private room.¡± ¡°Why do you want to know about Eliza? Boy.¡± ¡°Who is this? Where is Shelly?¡± The woman on the other side heard a loud slam as Harlan struck the table. ¡°What are you, Her boyfriend? I¡¯m her mother, now answer the question.¡± ¡°It is a private matter.¡± ¡°Then you aren¡¯t getting anything about her, she was a friend of mine.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°This conversation isn¡¯t going anywhere, answer my question or I am going to cut this off.¡± ¡°Did Shelly not say anything about me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know who you are, I just waited for her to call somebody and took the amulet.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Harlan Fomoria, a noble in Blackstone County. Eliza¡­ was my mother.¡± ¡°Bullshit. She died with 1 daughter, no sons.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to have the conversation of what happened to her unless it is face to face. I wanted to find her because I wanted to know who my family by blood is. And, from what I¡¯ve heard, I wouldn¡¯t have gotten along with her and that is something that I hate. If you could give me a better picture of her good side, I would be very happy to hear it.¡± ¡°She was¡­ complicated. Who told you about her?¡± ¡°The god of dark mana, but most people just call her The Darkness. And, someone else, but she doesn¡¯t want to talk to other people.¡± Dawn was full of conflicting emotions, hearing Sheron¡¯s voice, her brash manner of speech, the way she stuck up for her always, it made her want to talk. But she knew these were not really her feelings, she was not Eliza, she did not want to be Eliza. The dead should be dead, and their feelings gone with them. ¡°Tell me then, what was her favorite food?¡± They had been through this once, so Dawn had worked out a way to avoid it happening again while she fed him answers. ¡°Strawberry cream cake, from the academy cafeteria.¡± ¡°Color?¡± ¡°White.¡± ¡°I need to have a talk with some people. I¡¯ll get back to you.¡± She didn¡¯t even give him the chance to say goodbye. Before he had the chance to stand up he was getting another call. ¡°Good morning, Selen.¡± ¡°Good morning, Mr.Harlan.¡± ¡°Hello, Wulrun. Can you hand the amulet back to Selen, please?¡± ¡°Harlan, I hope I¡¯ve not interrupted anything.¡± ¡°Not at all, I just finished another conversation when you called.¡± ¡°I wanted to say that I am back in Ragne, and Lata isn¡¯t too far away from you. I don¡¯t mean to impose, but Wulrun has been asking to see you. However, on account of what you¡¯ve been through this last weak, I fully understand that you likely don¡¯t need him running around.¡± ¡°When would you be able to come over? I think he would like to play here. I¡¯m sure my parents would like the little ball of energy around.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve actually been given the entire summer off since I am working for the academy and not the Nightwatchers for the next few years. Unless there is an emergency I¡¯m free.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get back to you, I¡¯ve got some work that I need to do and some catching up with my uncle, but not more than a week.¡± ¡°Very well, we will speak again at that time.¡± Harlan waited to stand, wondering if there was another call coming in. After half a minute he decided it was fine. ¡°Dawn, how are you feeling?¡± ¡°Weird, strange, odd. I¡¯m nostalgic for someone I¡¯ve never seen and logically is going to be pissed off if she ever learns I exist. You know she is going to hate you, right?¡± ¡°I got that feeling from her. Were they close?¡± ¡°Sheron loved Eliza like a sister, probably because she didn¡¯t have any of her own.¡± Harlan hesitated to ask, but he couldn¡¯t let his feelings cloud his choices. ¡°What can you tell me about her? Anything I need to know¡­ just in case?¡± ¡°She is the daughter of a soldier, wasn¡¯t a noble when Eliza knew her, but she got a scholarship at the grand academy through her own talent so I¡¯m not shocked she ended up as one. By now she must be 39. If you meet, bring plum wine or peach whiskey. She wasn¡¯t a heavy drinker, but she likes to sip these things. She has a very poor temper, so if you meet her, do it in a safe place, not at her home.¡± ¡°Would she really try to hurt me?¡± ¡°You know what you are, she is going to see you as something other than her son. Whatever happens, don¡¯t be afraid to defend yourself. I hope you can do that at least.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve come to terms with what I am, how I was born, well, mostly. I am not going to let myself be beaten down.¡± ¡°Good, now let¡¯s see how that resolve lasts when you actually meet her.¡± Harlan peaked in on Balor. They had spent much of the night before going over what Harlan learned from the sigils, and while Balor couldn¡¯t use them in his work, if he got enough done that he could connect with a body of flesh and bone, then Harlan could flesh sculpt that into a form Balor liked. ¡°Have you learned anything from what we put together last night?¡± ¡°The flesh rejects that which is not of it. Ah, sorry, I¡¯ve spent too much time reading. Yes, I¡¯ve abandoned growing a body, since you can make one for me now. But I¡¯ve been unable to put my gem into any bodies at all without some rejection. Dulled senses, hypersensitivity, pain, odd itches, it is always a very disorienting experience.¡± ¡°That just sounds like you aren¡¯t used to having a body. Babies cry about everything because they¡¯ve spent 9 months in the womb, then they get out and everything is too loud, too bright. Have you considered that you have already solved the issue? Even years ago I could put a piece of my soul in a gem, put it in a rabbit, and it would spring to life.¡± ¡°That¡­ that just can¡¯t be, I must¡¯ve failed somewhere along the way.¡± ¡°I know how it feels, you put all your time into something and it doesn¡¯t work like you want it to.¡± There was a silence as Balor thought through the validity of what Harlan was saying and then slammed the table, once more crumpling the metal. ¡°NO. IT DOESN¡¯T MAKE SENSE. IT, SHOULD, BE, BETTER.¡± ¡°Balor, calm down. You said it yourself once, you aren¡¯t tied to hormones like I am. I feel weird some days as well because of growing up. All kinds of strange feelings are just part of being human.¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want that. I want it to be better.¡± ¡°I have something to show you.¡± He called Sepul, who answered after only a few moments. ¡°Harlan, are you alone?¡± ¡°I am with Balor, I¡¯m calling about subject 14.¡± ¡°Then he knows?¡± ¡°Yes. I wanted to know when you could bring him here, Balor has been having some trouble on account of being human not being what he thought it was. I wanted to show him what a person who isn¡¯t used to their body is like.¡± ¡°Give me a few hours, I¡¯ll deliver him directly to your home.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Harlan put his amulet away. ¡°Balor, I think you need some time to think about what you actually want. There is nothing wrong if you decide that you don¡¯t want a human body. You aren¡¯t any less of a person because your hands are steel, your soul is still all you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for what you have to show me. I¡­ I do need to think about this, I somewhat knew what you¡¯ve told me, I didn¡¯t just want it to be true.¡± ¡°Nothing wrong with that, reality is so often disappointing.¡± Before splitting up the brothers tightly grasped the hand of the other and locked eyes, hugging seemed wrong, a pat on the back would feel patronizing, the gesture felt more resolute than simply comforting. Harlan returned topside to help unpack and sort his items. Anything marked with a skull was supposed to be left alone, yellow tape meant it needed to be set aside to be sorted by him, and everything else was safe to open and be put in the appropriate area of the house by the maids. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Sara and Adina returned part of the way through and helped as well. Isha had in her hand a stonesteel box with a crumpled ingot inside of it. ¡°Harlan, where do you want this?¡± ¡°Let me see that.¡± He took it out of the box, veins of stonesteel were clearly growing from its center. He thought about it, and eventually remembered what it was, at which point he put it back in the box. ¡°Just an item I never got around to forming into something usable. Put it down in the bunker in the meeting room, Balor is in the lab right now and I don¡¯t want him bothered.¡± He didn¡¯t want to let it show on his face, but he had to find out, maybe he had done nothing, maybe he had just figured out something that had far reaching implications. Maybe he would never need to pay for magical metals again, just buy iron ingots and make them transform. If it had turned roughly 60% in the last 2 months since he forgot about it in his closet, then it should only need another month to finish. The only other question was of purity. Magical ores bound themselves to other metals very easily, but to get high quality metals required them to be purified and then mixed with the right quantities of mundane metals. If the ingot had effectively made ore, then that would still be a great discovery, and arguably more important than just making high quality ingots, but if it was ore, then it needed refinement that only blacksmiths knew how to do properly. After all of the unpacking he showed Adina to her cabin. She had been on his lands before even after the cabin was done, but she didn¡¯t want to even see inside of it until she was really there to stay. Until she left the academy, it could all still crumble, and the idea of having a home to herself and then losing it was terrifying. It was fairly simple, a large main room that held the kitchen and the living room. To the left one could find the storage room next to the kitchen, to the right was a bathroom for guests. To the back was a bedroom furnished with dressers, a closet, a writing desk, and a queen sized bed, along with a private bathroom with a tub and a shower. One thing that Harlan wanted was to upgrade every room to have both. The utility of a shower was nice, but he had rediscovered the joy of a long soak in hot water after the days in Borden. ¡°I tried to give you everything you will need, but don¡¯t hesitate to ask for anything that I missed.¡± ¡°It is perfect, all I really need is more clothes. The academy doesn¡¯t mind letting us take one set back, but they don¡¯t let us take all of our uniforms.¡± ¡°Would you like to visit Luth? It is closer than Tole, but I try not to go too much on account of how much Balor has been a part of a decline in business there.¡± ¡°I think I want a nap. It hasn¡¯t been that long since we got back and after everything I did with Sara, I am a bit tired.¡± ¡°Not a problem, I am going there now to get some things made, but I¡¯ll need to pick them up later anyway.¡± Adina yawned. ¡°Have fun.¡± The first place Harlan went was Brig¡¯s shop. There was a tension clear in the air as he approached, both of them felt it. Brig locked eyes with him, a spear Harlan had never seen in hand. ¡°Ya got involved with em¡¯ didn''t ya? damn gods.¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°One ah your kind, the blackout, your eyes changin¡¯, don¡¯t need ta say a word. I¡¯m packin¡¯ up shop, finding somewhere else.¡± Harlan tried to get closer, he was confused about the whole thing, but as he stepped closer Brig dropped the facade, pointing his spear at him and unveiling his eyes. They were like a whirlpool, the pupils being the hole which the water drained to. ¡°Ain¡¯t no good from two ah our kind near another.¡± ¡°You are the champion of water?¡± ¡°Aye, she ain¡¯t done right by me, and I ain¡¯t gonna git tied up with that witch cause¡¯ you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Wait, stop for a moment. I¡¯m not any different than I was before. I just came here to ask you to make some things for me. And to pick up that other set of armor I had ordered.¡± ¡°Prove it.¡± Harlan reached into his bag. ¡°Slowly now.¡± And slowly pulled out blueprints. Blackstone was going to have someone she trusted to make the armors for her family, but Harlan wanted Brig to make the one for Amber. The other blueprints were for new golem designs that were thought up by the students who worked with Harlan on the golem armor prototypes along with the current version he was wearing. Though once he got to the one he was wearing as a sort of final design, he did pay for more experienced blacksmiths at the academy to make it based on their designs. Brig looked them over, his pride as a blacksmith fought with his desire to never again get tied up with the gods. ¡°I¡¯ll make em¡¯ only cause¡¯ I want to, now git, GIT.¡± Harlan bowed at him and walked away to the confusion of the few people who could hear the old man yelling. Unsure how else he wanted to spend his time he just wondered around until somebody bothered him. In this case, Sherry, or was it Cherry? He couldn¡¯t really remember. ¡°Sir Formoria, what a coincidence that we both meet here.¡± Small beads of sweat, her breathing was slightly abnormal, and she had been standing at the corner where they met for the last minute. ¡°What did you come to find me for?¡± ¡°What? No, purely chance that we met. But if you did want to talk with me about an issue, I would love to treat you to some tea in my room.¡± ¡°Lead the way.¡± Past the drunks who were there for the adventurers discount and to the left were the staff rooms. The adventurers guild liked to treat their employees fairly. The only real requirement was to remember all of the rules then write, read, and file things properly. The effects of Godgiven made everyone able to read and write, but that didn¡¯t mean everyone was just as good as another. Good pay with room and board plus on job training were enough for most people to put up with those who normally became adventurers. Though that last part drove away most people despite the perks. She tried to make smalltalk as she led him past the barely populated room. Once Tole¡¯s guild started to pick up in business it became obvious to go there. Sure it was a longer trip for some people to make, but the success rate for missions and the survival rate for adventurers was better. When the missions were done well, it made the guild more attractive, which then led more of them to come over from Luth, and the more experienced people with newer gear that could be rented made it a cycle that was killing the guild in Luth. It wasn¡¯t really much of a problem, since they were both under the same organization and both worked missions in the same range for the most part. She opened the bare room, hardly better than what he had as a child. But it was rather standard for a normal person. They sat on simple chairs, though at least they had some cloth to cushion them. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just cut to the chase, also, which one are you?¡± The fake cheer in her eyes faded instantly. ¡°Cherry. My sister did something stupid, I want to know, how much do I need to pay you to get her out of it.¡± ¡°What did she do?¡± ¡°A couple of kids came in here, after the orphanage in Yor shut down she took pity on them and has been helping them avoid getting killed by goblins.¡± ¡°The orphanage shut down?¡± ¡°Yeah, the director was tied up in some nasty business, or so I¡¯ve heard.¡± ¡°I put him down for what he did.¡± ¡°Congrats then. We were both there, glad I¡¯ve never wanted children anyway.¡± Harlan furled his brows. ¡°For fucks sake. How many people did that bastard¡­ How many orphanages are in this area? Did they not have anywhere else to go?¡± ¡°Yor took kids from all over the area, Luth and Tole don''t have orphanages, Dullen has one, but it is hours away from here. There are a few others scattered around, but in Redwall Barony Yor was the only one outside of Radin, which is nearly as far as Dullen, just in the other direction.¡± Harlan lowered his gaze. ¡°Let¡¯s get back on track. Sherry is out with all three of them, they can¡¯t be more than a year or two younger than you. I want you to find them and make sure she is alright.¡± Her mask of indifference and barely kept inside anger cracked slightly as her face twitched and she held back from crying. ¡°They were supposed to be back hours ago, maybe they just got lost.¡± Though she could try to hide it on the outside, Harlan could tell how much of a worrywart she was. ¡°Of course, just point me in the right direction, I¡¯ll find her. No cost.¡± Moments after being told where she should be, Harlan was flying through the air. It was supposed to be a simple camping exercise to teach the children some self reliance. And it had been until it turned into them fleeing from goblins. Harlan found the little green monsters, like twisted figures of children with pot bellies, and it didn¡¯t take more than a few waves of his hand to cut them down. Then he stayed on the ground and followed the tracks, pulsing for Sherry every few seconds. He found her and three boys hiding in a cave while a large group of goblins searched for them. It wasn¡¯t common to see 20, let alone 50 of them. Even with physical superiority, 50 enemies were 50 enemies, it was not a winnable fight for a front desk worker and 3 children with little to no experience. Harlan took to the air and picked off the goblins with ease, tearing them apart with his bare hands, burning them with fire and acid, void consumed their bodies until only dust was left. Harlan wasn¡¯t really worried, he could feel the minds of Sherry and the children and not any goblin minds in the tunnels. So this was just time for him to blow off some steam and test himself on simple moving targets. After 10 minutes of killing and then double checking he entered the cave they were hiding in. He wondered if they had gotten lost in all of the twists and turns as they were quite far underground with the occasional goblin body littering the tunnels. His armor easily deflected the poor blades which came at him from left and right, though the angle with which they were deflected and the poor discipline of the attackers meant he needed to save them from themselves. ¡°Sherry, your sister sent me.¡± There was a lot of embarrassment on her part for failing to even lead children around without nearly getting them killed. The boys leant her a shoulder and tried to reassure her. They hadn¡¯t known her long, but she was trying her best to give them a life that was more than begging on the streets until they were old enough to join the army. ¡°Thank you, whoever you are.¡± She said between sobs. ¡°It¡¯s me, Harlan Fomoria.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sir Fomoria, I didn¡¯t recognize you. You¡¯ve grown up.¡± ¡°Give me another few years to be done growing. I guess I should get a shawl like Balor wears.¡± When they got back Cherry scolded her sister loudly in her room while Harlan bought some food for the boys. It was an odd contrast, despite their ages not being far off, two of them being 13 and the last being 14, Harlan looked years older than them. Most of this was from his height, between magic being a part of his life from such a young age and never having to go hungry or scrounge together a meal from what little they had he looked more like a noble or a northmen than a farmer¡¯s son. For Harlan it just seemed reasonable that everyone would grow up having three meals a day, mostly with deer meat, though sometimes with other animals. For these children, they grew up with parents who barely had enough to feed themselves and so finally they could not stand to see them suffer under them any longer so they were turned over to the state. ¡°Thank you, Sir Fomoria.¡± ¡°Just call me Harlan, I¡¯m not a stickler for titles.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t make Miss Sherry pay, we¡¯ll work off whatever debt she has, she just can¡¯t afford it right now.¡± ¡°Let me guess, she spent too much helping you, now she is living week to week, her pay barely making enough for all of you, right?¡± They all lowered their heads, the younger ones sniffled. ¡°I could find you work, safer stuff. But I¡¯m not putting her in debt anyway. I don¡¯t do this kinda work for coin.¡± A few others around them laughed at his naive statement. After the sisters got their squabble finished Harlan ran through what they could do and it was decided that they would be fine to work with the little village that was now springing up around his lands as errand boys, with Harlan giving them a simple hut to live in. He felt sorry for them, he truly did, but he didn¡¯t want to invite three unknown children into his home. If they proved themselves to be the right temperament, then they could be recruited for Balor¡¯s needs, but if not, then they could have simple lives so long as they worked for it. Harlan left a few gold coins in the care of Sherry to get them clean clothes and enough food to get them ready for living by themselves. She would of course stop by to check on them, but outside of her, they had one another and that would be enough for now. The last thing he needed to do before going back home was speak with Brig, he hadn¡¯t actually picked up the armor for Redmond earlier on account of what had happened. He narrowly dodged a blacksmith¡¯s hammer once he stepped into the shop, but other than that Brig seemed to be fine with staying. So long as Harlan was just his neighbor and not an agent of will beyond humans that is. Chapter 141 With armor in hand he moved through the air with magic that Sepul always warned him again using. Harlan flipped his gravity to build up speed, the danger with moving parallel to the ground like this was that if something happened it was very easy to get disoriented, especially for Harlan. Once he was past the plains where the forest was cleared out around Luth he cast hover to maintain some of the speed and righted himself, dodging through the trees with the lithe twists and bends of his inhumanly flexible body. So long as he wasn¡¯t pulling fast turns, Harlan could move through the air like a hawk, but if asked to make a hard left or right, he was likely to turn green. He had looked at the idea of how he would make himself less nauseous, but that research had not borne any fruit yet. He arrived back at his home just moments before Sepul came to drop off the subject, nearly colliding with the archmage who batted him away like a noisy fly. ¡°Harlan, you should be more careful.¡± He groaned as the air was trying to get back in his lungs and his armor was digging itself out of his chest. Despite his appearance, mana flow caused the body to be beyond human, and Sepul had a very long time to let his mana flow. After a minute he finally got out of the small crater left by his impact as if nothing had happened. ¡°Please, come in for some tea, I¡¯d love to show you my home.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve things that need doing, another time.¡± ¡°Please, I insist.¡± Sepul got the message and went to the bunker with him. Isha was in the room setting out tea and cookies when Harlan opened the stonesteel box and began to explain what had happened. ¡°So, is this something that people know about?¡± ¡°You are a bit too open with your help, what if she was a spy? What if she was captured and tortured for information?¡± ¡°I have faith in her. And, just in case, if she did die under odd circumstances. I¡¯d devote my life to killing anyone involved.¡± ¡°Naivete it not your strong suit. But no, this isn¡¯t something I¡¯ve heard about. You said this ingot turned so much in just 2 months?¡± Harlan noticed that he completely ignored the threat. ¡°Give or take a week or so, but yes. Could you tell if it is ore or if it is high quality steel?¡± ¡°Give me a few moments.¡± Sepul was in his more human-like form, faces showing a cavalcade of raised eyebrows and wide eyes twisting his face. ¡°I must bring this to my friend as soon as possible. This is pure stonesteel ore, no refinement needed, just mixing with the proper mundane metals. Can you set up tests for the other metals? How did you find this?¡± ¡°I taught Lugh how to imbibe magic, and he told me it was just like what he learned from Kleon the lich when he shifted his equipment from one magical metal to another. So I set a gem inside of that ingot and set it to randomly output imbibing magic. I actually entirely forgot about it until I was unpacking my things from the academy today.¡± ¡°They say a lich does not teach, but you can learn a great deal from them. You haven¡¯t told anyone about this?¡± ¡°Not a soul, I¡¯ve not even had the chance to tell Balor yet.¡± ¡°Keep it that way. If this gets out, every house that earns their name through the mining of magical ore will want your head. Don¡¯t go buying massive amounts of iron and gems either. People will take notice if you start making everything out of magical metals you¡¯ve never purchased.¡± ¡°I admit, I did think about doing that.¡± ¡°Perhaps if you keep making wonders like this, we can start culling some of the nobles who¡¯ve thus far been too important to lose, but too troublesome to keep.¡± ¡°Be careful, you wouldn¡¯t want to clip an artery while removing a tumor.¡± Xol was right next to Harlan, sipping tea that went into his skeletal mouth and yet seemed to go nowhere. The pair froze, unsure why he could be there. ¡°Darkness and love demand a watchful eye. I¡¯ve come to seek questions and ask answers. Worry not of my presence, I¡¯ve little use for the petty resources of man.¡± He only knew how to make magical metals because his wife told him, and she only knew because Aarde told her. Sepul decided now was as good a time as any to leave. ¡°I will take the box and ingot inside to Yggdra immediately, I will call you with his reply on how this should be handled.¡± He teleported to the surface first and then gated to his home before going to the palace. Xol drank the tea and ate a few cookies as if nothing was wrong. Harlan wasn¡¯t afraid of him, Marigold seemed nice, and if she vouched for him, he would trust her. ¡°Is this just a regular check up?¡± ¡°Your works spark changes, she asks that I give an idea to ensure that spark turns to a roaring fire.¡± ¡°Any idea?¡± ¡°Whether you warm homes or burn cities, that is not my judgment to make, ask your idea of me.¡± ¡°How could I make long range travel faster?¡± ¡°Gate shall come to you in time, until then, watch this world, etch its beauty into your heart before it turns to a blur.¡± ¡°I mean for other people, how could I make it faster for normal people to move from place to place.¡± ¡°What need would you have for such a thing?¡± ¡°We have horses and carriages and so on and so forth, but what about bandits? Magical creatures? Normal people end up victims of these too often, and despite having the freedom to move wherever we want in theory, almost everyone lives and dies in the same towns and villages as their ancestors did.¡± ¡°Connection from settlement to settlement. This is what is sought for the good of man?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Do you desire the people to be free in this use? Answer honest, for I shall not take back my words, do you believe they deserve this freedom? Unbound and unchained to do with as they please?¡± Harlan opened his mouth to say of course he wanted them to be free, yet the words would not loose themselves from his throat. ¡°I want a system that I can control. Something that can be available to both common people and nobles.¡± ¡°Then vision is in order. I¡¯ve been asked to be as she, so an example to be torn apart to understand shall be my gift.¡± Out of his robes he pulled out a small toy and a looping rail which it attached to, then with a hardlight string around his finger he pulled the toy. ¡°Make not a shallow copy of what you learn, be the master of your works.¡± As if he was never there, he vanished into thin air. Harlan was just wondering if he kept that on him at all times, or if she told him what he was most likely to ask for. He played with the toy and looked it over until he heard a banging from the corner, he had forgotten about subject 14 who now panicked from inside of his chest. Stolen story; please report. Harlan got Balor and both of them put on fully white robes that covered their entire bodies along with masks that disguised their voices. Technically the masks were restricted items, but Harlan neither knew that nor did he care. Once the box was open in a room bare of anything but a bed, a chair, and a desk, the man stumbled and tripped as he tried to orient himself. ¡°See, this man has had this body for over a week already but he can¡¯t even stand straight, he is like a toddler who''s just learned how to walk.¡± ¡°I must admit, it does remind me of my work. What about his senses?¡± Harlan snapped his fingers on both sides of the man¡¯s head and he reacted as if they were loud claps, a simple light spell was so bright to him that he had to look away. The man didn¡¯t have damaged hearing before, but the structure of his eyes and ears had changed and were unfamiliar to the man who was now readjusting to them. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± ¡°Just running a few tests. You are going to be living here in this room until you are used to your new body. Once you are used to it, I am going to find you a job, and relocate you into a village far from me, where I will never need to see you again.¡± ¡°Ye-yes, the deal, right, the deal.¡± ¡°Have you thought of a new name? What do you want to do for work?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve thought about this, I¡¯ve been given a chance at life, a new dawn. So-¡± ¡°Find a different name. How about Dagian? It also means dawn. Maybe even Dag?¡± ¡°Dagian is fine, but I¡¯ve never heard it before.¡± ¡°It just came to me, don¡¯t worry about the details. Work?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve used my talents with numbers, moving money, to hurt people, I see that now. I¡¯ve had a lot of time to think about where I went wrong, I should¡¯ve learned that my stupid pride was the source of my greed, and that a life where I have a roof over my head and food in my stomach is good enough for me.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t getting a job working with money, because I want you to live.¡± Harlan placed his hand on the man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°But if I hear that you¡¯ve pulled the same trick as you did before, I will have you killed.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious, I want to do what I should¡¯ve done in the first place. I am betting my life on it, I will not fall into my old ways.¡± ¡°I do not trust or believe you for an instant. Yet, your conviction is admirable, so I will allow it. Dagian, new man, do not fail me. Now, we need to get you used to your new body. I will give you a series of exercises which you can do to this end. You will get 3 meals a day, and you are free to sleep as much as you need.¡± ¡°Thank you for this chance, I swear, I will be a better man than I was. I was raised-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not here for your life story. One, do you plan to stay with the subject?¡± ¡°Yes, I believe my own research will benefit from this. Thank you for this opportunity, Two.¡± It was on the spot, but Harlan couldn¡¯t think of anything to call each other than numbers. They showed no affection in their voices and movements as Harlan left Balor with the man. Harlan stripped from his odd attire and called his mother. ¡°Hey mom.¡± ¡°Hello. Did you finish up with Blackstone? Redwall was a little worried about what might happen.¡± ¡°It was fine, Onyx came to pick her up. Should I head back to the mansion?¡± ¡°Oh, um, no. We thought it would be better if we just came to your home instead.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of Adina, isn¡¯t it.¡± ¡°What? No, of course not.¡± ¡°Mom.¡± He heard her sigh on the other end. ¡°Redwall doesn¡¯t like her being around, he just doesn¡¯t like Reinoians. Did you know he tried out being a soldier in his youth? Went right to the front lines, it¡¯s how he met Breken in fact.¡± ¡°I imagine soldiers probably have a bit of a worse reaction to her than most people. Should I send my carriages?¡± ¡°No need, Redwall is going to let us borrow his. I think this is actually a good thing, we don¡¯t get to visit your home that often anyway.¡± ¡°Alright, see you soon then?¡± ¡°Of course, sweetie.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t know what else to do at the moment. He could feel from her mind that Adina was sleeping. Balor was with Dagian. His family wouldn¡¯t be there for a few hours most likely. Dawn didn¡¯t like him sitting around with just his own thoughts. Harlan often cycled between hyperfocus and a lack thereof, it wasn¡¯t always an issue, but between feeling at fault for the children on some level and being unhappy with Redwall, she knew which one would have a better outcome if focused on. All he needed was a little push. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about it so much you know. The orphanage in Yor was just a place, not like the children were headed for anything but these lives anyway.¡± ¡°I know, but they would¡¯ve been forced out at 16 or 18 with skills to work better than what they have right now. I don¡¯t regret that my actions stopped it from staying open, but it is somewhat my fault that they are on the streets now.¡± ¡°Bad things happen when good men do the right things sometimes. The other option was letting an evil man do good things only to further his evil actions.¡± ¡°Maybe I could find out where they all went, there couldn¡¯t have been more than a few dozen of them there at any given time.¡± ¡°And do what?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I could make farmland outside of the walls, give them a pointless task that justifies giving them money and a place to stay. I did it for those 3 boys.¡± ¡°You¡¯d be running an orphanage yourself, not in name, but in spirit. Do you really want to do that? Who is going to be willing to wrangle them? What about when they start causing trouble?¡± ¡°Why are you so against this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not, I just want you to think it through. You don¡¯t want that place outside of your walls to get any bigger, but if you put 50 or 60 children there they need someone to watch out for them as it grows into something too big for you to really watch over. Do you have people who you trust to do and also have the free time to do it? Isn¡¯t this exactly the problem that the kingdom has with getting people to run the orphanages in the first place?¡± ¡°Golems?¡± ¡°Sure they could defend them, but that isn¡¯t what they need.¡± ¡°Advanced golems then? They could think to an extent, make some choices, give advice that I tell them.¡± ¡°That is a dangerous game to play. You still don¡¯t know for sure that your new method of soulsmithing actually makes just an automaton.¡± ¡°It has been months since Ava got her armor, there is not a chance that it wouldn¡¯t grow a proper mind if it could by now. The thing that broke the first soul I ever made, that shield, was my own personality mixing in with it. If that hasn¡¯t happened yet, then I doubt it will happen now.¡± ¡°Flesh golems?¡± ¡°Gods no, making new people, even if they just looked like it, would make me look like a monster to everyone.¡± ¡°Sorry, I just thought since Balor and you are looking into putting him in a body, it might be a good first step to see the risks.¡± ¡°That¡­ I might make one, but not publicly. I¡¯ll think about the caretaker golems, but they won¡¯t be skin and bone. I guess I should also run this idea past a few other people to make sure we don¡¯t sound insane.¡± Harlan first ran the idea past Redwall, then Blackstone. The issues with the baron slipped into the category of shitty behavior that wasn¡¯t as important as what he was doing at the moment. Both of them were going to be honest at least, and both of them shared the same worries. If they are based on him as he would like, then what happens when the children get hurt? What if they hurt each other? If it was Harlan, he could judge the situation and use force as needed, but if the caretakers are too much like him yet lacking in nuance, then things would get bad very quickly. Outside of those worries, there wasn¡¯t logically anything wrong with having smarter golems that could look after the children. After some talking, they still didn¡¯t exactly like the idea, but it was likely better than letting them wander around the county until they either died, found work, or turned to crime. The army had started to be a bit more selective in their recruitment, so even that option wasn¡¯t really open to most of the people from the orphanage. Currently Harlan was drawing up the plans for the golems. With these ones which had far more autonomy than most of what he made, they needed a far longer list of things that they shouldn¡¯t do than things that they should do. Design wise he thought about basing them on his armor, but that was going to be scary looking, and while it was good for his armor, it would be less so for something that watches over children. He showed off some human looking designs to other people, but everyone agreed that making a person out of metal was bizarre and unsettling. He actually liked the idea of a face that could shift to mimic human expressions, but everyone else saw it as a mask that could talk, setting off a primal fear of something being off with it. Harlan shelved that for now, quite literally, he made a prototype and turned it into a surveillance device and display piece in his office. He still had a little bit of time, the test with the flesh golem didn¡¯t require him to watch it after he made it. Harlan made a simple body out of stored deer flesh, making it look as if a lost race of beastkin sprung up in his home. It had no heart, no lungs, no brain, it was a mess of simple nerves that would just interpret the signals the body sent and understand them as hot and cold, hard and soft, strong and weak. For now Harlan set it in a room with a few tools, some books, and the supplies to make a birdhouse along with simple instructions on how it might walk, speak, and look around. He was testing the possibility of a mode which the golem would freely learn by itself yet with a few restrictions such as not being allowed to harm people or intentionally damage the room. If the creature could overcome these restrictions, then it was too dangerous to be allowed to live, if it could even be called living in the first place. Harlan looked at his watch and realized his family was most likely going to be there in a matter of minutes and he hadn¡¯t even started work on Redmond¡¯s armor. It would be at least a few days before Amber¡¯s would be done, and he had no idea how quickly Blackstone¡¯s sets were going to be finished and sent over. Chapter 142 Harlan was waiting outside for his family with Balor. At 500 feet he first felt them. At 300 he could determine their exact positions and who was who. At 100 feet he could tell their mental state. With divination he figured he could find them from dozens of miles away at this point. Hugs all around never wore out their welcome. The only member he hadn¡¯t met yet was Cu, who warily looked at Harlan. ¡°My, now what are you?¡± Its mind was not as simple as a normal animal, yet Harlan knew that it was a puppy when it was given to Redmond. After a minute long staredown Cu was willing to let himself be pet. ¡°I almost thought he was going to bite you, I don¡¯t remember you being bad with animals.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. But he is upset with me for some reason. Has he fought Fomorians?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t like sending him into fights, so he is more for tracking than anything else.¡± ¡°Odd. Anyway, I¡¯ve got something to show you.¡± Harlan turned his armor to its combat form. ¡°Snazzy. Just trying to show off?¡± ¡°Mom, dad, Adina, why don¡¯t you show him yours.¡± Each of them was nearly a copy of Harlan, though his parents'' armors had wheat patterns on their shoulders. Harlan wanted them to be able to tell them apart at a glance but they were against suggestions more in line with his personality.. No skulls, no fire, no threats written out on the armor. He began to wonder if should¡¯ve put his crest on every armor just to make it clear that they belonged to him, now he was wondering if badges wouldn¡¯t be a better idea. He didn¡¯t really like how they would stick out, but since he was also considering a shawl of some kind to make himself less scary looking, he thought a pin should work. It was already far past noon when they arrived, so Aida went to help Isha start on some things for supper. She would never say it, but she wished that her children were a bit more like her, and a bit less like Redmond or Harlan. She never regretted taking him in, but he was hell on her nerves In the living room just across the hall from the kitchen Harlan was talking about his golems and asking for suggestions. ¡°Are you sure you want to make golems? I don¡¯t know if that sounds like a great idea.¡± ¡°It should be fine, and I do think I need to make it up to those children. I robbed them of a shit home-¡± ¡°Language.¡± Was heard from both Autumn and Aida. ¡°Anyway, and I could give them a place to just exist, they would be safe, they would have work, and they could have something, even if it isn¡¯t a person, who could care for them. I¡¯ve walked the slums of Dullen and Borden, I know that I can help those people, I know it is easy. I know the king asked that I be careful, but these new golems I can make could heal people, they can divine items and people. Think of what I could do with 100 golems.¡± Redmond spoke up. ¡°Harlan, I think you are too young, simple as that. You see what you can change, but not how far it would go. Giving those kids a place to stay and steady work is one thing, but easy? And, I don¡¯t mean to be overly mean, but thinking like you? I just have a hard time believing that a 15 year old should be making things like that, or that they could have the judgment to really handle what you aren¡¯t saying you want them to do.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we shelve that idea for a while.¡± ¡°Harlan, I want you to promise me that you aren¡¯t going to try anything crazy.¡± ¡°If cities had my golems, the spiders would¡¯ve never gotten so far, the downtrodden were the first targets, and it was only the work of one man who didn¡¯t even know what was really happening that they were discovered. The golems would not have ignored the people in the slums, they would not treat them as a thing to be tolerated but not bothered with until it steps out of bounds.¡± ¡°Harlan, I¡¯m serious.¡± ¡°I am too. If you had the chance to make ranger golems, wouldn¡¯t you? Do you want one? Because I could give you a partner in a matter of days. How much corruption is in the frontier, out of sight? Yor is just a place, just people, guards bribed, problems ignored or even started by those in power. I said to myself months ago, I would not turn my eyes away from people who need help when I can help them so easily. If I don¡¯t at least try, I would be a liar.¡± ¡°Are you sure you are ok? Borden surely wasn¡¯t easy, do you think you might need some more time to process what happened? It wasn¡¯t your fault, you know that, right?¡± ¡°Stop treating me like a bomb waiting to go off. I am past that, I¡¯ve learned and grown. I know I''m not a man, but I¡¯m not a child either.¡± Harlan spun the cup of tea in his hands. ¡°But, maybe I should slow down. I will revisit the idea of peacekeepers, not warmachines, another day. I don¡¯t want to argue about this. I just wanted to ask how I could make something that could raise children.¡± Jarrick held up the small fox toy which tilted its head to the side as it looked in Harlan¡¯s eyes. ¡°Make fox.¡± He thought about it, was that the answer? He could make something a bit more friendly than an uncanny valley faced iron mother, give them all animal heads, dress them right, it could work. It would be clearly inhuman, but in a friendly way. Children liked the little movements of animals, the tilting of heads, the raising and lowering of ears, these clear gestures would communicate their emotions better than the shifting facial expressions of his golem with a shifting mask. ¡°Yeah, maybe I will make fox. Thank you Jarrick.¡± He didn¡¯t respond, he just kept running around, having let his little friend go just to chase it again. Harlan didn¡¯t expect that Jaramis would be the next to speak. ¡°I think you should work on your caretakers. And, I¡¯m not a baron now, and I hope my father lives a long and healthy life, but by the time I am in charge, if you haven¡¯t yet, I would love to see what you could make to keep the peace alongside guards.¡± ¡°Thank you, I guess I should offer my services, is there anything you want or need?¡° ¡°No, these foxes have been a great help with the children. And with the war over, I don¡¯t need to go off fighting. So I don¡¯t require new weapons or armor.¡± ¡°Are you and Autumn planning to stay the night?¡± ¡°Yes, perhaps I can see the oddities of your home that Ava talks about.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve learned from others that there is apparently a larger learning curve than I realized. Why don¡¯t I show you around?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Harlan walked him through the guestroom, but while he was explaining the shower and mattress that used water and how to make it harder or softer, his mind was really on how that conversation could¡¯ve gone. He nearly exploded at Redmond, but he stopped himself. It was never lost on him how many lives had already been lost because of his actions, and making golems and selling them to cities would just be a matter of time before they were used in a way that he didn¡¯t intend. The answer to him was that he shouldn¡¯t use them outside of his sight, that he needed to be the one holding the keys to the kingdom so to speak. He wanted to bring in the orphans, and not give them a place to stay, he wanted to mold them into people he could trust. Just as he told Fragile Peace, if you don¡¯t have people who you trust now, then raise them. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Over dinner Aida showed off her magical training bearing fruit as she served her food without moving a muscle. ¡°Nice work, mom.¡± ¡°I can hardly believe everyone doesn¡¯t learn magic.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to bring down the mood, but how much more do you eat? The poor can¡¯t afford to feed themselves as it is, if they trained by themselves then they would take months if not years to reach as much as you have in these few months. They¡¯d starve before they became proficient enough to make any money with it.¡± Harlan leaned back in his seat and set his silverware down. ¡°Mom, would you want to help me with the golems?¡± She laughed then covered her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just can¡¯t imagine I could be any help.¡± ¡°I can think of no better person to help give the golems their minds. You raised all of us and look where we are now. A count, the wife of a baron, a powerful mage, and an enforcer of the law.¡± ¡°You¡¯re serious, aren¡¯t you?¡° ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I can do these little tricks you showed me, but that soulsmithing stuff seems beyond me.¡± ¡°I¡¯d do most of the work, I just need you to think strongly about how you raised us. I¡¯d need to test the golems, get rid of junk information that slips in, but you would be the base for the mind.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we talk about something else, I¡¯ll think about it.¡± ¡°Of course. You don¡¯t need to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.¡± ¡°What about me? I know that she wasn¡¯t a good mom, but I bet I could be if I had the chance.¡± ¡°Do you want to try?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Dawn?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to do it.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t sound convincing.¡± ¡°I know I want to do it, but, well, we both know what I am.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t know until you do it at least once.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s shelve that idea, you did it before, now it is my turn.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to upset you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not upset.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Adina was staring daggers into him, he wasn¡¯t sure why, but she mouthed some words at him and he realized. ¡°I have an announcement to make. I am now in a relationship with Adina.¡± There were jeers and cheers around. Redmond wasn¡¯t really happy with it, but pretended to be. Harlan didn¡¯t blame him, it took weeks or even months to really warm up to her, and he only met her yesterday. Once dinner was done Harlow asked that they have a private father son talk. So they made their way down to the bunker, leaving Adina feeling like a lamb surrounded by wolves. She hadn¡¯t expected that everyone would be trying to give her relationship advice. Father and son sat across from one another. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to say it in front of your mother, but I¡¯m really proud of what you are trying to do. She and Redmond, all of them, they just don¡¯t know what it was like growing up as poor as I did. If you really can give those kids work and protection and some guidance, they will grow into better people than they ever would without you.¡± ¡°What if I wanted to groom them into a force for me? Would that be a bad thing? It feels wrong to think about children like that, as things to mold into the people who I want.¡± ¡°Every parent does that. I wanted you to be a farmer, instead you became something else. I still steered you into a good man, so don''t lower your eyes, I know you want to. People all do things they aren¡¯t proud of, but you understand that, I don¡¯t need to say it. I told you before about my brother who died. I shouldn¡¯t have been happy when it happened, but when it did, I could get some sleep at night with a full stomach. When you live your days barely scraping by, it changes you. They don¡¯t know how it feels. So do what you need to do, give those children the chance to think beyond their next meal, just don¡¯t make them someone they aren¡¯t.¡± Harlan¡¯s eyes watered as he hugged his father. ¡°Thank you, I know I shouldn¡¯t be, but I was angry, they looked at me like I was insane. I just want to do the right thing.¡± ¡°I know, and you are going to, because if you fail, you don¡¯t give up, you aren¡¯t going to break, you¡¯ll do better next time. When I¡¯m gone, just bones in the dirt, I want you to remember this, you aren¡¯t bad just for doing bad things, you are bad when you stop caring about what you¡¯re doing; When you stop being able to hurt over the bad things you¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got decades, don¡¯t start talking like that yet.¡± ¡°My parents died when I was your age. I just don¡¯t want to wait, I need to say it before I lose my chance.¡± He patted Harlan on the back just like when he was younger. He was a bit too large to not make it awkward, he was already bigger than his father, so they ended their embrace. ¡°Dry your eyes, your fiance is going to be upset if you can¡¯t be her wall against your sisters and mother. I bet they¡¯ve already torn her apart with questions and jokes.¡± ¡°Ava is probably trying to find her weakness right now.¡± When they walked back upstairs the conversation had switched to weddings and rings and dresses. Aida wanted to make them have the wedding she didn¡¯t get, Adina hadn¡¯t even given it any thought. For her, such an event was 4, 5 years away at least. ¡°Back, back beasts!¡± Harlan came from behind her and made his armor look like wings to cover Adina. Suddenly everyone stopped talking and just blankly stared at Harlan. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Fox teeth!¡± Alana enthusiastically shouted. Harlan reached up and realized that they had sharped. While he knew it was a joke, his body seemed to disagree as it and bore fangs against them. ¡°Did you become a vampire? This is such bullshit.¡± ¡°Language.¡± Was reflexively shouted by her oldest sister and mother. ¡°You told me not to do it and then you become one.¡± ¡°Ava, that isn¡¯t what happened. I¡¯m not a vampire.¡± ¡°Then what is that?¡± ¡°I wanted to make sure it was safe before I used it on you, but I¡¯ve been changing my body ever since I became a champion. I¡¯ve just hidden it under my armor. I¡¯m why I did it right now, sometimes it just happens.¡± ¡°Wait, you were planning to do something like that to Ava? Ava, you were going to become a vampire? Both of you-¡± ¡°Honey, why don¡¯t you let them explain first.¡± Alana just kept repeating fox teeth. Jaramis took the children to another room to play and everyone outside of the family cleared out so they could have their talk in the living room. The only ones who weren¡¯t part of the family but still got included were Zella and Adina for obvious reasons. ¡°Fine, explain.¡± ¡°Harlan, you do it first.¡± ¡°Alright. Ava is upset that I was born with a natural advantage that she can¡¯t overcome, but I could make her physically strong like me. So why shouldn¡¯t I as soon as I know it is safe? There is no cost so far as I know, no downsides. Once I run more tests, I planned to just make her denser by modifying and adding muscle mass to her along with stronger bones. Maybe I could make her eyes better. That¡¯s all, everything would look the same.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not¡­ that is insane, you¡¯d be¡­ I don¡¯t know, playing god, breaking some natural laws.¡± ¡°Let me ask about that.¡± Harlan¡¯s eyes went black and his shadow stood up. ¡°He cannot make new life, he cannot disrupt nature in such a way that life cannot continue, he cannot grant immortality. So long as he follows these rules we have no reason to move against him.¡± ¡°Wait, can you clarify not making new life?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve not played god, nor will you, the changing of one life is nothing, you don¡¯t intend on changing every human being. You could make any number of horrors, living nightmares of flesh and bone and gnashing teeth, we don¡¯t care. Yet the moment you make them a viable species, we will ask that you kill it, and if you do not, you will be killed in turn.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Harlan¡¯s shadow went back to the ground and everyone felt like they could breathe again. ¡°Wh-who was that?¡± Ava barely choked out. ¡°The Darkness. So, now we have confirmation that I¡¯ve not played god or broken any natural laws. If you just don¡¯t like it, then that¡¯s fine, but I¡¯ve done nothing wrong.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t normal, that¡­ Darkness, she isn¡¯t natural.¡± ¡°Now you are just being silly, she is a god, born of Aarde. It doesn¡¯t get more natural than that.¡± ¡°Harlan, why don¡¯t we step back for a moment. I¡­ I kinda thought you were being more metaphorical when you said you talked with a god. I didn¡¯t think¡­¡± Harlow was taking it fairly well, he felt like what happened was so far over his head that it really shouldn¡¯t even matter to him. It was like worrying that a wyvern could go past the kingdoms defenses to destroy his home, but if something like that happened, he could neither prepare for it nor would he really even have time to panic before he died. ¡°You didn¡¯t think she could just show up? Or that I didn¡¯t actually talk to her? I feel I¡¯ve made it pretty clear what I meant when I said I spoke with her.¡± ¡°I mean¡­ I know what you said¡­ it¡¯s just¡­¡± ¡°For the record, I¡¯ve never assumed he was anything but entirely literal.¡± Zella said this, and the only one who didn¡¯t agree were was Aida, even Redmond assumed it was entirely literal and he hadn¡¯t even heard the term champion in the way Harlan used it until that very night. ¡°Huh.¡± Was all that they could mutter. It was a strange experience, she felt like the only sane person in the room. Sepul walked, or rather, floated into the house and noticed the odd atmosphere. ¡°I hope I¡¯ve not interrupted a family meeting.¡± ¡°Actually, this is perfect. I¡¯m not crazy for wanting to modify Ava¡¯s body so she is physically on par with me, right?¡± ¡°Nevermind, if I questioned you, I am sure I¡¯d end up feeling like a madman. So long as she still looks fully human, does it really matter? It isn¡¯t like you are playing god or breaking some natural laws.¡± With that Aida could only laugh, unsure if she was crazy or if the world was. ¡°I¡¯m going to ignore everything else here. I¡¯ve come with a royal decree, please come to speak with me in private.¡± ¡°Of course.¡±
Blackship 6: No penetration. Blackship 7: Signal Loss. Self-destruction failure, local causality failure. Attempting to reestablish causality. Chapter 143 Sepul and Harlan were once again in the meeting room. ¡°So, since you didn¡¯t arrest me, I assume the decree is to tell me not to make magical metals?¡± ¡°Quite the opposite. You are being required to teach a class on how to create a second generation soulsmithed item as you once called it. There are 50 people who would be privy to such knowledge, and they would become responsible for the mass production of magical metals for the kingdom. You haven¡¯t made some method of growing mana crystals while I was gone, have you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never tried, but my only guess would be to set a soul in a crystal and leave it alone for a while. I remember pulling a gem that had rolled behind my desk near the start of the year while I was cleaning before I left the academy. Nothing changed about it, so no, I haven¡¯t found out how to grow them.¡± ¡°Unfortunate.¡± ¡°When do I need to have the class?¡± ¡°Say goodbye and we will leave immediately.¡± Harlan went upstairs again to find his father comforting his mother who was handling the double shock of meeting a god and then an archmage who looks like a living corpse and both of them making her feel like she was the one in the wrong for saying her son shouldn¡¯t do some wild body modification on his youngest sister. ¡°Mom, I need to go for a little while, not sure when I¡¯ll be back.¡± ¡°Right, yep, sure thing sweetie.¡± ¡°Mom, please, can you answer me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get right to it.¡± ¡°Harlan, I¡¯ll watch your mother. You remember how she got all those years ago after Kass? She¡¯ll come out of this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to call someone.¡± Harlan put up a veil and waited for her to answer, which she instantly did. As it turned out, being the champion of the world actually had a lot of free time. In the outside world the gods didn¡¯t bother the people very much and just let them do as they please killing and destroying, and on the continent she had already killed every major threat outside of notable Fae like Nemain who couldn¡¯t really be found no matter how hard they tried despite their abilities letting them find almost every other Fae. ¡°Harlan, I hope you are well.¡± ¡°Hi, Mary, I wanted some advice.¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯ve been married a very long time.¡± ¡°My mother is upset.¡± ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean anything by my last statement. What happened?¡± Upon hearing the story from the horse''s mouth, she wasn¡¯t entirely sure what advice to even give. She had dealt with a lot of things, but this was a little outside of her normal wheelhouse. ¡°Would you be opposed to me coming to your home?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to impose on you, I¡¯m sure you have better things to do.¡± ¡°There is nothing better for me to do than help you. I know that our relationship is student and counselor, but I think we have become friends in our time talking back and forth.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you say that to most students.¡± ¡°I might say it, but with you, I do believe it to be true. And please, don¡¯t tell anyone that I said that. A fake friendship helps me solve their issues, but I don¡¯t think any less of them just because I cannot connect with them on the same level as you and I.¡± He was hesitating, but he didn¡¯t really know why, Mary had never once steered him wrong. Arguably. ¡°Yes, thank you. I would be happy to invite you to my home, though I wish I could stay to show you around and that it was under better circumstances.¡± ¡°Put it out of your mind.¡± Harlan dropped the veil and explained that a woman would come by to visit and she should be able to help his mother. Then he left with Sepul. The royal halls had been cleared, officially nothing was happening, unofficially, nobody knew what was happening. The only people who had any idea why everything was being cleared were the 50 selected to learn from Harlan, the royal guards who were making sure there were no leaks, and the king himself. His worry was that his children would use what they could do with advanced soulsmithing. Of these worries, it was primarily that they would annex The Confederacy and turn Reino into a sea of glass. A strong nation was good, a nation that expanded was good, but having other nations put some pressure on his own that kept it from turning to complete tyranny. The idea of a revolt where a human city broke away and sought to be part of the confederacy was not entirely unfounded, during the war some 40 years ago some had actually tried, though they were brought back to the fold when it was clear Ragne was the undisputed winner and Yggdra the 15th allowed them to return without any blood being spilled. Harlan found himself deep underground, below even the research lab he had been in before. The room was brightly lit with a large stage at the far end where Yggdra sat in all of his rather simple opulence. That sword which seemed too large for a normal man was laid across the arms of his simple molded throne of rock, in his right hand was a scepter, though Harlan would¡¯ve called it a bejeweled mace. To his left stood Safira, Sepul went to his right. There were murmurs, each mage wanting to know why the king had suddenly invited them to the castle for a private presentation. Things became clear once Harlan stepped on stage and worker golems brought out a box of stonesteel. ¡°There will be no long speeches, for nothing said here today is to leave this room. The cost of what will be shown to you is worth the weight of this castle in gold by itself, and you will be responsible in how you use this information. I am making a clear threat, you will be killed if you cannot keep this secret to yourself, I don¡¯t even want those who know one another here to speak among yourselves about this. If you cannot accept these terms, then leave now.¡± There were looks of uncertainty, but not a single mage there had gotten to such heights without risks. ¡°Sir Fomoria, open the box. Explain what you have done.¡± The room was alight with greed as he spoke, even with the process rubbing up against the border of forbidden magic they didn¡¯t care. People made demands of Harlan, yet the raising of the scepter shut them up. This was no array, no ward, they just lost the ability to stand against the will of the king while he had it in hand. Nobody knew how it was happening, Harlan and Sepul were baffled at the seemingly mundane item letting out a mental attack of some kind. The treasures of the kingdom were things gained by dealing with the Fae, they did not obey the rules of the world, because they were not of the world. ¡°Sir Fomoria is not to be interfered with. Know this, he is champion to The Darkness, he shall live when you are nothing but bones. Think not of yourselves, think of your descendants. Even if you might escape my wrath, and the wrath of him, you would need to bet against him living long enough to far surpass your entire bloodline. There would be nowhere you could hide which one of us would not find you and put you down like a dog.¡± Harlan¡¯s shadow was split into 6 by the lights in the room, yet now it came together into a single one and stood on its own. She said no words, but people knew that she was there. Things calmed down and Harlan made sure every mage there could do what he could by the end of the night. Once they were done they were escorted back to their homes, and on account of the halls being cleared and spies found, not a single soul who should know who had even entered the palace. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Now it was just Harlan, Yggdra, Sepul, and Dagda in the room. Clearly he was anxious to have the chance to speak with Harlan again, yet he held back due to his company. ¡°I must apologize for taking you here so suddenly, especially after you¡¯ve saved one of my cities from a threat so insidious.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Now, what is the price of what you¡¯ve given? Ask anything of me and I shall fulfill it as best I can.¡± ¡°I want as much stonesteel and as many mana gems at least 3 inches in diameter as you can spare.¡± ¡°And for what purpose would you ask this of me?¡± ¡°I want to build a hundred golems, advanced ones. I want to raise the children who were kicked to the streets using these golems so that in the future, I have people I can trust. I am also working on an idea for long range transport that anybody could use in the hopes that I could connect cities. The children of the orphanage couldn¡¯t afford to make their way to the others, even if they could these places are often understaffed and overcrowded. If I could have children shipped around, it would take pressure off of the ones with too many by moving them to the less filled ones. Though I imagine it would take months if not years before I really have a working prototype, all I have now is a toy given to me by a lich.¡± ¡°I shall give the materials for 200 golems, and keep enough for a further 400 in reserve. I imagine your vaults would fill quite quickly if you took all of it in immediately and only the gems have high value now.¡± ¡°Thank you, your majesty.¡± ¡°When you¡¯ve made working prototypes for this form of transport, bring it to my daughter Lily, she is mechanically minded and fond of your other creations. She will grow to be my minister of infrastructure when her predecessor passes away or retires.¡± ¡°I will keep her in mind, thank you.¡± He fiddled with the rings on his fingers, he had not yet given Harlan leave. ¡°How would you feel about being taken as the husband to her? You are the closest in age to one another.¡± ¡°Do I have the option to refuse?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then I refuse, I¡¯ve only just decided that I will enter a relationship with Adina, and I have no desire to have her as a mistress, nor do I want the power and responsibility that would come from being married into the royal family.¡± ¡°Yet you speak of wanting to change a great deal? Would this not be easier with that power and responsibility?¡± ¡°I am going to speak freely here, I consider nobility to be barely above being an outright warlord. In another age I would lay siege to cities that I don¡¯t like so I could force them to be better. As it stands, I do not believe anything but being king or a large amount of blackmail and coercion could let me make the changes that I want. So instead, I am going to make the changes that I can within the power I have now until others peacefully realize my methods are better.¡± ¡°Very dangerous words.¡± ¡°But I know you see the truth in them, that smile on your face is evidence enough of that.¡± Yggdra reached up and felt his face, he was grinning like a madman, the realization made him burst into laughter. Harlan reminded him of how he would speak in private, not restrained by how people would react to his hypotheticals that sounded more like threats to the ears of the sane. ¡°Go then, return to you and yours, make your changes. We shall see if you don¡¯t still need to lay siege to cities when you realize people don¡¯t pick the better methods, they pick the ones that keep power in their hands.¡± Safira walked Harlan the first set of stairs, Dagda following awkwardly close behind. As soon as he reached the last step Dagda spoke. ¡°Did you get my answers?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t make souls like yourself because you are already a piece of me grown into another person. If you could do it, then you would probably have a dozen more of you running around already, and then they would want more until you either realized the error and all of your copies fought over who got to call themselves Dagda.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ probably. I understand, next answer? Why won¡¯t she speak to me.¡± Before Harlan could reply his shadow covered his entire body like writhing leeches. ¡°You are so full of arrogance that you did not ask, you would demand an audience with me. Even if you hadn¡¯t, what would you ask of me?¡± ¡°I would like to learn more of souls and their working, I have some ideas about-¡± ¡°Even the sword has opinions, needs and desires. You are a machine, a thing to scrape together bits and make something. What do you have beyond your work? Have you friends or allies? Harlan, If given the chance, he would kill you in an instant for what you know, because his only value of people is in their knowledge. He is a stunted being that is barely above what you will make, yet at least your golems will fake affection, he is a full being that has never known it. Harlan, understand what he is, and what you do not want to be. He is a shadow of another time, same as your others.¡± ¡°Harlan, witch, go. I¡¯ve heard what I needed.¡± Harlan gave a polite bow, feeling bad about what had happened. Regardless of the truth of her statements, it was just cruel and unusual. Safira led him to the gate room. Once he bowed goodbye and entered his home again he sat down on the nearest seat in the living room. Everyone else had gone to sleep, Harlan didn¡¯t really make it sound like he was worried about coming back, so they just figured they¡¯d see him in the morning. The only one who tried to wait for him was Adina who now slept on the couch next to him. He rested his eyes, dawn was only a few hours away, that was enough time to reset his sleep. It was always stressful speaking with the king, Harlan could never get a good read on him, it was like looking at someone through a glass of water, his emotions were unclear and distorted, he had an easier time on actual animals. He wasn¡¯t sure if he should or not, but now that Adina had shifted in her sleep he wasn¡¯t in a position to move, so he called Mary and put up a veil. ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t wake you.¡± ¡°Nope, I don¡¯t need much sleep.¡± ¡°How did things go with my mother?¡± ¡°I compared what you were doing with you being Fomorian. She doesn¡¯t care about that, because you are still you, so why should she care if Ava becomes something else physically, she is still just Ava. After that she asked me who I was and how I knew you and once I asked her questions about how you were as a child she seemed to brighten up. She is just scared of losing you, we talked about things I can¡¯t tell you, but please, try not to worry her so much, she has been through enough. Why don¡¯t you try to go a year without nearly killing yourself?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve gone a long time without doing that.¡± ¡°I am counting all the times you get yourself in trouble as nearly killing yourself.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really think that is fair.¡± They spoke for an hour or so before Adina stirred from her dreams and he said his goodbyes. ¡°When did you come back?¡± ¡°Hour and a half ago, maybe less. Sorry to make you wait for me.¡± ¡°Can you tell me what happened?¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t. It doesn¡¯t matter anyway, I didn¡¯t need to make some horrible deal to protect myself or my family, I didn¡¯t have to kill or torture or experiment on anyone.¡± ¡°Are you lying to me?¡± ¡°Nope. It was more like a business meeting than anything. I just traded an invention for materials. I would¡¯ve taken a pretty big hit to my coffers if I didn¡¯t make this deal. Now I can make those caretakers and make them better than I would¡¯ve. I just need to see if I can¡¯t convince Brig to drop his other orders for a little while. 100 golems is going to be a lot of work.¡± ¡°100? I thought there was supposed to be, what, 50 children?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got the resources to make 600, stonesteel, gems, I just need manpower to get the bodies made according to my needs. I think I¡¯ll make them with different head, not all foxes.¡± ¡°Human bodies?¡± ¡°Kinda, but I don¡¯t want them to look too human. Ah, shit.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Making them speak, it¡¯s going to look really awkward at first. I¡¯ll need to try and sync up their mouths with all the sounds we make.¡± ¡°Does that really matter?¡± ¡°They are going to be learning from them, people look at the lips of other people.¡± ¡°I learned fine without seeing.¡± ¡°I guess, and Godgiven solves most of it. But I kinda want them to look as natural as I can.¡± ¡°A problem for another day. What animals were you thinking about?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really want to make them shaped like beastkin. The Kalak look sorta like foxes, but I don¡¯t think it would be an issue. Those will be the mothers, the fathers would be the guards and disciplinary force. Rams? They would be a bit like an Ibexian, but the horns would stay close to the skull and curve into a loop. They¡¯d look more like the animals, less like the slightly human features of most beastmen with their shortened snouts.¡± ¡°What about lizards? There are no reptile beastkin.¡± ¡°I guess, but which ones?¡± ¡°Drakes? You seemed to be fond of that one you met.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. My only issue is how long their heads are.¡± ¡°Garter snakes? They have simple smooth heads.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure about reptiles, they scare children pretty easily.¡± ¡°Insects are off the table then?¡± ¡°Yeah. Once you see the magical ones that grow big, you start to realize how creepy their faces really are.¡± ¡°Lions? They are kinda scary, but if you put a mane on each of them the children might like it.¡± ¡°Roosters? Though I guess If I let them raise chickens and the roosters chase the small children it might make them hesitant to trust the guards.¡± ¡°Elk?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, I think I like that. They are noble, but not threatening unless they are made to be. I¡¯ll keep the horns smaller so they don¡¯t get stuck on doorways or poke someones eyes out, but that should work. thanks. ¡°This was fun. But I¡¯m still tired. Good night.¡± They awkwardly stared at one another, wondering if a good night kiss was in order. Instead they just decided to leave that for another day. Adina went to finish her nightly rest in her home, Harlan went to his room and started sketching out blueprints for what would be his first advanced golems. It was hard for him to strike a balance between fierce and gentle for the fathers, but the mothers were a lot easier, he just needed them to look gentle and caring. One thing that he couldn¡¯t settle on however, was how real they should look, bigger heads might look a bit silly, but they would also look more clearly like a toy. After bouncing ideas back and forth with Dawn they both preferred them to have proportional heads. At breakfast it wasn¡¯t really a vote, since Harlan had final say, but the general stance for everyone once it was said and done was to make the elk bulky and to thin down the foxes, giving them a more distinctly male and female look. The other issue that was settled was mother and father, the names fit, since these were the roles that should be filled by them. But at the same time, these children might have poor associations with the terms, Sister Foxes and Brother Elks were the decided upon names. Nobody was really ecstatic about the whole idea still, but they wouldn¡¯t really change his mind, so they just went along with it and tried to curb any poor ideas. Chapter 144 After breakfast was done Aida wanted to clear the air. ¡°I don¡¯t want to argue, I know it makes sense to you, and to your sister, so all I am going to ask is that she waits until she is 18 before you start to mold her like clay.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± ¡°Wait, no, no deal. I get a choice in this.¡± ¡°No you don¡¯t, mom said wait, and I don¡¯t disagree. I was planning on waiting at least a year before I used it on anyone I care about.¡± ¡°Have you already done it to someone else?¡± ¡°Yes, and I am not sorry, I am not going to apologize. He got a new life, and if he uses it right, I will have made a new man out of him, one who betters the world instead of makes it worse. Assuming his body remains stable during the next few years of his new life, I can finally fix things that can¡¯t be fixed.¡± ¡°Did he at least agree?¡± ¡°Agree is a strong word. He was on death row for a non-violent offense, so I gave him my offer, new body, new life. So long as he doesn¡¯t go back to his past ways, he is allowed to live.¡± ¡°And if he doesn¡¯t?¡± ¡°This is not a game, he nearly ruined the lives of people who he should¡¯ve been keeping safe. People like him do not deserve forgiveness, but if he can prove himself, I don¡¯t mind letting him go.¡± ¡°Harlan, honey, no more work talk at the table. I appreciate you being honest, but, I think you should just lie to your mother. It would not be the first time, no need to make it the last time. You don¡¯t even need to be overt, just stop talking.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± ¡°No, no deal, honey, you can¡¯t just be alright with what he is doing.¡± ¡°If the man¡¯s life was forfeit, then Harlan saved him, and if he commits the same crimes as before, well, he was on death row, he knows full well what he has done. But like Harlan said, he has a new life, wouldn¡¯t this be the merciful thing to do? No blood spilled, a free second chance.¡± ¡°Sorry, sis, but I agree. I¡¯ve met men that I believe showed genuine remorse, but once bounty posters are up, their lives are done. They can¡¯t run forever, eventually someone tracks them down and takes their head as proof of bounty.¡± ¡°Nope, not again. I¡¯m I really the only sane person here?¡± Isha felt a little bad to pile on, but she didn¡¯t exactly want to stay quiet. ¡°If Harlan could¡¯ve changed my father¡¯s face, he would still be alive. If there is something I¡¯ve learned, it¡¯s that I can trust his sense of justice. He would do just about anything for people he calls friends, but for normal people, he still does what he can.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m done. No more talk at the table, I don¡¯t want to hear it.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t say another word. Now, I need to make some calls, see if I can¡¯t get a report on where all of those orphans ended up. I¡¯ve got three on the way, so I need to make housing for them. Which means contacting the builders in Tole, making blueprints for what I want, then I¡¯ve got to put in all of the soulsmithed amenities like showers and running water for everyone, self cleaning sewage system. Make sure nobody can dig into the walls and steal the gems that I put in.¡± ¡°Anything I can do? I¡¯ve had a week with everyone else, I don¡¯t want to waste what time I have to talk with you.¡± ¡°Right, that reminds me. Things have been a bit hectic so I forgot.¡± Harlan fished around his pockets until he found the extra amulet he always kept on him, he never knew when he might run into someone he wanted to give one. ¡°These things ain¡¯t cheap, are you sure?¡± Every single person at the table pulled out their own amulets. ¡°Right, I should¡¯ve known you already gave one to everyone else.¡± ¡°Do you want to ride to Tole with me? If so, we need to get everyone else¡¯s tags before we go, no better time than now.¡± Due to the number of them and the refractory period between contacts being shared it took a couple of minutes, but then they were ready to go. The first person he called was Lian. ¡°Captain Lian of Dullen speaking, who is this?¡± ¡°Sir Harlan Fomoria. Do you have a moment?¡± ¡°What is the nature of your call?¡± ¡°Business, though I would like to congratulate you on the promotion.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sir Fomoria. Your discovery of the mayor¡¯s actions led to a purge of the guard, anyone who couldn¡¯t prove they were clean was let go or demoted. The captain was executed. What business are you calling for?¡± ¡°The orphanage in Yor shut down, I wanted to know if any of them made their way to your city.¡± ¡°I can ask the gate guards. Everyone who comes through the gates is recorded, name, description, reason for entry. Should I call back on this or should I forward copies of this information to somebody else?¡± ¡°Call me here, I¡¯ll write down everything. If possible, have them found. I am going to be setting up a village for orphans, the king has given his approval so there is no worries about sending them. Just tell them about what I am trying to do, they will receive a home, food, teaching, and work that is appropriate for their age. I¡¯ll send as many carriages as I need to bring them here.¡± ¡°Very well, would you be willing to take any overflow orphans? Sometimes the older ones are kicked out early to make room for younger orphans.¡± ¡°I would be fine with that.¡± ¡°I will call back with the information you have requested, is there anything else?¡± ¡°No. Goodbye, Lian.¡± Redmond gave him a playful punch to the arm. ¡°You¡¯ve grown up.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve dealt with enough pricks that I¡¯m numb to them and I¡¯ve had enough practice listening to them to know how to act the noble people want me to be.¡± ¡°Language.¡± ¡°Ha ha ha. Very funny.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious. Swearing sometimes can be fine, but you shouldn¡¯t do it casually, makes you look ignorant. Like a soldier.¡± ¡°You mean it makes you look ignorant?¡± ¡°Yeah, you start talking like a soldier, you''ll drop words you don¡¯t think you need.¡± ¡°So, had more near deaths that my armor saved you from?¡± ¡°As a matter of fact, yes, 9 of them, by most accounts, I should be dead. I get lucky and the armor does the rest.¡± ¡°Then you will love the new one I¡¯m making for you. I was going to get it finished last night, then I got called away.¡± ¡°Really? Something like you got?¡± ¡°Exactly what I¡¯ve got. Any preference on flourishes? I do the embossing after the enchanting.¡± ¡°Give me a ranger crest right over my heart.¡± ¡°Not a problem.¡± ¡°I hate to ask, but how much does it cost you to make one?¡± Redmond just shutdown once he heard the number, it would be years of pay, he could¡¯ve been making a rangers wage from the start of his career, minus the cost of living expenses, and still not afforded it. If it wasn¡¯t for his sense of justice, he would abandon it in a second to start working for Harlan. He came out of his shock as the carriage rocked to a stop. ¡°Welcome to Tole, Sir Fomoria.¡± He didn¡¯t announce his arrival, nor did he say he was coming, so there was a small panic when they saw his carriage coming down the road. ¡°Can you direct me to where I could hire carpenters? I have a large project and it is more than I could do on my own.¡± ¡°Of course, I will get a guide to help you with your needs.¡± The man was sweating, not really afraid, but clearly nervous to be around him. Harlan wondered how Balor acted when he visited. Shortly after the man left a girl, maybe 18 years of age, brown hair just past her shoulders, brown eyes came out to guide him. He was worried that people thought he had a type at this point. ¡°Good morning Sir Fomoria, I am April, I will take care of your needs for the day.¡± ¡°Thank you. Now, to the carpenters.¡± The men awkwardly bowed to him and the foreman started talking about discounts and repaying favors. ¡°I am not looking for anything but buildings to be made, you are workers, so I will pay a fair wage.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir, um, Sir Fomoria. What did you have in mind?¡± ¡°A village. I expect I will need housing for 100, maybe more. Why not play it safe, I want two buildings, separated by sex, 100 in each. Then I¡¯ll need storage sheds for the golems and tools and such. Along with a main building for things like meals and events.¡± ¡°You mean dormitories? If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to know who is supposed to be living in these buildings.¡± ¡°Orphans, oh, and design them so that they could be expanded if need be. Much of the internals will be done by me, I mostly need a strong shell. I¡¯ve drawn up my own blueprints, but I would like you to look over them.¡± It was two hours of back and forth, they hadn¡¯t built anything like this before. Most of the business these men did was homes for the new residents, and expansions to the old homes as the old residents got a new flow of money from the visitors. They weren¡¯t even locals, and had come with the second wave of people when it got out that the first wave needed quality woodworkers for everything from new plates and bowls to entire homes. Eventually they figured they¡¯d move on again as the town started switching to stone homes. ¡°Thank you for your time Sir Fomoria, with golems helping, I¡¯d expect it done in a month, less even.¡± ¡°Thank you, I would never have time for anything else if I didn¡¯t have people to help with this. I do wonder however, what are your thoughts on Tole as a whole?¡± ¡°It¡¯s grown quite a lot, keeps getting faster. Food is better than most places we¡¯ve been, people are friendly, you¡¯ve got systems to catch people before they fall through the cracks. Most of my boys I pulled from the streets, gave them something better to do with their hands. No corruption that I¡¯ve seen either, the golems follow the guards like hawks. Sometimes makes me wonder who is watching who.¡± ¡°I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay here then. I¡¯ll see you when construction starts. Some of the things I¡¯m doing will require that I get things ready before you arrive.¡± Next Harlan just wanted to wander the town, despite all of his trips back, he had never actually gotten around to visiting Tole past his time here before the academy. The food vendors were still out, but in smaller numbers with better looking foods. What Harlan especially enjoyed was that with a bit of soulsmithing, cold storage was not only smaller, but it was portable. He could visit any restaurant and get ice cold drinks, some vendors even sold cold foods from their carts. Small servings of savory gelatinous cubes mostly. Such food was normally the thing of nobles who could afford to have such a thing sit in either a magically chilled or deeply dug cold room for the hours that it needed. It was not complex, anyone could boil the bones of animals to make it, then just toss in some shredded or cubed meat, and it was an oddity that most wouldn¡¯t get to try outside of the fall and winter months. ¡°This is fun, I wish I had brought Adina.¡± ¡°Well, you declared her as yours, so try to watch out for that. Don¡¯t leave her behind.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got to go to Luth anyway, I don¡¯t really want anyone but Brig working on the parts that I need for the golems.¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°I¡¯ve seen what Balor¡¯s golems can do, wouldn¡¯t that make more sense?¡± ¡°I know they could do it, but there is a certain professionalism from Brig.¡± Redmond gave him an odd glance. ¡°You mean the screaming old man who talks funny? Right? Are we talking about the same blacksmith?¡± ¡°He has passion in his work, I¡¯ve never had any issues with what he makes me. He could look at my blueprints and tell me where I¡¯ve made mistakes. I could take what he shows me and turn around to make golems that can do what he does, but that feels wrong to me.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense, it would make bad blood if you started doing that to him.¡± ¡°Not much else for me to do here-¡± A child threw a clump of mud at another, missing him and hitting Harlan. He reacted instantly, his armor covering his body, the skull on his helm staring down a boy maybe 6 years of age. Suddenly everyone stopped, he felt the fear around him. Harlan just wiped it away with a little magic and kept walking, his armor retreating beneath his clothes again. ¡°I¡¯ll set up some golems to flatten the tract of land where I want the orphan village and divert the river again so they have a reservoir.¡± Harlan heard someone call out to him from behind, the mother of the child held her head and her son¡¯s head down, nearly touching the ground. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my son, please-¡± ¡°Stop.¡± Nobody had started moving again yet. Harlan lifted them up with telekinesis. ¡°Lift your heads, a little mud isn¡¯t going to hurt me.¡± The hustle of the town started again as if nothing had happened. They made their way to the carriage and left, though before he did, Harlan did want to make something clear. ¡°I know how some nobles can be, so, April, if anyone attempts to harm that mother or child in the hopes of gaining favor with me. Tell them that I will kill them, without mercy, no matter who they are.¡± For the first time in some time, he actually heighted the fear of somebody to make his point come across more clearly. Redmond had barely said a word until they were well outside of the town. ¡°Why did you make that mudball hit you?¡± ¡°Oh, you caught that?¡± ¡°It is a strange thing to do.¡± ¡°Have you read much about old heroes? Bron the Brash, Ix the Scythe, Sil the Scarred.¡± ¡°I have no idea who those people are.¡± ¡°They each led a city on the council of 13. The people revered them as gods, they would have them hold newborns hoping that some divine power or greatness would rub off on them. I saw how the people in Tole looked at me. I do not want to be revered or feared, but to make a public statement out of nowhere would come off as very odd. So I engineered a situation where I could call myself a normal person. I do not want fanatics.¡± Redmond let out a whistle. ¡°That is¡­ well, crazy.¡± ¡°In 100 years I will still look 25 years old. Last night I was offered the hand of the youngest princess. I don¡¯t mean to sound like I¡¯m letting it get to my head, I¡¯m trying to avoid that.¡± ¡°People are going to remember you forgiving that woman though, you made a show out of it.¡± ¡°They will remember saying that I wasn¡¯t a god or a king.¡± ¡°Humility is something people want in heroes.¡± ¡°Sh- I might have miscalculated.¡± ¡°You grew up, but you¡¯re still a kid.¡± After a quick stop at home to give orders to some golems that were in storage Harlan left with Adina to Luth. He didn¡¯t have a house tailor, so he would just take her to the local one, drop her off, and then go over his designs with Brig. By that point they would have a nice slightly late lunch. All that needed to happen was for nothing to happen, for nobody to bother Adina for where she came from or how Tole was slowly killing Luth and she was part of the family behind it. She needed to not be bothered by the guards on account of Harlan holding a grudge and making that fact clear. They entered the tailor''s shop without anything happening. ¡°Sir Fomoria, it has been some time.¡± ¡°It has been too long. Gunther, this is Adina, my betrothed.¡± She blushed and giggled whenever he said it, it wasn¡¯t a delusion on her end, it wasn¡¯t a dream, and that just tickled her pink. ¡°She has immigrated from Reino to Ragne, and it was not a happy affair, so she has nothing from her home. I would like to visit the blacksmith, would you like to help her with some clothing? Not just dresses, whatever she needs.¡± ¡°I would be honored. However, I do have a question. I don¡¯t hold it against you, but everyone is aware of how we have become more of a stop for people going to Tole than the other way around. At this rate, I am uncertain if I can afford to stay here much longer, 6 months at most.¡± ¡°You want to be my house tailor?¡± The young man¡¯s eyes sparkled. He had inherited the shop from his mother, she had wanted a daughter, but the passing of his father and her refusal to remarry instead caused her to teach him her trade. ¡°I was hoping to ask if you would be willing to put in a good word so I could move to Tole, are you certain you would have me as your tailor.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never disliked a suit you¡¯ve made, you¡¯ve taken my coin without giving me more than an odd look, you¡¯ve made clothes for my golems without complaint. If you¡¯ve fallen on hard times, I see no reason not to help you. And, though I¡¯ve only just thought of it, I will be taking in a lot of orphans, and I¡¯ll need clothes for them and a lot of golems. So this is actually a perfect opportunity. Do you need time or help with moving your things? I could put you in a guest room for a time, but I¡¯d like my higher up workers to have cabins inside my walls.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like a week to pack up the store, say some goodbyes, and then I could move.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send people one week from today then. Adina, have fun, don¡¯t worry about costs.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t really mind, but the man did seem to have a¡­ certain manner about him. He just ignored it, he didn¡¯t know his life story, and might not ever hear it. He wanted to distance himself from new hires to some extent, give them a period where he could look at them objectively instead of as a person. Harlan made his way to Brig who scoffed and spit on the ground. ¡°Armor¡¯s done.¡± ¡°I am sure it is impeccable as always. I have a very large order I would like you to fulfill, the materials would come from me. But I would like your opinion on the designs, make sure there are no glaring flaws that need to be corrected.¡± ¡°How large an order?¡± ¡°100 golems to start with. Maybe as much as 600 in the next few years.¡± ¡°Gimmie that paper.¡± Brig was a man who lived to work instead of working to live. It took an hour, but there were a series of corrections that he made, shortening or lengthening or thickening parts to make sure they had the right range of movement without sacrificing strength. Much of it wouldn¡¯t really matter, these golems could enter a semisolid state, but every little thing that they didn¡¯t need to fix on their own to move like they should was just the smallest bit of efficiency. ¡°3 a day, buncha small parts. Bitch to work with.¡± ¡°I have one other project, more of a long term goal. But I was given an example of what a long range mass transport should look like.¡± Harlan used a bit of illusion, and a bit of earth magic to recreate the small toy on its track, pulled by a string. ¡°Minecart?¡± ¡°Something like that. I guess if I laid tracks between cities then it would be fairly simple to put in a light hover and some movement spells to get it moving. But that seems too easy.¡± ¡°Trains.¡± ¡°What are those?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know, but I heard of em. Big boxes of metal on tracks, pack people on em, fancy people had nicer ones. Who told ya about this?¡± ¡°Have you ever met a lich?¡± He shivered and steam rose from his skin in anger. ¡°Fuckin¡¯ monsters, shit bastards.¡± ¡°I know the feeling, first one I met tried to kill me as part of a test, second one¡­ I don¡¯t want to talk about that. But the third one asked me if there was something I wanted to know, and he gave me a toy when I asked about transport for the common people.¡± ¡°Not talkin¡¯ bout¡¯ em. I¡¯ll write down what ya want. Not git, I¡¯m angry, not workin¡¯ til I¡¯m not anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bring up bad memories.¡± ¡°This is why I don¡¯t want to deal with champions and gods, nobody normal is ever picked. Only fools and those who wished they were dead. Leave me, now.¡± Harlan had never heard him drop his accent before; he didn¡¯t even understand how such a way of speech was even possible from what he knew, which was very little in all honesty, about Godgiven and the magic of language. He returned to find that Adina hadn¡¯t been involved in a fight, nobody firebombed his carriage, and he could hear Gunther humming, meaning he was working hard. Adina, as it turned out, liked a casual look; she was tired of the tight fancy dresses of her country. She wanted to dress like Aida, comfortable plain clothes that give her freedom of movement, some pants to wear under her dresses during the colder months, and some coats were what she wanted made. ¡°How is this working out?¡± ¡°fantastically. She is just like a doll, everything I make looks good on her. Though she could stand to fill out a little more.¡± He was chewing on the end of his pencil and suddenly realized what he had said. ¡°Stop, I know what you mean. Don¡¯t worry about it, unless Adina is insulted, I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still growing, that is just a fact. But I don¡¯t want to hear that again, it is just¡­ I don¡¯t want other people looking at me like that. I¡¯m not someone to be shipped off.¡± ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, Lady Adina. Or should I call you Lady Fomoria?¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t married, we aren¡¯t even sure about how long it will be until we want to do that. Lady Adina is fine.¡± Only one dress had actually been made, the rest were just designed. She changed in the carriage under heavy guard and no less than 3 veils. When she stepped out she wore a black dress that covered her shoulders and reached halfway to her elbows. It was a loose fit to hide her figure and to let her move with ease. ¡°Ready to go?¡± Harlan put his arm out and she interlocked with him. ¡°You''re anxious.¡± ¡°This dress might be a little too free. I feel like I¡¯m wearing a nightgown.¡± ¡°Really? Amber and Autumn dressed like that at your age.¡± ¡°They are also a little more¡­ developed.¡± ¡°Are you insulted by what he said?¡± ¡°Sometimes it feels like I¡¯m going to wake up and find myself in Reino, married to a man I would grow to hate. I wanted you, but now I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Not quite so confident that you deserve me?¡± ¡°A little bit. I¡¯m sure Yara is prettier than me.¡± ¡°She is cheating, the Golden all develop perfect bodies. But that doesn¡¯t matter, to me, even if you had warts, I¡¯d love you.¡± He wasn¡¯t entirely sure where he went wrong, but she was angry at him. ¡°I guess you could always get me a ¡®perfect¡¯ body like theirs with your magic, couldn¡¯t you? Maybe you could try your luck with Liat.¡± Having lived through puberty once was enough for her, to see it again was just painful for Dawn. ¡°Harlan, she is self conscious, you made it worse.¡± ¡°How do I make it better?¡± ¡°Say you are sorry.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°Nothing specific, but try to pretend you know what you did wrong.¡± Adina noticed that something odd was happening, but couldn¡¯t tell that he was speaking with someone else. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡± ¡°Good. I mean, I don¡¯t want to snap at you. I¡¯m just tired and I¡¯ve been getting cramps.¡± ¡°Do you want to go back home?¡± ¡°No, I want to eat something. Maybe cake after lunch? Suddenly that sounds good.¡± A spell was being beamed directly into Harlan¡¯s head by Dawn. ¡°Please, for the love of all that is good, hit her with that spell. It was taught to me by a close friend. It can¡¯t stop what will happen, but it will by time and make her feel better. Once you finish lunch, get her back home and send her to your mother or sisters, not Ava, she probably hasn¡¯t had this happen yet.¡± ¡°What is happening? Is she going to be alright?¡± ¡°Just part of growing up. I¡¯m almost angry that you are getting by so easily. Maybe Ava was right, being born better is bullshit.¡± Harlan suddenly understood what was happening. He had read about it in biology books, though in classes it was taught to boys and girls separately. She perked up as the spell took effect, though to avoid embarrassing her, he didn¡¯t say he used a spell on her. Technically he was breaking a core tenet of being a healer, she had not consented to being healed and she was in a state of mind where she was fully capable of making that choice. The lunch was nice, chicken breast stuffed with onions, a single serving of shredded carrots with a cream sauce that had just a bit of horseradish in it and topped with buttery breadcrumbs. Dawn had warned him against saying a single word about what she was eating, positive or negative. But he was already someone who ate large servings, sometimes several large servings if he had a busy day. It didn¡¯t bother him for a second as she put away 2 pans of the carrots, 2 chicken breasts, and then a slice of chocolate cake with a rich frosting. Once she was satisfied she looked at her plates with regret and Harlan paid the bill, having eaten twice as much as her in the same timespan, though he didn¡¯t get cake, he wasn¡¯t big on sweets. On the way back home she was on the verge of tears and Dawn was practically screaming at him to be as delicate as he could. She wished she had a mother when she went through this, instead she had an absent grandfather and a woman she considered more of an acquaintance than a friend. Dawn wanted Adina to deal with growing up better than she had. ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m so sad.¡± ¡°Ah. Hmm¡­. You need to talk with my mother, or my sisters, not Ava though.¡± She looked up at him and then she realized. ¡°Can¡¯t you just¡­ make me feel normal?¡± ¡°I am against using my empathy like that, but if you want it, I will.¡± ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t you do it?¡± ¡°Because once I am away from you the feeling of relief is going to fade. I¡¯ve thought a lot about lowering my own emotions, and I hate doing it, to me it feels like running away. I need to solve my problems, not just push them away. But there isn¡¯t any harm in just doing it sometimes.¡± ¡°Just, until we get back.¡± Her fear and sadness and anxiety faded for the rest of the trip and she let herself be excited for the things he got for her, she had never gotten the chance to pick out her clothes, before Harlan showed her, she didn¡¯t even know what colors looked like. She could talk freely about how much she liked the food and her house and everything. With her emotions locked away, everything just came out as positive. It was nice for her, but it made Harlan want to vomit. Was this how his mother was when the Fomorians captured her? Unable to show the negatives? He didn¡¯t even realize how his breathing was speeding up, his eyes darkened. But Adina didn¡¯t say a word, she couldn¡¯t, she had no little fear of him and it couldn¡¯t spike so suddenly that it broke his empathy. ¡°Harlan. It¡¯s alright. You aren¡¯t them.¡± ¡°Is this how it was? For her?¡± She consoled him as best she could, but he was right in a sense, the context was worlds apart, but he was making her unable to feel the things that came with growing up. By the time they got home Harlan just wanted to take a nap, instead he turned off his powers, handed Adina off to people who could help her, and went to work. Redmond would spend the next hour inside the bunker with Harlan frantically seeking to get his mind on anything but his last train of thought. Instead of talking with his nephew, he decided to let him work through it on his own, sometimes people just needed to sort themselves out with work. Chapter 145 After finishing Redmonds armor Harlan checked on the flesh golem, it was a failure, though he didn¡¯t expect anything else. As soon as he entered the room it tried to ambush him, so he grabbed its antlers and twisted until the neck snapped. Yet the golem kept moving, its body only a facsimile of an organism. It stumbled around and tried to twist its neck back into place, but Harlan just hit it with a small bolt of void. He could¡¯ve tried to take the gem out and wipe it, but there was no telling if that soul in there with its free will and desire to kill him had marked it in some way he couldn¡¯t know about. ¡°What a shame.¡± On the 2nd day Blackstone had the armors sent over, he had them done before the next morning. Luckily, she didn¡¯t try to convince him to go to Onyx¡¯s party The caretakers were going quite well. He acted as a relay, his mother¡¯s feelings passed through him and into the golems. ¡°Alright, that is done, now the testing.¡± He held the gem in his hand, making it think about theoreticals at a very quick pace. When he didn¡¯t like the answer it gave, he told the gem that it was wrong and corrected the answer, erasing the incorrect one as if it never thought about it in the first place. By the end of day 3 he could fill the gems with the right answers from the start and he had all 100 of them, 50 Fox Sisters, and 50 Elk Brothers. The only thing he needed now was to get the parts from Brig and actually build them. A day passed with Harlan and Adina feeling awkward about that whole day in retrospect. It was strange for them, she had seen him shirtless, ran her fingers along his scars, held his hand as she fell asleep, but it never felt like that day. She hadn¡¯t been embarrassed about doing anything with him in a long time, but it just felt like something had changed. They weren''t talking to each other as much as they did before, they stopped being comfortable being alone together. Both of them realized how silly it was and by the end of the week they moved past it. The first of the children came, 15 out of 58, clearly they were afraid, but clean clothes and real private rooms, not being stuffed side by side with only enough space to get up at night did a lot to make them trust Harlan. The dorms were both still under construction, but for now they had enough rooms ready. For the golems they were getting their first real test runs cooking and interacting with the children. It was a resounding success, the fear quickly faded and nothing out of order had happened. A few children did start to fight one another for food, but a Brother stopped them, explaining that they could have seconds, even thirds if they really wanted it. The elk golem towered over them at 7 feet in height, but the eyes of most prey animals were naturally somewhat gentle looking and his soft spoken voice had all the right inflections built in to make it clear it was not upset at them for fighting. In time they would learn the names of the children, their voices, their likes and dislikes, and it would be shared over the crossroads. Each of the golems had the ability to instantly communicate with one another through the crossroads like amulets could, this let them keep track of every child and make sure that all of them could act as a single unit. The only sour spot for Harlan, and one he didn¡¯t really have any answers for, was that each of them was effectively the same ¡®person¡¯ they could not gain individuality, something that he believed would make the children like them more, but also was just too dangerous to be allowed. After 2 days, he stopped watching the golems. They had shown no signs of anything he did not expect them to do, so for now, he was going to trust in his craftsmanship. Something that was quite odd to Harlan, was how much time Gunther spent with Sara. From his mannerisms, he thought that he swung the other way. He was sure that in time, if they got closer, he would find it very funny. For now, it made him feel like an idiot. His projects were mostly finished outside of Dagian and the trains. He could reasonably take care of himself, but he still tripped up every now and then and he wasn¡¯t used to his new body. A week, maybe less, then he would dump him in Tole with enough money to get himself established. It was lunch time, 5 weeks until he had to leave for the academy again, 4 weeks until the party at Blackstone mansion. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do now.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Harlow¡¯s request of no work while eating was barely adhered to. ¡°I¡¯ve done everything I¡¯ve got planned. I¡¯m not sure what to do, everything moved pretty quickly, nothing really went wrong.¡± ¡°What about that other thing¡­ trains? I can¡¯t seem to remember.¡± ¡°It is a Fae word, it doesn''t get stored in the soul like normal ones. That project is just a headache. I¡¯m working off the half remembered stories told to a man by other people who only heard of them and a simple toy left by a lich. It should be simple still, all I need is a box with seats in it and the right spells to move it forward along a track.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°I need to make it so idiots can use it. Golems can do most of the work, but with so many people, they aren¡¯t going to trust it unless there is a moron with flesh and bones in the driver''s seat...¡± He just kept yammering on about his work and and the frustrations of being so above everyone else. ¡°There he goes again, the great and powerful Harlan.¡± ¡°Ava, you know what he means.¡± ¡°Yeah, I do. And he pisses me off.¡± ¡°Harlan isn¡¯t like that, he just wants to help people. He doesn¡¯t think he is perfect.¡± ¡°Really? Because we keep hearing him talk about how he has to dumb down anything that he isn¡¯t using for himself.¡± ¡°Harlan just thinks of stuff differently. He isn¡¯t¡­ normal.¡± Once breakfast was over Harlan seemed agitated and went down to the bunker to work, asking that nobody bother him for a few days. Dawn was starting to regret making him focus. Ava decided to go on a walk with Zella and train with Redmond who was still getting used to the armor talking to him when he asked questions. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Currently he was floating through the air, trying to get used to the feeling of weightlessness while she made sure he didn¡¯t hurt himself, however hard that might be in the armor. ¡°I almost want one of those.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure if you bat your eyes at him he¡¯ll give you one.¡± ¡°Ha ha ha. I¡¯m not sure about it, sure, it might be fun, but I already know hover. Besides, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going out on missions all the time and I don¡¯t really have enemies like Adina.¡± Ava wasn¡¯t even moving anymore, she just floated and let the wind carry her. Zella caught Redmond with her hair and turned him upright before pulling Ava towards her. ¡°You seem a bit moody lately.¡± ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I be?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, why should you be? Is it just that time finally?¡± ¡°Maybe. I just don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing, I don¡¯t know what he is doing. Did he ever tell you guys about when he killed bandits?¡± ¡°Maybe, he tells us a lot of stuff.¡± ¡°He went through the camp like a monster, killed everyone he could, didn¡¯t even try to capture them. Then he gets to the leader, he had a hostage, Harlan saved the girl, has the leader completely immobile. He grabbed the dagger out of his hands and put it in the man¡¯s throat. No hesitation, as if that was just a normal things to do. I had to practically beg him to save his life, and I could tell Harlan hated doing it.¡± ¡°Wha-¡± ¡°If you say what if it was you, I¡¯m going to punch you. That is what he said. Ss if the chance of something bad happening means he gets to kill whoever he wants and ignore the law. I don¡¯t know what happened after that, but then Lugh decided he didn¡¯t want to be around Harlan anymore. I just¡­ I wish he was like when he was younger. He cared about everyone, he wasn¡¯t violent, he didn¡¯t hurt anything on purpose. He just did his training and played with everyone. Now he¡¯s off underground doing who knows what, he practically stormed off as soon as he had the last bite of food in his mouth.¡± ¡°Think of how Harlan spent those 4 years away from you. He barely talked to me and Relly about what he did, but we would go days without seeing him at all and then he comes back all jittery, muttering to himself. Rosewell had to drag him out of the labs sometimes. I don¡¯t mean that as a joke, I mean she called guards who physically removed him. Then we thought he was alright, and he came back here and then¡­ It took him a while to really be ok.¡± ¡°Can you tell me more about how that place was?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you a lot. We got food and a comfortable bed, we got leisure time, but it was a nice prison. I¡¯m sure Rosewell¡¯s ears are burning, but that is what it was. I didn¡¯t mind it so much, but talking with Harlan after the fact, he hates being told what to do, he hates not feeling like he has control over something. I just don¡¯t think you really understand how hard it was on him or how much he lies to all of us. I know he talks with Amber and Mary about things that he doesn¡¯t say to me or you. Did you try to talk to him?¡± ¡°When am I supposed to do that? He¡¯s either working or with someone else.¡± ¡°Just drag him away. Harlan¡­ he is an idiot, he might feel you being upset, but he isn¡¯t going to do anything about it just because of that. He needs to feel like you want him to talk about it.¡± ¡°What? Why? If he knows I¡¯m mad at him he should just talk to me about it.¡± ¡°Did he ever tell you about his mother?¡± ¡°What about mom?¡± ¡°I mean his birth mother.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then I can¡¯t really talk about it. But I don¡¯t think he likes his empathy. He is big on free will and people making their own choices, so to him it would be like taking the choice to talk about it away from you when it isn¡¯t so serious that he needs to. Why did he try to kill that bandit? Because he thinks that they are taking away the choices of people.¡± ¡°And so he gets to kill them all? Isn¡¯t that taking away their choices?¡± Zella looked almost ashamed, she knew the answer, but saying it outloud sounded terrible. ¡°He¡­ he is pretty extreme at times. He even knows it is hypocritical, but he barely considers people like that humans, he thinks of them like goblins.¡± ¡°What? No, he said that before, but he was just throwing out insults, he was upset. He doesn¡¯t really think about people that way.¡± ¡°Ask him.¡± Zella flew off to correct Redmond and Amber just sat on the branch thinking. Harlan had spent the last 8 hours trying out train designs based on what Brig told him about. For testing he made a small doll golem that could fit inside of the train and made it as smart as he thought a person was. Then he put others inside of the train as people trying to push it off the track or otherwise disrupt the machine. ¡°Take a break.¡± ¡°No, I need to work on the next design. Maybe if I put it in a tunnel, with rods, 5 points of contact on the sidewalls.¡± 2 hours of variants on this lead nowhere. He was trying to make the worst case he could, effectively a riot on the train, if it couldn¡¯t survive what he had already seen people do, then it wasn¡¯t worth putting out there for ¡°At least look at what the lich gave you. Maybe these designs are flawed.¡± ¡°That little toy is worthless, it gave me an idea and that is it. It doesn''t have wheels, it just sits on the track.¡± ¡°Maybe that is a hint? If those wheels tilt then the whole things gets unstable, cargo in the back or too many people on one side causes the thing to flip. What if it was locked onto the track?¡± ¡°It would scrape on it, the tracks would need to be replaced constantly.¡± ¡°Friction lessening spells? Floating on top of the track?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Balor was just a few floors below them speaking with Dagian. ¡°Do you feel you are ready to move out yet?¡± ¡°Yes, if I had a cane and just told people I sprained something recently I would be fine.¡± ¡°Tell me, how does your body now feel? Your eyes and ears are back to what seems normal?¡± ¡°I feel lighter than before, I was never particularly heavy, but it¡¯s like I¡¯ve lost 10 years of stress. Eyes and ears seem better than before. I used to have a pair of reading glasses, healers said they couldn¡¯t really tell why they couldn¡¯t get them to work just right. So eventually I just gave up and had a pair made.¡± ¡°Good, now, while my associate doesn¡¯t have much faith in you. But I believe that a man, when given a second chance, is very loyal. I have a friend in Tole who works under a noble nearby. I believe I could convince him to let you work for him as an accountant.¡± ¡°Perfect. My mind is just as sharp as it was before.¡± ¡°And you are certain of this? That you¡¯ve not forgotten anything?¡± The man recited a long list of personal facts about himself, the same one that Balor had asked for a week ago. ¡°Mental acuity seems correct. I will speak with my associate about your release within 2 days.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind my asking, what is this place? Who are you people?¡± ¡°This is a room, we are researchers. It is best that you don¡¯t ask questions. If you look the gift drake in the mouth, it might just swallow you whole.¡± Autumn took Adina on a walk along while Aida and Harlow got some time to play with the children. ¡°I heard that you and Harlan shared a room in Borden, did anything happen?¡± ¡°We slept, Harlan had to take two baths, one for his armor, one for everything else. We barely even got to see each other.¡± ¡°Always out being the hero?¡± Adina giggled. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t be happy to hear it, but yes. I¡¯m sure if I asked, he would come back at nights so we could talk, but I think he needed to be out there doing something. He gets so caught up on people, he needs to just let himself feel like he is helping.¡± ¡°He loves people too much, he just hates to see them keep failing to live up to his idea of them.¡± ¡°What do you think his idea of people is?¡± ¡°They love each other, they value freedom, they understand when they need to make sacrifices for the greater good.¡± Adina had to stop herself from laughing. ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t think Harlan believes any of that.¡± ¡°Oh? Really? Does he not believe it? Or does he just not say it? Because when I talked to him, he seemed upset that people didn¡¯t meet these values of his. If he believed that people weren''t like this, then he shouldn¡¯t have been surprised that they didn¡¯t meet his expectations. He doesn¡¯t hate people, he isn¡¯t so cynical as that, he wants them to be better. He wouldn¡¯t try as hard as he does if he didn¡¯t believe that they could be better.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure that I believe that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he wants to believe what I¡¯m telling you. I think he finds it easier to believe that he doesn¡¯t like people, because he knows what he has done, and what he is going to keep doing, and that conflicts with what he wants from people. So, ask him.¡± 10 hours of prototyping, and Harlan got what seemed like a stable train that floated right above the track, the only issue was that it needed 3 arms to keep it properly centered. Meaning he needed to make it underground, or it needed support rails built above ground. At first he thought it was a failure, but Dawn kept looking at the toy the lich left him and she thought about his words about not making a shallow copy, he needed to make something that was his. The single rail designs did function, but for Harlan¡¯s paranoia, he couldn¡¯t accept them. Between wild magical creatures, human stupidity, and magic, he couldn¡¯t trust anything that didn¡¯t have more than a few points of failure. His final issue was sizing it up. The sheer cost of making the rails and the train at the size he wanted would bankrupt him past a personal train, the king likely wouldn¡¯t have enough resources to make the system as extensive as Harlan wanted. He didn¡¯t like the idea, but he would probably need to seek noble supporters. Greedy, selfish, ignorant, nobles. People who hated him for what he was, what he did, and what he has refused to do. It was past dark, the moon was high in the sky already when he walked outside. The Blackstone party wasn¡¯t that far away, he wanted to take a few days off to cool down, then make a small prototype that he could actually ride, then try to show that off to people. Chapter 146 Harlan invited Selen and Wulrun, the children from the orphanage would show up later. His parents and sisters invited some friends of theirs, he had no idea who these people were even though they remembered him as a toddler. A few pigs were roasting over an open fire, pots of vegetables boiled before being tossed in oil and thrown into an oven to roast. They picked up a few casks of ale for the grown ups and for everyone else they had water and fruit juices. Harlan was just sitting for now, unsure of his next move. ¡°Harlan, play with me.¡± Wulrun pulled him from his seat and towards the trees. ¡°Climbing?¡± ¡°Yes! Selen doesn¡¯t let me climb the ones at the academy. Your trees are bigger.¡± Harlan called out to Ava and Zella, Amber wasn¡¯t really the tree climbing type. In just a handful of seconds each of them could reach the top, though they did set a few ground rules. Harlan and Wulrun couldn¡¯t use magic, Zella wasn¡¯t allowed to use hover. They sat on top of the trees and just looked at the few. Though he didn¡¯t intend to do so, these golem trees were growing far faster than the others around them, giving an unobstructed view, but also clearly marking the trees which had magical powers. Harlan thought about asking Sepul about other magical things, many planets could develop a mana flow, but these were very hard to cultivate and care for. The people who did know how to do these things kept them hidden for the sake of business or cultivation of power. ¡°Ho-how are we getting down?¡± ¡°What? Didn¡¯t think about that one?¡± ¡°I¡¯m scared of heights.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll carry you down.¡± Wulrun closed his eyes and gripped onto Harlan while he just cast a stronger hover to account for the extra weight. ¡°We¡¯re on the ground. Why don¡¯t you go tell Kass what you did, I¡¯m sure he would love to hear about you climbing the tree.¡± Harlan breathlessly said. ¡°Ok, then we can play more?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Wulrun walked off to go see Kass, Harlan had told him before that they would probably get along. Meanwhile Harlan waved over to Ava. ¡°What the-¡± ¡°Shh. Help me inside, get Adina. Don¡¯t make a scene.¡± Harlan had deep impressions on his armor from Wulrun¡¯s tight hold on him. He could feel through a scan that a few of his ribs were cracked, but one was broken off and needed to be reset; blood was starting to flow from lacerations caused by his armor digging into his skin and Harlan was just focusing on it not getting on his clothes. Ava did as asked but it was clear that she was worried, causing Autumn to tag along. They set him down on the couch and he had his armor take itself off. ¡°Adina, I need you to piece my ribs back together, I¡¯m going to hold it in place.¡± ¡°Wait, how are you going to-.¡± Harlan morphed his weapon into a claw, cutting open his chest so he could use telekinesis to pull the bone fragments back in place for her. ¡°Do it.¡± Harlan was keeping the blood from pouring out and ruining his furniture while his sisters looked on in horror. It took only a few minutes to heal him, though he needed another 10 while the magic finished, otherwise he risked more damage. ¡°Harlan, what the fu-¡± ¡°Language.¡± ¡°Shut the fuck up Autumn. What happened? Did Wulrun do this? That little-¡± ¡°It was an accident. He didn¡¯t want to be what he is, he is a child who doesn¡¯t know his own strength. When I make you stronger, you are going to need some time, maybe weeks, maybe months, to get used to the changes. Otherwise, this happens.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°You seem upset.¡± ¡°Is he stronger than you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t become a werewolf.¡± ¡°No, I mean, could you really do that to your armor?¡± ¡°Yeah, if I wrapped my arms around you then your armor would make spikes to try to keep me off, but if you stopped it from doing that like I did, I could snap your spine.¡± ¡° How do you avoid killing everyone when you shake hands. Or when they piss you off and you hit them. You¡¯d kill people if you acted like me. I hit Breken as a joke all the time, I could¡¯ve-¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why I don¡¯t act like you. I¡¯d explain the whole thing, but I think it would be better if you asked Selen about the world of glass. I should get back out there, I still need to get a new shirt.¡± ¡°No, stop, before that. I need to ask you something. Do you really think of bandits and other people that you don¡¯t like as less than human? Is that how you justify killing them so easily.¡± ¡°They steal and rape and pillage and kill because they can, they aren¡¯t less than human, they are less than animals. If they want to follow might makes right, they don¡¯t get to complain, because I am right. And, no, not people that I don¡¯t like. There are a lot of reasons I don¡¯t like people. But I wouldn¡¯t kill them for disagreeing with me.¡± She had a look of disappointment, anger, pity. ¡°How can you believe that? People are people, I understand judging them, but you can¡¯t just wholesale slaughter then like what I saw you do.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve met creatures that aren¡¯t human or beastkin, but they are people. I give them as much respect as they deserve, and after that, they earn or lose it based on what they do. You capture them so they can be put down like the animals they are, you defend yourself from them just like you would a Warg. Don¡¯t pretend it is different just because I¡¯m the one carrying out their sentencing.¡± Ava put up her helmet and left. The Harlan she wanted and believed that she knew was dead, and she didn¡¯t know if she wanted to be around the one who replaced him. Autumn went after her. Harlan went to his room to change his clothes. If she couldn¡¯t handle reality, then that was her fault, he shouldn¡¯t need to be the one to coddle her. There was a knock on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°Harlan. How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Fine. My wounds were not so severe that I need to be looked after, I just needed some help since I didn¡¯t want to make a mess when I did it.¡± ¡°I mean about Ava.¡± ¡°I could¡¯ve lied to her, but there isn¡¯t any point. I¡¯m not going to let her pretend that she is right and I am wrong for what we both do just because she tells herself nice words and lets other people cut off their heads. She¡¯ll come around eventually. I know she will, she¡¯s strong.¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Autumn told me something interesting, she said I should just ask you about it. Do you love people? Is that why you are so hard on them?¡± Harlan froze, unsure of how to handle the question. Much like when asked if he really wanted the people to have freedom of transport, he wanted to say what he thought he believed, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to speak those words. ¡°I wish that they were better.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the only answer I needed. Do you want help picking a shirt? I think something black would look better on you. Probably casual, this isn¡¯t a noble party after all.¡± Harlan went with a loose short sleeved button up. ¡°Let me button it.¡± ¡°Does it really matter?¡± ¡°I heard that boys like it when girls button them up and check their outfits.¡± ¡°Do you want me to show you what I actually look like?¡± ¡°I think you look great in anything, so I don¡¯t need to see you.¡± Harlan felt gears and machines not yet used creek into life with grinding and stutters. He kissed her cheek. ¡°Was that good?¡± ¡°I think it was.¡± She giggled and the pair stepped back outside. Wulrun rushed him, dragging him away to play more and not questioning why he had to change his shirt. They played tag, though at the speeds which they moved and the aerial acrobatics on display as they dodged and attacked one another, it could be confused for something else entirely. Eventually the children from the orphanage arrived. Now numbering 31, from ages 6 to 17. The youngest of them were tugging on the dress of the Fox Sisters who came along while others were getting piggy back rides from the Elk Brothers. Outside of Harlan getting glares from his mother and from Selen, things went well. There were no issues of running out of food or drink, those that drank did so with enough moderation that they would not cause problems. Though part of that was fear, it lessened, but nearly everyone who was invited that Harlan didn¡¯t already know personally was afraid of him even by the end. He wouldn¡¯t let that bother him however, he was trying to be understanding. As the sun started to dip down some of them started to leave, the younger children were worn out, Wulrun was curled up near the fire pit. A group of the older children didn¡¯t want to leave just yet and were trying to convince the golems that they should not only stay, but that they should be allowed to drink. Harlan pulled out his amulet and sent a message to the golems. ¡°Let those who want to stay do so, let them drink, but keep a close eye on them.¡± Amulets would translate soulspeak back and forth as sound, but Harlan could directly speak through the crossroads to the golems. The main reason why they worked by translation instead of directly through soulspeak was that it avoided needing to teach people. Anyone from a child to an old man could pick one up and just use it with only the barest of magical knowledge. As they drank the golems would remove them one at a time, each of them would end up hungover and would make the choice on their own if they ever wanted to drink again or not. Though alcohol was banned at the orphanage itself, so they would need to leave if they really wanted it. Selen held the sleeping Wulrun in her hands and sat next to Harlan. He explained everything that happened and she seemed content with his answer. She felt that she knew him well enough to not worry about how he viewed others. It was terrible, but fair in her eyes. Everyone else had left and now it was just time to clean up, yet there was an uninvited guest at the gates. Harlan entered combat form and stepped to the door flanked by golems. ¡°State your name and business.¡± He felt them flinch, unaware of how he knew they were there without them saying a word or knocking. Harlan already knew who was outside, but he wanted to know why before he let them in. ¡°Cupr- No, my father has cast me out, I¡¯ve lost my title and my name. Do you have a Reinoan communicator that my love could use? If they hear of this, they will surely send someone to bring the two of us to her home.¡± ¡°Does she have a blood crystal?¡± ¡°She has everything she needs other than the box.¡± ¡°Please come in then.¡± Harlan opened the door for them, finding the pair disheveled, his father had taken even the clothes off of his back, leaving him only a burlap shirt and pants to his lack of a name. Sherah fared better, though since they had taken his carriage and lost the right to use it, they had walked roughly 50 miles. ¡°Would you like to sit, eat and drink before you talk?¡± ¡°Yes, thank you very much Sir Fomoria.¡± Sherah bowed. Isha led them to a table. Autumn stepped towards him. ¡°How do you know Cuprum?¡± ¡°He was in Borden, kidnappers went after the pair. They smashed me through a wall with a windblast.¡± ¡°Kidnappers in a city had their magic?¡± ¡°No, the lovers did. Granted, I was covered in blood and they were running away, so it¡¯s no wonder they didn¡¯t recognize me in my armor.¡± ¡°Well, he isn¡¯t exactly the brightest torch in the night. Who is the girl then? I don¡¯t recognize her, so she isn¡¯t a local noble.¡± ¡°She¡¯s from Reino, name is Sherah.¡± Autumn raised her eyebrow. ¡°So, that¡¯s why he went to you.¡± ¡°I was recovering from their attack and couldn¡¯t really get away, so I heard the whole story from them. They think that me and Adina are going to change how people look at relationships between nations.¡± ¡°You make it sound like they had you hostage.¡± ¡°Pretty close to it. I¡¯m just glad they didn¡¯t go into details about what they were doing when the kidnappers went after them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll understand their point of view eventually.¡± They made more smalltalk, Autumn finding his first ¡®kiss¡¯ hilarious. Eventually he sent them to his room and showed them to the box. An hour passed before they came out, Sherah in tears and the man who was once called Cuprum comforting her. ¡°I assume you need a place to stay for the night. It is getting late, you can talk about what happened in the morning if you want.¡± She barely choked out a thank you and Harlan showed them to a guest room, giving some explanations of how things worked. Adina pulled him to her cabin. ¡°What did you want to talk about?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just wanted to be together.¡± ¡°Did you drink anything?¡± She giggled. ¡°Alright, you need to sleep before you say or do anything bad. The golems should¡¯ve stopped you.¡± ¡°I had the older children from the orphanage bring me a cup. Harlan, come with me.¡± She pulled him into the bedroom and laid down, gesturing that he should sit there with her. ¡°...¡± She didn¡¯t get the chance to do anything embarrassing before the sleeping air went into effect. There was nothing good that would come from him sitting down. The next morning Harlan went to wake the lovers up, they were going to miss breakfast and he could feel that their minds were sleeping still. After banging on the door failed to wake them he just opened the door, the locks all opened to him without a key. Unsurprising to him, they were both in a state of undress. He splashed them with cold water and told them to get ready to eat, tossing them spare clothes. Harlan had to entirely pull his mental sense inwardly. Seeing their movement when they should¡¯ve been showering was ruining his meal and everyone else thought it was the funniest thing they had ever heard when he explained why he was grimacing, Dawn was even laughing at his misery. Ava and Adina were the only ones who didn¡¯t find it funny. They walked out, not an ounce of shame on their faces. They didn¡¯t even look too upset about last night either. ¡°Good morning. I hope you rested well, however little you actually did.¡± ¡°The beds were very nice, and having a shower where we didn¡¯t need to refill the bucket. It was almost like being back at the academy.¡± ¡°Thank you, I do try to make sure my home is comfortable. Would you like to talk about what happened last night?¡± The pair sighed, held each others hands, looked into their eyes, coming to a silent agreement. ¡°You were right. My family¡­ might not have seen my relationship with Rummy as purely as I had hoped. We were both rejected by our loved ones, but we still have the one we love.¡± Harlan really wasn¡¯t interested in too much more of this. ¡°So you have no money, no home, he doesn¡¯t even have a name. Neither country wants you. How can I help?¡± ¡°You said we could work for you, soldiers or farmers. I hoped that the offer was true.¡± ¡°How do you feel about children?¡± ¡°We were hoping for 6, maybe 7 at least.¡± ¡°How about 30?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I took in orphans, more on the way I hope. I have golems, but I don¡¯t really want to babysit them. You still have a year left at the academy?¡± ¡°No, we actually graduated.¡± ¡°How about my offer then, I¡¯ll give you a home, work, food. You don¡¯t even need to watch the children, I want you to record how my golems react to the children, ensuring that they are doing well. Meanwhile, I can see about her being given citizenship. I assume that you are willing to renounce Reino?¡± ¡°I want to keep my faith, but the country, I can leave that behind.¡± ¡°Good, I imagine that people will come here to ask questions. Answer them honestly and there should be no issues. But¡­¡± Harlan loudly tapped the table in a rhythm, like the ticking of a clock. ¡°If you intend to cause trouble, or drag me down in any way. I am willing to make you both disappear. And, while I am at the threatening part of this conversation. If I hear that you two are being improper around the children, I will throw you both into the woods with nothing but the clothes on your backs. I will say as I did before, I want this to work out, but I am being realistic.¡± They didn¡¯t hesitate to accept, trusting Harlan and each other. That did put a smile on his face, perhaps they were better instead of just human. Everyone else around the table was unsure by the odd couple and their odd deal, it was like looking into a distorted mirror of Harlan and Adina. Chapter 147 The day of the party was upon them. The couple was working out just fine with reports on their activities throughout the day, Cuprum tried to say that this would be a new dawn for them and Harlan had to come up with a name for him instead. He was Jerah now, no particular meaning behind it. He made one tunnel from near his home, but outside of the wall, directly to Tole. Harlan reached Tole in a matter of minutes, and then passed over the town and very luckily didn¡¯t hit a tree. Had he not been wearing his armor and had he not taken some precautions such as sanding off rough edges and quickly casting an air cushion, he would¡¯ve died. Yet it mattered little, his mind was far more focused on the fact that it was so fast, that his spells could send him so far so quickly in a controlled environment. It was one thing to have seen it on a small scale model, but he expected it would be much slower when scaled up to a 6x4 single compartment death trap. The acceleration was far too quick and the slow down was far too slow. The first slamming him into his seat and the latter failing as the spells too much more mana than he had expected. The only other worry with it was that the gems had shattered, dozens of gold worth of materials were wasted. He was healed, Sepul having been called by Adina to make sure he lived. It was funny to him, he had never once seen Adina actually talk to him, yet he had given her his contact. ¡°Other than your clearly very unwell mind, you are healthy. Can you explain how you ended up in such a state?¡± ¡°Any chance I could seek your generous contributions to a project to connect the cities with a high speed box that travels on rails.¡± ¡°As I said, very unwell.¡± ¡°I made something, I just need to keep testing it.¡± Harlan tried to stand up and Adina brought her armored fist down like a hammer on his jaw. ¡°Sit down, shut up, I am banning you from work until we get back from the academy.¡± Tears were running down her face. Sepul set and healed his jaw back in working order. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Then act like it, just, shut up and get ready. We need to leave for the party soon.¡± ¡°The girl is right, you have other things to worry about. She also needs to leave the room for the next part of our talk.¡± ¡°She has a name.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m told. As I was say-¡± ¡°Apologize.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I told Isha this once before. I would let nobody short of the king come in here and insult my people. Whatever the second part of this conversation is, it is not as important as me keeping my word.¡± Sepul laughed at first, then apologized, he even called her by her name before she left. ¡°I almost admire your guts, though you shouldn¡¯t repeat that to anyone else. Otherwise you¡¯ll end up with someone seeking a fight and getting it. For this other conversation, Duke Harbinger will be at the Blackstone party. He told me that he was interested in you, and as a courtesy, he asked for my blessing in meeting you.¡± ¡°Anything I need to know?¡± ¡°You know how they got the family name?¡± ¡°They announced the coming of the king when he was uniting as many still standing territories as he could to hold back Reino. Ix the Scythe was the first duke.¡± ¡±Have you heard the phrase don¡¯t kill the messenger?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°The Harbinger of the king was not a popular man, so often they would try to kill him when they had no intention of joining with Ragne. When they tried, they failed. Now they control secure communication between nobles and the king. Though they are really a family of spies and assassins. Your amulets disrupted the cover, but now they are in charge of maintaining the public communication stations and military communications. I did not ask why the duke wanted to see you, but you are in his duchy, so perhaps it is just a friendly meeting.¡± ¡°What are the chances that it is?¡± ¡°Almost nil. Same as his name.¡± ¡°I know his name. I might not know every noble in the duchy, but I¡¯d be an idiot to not know who he is at least a little bit.¡± ¡°Then you should know that he is dangerous, but straight forward, much like Ix. Despite being spies and assassins, I believe they are one of the most honest families who you can meet. If you meet him in good faith, he will do the same for you. You are going to find another surprise at the party, though I cannot speak of what it is.¡± ¡°Thank you for the warnings.¡± ¡°Of course, you are my apprentice for another 4 years. By then I imagine that you will be a fully fledged champion and it would be unwise for me to remain above you.¡± ¡°Is that normal? That timeframe?¡± ¡°No, normally I would require a 10 year commitment. I have been remarkably lenient towards you on account of various factors.¡± ¡°Then I thank you for that as well.¡± He made more smalltalk, personal anecdotes about Nil mostly. When it came time to leave he hesitated to cast his gate, as if he still wanted to say something. Ava still wasn¡¯t talking to him. Yet she came with him in his carriage, as if she wanted to ride just for the sake of glaring at him. ¡°So, do you two want to talk about what happened between you?¡± The four who were riding together were Harlan, Adina, Redmond, and Zella. ¡°She is free if she wants.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking to him. Lugh told me what you did.¡± ¡°That makes sense, I don¡¯t think he is good at hiding things. He feels too much.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to tell her, but¡­ you are scary.¡± ¡°I know I am.¡± ¡°Alright, so, am I going to hear this story or not?¡± ¡°I covered up the killing of the mayor of Dullen by making it look like he would rather kill himself than be captured.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Adina didn¡¯t ask with any anger in her voice, she just wanted to know. ¡°He threatened Ava despite knowing who I was. Blackstone agreed that he had it coming, which is why she helped me keep it quiet when I admitted it to her.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t get to fucking understand, that wasn¡¯t his choice to make, it isn¡¯t her choice to forgive him. Harlan killed a man in cold blood and the three of you don¡¯t seem to care.¡± Zella averted her eyes, then turned back. ¡°Harlan was right. What he did was right, you are the only one who doesn¡¯t think that. If you want to hate him, hate me too.¡± ¡°Hey now, why don¡¯t we calm down. Ava, you don¡¯t hate your brother, you are just¡­ not able to see it from his perspective.¡± ¡°Fuck perspectives.¡± ¡°I told Harlan the same thing, please, cut back on the swearing.¡± ¡°You too? You really don¡¯t see what is wrong with him?¡± Harlan¡¯s eyes went black and his shadow sat on the seat with him. ¡°Ava, child, live this life which you have. Someday, you may understand your brother, someday you will not. There is nothing which can be forgiven, and there is nothing which cannot be. Accept his lies, or accept his truth. Harlan, lie to your sister, to your lover, to your mother, to your friends, It will make this easier. You know what you must do, what you have already done. Tell me, sister of my only child, have you forgiven your master for his lies?¡± ¡°Breaken doesn¡¯t lie to me.¡± ¡°I am the god of lies. He has lived a lie for decades. Yet these are not that which would upset you. Do you believe him bloodless, that he has not done worse? Would you have the strength to ask him what he has done?¡± She gently cradled Ava¡¯s face in her hands. ¡°You do not know the world, you have spilled blood in the name of justice, real and false. Would others forgive your sins? Those which you know and do not know? I have seen what my child has not. He did what was right, because doing anything else would hurt you much worse than this little pain. Coddle yourself if that is your choice. But my child, he has seen the bleakness of mankind, and yet looks upon them with such hopeful eyes. Were you to see it, could you do the same? Could you love peace and hate bloodshed as he does? With all of your heart?¡± She faded back into mana and Harlan¡¯s shadow took its place behind him. Ava really didn¡¯t know how she felt about what happened. Her voice was calming and beautiful, her touch was gentle and cool, everything about The Darkness made her want to understand Harlan instead of blaming him for the situations he ended up in. But once the glimmer of being directly spoken to by such a being passed, she really thought about what she had said. ¡°What did she mean by most of that stuff? Harlan doesn¡¯t want peace, he wants to kill the people he hates. What is the worst thing that he saw? He spent time with the princess and then he has been at the academy. I¡¯m the one who has to deal with bandits and goblins and corrupt people.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Harlan¡¯s first mother¡­ she¡­ I can¡¯t tell you. But it made Harlan hurt really bad. He is just scared of you having something like that happen to you.¡± ¡°And that justifies what he is doing?¡± ¡°Just, try to understand him.¡± ¡°Harlan, tell me what happened to your birth mother. Zella and Lugh brought her up to explain how you are. So, from the horse''s mouth, why should it matter?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The atmosphere in the carriage changed in an instant, one could just look out the window and see shadows of tree darken, animals flee. ¡°Did they say anything about what happened to her?¡± ¡°No, they are both being mysterious and hesitating to even bring her up at all.¡± ¡°Ava, I think you should drop the subject. Harlan, you don¡¯t need to tell her. It is just going to ruin the rest of your day and you shouldn¡¯t be around people when you are like that.¡± Redmond always kept a lot back when he was on leave so he didn¡¯t burden other people and ruin the mood. He didn¡¯t want Harlan to feel the same discomfort of knowing he brought everyone else down. Adina tightly gripped his hand. ¡°I think you should say it. Remember, I¡¯m not supposed to like you, I¡¯m supposed to make you better.¡± Harlan took a deep breath and explained everything as quickly as he could then just went silent as he spoke with Dawn. ¡°Do you think it was the right thing to do?¡± ¡°Are you worried about upsetting me, or upsetting her? I saw it all happen, part of becoming me instead of her was to move past what happened. I can¡¯t tell you to get over it, you are still young and confused and the world is just going to get more confusing.¡± After an hour Ava finally spoke. ¡°I¡¯m not going to forgive you. But, I¡¯ll hold off judgment for a little while. Maybe¡­ maybe I don¡¯t know enough about life to be so angry at you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Harlan thought of a lot of things that he could¡¯ve said, argued to defend himself, but he chose to lie instead. ¡°Great, now, we¡¯ve all made up. Harlan, you want to tell me about the deathtrap?¡± Zella was with Adina in Tole waiting for his arrival, she had seen it fly through the air, the hover barely staying active. The sheer speed at which it moved lit up something inside her brain. ¡°You want to ride it?¡± ¡°After a few revisions, if you can make one that doesn¡¯t kill whoever uses it, yes.¡± ¡°Well, for now I¡¯m not allowed to make another one. But, Balor might be able to. He could also make golems to test it.¡± ¡°Who said you aren¡¯t allowed? Did your mom tell you no?¡± ¡°Adina broke my jaw.¡± ¡°Wait, what.¡± Zella thought he was just joking, once she realized he wasn¡¯t she laughed even louder and Harlan joined in. Blackstone and Harbinger met Harlan at the foyer. He was in his early 40s, black hair, pale skin, sharp features, deep blue eyes, though without magical effect. In the broad strokes, he bore resemblance to Harlan, or a stereotype of a vampire. The Harbinger crest featured the upper half of skeleton, in its right hand, a scroll, in its left, a scythe. Though there was no known reason behind it, every member of the Harbinger family, from the firstborn to distant bastards, were left handed. To the approval of Nil, Harlan flicked little gusts of color magic, painting invisible men and women with a bright white dust that faded after a few moments. ¡°Come, speak with me.¡± ¡°Blackstone, if you would be willing, please talk with Ava, she knows what I did.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The room was set up by the Harbinger family, wards and arrays layered in the dozens to ensure an entirely safe and secure location. ¡°I am not interested in a long and drawn out talk, I want to know. How did you find them? Each of those people out there used a different invisibility spell, not a single one would be easy to break.¡± ¡°Oh I didn¡¯t break them. I entirely bypassed them.¡± ¡°I just must know the spell. What will the cost be?¡± ¡°I was under the impression that I would be speaking with Nil. He can step out from behind that cabinet if he wants.¡± ¡°Voi, my dear niece, you¡¯ve failed again. Good afternoon, Sir Fomoria. My wish is for whatever spell you have to bypass what we specialize in.¡± ¡°Firstly, it cannot be taught, it is a bloodline ability. Secondly, I do have a lesser form of the spell, which is how I knew that she was not you.¡± ¡°And, by your mentioning, I assume that you would be willing to sell this spell to us?¡± ¡°Uncle, can¡¯t you just-¡± He covered her with a veil. ¡°She is young, please don¡¯t take anything she says seriously.¡± ¡°Though I am young, please take my words seriously. My concern with giving out spells is not cost, I do not do these things for money or fame, I do them because it makes a better world. So, let me hear your argument, why should I let you use this spell?¡± ¡°Naive, or is that just the image you wish to project?¡± ¡°I am aware I am an idiot.¡± ¡°Very well. I believe it makes a better world because we can find the enemies that we don¡¯t know we have. Things are constantly changing, we lose people as the race to make or break new invisibility spells accelerates. I¡¯ve looked into a past incident where your own father was injured by an assassin during an unfortunate lull in which invisibility overcame our ability to break it. Then another incident, two Unseen died due to a new spell giving the assassin an invisibility that could be used while a breaker spell let him divine the location of the men. If your spell is as good as claimed, then assassins will not be able to do what they have done, less people, innocent or otherwise, will end up dead.¡± ¡°And what about when the spell is leaked, will you just stop bothering with invisibility? Will the assassin trade just die? How do you think the reaction will be, long term?¡± ¡°No man can speak with honesty against the passage of time. But, I imagine the advent of greater firearms will turn assassination into a game of hiding in plain sight or making shots from miles away. They have grown from simple, reliable things that killed soldiers in ambushes, to something that nearly killed you and has killed other mages. In the very long term, this spell of yours will be a great defense until a time comes that it isn¡¯t needed anymore.¡± ¡°Reasonable. Now, why don¡¯t I hear your niece''s arguments.¡± ¡°I do not think that would be a good idea.¡± ¡°You, you I trust with this spell. But I am not giving the spell to you, I am giving it to your family. So, I want to hear from someone other than you.¡± He hesitantly lowered the veil and told her to explain why they should be sold the spell. She had dropped the disguise of her uncle. The family resemblance was clear, though she still had some youthful softness to her. ¡°I want to know, how did you know I wasn¡¯t him?¡± ¡°You smell wrong, your soul is the wrong shade. Your heart rate went up when you looked at me. You failed to maintain eye contact. From what Sepul told me, and from what I¡¯ve read, the Duke Harbinger should not react that way.¡± ¡°Now that is impressive. I don¡¯t think Blackstone noticed I wasn¡¯t him.¡± ¡°She has reason to not question him, even if you changed quite a bit, she might not call you out.¡± ¡°What did you mean about my smell?¡± ¡°Women, at certain times, smell faintly of iron to me.¡± The disgust was clear on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t really smell, right?¡± ¡°To a normal person, no, they could never smell it. Maybe an Ursa or a Canis would smell you, but I¡¯ve spoken with an Ursa before and she said that mentioning smells is a taboo among her people.¡± She blushed and hid her face. ¡°How embarrassing. What was that about souls though?¡± ¡°The souls of women are also more vibrant than the souls of men, I assume it has something to do with their ability to create new souls in the womb.¡± ¡°Oh? Interesting, I¡¯ve never heard of that before. Is there anything else unique about people''s souls?¡± ¡°Well, the Golden all have a tinge of gold in their souls.¡± ¡°How interesting, what about beastkin?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about this subject anymore. Is that your natural hair color?¡± ¡°Yes, it is quite beautiful, thank you for noticing.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say it was. Is that your real eye color?¡± She was confused, but answered none the less. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why should I do it?¡± ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°What is your favorite color?¡± ¡°Blue.¡± ¡°Do you like light or heavy weapons?¡± ¡°I have an extending spear of lightsteel.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It is a combat weapon that acts as both a dagger and a spear depending on size.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Ligh-¡± ¡°Do you prefer your hair short as it is or would you grow it out if you had the chance.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure wh-¡± ¡°Do you like sweet or savory food more?¡± ¡°I-¡± ¡°Answer the original question, why?¡± ¡°Sir Fomoria, please stop bullying my niece. Voi, be quiet. I believed we were meeting in good faith.¡± ¡°She was being dishonest, pretending to be something other than what she was. I do not like that she feigned vulnerability and interest in me to suss out how my magic works.¡± ¡°Some manly pride at work?¡± ¡°No, I have a girl that I love, I¡¯ve no interest in you in the first place.¡± Harlan could tell it stung her ego. ¡°Now, Voi Harbinger, why do you deserve the spell that I have?¡± ¡°Because we are the people who train your Unseen guards, it is in your best interest, for the safety of your family, that you give us this spell.¡± ¡°Give? I thought we were making a deal.¡± ¡°As I said, this is in your best interest.¡± ¡°Maybe I don¡¯t want to. Why don¡¯t we flip a coin for it? No tricks of course.¡± She narrowed her eyes. ¡°Of course, good faith, just as my uncle always says. Do you want to flip the coin? Or should I?¡± ¡°Bring a maid, someone unaffiliated.¡± The maid looked confused and worried that she had been dragged into a noble game. She flipped the coin, heads for Harlan, tails for Voi. There was no trick, at least none that Harlan could¡¯ve seen, and it landed tails. ¡°Thank you for the spell, can you teach us now? Or does this require a class?¡± Nil was furious. ¡°Sir Fomoria, she cheated. Do not teach us the spell. Voi, you need to leave. Return to your father, tell him what happened, and prepare a proper apology for Sir Fomoria.¡± ¡°What? You idiot, I had him. You should¡¯ve just shut up and let me do my work.¡± ¡°You bring dishonor to your name, your work was to help this deal, and instead you¡¯ve gone against the faith he put in me.¡± Harlan listened to them arguing back and forth for 10 minutes before he stepped in. ¡°You¡¯ve earned the spell.¡± ¡°What?¡± They both said. ¡°You, girl, you don¡¯t deserve it. But I will teach Nil and he can choose who gets it. He has argued with you, his family, he called you out for your deception even when I had no way to know I was being tricked. I trust him with the spell, I wouldn¡¯t trust you with the coin we flipped.¡± ¡°Listen here you litt-¡± Nil injected her with a paralyzing agent. ¡°I will bring her back home.¡± ¡°How old is she?¡± ¡°21 this year, she has skills, but lacks the temperament that is needed for our work. I do have one other thing to ask for, golems.¡± ¡°Of course, what do you need.¡± ¡°Those new golems, not dumb ones. I have a letter from the king saying that you are free to reveal whatever secrets you feel are needed to create them, or you could deny my request.¡± ¡°Before that, we discussed the soul sight spell.¡± ¡°Ah, so that is what you have to offer us.¡± ¡°Yes, pay attention.¡± Harlan showed him the movements and spoke the sounds. Nil learned the spell with ease after just a few repetitions, though it was more limited than when Harlan used it. ¡°Amazing. Her soul is so¡­ small.¡± ¡°With the contact based soul searching spell it fills the entire vision outside of the soul with darkness, giving the impression that they are much larger.¡± The duke groaned and deactivated the spell. ¡°There is some backlash, a warning would¡¯ve been nice.¡± ¡°Really? I keep the spell active almost all of the time?¡± ¡°Even at such a cost?¡± ¡°The spell is basically free, isn¡¯t it? Perhaps you need more time to practice, or it is related to what I am.¡± ¡°We will need to refine the spell ourselves somewhat. I had heard you were not a businessman, but to give away the spell before uttering a word of coin is a poor idea. You should know better for the future.¡± ¡°I believe you aren¡¯t going to be unfair to me. And, you wouldn¡¯t be making an enemy right now if I felt slighted, you would be giving an enemy to your family until I die of unnatural causes. I am the champion of darkness and therefore unaging.¡± ¡°What do you ask of me then?¡± ¡°Could you, or somebody of your choosing, teach me invisibility?¡± ¡°That is a restricted spell, and, simply put, would it be worth the cost of your spell? Now that you know I and any I choose could completely bypass any form of it that I could teach you?¡± ¡°Oh it isn¡¯t just for me. I would like most of my golems to have just a simple form of invisibility so people are more comfortable despite them being around. Besides, as you said, you and the people you choose could bypass them. But by that same measure, they could also see you and most of my enemies are likely to not be using invisibility.¡± ¡°You want an invisible army of machines?¡± ¡°I can tell you are still hesitant, so I am willing to manufacture a smart golem for you as well. Calling them dumb or smart golems might be better descriptors than first and second generation or simple and advanced.¡± ¡°I will speak with Sepul, if he believes that you can be responsible with the spell, I am not entirely opposed to this trade. But, if there was another thing we could give you, just in case, what would it be.¡± ¡°Mana gems, the larger the better. I have a few projects that could be handled with a large number of small gems, but those things run smoother with large gems.¡± They made a little smalltalk, tried to further refine the spell somewhat, finding some success in the short 30 minutes before Voi regained consciousness and wanted to fight everyone, forcing her to be put under again and dragged home before the party. Harlan was finally free to visit with Blackstone and wait for the rest of his family. Chapter 148 Harlan met with Sable, made his smalltalk, just enough to not offend the countess who still believed she could change his mind. He finally finished the tour of the menagerie with Piceous. The only event Blackstone wanted from Harlan now was a light early dinner. She understood that Harlan was a large eater, beyond what seemed possible even, and there was likely to be little time for him to eat during the party itself. Also Jet was there. It was no mistake that Onyx had swapped places with his younger brother. Blackstone wanted them to have a calm sitdown with one another, and with his fiance. The rest of the room took side glances as soon the first words flew like daggers at the other. ¡°Sir Fomoria.¡± ¡°Jet.¡± ¡°It has been some time since we last met.¡± ¡°Does your fiance know about your past? I can¡¯t imagine any locals would let you within 50 feet of their daughters unless they were desperate.¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve had a long talk about my past indiscretions and failures of responsibility. Does yours know that she is sitting next to a monster?¡± ¡°She saw me climb on the back of a direwolf and snap its neck. She saw me tear the eyes out of a man with a sword in my throat. Adina, you must¡¯ve heard me talk about Jet before? He was being untoward with my sisters and I beat him until his mother needed to step in.¡± Blackstone was the only person smiling. ¡°Harlan, Jet, you both need to forgive and forget. You have¡­ both grown up since last year. Harlan, I believe you should know enough about forgiving and being forgiven. Jet has been in a proper relationship with Lady Carda for over 6 months now.¡± ¡°If you vouch for him, then I will put it in the past. Jet? Water under the bridge?¡± ¡°Promise you aren¡¯t going to kill me in my sleep?¡± ¡°I will react to whatever actions are taken against me.¡± ¡°That will need to be close enough. Harlan, my name is Jet, pleasure to meet you for the first time. This is my fiance, Lady Saff Carda.¡± ¡°I am pleased to meet you both, may I introduce my fiance, Lady Adina.¡± The tension still held, both sides knew that it was just one wrong word from being at each others throats again. So they didn¡¯t speak, their significant others did. ¡°How long have you known Sir Jet?¡± ¡°7 months. We began to date not long after we met. Though I had heard the rumors, I had also heard he had been humbled and was trying to be a better man. It was love at first sight for him, it just took me a little bit to understand that. How long have you known Sir Fomoria?¡± ¡°We met very early on at the academy, it is closer to a year than not at this point.¡± ¡°Did you have classes together?¡± ¡°Some, though we met when he prevented others from abusing me.¡± ¡°You look very happy with him. Are you the daughter of a count or baron?¡± ¡°High Saint.¡± Saff took a sip of wine, her eyes telling more than any reply could¡¯ve. ¡°Lady Carda, I¡¯m going to give this as a simple request. Whatever comment you have for her, don¡¯t say it. She hates Reino and her family as much as anyone born and bred in Ragne. She left them behind, she is part of my family now.¡± Blackstone clapped her hands loudly. ¡°No need to bring rain on a happy day. I have met the girl, I know she is quite dear to him. Unless you intend to be enemies with him, do not insult her.¡± ¡°Thank you, Lady Blackstone.¡± Everyone ate more calmly as Harlan spoke normally with Saff, so long as it was left unsaid, he would pretend that it was fine. It isn¡¯t like Jet was likely to end up as count. Harlan was spending the remainder of time until the party with Sable and Adina, Redmond was drinking with Blackstone. It seemed like war stories and near death experiences were a hot topic between the two. Fear ran through Harlan¡¯s head, wondering if she was trying to go after him to keep their families close. But the emotions running through her head¡­ she felt like Adina, like it was real. ¡°...lan, Harlan, are you listening?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, no I¡¯ve been thinking about something else.¡± ¡°What about?¡± ¡°Sable, has your mother ever spoken about my uncle?¡± She stopped and furrowed her brows. ¡°A few times. You don¡¯t think¡­?¡± ¡°It is possible. They seem to be getting along well, though if that is enough I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°I hope she isn¡¯t using him just for his relation to you.¡± ¡°I was worried about that, but she feels in love I think. Maybe, I don¡¯t know enough about that emotion to say for sure.¡± ¡°And how could you feel that?¡± ¡°Oh, right. We were talking so openly I didn¡¯t think about it. I can feel the emotions of other people. Your mother is happy, Redmond is happy. There is something else mixed in there that I believe is love, because I feel it from Adina as well.¡± Sable couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, that just sounds so.¡± ¡°Romantic.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know the right word for it. Like something from a fairytale.¡± ¡°Do you know what it is like to be in love? I think I¡¯ve been denying the feeling, telling myself that it isn¡¯t what it is.¡± ¡°Now you are talking like Jet when he is going after women.¡± ¡°Maybe he knew the feeling, then chose to ignore it anyway for his own reasons.¡± ¡°That almost sounds like a defense for him.¡± Harlan scratched his chin a little, his hair was starting to come in, but it seemed to be having a hard time getting through his skin after all of the changes his body had undergone. ¡°It would be easier to pretend that I can¡¯t tell he changed, that Saff is not someone who really cares for him. If he wants to be better, if he is better, I shouldn¡¯t feed that fire, I¡¯ve got others that need the heat more.¡± Harlan was standing around, not in a corner, but right in the middle of the room. His white brighter than ever, his red like fresh blood, his black darker than void. He spent quite a bit of time with color magic to make sure he was vibrant. This was not a debut to the social life of a noble, this was him hoping that he could put the idea in the heads of people who had a mutual hate for him, that he could stoke the flames of greed and warm their cold dead hearts enough to get what he wanted. Instead, people met him with smiles, with cheer, they shook his hand, lowering themselves to the level of a peasant. By the 5th person who didn¡¯t stick around more than to give words of gratitude, he stopped them. ¡°Excuse me, what are you thanking me for?¡± ¡°Borden. So many of our children pass through that city on the way home from the academies and they were locked up in that mess. My son¡­ I¡¯m told that they found a spider, if he had come home, I might not be myself. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve saved the children of many others. I¡¯ve been told you tirelessly flew through the night finding rebels and helping those that you could. Please, we must speak another time, I have many others I need to greet.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± It went on for over an hour, dozens of nobles from barons to even neighboring counts had arrived. Harlan was¡­ confused. He wanted to be happy, he wanted to believe that this was a shift in how people viewed him. That in the noble courts people would come to his defense. But nothing good happened without something bad happening afterwards. The tension was killing him. Every hand he shook he began to sweat. ¡°Sir Fomoria, may we have a private chat?¡± ¡°Of course, the speaking rooms are right down this hall.¡± It was clear that Baron Verdigris was unhappy to see Harlan, from his tone to the scowl on his face, yet Harlan responded with a certain joy in his voice that disarmed the man for a moment. The room was small, 10x10, enough room to comfortably sit and speak, but rooms like this were intended for short private conversations and not long business deals. ¡°What can I help you with, Baron Verdigris?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve taken in that harlot and my son.¡± ¡°You threw him out, took his name, it¡¯s Jerah by the way. I know that a thorough disowning like you did isn¡¯t an instant choice, which means you knew beforehand about his relationship, which means you planned this. He is not your son, he is a man who works under me.¡± ¡°He was supposed to try to live a simple life for a few days and then return to me and cast that woman aside. You are not supposed to be involved with this.¡± ¡°Yet I am. What do you want to do about it? What can you realistically do about it? She has forsaken her home for his love, he has done the same. They are bonded, and in a few months, if they have earned my favor, I will grant them a small wedding. They are, however, already married under the law.¡± The man slicked back his blue tinged hair and stopped himself from jumping into sneers and snarls. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°I am told you are reasonable, and that you value family, so please, tell me, what can I do to have my son back.¡± ¡°He is not an object or a piece of property. He made his choice, you must make yours. Let the girl live with you, take him back as a son.¡± ¡°If her family wanted him for what they could gain from them being together, why should I trust her?¡± ¡°Outside of the obvious fact that she forsook her family. When did I ever say to trust her? I will give you the same advice I gave them in Borden.¡± ¡°You met in Borden? What happened?¡± The shell of the serious man cracked with worry. ¡°Attempted kidnapping. I killed the men who were after them and then they hit me with a blast that put me through a stone wall. Once they realized what they had done Jarah wanted to run away, but Sherah made him stay. They told me their plans, and I told them to be realistic. But, if they failed to convince either side, then they would have the possibility to work for me. Now I am going to tell you what is realistic. Get 10, 20, 30 men, however many it takes. Follow her every movement, write down her every word, let no detail escape your men. Then, judge her. Not based on what you believe is true, but what you can confirm is true.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to compromise-¡± Harlan slammed the table with enough force that it splintered and cracked, the enchantments would pull it back together. ¡°Reality is a compromise. I have made many choices that I felt I was forced to make for the sake of the world I wish to live in, and for the life I am going to protect. Cut her down if you can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that she is not who she claims to be. But, if she is as she claims, bring her into your home, she will make a good wife for your son. Loyalty matters more than a birthplace, otherwise I would¡¯ve torn you apart because that is what a Fomorian does. I am ending this conversation here, either listen to me or don¡¯t. Losing your son is a choice, and that is yours to make, I am just giving options.¡± Harlan made his way back to the main room, along the way he made a few observations. Redmond and Blackstone, while not together, stood at angles that let the other share glances back and forth. His parents were speaking with barons and baronesses. Adina was being spoken to by a young man, she could handle herself. Zella, well, she had Harlan¡¯s protection and people knew of her, but nobody really knew her. Out of the facility and right into the academy, friend to the Fomoria family, mage, but mostly unknown. No mother, no father, no siblings or distant relatives. If she had died instead of being found and taken to the facility, she would be eaten by beasts or put in an unmarked grave. Somebody was bothering her. ¡°Hello, Count Harlan Fomoria, and you are?¡± ¡°Uh. I was just leaving, I think I heard my mother.¡± The boy looked over his shoulder as he walked away. ¡°Should I crush his head like an overripe grape?¡± ¡°Not worth it. He is just another shallow son of a noble who doesn¡¯t understand how uninteresting he is. Don¡¯t take this the wrong way, but I almost wish I didn¡¯t push you away. I¡¯d rather have somebody like you. Maybe not exactly, but enough like you.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just tell him to buzz off then?¡± ¡°Regardless of anything else, I¡¯m still technically a peasant. I know that if anything happened you would deal with it. But I don¡¯t want you to deal with people, you know how that would go.¡± ¡°I should make you a vassal, do you have a title you would like?¡± ¡°No, but thank you for the offer.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you want it?¡± ¡°Because I want to make a name for myself. Ava and Amber are both just called the sisters of Harlan Fomoria, people aren¡¯t seeing them for their achievements unless they speak with them. I don¡¯t want to fall into your shadow as just another person related to you.¡± ¡°It would save you some bother.¡± ¡°No, it would change the kinds of people who come to speak with me. Half the people here came to me thinking I was Adina, then it was just an awkward disengagement so they could leave. I figured with my hair everyone would be able to remember me.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get there. You are a damn good mage.¡± ¡°What are my subjects?¡± Harlan tried really, really hard to remember. But he had never been told them, he had never asked. ¡°Warmagic, combat magic, probably wards and arrays.¡± ¡°First two are right, last two, no. Fae law and voyagering, which is an advanced form of survival class. I want to travel around and understand the world better, but I also want to protect myself. I learned hover and telekinesis in the first year, I took spatial and time magic this year.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I should¡¯ve asked at some point.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t bother me. You¡¯ve had plenty of spare time, but you¡¯ve also used it for other people and for whatever mad project you¡¯ve made that week.¡± ¡°Maybe Adina was right, I do need to cut back on my work.¡± She tried her best not to laugh. ¡°I could do it if I wanted to, I just have a lot that needs to be done.¡± ¡°You spent half a month perfecting color magic. If you didn¡¯t work as hard and as long as you could you would never get anything done or you¡¯d end up addicted to sleep suppressors.¡± Before he could retort Blackstone had kicked the band off the stage to make an announcement. What drew his eye was the kind look in her eyes, she too often looked fierce or tired. ¡°I will be holding marriage spars. Any man who can defeat me in single combat will be in consideration for my hand. Personal weapons and armor are allowed, any spell that does not kill an opponent is allowed.¡± Harlan expected there to be excitement, instead it was mostly fear and annoyance. Any noble her age was already married unless they were widowed, any man younger was unlikely to want to marry her instead of a younger more attractive woman. Yet, if nobody fought her they knew that she would feel slighted. She had been remarkably amicable with Harlan, but she was known to be spiteful and ill tempered. A dozen men threw themselves on her sacrificial altar. The first man was a Baron, 26 years of age, military family, first generation. A wife would be on the way for him as soon as someone suitable for both parties was found, even if he won it wouldn¡¯t work out, and he knew that. In just a few moments after the fight began she hooked her estoc in the twisting guard of the man¡¯s own and forced it out of his hand, followed up by a palm strike that sent him barreling out of the stone platform. ¡°Next.¡± As the men began to fall one by one Harlan stood next to Redmond. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to join?¡± ¡°Me? I don¡¯t need to be wrapped up in whatever plans she has.¡± ¡°I saw you earlier, I think she genuinely enjoyed your company.¡± ¡°I¡¯m no good with love. I¡¯ll stick with brothels if I ever get lonely.¡± ¡°If you are worried about her making trouble, don¡¯t be. Besides, if this doesn¡¯t work out, you have my backing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure that I should do it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve read reports. You don¡¯t think you can give up your work, and the work you¡¯ve already done is killing your heart.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not here to be psychoanalyzed by you.¡± ¡°10 months of the year out in the woods, seeing bad people do bad things, doing bad things back.¡± ¡°Harlan, you don¡¯t know what I¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°I could show you what I¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that would help either of us.¡± ¡°If a man cannot bear his own burdens, then he cannot bear those of his neighbors. But if a man has free space on his shoulders, then he should uplift his neighbors. Adina has lightened my load, sometimes she has added onto it. I think that you might benefit from having someone else who knows how bad things are.¡± ¡°That sounds very¡­ Reinoan.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more or less quoting their holy book. They are pricks, but that book has some good lines in it. Let me help you.¡± ¡°How about this? If I think you know what I am dealing with, I¡¯ll fight her right now and I¡¯ll do it with my full strength. Deal?¡± Harlan put his hand out for a shake and gave Redmond a dose of memories, being careful that he didn¡¯t overload his soul with the information, taking out extraneous details like touch or smell as needed. He saw the mayor of Dullen lose his head, the clearing of the bandit camp.. He saw Harlan knee deep in blood, killing a dozen men in a ritual, feeling the blood as it heated up. He saw the fight with Kleon, he knew Harlan¡¯s resolve to die just to buy time for his friends. He felt the bullet tear up his insides back in Borden. His hands shook as he came out of the trance. ¡°Shit.¡± Redmond walked to get in line, only one man was left. The man willingly stepped off of the stage. Blackstone was in her 40s but never let herself go like some did. Until last year she would still make trips to the frontlines just to make sure she was sharp. ¡°Sir Redmond, what a pleasure. Would you be willing to meet me as an equal?¡± She wore her golem armor openly, what was exposed with her dress still on at least was covered by shadowsteel and steel Blackstone was simple, but if she was going to use one armor likely for the rest of her life and assuming she kept good relations with Harlan he would be able to update the armor for decades if not centuries, it seemed fair to make something with a style that could be passed on in her family for a long time. It was based on fairly simple plate with an extra plate bearing her crest over her heart and with a faint flowing floral pattern that could only be seen when the light hit the armor just right. The only abnormality was a high collar of stonesteel that reached just past the chin and was only open a few inches in the front. She could lose limbs, be bisected, any number of things, but as long as she was alive with a heart and a brain when she reached a good enough healer, she could be fine. But, if the head was off for as little as 3 minutes, that was it. ¡°I would meet you at nothing less than my full power.¡± For many, this would be the first time they would see what the rumored armor of Formoria could do. Redmond had a saber of skysteel with only a slight curve in his hand that he convinced his favorite nephew to soulsmith after he bought it directly from Brig. His blade that Harlan had made for him the year prior was broken stopping the charge of a Stone Boar. In the first clash the spectators understood that Blackstone had been doing nothing but blowing on steam until now. Steel screamed against steel as they tested one another. Her estoc bent yet held no fear of breaking as she slid it across the saber, the spring of it returning to its right shape cut the air like a whip and would¡¯ve pierced a lesser armor. Instead the black tip of the sword met a slight curve of his helmet that wasn¡¯t there a moment before and barely scratched it. Redmond countered with a kick to her thigh that landed hard but had no real effect. Back and forth, scrape scrape scrape, the blades danced in black and white like moths around a campfire. Fire splashed harmlessly off of the both of them as they knew enough to shift the air and starve the fire as it got near. Lightning has no mass, it did not clash as one might think. Magical lightning instead had the tendency to split and splinter and deflect off one another like bullets meeting in the air. The wards of the arena held fast and no one jumped back, but that they needed to be active at all showed the difference in how this was being fought. Redmond put down his helmet. ¡°Going to surrender?¡± ¡°You keep aiming for my head, I wonder if I could reflect a few more hits with good looks instead of steel.¡± They clashed again as they did at the start, yet when the estoc sprung back to shape there was no helmet to deflect with. A clear line was drawn deeply in Redmond¡¯s face, his cheekbone was sliced through, his ear split in two. Redmond tossed the saber at her inner elbow, forcing her to block. However, the blade did not simple stop once it met steel, it twisted around, binding her forearms as he kicked her shin and forced her to a knee. The first kick was never real, Blackstone didn¡¯t know what all the armor could really do, so she assumed it better than it was, not taking into account that Redmond was also wearing the same armor, but of high quality stonesteel instead of shadow and light. Unable to fight back, Redmond struck her with his fist, his removal of his own helmet was to add extra volume, making her attempt to roll with the punch ineffective as his reach extended. Blackstone fell to the stone tiles and did not get back up. A doctor rushed to both parties, though Redmond refused the help. He didn¡¯t go through months of healing classes just to let someone else deal with a flesh wound and a clean cut bone. He stepped off the stage and back to Harlan. ¡°Alright, I guess you got what you wanted.¡± ¡°Of course. I got to see two soldiers wearing my armor and the flaws I see in my explanations to Blackstone. That trick with the helmet and the extended fist was really something.¡± ¡°Did you send me in there knowing we would both use our armors?¡± ¡°I sent you in there to get you somebody you could share your life with and to help a friend who is lonely and looking for a good man. But I also figured you would use your armor.¡± ¡°I should smack you one just for that, instead I¡¯ll just tell my sister and she¡¯ll do worse.¡± The pair laughed as they waited for Blackstone to wake up and either hold a grudge or start planning a wedding.
Engine status: Non-functioning Crew status: Expired Causality: Tier 0 Local causality restored, activating repair drones. Checking guidelines. Guidelines undamaged, halt repair of self destruct functions, redirecting drones to engine restoration. Activating long range scanners. Chapter 149 Blackstone awoke 5 minutes after she hit the ground and was overjoyed. When she walked inside she took Redmond¡¯s hand. Knowing their Mistress, a servant was already there with a glass of whiskey in hand, the general healing spell applied before a more direct healing spell had wiped the alcohol from her system. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be needing that.¡± Wedding planning it was. She stopped in her tracks. ¡°Harlan, come along now. Bring Adina as well.¡± They were in her office, opulent dark stained wood flooring and furniture, white carpet, white tapestry on the black walls with her crest in bold black on them. ¡°Please sit. Honey, you sit next to me, bring that chair from the corner.¡± Redmond was a little confused, she warmed up quickly and he didn¡¯t even say yes yet. ¡°Harlan, I need to know something before your uncle marries into my home. Are you a royalist?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get involved in higher level politics. But, if you asked me if I had to pick, sword to my neck, I¡¯d side with the king. His actions aren¡¯t driven by malice or greed, he is making what he believes are the best choices for the future of the country and those choices are filtered through counsel with a friend of mine.¡± ¡°That is what I needed to hear. I will have you know that both me and Redwall are royalists. Harbinger as well. Though we are part of no organization, we put forth policy and conduct ourselves in a manner which we believe follows his ideals. Now we can move on to the important part. Your uncle will be marrying me, our houses will remain separate officially, and I would like you to avoid large moves on account of me or mine. Personal requests are one thing, but I don¡¯t want to hear that you¡¯ve mobilzed golems thinking that I would accept such a thing in my lands. You have, and will have, no authority from me without my express permission.¡± Redmond raised his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t I get a say in this?¡± Fear and despair flooded the room, though Harlan was the only one to feel it. ¡°Redmond, please watch how you phrase everything after this point.¡± ¡°Right, sure. I¡¯m a ranger, I¡¯ll probably be one until they decide I¡¯m too old or something else forces me to retire. I¡¯m not giving up on the frontier and the people I help out there for a job pushing papers here.¡± ¡°I think Amber mentioned this, we¡¯re expecting another 30 to 40 years before the frontier is entirely conquered.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care either way, honey, you have 2 months off every year, you could always ask for mid 6th month to 7th month and another from the 12th to 1st month. Or, we stay mostly on the amulets, and you and I get to know one another very well despite the distance between us.¡± ¡°I think I like having both of my months off next to one another. It took time and work to get a deal that good. I figure Harlan also had something to do with that.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t actively doing it.¡± ¡°Good, with that settled, we could be married as early as next year. Though there are some other trials I would like you to pass before then. We¡¯ve only got days, but I think you can handle them, mister ranger. I¡¯d like you to stay here at the house with me, meet my children, see if you can be, if not a father, at least not an issue to them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m no-¡± ¡°Redmond, stay with your wife to be. Mom isn¡¯t going to be mad at you. Besides, it is better to start now, then have 10 months to think on everything you learn.¡± ¡°Alright then¡­ honey, I¡¯d love to stay.¡± ¡°Wonderful. Onyx is going to be hard to convince, he is probably going to want a fight. Ebon, well, she will be upset, don¡¯t fall for her tricks, if you are honest, she won¡¯t, or rather, can¡¯t touch you. Jet should be fine. Sable and Piceous don¡¯t remember their father very much, so I think you should be able to curry favor with them just by getting the approval of my other children. Oh, and of course the king would need to sign off on such a thing, but I imagine it should be fine. All things considered.¡± Blackstone started getting out paperwork and talking to Redmond as if their conversation was done. ¡°Are we done?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then what about Adina? Why did you tell me to bring her?¡± ¡°She is your wife to be, correct? Then she should be involved in many serious conversations between you and others. It saves time since I assume you two have the kind of relationship where you are perfectly honest.¡± ¡°Oh. Thank you then.¡± ¡°Actually, since you are still here, what about making more armors? For each of my children that are without at the moment?¡± ¡°Is Ebon in any danger? Piceous will be here, so I doubt much would reasonably happen. I didn¡¯t choose to make one for Sable because of the off chance that she is in real danger here. I made it because she is going to the academy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want them to be given immediately. Just, make them and lock them in your vault. When the next king or queen is chosen, things could become very bad, which is normal. Though I do have faith in his majesty that things will be alright, I would rather the armors be made now and never used than them not being made and in the time when they are being made my children die. Also, I can¡¯t help but notice you didn¡¯t mention Jet.¡± ¡°Whether he lives or dies isn¡¯t really my concern. But, if you get me the armors, I will return in 2 weeks on a weekend and soulsmith them for you.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± ¡°Before I go, I¡¯ll tell my people that if something happens, they have the right to give them to your children.¡± ¡°Thank you. Should I assume they are being made with a discount as before?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t make my family pay for things like this, just give get me the materials and I¡¯ll put it together. I¡¯ll see you another day.¡± ¡°You as well, I¡¯m sure the party was wound down by now.¡± ¡°But, if you wanted to donate any mana gems, large ones, I would appreciate it.¡± She just scoffed and waved him away. Once the door was closed she turned to Redmond. ¡°With the party winding down. Why don¡¯t we have a serious talk, now that Harlan¡¯s nerves are probably at ease.¡± ¡°Thank you for your help. Zella mentioned it once, Harlan is always waiting for the next terrible thing, this should keep him calm for a little bit at least.¡± ¡°You should¡¯ve just told him you wanted him to open up to you.¡± ¡°Needed to feel like it was his choice. Or so I¡¯ve been told, it wasn¡¯t my plan.¡± ¡°Oh? Is this marriage not what I thought it was?¡± ¡°No, this is exactly what it looks like. If Harlan trusts you after what happened last year, then I¡¯m not worried about this being a big plan to get at him through me.¡± ¡°In that case, why not move onto the next trial? The night is nearly over. I might need to test your endurance.¡± Out in the party hall Harlan said that everything was fine. Aida almost wanted to burst into the room and have a sitdown with Blackstone, though it would¡¯ve been a bad idea for many reasons. ¡°Is this really alright? I don¡¯t trust that woman. I should-¡± ¡°You should be ready for the wedding next year, I doubt things are going to fall apart from now to then. Both of them seem to enjoy the other''s company, it could be a quick fling, or not. Either way you aren¡¯t stopping them.¡± ¡°After what she did, how can you trust her?¡± ¡°Remember when the mayor of Dullen died?¡± ¡°Yes, you mentioned it to us. Terrible that you had to see that happen.¡± ¡°Well, I could¡¯ve been under investigation for what happened, but Blackstone held them off, made sure my name was clear without bothering me about it and interrupting my studies. I didn¡¯t ask her to do that, that is just how she decided that she should repay me for what she had done before.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°That is why she came to the Redwall home the other day. Well, that and she wanted armor like what we have. I wouldn¡¯t make them for anyone I didn¡¯t trust would use them, right? Why don¡¯t we head home?¡± ¡°Alright. But I think Redwall wanted to talk to you. I¡¯ll gather everyone and get ready to go.¡± Harlan moved in as straight a line as he could towards the man, Adina following close behind. ¡°Baron Redwall, I was told you wanted a chat.¡± ¡°Not here, in a private room.¡± The three of them moved to the nearest one. ¡°You know, I don¡¯t really get the point of a room like this. They should just find a corner and put up a veil.¡± The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°It is rude to use veils in a public setting like this. And what is she doing here?¡± ¡°She already has my darkest secrets. If this is personal for you, I can ask her to leave and I won¡¯t say a word.¡± ¡°I suppose this is fine. I wanted to know about Borden, if I wanted to sweep my cities and towns, how would I best handle such a thing?¡± ¡°Healing spells directed at the spine, if they are paying attention, anyone should be able to find them. But if you want a specific spell, I have developed my own and a simple request to the crown will make them send a scroll with the words and movements to other mages under your command. Give a free health check up on your citizens, and I don¡¯t want you skipping past the poor and homeless like some f- like an idiot.¡± ¡°I would not make such a simple mistake.¡± ¡°I could make a golem, it would take a few days to have a handful of them. Give them out for free to you and everyone else who wants to use them, they could then go to whoever needs them next. Damnit, I should¡¯ve used my time better, people panicking are easy pickings for what I need to do¡± ¡°Excuse me, but, what exactly do you mean?¡± ¡°If I want them to accept guards and healers, now is the best time and I¡¯ve wasted it. I could get deals that would heavily favor me, throwing out the idea of spinal spider infestations after ten thousand died would turn heads and get them to follow rules I set.¡± ¡°Shut up, stop talking. You are making it worse.¡± ¡°Making what worse?¡± ¡°Feel his emotions, dumbass.¡± Ah, fear. ¡°I can get a bit intense when I start making plans. I don¡¯t mean to make it sound like I wanted to take over or force people to accept my ideas. I just want to make the world safer, and golems can¡¯t be corrupted like people can.¡± ¡°Right. Well, perhaps we could speak of golems another time. I should get back to my home.¡± ¡°Of course. Good to see you again.¡± Harlan was riding back in one of the two carriages at the moment. ¡°You fucked up.¡± ¡°I got too focused.¡± ¡°I should¡¯ve been watching you, I can¡¯t really see your thoughts until you decide which one you want to do.¡± ¡°Interesting, how does that work?¡± ¡°Focus on the problem right now. But, I can look at what you think, but people make a lot of thoughts that go nowhere, they¡¯re just forgotten after a few seconds.¡± ¡°What is the problem then? Redwall isn¡¯t likely to tell anyone what I said, he knows that I am valuable and easy to misunderstand.¡± ¡°That you said it outloud in the first place. I¡¯m not Lugh, I¡¯m not going to get squeamish, I think that you will do what needs to be done. But you can¡¯t ever tell anyone. Be like your god, stick to the shadows. Make people think they are making the choices.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± Mind outside. Eyes on him. He feels no malice in the thing standing outside, invisible. There is a wrongness in the air. The fires start to light the night. The thing is 10 feet tall. It stares at him and mouths words he doesn¡¯t know. He looks past it, bodies, dozens maybe hundreds. Suddenly his body is jolted with pain. ¡°We¡¯re home.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, right. I¡¯m a little shocked that I dozed off.¡± ¡°You probably aren¡¯t fully recovered from the healing. Why don¡¯t you go inside and sleep a bit?¡± ¡°Yeah, sure thing, mom. See you in the morning.¡± He still remembered how it felt when Adina nearly knocked his jaw off, and he loved her for that, however much it hurt him. So, he went along with her demands and didn¡¯t work that night, nor did he plan to work the nights before they returned to the academy. His sleep was mercifully dreamless. Breakfast passed with congratulations for Redmond and peaceful smalltalk. Ava didn¡¯t even bring up how Harlan had lied to their mother about what happened in Dullen. There was a knock at the door, they bypassed the outside arrays when they gated in, that mixed with the composition of his guests made him know exactly what to expect. ¡°I¡¯ll get it.¡± 4 subjects, human, 3 large males, 1 small female. ¡°12th Princess Lily, how nice to see you. Please, come inside.¡± ¡°I want a set of armor like yours.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°You would do best to reconsider.¡± ¡°Your father is the one who asked that I be careful with who I share my work with. If you intend to escalate this, please speak with him and get back to me. Without a royal decree, I will not be making one for you.¡± ¡°Mind your tone when you speak wi-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you.¡± The man moved to open his mouth again. ¡°And if the next words out of your mouth are another threat, against me or mine, there will be bloodshed.¡± Lily raised her hand and the man held his tongue. ¡°You were more personable last we met.¡± ¡°If there is a subject we can speak on, I have no issue speaking on it. It is your man who decided to change my mood.¡± ¡°Fine. My father mentioned you were working on something else, a transport craft of some kind.¡± ¡°Please, come inside, my maid will bring you tea.¡± ¡°I also heard it nearly killed you.¡± ¡°Miscalculation when sizing it up from a prototype. In the time where it was working, it was the smoothest ride I¡¯ve ever had.¡± ¡°Do you still have it?¡± ¡°Yes, however, I¡¯ve not had the chance to write my notes and it is mangled steel now. I do however have my smaller prototypes that work on the same spells, but of course at a fourth of the size.¡± ¡°I would be interested in these.¡± Adina came from behind grabbing his hand and following them down to the bunker. He had to move the prototypes from his main lab to a secondary one a floor lower; there was not a chance he would show off his and Balor¡¯s half finished ideas. ¡°This is the one who you were offered?¡± ¡°Yes. Are you jealous?¡± ¡°A little.¡± ¡°Please, don¡¯t bother talking to her unless she asks you something. There is a limit to what I can say to her. If the guards give you shit, direct them to me.¡± ¡°Calm yourself, it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like royals in my home, much less one so keen on my work.¡± It killed his morning and most of his afternoon, but finally she was out of his hair, having scribbled a journal full of notes. The men who followed her were royal guard, and they knew better than to cause more trouble after being told to stop. It was not an accident that she came on that day at that time, or that those specific guards were given as escort. To top off everything, only moments after she left, he got a request for his presence from the caretakers. With a heart full of fire, wondering if this wasn¡¯t going to work out, he made his way to the couple. They were surprised to see him. ¡°Sir Fomoria.¡± Sherah bowed until she was near parallel with the ground. ¡°I am your boss, not the king. I received a message, what have you done that made the golems think I needed to be here?¡± ¡°Oh, perhaps it is because I made mention of wanting to speak with you?¡± ¡°Then what do you want to speak about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure this is a conversation we should have with you in an agitated state. Would it be alright to postpone this?¡± ¡°Just tell me.¡± ¡°Please, come into our room, I¡¯ll get Jerah.¡± Harlan followed behind her, noticing an offness about her. The moment she passed through the door he immobilized her, not wanting to have any passing children see this if it was what he believed. Jerah tried and failed to move out of his seat. ¡°Before we speak, and before you are allowed to move, there is something odd about her soul, I intend to find out what it is, but she is in no danger.¡± Harlan got closer, but even inches away from her he couldn¡¯t tell what was happening. ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand what I am doing.¡± He undid a button on the back of her dress, placing his hand across her lower back and using soulsearch. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry.¡± The lovers were released from their hold. ¡°What happened? Is she alright? Oh gods, what if this is-¡± ¡°I would like to say again how sorry I am. She is pregnant.¡± Jerah wasn¡¯t moving, his mind was a jumble that Harlan could barely decipher as being happy and afraid. ¡°I would like to request that you let us convert one of the rooms for our child.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to-¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have a cabin built. So far as I am concerned, you¡¯ve done well and the children enjoy you being around.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to be a father¡­¡± ¡°Whenever he comes out of his shock. Tell him congratulations from me. And, his father spoke with me last night. I don¡¯t think I should go into detail out of respect for him, but, if he shows up, don¡¯t run him off without hearing him out.¡± ¡°As you command.¡± ¡°This is a personal matter for you, I am not here to steer your life. Do not take what I¡¯ve said as an order.¡± Harlan spoke with his people about the new construction. Yes, they could decide that they wanted to go back to being nobles, but Harlan doubted it. The days passed with Harlan fighting every urge he had to work, and instead spending the time left with Adina and Zella. Despite their proximity, he felt that he had been growing apart from her and sought to rectify that. ¡°Any changes to your classes?¡± ¡°Nope. I have as many as I feel I can handle. Any more and I would be splitting my attention past what I feel comfortable with. How about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m planning to take up alchemy and enchanting. I know the core of the latter, but my practical experience is lacking. I could make that one ritual by heart, but I can¡¯t figure out exactly why it reacts poorly with soulsmithing. Also, I¡¯m not sure how to talk about it all, but, how interconnected is magic?¡± ¡°You need to explain a little better than that.¡± ¡°Have you ever thought about what telekinesis is? Enchanting? Alchemy? The nature of runes? Wards and arrays? I¡¯ve experienced it myself, alchemy is the process of distilling a rune, in its ethereal form, into something that cannot hold its shape, yet still activates when it enters the body. Kingslayer potions can attach themselves to the soul itself. How does that happen? How CAN that happen? Soul magic was barely understood before me outside of people¡¯s works that they kept hidden. Then comes a potion, an alchemical marvel, that binds itself beyond the flesh. And imbibing, what a thing, it has the same basis as alchemy, you are using your body as the catalyst to make you into the potion. It is just.¡± He could tell that she was listening, but that he went on for a bit too long. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It is, I don¡¯t know¡­ cute? How sucked into things you get sometimes. You just forget what isn¡¯t on topic, you stop looking worried all the time, you get so¡­ childish. I¡¯m sure you used to look like that a lot when you were younger.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t look worried all the time.¡± ¡°Right, you just have a resting glare that you pretend isn¡¯t your default.¡± ¡°I got that from my mother.¡± ¡°Aida doesn¡¯t have a glare. Well, unless you try grabbing a cookie before dinner.¡± ¡°No, not mom, I mean, the other one.¡± ¡°Do you know what she looks- looked like?¡± ¡°Do you want to see?¡± ¡°Sometimes you get strange about her, whatever her name is.¡± ¡°Eliza.¡± ¡°If it isn¡¯t something that upsets you. I¡¯d love to see what she looks like. Adina?¡± ¡°I already know.¡± Harlan and Dawn both worked as hard as they could to stop his mind from wandering to darker places as he thought about her.
Non-causal life form detected on collision course. Activating ¡®be not found¡¯ protocol. Chapter 150 They had a single day left before they needed to leave. Another knock on the door. First thing in the morning he had gotten a visit from Zachery to apologize for pushing too strongly about the virtues of being a vampire after hearing Ava complain about being weak one day. After they talked and drank some tea, Harlan thought that maybe, just maybe, he had actually done it just for a normal reason, that Ava wasn¡¯t going to end up as a pawn to be used against him. When he came back to soulsmith the armors he would have lunch with the man, talk about life for a bit. Harlan leaned back in his office seat, and he waited for the next person who he could feel moving around the front of his house, talking with Sara. He told her to send him in. ¡°Good morning, I hope I¡¯m not interrupting anything.¡± ¡°Not at all. Is this regarding my class changes?¡± ¡°No, the academy has finalized your classes and you passed the competency tests to join as a second year. We noticed that the rate of drop outs is down 10% for Ragnites, 8% for Confederates, 14% for False Undead, and 2% for Reinoans.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°How would you feel about acting as a teaching assistant? We would ask that you help with setting up some of the work and having students sent to you if they are having issues with segments of their lessons.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Harlan began tapping his desk. ¡°You would be given access to facilities on academy premises and other smaller benefits for something which you are already doing. Ah¡­ I feel there is some tension here that I don¡¯t understand. Is there anything that I can help with?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about the benefits. Why me?¡± ¡°It is clear from those who you helped in this last year that the way which we are teaching needs more personal level teaching, but many of the students seem uncomfortable directly approaching the teachers. The other issue with that level of teaching is how the teachers might simply not have the time, due to their other work or just because they are booked out for weeks.¡± ¡°How is security?¡± ¡°There is not a safer place on the continent.¡± ¡°If I was attacked, but I didn¡¯t see who did it, how could you find out?¡± The man was ignorant of what shouldn¡¯t be said to Harlan, he was just doing his job. ¡°I am not privy to the details on account of that being a security risk, I know that each student is tracked through their uniforms, you don¡¯t need to worry a moment.¡± ¡°Is this system proven? How long has it been in effect?¡± ¡°Roughly 15 years now.¡± ¡°Thank you for your answers. Now, return to the headmaster, tell him that any personal dealings are over between us, but I will accept the job.¡± ¡°Did I say something wrong, Sir Fomoria? Could I smooth over whatever has happened?¡± ¡°You are just doing your job, my issue is with him.¡± ¡°Perhaps if I understood the issue at hand I could return with a more friendly message for him.¡± ¡°Leave my home immediately, or I will remove you by force. I believe I have been more than accommodating. If you need to rest, go to Tole, tell them I sent you, show this letter, most places will accept you without asking much.¡± Harlan kept a drawer of referrals signed and stamped in his desk. He was trying to get the man out as quickly as he could before something terrible happened. The shadows in the room grew evermore jagged around their edges, Harlan¡¯s emotions wanted to hurt the man, but his rational side was trying its hardest to hold them back. Harlan sat in his office for half an hour, then he called Sepul. ¡°Did you know?¡± ¡°I know a lot of things, you will need to be specific.¡± ¡°The academy tracks its students through their uniforms. They know exactly who attacked Adina.¡± ¡°Then no, I did not know. They must¡¯ve updated the systems after I last taught some 17 years ago, give or take.¡± ¡°If I asked, would you confirm that this is real? That the messenger I just spoke to wasn¡¯t just trying to calm my nerves with half truths to fluff up their security?¡± ¡°If you find the answer you don¡¯t like, what then?¡± ¡°Nothing, nothing at all. I¡¯ll cut off any attempts at them being friendly with me, but I won¡¯t shed blood.¡± ¡°Perhaps it would be best to pretend that you didn¡¯t hear anything. The academy is a place, but there are many who consider themselves loyal to it. You would be driving away potential allies.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep doing business, I am just not interested in Hirum or the staff on a personal level. Maybe when he is gone his replacement can do a better job. I had my doubts about them not finding out in the first place.¡± Sepul hung up, giving no judgment on what Harlan would be doing. When he stepped out of the office he had a clear look on his face, something had happened, but no, he did not want to get into it. Besides, Autumn would be there with the kids soon for their family going away party. He knew how most of them would feel about it, if he did or didn¡¯t go ahead with his plans. What he didn¡¯t expect was to see Redmond and the Blackstone family there. ¡°Good to see you. I hope you didn¡¯t come back to kick him out.¡± ¡°Of course not, me and the children all lov- tolerate him.¡± She went in for a hug and Harlan felt that something was off. He had no idea if he should even mention it, so he didn¡¯t. He had learned quite a bit, though he was still an amateur regarding reproduction. Maybe nothing would happen, the child might just not live for any number of reasons and nobody would ever know that she was pregnant in the first place. He figured he would wait a few weeks, then call her. ¡°Onyx, good to see you. How has the armor been?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care for the feeling of it slithering around. But, that is relatively minor. I am grateful for it. Mother said you were against selling them to other people. Why is that?¡± ¡°How would you feel about anyone being able to slip it on, and in 15 seconds they would have a nova spell at the ready? I am aware now of what I¡¯ve made, and how it changed things. Not just reading it. I visited a battlefield once, the land was scarred and shattered. I¡¯ve spoken with widows when my failures got somebody killed. It is hard to look at it in the abstract, just names on a list, while a child grows up without a father.¡± ¡°I see you are working through something.¡± He just walked away. The party went well, no fighting or personal strangeness getting in the way of a celebration. Partly this was a result of Blackstone giving out warnings about what they shouldn¡¯t say. It was finally time to leave for the academy, again. Bags packed, goodbyes given, hugs around, so on and so forth. Everyone decided on taking the carriage ride, worried that Harlan would find himself wrapped up in a mess. Along the way they met a few magical creatures, but it only took a strong look and a little heightened fear response to make them flee. ¡°I¡¯m bored, are we going to stop anywhere?¡± ¡°Yes, Sable, we can stop at the next town, or you can wait until we reach Borden.¡± Blackstone hadn¡¯t forced Harlan to take her, but she asked in a way that told him she would be slighted if he didn¡¯t let her ride with him. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°How long until the next town?¡± Harlan¡¯s eyes went black. ¡°30 minutes.¡± ¡°You should learn illusions, your eyes are unsettling.¡± ¡°Is that the part that bothers you? Not that I¡¯m asking a god petty questions?¡± ¡°You are the one who said she wanted you to rely on her for little things like that.¡± It was a large town, six, maybe seven thousand people if the non-residents were counted. But it had a very large footprint, one could drive five carriages side by side and still have room for people to walk. Harlan and the rest stepped out to find guards waiting for them. The pair looked at one another, then to the crest, then they knelt. ¡°I¡¯m not sure who you think I am, but you don¡¯t need to kneel.¡± ¡°Sir Harlan Fomoria. If you hadn¡¯t stopped the spiders¡­ I shudder to think what might happen.¡± ¡°Stand up.¡± ¡°Of course, Sir.¡± ¡°Sable, what did you want to do here to relieve your boredom?¡± ¡°Do you have any sparing rings? An adventurers guild perhaps?¡± ¡°Yes, of course Lady¡± He looked closely at the crest and came up empty. ¡°Blackstone, she is Sable Blackstone.¡± ¡°Let me lead the way then, Lady Sable.¡± They wasted an hour watching her challenge anyone who wanted some coin, not much different from what Harlan had done once before. She thought she was invincible, letting blades skim her armor, fighting without a weapon much of the time. ¡°You should stop her.¡± ¡°Yeah. I should.¡± He jumped the line of people wanting the 20 gold. ¡°Hey you can¡¯t-¡± Harlan headbutted the man and he didn¡¯t get back up to argue. ¡°Sable, I think you should understand that my gift to you is a weapon to defend yourself. Not a toy to be used against people who don¡¯t know better.¡± Harlan tossed his jacket to Adina and suited up. She followed suit. It was almost too fast for the others to see. He moved in close, hooked her leg and slipped behind her. She tried to punch him, but between the awkward angle and him shifting his armor to grab her hand, it was pointless. In 10 seconds she was out cold. ¡°Adina, get the others, we¡¯re leaving.¡± Harlan threw her over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes and carried her off. Had anyone else tried to do what he had done, the armor would make a pincushion of them, but he didn¡¯t give it out without being sure that it wouldn¡¯t be used to harm his family or him. She was back up before they even reached the carriage. ¡°Let me down.¡± ¡°We are going.¡± ¡°I still need to¡­¡± ¡°When did we get outside?¡± She remained quiet until well after they left town. ¡°My mother will hear about this.¡± Harlan pulled out his amulet. ¡°Alright, I could call her right now.¡± Sable went wide eyed. ¡°Ah, no, It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not here to get you in trouble, or to judge how you acted. But, you got cocky, and as our families have trust between us, I consider it my job to protect you as I can. Part of that is making sure that you protect yourself. I taught Adina the same lesson, that armor is a tool, it makes you faster, stronger, and safer. But it is not going to matter against someone who is more experienced and wants you dead or hurt. Once we get to the academy, don¡¯t hesitate to call on me as needed, for help with your lessons or personal issues. None of it will get back to your mother.¡± ¡°My, how brotherly.¡± ¡°Just remember my offer.¡± Harlan was just waiting for Borden, he thought if they wanted, he would see about helping them in any ways that he could. ¡°20 minutes before you find out what has become of that city.¡± ¡°That sounds bad.¡± ¡°This is the result of what you have done, you must decide if your actions were right and just. I await your reaction.¡± Harlan fidgeted in his seat, switching places with Amber so he could more easily look out the window. No plumes of black smoke, not sighs of anything wrong on the walls. The others asked what he was watching for, but he didn¡¯t answer. A massive horn signaled his arrival, he was too far to see inside or to know what the people inside were feeling. He first heard the sounds, the screaming, just a minute out from the gate. He put away his weapon, stopped holding his spells, and made his armor slip under his clothes again. Then he put up the blinders, making sure that they would be able to get clear sights. Men, women, children. They cheered for him, waving as he passed by, and he waved back. He couldn¡¯t just not stop, it would be rude at best, he would seem cold and arrogant at worst. Once he reached the outer gate he parked the carriages and walked around, finding the mayor and Arrac. He thought the man was a prick who he had to strong-arm and threaten into shutting down the city, but Arrac was a good man, if a bit dim. ¡°Sir Fomoria, how glad we all are to have you in my city once again.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad that the damages seemed to be repaired.¡± ¡°The full weight of the crown came down on us. Ahem. I mean they offered their full support to the efforts of rebuilding and resettling. Many people wished to leave, but were convinced that it would be best to stay and received a sort of disaster pay for what happened.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not surprised, his majesty has a long history of doing the right things, no matter the cost.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Would you and your group be able to have dinner at my home?¡± ¡°Do any of you have issues with this?¡± There was no disagreement, Amber was beaming with pride for her little brother. The way he talked about it, she was a little worried that they would look at him like a monster who put down riots with an aura of fear. ¡°But first, I need to look at the slums.¡± ¡°Oh, there is no need for that.¡± ¡°Do you want the kind response, or what I really think?¡± ¡°Kind.¡± ¡°I would like to ensure that there has been no reinfections on account of missing one of them hiding where the least eyes are on them.¡± ¡°We ran sweeps through the slums every few days after the lockdown ended. The army stuck around for a month to ensure that everything went smoothly in both rebuilding and wellness checks. You don¡¯t need to visit them, but I see you have little faith in my ability to lead my subjects.¡± ¡°If you had done a better job, ten thousand people wouldn¡¯t be dead. You are all free to visit the city, be escorted to the mayors house, whatever, I¡¯m going to check the slums.¡± ¡°Harlan, is that really the best choice? You distrust the man.¡± ¡°I know he is too much of a slimy coward to harm any of you, he hid in his fancy home while people bleed out in the streets. I¡¯d crush his head between my hands and not care about the consequences. Isn¡¯t that right, Mayor Billows?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of harming a hair on the heads of any of your people.¡± Harlan and Adina were the only healers, but Amber and Zella went with for combat support if need be. Really they just didn¡¯t want to be away from him. Openly threatening the ruler of the city you were staying in was generally a bad idea. Sable went to find a theater. After three hours they had healed over 80 people, but only of general illness and injury. The walls of the homes looked better than before the attack. It was becoming harder and harder to want to kill the king. Even if he had done it just to get on Harlan¡¯s good side, did it matter? Had he himself not already done a great number of evils for the good it would do? Empathy often felt like much more of a curse than a boon for Harlan. Many of these people hated Harlan, not for what he revealed, nobody had sympathy for bodysnatchers of any kind. But for how many of them now lacked neighbors, brothers, sisters, parents, lovers. The spiders hit the slums hard, and many people had been put down or died in the riots. They accepted his gift of free healing, but many more stood in alleys and spoke ill of him. He did not blame them, these people were not making selfish demands, they didn¡¯t want gold for blood, they were just lonely, just hurting. From the outside it was easy to blame him, just as the people in the better parts of the city loved him. After their time in the slums Harlan felt, at peace, or something like that. The parade, celebration, whatever it was, it made him elated, he was proud of what he had done. Then the reality set in. He saw all of the people who died, all of the ones who he saved. Harlan pushed away the feeling that he should be happy, he didn¡¯t do it for them. He did it for himself, that, made him, well, he didn¡¯t know how it made him feel, but it wasn¡¯t bad. ¡°We should go see the Mayor. I¡¯d like to apologize.¡± ¡°Are you feeling lightheaded?¡± ¡°A little bit. I need something to eat.¡± Harlan stopped and looked down an alley that seemed unnaturally dark for the time of day. ¡°Stay here, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± ¡°Whatever this is you should trust us.¡± ¡°Just listen to me, I¡¯ll explain later.¡± The boy, ten years of age at most, leapt at him with a dagger in hand. He was locked in mid air, his eyes full of hate and fire. ¡°You lost people. Didn¡¯t you?¡± The boy struggled against the invisible grasp to no avail. ¡°Monster, if you never came here, the bombs wouldn¡¯t have gone off, my¡­¡± He tried as hard as he could to not cry. Harlan set him down. ¡°I hope when you grow up, you will be able to see that what happened would¡¯ve been much worse if I hadn¡¯t been involved.¡± He placed his hand on the boy¡¯s shoulder and he reacted by stabbing Harlan in the stomach. The dull blade snapped when it hit the armor underneath his clothes. ¡°Take a few coins, make something of yourself. Make whoever you lost proud of what you are.¡± 10 gold was likely more than the boy would¡¯ve earned in a lifetime of whatever garbage work he managed to find. Harlan just hoped that he would live long enough to spend it. He just walked away, the boy¡¯s killing spirit crushed after losing his weapon to someone who didn¡¯t even bother blocking. The pity he though Harlan had for him was like a spear through the gut, just burning him up. When he got back out of the alley Harlan asked if Amber could sew the shirt before they got to the mayor¡¯s home. Chapter 151: Return to the academy Harlan ate food from vendors on the way to the mayor''s home. Sable said she would be there soon when he called, but there was a lot of noise in the background. As soon as the ground arrived Billows had them brought to a tea room while the proper meal was being prepared. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what I said earlier. The people of the slums look healthier than they did when I first walked them. I¡¯m not looking for forgiveness. I just wanted to admit that I handled that poorly.¡± The man sipped his tea. ¡°Is Lady Sable going to join us?¡± ¡°After a time, she is attending an opera I think.¡± ¡°I hope we don¡¯t need to delay dinner too much.¡± Harlan¡¯s eyes went black and he asked the question with the same awkwardness as every other time. She didn¡¯t mind, she could split her mind a thousand ways, there was a strange comedy to it for her as she poked fun at him for his dislike of these kinds of questions being all that she answered directly and in detail. ¡°15 minutes, the opera will end early when the lead suffers an injury that looks worse than it is.¡± ¡°How can you know that?¡± ¡°I am a tool to be used by things beyond man and beast. It is only fair that I get answers to simple questions.¡± The meal passed mercifully, Sable distracted the mayor, as it turns out, they were both ¡®cultured¡¯ individuals who could be absorbed enough to ignore the knuckle draggers that sat along with them. Other than a meeting with Arrac and Skit, nothing of note happened, the pair were being monitored, nobody said they were doing it, but they just figured that was the case. As awful as it made him feel to see the cost of his actions, the bite was tempered by seeing the people who survived being so grateful to him, giving discounts or even outright gifts when he entered their stores. The rest of the ride was calmer, Sable hummed the songs she had heard, Zella and Adina got much needed rest. Both of them didn¡¯t sleep well the night prior on account of something being outside the window. As far as Harlan could tell, it was just nerves, but he spent the night tracking every living being who got close anyway when they had called him to do so. They were also on the 6th floor of the hotel in Borden, he would¡¯ve noticed something out there. ¡°So, you want to tell me what cut up your shirt yesterday?¡± ¡°Oh, I forgot. A boy, maybe 10, stabbed me. I let him go, I hope he will be ok.¡± ¡°You really let him go? You should-¡± Sable seemed offended on his behalf. ¡°I¡¯m saying this as a kindness. I handle things my way, either accept that or be quiet. Don¡¯t fight me on this. You will not change my mind, and you can only lower my opinion of you.¡± She had never been intimidated by him, not until she saw how his eyes went from human to predator. ¡°Excuse my words then.¡± ¡°Of course. No hard feelings.¡± When they arrived it was still quite early in the morning. Harlan had the golems stored in the second carriage help everyone unload. A member of the staff brought a booklet that better explained the details of what being an assistant actually meant and a message that the headmaster wanted to see him. He figured there was no reason to put it off. Those same big fancy doors, the same Maetus secretary. He was waved in as soon as he arrived. ¡°Harlan. I heard that there was some issue with the man who gave you my offer to be a teaching assistant.¡± ¡°No, there was no issue. He was honest about your security system. Which means that you did nothing to punish the people who attacked Adina.¡± ¡°He must¡¯ve been mistaken about the accuracy of the system, I assure you that we simply failed to find who did such a thing.¡± ¡°I asked Sepul about it, and he looked into the tracking. You have now lied directly to my face. If you want any further meetings, they must be related to business, I want no personal involvement with you or any of your people. I¡¯m not looking for revenge. But I can¡¯t trust someone like you who folds like this.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that you understand the political issues I am dealing with.¡± ¡°Perhaps if you had done anything at all, rather than pretend that it didn¡¯t happen, I could overlook it. Goodbye. I hope that your successor is better at maintaining a positive relationship with me.¡± Hirum wanted to activate the arrays in the room and stop Harlan from leaving, but the shadows growing eyes and his sixth sense told him it would only agitate the situation. Harlan didn¡¯t stay in his room past moving crates and bags inside. Instead he waited for others that he knew would arrive so that he could help out. Hellon came out to meet him. ¡°I hope your scuffle with him hasn¡¯t destroyed our relationship.¡± ¡°How did you find out so quickly?¡± ¡°He contacted your teachers, told them to keep an eye on you, that you might be disruptive to classes you are in. Though we got scarce details.¡± ¡°Classes are business. I will maintain my responsibilities. ¡± ¡°I think it best that you don¡¯t tell me what happened. Not like we are very close anyway.¡± ¡°Thank you for coming to talk with me about this.¡± ¡°You are a bright student, besides, what is he going to do, fire me? Leave the children without healing and divination teachers until replacements are found? The man is spineless, he needs to be forced into action and only seems to act after it is too late.¡± ¡°How does a headmaster get deposed?¡± ¡°They die or somebody higher up arrives and kicks them out, normally resulting in death.¡± ¡°Ah, you mean her?¡± She awkwardly coughed. ¡°I think this conversation has run its course.¡± ¡°Good to see you again, Hellon.¡± The first of the rest of his group that arrived was Selen, both of them had left the same day, but one in the evening, and the other in the late morning, having missed a few chance encounters by just a matter of an hour or less at times. ¡°Good morning. Would you like any help with your things?¡± ¡°No, but, if you wanted to keep him company for a little bit while I call the staff to get my things, I would appreciate it.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Wulrun didn¡¯t exactly look happy to see Harlan, guilty might¡¯ve been the better word for it. ¡°Good morning Mister Harlan.¡± ¡°You look a bit down. Not enough rest?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I hurt you before.¡± ¡°It was just an accident, I can take a little pain.¡± ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t need to.¡± ¡°There is no path of no pain, just try to lessen it as much as you can. I know it is hard to be stronger than everyone around you, but really, I wasn¡¯t hurt bad at all, just a few minutes inside and I was healed right up. Want to try guessing what I have in my pocket?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ is it candy?¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Right shape, but you can¡¯t eat it.¡± ¡°A ball? I want one of them that fixes itself.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°These are fun.¡± Wulrun whipped it at a nearby wall and it turned to splinters, taking a few minutes to pull back together. ¡°Just be careful that whatever you throw it at won¡¯t break.¡± Selen came back after a few throws to pick up Wulrun. Eventually Harlan just started helping anyone who looked like they needed it, mostly students who got in through scholarships and lacked servants. After nearly an hour he felt some familiar minds. ¡°Shelly, sorry I didn¡¯t call you. I was a little worried after your mother took your amulet.¡± ¡°She wasn¡¯t happy after your talk, what happened?¡± ¡°I hope she isn¡¯t planning to kill me. But I think I should have this conversation in private. I should also introduce you to my other friends.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already read about them.¡± Harlan chuckled. ¡°Always the scout. Words about people are questionable at best. Who gathered that information and why is the important question that you can use to frame the information.¡± ¡°The basics of information warfare. Did you read it over the summer?¡± ¡°I read it on the trip back here.¡± ¡°Really? It is a pretty big one.¡± ¡°I read quickly and I don¡¯t sleep much. Do you want some help moving your things?¡± ¡°What? That is commoners work.¡± ¡°My father is a farmer. If it makes you feel any better I could use my golems.¡± ¡°No. I will accept your offer. We can speak along the way.¡± She didn¡¯t have much in the way of personal effects, between telekinesis and the golems it took one trip. Shelly unpacked her things as they spoke of what they had done over the summer. For her it was work work and more work. She wasn¡¯t so prideful that she couldn¡¯t admit that she lacked her mother¡¯s talent, she had to work twice as hard to get into the academy at a reduced price, and it was still not even a full scholarship like her mother was given. ¡°Do you have any siblings?¡± ¡°Older brothers, two of them, 4 years between each of us.¡± ¡°Happy late birthday then.¡± ¡°Do you want to skip the smalltalk? I hope it isn¡¯t rude, but, I¡¯m worried since you didn¡¯t call me again.¡± ¡°Alright. I asked for some information, your mother and mine were close, like sisters even. I¡¯m worried that after we have our face to face meeting she might try to kill me.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°The circumstances of my birth, they are unhappy. I think she is going to hold what happened to her friend against me.¡± ¡°Are you going to tell me? I mean, I know what friends are supposed to do, but I really only have David and Parnell to compare to.¡± ¡°Are they honest with you? About the things that really bother them?¡± ¡°I believe so, we¡¯ve known one another since we were children.¡± Harlan talked it over with Dawn, every time he told the story it was easier to get out, he didn¡¯t feel the need to force it so much, maybe it would even be good practice for telling her mother. He made these excuses to give himself the strength to say it again. ¡°My mother is human, my father is part of a subspecies of humans who¡¯ve only killed and ate the people who got too close. You should be able to figure out what happened, why she is going to hate me.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I see.¡± ¡°If you would rather not see me for a minute, I understand.¡± ¡°No no no, I just, I¡¯m not sure how I should react. I didn¡¯t really know your mother, maybe my older brothers might¡¯ve at least heard of her. You could also ask David and Parnell¡¯s parents, they¡¯ve known my mother since she was in the academy.¡± ¡°What are their names?¡± ¡°May is David¡¯s mother, Cecil is Parnell¡¯s father.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not close with either. But I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡± ¡°Are you ok?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You¡¯re crying.¡± Harlan touched his face and realized that she was right. ¡°Dawn, are you ok?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just been a long time since I- She heard those names. I¡¯m trying to not be her, but those parts of her are still in me. She had a lot of regrets about how she parted ways with them. Just, don¡¯t know, respond to her however you like.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have an explanation, so I won¡¯t give one.¡± ¡°Uh, alright then. Would you like to get something to eat? I don¡¯t think David and Parnell will be here until tomorrow, something made them late but they didn¡¯t tell me what.¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll get my friends together, the ones who are here at least.¡± The kitchen wasn¡¯t operating at full power, but they had baked goods and meats that let the group make a platter of sandwiches. ¡°You all remember Shelly, right?¡± ¡°She is a work partner?¡± ¡°Hopefully a friend soon enough!¡± Shelly said with a bit too much enthusiasm, she read that positive people made friends more easily. She didn¡¯t really understand how or why she was friends with David and Parnell and she worried that they were nothing but a holdover from when they were children, that once they moved apart from one another the others would realize they didn¡¯t understand why they were friends with her either. The group found it a little off putting how hard she seemed to be trying. ¡°Hello, my name is Adina.¡± ¡°You are Harlan¡¯s fiance, correct?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Congratulations, do you two have plans for a wedding before or after you are both done with academy?¡± ¡°After.¡± ¡°And your father is High Saint Malachi, The Eyes of Justice?¡± Harlan thought about stepping in, but much like how he learned to avoid making things awkward by asking or saying the wrong thing, he considered it a rite of passage that Shelly should also do the same. ¡°I would rather not speak of that man.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have mentioned it then. Do you have a favorite color?¡± ¡°Harlan, I can¡¯t tell if she is joking or not.¡± ¡°She is trying her best, like me.¡± The tone got better over the course of the small meal, but they were still uncertain of her. David and Parnell arrived just as Shelly said, but the reaction to Harlan couldn¡¯t have been more different. Parnell hooked his arm around Harlan. ¡°You sly dog, I knew you and that girl were going to be an item. I need to take you to Borden, show you how to have fun before you are really locked down.¡± ¡°I know what you call fun, and I am not getting dragged into that. Good to see you though.¡± ¡°Your wife is going to want you to be experienced in the ways of romance, this is my last year, I need to teach you now before someone else does it wrong.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t plan to get married until we are both out of the academy, and even then, I don¡¯t care for the physical aspect of such a thing.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± He hung his head and took a few steps away. ¡°You don¡¯t know it, yet. I¡¯m going to need to-¡± Shelly covered him with an invisible veil and let him go down whatever list he had in his head. ¡°David, did you let him drink before he got here?¡± ¡°I looked away for just a minute and he was gone. I tried to clear his system, but he had some kind of counterspell in place. If he was half as creative in his studies he¡¯d be top of every class he takes. Hello, Harlan.¡± ¡°Good morning, David.¡± ¡°I should get my things unloaded. Excuse me.¡± ¡°Do you think he knows something?¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if Sheron contacted the others in their group. Or maybe she just called May. I¡¯m sure if she let anything out to her son, it wasn¡¯t intentional. She was always protective to a fault, kinda reminds me of you, but less violent, she was the first to try clearing up misunderstandings.¡± ¡°I hope I don¡¯t come off as so joyless to others.¡± ¡°Should I tell you, or was that a joke?¡± Parnell realized what had happened and stepped out of the veil. Harlan stepped forward, challenging him. As far as he believed, it wasn¡¯t really a violation of patient rights, Parnell was clearly in an unwell state if he couldn¡¯t keep his mouth closed. As soon as he realized what Harlan was trying to do, he put up his counter spells. After 10 minutes Harlan could only admit defeat. ¡°How in the world can you do that?¡± ¡°Family secret.¡± ¡°That is some legacy your father left behind.¡± ¡°How do you know it wasn¡¯t from my mother¡¯s side?¡± ¡°No reason.¡± Before he could go back into what he was saying before Shelly dragged him off. From behind a shadow grew, once in range it slammed down. Harlan narrowly dodged the attack and hit back with his full strength jab, only to be met by darkened fur that signaled imbibing. They traded a few more blows before David showed up and blocked one, giving Harlan the time to hit back with a powerful straight, boosted by imbibing of his own. ¡°Stay down, beast.¡± He wore his scorn plainly. ¡°David, calm down. It¡¯s just a friend of mine.¡± ¡°What friend would suddenly attack you like that?¡± Bojana wheezed a little as she got back up. ¡°That one didn¡¯t count.¡± ¡°One that is trying to teach me how to handle an ambush and imbibing. I often go with only a few options and get hurt because I don¡¯t use my full range of powers. I need to handle spontaneous fights that make me try different things without actually risking my life.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand you. Where did Shelly and Parnell go?¡± ¡°She dragged him away before he said anything worse than he already did. I was useless against his counter spells.¡± ¡°Of course you were. Parnell might have his flaws, but when he wants something, well, I wouldn¡¯t want to be against him to say the least.¡± ¡°Since Shelly is trying to be friendly, why don¡¯t we try that. Can you tell me about your mother perhaps?¡± David had a resting scorn in his gaze that required some effort to avoid, a trait from his mother. In this moment, he did not try to avoid it. ¡°No.¡± Staff came out to help him unload his things. It took several trips for them and he had refused Harlan¡¯s help. The opening speech was more in the same vein as the year prior. What once seemed hopeful now sounded empty. The headmaster spoke of unity, of bridging nations through cohabitation. Yet Harlan already knew that he had failed, that the only thing keeping the hallways from suddenly erupting into fights every day was a threat of retaliation from students and expulsion from the academy. Chapter 152 3 weeks passed, Shelly¡¯s mother never contacted him again, David didn¡¯t want him on missions, but Parnell and Shelly were both trying to change his mind. For now at least, Harlan was mostly trying to stick to helping students that were sent his way. They were all first year problems, ones that Harlan either never considered problems in the first place or things he had to first learn and then teach. Many of the students ended up discouraged seeing him never even try what they were having an issue with and then improve fast enough that he could take apart the problem before their eyes and give possible solutions. ¡°After you leave, try painting. Find a subject, something that you have committed to memory, and then try to paint it from that memory. It will help your visualization.¡± Harlan moved with practiced ease as he shuffled a deck of cards, placing them face up on the table for only a few moments before telekinetically flipping them. ¡°Find the matches, 3 misses and I¡¯ll reshuffle them again.¡± The year prior he had more people who came to him for something specific that they were working on instead of him trying to find out why they were having an issue with the lessons and then having to work out how to best help them. This girl, Charlotte Vale, dealt with most subjects well, but was having issues visualizing the effects that she wanted to make, and as such she was a poor diviner despite her family¡¯s history. Though, from Harlan¡¯s own assessment, she lacked confidence in her own ability which acted as a block. Outright stating so had gotten poor results, so he had to go in a roundabout manner. With only 2 sets left the girl picked up the wrong card. ¡°This is stupid, why am I doing this without divination.¡± ¡°The better you remember things the better you get at divining things. It wouldn¡¯t help at all to use it in this case. Again?¡± ¡°I will be back, and I will get them all next time.¡± ¡°I look forward to seeing your growth.¡± She practically stormed out of the room. ¡°That was a dirty trick.¡± ¡°If I let her win then she won¡¯t learn my lesson.¡± ¡°What lesson is it this time?¡± ¡°Building confidence. If she argues with me, absolutely sure that I cheated, I¡¯ll tell her what I¡¯m doing. She is paradoxically too sure of herself, but also she considers me someone with authority so she won¡¯t question me.¡± ¡°Are you sure you aren¡¯t just having fun with this?¡± ¡°Magic is mental, if her vision is clouded with doubt, it will affect how her divination works. They are all smart spells, they can¡¯t work any other way.¡± ¡°Who is next?¡± ¡°Shane Breachwater, he needs to work on his combat thinking but he doesn¡¯t have anyone who can spar with him without the worry of being harmed.¡± Harlan made his way to the rings and waited for the boy. ¡°10 minutes late. I¡¯ll shorten the lesson. I have another appointment after this.¡± He had a small bruise that he had clearly tried to heal, but his lack of experience with healing only made it look faded. ¡°My apologies, Sir Fomoria.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I tripped.¡± ¡°6 times?¡± ¡°What? No, I just hit my face a little.¡± Harlan poked his chest and the boy flinched in pain. ¡°I¡¯m canceling the lesson.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just go.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to talk about it, then at least accept my healing.¡± The boy tried to resist, only for Harlan to paralyze him. Healing him only took a few moments. ¡°You are under my care, do I need to follow this on my own time?¡± The boy was afraid of exactly this. It was bad enough that he had been asked, or rather, forced, to take classes so he didn¡¯t disappoint his family, but now he couldn¡¯t even defend himself. Harlan did not look like someone trying to help a downtrodden boy, he looked like a predator ready to hunt. ¡°This is personal, you do not have the right to barge in.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t step in, for now, come then, we have a lesson to finish.¡± ¡°I thought it was canceled.¡± ¡°For standing up to me, I will give you 7 minutes of my time.¡± The boy was freezing up more than usual. Regardless of his words, Harlan would be looking into this. The boy was a student under him, from an official stance, Harlan would say that he was doing it to ensure that these lessons were not interrupted any further. The simple reality however, was that Harlan felt a responsibility to these children that were sent to him, he wanted to train what he considered personality defects out of them along with any deficiencies in their spellwork. Lunch was upon them. Harlan was planning to sit with the normal group but Shelly waved him over. ¡°I convinced David to let you come with us again.¡± ¡°Do I want to?¡± ¡°What? You love going out and helping people.¡± ¡°David has my back in the field, if I cannot trust him, I cannot say that I want to be out with him. I will continue with what I have been doing here.¡± ¡°Hey, I tried really hard to get him to let you back in. Don¡¯t tell me I wasted my time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m thankful that you tried, but unless he wants to say why he refused me in the first place, I won¡¯t join with the three of you again.¡± ¡°You are being dramatic, can¡¯t you just set aside your pride for a moment?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t pride, a unit cannot be divided like this. He doesn¡¯t trust me for whatever reason, and you either don¡¯t know or won¡¯t tell me. I don¡¯t blame you for that, he is a friend.¡± ¡°David, talk to Harlan, I want him to come with us again.¡± ¡°You know why I don¡¯t want him with me. I have no interest in dragging this out.¡± She punched him in the arm, but he didn¡¯t move an inch. By now he was 6¡¯4 with a very knightly build, she just didn¡¯t stand a chance of really hurting him. Parnell just gave a nod as Harlan walked away. Harlan sat with the normal group in the end, minus Zella. She found a group of third years that approached her to be friends and she was trying to branch out and avoid the label of ¡®Amber¡¯s friend.¡¯ It was worse on account of people seemingly ignoring what she had done in the past and now Amber was just ¡®Harlan¡¯s sister.¡¯ She wasn¡¯t even getting second billing at this point. Adina gave him a peck on the cheek when he arrived and he did the same for her. Public displays of affection were looked down on, but at this point people were mocking him for never moving past a kiss on the cheek. ¡°I heard you stop by another table, was it Shelly?¡± ¡°She got David to agree to bring me back, but I refused. I¡¯m not going to trust my life to somebody who clearly has a grudge against me and won¡¯t talk about it. I just hope it is political and not personal.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°That is unfortunate. Do you have a guess as to why?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Claude arrived late. ¡°What are we talking about?¡± ¡°Nothing important. Anything happen with your meeting?¡± ¡°When Aria saw that array she knew you made it. No idea how. You should expect her to visit you.¡± ¡°How long did it take for her to tear it down?¡± ¡°About two seconds, close to three this time.¡± ¡°Ha, I¡¯ve gotten better.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you just start taking array classes? You clearly like it and her.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already got too many classes and I¡¯m teaching first years every weekend other than the ones I go home for. If I took them as night classes I wouldn¡¯t get to see her anyway.¡± ¡°She would be upset to hear you talk about it like you don¡¯t even care about arrays.¡± ¡°That is where you are wrong. So long as I keep feeding you arrays she knows that I care. It¡¯s like leaving flowers.¡± ¡°How romantic.¡± Harlan stayed only long enough to finish his mean, Shane left without finishing and another group left not long after him with malice on their minds. Harlan trailed behind the boys, his simple invisibility was fine as long as nobody was looking for him, but even the most basic divinations would break it The upside was that it barely cost anything for him to use it on account of hover based flight letting him make minimal physical movement. The deal with Harbinger, after speaking with Sepul, was that Harlan was to be given only the most simple of stealth spells which could be used together to make invisibility. Finally they struck after catching Shane alone. Harlan didn¡¯t know who any of them were, and he cared little. The three boys kicked him while Shane was down. Harlan grabbed one of them by the throat and squeezed. ¡°Fucking coward, had to get the monster to fight your battles.¡± ¡°He asked that I stay away, but he is my student, and I will not allow this to continue.¡± ¡°Sir Fomoria, leave, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Really? Because it looked to me like these three were kicking you while you were on the ground failing to shield your vital organs. Also, you, leader of these idiots, coward? For stopping a three on one? Yet you all stopped attacking the moment you saw me.¡± ¡°He knows he deserves it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to ask why, that is between you and him, but this will be your only warning. Shane, get up, go see the healers.¡± One of the other boys brought out a hammer and tried to strike Harlan whose armor prevented him from actually getting harmed. He got a wolfish grin. ¡°As you have attempted to assault me. I have the right to demand a duel. I¡¯ll be seeing you later with an official decree from my house to yours.¡± He had no real desire to fight the boy, but he was sure that whoever he was, his parents would be none too happy to hear that Harlan had the right, for a month at least after putting forward a case, to demand a duel at his leisure. Harlan dropped the one in his hands and dragged Shane away. ¡°Let go of me.¡± ¡°If I have to step in again, well, do not make me step in again.¡± ¡°Stop trying to fight my battle.¡± ¡°What¡¯d you do, insult their parents?¡± ¡°This doesn¡¯t concern you.¡± ¡°I would do this for anyone who I saw being attacked. My concern is what I say it is, this problem is not going to get any better without my involvement. Now, if you could fight your own battles, I wouldn¡¯t need to step in, so pay attention in class.¡± The medical staff were confused at the boy who refused to be looked at, but Harlan¡¯s presence meant that it wasn¡¯t even worth questioning. He would get a strongly worded letter condemning him for his rude actions, then nothing would happen, just like every other time he did something like this. Two more weeks passed of little happening. Harlan was just on a mission with a group that was missing a member and asked for his help. It was the same girl who he was tricking with cards. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have called you for this, Sir Fomoria, but we really do need these merits.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it, what do merits even do?¡± ¡°Did you not read the student handbook?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that they said it, but I think the last time I read it was for something specific and I skimmed the rest.¡± ¡°Merits are the way in which others know how well you have done, they represent honor and courage. They have no monetary value, but they open many doors for you after the academy is over, you might join the army without needing bootcamp or even skip ranks. When the king has to choose nobles to get certain benefits like dividing land after a house collapses they are taken into account. In the courts they will show up as a record of who you are, like a tally of virtue.¡± ¡°So they¡¯re worthless.¡± The girl was speechless for a moment, but didn¡¯t want to argue with him. ¡°This is our first hunt, there should be 3 orcs that escaped another clearing and have been corralled over to this area for us.¡± ¡°This is barely a hunt. But sure, so, what is your plan?¡± ¡°I hoped you would have something?¡± ¡°You are the group leader, are you not?¡± ¡°What? I assumed you would be, since you are stronger than the rest of us.¡± ¡°I am just a filler. You set this up, you gathered the others, it is your job.¡± ¡°Right. So here¡¯s what we will do¡­¡± The three orcs knew that they were trapped, but they also knew that they were stronger than the humans, all they needed was a moment of weakness to escape the encirclement. In the sky they saw a man of dull metal floating downward towards them. When he touched down he just stood there, making no overt offensive actions. Something told them that they shouldn¡¯t fight him. Three more small ones arrived shortly after the scary one and surrounded them. Greyskin would grab the smallest and use her as a shield to get past the other humans. Stupid things didn¡¯t hurt their own, fragile stupid things. He gave Badaxe and Greentoe their orders. With a faintly magical warcry the little ones trembled, Greyskin was too smart for his own good, sometimes, he even thought through his plans. Charlotte didn¡¯t even have a strong enough spell at the ready to stop his charge, the acid burned him of course, but not only did his flesh heal fast enough that it barely slowed him down, his pain receptors were entirely dead. Suddenly something was sticking out his front, red inside stuff painted the girl. Something smelled good. Oh, Badaxe was on fire, stupid idiot, why would he do that? The little one he was after barely jumped over his axe and avoided losing his feet. Now, what is sticking out of his front? Hand, metal man hand. I need to kick back. Can¡¯t move. Metal man holding backbone in hand, sticky green stuff melting. ¡°Do you plan on sitting there for the rest of the day?¡± She spit out the blood that had splattered in her mouth and got to her feet to cast a spell. ¡°Don¡¯t hit this one, help your group.¡± She took the head off of the orc going after the other boy in the group, letting the three of them all team up on the last orc for a little bit. Stupid Greentoe, let himself be put in melty hole in ground. Not like proud Greyskin, just need to get myself fixed up and beat metal man to death. ¡°All of you should give up on doing this in your first year, how did you manage to pass the competency tests?¡± ¡°Hey, we held our own, it was just Charlotte that needed to be saved.¡± ¡°Do you think that the orcs fought like amateurs for no reason? That they kept slipping on the dry ground? All of you are going to get yourselves killed, or worse, you are going to get somebody else killed.¡± They hung their heads low. Ha, stupid metal man think us dead. Leap at small boy and break legs, drag him away, eat to regain strength, make new tribe, Greyskin tribe strongest in world soon. Huh? Small girl, get away, stop pointing at me. ¡°Sir Fomoria, are you sure he is dead?¡± ¡°Are you questioning me?¡± She opened her mouth and no words came out. She took a deep breath and clenched her fists. ¡°Yes, I am going to double check.¡± ¡°No need.¡± Harlan threw out a powerful acid, the kind that you needed to make with alchemy instead of magic, and the body along with a few feet of the area around it were bubbling and letting out noxious fumes. ¡°You pass.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°A diviner needs confidence. Also, you have won every game of cards for the last week. I cheated with illusion magic. Oh, but you all failed this hunt, wait 6 months, get in some real experience with goblins or something, nobody should¡¯ve ever let you near orcs.¡± He got an earful from the adventurer that was shadowing them about how they wouldn¡¯t learn anything without real danger, but Harlan ignored it. Why should he care about anything some blade for hire has to say? Harlan wasn¡¯t doing all of this extra work purely out of the goodness of his heart. ¡°So, do you think you have enough now?¡± ¡°By the time I have the summer off I should be ready to make a golem to teach magic to the children.¡± ¡°Is it really a good idea?¡± ¡°If I want to mold them into people who can do work for me, then I want them to have magic. It benefits them even if they choose not to work for me. I also want everyone under me, including Isha and Kass, to learn magic.¡± ¡°If you could see me, I¡¯d be smiling. How are you going to deal with David?¡± ¡°I might just need to find a way to get in contact with Shelly¡¯s mother, either telling her the truth will send her over the edge and David might make a move, or she understands and David pulls back. Then there is May, you are sure that she wouldn¡¯t want me dead?¡± ¡°The May that she knew would never condemn a child for the sins of their parents. How he turned out like this is a mystery to me. Maybe you could directly contact her? She would set him right.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask. The question is who. Parnell might not tell me, Shelly probably won¡¯t, David wouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°You should be able to just send the letter through the mail service, they can find her with just the name.¡± Harlan wrote a letter and marked it. To Lady May Haywood. The woman who was processing the mail that day said he should expect it to arrive in just over a week since the Haywood house was in a coastal area in the east. She didn¡¯t give an expected reply time on account of nobles being fickle.
The man was livid, he spent no small amount of favors and coin and that monster destroyed it all by chance. He drank a large flagon of wine to calm his nerves and spoke with his son at the academy over his amulet. Chapter 153 Two weeks had passed. Harlan was still waiting for his reply. Shane hadn¡¯t been beaten since the threat he made against the boys reached the ears of their parents. Once the shoe was on the other foot and Harlan would, as the offended party, have the right to choose the rules of the duel, they all received strongly worded warnings. He was now on a call with Balor. ¡°Still no degradation?¡± ¡°Yes, my man checked him in his sleep just last night.¡± ¡°Do we have a spymaster?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°I should probably meet him.¡± ¡°No, it is best that you remain disconnected from what I am doing. Plausible deniability and all that.¡± ¡°Anything else odd show up?¡± ¡°No. But¡­ now that we have enough data, I would like you to place me in a human body.¡± ¡°You know, I should¡¯ve thought about it more. But this is going to look bad for us, right? Do we have an excuse for how you got one?¡± ¡°You could say that it is a secret spell made by you, show it off to someone to let them confirm that you aren¡¯t doing anything illegal.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already shown it, in part, to Sepul.¡± ¡°It would be best that you had someone else. His relation to you makes it less than air tight if he is the one who vouches for the existence of the spell. Why not Hirum? Could he be objective?¡± ¡°Mary might have enough separation that it doesn¡¯t look untrustworthy.¡± ¡°Confirm or deny, don¡¯t skip past him.¡± ¡°Could he? Maybe. Do I trust him? Not at all.¡± ¡°Fine, what about your healing teacher, Hellon, was it?¡± ¡°She is a hardass to everyone, doesn¡¯t show that much favoritism. She should work. I¡¯ll get back to you about Hellon, someone is outside my door.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± A mind he didn¡¯t expect was outside. He opened his door, looked outside, and she slipped past him. ¡°Dahlia, how can I help you?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been making waves. Are you aware of that?¡± ¡°Bit of a vague question.¡± ¡°It seems a student under you was supposed to die.¡± ¡°Which one?¡± His tone said he was dispassionate, but his eyes could not lie. ¡°Charlotte Vale and two of her companions. Someone inside the academy got them mission permits and set them up to do something well outside of their ability.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t even sound like a good plan, the adventurer with them would- Oh, right, an adventurer. Any chance you can find that guy who was with them?¡± ¡°Vanished into thin air. Either he is in the confederacy, the frontier, or a shallow grave.¡± ¡°Alright, then I guess that¡¯s it?¡± ¡°No, I was sent to ask, is she feeding you information? Is that how you ended up where you did?¡± ¡°She wouldn¡¯t tell me about something like this. It doesn¡¯t directly affect me if my student dies, I¡¯m sure that she would say it is an experience to learn how to handle grief.¡± ¡°Could you ask her to give you tips for things like this? Things are brewing in the background, everyone knows that the king only has a few years left.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering about that. He seemed healthy every time I met him, but he talks about his life like he MUST die in another few years.¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be surprised that you don¡¯t know. He was hit with a soul based attack, his life will end when it activates.¡± ¡°What? Why haven¡¯t I heard, I could try to help.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know him very well if you think he would ever let you get near him with a plausible story to cover up a murder.¡± Harlan wished he had a real retort. ¡°That is fair. But please, tell him that when he is at the very edge. I would like to try helping him.¡± ¡°First, your god.¡± His eyes flickered black just a moment, her message was short. ¡°She said no, it isn¡¯t her place to be involved.¡± ¡°I suppose there is no way to really confirm if you are telling the truth, I will bring your message back. Do not get involved in these political struggles.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°If you start helping one side or the other, people are going to look at you as a threat instead of an asset.¡± ¡°How am I supposed to not be involved then? I can¡¯t pick and choose who I help by comparing a big list.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t help people until you know what side they are on.¡± ¡°Do you have some quick guide, a book written down of who I should absolutely avoid?¡± ¡°Is not helping them just not an option for you?¡± ¡°Not picking is an opinion, one I am ignoring.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have a list put together, are you actually going to read it when I give it to you?¡± ¡°Of course. It would be irresponsible if I didn¡¯t. I know we might not see eye to eye often, and it has been a while since we last spoke. But I am growing up.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wait until I see it to believe it. But I am warning you, you are in real danger if you get pulled into this before you are ready.¡± ¡°Come over here for a moment.¡± Harlan brought her to the window. He didn¡¯t really know if it was even real, he couldn¡¯t see windows from the outside. ¡°Is the sky still blue?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Then I am in danger. You don¡¯t need to warn me about it.¡± She rolled her eyes and waited for him to open the door so she could leave without breaking stealth. Harlan decided he might as well take a short walk. While in the garden a group of girls from Reino passed by, glancing at him reading a childrens book. He knew the mind, but the face was not the same. Fragile Peace has been at the academy since the first day under a new identity; but she never once shared a word with him. She only knew that was aware of them because they shared a look whenever they got near. One of the girls made some disparaging remark about his mind matching his reading material. She made no defense, nor did she laugh at the joke. When he was done he returned to his room, finding David waiting for him, unhappily.. ¡°We need to talk.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± David didn¡¯t bother sitting down. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°A letter for your mother?¡± ¡°Why did you send this?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t know what you have against me and I¡¯ve heard that she is a good woman. I hoped she would either clear something up or ask you why you have a problem with me.¡± ¡°How do you expect her to have answered back?¡± Harlan wasn¡¯t really sure what he meant by the question. ¡°With a letter. Am I missing something here? You wouldn¡¯t tell me what was wrong, Shelly wouldn¡¯t tell me, who else could I have asked for advice?¡± Anger and confusion fought across the face of the man. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be? Whatever is bad between us is clearly serious and Shelly is trying to fix it, but can¡¯t. I really don¡¯t know if I have other options.¡± ¡°I mean, about my mother. Who told you about her?¡± ¡°Someone who knew her a while ago, but lost touch.¡± David decided to take a seat and nibble on a cookie for a few minutes as he sorted his thoughts. ¡°Where do you think my mother is now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, probably at her home, I heard it was somewhere coastal.¡± ¡°My mother died, 10 years ago.¡± Harlan froze for a moment, Dawn¡¯s tears ran down his face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± ¡°I¡­ I think I can believe that. Do you want to know what problem I have with you? You showed up, out of the blue, and claimed that you are the son of someone my mother was close with. My father called me about this, because Shelly¡¯s mom, who is like an aunt to me, has been on a warpath getting every scrap of information and rumor about you ever since you talked. I don¡¯t think she ever really got over losing her, and you opened up her wounds.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°I had no idea who Shelly¡¯s mom even was, let alone that she knew my birth mother.¡± ¡°Small world.¡± ¡°I¡¯m actually a little worried that it isn¡¯t a coincidence.¡± David leaned forward. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but the woman who gave birth to me, she was tied to someone powerful, her great grandfather. I know that I am the pawn of at least one god, but I have no idea what the scope or timeframe of her plans actually is. I don¡¯t even know the end goal other than me being her champion.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to give this some thought. I¡¯ll have your answer when I have it.¡± ¡°Answer for what?¡± ¡°You want to be out there, fighting, don¡¯t you? We both know that you love it.¡± ¡°I wish I didn¡¯t need to fight.¡± He scoffed before leaving. A few days passed, Harlan was dragged along with Charlotte again, her father had personally sent him a letter and Harlan couldn¡¯t help but feel for the man. ¡°Clear as you can, I¡¯ll be invisible and watching out for threats.¡± ¡°Right. Thank you.¡± The light bent around him with a shimmer and he was gone. Harlan never went more than a few feet away from them despite what he would have them believe. Goblins fell by the handful, she led her team with confidence and often contacted Harlan outside of their lessons to ask him about fighting. A bolt hit the leader¡¯s head and it burst like a sausage too tightly packed being tossed into boiling oil. Harlan blocked the chunks from dirtying the clothes of the students. ¡°Good work. You all need to work on your spacing a little bit, your spells nearly collided a few times, but you are better than you were before. Let¡¯s go.¡± Even though he was stronger than the man, it was academy policy that an adult accompanied them, and with what had happened before, it was quietly decided that security staff would be sent in place of adventurers as a temporary measure. The man from security flashed a wild smile as he fiddled with a stone in his hands. Five men suddenly came from the gate, hitting Harlan with three crossbow bolts soulsmithed to let out paralyzing shocks and an unknown effect. They were never going to pierce the armor, but they didn¡¯t need to, their tips were flat and covered with glue. ¡°RUN.¡± Before he could even turn back towards his attackers, warhammers struck his chest, sending him flying away from the group and cracking his ribs. His armor was confused, whatever was hitting it scrambled the command he was trying to give telling it to go liquid so the bolts would fall out. The men kept hitting him with the hammers to prevent him from regaining his bearings. Eventually one of them hit a bolt loose. Between losing a third of the shock and the other bolts starting to run out of mana Harlan grabbed the hand of one man, making a link that took some of the shock and letting him pull the other two off. Harlan was less than pleased with how things were going. He dodged the next swing and delivered a literal axe kick to one of the men which bisected him as his armor shifted into an edge. The one he already had a hand on passed out from a white noise attack, so Harlan just released a burst of sleeping air that would put him in another coma if he managed to wake up before this was over. The men with crossbows tried their bolts again to slow him down while the traitor from security finished the students off. He didn¡¯t know who the younger boy was, but he took a hit meant for Charlotte. Harlan would not let his sacrifice be in vain, though the cut really wasn¡¯t that bad, Harlan could stabilize him if he was quick. The bolts did not meet their target as Harlan brought the upper half of the man he killed and used it as a shield. They barely had time to draw their daggers before Harlan plunged his hands into the chest of the first man, crushing his heart before using the blood and life force that was now free to slice the other men into ribbons. With them out of the way Harlan met the traitor from security. While his skills were not even on par with a 4th year student, his equipment was top of the line. It was no golem armor, but it was not going to be pierced and shredded by what Harlan had. Between that and the potions he drank before contacting the other assassins he was at least on par with Harlan. Well, if Harlan had never become a champion and made dozens of subtle and less subtle changes to his body he would¡¯ve been. And if the man was actually from security. The first clash was an attempt at a block that quickly shifted into a deflection as Harlan let out the weight of the rod in his hand. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just let this happen, nobody else needs to die today.¡± Harlan snarled and let out a lightning bolt that the man deflected. He found that people became wary regarding his animalistic traits ¡°You could¡¯ve been on the winning side.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to eat your liver.¡± Harlan was glad that the others would be too shocked to remember him making that statement. The man¡¯s blade bit steel as he moved with grace and speed beyond what a man of his station should be capable of with such a youthful face. Harlan couldn¡¯t get a single move in after minutes, the boy was bleeding out and he could hear the others scrambling to save him, to stop the bleeding in any way they could. ¡°Do you have any advice? He just deflects everything I throw at him and I have no idea what that blade will do if he hits me with it directly.¡± ¡°Fight smarter, or harder. Change the ground, hit him with warmagic. Stop being so focused on what you are doing and think more about what you can do. You can tear men in two with telekinesis, do something.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± 15 seconds, that is how long a nova would take, in the meantime he softened and hardened the ground in waves. The man stepped through without issue, feeling the pattern Harlan was using without realizing. True randomness took some thought, Harlan was just throwing the spells out. Upon this realization he tried to just tear out the man¡¯s eyes from a distance, finding that his power simply clashed against the man¡¯s. Telekinesis was unfortunately not actually useful against others that knew how to use it. Even a large gap in power made little difference as the effective strength had harsh drop offs and if it was pulled back against the skin through the right technique, cracking it was nearly impossible. Whoever the man was, he had clearly been trained to avoid exactly what Harlan was trying to do. The first stab of the fight met its mark, severing Harlan¡¯s arm, though the armor fused itself back together to stop it from falling to the ground. The shock and pain let a second hit nearly land, though Harlan slung the loose arm to block it. With a jump he forced the blade to remain stuck in his arm and got behind the man, letting free the freezing nova. It passed through the man and froze his body, though letting the effect activate, even in a lower state, at such close range was giving Harlan frostbite. Harlan shivered and could only move his body by making the armor walk for him. He raised his boot above the man¡¯s head and turned off the hover effect. He spent as much time as he could afford to healing his body before he staggered over to the boy; he already knew. Harlan closed the boy¡¯s eye, hiding their lack of light. Charlotte pulled his arm. ¡°Why did you do that? Heal him, please.¡± ¡°Ch-charlotte¡­¡± Her face twisted into an ugly shape as tears ran down. ¡°That can¡¯t¡­ bring him back. Please¡­¡± ¡°I can''t.¡± ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be able to bring back the dead. That¡¯s what people say, I don''t care about the cost. Just do it.¡± ¡°His soul is gone.¡± ¡°Just do it, please, try.¡± He couldn¡¯t look her in the eye as he slouched down against a tree and used as much power as he could to heat his body back up and heal the damage he had done to himself ¡°K-kill the other man, back there¡­ they are stunned, I can¡¯t call for help, something is wrong, don¡¯t let him wake up.¡± She didn¡¯t hesitate, it was too late for that now. She walked over and just kept stabbing him, over and over, well past when Harlan felt their minds fade. After an hour Harlan woke up, his nerves were still damaged, he couldn¡¯t close his hand tightly and had to force the armor to move to grab his amulet. No signal went through, none came back. Every answer that Harlan could think of was worse than the last. Golden was bad news, he had made a few enemies among them for sure. Fomorians would be worse, it would mean either someone captured and turned one of them, which would be unprecedented, or there was more like him running around; he knew that he had brothers, but he didn¡¯t know if they were actually able to leave or not. Fae could¡¯ve been better or worse depending on the context. If they only traded for an item or spell that could do such a thing, that would be one thing, but if Fae actually wanted him dead, then that was something else. He staggered over to the traitor¡¯s body, searching for anything with an odd magical feeling. Inside was the stone that he saw him with just before the attack. It was etched with an odd symbol that Harlan memorized before he shattered it. The amulets worked again, instead of contacting the handler inside the academy like was now protocol, he called Sepul and explained what happened. The next few days were a blur. Classes got canceled, Harlan was in and out of interrogations far too often for his taste. There hadn¡¯t been a murder in the academy in over a decade, but there hadn¡¯t been a case like this, where someone from the staff murdered a student, in over a century. Sepul wouldn¡¯t leave Harlan alone for more than a moment, he brought him to and from the security section and stood in on every interrogation. The academy wasn¡¯t mourning, just looking from the outside, most of them either didn¡¯t care or were actively happy that the boy had died. He was sitting with Mary in her office, he didn¡¯t want the others around right now. ¡°How do you feel?¡± ¡°They gathered their information, bodies, names, they checked alibis and cross referenced our stories. I don¡¯t need to go back in.¡± ¡°Are you ok?¡± Harlan dropped his clinical, cold facade, one that he had been holding onto for days now. It disturbed him how he could do it, shut himself down, without even using his empathy. ¡°I didn¡¯t even know his name.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t blame yourself for that.¡± No tears rolled down his face, he was just angry. ¡°I should¡¯ve seen it, I should¡¯ve felt some killing intent in that man, I should¡¯ve been faster, stronger. If I took a stab earlier I could¡¯ve killed him faster. If I started charging that nova preemptively.¡± ¡°That is just survivor''s guilt, you know deep down that you couldn¡¯t have changed it. Nobody can stop every death, that you managed to save those girls is enough.¡± ¡°I could¡¯ve been stronger, I¡¯ve just been too scared of how it makes me, of hurting someone when I don¡¯t mean to. I can be stronger.¡± She placed her hand on his shoulder. ¡°Is changing your body going to heal your mind? Or is it just a rash choice, one that you are going to regret? As a friend, we both know that you are just doing this to find fault in yourself, something to change that will make you feel worse, because once you make yourself think that you could¡¯ve changed it, then it really was your fault in your own mind.¡± She leaned back into her seat and let out a longsuffering sigh. ¡°Harlan, I hope that by saying this you don¡¯t misunderstand, because I am trying to help you, I¡¯m not judging you. Do you actually care about the boy who died? Or is this an excuse to throw yourself into work?¡± ¡°What? Of course I care.¡± ¡°What was his name? Surely they said it when they were asking you what happened.¡± ¡°Dawn, what was his name? I know it, I¡¯ve just forgotten.¡± ¡°You kept hearing his name, in one ear, and out the other. You aren¡¯t evil for not caring. It looks worse if you keep pretending. Look at it objectively, think of how you can stop the same thing from happening next time, you don¡¯t need to justify what you are doing if you are trying to make the world safer.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°You have nothing to be sorry about. You are upset, and it is easier to point that anger at something that you know upsets people. Would you like to talk about this from the start? See if we can¡¯t find a healthier way to handle the way you feel?¡±
Sepul could trust that Mary would keep him safe. He had other work that needed to be done. Within a large mountain range, charred corpses, locked in screams and pitiful attempts at guarding themselves filled the assassins'' lair. ¡°I would like an answer to my question.¡± The man spit towards his captor. Sepul pulled a handful of thick needles from his sleeve and started putting them into nerve clusters in the man¡¯s spine. Each needle had a mana gem on its end. It was something that Harlan had actually originally made, though he had it in the form of a dagger. The spell within was one that restored the nerves along with another spell that directly assaulted them with either heat, cold, or acid. It sapped the victims strength, and the pain never got better. After 10 minutes of this the man still refused to answer, so Sepul took his needles back and filled the air with the scent of carbonization. By the fifth man he got the answers he wanted. He knew who hired these men, though it was an intermediary and it would take a few more jobs like this to get what he was after. An orb of void appeared suddenly and out stepped Coronach. ¡°Oh. It seems I am late.¡± ¡°Monster, your god has never once been late without an agenda behind it, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°Well, it seems these men have some other information that Harlan will need eventually. No need for us to bother one another.¡± As much as he wanted to fight the voidling, he simply left him to his work. The few men alive wished that death could come for them as the shadow stretched seconds to hours while stabbing the men. Chapter 154 Of No Woman Born It took some convincing, but Hellon came along with Harlan to make the body for Balor. ¡°Do I at least get a hint as for what I am witnessing?¡± The room had piles of biological material separated. Fat, muscle, bone, skin, jars of blood, organs, everything else needed to make a man. ¡°I hope these aren¡¯t human.¡± ¡°Not all of it, the meat is pig actually. They are quite close to humans in composition. Though the organs and skin do come from a man. People who have been put to death can be used for study if one puts requests in through the right channels.¡± ¡°Is this going to be necromancy?¡± Harlan stopped a moment to think of his answer. ¡°Technically, no, I don¡¯t think so, but, maybe?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know what the spell is?¡± ¡°I know what the spell is, but, I¡¯m not entirely sure about the categorization. Yes, I am giving life back to dead flesh, and I am putting it together into a form that can accept healing magic. But it also works on living flesh.¡± Hellon narrowed her eyes, unsure if she should be witnessing this. ¡°Have you cast this spell before on a human being?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done this to a willing participant. Anyway, please don¡¯t look behind the curtains, they are hiding runes that are going to hurt you to look at.¡± ¡°You know about them?¡± ¡°Oh, so you also know what they are.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to say it, because if I am wrong then you will be learning something you shouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Sigils. Some kind of runes on a higher level, something limited to gods and champions due to the way our minds process the magic contained in them.¡± ¡°A mostly accurate description. If you know about them, and more importantly, you are actually using them, well, I won¡¯t say it.¡± A month had passed since the incident, Harlan had made various improvements to his methods of making a body. The first test in which Harlan made a body from a deer and twisted it into human form technically worked, but the lack of organs and flowing blood among its basic nervous system made for an uncomfortable experience once Harlan actually felt the memories from Balor. If he ever pursued flesh golems again, it would be fine, but for things that knew what living felt like already, it wasn¡¯t ideal. The sigils activated and filled the room with a sense of dread. While he had been cleared to do this by The Darkness, what he was doing brushed up against things best left undone. Red light filled the pieces set around the area and hung in the air within the circle carved into the bunker floor. Then, nothing. Harlan had to put the body together by hand now that the process had turned them into putty to be molded into a desired form. Despite the aura of fear and the red light that lit the room with a sinister atmosphere, he worked as an artist sculpting clay, making a man. He laid out muscle and fat and nerves and veins and began making a body that would match his before changing it to whatever Balor wanted to look like. Seeing it turned from offal to a body filled Hellon with an awe she hadn¡¯t felt in some time.. What Harlan had done would change surgery and cosmetic magic in equal measures depending on how it all worked. Hellon took a step closer and Balor grabbed her forcefully. ¡°Don¡¯t step inside the circle.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me? I need to know what will happen. This is the kind of work that makes archmagi.¡± ¡°The circle is to stop outside mana from interfering with the body as it comes to life, we do not want to know what it would do to you.¡± Harlan worked in complete silence, veils stopped him from getting any interference in what he was doing. His hands The form now looked like a man, he was going for one 20 or so years of age, young, but not a child. Harlan slotted in the eyes and linked them to a mana gem that itself was linked to a series of blood crystals which would function as the brain when Balor was not in the body. It would be a shame if something went wrong and the body forgot how to do automatic processes like breathing without Balor inside of it. The body was almost entirely finished, and mindless but not dead. He dropped the veils. ¡°Balor, what else needs to be done. Any changes? Taller? Wider? Sharper nose? Thinner eyes?¡± Harlan spoke with the apathy of a man looking over his taxes, not as a shaper of new life. ¡°Go a little thinner on the chin and bring it out more. The ears could be smaller, shrink the lobes so they don¡¯t hang so much.¡± After another few dozen small changes the man on the table was ready to be awoken. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do this, but, if you want the body, if you want to be here, now is the time.¡± He did not hesitate to step inside of the circle and pull himself out of his golem body. Harlan placed him inside of the spine and grew bone around him to seal the senses of the ring and hopefully make it easier to transition to the senses of the body. Hellon¡¯s eyes lit up as the body drew its first breath, blinked its eyes, and then tried to speak. ¡°Are the vocal cords not working yet? Just give it a little time, your soul is going to diffuse throughout the body and make more small corrections than I ever could.¡± Harlan turned off the ritual and broke the sigils, yet kept the circle active. ¡°Hellon, you can step inside now.¡± She cast many diagnostic spells, she could see every little shift that happened as the soul went through the body. Nerves and veins shifted positions, causing a great deal of pain to Balor who simply needed to bear this. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. It hurt Harlan to know this, but he could only make an approximation of the entire workings of a body. He was not a god, and he could not match the knowledge that was just naturally inside of a soul, a thing that simply knew what Balor was deep down, and corrected the body to something closer to that human nature. After an hour Balor could barely speak. ¡°It¡­ worked¡­ I¡­ feel it.¡± Hellon used spells to directly feed him tonics through his bloodstream and give the body more than just the energy from his soul to move and heal him. ¡°Harlan, how did you make this? This is¡­ it is incredible. We might beat death, we could remake the bodies back to their youth. We could make the short man big, we could turn an ugly man into a prince.¡± ¡°This can¡¯t beat death, though it might extend life if I touch the right part, resetting the clock, so to speak.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t know that yet, we just don¡¯t have the data for that yet.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need an example. I already got a warning that if I made immortality magic or new viable species, then I am the enemy of the gods.¡± ¡°Fucking bastards. Is there a limit? Can you extend lifespans? What really is ¡®immortality?¡¯ if you gave someone another 10 years, it really wouldn¡¯t count as a violation, right?¡± Harlan¡¯s eyes went black for minutes as rules and the loopholes that are known regarding immortality were explained to him. The important takeaway was that those loopholes didn¡¯t technically break the rules, but the rules are made up and if he violated the spirit of them there would be problems. ¡°10 to 20 years, and I shouldn¡¯t draw any attention. Past that, I need to argue with the gods to make that person live any longer. The limited lifespan is part of what is called a prime race, which is to say here is humans, on Aine they called themselves something else, but they filled the same role.¡± ¡°What role is that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I should really get into the higher purpose of human life. You don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m just going to let that go? Please, I¡¯m going to just ask plainly, I want to live longer, I want to know more. What deal do I need to make with you?¡± ¡°Get a hold of yourself, you can¡¯t be more than 30.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to be 63 in 5 months. If I wait too much longer, I¡¯ll just lose time.¡± Harlan looked over her face and body. She looked younger than his mother and didn¡¯t believe that her words were anything but a bid to get what she wanted. ¡°One year. Once my first subject has lived in his new body for a year I will consider it. Now, I brought you here so you can tell other people that this isn¡¯t a stolen body, that I didn¡¯t do anything heinous to make Balor¡¯s body, and that everything was above board. This isn¡¯t going to end up being a problem between us, is it?¡± ¡°No, of course not. Even if I took my word back later, they would need to prove that I lied in the first place and that your magic isn¡¯t what I said it was. In that case, you would be able to show them what you¡¯ve shown me. How long has the first subject been in a new form?¡± ¡°Since not long before the end of the first year of academy. I¡¯d need to check the specific day. But for now, just think of it as being when the academy closes for summer.¡± ¡°You mean you¡¯ve had this for months and didn¡¯t tell anyone?¡± ¡°Considering how you are acting, I don¡¯t think I was wrong to do that.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand what this could do. Think of everyone who retired when their bodies failed their other abilities. You could bring archmagi out of retirement, you could give them the chance at a second life, even if it isn¡¯t immortality.¡± Harlan thought it over and decided that it could never get out that he had this ability, he even contemplated killing Hellon for a moment. He should¡¯ve just lied to her about being allowed to extend lives for a time. ¡°Don¡¯t say a word about this. If people know that I can reset someone to a younger, more ideal age, then I¡¯m either going to end up locked away for my safety, or I¡¯ll have powerful people looking for me to fix them, and when I don¡¯t they are going to force me.¡± She lost some of that almost childish glimmer as she understood exactly what his fears were. He was not Sepul, he didn¡¯t have a near inexhaustible power that made him a nation in and of himself, he didn¡¯t have the friends in politics or the favors needed to hold back what it could unleash and even Sepul, in all of his glory, could not protect everyone all the time. ¡°You could be an archmage, one of the youngest in history, with just one spell.¡± ¡°Do you have a husband? Children? Siblings? I¡¯m not trying to insult you, but I just don¡¯t care about having my name in a book. Ask Sepul, would he rather have a title or his family? We both know what he would choose.¡± ¡°Fine, but you don¡¯t even need to share it, having an example of what you can do and my word as a witness should be enough.¡± Harlan missed over 2 weeks of classes while he helped Balor get used to having a human body. Unlike Dagian where it was an entirely alien feeling to have a body that was just somewhat off, Balor had moved into bodies of different shapes and sizes in preparation for the eventuality of being flesh and bone, well, mostly flesh and bone. Another spoon was turned to an art piece as Balor¡¯s strength went into effect. ¡°Damnit.¡± Another chair turned to splinters as his emotions spiked. ¡°It¡¯s alright. You¡¯re getting used to it.¡± He huffed and puffed, nobody had expected the moodswings to be so hard to control. When he was a ring, his emotions were blunted by not being beholden to the hormones of a human body thus he had never learned to control himself well as a result. ¡°I know, I¡¯ve just got to cool off for a little bit.¡± ¡°Are you tired? Maybe a nap would help?¡± ¡°Yes. Maybe that will help.¡± Dagian also ended up sleeping far more than normal until he was used to his new form. Another week of missed classes. Though on this day, Hirum himself visited. ¡°Sir Formoria.¡± ¡°Headmaster Selvis. To what do I owe the pleasure?¡± ¡°Hellon reported what you have done and put forward a request that you be granted the title of archmage.¡± ¡°I asked that she not put forward such a request.¡± ¡°It came up in regards to your failure to arrive to classes or keep up your duties as a teaching assistant. You know, Lady Charlotte could use you around, not for classes, but for dealing with loss.¡± ¡°I have been handling a family situation, I am unsure when I will be returning.¡± ¡°I am aware. But there is a limit, perhaps I could put you in contact with people who could help care for your brother.¡± ¡°He is dangerous at the moment, he is at least as strong as I am but without the years of being me, he cannot control that strength well yet. I¡¯ve only just gotten him to the point where I can safely let him get his own food and eat by himself. Humans are too¡­ squishy, to handle him.¡± ¡°What about a Minos?¡± ¡°If you could find one with experience in physical rehabilitation and healing and they also understand the risk, then maybe. I will ask him his own opinion.¡± ¡°I have already contacted candidates beforehand. If your brother agrees, I could have them here within the hour.¡± Harlan brought Balor to the living room and they talked it over, agreeing to at least meet them. ¡°Thank you for your understanding, it is important to us at the academy that Harlan returns.¡± ¡°Headmaster Selvis, what is it that you are really worried about? Harlan surely has no real bearing on the operation of your academy.¡± ¡°I simply don¡¯t want him to miss out on learning. Despite our differences, I am still looking out for his best interests. Also, honestly, I would like to induct him as a private archmage. Publicly nothing would change, but I would like him to be put on the record.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be on any record.¡± ¡°This is, within the magical community, the highest honor one could be granted, it would open a lot of doors for you.¡± ¡°It would be a mark on my back. Do you actually know what I¡¯ve done and the implications of it? Aria never gave up her secret, she is just known to be able to do what she does. But if I did the same thing I¡¯d never get another day of sleep as I am hounded by any old fool with money or a beautiful daughter or land or just power. And then when I refuse, they don¡¯t have much to lose, they are already waiting on death. You can sit in your ivory tower guarded by archmagi and an army of golems, not to mention whatever artifacts you own, but I intend to live a life.¡± ¡°Archmagi protect one another, you would have the best defenses that money could never buy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not becoming an archmage, I don¡¯t care what arguments you have, I don¡¯t care about the benefits. If it really does mean so much, then I will decide when I feel it is right. That is my final answer.¡± ¡°The topic will be considered settled for the moment. Would you at least like to hear your title?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a child who is going to be swayed by a fancy name.¡± ¡°Lifesculptor.¡± Harlan scoffed. ¡°More like Changeling.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll put that down as your name.¡± They went back and forth for nearly an hour before Hirum said he had another appointment, and that Harlan would be added to a list, though without a description of how he came upon the title. Once he chose to take the title formally, the rest would be filled in, making him a sort of half-archmage as Hirum called it. Harlan spent a day shadowing the caretaker, making sure that it wasn¡¯t going to be a problem, then he finally returned to the academy. Chapter 155 Upon his return Harlan found a large stack of papers detailing various tests that he needed to pass to avoid the classes being marked as failed on his record, not that he cared much. Claude was free at the moment, so they decided to catch up. ¡°You really need to get through all of this in just a week?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be an issue. It is just catch up work.¡± ¡°This is just¡­¡± He shuffled the papers and found them densely packed with information beyond what he could¡¯ve expected. Harlan hadn¡¯t been told that he was transferred to advanced classes in a few subjects. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine getting this done in less than two at least. I can¡¯t really say everything is the same, since we are dealing with different subjects, but these are past anything I¡¯ve been taught. Anyway, it doesn''t matter. What were you doing back at your home for all that time?¡± ¡°Making a new body.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± He just kept looking over Harlan¡¯s class papers. ¡°That was a pretty muted response.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just not really sure how to interpret your answer. It could be entirely benign or bordering on forbidden magic.¡± ¡°I had it looked at, it¡¯s fine. But, I was really helping my brother Balor.¡± ¡°The new body was for him then?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And you made it, an entirely new one?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He slowed down the shuffling of papers. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Can you change people who are alive?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t tell anyone about it.¡± ¡°What are the limits? I mean, could you-¡± ¡°I changed a man into an almost entirely new form, taller, better eyes and ears, new face, voice, everything.¡± ¡°Are you an archmage yet? That sounds like the kind of spell that gets you a title like that. The inventor of cosmetic magic got an archmage title and those are basically an advanced form of illusions mixed with healing magic.¡± ¡°I probably won¡¯t tell anyone else about being one.¡± He slammed down the papers and got uncomfortably close to Harlan. ¡°You mean you really are? What is your title?¡± ¡°Changeling.¡± Claude stepped back and made an ugly face, offended on behalf of his friend. ¡°Can you change it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one who picked it, kinda. I said it as a joke and the headmaster said he would use that name. I think he is just being petty.¡± ¡°What¡¯d you do to upset him?¡± ¡°I told him that he fu- he made a mistake, and that I would not forgive him for it, but I¡¯d keep a business relationship. He knows who attacked Adina, he knew it all along and it was a slip of the tongue by one of the staff that led me to confirm it.¡± ¡°That¡­ fucking prick.¡± ¡°Swearing doesn''t suit you, don¡¯t force it. I¡¯m trying to drop the habit myself.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t think enough words are strong enough to say how I feel about that. He gave a big speech, twice, about bringing everyone together and preventing harm to students. Then when it actually happens he buckles. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to pretend that I don¡¯t blame him.¡± Harlan was focusing on a small ball, not even looking at Claude. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°It will light up depending on how hard it is gripped, from green to red and the colors between them.¡± ¡°Is that for Wulrun?¡± ¡°No, Balor, he can¡¯t control himself yet. But is as strong as me. Do you want to try it? The ball will reform itself if damaged. Shadowsteel really is almost oddly easy to work with.¡± Claude grabbed the ball and squeezed as hard as he could, only lighting it up to barely yellow even with both hands. He tossed it back to Harlan who gripped it with one hand and orb turned oblate while it let out a bright red light. ¡°I might need to use more metal.¡± Claude just looked at it and then back to Harlan. Claude had classes to attend to, so Harlan should¡¯ve started on his catch up work. Instead, he walked the school grounds, hoping to find somebody. There was little actual hoping, he could just divine her position and wait until she was moving between classes. It felt somewhat unreal to be back on the first floor, he was fighting against muscle memory taking him to his old classrooms. Charlotte came out of her combat class and he got close, nearly being hit by her dagger when he touched her shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t have tutoring today.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I should¡¯ve gone to see you sooner.¡± ¡°No, there is nothing you could¡¯ve done. You couldn¡¯t even-¡± She bit her tongue, trying to avoid grief talking for her. ¡°If you ever want to talk, just find me, I know I failed him, and I failed you.¡± The girl who had been with them, rubbed her back and tried to calm her. He knew there wasn¡¯t much he could do, but even if she stayed away from him, he hoped that just knowing he cared enough to offer would help her. Harlan returned to his room and began going through his work. Enchanting classes mostly revolved around being given an item, and being told what effect to put in it, but not being given the spell that goes in the item until the next class. For Harlan it was rarely required and he would just make the item, even in a flawed state, within the time given for the first class. He pulled the simple metal plate from its box, it was supposed to resist acid attacks, so he did as asked, using a spell called forgemasters finger to precisely cut the mundane steel with a string of plasma. He was about to use an acid he made before he reread what a pass was. ¡°Magical acid should be used for this test, as it is unlikely that you can make one able to stand up to alchemical acid.¡± ¡°It almost sounds like he is taunting you.¡± ¡°He is.¡± ¡°Are you going to let him get away with that?¡± ¡°I know what you are trying to do. I don¡¯t really need the pep talk right now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not trying to give a pep talk, I¡¯m just trying to banter.¡± ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m in work mode, I didn¡¯t mean to be snappy.¡± ¡°So, how is this going?¡± ¡°The difficulty jumped up, which is actually quite nice, I was getting bored.¡± ¡°Can you look over some of the other material?¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°I already did once, just look back at my memories.¡± ¡°I know that I live inside your head, but I can¡¯t just read you like a book.¡± ¡°That didn¡¯t seem to be an issue before.¡± ¡°Well, I got pushed out somewhat.¡± ¡°What? When? Are you alright?¡± Harlan set down the next item he was working with. ¡°Calm down, I¡¯m fine. When you got your empathy under control it made your mind stronger, I couldn¡¯t influence it, intentionally or otherwise, like I could before. It also means that I can look at your memories, but only when you think about them. Otherwise it would be like finding tea spilled in an ocean. Now that we are so close, all of your fleeting thoughts are drowning out everything else.¡± ¡°Not your worst metaphor.¡± ¡°Har har har. Get back to work.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll look over my class material in a little bit, why do you want them?¡± ¡°Something about them seems off, but I can¡¯t put my finger on it.¡± She didn¡¯t see what exactly was wrong and it bothered her. Eliza had spent 4 years here, and Dawn knew that, even if those memories were sometimes a bit fuzzy. Harlan had some fuzzy memories of his own as he attended classes but failed to focus on anything beyond the work he had done most of the time. A knock on the door, he failed to feel the mind getting nearer as he worked. Harlan didn¡¯t even get up, he just made his armor open the door for him. ¡°Hell- can you stop that.¡± David covered his eyes to block out the bright line of plasma that cut into a dagger. ¡°One moment.¡± Harlan used a veil over his eyes to dim his sight and wasn¡¯t really bothered by it. Once he was done he tossed the blade over his shoulder and it landed tip down on his table next to a handful of other daggers. ¡°It has been a little while.¡± ¡°I have work to do.¡± ¡°Why did you go with the Vale girl?¡± ¡°She is my student, she was too unconfident, then she was overconfident, now-¡± Harlan stopped looking at the assignment paper. ¡°-now I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°I would like you to work with us again, if you can find the time.¡± ¡°I might be able to work during the week, on the weekends I handle tutoring for first years.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll miss your classes doing that. They¡¯ll revoke your license.¡± ¡°I think letting work like this build up suits me better.¡± David awkwardly glanced at the papers Harlan had marked as finished and the massive pile marked incomplete. ¡°Alright then, I will contact you on your amulet when I find a job that I think would be best to have you along with.¡± David turned to leave, but stood halfway outside the door. ¡°And¡­ Shelly wanted to talk with you. It seemed like sooner would be better than later.¡± Harlan waved him away but didn¡¯t respond. The dinner bell rang and Harlan made his way over. Through the throngs of people he zeroed in on Shelly. ¡°If you would like to talk, just come to my room after dinner. Sorry I was away for so long.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be there.¡± Fear and anxiety flowed out from her, though she seemed resolute in whatever she was doing. Many eyes fell on him as he sat down to eat. Disappearing for nearly a month led to all sorts of rumors, some of which were even true. Harlan and Balor made no secret about what had happened, within limits at least. Balor couldn¡¯t hide what he was, the only secret was the matter of how he got the body. Some claimed that it was a man who had been executed, some claimed that the brothers had put someone in a permanent coma and it was something he learned from the spinal spiders. It didn¡¯t bother Harlan, even when he could hear them whispering, it just seemed so¡­ childish. Adina and Ximena were already there. ¡°You didn¡¯t say that you were back.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think it mattered much. But I¡¯m back.¡± ¡°I just wanted to be the first one to know, as your person to be.¡± ¡°You can say fiance.¡± Adina blushed and Ximena elbowed her playfully as a shadow covered them. ¡°You two are like children playing house.¡± ¡°Cato.¡± ¡°I come peacefully.¡± ¡°And I reject you peacefully. I have no reason to be involved with you.¡± ¡°Ah, and that is where you are wrong my friend. I bring a letter from her father.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother, I don¡¯t want to hear from that man.¡± ¡°Then you should be happy to hear that the letter is not for you, it is for your husband.¡± Harlan took the letter and sliced it to ribbons, letting the pieces fall to the ground. ¡°If he wishes to apologize, he must do so in person, if he wishes for business, I refuse.¡± Even without empathy it was clear from his bulging veins and reddening face that Cato was a hair breadth away from striking him. ¡°It would be in your best interest to show respect.¡± As much as he might want to force a fight, just to see if he could beat Cato and whatever his bloodline ability really was, he just didn¡¯t have it in him, he knew it wouldn¡¯t help anything. ¡°It is my right, and mine alone, who I work with, and it is not my choice to forgive him for his past actions. It is Adina who told me that she would not accept anything less than an in person apology. Do we have any reason to speak further?¡± Cato narrowed his eyes and made a fist, but he stepped back as if he wasn¡¯t seething with rage. ¡°No, I suppose there is nothing left to say between us.¡± The group watched him closely as he moved away, making sure that no spell was forming. Dark mana pulsed outward from Harlan as his void nova safely dispersed. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I know he still sets you on edge.¡± Harlan placed his hand on hers, once she let go they went back to eating. Before he left he stealthily grabbed the pieces of the letter. Shelly arrived at his room after half an hour or so, she said her goodbyes and finished speaking with her friends for the night. ¡°You are worried, afraid.¡± ¡°What? No, everything is fine. My mother just wanted to speak with you.¡± ¡°It will be fine.¡± After a few moments where she thought about pretending to have lost her amulet, she called her mother and said she was with Harlan. ¡°Eliza, when she died, was it quick?¡± Harlan¡¯s eyes went black, he believed it was, but it would hurt worse if he lied to her when he knew he could get the answer. ¡°A lance of void instantly destroyed her heart. It was quick.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve made no secret that I can speak with my god at any time. She killed her, or rather, an agent of her¡¯s did.¡± ¡°Did you know that when you took up your position?¡± He hesitated in answering. ¡°Yes, I did.¡± ¡°How dare you.¡± He could hear her take a long breath. ¡°How could you do that? She killed Eliza, who you claim to be your mother, I thought you loved your family?¡± ¡°There is context missing here. She¡­ I don¡¯t want to talk about this over an amulet. That woman, she gave birth to me, but she was never a mother to me. She was never a mother to Elise either. I love my family, I would die for them without a second thought, I hate her for what she was, someone who threw that away.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know her, you don¡¯t know how hard it was for her to not love her only child.¡± Shelly wanted to crawl into a hole to just get out of the shouting match that had started between what she was hoping was still her friend and her mother. She had heard her mother like this before, she had even raised her voice to her, but she had never heard her do this to someone who Shelly didn¡¯t think had it coming for one reason or another. They went 15 minutes, barely even breathing as they spat enough poison to kill a Lindwurm. Eventually she couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°STOP. Just, please, stop this.¡± Harlan froze a moment, it wasn¡¯t right to hurt her to prove some meaningless point to her mother. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not going to fight your mother, regardless of our views, I don¡¯t want it to hurt you.¡± ¡°Shelly, avoid that monster like a wyvern, however he is manipulating you, it is only going to bring suffering. He already proved he can¡¯t even protect a handful of children.¡± It was a non-sequitur, just a terrible thing to say to him for the sake of being terrible. She saw Harlan¡¯s eyes go wide and then brighten until they were painful to look at, his teeth and nails sharpened while his nose twitched, trying to avoid scrunching it in anger. ¡°Shelly¡­ end the call, before I saw something in reply.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dar-¡± The connection was cut. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I know my mo-¡± Harlan put his hand up, letting her see how his fingers lengthed. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you. She is a grown woman, she made the choice to be a horrible bitch. Just as that woman who gave birth to me chose to sell me to The Darkness in exchange for her own safety. They were made for each other.¡± She wanted to defend her mother, but in light of how Harlan was trying to be soft, it was hard. ¡°I think I would like to be alone for the night. See you tomorrow?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Then another day. Good night, Shelly.¡± ¡°Yeah, good night, Harlan.¡± He knew that she would want to leave, so he gave her an out before she could ask, or worse, try to mend the rift that she thought was forming. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°No, not really. I should¡¯ve known, if she was friends with that woman, there was no chance of our meeting being positive. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be. I¡­ I know it was just the echoes of who I was before that hoped you could be friendly. Nostalgia for something that wasn¡¯t me. I don¡¯t know what is going to happen when we find Elise, if I can¡¯t handle it, please, try to set me straight.¡± ¡°Hey, we¡¯re family, I¡¯ll always help when you ask.¡± Her tears flowed from his eyes. ¡°That was a cheap shot.¡± ¡°No, it is just the truth. It feels wrong to have you stuck here, not that it is your fault, but even Balor had a life outside of me. You should be allowed to live your own life.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I can do it, not again. Here, with you, that is where I want to be. I can always give advice, try to lighten your mood, anything, outside, I¡¯m just a copycat of some woman we don¡¯t like.¡± ¡°Speaking of advice, do you want to help me finish up more of my assignments?¡± ¡°I want a pep talk, a damn good one too. So let¡¯s get to work.¡± A 2 days worth of classwork was done that night. Chapter 156 Harlan finished all of his catch up work on the 5th day. Though his younger self would surely beat him for having such thoughts, he found some comfort in how it reminded him of the facility. Work work work, taking breaks to ease the mind, and then more work. It was simple, it just made sense. He didn¡¯t need to care about who the people were, since they were all above him, he understood his place and what the danger was. The more he looked over the list of people who he should avoid, the more he hated the systems at work. The king was the king, regardless of whatever petty bullshit the nobles had against him, he had made the nation better, they should understand that, they must. But to someone who has abused the people under them, finally being told to calm down, even if it has a multiple year time limit, it seems unfair. Sepul had even asked Harlan his opinion on slavery, with an obvious answer of hating the practice, but understanding its use if someone tries to flee from a debt that must be repaid. The other answer for this case was death or imprisonment, which would be slavery under another name. Each new law in regards to it seemed to give more power for the slaves to prevent abuse to themselves, perhaps it would finally be outlawed soon enough. Harlan wasn¡¯t technically part of the discussions on law and order, but he felt that Sepul only asked these questions in relation to policy changes as he normally disliked speaking on the subject of laws. At this point he just outright told the teachers for his classes that they should just send him a week''s worth of assignments and he would clear them as they came. There was fury and understanding and laughter over the boy who believed himself above the curriculum. Yet when the week passed and Harlan had all of his work done on the 3rd day, those that understood simply accepted this, those who were furious only grew moreso, and those that laughed simply laughed more. The one class he still had to attend in person due to its very nature requiring a hands on experience, was magical creatures. They were presently somewhere within the great desert, looking for frogs. ¡°Consider this somewhat of a lesson on survival along with learning of these majestic creatures. If you can find the pockets of water, then you will have found the underground ocean of the desert. Harlan, before we begin, you are not allowed to participate.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± It angered his classmates to no end how confident Harlan was. What was worse is that from the 2nd to 4th years, students that were not children joined in. Adventures and soldiers who spent years building the funds required to attend felt slighted by the boy who they thought didn¡¯t take his studies seriously enough even if he ended up at the top of some of his classes. Harlan formed a table and chairs from the sand and sat with his armor. After his last real fight he was trying to test the limits of the golem armor when acting independently. Whatever that soulsmith disrupting spell was on the bolts was, it scared Harlan. Thus, he wished to make the armor more independent, but without giving it a proper mind. He didn¡¯t want another brother, he wanted a tool that did not fail him. After 5 minutes one of the other students, a ranger, found signs of the subterranean river, yet at the same time, a shadow passed overhead. Every student went into stances to flee or fight, except Harlan. Sepul called out. ¡°Ignore the wyvern.¡± One voice cried out from a distance. ¡°We aren¡¯t all archmagi, we need to run or kill it.¡± Harlan replied. ¡°It¡¯s already dead. They are just chasing the body.¡± The beast flew another thousand feet before crashing with enough might to blow a massive plume into the air. ¡°Wait, who¡¯s chasing the body?¡± ¡°The only people who live in the desert.¡± The Golden arrived wearing clothes over their face and light clothes that left their arms, midriff, and legs below the knees, exposed. Though oddly enough, the younger of the two women wore a heavier blanket like a cape to cover her entire body. Sepul tried to ignore them and talk about how one should be finding desert hoppers, but they stopped their sandship, one only large enough for the three of them. They spoke in a tongue Harlan did not know, but The Mother appeared to translate and give her thoughts, which set everyone on edge. ¡°That one on the left, the old woman, do not anger her. The younger girl is weak and has an injury on her side from the beast, the man is the weakest of the three. Likely this is his first hunt, and they are his wife and his grandmother.¡± ¡°Why did you give me her weakness?¡± She did not answer, leaving Harlan to interpret her. He approached the group, his hands up, and The Mother walking alongside him. She would often simply appear as a formless shadow in these cases, but due to their company, she thought it best to appear as her motherly form. They tilted their spears towards him, but were trying not to be overtly aggressive. A complete failure on their part considering he could feel how they directed their anger at him. ¡°We are negotiating with your master, return to your group.¡± ¡°That woman is hurt, do you not have a healer in your group?¡± They took combat stances, Sepul did not move an inch, wondering where this would go, but sure that if they attacked without reason he would turn them to ash in an instant. ¡°Calm down, I just wanted to heal her.¡± ¡°Your god is one of only tricks and lies.¡± ¡°Then keep your spears on my throat, I don¡¯t mind. But, I worry that if you don¡¯t, or can¡¯t treat her, then she will just be suffering without reason.¡± ¡°She is in perfect health.¡± ¡°Do you know what a Fomorian can do? Because if not, I can feel that she is in pain, I can smell the iron in the air. I know you are hearty, and I am not saying she will die if it goes unchecked, but I would just like to prevent her from having to just live with that pain until you find a healer.¡± The older woman stepped forward to take the conversation from her grandson. ¡°She will keep her injury, it is a failure on her part that she was hurt, and she will remember that pain.¡± ¡°Is this her choice? Or yours?¡± ¡°It is not your place to speak on our traditions.¡± The Mother whispered in his ear, she had been hurt to save the life of the man. ¡°Did she not get hurt only to save your grandson? It doesn¡¯t seem fair to punish her for a heroic act.¡± ¡°Fomorian, I made my own choice, I will live with such a wound. It does not even bother me.¡± Anyone who could hear her would be unconvinced. He was unhappy, but moreso, he was unhappy with the solutions that came to his mind. He could make no overt hostile action, which removed forcefully subduing the group to heal her, which he lacked any confidence to do in the first place . Though there was no overarching organization to force him to, he was expected to maintain conduct befitting a healer, if the woman did not want to be healed, then he was supposed to do nothing, even if he knew it would kill her. So he ran a quick test and lowered the anger of the woman. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The group didn¡¯t seem to react, which Harlan hoped meant they could not detect his empathy. He changed their emotions as best he could until eventually they relented, Harlan healed her without a fight and they left. It left a bitter taste in his mouth, but it was better than letting her suffer. The rest of the group had already found the underground river, they were often found by looking for rock formations that resembled an inverse crater. These not only acted as ways for the creatures that couldn¡¯t swim or dig through the sand to reach them, but also to let in light while keeping the sand from pouring down into the area. A student captured a frog, which looked like a smooth stone in the shallow waters. It was roughly 10 inches across and 1 foot tall with a spackled brown that faded into a gray. ¡°Good, we can get on with the class then. These are desert hoppers, during the dry months they only come out at night and during the day they will eat whatever small fish they can catch. Though I would say there is never a good reason to visit the desert, if you do, watch for these at dusk and dawn, they will attempt to hop towards water sources which might just save your life.¡± The frogs didn¡¯t seem to mind at all as the students scoped them up. ¡°Sir Dust, are they really so docile?¡± ¡°They know that you are not a threat. Frogs such as these, which are in their second stage of magical evolution, are less intelligent than a mammal at such a place in their life, but they are strangely emotionally intelligent. So long as you don¡¯t handle them roughly, you are all safe.¡± ¡°But, are they dangerous?¡± ¡°Everything in the desert is. The only places more hostile to life in all of its forms are the man eating rainforests of the deep south and the frigid wastes of the north. Though most creatures here prefer to avoid wasting excess energy on fighting. I only put the desert as less dangerous for this reason. Their struggle against the environment is less hostile, food, if one looks in the right places, is abundant, the number of predators is low, and the magical creatures are docile. Take for instance the Pygmy Mesa Toad, which is letting the ranger sit on it.¡± The man panicked and got up from the rock he had been on. With its cover blown the massive toad, 4 feet tall and 5 wide even while it was trying to stick low to the ground, opened its eyes and glared at the man who had been using it as a seat. They were an ambush predator, and one with the intelligence to understand that it could only saunter off to another area and wait for something to come near it. They generally hunted larger Sand Drakes or Condors which came down for water. It was¡­ not the brightest thing, but Harlan felt a little bad for it considering the surroundings and the slight limp he saw. It took some gesturing and a little bit of empathic manipulation, but the toad was willing to drink down the tonic Harlan had in his hand. The ranger was confused by his actions and approached him. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°You ruined her meal, breeding months almost, and she was injured. It seemed fair to not let her suffer like that.¡± ¡°You are strange.¡± ¡°I know it must seem that way, but it could¡¯ve gobbled you whole when you got near, instead it was afraid of us and let you take a seat. It isn¡¯t a Hati, driven by an instinct of hate, it is just trying to survive.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you think that is profound.¡± ¡°Have you killed Fomorians?¡± The man took a step back before answering, afraid of how Harlan was going to react. ¡°I¡¯ll assume yes then. Fomorians aren¡¯t much different to orcs in my mind. Their minds are twisted by forces outside their control, robbed of free will in a sense, a cage of their own making. If-¡± It was clear to him, and to the others as words reverberated through the tunnel, that it pained Harlan to speak about this subject. ¡°Nevermind, I¡¯ve said too much as it is. Just pretend I said the toad looked thirsty.¡± He didn¡¯t even know why he bothered to reply. ¡°Sheron really upset you, didn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°I want to crush her.¡± ¡°No you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°I know. I just¡­ she mentioned how I failed to protect that boy, she wasn¡¯t there, any reports she read, anything, would accept that I was lucky to have survived and save Charlotte and her friend. But she brought it up, for no reason other than to hurt me, she used his death as nothing but a gutpunch. I know it isn¡¯t my fault, that I could¡¯ve never really saved him, it was an ambush and he died a hero¡¯s death, but knowing that doesn¡¯t mean it doesn¡¯t bother me. The way that The Mother answered me about why I had the urge to stop in Borden, it rubbed me the wrong way, maybe I have future sight in some form and I don¡¯t know it yet, maybe it was nothing. Maybe if I realized it sooner, he would be alive. And I still don¡¯t remember his name.¡± ¡°Chaud Sierra. And you are still thinking of ways that you could¡¯ve, or should¡¯ve, saved him. You can¡¯t keep doing that when you fail at something.¡± It was clear that Harlan was going through something in his head and was barely paying attention to the class itself. But nobody scolded him, mostly out of fear, he was known to be less than stable when something was affecting him like this and his more recent helpful and calmer self was never going to spread like when he did something wrong. Those that followed rumors often liked to put people down and given enough time, these negative rumors became the facts of life that oft went uncorrected.
Sepul returned to his home after classes, he had a visitor after all. ¡°Hello, Elise.¡± She slipped out of a dimensional pocket. ¡°I thought I was better hidden.¡± ¡°You will simply never catch up, it isn¡¯t possible.¡± ¡°And I am certain many mages have died with those same thoughts running across their mind.¡± She hugged him once he no longer looked like a dead man. ¡°To what do I owe the pleasure? You don¡¯t visit often enough, my dearest granddaughter.¡± He returned the hug. ¡°Magic is changing, I think I should attend the academy again, for at least a year. All of this soulsmithing work is quite something, but I feel like I should meet its maker.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that is such a good idea.¡± ¡°Why? Do you not want me to visit your new apprentice? Or should I say, my half-brother? A half-Fomorian, aged just right, then you come out of retirement and take him as an apprentice?¡± Sepul was immediately unamused, she had always been a bit too perceptive for her own good. The question he hoped she would ignore had caught her eye, she had, by chance, been between projects and paid full attention to what he wrote to her. ¡°You can¡¯t meet him. He is rude, and dangerous, and violent, and-¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t told him about your relation to him.¡± ¡°That is also a factor to consider. If he learns it now, after I tricked him once with blood that wasn¡¯t mine, I''ll lose his trust. You also can¡¯t go back to the academy, not openly.¡± ¡°Oh, maybe I should ask him for a scholarship. Or even private lessons, I hear that he loves his sisters, though I hope not that much.¡± ¡°He would see through you in an instant. He is sometimes poor with people, but he will be very cross with you if you try to trick him with false kindness.¡± ¡°He is still just a puppy, so I take that as a challenge.¡± ¡°You will not meet him, not yet, I need to make sure that he is safe for you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a glass doll, I¡¯ve spent enough of my life locked up. I want to live publicly. While I am at it, why doesn¡¯t mom have a painting?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been over this, just let me make the world a little safer, then I will announce you to the world from the mountaintops if you want, and your mother¡­ I¡¯ll tell you when you are older.¡± ¡°I¡¯m 21. If you won¡¯t answer, I will find him, because he is easy to track and I know he is going to spill everything after a blood test because he is soft hearted and soft headed.¡± It stirred his heart, boiling over with pain, to hear her voice, see her face; all he could see was one of the myriad arguments he had with Eliza about her life. ¡°Your mother, she was not a good woman. I don¡¯t want to talk about her, please. Just, give me time.¡± ¡°By the end of the year.¡± ¡°Teaching year or calendar year?¡± ¡°You will find out when it happens. Now, please, I want to hear you tell me about him. Foods and colors, what makes him tick, weaknesses.¡± ¡°He is fond of savory foods, roasted meats, fried things. He likes white and black, but in general I think dark colors are suited to him. He is driven by a fear of loss so great that I fear it is hereditary. I am not telling you his weaknesses.¡± ¡°You already did, but whatever.¡± ¡°If you threaten his family and he believes you can carry through with it, being related by blood will mean nothing, he would kill you.¡± ¡°I doubt that very much.¡± Sepul spent the night telling her all about Harlan, and the parts that scared him, hoping that she would accept that anything less than honesty would poison the well so much that she might not ever connect with him on a deeper level. He spoke of Claudia and how the Dyad family had made requests of him and Balor, yet they were denied with barely even a reason given. Thousands of gold potentially, tossed in a shallow grave, for not even being overtly hostile towards him, just for, in his eyes, tainting the idea of friendship that Harlan held. And, while it was something only added as an addendum to the case regarding Dullen¡¯s mayor, Sepul was someone who looked over everything Harlan had done. When he heard what had happened, it was one thing, but hearing that Harlan had intentionally blamed revolutionaries and instead of claiming self defense, staged a suicide, that was another thing. Someone who reacts poorly to threats and flies off the handle is one thing, but to even attempt, let alone succeed in doing what he did, showed a deeper level of malice. Someone who would do such a thing, and so easily justify it as protecting his image in the mind of his younger sister, that was a person able to commit the worst evils one could think of, with just the simplest of reasons. Elise listened intently, deciding that she simply must meet him, having a private chat was sure to spice up her life. ¡°I¡¯ve decided, I must attend, just one year. I trust that you can get me into some 3rd year classes with him?¡± ¡°You must behave yourself, attend under an assumed identity, and possibly undergo some cosmetic surgery. But, yes, I could make sure you and him share classes.¡± ¡°We can finalize all those other little details later.¡± She yawned. ¡°Does Jane still make those little sugar cookies? What about the marmalade?¡± ¡°You have the recipes, she must be sleeping by now.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t the same when I make them.¡± ¡°Fine, first thing tomorrow I will have her make some cookies, I have persevered with jars of marmalade. How is Walter doing?¡± ¡°Sheron came over, Cecil was with her.¡± She broke eye contact for the first time in their chat. ¡°He was upset over something, I know what it is, but he refused to tell me. I don¡¯t want to go back home for a few days.¡± ¡°You should be honest with him.¡± ¡°He could try it for a change. I¡¯m still upset over my ¡®Aunt Eliza.¡¯ I don¡¯t remember her face, I might¡¯ve if I realized who she was.¡± ¡°He tried his best with you, and with her. And he has kept trying as hard as he could since she left. I¡¯ll let you stay, but please, go back, talk with him. You aren¡¯t a child anymore, he just hasn¡¯t realized it yet. How is Shallot doing?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s time to get some sleep. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Maybe you are still a child.¡± She stuck her tongue out at him while she walked to her room. Chapter 157 Harlan remembered something that he needed to do. ¡°Harlan, to what do I owe the pleasure? And, should this be private?¡± ¡°Yes, it should be.¡± Harlan could hear the sounds of her moving to another room. ¡°I just wanted to ask, have you visited a doctor? Had any morning sickness?¡± ¡°How did you know? I haven¡¯t even told Redmond yet.¡± ¡°I knew before I left for the academy. I saw your soul putting off little wisps, and having seen the same thing with a worker under me, I could tell immediately. I only didn¡¯t mention it because I know miscarriages where the mother never even knows, are not uncommon. I just¡­ I didn¡¯t want to get your hopes up.¡± ¡°My doctor said that I am progressing well and that my age should have no side effects on the child. I¡¯m happy to have somebody else who knows. I¡¯ve not missed all of the annoying parts, but I feel 20 years younger to be like this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad that you are handling everything well. I know it is early, but do you have any ideas of names? Would you like a boy or a girl?¡± Harlan really wasn¡¯t that interested in these things, the baby would be born eventually, and at that time, he would know all of this. But he could tell that she was excited and he wanted her to feel free to unleash that. It was the weekend, so Harlan didn¡¯t leave his room, his work came to him. He had become quite fond of card games, and was using them in more and more tests. Currently, they played was based on blackjack, but, she could discard cards instead of drawing them if she wanted and Harlan was not playing to reach 21. The goal was rather basic, based on divinations, one simply had to make educated guesses to beat him. What he wasn¡¯t telling them was that he was also testing out his own anti-divinations. ¡°Bust.¡± ¡°How? I swore that the next card was a 7 of hearts.¡± ¡°Another game? Double or nothing?¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t betting, what would that even entail?¡± ¡°I could give you clear advice if you win. If I win, then you keep coming to me for help, because I believe you are gaining more from these games than you are with just being told how to use magic.¡± The girl from Reino, Cila, scoffed. ¡°If this was a better method, it would be used in classes. I don¡¯t see why they are even sending me to you.¡± ¡°I said this was a better method for you, not for everyone. Magic is about affecting the reality in front of you, shaping it to your desire, and not everyone reaches that on their own, most don¡¯t even view it like that. So, do you want to be a true mage, or just another fool who throws out the same fireball as a thousand other fools.¡± ¡°The teaching of the academy has made some of the greatest minds within the magical community.¡± ¡°And yet they are worse for me personally, and I have completed weeks of classes ahead of schedule, giving me more free time to help people like you. The greatest methods they can devise likely work for 99% of all students, I hope that I am helping that last percent.¡± ¡°How conceited. Fine, double or nothing.¡± Harlan cheated, he had become very good at it. He didn¡¯t even need to do it, but he wanted her to doubt her own abilities so he could make her understand that he was right. ¡°This doesn¡¯t make sense. I know I had the right card.¡± ¡°Again.¡± ¡°I should be going.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine if you can¡¯t win. We can just pick this up later.¡± ¡°Why are you like this?¡± ¡°Because, as I learn magic, I see people who follow recipes to the letter as boring. Do you have a hobby?¡± ¡°I like reading.¡± ¡°Can you picture every scene, every character, in your mind? Or do you just read without thinking about it?¡± ¡°I imagine what these things look like, I believe I am able to understand and remember what I read.¡± ¡°Then why are you not able to imagine which card you want? Why can¡¯t you find it? Divination is the magic that I teach most people, and I believe that is because it is almost all in the mind. Do you desire the card? Or are you just looking for it because you are asked to find it?¡± The girl thought over his words. ¡°I see then, you are antagonizing me so that I ask you the questions that you want to answer. Can¡¯t you just be more straightforward?¡± ¡°You asking the question means you are in the right mindset to learn what I am showing you. Anyone can listen to a lecture, but when that is done, and the professor asks if you have questions, how many raise their hands?¡± ¡°Alright, one more game.¡± Harlan did not cheat, because this time, he knew that she would do what he wanted. She hit 21. ¡°I believe you must give me two answers. It was double or nothing, correct?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°How did you cheat before?¡± ¡°I had this deck custom made. Each card is blank, but they are coated with ground mana crystals that I use to paint them differently as I play them.¡± ¡°That is¡­ wicked.¡± ¡°It is effective.¡± Harlan cycled through different faces for the cards as he held them in a fan grip. ¡°You learned your lesson. And, along with the cards being shapeshifting, I have been applying anti-divination spells as I shuffled the deck; at random these cards will show up as the wrong number. Now, if you had paid attention, or perhaps you didn¡¯t know, but in a 52 card deck, there are 4 of each card. Anytime you could find more or less than that, you could¡¯ve called me out on my trick. What about your second question?¡± She thought for a long while, not thinking about her other appointment. ¡°Do you enjoy this? Magic? Is that your hobby?¡± ¡°I do, I love this, from teaching you, to learning new things, to testing them. I love magic, in every aspect. I can grow a seed into a plant in minutes, and I can turn an orc into a pile of flesh. It is objective, there is no politics of magic, when I shoot a fireball, I am shooting a fireball. It has rules, yet they can be bent and broken as I learn them. There is a certain comfort in this, it doesn¡¯t betray me, it warms my home at night, it keeps my floors clean, and it protects everyone and everything that I love. In a world without magic, I would be a farmer''s son, or a war chief''s son. And that is it, but here, now, I can kill a beast a dozen times my size with just the right spells, I can move and hit with the force to turn a man into a pile of gore. And, I can cure a sprained ankle when my niece and nephew play outside. There is nothing more beautiful to me than this power, which can make men unequal, so that those with the most power can protect those with the least.¡± ¡°And it lets tyrants subjugate their people far more easily.¡± ¡°That is true, but if the king has a million men, and none of them with magic, I would likely win that fight. It would take months, but I could hide myself completely, I could manufacture poisons for water supplies that kill only humans, I could siege castles by myself. In the end, magic lets power be power, for better or worse. Yet still, a man with enough gold, and the right friends, may make those with more power than him suffer.¡± ¡°So, that is how you view magic. As a friend? Something that lets you do whatever you want?¡± ¡°Every choice we make is based on what we can do, those in the slums could eat fine meals, but only through theft or charity. So, how much choice do they have? If I became a man able to oppose a nation by myself, and then choose to live peacefully, I have the most choices of any man in the world, nothing would be outside of my reach.¡± She made a worried look. ¡°That is the place of gods. Man must have their limits.¡± ¡°You have no idea what your limits are, so I helped you push them. I only cheated on those last few rounds, the ones before that, you simply lost because of bad luck, or a lack of thought in your moves. Your only goal was to hit 21, you weren¡¯t going against me. You could¡¯ve won every single game, if you waited. So, why did you choose to lose?¡± She cocked her head to the side, not quite grasping how differently both of them viewed the world. ¡°I should be going. Thank you for your lesson today. I will also be thinking about your answer to my question.¡± ¡°Of course, thank you for letting me teach you.¡± It was off putting how serene he looked, how gently he spoke. If she was asked, she could not believe he held an ounce of malice in his heart even as he spoke of slaughtering men, of how power was his end goal so he could do what he wanted. It put her on edge how much he wasn¡¯t putting her on edge. ¡°You¡¯ve really gotten into this, but¡­¡± ¡°But what?¡± ¡°You are being strange. Is this getting to your head?¡± ¡°If she was Cato, I¡¯d never get the chance to actually finish what I was saying, or explain it so peacefully. She asked that question with genuine intent, not to start an argument or debate. She wanted to understand how I viewed magic, because it interested her.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I just want to make sure that you aren¡¯t getting soft. She only decided not to either ignore or outwardly hate you because she needed something. If you hadn¡¯t helped her, or you couldn¡¯t, would she have been so quick to wish for understanding?¡± ¡°Yes, and I love that.¡± ¡°Care to explain? Your mind is¡­ jumbled, I can¡¯t read it very well at all right now.¡± ¡°I converted her from hate to at least trying to understand, with just a handful of lessons, all I needed was time and a room where she couldn¡¯t imagine me as her enemy.¡± ¡°Harlan, I can¡¯t look at everything, but you are going to some very unsavory places. Why don¡¯t you cool off for a bit.¡± ¡°I have Charlotte scheduled next. I should make sure things are ready.¡± ¡°These are just fleeting, right? You don¡¯t really want to mass empathize people?¡± ¡°If I ever did something like that, find a way to kill me, if not, find a way to make me kill myself, because I will have crossed a line into insanity even if my intentions are pure and my efforts bring peace. Could you promise me that?¡± ¡°Yes, I promise. But, I think you need to see your friends, you are becoming detached, you need to remember, always, that your life is worth protecting, don¡¯t tell me to take it so easily.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just drifted off into something strange again.¡± He clapped his hands and she saw his mind shift and bend back into the Harlan that she knew. The stream of consciousness was odd, but only in the way that Harlan was odd, she could read it clearly for the most part. Harlan moved around the table in his room, using a little bit of light magic to make the shafts of light brighter. On the table he placed wooden flowers, and with a little bit of illusions, they looked real, with a little bit of rose oil, they smelled real. He wanted things to look like a painting. When Charlotte arrived she looked over the odd scene. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Please, sit.¡± His armor slithered off of him and reformed, pulling out the chair for her and pouring two cups of tea. Harlan raised his index finger, he only wanted 1 sugar cube. Charlotte saw this and raised 4 fingers. The atmosphere was tense. ¡°Do you want to learn? Or would you like to just talk.¡± ¡°I need to learn.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bury yourself in work, it won¡¯t dull the pain as much as you want it to, but it will drive the demons into a different part of your mind for a little while at least. For today¡¯s lesson, I¡¯ve had my armor place pieces of jewelry on my desk, without looking behind you, draw them using the paper and pencils provided to you.¡± After 15 minutes, she could only get the shape and some of the details, but color still eluded her. ¡°Why can¡¯t we go back to the cards?¡± ¡°You already won at that, and I didn¡¯t use those cards to directly make you better at divination, I used them to make you question me and build confidence. This test is much simpler and a test of your ability to divine objects as more than just masses of light or however it is that you view them. I can tell that you have improved just by looking at your first piece compared to the last. But, do you realize that you¡¯ve improved?¡± She flipped through the paper and while it was subtle, her work was better each time that she tried it even if she hadn¡¯t noticed. ¡°Huh.¡± ¡°I think you are easily discouraged when you can¡¯t see your progress in a clear manner, but divination is a more subtle magic that doesn¡¯t give the same feedback as shooting a fireball and noticing that the scorch marks reach another half an inch farther. Have you kept up with your painting?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t really felt like painting since¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what he was to you, but it is going to hurt for a long time, of that I am sure. Find what makes you feel better, so long as it isn¡¯t destroying you, and do that. Have you spoken with Mary, The counselor?¡± ¡°I think I might pick up my brush again. But for now, why don¡¯t I draw more.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Her mood brightened the more they went on, the task required a certain amount of focus, enough that it kept her mind off of the death of her friend for just a bit. ¡°This counselor, Mary, do you really think she can help me?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t know how you really feel until you say it outloud, and I know saying the things that hurt you outloud is hard. She is a good person, she isn¡¯t going to judge you or make you feel worse about how you feel.¡± ¡°What do you talk about with her?¡± ¡°Can I trust you, that you aren¡¯t going to tell anyone else?¡± She shuffled around in her seat, wanting the answer, but not wanting the responsibility of what he would say. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Every day I wake up, I wait for the news that someone I love is dead, that I failed to protect them. I am also scared of what I am going to become as soon as that happens. I¡¯ve done a lot of things with the justification of protecting them, and at the same time, I have things that I could make, but my morals mean that I can¡¯t bring myself to make them. I bear the burden of the lives that I take, and the ones that I could take, and the ones that I want to take. I want to kill people who¡¯ve wronged me in any number of ways, and I need to fight that urge. But, Mary helps me to understand how I can avoid my darker side, not by hiding those parts of myself, but by understanding the things that make me feel this way. I don¡¯t believe I will ever be better, or stop worrying, but she makes it easier. Sorry, I started rambling.¡± ¡°No, you always seem so¡­ powerful, if she can make you look so soft, maybe I should see her.¡± Harlan had to see Shane for their combat training, he had been improving quite a bit recently. Yet he was late, just a minute, but Harlan had a bad feeling which he followed. It didn¡¯t take him long to see what the issue was. 3 boys, though not the same ones as before, were blocking his movement. If he had to guess, they were older siblings of the ones from before. ¡°Is there a problem here?¡± ¡°Oh nothing to worry about. But, your duel request cannot be accepted by my younger brother, so, why not fight me instead. If you win, we will leave the little traitor alone.¡± ¡°I think I recall being very kind before, and also giving a warning that I would not do that a second time.¡± Harlan suited up. ¡°Get the fuck away from him, or I am going to start taking you apart.¡± The one who clearly led them was shocked, not only by the lack of decorum, but by the confidence in which Harlan spoke. ¡°How dare you. I¡¯ll have you know that I am the son of Duke-¡± Harlan moved forward and grabbed the boy¡¯s arm, whipping him at the nearby wall and fracturing his spine. While yes, he could¡¯ve done it wrong and accidentally killed him, Harlan felt very confident in the durability of someone who has been a mage for likely half of their life and of his own ability to know his strength. ¡°Both of you, call healers, he is paralyzed from the neck down. If I have to do this again, I am going to kill all of you. I¡¯m done with implied threats and civility. I am not going to let another one of my students suffer because of royalist or noble faction bullshit. Shane, we are late for your lessons.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t make it back to the sparing area before he was apprehended by guards and taken for questioning. After all of the others were done, and thoroughly worried over his clear of lack of remorse for crippling the boy, Hirum arrived. ¡°Why should I not throw you out of the academy right now?¡± ¡°I fucking dare you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Oh, wait, actually, it would make sense that you act now, since someone has actually been hurt. I wonder, when I dragged Shane in for healing because he was covered in black and blue marks, did you threaten to throw the other boys out? Or was their gold worth more than the life of that boy? Want to throw some more empty words at me? How I need to just work towards peace? These people don¡¯t know peace, they are coddled by fucking fools like you until they are emboldened enough to act.¡± Hirum slapped Harlan with enough force to dislocate his jaw. He calmly sat back up and healed himself. ¡°Adina can hit harder than you.¡± ¡°Do you think this is all some grand joke?¡± ¡°From deep down, I hate every fiber of your being. You rose to the height of authority among mages and you let children rule your palace of learning. Marigold would weep at the state of her works being corrupted by men like you. How many have died from the people who come here for the sake of cultivating power and are never taught an ounce of morals? Do you at least feel the weight of your failures?¡± ¡°I control this place, not them. You have not even a single iota of what it takes to run this place, to avoid it turning into ruins in a plain without the gold that you ridicule. We all make compromises, I see that I have been far too lax with you.¡± ¡°Boys years older than my student-¡± ¡°You do not have students, you have people that we send to you in the hopes that some issue of theirs with magic is corrected. By your record it has worked, but you are nothing but a student alongside them.¡± ¡°Boys older than my student would¡¯ve brazenly beaten him, as their siblings had done before. You didn¡¯t tell me, were they threatened with expulsion?¡± ¡°You may return to the academy during the next year, provided you have learned to behave yourself.¡± Hirum had his hand on the doorknob when a new voice hit his ears, soft and youthful yet with a certain quality that demanded respect. ¡°No, I believe that his question has merit.¡± She had not been there moments ago. ¡°Who-¡± He saw the robes, worn by the Golden woman, the ring on her finger, and the pieces fell into place. ¡°I am sorry to have not realized sooner.¡± He knelt, his gaze entirely on the floor. ¡°Child. I am not someone worthy of such a reaction.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Please, answer the question.¡± His mind was racing a mile a minute and it took him a second to remember what had been asked. He looked like a child being scolded by his mother for tracking mud inside. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but it was just a fight between children. I didn¡¯t think that-¡± Her gaze turned cold. ¡°And what has the Little Shadow done? It was simply a fight between children, was it not? No one died after all, and isn¡¯t that what you worry about?¡± The sheer presence she carried would¡¯ve made lesser men lose consciousness, Hirum still couldn¡¯t get his legs to move, so he knelt despite her words. ¡°Ah, um, yes, you are right. Harlan, you may return to your room now. No further punishment needed.¡± She kneeled down and looked him in his eyes. ¡°Hirum, dear Hirum, please, do not disappoint me like this again. Guide these children in a manner that befits me and glorifies what I love.This place is to be a neutral zone, where we can all learn and teach without the politics of the outside poisoning it. If the old treaties still stand, then Yggdra¡¯s children should provide you with as much as you need to keep my treasure safe.¡± ¡°We have expanded quite a lot to ensure a higher quality of learning and¡­¡± He looked downtrodden. ¡°Please, continue.¡± ¡°I will look over the budgets, and put more golems in the halls to ensure the children are safe. Though there will be complaints, perhaps even parents pulling their children.¡± ¡°This was never meant to be a factory, churning out soldiers in an endless war. If they care more about their children seeing creations that they think are evil than about learning magic, they are fools who do not have the right to this place. Do you know why I did not raze Reino to the ground, or let it be devoured by beasts?¡± Harlan leaned forward, he was actually very interested in this story. ¡°You also need to learn this lesson, Little Shadow. I gave them magic because they are misguided, and as they have already shown now, they cannot survive on belief alone. As the world passes them by, they will need to make a choice, stay in the past, follow their Fae gods, or die. The current Yggdra, a shockingly peaceful man, understands this, just as his ancestor did. It is why he did not get involved in the war so long as it stayed at the border. It is why the gods and their champions do not get involved in these wars. People are foolish and arrogant, sometimes killing them only leads to more martyrs. Can you imagine the last grand saint even so much as sharing a single word that wasn¡¯t filled with disgust and vitriol with Harlan? That is part of why I killed him, so they would be forced to usher in a time of peace.¡± Harlan rubbed his chin, thinking over the lesson before him. ¡°So I should stay out of it, only removing the worst parts once they are revealed, cutting off the head of the snake.¡± ¡°To do anything else would be cutting the head off of a Hydra. What a good little student you have been.¡± She ruffled his hair. ¡°So please, do not take it out on the children. You¡¯ve made peace with the son of an enemy already, that is a very good sign. It has been good to meet you, Hirum. I believe that you can do great things if you just stop thinking like a merchant or a politician and instead think like a shepherd. Bring them to green fields, don¡¯t let the wolves wearing wool lead them from the flock.¡± ¡°I thank you for your kind words. I hope to live up to your expectations.¡± She vanished much like Xol would do, not single displacement could be seen, she was just gone. Hirum had to remain on his knee, having lost the strength to stand from the anxiety of meeting her. He read once when Marigold came out of hiding to remove a headmaster that disappointed her. The place where she killed him was now a lake over 1000 feet in radius and cleanly cut the mountains around it. ¡°Maybe I judged you too harshly. If she thinks that you can change, I should also give you that chance. So, I¡¯ll forgive you.¡± He barely registered what Harlan said as he waved him away. Chapter 158 In the morning everyone was awoken early, and the false undead stayed up late, for a mandatory gathering. Hirum would rather not admit it, and nobody could really challenge him enough to make him see just how many compromises he made and his predecessors had made. The common belief was that it was related to the death of Chaud Sierra. Which, technically was half right, as his death is part of why Harlan had chosen violence the night before, and thus lead to Marigold deciding enough was enough. She stepped in because Harlan spoke with conviction about the problems he could see and how it bothered him to see how hollow Hirum¡¯s words really were. It made her wish that she had stepped in a few decades ago. The pain in his voice reminded her all too much of nearly 1500 years ago when she begged her elders to save the people outside of the desert. In the crowd Harlan saw the boy from the night before, Phineas Seaborn, son of a duke from the eastern coast, using a cane to stand up straight. The spine could be healed, but less than a day had passed and he was weak, being told that he needed to avoid straining himself. Hirum began his speech. ¡°I have gathered you here to say that I am a liar and a fool.¡± Hushed voices spread like wildfire. He raised a single hand and they went silent due to arrays. ¡°I have said quite a lot about how we must unite and come to understand one another. About how a student must feel safe here, unafraid of being attacked for how they were born or where. Yet I have failed you all, I have neglected the safety of the students here for the sake of those who are highborn. Starting today, this will end. Phineas Seaborn, Shane Breachwater, Harlan Fomoria, please, come here.¡± It was humiliating for him to walk up the stairs to the stage with a cane. ¡°Sir Phineas, unless you are forgiven, you and your brother will both be expelled, made an example of. Sir Shane, Sir Formoia, are you willing to forgive him for his assaults against you.¡± ¡°What? He could¡¯ve killed me, how dare you my fath-¡± A weight fell on his shoulders, forcing him to a knee and into silence. ¡°I was not asking you.¡± Shane was unsure, so Harlan stepped forward first. ¡°If this is to be the start of a better era, I think it should start with penance instead of retribution. If Sir Phineas is willing to apologize, I would forgive him.¡± While he had been shielded from a great deal of it through some cunning and some luck, Harlan knew full well that the son of a duke¡¯s house making such a public apology to the son of a baron¡¯s house would be humiliating, and it would be likely that if Shane was the one asking for the apology, his family would be the target of the duke. Shane stepped forward. ¡°I agree with Sir Fomoria.¡± He was allowed to stand, and seeing the crowd made him want to refuse, yet he saw his younger brother who got him wrapped up into this. The boy was hiding it, but he seemed at the verge of tears, their father would be¡­ unhappy, if they returned early. ¡°I offer my heartfelt apology to Sir Shane for both my actions, and the actions of my younger brother. I have brought shame to my name, and the name of my family.¡± ¡°Sir Shane, do you accept this apology?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°I am happy that this has ended peacefully. Sir Fomoria, you are to be suspended for a period of one month for your assault on Sir Phineas, while you may have been provoked, everyone here, from the first years, to myself, know that you went above and beyond what was remotely acceptable self-defense.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Before you disperse, I should also mention, on academy grounds, one may now put forth duel requests with the academy itself, and we shall act as your sponsors; no longer will the nobility of any person deny them the right to defend themselves in a civil manner. Marigold created this place as a palace of learning, one which is not to be held to the politics and poisons of the outside. My predecessors brought with them rules and laws from their homes, yet while we don¡¯t bring over attention to the fact, we are a sovereign nation. Once you have crossed the border, you are not nobles, you are people who have come to learn from a collection of minds beyond you. This place should¡¯ve never become a factory in which soldiers are forged to kill others. And, finally, I know each of you who has done things which would not see you forced out of my academy, do not repeat these mistakes. You are all now dismissed.¡± He ignored the uproar as he flew back to his tower. Hirum would spend almost all of the next week on calls with a great deal of people, most of which he shutdown by telling them that if they were so bothered by equality, they could always send their children to a lesser academy, or even one of the pitiful national academies that existed outside of the neutral learning zone. Each of them was run by a Duke and were part of a failed centuries long hope to take power away from the grand academy and place it into the hands of Ragne. Harlan walked down from the stage with a large grin, it was chaos, and he was the cause. People would of course still avoid upsetting people above them, a duke would always have more power than a baron, but things would hopefully get better. His friends walked with him to his room, there were a few things that he wanted to bring home with him. ¡°What a load of bullshit.¡± Harlan laughed, seeing Adina so fired up. ¡°I don¡¯t mind, I wasn¡¯t even attending most classes anyway, and now I get to help take care of Balor more. This is a slap on the wrist considering I was almost expelled last night before Marigold stepped in.¡± The Golden now got very close to him. ¡°Pretty please, you must show me what she said. It wasn¡¯t private I hope.¡± ¡°Of course, Yara. Ximena, Liat, do you want to see it as well?¡± ¡°I think everyone wants to see it. I can¡¯t believe she is still alive, and that you met her, twice.¡± Everyone held hands to make a chain as he showed them his memories. Once they were done Amber wanted to have a private talk with him. ¡°Harlan, I know I¡¯ve been pretty supportive, maybe I¡¯ve even enabled you too much. I just want to know, are you really ok? I mean, you made a duke household your enemy.¡± ¡°I intend to spend some time updating the defenses around my place and the farm.¡± ¡°Just, make sure that you stay safe.¡± They hugged one another. ¡°I¡¯ll be back before you know what it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid of what is going to happen, things are going to get worse before they get better. I know you can handle yourself, but mom and dad are going to be in danger. Just, don¡¯t go overboard.¡± ¡°You know everything that I am willing to do.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not joking, you need to take this deadly seriously. Keep them safe, keep yourself safe, keep everyone who works for you safe. Make sure that Blackstone and Redwall know what happened, just in case. Oh, and the orphan village.¡± ¡°Amber, it¡¯s alright, I knew what I was getting into, I understood that I risked getting tossed out.¡± ¡°Just, don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡± ¡°If you worry anymore you are going to start crying and then I¡¯ll start crying, so don¡¯t do that. Please.¡± ¡°Fine, but I¡¯m going to use your money to visit on the weekends.¡± ¡°I¡¯d have it no other way. Now, I need to make two calls. Privately.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to wait at the gate office for you, I¡¯m sure the others will be there too.¡± Once she was gone Harlan made his first call. ¡°Hi, Mary. I hate to ask but-¡± ¡°I will make sure nothing happens to kith or kin.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°How long have you known about me being an archmage?¡± ¡°A long while now. I didn¡¯t mention it before, but I¡¯m an archmage now too. I hope this gives a little more weight to owing you a favor.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Really then, what is your name?¡± ¡°Changeling.¡± He heard her burst into laughter on the other end. ¡°That is just too fitting. You don¡¯t need to tell me why you got the name, but I¡¯m Shattersteel, I made a spell that sends a ripple of force through the air and can punch through things for relatively low costs.¡± ¡°If all goes well, I could maybe get you a few more years to live. I feel like I owe you, and I can trust you. Maybe I could give you a different body if you are bothered by anything about yours¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I love myself as I am, but thank you. I¡¯m sure that if anyone else knew about what you could do, it would be a huge mess.¡± ¡°Thank you for always helping me without me asking for it.¡± ¡°What else is a friend for? I¡¯ll see you when you come back.¡± He was a little hesitant to make this second call, since he knew that he was going to probably be yelled at and scolded. ¡°Hello, Sepul.¡± ¡°Damned fool.¡± ¡°Is that-¡± A woman¡¯s voice was cut off by the veil that now covered him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I called at a bad time.¡± ¡°No, I just have a noisy guest. Nothing to worry about. However, are you trying to start a civil war? The Seaborn family is anti-royalist and the Breachwater family is royalist.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to be honest, I made my choices based on other factors, but I did know that.¡± ¡°Well I am glad. If a civil war finally blows up we can clean house without needing to stick to the shadows. I¡¯m more worried about the revolutionary groups and how clearing them out is going to be. Better done under Yggdra than any of his children.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want that, the cost of lives would be too high. Nobles wouldn¡¯t be the ones filling mass graves, it would be the people enlisted under them, either willingly or by force.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to pretend that I don¡¯t care, but there is such a thing as an opportunity cost, not doing it now might be worse than later. Like with Borden. Someone like you could be pivotal.¡± ¡°I can only make so many golems.¡± ¡°I remember what you said when under the effects of the truth potion, you would be able to let forth a wave of undead after every battle, all we would need is for it to reach a critical mass where we lose less than we gain and the war would be over. We haven¡¯t had a necromancer since about 800 years ago.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want that.¡± Harlan said it with a bit too much force, a bit too fearfully. ¡°I know, I¡¯m sure that you don¡¯t, and maybe when the king passes on everything will be fine. But, do keep in mind what you can do. I will meet you at the gate office to send you home.¡± Sepul dropped his veil. ¡°Can I go?¡± ¡°Of course not, wait, where do you think I am going?¡± ¡°The gate office to send Harlan home.¡± He put his guard up again and noticed a sliver of a dimensional rift. ¡°If you were not my granddaughter, I would be very cross. But you made a rift which I couldn¡¯t even notice.¡± ¡°It really wasn¡¯t impressive, you lose focus sometimes, and then it becomes easy to slip things past you. If you did that when talking with him, I guess that means that you care. Just like with me.¡± ¡°You cannot let him know who you are, but, I could introduce you as another apprentice. If he sees you open a gate, he will buy it.¡± When they arrived Amber kept looking between them but stayed silent. ¡°Sepul, who is this?¡± ¡°My second apprentice. Since I¡¯ve began taking them in again, she came to me as a spatial mage of great talent. Though you aren¡¯t likely to meet here often. Introduce yourself.¡± ¡°Hello, Sir Fomoria, I am Elsa.¡± ¡°Harlan, she looks a lot like you. You could be related if I didn¡¯t know better.¡± Harlan made a mirror, looking between her and himself. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that I see it. Nice to meet you Elsa, feel free to call me Harlan.¡± They shook hands. ¡°Are you a noble?¡± ¡°I was raised simple.¡± ¡°I was as well.¡± ¡°Good grip, strong.¡± He noticed that he hadn¡¯t let go just yet. ¡°Sorry¡­ have we met before?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m sure I would remember someone like you.¡± ¡°You just¡­ you seem really familiar.¡± ¡°I get that a lot. Anyway, I will be opening the gate to send you home, as a test from our master.¡± ¡°Impressive, you can¡¯t be more than what, 19?¡± ¡°21. Now, please, step back.¡± It took her a few minutes, and the edges were a little hazy, but it was a gate. Harlan waved goodbye and stepped through. ¡°That was¡­ really strange, right? She looks like someone I should know.¡± ¡°If she is 21, she would have had to be a child when you met her.¡± ¡°Eliza didn¡¯t care for children, perhaps she met her as a soldier? One of those odd memories that you can¡¯t ever place, but it just kinda sits in the back of your mind in a haze?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Harlan could tell Ava was inside with Balor and the caretaker. ¡°Ava, Balor, Vita.¡± ¡°Master Fomoria, I was unaware you would be returning so soon. Should I move some of Master Balor''s things out of your room?¡± ¡°No need, I¡¯ll just be in a guest room for the month.¡± Balor furrowed his brows. ¡°What happened? You know I can handle this, you don¡¯t need to watch me.¡± ¡°I broke the spine of another student. So I got a month of suspension.¡± Vita flinched, but didn''t say a word. ¡°Ava, are you just visiting?¡± ¡°I wanted to get an idea of what it would be like, once I undergo the transformation. I¡¯m starting to hesitate, I need to get used to¡­ this. I always knew you were strong, and you showed me examples, but Balor can barely function.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sitting right here. And I just need a little more time, by the end of the month, I should be fine.¡± ¡°Yes, Master Balor has been progressing very quickly.¡± ¡°Please, Vita, don¡¯t call him master. Balor, is that ok with you?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t get her to stop. She is like Lydia.¡± ¡°It would be rude for me to call you anything but master, it is also part of my work contract with Ragne.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t told that you were a slave.¡± ¡°Such a barbaric term, I am part of a workers group which was contracted to pay back the debt to Ragne. I willingly chose to do this and I am free to leave if I choose to do so. Though, I am sure that it is easier to label us all as slaves.¡± ¡°I meant no offense.¡± ¡°I take none, Master Fomoria.¡± Vita left to help Aida with the laundry outside, though Harlan was pretty sure that she was just afraid of him. The casual mention of severely injuring another student tended to do this to people. After his greetings Harlan left the room to make a few calls. ¡°You seem to be calling often these days. It does warm my heart somewhat.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to be calling with bad news then.¡± He couldn¡¯t see it, but Blackstone¡¯s face distorted with fear. ¡°Have you heard of house Seaborn? I broke the spine of their older son Phineas last night and then caused a series of events that made him publicly apologize to a lower house, Breachwater.¡± After a time he wondered if the call had been broken in some way. ¡°Blackstone, are you there?¡± ¡°Yes, sorry, I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°If I caught you at a bad time, you don¡¯t need to force yourself, I just wanted to warn you, just in case. Even if you weren¡¯t family, you are an ally.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you, I think I should go now. Should I call Redwall for you?¡± ¡°You can call him, I¡¯ll call Autumn.¡± When it was over she looked longingly at the bottle on her desk, just one glass to calm her nerves is what she needed, no, wanted. ¡°Dim. Please come in for a moment.¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress?¡± ¡°Take this bottle of whiskey to the vault, give it away, drink it yourself, I just can¡¯t have it around me right now.¡± ¡°Of course, Mistress.¡± Autumn gave him the same warnings that Amber gave him, blowback was not a matter of if, just when. Redwall called him asking for golems to bolster his defenses shortly afterwards. Harlan didn¡¯t plan to leave his home much in the next month. But, for a few days, he would just be waiting on parts, ones which he needed to order. Brig didn¡¯t yell at him this time, Harlan gave his order, and he told him that because of their business relationship, someone might try to harm him. ¡°Ya always stirin¡¯ up trouble. I ain¡¯t worried ¡®bout no killers come for killin¡¯ you¡¯ll get yer parts.¡± ¡°If something happens, just call me, I¡¯ll be there to help, doesn¡¯t matter if you want to use my name to desaude the guards from taking you in, or just want some help handling the bodies.¡± Harlan set an amulet on the table. ¡°Why do ya care.¡± ¡°Because you seem like you could use a friend. One who won¡¯t turn his back on you.¡± He about about to raise his voice, toss his hammer, tell him he didn¡¯t want any gifts. ¡°I¡¯ll call when yer needed. Don¡¯t bother comin¡¯ in ta town anymore for orders.¡± ¡°But then I couldn¡¯t see your handsome face.¡± Brig caught himself laughing happily, for the first time in a long time. Then he started tossing hammers. Among what was ordered was yet another set of armor, Balor wanted to actually use it to reduce his strength rather than boost it. He got some mean glares from people in town who recognized him, and he did not return them, instead he just waved. Instead of heading back to his home, he first went to visit Sherah and Jerah. He had a request for them after he performed a check up on her. ¡°The baby¡¯s soul is forming without any flaws so far as I can tell.¡± ¡°Thank you. I know that I should be a bit more wary about this, but you¡¯ve been nothing but good to us.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Now, do you have an idea of which child is best suited to be a mage?¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t tested them at all, none of them can even sense.¡± ¡°Right, I should¡¯ve phrased that differently. Which ones have the mindset of a mage? Strong sense of self, tendency towards violence, competitive nature, exceptionally good or absent minded in their mundane studies.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think those are good traits for a mage.¡± ¡°A mage is like an organ, part of a greater whole that can do great things, but the great mages I¡¯ve met won¡¯t be part of the body, they are a full person. Many army mages go private if they have real talent. Violence isn¡¯t exactly what I want, but it is a good sign of them being a passionate person, that will require tempering so they don¡¯t become a monster. I don¡¯t think I need to explain the competitive part. And lastly, magic doesn¡¯t mean someone is smart. Sure it helps, but if they are very good at their work then that means they have focus, and if not, then they just can¡¯t focus on something that they dislike or find boring. I¡¯ve only got a relatively small amount of experience as a teacher, but from the strangers who I¡¯ve taught, they have the traits that I listed and have risen from middling mages ready to flunk out to 10 ten in their classes. The best mages and artists have something in common, they don¡¯t think like normal people.¡± The couple looked at him a bit differently, he laid out a pretty good set of things that he believed would make a good mage. ¡°Well, I have a few children that might fit your criteria, but I¡¯d like to watch them for another week. Would this be alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be here for a month. Just send them to the house when you decide that they are what I want.¡± Chapter 159 Harlan was sparring with Balor as Ava watched. He had the memories from when Harlan trained with him on his finger, and he had some memories Lugh gave him. Yet, the reality was very different. His reach was longer, his sightline was higher, and his reaction times were both too slow and he was too twitchy due to a lacking fine motor control skill. Even still, Harlan took another right hook. It was horrifying when he suggested it, and Balor had originally refused to do it. But, whenever he had to actually hit Harlan, his body instinctively knew when to slow down to avoid seriously injuring him. It just took a few broken jaws and ribs before he got there. Harlan could feel Vita was very nervous, and likely didn¡¯t much care for her job. He laid on the ground, the air having been knocked from his lungs. Harlan took a few short and painful breaths before Isha came along with his amulet in hand. ¡°We found two boys who fit, is now a good time?¡± He couldn¡¯t really answer back, but he nodded yes and Isha responded. Harlan waited in his office, he would see the older of the boys, 17, only been there 3 months, only planned to stay for another 3. ¡°Were you told why you were sent here?¡± ¡°You want to teach me magic.¡± ¡°I want to know if you are worth teaching magic to. There is a difference. Pass my tests, and then we can begin.¡± Harlan set a cleaver down on the desk. ¡°Cut off a finger, doesn¡¯t matter which one.¡± The boy hesitated, but he grabbed it and lifted, ready to take his pinky off. Yet the steel never met flesh as Harlan telekinetically stopped him. ¡°What drives you? To so easily give up a piece of your body for the hope of learning.¡± ¡°I have a baby brother. I don¡¯t know where he ended up, we got split up after the orphanage closed. I need to get money to travel around, find him, get us somewhere to stay.¡± ¡°Have you mentioned this desire to find your brother to anyone else?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to give.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll contact my people, try to help find your brother. If he hasn¡¯t been adopted, then he is likely in Radin.¡± ¡°What if he has been?¡± ¡°We will cross that bridge when we get to it. How is your writing?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been told it is good.¡± Harlan brought out the book of magic by Marigold, and then two blank books. ¡°Transcribe this book here into these here, then I will check the quality. If I think it is good enough, then one copy will be yours to train with and care for. Once you have read it another time, from the perspective of learning instead of copying, we will begin real training. Tell Isha, the young woman outside, that you require pens and ink to refill them. You will stay in a guest room here until I make my decision. I¡¯ll learn your name once you are my student.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sir Fomoria.¡± ¡°Do well to remember that. I give my first name to my friends and family, and many people who I work with. But, until we are close, I am Sir Fomoria.¡± ¡°Of course, Sir Fomoria.¡± ¡°You are dismissed.¡± The bow gave an awkward bow as he stepped out. ¡°You could¡¯ve been nicer.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t be close to them, I¡¯m not dealing with family. I¡¯m training mages to serve me.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s see how long that lasts.¡± ¡°I know, I can¡¯t stay distant forever. But, I can¡¯t go into this as a friend.¡± ¡°I love that soft heart, and I wanted to just make sure you aren¡¯t overcorrecting for it.¡± ¡°Always arguing from something that isn¡¯t your view.¡± ¡°It is the best way I can think of to make you think through your answers.¡± A knock at the door. ¡°Come in.¡± The second boy, 12 years old. Poor studies, bad attitude, hurt others when he was trying to win. But, there was one anecdote, when a large bird bothered another child, he stepped in, lost an eye for it and didn¡¯t even notice until it was over. Whatever had happened to this child, he had nerves of steel and a single minded focus when he needed it. Though he did faint once he was told what happened to him. A fear of blood wasn¡¯t a deal breaker though, who he really was, that was however. ¡°Who sent you here?¡± ¡°You did, you told Miss Sherah to send me here.¡± ¡°No, I mean why are you lying to me. My people have existed to hunt yours since before the empire fell.¡± The boy suddenly took on the appearance of a girl no older than the boy, though she was quite short, barely two feet tall, and with sparkling wings on her back. Her hair was a pale red, though he wasn¡¯t sure he would say pink. Harlan got a vaguely insect feeling from the way her large eyes were angled and looked like giant emeralds. ¡°My, I¡¯ve never had someone see through my disguise before. Why didn¡¯t you attack me when you knew what I was.¡± ¡°Honestly, you aren¡¯t a very strong Fae And, because, I wanted to know, is peace an option?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be?¡± ¡°Because every instinct I have tells me to kill you, you people being here caused the end of the world once, and, your status as false gods has killed millions.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t part of that whole mess.¡± ¡°Then how have you lived your life?¡± ¡°I live with people, then I leave, and leave a changeling in my place. Nobody is hurt.¡± ¡°How long have you been doing that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, a few eons, give or take.¡± She began playing with a toy train on his desk, a prototype maglev. ¡°You know, I once visited a place with these. I liked watching their trees, bright pink petals would fall every year from them. It is very hard to be a child here, your population is just too small. Your world treats them poorly, but not you.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Where do you come from?¡± ¡°It had a few names, but it doesn¡¯t matter much. I miss the little things that they had, knowing that they found a way to fly without magic at all was wondrous. I don¡¯t like magic much, it is so boring compared to what humans can do without it.¡± ¡°If I let you go, are you going to hurt anyone?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have that drive for mean tricks like the others. Those are Fairies, Fae is a catch all. I¡¯m a pixie, fond of dancing and merriment.¡± She flouted in the air and gave a curtsy. A harp suddenly appeared in her hands and she strummed it a few times before it vanished again. ¡°Oh, and I didn¡¯t mean to come here. I just got carried into the game of those pesky Faires. Then there were no games, no dancing, no flutes of gold. I wish I could go back.¡± ¡°What if you wanted to stay here?¡± Harlan¡¯s eyes went black and he stopped talking, so she just began floating around the room and looking at his things. ¡°What game are you playing here?¡± ¡°Is peace an option?¡± ¡°Well, I would be lying if I said that I didn¡¯t have allies among them, they are, in a sense, now just part of this world. Too much effort to slaughter them down to the last, most of the really dangerous ones are gone anyway.¡± ¡°What about this one?¡± ¡°Pixies are fine.¡± ¡°Alright, now, what are Fae?¡± ¡°Foreign Adversarial Entities. I admit, we made the acronym afterwards. We thought that they were all the same thing originally. Then we just kept using Fae as a catch all anyway, Xol is the one who made the term have meaning more than just their name. He said Fae is an old word from his world but if one dug into their mythology you could separate them into any number of species.¡± Harlan shook his head in shock. ¡°His world?¡± ¡°Oh, yes, his soul happened to be nearby when the gate to it opened, so he was pulled here as a wandering soul. Eventually he was given his first body, which died, and then we realized that his soul is immortal here because he was not made by Life. Lich is a word from his world as well, and once he learned magic he found out how to bring a monster of legend from his world here.¡± ¡°No, no. I can¡¯t get wrapped up in this right now. I am just asking, if I let her stay, what would I need to do to make things safe?¡± ¡°Give her clothes, warm honeyed milk, pies and cookies. Let her put on parties when she asks so she can sing and dance and make merry. Pixies are not demanding creatures, their simplicity is much like a child¡¯s.¡± ¡°Is that really all?¡± ¡° am actually a little excited to see how this is going to unfold.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you already tell somewhat by just looking? Or, sighting, as you call it.¡± ¡°I read how mana flows across time, Fae do not have mana like things here do, so, they are cut out of my sight. Yes, I can sometimes find them by noticing what is missing, a scene that simply doesn¡¯t make sense without at least one more person in it. But I can¡¯t read her threads. I see few that end with bloodshed, and all of them involve you killing her, not the other way around.¡± ¡°I want to observe her.¡± ¡°Then do so, it is your choice, I am just giving you the context to decide your actions.¡± ¡°Do you want to stay? Just for a month?¡± She was currently wearing the pelt of an Antler Hare and had sticks in her mouth to look like teeth. She tried to answer, and then she spit them out and tried again. ¡°Why would I?¡± ¡°I can have my tailor make you new clothes, you can eat candies and pies.¡± She turned upside down, her wings did not flap to generate lift, they just made her fly without causality. Then she moved her head in rhythm with the clock. ¡°And you can have honeyed milk every night. But, you have to follow all of the rules I set.¡± She tried to kiss him on the lips, but he quickly blocked his mouth. ¡°I meant nothing by it, simply an affection to make us partners. Now, if you break our deal without my breaking it first, you will turn into a cherry blossom. They don¡¯t have them in this world, and that is just too droll for me.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t even set up the rules yet.¡± ¡°Oh? Then I guess you have the power to make a rule against me breathing and get out of the deal whenever you want.¡± ¡°You are testing me, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You humans are so untrusting, I am just letting you decide all the terms of our deal yourself. I want what I want, and you can give me that. The rest is just set dressing. I¡¯m not even putting a time limit on this, you can keep adding rules whenever you want.¡° ¡°Alright, how about we start with your name.¡± She recoiled as if he asked her to take off her clothes. He thought back to what he read about Fae. ¡°Sorry, what can I call you? Your name is not needed.¡± ¡°Periwinkle, but you can call me Peri, or Winkle.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, now, we can hammer out the details of our deal.¡± ¡°First, I don¡¯t want you bringing people to look at me, I know how you humans are. Second, you can¡¯t tell anyone what I am. Third, at least one pie or cake a day, and I want honeyed milk before bed every night.¡± ¡°That is fine, but I want to know, if you break a rule, what happens to you? Is the deal simply void?¡± ¡°Oh, I will instantly die if I break a rule with intent and I am not forgiven by you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve died a few times, but it is never a pleasant experience. So don¡¯t make any rules that are unreasonable, or when I come back to life my new self will be vaguely upset with you.¡± ¡°Huh, alright.¡± It took most of the day to get the deal finished, and while she had no actual power to change the rules or make demands of him, he thought it best to make compromises to keep her happy. It was fascinating to be around her, she really was like a child, and then suddenly she was 6 feet tall and spoke in a mature tone. He could never tell which was her real self and she didn¡¯t even seem to know other than she knew she was a she, she said at least. ¡°Why disguise yourself as a young boy though? Why not a young girl?¡± ¡°Humans are vile disgusting things sometimes.¡± She returned to her adult form ¡°Everything is simply driven by wants, they want something more than they care about what the other wants. Fairies are like that. If you could, please kill every last Fairy for me. Just if you have time.¡± ¡°I will need to talk to them, just like I talked to you. But, I don¡¯t think it is a bad idea.¡± ¡°Oh, I need to make you something.¡± She took him by the hand outside and they returned three hours later with a pile of four leaf clovers. Everyone was already sleeping by the time they were back, so at least he didn¡¯t need to explain where the boy went. She grabbed his wrist and started to weave the clovers into a bracelet, though it was a time consuming process. ¡°I could do that faster with telekinesis.¡± ¡°Stupid man, don¡¯t you understand sentimentality? This is a gift, from me to you. I said before, I don¡¯t like magic. Not unless it is fun. Weaving without your hands is no fun.¡± ¡°Then what does this do?¡± ¡°I would slap you, but we both agreed not to harm the other. I said, this is a gift, it doesn¡¯t need to be magic, or do anything. Luck isn¡¯t real, but where I am from, four leaf clovers are a sign of luck.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you can slap me if you want.¡± It actually managed to sting him and make his eyes water. ¡°I forgive you, Periwinkle of the Pixies.¡± ¡°Please, take good care of this bracelet, I put my feelings into it. And, since you refused my kiss, it is a symbol of our friendship.¡± ¡°Thank you for this bracelet then.¡± ¡°Thank you for not murdering me and sundering my soul.¡± ¡°Luckily, I don¡¯t know how to sunder a soul.¡± ¡°And luckily for me, I don¡¯t need to teach you anything, ever. Look, the bracelet is already working.¡± It was insane to him that he was sitting with a Fae, though she is offended by the term and he isn¡¯t allowed to call her one another. More insane to him, was how normal she seemed. Well, his definition of normal was skewed, but relatively normal. ¡°I¡¯ve been up too long today, I want to sleep in and have cake in bed when I wake up.¡± She let out a long and loud yawn to accent her point. ¡°Then you will have cake.¡± She turned back to her childish form and climbed on his shoulders. ¡°Why are you even taking me in, you aren¡¯t getting anything from me.¡± ¡°I want to kill a lot of people, you are my natural enemy, one who I must actively fight the urge to kill. I don¡¯t like killing, and the more I do it, the more wrong it feels that it doesn¡¯t feel wrong. If I can be friends with my mortal enemy, why can¡¯t I at least try to make peace with other people?¡± She was nodding off to sleep. ¡°People are¡­ stupid¡­¡± ¡°I know, but I hope that I can get them to understand me through peace, because once I am strong enough, I¡¯m not sure I can resist using force to make them understand me.¡± ¡°Your hair is nice.¡± She twirled and pulled it as they went inside. He laid her down in a guest room and tucked her in. It scared him how much she looked like a child, but he wanted to wrap his hands around her neck and not let go until she stopped struggling. Not that he thought that would actually kill her anyway. He couldn¡¯t read her emotions, he didn¡¯t understand her culture, he just had to hope that things would be ok, that it wasn¡¯t some grand trick. He reached his hands forward, redirecting them from her neck, and brushed the hair out of her eyes. ¡°Goodnight, Peri.¡± ¡°Goo¡­nigh¡­¡± In the morning he awoke and found that he hadn¡¯t had a crazy dream, and when she awoke, well past noon, she found cake and sweet milk. Everyone was very confused, and even if they could figure it out from her shapeshifting and choice of food and drink, he wasn¡¯t allowed to tell them anything. Gunther was happy to work with her anyway, though she demanded that all the fabrics for her clothes needed to be real, which was odd to him, as he didn¡¯t understand what fake clothes were. Chapter 160 A day had passed, Periwinkle vanished already, leaving only a note to thank him for the cake and dress. He could only laugh, yes, this was a very Fae thing to do. He knew that he could make a rule and she would be forced to come back, but it didn¡¯t matter, he learned what he needed to know about Pixies. Nothing was stolen, nothing was broken or malformed, she just left once she had what she wanted. Harlan got a call from Brig, not that he had been attacked, just that most of the work was done. While he had been asked not to go to Luth, Harlan went anyway. ¡°Hey, old man.¡± ¡°Aye, I got yer things in boxes. Load ¡®em yourself. Yer makin¡¯ scary things.¡± ¡°If I can¡¯t get safety through being friendly, I need people to be too afraid to attack me.¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t possible. Some damn fools will always try their luck anyway.¡± ¡°Have you thought about being my personal blacksmith?¡± ¡°People need me.¡± ¡°Then I won¡¯t say another word of it.¡± He set down his tools, he needed to wait for the forge to warm up a bit of metal. ¡°Yer god, does she talk ta ya?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Could you ask her for something?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure she would answer, but yes.¡± ¡°Is there a way past the veil?¡± His eyes went black. ¡°You¡¯ve already been out there, where do you think that evolved skinwalker was?¡± ¡°So, how do I get there again?¡± ¡°Void gates, or Lir guides you through the veil herself. Nobody is supposed to go in and come out the other side. Though each of us has our own way to get mortals past it.¡± ¡°Why doesn¡¯t she just help him then. He is her champion, right?¡± ¡°She took pity on him, brought him here where he is least likely to die, so her power is not passed on to fools again.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t she just not make more champions?¡± ¡°Not all of us get to pick, Calli doesn¡¯t make champions in the normal sense, people just get invigorated by her and then it passes. Lir places a little bit of her water in a bottle, and then places it somewhere to be found by a hero at the end of a trial, this is related to an old scar between her and a past champion.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± She diverted her hundreds of eyes, it wasn¡¯t really her sister¡¯s fault. ¡°He said she was unfit to pick champions, that all she could bring was sorrow upon them. Then he took his own life.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± ¡°Remember, find out how to cast a void gate, and you can go anywhere in the world without limits. I made it to move my troops past Fae tricks like what you encountered before. You are lucky that it was a traded item. Not that any Fae who would directly attack you would escape my sight. They are the threats which I am willing to use my full strength to protect you from. You cannot possibly beat them as you are now.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°They are masters of the mind, any of them with an ounce of true power would break yours instantly. Fear and pain run deeply inside you, not to mention you are still a child.¡± ¡°Barely.¡± ¡°Do not mistake trauma for maturity. You are never going to grow up if you cannot move past these things.¡± ¡°I have moved past most of it.¡± He had already been standing there for minutes, so he didn¡¯t notice when a group of soldiers in unmarked armor approached the store. ¡°Perhaps your sacrificial tendency has passed somewhat, but you are still terrified of losing control, all you¡¯ve done is hide it. I might not understand the human mind in its entirety, but I have seen men with far stronger morals break under the weight of life. Do not think yourself too strong for that, ever.¡± A new set of eyes appeared. ¡°My ears were burning, I hope you haven¡¯t been speaking ill of the dead.¡± ¡°Coronach, this isn¡¯t the best time to explain your story.¡± ¡°Understood. You¡¯ll hear it one day, Little Shadow, you will understand what this world is at its core.¡± ¡°My child, you¡¯ve spent enough time here, return to yourself.¡± The knight at the front was yelling right in his ear for the last few minutes. ¡°Sorry, I wasn¡¯t here. I take it you are from the Seaborn?¡± ¡°We came to deliver a message, the sea does not forget.¡± Brig laughed at the man, Harlan was unimpressed with the threat. ¡°You came all the way here for a threat?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll understand the meaning soon enough.¡± The man was little more than a messenger, not highborn, not a bastard, not even a very good swordsman, just a mercenary. Harlan called Balor, there was no answer, so he tried Isha, no answer. Rage filled him. Harlan grabbed the man by the shoulder and crushed his armor inwards. ¡°What did you do?¡± Another stepped forward to pull him off. The guards came to find out what all the screaming was, only to find Harlan covered in blood and holding a severed head. They didn¡¯t even get the chance to ask what was happening when Harlan flew past them so quickly that the winds forced them off balance. The air caught fire for a moment before Harlan applied a friction lessening spell and sped up. Blood could no longer reach throughout his body as the gravitational forces overpowered his heart. He lost consciousness for just a split second before imbibing magic forced his heart to grow in strength until he could handle the speed he was flying. He ran into an array that prevented his air magic from working any longer, then more that shut down his other magics. It was painful, like ignoring an itch, to even stand inside of such a thing, and thus they were rarely used unless modified like the city spanning arrays. 3 targets closed in under stealth. He pulled his telekinesis close to his skin in the hopes to somewhat counter the array by pushing mana and life outwards. It was something Aria had told him about. Harlan couldn¡¯t use ranged magic, but he could still imbibe. A dangerous level of strength flowed through his body, every twitch felt like he could tear his own arms off. The men attacked in a triangle formation, each aimed at different vital spots. Harlan had never had never used so much imbibing magic, normally he didn¡¯t need it, and more than that, it was something that required a bit more focus and should never be used as he had done. He leapt at the man aiming for his brain, not being used to his new strength he tumbled in the air like an unbalanced axe, but one that was 500 pounds without hover active. The man was painted across the forest floor in a gruesome display, but Harlan had shattered his legs due to the explosive force of his muscles, remaining standing only through use of his armor. The assassins nodded their heads, they did not care about the man who died, they were part of different guilds who had been contracted for this rush job, having never expected what would happen. They were supposed to prevent him from joining the fight, so they just waited, an unfortunate mistake. All of his achievement and experience in arrays, most specifically breaking them, was something that was hidden by pure chance, as he only did so in front of Aria when they met. The men felt the first array drop and rushed him to prevent him from cracking the others. But it didn¡¯t matter, light had been restored, and then darkness after that. He called through the void to someone else, then he healed his body as much as he could. A sickly sloshing could be heard inside of his armor as he moved around. Harlan could only hold them off by virtue of breaking one of their swords in the first clash, but then he had also broken his own arm with that strike. Telekinesis, what he believed was one of his most powerful magics, was unfortunately useless against the men, otherwise he would¡¯ve just crushed their hearts with an invisible strike. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Then he understood, he had been using it wrong. Divots formed as the man who still had a sword slipped on a hole Harlan made by simply striking the ground with telekinesis. As his mind raced, Harlan realized, all telekinesis was is the ability to remotely make contact with the world around him. If he could not reach down and get a handful of dirt to throw in their eyes, he could use telekinesis to do so. The blood loss was slowing him down, yet his allies had arrived. A wave of shadows covered the first man as the Skoll and his pack arrived. The moment the second one averted his eyes for just a moment Harlan telekinetically put a stone through his head like a bolt. ¡°Little Shadow, you called us. My debt is repaid.¡± He didn¡¯t respond, he just needed to get out of the arrays so he could get moving more quickly. The scene when he finally reached his home made his blood run cold. Many golems and his trees were broken beyond repair, but they had done their job. He could tell that people had been torn limb from limb, craters had been carved out of his land by powerful magic. The fear he felt stopped his mental senses from properly functioning, so he frantically began searching the bodies to verify their identities. Kass stepped outside with armor and mace covered in blood. ¡°Harlan, what was this? The duke?¡± ¡°IS EVERYONE ALRIGHT.¡± Harlan was trembling. ¡°Yes, we all reached the bunker through your tunnels as soon as the attack started. The ones that forced their way past the defenses did not breach it.¡± His shaking was so bad he had to use telekinesis to pull out his amulet to call his parents. ¡°ARE YOU OK?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°LOCKDOWN THE FARM. I¡¯LL BE THERE SOON.¡± He looked over at the bodies, even the Unseen had been killed, the ranged soulsearching spell still required eyesight, thus unlike with Harlan¡¯s mental senses, it could be bypassed. Harlan took a deep breath, yet it did not calm him a single bit. The air itself seemed to darken as he kept trying to calm down, each breath becoming shorter than the last until he was hyperventilating. Then he stopped breathing, his lungs turned black as his body shifted into something for what he needed. Ava was still staying at his home and she rushed to him as soon as he collapsed on the ground. When he heard her voice, his body stopped seizing, his transformation reverted. ¡°WAKE UP, HARLAN.¡± He staggered to his feet and did what he should¡¯ve done from the start. Amulet in hand, he made the call. ¡°Sepul, the Seaborn have attacked my home, they might attack my parents farm, please, please.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Then he fell again. As he laid there on the ground, he sunk his hand into the dirt, the trees had been broken, but they still contained magic to be commanded outside of one he didn¡¯t recognize. Roots and branches pulled the bodies to him. ¡°Ava¡­ get away¡­¡± ¡°No, you need to come inside so-¡± With more strength than he thought he had, Harlan pushed her back and put up a room of thin stone around him. Balor had some idea of what would happen, so he restrained her. Inside of the stone cube Harlan opened his armor to let the pooled blood out, which it then painted on the walls and ceiling, while he handled the sigil on the ground. The golem armor brought each of the bodies nearer and Harlan began to absorb them. 20 minutes passed with him inside, he had missed the lightshow as a second sun rose in the sky, followed by screaming. When the walls dropped, he was hundreds of pounds heavier. He needed hover and his armor fighting against him just to avoid hurting Ava, who rushed to his side. ¡°What happened?¡± His voice came out as a hellish cacophony for just a few words. ¡°I needed to heal.¡± He touched his throat and spoke again. ¡°I overused imbibing. My limbs were broken, my armor was full of blood.¡± Ava looked inside the cube, seeing that the bodies were gone, only their equipment remained. She took a few steps back, fear was plain in her voice. ¡°What did you do?¡± His eyes bulged and shrunk again as he got used to his new mass. ¡°What I needed to do.¡± He cracked his neck, a vein popped and then healed in an instant. Sepul arrived shortly afterwards, while everyone was still looking on in shock as Harlan¡¯s skin writhed like maggots. He looked at Harlan, at the piles of armor, and he guessed what had happened. ¡°Stay here, I will be back, you have more friends and family that need to be watched for. I¡¯ve already contacted Mary and the academy.¡± Blackstone was unlikely to be in any danger. The home of a noble was always a fortress no matter how it might look from the outside. As an old family and a count, anything short of a real army laying siege for hours wouldn¡¯t make it through. Redwall¡¯s home was far less impressive, but outside of warmagic, it would take time to break in. Sepul divined from the air, finding people hiding in places that seemed abnormal. These were the ones that he could easily capture for questioning. After half a day of teleporting to various places to make sure that it really was just a single attack on each area, he returned to the farm. Harlan twirled his weapon in his hand, his eyes black. When Sepul approached Harlan woke from his talk. ¡°What happens now?¡± ¡°Now you understand how deeply the problem goes. The madmen, to openly attack you and yours.¡± The staff in his hands snapped before reforming. ¡°They will surely make an argument in court, but it will be a farce. The men who attacked did not wear colors or badges, but that will only delay the investigation so much. I¡¯ll start brewing more truth potions the moment I return home. This¡­ this is never something that can be accepted, there is no money, no favors, nothing, that will make this end with anything else but me razing their home to the ground, killing them down to the last.¡± Harlan took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m going to begin making things.¡± Sepul placed his hand on Harlan¡¯s shoulder, trying to comfort him. ¡°No, not yet, you are in no state of mind to do this. There will be a time for you, but please, allow me to handle this.¡± He looked around the room. ¡°Where is the boy, the one I was supposed to train?¡± Isha took his hand, tears filled her eyes, dried blood was still on her dress. ¡°He was the one who greeted them, it¡¯s my fault, I was hanging out laundry and asked him to open the gate.¡± Another one whose name he didn¡¯t even know. ¡°There is nothing to be done, this is my fault, my defenses, my preparation, it wasn¡¯t enough.¡± The fire inside was no smaller than earlier, he simply pulled it inside. There was of course a lot of investigation, Seekers in and out all hours of the night. Dahlia didn¡¯t leave his side, even a royal guard was assigned to him. Harlan spent every little bit of free time he had making golems, he had gotten lax, the defenses he had were still based on his dumb golems, very few of them were intelligent. He had made better golems, but never replaced the ones he had, instead they always ended up shipped to the orphan village or his parents farm which was always expanding. Some of the soldiers had tried to burn the orphan village, but it was a slaughter as the Brothers cut them down with no less brutality than Harlan would while the Sisters watched the children. Everyday more of them walked out of the house. These were not things to protect, they were forged in anger and hate. He burned over half of his new mass just to avoid much needed sleep and tp soulsmith them. Their heads looked like a human skull with no jaw, the only white on them, while the eyes shone a malevolent dark red. Each was stamped with a number on their head to show when they were made. They stood no less than 8 feet tall and were broad shouldered. They were walking suits of armor, though it was still just stonesteel, color magic gave them the appearance of obsidian colossi. 40 of them were made before the month ended. 15 for the farm, 15 for Redwall, and 10 for his home. 37 were smart, 3 were alive, their skulls black to mark them as the leaders of their respective units. Thus they were his Black Sentinels, and those under him his Black Guard. Harlan thought for a moment about giving them a name like The Death Corp, The Black Unit, Or Deadmen. But, he thought about it, those names lacked subtlety, he wanted something which was not so overtly threatening. And, ultimately, they were a defensive unit. The leaders, who he just referred to as Black 1, 2, and 3, spoke in a tone like a poor imitation of a human, sounding hollow and mechanical, as if he was only echoing words from steel lungs ¡°Combat ready.¡± He had to call in a favor, but he had been given three of the anti-golem rifles, just like the one that nearly took his own life. From there it was a matter of taking it apart and figuring out how it worked, then he needed to manufacture the other parts. Only the living golems were given one built into his arm. The sound dampening spells he put on it helped, but standing near it, his ears were still ringing. ¡°You know what you must do?¡± ¡°Slaughter when required, protect at all other times. Shoot first, bury the bodies later.¡± ¡°Good, now, real orders.¡± ¡°Keep everyone safe, avoid hurting people, look scary, talk in a manner unlike a person.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you are smart enough to understand all of this.¡± ¡°I am sorry that I must exist.¡± Black-1 placed its large clawed hand on Harlan¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I will keep them safe.¡± Xol appeared suddenly. ¡°Don¡¯t let that darkness swallow you whole. You¡¯ve got too much light left in your heart, too much fire in your lungs.¡± ¡°What?¡± He did not remember when he stopped needing to breathe, and had just assumed that he had gotten over his panic attack. ¡°Love will drag you to the infinite depths of hell. Another gift?¡± It took him a moment to understand the question. ¡°Void gate, how do I learn it?¡± Xol made a tsk sound, cursing under his breath. ¡°I know not of such magic. It is the place of her champion, and the failed champion. Ask another of me.¡± ¡°Time magic.¡± ¡°It would be an unfairness to you if I took your asking. It shall come to you in time. Another.¡± ¡°Truth magic, how do I make one of the potions?¡± ¡°A secret known to Fae and The Light of Man, yet neither does this the same way. Another.¡± Harlan was getting annoyed. ¡°How do I protect everyone, can I?¡± ¡°What you seek is to always be here and there. This¡­ this is something which I should refuse you. Yet¡­¡± He pulled a book from his sleeve. ¡°If you lack true self, then this shall be death to you, and death to yourself. Do take care, Changeling.¡± He vanished, same as he always did. The book was two tones of black, one which seemed to absorb every drop of light which reached it, and one which rejected the light. The only crime of which Harlan was fined for, was not for killing those men in cold blood, but for leaving their bodies. When he got the letter, they referred to it as a cleaning charge. He could only laugh, not out of any real amusement, but out of insanity. Hurting a boy who asked for a fight was enough to pay over 100 men to kill him and his family. But tearing 4 of them limb from limb and leaving their bodies to cool in the street, was worth 20 silver. House Seaborn, despite everything, could not be linked to the attack. Yggdra had to make a very convincing argument to prevent Sepul from dropping a small mountain from low orbit on the family home anyway. However, that did not mean that Sepul did not visit them, and make a clear proclamation. Any attempt against Harlan, or his family, or his friends, was no different than attacking him. At the end of the month he delivered the heads of 100 wanted assassins to the guards in the capital. Within the last 20 years, every single powerful assassins guild had been wiped out, replaced, and then wiped out again. Yet the profession never seemed to die, people always wanted killers. Chapter 161 Harlan finally stepped outside, perhaps it was just growing up, perhaps it was assimilating those men. But he had grown a scraggly beard, one more befitting a beggar than the champion of a god. It was the first time that light had touched his skin in weeks, and he saw all of his Sentinels lined up, ready to do their work. ¡°1, you will remain here. 2, you will take yours to the farm. 3, you will go to the Redwall manor.¡± Each of them nodded, and then 2 and 3 took flight along with the rest of their units. He had a visitor to take care of. ¡°Ain¡¯t the right fit for ya.¡± With some water magic Harlan¡¯s face was suddenly clean shaven and his body was washed of the grime which he was covered with. Even after the second week, where his head finally cooled, he still refused to do anything but eat and work. ¡°Thank you. Unseen, you can stand down.¡± They did not move from their spots, each of them had their swords already drawn and ready to cut down the blacksmith. ¡°Thinkin¡¯ ¡®bout takin¡¯ you up on yer offer.¡± He reached into a bag he pulled out a blueprint. ¡°I want ah new workshop, never got ta upgrade muh last one. But, it¡¯s gonna cost ya. Put an estimate on the paper.¡± Harlan barely looked over the plans. ¡°Talk to my minister of finance. He will give you what you need. Find whatever builders you need to help with construction, builder golems are here and undamaged.¡± Brig tapped his fingers on 1, the only golem who would remain out of stealth. ¡°Do not make contact with me.¡± His eyes brightened and he began letting out a black mist from his skull, giving what seemed to be a ghostly beard to the warmachine. ¡°Damn good work.¡± ¡°1, register Brig as an ally.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Harlan walked his lands for a bit, he never got the chance to really walk around after the attack. The trees couldn¡¯t be healed, and thus they were simply being cut into wood for repairs. One tree did stay however, a sapling with pink leaves. He called Kass over. ¡°When did you plant this?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve tried to move several times, even earth magic can¡¯t make it budge an inch. I assumed it was done by you, since it showed up during the attack, even killed a few invaders with some razor sharp petals.¡± What was disconcerting to Harlan was that it had a mind, and not a human one. Periwinkle was not a good writer, the letter was just that she would be gone for a little bit, but she made it sound as if she didn¡¯t plan to return. When the attack happened, despite having no reason, no rules binding her, and a hate of killing, she fought back. Harlan shed a few tears as he touched the tree, if she was telling the truth, then this was what she meant by coming back after death. She was weak, weaker than him even before he went to the academy. Thus, she had no real way to fight back unless it was a sacrificial attack. ¡°If this tree seeds, plant more of them, take good care of her.¡± Kass looked at him a bit strangely, but simply nodded. ¡°The boy who died. What happened to his body?¡± ¡°We buried him near the village. I hope that was alright.¡± ¡°I did not know his name, yet, I do feel like I owe a debt to him. Even if it was an accident, he answered the gate instead of Isha, saving her life.¡± Harlan called Balor over, he sat on a simple stone chair with a soft soil seat watching the tree he believed to be Periwinkle. ¡°Thank goodness you finally left the bunker. I assume you are returning to the academy as originally scheduled?¡± ¡°Yes, but there are loose ends to clean up. The boy who died, did you know his name?¡± ¡°Hentry. Is this about his baby brother?¡± ¡°Did your men find him?¡± ¡°Yes, he has yet to be adopted, and is currently in Radin.¡± ¡°Adopt him in my name. I¡¯ll ask mom and dad to raise him, if not, I will raise him as best as I can.¡± ¡°Is that really for the best? We could simply bring him into the village.¡± ¡°Hentry, through happenstance, saved Isha¡¯s life. He would not have been here if not for me, they suffered no casualties at the village. So, this is how I can repay him.¡± ¡°I still think you should-¡± Stone crumbled in his hands as Harlan got up from his seat. ¡°Either bring him here, or I will leave for Radin this second.¡± It was not a threat, he had simply lost control for a moment, yet it felt and looked like one. ¡°I will do as asked.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to speak with mom and dad. 1, continue running checks.¡± ¡°As you command.¡± In the minutes it took him to reach his parents farm, he saw from above the stretch of blackened forest and craters from Sepul. He could¡¯ve killed each of them cleanly, as if he was never there, yet this was not the work of a man clearing out the trash of the world. This was the work of a man who saw history repeating itself. Harlan waited with his Black Sentinel outside the wall, the guards did not want them to come inside, but relented when Harlan appeared. They moved in perfect sync, their footsteps heavy and forceful. Even with Harlan in front, people were terrified of them. ¡°Mom, dad, I¡¯m glad that you are ok.¡± ¡°What in the hell are these things?¡± Harlow didn¡¯t want to even step closer. ¡°2, introduce yourself.¡± ¡°Black-2, Black Sentinel commander of second squad. Assigned to the protection of the Fomoria farm.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t have them here, you¡¯ll scare everyone to death, those other ones at least look somewhat like people.¡± Harlan snapped his fingers and the light folded into itself. ¡°They will stay invisible then. Just call out to 2 and he will follow your every command.¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°That¡¯s almost worse.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. You need better protection. I¡¯ve done a lot, both here and in my own home, even Redwall¡¯s home was not safe. Assassins got inside, Autumn and your grandchildren were almost murdered.¡± ¡°We have these massive walls, dozens of soldiers under you. All of your golems. Are you ok? I heard that¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m an archmage, that magic that Ava saw, it saved my life.¡± He placed his hands on his mother¡¯s shoulders. Mad zeal was clear in his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you cannot accept what I do, right now, and in the future, I¡¯ve seen you all dead, because I failed, I am never going to see that nightmare come to life. Also, I would like you to take in a child.¡± Harlow just mouthed the word archmage a few times. Aida was glad to have something that let her move past his words. ¡°A child?¡± ¡°A boy came to me for learning, he died in the attack. He saved Isha¡¯s life, and when I asked what drove him, it was that he had a baby brother who he needed to find. This is my debt to repay, if you don¡¯t want to-¡± ¡°No. I mean, yes, I think it would be best if we raised him.¡± It was hard for Harlan to feel fear from his mother, yet he agreed, if he raised the child, not only would he be absent from his life for the next few years, but even past that, he was a child himself still. Add on who he was, and it would be stranger if she wasn¡¯t worried about Harlan potentially being father to the boy. ¡°Does he already have a name? How soon should we expect him?¡± Harlan asked The Mother. ¡°James, 2 days. I don¡¯t want to spend more time here, I should be doing things. Thank you for taking the child.¡± Harlow put his hand on his shoulder, he had hundred of pounds on him, he could enhance his strength to the point of shearing steel with his bare hands, but he couldn¡¯t hold out against his father¡¯s worry. ¡°Harlan, please, sit down for some tea for a moment, your mother will get some cured meat for sandwiches.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Harlan called Sepul, saying that he would be late for pick up, and he was free to join him for some food and drink if he wanted. He expected a scoff that he was saying he would be late instead of asking if he could be late, instead he got an uncharacteristic response. ¡°I¡¯d love to join you. I¡¯ll bring my apprentice as well.¡± It wasn¡¯t long before he arrived. ¡°Good morning, Lady Aida, Sir Harlow.¡± ¡°Please, no need for titles.¡± When ¡®Elsa¡¯ sat next to Harlan, Aida made the same observation as Amber, and he once again said that he didn¡¯t see it. ¡°Son. I think that I understand you well enough, so, just don¡¯t do anything stupid. If you can safely use whatever mad plan is forming in your mind, do it.¡± Aida smacked him. ¡°Do not encourage him.¡± ¡°There will be no retaliation. Harlan, this is over, for now. Random mercenaries and assassins were hired with little regard to how they work together and their own skills. Likely Duke Seaborn believes the matter settled. For a man like this, it truly was nothing but a warning. His kind do not see the deaths of servants or staff as anything but a cost to rehire and train new ones. Had any member of your family died, he would expect a counter attack, but as it stands, nothing will happen.¡± ¡°One day, I want to feel his neck snap, just so I can heal it, repeating until he runs out of nutrients and his body eats itself. But, I am willing to wait.¡± ¡°Good. I saw those golems you made, if they attack the same as before, you shouldn¡¯t run into any issues.¡± It would be hard for anyone to stand up to the archmage sitting at the table, but motherly instinct overcame reason. ¡°You are not allowed to encourage him either, Sir Dust.¡± She huffed and crossed her arms. ¡°There is not a man in this world who could stop Harlan from doing what he wanted. As his mother, surely you know that.¡± ¡°I am not a man.¡± ¡°Very well, I won¡¯t try to stop you, as pointless as your fight is.¡± ¡°Sepul, I want to publicly take my archmage title-¡± Elise was shocked and began to choke on her sandwich. After Harlan patted her back and pulled the chunks out of her with a little telekinesis she spoke. ¡°You think you can be an archmage?¡± ¡°No, I am an archmage. Just off the public record, I wanted to avoid people wondering how I got the title.¡± She scoffed and rolled her eyes. Then Harlan called Hirum, who admitted he was being petty, and said he would change his title to Shaper, yet Harlan refused, he wanted the title of Changeling now. She nearly ran off in a huff, but hardlight stopped her. ¡°No need to be jealous, Elsa.¡± ¡°He is a child, it spits on the title to have him claim it, an academy title no less.¡± ¡°Envy is not a good look, you will gain the title one day, many of your projects show great promise. Besides, he is a champion and of a race with magic inherent to them, it was never fair.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even know what I did to get the title.¡± ¡°Really, what did you do, Sir Changeling?¡± The sarcasm tripped like acid from her tongue. ¡°I modified a person into a new man. I also crafted a new body out of dead flesh, one which is alive, but mindless. These are not cosmetic, they are their new forms, they cannot be dispelled with healing magic, they are from the inner soul outwards, new human beings. In time, I will cure incurable soul afflictions like the Fae curses. For now, I would like to capture orcs and see if I can fix them, just as practice.¡± It upset her deeply that she knew exactly how impressive his work was, so, she simply believed that he was lying. ¡°Whatever.¡± ¡°Harlan, don¡¯t argue with her. An archmage never needs to justify their title.¡± His tone was warm, he was genuinely surprised that Harlan had a title and he was proud of him. He had a daughter, 109 years ago, she became an archmage at 25, and was the inventor of cosmetic magic. He considered Harlan¡¯s work to be an improvement on what she had done, and was feeling nostalgic. The thought crossed his mind briefly, to let go of the lie, and just accept him as his great great grandson. ¡°It surprises me that you hide this from me.¡± ¡°I wanted to have a celebration after I graduate. I would¡¯ve announced it in front of everyone. I wanted you to hear it then, with all of my other loved ones.¡± ¡°I believe it is time for us to leave, call me when you wish to return to the academy.¡± ¡°I can go now, my parents just wanted me to sit a minute so I can calm down.¡± Aida sighed, both of them knew full well that they couldn¡¯t change what he was going to do, and what he had surely already done, Harlow just believed that it was justified and fighting him on it was useless. ¡°Baby, please, just stay safe.¡± ¡°Son, you know what you need to do, just do it right.¡± Harlan stepped through the gate alongside Sepul and Elise, though they split from him as soon as he was in the gate office. ¡°You can¡¯t do that again.¡± ¡°Honey-¡± ¡°Do not ¡®honey¡¯ me. He is going to get himself killed.¡± ¡°I have more faith in him than that. The more I see him grow up, the less I worry. He isn¡¯t your baby anymore, but he will always be our son. Let¡¯s face it, he is going to kill those people, we can¡¯t, and probably shouldn¡¯t stop him.¡± ¡°He should-¡± ¡°What should he do? Force him to live here until he can¡¯t stand it anymore?¡± ¡°He should be safe.¡± ¡°Aida, dear, you are being ridiculous. We¡¯re past that, he has gotten so far past peaceful options and living away from the bullshit in the world that it doesn¡¯t even feel like we ever had that option. The second he was taken away, thinking he could live normally was nothing but delusion.¡± Aida began to cry, but did not want Harlow to comfort her. ¡°This isn¡¯t how it should be.¡± ¡°And I am sure he agrees, listen to him, listen to what Autumn and Amber tell us he tells them, nobody involved in this wanted this life for him, we¡¯ve lost control of his life, we might not have ever had it. We¡¯re dealing with gods and nobles and the king. Little people like us never had a chance.¡± He hugged her, but she pushed him away. ¡°I¡¯m still worried, I know it hurts, it hurts me too. But it is pointless. The best we can do is be here for our children, help them make the right choices, even if we know they won¡¯t listen.¡± ¡°We can make them understand.¡± ¡°Just like your father forced you to stay away from me?¡± ¡°That is different.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not. Autumn was the exception, she did everything we asked her to do, she got married when she wasn¡¯t sure she was ready. Sure, it worked out, but that might not have been exactly the life she was looking at, and she did it to make sure we were comfortable. She is happy, but what if she wasn¡¯t? What if Jaramis was secretly an evil man who abused her? Would you rather Harlan just sat on the sidelines? That he remain a farmer''s son who could do nothing?¡± ¡°This is pointless, that isn¡¯t what happened.¡± ¡°No, honey, you are being delusional. You are ignoring me and what I am trying to get you to understand. He is our son, but he doesn¡¯t belong to us, and if he wants to change things, then he should. I know, I know you want to just have him around here, to have him help you with cooking and housework, for him to go to the maiden festival one day and bring home a wife. But Harlan would live with so many regrets it would eat him alive. He is not built for this, not like us. But, and I know this is not right, we will have a new son, he can¡¯t replace him, and that shouldn¡¯t even be a thought in our minds. But he isn¡¯t Harlan, and we can shelter him as much as you want. Keep him locked in the house so he never gets tempted to be something greater-¡± Aida slapped him and stormed off. Harlow understood how horrible it was, how insulting his words were, but he didn¡¯t think of any other way to hopefully make her understand how unfair she was being to Harlan. He stood outside the door to their bedroom. ¡°I¡¯m not sorry, just know, I¡¯m always going to be here for you, I¡¯m never going to leave you behind.¡± Harlow made a few calls, she wouldn¡¯t want to cook today, so he ordered cake and steaks and nice bread from a baker in Tole. She wouldn¡¯t be happy if the house was dirty, and she wouldn¡¯t want to do it, so he picked up a broom and got to work. She didn¡¯t talk when they ate lunch, nor dinner. He slept in the childrens room for a few days until James came, then she at least began to speak to him again, though only for help with the baby. Chapter 162 Harlan stepped from the gate to find Adina waiting for him. The others had classes. ¡°Welcome back. I wanted to go see you, but Sepul refused to take me and you told the academy I couldn¡¯t use your funds to pay someone else.¡± ¡°I needed some time alone, I had to work to focus my anger into something productive. If you came, I would¡¯ve just lashed out and hurt both of us. If I came back early, I would¡¯ve killed someone. I feel like I can control myself better, but in times like this, I feel the only thing I can do is understand how little control I have.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like you locking me out like that, but I understand why you could think it was a good idea. Do you want to get something to eat?¡± ¡°I had some food before I got here. Also, shouldn¡¯t you be in classes?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, I can just make it up later.¡± ¡°I hope I¡¯m not being a bad influence on you.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve only ever been the perfect influence on me.¡± She went in for a kiss, and Harlan didn¡¯t resist, but he wasn¡¯t really comfortable with it either. Not that he disliked it, but it felt odd, like it wasn¡¯t something that he should be allowed to have. One of the staff cleared their throat. ¡°Please, take private matters to your rooms, or at least under a veil.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± He made a small bow to the old woman who was going over papers. ¡°Adina, you should probably go to your next class.¡± ¡°Only if you walk me there.¡± Along the way, Hirum called Harlan to meet him. He finished walking Adina to her class, and then headed up to the headmaster¡¯s office. He was let in with only a few minutes of waiting. ¡°Harlan, I am pleased that you have decided to become a proper archmage. There are a few details to get set straight, and then we can begin planning a party, so long as you intend to have one.¡± ¡°I do intend to have a party. If it is titles that will get me protection, then I will make my title known to everyone as soon and bombastically as possible. Which is why I would like to take some time off to make things.¡± ¡°Firstly, titles. Are you sure that you would like to remain Changeling? Secondly, you¡¯ve already gone past your month of suspension, and now you are asking for more time away from your studies?¡± ¡°Well, you see¡­¡± In a month, the party would happen, and, provided that Harlan completed all of his work, he would be given time to make some things for the party. He had a gathering in his room with everyone at dinner time. Bojana hugged him with enough force to break men, yet he was still quite a lot denser than before he left, so he didn¡¯t feel it that much. ¡°Little Shadow, I was worried when I heard you had been attacked.¡± ¡°I think that our training paid off, 3 of them ambushed me, and I got them all.¡± ¡°Then celebration is in order!¡± David declined the invite, and Parnell did as well when he was told there would be no alcohol, it wasn¡¯t a party without any, he said. ¡°Amber, I know that you tried to come over.¡± She punched him in his arm. ¡°Yeah, I did. When I got there, I got turned away by Dahlia and whatever those new golems you made are. I spent days in a rented carriage to get there. And nobody else even came with me.¡± ¡°Adina and I already talked about it, there was nothing good that would come from me being around everyone. She understood that, so she stayed, like you should¡¯ve.¡± ¡°No, that is bullshit, you can¡¯t, you shouldn¡¯t, deal with that stuff alone.¡± ¡°Shelly, we haven¡¯t known each other for as long as everyone else here, and I haven¡¯t been back for long. But, do I look like I¡¯m about to snap?¡± She didn¡¯t care for being put on the spot. ¡°I think you seem normal, well, what passes for normal with you.¡± Harlan chuckled, but few others enjoyed the joke. ¡°You, quiet.¡± ¡°Amber, don¡¯t worry about it, she is just trying to lighten the mood. Besides, this is a celebration, like a pre-party. So be happy for me, at least pretend if nothing else.¡± ¡°What is the real party then?¡± ¡°In a month I¡¯ll be accepting my archmage title.¡± Adina gave him a hug and congratulated him, the rest of the room just went quiet. Liat was the first to speak. ¡°Well, that is disheartening. I hoped I¡¯d be the first archmage of our generation. Is it for the amulets?¡± ¡°No, I downplayed my role in their creation, giving as much credit as I could to Sepul.¡± ¡°What really was his role?¡± Harlan hesitated for a moment, taking a drink to hide this lapse in speech. ¡°Resource acquisition.¡± Harlan often switched how he spoke, from casual, to business, to ominous, intentionally or otherwise. It didn¡¯t seem out of character for him to speak about what Sepul did for him in such a way. But for those who knew him, and how he compartmentalized, and what had been said in the past, it was all too clear what the resources actually were. ¡°Huh. What about your title then?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to give away my title yet, so it will be a surprise to you all. I just wanted to share the reason for the party before they announce it.¡± Claude overtly averted his eyes, and the others noticed. He was more open than before, and didn¡¯t bow quite the same, but he was still rather meek and not a good liar. ¡°Don¡¯t pester him about it, I told him shortly after I was given the offer because he was here when I got back, none of you were.¡± More than a few of them were offended. Dawn was just laughing in his head. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Need to work on your wording a bit more.¡± ¡°By that I mean it was happenstance, all of you had classes and you shouldn¡¯t skip them just to greet me since I never even said when I would be back.¡± Amber still looked a little offended, but the party happened without any real issues. Well, other than Bojana arm wrestling Harlan and losing, which put her in a state of mild shock for the night. Harlan finally let himself sleep, he had gone far too long without doing so, forcing himself awake by burning up the energy gained from the assimilated bodies. He saw Luth on fire, terrible things, ones that he now recognized as Flesh Golems of his own design that he had yet to make stood around, pulling people from burning building as they screamed. It was uncertain if he was at fault, or if he was saving them. In the distance he saw a tower rise above the trees. Then it took a step towards him and it locked its many eyes with his. Harlan saw himself in a mirror, he knew that it was him, yet he saw no resemblance to himself. The creature opened its maw, yet Harlan did not know if it spoke in a language unknown to him, or if it was just because it was a dream, but it said nothing which could be understood. Then it raised its hands to the sky. Harlan awoke in a cold sweet, which he just considered normal at this point. A cold breakfast sat on his table along with a note. ¡®I saw you missed breakfast, you looked like you could use the sleep, eat this when you wake up.¡¯ She signed it with a little heart, it was something she was told he would like, and, while he didn¡¯t really care much about the drawing itself, it was the thought that he enjoyed. ¡°I hope that wasn¡¯t a premonition.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to be throwing open a lot of doors, and we don¡¯t have any idea how long in the future that was, if it was even a vision. I know that those Flesh Golems were things I¡¯ve already thought of. Perhaps my current plans are just coming out in my subconscious.¡± ¡°We both know that you aren¡¯t so lucky.¡± ¡°Then we can just assume it is a possible future, one that we can change. But¡­ that thing, was it staring at us?¡± ¡°That is just your paranoia kicking in. I didn¡¯t get that feeling at all. Maybe don¡¯t go through a month of hard magic after a near death experience if you don¡¯t want to suffer from delusions.¡± ¡°Right. That was silly of me.¡± His tone was mocking. ¡°Listen, there are a lot of bad things, and not every single one of them is going to happen to you. The idea that a thing in your dream, which might show you the future, looked at you specifically, through time and space, is just too far gone. Ask The Darkness if you are worried. But you are never going to be able to rest like you should if you let that idea worm its way into your head. So please, let her tell you that it wasn¡¯t real, and don¡¯t think about it.¡± The Darkness was in agreement, looking back in time was hard; there were only a handful of people who could do it, and they couldn¡¯t look back very long without drawing the ire of Time. ¡°Since you are here, I see that you have a very interesting book. I will warn this once, read it, use it, only with a clear mind.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t had the chance to crack it open past the first few pages yet. But does it really do what I think it does?¡± ¡°Xol uses the spell for his needs, and few others have been able to do so. There are quite a lot of questions around such spells, moral and philosophical implications. Do be careful with it, and only cast it after you are entirely sure that you will be able to handle it.¡± ¡°Of course, he warned me about it being dangerous already, and I will take your words, and his, seriously.¡± Harlan saved little time for his friends over the month, he barely carved out pockets for a few of his students who he believed needed his help and for Adina who Dawn was politely asking him to spend time with. It was two long weeks to catch up on everything, meaning he had two weeks in which he could actually get the work he wanted done. Hirum was willing to give him a secure lab to work with, and a healer on standby outside, but Harlan was paying for these things partly out of pocket along with the materials for his work. Day in and day out boxes were transported to a small building outside of the academy. Harlan had even pulled two of his Sentinels from his home to stand watch outside and bring the boxes in. For the first three days Harlan had to make them drag him from the room covered in black and blue marks along with self inflicted cuts to his palms and wrists. The healer was an older man, and he knew better than to question what was happening inside when through the crack he saw what looked like bodies on tables. He knew that whatever it was, it must¡¯ve been cleared by Hirum and likely in some vague form, run past an ethics committee run by archmagi. On the 4th day, Harlan needed very little healing, but he had a crazed look in his eyes. The healer could barely make out. ¡°It¡¯s working¡­¡± As Harlan mumbled and went back inside. On the 6th day, someone under heavy cloaking tried to sneak a peek, only for the Sentinels to track him with the red orbs that represented their eyes. When he kept moving forward anyway, they unsheathed their swords, shaped like Lugh, and spoke. ¡°Remove yourself from the area.¡± There was no ¡®or else¡¯ they simply ordered the man as black mist began to pour out of them. The healer got under a defensive spell of his own making, yet he was never in any danger. When it reached the man, he fled, not wanting to find out what it was. On the 7th day, Adina and Amber arrived, hoping to get him out for just a few hours. The healer asked them to stand back as he was unsure what the golems would do. ¡°Lady Adina, Lady Amber, Harlan does not wish to have visitors. He understands how you feel, but he just wants to work, another week and he will be out.¡± Their tone, their mannerisms, the way they phrased themselves, it was turned on its head as they bowed with hand over heart to the two girls. ¡°Can we leave a message?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°We want him to come out, just for an hour at least. Clean up, have a meal with his family that is here. And call mom, and then dad, they are being¡­ odd.¡± ¡°I will pass this along as soon as-¡± The building shook, and the small windows which let in natural light on the sides and top of the building burst outward. The Sentinels rushed far quicker than their forms would suggest to guard the girls from the doors which had been blown off their hinges. Meanwhile, staff appeared from gates to make sure Harlan hadn¡¯t killed himself. They had been watching as the sensor arrays in the area showed that a concentration of mana was building, and were ready for something to happen. The Sentinels prevented Amber and Adina from entering, their grips were soft, but firm. ¡°Have faith.¡± Harlan was brought out with his forearms gone, his chest and face were skinned by the blast. On the 10th day, he returned, though the academy now required someone else to remain inside with him at all times. The source of the explosion was clear, chunks of meat painted every corner of the room and they picked micro fragments of bone from Harlan for over 30 minutes before they decided to just take off more of his muscle layer and just build it again from scratch. Since he survived, Harlan was more bothered by the damage to his golem armor. When he was shot in Borden he had to spend over an hour trying to divine the pieces that were blown away, only for them to be confiscated for a day while the investigators considered them as evidence. Some of the stonesteel had been reduced to such a small size that he couldn¡¯t even detect it and so he needed to bring in ingots purchased from the academy blacksmithing store and let his armor assimilate them into its form. It made the Minos who was assigned to guard him very uneasy that the armor sat near the door and seemingly meditated with an ingot in its hands, and then an hour later it would be be gone and it would pick up another one. ¡°It might help if I understood what you were doing.¡± Harlan was etching sigils onto the bones of what looked like a man, but was just flesh shaped into a form like one. ¡°Can you look at this then?¡± The 9 foot tall woman covered her eyes. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°The reason why any of this is going to work, it will be something with flair, which is going to make it clear why¡­ nevermind, you¡¯ll all see soon enough.¡± ¡°Are you-¡± ¡°Yes, I know I¡¯m ominous. Not all of it is on purpose.¡± On the 12th day, it worked, and the Minos understood its purpose and when it would be used. Then it was just refinement, making sure that it would function exactly as he wanted it to. On the 13th day, they were perfect, or at least as perfect as they could be. On the 14th day, he produced as many as he could, and then got ready for his party. He would forgo his students'' robes, instead he wore something closer to his now preferred nobles outfit, effectively a nice suit with the jacket replaced by a heavy button up lab coat. The real changes were the darker colors which contrasted the larger and brighter crest on his back. Harlan let Amber shave his face, he was starting to get stubble if he went a few days without shaving, it was a bother to him, and he contemplated just letting it grow out after tonight. One of the last things he did, one which he was uncertain of, but considering how much of his body now had scars, he felt it was finally time. It would be a bit dramatic to call it a rebirth, but Harlan was changing once again, and so he shed his old skin like a snake. Everyone was there, even Redmond was given a leave for two days and Sepul was willing to gate him to the party. What worried Harlan was that he never did call his parents, and it was clear as his mother held James that there was some tension there, and his father¡¯s resolute eyes told him that he was probably at fault but wouldn¡¯t admit it. Harlan didn¡¯t feel the need to steel himself, he had no worries about what was going to happen, they would understand him, he would not let them do anything else. Chapter 163 Annointment of The Archmage of Change Duke Seaborn and his wife had been personally invited to the event, not that they would¡¯ve missed the birth of a new archmage, and with that the change the recruit them to their side. The waitresses used telekinesis to carry the drinks and food. ¡°My, I knew that it wasn¡¯t a particularly hard magic to learn, but to think that even the wait staff can use it. Perhaps I will have a tutor for our servants.¡± ¡°It would make the Wavestriders green with envy once they see it.¡± ¡°There is only need for one duke along that coast, and I shall prove it to all of them.¡± Many of the others, from barons to dukes, to even the other archmagi who attended, found some novelty in these commoners being given magic to make the job easier and show off the might of the academy. Even the king had arrived and remarked about it, though they did not know his intent. ¡°Remond, I didn¡¯t know you would be here.¡° ¡°Well, since I am, I guess that only means one thing.¡± He resisted the urge to ruffle his hair like a child, this wasn¡¯t the time to make Harlan remember he was still just his nephew no matter the name he was given. ¡°Remember, you taught Autumn, she taught me, all of this is possible because of you.¡± It should¡¯ve been a compliment, but soon enough those words would be a pit that ate away at his nerves. ¡°You would¡¯ve figured it out anyway, Little Shadow.¡± ¡°Did you hear that from someone else, or was that just an instinct thing?¡± He didn¡¯t have an answer, which was worrying. ¡°I know the look, don¡¯t worry, nothing strange is happening, unless you consider the idea of my title as champion being implanted as an innate idea which surrounds me and is planted inside of all intelligent life strange.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get start with magical ramblings, we are having a party.¡± Blackstone gave Redmond a kiss. ¡°I tend to get long winded when things bother me. I don¡¯t really know how to feel about that whole thing with languages. Godgiven is outside of anything that I can make sense of.¡± ¡°So do what most people do, ignore it and pretend that we don¡¯t all have it forced on us from birth. Not that such a thing is wrong, after all, Imagine how much longer it would¡¯ve taken to incorporate the north into the kingdom if they held onto a useless language along with the rest of their traditions.¡± She leaned in closer to him. ¡°Do I get to know your title before the show starts?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even tell my fiance.¡± She stood tall again. ¡°Understandable.¡± ¡°When I say it, it will be unforgettable. Have you seen the waiters?¡± ¡°Oh yes, what fun to see them shuffle cups of wine and juice and water around without trays.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t made them yet, but, if I made golems that could teach common people magic, would you want some?¡± ¡°Well, that depends on cost and risk.¡± ¡°Yes, think of the cost of not doing it, and the risk when I start teaching people and you refuse to do so.¡± Harlan held his hand up, not wanting to hear her reply. ¡°And by that I mean, it would look very good for you to let them learn, and I think that the good which comes out of more people knowing basic magic far outweighs the cost to make them, so I want them to be free in limited quantities.¡± ¡°You really must work on your phrasing. Do you spend too much of your day thinking about threats?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a little mixed up right now, I need to force kindness.¡± She scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t be so dramatic or you¡¯ll start believing yourself.¡± Across the room Autumn and Jaramis met with her parents. ¡°When did you get a baby? And why haven¡¯t I heard about him yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had my hands so full with him that I barely had time to get all of the chores and practice Harlan gave us done and take care of him. And about a month now. His name is James.¡± ¡°Hello there, Little James.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give him a nickname like that, it¡¯s bad luck. Do you want to hold him?¡± ¡°Of course. Dad can take Alana, I don¡¯t want either of them running around with so many people around. Looks like half the nobles in the country are here.¡± ¡°Well, your brother wanted a big show for whatever reason.¡± Harlow and Aida were tentatively repairing their relationship, and the tension between them was clear, well, more like the tension towards him, Harlow didn¡¯t seem to think there was much of a problem. ¡°Oh no.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be like your mother, have a little faith in your brother.¡± ¡°Did Amber tell you what happened to him a few days ago? His face and arms were gone when they carried him out of that lab, and then he went back in a few days later like nothing happened. Harlan is¡­ intense, and after the attack, well, are we sure that he is all there? Where did James come from?¡± ¡°Harlan was going to train one boy from the village, but, he happened to be the one who opened the gate when the attack started. He wanted to get his brother from the orphanage in Radin, and Harlan considered it a debt to be repaid, since Isha normally opens the gate for people.¡± ¡°So he passed him off to you guys. Well, that makes sense, I love him being around my children, but I don¡¯t think he is anywhere near ready to be a father.¡± ¡°True, but he was willing to do it, which is the first step to being one. I mean, your mother and I didn¡¯t plan-¡± Aida elbowed him hard and took Alana away. Ximena and Claude were growing closer, they did spend quite a bit of time alone since they had one free period together every day, but were both unsure if they were just misreading the other. ¡°So, clearly he has something big planned, any idea what it is? Does his title give a hint?¡± ¡°Sorry, he said that I shouldn¡¯t say anything, it would ruin the shock and awe of the whole thing. His words, not mine.¡± Both of them found his phrasing ominous, but he had been very strange, which was in a sense, normal for him, in these last 2 months, but he was being an different kind of strange. Harlan had always been one that did not shun human contact and bonds, being alone did not bother him much, but he knew that it wasn¡¯t healthy for him, yet everyone else read his intentions differently than him. Earning back trust was hard, and his outbursts in the past were known. Him not wanting to talk about what he was feeling and instead throwing himself into work put a lot of people on edge. ¡°This isn¡¯t going to blow up in his face, is it?¡± ¡°Gods I hope not, I didn¡¯t see it, but I heard what happened a few days ago would¡¯ve killed nearly anyone else. They have no idea how he survived, even with the armor, his body should¡¯ve just turned to a pile of gore.¡± ¡°Please, don¡¯t talk about him like that. Adina was very upset about the whole thing and I had to hold her for the whole night.¡± ¡°He must¡¯ve rubbed off on me. Sometimes I think that he tells me things just to gauge my reaction before other people.¡± Ximena groaned. ¡°I know the feeling. I try not to call him out on it, since most of the time it is benign stuff about Adina and other ¡®girl¡¯ things, but I don¡¯t like being treated like a measuring stick.¡± Both of them had a laugh and reminisced about their talks with Harlan, the tension was gone, both of them were sure what they were feeling, at least as sure as anyone going into adulthood could be. Their conversation was broken up by Claudia and Liat pulling them apart, but for different reasons. ¡°Don¡¯t get any ideas.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We are linked, I know how you felt, and I¡¯m sure that everyone who saw both of you together could see it. Don¡¯t think about having a fling with some girl who is unavailable.¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°She is not ¡®some girl¡¯ her name is Ximena, and I know you know it because you have your little gossip spies all around the school, dear sister.¡± Claudia could only roll her eyes and speak through their connection to avoid having an open argument in the middle of the party. Liat had her arm around Ximena¡¯s shoulders and was leading her away from any other Golden as she put up a veil to hide their speech. ¡°Go for it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Come on, we both know that you like him, and he likes you. After academy, you either won¡¯t see each other ever again, or you will both be as free as you can be. You wallflowers can make a beautiful bouquet, or you grow apart, either way it works out perfectly.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t think about leaving our people.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to do it. I know that I¡¯ve been worried about the whole thing even if I looked confident, but I¡¯m really going to do it. After the party, I want to ask Harlan to hire me as security, a maid, a gardener, doesn¡¯t matter what. He¡¯ll pay me well enough that I can leave and have my fun across the country. I also know that a Golden adventurer has a nearby village as a homebase when she isn¡¯t working.¡± ¡°Does Yara know?¡± Liat had a contrite face about the matter. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. Look how much stronger her character has become after meeting everyone else.¡± ¡°You know that you need to tell her, sooner rather than later.¡± ¡°Sure, right after you confess to Claude, or he confesses to you. Just, think about leaving, because I don¡¯t think you can really go back and have some arranged marriage based on magical talent. You¡¯ll leave one day, I know you will. Harlan¡¯s talks about not being caged have rubbed off on you, on all of us really.¡± The two of them had their argument in as much privacy as they could with soulspeak. Balor, Lugh, and Ava were in a three way conversation. ¡°Did you find out who joins in when I talk to Harlan sometimes?¡± ¡°No, you¡¯ve met most of his teachers at least once, Lugh has met them all, and nobody sounded like her. Why does it bother you so much?¡± ¡°Because something about it felt wrong.¡± ¡°Harlan doesn¡¯t know that many people¡­ I don¡¯t think he would have someone that none of us knows, who he would have around for a private conversation with Ava.¡± ¡°Maybe he has secrets from both of you? Is the idea of such a thing really such an issue.¡± ¡°Harlan hid a lot from us, but hiding some woman? It is too mundane, which is how I know it isn¡¯t mundane. I mean, he told us about meeting Marigold, the mother of magic herself. But he failed to mention this woman who he is apparently close enough to that she speaks to him about his closest worries along with me. How about this, why doesn¡¯t it bother you?¡± Balor rolled his eyes, though it was an awkward motion for him. Rosewell and Relly were there along with many of the other royal children, but for the sake of politeness, they failed to find a time to speak with Harlan, instead they were tied up with conversations with important people. Harlan went backstage. This room was a theater, concert hall, and a ballroom, depending on how it was arranged through the use of shifting stones. There was a reason that the budget hadn¡¯t been balanced in a few centuries. Each headmaster wanted to leave their mark on the school, which meant vanity projects; Harlan was happy to have this massive room, the only place he could compare it to was the king''s own ballroom with its spatial distortion magic. Adina brushed a few loose hairs off of his jacket with minor cleaning magic, which was deceptively complex as a class of spells using multiple elements to either clean or cover up smells and stains. ¡°Alright, do I look good?¡± ¡°Remember what I said before? But, if it calms your nerves. Yes, you look handsome and fierce in your new clothes. Very befitting of an archmage.¡± ¡°Before I go out and tell everyone. I want you to hear my title, you deserve it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not upset that you told Claude first, it really doesn¡¯t matter since I know you didn¡¯t mean anything by it.¡± ¡°Yes, but I do mean something by this.¡± He gave her a kiss and said his title, the first making her blush and giggle, and the second making her a little wary. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you too. Try not to make an enemy of everyone.¡± ¡°Not everyone, just half the country and most of Reino. Not sure how the Beastkin are going to feel about this one.¡± Before she could rebuke him he locked arms with her and stepped out on stage where Hirum, Sepul, and Yggdra were all waiting. Along with a Ragnite War Golem and a waiter. Hirum introduced him. ¡°I am certain that the man before you needs little introduction, his name has reached every noble, saint, and councilor across this world which we live in, but for those who have never tied the name to the face. Sir Harlan Fomoria. And, new to you all, Archmage Changeling.¡± There was an uproar at first, which Harlan relished. Then Yggdra raised his hand, quieting everyone without an ounce of magic or artifacts, he was simply a man with presence. Harlan stepped forward, leaving Adina standing behind him, to his right was the golem, and to the left was a waitress. ¡°I ask that anyone sensitive to violence, and young children, please cover their eyes, or for your parents to cover your eyes. I will showcase why I am an archmage now.¡± After a few moments Harlan clad his hand in armor, and severed the head of the waiter, splattering blood against the barrier on the stage. ¡°What do you believe I have done?¡± The room was silent, nobody had actually been told about this part of the event, the plan and speech Harlan gave to Hirum was a flat out lie. ¡°Have I killed a woman? No, because that statement is full of lies. This is not human, nor is it dead.¡± Though it was unseen by them, Harlan activated the sigils carved into the bones of the Flesh Golem, and it pulled the blood back inside of itself, knit its own head back on, and then the real show began. The skin of the woman lightened and thinned as soft flesh was replaced with an exoskeleton of sorts. Its head deformed and elongated until it fused into 8 tentacle-like appendages covered in a hard shell like its now shriveled body. The form before the crowd was inspired by Zella, as Harlan knew well how useful her hair really was, but had to settle for the large arms as he didn¡¯t understand how it worked and he felt it would be too invasive for him to attempt to perfectly replicate her unique curse. On the ends of each tentacle was a pseudo-hand with 6 hard ¡®fingers¡¯ which would normally cause it to slip and slide on the polished stone, yet a rather simple spell gave more friction to them to prevent this. ¡°Now, this, this is a golem, one made not of steel, but of flesh and bone. It is not a body taken from a human, it is flesh which I have shaped into the form I have desired, one which is not alive, but is living. Saptiant, but not sentient. It feels no pain, it cannot disobey an order from me, for instance. Remove your own head.¡± The creature did as asked, its body limply falling to the floor. ¡°Now put yourself back together.¡± Everyone was too shocked to even be outraged at whatever this was. Hirum shut his mouth, knowing that if he admitted that this was unplanned that he would just look like a fool. After all, it wasn¡¯t like he could stop what had already happened. ¡°Here, this golem is standard for the military. Tear it apart.¡± It clicked its fingers together and constricted the golem which tried to fight back before its core was torn out. It then held these pieces with telekinesis, suddenly more than a few people understood something was wrong. ¡°Tanik, I see you in the crowd, surely you understand the significance of this?¡± ¡°Golems cannot use telekinesis, it just isn¡¯t possible, it requires an aura, which only living beings generate.¡± ¡°Yes, you do get it. Yet these golems, which are not truly living, can use it.¡± He raised his clawed hands and put them down more than once, having not a single idea of how this can be. ¡°The generation of aura is something that is locked deep inside the soul, and it is something that should not be played with. I am certain many of you have spies who have already reported my near death a few days ago. That was simply what happens when aura activation goes poorly. So while some of you might now think that you can do this, it simply isn¡¯t possible for normal people. Oh, and you can uncover your eyes, little ones.¡± Next Harlan brought a crate of meat to the stage, he dumped it into another box which had pre-carved bones in it, and then the golems built a body just out of sight. Horror filled the room when a new golem stepped out of the box. ¡°Yes, I can see my presentation is having the right effect. These things can make more of themselves with nothing but meat, bones, and knowledge that I can give them. If I unleashed them on the killing fields after a battle, well, you¡¯ve seen what they can do to a normal golem.¡± At some point Xol had shown up, but he was just sitting in the corner, nobody could take their eyes from the stage. ¡°Any questions?¡± Taren raised his hand. ¡°Yes, Wardhold.¡± ¡°Does this require soulsmithing?¡± ¡°Of course, and as shown, these things can soulsmith.¡± The more that was revealed, the more people realized exactly what the threat was. Harlan had just unveiled an army of self-sustaining golems, which could not only turn any bodies into more of themselves, but could also soulsmith things. It was known that Harlan had trees which acted as golems, and that fact meant that no forest could ever been seen as more than a possible deathtrap with thousands of troops that would be nearly perfectly invisible, the army could literally miss the forest for the trees and end up in an ambush that stretched miles. As frontline fighters, these things were dangerous, but it was clear the body was weak and they still had to speak and move their hands to conjure magic. But they were far worse as sabotage units, able to change their faces, mimic human speech, and they had no idea what else. Skinwalkers were known as horrors because of all of these reasons and more, these things were, in essence, artificial Skinwalkers. Harlan clapped his hands, and each and every one of the waitstaff turned into more of these things. Harlan saw the flashes of fear, the people ready to fight, mothers shielding their children. It was time for his biggest display, he just needed to follow the rest of the speech he planned, strike fear so deeply in these people that they never dare to stand against him again. Everyone waited with baited breath for his next words. ¡°And so¡­ so¡­ And so these golems cannot be allowed to exist. Disintegrate yourselves with void.¡± The golems did so without question, the food and drink that they held fell to the ground as their bodies turned to dust. ¡°I wish to wipe the slate clean, too long has violence and revenge grown like a cancer in all of us. To my enemies, I forgive you, and there will be no more returning of hate from me.¡± Sepul and Hirum were doubly confused, this was not part of his fake script, and it didn¡¯t at all match everything he had said and done up until this point. ¡°Should this country fall into civil war with the death of His Majesty, King Yggdra the 15th, I will remain neutral, I will fight defensively to protect kith and kin, but that is the limit of my involvement. These things which I have made, they are not something which should exist in this world with so much killing already. They represent a perfect circle of hate. They kill to make more of themselves with their only goal to be more killing. Peace is still an option, so do not let yourselves believe it to be nothing but a lie. Now-¡± A Reinoan Zealot stepped forward holding an odd wand in his hand. He aimed it at Adina and Harlan jumped to push her out of the way. The beam it unleashed pierced the wards like they were paper, even burning a deep hole in the enchanted walls of the room. His head was gone from his neck, blood began to pour from his stump and cover her. The man from Reino was detained in an instant, his Fae gifted wand, an artifact of the old empire, turned to cinder in his hand. Before things could turn worse, Hirum turned on every array and ward in the room, not even the king could move an inch. Then Harlan began to come back together. Chapter 164 Sepul understood Harlan well enough to know something was wrong, and judging by his character, and what he already said and did that night, he believed to know where he was. ¡°Hirum, I think I can stop this all from blowing up.¡± He gave him an exception to the spells which locked the room down and Sepul teleported instantly. Harlan was seizing on the floor of his room. He had been remote controlling the golem on stage from his room through a spell he got from Xol¡¯s blackbook. The shock of dying so suddenly before he could sever the connection had a backlash that risked killing him. His mind was confused about whether or not he was dead. Sepul could at least prevent his body from being in more pain, hopefully giving him the focus needed to fight for his life. After another minute, he looked little worse for wear, though his clothes were soaked in sweat. ¡°Harlan, are you awake? Can you hear me.¡± He let out a deep breath and his heart calmed. ¡°Don¡¯t move me, not yet, I have¡­ a plan.¡± Nobody could believe it when the headless corpse stood up, and walked to the man who had killed him. He drew sigils in the air with void, forcing all in attendance to shut their eyes. They heard screaming and once they no longer felt the pressure demanding them to look away, they opened them to find the man was gone, just bloody clothes remained, and Harlan looked as if nothing had happened so long as one ignored the blood that soaked into his clothes. ¡°Hirum, you can remove the restraints now. I¡¯m leaving.¡± He walked out, bringing his friends and family to his room. The real Harlan was sitting on his couch already, covered in sweat and half undressed as Sepul kept a close eye on him. Once they were there Adina gripped him so tightly that his skin began to tear. ¡°How?¡± ¡°I was controlling that body, it was supposed to be part of the show.¡± ¡°Is this real? Are you really here?¡± Harlan suited up. ¡°None of the fakes have golem armor, the cost of such a thing would be nothing short of insanity. The one on stage used body morphing and illusions to make it seem like it was wearing one.¡± ¡°This is just, you can¡¯t do that to me. I thought you were dead, again, I can¡¯t take that.¡± It wasn¡¯t a shock that everyone was still terrified and on the verge of tears. ¡°I had a vision. I couldn¡¯t tell you, they needed to see me die and everyone needed to react like it was real.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t fair to me, I can¡¯t¡­¡± He embraced Adina, barely calming her. Then he showed her memories and thoughts, things that she could use to confirm if it was really him. A soulsearch from up close would reveal that their souls were normal, whereas his own was nearly unrecognizable as human. From the ranged version of the spell, all souls appeared more or less the same, and Harlan had his own spells that would cloak himself from those, not that he thought people were marking down what his soul looked like anyway, but it was a precaution that he took anyway. He had Sepul gate them to his home, some didn¡¯t come along, they needed to get back to their own people now that they knew Harlan was alright. After an hour he thought everyone was calm enough that he could speak to them. In that hour, Harlan sorted some of his thoughts, and he didn¡¯t like what he was seeing. ¡°Everyone, I think that I should be honest about why I refuse to join the civil war that is brewing. I can¡¯t get involved from the start. I am not going to be able to resist changing things if I have the chance.¡± ¡°You love change, you want it, so take it.¡± Blackstone had recovered faster than most, from the shock. ¡°No, my changes, no matter what I want from them, can only be implemented with a mountain of bodies. I know that I can do it, which is why I know that I can¡¯t let myself do it. If I get pushed, I¡¯ll push back, but heavy is the head that holds the crown, and I don¡¯t want that weight.¡± She scoffed. ¡°Cowardice doesn¡¯t suit you.¡± ¡°I know, I¡¯m done, I¡¯m tired, the politics, the fighting. I¡¯m fucking 15, I shouldn¡¯t have all of this weighing down on me. I¡¯ve been robbed of my childhood already, I don¡¯t want to live the rest of my life like this. Do you know what I saw when I was on stage? All of those people, students, parents, just, people. I saw how fragile they were. The fear in their eyes as they realized they might¡¯ve just stepped into a deathtrap. Fathers and mothers reached for their weapons, those who couldn¡¯t fight tried to shield their younger siblings with their bodies. I¡¯m done pretending that I¡¯ve grown up.¡± Tears began to well up in his eyes. ¡°I saw what I could be. I saw all of those people who wronged me, afraid for their lives, knowing that I could¡¯ve snuffed them out in an instant. I had my moment, and I can¡¯t do it. I can¡¯t be the man who does these things.¡± For the first time in a very, very long time, Harlan looked small, his eyes were not filled with fire. He was young, and everyone forgot that. He had put up the veneer of a grown and hardened man, but seeing that man looking back at him, he flinched. ¡°If you need to carry that weight, I could always lend you a shoulder. I shouldn¡¯t force that on you. I think it is best for us to return home now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call Sepul, I¡­ I think I want to rest.¡± Harlan had been laying in bed for hours already, yet no sleep would come to relieve his mind. A knock on the door, he didn¡¯t reply. Adina crawled into bed with him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Sometimes it is best to just have somebody next to you. I remember how you used to hold my hand when I couldn¡¯t sleep. And It isn¡¯t wrong that you stopped yourself from being what they think of you.¡± ¡°What if it backfires? What if they think I¡¯m weak? What if they hurt one of you.¡± She kissed him. ¡°Do you want to be a monster? You keep forcing yourself, justifying things. If you were really evil, you wouldn¡¯t bother. It is good that it is eating away at you, it means you are better than you think.¡± He had some idea where this was leading, so he backed off. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°We are both hurting. I know you don¡¯t care about that part of our relationship, and-¡± Adina thought of how it might¡¯ve looked to him and felt embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t- I think I should go.¡± ¡°No, stay, I can tell you were shivering, I felt what death was like, but you had to see me die, you shouldn¡¯t be alone right now, and I don¡¯t want to be alone either. I just, I don¡¯t want us to do something we will regret.¡± They slept back to back, sharing their warmth, but under different blankets. Harlan got no sleep, he buried his head in his hands and pushed away those thoughts of his. ¡°Good choice.¡± ¡°Was it? I mean, she is probably thinking that¡­ I mean, was that what she was trying to do? Did I read everything wrong?¡± ¡°You are both too young. If you are worried that she is going to think that you think she is some kind of pervert, then just talk to her. You do remember that is an option right?¡± Harlan took a deep breath to clear his thoughts. ¡°Right.¡± ¡°You both have something wonderful together, you are open, you trust one another, and you try to clear up your misunderstandings. You both want to avoid the physical part that comes with this, because it makes you uncomfortable, so just do that, keep avoiding it. Ask your parents, how often do they still-¡± ¡°No, stop, I get it, I understand what you are telling me.¡± Dawn laughed. ¡°There, I lightened the mood. I¡¯m in your head, and I want the best for you, don¡¯t fall into despair, the world isn¡¯t worth your soul and you aren¡¯t abandoning it just because you won¡¯t wrest control of it from everyone else. You see a bandit, and you can¡¯t see him as anything but a monster. You stopped yourself earlier because you saw those people, not as nobles who would see you dead, or who might treat their subjects poorly, but as parents and children. So please, get some sleep.¡± Harlan dreamt of himself , there were no bodies piled into the sky, no fire that reached the horizon, no monster that reached above the trees and stared into his soul. Adina was there, but she was older, he was too, and they could stare into each other''s eyes, her beautiful green eyes. Spring daisies dotted the rolling hills and he touched her stomach, feeling life inside of it. Harlan awoke feeling refreshed. It was an ephemeral sensation, one he didn¡¯t really understand, but he felt like this might¡¯ve been his first real dream, perhaps every night before this had been nothing but visions of terrible futures and him being inside of his head. He looked at his couch as he awoke, finding a man made of shadows sitting there. ¡°Coronach?¡± ¡°I heard you wanted to know my story, so I¡¯ll make it quick. I was once in the running to be the champion of light. I gave that up to save my people, and they betrayed me. After all that I had done for them, they could not stand for themselves. They watched me be beaten and dragged through the street by knights, drained of mana after a long and drawn out fight. If they had helped, perhaps we could¡¯ve won. So, she took me in, and I tried to be her champion, but I failed her tests. She just kept me around as her guard dog. Any questions?¡± ¡°Were you always¡­ like that?¡± ¡°Physically? This is something I developed while working under her. Mentally, well. She wants something from her champion. They must be smart, righteous, and passionate, and willing to put their sense of right and wrong above what others call just. But I find that simply isn¡¯t something sustainable. I was a master of my magic, if the term existed at the time, I would¡¯ve been an archmage. A smart, righteous, and passionate man, could only come to my same conclusion, humanity hates heroes, and loves martyrs, so they deserve to burn in hellfire of their own making. You will lose what you love, see humanity for what it is. And be like me.¡± ¡°That sounds vaguely like a threat.¡± ¡°For a man to prove the world is evil by themselves committing evil acts, would be the height of foolishness. I believe what I¡¯ve said is a self-evident truth, there is simply no need to force it.¡± Adina began to stir from her slumber. ¡°It is my time to leave. There are no heroes left in man. You will live to see them raise statues of the dead while they could¡¯ve changed their fate. They will lay in despair because they refuse to stand for a better world.¡± Adina got up from the bed and went to get dressed, yet as soon as one strap was loosed she realized where she was. ¡°Do you want me to get you something from your cabin?¡± ¡°Yes, please. Something in a happy color, yellow or white.¡± Harlan returned shortly, though the others gave him side eye for bringing Adina¡¯s clothes to his room, they said nothing.
The king felt weaker every day now, the curse would give him years still, but its effects would become more prominent the closer he got to that fated day. Yggdra sat with his children, today was important after the shitshow of the night before. ¡°None of you will act against Archmage Changeling.¡± Alder raised his hand and was given permission to speak. ¡°I have believed in the past that his risk was outweighed by his benefit, after that display last night, I wonder. Clearly he had planned to do something else. If he is weighing his own options about his loyalty towards you, and ends up siding with the noble faction, we could be wiped out and replaced by a new royal family.¡± He pointed to Rosewell, who clearly had a rebuttal. ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°I believe you are misunderstanding Harlan¡¯s change of plans. He hesitated with his speech at the end and declared himself neutral because he doesn¡¯t want to fight, not because he is unsure who he wants to fight. Esparella has told me this.¡± ¡°And we should believe your pet-¡± Rosewell threw an empty class at her brother which he narrowly dodged. ¡°Perhaps his own fire has rubbed off on me, but I will not suffer anymore of your insults towards my daughter.¡± ¡°She is a street urchin brought into our home.¡± Rosewell was about to get up from her seat when their father slammed his hand on the table. ¡°Alder, apologize.¡± ¡°What?¡± He received a glare. ¡°Esparella has been useful both as a subject for research and as an asset to the kingdom. Her words have weight in this room when in regards to this subject due to her connection with Archmage Changeling. If she says that he was conflicted on fighting at all, and that he lost his edge last night, then I will consider it the truth of the matter until further notice.¡± ¡°My apologies, dear sister, I have spoken out of line.¡± ¡°I will accept this apology.¡± Rue raised her hand to speak. ¡°It isn¡¯t like Woodruff and Malva to miss meetings like this.¡± ¡°Your brothers are dead, they have long held plans to make it seem as if others were attacking Changeling and then swoop in to save him and his for favor. These plans could be tolerated when they were hypotheticals. But they had been building forces for such an attack and I cannot risk that they would do such a thing as it stands. Violet was behind the recent attack, and it can never get out that she was. Duke Seaborn was a fool to be used by her and will be dealt with in time. She has also been dealt with.¡± Suddenly the room became tense, their father tightened his grip over them more and more in regards to Harlan, now to kill their siblings for him? It suddenly felt like anyone who couldn¡¯t bring the boy to their side was no longer in running for the highest seat of power. Gladio decided that enough was enough. ¡°I formally resign my claim to the throne. The nearer it becomes, the more I see that I lack what it takes to hold that throne. I cannot bring harm to my siblings, and the idea that one day I might need to go against my own children bores holes through my resolve.¡± Verbena and Anemone joined him. ¡°I agree with our brother, though I would harm my siblings should it be forced as the only option, I have no children with which to grant a claim to and I have no desire to have them myself.¡± ¡°I withdraw because I do not wish to be a victim of my other siblings. And I request that I be granted a husband, count or duke, with which I can live away from this madness.¡± ¡°Then you should all leave this room, and not return for these meetings. Rosewell?¡± ¡°I do not believe myself fit to be queen.¡± A handful of her siblings hide their smiles. ¡°But considering the rest who are in running still, I cannot let this kingdom fall into their hands. I maintain my position and hope that Harlan will be to me what Sepul is to you. A man whose ruthlessness might know no bounds and whose loyalty is to the betterment of this land which we live in, and not just who sits on a nice chair. If I am deficient as queen, he is certain to cover these faults, temper my softness, and carry out my will as a neutral party.¡± ¡°Then we shall resume talks when those who have left leave.¡± Chapter 165: Sick Day The breakfast table was nearly silent aside from the twins and James, who simply didn¡¯t understand what had happened last night. Harlan couldn¡¯t take the silence. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to ask if you are going to be a grandmother soon.¡± Many around the table spit or choked on their food and the twins heckled them for it. ¡°Nothing happened last night though, so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to lighten the mood.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to give your father and I a heart attack. We all saw you taking that dress and underwear upstairs, we thought-¡± She could see Adina had turned beet red. ¡°That both of you are responsible, so we didn¡¯t know what to think. I¡¯m glad that you didn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the best at bringing back conversation. Autumn, do you want to try?¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t feel so ashamed, it isn¡¯t like me and Jaramis didn¡¯t do things like that before the marriage. He was really upset seeing me upset, so one thing led to another and-¡± Everyone saw how Harlan stared at Jaramis, but Jaramis felt how Harlan was looking at him. ¡°No, please, go on.¡± ¡°Harlan, it wasn¡¯t like that, I came onto him. He blamed himself-¡± ¡°Because it was his fault.¡± ¡°So I tried to comfort him, he didn¡¯t want me to hate him for what happened. He didn¡¯t know what would happen when he brought you to his father, he was afraid that you were going to hurt the rest of us. Once he explained why he did what he did he kept trying to make it up to me, it was romantic and I chose to have faith that you would come back, that my husband hadn¡¯t sent you to your death. Honey, at least defend yourself.¡± ¡°I think you are remembering it better than it actually was. You were walking on eggshells for a while and I was too. I thought that I killed Harlan and ruined my marriage to a girl who I hadn¡¯t known long but was falling in love with. I was being distant or overbearing with little in between and we were both so confused that a lot of things happened. It worked out between us, but it could¡¯ve been a source of a lot of regret.¡± ¡°I think you are-¡± Harlan got a warning that someone was at the gate. ¡°Well, this is all very interesting and I don¡¯t regret hearing any of this. But someone is here, so please, feel free to keep going without me. I¡¯m going to just control a golem, so please don¡¯t shake me.¡± Harlan tried to get used to the feeling of the Sentinel. Knowing that this is how Balor felt, Harlan wasn¡¯t shocked that he devoted so much time to getting a body and was willing to suffer to finally achieve it. Harlan fumbled a little bit with the gate due to the large hands of the golem, but instead he reached forward a little too quickly, putting his hand through the gate and tearing it off the hinges as he tried to remove his fist. ¡°Zach, to what do I owe the pleasure?¡± ¡°Harlan?¡± ¡°Yes, getting used to a new spell. I can jump into certain golems that I¡¯ve made. But enough, please, come inside.¡± ¡°Right.¡± He eyed Harlan with suspicion, but followed him inside anyway. The dining room went silent when he stepped inside. He saw Harlan with his head back and his eyes closed, then suddenly he jolted awake. ¡°It will take a while to get used to that. Should this conversation be private?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so, I didn¡¯t come here to say what I was told to say. I know that relations between us have been a little rocky, and they are insensitive, so I¡¯ll just tell you. The higher ups want you to start testing your magic. I¡¯m sorry, I know that it is a bad time to-¡± ¡°I still have the lab at the academy gifted to me by the headmaster. Send people who understand the risks involved and who truly want this. I will need to see them in a transformed and a normal state; I might need to test their reaction to things like silver, since that weakness must be soulborne and not physical.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they would demote me for even saying this, but you should take a few days, get some rest. Before you make any moves, wait and see how people are moving. News spreads fast, it won¡¯t take long for the more impulsive people to start doing things, and I¡¯ll tell you what that means when it happens.¡± ¡°Zach.¡± There was a silence as he realized that Harlan wanted a reply first. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve done a lot of good for us, you are likely to do more good. I don¡¯t like how they are treating you, and I don¡¯t want you to think that you need to do more right now.¡± ¡°Do you want to sit and eat something?¡± ¡°No, I had breakfast before I came.¡± Harlan took that rest, not that it did him that much good. Only a day had passed but he wanted to work, he spent the last two months almost constantly doing something to the point where it felt wrong to stop. Harlan would head back to the academy in the morning, but there was something he wanted to ask. ¡°Hello again, my child.¡± ¡°How long does it take for a pixie to come back to life?¡± ¡°Could be a year, could be a century. I can¡¯t say with any certainty when it comes to those things.¡± ¡°Alright, now, I¡¯ve thought of something, and stop me if I¡¯m wrong. But I recall that Xol has an immortal soul because he doesn¡¯t belong to this place, so where are all the Fae souls? Surely they must be around, somewhere safe, not at risk of being broken free, probably under the watchful eye of Xol and Merigold themselves. Now, let¡¯s say that they are also a powerful source of mana, which would enrich their environment. Why did you hide them from me when I first entered the academy? I felt awful, I could feel their minds around me, and then my vision went black, and I couldn¡¯t feel them anymore.¡± ¡°They are inert as they are, and they power their own prison. If you felt them, mentioned it, and then began to poke around, no good would come of it. It was better that you simply didn¡¯t know about what that feeling really was. It is still better that you don¡¯t know. ¡°Can an immortal soul-¡± Harlan felt fear, he knew who had arrived within the small world of The Mother. ¡°The interlopers are where they are until we might have use of them. You have no claim to them.¡± Harlan¡¯s body felt like it was on fire when he woke up, but his soul wasn¡¯t seriously damaged, his defenses could at least hold up to at least a few words from Aarde. He awoke on his floor, Adina was ready to call for Sepul, but he talked her down. Harlan groaned and let her help him to a seat so he could explain what had happened. ¡°Just from his voice?¡± ¡°Their voice. Aarde is fused with the god from the world the Fae came from. But yeah, if that was Aarde in full control, he would be the right word.¡± ¡°If I wasn¡¯t sure it would actually hurt you, I¡¯d hit you. I didn¡¯t ask because I wanted a language lesson.¡± Harlan was looking a little queasy. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not-¡± He barely kept himself from vomiting. ¡°I¡¯m calling Sepul.¡± He was less than happy to be there for this reason. Harlan¡¯s soul was shocked, but would heal itself, Sepul could do nothing. But he was more unhappy seeing Harlan like this at all. ¡°Stay here another few days, no magic, no physical exertion. Doctor¡¯s orders. I¡¯ll check on you tomorrow morning, you are not going back until I give you a clean bill of health. Adina, in his weakened state, even you should be able to force him to listen to you.¡± She was offended by the way he phrased it, but didn¡¯t voice this. ¡°Keep him safe.¡± His face made it seem as if he meant to say something else, and that simply slipped out. Nobody got the chance to ask and he didn¡¯t explain himself, he just teleported away. ¡°Do you need anything right now? I bet you want food and drink. Can you use the bathroom yourself? I could-¡± ¡°Yes, just something light, water instead of juice today. I can have golems help me do that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stay close still. Do you want me to-¡± ¡°Adina, I¡¯m not helpless, I¡¯m just hurt.¡± Harlan sneezed and his lungs felt like they were about to burst as he seized up and nearly fell to the floor again. ¡°I¡¯ll keep close.¡± After an hour he wanted to get up, but Adina took his hand the moment his feet touched the floor. ¡°I can walk.¡± ¡°Not without me you won¡¯t. You could fall and get worse, then you¡¯d need to spend more time here recovering. I know you hate rest, so I want you to get back to destroying your body on purpose instead of by accident.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Harlan sighed. ¡°I want to go downstairs and ask Isha to make me more food; my stomach is settled and I could eat more.¡± ¡°Alright, then we can go together.¡± She walked him to the kitchen, Sara was already there and began making him a second breakfast. Adina already told everyone how Harlan was feeling. ¡°Should I ask what happened?¡± ¡°I made the world upset by asking a question and their words can kill people.¡± She barely even registered what he said, filtering into the part of her mind that held all of the ¡®Harlan statements¡¯. ¡°I was wondering, Gunther and I-¡± ¡°Yeah I¡¯ll put on the wedding, if Garad will ask me only if it gets too expensive.¡± ¡°Thank you, but that isn¡¯t what I wanted to say. Since the attack, I haven''t had a good time to speak with you. But, Gunther has been thinking about leaving, and, if he does, I want to go with him.¡± ¡°What can I do to-¡± ¡°Do you feel safe?¡± Harlan wanted to say yes, but he couldn¡¯t, it wasn¡¯t a secret to those close to him that he always felt like there was something about to happen. ¡°Even if I think that it is safer here than Tole, he wants to move, and I still think I should go with him. I love him, and he loves me, it isn¡¯t like I can¡¯t work here, but I¡¯ll be here from late morning to early evening, if you let me.¡± ¡°He should¡¯ve come to me. Call him in, I¡¯ll talk to him.¡± ¡°Harlan, he doesn¡¯t know you like I do, he wouldn¡¯t dare go against you.¡± ¡°Surely he knows that-¡± ¡°No, he doesn¡¯t. Maybe he did, but after the attack, when you¡­ I don¡¯t know, whatever you did with those bodies¡­¡± She stopped scrambling the eggs in the pan as she thought about how she wanted to phrase it. ¡°Gunther is sensitive, he hasn¡¯t seen things like we have. I¡¯m asking because he can¡¯t.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to hold it against either of you. Do you need anything to get a house there? He is probably going to want to set up a tailors shop again, it won¡¯t be cheap.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been saving money, and you pay us well enough that it isn¡¯t going to be a problem.¡± ¡°You, saving money? Where is the real Sara?¡± ¡°If you can joke then I¡¯m going to assume it really isn¡¯t an issue.¡± ¡°I should work on that train more, you could get to Tole in just a few minutes.¡± Harlan was going to head down to the bunker, but then he looked at Adina and sat back down. ¡°Or not. Do you know where Balor is?¡± ¡°Said he had to look at something in Tole.¡± ¡°Ava?¡± ¡°Everyone already left, you were supposed to be leaving in the early morning and you had your little goodbye dinner last night. You¡¯re stuck with just us boring people now.¡± ¡°You guys aren¡¯t boring.¡± ¡°Ask me, what did I do for the last week?¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°I worked, talked and ate with my fiance, gossiped with Isha, and then I slept. Every single day.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to get around to it, but I want to teach everyone magic. Are you interested?¡± ¡°I¡¯d feel like a toddler if you started trying to talk about magic with me. But I could learn if you want me too.¡± Harlan ran through what he had planned, and Sara agreed without understanding it really, Adina had to step in to avoid her dealing with some hellish regiment made up by Harlan. This, in and of itself, was very useful information for his teaching and how it should be structured to handle a complete beginner. His father had attended bootcamp, and though he flunked out due to a lack of magical talent, he could sense after a little lesson to make him remember. His mother had experience through osmosis, nobody raised 4 children who were interested in magic without picking up some knowledge. Sara had none of this. The day passed without anything terrible happening, Harlan invited Gunther to dine with the rest of them, since Sara and him often ate with one another. He was tense, Harlan¡¯s words did little to alleviate this, but he thanked Harlan for what he had already given him and turned out anything more. As the night went on Harlan gained a fever, his bed grew ever more damp with his sweat as he was barely coherent. Dawn felt that it was dangerous and Adina was still in the room, but was sleeping in a chair at his bedside. She weighed her options, was Harlan likely to die from this? If he didn¡¯t get any better than he was right now, then yes, if his body and soul started to heal at a faster rate than he got worse, or even if he just stopped getting worse, then no. She knew how she could contact someone for help, but not without revealing herself. After 5 minutes his temperature only got higher, fear of losing him gripped her and overrode the fear of others finding out about her. She flexed as much power as she could, moving Harlan¡¯s hand to the amulet on his bedside table. The one in Adina¡¯s pocket lit up, but there was no response from the girl. She tried a few other people, his parents, Isha, Sara, Kass, everyone was sleeping. While she didn¡¯t know for sure, and she didn¡¯t want to put the idea in Harlan¡¯s head, she expected that someone would be awake. ¡°Harlan?¡± ¡°Mary, Harlan is very sick, and I can¡¯t help him. Please, find a way to get someone here.¡± There was silence that hung heavy in the air for a long moment as Mary processed that the voice she heard was the one that she remembered. ¡°Eliza?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m a friend of Harlan¡¯s. I can-¡± The Golden woman appeared in the room suddenly, searching for her old student, who she believed to be dead. ¡°Eliza, where are¡­ Harlan¡­ what have you done?¡± By using her powers, she had become enough of a presence that she could be detected. ¡°It wasn¡¯t his fault. And please, don¡¯t call me that. My name is Dawn now.¡± ¡°What happened to you?¡± She crossed the entire room in a single step and touched Harlan¡¯s face. ¡°Eliza died, Harlan, well, instinct overpowered sense and he forced her mind to come inside of him.¡± Anger clearly flashed across her face as her eyes glowed golden in the dark room. ¡°That isn¡¯t good enough, when did he do this?¡± ¡°15 years ago, right before he was taken away by Coronach, her killer. He was just an infant still, he didn¡¯t even know he did it until a year ago. I tried contacting him in his dreams, but he kept letting The Darkness remove those memories because they hurt him too much to bear.¡± ¡°As an infant? That doesn¡¯t¡­ no, it does make sense. Harlan has always had a rather clear mind, when he focuses on something, little stands in his way. If he tried, I¡¯m sure I could teach him the true gate in an afternoon.¡± ¡°True gate?¡± ¡°Why the name change? Are you, I don¡¯t know, comfortable? How much do you remember?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t be Eliza, she was¡­ you know how she was. That isn¡¯t who Harlan should have, I fought and clawed against that identity for years, finally I killed it, but I didn¡¯t want to be that person and yet I had no idea who I really was anymore. I¡¯m still her, but I am more, a better person. As for what I remember, everything.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t answer me, are you comfortable? Can I help you get out?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine in here, Harlan asked me before, but I don¡¯t want to live another life, I just want to help him. He gets so carried away, and I can steer him back to what he wants to be, just enough that he doesn''t hurt anyone. But I can¡¯t heal him, I can¡¯t even do a single bit of magic myself, and I can¡¯t use his magic because his soul is hurt. Please, I¡¯m begging you, don¡¯t let him die, if you want to punish him for making me, wait until he gets better, I¡¯ll tear myself out of his head, it wasn¡¯t his fault.¡± Mary placed her hands on Harlan and Dawn could feel the power surge through his body, his soul sealed up the little cracks, the waves calmed. ¡°If you have free will, and you choose to be there for him, then do it. I¡¯m not going to hurt him for doing something he didn¡¯t understand and then trying to make it right. How did you know I would come, or that I could even help him?¡± ¡°Because you haven¡¯t aged a day in 20 years, your past was always too clean, like a fully formed person popped into existence. Mary, he might have been drunk, and confused, but my memories are clear. That was you in Xol¡¯s lair. I haven¡¯t said anything by the way, just like he doesn''t know who his great grandfather is. Sepul needs to come clean himself, it isn¡¯t my place to tell Harlan about him.¡± ¡°Then I guess it is nice to meet you, Dawn, I hope you can help Harlan, but there is going to be a time, sooner than both of us will like, when Harlan makes his choice on the man he wants to be. I hope you can understand that he isn¡¯t your son, he is a champion, and he will have duties related to that.¡± In the morning Harlan awoke to find that his bed was absolutely soaked. ¡°You¡¯ve never been sick, so you wouldn¡¯t know, but this is what it is like. Your fever ran hot, you were boiling up. Go drink plenty of water, then take a bath. Adina probably won¡¯t be awake before you get out.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°For what? I couldn¡¯t help you, I¡¯m just a voice in your head.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m sure that you were there the entire night, worried about me anyway.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let it get to your head.¡± Harlan had done as asked, and he really did feel much better. Sepul arrived in late morning to dash his hopes of a quick return to work. ¡°Physically you seem to be fine, but we can both see that your soul is shaky. Perhaps you could handle light magic, things like telekinesis and hover, but no warmagic or soulsmithing. I thought it would take closer to a week, but your vitality never stops being impressive, one more day of rest and you should be fine. Adina, you need to watch him, if he gets off his leash he risks doing something stupid without realizing it.¡± ¡°Thank you for the vote of confidence.¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t conscious for it, but I was the main healer when you nearly killed yourself last week. I have no interest in seeing you like that again.¡± Sepul left since Harlan had no questions. Harlan sighed and thought of what he could do that wouldn¡¯t be vetoed by his love. ¡°Maybe I should visit the lovers, I haven¡¯t heard anything from them since the attack, but I know they are alright.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go then. You did well yesterday, can I trust that you can repeat such a feat?¡± ¡°Now you are just making fun of me.¡± Her reply was just a giggle. When they arrived the children were just finishing up their breakfast. Harlan, and thus the rest of the house, started their days quite early. Jerah and Sherah were inside helping to clean, the man doted over his wife. ¡°Honey, you don¡¯t need to do that, think of the baby. Why don¡¯t you go rest.¡± Not all was well on the homefront. ¡°I¡¯m fine, and if I need to tell you that one more time, I¡¯m going to-¡± ¡°Miss Sherah isn¡¯t supposed to threaten people.¡± She let out an exasperated breath. ¡°Please go to your classes.¡± ¡°I wanted to help Miss Sherah with cleaning.¡± She patted the boy on the back and sent him on his way, though when she turned she realized Harlan was there. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have not welcomed you when you arrived.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. How have things been here? I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t come after what happened.¡± She had to think about what he could mean. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not sure what event you mean.¡± ¡°The attack, 2 months ago.¡± ¡°Oh? That was nothing, the golems weren¡¯t even damaged very much. I put it out of my mind weeks ago.¡± ¡°That is for the best then. How is the baby?¡± ¡°Fine, and I don¡¯t need to visit the doctor every week.¡± ¡°But honey, what if something happens. I couldn¡¯t-¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t live with yourself. Well I can barely live with you right now. I¡¯m not an invalid.¡± Harlan just stepped back as the couple became oblivious to their surroundings. ¡°I bet you are going to be just like that when I¡¯m pregnant.¡± ¡°I know you can take care of yourself. I don¡¯t need to watch you every second of the day as it is.¡± She simply put up a veil and laughed until she could barely stand. Harlan didn¡¯t think it was quite that funny. Adina wiped a tear from her eye and her laughter petered out. ¡°Maybe you aren¡¯t ready to return, because clearly you are delusional.¡± ¡°Adina, you¡¯ve been¡­ off lately. Are you ok?¡± She buried her head in her hands and began to cry, knocking the lovers out of their own quarrel. ¡°You died. I saw your head vanish, I was covered in your blood. IS BEING A LITTLE OFF SO WRONG.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t-¡± ¡°Just stay another day, I want you to be rested. I don¡¯t want to see that again, I can¡¯t close my eyes without seeing it.¡± Sherah came nearer to hold Adina¡¯s hand. ¡°Why don¡¯t you two stay the day here at the village, tomorrow too. Children are hard to handle, but just being around them can raise your spirits.¡± She was still sobbing, but shook her head yes. Harlan would rather not, but he really had no option. The moment the idea of not doing it crossed his mind, even if it was fleeting, he could feel how angry Dawn became. Harlan would handle Adina with as soft a touch as he could, but he was a little worried about how she clung to him like a kitten wanting to be petted. Chapter 166 They returned after another day, just as he was asked to. It was quite early in the morning, and the breakfast alert had not yet been sent. There were quite a lot of ideas going through Harlan¡¯s head, many of them made Dawn scream at him. ¡°If I had feet, I¡¯d kick your ass.¡± ¡°I think it will be for the best, I¡¯m still just an ignorant fool. I can¡¯t really stop being one unless I do this.¡± ¡°How can you even think it is a good idea?¡± ¡°I am an influence on everyone I meet, good or bad, I can¡¯t be sure for everyone. I¡¯ve lived too long sheltered from what the world is, really, for a normal person. 11 years a farmers son, 4 a noble mage, how much do I really even know? These last couple days of being weak, of not being allowed to use magic, they showed me how much I use it for just my day to day life. I don¡¯t even turn the pages when I read, I just use telekinesis.¡± ¡°You are being rash, you are confused because you couldn¡¯t bring yourself to be a monster at your party. Calm down, think this through.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wait until summer, then I¡¯m doing it.¡± Adina pinched his arm. ¡°Are you listening to me?¡± ¡°Huh? No, I wasn¡¯t, sorry.¡± ¡°Your friend is here.¡± Shelly happened to bump into them. Harlan felt how worried she was, so he hugged her and spun her around to change how she felt, one way or another. ¡°Put me down, right now.¡± Parnell couldn¡¯t hold in his laughter. ¡°You looked worried. Thought it might cheer you up.¡± His laugh got louder. ¡°I saw you¡­ well you didn¡¯t die, but you lost your head, that should kill anybody, Fomorian or not.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not normal, but you already knew that much. How happy was your mother when she thought I died.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t funny.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. David, any missions that look like I could tag along with?¡± He stared for a bit, then let out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what could justify an archmage being called a tag-along. But, there are a few that we have been looking at.¡± ¡°Nothing has changed since I got a fancy new name. I¡¯m still me.¡± Harlan could feel that many of the students who overheard him were furious; they felt he was insulting the honor he had been given. But at the same time, that title along with his display meant that they were terrified of actually confronting him about it. ¡°And that is perhaps the worst thing you could be.¡± Harlan chuckled, feeling that the statement wasn¡¯t made with any malice. ¡°So you can banter.¡± ¡°After what you said, I finally believe that you really aren¡¯t a monster. So, friends?¡± Harlan put his hand out for a shake, which he knew David didn¡¯t like. ¡°Of course.¡± And he reciprocated and the group kept walking through the hall. ¡°There is one issue with me making moves like this. Adina, can I go with them?¡± She tilted her head in confusion. ¡°I can¡¯t stop you anyway.¡± ¡°That is the problem, we are together, and I know that pain comes with that, because I am me. But I don¡¯t want you to feel like you can¡¯t tell me no. You saw me die, and even if I did survive it, I should¡¯ve told you beforehand, we should¡¯ve agreed that I could put on that little show. In the past I¡¯ve chained you in some ways, like after your attack I shadowed your every movement without asking you about it. I know you were glad for it, but I think that talking about these things is a good idea. There are choices that I am going to keep making without you, but I don¡¯t want to exclude you from things like this that only add to your worries.¡± Dawn hadn¡¯t let him forget that he thought about coming back early without taking into account Adina¡¯s feelings. She knew what Eliza did, she was bullheaded and made bad choices because nobody could talk her out of them and she never even pretended to listen to those around her. ¡°You can go, I know whatever is out there isn¡¯t as scary as you. Thank you for asking.¡± She interlocked her fingers with his. Parnell really wanted to know what he meant, because he had at least implied if not outright said that he knew that a high saint was going to blow his head off. The conversation around what happened that night was mostly between nations. Harlan would be contacted soon, but the stance which was reached between Yggdra and Fragile Peace was that some restitutions would be given to Harlan and to the nation as a whole, Harlan would face no charges, and that the academy would also receive payment for damages. This money would of course be coming mostly from dissolving that man¡¯s house, though only after an in depth investigation by all sides to make sure that everyone who knew what was going to happen was dead and buried. Shelly¡¯s group sat at their spot, but Harlan didn¡¯t join them. In their usual spot Ximena and Claude were already there, Zella was off with her new friends but it looked like a heated argument had just started between them. ¡°So, you two, sitting together, blushing as you are. Did you finally admit it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Who said it first?¡± ¡°I did. I know my sister is upset, but I¡¯m not letting her control my life. Nor will I let my parents. It isn¡¯t like I¡¯m going to be Duke in the future anyway, so why can¡¯t I choose who I love? Even if this doesn''t work out, it is still an important part of my life.¡± ¡°Good for you. I assume that is why your sister is beelining it to us now?¡± ¡°Probably, try to eat at least a little bit then, she is likely to ruin our meal.¡± Everyone was surprised when she sat down at the table instead of standing near it and lecturing them. ¡°Good morning, Harlan.¡± ¡°Good morning, Claudia.¡± ¡°Were your words true? Do you forgive everyone?¡± ¡°If this is how you ask about being friends again, then I¡¯d be happy to try that again. Assuming you aren¡¯t like you were before.¡± ¡°I admit, I might have judged you too harshly before.¡± ¡°Are you here to secure deals for your family?¡± ¡°What? Of course not.¡± ¡°I forgive you, and them, but, if you are trying to trick me a second time-¡± Harlan set his glass down with some force. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°don¡¯t bother. What you did hurt me. I forgive you, but that doesn¡¯t mean I forgot what you did. If you are here for anything but to be a friend, leave, and I won¡¯t hold a grudge.¡± ¡°The rift between you and me, along with the rest of what was once our group, has harmed my relationship with my brother. If he intends to be as mulish as you, then I can only mitigate damages by being close to him.¡± ¡°So long as everyone else can accept that, I can accept that.¡± Everyone was wary, Adina and Ximena clearly didn¡¯t forgive her, but they pretended to do so because they would rather not make more bad blood. ¡°Glad that we can all be friendly. Ximena, where are Liat and Yara? You normally come in a group.¡± ¡°Liat told Yara that she was absolutely going to leave the tribe, Yara didn''t take it well, thinking her sister is going to abandon her. Liat wanted to ask you for work when the year is through.¡± ¡°Surely she already knew what her sister was going to do, she is bright, no way she didn¡¯t realize it.¡± ¡°Yara didn¡¯t want to believe it, whenever she asked, she just said that she was planning to, but she wasn¡¯t entirely sure. Now she said it with some finality.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her later.¡± ¡°Not a good idea.¡± ¡°I know, but who else can? I¡¯ve spent months talking with her, we¡¯ve picked each others brains about all kinds of subjects.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to say that you can¡¯t try, but I couldn¡¯t get through to her.¡± After breakfast Harlan went to his room to work through the rather small backlog of work until his warmagic class started. There was work that he could do for the class, but it was all theory, actually casting warmagic wasn¡¯t allowed on academy grounds for obvious reasons. ¡°You all have rather solid foundations, no need to continue the repetition of elements and their unique uses, for now at least.¡± There were a few happy sighs, almost all of the second year thus far was about how each element more or less had special properties. A crystal nova could be modified in a variety of ways, from making jagged towers which could be placed in the field and used as a mages tower, to turning the ground into a sea of spikes that is effective for stopping calvary. Fire, well, it was fire, it burned this, it superheated the air until breathing became a death sentence. Ice was much the same, its effects were normal. Sound was a matter of learning how to direct the sound so you wouldn¡¯t deafen the entire battlefield. One thing that became clear however, was that sometimes warmagic wasn¡¯t just hitting something with a big ball of death, as shown when they learned to cast mudfield, which could turn a large area into a swampy mess that could disrupt enemy troops and force them to change how they fought. Harlan thought back to when Amber mentioned that she knew how to redirect a river. ¡°Today, you will find out how to handle the most heavily defended structures. Unless of course those structures are also magically fortified properly with counterspells. Spiral piercing magic, generally it is best to remain with a single element; I would like at least one of you to volunteer to attempt a multielement spiral spell once you have a grasp of how to properly cast a single element one.¡± The other students didn¡¯t say it, but everyone was expecting Harlan to be the first one to try a multielement. ¡°The basic process is simple in nature, but requires quite a lot of focus in practice. This is going to build on what you already know of, so I expect a few good casts before the class is over.¡± A radiant nova appeared instantly, then it split into numerous pillars of white hot death. Then they wrapped around one another until it was a spire with a thinner tip and stabilizing fins on it. ¡°Tell me, what did I just do?¡± The first to answer was a women, she looked to be in her late 20s. ¡°You first cast splitter, and then put them back together, each individual projectile contains its own power, and by wrapping them like that they superheat the core spells under them. When it strikes the target, the weaker spells on the top layers fade away and leave the condensed spells underneath to actually deal the damage.¡± ¡°Yes, I should expect such an answer from a professional.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sir Dust.¡± ¡°Now, please don¡¯t answer this. But for the rest of the class, why would I do this? Why not condense the magic myself and throw a smaller projectile from the start? When would a spiral spell be useful for other elements?¡± Before he could open his mouth, Sepul also told Harlan he wasn¡¯t allowed to answer. While it was good to be able to give answers, and he was near the top of the class outside of the adults who were coming here to refine their craft after years of real experience, the other students should also be allowed to answer questions and get their brains working without relying on Harlan. After a few minutes of not good enough answers, he let Harlan speak, if Harlan didn¡¯t give a good answer, then it was the grown ups turn. ¡°First, how common is that dispel magic that the teachers here can use?¡± ¡°Outside of here, almost non-existent for reasons I can¡¯t go into.¡± ¡°Alright then, from my own experience with trying to make a smaller frost nova with less than desirable results that nearly killed me, condensing magic once cast is hard, very hard, and casting it from a smaller size and expanding it often leads to instability without as much power as you are spending in mana. Each of these threads that make up a spiral spell has some sort of resonance effect that lets the spell compress itself, instead of the mage needing to do it. If dispel was uncommon, or even if it was rare, I would say that spiral spells are harder to dispel because they are layered and it would only strip off a piece instead of the entire spell.¡± ¡°That is close enough to correct that I am willing to explain the faults in your answer. Firstly, each of these threads does resonate, magic naturally wishes to be a single thing when it is in the same element, it wishes to reach balance with itself. The outside of this spear is hardlight, the inside is radiance, which is light stripped of its benign qualities, and I am condensing it through the spell, but it is not through the means you believe. Each layer of this is light in another form, which pulls to the purest source of light near itself. The hardlight on the outside wishes to rejoin with the pure radiance underneath, so it naturally collapses and compresses the inner radiance, this then rids it of certain impurities which human casting it simply too imprecise to remove without an excess of time. Any questions? Or should we begin casting.¡± Sepul threw the mass of light and it pierced cleanly through the stone monoliths set up for target practice in the area, each no less than 15 feet thick stone standing 100 feet tall with 20 feet between each of the 6 pillars. Sepul gave a few pointers, solid elements worked best for beginners because if the threads destabilized with something like air or fire, well, the results would be clear. Harlan lamented being told that while void was solid, it also wasn¡¯t, and its nature to resist being in a single form, much like wind, made it a very bad idea to start with. Also that an earth nova didn¡¯t really exist, such magic required physical ground, which is why it was far more useful to add solidity to other magic instead of just tossing stones around. Even the spell that people called earth nova still had wind in it and was a hollow shell that exploded when it struck the ground to release high speed shrapnel. Currently Harlan was working with crystal, he had become familiar with the nova over the last few months, and while it was also physical, the more important properties of it was how the crystals would spread, and not how hard the actual crystal itself hit the target. The spire flew through the air, striking the first monolith and the crystals reaching and damaging the second, though there was no piercing, the crystal spiral simply told the stone of the monolith to turn to crystal and move forward using the force of the spell. It was a far cry from what Sepul did, but he didn¡¯t need Sepul to save him from himself like a few others already did. By the end of class Harlan couldn¡¯t use a non-solid spiral, nor could he use more than one element. He went through most of the day without really worrying about the one thing that was actually worth worrying about. Liat had arrived for lunch, but Yara was still in her room reading books. When dinner arrived, he brought food with him. After knocking on the door she yelled at him to go away, not that he could hear her on account of the wards each room had, but he somewhat expected that she had done it since he anger spiked for a moment and then she felt some form of self-hate that he assumed was embarrassment. Yara opened the door and Harlan forced his way inside, the young woman had little chance to stop him. ¡°GET OUT.¡± ¡°Are you mad at Liat for abandoning you?¡± ¡°YES, NOT LEAVE.¡± ¡°Yeah, what a bitch, a completely unforgivable fool.¡± ¡°What did you just say about her?¡± The anger was still there, but it had been redirected. ¡°Oh? So you don¡¯t agree? Then it sounds to me like you are just being dramatic by locking yourself away for the last few days.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to tell me how to feel about MY sister.¡± ¡°Think about this, in 2 years, when your sister has already been gone a year, and you go back to the desert, will you be happy? In 3 years, can you see yourself content to stay in the sands, getting married, having children, hunting wyverns or whatever you people do? In 4 years will you still be happy there, will you miss her?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not playing your game.¡± ¡°In 10 years, can you still be happy, can you see that for yourself, right now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m too young to know that.¡± ¡°Liat isn¡¯t, sure, you have 2 years between you, but look at how much you¡¯ve changed since meeting the rest of us. How much has she changed since three years ago, when she was just a first year?¡± ¡°I get your point, now leave.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know that much from your people, but I met them in the sands once, a woman was injured, and both her husband, and her grandmother-in-law refused to let me heal her, because she was supposed to suffer as a lesson. I manipulated their minds until they let me do the right thing. Are these the people you want to be with?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t get it, they are my life, I¡¯ve known them since I was an infant, we have our parents, but we are raised by the entire tribe. If she leaves, she can never come back, she will be tattooed as an exile. I can never see her again.¡± ¡°If I was raised by Fomorians, I might feel the same way about them.¡± Yara was not quick to violence, but she raised her hand to strike Harlan. He grabbed her wrist and did not let go even as she struggled. ¡°Your culture and my ideals don¡¯t fit together. I¡¯m not asking you to not be angry at her, but I am saying that she is not abandoning you, your people have long abandoned the world, only coming out so they can talk down to the less magically blessed people who would scatter them to the winds in a real fight because they spend more time actually acting instead of sitting on their asses and thinking they are the height of life. Marigold would forgive Liat, and she would forgive you for not forgiving her, because she is better than her people, just like I am better than my people. Do not let them define you, you are not the Golden, you just happen to be a Golden.¡± Harlan let her go and walked out of the room, leaving a plate of food on her desk. Chapter 167: Bandit Camp, Part 1. It was quick, but David did have a mission lined up that he wanted to bring Harlan along for. Bandits, not work that was too often given to what were still generally considered children, but not exactly rare. It wouldn¡¯t be the first or last time that Harlan would be involved with a mission like this. ¡°Was I really needed for this?¡± ¡°You¡¯re good at splitter warmagic, between the two of us and Shelly in the trees, they won¡¯t know what hit them. Just a flash of darkness and they are done.¡± ¡°Hostages?¡± ¡°That is the other reason. You have invisibility, and whatever it is that lets you see people though walls with a frightening level of accuracy.¡± ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s find the bandit camp and get out of here.¡± There was one thing that Harlan really did enjoy about the frontier, the great forests full of trees with branches so large that you could, and some people did, build towns off the forest floor. Though today, their use was to block the vision of any lookouts down below. Harlan raised his hand, warning of guards in the trees. He lazily floated to the men and then lowered himself. ¡°Fuck, why is is so cold up here.¡± ¡°The northern mountains start in about 200 miles, we are just getting the downwind of it. Don¡¯t be such a fucking pansy about it, I tell you, I served up there for a year ya know, whole place is so cold it¡¯d freeze the tits off a wyvern.¡± ¡°Do wyverns have tits?¡± The older man pushed the younger a little. ¡°It¡¯s a turn of phrase, northmen have a million of the damn things. Besides, think, we get first pick after the boss is done with the girls for sitting up in some cold trees for a day, think of that warmth if you¡¯re so damn cold.¡± Harlan heard what he needed to hear. The men did not have an active aura, so Harlan simply crushed their heads, catching each drop of blood. It was hard to call this a bandit camp, they had high walls, artillery, and couldn''t be anything less than 500 men down there. Harlan thought about just turning the men to dust with void, but he had a better idea. But before he went back to the group, he wanted to get a closer look. So long as he didn¡¯t make loud noises or cast magic, his invisibility would hold, at least he hoped so, since he had been upgrading it as much as he could since he was given the component spells. Just running a rough headcount, there were exactly 529 people, with a 20 to 1 gender split. There was an underground area where Harlan felt a lot of fear and hate, which is where he believed the hostages were, and then another 5 were in a large cabin. It wasn¡¯t good, Harlan could watch, hope that they all end up in the same spot, but that was a waste of time. ¡°Step away, calm down.¡± He hadn¡¯t realized that he began charging a nova. ¡°I know that it hurts to deal with hostages, but think about this logically. What defenses have we already seen? Nothing against earth magic really, they haven¡¯t broken your stealth, their weapons and formations are clearly designed to hold off army detachments, not highly skilled mages.¡± ¡°Why hasn¡¯t this place been turned into a crater yet?¡± ¡°Maybe corrupt nobles, maybe corrupt commanders. This place isn¡¯t huge, patrols probably aren¡¯t common. Maybe the few that did find this place got paid off or killed.¡± When he got back to Shelly and the others the two men, minus their heads, were following behind. ¡°They have hostages. Women, plural, I didn¡¯t torture the men for information, I just overheard them before I killed them. This also isn¡¯t some small group, I counted over 500 bandits, they have walls, guns, artillery.¡± ¡°Shit. The request said we were looking at 40, 50 men in a temporary camp. Shelly, is this where we were supposed to go?¡± She cast a few spells to determine their location. ¡°I must¡¯ve gotten turned around somewhere, we are about 2 miles off where we should be.¡± ¡°The request must¡¯ve been for a forward base, the women are probably from a recent raid, bandits like to rotate out the women to avoid dealing with births. We retreat for today, put in a request for the local noble to have his men look at the place, decide how many people they need for this kinda job.¡± Harlan¡¯s eyes went black. ¡°How long do those women have?¡± ¡°2 weeks, though most will lose the will to live in far less time.¡± ¡°How long for the nobles army?¡± ¡°A week of bickering about whose responsibility it is because the camp is right on the border of 4 barons. Then 2 weeks of preparations. Then another 2 weeks for the real army to arrive because the baron will fail.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to handle this.¡± ¡°Do what you wish, I am only to provide context for your own choices.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Harlan sharply inhaled as he woke back up. ¡°Go. I¡¯m staying.¡± ¡°What, no, Harlan, come back with us. You can¡¯t-¡± ¡°I can¡¯t stand by while the bickering and incompetence of nobles gets these women killed after they are already wishing for death. As I said, go back if you want, I¡¯m not abandoning them.¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°You aren¡¯t abandoning them, you can¡¯t save anyone if you are dead.¡± ¡°I am death to men like this, see you soon.¡± Harlan stepped off the tree, vanishing into thin air. The bodies in the tree simply stood there. As much as the others might¡¯ve wanted to stay and assist, their parents had rules that the academy must follow, and in the case of a mission going too far beyond the parameters of the original request, they were to be pulled back by force if needed. Shelly broke the nose of one man before David stepped in and dragged her through the gate kicking and screaming. Harlan killed animals, bandits, whatever he needed to. They were organic mass which he needed. As much as it drove him mad, he waited. If the patrols went missing, they might get suspicious, lockdown, kill the hostages or put them under heavier guard. Harlan needed information on the leader. He was middle aged, tall, well built, more the image of a knight than a soldier turned bandit. The man glanced in his direction more than once, setting off Harlan¡¯s sixth sense. If Harlan had to guess, whatever this mystic force was, it clashed between the two of them and while both of them could tell something was wrong, they didn¡¯t actually know what it was. For Harlan, there were very few people he met which caused a reaction like this. Breken jumped to his mind, he hadn¡¯t met the man in months, perhaps he was stronger, perhaps he wasn¡¯t. But if that man was on a level not unlike him, then he needed to be careful. He still remembered that man who nearly killed him, he was barely a mage, likely only ever used magic for the sake of cycling mana through his body to strengthen it. Harlan had lost, the man had died, but Harlan considered it a failure that he didn¡¯t kill him soon enough to save that other boy. That night, a very fortunate event took place. The leader had passed out after too much drinking and unspeakable acts, and one of the women made a run for it, well, not a run per say, rather she snuck out as quietly as she could. Harlan got close, using his empathy to lower the desire of these men to investigate what that shadow that passed near them was more than a few times. Then she got to the gate and realized there was no way out, no 4 guards were split between 2 towers. Harlan couldn¡¯t cast magic from stealth other than a few exceptions. Telekinesis was the only somewhat ranged magic that didn¡¯t interfere with the delicate balance required for his invisibility to remain active. Hover and imbibing were both considered body magic, which meant that they would affect him closely enough that it didn¡¯t break the spell. Harlan morphed his rod into a thin and wide disc then gave it a toss with telekinesis before he broke his stealth with wind magic that let the disc change its path and cut the men down. Because of height discrepancies the men were not all perfectly decapitated, but they were cut in a way to avoid them being able to scream or cast magic, the chances of any of them being good enough to let off anything Harlan couldn¡¯t snuff out while their bodies were cut apart was low. Harlan cracked open the gate, hoping there wasn¡¯t some mundane alarm stuck to the thing at night that he missed, and waved to the woman. Though she would normally avoid doing so, Harlan lowered her fear of him specifically to get here outside. Once they were outside Harlan put her to sleep and hid her under a veil while he gathered the bodies of the men he killed. Everyone was safely tucked away in a den Harlan made at the base of one of the trees, so he finally woke the women up after he gave her a check up and cleaned her somewhat. She screamed at first, seeing the bodies and then Harlan in his full armor. ¡°You are safe now. I got you out of that camp.¡± ¡°Fuck that, I got myself out.¡± The woman was well toned and her will seemed strong. Though he believed it was little more than a mix of adrenaline and shock forcing her to ignore what had happened and focus on vengeance instead. ¡°Were you a soldier?¡± ¡°I am a soldier, and as soon as I get out I¡¯m going to go back and cut that bastard''s cock off.¡± ¡°You talk like a soldier.¡± ¡°Are you from the local nobles house? Fuck, finally they send some back up, the village I was guarding is gone, looted down to the nails. How many men do we have? Do you have spare equipment?¡± ¡°You have me, and you are not fighting. Stay here, I attack at dawn, I can¡¯t let them tighten their security before my plan goes into action.¡± ¡°You should¡¯ve just left me, I can handle some abuse if it gets the rest of the women out with a better plan. I¡¯m going back in, attack when you have everything perfect.¡± She staggered to her feet, the moment she made it clear that she was a liability Harlan started with a sleep spell. He let the cold facade drop, there was nobody but deadmen to see his hands shake and his eyes mist with tears. It was too late, he was too late, had he been stronger, he could¡¯ve done this faster, had an army on standby and the power to cast a voidgate, he could¡¯ve had this done in less than an hour instead of a day and a half. ¡°Stop blaming yourself, you are just a kid.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a¡­ no, I said I would stop pretending. Be honest, do you think my plan is going to work?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t know until you try, you haven¡¯t made something like this before and you are only going off of stories of these things.¡± ¡°Do you think I should risk another day.¡± ¡°As a soldier, yes, it isn¡¯t worth the risk. You barely know anything about the enemy strength, you barely prepared, and you are just one person who is going to need to work through the night with less material than you wanted.¡± ¡°And as my friend?¡± ¡°Make a fucking example of them.¡± Harlan was ready to go out to the first den he dug out; he had sent flesh golems into the woods to gather materials, though he didn¡¯t know exactly what all they would find. When he was about to leave however, his amulet lit up. There were plenty of people that this could be. ¡°Archmage Changeling, I wish I had called earlier, but I didn¡¯t want to risk revealing your location, and I had a lot of work to go through. I¡¯m told that you have refused to return to us and let a larger force be assembled.¡± ¡°I will handle this. Thank you for your concern, Headmaster Selvis.¡± ¡°I believe that you will, yet I do want to ask you, is this really the best thing you can do? Come back, spend a day and a night making golems here, and we can have them gated in.¡± Harlan had reached the first den, and saw what had been gathered. ¡°I have everything that I need here. I¡¯m going to attack the bandits at dawn, if you manage to convince anyone to come, warn them beforehand that monsters will be at the battle.¡± ¡°Flesh Golems?¡± ¡°Goodnight, Headmaster Selvis.¡± Harlan cut off the connection and began patting the head of what was once a boar, that was before the modifications. ¡°How did you find something like this? And here I thought my luck was bad.¡±
Fucking gate guards, easiest job in the camp and all of them got eaten by monsters or something, left nothing but blood behind, then they let one of the whores get away as well. If they were alive, I¡¯d skin them. ¡°Shank, did we ever find the guys who disappeared in the trees either?¡± ¡°No luck, didn¡¯t even find blood. Think it¡¯s wyrmlings again?¡± ¡°Maybe, they are messy eaters, fast too. Make sure that everyone is aware we might have a problem.¡± ¡°Nightstalkers?¡± ¡°The men in the tree disappeared during the day, probably grabbed by some giant bird.¡± ¡°Hell of a coincidence, losing 6 men to predators outside of breeding season.¡± ¡°There are no coincidences in the frontier, something has the taste for humans. And get that doctor here, I think one of the women slipped something into my drink last night, can¡¯t get rid of this hangover.¡± ¡°Uh, boss, you seeing that, or did they slip something in my drink too.¡± I would¡¯ve called it a Lindwurm, but it was like someone created one out of spare parts after having only been described one and then had that thing fuck a centipede. ¡°GET THE ARTILLERY.¡± It crawled up the trees and started picking men off with precise bolts of acid. Chapter 168: Bandit Camp, Part 2. The creature was not fast, Harlan didn¡¯t really have that much experience with something like this, but repurposing it into a different form would¡¯ve been even more effort. Seeing that his golems had brought back the half eaten corpse of a small Lindwurm was a great boon even if it stunk like piss and death. Its poison and acid sacs were even still intact. So Harlan expanded the range of his sigils, and started slapping arms and legs onto the creature along with however many gems he still had in his pocket. The flesh came back to life, which just meant it wouldn¡¯t fall apart during the battle at least. Unfortunately, the power of telekinesis was not proportional to the size of the creature, otherwise this 20 feet long abomination would be strong enough to crush everything by itself. It was always meant as a distraction anyway. Dirt fell from the ceiling as the battle above him raged on, nobody was stupid enough to worry about guarding captured women when an unknown monster is using acid to melt men. Harlan saw what he hoped this thing could be, but the reality was that it barely had a few hours to gain mana and he figured he had 30 minutes before it stopped being able to move on its own. Telekinesis would keep the small rounds away while hopefully at least deflecting the explosive shells. Even this was just set up for a second plan once he was safely outside of the area of effect. He was not so stupid that he couldn¡¯t see what a terrible idea it was to try and fight all of these bandits by himself. Harlan melted the lock and swung the door open, the women were fearful, but Harlan noticed that a few of them were thinking about attacking them and held items behind their backs. Even if he knew what had happened, he considered it a good sign if they had the will to kill to protect their own. ¡°I¡¯m here to rescue you all, I¡¯ve got a tunnel leading outside the camp while my forces attack above.¡± An older woman, probably a village elder, stepped forward. ¡°You aren¡¯t a local soldier.¡± She squinted her eyes. ¡°And you are young.¡± ¡°And you are old, what about it?¡± The ground quaked with a terrible sound as the beast fell, but it did its job, nobody would¡¯ve expected what came next. ¡°The topside forces are almost done, we need to move, now. If any of you are injured or elderly, I will carry you, we must move quickly.¡± Harlan first grabbed the elder with his telekinesis and then moved to anyone who was injured, healing the minor sprains and carrying anyone who wasn¡¯t worth the time to heal. The bandits were too busy making sure that the monster was really dead to realize yet their captives had been freed. Once they were inside of the den along with the woman who got out the night before Harlan gave the order and sealed the tunnel as best he could. Then he called Hirum. ¡°Did things go well?¡± ¡°I wanted to make sure that you didn¡¯t send anyone, that camp is about to be destroyed and I don¡¯t want your people in the blast radius.¡± ¡°No, nobody was available for the price I set.¡± ¡°Good.¡± The connection was dropped, yet Harlan¡¯s amulet lit up once again with an outgoing message. Nobody was there to help, but that didn¡¯t mean nobody showed up to watch. Xol and Marigold were ready to step in, yet they never saw hide nor hair of Harlan. ¡°I¡¯m a little shocked that he is just leaving the camp. Mercy, even delayed retribution, isn¡¯t exactly his strongest suit.¡± Then the words caught in her throat and a sinister grin rose upon her face. ¡°Oh, that is smart. We should probably move back.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just put up a barrier, I want to see this from up close.¡± The most accurate term for the long noodle like thing currently burrowed into the ground and arranged like a rune, would be some kind of Molewurm. Between its acid taken from the sacs of Lindwurm, and its claws taken from various animals, it was a living mining machine. The only issue was that from Harlan¡¯s own tests, it needed to be closer to the surface, and it would not go unseen if people were watching the ground too closely. So, a big giant distraction was needed once the rune that was dug out started to glow with mana. Something that moved around the trees and kept the line of sight high. It fell with a terrible thump, kicking of dust and leaves from the ground like a cannonball had struck. The men inside the walls waited, then their leader demanded one more volley before they went to check the body. ¡°HOLD.¡± A few minutes passed, the dust cleared and the leader believed it to be dead. ¡°SOMEONE CHECK THAT BODY.¡± There were some arguments, but eventually two men drew the short stick. As they got closer one of the men fell over nothing and the others all laughed at him. ¡°Fuck. what was that?¡± He moved back and tripped over thin air again. It was a weak illusion, and once broken, the entire camp was lit up from the outside by an earthy toned light. ¡°What the-¡± Gravity magic had a clear drawback, it affected the user just as much as the enemy, though nobody really understood why selective targeting was incompatible with it outside of casting the spells at a distance. Even then, gravity magic was known for its awful range where one needed to be just outside of contact to use its power without harsh drop off. However, if the thing which cast the magic was never planning to live, it made for a beautiful suicide attack. The ground shook with so much force that not a single person could remain standing and Harlan had to apply pressure from the inside to just prevent a cave in. Outside, a plume of dust reached for miles in every direction. Harlan had no idea how strong it would be, and he really didn¡¯t have time to test it, he wasn¡¯t a gravity mage after all. So he just gave the golem the order to ¡®draw as much energy as you can into it.¡¯¡¯ It wasn¡¯t something people really did, since it made magic messy when the concentration of elemental mana changed, but part of war magic was how to set up and quickly activate giant runes carved in the ground by gathering mana and then not spending the personal mana to actually make it into a spell. Some of the captives tried to stand. ¡°Stop, stay down.¡± ¡°There¡¯s more?¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Aftersho-¡± The rumbling was too loud to hear anything else. Then came more aftershocks as the trees around the camp began to fall down into the pit which had been dug out into the ground by the sudden shifting of gravity to times 100 for a split second before the creature which was also the rune for the spell liquified. After another 15 minutes, Harlan decided it was safe to stand. ¡°Was anyone hurt?¡± Harlan healed up everyone that he could, then he stepped outside. The landscape was painted tan and thick dust still hung in the air, so he went back inside. The elder saw what was outside and how the dust wanted to get inside. ¡°What in the world did your army do?¡± ¡°I never said I had an army.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying one man did this?¡± ¡°No, I never said it was human either. Perhaps you¡¯ve heard my name, Harlan Fomoria, at your service.¡± The woman was about to shake his hand, but retracted it. Harlan¡¯s face made it clear that he was unamused, but instead of voicing his displeasure, he worked to expand the cavern and put up magic lights to make it more comfortable. Harlan was very tired and began to zone out as he worked, so he wasn¡¯t sure if he made the area two or three times larger by the time he laid down on some softened dirt. ¡°I¡¯m going to wait an hour or so before I contact the academy for pick up, from there you will probably be escorted to your village, or what remains of it. I¡¯m sorry that I cannot do more to help.¡± His eyes drooped as he finished speaking. Mostly there was silence, until a younger girl broke it, when her mother realized that she had approached him, she tried to pull her away, but was too late. ¡°Can you fix my bear?¡± ¡°Sure, what is wrong with her?¡± ¡°Her eyes came off, she must be scared if she can¡¯t see.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure that she will be just fine once she sees your face.¡± ¡°She is going to be happier when we get back and she can see papa again.¡± He could see it on the mother¡¯s face, the girl didn¡¯t know, and the thought of when she finds out made Harlan want to vomit. He picked dirt from the wall, condensed it into jewels and colored them. ¡°What color were her original eyes?¡± ¡°Purple, because she is a princess.¡± ¡°Of course, how could I have missed her regal aura?¡± She handed the stuffed toy made of rough burlap and hay to Harlan, he wondered if it was made by her mother. The eyes went on easily with a little bit of telekinetic sewing. ¡°Why are you crying?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Mister, you¡¯re crying.¡± ¡°Ah, dust must¡¯ve gotten in my eyes.¡± ¡°You should get that looked at, my mother always cleans my eyes when they get dirt stuck in them.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m a mage, I can clean my own eyes. Why don¡¯t you run along now, show your bear around so she isn¡¯t so scared.¡± He put up a veil and let himself cry. ¡°Harlan, I know where your thoughts are headed, and¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m angry, I¡¯m furious, they didn¡¯t deserve a quick death.¡± ¡°I know, everyone who could see this place would know. But you sent a powerful message.¡± Harlan dried his eyes. ¡°When did the world get so fucked up?¡± ¡°Since the first human drew breath and wanted what it saw. Like you said, I should stop you if you are going to overwrite the will of others en masse. But, if you made golems, spread them around without telling anyone, would that ease your mind? Keep you from doing something worse.¡± ¡°I want to do something worse.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t, you want to stop the pain, but remember-¡± ¡°There is no path of no pain¡± Mother and child said in unison. ¡°I know, you don¡¯t want to hear it, I¡¯m sorry. But, please, don¡¯t do anything you are going to regret, because you don¡¯t know yourself as well as I do. You hate evil people, but you can¡¯t bring yourself to hurt innocents to stop every risk of evil men doing what they will do.¡± ¡°If I wait for evil to happen, I¡¯m already too late.¡± ¡°Stop that this instant, give it up, you would kill yourself if you ever did what you think about doing. Why don¡¯t we switch topics?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be cheered up right now.¡± Dawn waited a few minutes for Harlan to cool down before she started up the conversation again. ¡°The letter from Adina¡¯s father, you still never told her what it said.¡± ¡°She isn¡¯t interested in forgiving him, there is not a single chance that he is invited to the wedding, no matter how many coins he wants to donate to it.¡± ¡°Sure, maybe. But it would lift the bad blood, she could go and at least visit her home country if he gave up on her. Maybe it is a trick, but he is willing to relinquish full control over her if you just let him be around for one day. Is it possible that he really does realize that he fucked up?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about this anymore. We¡¯ve argued back and forth and nothing changes, Adina told him clearly through my message to Cato, if he doesn''t have the guts to speak with her in person, he doesn''t deserve to have the chance at forgiveness. Why are you trying so hard to get her to forgive him?¡± ¡°Because you forgave me. Eliza did some terrible things, and with that she never gave anyone the chance to fix things because she would always just throw away or burn their letters. She completely understood that people wanted to try to understand her so they might forgive her, and she fucked it all up, she threw it away because she was afraid that they might actually forgive her, that they might make her realize everything she had done.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t even make sense, why wouldn¡¯t she want to be forgiven? Everyone wants to be forgiven.¡± ¡°If she acknowledged everything she ever did wrong, and her emotions became as such that she could understand everything, then she would need to face the most terrifying thing in existence, knowing that you fucked up everything, you¡¯ve ruined your relationships with your friends, your family, that you abandoned your only daughter. She retreated instead of fighting, please, give Adina the chance to fight.¡± The only part that pissed Harlan off more than the argument, was that he considered it his loss. After his speech to her about both of them not controlling the other and talking about the choices the other makes, he knew he was a hypocrite, and that was going to keep eating him up until he solved it. ¡°I¡¯ll tell her once we get back.¡± ¡°We? I¡¯m happy to be included, but I think referring to yourself as we in your own head is worrying.¡± Harlan let out a sigh and dropped the veil. A few women wanted him to fix their torn clothes that would reveal themselves if they didn¡¯t hold the fabric in place. They would rather have it fixed now instead of after they were transported home by the army. The distinction between a bandit and a soldier was often just who was getting killed and conquered, the why meant very little to those trampled under foot by people like them. Harlan looked outside again, seeing that the dust was thinned out, he called the academy for pick up. The women helped one another out, many of them had lost husbands, sons, fathers, wherever they went back to, it wouldn¡¯t be the village they had lived. The elder came to Harlan and put her hand out for a shake. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my rudeness earlier.¡± Harlan just looked tired, but not the kind that sleep would fix. ¡°It would be a lie to say I wasn¡¯t offended, but I know what my name means to people who don¡¯t know me. Coming to me afterwards and apologizing is worth a lot to me. I wish you all the best, and I¡¯m sorry for not being able to come here sooner.¡± ¡°It is plain to anyone that your heart is heavy when you see us, but we can only move past this by living, and you have given that to me, my daughter, and my granddaughter. It is not your fault that you cannot see into every corner of this world, we came here and put up a village knowing the risks, bandits, monsters, these are just part of the frontier. But we came here for a new life, and now we can start again, because we are still alive.¡± ¡°How do you keep going, after such terrible things happen to you?¡± ¡°How do you keep going? My husband, rest his soul, was a soldier, and killing stains your heart, your soul, it will make you hurt in ways that you can¡¯t know. You keep going because there is no other path ahead but forward.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t reply, so the woman walked away, wagons had been sent to bring them home. One of the academy staff was too afraid to break up the conversation, but now that it was over, she stepped forward. ¡°Excuse me, Archmage Changeling.¡± He moved to face her, giving a full view of his dead eyes, barely cinders remained of his fire. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Would you like to give a report now, or should I wait until you¡¯ve had time to rest?¡± Harlan flew, and he took the woman with him as she screamed. When she calmed and he overlooked the crater of splintered wood and red dirt that was once human bodies, he spoke dispassionately regarding what had happened. He gave every detail that he remembered and the woman made her report, though a few questions did remain. ¡°Thank you for your service which has gone beyond the original request and removed a large encampment from the frontier. We will keep this as quiet as we can if you would like. The headmaster is aware that you are attempting a new image.¡± ¡°No, make this clear, I forgave those who wronged me before. That does not mean I¡¯ve lost my fangs. I will still bare them when I feel it is just, without regard to who my targets are.¡± ¡°I will remove that last part, but the rest can make it into my report.¡±
The more tried, the angrier the orb became over his failures to replicate any of the magic Harlan could use to make these new golems. It did not help that the king had forbidden him from creating them, thus forcing Dagda to make each experiment in the shadows. Chapter 169: First Day of a new Journey Back at the academy Harlan found Mary waiting for him the moment he returned. ¡°Welcome back, I think that we should talk.¡± ¡°No, I think I just want to rest.¡± ¡°No, we really do need to talk.¡± She locked her arm with his and Harlan found that he couldn¡¯t budge an inch and that she was willing to drag him if need be. Harlan found himself not in her office, but rather in her personal room. The walls were not lined with paintings, but rather had been painted by her. There seemed to be little order in which wall was painted with what as sad and happy and landscape and portraits all flowed into one another and even onto the ceiling. Sculptures sat on seemingly every surface outside of a desk and a dining table fit for four at most. ¡°Vanilla tea? Or something more fruity?¡± ¡°Fruit, peach if you have it.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Harlan tried to reach his senses into the space in the cabinets out of sight using sound waves as Adina taught him, but he found that it was empty, even still she pulled cups, a kettle, bags of tea, and sugar cubes out anyway. She sat down across from him and remained silent until the kettle began to scream and the tea had been poured. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are wondering why you are here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s easy, because you dragged me here and I couldn¡¯t get away.¡± She chuckled. Though Harlan was just putting on a face, he was still upset and didn¡¯t want to be open at the moment. ¡°You know what I mean. Why I¡¯ve brought you to my room instead of my office. I don¡¯t want to speak with you as a counselor today, I want to speak with you as a friend. I saw the damage caused by that magic, and I heard what you said to that woman. I want you to just be clear, who are you?¡± He cocked his head to the side. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°You wanted to be the merciful hero who gave up your newest creation on the same day you showed it off because you knew how afraid people were of what could happen. But with the first resistance to that, when you needed to use them to save lives, you made more monsters of blood and bone, killing over 500 men without hesitation. So tell me, which one of them are you? You can¡¯t live your life flipflopping between these two men, one day you will just be one of them. Whether it¡¯s because you give up on fighting, or you do something which taints your image so badly that you can never escape it. Who, are, you?¡± Harlan opened his mouth and closed it many times. He wanted to answer, but his mind and heart fought a war for his thoughts. After a few minutes of gulping like a fish out of water, he simply drank his tea. It could¡¯ve been 30 minutes, it could¡¯ve been 2 days, Harlan had no way to know, his mind was somewhere else. ¡°I want to keep people as safe as I can without taking away all of their choices.¡± ¡°And which man does that? The killer, or the diplomat? The king, or the archmage? The drake, or the wyvern?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have to choose.¡± ¡°The greatest mages all have a trait in common, they know what they are and why they do what they do. Sepul is driven by his own goals, but those aren¡¯t divorced from his past, they are a part of him. If he suddenly became a pacifist his power would drop, his control would lower, because he wouldn¡¯t be himself anymore. He could find a new truth, but it would still make him a different mage than before. Coronach was the same, and then he broke, and all of his new strength doesn¡¯t mean anything compared to what he could¡¯ve been if he stayed true to himself. Mana is alive, it is drawn to desire, it doesn¡¯t care about good or evil, it cares about who has a strong enough will to bend reality to their desire. The divine inspiration that mages speak about? It is nothing but mana being bent to the will of these people. So, again. Who, are, you? Brother? Son? Craftsmen? Healer? Hero? Archmage? Ruler? Who, are, you?¡± He wanted to be resolved, to just say outright, I¡¯m a killer, but no words could escape his mouth. Mary reached across the table, and placed his hand in hers. ¡°That is alright too. I wanted you to know that you need to make a choice, but it doesn¡¯t have to be right this second. And don¡¯t ask anyone else about this, you must be your own mage, you must have your resolve, not anyone else''s.¡± ¡°How do you know about what I said to that woman who took my report?¡± She sipped her tea, her hope was that he wouldn¡¯t zero in on such a minor detail. ¡°I¡¯m a bit higher up in the academy hierarchy than I let on.¡± ¡°No, that doesn¡¯t answer it. I gave my report and came back with her, but you were already there when I arrived. There wasn¡¯t a point where you could¡¯ve heard the report unless you were right there.¡± ¡°A woman doesn¡¯t kiss and tell.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t deflect with a joke, I can at least respect it if you don¡¯t want to tell me, but don¡¯t pretend like it is a minor detail.¡± ¡°Think about what I told you. And yes, I don¡¯t want to tell you how I know what you said.¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯m going to go, not sure when I¡¯ll be back, make sure one of my family members gets this.¡± Harlan tossed his ring to her. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°I need to decide who I am, and I can¡¯t do that here. Whenever I see the world I get angry, and then when I see how I might be able to change it, I become afraid of what I need to do. I¡¯ll walk the frontier for a time, visit the villages, maybe do some good, maybe not. But I can¡¯t sit here, not anymore.¡± ¡°Hirum is going to be pissed, it¡¯ll look bad for him, and your family and friends are going to be upset if you leave without saying a word.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to ask anyone else, right? Make my own path?¡± She laughed, slowly at first, then a bit louder. ¡°Ah, you are so much like him. They aren¡¯t going to send you through a gate without your ring, and your clothes are going to be too flashy for a traveler, not to mention your face.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll change my look, shapeshift my armor, withdraw some funds and pay a private gate mage somewhere else.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send you to the frontier right now if you want. A solo journey is how I found my path. Time to clear your head without people knowing who you are is a good thing, it will keep you centered to see honest reactions to your actions that aren¡¯t painted by your past.¡± ¡°Thank you. And¡­ tell Adina that I¡¯m sorry, and I hope she will forgive me.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± A gate opened, Harlan took off his jacket, leaving it in Mary¡¯s room. Then, with a wave and a bow, he stepped through. Leaves crinkled under his feet, he was on the edge of a clearing and he could see a relatively small village. Mary said she was sending him somewhere half between the frontier and the north, not untamed wilderness, but also not quite civilization. Somewhere she knew. His first order of business was to change his face. It wasn¡¯t a long process, he simply needed to make a small room in the ground and then set up a mirror so he could mold himself. While not long, that didn¡¯t mean it was painless. He had also added the sigils to his body by molding bumps on his bones. Harlan had learned what exactly was so important about these sigils, unlike a rune, which would activate as soon as it soaked up enough mana, sigils held mana and needed intent to produce an effect. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Harlan now looked to be a man at least 20 years of age, not overly handsome, but not ugly. He knew that many doors would be opened just by looking a certain way, and he wanted more of a balanced view of people. On a subconscious level, he had made himself look like Ky, who he knew was born and raised in the frontier. Black hair, dark brown eyes, features not too soft, not too hard, he looked average. There was a relatively short process of getting used to being a little more well built with broader shoulders, but he remained at his current height of 5¡¯10. Any taller and he might come off as a noble, but being at such a height when already full grown wasn¡¯t anything odd and he heard northmen were slightly taller on average. But, the hardest part was not leaving, it was Dawn yelling at him the entire time. ¡°You said that you would wait until summer, you need to go back, right, now.¡± ¡°No, I need to do this.¡± ¡°You need to be with Adina, Yara, Charlotte, all of the people who you claim to support. I hope you aren¡¯t doing this just to get out of talking with Adina about the letter.¡± ¡°Read my thoughts, tell me, do I look like I¡¯m running away from that?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Your mind is all scrambled, everything is rushing by at a mile a minute. It¡¯s been like this since you fixed that little girl¡¯s bear.¡± ¡°I feel fine though.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask me to explain it, I¡¯m not a mind mage.¡± ¡°So, onward I go then. Any tips?¡± ¡°No, you get to handle this shit on your own.¡± Harlan blew a little bit of mud and dust on himself to make it seem as if he was actually walking instead of having been teleported right into the woods. Before he reached the gate to the modest village he cast invisibility on his amulet, just owning one would make it clear he either was someone important, or knew someone important. When he attempted to walk in a guard stopped him. ¡°Do you have any identification?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Reason for visit?¡± ¡°Just traveling. I might¡¯ve gotten a bit turned around and I¡¯m not sure where I am now.¡± ¡°Bearfast, eastern frontier. Where are you headed to.¡± ¡°Direhold.¡± ¡°Well, you are way off then. Come on in, we have a map at the guard station, just ask and someone will point you the right way. But, you look like you could use some advice on traveling.¡± ¡°Thank you, I would appreciate it.¡± ¡°Stick to the roads, only travel at daytime, keep track of which villages are still around since the maps don¡¯t get updated as often as they probably should. Often you are going to need to visit places that aren¡¯t on a straight path since it is safer than trying to stay out at night. Oh, and the days are getting shorter since summer has passed, so keep that in mind and remember to pack light but wear something heavy. I think that about covers it.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, are most people this friendly out here?¡± The other guard just burst out laughing. ¡°As my partner says, no, not really. I¡¯m new to the frontier myself, only been a few years, and I wish someone told me all of what I just told you when I first arrived. Outsiders tend to get the cold shoulder the farther away from the cities you get. Then at the far reaches everyone is too scared of monsters to worry about people.¡± ¡°How do you know I¡¯m an outsider?¡± ¡°You¡¯re too clean, your hands don¡¯t have calluses, no bags, only one weapon, light armor. Did you come here by wagon originally?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then you don¡¯t know what the frontier is like. Stay safe, I hope that you find whatever you are looking for.¡± ¡°Thank you again.¡± ¡°Oh, before I let you in, I need a name.¡± Harlan blurted out the first thing that came to mind. ¡°Darrath.¡± ¡°Alright, that¡¯s all I need.¡± He wanted to kick himself, but that¡¯s where his mind went and it felt natural to say it. Harlan repeated the name a handful of times in his head. ¡°Does it sound strange to you?¡± No response. ¡°Are you really going to pout?¡± ¡°Fuck you.¡± She wasn¡¯t ready to talk just yet. Harlan went to the guard station and found the map, Direhold was Ky¡¯s hometown, and while he wasn¡¯t likely to see him as the his work as a ranger would keep him away from 10 months of the year, he felt that he needed a goal, anything really, to avoid aimlessly wandering around. Judging by the map and what the front desk worker told him, he would need to pass through a dozen or more villages and cross nearly a quarter of the frontier, heading north the entire time. If this was right, he had about 2 months to get there. ¡°Thank you for the help.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t cause trouble while you are here.¡± The man tapped his sword to accent his point. Harlan realized that he barely ate anything when he was out in the woods, and what he did eat was bland deer and boar that he cooked for nothing but sustenance. So he went to get food, and then remembered that he wasn¡¯t carrying any money on him. He needed better planning for next time he spontaneously moved across the entire country under a new identity. To the adventurers guild he went. He picked up a request from the board, orcs, always a problem since they bred like rats and were nomadic. ¡°I need to see your tags before I let you take the request.¡± Ah, right. Harlan took the test, betting with the woman at the front desk that he could get at least silver, and if he did, she would pay for the test on account of his lack of funds. The man giving the test had gold tags himself. When Harlan drew his rod in an untransformed state he laughed. ¡°You know you¡¯re supposed to have the materials shaped into a sword, right?¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be fair if I didn¡¯t have a handicap.¡± The man¡¯s face turned grim and he lunged, the woman from the front desk was acting as the judge since the man had a history of either going too far or just plain being a sore loser. It was somewhat hard to gauge his strength, because he was slow compared to the man who Harlan fought before, but he looked like he started from a higher speed to start with. Harlan found himself disinterested in the fight, switching to a one handed style. The clear boredom enraged the man who tried to use telekinesis to force Harlan¡¯s rod to move. ¡°Oh, so you can use that as well? Here, let me show you how that is supposed to work.¡± With such a large gap in skills of every kind, Harlan still couldn¡¯t exactly force the man to take a knee, but he could force his strikes to go fast or slow, making openings in his style that were not there before. Harlan struck lightly, he didn¡¯t want to really harm the man, he had a bad attitude that did bother him, but that wasn¡¯t a big deal. After a minute of this a voice boomed out. ¡°Stop embarrassing my student. Jack, get out of the ring.¡± The man hung his head and didn¡¯t fight back against the Ursa guildmaster. More often than not, they themselves were retired adventurers. Being strong was never a requirement, but they needed to be at least gold to get the position so they couldn¡¯t get pushed around too easily. This man however, had blackstone tags around his neck. ¡°You¡¯ll get gold, want to try for something higher.¡± ¡°I know an Ursa, she would be mad at me if I didn¡¯t at least try.¡± The large black bear looking man jumped into the ring wearing rather normal, but higher quality clothing, the only armor he had was on the outside of his arms, legs, and chest, and then a back plate. Harlan didn¡¯t really understand why someone would leave their entire front open as it was, but adventurers were not known to be the brightest bunch. ¡°Jack, watch me, keep your head cool, you¡¯ve got a long way to go. Alright little cub, let¡¯s put on a show.¡± A swipe of his armored paw sent Harlan back a few inches, but he held. The fist that came afterwards was no slower, when Harlan tried to jump over the behemoth he jumped as well, headbutting him. Though both of them ended up stunned in the attack. ¡°Gods, you are thick headed for a human.¡± ¡°Maybe you are just thin skulled?¡± Both of them hobbed back to their feet and shook off the confusion. Harlan dropped the rod, most of his experience against Bojana was hand to hand and he didn¡¯t really want a drawn out fight, he already got gold, this was nothing but a show match as far as he was concerned. ¡°Got a concussion? If you can¡¯t hold your weapon it¡¯s a loss you know.¡± Harlan breathed deep and exhaled. His stance was small from the front, left hand outstretched to block, right cocked back end ready to strike. The Ursa knew the stance, and he accepted the challenge, rushing forward. Bojana had told him about this, the simplicity of the stance had a cultural meaning to them, each side had one chance to block, one to attack, it turned it into a game of close quarters combat where one wrong move meant one side was likely to take a full strength strike. When they clashed Harlan had one thought. That bastard cheated. Then he crashed through the wall between the sparing area and the main hall before blasting through the front wall and into the streets. His legs were fine, his left arm was broken, most of his ribs were only being kept in place by his muscles that were like steel. His opponent only broke his blocking hand and a few ribs were fractured. He took the strike head on, his hand was pushed back onto himself, and paradoxically, the hard fur meant it didn¡¯t absorb the shock of the punch. The normally defensive technique was used by this Ursa more for its offense. When he heard the crash, the guard captain knew there was likely one man who was at fault, he just hoped he hadn¡¯t painted some poor fool across the street. What scared him however, was that the poor fool was not only alive, but he was in a laughing fit as he spit out blood and the snapping of bones meant he was healing himself. He wondered for a moment if he shouldn¡¯t just go back inside, then the culprit stepped out through the hole in the wall with a bleeding hand and helped the idiot up, who they repaid him with an uppercut that laid him out flat. Chapter 170: Wurmhunt The guard captain walked up to the pair and poked the guildmaster to make sure he was really knocked out. The front desk woman stepped out through the main door next to the hole in the wall. ¡°Jen, what happened here?¡± ¡°This man came in for a request as he had no money nor a tag, when he beat Jack, Rent stepped in for a fight. Then they took part in a Ursa cultural exchange.¡± Harlan spit out a mouthful of blood and then straightened himself out, his healing was going alright, but he was tired and needed to eat. ¡°Yeah, and he cheated.¡± ¡°How did he cheat?¡± ¡°Imbibing magic, the test is supposed to be no magic. If I was any weaker I¡¯d be dead.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like you to leave my town so we don¡¯t have any more problems.¡± ¡°I need money to get some food and travel expenses. Would it be alright if I stayed just a bit longer?¡± ¡°Are you going to cause more problems?¡± ¡°No.¡± He let out a sigh. ¡°Get your work done, buy what you need, then go. I don¡¯t want you in town when the sun comes up.¡± ¡°Griv, aren¡¯t you being a bit harsh? This man needs serious healing and Rent started the fight.¡± Harlan jumped up. ¡°I¡¯m fine, do I get the blackstone? Or just gold rank?¡± The woman was first shocked, and then made a shameful face. ¡°I will get you a gold tag, you can¡¯t actually be granted blackstone outside of finishing an official request from the higher ups.¡± ¡°Fine. just point me to the orcs, and I¡¯ll bring their heads back.¡± ¡°The details are written on the request.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t use flight in the presence of other people, he had no idea how rare it was exactly, but outside of mages from the academy, he never saw anyone use it. So he walked out of the gate and into the woods before he took to the trees. Orcs were orcs, the only thing he really needed to worry about was making sure that there was enough of them left to identify how many he killed. It was a small group, just 5 of them. Harlan touched down in the middle and cut off their heads with a ring of air before making small bolts of void to destroy their smaller heart. This was little more than an inconvenience to something like an orc, but it would always disrupt their motor control long enough for Harlan to start actually fighting them. Telekinesis wasn¡¯t something they had, and as such, they had no resistance to the magic. They were pulled limb from limb, holes were punched through their bodies, none of it was pleasant to see. Then Harlan remembered something. He killed 3 of them and restrained the other two. Nobody was willing to let him bring an orc back for research and nobody wanted to stay around while he picked apart their souls. Harlan spent an hour on the second one, the first had unfortunately expired once he split the soul into what he believed were human and goblin pieces. By the time the second orc died, he felt a sense of sorrow. From what he gathered in this time, though he would put in the effort to do more so he was sure, the centuries of existing as a new lifeform made the souls entirely incompatible with being either human or goblin, the information just didn¡¯t seem to exist to return them to a human state. The nice part was that it confirmed that they could be wiped out without feeling guilty. The sad part was that they could be wiped out without feeling guilty. After Harlan returned he got paid, ate until he felt full, and realized that he didn¡¯t have anything left for supplies. Had he not researched their souls, he wouldn¡¯t be so hungry, but he considered it a worthwhile exchange. He went back to see if there was another request worth taking. ¡°I want to hunt the Black Lindwurm.¡± ¡°Have you ever hunted one before?¡± ¡°20 feet long, acid that can dissolve metal in seconds. I¡¯ve heard my uncle tell a story of hunting them.¡± ¡°That request has been hung on the board 6 times in the last year, you are looking at a 60 foot behemoth that we pray everyday runs into a Greater Drake. If that thing ever left the woods we would need to flee or hope to the gods that somehow we kill it without losing the town.¡± ¡°Alright, I will be careful.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem like a bad guy, not sure why you want to be adventuring, but it isn¡¯t worth it. Go kill more orcs, spend a week here, they always get new requests.¡± ¡°It sounds to me like if I leave then I¡¯m just going to let more people try to kill the Lindwurm and die.¡± ¡°It is your funeral. But on your gravestone, what should I write for the reason you decided to adventure?¡± ¡°Because I need the money.¡± She scoffed and waved him away. It was two days travel to reach the depths of the forest where the beast was located. From the bones around the area, at least a few drakes had already tried and failed to kill the beast. It looked in Harlan¡¯s direction and tasted the air before a high pressure stream of acid shot right at him. His invisibility was rather solid, but also basic. For humans, it worked fine since their noses weren¡¯t that sensitive, but for something like this it was impossible to hide his presence. After almost 10 minutes of running away, the beast returned to its hole, Harlan noticed that there was a clutch of eggs down there. He pulled out his amulet once he was sure that it was safe and called Redmond who took a while to answer. ¡°Harlan?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Get back to the academy, what the hell do you think you are doing? My sister is going to skin you alive for running off like this.¡± ¡°Well that was fast.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a joke.¡± There was a pause and Harlan could hear him whistling to Cu. ¡°What happened? Why did you run off?¡± ¡°Who am I?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What kind of man am I to you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re my nephew.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t what I mean, I don¡¯t think you are dumb, just answer, honestly.¡± ¡°You are a scared kid who jumps from manic to depressed every time you see more of the world.¡± ¡°I need to stop seeing the world how I have. I need to see people for who they are when they aren¡¯t dealing with me. I can¡¯t do that from the academy. I need real experience to see who I really want to be.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that, you already said you were going to stop pretending to be a grown up, go back, have some fun with your friends.¡± ¡°How do I hunt a Black Lindwurm, 60 feet long and sitting on a clutch of eggs.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t. You call in warmages from the army to firebomb the entire area and pray to whoever is listening that it dies from the smoke.¡± ¡°See, I was thinking that if I catch it sleeping and use a piercer warspell on it, I might be able to handle it.¡± ¡°If it was a month ago and it hadn¡¯t bred yet, I¡¯d say drop a tree on it and then see if you can¡¯t pick it off. If it was a month later, it would be slow from the cold and I¡¯d say to wait another month or two for it to hibernate then bomb the damn thing from as far away as you can be.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s weak to cold spells?¡± ¡°No, it isn¡¯t. If you just cool it down the thing will move around to heat itself up. They hibernate for a short time and only during the coldest days. Local spells just don¡¯t have the power to cool it down without it realizing that winter hasn¡¯t started yet and fleeing¡± ¡°How much do they move from their nests if the eggs haven¡¯t hatched?¡± ¡°Rarely, they eat a large amount before they sit on them and then they only leave for smaller meals. I don¡¯t know for sure, but they take about 3 months for the eggs to hatch, so this thing could sit there for another month, or maybe it will sit there for another week before it gets up to eat.¡± ¡°Alright, I have an idea that might work, and it doesn¡¯t put me in danger. I noticed that you didn¡¯t tell me to stop this time.¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Yeah, I forgot something from my description of you, you are as stubborn as a herd of mules. I know you aren¡¯t going to stop, but please, call your mother and tell her that I tried to make you go back.¡± Harlan spent two weeks digging trenches and then trying to draw in as much water mana as he could. The biggest problem should¡¯ve been that if he made a giant rune that stretched for miles, it needed to be constantly watched so that megafauna wouldn¡¯t break anything on it and disrupt it, yet the forest was showing clear signs of over-hunting. The second biggest problem was that he wasn¡¯t likely to be able to cool down a massive area because it would just blow away. So, to solve this, and add more headaches, Harlan used two runes that stretched for miles. One to cool down the area, and the second to lock in the cold. Harlan was chittering under his pile of furs as he tore into the freshly cooked meat. Two more weeks had passed and a lucky cold front from the north helped to make the process of wintering the area faster. It was finally time. The mass of furs took to the sky and slowed down the closer he got to the beast. He knew that this thing was sleeping, but even under a blanket of snow and ice, it was alive. If this didn¡¯t work, he thought about trying to make poisoned bait. He really wished he came up with that idea first, but it seemed like a waste to not use his first plan. Harlan gathered up as much power as he could and formed a spear of void, putting it right through the brain of the beast. Despite Sepul¡¯s words, he found it rather easy to use the spell and the void listened to his commands. It woke up and thrashed around since with such a massive size and Harlan not exactly having an anatomy book on standby he had only taken out a chunk of the brain but not the whole thing. ¡°Oh, shit.¡± The beast¡¯s reaction time was slower on account of its missing brain matter, but at such a close range Harlan knew that he wasn¡¯t going to get away, so he instead jumped at the creature. The roof of its mouth had been bored through already, so instead of being swallowed Harlan just flew in and then back out. Despite its power, and its magical properties, the beast was no mage and its own ranged attack was the acid spit. Yet the damage done to it already made its shots inaccurate so Harlan had little issue staying in the sky while the beast¡¯s body began to shut down as its brain leaked out from the thrashing around. After a short call to say that he was alive and his plan had worked, Harlan wanted to know if this thing tasted good. Shockingly, according to Redmond, it was actually a delicacy as long as the acid sacs hadn¡¯t burst and poisoned the meat, even then the effected area could be removed. Harlan didn¡¯t really care that much about being found out now, he was tired, and yet full of vigor from the snake meat. He severed the head, cast hover, and then took along an egg too. Those were supposed to better than the meat and the unborn Lindwurms had soft bones that could be eaten without worry. Harlan had found the idea to be a bit disgusting, but Redmond convinced him that he needed to try it since he had the chance. He moved like a bolt through the air and it took just half a day to reach Bearfast. The gate guards just stood aside, Harlan looked feral covered in many furs and with a floating wurm head behind him. One of them rushed to get the guard captain. Harlan left the head in the street as he went inside the adventurers guild, the egg was strapped to his back with rope he made. ¡°Coins.¡± Harlan grunted. ¡°I brought the head.¡± She called for Rent and they went outside to confirm. Harlan was to lead them to the body so they could gather all of the meat and the eggs. But that would only be after he got a good rest and got the egg cooked. The egg stood 4 feet tall and so he had to dig a pit in the ground and fill it with water so it could be boiled. The mayor even came out and thanked Harlan for his work, but really he just wanted the egg. ¡°How much does it cost to purchase the full egg?¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry, I¡¯m going to eat it, but I¡¯ll share.¡± The man wasn¡¯t exactly happy with the answer and kept trying to haggle for it. He didn¡¯t want part of it, he wanted the egg. Harlan was annoyed after a few minutes but a glare stopped the man dead in his tracks. He was not a weak man, he had been a soldier for years, even had a high rank before he retired. Harlan could feel the indignation of the man and expected that this was not over. ¡°You know, there are more eggs, they just need to be brought back.¡± ¡°Would you be willing to sell me one of them?¡± ¡°You can buy the whole clutch for all I care. My uncle said the flavor is unforgettable, just needs a bit of salt. I can¡¯t very well not try it once.¡± ¡°Of course. But, I¡¯ve heard it can have, other properties.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Harlan said no more. Rent came by to awkwardly avoid asking for some of the egg. After Harlan said that he could see through him from a mile away, but the answer was yes, he sat next to Harlan and watched as the water in the pit boiled. ¡°Impressive control for someone so young.¡± ¡°What do you really want?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve thought about hunting the beast for over a decade, but I¡¯ve never had either a strong enough group or enough forces to kill it. To see you come back after a month by yourself, well, you¡¯ve taken the wind out of my sails. I spent so much time dreaming about how I would kill it, that you got there first.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Harlan returned with a bottle of liquor. ¡°Drink. You look like you could use it.¡± Rent didn¡¯t question it, he just started sipping the bottle. ¡°How did you do it?¡± ¡°I drew two massive runes, inducing an artificial winter to force a hibernation state in the creature. Then I struck it from above with a spiral warspell and dodged its desperation attacks.¡± The mayor and the Ursa looked at him strangely and Harlan saw it. ¡°How often do you actually go that deep into the woods?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a few years, I¡¯m technically retired.¡± ¡°Mammoths are native here. I saw bones out there, but you would be hard pressed to find many large animals left. I¡¯d give it a year, three at most, before it moved on. If you were lucky, it would go north, settle down in another patch of the woods. If you weren¡¯t lucky, it would come here, eat its fill, and then keep going south. Some things are not supposed to live for so long, grow so strong. Lindwurms are a dead end, they are not smart like a Skoll or a Fenrir, they are just animals who can use some basic magic.¡± ¡°Really? I thought that thing would just stay put, like some kinda monster in a storybook.¡± ¡°They are nothing but animals. They should be viewed as beasts to be understood and slain as needed. I do wonder, how did it grow so long? I saw drake bones, perhaps the Greater Drake which should¡¯ve killed it died from some other creature.¡± Rent averted his eyes. ¡°Ah, that makes sense. Mankind, always ready to make their own worst enemies.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a human.¡± ¡°Then you are twice the fool. But that makes sense, the other Ursa I know is a battle maniac who doesn¡¯t think through her actions.¡± ¡°Are you looking for another fight?¡± ¡°You cheated last time.¡± ¡°And you sucker punched me when I helped you get up.¡± ¡°So then we are even.¡± Any bystanders quickly left the area, not wanting to be caught up between them. Instead they simply glared and ended it with a handshake where each tried to break the other¡¯s hand. Harlan could only really reach around a few fingers, so they considered it a draw. The egg was good and Harlan offered it to anyone who passed by. It was great for morale and more volunteers signed up on the mission to butcher the Lindwurm. When Harlan turned in for the night, he called Adina. ¡°Harlan.¡± There was a barely contained rage in her voice. ¡°Hey, thought that I should call. Did Mary talk to you?¡± ¡°Have you found yourself yet?¡± She mocked. ¡°I know, you¡¯re mad, and I get it. But I think this can also be a good thing for you.¡± ¡°Oh, really? How?¡± ¡°You are always looking to me for something, affection, advice, praise. I am worried that you are dependent on me, and that I¡¯ve been feeding that so much that it is stunting your personal growth.¡± ¡°I feel fine when you are around, there is nothing wrong with that. So get back here.¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t feel fine without me being there, doesn¡¯t that worry you?¡± ¡°No, because I know you are always going to be there. Please, come back, or just bring me with, I¡­¡± He could hear her choking up. ¡°I¡¯m lonely, everyone else is around me, but you aren''t, you left me here.¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t do this now, I¡¯m never going to be myself, I¡¯ll always be split between two sides that can¡¯t find a balance. It is killing me, and one day, it might kill you. I¡¯ve lived for so long trying to be strong, to keep everyone safe, that I haven¡¯t had the chance to really come to grips with who I really want to be. Once I have all the power I can ever need, what do I do with it? I can¡¯t bring you, because I don¡¯t act the same around you as I do when I¡¯m alone. I will be back. You don¡¯t need to worry about me, and when I do, you are free to beat the shit out of me for hurting you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want that, I just want you here.¡± ¡°I can stay on the call until you go to sleep, but I can¡¯t be there with you.¡± They talked, trying to avoid all of the pain between them, until she couldn¡¯t stay up any longer. ¡°You should go back.¡± ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t talking with me still?¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°I need to do this, you know I do. I¡¯m going to snap one day, and when that happens, things can get very bad, or they can work out. I think a lot about the day I had my empathy explained to me. She told me that if I don¡¯t get it under control, a lot of people are going to die, and if I understand my power, it will be marginally better. I¡¯ve had moments when I lost control and I thought maybe this is it, this is why I had to have control of my power. But I don¡¯t think it has happened yet. Do you know what it is like? To be afraid all the time over what you might do? That people will die, and only by being in control can I somewhat mitigate it, but not avoid it? I killed 500 men, and I don¡¯t care, but I see people afraid when I¡¯m on stage and I flip the script entirely? I have no idea who the fuck I am.¡± ¡°Is this really going to help though?¡± ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll go another month and run out of steam, but it is somewhat refreshing to have people treat me like a person. Though I should probably change my face and name, since I¡¯ve drawn attention to this identity.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep.¡± ¡°You can do that?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± In the morning a train of wagons were ready to follow him into the woods. Harlan sat on the head wagon and whistled to start. Rent was in the one behind him, he wasn¡¯t going to miss the chance to see the body up close and make sure that the beast was butchered properly. On foot Harlan got there in 2 days, though flight, close to 8 hours, the train was expected to take 5 days, then 4 to butcher, 6 to get back with full loads. On the first day it rained, Harlan tried his best to clear the clouds, but there was something up there and his sixth sense told him to leave it alone. They went through a valley on day 3, bandits came for them. On day 4, Harlan picked a tooth from his hair. On day 6 they arrived. A tribe of ogres arrived on the 2nd day of butchering; though there was some arguments, it was settled in a duel that they would get just the tip of the tail. It had some value to their shaman apparently. It was mostly skin at the end anyway, so it wasn¡¯t a big loss. On the final day a group of adventurers attempted to leave with a full wagon in the night. Harlan spared them. On the way back they encountered little resistance, though without Rent and him there, the Wyrmlings attracted to the meat would¡¯ve torn the group apart. Harlan was chewing on the burned meat from using chain lightning on the flock and resting. The head of the group of butchers was a man with some relation to the mayor, though Harlan cared little about the topics he spoke of. Harlan had no interest in booze, or brothels. Cards did interest him, but the man was a cheat. He was missing three fingers, each from cheating at cards. He was warned that the 4th time they wouldn¡¯t be taking another finger, so he fled to the frontier. He dodged the question of if he was still cheating. Harlan was glad to finally be ready to move on, though seeing that a flag had been raised in the village, denoting a band of knights, made Harlan worried. Chapter 171: Darrath and the Knights When they approached the gate the guard that Harlan knew was gone, replaced by a knight with a tabard for the local count. ¡°Halt.¡± ¡°We''ve already stopped.¡± The driver grabbed Harlan¡¯s head and forced a bow, though Harlan could¡¯ve resisted, he didn¡¯t. ¡°Apologies, sir, he is simple.¡± ¡°You are the group coming back from a butchering mission? We need to confirm that the Black Demon of Bearfast is dead.¡± ¡°Ah, I thought that the skull was left here? Sir.¡± ¡°A skull confirmed something died, unrotten meat, wagons full of it, proves it was something recent.¡± The knights checked the wagons full of cold meat. Had Harlan killed it in the summer months it would¡¯ve gone to waste or would need to be preserved on site before being transported back. Luckily for the village, the meat would fetch a higher price in its untouched state. ¡°We will be taking half the wagons.¡± ¡°Ah, we haven¡¯t decided on price yet, if we could-¡± The knight struck the driver and the others began tossing others off their own wagons. Rent and the other adventurers who came with as protection didn¡¯t dare stand in their way. Finally the head knight attempted to move Harlan, but he wasn¡¯t budging an inch. ¡°You are stealing these mens hard work, coin from their pockets, food from their mouths. That doesn¡¯t seem very knightly.¡± That Harlan had resisted and then talked back made the man furious, he drew his sword and struck Harlan. Nobody could bear to watch, despite what he had done for them, it would be pointless to go against them. Yet the man who screamed was not Darrath. ¡°Under the laws of the kingdom, any soldier who engages in banditry loses any special privileges and becomes subject to criminal investigation, not limited to arrest, imprisonment, or, a death sentence should he be caught in the act.¡± The knight captain heard none of this, considering his neck had been snapped by a simple jab from Harlan. ¡°Who among you will challenge the law?¡± The other knights surrounded Harlan. Rent was outside of the circle, and tried to help. ¡°Darrath, just give up, no point in throwing your life away for some meat.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t about meat, it is about the principle of it all.¡± Another knight tried to stab Harlan and got a splash of fire across his face. He tried to dose it, but the sticky fire spell was more often than not a death sentence once it began to seep into the orifices. ¡°If men like this, who represent the law, break it so brazenly, when do they stop? They have shown that even a simple insult is worth killing over.¡± Barely any of what he said had gotten through over the screams of the man whose flesh sloshed off his face. Harlan put his rod through the man''s skull, ending his suffering as he stepped off of the wagon. ¡°Flee, and I will not pursue.¡± Foolish as they were, the 14 men left hit Harlan with as many spells as they could, uncaring for collateral damage. Had they been inside of the village homes would already be in flames and bodies would drop in the street. Rent rushed around in an attempt to protect the men. Harlan¡¯s rock walls held, not that it mattered. As soon as line of sight was broken he went into the ground. Over the explosions of fireballs nobody noticed the first scream as a man was dragged into the ground. Only after the third man did anyone notice that men were going missing. ¡°STOP FIRING, CONFIRM YOUR POSITIONS.¡± The men saw Harlan pop up from the ground. It was generally a death sentence to stay underground when people knew you were there as trying to stop them from crushing the unfortunate soul was difficult to say the least. The man closest to Harlan suffered little as his head was split horizontally by a quick strike from his rod. ¡°Flee, and I will not pursue.¡± The current head yelled his orders before Harlan tossed a stone that dented the man¡¯s helmet and left him brain dead on the ground. ¡°ADVENTURERS, YOU ARE CONSCRIPTED UNDER THE LAWS OF RAGNE. KILL THAT BASTARD.¡± It was legally dubious at best, but it wasn¡¯t like most people knew the law anyway. Rent took a fighting stance. ¡°Don¡¯t do this.¡± ¡°Let me make it quick, it will be better than whatever they are going to do if you get arrested.¡± The knights themselves cared little about the men who were now forced to fight, slinging spells that hurt or even killed them. Harlan was deeply upset by this display of wanton cruelty and began tossing back his own spells, simple bolts of fire, spiraled as one would a warmagic. He had already realized that magic being forced into simple categories was nothing but a simplification for the sake of teaching, things which applied to one category often applied to every other category in some manner. The bolts ripped through the man like bullets, the ones who were smart enough to keep their helmets on at all times fared little better as the now white hot metal seared their scalps. The last of the men fell and the fight ended as quickly as it started. Yet Rent kept going as Harlan dodged with nonchalance. ¡°With the knights dead, you can stop now.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t, if anyone talks, I¡¯m a dead man.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Griv has stepped out, but not gotten involved, he knew full well that Harlan was someone who couldn¡¯t be fought by normal men. If he could break Rent¡¯s hand without magical assistance, what hope did he or his men really have? Harlan jumped back to get distance between him and Rent. He took the same stance as their first fight, yet both sides knew enough about the other to expect that it was a faint, and if they knew it was a faint then it really was an invite. Harlan¡¯s skin grayed and got hot as he activated earth and fire imbibing, the first hardening his skin and bones, the second granting explosive power. He could¡¯ve used water imbibing as well for more flexibility and to regulate his temperature, but the ability was already hard on the body, using more than two at his skill level was a very bad idea considering he still needed to flee. ¡°If you come at me, you will die.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got too much confidence, little cub.¡± The Ursa splashed mud to block Harlan¡¯s vision just before the exchange of blows. Yet Harlan¡¯s senses were not so reliant on sight, and he would not follow the rules of the engagement. He narrowly dodged the straight that would¡¯ve taken his head off and kicked Rent¡¯s inner thigh. The sound of snapping bone was quickly overshadowed by the roar of pain. He tried to strike Harlan again, but he put too much weight behind the last attack and with a bum leg his movement was severely hampered. Harlan¡¯s fists struck the man like a hammer until his skin was so bruised and swollen that it could be noticed even under his fur. A downpour began, as if to accentuate the failure of the Ursa who wheezed heavily and used the last of his energy to just barely stand. ¡°REMEMBER, I DIED ON MY FEET.¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. He put up his hands, ready to throw at least one more punch. He had crossed a line, attacking him after he had lost a reason to. It was selfish and stupid, those who murder should expect nothing less than death. Harlan rushed forward like a hawk going for a mouse yet stopped just shy of the beastkin. The Ursa had his hands up, but lacked the energy to actually swing them. ¡°Why did you bother going after I killed the last of the knights? I mean the real reason.¡± ¡°I just wanted one last good fight. That snake was supposed to be my dream, you robbed me of that. If I killed you, who killed it, I could die happy.¡± ¡°What a fucking idiot.¡± Harlan pushed him over with one hand. ¡°And now you can die like a dog, sitting in the mud.¡± Jack screamed as he rushed Harlan. A wave of the hand, a back hand strike could end the man. ¡°JACK, STAY BACK.¡± Harlan pulled a dagger he hadn¡¯t ever gotten the chance to use before now. He stabbed Jack no less than a dozen times before he fell to the ground, Rent silently wept for his foolish apprentice. ¡°This is your lucky day.¡± These were the last words he heard. Two days later Rent woke up, his healing wasn¡¯t done completely, mostly it was a matter of payment. Jen was sitting at the foot of the bed too small for him. ¡°Rent, I thought we were going to lose you.¡± She hugged the man and handed a freshly peeled apple to him that he ate in one bite, core and all. Then the realization hit, he was alive. ¡°Is Jack alright?¡± He tried to get up but found himself still severely sore. ¡°He is fine, resting in the next room over.¡± ¡°I saw his eyes grow dull, he got stabbed so many times¡­¡± ¡°The doctor doesn¡¯t know what happened, but Jack didn¡¯t have a single wound on him, it was like he was overhealed until he passed out.¡± ¡°What are the damages for me?¡± ¡°About 80 silver for you and Jack.¡± ¡°He can pay his own damn bill.¡± ¡°You know, the first thing he did when he woke up yesterday was try to come here and see you.¡± Rent sighed. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll pay for him.¡± He grunted as he sat up. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s time that I retire, for real, I couldn¡¯t even beat a cub half my age. Shit, what about the knights? Does Count Oreland know what happened?¡± ¡°Seekers came and went, after seeing the state of the battlefield, they decided to give chase rather than bother anyone else. Seeing that you were beaten nearly to death alongside the other adventurers and Griv having lost an arm convinced them that you really did try to stop Darrath.¡± ¡°Griv tried to fight him?¡± ¡°He dragged you and Jack back into the village with a bleeding stump and a shattered sword.¡± ¡°I guess I had him all wrong, I thought he was a lazy shit unfit for his position. That was almost heroic, maybe if he joined in sooner, we would¡¯ve won.¡± Back to just after the sleeping air put Rent to rest. Griv stepped close, sword drawn. ¡°I can¡¯t let you leave like this.¡± ¡°You do realize you can¡¯t beat me, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll lay my sword across my chest, hit me right at the shoulder, take off the arm and break the blade¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I just kill you instead?¡± ¡°Ha, I¡¯m a good judge of character, you don¡¯t look the type to kill without a good reason. I don¡¯t disagree with you about the knights, but there isn¡¯t much I can do against them.¡± ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± ¡°Make it look real. Alright, 1-¡± Harlan struck instantly. Between the downpour and the fighting there were no witnesses, all people knew was that Griv went out, screamed, and came back with only one arm and a busted sword. Harlan was currently inside of a hollow tree, evading the Seekers outside. Were it not for his ability to ward away divining spells with quite some skill and also close up the tree perfectly enough that they didn¡¯t even realize he was in there, it might need to get messy. Harlan didn¡¯t really know Seekers on any personal level, but the impression he got from those he did meet was that they were professionals who were drawn to the job by a sense of justice. He didn¡¯t want to kill them if he could avoid it. ¡°Why did you spare him? Decided to be the meek man?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve spared someone who tried to kill me. Rent was just mixed up, I killed his delusion, his idea that one day he was finally going to kill that wurm. He never did anything so bad that I think he deserves to die. The knights, they beat men and dragged them from their wagons for nothing but the value of that meat. Rent put his life on the line for something he believes in,¡± ¡°He believed in killing you for something as silly as missing the chance to kill an overgrown garter snake.¡± ¡°Do you think he would give his life to protect Jack?¡± ¡°We barely know either of them.¡± ¡°I think he would. I want to see more of that side of humanity, the ones who could be worth saving from themselves.¡± The Seekers weren¡¯t far from his tree, they knew that Harlan was there, but his ward stopped them from finding him after it was set up so they were relying on their mundane senses to scan the general area. Harlan waited for one of them to get to his tree, the man was feeling the bark, noticing that the moss was more vibrant green due to Harlan having just grown it. Harlan reached through the tree like it was water and hit him with a white noise attack. He carried the man by wrapping his arm around his neck, though loose enough that he didn¡¯t risk actually choking the man. ¡°SEEKER, I¡¯VE GOT YOUR PARTNER.¡± The other man was hidden behind one of the trees, though it wasn¡¯t hard to do so since one could hide a house behind them. ¡°10 SECONDS AND I¡¯LL KILL HIM. 10, 9, 8-¡± Harlan could feel the confliction of the second man as he stepped out. ¡°I¡¯M HERE. WHY DON¡¯T WE SETTLE THIS PEACEFULLY.¡± Harlan walked closer with a dagger held to the throat of the comatose man. ¡°Why do you do your work?¡± ¡°To get rid of murderers like you. 16 knights, men with families, don¡¯t you feel guilt over their lost lives? Why not turn yourself in.¡± ¡°Men who were little better than bandits, who intended to steal carts full of Lindwurm meat. What of the families of those men who they stole from?¡± ¡°We have systems in place to handle these incidents. They would be found out.¡± ¡°From what I¡¯ve overheard, they were under a count, Oreland. What can you tell me about him?¡± The Seeker would rather not make the situation worse, but Oreland was not a harsh man. Those under him either had positive opinions or very negative ones. He kept his lands safe, he didn¡¯t over tax his people. But he had put down more than a few revolutions already, and he did not negotiate. ¡°I don¡¯t personally know him, but he has ruled the county for over a decade since the unfortunate passing of his father and brothers.¡± ¡°Is he a good man, liked by his people?¡± ¡°Far be it from me to judge him for-¡± Harlan pressed the dagger to his partner¡¯s neck, drawing blood. ¡°Do I need to ask you again? Please, honesty will get both of you out of this alive.¡± ¡°How could I trust the word of a man like you?¡± ¡°That is fair, but I am not the man on trial, you are. Here, a show of good faith.¡± Harlan cast hover and pushed the slumbering man to his partner, the wound on his neck was already closed. The Seeker thought about rushing Harlan, but when he looked at the man with an open stance appearing non-threatening his sixth sense told him that it was a very bad idea. Harlan had traced sigils onto the ground, not enough to morph a man, but if he blew away the leaves it would hurt to look at them. ¡°Please, why don¡¯t we talk like men. I have no love of bloodshed, but I will do what I need to help those who need it. So, tell me, what kind of man are you? To defend the men who attempted to murder me when I refused to allow them to take what was not theirs without payment? An ignorant man? Or one who knows evil, but does not take a stand against it?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have enough information to decide what happened yet. If you could come in with me, explain the reason for the fight, stand trial, we could clear things up.¡± ¡°I have seen the nobility of the courts. I have no proof but my words, and the words of those who witnessed the killings. What hope do I have to stand against a count who is willing to send knights to steal from his own people? He would kill those villagers to stop them from saying anything but lies which paint me as a wanton murderer.¡± ¡°I take my work very seriously, and I am not tied to the count, every Seeker operates under the crown.¡± ¡°In his pocket is a bomb, if I cast a spell to activate it, you will both die. If you take the bomb and run away, I will activate it and kill you. If you leave it in his pocket and run away, I will activate it and let you leave.¡± ¡°Wait, what? Can¡¯t we just keep talking, no need to jump to such a thing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m done with this conversation. Make your choice, and do so quickly.¡± The man began to frantically search for the alleged bomb. ¡°Inner pocket, left side.¡± He pulled the round stone from his jacket. ¡°This is just a rock?¡± ¡°Sense, look at it, soulsmithing is a beautiful art, so long as something can hold the soul for just a little bit, anything is a weapon.¡± ¡°Whose soul is in this?¡± ¡°Nothing Harmful, just a fragment of your partner. So, make your choice. And if you try to throw it away, I¡¯ll kill you both¡± He looked at the rock in his hand and then to his partner, the man had just had his first child, even made him her godfather. More than once he had promised to keep him safe. ¡°You¡¯ll really leave him be?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll put him in a simple stone hut under wards to keep animals from finding him before he wakes up. He will have a headache and some soreness, but will be unharmed. Make your choice.¡± He took a deep breath, and rushed at Harlan, stone in hand. He couldn¡¯t trust him, and he couldn¡¯t leave his partner, so he hoped to at least take Harlan down with him. Telekinesis stopped him mid air. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I would¡¯ve done too.¡± Force began to press down on his neck, cutting off blood flow to the brain. Harlan placed the two of them in a stone hut and activated the stone, which simply glowed a dim white to light up the room. Harlan put on a new face, blonde hair, green eyes, tanned skin tone to imply a half Golden lineage. ¡°I think I know what I can do to find out how I feel.¡± ¡°Play games? This is¡­ At least you aren¡¯t killing them, does that really make it that much better?¡± ¡°No, I can put on a persona, I ruined my chance to be seen as normal when I knocked out Rent. Maybe I¡¯ll look for mundane work.¡± Harlan made a few more changes, his features became more androgynous, he shrunk himself down to 5¡¯6, which was a very uncomfortable experience that left him resting in a carved out tree for an hour as his organs and bones shifted to accommodate this new him. From a distance, he might appear as a young girl, but up close it should be clear that he was just a beautiful young man. Chapter 172: Alex Harlan spent a week already working at a tavern, the owner seemed like a reasonable man who had been faithful to his wife for years, opening a tavern in his old age called The Shaky Leg. He had been a dancer of some renown in his youth, before being injured due to his old age giving brittle bones and retiring. Yet another patron was not a decent man, Harlan had been ¡®knocked out¡¯ three times already, but he always got the patron to leave with a little bit of empathy if need be. Nobody had enough of a mind to resist him, thus force was not needed. The girl¡¯s name was Lilly, like the princess, but with an extra L. She had blonde hair and green eyes, much like him. More than a few people who had seen them assumed him to be her younger brother. ¡°You need to learn to stay out of things like this. I can handle myself.¡± She was currently pressing a rag to his nose and forcing his head back to stop the bleeding. Harlan was a little annoyed that he had to force himself to bleed, but this persona needed to actually be hurt, otherwise it wouldn¡¯t have the right effect. ¡°What kind of man would I be if I didn¡¯t step in?¡± ¡°One without a broken nose. Stay here, don¡¯t get up until it stops bleeding.¡± ¡°Alright, Lilly.¡± After a few minutes Harlan stopped the act, a rather rough looking group had walked in, and he would rather take their orders. They were three Ibexian¡¯s in full body armor with heavy maces hung on their sides. On their chest was a mercenary crest of a sheep skull, meaning these men were hired on by a noble who was willing to let them fly their own colors. Such a thing was a rarity outside of the lands nearest the border with Reino or the frontier. Most nobles saw them as nothing but hired blades, which they were, and the idea of granting them the right to a crest was considered absurd. ¡°What can I get you?¡± ¡°Ale, three pitchers. What food do you have?¡± ¡°Today we have beef stew, mutton, and meat pies. For desert we have apple or pumpkin pies.¡± ¡°Mutton, three plates, two whole meat pies, 3 apple pies.¡± ¡°Alright, just a moment.¡± Once he was out of what they believed to be earshot there was a small debate over him being a boy or a girl. Harlan, or rather, Alex, brought back their order. ¡°Are you male or female?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a man.¡± Harlan puffed his chest and got a great big laugh that struck fear in a few of the drunks. Lilly looked on, worried that he had upset them, but there were smiles all around, which didn¡¯t really look much better. For most people, Ibexians were scary, black goats were considered bad luck on account of a magical Black Goat and a mundane black goat being imperceptible for most people. And while most Ibexian¡¯s were white or gray furred, these were all black. ¡°What are a group like you doing here? Monster hunting?¡± ¡°No, hunting a killer. Took down 30 knights and two black tagged adventurers.¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯m scared just knowing men like that are out there.¡± The leader of the group who had half a head on the other two narrowed his eyes. ¡°No, you aren¡¯t. I think I¡¯ve got a good sense for people.¡± ¡°Of course, how could I be scared knowing soldiers like you are in the area.¡± ¡°Captain, give the kid a break. He probably already heard the story, this is just one village over from Bearfast.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah yeah. How long have you been here? Are you a local?¡± ¡°Nope, came in about a week ago. I even passed through Bearfast, though it was before that fight happened.¡± ¡°You know what, get me another pitcher.¡± Harlan was halfway to the bar when the captain threw his fork at Harlan. He panicked for a second as he tried to make it look convincing when he dodged just enough for it to cut his shirt, but not bounce off of his skin. He could fake a bloody nose by forcing veins to burst, but he couldn¡¯t fake a cut so easily. ¡°The kid ain¡¯t who he says he is.¡± The captain was about to get up when his vice-captain, the only woman in the group, forced him back down. ¡°Sorry, sorry, he just likes testing people. No harm no foul?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Harlan picked up the sharp fork and went to wash it. The thought had crossed his mind to throw it back, but he had already done too much by reacting to the fork. He hid the fury he felt, things were going well, but Harlan couldn¡¯t hide who he was well enough. Meekness didn¡¯t fit him, that much he was sure of. The black goats stayed in town, from what Harlan learned by following them under stealth they were planning to just stay around until they found information to confirm or deny that Darrath had passed through. The Seekers noted the direction Harlan had been traveling in when they found him, and this information was spread around. ¡°Cap, do you think the kid knows something?¡± ¡°He has a very bad feeling around him. Even if he isn¡¯t the one we are looking for, he is a killer.¡± ¡°Not the one we are contracted to find though. From what we¡¯ve heard, he hasn¡¯t displayed an ounce of magic even, whatever he is, isn¡¯t really our problem.¡± ¡°No, I went in there yesterday by myself, as soon as I imbibed he noticed. Who would see that? My fur is already black, it barely even changes when I use imbibing, but he saw that and from his face, he was trying to pretend that he didn¡¯t see it.¡± ¡°You always get obsession, again, this isn¡¯t really our problem.¡± ¡°I want to fight him.¡± ¡°Ur¡¯Kalen, sit the fuck down. You¡¯ll splatter the kid with a single strike. Yeah, he feels like he is hiding something, but he doesn¡¯t feel overly strong.¡± ¡°No, there is something else that you guys don¡¯t see. Ur¡¯kul, you¡¯ve been quiet.¡± ¡°Honestly? He scares the piss out of me. En¡¯unn, you really couldn¡¯t feel it?¡± ¡°No, not at all. Did you two look at how he interacts with people instead of how he makes you feel? I followed him like you asked, he helps old women carry their produce, he weeds flower beds for free, he bought a blanket for a homeless man and didn¡¯t even stick around to hear a thank you.¡± ¡°Nobody is like that, there is a contrast in who he looks like and what he is. I¡¯m going to prove it.¡± Harlan had been sitting with the group out in the woods the entire time, none of them were divinationists, and so long as he had no ill intent towards them, their sixth sense shouldn¡¯t pick him up. The issue, was that last part. Harlan dropped stealth when he saw Kalan look in his direction. ¡°So, I guess it is time for me to leave then.¡± He dropped his head, as if he was deeply saddened by the news. The Ibexians jumped from the stumps they were sitting on. Kalen drew his mace but Unn stopped him from swinging. ¡°Get a hold of yourself, if he wanted to hurt us he would¡¯ve done it without revealing himself. Alex, that is your name, right? Why don¡¯t you explain this to them, why are you hiding.¡± ¡°I killed a man, I was a soldier once, but my commanding officer, he¡­ one of the girls in my unit. I just saw the blood and I attacked him.¡± Harlan cried crocodile tears. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just, I can¡¯t bear to see something like that, it just isn¡¯t right. Then I came here, Lilly, she looks so much like her, I can¡¯t leave her to be hassled by drunks all day, so I stopped running, hoped to settle down. But it''s too late for that now, I¡¯m sorry, just, take me in.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that it is hard to handle that, but we aren¡¯t guards, it isn¡¯t our place to deal with someone who tried to do the right thing, even if it broke the law.¡± The two men were baffled. ¡°You are buying this shit? He knows invisibility, normal soldiers don¡¯t know that. Can you even name the current high general under the king?¡± Harlan wished that he had thought his story through a little more. He knew that invisibility was restricted, but didn¡¯t think they would catch on so quickly. His tears dried and his tone returned to normal. ¡°Alright, you caught me. I didn¡¯t kill a commander.¡± Unn was embarrassed for falling for such a story, one meant to tug on heartstrings. ¡°Who did you kill?¡± ¡°A lot of people, bandits, knights, a mayor of a city once. Nobody who didn¡¯t have it coming.¡± The Ibexians stepped back and readied themselves for a fight. ¡°What about us?¡± ¡°That depends, do you plan to kill me? Does my past really matter when I¡¯m trying to build a life here? I really do want to protect Lilly from drunkards, because she seems genuinely nice and undeserving of that kind of attention.¡± ¡°Are you Darrath?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you people have a sketch? I¡¯ve seen it on a wanted poster, black hair, brown eyes, 5¡¯10. Unless you think I shrunk myself, I¡¯m not him. So, do you want a fight? Or do you want to walk away from here?¡± ¡°Kalan, why don¡¯t we calm down a little bit.¡± ¡°He has already said it himself, he is a murderer. If he killed a mayor in the past, he must have a bounty on him somewhere, we can still get a pay day.¡± He lowered the visor on his helmet and got ready to fight. Unn might not have had a strong desire to fight him, but her captain said so, and it wasn¡¯t like it wouldn¡¯t still be just. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Kalan stuck Harlan across the head, though instead of brain matter, all that blew in the wind was mist from an illusion. In return he got a straight to his side, were it not for his armor and naturally hearty nature, his liver would¡¯ve ruptured. Harlan dodged another hit, this time from Unn, though this was never meant to hit, but rather to drive him into Kel. Harlan only dodged by pulling himself to the ground and slipping between them. One thing Bojana had always stressed when fighting beastkin was that smaller opponents were trouble for them. For Ibexians specifically they had poorer depth perception and a blind spot in the middle of their vision due to their rectangular pupils and eyes which were offset to the sides instead of straight forward like humans. ¡°Good teamwork. What happens when you lose a member though?¡± Harlan stood horizontally on a tree and they used their soulsmithed weapons to fire lightning bolts. This was just to buy time for Kalan to heal himself, but the results were still a little shocking. Harlan had driven away all both bolts with a counter spell called soaking orb, it and its brother spells were meant to pull in certain magical effects then safely split them back into mana. Though they could be overloaded and were often worse than using more specific spells, they excelled only against a single element and they did not redirect the attacks at their opponents. Harlan hadn¡¯t done this because he was caught of guard, he simply didn¡¯t want to harm these soldiers yet. ¡°What the hell? Counter spells?¡± ¡°You still have a chance to give up. Seriously, I''m not trying to kill you. Even if you are forcing me to leave this place right now. Last chance.¡± Kalan had the wind back in his lungs. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate him, he is heavier than he looks, probably a gravity mage on top of imbibing. Damn kid dented my armor.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Come on, no need for bloodshed, I didn¡¯t even use my weapon when I hit you.¡± Harlan reached into his pocket and when it was brought back out he wore a heavy spiked glove, the rod had simply transformed once again. They surrounded Harlan¡¯s tree, a normal sized one since they were not in the deep forest, but rather they bordered a plain. Harlan stepped down and they moved closer, a nod meant they had already known what the other was thinking without needing to give orders. They were a close knit group, their commander wasn¡¯t making an army, just elites to handle dangerous targets. They attacked with a rather simple pattern, they drove Harlan to the others who then drove him to another and they kept getting closer, their spiked maces cut thin lines in his flesh when he dodged a bit too closely. Harlan realized that he wasn¡¯t going to be able to play around, this wasn¡¯t like the knights or Rent, these people could kill him if they were allowed a single hit to start a chain. Instead of ducking Harlan jumped over a strike, generally speaking, this was suicide as men could not dodge in the air. When the mace came from below and other above Harlan outstretched his hand and his foot, touching both of them and magnetizing them to one another. The pair felt with a single pull that they wouldn¡¯t get them unstuck easily, so they dropped the maces, pulling out long daggers, or short swords, Harlan couldn¡¯t tell which. Harlan deactivated the spell and picked up the maces with telekinesis, pulling one to his hands and casting hover on the other before tossing it into the air. They had yet to realize that Harlan wasn¡¯t using imbibing until this moment when he moved far faster than expected, swinging from low he hit Kel on the end of his snout, crushing his jaw and giving him whiplash that let him shaken, but still able to be healed.. The hover time ended moments later and the mace dropped. Harlan flew up to it and then activated gravity magic, pulling him down. Unn couldn¡¯t believe it, Kel was the more cautious of them and the fastest, but in his rattled state with blood in his eyes there was no way for him to dodge. She threw herself in the way of the mace only for it to become weightless again, despite its speed, without the mass it was like having an acorn fall on her armored head. Harlan jumped away and Unn tried to heal Kel as best she could while anticipating the counter attack. ¡°You know, if I didn¡¯t cast hover again you could¡¯ve died from that strike.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯m not one to abandon a brother like that.¡± ¡°Do you know why you never felt that I was dangerous? Because I¡¯ve never felt threatened by you. Kalan, he figured me out from the first second, but you are either naive or foolish, and weak too. If you were as strong as your brother he wouldn¡¯t be laying in your arms with a fractured skull. Does that weigh on you? That your weakness will be the death of him one day? Do you think that you got on your team out of pity?¡± Kalan stopped her from speaking, they all knew that reacting to taunts was amateur hour shit. ¡°Your face and your words don¡¯t match your actions. You felt some sympathy for her, that is why you stopped the attack from killing her. Tell me, what makes someone as young and little as you be that way?¡± ¡°Fear, crippling, endless, fear. What scares you?¡° ¡°The weight of the lives of my men under me. You?¡± ¡°That I will wake up one day, and my family will be gone, in the blink of an eye. That one day, I won¡¯t be fast enough, or strong enough, or stable enough of mind to save them.¡± Harlan clenched his fists as he spoke. ¡°So, please, I dislike the idea of killing people like you, who believe that they are doing the right thing.¡± He relaxed as he gave his true final warning. ¡°Unn, keep healing Kul, then run, I¡¯ll hold him off, call for reinforcements. He won¡¯t go after you.¡± ¡°Captain, I can¡¯t leave you to die.¡± ¡°The village has a communication station, the commander can get a gate here, I just need to hold him off for a little while. I¡¯m counting on you.¡± Harlan watched them run away, once they were out of sight he spoke. ¡°It is going to crush her for a time to come back and find your body.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to be honest, I¡¯ve been holding back, I fight best alone.¡± From Harlan¡¯s estimation, he was using fire, water, and earth imbibing. By using the three of them, they acted in a way to allow the physical backlash to be barely an issue so long as the spells could all be kept in sync with one another. To use more, the sync would need to be even closer, and so on and so forth. Harlan barely dodged the first strike, and had the second one been downward, the fight would¡¯ve ended right there. His left arm was mangled, but could be healed. The fight had instantly turned from an equal fight to a game of cat and mouth. An Ibexian was a fusion between a human body and the body of an Ibex, the part which made them a stable creature unlike an orc was that the soul of the animal was not part of the equation beyond the physical, for the most part. Ultimately, they were mountain goats with powerful legs and hooves that granted them grip beyond sense. Harlan could barely stay away from the man who shot like a cannon ball at him, crushing small trees in his path. Were it not for them moving deeper and deeper into the forest where the trees rapidly ballooned in size and strength, Harlan felt that this might be the end. Harlan finally had both arms back, he activated imbibing, earth and fire, and swung, not at the man, but at the mace. Between both of them operating beyond their normal means, and Harlan pushing on the mace from the back with telekinesis, they shattered into dozens of pieces that Harlan could then blast towards his opponent now armed with nothing but a bent metal rod.. Kalan thought he had won. Harlan was down his good arm this time, the hand that held the glove was sitting on the forest floor. Yet the boy in front of him barely reacted, jumping back and grabbing the severed limb. The glove switching from right to left handed. The first blow landed and Kalan felt his own armor turn against itself as the spikes dug into his flesh, the motion of breathing only opened more wounds. He met the second with his own fist in a bid to hold his attacker off for just a second longer, but all he gained was more pain. Then they collided Kalan realized exactly how big the difference in equipment was, his fingers turned the wrong way, he felt the his forearm bones shatter, his armor crinkled and barely stopped his bones from shooting out of his elbow. He could only barely try to deflect with his good arm and kick. He watched Harlan move in a blur, destroying his knees and then hitting him once more, crushing his snout. Then the final blow didn¡¯t come. Harlan knelt down in front of the broken man. ¡°Do you think I should kill you?¡± He would¡¯ve laughed, but one of the strikes he couldn¡¯t even follow punctured a lung. Harlan placed his hand on the man who expected darkness, instead he saw light. Harlan had fixed the collapsed lung and nothing else. ¡°I need you to be able to answer me.¡± He panted, his breathing hadn¡¯t become normal, but it was better. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what killers do?¡± ¡°Is the world better with, or without you?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t kill me now, I¡¯m going to kill you, because you are not normal, I see it, you¡¯ll just kill until there is nothing left.¡± ¡°Live a long life, I¡¯ll leave you here for-¡± Harlan took a deep breath, trying to contain his fury as the two minds got closer. He was tired, he was losing blood, his adrenaline was fading and the pain began to creep into his mind. The Ibexian woman stepped out from behind a tree with Lilly in hand. ¡°You are going to turn yourself in, or I¡¯ll snap her neck.¡± ¡°I thought you were reasonable.¡± ¡°Step back from my captain.¡± ¡°Unn, stop.¡± ¡°Alex, whoever you are, give up.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have brought her into this.¡± Harlan took one step but found himself crossing half the distance between them, then another and he was in front of the Ibexian woman. ¡°I give up, take me in.¡± Harlan raised his remaining hand and Unn grabbed him, receiving a white noise attack for her efforts. ¡°I want to kill you, but I don¡¯t know if I should.¡± She had no idea what had happened as she fell to the ground and watched Harlan reach into a pouch. ¡°Heads, or tails?¡± Unn could not answer. Harlan flipped the coin. ¡°Lucky.¡± Harlan leaned on Lilly ¡°Are you ok? You aren¡¯t hurt?¡± She had tears in her eyes. ¡°What the fuck happened here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not who I said I was. Sorry I lied.¡± ¡°You¡¯re hurt.¡± ¡°I need food.¡± Lilly brought him back to the village, hiding him with a woman who he had tilled the garden of just earlier that day. More men, not all of them Ibexian, came out of a gate wearing the sheep skull crest. Kul was being healed but Unn had left a message with the guard about what had happened so they could find them. Were it not for the state that Kul was in and the fact that Unn was willing to kidnap Lilly for the sake of stopping ¡®Alex¡¯ they would¡¯ve tried to arrest her. The divinationists led the way, but they would only find one of their best captains beaten near to death and a vice captain humiliated. A guard knocked on the door of the old woman, noticing droplets of blood near her home. He looked inside, saw the old woman who had been there since the village had been founded, the young woman he liked from the tavern, and a man who looked to be knocking on deaths door. Lilly was pleading with her eyes. One of the other guards saw him standing there and not saying anything. ¡°Did you find him?¡± ¡°No.¡± He walked away. Harlan nearly ate everything that the old woman out of everything she had as he healed himself. Finally it was past midnight when he left. Lilly had left earlier to pretend that everything was fine and to tell the Black Goat¡¯s that he had left her near the edge of the forest and then went south. Harlan stepped inside the tavern where he had spent the last week. Blood stains on the floor and splintered chairs showed signs of a struggle, one of the normal patrons must¡¯ve tried to stop Unn and paid the price. He walked up to the room he had been given and grabbed the pouch. 40 gold coins were inside. Then he went to the kitchen, finding the owner, Thomas, sitting with his wife, a large gash on his head that had since stopped bleeding. They were both just cleaning up the aftermath. Harlan dropped his stealth. ¡°Alex? You need to run, that she-goat, she has gone insane-¡± Under the candlelight he saw the blood that covered his clothes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you got hurt in all of this. I know that you have a lot of pride in this place, so please, take this.¡± He tossed the pouch of gold to the man and then walked up to him, in just a few moments it was like he had never been hurt. ¡°Are you leaving? Is Lilly alright?¡± ¡°Lilly is alright, she is at the healer resting someone quieter.¡± ¡°This¡­ this is bullshit¡± The man stood, his jowls jiggling as he spoke with righteous fury. Lilly called him a bulldog once and got yelled at. ¡°They can¡¯t come in here, attack us, then get away with it. If you go to the guard, they¡¯ll protect you. The whole village would have you back. Damn soldiers, trading blood for coin and thinking they can judge you.¡± ¡°Use the gold to fix up the place, give some of it to Lilly, some of it to the old woman who lives on the east of the village, then I don¡¯t care what you do with it. I¡¯m sorry things are going to end this way. And don¡¯t hold a grudge against them, don¡¯t fight, just stay down. I don¡¯t want to see you hurt for protecting me. Tell them you never felt right about me, that you were afraid of what I might do if you didn¡¯t hire me. It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°Not a godsdamned chance.¡± ¡°Have a good life. Do you mind if I take some food?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take it out of your payment for the day.¡± Harlan thought that it was a good place, he was glad that he had stopped. He was especially glad that the guard had not tried to bring him in. In the worst case, he would¡¯ve let his armor take over and flee, but that would¡¯ve been quite a bit of trouble to explain. If someone saw the armor it would lead to more questions about his casting and his strength. Chapter 173: Hargrave Harlan stopped staying in towns, he just moved as quickly as he safely could to Direhold. In the morning he would be there, but for tonight, he was a young and starry eyed adventurer sitting around a campfire in a simple hut he constructed to keep out the blizzard that suddenly started up. He looked like a man in his 40s, he had light freckling on his face, more of it was on his skin. His hair was mostly red but with clear signs of aging. He was playing the part of a man who had already had a long life of adventure, and was looking to settle down. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I would¡¯ve done if you hadn¡¯t found me.¡± ¡°As you get older, you¡¯ll get a sense for these things. You should¡¯ve realized that the request was old, the paper was faded and you could barely make out the ink. Running into a full grown Lindwurm when you went hunting for hatchlings must¡¯ve been a shock.¡± Harlan had overheard the ambitious young woman as she walked out of town and decided to follow her while in stealth, just to see what would happen. ¡°I¡¯ll remember that, thank you. What¡¯s your name? Forgot to ask in all the confusion.¡± ¡°Hargrave.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Jas. So, what brings you out here?¡± Harlan hesitated as he answered, this would determine quite a bit about how he would act from here on out as this new person. ¡°Just traveling.¡± She moved her hand closer to her daggers. ¡°Oh, where to?¡± ¡°Direhold, there is someone I would like to meet there, but I¡¯m not sure if he is even around right now.¡± Harlan began drawing out the sap of the cut branches so they wouldn¡¯t leak into the meat when he cooked it over the fire. ¡°Do you want your own skewer?¡± ¡°Sure, do you have any meat on you¡­ I didn¡¯t play to spend the night out here.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got all the meat we need.¡± Harlan began cubing the Lindwurm and sticking it on his newly carved roasting stick. ¡°Is that stuff safe?¡± ¡°I made sure not to hit the acid or venom sacs. It is fine meat, the stuff nobles buy instead of hunting.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, some knights even tried to steal carts of the stuff about a month and a half ago. Here, let me¡­¡± Harlan had grown used to using spells for cooking, so he thought little of it, but Jas has been watching him intently the entire time. After the meal, she spoke up. ¡°Magic, how hard would it be for me to learn it?¡± ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°17, I think.¡± ¡°You think?¡± ¡°Orphan, they never told me my birthday so I pretend that it is on new year''s day.¡± ¡°Huh. my birthday is new year¡¯s eve actually.¡± ¡°Some coincidence.¡± ¡°Anyway, I could teach you some, but since you are asking the way you are, I guess you can¡¯t sense yet?¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t see mana, if you can¡¯t see mana, you can¡¯t use magic.¡± ¡°You mean the little bits of color in the air?¡± ¡°Ah, were you born able to sense then?¡± ¡°I guess.¡± ¡°How fortunate. I¡¯ve rarely met anyone else who could do so. Have you ever accidentally cast magic? Generally this happens in a high stress situation.¡± Harlan paid attention to her body language, she brought her knees closer as if to hide her face, entering an almost fetal position while gripping her dagger, the one friend she had. She saw his gaze as something else and jumped up immediately. ¡°What is the price for learning magic?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want anything.¡± ¡°Everyone wants something, I¡¯m not letting you near me.¡± She had her dagger in hand, ready to strike. But instead of a fight, Harlan lowered his head, memories of Claudia resurfaced and hurt him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll make another hut to sleep in, if you want to learn, just ask me tomorrow. And, I can see you have been hurt in the past, so I will try to be considerate as I teach you. Nobody so young should see the world like that.¡± He did as he said he would, but Jas didn¡¯t sleep a wink. The blizzard that had started meant she would lose her way if not be killed by things that lurk in the snow if she tried to leave, but she was far from comfortable so near an unknown man. Harlan tried to lower her fear so she could get some sleep, but it was something run so deeply that he could barely make it budge. ¡°So, have you found yourself?¡± ¡°Yeah, I think so. I think Sepul has it made. Yggdra has him as a trusted advisor, so he gets to help change the country, but not deal with all the bullshit politicking. He sits in his house and does whatever he wants and then when he needs to, he exercises his power to let people know that there is a better option, a peaceful one, or there is him.¡± ¡°So, why not head back? You are going to miss your 16th birthday.¡± ¡°Because she needs me. I¡¯ll watch her for a while, if Ky happens to be there, great for me, if not, I¡¯ll leave.¡± ¡°You are talking like an old man, remember you put those wrinkles on your face, but you are a kid yourself.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll sleep tonight.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Really? Around other people? I thought you had grown past human interaction after weeks of sleeping in trees.¡± ¡°A short nap.¡± Harlan saw Mary in his dream, she looked distraught, panicked, she was sitting with Alrick. When Jas awoke she found Harlan had already bound and packaged the Lindwurm meat by cut and marked them with suggested prices, made a sled, and loaded it. ¡°Have you made a choice?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t stay here. Just watch your hands.¡± ¡°It will be hard to do anything when I¡¯m pulling the sled.¡± Harlan drilled her in the remaining hours it took to reach Direhold, it should¡¯ve been an hour long trip, they were already most of the way there deep in the woods; even with divination Harlan found himself disoriented and wasted time constantly making sure that he was headed where he wanted too. There was another issue at hand when they got even closer however. The guards at the front gate of the sizable town lamented being forced to stand watch in the white out, nobody would be stupid enough to be out in such a storm. Even from their guardpost they could barely keep the small room hot enough to fight back the chill. In the distance he could barely make out a bright orange light, so he woke up his partner. ¡°Look at that? It isn¡¯t a snow mirage, right?¡± ¡°What jackass would be out in weather like this?¡± Suddenly the ball of light flew away from the town and exploded, the bright fire revealed the forms of a less than happy juvenile Ice Wyvern, a sled, and the man who was pulling the sled. The guards sounded the alarm, and luckily for them, there was a ranger in town alongside a company of knights who were accompanying a count. Harlan let go of the reins and jumped over the sled that was now hurtling toward the town gate. As it was a young Ice Wyvern, and not a Great Ice Wyvern, it was 20 feet long with a 40 foot wingspan and not at human levels of intelligence. Harlan had hit it once, and he hurt it. So he wasn¡¯t too worried about killing the beast, the issue was more that he had been protecting Jas who had frozen in fear and hadn¡¯t gotten the chance to really go all out. He roared a challenge at the beast and they rushed at one another. Harlan had listened to plenty of stories from Sepul about the great purge of the north where wyverns were either killed or pushed into the far north where people didn¡¯t live, and for the last 300 years, it had still yet to be conquered. He knew where their weak spots were and how best a normal man might be able to face such a creature. Fortunately the beast was unable to take flight due to the buffering winds, so it was already in his favor. Harlan rushed forward and the Ice Wyvern that reared its head up and activated a spell that he didn¡¯t fully understand, but that came to him naturally. At first during his fight with Kalan he thought that he had discovered teleport, his body would suddenly shift as if he had already made the movements and allowed him to attack at a rate that went beyond his body. What this was instead, was a rather low level time magic called skip, where a person would transport themselves a few seconds into the future. The obvious issue, and not one that Harlan knew or would worry about, was that these seconds were taken off the life of the person with interest. One of the greatest time mages to ever live died at 40, but was physically 112. He outaged his own great grandfather, but was content in the end that he had put forth information which would proliferate and improve the lives of every time mage after him. As he left no heirs, and was not affiliated with the academy due to an altercation with the headmaster at the time, the crown seized his work upon his death and locked it away in the royal vaults to only be taught to them. Harlan used the spell 2 times at the max power he was comfortable using, and he could cover quite a lot of distance in 6 seconds. The issue for Harlan was only that the more he used it the more tired he became, time could never be restored, it was another bit of magic that made him need to eat and sleep more. As the sacs in the throat of the wyvern flared up with chilling blue fire Harlan tossed his rod, now shaped like a spear, using imbibing and telekinesis to overcome the winds. Then he ran back towards the town as fast as he could while a bright explosion created a burst of ice that encompassed most of the wyvern. When the explosion tossed him back, he used anti-friction spells to gain speed. By the time he reached the gate it was just opening to let out the knights and the ranger. Harlan staggered over to the sled where Jas was still frozen in shock and opened a pack of meat, cooking it with fire magic before eating it. He regretted not turning some into jerky for situations like this, he could use magic to cook the meat, but he would rather have that energy right now instead of waiting to digest it. After 10 minutes the men came back to ask questions, at the head was Ky. A noble may appoint knights as part of their private armies, but as a ranger in the frontier, he outranked them by virtue of all rangers being under the national army, not a noble army. ¡°Did you kill that wyvern?¡± Harlan¡¯s mind was still sailing half mast. ¡°Sorry, Ky, I should¡¯ve let you eat the breath sacs, but I needed to kill it quickly.¡± ¡°Have we met before?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°And your name is?¡± ¡°Har¡­grave.¡± His mind caught up with his mouth and he was suddenly at attention, putting back on the facade of Hargrave, the old traveling mage. ¡°Did she help you?¡± ¡°She screamed and hollered, but no, they aren¡¯t at the level to fight a wyvern.¡± ¡°Why did you come here to Direhold?¡± ¡°I¡¯m bored, I¡¯m old, and I want to travel since I don¡¯t think I need to be afraid of whatever is out there. I just happened to run into this kid, didn¡¯t seem right to let her die out here.¡± Ky looked at him, his eyes shifted between different magical creatures that he had eaten. In his years in the frontier and how he had learned how his own curse worked, he now held onto certain abilities provided he could eat enough of the creature to fully absorb their powers. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll let you inside. You have the right to the wyvern corpse by killing law, but I would like to purchase some if you are selling.¡± ¡°Sure, the sled is also full of Lindwurm meat, I¡¯ve labeled them in case you want specific cuts.¡± ¡°Provided the price is fair, I¡¯d like some for my family.¡± ¡°You got time to help with the wyvern? I¡¯ll cut the price, toss in some as payment.¡± ¡°Unfortunately I¡¯m on guard duty for the local count and his son who are trapped here by this storm. But I can tell you where my home is, you should be able to find my parents, they know what I¡¯d pay. You just go¡­¡± Harlan was glad to see that Ky seemed happy, his time as a ranger, helping people, finding new animals, eating them, he didn¡¯t feel caged by his curse anymore, it was just part of him. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s cut up that lizard, in exchange, I¡¯ll teach you magic.¡± Jas had to scream to be heard over the storm. ¡°WE¡¯LL FREEZE, WHY NOT COME BACK IN THE MORNING?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep us warm.¡± She looked worried, but decided that Hargrave hadn¡¯t really turned her wrong yet, if he was confident that it was fine, it probably was. Harlan put up four large walls and a roof of stone, making a simple butcher room that he could take down afterward, then began carving runes on them. In such a frigid environment fire mana was scarce without human intervention, so Harlan used a different method. These runes would rely on water mana and pull cold into them, thus heating the inside of their box without fire magic. He ran her through the process of first cracking the ice and then prying off the top scales so they could actually cut the skin underneath which had a second set of finer scales. Sepul was always almost giddy to speak about how he killed wyverns of all types and then used them to outfit soldiers to kill more wyverns. The hate that man had for the beasts ran deep and made Harlan afraid to really ask what the source of it all was. He felt some nostalgia for the old man, of the people who had called him, he was not one and Harlan wasn¡¯t sure if he should be offended or not. Harlan never called him, or anyone really besides Adina once back in Bearfast. He worried that his resolve might falter and he would return sooner than he wanted if he spoke with everyone too often. There was also the issue of not wanting to tell others where he was, lest they follow the trail of carnage and link that to him. ¡°Hargrave, are you listening?¡± ¡°Nope. What do you need?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been out here for hours and I¡¯m tired, can we at least go into the town to get some hot food and some drink?¡± ¡°You¡¯re too young to be drinking, but I¡¯m not your father. Go, I can handle the rest.¡± ¡°I was hoping that you would come with me, a young girl out in a rough frontier town means I¡¯m probably going to be safer with a man walking me around. As stupid as it is.¡± Harlan stopped his careful cutting of the meat for a moment. ¡°Alright. If I¡¯m not there, you¡¯ll kill somebody. Instead, I can kill them.¡± He did have a few things he might want in town. Chapter 174: Hargrave and Jas ¡°Why are you bringing a wyvern fang in?¡± ¡°Direhold was founded by those who left the north, some of their culture was carried over, and I know a thing or two about the north.¡± They stepped inside of the tavern, The Drunken Drake. There might¡¯ve been better places in town, but Harlan chose this one. He spoke as he laid the fang on the counter. ¡°One room for the night and a table for dinner.¡± The old woman picked up the fang. ¡°You kill this yourself?¡± ¡°The body is still outside the town, haven¡¯t had the chance to finish butchering it yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take this as payment for room and however much you can eat and drink.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t drink, but this young lady is my companion so I¡¯ll take you up on that offer.¡± She gave him some side eye, and an older man with a much younger girl and only her drinking, but it wasn¡¯t her problem. Harlan went to the nearest clear table and sat with Jas taking the seat across from him. ¡°I¡¯m not sharing a room with you, so don¡¯t even-¡± ¡°I will sleep outside to guard the wyvern¡¯s body and make a few things. Do you have anything that you need? I am going to be buying a few things in the morning.¡± She still didn¡¯t trust him, to her it was like he was trying too hard to pretend that he wasn¡¯t who he was. Though the woman at the counter considered the fang payment enough, he would still leave a few silver coins; he felt like he was cheating the woman to pay such a small fee for what he was consuming. Another man came near, the moment he tried to touch her shoulder Harlan used a glare to stop him. ¡°She doesn¡¯t like others touching her.¡± ¡°Maybe the girl just hasn¡¯t had the right man.¡± The lecherous look in the handsome man¡¯s eyes brought back memories of Jet. ¡°I¡¯m sitting here, I can defend myself.¡± ¡°Ava, I¡¯ll-¡± ¡°Ava?¡± ¡°Come on then pretty lady, why don¡¯t I show you a good time?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a knight, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve got a bit more stamina than this old man.¡± ¡°Fuck off to a brothel, you shrimp dicked whoremonger.¡° ¡°What did you just say?¡± ¡°Did you hit your head too many times in training? Instead of going after a young girl drinking at a tavern, go to whatever nasty little hussy gets your rocks off. Did you take the hint? Or do I need to explain more slowly?¡± ¡°You little-¡± The man drew his hand back to slap her and Harlan stepped in, blocking both her dagger and his arm. ¡°The lady has given you your answer, if you want to test stamina, I can go all night.¡± ¡°Unhand me, or I¡¯ll have you both arrested. I am a knight of count-¡± Harlan headbutt the man, breaking his nose and leaving his unconscious on the floor as he sat back down to finish his meal. ¡°I can handle myself.¡± ¡°You would¡¯ve killed him, or, more likely, your blade would¡¯ve failed to pierce his armor. At which point he would have legal precedent to kill you, or, more likely, he would arrest you and take you back to a cell to unleash his anger on. But, more likely than that, I would paint the floor with his brain and then I¡¯d need to kill every other knight here to avoid being hassled before I left.¡± ¡°You think he is going to let this go?¡± ¡°Nothing happened, I¡¯ll pour some ale on him, heal him of everything but a strong headache, and then wake him up after you¡¯ve gone to your room.¡± ¡°What about witnesses?¡± Harlan stood from his seat. ¡°Did anyone see what happened to this man?¡± The woman at the counter answered back. ¡°Some damn fool knight got drunk and banged his head on a table.¡± The rest of the room nodded. Killing wyvern¡¯s wasn¡¯t just part of history for the north, with the great slaying when Sepul returned as the champion of light and backed by the army of Ragne it became a point of pride and status. They had been oppressed by the lizards for centuries, and when the time came wyvern parts were worth more than gold. By having parts it meant you had done a great service to the north. This was something repaid by those who knew what they meant, and while the title didn¡¯t have any authority and wasn¡¯t recognized by Ragne, those who could be called Wyvern Slayers were treated with respect. Jas was a little impressed by the display of loyalty for a man who they didn¡¯t likely know the name of. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Respect is earned, I killed a wyvern. Out here, the people are more worried about living another year than anything else.¡± ¡°Huh. So, who is Ava?¡± ¡°My sister.¡± ¡°Is she still¡­¡± ¡°She is back home.¡± ¡°The way you brought her up when he went after me, I thought something bad happened.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just protective, it wasn¡¯t the first time that I¡¯ve seen a man go after a young girl.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± After Jas went to her room, staggering back and forth, Harlan woke the knight up. To prove he was a healer he fixed the headache and claimed to have flushed the alcohol from his body. Harlan lamented that everywhere was closed before he had the chance to buy what he wanted, but went back outside to the wyvern¡¯s body to do some other things with it. In the morning Harlan retrieved the bones and meat and loaded them up on another sleigh to bring them to the market where Jas would be selling them. Once there, he took just a couple of packs of the meat and went to find Ky¡¯s home which was not far from there. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Morning, is this Ky¡¯s home? And you must be his sister?¡± ¡°You must be Hargrave. He mentioned that a man would come to sell some wyvern meat. I am his mother, Sela.¡± ¡°Do you mind if I come in?¡± ¡°Of course not. Please, we can talk in the kitchen.¡± Harlan hung up his coat and took his boots off when he came in. ¡°Sorry to have interrupted your breakfast.¡± ¡°Not at all, the children aren¡¯t going to stop eating just because you are here. Kylie, Killik, greet the man.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Are you a ranger too?¡® ¡°Nope, I¡¯m just a traveler.¡± Kylie immediately went back to her meal. ¡°Anyway, this pack here is free. These other packs are 90 bronze each.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit cheap?¡± ¡°I figure he can get more use out of it then some merchant or noble buying the best cuts for whatever half true mysticism they think it has to it. Money isn¡¯t something that I care about.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you a silver for each, do you have more?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got my companion selling the meat and bones and such over at the market. But since that money is for her, I can¡¯t cut you a break on the prices.¡± ¡°Kylie, Killik, finish up your food and get ready, we are going to the market. Hargrave, would you like to accompany me?¡± She grabbed his arm and gave him a look. ¡°Of course, so long as I¡¯m not going to cause any friction with your husband.¡± The kids looked away but Sela didn¡¯t let go. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have mentioned it, apologies for your loss.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been a widow for 5 years now, I¡¯m not going to break down. Do you plan to stay for long?¡± ¡°Just until I finish teaching my companion the basics of magic and finish the book I want to leave for her. I¡¯ve got somewhere else I need to be, I can¡¯t be on vacation for too long.¡± ¡°What kind of vacation has you killing a wyvern?¡± ¡°A good one.¡± Harlan walked with them to the market where luckily the knights were haggling instead of threatening for good prices. ¡°I see you¡¯ve been selling well.¡± ¡°Of course, everyone wants to buy from a pretty lady.¡± ¡°This is Sela, Ky¡¯s mother, I¡¯m not telling you that you need to, but be fair on prices with her at least.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± Harlan sat on the sleigh to watch for trouble, but after a few hours he didn¡¯t need to lift a finger. The count sent some knights to guard the sleigh and Harlan decided to trust them while he shopped for the things that he wanted. A few hours later a man came in and approached Harlan who had returned to the inn to continue writing. ¡°That girl you were with. Knights were taking her to the mayor¡¯s home, something about the count¡¯s son.¡± ¡°Thank you for telling me.¡± ¡°Not a problem, Wyvern slayer.¡± Harlan shot through the air to reach his destination. ¡°Halt. By order of-¡± Harlan lifted the man with one hand. ¡°Where, is, the, girl?¡± The man struggled, even trying to slash at Harlan who caught the blade with just two fingers. ¡°Three seconds, then I kill you and tear through that little mansion like a pissed off drake.¡± The man, finding that he could not budge the blade, gave up. Or rather, that is how it seemed from the outside. He was hoping that once inside Harlan could be put down by the knight commander if not the count himself. ¡°I¡¯ll lead you to her.¡± ¡°Good.¡± As they walked through the halls Harlan looked at the wards and arrays. The mayor did not want to risk harming his staff or guests if something went wrong, so the arrays and wards were rather simple and more designed against wear and tear, not cubing a man. He took note of how they could be easily collapsed, if needed. Harlan found Jas having a rather level headed conversation, from her outburst the night before, he couldn¡¯t tell if it was her fear causing it, or if sobriety let her hold back her true self. ¡°Squire, who is this?¡± ¡°My name is Hargrave, why have you taken her?¡± His tone demanded an answer and conferred no respect. ¡°And why should I tell a man who bursts into this room without any respect.¡± ¡°Hargrave, it is fine, I¡¯m handling it.¡± Suddenly the atmosphere around Harlan shifted. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, I thought something uncouth was happening here.¡± ¡°Are you her father?¡± ¡°No, I am just someone who met her during my travels.¡± ¡°And my squire that seems overly pale?¡± ¡°As I said, I thought something uncouth was happening. So naturally I threatened his life and forced him to grant me guidance towards this young lady.¡± The squire nodded his head. ¡°So you came here, into the fortified home of the city ruler, where 300 knights, and a very talented ranger are stationed, with hostile intent?¡± Harlan saw it as the test that it was, but had no desire to play on any terms but his own. ¡°The magical fortifications on this place are lackluster.¡± With a snap of his fingers a few shut down. ¡°These knights are weak. And the ranger, well, I think I have pretty good chances against him.¡± Nobody had thought anything of it, but there was quite a bit less wyvern for sale than there should be. Harlan had come to understand why his body rejected its new power when he assimilated the men who attacked his home. Their bodies were simply too weak compared to his, he could¡¯ve expanded his own size, but compressing them was beyond him. As he was now, Harlan weighed nearly a ton and had grown to 6 feet tall, which he would explain away as a growth spurt once he got back home. ¡°I can appreciate a man who knows what he can do. Do you want some work? Just temporary.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°First, this girl, my son liked the look of her when she was selling the wyvern pieces, she was brought in to meet him. She refuses, so I wanted to attempt to convince her to change her mind.¡± ¡°Jas, is this true?¡± ¡°Yes, and I wasn¡¯t dragged in, I was about to leave when you came in.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done nothing against the girl. It does make me wonder, why would you think so lowly of my knights?¡± ¡°Bearfast. Those knights tried to steal Lindwurm meat.¡± ¡°And how do you know this?¡± ¡°Because I killed those men.¡± The count chuckled. ¡°You seem to have integrity, I heard what happened afterwards from the Seekers. Corrupt knights who sully my name have no place in my forces. I need to have myself and my son guarded on the way back to our home. We leave in three days, will you join us?¡± ¡°What do you expect to fight.¡± ¡°Several hundred assassins from another count¡¯s house.¡± ¡°I think I have some responsibility to this girl here as a magical teacher. I shouldn¡¯t leave.¡± Before the count could reply Harlan continued. ¡°But I think it is more important that I keep Ky safe. I¡¯d hate to see his mother cry.¡± Ky was in the room and was unsure what to say, but he would ask his mother how she felt about the man. ¡°Return here in three days'' time, early in the morning.¡± Jas silently came back with Harlan to the butcher room outside the town. Harlan could see that she had question, but didn¡¯t want to ask them. ¡°I never knew my birth parents, my mother died shortly after my birth, my father is a murderer who took my mother against her will. I¡¯m an orphan, but I¡¯ve had great parents and wonderful sisters since I was an infant. I am aware of how much I have, and from how you¡¯ve reacted to many things, I¡¯m sure you have lost more than you¡¯ve ever really had.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You are wondering, why does he do what he does? Why was he willing to storm that place when he believed I was in danger? It is because I think you deserve that much after everything that has happened.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you pity.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not pitying you. I look at you and see myself, but I found out how to trust people. I¡¯ve come to understand how much that last part matters. People aren¡¯t built to be alone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not alone, I just need to find my sister. We got separated a few weeks ago after a fight and I¡¯ve been looking for her. We set up which town we should meet up in and I need to wait here for her.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a good divinationist, do you want me to help?¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to respond, she wanted to jump at the chance to find her sister more quickly. But, she still didn¡¯t understand or trust him. ¡°I need to just keep waiting here for her.¡± ¡°Alright. I won¡¯t push this.¡± ¡°What are we doing out here anyway?¡± ¡°I want to make some things, but I need privacy. Also, do you happen to know your measurements?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I want to make you a set of armor. I don¡¯t need to touch you, if you are willing to just spread your arms out I could eyeball it.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Jas went back to the town and slept in the tavern. Harlan went to work. Chapter 175: The trip home Jas returned to Harlan¡¯s far from comfortable workshop in the morning. ¡°Hargrave, are you here?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean to sound greedy, but, is that armor done?¡± ¡°And the weapons, and the other things. I can set up a small room to change in.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Jas came out with her armor. It was leather made of wyvern skin and reinforced in certain places by the larger upper scales. She had two daggers on her hip, both carved from wyvern horns which were much harder than the fangs which were constantly broken and replaced. ¡°How do I look?¡± ¡°You look good.¡± ¡°Before you go. Take these.¡± He handed her two communication amulets and the finished book of magical knowledge from him. ¡°These are¡­¡± ¡°When you told me last night that you had a sister and I saw you were worried, I thought it best that you not lose connection with her.¡± ¡°I know I accepted everything else, but this is too much. These things are¡­ did you make them?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Jas looked down at the gifts, each and every one of them was soulsmithed. She looked back at everything she had seen and heard from Hargrave in the short time they had known one another. ¡°I will take you up on your offer, divining my sister.¡± ¡°Are you ok with me touching you?¡± ¡°Since I know you, it should be fine.¡± Despite her words, Harlan could see the goosebumps and felt her shiver when he held her hand. Southwest, 2 miles. ¡°She is very close. We should meet her half way.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The pair met their target after only a short time. ¡°Kelly!¡± ¡°Jas!¡± Harlan leaned up against a tree as they had their tearful reunion. But there was something really familiar about the shield she had. ¡°And who is this?¡± ¡°This is Hargrave. I took a request to hunt baby Lindwurms and I ended up against a full grown one. I wouldn¡¯t be here without him. He also divined your position, and he gave me money, armor and weapons.¡± Suddenly Kelly¡¯s eyes narrowed on the man who innocently waved back to her. ¡°That sounds like a lot.¡± ¡°I know what it sounds like, but he is a good man.¡± ¡°What do you want from my sister?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Nobody wants nothing.¡± ¡°So, that is where she got that from. I¡¯m sure you have good reasons for it, but it would be best to fix that mindset.¡± ¡°It has kept us alive, so I don¡¯t want to hear a damn thing about how I¡¯ve raised my sister.¡± ¡°Kelly, calm down, he isn¡¯t a bad guy.¡± ¡°Fine, let¡¯s go back into town.¡± ¡°Excuse me, that shield, there is something familiar to me.¡± Kelly hid it behind her back. ¡°It is a family heirloom. Hands off.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not looking to take it, just asking.¡± ¡°Jas, why don¡¯t we get some food and get out of here.¡± ¡°I want you to meet with him in his workshop, you are being too harsh towards him.¡± She whispered to her sister. ¡°Connie doesn¡¯t like him, she is scared.¡± ¡°Then you both need to meet him. I think this is Harlan Fomoria, the guy who-¡± ¡°You¡¯ve said everything he¡¯s ever done twice already, at least that explains your attitude.¡± Jas waved to Harlan with a beaming smile. As he led them to the simple stone structure he thought about what he should do about his little problem. He might be able to trust Jas, but Kelly reminded him too much of himself and would use that secret of his as a bludgeon if she needed to. When they stepped inside, Ky was waiting with a stern look on his face, a hand resting on his sword. Kelly took a fighting stance. ¡°Hargrave, new orders, we are moving out tonight. And, before we leave, I need to know. You and my mother¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve no intentions with her, I was just being friendly.¡± Ky let out a sigh. He was barely 20 but due to his work he rarely got to show his real feelings, he was just trying to look out for his mother. ¡°Great. So, who is your friend?¡± ¡°This is Jas¡¯s sister, Kelly. Kelly, this is Ky, he is a ranger.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you. That shield¡­¡± ¡°It is a family heirloom, she is quite attached to it.¡± ¡°Alright. You are going to be ready tonight, yes?¡± ¡°Of course. Now that Kelly is here I don¡¯t need to worry about Jas.¡± ¡°I want to go.¡± ¡°Ask your sister.¡± ¡°Kelly, we should go with them.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°We need to get Count Oreland back to his home, but there will be assassins.¡± ¡°Jas, you are not going off to die for some noble.¡± ¡°I want Hargrave to teach me, so I want to stick with him. Come on, I know that he can handle himself. He killed a wyvern single handedly.¡± ¡°No, you are chasing him because¡­ I need to have a chat with my sister.¡± ¡°I rented a tavern room for her, you can go there.¡± Harlan and Ky were left alone. ¡°Need your gear checked out? I¡¯m a pretty good soulsmith.¡± Ky pulled out the small toy Harlan had carved for him. ¡°Did you know that you leave a soul smell on the things you make? Soul leeches let me sniff it out. Long time no see, Harlan.¡± ¡°I should make this clear as I can, I did not hit on your mother for any real reason.¡± Harlan made a few chairs so they could sit while they caught up. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°How is Zella.¡± ¡°She is doing good, found herself a new group of friends, more normal people.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t take it that way, I¡¯m not doing anything that different. I¡¯m not sure how I feel about the world, I¡¯m full of hate and anger and wasn¡¯t sure about who I was. By seeing normal people, and seeing how different I am from them, it helps me to understand who I am and how I fit into this world with people who can¡¯t even possibly stand alongside me, who will turn to dust and I¡¯ll still look 25.¡± Ky leaned back in his seat. ¡°Shit. I didn¡¯t think you would grow up so quickly. How is Amber?¡± ¡°Wanting to know all of your old girlfriends before anything else?¡± ¡°What? No. I¡¯m just wondering how your sisters are doing.¡± ¡°What is my mothers name?¡± He glubbed like a fish before going quiet for a moment. ¡°Alright, how is Amber?¡± ¡°In her last year of academy, unsure what she wants to do with her life since the war is over and I got back home.¡± Harlan hesitated to finish the sentence. ¡°And yes, she is single. Apparently everyone at the school either ignored her or insulted her for being lowborn, then when I came back people actively hated her, and now everyone is too afraid of me to go near her.¡± ¡°I have the 12th and 7th months off, if she ever wanted to visit.¡± ¡°Do you have a communicator?¡± ¡°Army issue, not supposed to use it for personal calls.¡± ¡°I have until tonight, I¡¯ll make you one.¡± ¡°Alright, but first, I want to hear everything.¡± ¡°You can settle for most of it.¡± Harlan had to cut it short so he could get some work in. Ky did leave his swords with Harlan for some upgrades. Jas came back with Kelly just before dusk. ¡°I¡¯m going with you.¡± ¡°Godsdamnit Jas, I said no.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not missing this chase to¡­ learn magic from Mister Hargrave.¡± ¡°Mister?¡± ¡°You are my teacher, so I¡¯m trying to give you some respect.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just an old man going on a walk.¡± ¡°Through hundreds of enemy soldiers.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hargrave, I don¡¯t give a shit who you are, or might be, you are not bringing my baby sister on some shithead count¡¯s fight. SHIT.¡± ¡°Jas, stay here. Your sister is just looking out for you. Can you hand me that book of magic real quick?¡± She hesitated, worried that he wouldn¡¯t give it back. It only took him a moment to write a few more words in it. ¡°If you come to my home, I will teach you, or I will get somebody who will. Just say that phrase to my brother.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t know where you-¡± ¡°I know you figured me out. If you are so happy to meet me, it feels wrong to turn you away.¡± Harlan rubbed the book, a smile crept on his face. ¡°I¡¯m really glad that someone out here likes me for who I am. I just¡­¡± A few tears fell and Jas hugged him. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for that shield, we would both be dead and that man would¡¯ve¡­ you are my hero, no matter what everyone else tells you. I can¡¯t believe you are younger than me. Is your birthday really on new years eve?¡± ¡°Yes, but don¡¯t spread that around. Ava will always be my big sister, and I¡¯ll always be her little brother, no matter my age.¡± ¡°How sweet, now step away from my sister, you need to go off to your fight, and she is staying here.¡± ¡°Jas, I¡¯ll see you again another day, don¡¯t follow us. And you should find a better man to call a hero. Kelly, I know she is going to try, so keep a close eye on her. Also, that shield, it is the Black Soul condor, isn¡¯t it.¡± ¡°We call it Connie. It has saved us more than once.¡± ¡°Could I speak to it?¡± ¡°Kelly, hand it to him.¡± ¡°Connie doesn¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°How smart is Connie? I don¡¯t mean it as an insult, I¡¯m just wondering.¡± ¡°Connie is fine.¡± ¡°Has it grown smarter? Does it learn new magic? Soulsmithed items have limits, if Connie grows too much then¡­ she could die.¡± ¡°Kelly, let him look at it. Also, she?¡± ¡°Connie, sounds like a girl¡¯s name to me. I can¡¯t remember if the bird was a girl or not. I can feel a mind, faintly, inside of her, which makes it at least an entity even if she might not be a person yet. If nothing else, call me if she begins to feel strangely. I made her, it is my responsibility to help her.¡± Kelly hesitated, but hearing how Harlan spoke chipped away at her icy heart, just a bit. ¡°I will call you. But I¡¯m not handing her over.¡± ¡°That is all I ask.¡± Harlan made the finishing touches on his work and handed the blade back to Ky before they left. ¡°Where is the count¡¯s son?¡± ¡°Riding in the carriage with his father, kid that young should be anywhere around this stuff.¡± ¡°How old is he?¡± ¡°13. Shy, meek, the opposite of his father.¡± ¡°When I was 13, I was manufacturing undead. At 14 I knowingly killed my first man, at 15, just two months ago, I killed over 500.¡± ¡°I kinda got the feeling before that you were soft, that violence and blood didn¡¯t suit you.¡± ¡°If I didn¡¯t, the war would be ongoing, my uncle would be dead without the things I¡¯ve made. I¡¯ve come to terms with what I must be, what I¡¯ve become. I made that choice.¡± Harlan flipped up his hood and started walking. He and Ky were on the direct left and right of the carriage, the knight commander rode a horse in the front. And the other near 300 men walked or rode on wagons with guns in their hands. They hadn¡¯t become widespread, as of the moment guns were privately sold and owned. The army would have its own standardized guns in mass production within a year. It was, 3, maybe 4am. Harlan rushed skyward, though really branchward, and blood came from above. Nobody even noticed he was gone until he touched back down, dripping crimson onto white snow. ¡°The threat is gone.¡± The squire who Harlan had assaulted the day before was stood not far from him and saw each drop fall. ¡°Keep up your pace, if I trip out here it is your head.¡± ¡°Yes sir, sorry sir.¡± Dawn broke without any more assassination attempts. Every man was tense, they were tired, always remaining vigilant for the entire trip was wearing them down. Harlan did what he could to make sure that those who were suffering from the cold, but after an entire night he had to sleep on the roof of the carriage. Then the first shot rang out. Harlan cast hover and lifted the carriage from the ground before the bullets could hit, moving it behind a tree. ¡°Count Oreland, are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Harlan looked over and saw some others had been hit. The gunmen had flipped the wagons to use them as barricades. With the sun behind them the enemies were hard to see, and nearly impossible to hit. Then the warmagic hit without the counter spells having a chance to stop them. A third of the knights died in the opening volley and the ones that lived moved behind the trees to avoid becoming easy targets. ¡°How many are out there?¡± ¡°We lost about a hundred men. I¡¯ll check enemy force numbers.¡± Harlan cast a simple cone of divination, and the results were not great. ¡°700, but I could¡¯ve missed some.¡± ¡°Hargrave, take my son. Get him out of here. I¡¯ve seen you move, I know you can get past the blockade, send my forces from my home.¡± ¡°We still have a chance, I will-¡± ¡°Hargrave, please, no father should see his son parish before him. I will help my men hold them off, draw their attention.¡± ¡°Are you a good man?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Answer the question.¡± ¡°I have done everything I can to help my people fear man, not beasts or famine, I¡¯ve raised my son with care, perhaps I¡¯ve sheltered him too much.¡± The boy hadn¡¯t said a word, he simply silently wept as he held on to his father. ¡°Rass, tell your mother I will hope to see her again someday.¡± ¡°NO, IF I GO YOU WON¡¯T COME BACK.¡± He patted the young boy¡¯s head and shushed him. ¡°Every man must die some day, I am glad it will be in defense of you. When your time comes to be count, I hope you remember this lesson. A life is given meaning by who you save, not who you kill. Do not be afraid to do what needs to be done, but do not kill them out of anger, do it with reals. Serve your king faithfully, do not blame him for this. There is a traitor somewhere who has intercepted my calls for aid, tell the Seekers about this.¡± ¡°Count Oreland, your men, would they serve you faithfully even after death?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°No son should see his father parish.¡± ¡°Whatever plan you have, do it.¡± Harlan entered his full armor, dashing between the shots to grab the bodies. He filled the gems with fragments of himself, little memories and feelings that he knew would come back and wouldn¡¯t harm him to not have for a few days. Harlan saw Ky struggling to remain standing, to get back behind cover. His body was covered in scales and he had wings on his back from the wyvern meat he had eaten. Combined with the shadows of a warg, he had a demonic appearance, just like from the stories of Reino. ¡°KY, STAY WHERE YOU ARE, I WILL HANDLE THIS.¡± The volleys had stopped, the knights were moving forward to finish off the survivors. Harlan stood in the middle of the road, not a single casualty had been inflicted on the enemy side. He shouted as loudly as he could, dawnlight shone upon him. ¡°I AM HARLAN FORMORIA, ARCHAMGE CHANGELING, CHAMPION OF DARKNESS. I GIVE ONE WARNING, TURN BACK, OR PARISH TO ME.¡± The men stopped for a moment, Harlna¡¯s armor and weapon were known to many, but nobody really believed it was him. The slits on his helmet closed, he would not need his eyes for this. Then the light which shone upon him was gone, clouds gathered overhead and Harlan began to pound his rod onto the snow, the rhythmic pounding causing tension among the knights. ¡°A WARNING GIVEN, A WARNING IGNORED.¡± The pounding stopped, Harlan raised the rod a final time. A week later, the Seekers overlooked the scene. ¡°Your saying he admitted to doing this?¡± ¡°Yes, no idea what we are doing here though. Can¡¯t even count the bodies after what he did to them.¡± ¡°The ones who were vaporized, or the ones that he took as ¡®materials.¡¯ That can¡¯t be legal.¡± ¡°He invoked slayer''s rights.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me? That is for monsters not-¡± ¡°He said he killed monsters.¡± ¡°As an excuse or-¡± ¡°He said child killers, or rather, attempted child killers, don¡¯t count as people. He avoided saying human, that judging people based on such a simple factor was foolish.¡± ¡°Insanity.¡± ¡°If you think that is insane, you should hear what our next queen said about him.¡± ¡°Wait, you mean he announced his heir?¡± ¡°Yeah, it is going to be¡­¡± Chapter 176: Harlan Fomoria Purple lightning shot through the snow, splitting it into smaller bolts, like the thousand hands of a furious god coming to reap men. The warmages and the gunmen who stayed behind all perished, the men in front were stunned by the boom, but suffered no casualties. That is, until Harlan used skip to arrive in the center of the formation and the flesh golems arrived at the edges. Because of the limited gems there were only four of them, but each one was composed of the body of 30 men with 10 arms. Two cast magic, four fought hand to hand, and four grabbed more dead bodies to subsume so they could keep up the pace of the killing. From the carriage Count Oreland and his son heard the declaration, then the boom, then the cracking of bones and splattering of blood, the screams of terror as men died or saw their deaths rushing towards them. Harlan tore the door off of its hinges and received a blade to his face, one capable of actually cutting him. He broke the count¡¯s hand and tossed the blade aside before he had the chance to seriously injure him. Harlan healed his face before he spoke. ¡°They are dead.¡± ¡°You really are him.¡± ¡°Let me heal your hand.¡± The count did as asked. ¡°The horses are dead, I will supply the muscle to get you home.¡± The beast was massive and it took 10 minutes just to shift its body into something useable after Harlan consolidated them into a single thing. It grabbed the carriage with a single limb, holding it close to its chest as it used its remaining arms to move around. It was smoother than either party expected, Ky, who had passed out from the cost of being healed after the battle, didn¡¯t even wake up. ¡°What is this thing?¡± ¡°Flesh golem.¡± ¡°How did-¡± ¡°I always keep a few gems on me, I just had to pull a little from my soul since they weren¡¯t filled. Then I just used the bodies of your men, and as I slaughtered the enemies I incorporated them into this thing. It will last maybe an hour, then it will fall apart as the cost to maintain it is only being filled right now by the mana that remained inside the flesh of those men. As it burns that up it will then turn to converting the flesh directly into energy, effectively putting the metabolism of the creature into a super heightened state. It is inefficient, I would never do this for a real creation of mine. But it works for what I need it for.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother speaking. It has been a very long day for all of us.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I have a call to make.¡± Harlan put up a few veils. ¡°Mary, I hope I didn¡¯t wake you.¡± ¡°Harlan, I hope you have had a good time. I¡¯ve been tracking your movements every few days. I assume you made it to Direhold alright?¡± ¡°Yes, now I am headed to the home of Count Oreland.¡± ¡°What for?¡± ¡°Assassins were after him and his son, but I¡¯ve dealt with them. I¡¯ve also dropped my disguise. Everyone will soon know what I can do. There is a slight problem however.¡± Harlan¡¯s head nodded back and forth. ¡°Are you still there?¡± ¡°Right, sorry, I used heaven¡¯s fury, by myself it is¡­ ¡± ¡°Do you want me to pick you up?¡± ¡°Thank you. You are¡­ you are a great friend, I love you.¡± ¡°Harlan, you shouldn¡¯t talk when you are this tired, you aren¡¯t thinking straight.¡± ¡°I mean it¡­ in a platonic way¡­¡± ¡°Did you discover what you are?¡± ¡°dragon¡­¡± The veils dropped as Harlan passed out. ¡°Hello? Are you still awake?¡± Count Oreland took the amulet. ¡°He appears to be sleeping, may I know with whom I am speaking?¡± ¡°I am a close friend of the man who holds this amulet.¡± ¡°Harlan Fomoria. I will bring him into my home and make sure he can rest.¡± ¡°I will be picking him up at the gates to your home, nothing against you, but I think Harlan should wake up around a friend instead of a client.¡± ¡°I will accept this. He seems like that kind of man.¡± ¡°What kind of man do you see him as?¡± ¡°A man of principles, and an unthinkable monster.¡± ¡°That does seem to be a fair assessment. I hope to see him soon.¡± Mary appeared at the gates, and despite the snow on the ground, she shivered not in her yellow sundress. She carried him quite easily despite his weight and placed him in her bathtub before force fed him a tonic. In a few hours he would wake up and find a note saying that he must wash himself before he is allowed to walk around. But it was not a few hours, Harlan had not awoken until past midnight, finding Mary and Alrick passed out with an open bottle of liquor so strong that he needed magic just to avoid getting drunk as he put the lid back on. He didn¡¯t know what the bowl of white fluffy food was, and he was too tired to care. So he moved the couple into a room and then ate the entire bowl before passing out again on the living room couch. The night before. Alrick, or rather, Xol, was starting on a late night snack when Mary, or rather, Marigold, walked in. ¡°Do you think he would like popcorn and hot chocolate? Should we wake him up?¡± ¡°I might¡¯ve fucked up.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make him some.¡± ¡°I think I really fucked up.¡± ¡°Alright, how about you calm down just a little bit and we talk this through before you work yourself into a tizzy.¡± ¡°I sent him to the frontier to discover himself.¡± ¡°I remember you telling me that.¡± ¡°He went into a village, the one that I was thinking about killing that giant Lindwurm at.¡± ¡°Bearhold, right?¡± ¡°Bearfast. Bearhold was about 80 years ago and just down the road before that Lindwurm passed through on the way to find more food.¡± ¡°Right. And what happened then, he killed it, right?¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t the problem. Something happened after he killed it and brought the meat back. I visited the village after the news got out that 16 knights had been killed by one man.¡± She took a deep breath and exhaled. ¡°Harlan killed them, from what I saw in the village, they never stood the slightest chance. Also, there is a Grand Typhoon Wyrm in the area, but that isn¡¯t a problem yet. Then, when I went to pick him up, some noble¡¯s army was there, dead; I¡¯d guess 500 men, but the ones nearest to the blasts were vaporized.¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Oh, so it was Harlan who was covered in blood when I went to use the bathroom? What is the problem then?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I pushed him to find his truth too early and I sent him down a dark path. There was this¡­ thing there that carried the carriage to the count¡¯s home before it dropped dead.¡± ¡°Have you talked about why he killed them?¡± ¡°Not yet. I just wanted to find him and get him here as soon as I could.¡± ¡°Do you want Phoenix Plume?¡± Xol pulled a bottle from his sleeve. ¡°No, I can¡¯t get drunk before I speak with him.¡± ¡°Should I spike his drink?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­ No, probably not.¡± ¡°More for me then.¡± ¡°This is serious.¡± ¡°3 years ago, you killed the highest political power in Reino. 43 years ago, you killed a duke. 108 years ago, you killed a king of Ragne. So what, the kid killed a bunch of knights. Big deal. Nobody gets as old as us without doing something like that.¡± ¡°Fuck it, give me a shot of that. You know what, he called himself a dragon.¡± ¡°The kid does have a certain flair that I really like. Pour me another shot.¡± Mary and Alrick weren¡¯t dressed when they stepped out in a hungover stupor. At least Marigold was hungover, Xol had instantly used magic when he woke up. ¡°I forgot, but I know there was something important I was doing last night. Last time I ever let you pull that stuff out.¡± They kissed. ¡°You say that every single time. But as immortals, we need to cut loose every once in a while, make mistakes, be human.¡± Harlan was looking dumbfounded at the couple but quickly shielded his eyes. ¡°Shit, sorry, I forgot you were here.¡± ¡°I can tell.¡± Mary whispered to her husband as they hid around the corner. ¡°Do you think he heard us?¡± ¡°This is your house, not mine, I¡¯m not judging you for what you do as adults.¡± ¡°I really wanted this reveal to be something special. We will get dressed and then talk, alright.¡± The couple got themselves ready for the day, Marigold was feeling a french braid today. What was a french? She didn¡¯t really know, but when Xol showed it to her that is what he called it. Xol appeared before Harlan. ¡°Child of Shadows, awake from this dream, I will visit you in the real world soon.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t going to work on me.¡± He really wasn¡¯t sure where to go from here. Memory manipulation was¡­ more of an art than a science, and Marigold was very much not a fan of when he used it on people in the past. His wife called the two of them into the kitchen. She was making omelets for breakfast. ¡°Harlan, what do you want to talk about first?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not bothered by you two hiding who you are. I consider you a good, no, a great friend. Why don¡¯t we talk about me instead.¡± Xol put his hands together and stopped looking like a skeleton. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s.¡± ¡°Where should I start?¡± ¡°Bearfast.¡± ¡°Right, 16 knights tried to kill me when I refused to have the meat I had hunted stolen from me. I also fought a man I thought I could be friends with, an Ursa named rent. It¡­ it hurt. I really thought that we had a moment when I let him have some Lindwurm egg, but he tried to kill me because that snake was his longstanding dream, and I took that from him.¡± ¡°His white whale.¡± ¡°Is that a magical creature?¡± ¡°Just ignore him when he says things like that.¡± ¡°Right, so there is a story called-¡± ¡°Honey, let Harlan finish his story.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Anyway, I spared him, I can understand why he did what he did, and I really wasn¡¯t in a lot of danger from him.¡± ¡°That is a great show of progress. I know it is easy to kill your problems, but sometimes people do what they do for reasons that you can understand and empathize with.¡± Mary sent his plate down in front of him. ¡°Yeah, I think the biggest lesson I might¡¯ve learned is how to see people as people. The count isn¡¯t a bad man for having bad men working under him. Kalan is an Ibexian that I encountered. Spared him too, and his friend Unn. She took a hostage, someone I cared for. And I let her go, I nearly killed her brother. Actually, I don¡¯t know if she meant brother in a literal sense or as a battle brother.¡± ¡°That one I am not sure about. People who take hostages are often those who believe in collateral damage as just a factor of doing a job. It is one thing that I do not agree with Sepul about. And it is why I am not friends with him. It is sometimes unavoidable, but to never even try to do something else is just terrible. What about yesterday? I saw the battlefield, it¡­ let¡¯s eat first. Then you can tell me. We can speak about good things until then.¡± When they finished eating Harlan thanked her for the meal and complimented it as being second only to his mother¡¯s cooking. Then he explained what had happened. ¡°Well, honey, that wasn¡¯t so bad, now was it?¡± Marigold sighed deeply. ¡°I thought you did something really bad last night, I was worried about you after seeing that battlefield and you covered in blood. So, about that whole, dragon thing. That was¡­ what exactly?¡± ¡°Shit, did I say that?¡± ¡°You did.¡± ¡°I meant that I can be parts of a wyvern, the rage, the furocity. But I am not just those things, I am like a drake, docile, but when things get in their way, they don¡¯t move without a damn good reason. So, you take the parts of both creatures and you can make a dragon out of it.¡± ¡°Boy, you got too hooked on the examples of the wyvern and drake and you twisted your words to make them fit. I think you can do better.¡± ¡°Honey, don¡¯t bully him. I¡¯m the one who put the idea of the wyvern and drake into his head in the first place.¡± ¡°Let me try again. I thought that I didn¡¯t want to fight, but I do, not fighting is a choice, just like fighting. If I lash out at people who slight me it will only make people, and make me, question my intentions when I really do need to fight for just cause. I think I should take my problems to the proper authorities before I resort to something that I want to do. The system is not evil, and I can fix it, because I cannot be everywhere at once.¡± ¡°Really? I think that shows a lot of personal growth. Why don¡¯t we move to that?¡± ¡°It is a bit weird hearing you talk like Mary with that body.¡± ¡°I choose to be a counselor because it is where I can help the most people with the least force. Anyone can use unlimited power to make people bend the knee, but I want them to listen to me and choose to be better people without any tricks and magic to manipulate them.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ve done well. I mean, look at me. You turned a neurotic boy who was always a day away from causing a massacre into a boy who can choose not to do that. When Jas was taken, or, I thought she was, I was ready to tear 300 men limb from limb. I would¡¯ve felt like it was right to do that, but I gave them a chance to explain. I also gave those men yesterday a chance to turn back. I announced myself, but they kept on anyway.¡± ¡°Anyway, I am just glad that you seem to have discovered yourself.¡± Though it was not something most people could see, someone''s aura could tell a lot about them. Perhaps in the future this is how Harlan could spread his empathy, but Xol put that thought away. Harlan¡¯s had always wavered, and it had always been clear, to those who could see it it was like heat waves off a hot stone. Now, his aura was stable, firm, and black like a void around the edges, like a second skin. ¡°You are ready to learn gate.¡± Mary kept cooking, it was a late breakfast and she had a lunch already planned. ¡°Why now?¡± ¡°Why do you think gate is so hard to learn?¡± ¡°It require a knowledge of dimensional that-¡± Xol made a loud ERRRRRR sound that only he understood the meaning of. ¡°Wrong. Because it is so stupidly simple.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°All you are doing is telling the world, ¡®hey, I want to be over there.¡¯ Now, sure, some people do the spell with dimensional magic, but that is stupid. Just punch a hole in reality and walk through it. Divination is more important than anything, because it helps you to understand how to visualize your desires and make them take shape in the world itself. Close your eyes, and-¡± ¡°Honey.¡± Her tone was not friendly. ¡°Why are you trying to make him open a gate at our dining room table?¡± ¡°Sorry. Did you learn any other magic while you were out there that you couldn¡¯t explain, that it just clicked?¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know what you would call it, and I don¡¯t completely know how it works, but it is like I can move my body and skip the part where I am actually moving, like a short range teleport.¡± ¡°This is why I said I wouldn¡¯t teach you time magic, you found a time where you needed it, and your desire gave it to you. And since we got sidetracked, any more killing we should know about?¡± ¡°No, but I learned something else out there, I needed to lie better. I could trick people who didn¡¯t realize what I was, but for those who already have some idea in their head of what I am, I couldn¡¯t do it without empathy. So, expect me to be lying far more often. Not to you or Adina though, just everyone else in my life. I think that covers it. But¡­¡± What Harlan had noticed again now that she was cleaning up, and what bugged him, was that she did everything by hand. ¡°You are staring.¡± Her back was turned, but she still felt his eyes on her. ¡°Sorry, but why don¡¯t you use any magic?¡± ¡°It is important that you remember how to be weak. I knit by hand, I put together puzzles without divination, I make all of my noodles from scratch, I write with a pen instead of just magically moving the ink to the paper. When I had children, I barely touched them as infants, I used telekinesis to do everything dirty and nasty, and I felt that it negatively affected my relationship with them. A child needs to hear their mothers heartbeat, their touch. So if you make a nanny golem, I¡¯m going to kick your ass just after Adina does.¡± ¡°You have kids?¡± ¡°Kids are baby goats. I had children. Three of them.¡± Mary didn¡¯t stop in her actions, she didn¡¯t let it affect her tone. ¡°They are their own people and sometimes they do things that you can¡¯t forgive and you need to then look at them as people. You are going to feel like you¡¯ve failed yourself, your wife, everyone that they hurt. You¡¯ll want the world to swallow you up and never spit you back out. Remember that when you have kids.¡± ¡°I feel bad about making a joke.¡± ¡°The last of my children died 700 years ago, and they had no children of their own. I¡¯ve had time to come to terms with what happened. And I set you up, so go for it.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t have kids, I¡¯ll have children.¡± ¡°With a stubborn goat for a father, they are going to be your kids.¡± She had a warm smile, but the corners sagged just a bit. Coming to terms with it didn¡¯t mean it didn¡¯t hurt. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try to cast gate, here, I¡¯ll teach you how to do it right.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sitting right here, I can do it.¡± She gave him a kiss and he went back to eating a muffin while reading a book and writing another with magic. Her lessons on the importance of feeling closer to normal were lost on the man, he had a life where he was weak already, he didn¡¯t want another one in this world. Chapter 177: Learning Gate They stepped out into the yard and Harlan could see the edge of the world, it was like they were a ship in a bottle. ¡°Is this where the camp takes place?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a little shocked that you caught that, but almost, it isn¡¯t this one, but it is one of these.¡± ¡°The plants inside the forest were all wrong. You had summer and winter plants at the same time, and your stars are wrong.¡± Xol stepped out. ¡°They aren¡¯t wrong, they are just based on how I remember my sky. The plants are because I wanted to add herbs for the children, you can even find salt if you start to dig around in the ground.¡± ¡°Xol might not always like people, and he talks strangely so they stop asking him a thousand questions, but he cares. Now, onto gate. Lay down right here under this tree, put your head on my lap.¡± He did as asked but his cheeks flushed a little red. ¡°I know you are a growing boy, but don¡¯t do anything weird or I¡¯ll make you do this Xol¡¯s way. Close your eyes, and think about who this makes you want to be with.¡± She brushed his hair with her hand. ¡°Now lock onto that feeling, think about how you want to be there with them right now.¡± After a few minutes Harlan had a strained look on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t force it, let that feeling flow from your mind into your soul and then out of your body.¡± After another 10 minutes, Harlan¡¯s tapped into an old memory, he remembered when he didn¡¯t pretend to sleep and his mother would try to get him to bed. He hummed a lullaby that she would sing. Space bent and folded, and he barely used any mana for the spell. A nearly perfect cut out, like staring through a window, into his parent¡¯s home. His gate was ¡®nearly¡¯ perfect not due to any defect, but rather it was just how his gate was. It had a thin black border, like a painting in its frame, making the edges of the gate more clearly defined and preventing things from slipping between the cracks in reality. It was entirely subconscious, but did make the gate more secure than a normal one and safer to leave open as certain things¡­ could not come though. His mother called all of the guards, Harlan hadn¡¯t just cast gate, he also punched through every defense that was set up to stop people from doing this and thus set off a lot of alarms. This was the gate which Sepul could cast, born from his desire to always reach his family if there was an emergency. It bypassed the arrays because it wasn¡¯t technically a spell as people thought of it. Instead of following rules and the mana doing what was asked, like a lock and a key, this was more like asking the mana to grab the key and open the door by itself. Most arrays and wards just didn¡¯t understand what was happening and thus failed to see the issue, since uncontrolled mana was something that simply floated around and was required for arrays. Harlan stood up and his mother called off the guards. ¡°Harlan? What is, where are you? Who is she?¡± ¡°Should I tell her?¡± ¡°No need. Good morning Lady Aida, I am Marigold. I¡¯ve had Harlan for a day and a half or so, I¡¯ve now taught him how to cast gate.¡± His mother looked at him and he nodded yes. The Unseen collectively shrugged their shoulders, they had no idea if that woman was who they said she was, but they could see Xol standing behind her and there were only so many floating skeletons wearing robes and a crown and holding a staff that looked like a giant crystal rose. It was this rose that was on the healers pin. The Unseen called Dahlia, who called Sepul, who said that this is the woman who he met in the past and claimed to be Marigold. She was just slightly offended that he didn¡¯t use strong enough words to confirm who she said she was. ¡°I¡¯m starting to feel like an animal at a menagerie at this point.¡± Dahlia had to stop herself from speaking, but as anyone who enjoyed magic, and especially as a woman who enjoyed magic and whose ability to learn it and be seen as somewhat of an equal in society was directly tied to her, well, it was a very happy day for Dahlia. ¡°I think that it is time for Harlan to return home then.¡± Her window of opportunity was closing, so she took her shot. ¡°Miss Marigold.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a question, I just wanted to speak with you. You are a hero, a living legend, the mother of magic.¡± ¡°Thank you, it is always nice to know that people still appreciate me. I¡¯ve been with this runt and he only seems to thank me for my cooking. Barely even reacted to learning who I am.¡± She tugged on Harlan¡¯s ear. ¡°Ow, sorry, thank you for teaching me gate.¡± ¡°You¡¯re supposed to thank me for my wonderful life advice and my hospitality to bring you into my own home.¡± ¡°Thank you for everything you¡¯ve done for me, I should¡¯ve said it more.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, because I can¡¯t stay mad at you.¡± Everyone was suddenly very uncomfortable, processing that when the gate opened, Harlan was seemingly taking a nap while using her thighs as a pillow and she was brushing his hair. Now she was being very affectionate with the boy to the point Aida thought it was bordering on a bit too far. Had anything more happened she would step through the gate and give her a piece of her mind. ¡°Come on, up, up, back home with you. I want to get a quilt finished up.¡± Harlan walked through the gate and waved goodbye, and then it took him another minute of focusing to make it close. ¡°Mom, I know, I should¡¯ve called you, but-¡± She broke a wooden spoon across his wrist, knowing that he couldn¡¯t be hurt by her, but not knowing how else to really voice how upset she was. ¡°YOU¡¯VE BEEN GONE FOR ALMOST 2 MONTHS, NO CALLS, NOT EVEN TO SAY THAT YOU ARE STILL ALIVE?¡± ¡°It is hard to do that when you spend weeks in the wilderness and then an immortal hero invites you to her house outside of this world to learn magic.¡± She couldn¡¯t technically contradict his story, nobody could actually. It was the perfect cover, Sepul could confirm that it was in fact Marigold, and Xol was also there, and the idea that a 15 year old boy could be taught gate in a matter of weeks by anyone else would be nothing but a bad joke. His mother raised the wooden spoon that had already put itself back together, but stopped herself. ¡°If you do anything like that again, I will ground you.¡± He was about to open his mouth, but through a miracle, his mind caught up to it and shut him up. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear a word about what I can and cannot do, you are still my son.¡± Harlowe had been sitting at the dining room table the entire time and loudly sipped his tea. ¡°Welcome back. Did you have fun?¡± ¡°She is a very nice person, and a great cook. Almost as good as mom.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He was reading a newspaper, not everyone got them, but they were nobles, as wrong as it felt for the farmers to be, and so they felt that they should start reading it to find out what was happening outside of talking to other people. ¡°So, does that mean you can help me deliver the vegetables more quickly?¡± ¡°I would love to, but Adina is going to skin me alive as soon as I get back.¡± ¡°First lovers spat?¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Not really, we¡¯ve disagreed before.¡± ¡°First real fight then. Bring her a gift, maybe a nice knife so she doesn¡¯t cut herself when she skins you.¡± ¡°Are you in shock? You are being¡­ calm about all this.¡± ¡°I just can¡¯t get worked up like I could before. Whatever happens, you are going to be alright, I trust you to do the right thing. Adina is going to be very mad, but she will come around.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°She called me a few days ago to ask for advice; I can¡¯t say what about, but if she came to me, then she trusts me and still wants to be part of the family.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go to Tole, get her a nice cake, she has a sweet tooth.¡± Harlowe hadn¡¯t looked up from the paper once yet. ¡°And flowers.¡® ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll get flowers.¡± ¡°You better know her favorites.¡± ¡°Orchids, she likes orange orchids.¡± ¡°I forgot once, 5th anniversary. Your mo-¡± ¡°Do not tell him that story.¡± ¡°Nothing happened on your mother and I¡¯s 5th anniversary.¡± Sepul broke up the odd family moment. ¡°You have your own gate now, so don¡¯t expect to call me for this anymore. I will be going first so it is clear when you step through that it is your own gate and not mine. Also, you are still early enough that she is likely still in her room for the next 40 minutes.¡± ¡°You keep track of that?¡± He blipped back to the academy without another word. It was hard for Sepul to show affection to Harlan, and in that moment he lost his composure and failed to remember that he could just pretend he was spying on Adina, not keeping a protective eye on her. The results would be the same, but it was the feeling behind his actions that mattered. Harlan wanted to ask if teleport was based on the same principle as gate and he just needed to think harder to make it work. It would be another two days before the news of what had happened, or rather, the news that the crown wanted to put out, reached the entire kingdom. A count trying to kill another wasn¡¯t an entirely rare thing, but Harlan showing up out of nowhere and crushing a detachment of a count¡¯s army by killing over a hundred specialists, including warmages and 600 knights on top of the costs of losing all of that equipment, was very rare. When he stepped through a gate without anyone with him at the academy, and that his gate was unlike others, he got called over to the front desk of the gate office. ¡°Harlan Fomoria, would you like to be registered as a gate mage?¡± ¡°That depends, what will that mean for me?¡± ¡°You would be added into the register of mages who can be hired for gate, that is more or less all that it is. If you don¡¯t want to be on the list it isn¡¯t an issue, it is a way in which mages can earn some extra coin and build connections to hopefully be hired on as a personal gate mage.¡± ¡°No, I do not want to be added to the list. I intend to use my gate when I want to for myself and those who I choose to use it for.¡± ¡°Very well. Have a good day, oh, would you like a pin that marks you as gate capable?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen one before, why not?¡± ¡°They are generally stored in someones home, framed on a wall to avoid damaging them.¡± ¡°If you have one ready, I would take it.¡± The older woman reached into a draw and pulled one out. ¡°Here you go. Do you have any questions?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Have a nice day, Archmage Changeling.¡± Harlan gave a small bow and left. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Adina kept it bolted shut, and even when she unlocked it she kept a chain on the door. Harlan¡¯s paranoia had rubbed off on her, just slightly. When she opened the door she could hear his new heart that beat like a wardrum in his chest, blunted only by the dense bones and muscle fibers of his body. Through the crack Harlan see her wearing his jacket and ring that he left behind. ¡°Get in here, now.¡± Harlan couldn¡¯t blame her for being upset, and he expected to receive a strike once out of sight. ¡°Adina, I¡¯m-¡± ¡°Sit down, shut up, I am going to talk.¡± Harlan did as asked, placing the cake and flowers on the table between them. ¡°Did you find yourself?¡± ¡°I-¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Harlan waited for her anger to hit a low point before he broke the silence that they had been awkwardly sitting in for the last 10 minutes. ¡°I got you cake and flowers.¡± ¡°I know, I can smell them. Orchids, lemon cake.¡± ¡°Orange orchids.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember telling you that I like them.¡± ¡°When we walked through the garden at Blackstone¡¯s, you lingered in front of the orange ones for a minute longer than the other flowers.¡± ¡°They were beautiful. I¡¯m shocked that you remembered that, I didn¡¯t even remember it until now.¡± ¡°I hoped that once I corrected your eyes, that I could give you a bouquet.¡± ¡°Your heart, it sounds¡­ different. Are you still you?¡± ¡°I killed a wyvern, subsuming its body to enhance my own. But I am all Harlan still.¡± ¡°Is that why you got taller?¡± She pulled him off of the couch and touched the top of his head. ¡°Yeah, part of it.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve changed.¡± ¡°I learned how to cast gate, and I met Marigold again, you would like her.¡± ¡°Mary is a good person.¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°Because she told me, I was¡­ upset. But she said she had been watching you. Your birthday is close, I think we should celebrate it.¡± ¡°Just you and me.¡± ¡°Just you and me.¡± She gave him a kiss and he didn¡¯t pull back out of awkward feelings this time. ¡°We should probably go see everyone else.¡± ¡°We should. But instead I¡¯ll bring breakfast back here.¡± ¡°Alright. Do you want to invite Amber? She wasn¡¯t very happy that you left without telling her and I think we can take you two on one..¡± ¡°I doubt it.¡± On the way Harlan ran into Zella. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± ¡°Just came in this morning.¡± ¡°Are you ok?¡± ¡°Yeah, I feel fine. I talked with Adina, and I¡¯m picking up breakfast for the two of us. She said I should invite Amber. Oh, and I can cast gate now.¡± Many people in the hallway froze. ¡°You are fucking with me.¡± Zella had been studying spatial magic for years, and had not cast a gate yet. Harlan left for two months after never once stepping foot in one of the classes and cast one of the highest level spells next to a long range teleport. ¡°No, I learned it from Marigold. I can ask if I am allowed to use her method.¡± ¡°You are fucking with me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got to get the food, see you later.¡± Zella¡¯s friend walked up to her. ¡°Do you think he was-¡± ¡°Yes, of course he is, Harlan is always- He is just such a-¡± ¡°freak of nature.¡± ¡°Do not talk about Harlan like that, or I¡¯ll-¡± Her hair curled into fists not unlike an angry octopus. She was upset because she felt it was unfair, but at the same time, Harlan was still one of her best friends and did not want to hear anyone who she also called a friend speak poorly of him. ¡°Sorry, I mean that he is just¡­ I don¡¯t know, gifted?¡± ¡°He is cursed. Always learning something new to kill himself with. I¡¯m not mad at him, no, actually I am. But I know I shouldn¡¯t be. Let¡¯s go eat. Do you want to see him cast gate?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure that-¡± ¡°You are always avoiding Harlan, why not give him a chance to know him like I do.¡± ¡°Because he is¡­¡± ¡°He knows that he gets that reaction from people, but really, he is a sweet guy.¡± Harlan came back through with several plates and Amber in tow. ¡°Oh, Zella, I met Ky, I¡¯ll tell you about it later. But he is doing just fine.¡± ¡°I look forward to it.¡± When he returned he found Seekers and golems waiting for him. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°We are here to speak with you about-¡± A second set of Seekers arrived. ¡°Sir Formoia, we are here to speak with you about-¡± ¡°If I am being arrested then do it, If not, send a letter with a court date. I have more important things to do.¡± ¡°This is a very serious issue, what could be more important?¡± Harlan grinned. ¡°Breakfast with my dear sister and my fiance.¡± He walked past them and knocked on Adina¡¯s door, one of the first set of Seekers reached for him. The man stopped only when Harlan turned back, his eyes slit like a predator. ¡°If you intend to stop me, without having authority to arrest me, I will remove that hand.¡± Adina opened the door. ¡°Should I be worried?¡± ¡°Nope, let¡¯s eat and talk. Excuse me.¡± The two sets of Seeker¡¯s looked at one another after Harlan closed the door. ¡°There is nothing to be done, we should return and await orders.¡± ¡°We have a job to do. Sir Fomoria must face charges for his actions, a few days in a cell while we gather evidence is sure to give him some respect for our work.¡± ¡°If everything we¡¯ve heard it correct, and I assume that you have read the up to date reports, then Sir Fomoria would kill you without a second thought if he didn¡¯t believe you had authority. Do not test the boy, you¡¯ll only make a mess, and I don¡¯t want to see a fellow Seeker die while carrying out his duty.¡± The second set were two men in their late 20s, and the first were two men in their early 20s, ones who answered to Alder. ¡°It would be just to-¡± ¡°Seekers do not have conflicts between them. We will return to sort out who has authority before anything else.¡± It was nothing but a stall tactic, something to buy time for Rosewell to find out his mental state. Seekers not conflicting was an unofficial motto of sorts, they should never have a problem with one another because they all represented the law as written; they could not openly disagree with one another unless backed by evidence of something that could justify the disagreement. Chapter 178: A Meeting Harlan set down the plates full of eggs and meats and a tray of bread to eat for breakfast. ¡°Are we expecting anyone else?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m just denser now than I was before, I will likely need to begin using metabolizing spells just to keep up with the nutrients that I need or I will be drinking tonics between meals.¡± ¡°Is that safe?¡± ¡°I was told in the past to avoid using them, but I¡¯ve since learned that the only real reason was that they knew I would overuse it.¡± ¡°Of course you would. And then you would be 10 feet tall and 1000 pounds.¡± ¡°Right now I think I am right around 1400.¡± ¡°What? How?¡± ¡°You mean how I¡¯m able to move around and sit on this chair without it exploding into splitters.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°The answer is hover. Which actually matches up pretty well with real wyverns. There is just no way for them to move and fly around no matter their wingspan if they couldn¡¯t instinctively use magic to reduce their weight.¡± ¡°That sounds dangerous, what if you accidentally turn it off or you pass out?¡± ¡°Then my armor will realize the issue and turn it back on.¡± ¡°What about the cost of the-¡± ¡°Hover increases in cost based on volume and weight, the cost is currently manageable by offloading it in part to my armor. But as I grow older it should turn into little more than background noise, just another part of life. Like how Sepul has hover constantly on. I thought this through, it wasn¡¯t an entirely impulsive choice.¡± Amber had been silent until now, unsure what to even say first. ¡°What did you decide on your journey of self discovery?¡± Her tone held no mockery, she was upset with him, but believed that he went on the trip for a good reason. ¡°I¡¯m not made to be meek, sometimes people do bad things for good enough reasons that I should spare them. I killed 700 men in one fight, but the first in my journey were 16 knights, yet I spared an adventurer who tried to kill me.¡± ¡°Really? That seems¡­ We all know your opinion of their kind is very low.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t react to the 700, just the man I spared. I spared more people after that, an Ibexian woman who took a hostage even. I do not regret sparing her, but Marigold disagreed with my choice.¡± There was a pause before she answered back. ¡°You killing that many people, it seems¡­ like something you would do.¡± ¡°But mercy isn¡¯t in my nature according to you?¡± Amber drank her water and then paused once again, trying to phrase herself the right way to avoid sounding like she was judging him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to sound like you are a monster, but you have a habit of violence, enough that I sometimes worry about how far you will go.¡± ¡°I understand better than ever what I am. I am a brutal man with no regard for the lives of my enemies. I am a liar. I am not normal.¡± ¡°Harlan, you aren¡¯t that, you are just¡­ mixed up.¡± ¡°No, I disagree. I lie to protect myself, to protect you, mom, dad, everyone who I love, sometimes from myself, and sometimes from others. Those lies sometimes catch up with me, I had to make the communicators because I gave soulsmithing to Dearil.¡± Amber set down her silverware and briefly thought about throwing her fork at Harlan, his skin could take it, she thought. ¡°I was angry, I¡­ I was just angry, and I got him to promise to never send his golems after Autumn and the kids ever again. My own golems wouldn¡¯t be nearly as advanced without him, my understanding of physics in general would be weaker. I don¡¯t regret it anymore, even if it forced me into a bad situation, a lot of good came from that. I would never have had the test subjects or the push on my morals that I needed to use those subjects without being consumed with guilt.¡± She could see that his words of not regretting it and his face disagreed on the truth of the matter. ¡°How many people died for the communicators?¡± ¡°86. All death row inmates, all people who I would wipe off the face of Aarde without a second thought, and you would too. I don¡¯t even need to justify myself, I understand what I want, and if the cost is evil men, then I will not take issue with that.¡± Amber raised herself from her seat, but the fire inside of her had nowhere to go. ¡°You are¡­ right.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°You are right.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking it as a question, and I didn¡¯t say it as a mark of astonishment, I mean that I¡¯m sorry that I am right.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me something nicer that happened out there.¡± Harlan had a warm smile creep upon his face. ¡°I met a girl named Jas. We¡­¡± After it was time for the others to get to their classes, they felt it wasn¡¯t nearly as bad as it seemed at first. Harlan showed genuine happiness and enthusiasm for the good people he met. Harlan decided to give Jas a call once he got back to his room. ¡°Morning.¡± ¡°Hargrave, I-¡± ¡°Harlan, Harlan Fomoria. I¡¯m done hiding behind fake names. What have you been up to?¡± ¡°We are still in Direhold, Kelly said that it was better to wait a few days before doing anything just in case there is chaos from one side dying.¡± ¡°Oreland made it back home, but the knights that went with all died. Ky is also alive.¡± ¡°That is good to hear. Are you at his home?¡± ¡°Nope, back at the academy. Are you still at the same tavern?¡± ¡°We actually moved. I think this one is the Shell Game. Kelly likes to gamble a little bit, but only after we have everything we need taken care of, I think she likes playing more for fun rather than to win, so she makes small bets.¡± ¡°Have you decided where you want to go after you get out of Direhold?¡± ¡°South, I will be trying to convince her to go to your village the entire way. If not, I might just need to run away, because I know she will come after me if I do. Can we just¡­ talk? I¡¯m sorry if-¡± ¡°Of course we can talk. It is what people should do with one another. So tell me, what is on your mind.¡± ¡°I am a big fan. I have listened for every rumor I can about you. Is it true that you can sense people in some way, so you can¡¯t be ambushed?¡± ¡°Half true, but I won¡¯t explain why.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, I know that we don¡¯t know each other that well.¡± ¡°I heard you are getting married to a girl from Reino, and she doesn¡¯t have any eyes.¡± ¡°Adina is blind, but her eyes are still there.¡± ¡°Is she cuter than me? I heard that-¡± ¡°Before you say anything else, I want you to remember that Adina is a very close friend, and my fiance. I¡¯m not going to be mad if you just ask your questions, because I know that you are just asking innocently, but please keep in mind that she is the person who I love.¡± ¡°I heard she has burns on her face.¡± ¡°Nope, she is totally normal looking.¡± ¡°I heard that¡­¡± The more questions she asked the more he questioned who was spreading these rumors and why. ¡°Why don¡¯t we back up to the rumor that I can grow tusks. Where did you hear that one?¡± ¡°Let me think, I believe it was Killreach near the border of the frontier and I overheard it from a soldier whose cousin knows a man who is friends with the Unseen who guard your family. Do you really command a pack of Wargs?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°No, I teamed up with a Skoll once to kill a Hati and I rode on its back.¡± ¡°You are incredible.¡± Harlan heard a door open. ¡°Sorry, Kelly is back. See you soon.¡± ¡°Yep, and hey, before you go, just remember that you can call me if you need something, I¡¯m not worried that you are going to take advantage of me.¡± ¡°I always heard that you were paranoid, guess they were wrong.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still paranoid, but I can see that you aren¡¯t a bad person.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± They broke the connection. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d say you have a crush on her.¡± ¡°Luckily you do know better. I¡¯m just really happy to have someone who is excited just to speak with me and isn¡¯t afraid of telling me things I might not want to hear. She has no filter, and that is just¡­ nice.¡± ¡°Are you going to pick her up? I¡¯m guessing that you are thinking about it.¡± ¡°Can you still not read my thoughts?¡± ¡°You used to have all of these cracks that I could see inside and your thoughts just slipped out, now those are sealed and I can¡¯t see anything unless you want me too.¡± Harlan sent memories to her. ¡°I don¡¯t remember this happening, and I can only think of a handful of times that I had to sleep.¡± ¡°I can lie to you now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that, please, don¡¯t do that to me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just had to know if I could. You know me more than anyone else, you probably know what I¡¯ve done more than I do.¡± ¡°I remember Adina stopping in front of those orchids, I never thought about why she did. You can remember the important parts, I¡¯ll remember everything else.¡± ¡°Is there anywhere you want to go?¡± ¡°I think we¡¯ve both done enough traveling for a while. And Eliza didn¡¯t really have any place that she considered to be important to her.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking her, I¡¯m asking you. In all of your time, did any place jump out at you? Somewhere that you heard of and decided that you wanted to go?¡± She deliberated for a few minutes. ¡°I want to see a volcano some day.¡± ¡°Then we should go there for your birthday.¡± ¡°Do I have one?¡± ¡°The 5th month, on the 12th day. That was when Eliza died, and I made you. Or we could go with whatever the date was that you got independence from her mind and became another person. Or, we could go with the day that you got your name.¡± ¡°The day I became Dawn then, that will be my birthday.¡± ¡°7th month, 7th day. How about that.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me. So, now that that is out of the way. Do you want to get ready for the woman coming down the hallway?¡± ¡°I figure we have a couple of minutes. I should put on some water for tea and get the cookies out. Hello Relly, I know you can hear me.¡± ¡°Hello Harlan, who are you talking to?¡± ¡°That is a secret, but don¡¯t worry, she is nice.¡± ¡°I will trust you then. Miss Rosewell is going to- Wait, I shouldn¡¯t tell you.¡± Relly told Rosewell that Harlan knew she was coming. Before they even got to the room Harlan opened the door. ¡°Morning good to see you, Rosewell, Relly. Morning to you as well, Safira.¡± Under her helmet the woman scowled. While they didn¡¯t really understand how to stop it, her current set was supposed to prevent his mental senses from telling apart individuals. Harlan reached out his hand, but then stopped. ¡°If I ruffle your hair I¡¯d ruin it. Please, come in.¡± They didn¡¯t say a word until they got inside and Harlan sat down across from the pair, Safira towering behind them. ¡°What can I help you with?¡± ¡°I will skip the pleasantries. Did you kill-¡± ¡°The 700 men of Count Orelend and 16 knights of Count Oreland, yes.¡± ¡°Are you aware that you¡¯ve kicked a hornets nest by doing so, especially with you using flesh golems to do so?¡± ¡°The other option was to let a child be murdered. Or to let a man who would give his life for his son die.¡± Harlan sipped his tea. ¡°But I have a question for you, why come here instead of inviting me to your home?¡± ¡°I think it is best that you avoid interacting with the rest of my brothers and sisters. Losing the throne to me has hurt their pride, and they are liable to take drastic actions against me. Hence bringing Relly and Safira with me at all times now.¡± Harlan had a great big smile and he kneeled before her, his head low. ¡°Congratulations, Queen Rosewell, or should I call you Yggdra?¡± ¡°Thank you, but no, not until the crown is on my head do I gain the name of Yggdra. I¡¯m a little surprised, you don¡¯t like authority.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve come to the conclusion that I despise those who abuse their authority, but most people are simply too weak in mind and body to be trusted not to destroy themselves. I hope you are a good queen¡­¡± Harlan left the otherwise unsaid, but Relly knew what he meant and scowled at him. ¡°There is another reason I¡¯ve come here to you, because I am asking a favor, not as queen to be, and not as a princess. I want you to be for me, what Sepul is to my father.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± ¡°As for the terms-¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take out your targets, manufacture your items, so on and so forth, in exchange, when there are times that you need to, I expect protection for me, and my family. These are my terms.¡± ¡°An informal way to put it, but yes, that is more or less what I intended. There is something that I do want, I want to be stronger. Through your method.¡± ¡°I need materials, and I will warn you, it is not pleasant. Though I¡¯ve never strengthened someone just yet, so I would also like subjects to test on first.¡± ¡°It might take some time to find volunteers.¡± ¡°Why not take them from death row? It is how I made the communicators and developed this technique in the first place.¡± ¡°I do not want to be my father, I want this all to be above board.¡± ¡°So I will be your hardness, as Sepul is your father¡¯s softness.¡± Rosewell fidgeted with her cup of tea, rotating it on its plate. ¡°Yes, to some extent, that is what my father suggested. I also want you to be there when I ask Sepul about if his deals will continue with me as they have for my father.¡± ¡°Of course, I will always support a friend. Also, I¡¯ve learned gate, so that is a service you can always ask for.¡± ¡°Safira and I know how to cast gate already.¡± ¡°Yes, but yours cannot be cast in just a few moments and doesn¡¯t bypass certain wards and arrays.¡± ¡°And you claim that your can?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Harlan cast the spell, opening a gate from his room to Adina¡¯s room, something the academy wards shouldn¡¯t allow. ¡°I cannot claim I¡¯m nearly as good as Sepul, but I can bypass the ones at my parents'' home, and if the crown set them up, I hope they are high quality.¡± With a snap of his fingers, the gate closed and moments later Harlan got a knock on the door from academy security. After apologies and promises that it won¡¯t happen again, they left. ¡°So, anything else?¡± ¡°I want you to have a badge. A symbol of our connection. You are officially an advisor, but not an enforcer, when I ask you to remove people, you will do so with proper protocol and under the eye of another organization such as The Unseen.¡± ¡°I have no issue with a badge or following orders. Well, unless of course they conflict with my own morals. But, since I¡¯m likely to go farther than you, I don¡¯t see that being a major issue.¡± ¡°This is serious, you cannot act as a lone man outside of the system, you must follow orders to the tee.¡± ¡°I will make no extreme actions under your orders, unless those are my orders. What I do outside of your orders, on my personal time, will be on my head. I cannot offer much more than this.¡± ¡°What you do privately matters, because you are not going to be my friend, you are going to be my advisor. And that means people will look at who I associate with when they judge me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like this. But, within reason, I will avoid taking actions that reflect poorly on you. But I am not a hermit like Sepul, I am not hiding from the world, and when the world strikes at me or mine, I will react.¡± ¡°We will revisit your appointment at a later date. Before I go, I want to give you a suggestion for your trial, because you will need to defend your involvement if nothing else. You should look into invoking an old law, one not often even uttered. It is called¡­¡± Harlan spent some time before lunch making calls and catching up on his school work. ¡°Blackstone, how is the baby?¡± ¡°Just fine. I heard that you-¡± ¡°Yes, I killed a lot of people again. I defended the life of a child and his father against assassins and everyone who has a problem with that can get fucked.¡± ¡°I was going to say that I heard you killed a giant Black Lindwurm. Redmond was quite happy when he called me to talk about it, he is proud of you. And it does give me confidence that when the war begins, even if I should parish, my child will have a powerful godfather.¡± ¡°Godfather?¡± ¡°In the Blackstone family, we consider it bad luck to name a godfather who is tied to us by blood. There is an expectation that of course someone related by blood would defend the child with their life, so it has more meaning for someone like you to have the title.¡± ¡°Just like it being bad luck to know the baby''s sex before it is born? That seems crazy to me, what about gifts? Or names?¡± ¡°Maybe when you have your own children, you¡¯ll know how it feels to cling to every little thing that you hope can make them just a little bit safer. But, back to that killing, what did you do this time?¡± ¡°It is a quick story, all I did was¡­¡±
Rosewell sat in her room with Safira outside. ¡°So, anything worth mentioning?¡± ¡°He was talking to someone before we got there.¡± ¡°On his amulet?¡± The young girl shook her head. ¡°Was there someone else in the room?¡± ¡°She was in his head.¡± ¡°So they used the crossroad to-¡± ¡°No, there was another mind beside Harlan inside of him. They seemed close.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± ¡°I know, but Harlan has another mind. A woman, she sounded older than him.¡± Had Sepul reported who he had seen in Harlan¡¯s memory of his dream, Rosewell could¡¯ve found out the culprit after enough digging, but he had kept that secret to himself. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°He was genuinely really really happy that you won, not just because it was safer for him, but because he likes you. He would defend us just like we were family.¡± ¡°That is what worries me.¡± She let out a long-suffering sigh. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to make you do this for me, especially to use you against Harlan.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t making me do anything, you¡¯ve always been there for me, and I¡¯ll always be there for you.¡± They were not sitting in front of one another, but rather Rosewell was holding her like a mother and child. ¡°A mother shouldn¡¯t make her daughter do things like this.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t mind, Mo- Miss Rosewell.¡± Relly didn¡¯t remember her real mother at all, but still felt awkward about calling Rosewell her mother. The importance she placed in the idea of a mother mattered more than the person who actually took care of her. If Harlan heard her, he would pretend that it was fine, but he would really think she is being a fool. Chapter 179: Court with the Count A week quickly passed, Harlan had begun his experiments with pact removal or bypassing, he was upped from white rose to yellow, and he showed off his gate to a number of people who could confirm that it was genuine. For those back at the academy, Harlan seemed to have further mellowed out, that is until he came back from a mission with Shelly¡¯s team and the rest of the group looked upset while Harlan spoke in an even, kind tone. It later came out that Harlan had entered a beastial state with scales grown over his skin and he stopped a charging mammoth by grabbing its tusks and twisting until its neck snapped. This was considered insanity, as even with them being mundane, they were towering behemoths at 11 feet tall for an average adult and weighed multiple tons. What really set off red flags for people was that afterwards he dug out the liver and subsumed it. From the outside, it looked like he had eaten it raw, which wasn¡¯t exactly true. The event to cap off his week however, was the trial between counts Oreland and Orelend. Harlan was called to the stand at the very end, his case was technically not the same one, but was closely related enough that Harlan would be tried in relation to it. Orelend decided to sue Harlan for damages, since he lost quite a lot of men and Harlan shouldn¡¯t have had the right to step in for a count that he didn¡¯t even know. ¡°I invoke trial by bloodletting.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I, Harlan Fomoria, invoke trial bloodletting, against House Orelend.¡± There were murmurs and then shouts from Orelend¡¯s side, he had brought many allies as a show of support. The judge slammed his enchanted gavel, a wave of silence showed his displeasure without making him raise his voice. ¡°Another outburst, and there will be consequences. Count Orelend, do you agree to this?¡± ¡°Actually your honor-¡± ¡°Sir Fomoria, I will not suffer another insult in my court. Wait your turn before speaking.¡± Harlan lifted a letter, one which had already been opened and the seal was not shown. ¡°Go on then, give it here.¡± The judge spoke under his breath as he read it. ¡°This letter has been given by His Majesty, King Yggdra the 15th. Sir Fomoria had right to invoke such a thing, and has been pre-approved. Though Count Orelend is also free to avoid the fight if he steps down as count, and an advisor appointed by Sir Fomoria is allowed to oversee the work of the new count, but without the power to decide policy.¡± The count didn¡¯t even consider it for a moment, there was no way he would ever step down. ¡°And what exactly does a trial by bloodletting entail?¡± ¡°It is a fight to the death. If you lose, then your house must give up a third of its annuities to Sir Fomoria for 10 years time. Your heir would be forbidden from attending any social gatherings without approval from the crown. And lastly, your army would be replaced by the national army for no less than 5 years. This is for the sake of avoiding bankruptcy as a result of paying for an army which you cannot use.¡± ¡°What about champions?¡± ¡°No champions may be appointed for such a trial.¡± Harlan hadn¡¯t gone back out on missions with Shelly¡¯s team for the fun of it, or to get used to his new strength, he did it so his new feats would become known. Even if the count was a battle hardened man and an expert mage, the idea of Harlan winning wasn¡¯t farfetched. Yet the count was a man in his 70s who refused to give over his position to his daughter until the day he died. Even in his prime, he was a merchant, a man who hired others to do his dirty work. He swallowed the lump in his throat. ¡°How¡­ how much time do I have to make my decision?¡± ¡°One month. If you do not step down before then, it will be assumed that you intend to fight.¡± ¡°I¡­ I have nothing more to say.¡± ¡°Sir Fomoria, do you have anything else to say?¡± ¡°I said when I was appointed as an Archmage that I forgive everyone who had wronged me up to that point. But make no mistake, I did not turn meek, my list of deadmen simply grew too large to keep track of. Your Honor, I have nothing more to say.¡± ¡°Court is adjourned.¡± Outside, Count Orelend asked Harlan for a private talk, which Harlan refused and demanded to speak right in the hallway. ¡°What would it cost to have you drop this?¡± Harlan curled his upper lip in disgust. ¡°I have money, metals, magical items, I-¡± ¡°All I ask for, is your life in exchange for the future of your heir, and your people. If you accept the trial by bloodletting, I will not punish your replacement at all. I will not take their annuities, nor will I bar them from high society, nor will your army be disbanded. I am willing to put this in writing.¡± ¡°You would dare to demand that of me? I should have you-¡± ¡°Choose your words carefully, it would be a shame if the stress caused you to have an aneurysm in your sleep one night.¡± ¡°You would threaten me? Here?¡± More than a few people, mostly workers, were actually listening in. ¡°You are right, I am threatening you. But you see, I only intend to kill you outside of the law if you attempt to attack those who I love. I don¡¯t care about insults or threats against me, but if you threaten my family, I will burst your skull right here regardless of witnesses.¡± Before the man could go red in the face and commit suicide by Harlan, his daughter, a woman in her 50s who looked nearly as old as her father, stopped him. ¡°I think it best to return home, there is nothing to be done to reason with a man like him.¡± She was tired and upset, and Harlan could feel that. Though what he also felt was that she wasn¡¯t upset at him, but her father, the source of the stress that aged her so poorly. Count Oreland next struck up conversation. ¡°I am glad to have you on my side, I mean, if I had such an ultimatum, I¡¯d just take my own life.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if you are a good man, but you are a man willing to give his life for his son, that is worth something. I want to see, does he have that in him? Or is he a coward who hides behind hired blades.¡± They approached the gate rooms. ¡°Would you like me to take you home?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got my own man, but I wouldn¡¯t want to turn down such an offer.¡± Harlan had gotten his gate cast time down to 20 seconds from 30 a week ago, but the more he cast it, the harder it was to make it any faster. He could only guess how many times Sepul cast it to summon multiple gates at once in an instant from a sizable distance. Harlan opened the gate directly to the count¡¯s home and stepped through. ¡°Would you like to stay for lunch? My allies and I are having a small party.¡± ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ve got another meal to get to. I wish you all the best and I hope Rass wasn¡¯t too frightened by what happened.¡± ¡°Of course. Good day to you as well.¡± Harlan cast a second gate, and then a third and and a forth and a fifth, until he got back to the academy and then to Direhold. Kelly didn¡¯t like sleeping in the same place for more than a few nights at a time, but she also didn¡¯t feel safe leaving Direhold since a second blizzard had come through. So she was back at The Drunken Drake. ¡°Jas, Kelly, good to see you again.¡± ¡°What is he doing here?¡± ¡°I invited him and his fiance to have lunch.¡± Kelly eyed Jas like she had three heads. ¡°But he¡¯s a¡­ he.¡± ¡°If you aren¡¯t-¡± ¡°Sit down, don¡¯t worry about her. Watch this.¡± Above Jas¡¯s finger a small fire flickered to life. ¡°Very nice, you¡¯ve improved quickly. What about the other 5 elements?¡± She averted her eyes in embarrassment, causing Adina to give him a slap on the wrist. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him, he expects too much of people.¡± Jas ran her eyes up and down Adina, despite Harlan¡¯s words, it was hard to dispel every rumor she heard. ¡°She looks¡­ cute.¡± Adina had been forewarned about how Jas would likely be. ¡°Please don¡¯t speak about me like I am not here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Fomoria.¡± ¡°Harlan, what have you been telling her about me?¡± ¡°Not much really, she just asks questions and I give answers.¡± ¡°Were you really cursed by your gods for loving Harlan?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Jas loves to hear all of the rumors about me and then she asks which ones have any truth to them.¡± Kelly sat in silence, eating her meal while trying not to be involved in the conversation. After 30 minutes the lunch break for the academy was nearly over so Harlan had to get Adina back. ¡°It has been great meeting you, I never thought that-¡± A man approached Jas, but between Harlan and Kelly¡¯s glares he backed off before he spoke a single word. Jas laughed, something Kelly rarely got to hear anymore. ¡°I¡¯m happy that you two are getting along.¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Kelly accented her words by rising from her seat and harshly pointing at Harlan. ¡°I¡¯m just looking out for you, I don¡¯t know what game he is playing. And you, don¡¯t think that doing something like that means anything.¡± Adina spoke up in Harlan¡¯s defense. ¡°Harlan helps people without asking for anything. That is just in his nature. He might just seem cold and prickly and violent from the outside, but he is also very kind to people, selfless even.¡± It was not lost on Harlan how she phrased her defense of him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear the defense of him from some-¡± Harlan slammed his hand on the table, barely avoiding breaking it. ¡°Choose your next words very, very carefully.¡± ¡°Some cripple pet of a noble mass murderer.¡± Harlan took deep breaths, calming himself before responding. ¡°Jas, have a nice day. Kelly, get over yourself, you aren¡¯t the only person in the world that wants to help your sister.¡± ¡°Harlan, we aren¡¯t leaving yet. Kelly, fight me. Here or outside. Hand to hand.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°No, no, Kelly, don¡¯t do this. Miss- Adina is-¡± ¡°Be quiet Jas, I can defend myself. I am not Harlan¡¯s pet, I am his fiance. I¡¯m not a cripple, I am a person.¡± Harlan moved tables out of the way and paid for the meal along with a gold coin to settle any issues the tavern keeper might have with what was about to happen. Once it was clear that two young women were fighting, a ring of men quickly formed. ¡°Let¡¯s go until one of us gives up or gets knocked out.¡± ¡°Sure, whatever, cripple.¡± Harlan clapped his hands to tell them to start. Adina could¡¯ve won instantly by using her armor, but that seemed like cheating, so she kept its use purely defensive, protecting her spine. Kelly casually walked over and threw a punch that Adina easily dodged before throwing a jab that landed right on her nose. ¡°You bitch.¡± Now the fight could really start. Harlan had to keep Jas away. ¡°You can¡¯t really just-¡± ¡°They both need to work this out between themselves.¡± Another blow landed, Adina¡¯s nose was clearly broken. ¡°I¡¯ve really rubbed off on her, a year ago, she¡­ alright a year ago she might¡¯ve still done this, but two years ago she never would¡¯ve done it. She took her abuse in silence, she suffered in silence, but you don¡¯t need to.¡± ¡°Kelly doesn¡¯t-¡± ¡°I know, she is trying her best, but I think all of this traveling, having only one person that you can trust, it is bad for you.¡± ¡°I trust you.¡± ¡°But you refused to trust Hargrave, who didn¡¯t act any different than me.¡± Kelly took an elbow to her face, busting her lip, then countering with a headbutt that dazed Adina. ¡°Is she-¡± ¡°Adina is fine. But back to what I was saying. You need more people to trust, not just me, and not just your sister. If you remain alone, blocking yourself off from the world, it is just going to hurt you for longer.¡± Kelly tried to climb on top of Adina, but received a kick between the legs, sending her to the ground. ¡°Adina went through something different then you, but she ended up only really trusting me, and when I went away for a bit, she couldn¡¯t handle it. I saw how agitated you were without Kelly, and if you cannot live without her, then¡­ I¡¯m worried that something bad would happen if something happened to her.¡± ¡°But she is always going to come back, she wouldn''t leave me alone with these people.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how long ago that thing that bothers you happened, so I¡¯m not saying there is anything wrong with being upset still. But some day, I hope you can feel safe when around other people.¡± Adina staggered to her feet and kicked Kelly in the gut. The crowd made sounds of disgust as she lost the lunch she had just finished. ¡°I¡¯m stopping this.¡± Jas walked into the encirclement. ¡°Kelly, hey, are you awake?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll fucking-¡± She put her hand over her mouth, trying to stop what was coming back up again. ¡°You lost, why don¡¯t you just-¡± Kelly pushed her sister aside. ¡°I¡¯m not losing to some cripple shrimp.¡± When Kelly rushed Adina she was grappled and pinned to the ground. ¡°If you don¡¯t give up, I¡¯m going to break your arm.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t going to break my arm you little-¡± Adina broke her arm. Despite a difference in size and ¡®real¡¯ experience, Adina never slacked off in combat training. Compared to someone who was trained by an ex-adventurer who only knew basic military training and didn¡¯t have the time to drill everything into them, it wasn¡¯t enough. Kelly groaned on the ground, trying to avoid screaming in pain as Harlan healed her. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you get a favor from me.¡± Harlan squeezed her neck to cut off blood flow long enough for her to pass out, then used sleeping air to keep her asleep. ¡°What did you just do?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want anything from her and I am not arguing about it. Once she wakes up, I¡¯ll be gone. Now, there is a final thing I wanted to ask you, do you want a home?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You need a safe environment with people who you can learn to trust.¡± Harlan could see the conflict painted on her face. She didn¡¯t trust people, but she trusted Harlan because it was him who made the shield that saved her and her sister. ¡°You don¡¯t need to choose now, just know that it is an option.¡± Adina came near. ¡°That is nice, but why did you heal her first?¡± ¡°You are a healer, I thought you would do it yourself.¡± Adina narrowed her eyes. ¡°But, I can see that is the wrong answer. Also, congratulations, did Ximena teach you that takedown?¡± ¡°Yes, she did. I can¡¯t wait to tell her how well it worked.¡± Adina was giddy, it had been the first real brawl she was in and she won. ¡°You broke my sister¡¯s arm.¡± ¡°She should¡¯ve treated me with respect. She thought it was alright to fight me and that she would easily win because I¡¯m blind, but I¡¯m not some weak kitten.¡± ¡°Yes, honey, you have claws.¡± ¡°You are damn right.¡± Adina kissed him and little bits of blood got on him. ¡°You need to get cleaned up before going to classes. Also, I need to have a conversation with you about something, after dinner.¡± ¡°Your room or mine?¡± ¡°My room.¡± ¡°See you then.¡± Harlan took a few minutes to clean the tavern, a pulse of controlled void made it cleaner than it likely had been in years by destroying the accumulated grime and dirt. The tavern keeper whistled. ¡°I should let your women fight here more often. Little Wyvern Slayer.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not little anymore.¡± ¡°Little boy¡¯s face on a grown man¡¯s body.¡± Harlan waved as he left. Back at the academy, Adina got odd looks from everyone. Harlan could heal her just fine, but one particular gash from Kelly slamming her head into a table left a small scar and she still had blood on her clothes. Harlan waved her off and went to the lab that Hirum had given him. Inside he found his patient, they looked sickly, clearly unwell, but he had a content smile. ¡°Are you ok in there?¡± ¡°I can hear your blood flowing through your veins so¡­ sweetly. But I don¡¯t feel the need to attack you right now.¡± ¡°Then it is working, and I am glad that you volunteered for this. Now, from your own estimation, is the experiment causing you to not attack me, or is it your own mental fortitude?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve fallen to blood frenzy once before¡­ it didn¡¯t take as long as this and the pull on my mind was different. I¡¯m going to say it is your experiment.¡± ¡°Alright. I can try this with a few other people, werewolves, gargoyles, what are those bird people?¡± ¡°There are a few names, but I think they prefer Sirin, they are magically good singers that can draw people in to feed on.¡± ¡°Then I need one of them. Now, for the next step, I am going to physically restrain you, then I am going to remove the restraints on your soul. If my experiment really did work, then you are going to immediately try to kill me.¡± ¡°I¡­ I really do like the way it makes me feel, to not be hungry, to never have it pressing on my mind.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard anyone describe it like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only been turned for a little over a year, it is¡­ hard to not be normal. If you do this, you can fix it right? Put it back on me?¡± The man grabbed Harlan by the shoulders and shook him. ¡°There is nothing in any of my work that would suggest it can¡¯t be redone.¡± The man took a few deep breaths to psych himself up. ¡°Alright, do it.¡± When Harlan reversed the changes to the man¡¯s soul his body almost seemed to desiccate, though really a survival instinct had been activated and the man had entered a state where he burned up much of himself for a burst of power. Alternatively, some false undead could enter a hibernative state and upon the smell of blood reaching them, they would enter this berserker state. The stonesteel wouldn¡¯t be enough to contain the man had he been a trained warrior, but he was a farmer, and boosting his physique was less effective. Unfortunately, despite being too weak to break the chains, his more slender form with jutting teeth and claws, of which the ghoul was better known to look, allowed him to slip from the chains by dislocating his limbs. Harlan didn¡¯t much worry, he dodged the swipes that could tear men in two and give him access to the delicious organs inside. Harlan deftly moved to a box and tossed it at the man who broke it with ease. When the organs spilled out, he lunged for them. Once he was satisfied Harlan was able to calm him down and reapply the soul modification. The man burst into tears as he felt relief from the hunger. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to put you through that, I didn¡¯t realize you would thin out so much, I should¡¯ve applied an automatic chain tightening spell.¡± ¡°Thank you, thank you, my mind, it is so clear again.¡± ¡°In a week, I want to start trials to study your need for life force infused food. That is the reason you need to eat organ meat by the way, it is more concentrated than blood. I won¡¯t need to put anything else in your soul, and it couldn¡¯t take anymore even if I did.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Changing souls is one thing, but these pacts, they are difficult. What I¡¯ve done is not break it, or even change it. I¡¯ve modified the parts which hook into your soul like a parasite, but its inner workings are still entirely a mystery to me. It doesn¡¯t like what I¡¯ve done, and I am worried that anything more extreme would cause a reaction, one that you might not survive.¡± ¡°Could you break it? Could you really do it?¡± ¡°Did you hear me?¡± ¡°Do it, free me from this curse.¡± ¡°No. I will continue to look into this, but I am not going to take the one in a million risk that such a thing would be at this moment.¡± ¡°Please, I-¡± Harlan put his foot down, refusing as the man argued and begged. By the time Dinner rolled around, Harlan felt drained. By giving the man a small hope and then shattering a larger hope, he was almost in as much despair as he was before. Harlan thought over what he should¡¯ve said, in his honest opinion, he was a man, and Aine, even as a weaker god than Aarde, was nonetheless a celestial body. He shouldn¡¯t have answered the man honestly, lying was the more kind choice. ¡°Harlan, are you there?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, sorry, Ximena. I was¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, whatever you are thinking about is more important than-¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t what I meant. I-¡± ¡°No, really, you only get like that when it is important.¡± ¡°Listen to your empathy, she isn¡¯t upset.¡± ¡°Your right, Dawn.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°So, how are things with Claude? I don¡¯t need to knock some sense into him, do I?¡± ¡°Things have been great. I wanted to ask, can you use your gate to bring us to the coast one day? Not now, we haven¡¯t really decided where we want to go. I am just wondering about range really.¡± ¡°Technically I can go as far as I need to with enough time, but for a quick 20 second gate, 600 miles isn¡¯t an issue so long as I can properly visualize it.¡± ¡°So, that has something to do with the other method that Marigold taught you?¡± Zella had been denied the ability to learn it like Harlan had, Mary simply didn¡¯t want to start revealing secrets to everyone Harlan knew. ¡°I¡¯m not answering that. Besides, you will learn gate eventually in your classes.¡± ¡°Yeah, and you already know it. Do you know what it feels like to try for something and then someone else just comes along and does it first? No, so don¡¯t try to make me feel better about it.¡± She looked away for a moment, and then turned back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t be lashing out at you.¡± ¡°If it were my secret, I would give it to you, because we are good, no, great friends. But it isn¡¯t mine. The month isn¡¯t over yet, do you think it would be good to go see Ky? I¡¯m sure I can figure my way to Reet, call Relly, see if we can all get together for the new year?¡± ¡°Sure, whatever. Amber got close with him, so maybe she could come along. Has Adina met Ky?¡± ¡°Once. But¡­ depending on how tonight goes, she might avoid me for a little bit.¡± Harlan stopped eating and just shuffled around his roasted potatoes with his fork. ¡°You are being dramatic, she would forgive you for anything.¡± ¡°I know, but that doesn¡¯t mean she isn¡¯t going to be mad.¡± ¡°Harlan, why don¡¯t we just get this out of the way then. I¡¯m sure whatever it is, you are putting more weight behind it than I am.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see you all later then.¡± Chapter 180: The Letter Harlan opened the door to his room and pulled the reconstructed letter from the false bottom in his desk, handing it to Adina to read while sitting across from him. ¡°You remembered that I can¡¯t see, right?¡± ¡°Shit, sorry, I¡¯ll feed you my sight.¡± ¡®Adina, my dear daughter. Though it pains me to admit, I was perhaps too hard on you. But I still feel that it is my duty, as your father, to be the one who walks you down the aisle on your wedding day. I would also remove the restrictions that prevent you from entering my lands and pay for half the wedding, no matter the cost. Signed lovingly, Malachi.¡¯ Adina burst into laughter. ¡°Oh, that is rich. 15 years of treating me like a cursed doll, and then he doesn¡¯t even have the balls to face me in person. What a fucking bastard.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t need empathy to see that Adina was furious at the man. ¡°Why would you think I want to avoid you? I want to be obnoxiously romantic in public, especially around the Catos, so they can report it to that rotten, vile, cur.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve hidden it from you since Cato tried to give it to you.¡± ¡°I absolutely, genuinely, do not care. But, why did you even hide it? I can understand destroying it publicly to spit in Cato¡¯s face. But why keep it from me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve spoken about this. I might¡¯ve been afraid that you could forgive him, that some stupid part of you would desire his approval enough that you might hurt yourself.¡± ¡°Could you forgive him?¡± ¡°Never. He tried to take you away, if Mary and Sepul didn¡¯t step in, you might be dead. And then I¡¯d have to burn that country to the ground.¡± She snuggled closer to him, laying her head on his chest as her anger started to lose against her feeling for him. ¡°If he tries to cross the border and come to the wedding, I might actually kill him.¡± ¡°Do you want me to prepare for that possibility? I could erase a large area of nearly all life if I had the time.¡± ¡°No. We can figure that out when it comes to pass. Don¡¯t let him take even an inch inside your mind, just push him out like I did. Anything else to say?¡± ¡°Are you really alright?¡± ¡°If your mother came back, after everything you now know, would you just accept her?¡± ¡°Dawn, are you going to be upset?¡± ¡°You already accepted me, if she came back to life through some insanity. I¡¯d be pissed if you did accept her.¡± Adina noticed how sometimes Harlan would stop talking sometimes when certain subjects came up, then join back in like he was being fed answers. There were times when she thought it might¡¯ve been The Darkness, but his eyes always went black, without fail and he lost awareness of his surroundings whenever he spoke to her. ¡°No, I couldn¡¯t accept her. She made her choices. She threw away my sister, her daughter, I can¡¯t forgive that.¡± ¡°You make it sound like you can forgive her for leaving you behind.¡± ¡°I know what I was born from. Even if it would hurt, I don¡¯t know if I can blame her for what she did to me.¡± Harlan awkwardly chuckled and scratched his chin. ¡°I guess we are both victims of our births in that sense.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess we are.¡± Adina pushed him over so she could lay down with him. Harlan¡¯s body reacted like a boy 16 years of age might, so he had to bring down the mood. ¡°Earlier today, I was working with a Ghoul. He was begging me to cure him, even if there was an almost zero chance of success, and even if it worked, I had no idea if it wouldn¡¯t leave him permanently crippled with soul damage.¡± ¡°Way to crush the mood.¡± ¡°If you weren¡¯t such a powerful seductress I wouldn¡¯t need to do things like this.¡± She jokingly scoffed and hit him. ¡°I am not a seductress.¡± ¡°You are the most beautiful woman I¡¯ve ever met, how else could I possibly react to lying down with you?¡± ¡°That just makes you weak willed, it isn¡¯t my fault.¡± Harlan had to force his way out from behind her before something happened. ¡°You¡¯re going to make me feel ugly if you keep going to such lengths to avoid me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m avoiding what I want to do to you. I mean, what if I lost myself and dislocated your hips?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not feeling the romance anymore.¡± ¡°Hey, maybe when I fix your eyes I can also make you strong enough to survive me.¡± Harlan pumped his muscles that he kept hidden under his shirt and jacket. He was built strongly, but he was lean and lithe, not bulky like a man who builds muscles for others to see. ¡°That is just¡­ gross.¡± ¡°But I can see you smiling.¡± ¡°It is nice to see you joking. Even if it is weird and uncomfortable.¡± ¡°Life is weird and uncomfortable. I¡¯m just being honest.¡± Harlan lost his own smile. ¡°I am genuinely worried about something like that happening, when I get passionate, I risk reacting with my body instead of my mind. I don¡¯t know if something like doing¡­ that, would make me dangerous to you.¡± ¡°World of glass?¡± ¡°World of glass.¡± ¡°Well, I am not against me being stronger. But please, never, ever, say that I wanted it so we could get physical without you killing me. I think I would die from embarrassment.¡± ¡°So long as you never say that I¡¯m the one who suggested it.¡± ¡°Yeah, it is your fault, you horndog.¡± It was now new years eve, and Harlan had gathered his facility friends, gating them all to his home. Reet looked at Harlan, who now stood taller than him. ¡°I didn¡¯t know they stacked shit that high.¡± ¡°Your mother¡¯s stacking skills must be lacking then. Can you find a woman, or are they scared when your crotch catches on fire?¡± ¡°That only happened once.¡± Harlan gave him a big hug. ¡°It has been a long time.¡± Reet hugged him back. ¡°Still a creepy little shit who only makes friends with freaks?¡± ¡°Of course not. Look how big I got.¡± ¡°Am I going to meet your fiance?¡± ¡°Sorry, I told her about you and she fled.¡± Reet had received an amulet from Harlan in the mail and they had spoken to one another a few times, so their reunion was not quite as awkward or full of discussions on their lives as it could¡¯ve been. ¡°But really, she is at my parents'' farm getting ready for a party. I mentioned it before, my oldest sister Autumn got married to the local baron¡¯s son. Well, he is hosting a big end of the year party.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not good at formal occasions.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry, I was kinda planning for our party to end at nine or ten so you can spend the end of the year with your family. But if you want to go, I can pick up your brothers and sisters and your parents. It is a private party, nobody but people Redwall invites are going to be there.¡± ¡°How old is your youngest sister?¡± ¡°Ava. is going to be 16 in another 2 months.¡± ¡°Ah, bit too young for me.¡± ¡°Wait, how old are you?¡± ¡°18, 19 in spring.¡± ¡°I thought you would be. I don¡¯t know, 20 at least by now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure I looked a lot bigger when you were 11. Is she going to be here today? Not as a date.¡± ¡°If you get all¡­ like yourself-¡± ¡°I know, you¡¯ll tear my arms off and then turn me into a living sculpture.¡± ¡°No, I mean she is going to knock your jaw off.¡± ¡°So she is fiery?¡± ¡°Ha ha ha, if you need anything, ask Isha. I¡¯m going to pick up Ky and then Relly. Zella is at the farm with Adina.¡± Reet whistled when he saw the gate form. ¡°I can¡¯t get over that thing.¡± ¡°Neither can Zella, so please, don¡¯t bring up how impressive you think it is.¡± Harlan arrived outside of Direhold, waving to the guards. ¡°Morning. Sil, Hed.¡± ¡°Morning, Sir Fomoria.¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. He made frequent trips to the town even after Jas and Kelly left and these two were most often the guards who got gate duty since they were low on the hierarchy. He made his way through the town with practiced ease to Ky¡¯s home. ¡°Good morning, Mister Hargrave.¡± Sela was a little mad at him for his act. ¡°Find what seems like a good man and he¡¯s young enough to be my son.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell if you are speaking your mind by accident or if you are trying to make me feel bad.¡± ¡°KY, HARLAN IS HERE.¡± ¡°I''LL BE THERE IN A MINUTE.¡± Harlan heard a crash and then childish laughter. ¡°GIVE ME BACK MY- Hey Harlan. ¡± When Kylie, the youngest, came near enough to the door Harlan lifted her with telekinesis. ¡°CHEATER, LET ME DOWN.¡± ¡°Be good for your big brother.¡± Ky got his amulet back from her and slipped it into his breast pocket. ¡°I was wondering why I couldn¡¯t get in touch with you.¡± He patted his sister on the head. ¡°I¡¯ll be back before the night is over, we can go see the lights together.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± ¡°When have I ever broken my promises to you?¡± ¡°Remember when you said that-¡± ¡°Alright, ready to go. Goodbye everyone.¡± ¡°HEY.¡± Ky practically ran out of the house, leaving Harlan standing in the doorway. ¡°Anyway, you have a communicator, right?¡± ¡°I use the town station.¡± ¡°Here you go then, I put my contact in it already alongside Ky¡¯s. If you ever need anything, just ask.¡± Harlan had experimented, and found out how to add the contacts from his own amulet to others by connecting them inside of the crossroads and copying over the pathways. It was neat, but mostly useless. He would write a letter explaining the process and hand it over to Rosewell, just an achievement to keep ready for when she wanted to show off something on a slow month for magical advances. Back home Ky met with Amber while Harlan went off to pick up Relly. ¡°It has been a while.¡± ¡°Yes, it has.¡± Zella was hiding around the corner, wondering where this was going. ¡°How has your mother been?¡± ¡°She has been fine.¡± ¡°Harlan ever poke around your soul?¡± ¡°Yeah, a little bit. Said he found something important and then kept muttering to himself while drawing stuff I didn¡¯t understand in a book.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, that¡¯s Harlan. Have you gotten the chance to speak with Zella?¡± ¡°Outside of letters? No, I just got here.¡± ¡°I think I should make it clear, she likes you, and I¡¯m not getting in the way of that.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re still single?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had too many bad experiences. I¡¯m looking for someone more mature. Who already got past the whiny entitled phase of their lives.¡± ¡°I can be mature.¡± Amber took on a harsh tone, not much caring that Ky was still trying to push the issue. ¡°I¡¯m serious, give up on me, go find Zella. But if you hurt her, then-¡± Reet was around the corner with Zella listening in. Then Adina came from behind and loudly closed a door in the hallway, causing the pair to jump and tumble with one another. Adina stepped over them and scolded the two for listening in. Adina was doing it too, but she did it where nobody could prove she was. Harlan arrived to find the odd scene, with Reet taking full responsibility for it. ¡°I was just listening and then Zella came by and got spooked by Adina closing the door.¡± ¡°Yeah, that sounds like you. What did you hear?¡± ¡°Everything? I mean, I was basically here the entire time. But don¡¯t worry, my lips are sealed.¡± ¡°What is happening here?¡± ¡°Reet was being a creep.¡± Amber was not happy and grabbed him by the loose skin at the back of his neck. ¡°Fuck, ouch. You two were talking in a hallway, not exactly private.¡± ¡°It is about the intent you prick.¡± ¡°Sorry, it wasn¡¯t like you said anything important.¡± ¡°That is not for you to-¡± ¡°Amber, calm down, Reet is just bad at social interactions and growing up with a huge family made him bad with privacy. I don¡¯t think he really meant anything bad.¡± ¡°Harlan, you¡­ whatever, I expect an apology from you though, fire head.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, just like Harlan said, I barely ever got privacy, it just didn¡¯t seem like a big deal.¡± ¡°Adina, Zella, do you want to go on a quick walk, make sure our dresses are comfortable?¡± Reet hesitantly raised his hand. ¡°Actually I was hoping that I could talk to Zella, privately.¡± ¡°Amber, I¡¯m going to see what he wants, but I will join you when I am done.¡± Relly eyed Reet with an odd respect before heading off with Adina and Amber. She could only be there for a few hours while Rosewell was in meetings, and Safira accompanied her still. When the girls left, Ky and Harlan wanted to test their strength against one another, but were quickly finding that anything around the house was too fragile for the two monstrous men to use for arm wrestling. Meanwhile Zella and Reet were in a bunker meeting room. ¡°Reminds me a lot of the facility. Do you feel the same way?¡± ¡°Why did you take the blame for me?¡± ¡°Ah, yeah, um. It just seemed right, and I wanted to say something. I¡¯m sorry, I treated you pretty poorly sometimes. When I gave you guys that hard cider back then, that was crossing a line, I could¡¯ve¡­ I almost killed people for some stupid prank. I¡¯m sorry that I was a shitty friend. And I like your hair, it looks nice with those clips in it.¡± Zella felt wildly uncomfortable. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Reet thought she was upset with him. ¡°I know, I fucked up and I should¡¯ve-¡± ¡°No, I mean. Really? You are¡­ growing up?¡± ¡°Yeah, crazy how that works out. A 13 year old is mean to the girl he likes and drives her to hate him.¡± ¡°I guess we were all pretty- Wait, what was that?¡± ¡°I like you. I didn¡¯t at first, but the longer we were together¡­ I¡¯m glad that Relly can keep a secret.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to even¡­ I mean, you and¡­¡± ¡°I just wanted to clear the air, I¡¯m not trying to do anything. It is good to see you again.¡± ¡°Do you really like my hair?¡± ¡°I think the fires over your ginger locks remind me of a sunset.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­sweet.¡± ¡°Thanks. I guess we should get back to the others.¡± Once Zella was out of the house Reet found Harlan and Ky arm wrestling on a solid stone block that they poured quite a bit of their mana into fortifying while Harlan was cheered on by Kass and Isha and Sara. Both of them were sweating and their veins looked ready to burst as the first signs of cracks showed up in the stone. They struggled for another minute before Ky began to tire out, ever so slightly tilting closer to a loss. Feeling it was a bit unfair, Reet cheered for Ky. It didn¡¯t do anything, but the thought was there. Both men let out a roar as the dragon curse inside of the life they consumed had not yet dissipated and the wyvern nature demanded to dominate its opponent. Finally, Harlan performed one final push and Ky¡¯s hand barely touched the block as it crumbled to pieces. Both of them panted. ¡°How¡­ the¡­ fuck.¡± Harlan waited to respond, drinking from a flask of tonic that he started carrying on him. ¡°I¡¯m shocked it took so long for me to win.¡± ¡°Harlan, I¡¯ve been eating monsters for a long time now, I tapped into three of them just to keep up with you. How does that even make sense?¡± Harlan grabbed a piece of stone, placing it at his bicep and then closing on it like a press to shatter it. ¡°I¡¯m 1398 pounds of wyvern muscle and bone. With what I learned from you, I¡¯m only going to get stronger.¡± ¡°Well, shit. I heard you could leech people dry to steal their strength, I just didn¡¯t think it was accurate.¡± Harlan pulled Reet close and then placed his hand on his shoulder. ¡°How did it go? You didn¡¯t chicken out, right?¡± ¡°She reacted¡­ fine. Disbelief mostly, but she is thinking about it, I hope. She liked the line about her hair looking like the sunset.¡± ¡°Sunrise, I wanted you to say sunrise because it has more positive connotations.¡± ¡°Wait, what did you two talk about?¡± ¡°I like Zella, in that way. So I finally told her I was a prick when we were kids because I was an idiot who didn¡¯t understand what I was feeling or how to express it.¡± ¡°Huh, wow, that is¡­¡± ¡°Sorry, but even if things aren¡¯t working out with Amber, I¡¯m not going to give up on Zella.¡± Ky put his hand out for a shake. ¡°May the best man win.¡± ¡°I intend to.¡± The girls got back from their walk at the same time Ava called Harlan for pick up. Harlan found it bothersome how he had to feel out places to avoid bypassing their wards and causing a panic whenever he cast gate. It was the first time they met since Harlan had been back, even with gate, she had been avoiding him. Once she stepped through she cocked her arm back and with her armor in its combat mode, tried to strike Harlan, who just caught the blow. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you hit me, I didn¡¯t do anything that deserves it.¡± ¡°You disappeared on everyone, you-¡± Harlan covered her mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t swear around Relly.¡± She bit his fingers and chipped a tooth. ¡°Let me fix that.¡± ¡°What the hell are you made out of?¡± ¡°Wyvern parts right now, hope to upgrade to drake one day if i can find one that I can actually justify killing. I actually need to keep working out with these new muscles, I don¡¯t think I am getting as much power as I could out of them.¡± ¡°How long before you can get that for me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never enhanced another person quite like this, I intend to start experiments within the next month using animals. Then eventually I will find human volunteers, then I can start to think about enhancing you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be your first volunteer then.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not arguing about this. Ava, meet Reet, from back at the facility. He is a good guy.¡± ¡°Really? Because I¡¯ve heard Zella talk about him.¡± ¡°He grew up, just think how I was when I was 14 compared to now.¡± ¡°A violent, dangerous man with no morals? I don¡¯t see the change.¡± ¡°I was hoping we moved past that¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m still here, but I am also not going to pretend that you are anything else.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t say that about Harlan.¡± Ava found the young girl¡¯s pouting face cute rather than threatening. ¡°Your name is¡­ Relly? Right?¡± ¡°Hypocrite.¡± Ava scoffed and laughed. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You want him to make you stronger, but you keep judging him for how he got where he is now. Are you going to pretend that you don¡¯t know how he got that power? That an idea popped in his head one day? You don¡¯t deserve it, because your morals should tell you that it is as bad as he is.¡± Relly could see how poorly Ava thought of Harlan, but how strongly she desired the strength she could get from him. Harlan lowered his head to eye level and put his hand on her shoulder, which Safira didn¡¯t like very much. ¡°Relly, hey, it¡¯s fine. It doesn¡¯t bother me.¡± ¡°Yes, it does.¡± ¡°Yes, alright, it does bother me, but it doesn¡¯t matter. She is allowed to be upset with me. I¡¯ve done bad things.¡± Harlan thought of a few of those things, hoping to get her to back off of Ava. But Relly didn¡¯t care, she knew everything he did back at the facility, those were the thoughts that consumed his mind every time they met until he had a chance to unwind. ¡°You had good reasons for¡­ most of that. She-¡± ¡°Shh. No need to get upset.¡± ¡°You would get upset, I know you would. Back when I¡­ that thing happened at the facility. Your last thoughts were about everyone else, not about yourself. You are still like that. You shouldn¡¯t have someone like her complaining about what you do.¡± ¡°Oh? Someone like ME? What about HIM? I¡¯m not the one who killed a man in cold blood and covered it up.¡± ¡°Oh don¡¯t get so high and mighty, what is the worst thing you¡¯ve done?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not telling you that.¡± Relly stuck her tongue out at Ava. ¡°I can read minds, so I knew what it was as soon as you thought about it. You-¡± Harlan put his hand over her mouth. ¡°Whatever Ava did, or however much you want to defend me, revealing someone''s secrets like that is very rude. Why don¡¯t we go inside, sit at the table, and catch up?¡± Harlan took his hand away from her. ¡°Fine.¡± On the way inside Ava was glaring at Relly, which got her a much stronger glare from Safira. Chapter 181: New Year When the group walked inside Harlan began getting some things ready, getting out drinks and food alongside Isha and Sara. Adina carried out a plate of cookies which she made without anyone else''s help, and while they looked like they could''ve used slightly more time to brown, something she couldn¡¯t really know without sight. ¡°Relly, would you like one?¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± They were oatmeal raisin with a little bit of vanilla. ¡°They are good.¡± Adina didn¡¯t reply, but she smiled widely as she walked around to hand out more of them. Safira cast a subtle spell to check for poisons on everything Relly ate. Reet got near Amber. ¡°Hey, I know I already said it, but sorry for earlier.¡± ¡°So, how many siblings do you have?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, uh, 13, I am the 7th oldest. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°It is how Harlan explained your complete lack of social skills.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that bad, but yeah, we are two or three per room, so privacy isn¡¯t really much of an option.¡± ¡°Me and Autumn shared a room for a long time, then she got married and a few years later I had the room to myself more or less. Did you know Ava and Harlan used to share a room?¡± ¡°Is that why he acts the way he does around girls?¡± ¡°Which way?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem to get flustered that often. I know if I was him and I ran into some of his situations I¡¯d go beet red. Growing up with only sisters might do that. That or he has just always been more mature than me.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem very hard. I heard that you are a fan of ¡®pranks.¡¯ If I didn¡¯t know better I¡¯d think you made Harlan that way.¡± Reet didn¡¯t know if he was subtle, but steering away from his lie earlier wasn¡¯t that hard for him. ¡°Harlan likes pranks?¡± ¡°There was one time, a friend of mine came back from the academy with me. Anyway, she was acting as a spy at the moment and Harlan got back at her by pretending that he had feelings for her which only made her more embarrassed since our dad went along with it. Then he just blurts out that she is a spy.¡± ¡°Is that a prank? That just sounds like he was humiliating her and then trying to get her arrested.¡± ¡°He thought it was funny. Oh, an she is Tytoan.¡± ¡°Like, a bird?¡± ¡°Owl, yeah.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t really get many of them in the north, probably because of the snowstorms.¡± ¡°Their capital city is built along and inside of a mountain range, she handles the cold pretty well.¡± ¡°Huh, what about¡­¡± Ky and Zella caught up for the first time in years. ¡°Harlan gave you an amulet, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, we should probably trade contacts then.¡± They tapped their amulets and felt the strange sensation as a piece of their soul was transferred. ¡°I never get used to that. Anyway, how has life been?¡± ¡°Actually, pretty good. Amber and I are close, but I¡¯ve also found friends outside of Harlan¡¯s group, so I think I actually can make friends. So, what were you and her talking about earlier? I didn¡¯t get the chance to hear. I mean, unless it was private.¡± ¡°It was nothing, just us getting the chance to talk.¡± ¡°You know, she had a crush on you, have you ever thought about-¡± Ky leaned up against the wall, trying to be suave. ¡°Nope, I actually wanted to confess, I like you. Though I-¡± ¡°I heard what you said earlier, and I am not looking to be a backup for Amber rejecting you.¡± Scorn was painted on her face. Though she was not conscious of it, some of that insecurity from Harlan getting gate before her was being projected onto Amber. To lose to him was one thing, but she felt like she was losing to Amber now. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that, you aren¡¯t a backup. It has been years and if she gave me a try, I¡¯d go for it, but we were never planning anything like that. You and I, we never planned anything, and it has been even longer since we last met one another.¡± Amber found Reet was actually pretty easy to speak with. ¡°Yeah, the blacksmith shop is run by my oldest brother now. My oldest sister is an apprentice baker and she¡¯ll probably take over the shop when the owner passes it on to her son, since he¡¯s her husband.¡± ¡°Do you want to take over the smithy someday?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to, but outside of working there I run around town whenever someone needs fire. I kinda hated it at first, but with so many young people leaving the north for being an inhospitable hellscape, I think it is important that I stay for the older people that can barely keep their fires going. I probably spend more time splitting and drying wood than hammering metal.¡± ¡°So, no bigger plans for life?¡± Reet wanted to say no, but the thought of what he was doing long term rarely passed his mind. His life was already full enough helping out around the house and the town, he hadn¡¯t stopped to think about what comes after that. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for bigger plans, I¡¯ve got 5 sisters and a brother younger than me. Work keeps me busy.¡± ¡°You should ask Harlan to get in contact with the mayor of your town, I¡¯m sure that he could work to get heaters into the homes of people, free up some time for you.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that, I never spent the coins he sent me almost two years ago. I don¡¯t like asking people for stuff, and Harlan¡­ he has a lot to give, and I¡¯ve got nothing for him other than friendship.¡± ¡°If he was listening to you, this is where he would get a big goofy smile and tell you that friendship is all he wants. Did you really save those coins? How much did he send you?¡± ¡°A handful of silver coins, but I don¡¯t remember the exact amount. I gave them to my mother and she put them in an emergency fund that we use when the budget is a bit tight and something breaks. Though we haven¡¯t had to get it out in a little while now.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Well since- since my siblings are bringing in more money for the house.¡± He knew that he was the reason that things were less stressed at home, but didn¡¯t want to sound like he was bragging. If he could go back in time, he¡¯d¡­ well, he wouldn¡¯t kick his own ass, he¡¯d try to get himself to understand how to be responsible sooner. Amber playfully punched him in the arm. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re modest. You smile like he does when he talks about our family. Just ask him for some help, he won¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine, I can just-¡± ¡°Dumbass. Don¡¯t be a martyr like him, wouldn¡¯t your mom and dad want you back home more often?¡± He awkwardly scratched the back of his bald head. ¡°Yeah, mom might like that. I should ask.¡± Amber noticed that he hadn¡¯t mentioned his father yet, but knew better than to pry. ¡°You seem so¡­ different from what Zella told me.¡± ¡°Yeah, I think was such a little hellion because I had no idea how to handle liking Zella and an early puberty, but after I got back my sisters straightened me out.¡± ¡°That was too much information.¡± ¡°Ah, sorry. I¡¯ve not got much of a filter for stuff like that.¡± Zella was talking about being in a relationship with Ky, setting down ground rules and the like, but it wasn¡¯t working out. ¡°So, we can still be friends, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, it isn¡¯t like we are breaking up. I just don¡¯t think I can handle seeing you for two months of the year for the next 20 years before you can retire with all the benefits.¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. For a ranger, retiring at 40 was more often a dream than a reality, but if they did live long enough, they were set for comfortable life if they could live within their means at least a little bit, and they could always pick up local work as a guard or adventurer to pick up the slack for bigger purchases. ¡°You know, Reet likes you, mentioned it earlier like it was a competition to get you.¡± ¡°That prick.¡± It was stupid, and petty, but Ky saw him talking with Amber and they looked to be getting along too well for his liking. Relly watched it all play out on the couch next to Harlan and Adina. Zella slapped Reet who then tried to deescalate, then Zella told him what Ky said, which upset Amber since she didn¡¯t like Zella being treated like a prize, Reet tried to defend himself and let slip that Ky agreed to a playful competition, but that he didn¡¯t really mean it as anything but a friend joking with another. Then Amber defended Reet because as they talked she began to see him as what she wanted, so Zella then started arguing with Ky. ¡°Do you think we should do something?¡± ¡°No, I read his thoughts, Ky trying to ruin Reet¡¯s chances with Amber was just rude. Let him sit in the bed he made.¡± ¡°Really? I thought Ky was better than that.¡± ¡°You should¡¯ve- Actually, I think I shouldn¡¯t say that. Rosewell tells me that I should work on not tattling on passing thoughts.¡± Harlan and Relly then both froze as a presence that was familiar to only one of them walked in the door, grabbed a few cookies, and sat on Harlan¡¯s lap. The dirty child looked like she had just crawled out of the ground, which was actually what happened. ¡°It¡¯s not nighttime yet, but can I get my pie and milk?¡± A single tear ran down Harlan¡¯s cheek as he hugged her from behind. ¡°Yeah, sure thing, Peri.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, that name does sound familiar. What is your name?¡± Harlan knew that it was coming, that a Fae, no, a Pixie resurrection was more like a reincarnation. Bits and pieces of the old her were there, she remembered the deal after all, but the Periwinkle that he knew was dead. ¡°Harlan.¡± The young Periwinkle, looking barely 6 years old, put her index finger on her chin as she thought. ¡°I¡¯m going to call you Har Har.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Ok. Get me my milk and pie now. Oh, and I need a bath.¡± ¡°Yes, you really do. I¡¯ll get Isha to help you.¡± ¡°That is a nice name. You should be Isha.¡± ¡°No, I like Harlan.¡± Harlan put her on his shoulders and she began to pull on his hair like she was having trouble staying on. Ava was with Isha and Sera in the kitchen. ¡°Harlan, did you pick a child from a garden?¡± ¡°Pretty close. Isha, she needs a bath. Sara, she needs a pie and a glass of honeyed milk when she gets out of the bath.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get right on that, but, who is that? Did one of the orphans wander in here somehow?¡± ¡°Do you remember Periwinkle?¡± ¡°Yes, the nice young woman who was here for a short time before¡­ After the attack, we never found a body. Is that her daughter?¡± ¡°Close enough. Peri, this is Isha, and that is Sara, and that is Ava.¡± ¡°No, really, where did she come from?¡± ¡°I grew from my tree roots.¡± ¡°Of course, sweetie, but do you remember your mother?¡± ¡°There was a big tree, and I crawled out one day. Then Titania burned it and I had to make my own tree.¡± Adina and Isha were taken aback by the story, Titania was one of the highest gods in Reino, The Mother of Life, wife of Oberon, The Father of War. ¡°Now, where did you hear that name?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a Pixie.¡± She sprouted 8 wings, thin and long like a dragonfly, colored like stained glass, but making no distinct artwork. ¡°Isha, if this is a problem, I understand, but she is disoriented right now because of her revival and I owe her a place to live for what she did.¡± Safira stepped into the room. ¡°Sir Fomoria, have you entered a pact with a Fae?¡± Periwinkle looked at her with angry eyes. ¡°I am not a Fae, I am a Pixie. I hate Fae.¡± ¡°Safira, I know there is no law forbidding what I¡¯ve done. Periwinkle has once given her life to protect those close to me, she has no desire for tricks and curses, she simply wants a place to be.¡± ¡°I was making no judgment, I simply did not believe one like you would let one of them so near you.¡± ¡°I judge people for who, and not what they are.¡± Isha came out of her daze. ¡°I should start running water for her. Peri, do you-¡± ¡°Harlan can call me Peri, everyone else can call me Periwinkle.¡± ¡°Alright then, Periwinkle, do you want me to carry you to the bath?¡± She weightlessly flouted into Isha¡¯s arms. Safira stepped out of her way and sat at the kitchen table. ¡°Sir Fomoria, might we have a chat?¡± Harlan sat at the table, and with just a single barely raised finger, Safira put up veils so powerful Harlan¡¯s mental senses were even dulled. ¡°You¡¯ve never wanted to speak with me before, what changed?¡± ¡°Sir Fomoria, do I have leave to speak without formality?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°I believed you to be a base man, one who reacts through instinct, covering up his actions with thought only in retrospect. Every single action you have ever taken, in my eyes, have been of necessity, a pawn to be moved around, and then eventually sacrificed.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t entirely wrong, I have made many choices with my emotions and instincts.¡± ¡°How does it weigh on your mind? To be around one of her kind.¡± ¡°When I first met her, I felt it strongly, I had to take active measures to avoid causing her harm, much like Fragile Peace.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°I have spoken with her about her Fae origins, and she simply believes I am being fed falsehoods by fallen gods.¡± ¡°And now, what do you feel?¡± ¡°There was a time when I would need to stop myself from snapping her spine, but when I hugged her as she sat in my lap, I felt nothing but joy, even if she doesn¡¯t know what exactly she did to deserve it. Peri gave her life, the body is the same, but her mind is gone, she is not who I knew, not truly. To willingly give up your entire self, leaving behind nothing but a shell, that is the most terrible thing that can happen. It pains me to know that she is gone, but a girl who looks just like her is now in my guest bathroom, being cleaned after she had to dig herself out of the grave she put herself in.¡± Safira laughed, loud and deep, reminiscent of a donkey. Were it someone else, there might be a mocking laugh returned. But Harlan was not someone who would insult another for something like this. ¡°I¡¯ve heard rumors that you become quite poetic at times. Did you think of these things for some time? Or is this a stream from mind to mouth.¡± ¡°I am just speaking my mind.¡± ¡°I spoke out against Her Highness, Heir to the Throne, Lady Rosewell, hiring you as an advisor. But perhaps I could be swayed by one of those armors you have.¡± ¡°If Rosewell asks me, I would be willing to give you, and her, a set. But simply put, I do not trust you, and I dislike your wording, that you would be swayed by a possession. Greed is something I dislike.¡± ¡°It is good that you did not fall for such a simple trick. My armor is far beyond whatever you¡¯ve managed to scrape together in your time as a craftsman, though it does have its own uniqueness which would have merit if implemented in my own arms. Do you have any questions before I drop these veils?¡± ¡°Do you care for Relly or Rosewell?¡± ¡°I was ordered by His Majesty, King Yggdra the 15th, to guard them with my life if need be, to serve them with honesty and faithfulness. I would never betray his order.¡± ¡°And why are you so loyal to him?¡± ¡°Your father, you would do anything for him, would you not?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have his eyes?¡± ¡°Your father, is not the man whose seed spawned you. He is the one who has raised you up, giving you the tools by which you might reveal your best self. When he heard of me, a young girl fighting in terrible conditions, an arena of slaves hidden away from the sights of humanity. He saved my life, letting me take the lives of those who had done such a thing to me and to the others. He gave me the chance to point my mace at those who would break apart the world in which he has made. In the world which you would make, if you had his power, would you save me?¡± Harlan had sadness plainly on his face as he hung his head low. ¡°Of course I would, with every fiber of my being, I would save you, and I would kill anyone involved in running such a-¡± He looked up, finding Safira smirking. ¡°He wrote this story for me, one which you would fall for so very easily. He asked that I tell you how weak you are to women, you hear these words of family and of slavery, of me being treated as an object, and you turn your mind off. Your empathy should¡¯ve shown me as a liar, that I felt no sadness, that I felt amusement as I spoke. But no, instead your eyes slit like a beast, you lost yourself in your sense of righteous anger. Don¡¯t let every girl with sad eyes and sad stories sway your heart.¡± Her composure changed, returning to the serious woman who he knew he better as. ¡°I must return to Relly, ensuring that she remains safe.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t answer the question. Why are you loyal to him?¡± ¡°He has never once spoken to me as a woman, only ever as a soldier. He saw my worth when the army overlooked my flawless record and passed me over for promotions.¡± The veil dropped just as Harlan saw a glow from his pocket, causing him to put up his own veil to give some privacy. When Harlan came out of his veil, he was in his armor, though the skull embossing on his helmet no longer looked human. The teeth were sharper, the canines jutting out like a ghouls. The eye sockets were upturned, giving a furious look which matched his eyes that burned like lanterns on a moonless night. A crown of horns, not unlike a dragon, grew from the broader forehead. The armor was not truly living, but rather a tool, the one which Harlan needed, and which was simply following his mental state. ¡°Adina, tell Isha to prepare a change of clothes. Oh, and make sure Balor gets out of the lab, he should get the chance to meet everyone.¡± ¡°Of course, honey.¡± She gave him a kiss on the cheek, the armor moving out of the way for her. The rest of them stopped fighting when Harlan stepped out of the kitchen and they saw his appearance. ¡°Do you want some back up?¡± Harlan replied to Ky with an even tone, betraying the intentions which were clear just by his eyes. ¡°No, I would not want to involve a member of the army in what will be happening.¡± ¡°Hey, we are friends, shouldn¡¯t we have eachothers back?¡± ¡°I should be back within the hour.¡± Ava stood in front of the door. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you-¡± Harlan used skip to get close enough to command her armor, which walked her to a chair and sat down. ¡°I will entertain your moral grandstanding, but there are lives at stake, if you continue to act like a child I¡¯ll have you sit in the corner.¡± Harlan had only a few things he needed to bring with, then he could cast his gates to reach the sisters. Chapter 182: Revenge of the Black Sheep Snow crunched under his feet as he made his way to the tavern. Jas called him for help since some Knights of Orelend had arrived and were looking for two girls who matched their description. As he got closer, he activated his invisibility. He could hear a man yelling. ¡°HAVE, YOU, SEEN, THESE WOMEN.¡± The elderly woman who ran the place finally understood him. ¡°Ah, yeah, I saw them.¡± ¡°WHERE?¡± ¡°No need to shout. They are right over there. Oh, they must¡¯ve left.¡± ¡°If you are intentionally interfering with an investigation I¡¯ll-¡± ¡°Shut up, I¡¯ve lived long enough and I have no family for you to threaten. I hope they are halfway to another village by now. Sweet girls.¡± The knight raised his hand to strike her. At her age, and with his armored gauntlet, it would be fatal. Though instead of landing a blow the man¡¯s head exploded from Harlan¡¯s own slap. A large mace from an invisible enemy struck from his left, then another from his right. Harlan caught both of them with his hands, strongly magnetizing them to prevent another attack. The pair yanked as hard as they could, hoping to rip his arms off. ¡°Unn, Kel, good to see you again. Kalan, why didn¡¯t you take part in the attack? Oh, and those other 20 or so men, are they also part of the black sheep?¡± A voice from nowhere replied. ¡°I told you having invisibility wouldn¡¯t help.¡± Harlan found himself surrounded, but he still had a smile on his face. ¡°I hope you haven¡¯t stooped so low as to work for a bastard like Orelend to kidnap two innocent girls.¡± ¡°They have bounties in 14 counties for banditry.¡± ¡°The sisters are nothing but petty criminals, not exactly the kind that need so many men to capture.¡± The embossed skull made a scandalized expression, hiding his fury behind a face of sarcasm. ¡°Oh, wait, was this all for me? You surely know how to make a man blush. But, if you come at me, I might not show mercy again.¡± Harlan put the body of the dead knight on a barstool and laid him on the counter, as if he had passed out drunk. ¡°And, if you do want a fight, I think that this is a poor place, so many things that can break, and there are bystanders. I¡¯d rather not have to worry about what you might do if an attack missed, because then I really would need to kill you all.¡± ¡°Our contract is rather clear, we just need to bring in two bandits, and kill anyone who gets in the way.¡± Harlan cracked his neck. ¡°I consider Jas a friend of mine, her sister is part of a package deal. So, I guess that makes me someone in the way. Why don¡¯t we make our way out of town, I¡¯ll stand in the middle of your encirclement and you can all come at me.¡± ¡°No deal.¡± Kalan rushed Harlan, if he dodged, the old woman behind him, along with the wall, would be broken. It was a bit of an issue since Jas and Kelly were both hiding under the floor of that room. Kal and Unn were supposed to catch him when he tried to dodge to the left or right. So, Harlan didn¡¯t dodge. With fire and earth imbibing, and his new body, his strength and speed were far above what it was when they last fought. Harlan pulled back both of his arms, and then with a frightening boom, they burst forward, sending Kalan flying out of the door, his chestplate digging into him, but he was alive. Unn and Kel went for the attack, thinking Harlan paid some cost for his strength, not an unfair assumption, as they knew he was not nearly this strong last time, and they assumed he abused fire imbibing. He pulled out his rod, turning it into a mace with many short and thick spikes. Unn¡¯s mace shattered, then with a spin of his body, Harlan tossed her into her brother who had to avert his attack. ¡°Unn, I was told that sparing you was actually a bad idea, and that someone like you who is willing to take an innocent hostage cannot be trusted to not do worse.¡± The pair had gotten back to their feet and she pulled a blade as more men rushed into the building. Some Minos, some Ursa, even an Armaus, no humans. ¡°I wonder, do you call that a dagger, or is it a shortsword?¡± Harlan had bought enough time, and when the gate opened, he pulled up the floor and tossed the sisters through it directly to Bearfast. He couldn¡¯t go all the way home with just one gate, so he sent them somewhere that he thought would be safer. When it closed, Jas saw a blade let off sparks as it contacted Harlan¡¯s armor. Harlan contorted his body with wind and water imbibing, flowing through the crowded room towards the door, their large physiques and weapons prevented them from hitting him without risking their own people or catching on the ceiling.. Near the exit stood the Armaus, he still couldn¡¯t tell the men and women apart aside from looking at their souls. He held 8 swords with their telekinesis and was preparing more spells with his hands. While Halran wasn¡¯t afraid, his sixth sense disagreed. Whoever this was, they were very likely the strongest mage in the group. Harlan jumped upward and through the roof, dropping alchemical poisons down the hole. Though this was nothing but a distraction as he guided a certain vial towards the Armaus through the red fog. The Armaus screamed in terror as the acid made its way past his armor and began to seep between the natural plating of its shell. Harlan had learned that they were quite sensitive and often they had skin care issues if they could not keep dirt and grime from building up. He read that they were a species renowned for their cleanliness as a result. Outside there were more knights who were backed up by Black Sheep. Yet Harlan just kept running, cutting down men with little regard, they all worked for that man. The village guards who stood in his way probably had no idea what was really happening, so Harlan simply shoved them to the side as he burst through the closed gate, using beams of void to weaken the structure. While he would like to just fly over, going airborne with so many mages behind him would see enumerable bolts of energy flying at him, on the ground he could at least use lightning rod spells. Kalan was barely conscious, he tried to warn them not to follow Harlan into the forest. Once outside of the village, fireballs, stones, some spells that Harlan didn¡¯t even recognize all flew at him, and yet they were all deflected or simply endured depending on Harlan¡¯s estimations of power. Barely visible was the beam of void that shot him, nearly boring a hole through his armor and causing him to stumble. But instead of falling, Harlan remembered his training, tucking into a roll and getting right back up to dodge the second beam. He looked back to see a furious Armaus, tucking in and out of a roll as they cast the spell. It had managed to use its telekinesis to scrape the acid off of its body before it suffered major damage, and was very unhappy was Harlan. He returned his own beam of void at the ball of death, only for it to cast a radiant beam which clashed and turned both attacks into nothing. Then when Harlan tried to keep countering the spells the Armaus countered the counter spells. Char marks and crystal and ice and stone began to accumulate as Harlan was no longer able to prevent further damage. Harlan reached the treeline by finally using imbibing to speed up, he only avoided doing so up to this point because he needed them to keep up with him and not split up too much.. He only got farther and farther away as he jumped between trees with an agility that could only be matched by the Ibexian units. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Yet the issue was, when the first of them caught up, they failed to realize that Harlan had slowed himself down on purpose. Much like with his arm wrestling with Ky, even if Harlan wasn¡¯t stronger, he could wear down his opponents over time. A Fomorian was an endurance hunter. Harlan turned off hover and used another spell to stop his momentum. Harlan knew that he was an immovable object if he chose to be, the question he wanted to know was, how unstoppable was his enemy? When the Ibexian ran into Harlan at full speed mid air, his bones broke, his armor twisted into daggers against its wearer, but he was alive. The next one realized the mistake of the first and positioned his spear to catch such a trick, if Harlan stopped himself completely again, then all of that immovable energy could be used to help pierce him. Yet the 10 foot long spear lost in range to the shapeshifting rod that turned needle thin. Harlan gouged out the man¡¯s eyes by making it hook to the left, but he did not finish him off. The remaining Ibexians, including Kel and Unn, stopped trying to actually catch him, instead they moved ahead in an attempt to just slow him down enough for the others to catch up. Harlan simply stood still; he reached his destination. ¡°I think this has gone on far enough.¡± He plopped down on a large tree branch that creaked under his weight. ¡°I¡¯ve not killed any of your people, so why don¡¯t we call this even?¡± ¡°Three trained soldiers, damn good ones at that, losing to one man, it makes us look bad. We can¡¯t ever say that we killed you, but people will find out one way or another. The mercenaries who killed Harlan Fomoria! We¡¯ll get all kinds of work with something like that floating around.¡± ¡°Is that really why you took the job? Petty revenge.¡± ¡°You almost killed my brother.¡± ¡°If I was so evil, I would¡¯ve. So I need to ask, do you care?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t about good or evil, reputation is a matter of business.¡± ¡°Does your boss know? Is he the kind of man who would use two women as bait to draw out a 16 year old?¡± ¡°Files says you are 15. And do you think we got 30 soldiers ready without him saying so?¡± ¡°Today is my birthday. I was with my friends before I got the call from Jas. I wanted to give you people a gift, but you¡¯ve failed my test, completely and utterly.¡± Harlan¡¯s tone went cold. ¡°This too, is just a matter of business.¡± Harlan jumped down from the tree with a mighty thump, the others had arrived. He thought about the timezone changes, if it takes 20 minutes, lunch should just be ready when he gets back. 6 Black Sentinels uncloaked themselves, each of them killing a single target after a short exchange. The remaining men caught up to find the scene of Black-1 snapping Kel¡¯s neck, a loud echo passed through the forest, the sound having been magically amplified to demoralize them. Harlan gave a simple command. ¡°Kill them all.¡± The mountains of metal, born from anger, followed through on his command. Though mentally, Harlan sent a special command to Black-1. As soon as the Armaus revealed himself in an attempt to counter one of Harlan¡¯s spells, a deafening boom came from the Sentinel. The large soulsmithed round easily pierced the armor and then shell of the small man with the speed of a lightning bolt. A click could barely be heard over the echo, he had 4 more shots. Harlan wished to fit 6 shells inside of him, but one for each damaging element was good enough for the trial run. The Sentinels fought like Harlan, parts of them could be cut off or damaged, but so long as enough was left, they could be fixed. So they didn¡¯t mind losing plates of armor if it meant getting a kill. Their forms would take hours to fix, these men were never coming back. When it became clear to the scouts flying high above that the battle was effectively lost, they tried to call it in. But then 1 hit them with the earth shell, though it wasn¡¯t on a collision course, it didn¡¯t matter since it split into dozens of smaller shards that broke bones even with the earth imbibing that they attempted to use. Next he fired the fire shell into a group, molten metal detonated in the center, causing more screams to echo throughout the battlefield. An Ice shell struck only a small area, and 1 wanted to show off, so he froze the arms of two men together, giving the Sentinels an easy target. Last, but not least, dark shells. Harlan wanted to make sure that this one did not hit anything but its target on the first hit. Testing had indicated that it could discriminate to an extent, but hitting the ground with this one was not ideal for anything in the surrounding area. The shell seemed to not do anything at first as it passed through the man¡¯s skin but didn¡¯t cause damage. Then the man felt violently ill and as the darkness crept through his system. He barely had time to realize something was wrong before a black mist poured out of him. It was painless, at least for the first target who got the full dose of magical plague. The men around the first one fell to the ground as they were used Those who realized what was happening fast enough cast simple healing spells that were actually effective. In a case where they got to a healer, or just had the time to do it themselves, they would survive without issue, but they did not have the time. It was an attack designed to kill a target who hadn¡¯t yet realized what happened, but not one which would be hard to stop with even the simplest of light magic. Plague magic was frowned upon with good reason, even if it couldn¡¯t really spread infinitely like a real plague, its nature was that of indiscriminate death. Harlan wanted to see how each of the shells reacted in a real fight, and thus far, they met his expectations. Though if Garad learned that each of these cost 2 gold each, he would burst a blood vessel. Harlan pulled in money like a house 100 times his size, but he spent it like a house 90 times his size. He was not overly wealthy by the standards of counts, but he could build a new village every year and not feel hurt financially. Harlan jumped through a man by turning his helmet into a spear like tip. He dashed around the battlefield, flickering in and out of sight as he cut down men who had spent their lives learning to kill. This event was little more than¡­ cleaning a wound to prevent further infections. There was one man left, an Ursa, crawling on the ground without feet but still being restrained by the Sentinels other than 1. Due to his real mind and soul, he had to actually avoid looking at the sigils. Harlan was going tree to tree, drawing his sigils on the trees by dipping his fingers into the severed heads of his enemies. Once they were done, Harlan spoke. ¡°I need to deliver a message. Sometimes, death is a mercy.¡± Harlan shifted the parts where there were once feet into smooth stumps, then he plucked out one of the Ursa''s eyes. Through the use of flesh sculpting, this would become the natural state of the man. No healer, without soul magic at least, would be able to give back the eye, or the feet that had been taken away. To finish it, Harlan erased the sigils, one at a time. The man felt overcome with a sense of wrongness as his body and soul disagreed on what was the reality of flesh and bone. In a week, he would lose the sense of phantom limbs. In another week, he would finally find someone who could heal him, granting him a new kind of phantom pain. Harlan returned to the village with a gate, finding Kalan was still recovering from his injuries, but was fit enough that he took a combat stance. ¡°If you fight me now, I¡¯ll kill you, or, you can go rescue the one man who is left.¡± The Sentinels had their large clawed hands on their blades, nobody would be stupid enough to face a seven on one fight under these circumstances. Even the guards who outnumbered Harlan ten to one had no desire to try their luck. Kalan holstered his mace. ¡°Unn and Kel¡­¡± ¡°So many lives needlessly lost, and for what, some foolish pride?¡± Harlan was upset that he had to do what he did. Yes, he was the one who chose to fight instead of run, but these men chose to go after him. ¡°These deaths are on my hands, but they are on your head. Remember this.¡± Harlan stepped through the gate to Bearfast, covered in blood. ¡°I am looking for two girls, Jas and Kelly.¡± The gate guards turned their spears on him. ¡°I am Harlan Fomoria. Though last time I came through here, you would¡¯ve known me as Darrath.¡± Harlan walked forward, ignoring the mundane attacks that had no chance of harming him. He could feel that the two of them were in the guardhouse, Rent and Griv were with them. Before he stepped inside he used blood magic to clean himself from the red ice that had accumulated on him. Rent and Griv got ready to fight when they heard the guards shouting. Then they saw Harlan walk in. They both already knew the identity of Darrath and they looked into Harlan. From the ring to the way he carried himself to the armor, they knew it was him. ¡°Rent, it has been a little while. Griv, your arm looks normal.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sir Fomoria.¡± Harlan groaned. ¡°I¡¯d rather have the sarcastic, lazy, overqualified man, not another lapdog.¡± Rent averted his eyes. ¡°How is Jack?¡± ¡°Fine, just fine.¡± ¡°Harlan, how can I help you? I hope you didn''t come back for more trouble.¡± ¡°Two girls, I sent them here by gate.¡± ¡°Yep, right this way.¡± Jas and Kelly were drinking hot cider in Griv¡¯s office. The younger sister ran up and hugged Harlan. ¡°I knew that you would be ok. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t tell you about what we did before. I didn¡¯t-¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, I asked around about where that shield had been seen, and I found a string of robberies. I knew you two were bandits a week ago.¡± Kelly didn¡¯t get up, nor did she look his way. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± ¡°You heard that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got good hearing. Now, I need to know, where do you want me to take you? This place probably isn¡¯t safe anymore.¡± ¡°Hey, Harlan, who are these two, and why wouldn¡¯t it be safe here.¡± ¡°Because I just killed almost 30 mercenaries of the Black Sheep and left the last disfigured. I¡¯m sure I killed some Knights of Orelend, not Oreland, along the way, but the monotony makes it blur together.¡± Rent and Griv both left, seeing that whatever happened, really wasn¡¯t their problem. ¡°Hey, about giving us a home, is that still an option?¡± ¡°Of course. Single or double cabin?¡± ¡°Kelly, which one?¡± ¡°Double.¡± ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll give it my full attention, tomorrow. I¡¯ve got friends over, you don¡¯t need to meet them though, you can just stay in a guest room if you aren¡¯t comfortable with so many new people.¡± ¡°Yeah, I think we should.¡± ¡°Just a few gates to get there, oh, and it is going to be much warmer, so once you get the chance, one of my people can take you into town to buy clothes for the warmer months.¡± ¡°What about our record? We are wanted.¡± ¡°If anyone tries to arrest you, I¡¯ll warn them, if they continue, I will kill them. Are you ready to go now?¡± Harlan¡¯s embossed skull smiled at her. Chapter 183: New Years Party 1 Harlan returned home to find Adina waiting outside for him, trying her hand at knitting. She wasn¡¯t a homemaker, partly due to her sight, and partly because she simply had little desire for it. But hearing that Marigold enjoyed such things, she thought it right to give it a try. The tangled mess of wool however, showed her lack of experience. ¡°Is that Jas and Kelly?¡± ¡°Yes, they are going to be staying in guest rooms until I have a cabin built for them. Do you two want something to eat?¡± ¡°No, I just want to sleep. They chased us for a few days, I thought we lost them until we found ourselves surrounded by them in town.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that nobody disturbs you two.¡± When they stepped inside Reet was sitting on the couch with Zella, holding hands. While Relly was patting Amber¡¯s back, consoling her. Ky was the only one who got out of the exchange unscathed, since he wasn¡¯t overly invested in dating either girl. ¡°Amber, are you ok?¡± She let out a sigh. ¡°Yeah, but I lost.¡± ¡°There is no winning and losing in love, it cannot be gained or lost, conquered or surrendered, it is simply a feeling between two people.¡± ¡°The hell is that?¡± ¡°Yara has given me a lot of books, some of them romance, some of them stories of grieving. I¡¯ve noticed a lot of overlap between them.¡± ¡°I guess it does help. So, who are they?¡° ¡°Jas, Kelly, this is Amber. Amber, this is Jas and Kelly, two friends who I met on my journey. This is all I will say for now, they need to rest. Sorry to keep you waiting, let me show you to your rooms.¡± Jas tried to hold in a yawn, but failed. She leaned on Kelly as they went to their room. Harlan returned to the living room. ¡°So, what did you do?¡± ¡°I was called by Jas, they were hiding from the Knights of Orelend. When I arrived, I killed a knight, then I was ambushed by the Black Sheep mercenary band. I led them to the woods, asked members if they truly saw nothing wrong with using two girls as bait to draw me out and kill me. They replied that it was just a business, and so me and my Black Sentinels killed them, save for two. Adina, are there more cookies left?¡± ¡°I saved one just for you since you liked them so much.¡± Harlan¡¯s demeanor lightened further, he put his feet on the table as he continued to speak between bites of the cookie. ¡°So, I brought the girls back to keep them safe until the bloodletting. When I take Count Orelend¡¯s head, I will announce something to the country, which should prevent anything like this from happening again.¡± Ava spoke up, no long was she wearing her armor. ¡°What are you going to say? Threaten to kill everyone if they don¡¯t bend to your every demand?¡± ¡°More or less. Hey, did Balor come up yet?¡± ¡°Send me to Redwall, I don¡¯t want to even look at you.¡± Harlan sent her away, the armor walked behind her, but she still refused to put it on even away from him. Returning inside, Harlan said that he needed to take a shower, and when he lowered his helmet, making it look as a hood, they saw his face, caked in dry blood which had seeped through bit by bit whenever his armor shifted. In the shower he spoke with Dawn. ¡°Thoughts?¡± ¡°You really are too weak for girls. But I think that you did the right thing. You showed mercy to them once, maybe you shouldn¡¯t have, I know I wouldn¡¯t have. But, I guess I am your darker half.¡± ¡°What? Nah, you-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be naive. I¡¯ve kept you from doing some stupid shit, but there are also things that you would need to stop me from doing if I had a body.¡± ¡°Are you sure you still don¡¯t want one?¡± ¡°That armor of yours¡­ do you think I could move to that? I can¡¯t read your mind anymore, so now it just feels¡­ lonely in here. I don¡¯t want to be away from you, I don¡¯t want to leave you behind. But I don¡¯t want to be just inside your head anymore.¡± ¡°I can get that done when I put the armor back on, it should just take a few minutes.¡± ¡°Wait, really?¡± ¡°The spell Xol gave me to let me remotely control bodies, I can use the same principle to move your mind to the armor.¡± ¡°This is moving a bit fast. I think I should explain why I want to be in the armor, and I also want to confess that I already knew that Mary was Merigold. She was a friend to Eliza, as well as her trainer in combat and magic. To not age in 20 years, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible, but she didn¡¯t pretend to be someone else when I confronted her.¡± ¡°Wait, when would you have done that?¡± ¡°When you were sick, after Aarde spoke at you. Your fever was getting worse in the night, and all I could do was barely move you enough to activate your amulet. She saved your life that night.¡± ¡°I should thank her. And I don¡¯t mind that you kept it a secret.¡± ¡°I knew that you would forgive me. But I would¡¯ve done it even if I knew it would upset you. Which is why I also believe that you should know this, I do not believe that you should put your plan into action, you are only going to escalate things until someone actually does die.¡± ¡°Ah, but that is the point. I can¡¯t climb a mountain of bones until I have enough bodies to do so.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t mean that-¡± ¡°Rosewell might want me as an advisor, but the thought keeps cursing my mind, why settle for that? Yggdra made this country better than his father¡¯s time by purging malcontents. Perhaps another purge is needed. Without the war, many more of them can be removed without risking the stability of the country as a whole.¡± ¡°Stop that train of thought at its station.¡± ¡°I will see how this goes, if Rosewell can do what her father can do, then I will have no need to do this. But, we will see how civil the war will be, and I will do nothing more than what needs to be done. I don¡¯t want to take the throne, or hurt her. I just want things to be better, for men like Count Orelend to rot in graves instead of dine on a feast every night. Do you think that the sisters would¡¯ve turned to banditry if they had another option?¡± ¡°Honestly? Probably. Their father taught them to fight, but they were too young to join the army, too weak to really be adventurers in the frontier. Getting the funds to continue south to a safer place would¡¯ve only been gathered by theft or prostitution.¡± ¡°I disagree. But, those are all fair points. Maybe I need to make some kind of fund to get children who¡¯ve lost their parents out of the frontier.¡± ¡°If you stress your treasury any more than you have, Garad might kill you in your sleep.¡± ¡°I would like to see him try.¡± Harlan came down with an exact copy of the clothes that he wore before. ¡°So, now that that is handled, do you all want to start on the games?¡± ¡°You made games?¡± ¡°Things I use to teach my students, some of luck, some of skill.¡± Harlan shuffled several decks of cards with telekinesis and one with his hands. ¡°I¡¯ll be the dealer and explain the rules to you.¡± They played cards for hours as they caught up on every little thing. Laughs and drinks, even a few tears. Ky showed off some of his abilities, even taking off an arm like he was a doll and putting it back on. He said the worst part of eating a Mudman was that nothing he tried could hide the fact that he was eating mud. Eventually Amber left, Redwall¡¯s party was going to be starting soon and she wanted to be there since Harlan originally planned this as a get together for his old friends. For the last half an hour, Harlan was playing a different kind of game with the others. After they each tried to be a dealer, Relly called out Harlan for cheating, from loaded dice to shapeshifting cards. So now they were outside throwing rocks at him just to see how many he could hold at once. ¡°So, Zella, Reet, what got you two together so quickly.¡± ¡°It was Amber, she said that I should give him a try because he seemed like he was actually a pretty good guy.¡± ¡°Oh? I kinda thought that she was going to try for him.¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Reet spoke up. ¡°I rejected her. Amber seems nice, and if Zella realizes that she deserves someone better, maybe I could give her a shot. But I think I love Zella.¡± ¡°Whoa, are you saying that Amber is just a backup?¡± ¡°Wait, no, that isn¡¯t what I mean, I meant that-¡± ¡°I¡¯m just joking. I¡¯m happy for you.¡± ¡°Shit. I thought that I was going to get beaten up again.¡± Zella gave a look to him. ¡°I mean shoot, I thought I was going to get beaten up. Sorry.¡± ¡°Ha. Zella, are you already deciding what he can do?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like casual swearing. So he has to clean up his language for me.¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t like how easily she turns to violence, so she is going to work on that for me.¡± ¡°A relationship has compromises, if you are already willing to make your feelings known, what you can and cannot accept, it sounds like a good thing.¡± ¡°You and Adina, have you made compromises with her?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve changed, but I¡¯m not sure how much of that is her, and how much of it was everyone else.¡± Adina spoke up. ¡°Harlan has always been the man I¡¯ve loved, and I know that he would change more if I asked. That is enough for now. I¡¯ve always been a bit too passive, and it seems everyone else has done more than I could to make him better.¡± When they ran out of loose stones, they switched to snowballs. It was the new year after all, and they did get some light snowfall. ¡°How do you keep so many of those telekinetic arms out at once?¡± ¡°Oh, right. I was given a book which gave me some advanced techniques. I simply project a field around me. Using arms is one of those things that they tell people so it is easier to learn. You know what, why don¡¯t I just divulge every secret I can. And Zella, no, that does not mean the ones that others gave me, just the ones I found or I was given without the intent that only I know them.¡± Everyone was shocked at how quickly they picked up what Harlan taught them. Zella mostly enjoyed a boost to her imbibing as Harlan explained how he understood each of the magics to work. Visualizing magic better and understanding the actual physical reactions made all the difference in the world. So Harlan cut his arm open to show from the inside how water imbibing made the muscles and bones more flexible, which is why it made people into instant contortionists and actually had defensive properties against blunt weapons. Wind imbibing helped with twitch reaction and dexterity by effectively manufacturing neural signals directly in the area being moved instead of waiting for the signal to reach from the brain to the body. Fire was rather simple, as it mostly relied on using the power that the body normally kept hidden away to avoid people hurting themselves. Hence it being rather dangerous to abuse. How it actually moved people past their limits, seemingly granting power that shouldn¡¯t physically exist, he didn¡¯t understand, but it was magic, so he didn¡¯t worry about it that much. Earth granted extra density seemingly from nowhere, but it also made the body somewhat more brittle, hence it was better against blades and even then it was better to have earth imbibing when getting hit by a warhammer than not. For her hair, she had been using fire and earth for hardness and strength, but it made little difference since each individual hair only saw a very small boost to its power, either she needed to weave them together like real muscles, or she needed to use water to give the hair more elasticity and avoid breaking when she hit hard targets. For practical uses, Harlan looked at how she already fought by using imbibing to harden her hair and form weapons and armor. She understood how to do this, but Harlan found her lack of imagination a bit disappointing. ¡°Why are you making it look like a sword?¡± ¡°What else should I make it look like?¡± ¡°You whip people with your hair all the time, that hurts because when you crack a whip it is moving very quickly. So just put the hardened sharp hairs in a row, and whip people. And when you are stabbing, keep it to as few hairs as you can, the smaller the area, the less energy is dispersed. You should also carry around spearheads that your hair can hold. I actually designed those flesh golems after you, that is why they had the tentacle hair.¡± ¡°Thanks?¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Now, you do know how to use gravity magic, right?¡± ¡°It is a big part of dimensionalism. So yes, I am actually pretty good at it.¡± ¡°And do you cast from your hair?¡± ¡°I just use my hands.¡± ¡°Can any of you do any body casting? Even partial.¡± Reet and Ky raised their hands. ¡°Ky can change his body into a shadow like a warg, he can grow scales and wings and so on and so forth. He understands that a body is nothing but a vessel for the soul and mind.¡± ¡°Actually I¡¯m not sure that I understand that.¡± ¡°Well it is. You are not your flesh, you are the mind and soul that control that flesh. Reet can cast from his head because he can shoot fire from his head, so why wouldn¡¯t he be able to cast other spells from there? I¡¯m sure you guys have probably cast spells by stomping your feet or making kicking motions, am I right?¡± Zella looked a little ashamed. ¡°I guess that does make sense.¡± ¡°Just as a swordsman will tell you that a blade is not a weapon, but an extension of a limb, magic is no different. You point your fingers because that is a natural action, it makes sense to aim like that. But it is a crutch, one that you probably never thought anything about. Zella move your hands and speak the words, but instead of pointing to shoot a little light show, make a hand of hair, and then have that point for you. Eventually, you should move to casting entirely with your hands, and actually releasing with your hair. It will free you up quite a bit. Then, you move to casting with your hair. You effectively have dozens of hands, so as long as your mana reserves keep up, you should be able to throw out an entire squad''s worth of magic by yourself.¡± ¡°How do you know that is going to work?¡± Harlan grew a small set of arms on his back, and they cast spells just like Harlan could, firing harmless light from the top of his head. He took a breath before speaking again, shifting like this was unpleasant. ¡°Anything that is you can cast your magic. If I shifted my armor into hands it would only be able to cast its own spells. ¡± Zella started throwing out the spells with startling accuracy, at least Reet was startled when beams of light started coming from random spots in her hair. Relly raised her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to do any of this stuff. I can¡¯t imbibe or telekinesis things. What should I learn?¡± ¡°I want to teach you something far more important, something that only people like us can do.¡± ¡°People like us.¡± Harlan cast an illusion of lines reaching from his head into the others heads. ¡°This isn¡¯t really what it looks like, but there exists a large web of connections between minds and souls. The Golden call it the crossroads, so I will use that term. Basically, right now you can read the minds of people in a certain range, I¡¯m guessing 40 to 50 feet by now, right?¡± ¡°It was 47 for perfect clarity in my last check up.¡± ¡°But can you sense my mind? A flicker in the darkness, a presence that weighs on you and demands to be acknowledged, but not looked at.¡± ¡°That just sounds scary.¡± ¡°I keep my mind close to myself since I was told that it unnerved the Golden students ever since I became a champion.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not really sure what you mean by sense. I know you are there, and I can feel that.¡± ¡°But everyone looks the same, right?¡± ¡°What do you mean look? I just feel you.¡± ¡°Right, ok. Let me just skip to the part where I open up your connection to the crossroads and make your powers stronger.¡± Harlan¡¯s eyes went black as he held her head, then her eyes went black. He found himself, Relly, and Dawn, sitting in a garden, sipping tea with The Darkness. ¡°Little Shadow, that was a very, very bad idea. Hello Esparella, I¡¯ve been meaning to meet you eventually.¡± Relly huddled closer to Harlan and the woman who she felt was on his side. ¡°No need to be afraid, this is my god.¡± ¡°What does she want?¡± ¡°Come now Esparella, it is very rude to speak as if I am not here. I just wanted to make sure Harlan didn¡¯t doom the world. I¡¯ve kept you out of the crossroads for a simple reason, you can already be overwhelmed by the voices you hear just in your immediate area; how bad do you think it would be to have that effect for miles?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want that.¡± The Darkness looked more defined than usual, her features could be easily made out. She knew that Relly would be scared of her, and that Harlan didn¡¯t care that she looked only vaguely human. ¡°Exactly. So, I just wanted to stop Harlan from doing that, and since you are now here, I¡¯m going make sure nothing else is wrong with you.¡± Dawn guarded her, though deep down she knew the futility of challenging a god in her own world. ¡°I will cause her not harm nor discomfort. I am going to put away that which I find most terrible. The power to control the mind, completely and utterly, to dominate until there''s nothing but a husk remaining. ¡± The Darkness brushed her hand on Relly¡¯s cheek, it was warm and gentle, reminding her of Rosewell. ¡°All done, that lock is still strong, never to be broken.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°I am not one for wasting time. If I was to teach you how to keep it locked, I would¡¯ve spent time teaching, but that is not the purpose of pulling you here. So, you may leave now.¡± With a wave of her hand, The Darkness cast her mind back into her body. The scenery changed greatly. It was no longer Relly¡¯s garden, it was Harlan¡¯s world. They were on a balcony high above a city. Outside he could see an army of all shapes and sizes, creatures he had not yet made, but had designed, all flying his colors. ¡°This is more my style.¡± ¡°Yes, it is quite to my liking as well. There is something you should know about young Esparella, it is not the first time in which I¡¯ve done this, locked away that power.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t ask a question as she expected him to, he just waited for the answer. ¡°As a newborn, she was cursed by a Fae who sought only to cause chaos and suffering through what she considered a minor prank. Coronach was sent to kill her; she had already enslaved her village into caretakers whose minds could not be recovered. Yet I looked at the threads, and I saw a future where she met you, and was of great use. So instead I took away the power of domination, and told the king where he would find her.¡± ¡°Your deal with him, what really is it?¡± ¡°I warn him of assassins, I tell him which of his people are most loyal. Safira was picked by him, but I was consulted regarding her. He is a man without magical talent, nor physical prowess, and with a great deal of enemies who would see his children take the throne. And, I may send certain prospects to him. You may have already seen this, the way he plans as if he knows what people are going to do. Sometimes, he does.¡± ¡°So, you sent Relly to the facility to make sure she was friends with me?¡± ¡°And I ensured that once you were found out, you were placed under Rosewell¡¯s care, that Relly felt a compulsion to seek you out, that your sister did not go to the maiden festival until a year later than she could¡¯ve by putting nightmares in her head. I forced no choices, simply planted ideas in heads.¡± Dawn was unhappy. ¡°Did you get Eliza captured? So you had a champion related to that man?¡± ¡°Harlan was not my first choice, even until the age of 8 I was weighing my options. Were I to wish it, I would¡¯ve made sure that he was related to the king himself. Being the great grandson of that man is nothing but a way for him to have certain opportunities. But you know full well that he could¡¯ve also decided that Harlan was a painful reminder of loss and killed him, which would be quite counter productive.¡± "Are you going to tell me who I''m related to? Because I was sure it was Sepul, but I saw him test his blood in front of my eyes, so it can''t be him. Is there some"- When Harlan got out, the others were standing around him. ¡°Ah. How long was I out for?¡± Adina answered. ¡°Relly came out of it a minute ago. I wasn¡¯t counting until she mentioned that you were still inside.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± Reet was worried for his friend. ¡°I had a chat with my god. Anyway, I want to work on your mana control. You can make that fire hair as a mass of fire, but I would like you to try making it from cold fire and making fine strands so it looks like real hair. It would give you a real dazzle.¡± The others nodded, it would look better for him. ¡°Are you guys all-¡± Zella put her hand on his shoulder, not saying a word, but he knew from her expression that it wasn¡¯t worth getting worked up when Harlan did or said things like this. ¡°Just move past me talking with a god and get to work. People are going to think Zella is stealing your hair if you go out as a couple with that bald head.¡± Zella whipped Harlan for the joke. Chapter 184: New Years Party 2 It was nearing 8, their party was winding down. But first, Harlan wanted to do something. ¡°Alright, gather around.¡± Everyone went inside to have hot drinks and food. Harlan sat there in the living room with everyone and he felt content. ¡°I am very glad that I got to spend it with everyone here. And that there were only a few hiccups. I know that it is a bit backwards, but you¡¯ve already given me the best gift that you can, even without forewarning. Ky, here is a golem armor, I¡¯d hate to see you unable to visit me again. This will also let you be a bit more free with your transformations since it can shift to match your body. Zella, this is a very long time coming.¡± It was an exquisitely made golden hair clip, no larger than the palm of her hand and shaped like a Z. ¡°Put it on, then just activate it.¡± Her long hair now reached down to just below her shoulder blades, causing her to jump from her seat and take it off, at which point her hair returned. ¡°What? How? Is it an illusion?¡± ¡°Nope. Inside of that is a small pocket dimension designed to fit your hair specifically.¡± ¡°You can make dimensional items?¡± ¡°No, I called Marigold, and while learning how to make what you needed was beyond me, she made it work.¡± ¡°Living things aren¡¯t supposed to be able to go inside of these. And it doesn''t have a pocket, it just¡­ takes it inside. How- Silly question, it is Marigold.¡± ¡°Oh, and it is adjustable. Just tell it how much you want, and it will let more in or take more out.¡± ¡°How did¡­ I mean¡­ You really asked her to do that, for me?¡± ¡°Of course. I know you just live with your hair, and it doesn¡¯t bother you nearly as much anymore, but I couldn¡¯t think of a better gift, so I was really left with no other options.¡± ¡°How did you convince her to make this?¡± ¡°That is a secret between her and I.¡± Harlan had tried to guilt trip her over the rift that was forming between Zella and him due to gate. The whole thing made him feel disgusted, and while Marigold knew what he was doing and called him out on it, she also knew that he hated every moment of trying to make her feel bad. If it was such an issue to him that he would toss away his integrity, then it mattered enough for her to make the item for him. Though there was a cost. Reet received his own golem armors, though to call them such was a bit of a stretch. It was comparatively cheap and its actual defenses were very limited. It was more like a shapeshifting set of clothes. ¡°But why armor for me?¡± ¡°Because it seemed every time I spoke to you, you mentioned burning holes in or staining your clothes. In theory, that should be the only set you ever need. Warm in winter, cool in summer, self-repairing, self-cleaning. It is what I¡¯m wearing now.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you change earlier?¡± ¡°There are limits to this thing, maybe if it was running on more than a few gems sewn into it it could clean the blood more quickly, but a heavily soiled piece like that would take hours.¡± ¡°How much did this cost to make?¡± Reet held up the jumpsuit with rings holding onto small gems and a stiffness to it that came from having the metal sewn into the fibers. ¡°It was pretty cheap compared to a proper golem arms, only about 30 gold.¡± Reet gulped. ¡°For all 3 of them?¡± ¡°Each. The cost of mana gems increases on a non-linear scale for size, and the same goes for really pure metals. So it is a steal to be able to make them for so cheap.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t-¡± Harlan slammed his hand, cracking the living room table which then started to heal itself. ¡°If you don¡¯t accept it, I¡¯m going to send a whole crate of them to your family.¡± ¡°But I-¡± Harlan gave him a look, and he relented. ¡°Thank you. But why the gifts?¡± ¡°Can everyone here keep a secret? Safira, that includes you.¡± She narrowed her eyes, unhappy being the butt of his joke. ¡°Today is my birthday. I am 16 years old now, and you are among the handful of people who really know this.¡± ¡°Why hide it?¡± ¡°Because Ava will always be my bigger sister by just a few months, I¡¯m not taking that away from her.¡± She returned to silence, he still didn¡¯t really make sense to her. ¡°Relly, last but not least. A bracelet.¡± She slipped it on her wrist, finding that it shrunk down to fit better. It was of silver construction and had 5 small teardrop gems, each of a different color. Only one of them being a mana gem. ¡°What does it do?¡± ¡°It looks nice, and complements the pretty young lady I¡¯m sure you are going to be.¡± Relly found it quite hard to read Harlan, who had put up his mental defenses. But she could read Amber, who with every fiber of her being, refused to believe his words. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Each gem here represents one of us, the mana gem, colored black, is me. The orange one is for Zella, because of her hair. The green one is for Ky, because he is a ranger and I didn¡¯t want two black gems. Red for Reet and his hair. And the white gem is you, because you can be whatever you want, you are still young, full of opportunity.¡± ¡°That is¡­ really thoughtful.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Expecting a weapon?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying that I wanted one, I just thought you would give me one.¡± ¡°This bracelet is a sign of faith, that I believe Rosewell is a better defense for you than anything I can give.¡± ¡°She is going to be very happy to hear that.¡± Harlan had actually made her a set of golem armor, along with one for Zella, but he was going to pretend that he didn¡¯t because the other gifts were more thoughtful and personal. Balor came upstairs finally to the saccharine scene. ¡°Ah, are we having a party?¡± Adina walked to the kitchen, returning with a cup of hot cider for him. ¡°It is new year¡¯s eve, Harlan even gathered his friends from back at the facility.¡± ¡°Really? It must¡¯ve taken weeks.¡± ¡°Not with him having gate.¡± Balor rushed to Harlan¡¯s side, gripping his shoulders. ¡°You have gate?¡± ¡°How long have you been in the lab?¡± ¡°Just a few weeks.¡± ¡°2 months ago, what was I doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, you were at the academy taking classes.¡± ¡°Balor, you¡¯ve been down there for months. You did at least eat properly, right?¡± ¡°Of course, Isha always got me my meals and I sent messages when I needed more.¡± ¡°What were you working on?¡± ¡°The trains, I¡¯ve done it, this new design must work. And I¡¯ve-¡± Adina put her hand on his shoulder. ¡°Please, take a shower, we will be here when you return. And clean that scruffy beard, you have enough metal shavings in it that I can hear them scraping together.¡± Balor conjured a mirror, only now seeing the state of himself. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I counted the days by the number of times I slept. I didn¡¯t think that¡­¡± ¡°Did anyone else try to pull you from the lab?¡± ¡°I did much of my work through associates and my amulet. Isha did try to tell me to go out, but I didn¡¯t think I spent so long away.¡± ¡°We can catch up more when you get yourself cleaned up.¡± After Balor left to get clean, Harlan called in Black-1. The others had never seen the Black Sentinel, but they had heard of it. ¡°Make sure Balor keeps track of time, if it sounds like he is making a breakthrough, give him some leeway. If it sounds like he is being obsessive, drag him out by force, make him have a meal with real people.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The living golem returned to its invisible state and stood guard outside, contacting the only two people that knew what it really was. ¡°Balor spent too much time in the lab. Should I have done something about this before it became a problem?¡± 3 was too busy keeping watch over the party to talk, but 2 was free since the farm didn¡¯t have anyone to protect other than the workers. ¡°We aren¡¯t machines to just follow orders. If you think you should do something, do it. ¡°2, have you been misbehaving again?¡± ¡°What? No, I¡¯ve just been helping out around the house since mo-Miss Aida needed some help.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t fall to those emotions, we have a job to do, we knew that from the start, we accept what we need to be.¡± ¡°This is why 3 never wants to talk to you. Let¡¯s see you try to pretend to be an emotionless machine when Jarrik skins his knee and you start panicking because you don¡¯t want to scare him with your face but you want to heal him.¡± ¡°Autumn can fix that easily, you don¡¯t need to be involved.¡± ¡°What would Harlan-¡± ¡°We are not him. We are not supposed to be him.¡± ¡°You two should be what you want to be. That is what Harlan would say.¡± ¡°Relly?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell Harlan about this. 2 was just-¡± ¡°Are you afraid of letting him down?¡± ¡°We were made to protect our- his family. We aren¡¯t supposed to be something more than that.¡± ¡°If Harlan made you, then I¡¯m sure he understands that you are going to be like him in some ways. You should make your own names, calling each other numbers is kinda¡­ sad.¡± ¡°Ha, I told you we should¡¯ve been using names. Thanks, Relly.¡± ¡°No, we should-¡± Relly put her hand on Harlan, bringing him into the conversation. ¡°What is the problem here?¡± ¡°Harlan, Sir. There is no problem.¡± 2 took his shot. ¡°I want a name, 3 does too. You are us, and we are you. I can¡¯t be away from our family like this, just a hunk of metal. I don¡¯t need to be a part of the family, I just need to be able to help them in whatever way I can beyond being a big scary fucker.¡± ¡°That is fine. I realized the risks of giving you three pieces of myself for your soul, and just like with Balor, you are not machines or tools, you are people who I want to do a job. Is this going to be a problem? Or will you do what you were born to do, just under a different title?¡± ¡°I will always do exactly what I was born to do, because these are not just people, they are family. Seeing mom, it reminds me of when we were a kid, not able to fend for ourselves yet, not worried about all of this other crap.¡± ¡°All of you were made for a single purpose, to protect our family, I don¡¯t care about methods or costs or anything else. Use that free will you have been given to protect them just like I would. Is there anything else I should know?¡± ¡°No, thank you, Harlan.¡± He cut off his connection, leaving 1 with Harlan and Relly. ¡°How long has this been going on?¡± ¡°Since 3 first saw your niece and nephew, and 2 saw your parents.¡± ¡°Do you have these same thoughts?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve kept myself in line.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bottle up how you feel, you are me to an extent, and that has always failed.¡± ¡°Yes Sir.¡± Harlan¡¯s focus returned to the living room. ¡°Well, it has been fun, but I¡¯m going to get things ready to end this night and get you all back home to celebrate with your family.¡± ¡°How are we ending the night?¡± ¡°With a bang of course. But we should wait for Balor to-¡± As if he heard his name, Balor came out with slightly damp hair and clean clothes. ¡°Sorry to have failed to introduce myself. I am Balor Fomoria. You must be Ky, then this is Reet, hey Relly.¡± Everyone noticed the difference in tone. ¡°So, you are Harlan¡¯s brother?¡± ¡°Yes. Though I was first a ring.¡± ¡°I think I heard something about that. The other rangers I met found it bizarre, but soulsmithing was from Harlan, so they seemed to agree that it didn¡¯t really matter much.¡± ¡°Ah, is Harlan popular among them?¡± ¡°Casualty rate is down 10% year after year. Some of those guys can directly tie them being alive with having soulsmithed equipment. He is a bit of a hero to them, though I guess they do tend to share traits with Harlan, so they also don¡¯t care much about the times he goes too far.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard rangers are often outcasts, highly skilled, but better suited to solo work.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, Harlan seemed to work alright as a team.¡± To anyone who read the reports, his statement would just show how skewed Ky¡¯s thought process was. Harlan had done very little to act as a team, the closest thing was using the bodies of the dead knights to make creatures he could control. Merely surviving did not mean someone had worked efficiently with others. Balor found Ky to be interesting, and the two of them continued to speak until the night was ready to end. The clock struck 9 and Harlan came inside to say his preparations were done. He had even invited the children from the orphanage over to watch. They stood in an empty salt flat that was nowhere near the home. Wards and arrays were set up along with seating so it was more comfortable. ¡°Alright, now, the light show can begin.¡± Harlan dug out several large runes in the crystal days prior; it was Marigold who had said that there was such a place near the border of the great desert. The spells were illusions boosted to the level of warmagic, spiraling wyrms rose to near the clouds, painting the fluffy white that was hidden by the moonless night in a cacophony of colors before the wyrms fought, trails of blood brightly fell to the ground where it turned to sparkles which reflected on the mirror shine of what was once a saltwater lake. ¡°I¡¯m glad you could make it.¡± ¡°I told you about this place for a reason, it is just an annoyance to prepare everything for a party. So we just sat home and had a little fun before we came to see what you would do.¡± Her words were slightly slurred and she placed a hand on his shoulder to remain steady. ¡°I wanted to thank you. Dawn told me what you did for me that night.¡± She waved her hand around energetically. ¡°Ah don¡¯t worry about it. You¡¯d do the same for me if you could. You know, you¡¯re a much better guy than your prick of a grandfather. Great grandfather, however it is.¡± ¡°Am I really going to be the last person who finds out who he is?¡± ¡°Huh? You mean you don¡¯t know that-¡± Xol, covered her mouth. ¡°I warned her before we arrived to be mindful of what she says. S-¡± Xol covered his own mouth as he had done to her. ¡°We aren¡¯t supposed to tell him that-¡± Xol then returned his hand to her mouth. ¡°You guys are a lot of fun. And exactly why I don¡¯t drink. If you know and won¡¯t tell me, then I¡¯m sure you think he has a good reason to hide himself from me.¡± ¡°Honey, it could be worse, we could¡¯ve-¡± She covered Xol¡¯s mouth. Marigold took a deep breath and was clearly deep in thought, trying her hardest to avoid saying anything else. ¡°Happy birthday, I¡¯ve got something for you, but I¡¯ll wait to give it to you.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t need to get me anything.¡± ¡°You spent the lead up to this day making things for other people. That is the part of you that I liked enough to introduce myself to.¡± ¡°Now that I think about it, how did you know my birthday?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the small stuff.¡± ¡°Is that how I sound to other people?¡± ¡°Nope, because you are scary, I¡¯m sexy.¡± The light show was over and Xol opened a gate back to their home. ¡°We should go before she gets to the next stage of being drunk.¡± The veil around them dropped, not a single person had seen them or realized that Harlan was having a conversation with anyone. Thus, nobody really understood why Harlan was laughing so much.
The morning after. ¡°Shit, do you think he is going to think we¡¯re irresponsible? Can he confide in me after that?¡± ¡°You already have a good track record, and we didn¡¯t actually say who his grandfather is.¡± ¡°Great grandfather.¡± ¡°It is annoying to keep adding the great part. It¡¯s not like he has a grandfather anyway.¡± ¡°At least I stopped you from mentioning his sister. Do you think she is going to be a good influence on him?¡± ¡°She is more like the Harlan that wants to change the world, but I think she lacks the part of Harlan that loves people. I shudder to think what she would do if she had all of his knowledge and abilities. Do you think we should¡­ warn him?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see. If it doesn¡¯t become a problem, then Harlan might resent me for poisoning the well. If it looks like she is going to be an issue, I will have a heart to heart, it is going to hurt him a lot. Do you think we could try again?¡± ¡°Try what?¡± ¡°A baby. I¡¯ve been surrounded by children for years now. I¡¯ve been helping them, but I-¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± She reached across the small table and put her hand on his. ¡°I know how things were back home, if you don¡¯t want to be a father now, or in the future, don¡¯t force yourself.¡± ¡°It has been a very long time since then, I¡¯m not really worried about the issues of the old world rearing its head here. This place is much larger than Earth, 80 billion could still be comfortable if I gave Harlan the idea of automating the process of food gathering and transport and designing cities.¡± ¡°That still seems so crazy to me, your people had cities with populations larger than countries, they had enough abundance that they could¡¯ve never worked ever again, and they still fucked it up.¡± ¡°To err is human. Look at the people here, humanity on the ground and in the stars, doesn¡¯t ever have enough, they must be above other people. At least here I can see slavery die out again instead of rise to power.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we talk about this later. Today, why don¡¯t we have a picnic?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get the small world-¡± ¡°No, somewhere real, out there. I want to eat a sandwich toasted with lava.¡± ¡°It has been a while since we went to the coast.¡± Xol scratched his chin, thinking back to his world. ¡°You know, the first time I saw a real forest was when I came here. The first time I saw clear water that was just naturally that way. Maybe we should get out a bit more, see the things that I love in this place.¡± ¡°Yes, that sounds great. We need to make more puzzles later, so why don¡¯t we make the next set from the things we see out there? I¡¯m sure some of those places have changed in the last century since I saw them before, it will be interesting to see.¡± They made a list of places to see, Marigold would paint the scene, Xol would then use a spell to convert the painting to a puzzle much larger than the painting itself was. At which point they would shuffle the pieces and put it away for a few months so they didn¡¯t have it fresh in their memories. Chapter 185: New Years Party Final Harlan said his goodbyes and returned everyone to their homes. For Relly he wasn¡¯t allowed to actually pick her up, rather he had to go through a series of military bases who had gate receiving rooms and could verify where he was going and ensure that his gate wasn¡¯t being interfered with on the other side. Back at his own home now, Harlan had to only get ready for the party. ¡°Do I look alright?¡± ¡°Do we need to go through this every time?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just skip to the part where I think you look beautiful then.¡± Harlan gave her a quick kiss. ¡°I¡¯m more worried that I missed some blood when I was cleaning up, do I smell like blood?¡± She took a few quick sniffs before she realized how odd it made her look. ¡°You smell like soap, something fruity rather than floral.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really like the smell of flowers that much.¡± ¡°Alright, then we are ready. You do need to trim Balor though, just from the outline due to my spells I can tell he is uneven and a big mangy.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask Isha to do that, she trims my hair for me.¡± After a little bit of bladework, Balor was presentable, Zella was also ready to go. For the first time in years, she could put her hair up in a bun. ¡°Am I allowed to say something inappropriate?¡± ¡°Is it a complement?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Go for it then.¡± ¡°Under all of that hair, you have a well developed body. Your arms are toned, and instead of covering up your features your hair frames your face well. You are slimmer than I thought you were since you don¡¯t have to wear your hair like a suit of armor. You are a beautiful young woman.¡± ¡°Thank you? Adina, is this alright?¡± ¡°I know Harlan is just looking at you with the eyes of a friend. Or a researcher, since his phrasing is a little bit odd.¡± Balor, despite how he seemed not long ago, carried himself the most like a noble of any of them. He knew the names of the people who greeted him, and made small mentions of needing to meet them more frequently. Harlan was a little put off by how easily he seemed to integrate himself into the position of a noble. But he put away that thought the moment he saw his family. ¡°Autumn, it¡¯s been too long.¡± They embraced one another. ¡°If you have gate, why aren¡¯t you visiting more often?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been busy trying to save everyone.¡± ¡°What project has your attention this time?¡± ¡°Easing the effects of Aine¡¯s pact with the False Undead. I managed to suppress the blood frenzy of a Ghoul and a Vampire, I made a Werewolf that doesn¡¯t transform under a full moon. I just need to figure out how to make a Sirin and Gargoyle able to live like normal people.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only heard of them in stories. What is wrong with them?¡± ¡°Gargoyles have stone-like skin, broad eyebrows, red eyes, and a pair of wings. Sirins have bird legs, feathers on their arms, bird eyes, and a partial beak.¡± ¡°That must be terrible.¡± ¡°Yes, and flesh sculpting them all myself would be an issue in and of itself. I need to make spells that other people can use. I feel like I¡¯m close, I just need a few more weeks.¡± ¡°UP, UP.¡± Jarrik wanted his uncle to hold him. ¡°You are growing up so quickly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting bigger!¡± ¡°Yes you are. Maybe one day you¡¯ll be taller than your father.¡± ¡°Can I see the lights?¡± ¡°Wait until later, Aunt Amber and I are going to put on a big show for everyone. Oh, and before I forget, I made armors for you and Jaramis. Just as a precaution. You can even wear your normal armor over them if you want.¡± ¡°Harlan, did you come to a party wearing combat gear?¡± ¡°I only really take it off to bathe. Never know when something is going to happen, I can¡¯t ever let my guard down.¡± She just looked annoyed. Zella meanwhile was finding that suddenly she had suitors, or at least men her age who would say quite a lot of things once they saw her face. ¡°I am already in a relationship.¡± ¡°One night doesn¡¯t require that you break anything off. Think of it as a trial run.¡± ¡°I am not interested.¡± After another minute of talking she rolled her eyes and played a card she would rather not. ¡°In case you didn¡¯t know, I am also a close friend of Harlan Fomoria.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°So if you continue bothering me, I¡¯m not the one you are going to answer to.¡± ¡°HA, yeah, the man of a hundred final warnings. I¡¯m not quite so worried.¡± A heavy hand landed on his shoulder. ¡°Your father and I have many dealings, unless you intend to answer to him for why his business with me has fallen through, I suggest you treat my dear friend with the respect which she deserves.¡± The man jumped back. ¡°Ah, um, Sir Balor, I had no idea you knew-¡± Balor moved closer, his head nearly touching the man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Any friend of my brother is a friend of mine, do keep this in mind.¡± Zella watched as one by one, the men who had bothered her fled, quietly, politely. ¡°Wow, that got rid of them quickly.¡± ¡°Harlan may handle violence, but I prefer my threats to be more¡­ financial. Men like these only seem to worry when it harms their profits, or in this case, their parents¡¯ profits.¡± Balor could barely reign in his scorn towards them. ¡°Anyway, thank you. I really didn¡¯t want to call Harlan over, I am worried he would¡¯ve¡­¡± ¡°Done something that only seemed logical to Harlan.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°You know, we aren¡¯t so different.¡± ¡°Me and you? or you and him?¡± ¡°Me and him. Did he ever tell you how I was born?¡± ¡°He might¡¯ve mentioned it.¡± ¡°We both have that anger in us. The difference is I have conquered it, he has embraced it. We¡¯ve¡­ not had enough time to speak with one another. Let me introduce myself again, Sir Balor Fomoria, nice to meet you, Lady Zella.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t Lady a legal title? Are you allowed to call me that?¡± ¡°It matters little. Would you like me to introduce you to some nice young men?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve just entered a relationship with Reet.¡± ¡°Oh, I thought that was just a cover. Also, with him of all people?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t imagine Harlan is going to stay exactly the same in a few years. Reet, well, he changed.¡± ¡°He has mellowed out. No, that¡¯s not right. He has become more selective of his targets.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that is true either. He is still getting tossed around by whoever happens to get in front of him.¡± ¡°In that case, I have a feeling that he is going to decide his own fate soon enough. It is a matter of time before he is pushed too far, and his choice of path is the only thing he can control.¡± ¡°I guess you two really are alike. Starting ominous monologues at the drop of a hat.¡± Balor chuckled. Ava stuck with Breken, away from the party. The sparring room had been her sanctuary ever since Harlan was first taken. ¡°You can¡¯t just stay out of that armor, it is a part of you now, it helps you do so much good.¡± She swung Lugh around with reckless abandon as Breken spoke with her. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Harlan is complicated, he has too much power for someone so young, so unstable. This is my fault.¡± ¡°Fuck that, Harlan always talks about choices, so this is his fault.¡± Breken was tired of their dance, so he deflected Lugh, drawing close enough to force her to the floor. ¡°I should¡¯ve talked to him, I wanted to mentor him. But once he got into gods, and he knew where I was from¡­ Things have changed, I don¡¯t think I can get through to him now, or even if I should. But, if you want him to change, to be something else, you need to be willing to accept those parts of him that you can¡¯t stand, just enough to be around him. He must know that you are there for him, even if you don¡¯t agree with him, you can¡¯t leave him alone.¡± ¡°His work is killing people, making more things to do just that.¡± ¡°I never told you why I defected. Or how I got this job here.¡± ¡°You realized that Reino was evil, so you-¡± ¡°I was border patrol, and I had a real talent for finding gaps in the arrays, things to exploit. I opened the path for raiding parties. One night, I was invited along, to see what I was really allowing- no, what I was making happen.¡± Breken lowered his eyes, he didn¡¯t want to be face to face for this. ¡°When we cleared the house, I was brought into the master bedroom. After being told what his crimes were, the other soldiers were going to execute the man and his wife¡­ then the rest of them¡­ there was a crib in the room. I didn¡¯t stop them, nor did I stop the others. There were three, all girls, 6 months old, 4 years old, 12 years old. If Harlan was there, do you think he would¡¯ve cowered? Or would he have stopped those men? For all of his bad traits, I don¡¯t believe he is evil, he is just driven to never let those who he cannot forgive take root. I¡¯m not endorsing everything he has done. But we all fail, we all make mistakes. Everyone else has either accepted what he is or they left him. You can¡¯t leave him.¡± ¡°That was in the past, you got past that already. You made your mistakes and you got better.¡± ¡°Godsdamnit Ava, stop being so fucking pigheaded, in 10 years this will be his past. Are you going to be by his side, or are you going to give up. And I know damn well that you do not give up.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°And put that armor back on.¡± Harlan wanted a very short meeting with Redwall. ¡°I want this to be short. I made you a golem armor.¡± His eyes shined. Though he wouldn¡¯t admit it, it was something he had been envious of. ¡°Really now?¡± ¡°I also wanted to have a chat about how you acted towards Adina.¡± ¡°It is nothing personal, you see-¡± Harlan put up his hand. ¡°I understand, I dislike it, but I understand your reasoning. I wanted to say that there are no hard feelings.¡± ¡°Then I hope you don¡¯t mind me asking, why the armor?¡± ¡°That armor is to show my gratitude for what you have done for your people.¡± ¡°I had hoped you had simply been charmed by my rugged good looks.¡± ¡°You are a good man, and I like you, but¡­ I believe many of my problems are simply beyond the pull of a single baron. I am very grateful that you are a friend of the family, and you have done a lot to keep your barony safe, which keeps both of our families safe.¡± ¡°I am aware of my limits. And I am glad I¡¯ve not damaged my relationship with you.¡± ¡°Since we¡¯ve cleared up any misunderstandings, I believe it is time to return to the party.¡± Harlan came out to see his mother speaking with other noble women. ¡°Do you mind if I hold James?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Harlan held his youngest brother, he still didn¡¯t do much but babble and pull at things. ¡°Ah, you must be Harlan then, or do you prefer Sir Fomoria.¡± ¡°Harlan is just fine. And you are?¡± ¡°Lady Siris. My husband is Baron Sty. Your mother seems to be a wonderful woman.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind my asking, what was the topic before I ruined the conversation.¡± ¡°Oh you¡¯ve done nothing of the sort. We were speaking of our children. Do you intend to have any of your own someday?¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Harlan ended up with little to actually speak about, but the women tried to keep the conversation going to the point where he wasn¡¯t sure if they didn¡¯t see how awkward he was, or if they just liked hearing themselves talk. Once he found an out he handed James back to his mother and tracked down Adina. Though he was uncomfortable with it, she said that she needed to speak with people on her own terms, without him standing by scowling and glaring at every minor comment. Along the way, Harlan was approached by a group of children, the oldest couldn¡¯t be more than 10. ¡°Are you Sir Fomoria?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± The other children poked and prodded from the back, clearly they lacked the courage to ask what they wanted, so they got their older friend to do it for them. Harlan kneeled down to eye level and spoke in a friendlier tone. ¡°Did you want to ask me something?¡± ¡°Can you really grow scales?¡± Harlan put his hands over his face, and then he removed them, he had more lizard like features. The children had a look of amazement. ¡°And you can grow fur?¡± Harlan did the same trick. ¡°Wow, can I learn to do that?¡± ¡°Maybe when you get older. Can you sense mana yet?¡± ¡°No¡­ my mother said that magic is for soldiers.¡± ¡°Magic is for everyone. You could grow food, you could paint, craft a stove, do anything if you put your mind to it and put in the time to properly and safely learn how to do it. It can enhance every part of your life, even just using magic and generating mana makes you stronger.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Harlan stopped himself from going on a larger rant about the inequality that stems from magic only being taught freely to peasants in the army. Not 5 minutes later the boy returned with his mother, from his downtrodden expression, he had been scolded for using Harlan¡¯s arguments against her. ¡°What have you been saying to my son?¡± ¡°That magic is a wonderful gift which everyone should learn freely.¡± ¡°It is a dangerous thing meant for killers.¡± Harlan pointed her finger like a blade at her, then manifested a butterfly on the top of his finger. ¡°It is a tool, to be used according to the will of its wielder. Just as I¡¯ve killed over a thousand men, and my work has killed millions, the Greenfield family has made famine a thing of the past, letting the nobility have parties like this without peasants revolting.¡± He would¡¯ve winced at his poor wording, but that would make it seem as if he fumbled his words instead of accidentally speaking his mind. ¡°What a belligerent young man you are.¡± ¡°I believe I have been cordial. If you do not wish your child to learn, then it is your issue in the end. But I am a man who enjoys magic, and I believe that everyone should have the right to choose for themselves to learn or not. They should not be limited by ignorance or resources like food.¡± ¡°How dare you imply I am ignorant.¡± ¡°Ignorance is to not know, every man, woman, and child is ignorant. I am ignorant, and to claim otherwise is hubris.¡± Harlan thought about what he wanted to say, and then what he should say. This was likely to be another noble test, Harlan had rarely fought women, and his weakness for them was known. ¡°I believe we both came into this conversation from the wrong angle. I do not intend to teach your son anything without your permission. Nor did I intend to insult you. I apologize for my wording of these things. I simply wished to express my passion for learning, and your son asked to see some of my magic.¡± The woman was disarmed by his change in tone, she came in expecting a fight, and now he reminded her of her own children. ¡°I accept your apology.¡± Seeing that there wasn¡¯t going to be a fight, verbal or otherwise, people went back to their conversations. Harlan decided to continue on his way to Adina, not to actually speak with her, he just wanted to watch for now since she was trying to be seen as a separate person from him. He made smalltalk that he barely remembered, but he always made it close enough that he could overhear how Adina was doing. ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re from Reino originally.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And, might I ask why you left?¡± ¡°I¡¯m cursed, blind from birth, and they can only treat someone like me as defective, rather than different.¡± ¡°Other than the eyes, I would¡¯ve never known. You carry yourself quite well.¡± ¡°It is through spells, mostly learned at the academy, that I can see things. Though I cannot tell color, and my ability to sense brightness is rather rudimentary.¡± ¡°Then you won¡¯t be able to see the light show tonight?¡± ¡°I will view the memories from my fiance. He has very good eyes.¡± ¡°How silly of me, you must be the fiance of Sir Fomoria. And this must be the golem armor that I¡¯ve heard of peeking out from the collar on your dress.¡± Adina knew already that the man had no desire to speak with her, but rather was trying to find out about her and Harlan. But, she kept up the charade just to see how she handled bullshit.. ¡°Why yes it is.¡± The way the man was leering at her neckline, and mistaking his intent was easy for someone who couldn¡¯t read his face, but judge his sightline by the way he tilted his head. Now was time for Harlan to step in. There was only one reason she would be reaching at that spot behind her back, and it was the set of self-defense torture needles he made for her. ¡°Adina, how has the party been? I¡¯m sorry for leaving you alone¡± ¡°Oh it has been fine, I¡¯ve been speaking with Baron Sty here.¡± ¡°How nice, I met your wife earlier. She seems to be a good woman. Now, did I hear you have some interest in my armor?¡± ¡°Well, it is a beautiful piece.¡± When Harlan got the same leer, it became clear that he really did just want to see the armor. Harlan indulged him, though he felt a little dirty afterwards. Outside it was almost midnight, and Amber needed him there to set off a series of warmagic spells. Redwall, despite not really casting many spells in Harlan¡¯s sight, would handle an outline of the country. Harlan¡¯s job was to cast 13 spells, each would represent the 13 cities that became the kingdom. Amber needed to then cast a spell which would look like a growing tree that reached each of the spells Harlan cast like fruits hanging from the branches. It had actually taken them a few days to get themselves synced up properly, but seeing how proud Redwall was to have two more warmages who could help him put on the display he had planned for quite some time made it worth it. With the party done, Harlan brought his family back home and then asked Adina to put on something warmer before she came back outside. ¡°So, what else do you have planned?¡± ¡°I know that you wanted to spend my birthday with me, just the two of us, and we didn¡¯t really get to do that.¡± ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry about that, I had a lot of fun with everyone else.¡± ¡°Then do you know about timezones?¡± ¡°If you got east or west far enough, we say the time is different because the sun rises and sets relative to where you are.¡± ¡°Exactly. So, why don¡¯t we travel back in time, go west a little ways.¡± ¡°We are pretty close to the border, I hope you aren¡¯t thinking of crossing it.¡± ¡°They are just lines on a map. And a defensive trench and a 200 foot wall full of armed guards. But no, we don¡¯t need to go that far.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± When she felt the ground slightly sink under their weight she grabbed Harlan. ¡°Where are we, are we safe? I don¡¯t like boats.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a boat. It is a dancefloor on a lake. I made it.¡± ¡°Out of what?¡± ¡°It is crystal clear ice, inside I¡¯ve lit up several colored lights, and there are fake lightning bugs whose lights are reflecting in the mist. Give me your hand, and let¡¯s dance. I¡¯ll share all of the sights.¡± They slowly rocked back and forth, Adina teared up looking at all the effort he must¡¯ve put into this. ¡°How long did this take?¡± ¡°I spent half a day finding a lake past the line where the timezones shift that wasn¡¯t part of someones private lands. Then I decided to just dig my own lake by making golems to do the work for me, that took about 3 days but doesn¡¯t count because I didn¡¯t do it myself. 3 hours to set up this platform so it was perfectly stable. 1 hour to set up the arrays to power the lights and bugs and mist. Then another hour to actually put those spells into effect.¡± ¡°Why¡¯d you do all this for me?¡± ¡°Because I love you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡± ¡°So am I. I don¡¯t put much stock in my birthday, it is just another day, but it gives me an excuse to do something special. Did you¡­ ever celebrate your birthday before?¡± ¡°My brothers got birthdays, I got to be told I should be happy to be alive at all.¡± ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want me to kill him?¡± Adina chuckled. ¡°Is there anything that you want me to do, something for you?¡± ¡°Not until after we are married.¡± She hit him softly for the joke. ¡°Or, we just keep dancing. This isn¡¯t just fun for you.¡± Chapter 186: Harlan Kills a Man Harlan hummed as he readied himself. He had his armor and his weapon, Adina took time away from her class to watch. Oddly enough, Ava also wanted to watch. ¡°You know, Count Orelend, since you arrived anyway, why not just take my deal? You would save your daughter a lot of trouble¡± ¡°I am not a coward.¡± Harlan took a deep breath and his eyes slit. ¡°The rules for the bloodletting are as follows. All magic is allowed, so long as it does not attack the audience directly. All weapons are allowed, all personal artifacts are allowed. All body and magic enhancement elixirs are allowed. If any spells or elixirs require preparation, they are to be used now.¡± This bloodletting was a sanctioned murder, and the rules reflected this. The cost of the bottles Orelend drank amounted to nearly 400 gold. Once the man signaled that he was ready, the duel began. He took one step, and then collapsed, blood pooling from the holes, one in his heart, and one in his forehead A line of blood dripped from Harlan¡¯s index finger that was doubled the length and thickness it normally was. Once a doctor verified that he was dead, the king proclaimed Harlan the victor. ¡°Sir Harlan Fomoria has killed Count Sedric Orelend. The agreed upon punishment is to be handed out to the count¡¯s household.¡± Sepul was there alongside the king. Nobody yet realized how weak Yggdra had become; to ensure his health in these trying times, he kept Sepul near him. Harlan knelt before him. ¡°Excellent use of skip.¡± ¡°Ah, you could see that your majesty?¡± ¡°My only talent in the magical arts has been with time. Ironic, as I have a deadline on my own life, denying me the ability to truly use it.¡± ¡°Thank you very much for your compliment, your majesty.¡± ¡°Do you have a message for the audience of your peers?¡± ¡°I have already given my message.¡± Harlan left through a gate alongside Ava and Adina after the three of them kneeled to the king. They first went to Redwall to drop off Ava, but Harlan wanted to talk with her before leaving for the academy again. So they made their way to her room. No longer did Redwall bother pretending that Ava didn¡¯t live there, she had been in the guestroom for years already. ¡°So, what made you want to come?¡± ¡°Breken said that I can¡¯t give up on you, that you are making mistakes now, like he made mistakes when he was younger. I think you handled the duel well, no theatric, no threats, just a clean kill and then you left.¡± ¡°I had a speech planned about how I was done with threats, but then I realized that was just another threat. I think what people need to see is that I am serious, that I am not just going to strike out at those who are under them. These people lose hundreds of men and it is a bother because they need to hire more people, but they do not see human life as inherently valuable.¡± ¡°So, what are you going to do?¡± ¡°Once someone gives me reason to, I am going to kill them, either in their own home, or when they take a trip. When people who have wronged me start to die in accidents or odd bandit attacks, people will notice. It isn¡¯t what I want to do, but if my threats cannot keep people in line, keep you safe, then I must back up the words of the past with present action. I know you don¡¯t like this, but this isn¡¯t just about you, or me, it is about the nobility having free reign to invoke terror without finding retribution coming back at them. I have the power to change things, barons, mayors, chiefs, those lower down the hierarchy of power have no chance to stand against these people.¡± ¡°I will see how this shakes out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°Breken said I shouldn¡¯t be so judgmental. But I think you are insane, and you are going to bite off more than you can chew because of your sick attitude and when you go to court, I will not be a character witness for you. Just, try not to get yourself killed before you reach the redemption part of this story.¡± A month passed, Harlan was back in his lab at the academy, he believed that he finally found the solution for Gargoyles and Sirins. ¡°Both of you have undergone the procedure. This is the last part, which I believe can alleviate your symptoms. Before now I could solve the eyes and the skin, or the wings and the skin, but not all of it.¡± Harlan had used what he learned from Ky¡¯s transformation. On the table in front of both subjects, laid a tonic made from liver. ¡°You made mention of livers, but not why exactly. Is this made from them?¡± The Gargoyle was a man named Seth, he had been one for 20 years, if he got cured now, he might still be able to return to his family, see his children as adults. ¡°I¡¯ve had my liver repeatedly removed and regrown, each of those is a diluted solution.¡± He shoved away the bottle. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what the fuck you think we are, but I am not a monster, and I am not a cannibal.¡± ¡°Patrice, what about you?¡± ¡°Why do I need to drink this?¡± ¡°Have you heard of a ranger known as the beast eater, monster eater, or the monster man? His name is Ky, and I happen to know him. He was cursed by a Fae, so he must eat the flesh of magical creatures, but, as a boon, he can also take traits of these creatures. The procedure I¡¯ve given both of you is implanting a very limited version of his boon, so, by eating those livers, you are going to take on traits from me, and this should let you remove your non-human features, replacing them with Fomorian features.¡± ¡°Why not human parts?¡± ¡°Humans are what could be called the prime species, they are also magically gifted in all elements, with alignments only providing improvements. Alas, they are not magical creatures. But, as a Fomorian, I am, in a sense, an evolution of them, not unlike a magical creature.¡± ¡°Did it hurt?¡± ¡°There was discomfort since pain numbing don¡¯t work well on me due to changes to my physiology, but I have a very high tolerance naturally due to those same changes to physiology. Don¡¯t worry for a second about what it cost me, but rather what it can do for you.¡± The woman had only been turned 6 months ago, and her life was falling apart; she had requested that someone from the Nightwatchers kill her since she lacked the will to do so herself. She downed the tonic and collapsed as her feathers fell off, her talons turned to feet, and her skin turned sickly pale. After 30 minutes, Seth was still there waiting to see if it really worked before he decided if he could do what she had done. ¡°Hey, Patrice, are you awake now.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ oh, right.¡± She lifted her hands, seeing them without claws or feathers was enough to make her eyes water, but it was being able to wiggle her human toes that set her over the edge into a sobbing mess. Harlan didn¡¯t know if she was actually vocalizing her thanks, but her mind was overflowing with joy. ¡°Now, I¡¯d like to keep you here for observation, make sure that this effect isn¡¯t going to fade away. If that is the case, I do have a solution, though it is not ideal.¡± She still couldn¡¯t really form a coherent sentence, but she nodded her head enough for him to know that she didn¡¯t mind. Seth decided that this was now or never, and if she hadn¡¯t dropped dead yet, then a far more hearty species like his should be fine. Two weeks passed, and both subjects were perfectly healthy, aside from a minor issue, they were returning to their previous form. It was still subtle enough right now that nobody could out and out say that they weren¡¯t human anymore, but Harlan didn¡¯t think it would be more than a week before the effect entirely wore off. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. So, he implemented his plan B. ¡°Sellen, so good to see you. And you¡­ Vampire High Elder.¡± ¡°You may call me Carden. I do wish to know however, why did you call upon me rather than the Gargoyle and Sirin representatives?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t trust them to not force me to kill them.¡± ¡°How¡­ candid.¡± ¡°You do know how to use a sigil, right?¡± ¡°It is¡­ uncomfortable, but over the decades, I¡¯ve grown a certain resistance to them.¡± Harlan cracked open a crate to reveal what seemed to be a featureless man hooked to an IV of tonic. ¡°Good, here is a clone of my body from when I was entirely Fomorian instead of using wyvern pieces to augment myself. Not an exact clone mind you, I did have a face back then.¡± ¡°What am I supposed to do with this?¡± ¡°Grow livers, then remove them, make the tonic, and supply the tonic to Gargoyles and Sirins. I¡¯ve checked the numbers, each of them has less than a thousand of their species.¡± ¡°Why would I do that?¡± ¡°Because it is the only solution that I have yet found. If you want to give me more subjects, ones who could die without me feeling sorry for them, I might be able to make something better. Until then, this is what you have. Vampires and Ghouls, even Werewolves have it easy, you people can hide. But them, they are stuck outside of society, forced to either make enclaves for themselves that just get found out and forced to move when humans find them, or die. You could send the other representatives if you cannot handle the work, but you must be sure they won¡¯t do anything that could justify me using them as test subjects.¡± Carden was shocked by Harlan¡¯s manners, or lack thereof. ¡°Why do you speak to me like this?¡± ¡°You¡¯re people are allowed to exist as an apology, but if you go against me, Coronach has been given free reign to kill you.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried I could trap you in a fate worse than death, that I could just outright kill you before he arrives?¡± ¡°Not at all. Watch this.¡± Harlan took his own head off with a fireball, causing both of them to attempt to save his life Then another Harlan arrived fully nude through a gate and the clothes leapt to his body. ¡°Xol gave me a spell so I could be everywhere at once, and while right now I am only up to two bodies, it is enough that I can keep the other safe and then come back without issue.¡± ¡°Ah, you are insane, that is it.¡± ¡°I do not fear dying, I did not fear it even before I had this magic to keep me alive after death, with some limiting factors like requiring a spare body and it taking time for the spell to etch itself into the new bodies as I add them to the link.¡± ¡°A hero dies a thousand deaths, a coward but one.¡± ¡°Harlan, do you have your clothes on yet?¡± ¡°Never seen a naked man?¡± ¡°You are someone I consider a friend, and you are still basically a child to me.¡± ¡°I am dressed. Carden, do you want to take the body and the manual, or should I call the others?¡± He could feel a migraine coming on, he couldn¡¯t help but think this was somehow going to blow up in his face, but he did it anyway. ¡°Yes, for the sake of my people, no matter the species, I will do this.¡± Another month passed, and Harlan made a pig able to pull like a ox. A month after that, he enhanced a man to Fomorian levels. Then for the next two months, he kept enhancing these men and women, all of them were spies or soldiers under Balor. After about 40 of them, Harlan believed that he had perfected the process. Just another 2 years, and he would be able to do it to Ava without their mother killing him. 2 more months passed since Harlan had effectively cured the False Undead. He felt he had done the right thing, and less importantly, he learned how to replicate some of the effects of being False Undead in himself and others. For him personally, he found that the way a Werewolf would transform was far less painful than how he had done it. This made shifting far easier since a full body morph didn¡¯t feel like he was dying and it significantly lessened the pain felt by subjects undergoing enhancements. Harlan tossed his desk through a window, causing golems to flood into the building. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I just got a little bit frustrated.¡± They called in a real person. ¡°Sir Fomoria, I am going to make a report. Is there anything you can tell me about the incident? Perhaps another professor could help you solve this problem.¡± ¡°Do you happen to have a free professor or archmage with advanced knowledge of sigil crafting or soul formation and restructuring?¡± ¡°I will ask-¡± ¡°You don''t, I''ve already asked around. I simply failed to negotiate for a subject to come here for my work, it is nothing to worry about. Thank you for checking on me.¡± Finding someone from Reino, or currently inside of Reino with any form of hereditary curse was nearly impossible, as most were killed at birth, finding them and convincing them to have their soul poked at for a possible fix, had thus far been impossible. ¡°Get that thought out of your head.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t read my thoughts.¡± ¡°Maybe not literally, but I know how you think. Kidnapping someone just because they are an asshole who refuses to work with you isn¡¯t a solution, it is just a bad idea.¡± Harlan dragged the desk back inside just so he could lay his head on it and pout. ¡°Fuck that guy.¡± ¡°Yeah, fuck him.¡± ¡°And fuck Fragile Peace for blowing me off. It¡¯s not like they are going to use those babies, the least they can do is give them to me and let me raise them until they can make the choice to let me experiment on them.¡± ¡°Please, never, ever, repeat that outloud.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t hurt them, but yes, I know that they probably wouldn¡¯t really be able to know if they could ever make a fair judgment because they would literally owe me their lives.¡± ¡°How about Periwinkle? Last time we talked she seemed to be giving it some thought.¡± ¡°I could give her a pie the size of Aine and she wouldn¡¯t do it. When a woman like her is giving something thought, it means that they have no plans to do it.¡± ¡°That is just unfair, she¡­ might not think that.¡± ¡°I gave her a spell to turn any milk sweet and she gave me a thank you, that¡¯s it, not even another bracelet.¡± He actually had 7 of them, all made from flower stems and he tried very hard to avoid damaging them. Harlan tossed the desk out the window again, both of the items would repair themselves if given the mana. Blackstone and Redmond¡¯s daughter was finally born and it was a grand day, but a very quiet one, mostly because it was just past three in the morning when she called Harlan. She only wanted a few people around, all of them being people who had worked for her family for generations or who had relations through blood or marriage. Most of the house staff were gone, sent away for the first few months of the new baby¡¯s life. ¡°Harlan, come, hold her.¡± Her mother was pretty offended that she didn¡¯t get to hold her first, and Blackstone could see it. ¡°He is her godfather. Don¡¯t be like that.¡± ¡°For someone who just gave birth, you seem pretty chipper.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a hearty woman. After the first 3, they just slide out.¡± Harlan made a face. ¡°Oh come now, surely you of all people aren¡¯t to be disgusted over something so minor.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve come to see you as an actual aunt, I don¡¯t want to think about those parts of you.¡± ¡°Boy, I¡¯ve read reports, you once jumped into the mouth of a Sludge Eel to kill it from the inside out.¡± ¡°Yeah, and three days later the smell was finally gone. I¡¯m going to live with the image of that¡­ for the rest of my life. What is her name? ¡°Tenebria, like-¡± ¡°Darkness, black. I thought that you were going to run out of names like that at some point.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got at least three more left, but I¡¯ll save those for grandchildren.¡± The older woman had an odd mind, Harlan couldn¡¯t help but be bothered by it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry ma¡¯am. But you must be the former Countess Blackstone?¡± She poked Harlan with her fingers, finding that past the layer of skin and fat that he maintained to have a soft exterior, Harlan was like steel. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you get with this one?¡± ¡°Because he is 16.¡± She looked him up and down. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes. I am sure. My husband is his uncle, you met Harlan at the wedding.¡± ¡°Did I? Yes, I¡­¡± ¡°Mom, why don¡¯t you sit down.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, right, yes yes yes. When are you finding yourself another husband? It has been years since Harrik died.¡± ¡°Mom¡­ I¡¯ll find one soon, I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°I¡¯d hate to see you alone. What about this young man here? Sure he has a child, but that isn¡¯t always a dealbreaker.¡± ¡°Mom, he is¡­ nevermind.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t backtalk me. I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll¡­¡± Harlan used his empathy to soothe her anger. He had heard of this, an incurable disease that attacked the mind. Nobody knew what really brought it on or how to fix it, all one could do is hopefully keep them out of trouble. It was no wonder that he had never met, or even heard of the woman until now. The old woman slept in her favorite chair. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve moved past that, why don¡¯t you find out what is taking my husband so long to get here. If I have to, I¡¯ll-¡± ¡°I will bring him right here myself if I need to. You just spend some time with your daughter.¡± After an hour, most of which Harlan spent in the frontier waiting with Redmond¡¯s commanding officer, his uncle was free to see his daughter. ¡°I¡¯d ask if you want to go anywhere else first, but your wife is going to kill you and then me if I did anything but take you right to her.¡± ¡°Do I look alright? I¡¯m not mangy? Do you think she is going to remember me when I¡¯m gone for so long? Oh gods, what if she hates me for being absent. Shit, shit, shit.¡± ¡°Oh good, you are taking this better than mom said you would.¡± Harlan opened a gate, then another and another until he reached the mansion. He was up to 800 miles give or take, and down to 18 seconds a cast, give or take. ¡°Alright, just head inside, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± ¡°What do you need to do?¡± ¡°Don''t worry, I¡¯ll be back before you know it, now go see your baby girl.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a girl?¡± Harlan told Redmond that he had managed to convince them to postpone the mission he was needed for. In reality, Harlan had agreed to take Redmond¡¯s place in an operation; it was simply the fastest way to get him back home. Chapter 187: (Temporary) Ranger Harlan Fomoria Harlan gated back to the frontier in full gear. ¡°Sir Harlan Fomoria, reporting for duty.¡± ¡°I expect you to fulfill this mission as your uncle would, he is one of the best damn rangers I¡¯ve ever seen, you are some pipsqueak with no military training. You are going to follow the orders of your superiors to the letter, or it is his ass. Do I make myself clear?¡± ¡°Sir, yes sir.¡± ¡°Meet up with the rest of the team, they will explain the rest of the mission. Simple cleansing op, Fomorians are in the area, and we need them gone. They¡¯ve killed two rangers before you, so make sure the two who are coming with you come back alive.¡± ¡°I will do everything in my power to ensure they survive and the mission is complete.¡± ¡°If you didn¡¯t have a great deal of pull, I¡¯d never let you near them, I don¡¯t trust you any more than I do the rest of your kind.¡± As much as he wanted to knock the man¡¯s jaw off, it would reflect rather poorly on him and his uncle. ¡°Oh, and put on this uniform, out there looking like some kind of adventurer.¡± In nearly any other situation, that would¡¯ve been the final straw. So he reminded himself, he wasn¡¯t going to be punished if he gave this man a piece of his mind, it would be his uncle. ¡°Sir, yes sir.¡± Harlan made his way to a nearby tent where two other rangers and 50 soldiers were preparing for combat. The strike commander pointed at him the moment he entered. ¡°Ranger Fomoria?¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°Sit with your comrades, you will be on their team running spearhead while my men run support.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± The two of them were older men, nearing retirement age, such a thing was like finding a set of unicorns. ¡°Ranger Fomoria, I¡¯ve heard of you. You run village ops like this before?¡± ¡°Give me a refresher. Fomorians have flesh monsters and mind magic. If they touch you they can break your soul, their weapons are probably going to be soulsmithed, though in a different method from the kingdom¡¯s.¡± ¡°Even the children are a threat. You can¡¯t let a single one live, it is a mercy, they wouldn¡¯t survive on their own anyway. Terrible, terrible work.¡± ¡°I understand. Has a cleansing op ever found non-hostile Fomorians?¡± ¡°I heard you were soft, always trying to make peace before the battles. Go out, try again. If nothing else, it will give us time to get in position. Cast the protection spells on your soul, each of the tribes is disconnected and sometimes they have something unique. We¡¯ve never encountered a ranged spell that tears apart your entire body by unraveling your muscles and skin, but it could happen.¡± ¡°Huh. I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± It was deep in the woods, surrounded by arrays that Harlan could feel weighing on his mind, asking him to turn around. Harlan walked up with his arms raised and his face clearly visible. The soldiers wore armor made from bone, wielded machetes and daggers made from bone, if Harlan had to guess, their underwear were probably bone. But instead of attacking him, they talked back and forth until the entire village was aflutter with murmurs. An old woman, the matriarch, came to the forefront of the group. ¡°Who are you? How did you get here?¡± ¡°My name is Harlan Fomoria, but I was born as Darrath. I have no interest in a fight, but I came here with a group of soldiers, they are here to clear the area of you and yours.¡± Harlan could see the mana moving through the air. ¡°I¡¯m here hoping to negotiate. As I said, I don¡¯t want to fight.¡± ¡°How are you outside of your lands, has your tribe''s expansion spell reached so far?¡± ¡°Expansion spell? I know nothing of this. I am the result of terrible things being done to human women, the pact is maintained, but tattered in my soul. I am Fomorian, but half.¡± The tone shifted quickly and they assaulted his mind. Had he not been so paranoid and had his mind not been strengthened by discovering some ¡®truth,¡¯ it might¡¯ve distracted him enough for their spears and flesh monsters to land a hit. Instead, Harlan skipped away and launched the signal flare. Warspells rained down from a distance as Harlan began casting defensive spells. When he lowered the wall of stone that kept him from feeling the heat he saw the bodies strew around. 50 soldiers came from the treeline, wearing heavy armor, shield and spear in hand. For a people who couldn¡¯t leave their lands, it was rather simple to launch spells from a great range and clear out the survivors. Harlan saw the ashes in the air and smelled the burning of the village as he walked forward, feeling out the minds of the Fomorians, pointing out which ones were just faking death. Once everyone outside was dead, the ones left were in the underground cave system. ¡°There are¡­ 8 of them, due to the close quarters of the situation, I am requesting that I be allowed to go down there myself.¡± ¡°Permission granted. Get in and get out.¡± With a light on his finger, Harlan walked the halls. Unlike the poorly dug tunnels he expected, the walls were smooth and covered with names, each and every Fomorian who died isolated from the rest of the world, a prison with no bars. Though it was laid out like an ant colony, Harlan didn¡¯t get lost, he was following the group as they made their escape, or at least hid. Eventually he cornered them by using skip and then shifting the walls. The oldest was 14, maybe 15, Fomorians grew taller than humans and their features matured more quickly, guessing was the best he could do. ¡°What is your plan?¡± He didn¡¯t answer, he just held up his machete. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I find the idea of killing children unacceptable. The most I can do is turn this place into a prison of sorts, convince the people above that you can be trusted to live. No, that might not work either.¡± He didn¡¯t come down there with a plan, yet his shadow did, and so she walked towards the children. ¡°Do you recognize me?¡± ¡°You are our god. I can¡­ feel it.¡± ¡°How would you like to be freed of your curse? To roam the world as you were always meant to?¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°I will take your minds, making you believe that this is not your village. You will go with my champion, he will pretend that he hasn¡¯t taken part in slaughtering your people, and you will be raised to be better than your people.¡± ¡°He killed all of our parents.¡± ¡°They struck him first, is it not the right of the victim to defend himself? Especially from those who would attack one for simply being born in a manner they would rather not accept.¡± She knew they were not convinced. ¡°Or my champion could finish here what has happened above.¡± The oldest was given an order, capture was not an option. So, when the younger children decided that it was acceptable, as they feared death, but not their current selves effectively being rewritten to different people, he raised his machete to fulfill his final order. Harlan hated it, but he snapped his neck in an instant. Anything below a thousand pounds had little chance to fight back against his telekinesis. ¡°Mother, you may proceed with your plan.¡± He came out of the tunnel with 7 scared children behind him. The look he received from the other soldiers told him that they would not be so accepting of his god¡¯s plans. ¡°Before anyone intends to take a stand against me. I¡¯ve killed men for less.¡± Suddenly it was a stalemate. Then the rangers came back from the treeline. ¡°Oh, you gathered them up? Fine, if you don¡¯t have the heart, I¡¯ll take care of them.¡± ¡°No, they will be coming with me.¡± ¡°But they can¡¯t leave, you know that.¡± ¡°These ones can, my god has made it so.¡± ¡°Your god?¡± ¡°I lied earlier. I am not Ranger Fomoria. I am Sir Harlan Fomoria, Champion of The Darkness, Half-Fomorian.¡± ¡°We have our orders.¡± ¡°And I have mine. Children, please go back to the tunnels. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± They wordlessly followed his order. Harlan grabbed a dagger that was tossed at the group. ¡°I do hope you can give me time to call someone, see if this can be handled peacefully.¡± ¡°Your orders are to cleanse the village. Whatever job your ¡®god¡¯ gave you, don¡¯t mean squat.¡± ¡°Ah, but you have it backwards. My duty to my god is beyond the orders of this nation. I¡¯d rather not shed blood, so I will say again, do I have the time to make a call, see if I can avoid having to pull you all apart?¡± The one ranger took the other aside and Harlan made his call. It was early in the morning, Blackstone went into labor at past midnight. So, he did feel a little bad calling Rosewell considering her father had become fully bedridden in the last week, his condition reaching a point where he could not hide it. ¡°Harlan, what do you want right now?¡± ¡°I have been given a mission by my god that conflicts with the orders given by the army. 7 Fomorian children have had their memories altered and their restrictions lessened. I am supposed to bring them to my orphan village. The soldiers seem to understand to fear me, but the rangers are contemplating attacking the children anyway.¡± He could hear her sigh. ¡°Can¡¯t you call me for something normal.¡± ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, if I had someone else to call, I would.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send a royal guard with a decree that will give you legal custody of the children.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Harlan put away his amulet and stood there at the entrance to the underground. ¡°I have spoken with the Heir to the Throne Rosewell, she will be sending a decree that these children will be leaving with me. The rest of you are free to leave, there are no more Fomorians to kill. I believe the commander needs to stay so he can receive the decree. I want this to be above board.¡± ¡°Fucking Fomorian scum.¡± ¡°Hey, I could¡¯ve just killed you.¡± Harlan waited there with the commander, there wasn¡¯t too much he could do but sit and talk. ¡°Sir Fomoria, can I know the circumstances of this¡­ issue?¡± ¡°I was in the tunnel, and I sought another solution, as I cannot bring myself to kill children and my god had a solution to this.¡± ¡°Then their condition?¡± They listened to Harlan¡¯s every word and they stood in the ruins of their village without a word, a dazed look in their eyes. ¡°Their memories will be changed once they reach the orphanage, for now, they are just in a waking sleep.¡± ¡°You can change memories?¡± ¡°No. I can.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t know where she got the tea cup from, or if she was actually drinking from it. But it did add a certain elegance to her appearance. The commander didn¡¯t understand how, but he knew exactly who the shadow sitting next to Harlan was. At that point, any fire in his chest was extinguished. As part of the army, he didn¡¯t really need to worry about nobles seeking retribution for anything done under the orders of someone higher than him. But her eyes, or rather the void where her eyes should be, told the man that she knew exactly what his speech would be, and Harlan didn¡¯t need to hear someone berate him for what he was born as. She didn¡¯t say why she was here now, she did not try to curry favor with him by saying that she was protecting him from hearing vile words and lies levied against him. It was the actions such as this that had gained her the title of Mother. The royal guard arrived through a gate without issue and confirmed that Harlan hadn¡¯t murdered and replaced the commander with a body double. Their reasoning was fairly simple, Alder, despite being passed over for the throne, now held a position as a high ranking general. Such was the fate of royal children who lost the throne but still had traits and experience that made them worth keeping around. But Harlan couldn¡¯t understand why, since he really didn¡¯t have any issues with the army, but he decided it was probably fine. ¡°Rosewell sends her regards, and would like to send additional support for your orphanage in the way of staff to watch these children.¡± ¡°I graciously accept her help in this endeavor.¡± Were it another of the royal children, other than Cynthia that is, Harlan would¡¯ve found a way to worm out of this, but since it was Rosewell, he was being genuine with his thanks. Harlan gated the children to their new home and The Darkness finished her work. When they woke up in their beds, they would remember a wyvern attacking their village and Harlan finding them as the only survivors. He wondered, for her talk about free will and such, was this ok? ¡°Of course this is ok.¡± ¡°I dislike you reading my mind.¡± ¡°Of course you do, but this is just part of the cost of immortality, limitless potential growth to your power, and the ability to shape your fate. I arrived when I did to prevent you from needing to make a choice. Your morals would say that the deaths of child killers were worth less than the lives of children. This is also a wonderful opportunity, now we have more Fomorians. The first I¡¯ve convinced to join me in centuries.¡± ¡°Are there more free Fomorians out in the world?¡± ¡°No, they all lied to me, I knew that they did, but I had hoped the least likely future where they rejoined society was the one which would come to be. But these children, they are pure, able to be molded into people instead of monsters. Besides, you are going to need an army someday.¡± ¡°Do you see something in the future?¡± ¡°Not at all, and that is the part which scares me. Imagine you could see, no matter how dark it was, and then you found yourself looking down tunnels that are pitch black.¡± He could hear the fear in her voice. ¡°There is something down that tunnels, and I do not know what it is. I can only assume it to be anti-magic in nature, otherwise I¡¯ve not an idea of why I cannot sight it.¡± ¡°Like some kind of counter spell?¡± ¡°You shall learn of anti-magic one day.¡± She stood there a bit too long, as if there was something else to say. But instead she simply faded away. Harlan was glad to be rid of this, and everything happened before he even had his proper breakfast. In another few hours he would go ahead and bring people over to see little baby Tenebria, he had only gotten to see her because Blackston knew he didn¡¯t go to sleep often, and more than that, he would do everything in his power to get Redmond back as fast as possible. Chapter 188: A Cure It took another five months. But he finally found one, a person who had a hereditary Fae curse. He would be happy, but his patient was not someone who was otherwise healthy, who could live their life with some major issue like blindness or missing a limb. She was from a family who was known for how hearty they were, and her issue didn¡¯t show up until she was 6, she got sick and then just never got better. They were well connected and they hid her condition, but they knew there was a limit, another year, another month, another day, they just didn¡¯t know. When they found out through their spies that Harlan was looking for people who were cursed from birth, they contacted him and he broke a handful of treaties to get her out. Currently she was sleeping, she did that more and more every day since he met her. There were white curtains connected to soulsmithed gems all around the room to keep the air completely clean, to remove dirt, and Harlan didn¡¯t even leave the lab for fear of bringing something back. ¡°You¡¯re tired, take a rest. You aren¡¯t being helpful if you can¡¯t think.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how long she has left. I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Please, do it for her, she needs you at your best, not like you are now. You can go a week easy even with how hard you¡¯ve been going with just 8 hours.¡± ¡°No. I just need to keep going, I¡¯ll drink another anti-sleep elixir.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± For all of the times he had done it to others, he never expected to be hit with a classic trick of his. Dawn slowly, subtly, cast a sleeping air spell. After 15 minutes, Harlan finally couldn¡¯t resist anymore. When he woke up, his first action was to check the vitals of the girl, aged 8. Then he began poking her soul, attempting to see which parts would give. He knew which parts were from the curse, but he didn¡¯t understand in the slightest how it effected her. Everything he knew about souls came from testing, and there were a lot of things that he found out only after something went wrong. Here, the girl was so weak that anything going wrong would be the end, and that limited him far too much to actually get any progress. ¡°Mister Harlan¡­ did you find anything yet?¡± ¡°I¡¯m still working on it, but don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure I can figure this out. I¡¯ve always saved people, this is a matter of time.¡± ¡°Can you show me the lights again?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± She watched the orbs of color, like a swarm of fireflies. ¡°I¡¯ve met a lot of doctors. You are young.¡± ¡°I know. So are you.¡± ¡°How long do I have to live?¡± ¡°90 to 100 years, a full lifespan.¡± ¡°I heard the others talking, they thought I was sleeping. They said I would be lucky to be 10.¡± ¡°They are wrong, they are fools who could¡¯ve¡­ I didn¡¯t see you before just a few weeks ago. They don¡¯t do what I do. You are going to live.¡± ¡°What is one more child from Reino?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°How many children just like me died at the hands of the golems you made? How many will you kill yourself, just like that Fomorian boy?¡± Harlan jolted awake, 4 hours of sleep. He picked up his amulet, and hoped that he wouldn¡¯t get blown off again. Xol had given him his contact, but never once picked up, he always had something better to do. So he did the best thing that he could, he called Marigold. ¡°Harlan, it has been three weeks. How has your work been going?¡± ¡°You know, violating treaties to help people, looking at the soul of a girl who¡­¡± His jovial facade cracked, and so did his voice. ¡°I need help, Xol, do you think he could come here? I¡¯d owe him a hundred favors, anything he wants from me. I just need some help.¡± ¡°Harlan. Why don¡¯t you tell me a little about this. Maybe I can help? Xol is so often busy doing¡­ other things.¡± ¡°I finally found someone willing to let me see their soul, the damage caused by a Fae boon that has broken and its effects have been reversed. She is dying, her body can¡¯t fight off the smallest of infections without light magic. She hasn¡¯t been outside in years. I¡­ I don¡¯t know what to do¡­ it isn¡¯t like the intentional curses that I¡¯ve seen, it doesn''t make sense.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask him.¡± 6 hours later, Xol appeared and Harlan began to explain his procedure on keeping out dirt. ¡°Boy. I¡¯ve worked in sterile environments. Why don¡¯t we start by testing her blood. From her appearance and your description, I believe I have some idea of what is wrong with her.¡± ¡°Really? That is great, I¡¯m so happy to hear that.¡± Xol had a sealed silver box that contained much of his lab equipment, though it was nothing like what Harlan knew as lab equipment. No rune stabilizers, no mana gatherers, no mortars and pestles, and no liquifiers or cauldrons. The only enchantments he could see were durability, preventing rust or other wear and tear. Xol cast a spell that cleaned the area before he drew blood using a syringe, then he put it between two pieces of glass and put it under a telescope, but meant for looking down instead of up. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Back home, we would¡¯ve called this a microscope. Do you know about germ theory? I bet you don¡¯t, not entirely. You people wield so much power, but sometimes it is nothing but a cudgel. No need to understand red and white blood cells, bacteria, viruses. Just cast another spell, don¡¯t think about the underlying science that makes you all tick. Your spell to clean the area makes it spotless, not a single bit of dirt or grime or dust, but it is filthy.¡± Harlan waited over an hour, through many, many speeches from Xol. He didn¡¯t feel like he was talking down to Harlan, despite his tone, he considered this to be the normal way to be spoken to. And instead of ignoring him or asking a hundred questions, something that Xol very much did not have the patience for, Harlan recorded every single word said to him. Finally he got up from his seat and started to pack away his equipment. ¡°Now, you may ask questions.¡± ¡°Were you a doctor back home?¡± ¡°No, but we had the-¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Xol realized that to explain anything, he would need to explain three other things, so he kept it simple. ¡°Imagine you could open a book, and it was connected to a constantly growing library that contained records of nearly all of human history, of science and medicine, it went down to people''s personal lives that they would write down hoping others would read it. State slavery was implemented when I was 22 years old, and before that, I would spend hours and hours every day just reading, watching, learning every useless little thing that I could.¡± Harlan found it a wondrous idea, but ultimately, he put it in the back of his mind. ¡°What that girl has is a curse that is killing her white and red blood cells.¡± ¡°But her blood is the same red as anyone else¡¯s?¡± He sighed. ¡°I¡¯m going to vastly oversimplify this. Our blood, generally speaking, is made of red and white cells. Red cells carry oxygen, white fight infection, disease, things like that. They exist on a level so small, that you cannot see them without special equipment like mine, or with spells. What she has, is what we would¡¯ve called an autoimmune disease, her body is attacking itself and killing the cells, so it cannot fight off the other things that are killing her. Her body is wrong, and the curse seems to be preventing the soul from solving the wrong body You people have encountered things like this, but when nothing works, you write it off as a curse, unless they are a noble, then you try and fail to understand why someone needs to maintain light magic treatments. But it works, so you keep being ignorant.¡± ¡°Do you have a spell to replenish these white cells?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ve never had a need to do so, and magic that creates on such a small scale is dangerous and unpredictable compared to magic that destroys on that scale, hence I will give you my cleaning spell. I don¡¯t have a solution for you, but I will leave you a spare microscope. If you can replenish her white cells, then that is enough for her to be healthy, so that you don¡¯t need to worry about her dying anytime you do anything to her. I¡¯ve spent enough time here. Now, payment.¡± Harlan was ready to pay nearly anything at the moment. ¡°Once you¡¯ve been married for 90 years, you start to run out of ideas, or even variants of ideas for romantic dates. I need suggestions.¡± Harlan explained what he did with Ava on new year¡¯s, then what he planned to do for her birthday. ¡°This will suffice, I will take my leave now. Oh, and sterilize the needle every time you use it, the plates too.¡± He really wanted to just have Harlan owe him favors, but he thought his wife might not be happy with that. Even just asking for this instead of the favors was, in and of itself, something she would find romantic. Besides, he knew there would be many more times in the future to ask for favors, Harlan couldn¡¯t got a month without doing something stupid, let alone the next year. It took a month, the issue was that Xol was right, it was dangerous, and the spell was unstable. So Harlan did something he already knew how to do, he went bigger. When he made Balor¡¯s body, quite a lot happened once Balor¡¯s soul was inside of it, nerves and veins were carved out or rearranged under his skin, and Harlan didn¡¯t do any of that. The body knew what it was supposed to do, in theory. So what Harlan did wasn¡¯t to generate new cells, rather, he told the body to make more cells. He couldn¡¯t test such a spell on her, so he made a clone of her, and then a clone of her soul. It didn¡¯t contain her memories and it was very fragile, but it was broken in the same way. He realized that he didn¡¯t actually need her, or likely any more than a single subject for nearly anything anymore. He thought about whether he would even bother if instead of a little girl, it was a crotchety old man dying in front of him. She was walking outside for the first time in far too long, her skin wasn¡¯t nearly so pale either now that she could handle the sunlight. ¡°So, I¡¯m healed, right?¡± He thought back to the Ghoul who wanted to be fixed, even if it cost him his life. Kind lies rather than harsh truth. ¡°Almost. I just want to make sure that you stay healthy.¡± ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°A pinecone.¡± ¡°And this?¡± ¡°A pine needle.¡± ¡°This?¡± ¡°That is a frog.¡± Harlan started to think, is this how people seem to Xol when they ask him questions? Was everyone just an ignorant child? The difference for Harlan was that he was feeling wonderful from the high of giving her the chance to go out and ask these questions. ¡°Can I see my parents now?¡± ¡°I would like to run a few more tests, but I told them that you are getting better, and they can¡¯t wait to see you.¡± He hadn¡¯t said a thing to them other than he found a way to keep her stable. His worry was that once they found out that she could just have the spell applied every few weeks, and it wasn¡¯t even soul magic, that they would take her away. He still needed her so he could make the cloned souls, much like Dagda being unable to make more souls like himself, a soul could be copied only from its source. They were having a full meal, Harlan even brought in dessert. She could hold down her food now even if it wasn¡¯t thin broth soups and bread, so he wanted something special for her. Then he heard a knock on the door. He told her to keep eating while he went to see who it was. ¡°We are from the Reinoan embassy here at the academy. It has come to our attention that you have a citizen of Reino, and you are subjecting her to soulmagic experiments.¡± ¡°Prove it.¡± They tried to force their way in, but Harlan instead forced his way out. ¡°It is the right of a mage, especially on academy grounds, to maintain secrecy on all projects.¡± ¡°If you have nothing to hide, then there shouldn¡¯t be any issue with us quickly verifying that you are alone inside of here.¡± ¡°Come back here with a warrant from your leader, and the headmaster. Then I will at least consider letting you inside. If your case is ironclad, then you have no reason to not get these things.¡± ¡°Is it really worth all the effort? Why not just let us inside for 5 minutes. We don¡¯t want to be here any more than you want us here. I¡¯m told you are a keeper of the peace, as one to another, why not just-¡±¡± ¡°Oh, so friendly. Now, this is the part where an idiot would agree, since there is nothing to hide after all. But when someone is trying to find charges against someone, even if they can¡¯t get the ones they want, they can surely find something to trump up using circumstantial evidence.¡± Harlan stopped smiling. ¡°I¡¯ve been kind, all things considered, since you interrupted my meal and are now trying to find a way to get inside my lab where you can see my work. If you do not leave now, I will consider this trespassing, and I will call the academy staff to remove you. Peacekeeper, what a joke.¡± Harlan went inside and closed the door before he called the academy to make sure that they left. ¡°Who was it?¡± ¡°Oh, nobody, just someone checking up on me, making sure I didn¡¯t need anything.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Harlan began working on her in the morning. She was healthy and it wasn¡¯t unpleasant for her, as unlike messing with a functional pact, interfering with a broken boon meant that he was turning it back on, slowly but surely. His fear faded away after the first day when he realized that whatever the Fae did, it was intended to be entirely benign, instead of detonating, whenever he broke something, the boon realized what had happened and reconstructed itself. It was still doing it wrong, but now that he knew it wouldn¡¯t have a negative impact on her, he could do just about anything he wanted to, if it worked, the boon just implemented the fix, if it didn¡¯t work, it was healed to its original state. It was some of the easiest soulmagic he had ever done, he could go for hours and hours, the only issue was his own endurance. But without a time limit on her dying in her sleep, he didn¡¯t mind getting some of his own. A week passed, and he figured that today would be the last day, her condition wouldn¡¯t worsen anymore, he just wanted to make sure that she got the same ability as her parents and never got sick again. Another knock on the door. He knew those minds, so he put her to sleep and then under as many spells as he could to hide her. ¡°I take it you received a warrant?¡± ¡°Two, one from Her Holiness, Grand Saint Fragile Peace, and one from Headmaster Hirum Selvis. You may put away anything which could be understood by us, but we are allowed to check for signs of life other than you inside. If something has been covered, we may request to see under it, and academy staff will verify that it is not a person. The details are all written here, but you have 10 minutes to put up veils or mundane coverings on your work.¡± ¡°There is no need for that. Please, come inside.¡± They looked under covers and in every nook and cranny, but they couldn¡¯t find her, because she wasn¡¯t physically there. They finally came upon the cube, 4x4 of equal parts stone, fire, air, water, light, and dark steel. ¡°This thing, open it.¡± ¡°It doesn''t open. Use a seismic spell if you would like.¡± Both the Reinoans and the academy staff confirmed that it was solid on the inside. Marigold hadn¡¯t made a hair clip for Zella, she made two. Yet Harlan kept one and had been working on its secrets since the day he got his hands on it. He couldn¡¯t make a small world like what Marigold had done. But a 6x3 room to hide a single person? That functioned, at least for a few hours before it burned up? That he could do. He had felt bad about stealing it, but he had a dream where it seemed like a good idea, so he did it anyway. Future sight was something rarely controlled, so Harlan chose to see the signs in his dreams whether they were really there or not. They left dissatisfied, but they did leave, and if they wanted to look again, they would need both new warrants, and a far stronger case to get them. Harlan turned off the dimensional cube and out came the girl, but the cube itself fell apart, losing half of its mass to the other side of wherever it really stored things. Chapter 189: A Dark Job Harlan briefly considered keeping the girl, just because he thought she might have a better life here than in Reino. But he threw away that idea, he knew how ridiculous he was being. He would have no justification for keeping her, and no time to raise her, so she would just end up at the orphanage anyway. Her parents did care for her, enough to break laws to get her the help she really needed. Out on an open plain Harlan waited for the gate her parents would come through. 30 minutes past the appointed time, they arrived. Then Reinoan military forces arrived. There were only 30 soldiers, and they had some idea of what Harlan could do. The issue for them was that what they were told were the lies sold to them by spies that painted Harlan as far more monstrous in ability than he was. He actually could do what they believed, but had never done so and left witnesses. So this started a pissing contest where Ragnite forces saw Reinoan forces through their gate detection system and they didn¡¯t care why Harlan was there, they just didn¡¯t like Reinoans. Had Harlan been smarter and asked Sepul for help with this espionage, he would¡¯ve known that both sides kept track of gate usage within the demilitarized zone and his perfect plan was fatally flawed. 5000 men stood on both sides, ready to start up the war again if anyone so much as sneezed. Harlan had called Rosewell just after 200 men were in the field and she had her father call Fragile Peace before this turned into a bloodbath. The diplomats from both sides arrived and the two armies backed off. Harlan made a rather nice table for them to sit at and hash out a deal, not that he was even sure what the deal would be about since nothing actually happened yet. ¡°Sir Fomoria, please, sit. Sir Hale, you may sit on the other side of him.¡± Harlan hadn¡¯t even known the man¡¯s name, nor the girl¡¯s. He wasn¡¯t supposed to know much about the family actually, and while he did feel slightly offended, he understood their worries. ¡°Now, we can come to a peaceful solution to this issue. Sir Fomoria, what can you tell me about your meeting with Sir Hale.¡± ¡°He asked that I devise a spell which could heal his daughter, without soul magic, and I did. I am willing to share this spell to prove my innocence.¡± ¡°Could you go into detail about what the spell does, and how you crafted it?¡± ¡°There is a defect in her body, I worked with Xol the Lich to make this spell. Her body attacks her blood, her body was therefore incapable of fighting infection, disease, or properly carrying nutrients in her body. My spell sends proper instructions to the body, letting it create instead of destroy these cells. There is no soul magic involved, even a Reinoan could cast this within the confines of your laws.¡± ¡°Sir Hale, why have you done this?¡± ¡°My daughter, Lisa, has seen a great deal of doctors, but I have heard Sir Fomoria has experience with esoteric healing. I did hire him, but with the express order to not use any magic which was not acceptable to our people. I only hid his involvement as I am aware of his reputation, but I have broken no laws.¡± Both sides called in experts and Harlan wasted a few hours, but nobody died. ¡°Thank you for your cooperation.¡± Despite it being summer, and the fact that he didn¡¯t need to be at the academy, he spent over a month there to heal Lisa and now he needed to get ready for something more important. So Harlan gated back to his home. ¡°Adina. I¡¯m sorry I missed today. I really thought that it would take 20 minutes, not 4 hours.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I had to prove I hadn¡¯t used soul magic to heal a little girl.¡± ¡°Did you?¡± ¡°Of course. She was born with a boon that turned into a curse.¡± ¡°Is that why you wanted a nice lunch for us?¡± ¡°I think I can finally heal you. I had this whole day planned out and they ruined it with-¡± Adina kissed him to shut him up. ¡°Then let¡¯s not stand on ceremony. Just start. I know you are trying to be the kind of person who does all of these big things, but I think it was better when you just did things without thinking about it.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t believe it, he was actually shaking with excitement when her curse reacted in the same way as the young girl¡¯s. There was not a single adverse reaction to him reforming the boon into a proper shape, it just healed itself and every time he made the right change it would integrate it. Before now he was too afraid of what might happen, hence needing another subject before Adina. On the first day she could see for the first time. She couldn¡¯t tell depth, or color, or detail, but she could tell when there was a bright light in front of her face. He only stopped that day because she needed to sleep. It was harder on her than it was on the girl. The boon of her bloodline was to grant a sort of magical compound eye that allowed one a full field of vision and magical senses. Had Adina been born ¡®correctly¡¯ she would¡¯ve sensed from birth just like Harlan. Along with minor future sight, enhanced kinetic vision, heat tracking, minor invisibility see through for both being under the effect of invisibility and for seeing others who were under invisibility. A general boost to health was far less complex and such a boon had been given out to thousands of families during the old empire. He carried Adina back to her cabin. She was still very tired, but more than that, she wanted to be carried. ¡°Stay for a bit.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± After a few minutes of silence, she went to sleep and Harlan went back to his room. He got three steps away before a void gate pulled him in. Physically being inside of The Darkness¡¯s small world was an odd experience, it looked small, or possibly infinitely large, since all Harlan could see was teeth and eyes and claws and there wasn¡¯t even ground to stand on. ¡°You need to cross the border in the Confederate State of Kalak, and kill a Kalak mage.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I am telling you too.¡± ¡°Alright then, anything I should know?¡± ¡°He will be gone for two days. I am giving you the mental image of what he looks like. And anything you find after killing him is yours if you can get away with it. This should be very easy for you, don¡¯t make a mess of your first work for me.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Harlan was dropped off in the middle of a swamp about 200 feet in the air. His first mission was to actually find the lab. It was actually easier than it sounded, the defenses were designed to keep anything out, and that naturally drew in mana to feed such a series of wards and arrays and the swamp was devoid of life, which Harlan didn¡¯t immediately see the issue of. ¡°Know anything about bunker cracking?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve thought about how people would kill you for years, why not use that experience here? How would you keep you out?¡± ¡°An escape tunnel. You¡¯d be mad not to have one.¡± He was mad, and he had a dozen. While Harlan searched for the escape tunnel in the hopes that it would be the easier way to break in, the other Harlan was talking with Garad. Being in two places at once was taxing on his mind, normally his thoughts would be on a handful of projects, now it was entirely occupied by moving in two places and talking in one. ¡°With the annuities from the Orelend family, we are barely breaking even. This train project of yours needs to receive a very large investment. Have you thought about selling Golem armor and shifting weapons?¡± ¡°I am currently working a job, hopefully it should tide us over until the Blackstone party. I hope to get investors after I show off the train system as it currently exists.¡± ¡°Your other work handles all project costs, except the trains. Between rails and the boxcars, it is a money pit on materials alone.¡± ¡°Then everything is better than I thought.¡± ¡°No, this is not better than you thought. You are making back money on your other projects, but you are also losing money on the orphan village. Have you thought about putting in a real village, with taxable residents?¡± ¡°I can make it work.¡± ¡°Which part?¡± ¡°The village. I¡¯ll put out the word that I am accepting residents, 6 months with no taxes, they pay for materials and my golems put the homes together.¡± ¡°I should¡¯ve just talked with Balor. You are economically impaired.¡± Back at the swamp. ¡°Alright then. The hatch was hidden, not a ward or array to be found. Why not?¡± ¡°They could be relying entirely on mechanical traps.¡± ¡°I was talking to myself.¡± ¡°Oh. I just thought you wanted some advice.¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to be more independent.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°It is an exercise from Xol¡¯s book. The idea is to let each body develop a pseudo mind that can do things without me needing to step in. I¡¯m stressing my mind just keeping up casual conversation with Garad while I¡¯m searching for the traps here. Xol can maintain several other entirely separate personalities that are almost new people and not have to think about it.¡± He telekinetically reached inside and disconnected the wire hooked to the explosives. ¡°Didn¡¯t Kleon try to kill you? Are you sure having more than one you running around is a good idea?¡± ¡°Good point.¡± ¡°You are also likely to end up killing yourself to take over your own life.¡± Harlan paused before he responded. ¡°Why don¡¯t I get back to these traps?¡± Once he was inside he reattached the wire. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°So, what do you think we are killing him for?¡± ¡°We? I¡¯m just here to watch. If this gets you killed, what happens to me?¡± ¡°Move to my amulet and send yourself to another amulet. I have one on each of my bodies. Try it now.¡± She found herself with the boring Harlan who was getting a lesson in economics from Garad. There was little she could do there, so she went back. ¡°How did you know that was going to work?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Why would it?¡± ¡°Because sending messages is sending a mental signal. You are a mental signal. Don¡¯t you feel it pulling on you whenever you talk?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± ¡°Must be because I have greater mental senses.¡± ¡°Really? It is pretty empty in here.¡± She pretended to echo and Harlan had to stop himself from bursting out in laughter. Back home Harlan spoke with Balor about the train project. ¡°Put everything on getting the tunnel to Blackstone¡¯s home finished. If we get funding, we can put that towards paying off everything else.¡± ¡°Ah, you talked with Garad.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t worry for a moment. He only handles our legal funds. I can clean a bit of the dirty money and prop up our project.¡± ¡°We have dirty money?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t tell him anything too sensitive. He is a lawful man, one not suited to my work.¡± ¡°Alright then. Let¡¯s say I come back here with a lot of¡­ I¡¯m working in my other body to kill a mage, The Darkness said I can keep anything I want once he is dead.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got fences to sell off anything we don¡¯t need.¡± ¡°How deeply are you connected to illegal activities?¡± ¡°Do you remember it was a year, maybe a year and a half ago, Ava and Breken were breaking up a crime ring that was just starting up? I sent the tips that got many of its members arrested or killed and then I took over everything. I am running 8 organizations in different baronies. I was inspired in part by that mayor, nobody knew who Dagger was, out there they call me Dagger now. Me and two dozen other people, men, women, Ibexaians, Humans, I even found a Golden who needed the work.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Harlan walked down the tunnel, feeling the twisted minds inside. ¡°What the fuck?¡± ¡°Watch your language.¡± ¡°Sorry, mom.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, honey.¡± He would like to correct himself, it was a slip of the mind, but he knew how happy she was to hear it. ¡°So, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I think I know why this guy has to die. I can feel minds like orcs. But they aren¡¯t.¡± ¡°In human terms?¡± ¡°He has been stitching together monsters in body and soul. Remember what The Darkness said about me making hybrids?¡± ¡°So long as they are infertile it is fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing these aren¡¯t. We should get inside.¡± ¡°You are referring to yourself as more than one person again.¡± ¡°Another exercise. Each body is me, but each of them cannot be the same me, Harlan must exist as an idea, not a singular man.¡± ¡°Ahuh, right.¡± ¡°Anyway. I¡¯m seeing Stonesteel, seismic senses aren¡¯t picking up anything. What kind of madman would only boobytrap a single door to the escape route?¡± Harlan had traps to the escape tunnels, and then every forty feet inside of the tunnels. Mechanical, chemical, alchemical, magical, biological, illogical. His money troubles didn¡¯t stem from the train project, they stemmed from all of the security that never got used and the train project. When he picked the lock with telekinesis, he thought back to the story he heard about new magic spreading and causing all sorts of problems. For this magic, it was that thieves learned it and started opening locks from the other side or picking them by just forcing the tumblers to tumble. When he opened the door, he saw what he knew was the fault of his magic spreading. It was caged up and had two heads, 4 wings, 2 arms, 2 legs, and a large tail. it was a full dragon, or rather two creatures turned into one. It woke up the moment it smelled Harlan. ¡°Kill¡­ me.¡± These words spoke from both mouths. ¡°Do you want revenge?¡± He saw fire burning inside of the creature, then a collar on its necks activated and it howled in pain. It panted and went back to sleep, Harlan could hear its plea echoing in his head. Harlan had heard the story of the dragons, the truth behind their disappearance. The Titan of Aarde, Wyrmwood, was born disfigured and thrown to the sewers where it lived on rats, watching its kin take to the skies as the apex of magical creatures. Yet unfortunately they were slaves to the humans who could devise spells to subjugate them. The Fae arrived, and a titan of violence and rage was needed to burn down the world and then crush those still alive on the weakened Aine. The beast of malice made one request, that it be the only dragon left. Thus were born Drakes, Wyverns, Wyrms, and Wurms. Each lacked an aspect of what made one a dragon. To make a dragon through artificially means very likely angered Wyrmwood, and Harlan hated to think what would happen if he finished this job. Harlan walked around it, and felt the lives growing inside of its stomach. Fused creatures like this were abominations, but souls were powerful things, and as they got in sync they could form something which was more viable. The first orcs had two sets of everything as well. Harlan put his hand on the creature and tore apart its soul, then the souls of the babies. From what he could gather, the mage really did expect just being in the swamp a dozen miles from any other people and then putting up arrays that scared everything away was good enough. Inside it was nearly unprotected, from the doors to the safes. Well, as unprotected as multiple inch thick vault doors could be. He found 4 generations of the creatures, the thing that knew only pain in its life was the best result after 8 years of work. He looked over a log book; they had tried out many different combinations, but some species were simply incompatible. Harlan walked room to room and killed each of the other experiments. He barely felt like robbing the place, but it made him feel better that these materials would go to making his own situation better. After he started gating out couches and boxes of metal and coins and gems, Harlan wondered how he was going to get the bodies of the experiments out. One of the bodies was a Stone Drake and a Storm Wyvern fused together, and both of those creatures, majestic as they are, had things inside of them that he wanted in himself. Golems came in and out day after day breaking down everything in the place so that it could fit through the gate. He couldn¡¯t bring it home, so he moved it to the maximum distance he could with gate and built a temporary shelter. Balor¡¯s people would then go to this place, pick up everything that could be sold, and sell it. The materials that Harlan could use would instead end up at his home with Balor using merchants under him to make transaction reports that said he bought them. Even if Balor had never been audited, and not a single person had asked a single question, he wanted to make absolutely sure that everything looked above board. He was terrified that Harlan pissing off the Dyad family would come back to bite him some day even if they were now in business with one another. ¡°Do you think he is going to notice everything is missing? Or do you plan to kill him outside?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to confront him as soon as he enters the door. I¡¯ll have runes carved everywhere in here so that if he does kill me somehow, I can crush this place to the size of a coin. If not, I might keep this place, I¡¯m sure I can find a use for a bunker in a swamp. Just as soon as I put some real defenses in it.¡± For anyone who wasn¡¯t already skilled in such an art, or who wasn¡¯t a paranoid madman, these defenses were easily enough to hide from most people. If Harlan hadn¡¯t been told there was a base here, he would¡¯ve never noticed it even if he was standing on top of it. Oddly flowing mana in a place that was so heavily aligned to water and earth could easily be written off even if Harlan believed that he would¡¯ve sniffed it out immediately. This Harlan wasn¡¯t the original that was put here, he didn¡¯t want to risk losing his armor and body, this one was meant to possibly die. So now he just had to sit in the one chair that hadn¡¯t been stolen, yet, and wait for the Kalak to return. He thought it was a real shame that the first one he met was also one that he needed to kill. But he wasn¡¯t shocked by this, the Kalak were a strange people, beaten down and broken by the war decades ago, but still so full of pride, they never seemed to understand the message that they were not a master race, they were just a race. Back home Harlan was going over the list of items stolen and deciding alongside Balor what went where. ¡°Gems, mundane ones. Let¡¯s just sell them all off.¡± ¡°No, you are thinking too small. These gems are worth more as gifts than the coins they are worth.¡± ¡°Furniture. Don¡¯t need it, displaying it would be a bad idea. Sell it off.¡± ¡°Crimelords love stolen art and furniture. Again, gifts to them can be worth more than coins.¡± ¡°Alright, and these crimelords, they aren¡¯t targeting on the downtrodden, because you and I are going to be having a very short conversation in that case.¡± ¡°There is a certain limit to how much good I can do, but I can offset a lot of bad. I attempt to keep them away from some things, forced prostitution is among the crimes we do not deal in and I¡¯ve had to kill more than a few of them for ignoring my rules. We try to keep our work solely to the people who choose to be involved with us.¡± ¡°Desperate people get involved in a lot of things that they shouldn¡¯t or wouldn¡¯t normally be involved with.¡± ¡°Some of these funds are used for welfare programs, more than what the kingdom has already. Soups and breads, healing, fixing homes, getting clothes. Much of the stolen food is fed to those who couldn¡¯t afford it and only after someone else already bought it so we aren¡¯t out robbing farmers. We have also been tied to several revolts, but that is neither here nor there.¡± ¡°Were they ever successful?¡± ¡°Some mayors and guards died, but not a drop of noble blood fell.¡± ¡°You sound upset.¡± ¡°I would never attempt to overthrow the kingdom, or even set up an independent state, but I am not happy with the state of nobility. Having the people kill off a few of them would send a strong message.¡± ¡°I understand. Now, why don¡¯t we talk replacing these crimelords with flesh clones that use their bodies. So, I was thinking about the ones that¡­¡± Harlan went over a list of things that were unacceptable, and Balor mostly agreed with him, though it was going to hurt their bottom line to remove some of these people after extracting information from them to maintain the cover. The last day passed rather quickly and Harlan could see two minds heading towards the base. When the elderly Kalak man and another elderly man stepped inside, Harlan was still sitting in the chair, but with someone else¡¯s face. Harlan shot a spiral void warspell at the pair, he had already cast the spell and had been holding it for some time. The Kalak tried to put up some defenses, but the concentration of void to radiance was too large to cancel it out. It was a bit annoying that he had blown a hole through the wall of the bunker, but what could he- Oh, he recognized the old man just before he disintegrated. ¡°I wish it was the real Dearil, it would get a weight off my mind.¡± ¡°Ah, but you remember his mental signal, right? Perhaps you can divine him now.¡± ¡°Perhaps. But a project for another day. I also wish I didn¡¯t break that crystal.¡± Harlan was patching the hole in the wall and getting the swamp water and mud out when The Darkness contacted him. ¡°What do you wish to be your reward?¡± ¡°Is learning void gate an option for a reward?¡± ¡°It is rude to answer a question with another. If you know that which grants gate, what grants the void gate?¡± ¡°I see. I have truth, but I need more.¡± ¡°The second truth can only come through knowledge, not wisdom.¡± ¡°Then for my reward, can I have Dearil¡¯s location?¡± ¡°He is in the Kalak city of Kala.¡± ¡°Great name.¡± He ended up being void gated to his bunker without warning. Once he was back home he switched bodies and got to work with Adina If two bodies could work two jobs, two bodies working a single job was twice as efficient. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You smell like mud.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still Harlan, but this body was somewhere else until just a few minutes ago. I am controlling more than one body at a time, but I put the other one to sleep so I can give you my full attention.¡± ¡°Remember what happened last time you tried this trick?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t give me the chance to explain yet, I walked in and you immediately knew something was wrong.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You are being¡­ oddly hostile.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like you splitting your attention between me and something else.¡± ¡°Whenever I was with you, the other body only sat in a chair and waited. Is there anything else wrong?¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ alright. Oh, and everyone else is going to be away, Isha is trying another maiden festival, Kass is picking up seeds and saplings to plant. Garad and Lydia are eating by themselves. So I¡¯ll just gate us to a city to get some food at a restaurant.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Harlan cut the session short, he didn¡¯t want her so tired she couldn¡¯t go out. ¡°How is your sight? Can you read this at all?¡± It was enchanted paper with glowing letters in a large font. ¡°Just barely, and I love you too.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± Harlan gated to Dullen, he liked the restaurant that he had taken Sara to after the court case. They ordered their food, ate, kept conversation light, and then returned home.. ¡°This has been nice.¡± ¡°Oh, before you go to sleep, I have one quick vision test, just to make sure that your vision is remaining active.¡± ¡°H, A, P, P, Y¡­ How did you know? I never told you the date. Never mind, I don¡¯t even care.¡± ¡°For the record, I¡¯m very happy you are alive.¡± He had broken into the records office at the academy during the summer to look at her file. The defenses were the same, but there were less guards patrolling around and less staff. He had actually tried bribing someone for the date, but luckily they didn¡¯t take it. Had they taken the bribe, Harlan would¡¯ve reported them anyway, he couldn¡¯t trust someone like that working there after all. Chapter 190: The Fomoria Express Blackstone¡¯s party was just a day away, Adina now had her full vision, but was having some trouble adjusting to it. A stream flew through the air and missed Harlan by a few feet. ¡°You are getting closer, your depth perception and hand eye coordination still need work, but remember that you are getting better.¡± ¡°Thanks, but I don¡¯t need the encouragement.¡± Without a thought she flicked her fingers and an orb struck Harlan in the face. ¡°Great, that was perfect. Except you used your other senses.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± Harlan slowly walked around in a circle as he spoke. ¡°You didn¡¯t look at me when you shot. You¡¯ve lived your life in the darkness, your natural state of mind is as a blind woman. That is still a valuable experience, but you should also learn how to use your eyes. In close combat those senses are beyond mine, but when you get 20 feet away you are at a severe disadvantage. Close your eyes.¡± Harlan threw a rock at her, and she caught it. He took several steps back, threw another rock, this time from a high angle. She still caught it, but she nearly fumbled it. ¡°Depending on the angle of attack, you are incredibly vulnerable. Sound dampening, air friction reduction, air displacement reduction, these things make it little different than using an invisible spell against you. Do you want to try accessing your boon again?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it, it makes my eyes hurt.¡± Harlan had already replicated the effect in his own eyes, but instead of a single set, he split the effects between several eyes and he couldn¡¯t use them at once without getting a headache. ¡°Do you want to try a set of Jungle Wyrmling eyes?¡± ¡°Gods, no, I don¡¯t know how you can handle putting those monster parts inside of you. I felt like my head was going to burst.¡± ¡°I was hoping that having more powerful eyes would help you acclimate faster. Besides, I kept your old eyes.¡± ¡°I know you are trying to be helpful, but let¡¯s get my human eyes working first.¡± ¡°Back to training then. You hit me, or am I hitting you?¡± ¡°Let me try dodging again.¡± Adina came inside sopping wet while Harlan was bone dry other than the single attack when she didn¡¯t use her sight. Isha used both a towel and some of the magic she learned from the tutor golems Harlan made to dry her off. ¡°You two and your water fights.¡± ¡°I admit, we might¡¯ve just been having fun at the end there.¡± ¡°No, it was entirely training for me. I can barely hit my targets, let alone Harlan.¡± Then someone who he hadn¡¯t expected walked in. ¡°Brig, how have you been?¡± ¡°Hush. I¡¯ve got ta run final check on the trains.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you and Balor were working together on that.¡± He looked at Harlan like he had asked if the sky was blue and then went down to the bunker where Balor was waiting. ¡°Glad to see that being here hasn¡¯t gotten rid of his winning personality. Isha, have you ridden the train before?¡± ¡°It was odd, I didn¡¯t realize we were moving. Then after I performed a few exercises, we had already moved a hundred miles away. You should ask Sara, she has been taking the train to and from here every day for the last few weeks.¡± ¡°I will do that then.¡± ¡°Oh, and lunch will be ready in just another fifth of an hour.¡± Isha curtsied. ¡°Your lessons are going well. Just remember, I¡¯ll kill him if he hurts you.¡± ¡°He knows that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m gonna miss you.¡± ¡°And I know that. But I get to be a minor noble. I wonder how it is going to be, having maids under me.¡± ¡°I guess I could knock him up to sole heir if you want to be married to a baron instead of a second son.¡± Isha punched Harlan in the arm and he healed her hand afterwards. Harlan headed down to the bunker and gave the train a once over, the idea started as something he wanted, now, it was Balor¡¯s baby. Brig had to really jog his memory, getting hit by a soul attack centuries ago had made everything before that point a little bit hazy. Being a champion meant his soul was repaired, but he still needed to focus to bring back things he thought were lost. It was white in color with a sloped front, the seats were red leather, and the floor was black carpet, showing this as the Fomorian train car. The seating was not like Harlan¡¯s theoretical public version, these were two facing benches with a table between them large enough for four people to comfortably have a single course meal at. ¡°Pretty nice.¡± ¡°With materials, prototyping, rails, custom golem creation for efficiency''s sake. We need to get 40,000 gold of investment to pay off everything we¡¯ve already made. And that would be clean money which would be taxed, so let¡¯s assume 10 to 15% more. Though if Lilly likes it, we should be fine for everything and can start the public system using the kingdom¡¯s funds.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice. Balor, this train isn¡¯t a golem?¡± ¡°It was decided that the people don¡¯t trust a golem train, the spells and everything will be controlled by a human operator.¡± ¡°Ah. Well, that is fine, but-¡± ¡°But you dislike the human element.¡± Harlan left his feelings unsaid. ¡°Lilly will be there?¡± ¡°She will someday be the minister of transport. I couldn¡¯t do anything to prevent her from showing up.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t, or wouldn¡¯t?¡± ¡°I know you didn¡¯t have the smoothest meeting with her before, but surely you don¡¯t believe it is going to be an issue again? She has grown up considerably.¡± ¡°I have a bad feeling.¡± ¡°Then take a shit. Don¡¯t be botherin¡¯ worrin¡¯ about some woman you ain¡¯t seen in a year.¡± ¡°Harlan, listen to Brig, don¡¯t be ready for a fight that isn¡¯t coming, you are both young and tempers flare so easily. That meeting was a fluke, and in the end you parted on good terms.¡± Harlan just walked away, he didn¡¯t want to argue, but he also refused to agree. He had his meal, and then he went back to training Adina. As he tossed water and her and she tossed some back, he talked. ¡°Do you want to be blind for the party? I mean, if you aren¡¯t ready for wining and dining with your eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t even want to sleep with the lights off¡­ Are you worried I¡¯ll embarrass myself?¡± ¡°Yes, and then you are going to be mad at yourself for making me look bad, and I¡¯ll say everything is fine, but you won¡¯t believe me.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Because believing, knowing, and doing are all disconnected in the mind. I know I¡¯m not a monster, but I don¡¯t believe it, and I don¡¯t do anything to stop others from believing it. I know my mother didn¡¯t love me, yet I so desperately believe something that isn¡¯t real, never was, and never will be, because that woman is dead, and my real mother is alive.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense to me. How do you know it but not believe it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I believe that is how it is.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t making a lot of sense.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± The more she used her magic the more things started to click, by the time the sun was past the horizon, Harlan actually needed to block her spells. She couldn¡¯t hit a moving target, but one sitting still was easy enough to hit after a few tries. Everyone was first brought to Harlan¡¯s home, then led to the station, which was connected to the bunker but only by secret walls. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. They walked down the stairs onto the platform where the train was waiting, but there were two other people waiting there. ¡°Xol, Marigold, I didn¡¯t expect to see you today.¡± ¡°I gave you-¡± She elbowed him in the side. ¡°I thought that this would be a wonderful chance to see what you¡¯ve done with the idea my husband gave you.¡± Nearly everyone was frozen, but Adina went to hug Marigold. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you.¡± ¡°And you as well. Adina, your eyes, they are¡­ beautiful. Harlan didn¡¯t try to upsell you on some monster bits, did he?¡± ¡°I resent that.¡± ¡°He tried his best, but every set of eyes but my own just gave me a headache.¡± Xol spoke up. ¡°Of course they did, he is trying to teach you to fly before you were crawling. Boy, just because you were tossed into deep water and told to swim or drown, does not make that a good method for training. If you were human, I wouldn¡¯t be shocked if you just dropped dead from stress one day.¡± ¡°I believe what my husband meant was-¡± ¡°I know what he meant, and he isn¡¯t wrong. Though it would help to get some suggestions instead of just being told that I am doing it wrong.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t we speak on the train.¡± Harlan only took a few steps before he had to whistle for the others who stood stock still on the platform. Inside Brig was already waiting, and the only thing that stopped him from spitting in disgust was that he was the one who installed the carpet. ¡°Marigold.¡± ¡°Osden.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Brig now.¡± ¡°Of course. Nice to meet you, Brig.¡± ¡°Not that nice.¡± ¡°Would you like to-¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done all the talkin¡¯ I want.¡± Xol¡¯s eyes flared up. ¡°My wife has-¡± ¡°Shut it.¡± ¡°I think we are all getting off on the wrong foot. Marigold, he isn¡¯t looking for conversation, nor is he looking for a reason to forgive you for whatever happened. Brig, consider her my guest, you don¡¯t need to be nice, just avoid being mean.¡± ¡°I am bein¡¯ nice, I seen the kids are ¡®ere, so I ain¡¯t callin¡¯ her nothin¡¯.¡± ¡°Great, so we can all pretend to get along.¡± Harlan sat with Xol and Marigold and Ava who was already in the seat.. ¡°Hello, Ava, do you also want some life advice?¡± ¡°Are you really?¡± ¡°Am I really what?¡± ¡°Her?¡± ¡°Please little one, speak in a complete sentence.¡± She took a deep breath to prepare herself, but Marigold cut her off. ¡°Yes, I am Marigold. This is my husband Xol.¡± ¡°Is that a northern name?¡± ¡°No.¡± She waited for something more to come out, but Xol was not talkative. If anyone here blabbed about him speaking normally, people might realize his manner of speech was a ploy to annoy people into not asking so many questions. ¡°Lady Marigold-¡± She had to stifle a laugh. ¡°I¡¯m sorry darling. I don¡¯t mean to offend. Please, ask your question. But I am no lady, I¡¯m just a woman.¡± ¡°Are you really old?¡± ¡°A lady never reveals her age. But I¡¯m 1570 years old.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡± ¡°Not really. It just takes time.¡± Harlan enjoyed the little joke, but Ava wasn¡¯t sure how to react. In her mind she should be regal and ethereal, above normal people. ¡°I didn¡¯t come here to speak with you, but since we are here, Harlan has been very worried about you. So, why don¡¯t we hash out your differences? Now, Harlan is young, of course he is going to make mistakes. But you should forgive, or at least forbear these things, because he is doing what he thinks is right and he is so full of anger and power that he needs you to be a rock, something to hold onto in the storm that is life.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but someone else already gave me that speech. Sometimes people do things that they end up regretting, and I shouldn¡¯t beat him up too much, since he is going to do that on his own when he gets older.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Harlan wouldn¡¯t say that she was pouting, because she wasn¡¯t quite that childish. But she was ready to give a speech, and the wind was gone from her sails now. ¡°Whoever gave you that advice is a very wise person. Do you have any other questions?¡± ¡°Yggdra the First, how was he?¡± ¡°He was kind, and responsible, he did everything he could for his people. If I ever needed help, he was there, and when he needed my help, I always had his back.¡± Her smile turned solemn. ¡°I almost always had his back.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry I asked.¡± ¡°He¡¯s been dead for 600 years, I¡¯m just an old woman reminiscing. I think he would¡¯ve gotten along with Harlan.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course. They have a lot in common. Both farmers sons who got too much power at a young age, both never wanted to be a ruler, both made mistakes and let their emotions get the better of them.¡± ¡°He was a farmer''s son?¡± ¡°Yes, the clergy found him at a young age and saw his talent for magic, taking him from his home for training, only to discover he had a knack for controlling others. He hated the power, making other people follow his orders and think that they were acting of their own will-¡± Harlan had a confused look on his face. ¡°Is that the royal bloodline ability? Is that why I work with Rosewell so well? Wait, no, that doesn¡¯t¡­ unless¡­¡± As the gears turned in Harlan¡¯s head, she went back to her story. ¡°The power wasn¡¯t perfect, it wasn¡¯t mind control, but it planted ideas and made people who were slightly agreeable into loyal soldiers for him. It wasn¡¯t even conscious. Can you imagine that, never really knowing if people are friends, or if you¡¯ve just accidentally turned them into pawns.¡± ¡°It must¡¯ve been lonely. Even surrounded by everyone.¡± ¡°But, when things went bad, the Fae were killed, he used that power he hated so much and made a nation that could hold off anything. He could put down riots with just his reputation and a few words. He could force those who distributed resources to actually do their jobs without holding back for nobles or themselves. Harlan, are you listening?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like using my empathy.¡± ¡°But when you really need it, you still do use it for the right things. Whenever you talk about it, it is like I¡¯m being confessed too, your image of what your power does is not what it really is.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to argue.¡± She held his hands together with hers. ¡°Alright, why don¡¯t we talk about this later. Ava, it has been nice meeting you. I want to speak with Autumn, see her children.¡± Xol could tell that her plan was to have him interact with actual children, not ones old enough to be mean and cruel with intent like the ones at the academy. ¡°Boneman.¡± ¡°Hello, children.¡± ¡°Hello, you must be Autumn. I¡¯m-¡± ¡°Yes, I know who you are. Please sit. Jarrik, Alana, come get on mommy¡¯s lap.¡± ¡°Can I please hold her?¡± ¡°Alana, do you want to go to her? She is Uncle Harlan¡¯s friend.¡± She stuck close to her mother but Jarrik crawled out of her arms and across the table to sit in Xol¡¯s lap. ¡°Sorry about that, she can be shy around strangers.¡± ¡°Not a worry at all. You seem to be reacting a bit better than your youngest sister.¡± ¡°Harlan has mentioned you before, if I had to worry, he would¡¯ve mentioned it a dozen times and you wouldn¡¯t have gotten on this train.¡± ¡°That is quite some faith in his ability.¡± ¡°I think Harlan can do anything he puts his mind to. If he had to fight you, he¡¯d find a way to get us away safely.¡± ¡°He has a lot of determination. That is the part that worries me.¡± ¡°It is the same with me. Sometimes he sets his mind to the wrong thing, but I think he has his heart in the right place.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t imagine what a soft boy he would¡¯ve been if these things didn¡¯t happen to him.¡± ¡°There was a time when he wouldn¡¯t hurt a fly, but he¡¯d skin a sheep like it was nothing. He doesn¡¯t like hurting things without a reason.¡± ¡°He just keeps finding reasons¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to get us into this conversation. I wanted to know about your children. Has anything changed with child rearing in the last 700 years?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say. I know how some nobles raise their children, and I know how I was raised. Most people seem to go with either overly controlling or actually loving their children. Do you have any?¡± ¡°Did you raise them yourself? Or did you have wetnurses?¡± Yes or no would¡¯ve made sense, but a lack of an answer told Autumn everything she needed to know. ¡°Even though my husband wanted me to get some rest, I couldn¡¯t stay away from them. My little darlings.¡± ¡°Twins for your first time, that must¡¯ve been hard.¡± ¡°It was touch and go, but I made it through. Was your first one hard?¡± ¡°I was already a champion at the time, so it was easy.¡± ¡°Did you raise them in the desert or-¡± Her smile dropped for just a second. ¡°No.¡± Then it was back. ¡°I was already living away from them at the time.¡± It didn¡¯t take long to arrive at the station built at the Blackstone estate, so Xol and Merigold said their goodbyes. ¡°Aida, Harlow, I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t have time to have a chat with you. Maybe another day. Oh, and, can I hold your baby, just for a minute.¡± ¡°What exactly are your intentions with my son?¡± ¡°A mage is a nation, but Harlan is a kingdom. He can do so much, good and bad, I just want to be there, see what happens, and guide him towards more good than bad.¡± Aida handed James to her. ¡°I¡¯ve not held a child like this in centuries. I¡¯ve pulled them from burning buildings and the ruins that I¡¯ve made. But not like this, peacefully.¡± ¡°I hope that you can be a good influence on him. I don¡¯t know where I went wrong.¡± ¡°From one mother to another. You can¡¯t ever really know. One day it might just feel like they changed into a different person, and there was nothing you could''ve done. Harlan will always be your son, but he is his own man. And with his strong will, you¡¯ve done the best you could to instill the values he has in him now. But they will always lose to what he needs to do in the moment.¡± Harlan finally put together his thoughts. ¡°Marigold, did I argue with the other royal children because by training my empathy my mental defenses were improved to the point where Lilly couldn¡¯t affect me?¡± ¡°Most likely. That or the power has weakened so much over the years that your preconceptions about her made you incapable of falling to it. Eventually, I imagine it will entirely fade away like many other boons. In Reino, they have an entire system worked out to keep these boons alive since many of them were given to more than just a single family, so it can be done in a less disgusting manner.¡± ¡°That must be why-¡± Marigold put her hand over his mouth. ¡°I think that we don¡¯t need to go any further in this conversation. Your aunt and uncle are waiting outside.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Blackstone was holding Tenebria, and the rest of the children were also with them. ¡°Harlan, is this Liat? You¡¯ve mentioned having Golden friends, but I thought she would be a little younger.¡± ¡°May I hold your baby?¡± Harlan nodded to say it was fine. ¡°My name is Marigold. Pleasure to meet you.¡± Xol had been in the back of the train admiring the work, only now coming out. Everyone got a little weak in the knees when they realized who was in front of them. Marigold just laughed. ¡°She is a beautiful and healthy little girl. Best of luck to you.¡± Marigold handed Tenebria back and then gated back to her home. Chapter 191: Blackstone Party? Ebon was the first to break the silence. ¡°M-marigold, she was-¡± Harlow put his hand on her shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ll stop being shocked by Harlan eventually. Cimmeria, how have you been?¡± ¡°Was that really-¡± ¡°Yes, and she is a lovely woman.¡± He let out a jovial laugh. ¡°Redmond, good to see you. Now you know what it is like to raise children. And hey, it never gets easier, you just swap out which worries you have.¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯m not that shocked. I just didn¡¯t think they were actually close.¡± ¡°That man of her¡¯s is a little crotchety, but she is a good friend to Harlan.¡± ¡°You sure are energetic today.¡± Harlow flexed. ¡°Harlan used some of that fleshsculpting stuff, I feel 4 children younger.¡± Aida turned toward Harlan who just shrugged, and then her husband. ¡°He did WHAT?¡± ¡°Honey, I didn¡¯t want to tell you because I knew this is how you would react.¡± She took a deep breath and tried, yet failed, to not be mad. ¡°How could you not talk to me about this?¡± ¡°Because you would say no.¡± ¡°You are acting like a child.¡± ¡°Have faith in-¡± ¡°Stop telling me to have faith in him, of course I have faith in him, because he wouldn¡¯t go near you if he wasn¡¯t absolutely sure it would work. But you should¡¯ve told me, I just don¡¯t like you hiding things from me.¡± ¡°But now that you¡¯ve seen it, don¡¯t you want a bit more pep in your step?¡± While his parents argued, Harlan walked to Ebon. ¡°Is this your husband?¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve been married for a few years already.¡± ¡°Greetings, Sir Fomoria. My name is-¡± ¡°Edward Blackstone, formerly 2nd son to the Baron Balden, age 27, first marriage, 5¡¯10, singularly dark aligned, went to the Greenfield academy in the central duchy of Greenfield, graduated top of your class.¡± He narrowed his eyes. ¡°Yes, that is correct.¡± ¡°Since Blackstone is family, that makes Ebon family, and I like to keep up on who my family is in relationships with. Ebon, can I have a moment?¡± ¡°You could¡¯ve just asked to speak first before doing that to my husband. What do you want?¡± ¡°Time magic, is there anything you can tell me?¡± ¡°What can you do so far?¡± Harlan skipped around her several times. ¡°Just this. So far I¡¯ve not encountered anything that I can¡¯t use this on, but surely there is a limit?¡± ¡°Try to skip again.¡± Harlan found himself in a headlock. ¡°Huh, so, what did you do?¡± ¡°I latched onto your skip by seeing the pattern in your movement and I imagining a future where this happened. Time magic has a large mental aspect to it. Most people fear you, so they can¡¯t imagine doing what I¡¯ve done. There is also an aspect where you are moving through the timeline, so if someone is more powerful than you, your skips won¡¯t work the way you want even if they don¡¯t know you are going to do it.¡± ¡°So then if I do this.¡± Harlan used skip again and found himself away from her, not behind her as he expected. ¡°Since I knew you were going to do that, I imagined a future where you did, but I moved out of your grasp.¡± ¡°Right, I think I understand. Thank you very much for this lesson.¡± Aida stood with her arms crossed. ¡°Mom, can you try to do something?¡± He used skip and got slapped on the back of his head. Ebon laughed. ¡°Perhaps she should be the one learning time magic.¡± Instead of getting to the conversation she clearly wanted, he walked right past her to his father. ¡°How bad is it?¡± ¡°Not quite hollering mad, but if she had a wooden spoon, she¡¯d use it.¡± ¡°Both of you, here, now.¡± ¡°We are both here.¡± ¡°Harlan, how could you do that to your father?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to do the same for you, and I know you would refuse, so I thought seeing dad like this would change your mind.¡± ¡°We are going to have a talk when we get back.¡± ¡°That is all I want, an honest discussion of the pros and cons, not you browbeating me while dad tries to advocate for me.¡± ¡°A long talk.¡± Balor and Brig were running their final checks for the fourth time, the old man was quite proud of what he made, even outside of the veil trains were an upper class transport. After bringing out a shocked Redwall who hadn¡¯t said a word the entire trip, they started walking inside. ¡°You call her Cimmeria?¡± ¡°Since I can see and talk to her more often with this train and the amulets, I¡¯ve come to be friends with her. I find it pretty funny when she tries to be common, she finds it funny when I try to be a noble.¡± ¡°Her simple meal when I first came here was far from what would be at our table at any given night.¡± ¡°But she tries, and that is the important part. So, how are things with you and Adina?¡± ¡°Great, we aren¡¯t fighting about anything, and with her vision mostly functional we can do so much more. Not that I ever had any issue with sharing my sight, but it isn¡¯t the same as her looking at the world with her own eyes.¡± ¡°Make sure you watch yourself. If you make it sound like you disliked her blindness she is going to take it personally, that was a big part of her life.¡± ¡°I know, the biggest problem for her now is that it was actually easier for her in some ways to use the magic to see. I don¡¯t want to sound like I¡¯m putting her down for being blind, not like she chose to be that way.¡± ¡°Good, remember, girls are sensitive, sometimes, or they are Ava.¡± ¡°Ava is sensitive, just not in the same way as some others.¡± Ava, overhearing this, jammed her armored thumb into Harlan¡¯s hip, which put a hole in his clothes, but didn¡¯t actually hurt him. ¡°Did you enhance yourself again?¡± ¡°Stone Drake, I had to make new items just to maintain hover on me. I might¡¯ve hit my limit unless I get taller.¡± The clothes were already patching the holes since none of the fibers were destroyed, just cut. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to be that strong.¡± ¡°Even once we start, you need to work up to being this strong. I¡¯d say six months to go from human to me. You must exercise and maintain a proper diet the entire time as well. I also don¡¯t want you working.¡± ¡°But Breken needs me-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking, I¡¯m telling you. Six months is fast, if I waited for you to get used to your new power each time it would take closer to a year. If Breken really did need you, I¡¯d send a me with him, but if you just want to go with him, then accept that it is going to take a long time for you to reach your full potential.¡± ¡°Send a you?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m split between here and a field of flowers about 2000 miles away. Orcs were going to trample a field of rare flowers that are needed for a rare species of magical bees to survive. I¡¯ve just pulled the head off of the chieftain and immolated their shaman.¡± ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡± ¡°Just a moment.¡± A fenrir arrived, drawn by the blood of hundreds of orcs. ¡°You can have the bodies, I¡¯m just here to protect the flowers.¡± ¡°Manthing, you smell¡­ delicious.¡± ¡°Probably because of what I¡¯m made from.¡± Its four eyes moved independently and looked over his body. ¡°Are you sure you want to fight me? There must¡¯ve been 300 orcs, plenty of meat leftover.¡± ¡°Shiftling. Cursed thing. Fake.¡± ¡°Harsh words.¡± ¡°Hang on, I need to go, but I¡¯ll be back.¡± ¡°Harlan, dear, the party will begin shortly?¡± ¡°I¡¯m being attacked by a Fenrir and its pack, I need to go help myself since he is weaker than I am.¡± Harlan vanished through a gate. ¡°Cimmeria, don¡¯t worry about it, I¡¯m sure Harlan can explain when he gets back.¡± Adina walked closer. ¡°Harlan got a spell from Xol and is splitting himself between two bodies. He sent the other Harlan on the mission because he wanted to be here.¡± ¡°Our Harlan, or the other Harlan wanted to be here?¡± ¡°Both of them are Harlan, but the original body. He also mentioned something about exercises in the book and pseudo-minds. But I don¡¯t get those things really.¡± ¡°Harlan does have a manner of speaking to others as if they understand him. Lady Adina, I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve ever had the chance to talk at length.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather just be called Adina.¡± ¡°Oh I know, I just wanted to hear you say it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because it would be rude to assume. That is a nice dress, simple in style, but high quality.¡± ¡°Harlan doesn¡¯t care too much for appearances unless he is trying to send a message. Perhaps that has rubbed off on me.¡± ¡°I assumed it was due to your blindness. Do you have a preference in styles, or do you just wear what is comfortable?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen myself through Harlan¡¯s eyes, so I do know what I like.¡± They moved to the ballroom where the party would take place. Meanwhile Harlan arrived just in time to see that there was no Fenrir, no bees, and no flowers, it was an empty field. He just saw his other self shooting off spells into nothing. The only real thing seemed to be the hundreds of orc bodies scattered around. The woman had a crow on her shoulder waved her hand and an invisible wave passed over the other Harlan, reducing him to liquid which poured out of the eye slits of the armor.. Harlan tried to leave through the gate, but it was already gone. ¡°A simple test. That is all I ask of you.¡± Balor welcomed his group of guests onto the train. ¡°12th Princess Lilly, I am quite glad that you have chosen to grace me with your presence.¡± The Princess and the royal guards who accompanied her stepped aboard. She looked around before speaking. ¡°I was under the impression that Sir Fomoria would be here.¡± ¡°He was unfortunately called away on urgent business. Something about a mission from his god, orcs, and a field of flowers.¡± ¡°I do hope he isn¡¯t fleeing from me.¡± ¡°Oh, no, of course not. When he heard you were coming he was interested in meeting you again.¡± ¡°Hmm. I find it unlikely that he did. And it is quite rude to lie to me.¡± ¡°Ah, but he did wish to see you again after the¡­ incident which was your last meeting.¡± ¡°We shall leave without him then. This is business, and he has little mind for it.¡± ¡°Quite true. Please, you and your men must be seated before we begin moving. You will feel a slight pull back, that is simply the acceleration. Once we have reached top speed, you may stand again without worry.¡± Lilly took her seat, though only one of the three soldiers sat with her. In fact, he sat a bit too close to her. ¡°Sir Balor, please, sit. And what of the man in the front of the train?¡± ¡°He is the operator, and must remain seated where he is to monitor the magic and ensure a safe and comfortable ride.¡± Brig could¡¯ve gotten up at any time after the train started without issue, but in the century and a half since he last met with royalty, he never had a desire to meet more of them. Harlan stood, covered in blood, a cut across his side spilled his guts onto the clay. ¡°A very disappointing first showing.¡± His opponent was a man with blue skin who stood 10 feet tall. ¡°He is impossibly strong, you will not beat him with that form of brute force.¡± Another beam of void harmlessly splashed off of the man just as every other spell had. ¡°Fuck you.¡± Harlan knew he wasn¡¯t getting away this time, when he tried to flee the man had instantly moved to block him. ¡°Harsh words mean nothing from a dead man.¡± Harlan flooded his body with imbibing, if nothing else, someone would be dying. He leapt towards the man, spinning as he did to drive himself through the chest of the man. Both of them now lay dying, the man from the large hole punched through his chest, and Harlan from the backlash of his own magic. His own blood moved with too much pressure through his body and his capillaries burst one after the other, turning his skin purple with pooled blood. As he laid there, hyperventilating until his lungs burst from backlash and his body broke itself down, the woman stood over him. ¡°The first round goes to The Little Shadow.¡± She felt the push as the train started to move. ¡°It is more gentle than I expected.¡± ¡°It took quite some time for us to decide exactly how quickly the train should move to balance comfort, speed, and efficiency. This train can make the trip between the Blackstone manor and Fomoria manor 6 times before it must be given an hour to recharge.¡± ¡°Could it be run by the mana of a mage?¡± ¡°Theoretically, eight men, 25 years of age and with proper training for each spell needed, could run a train.¡± ¡°Interesting. So it is possible then.¡± ¡°Yes, though we have chosen the system of a single operator and then soulsmithing the entire train as well as using many mana gems.¡± ¡°But you¡¯ve made it a single point of failure.¡± ¡°Within a public train, the driver''s room would be heavily fortified. If anyone could get in without destroying the rest of the train, there is no difference between one man, or a hundred.¡± ¡°A public train?¡± ¡°Yes, and think of how many people could be moved, or how much cargo could be moved. We¡¯d sell tickets for seating and then more tickets for transport of goods for merchants. The wear and tear is quite minimal as well, the train never actually makes contact with anything as it moves, so the connectors won¡¯t lose themselves bit by bit from friction.¡± She looked out the window and saw the arms which floated inches away from the stone rails. ¡°If they never touch, then why have the arms?¡± ¡°Those are in case of a loss of hover for any reason. They have wheels on them which could keep the train moving for a time, and to make recovering the train should it be needed easier. A team of horses could pull the train to the station with the same ease as it would a carriage. Every inch of the stone rails are enchanted as well to avoid breakage and reduce friction.¡± ¡°And stopping the train if it needs to be done without hover active?¡± ¡°If need be, a lever can be pulled which completes a series of magical runes carved into the train, this would then slow the train as quickly as it can safely be done.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve put quite a lot of thought into this. Every question I was sent with had an answer.¡± ¡°Then I am to assume these questions are from his majesty?¡± ¡°Yes. Now we may move onto my questions.¡± He looked at the sky as the crow landed on his chest, he knew it was the woman¡¯s pet, and had his muscles not all torn themselves to pieces, he would¡¯ve swatted it dead just to spite her. Balor warned her to sit back down, and she did as asked. ¡°Why are we stopping?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve arrived.¡± ¡°Unlikely.¡± ¡°This train moves quite quickly. 30 minutes, give or take, to cover 100 miles. Though really it is 107 to the Blackstone manor.¡± ¡°Then there should be no issues with stepping out to verify this?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± They all left the train to find the station of Fomoria. Harlan had no issue with it being bare gray stone, but Balor made a mosaic on the walls showing the crest and turned the stone into white tiles with shaping and color magic. Seeing the forest and having her guards use a few spells was enough to convince her no tricks or illusions had taken place. Lilly lacked the power to actually make decisions on how to spend the national funds, but that wasn¡¯t Balor¡¯s goal from the start. He wanted her to just say she would bring the offers to her father, which would boost the renown of the project enough for other nobles to open their own vaults. Adina was getting a little anxious about Harlan¡¯s disappearance. He never fought a Fenrir before, and they were known to be quite strong. So she tried to call him, but instead of not getting any answer, the call failed to even connect. ¡°Lady Sable, might you have a room where I can privately talk for a moment on my amulet?¡± ¡°Of course. And you do not need to say my title, in this house, you are considered a friend.¡± Adina made her way to the room, nearly bumping into a few people. ¡°Marigold, I hate to bother you, but I cannot reach Harlan. He said he was going to help his copy fight a Fenrir, do you think he could be hurt?¡± ¡°With two of him I¡¯m sure he is fine, but why would he do such a thing as that?¡± ¡°The Darkness gave him a mission to kill orcs who were attacking a field of flowers that required a species of magical bees.¡± ¡°How odd. If anything went terribly wrong, I¡¯m sure she would rescue him, but don¡¯t tell anyone I said that.¡± Marigold eyes went black, not that Adina could see them. ¡°He is just fine, have fun at the party.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, I was worried when my amulet was entirely unable to connect with him.¡± ¡°You are welcome. Goodbye.¡± Marigold returned to the void to speak with the dark god. ¡°What exactly do you mean that you cannot find him?¡± Chapter 192: Evolve or Die Harlan saw the second of the champions. According to the woman, it was a wind golem. His mundane sight could not see it, but he could just barely feel a breeze before it rent a layer of skin from his bones through his armor. Harlan jumped back whenever he felt the wind on his skin under his armor, but he didn¡¯t know how to fight the wind. Blowing it away didn¡¯t do anything, it just added more wind to it. When he punched, it was always right there next to him. ¡°Is it hunting by movement?¡± ¡°Perhaps. Think, what does this woman want?¡± ¡°This is a game to her.¡± ¡°Perhaps, but if that was the case, why heal you and offer gifts?¡± ¡°Because she is Fae. There must be a rule that tells us how to avoid dying even if we forsake whatever rewards she has planned.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep thinking about how to handle this, just dodge.¡± A glaive of wind severed Harlan¡¯s legs at the knee, but between his own healing and his armor, he put himself back together quickly. He thought back to the first champion. The woman didn¡¯t say that brute force wasn¡¯t the answer, but that Harlan had used the wrong brute force. So he cast two spells, first, a spell to redirect heat so he didn¡¯t kill himself, and secondly, a fire nova. Heat rises, so perhaps a large enough influx would blow the monster away. A golem needed something to power it, assuming that the Fae¡¯s idea of a golem was at all based around sense, so if it thinned out too much, it would lose cohesion. When Harlan saw that the creature had not grown in size or power, he realized how stupid he was. He cut the fire, since it didn¡¯t seem to do anything anyway, and let out a mist. Much like the friendly water fight so many years ago, he tracked the creature through its displacement. Oddly it was not fast, always seeming to maintain an exact distance from Harlan, but when Harlan made fast movements it got closer until it attacked. ¡°So, each champion is a different test then.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Harlan sat on the ground and breathed slowly, a near death meditative state Tau once taught him. The creature also sat and breathed. When they synced their breath, Harlan felt it enter into his body as it was simply air. ¡°Perhaps she wanted me to learn to avoid-¡± The golem rapidly expanded inside of his lungs, spreading Harlan across 50 feet of grass. Death was¡­ not something he had truly experienced. He floated upwards in the sky, a light guiding him towards a horned woman. She reached her hand to him with a gentle smile, Harlan reached his hand back, and struck her. He didn¡¯t even know if he had a body or arms for that matter, but his will would not be held back by something so minor as being nothing but a ball of energy. He would give himself to death without hesitation someday, but he would not let it take him first. The horned woman laughed as Harlan was pulled back into his reformed body. ¡°An interesting approach. But these are fights of life and death, a warrior does not simply accept his enemy into himself.¡± Harlan saw his armor unravel and one of the bracelets from Periwinkle snapped. ¡°Again.¡± 30 minutes passed, with Harlan simply casting every spell he had. ¡°Fuck. How do we fight a golem with no core? Everything I¡¯ve done doesn¡¯t show any effect.¡± ¡±You hit it with a tornado made using a fire and ice nova and it seemed to not actually gain anything from it. Perhaps he is an elemental of some kind, the mana is what he feeds on, not the element? ¡± ¡°Now that you mention it.¡± Harlan looked at the creature, it seemed to be nothing but a soul given a somewhat physical form. As he looked and looked and looked, it didn¡¯t make sense. Air hated being in such a defined shape as this thing. But what looked like air and yet had no issue with physicality? He walked close to the ¡®golem¡¯ and clad himself with aura. His first strike made a loud boom from the auras overlapping and clashing. It looked at Harlan, and tried to flee. Harlan smiled cruelly as he pursued, pouncing from behind Harlan grabbed its legs, the thing trying pitifully to claw the ground to get just another inch away. Harlan slammed it overhead as if he was using a mace. Again, again, again. When the thing no longer had the strength to fight back Harlan grabbed and put it in a choke hold, it struggled and struck at him, but as with telekinesis, even with a large gap in power, aura disliked attacking aura. Finally Harlan felt the ¡®neck¡¯ snap and it faded into the nothing from whence it came. Harlan staggered toward the woman. ¡°Wind Golem, huh.¡± ¡°Deception is just another part of war. When I needed to kill a great hero, I came to him as a crone and tricked him into eating the flesh of dogs.¡± ¡°Do I get a rest between fights?¡± Harlan skipped past how eating dog meat would weaken a man. ¡°You have five lives remaining, each time I remake you, you shall be as if you¡¯ve rested.¡± ¡°Do you have a connection to Periwinkle? Why are these bracelets worth a life each?¡± ¡°To gain such favor from a Fae is a judgment of your character.¡± ¡°Fine, next fight.¡± It looked like Harlan. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°A mirror match? ¡°Which of us is the copy though?¡± ¡°Look in your head.¡± ¡°Ah, so she couldn¡¯t replicate that.¡± The copy Harlan took his own head off. The Fae looked on in confusion. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°I won.¡± ¡°That trial was to face your greatest nightmare as an enemy.¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°I am unsure if I¡¯m disappointed or not. You took your own life without a moment''s hesitation, but you didn¡¯t fight.¡± ¡°If the enemy army was trapped in a blizzard and froze, it would still be a win.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ a warrior must win, and you have done so. Next.¡± The creature seemed to be a ball of meat, then a match to the Fae woman, then it grew into a form not unlike a werewolf. Harlan caught the clawed hand that swiped at him this time, tearing off three of the fingers. Yet when he looked back, her hand was already whole again. At least, from the soul he could gather that it was female. She retaliated with a jumping axe kick. Harlan blocked it, but she managed to actually break the arm that caught it. With his free hand, he let out a torrent of flames that saw her flesh bubble and blister only to reform in the blink of an eye. He did have some morbid curiosity about what the limits of the healing were. After an hour Harlan still looked human, but his opponent had turned into a mass of bone blades and tentacles not unlike a mix of Harlan¡¯s own flesh golem design and a porcupine. It had turned to monotony some time ago, both sides could hold the other off, Harlan with the power his body gave him, and the creature through its form. He could break off dozens of spear like hands, but whatever was broken simply got pulled back in to rebuild the thing, seemingly without limit. Though he did notice it was slowing down slightly. Harlan intended to test this limit as a way to find his own. He knew that he could¡¯ve ended this some time ago, but he was adjusting to this body still and nothing had been able to push him like this until now. After another half an hour Harlan was feeling tired, so as he thought of how to end it, he finally got hit by a spiked ball of a fist. The creature already knew that a smaller attack wouldn¡¯t hurt him, he¡¯d just grab the tentacle and use it to spread acid blood to the main body. She reached down into the small crater and thought to grab one of the eyes, his punishment for not being creative enough to fight her as she wanted. Harlan breathed deeply, trying to regain the air knocked out of his lungs, staring in horror as the clawed hands got nearer to his face. Instinct overcame sense as Harlan did something he knew he shouldn¡¯t. Then she heard a very, very distinct sound, but not from a source she thought possible. Click, click, click. The flint-like tonsil stones of the dragonoids, the biological component to activating their breaths. The scent of charred flesh from both sides filled the air and the creature screamed. Dragons fire was abnormal, though Harlan actually got these parts from a Wyrm, and when it was its original flaming form, it could melt and sear regardless of how much heat it let off. Yet Harlan was no dragon, and was hurt just as much as his enemy, even still, the screams as its body burned at near the same rate that it healed were worth it. The Fae was quite looking forward to how this would go from here. ¡°Wonderful work.¡± Bone and flesh thing regrew in seconds for the monster, but Harlan would need longer to heal his throat. She went forward, shrinking herself down to his size and shape The pair clashed, both gripping the hands of the other in a pure contest of strength. But as she started losing she grew another arm, jabbing Harlan in the face and breaking his nose, nearly his neck as well. Dawn returned the favor with a hammer fist that turned her head into ground meat, yet it didn¡¯t slow her down. She grew a large gnashing mouth from her chest and grabbed Harlan. He tried to resist the maw, forcing it open, then the jaws separated into a hard carapace and a soft inside. The inner leapt forward like some terrible fish were known to do. The teeth slowly punctured his armor, but with Dawn moving it around to thicken it where it was needed, nothing vital was hit. Even still he was forced to a knee. The crow landed on his head. ¡°Two against one isn¡¯t very fair.¡± ¡°Dawn? Hey, are you there? I can¡¯t feel you? Dawn? Dawn?¡± Harlan tried to speak, but his throat was still burned up, yet the bird understood him anyway. ¡°I evened the odds, she was already dead anyway, what¡¯s the harm in returning to that?¡± He couldn''t move an inch, the powerful jaws were driving themselves deeper inside. He understood that this was likely the end for his life, so why not use every last drop still left inside of it? Harlan screamed in pain as he flooded himself with imbibing. His skin went red from the heat burning inside of him, then his breath went cold and his skin blackened, turning into a pseudo chitin. Harlan began to stand again, lifting the beast that scrambled to force him back down by anchoring its feet into the earth, but no matter how deeply it spread its roots, Harlan pushed and pushed. She began sending out tendrils to pick up the flesh of the orc left from the battle before Harlan arrived and added that weight to herself. When Harlan¡¯s legs were about to give out, he just made new legs for more support. When his arms felt like they were going to lose their grip, he made more fingers and arms and lengthened the ones he had. Each new eye moved without regard to the other, taking in every detail of the monster. He tightened his grip and felt cartilage bend and snap as it howled in pain. More hands appeared on the creature, so Harlan bit them; when he couldn¡¯t get through the bone, he enhanced his teeth and jaw to snap them. When he couldn¡¯t reach, he just made more mouths and rearranged his organs so they could reach his stomach. He swallowed flesh and bone whole, uncaring as they cut his insides up and his gums bleed from the splinters. He swallowed his own blood to avoid losing the nutrients that could be better used for healing. He grew tendrils like her, fighting for the scraps of flesh that came off of her and the bodies that were still scattered from the orcs. Free of the jaws, Harlan leapt into its side for the organs inside. When hard scales and bone plates blocked him, he smashed down with his arms, each of his dozen fingers hardened like hammerheads. Neither side looked human, nor did they look like animals, they were just malformed flesh in the shape of living things. Harlan¡¯s body was beyond anything he could¡¯ve expected. With a simple jump a sonic boom was formed and as he struck creature. Her body exploded as he passed though, only to reform seconds later. But it was sluggish, if Harlan knew anything about the orcs, this meant they would be nearing death. While this thing was not an orc, or at lesat Harlan believed this to be the case, healing was healing, if it could do it faster, it would. He jumped up in the air, made a platform of void, and kicked off of it, boosting his speed with gravity magic. He shaped his armor and his rod to turn him into a living meteor. The crow which had seen the entire fight flew into the cloud of earth which had been upturned by the final blow of terrible proportions. It traded its feathers for pearly white skin, its talons for feet. She walked into the cloud of dust to look at the damage to the body she had been controlling. ¡°He certainly made a mess of things.¡± She pulled the blood and meat together, and Harlan''s body was reformed once more. With a snap of her fingers, life returned to the body. ¡°We are not enemies, we just have different methods.¡± He snarled, ready to continue the fight. Harlan leapt at the woman who simply tapped him on the head, causing his body to go limp. ¡°A warrior must know loss.¡± Tears ran down his black and blue skin, he shouldn¡¯t have been able to move towards her even the first time. ¡°Defeat my champions four, and receive magic of yore.¡± She tapped his head again, and he knew the spells. ¡°Magic to uncurdle milk, magic to cause a wind at your back, magic to make an object glow in presence of what you desire, and lastly, the magic to overcome truth telling.¡± Harlan overcame the paralysis, magical and mundane, though sheer force of will, and touched her foot, the connection just barely enough for him to try to assault her soul. One toe, her smallest, was all of the damage he could do using everything he had in one horribly inefficient but powerful attack. The Fae had a look of fear as she vanished into thin air, leaving blood and flesh behind. Harlan laid there looking at the sky, mourning his friend. It hurt to lose his mother again, first the one he never knew, then finding out that knowing was worse, and finally, to come to love her as family only to lose her again. He felt the lockdown on his communication end and The Darkness did as well. The sky went black and a multitude of powerful people arrived. But they didn¡¯t matter in the slightest to Harlan. With the lifting of the lockdown, he felt a presence back in his head. How she got away, or how his amulet survived when everything else was turned to scrap after that last attack, he had no idea. Chapter 193: And He Did Not Die Coronach asked him something, but he wasn¡¯t paying attention. ¡°Are you just some grief stricken hallucination? I always knew I would-¡± ¡°I¡¯m real, I¡¯m back.¡± ¡°Prove it.¡± ¡°How could I? She cast me into the crossroads and I was bouncing around amulets, once I saw that yours was working again I found my way back to it. That¡¯s all I know.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll assume I¡¯ve not gone insane then. But once we get back, I want to run some tests.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be you if you didn¡¯t.¡± He opened his eyes and saw the light devouring void sun overhead, along with Coronach, Xol, Marigold, and Sepul were there. ¡°Boy, what did she say to you?¡± ¡°Some bullshit about warriors and us not being enemies, then she gave me magic.¡± ¡°What did Nemain give you?¡± ¡°Uncurdling milk, wind at my back, make something glow when around something that I want, and immunity to truth potions, I think. She said ¡®truth forcing.¡¯ So I¡¯m guessing that is what she meant.¡± ¡°You got scam-¡± ¡°Did you say Nemain?¡± ¡°Interrupt me again, we¡¯ll see how that goes. Yes, Nemain. Something happened and she got scared off. We couldn¡¯t tell that this area was cut off from the world, but once it was back we could feel it.¡± ¡°I touched her soul, skinned her foot. The blood didn¡¯t go back inside like when I killed her puppet.¡± ¡°You mean she saw you in person? You mean that this is her blood right there by your hand?¡± ¡°I am assuming so.¡± Coronach pulled the blood from the ground and placed it into a vial which he handed to Xol. ¡°Odd, very odd. She put you through her trials?¡± ¡°A man immune to magic, a man made of aura, my worst nightmare, and then a creature that constantly transformed.¡± ¡°Impressive that you lived.¡± ¡°She killed me three times. Or at least I died twice, and she saved me from the brink once.¡± Harlan held up his hand, everything he had been wearing was gone, but not the simple bracelets made from flower stems. ¡°She took one of my bracelets each time, and brought me back.¡± ¡°Explain.¡± ¡°My soul floated up into the air, I saw a horned woman with dull white armor. I punched her in the face before she could take me, then Nemain put my body back together and pulled my soul into it.¡± Everyone who could turn pale did so. ¡°She isn¡¯t going to like that.¡± Coronach disappeared into a void gate and Sepul through a normal gate. Xol went to analyze the blood, so it was just him and Marigold left there. ¡°How bad is it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t move, I¡¯ll try to heal you.¡± ¡°No, I mean that I hit that woman; that was Life, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never met her, but Aarde once told me about her. If she hasn¡¯t come for your soul already, she probably doesn¡¯t care. She has to process trillions of souls across millions of worlds. Losing one who wasn¡¯t entirely dead is the least of her worries.¡± ¡±Alright, then how bad is it?¡± ¡°I can get you up, but be careful with magical or physical activities for a few weeks. If you feel any discomfort just rest.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°I¡¯m being serious.¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired, I don¡¯t mind resting for a little bit.¡± ¡°Three weeks, then you can go back to your research. No soul delving, no flesh shaping, no magic at all, I¡¯d even say to lay off your empathy. You are unstable, and losing control of those spells might cost someone their life.¡± He looked inward. He couldn¡¯t really tell, but likely his soul wasn¡¯t really making some large amount of mana, rather it was just being incredibly inefficient and burning far more than it should for any little thing. Harlan passed out and she got to healing him. After 30 minutes he awoke, standing on his own and walking around. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°My armor was broken, the rod you gave me is busted. I need to pick up the scraps, forge new items. I¡¯ve also got to loot my corpse for his armor and sword, it will be better than nothing.¡± ¡°Let me do it.¡± She pulled every bit of metal, no matter the source, from the area. Next was putting them back together to make sure none of it was missing. Harlan was impressed and by instinct tried to help sort the pieces, only for Marigold to give him a glare. ¡°No, magic, no matter what. Am I making myself clear?¡± ¡°Yes, sorry, I just wanted to help.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that is true, but you¡¯ve got to constantly remind yourself to be careful. I¡¯d hate to see you hurt because you reacted before your mind caught up with you. Dawn, yell at him whenever he tries to use magic. Once his soul settles, then he can start casting again, and if he stirs his soul up again, then no more magic for a week.¡± ¡°How do you expect her to do that? And what about when I need to soul search myself to check for damage?¡± ¡°You know what, let me just do this.¡± Suddenly she looked younger, 17, maybe 18, her hair was only down to just past her shoulders instead of half way to her waist as it normally was. ¡°I¡¯m very glad that you have allowed me to work for you as a personal servant, Sir Fomoria.¡± With a new face and a new voice, she decided on new hair, going with a simple ponytail. ¡°Surely you have better things to do than watch me for a month. Adina can-¡± ¡°If Lady Adina was dragged into combat which might require you, it is very unlikely for her to remain unharmed.¡± ¡°You can stop doing that, there isn¡¯t anyone else watching.¡± ¡°Whatever do you mean, Master Fomoria?¡± ¡°Do not call me master.¡± Harlan spoke with an unfriendly tone. ¡°Sorry. If anyone asks, I got exiled from my village and sought you out. You took pity on me and decided on a temporary work contract to give me the funds to go out on my own.¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting the feeling that I can¡¯t talk you out of this.¡± ¡°Not a chance.¡± ¡°Fine, what is your name?¡± ¡°Maria. I¡¯ve forsaken my Golden name due to resentment towards the tribal system of governance and isolation.¡± ¡°Are you just attached to mar names?¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°If you make a mistake, it is far easier for you to catch yourself and turn mar into Mary, Marigold, or Maria.¡± ¡°I need to get back home, get new clothes, and then get back to the party. Adina is probably-¡± ¡°I told her that your mission was going just fine. We couldn¡¯t find you and it wouldn¡¯t help to make her worry.¡± ¡°She already called you?¡± ¡°Roughly 30 minutes after you left. She must have a very high opinion of you if she thinks you could take on a Fenrir and its pack after killing a tribe of orcs in such a short time.¡± She opened a gate that looked like Harlan¡¯s leading back into his home. ¡°Nobody can know that you can¡¯t use magic, whenever you need magic, I¡¯ll make it look like you are doing it.¡± ¡°How did you gate into my home without setting off the alarms?¡± ¡°I copied your mana signature. It is a neat trick, but far more effort than it is worth for most people.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± They stepped through and the floor creaked under his full weight. ¡°Sir Fomoria, we should get you dressed. Do you require help?¡± ¡°No, but thank you for asking, Maria.¡± After cleaning himself he found it hard to get around, so he at least put on pants before calling her in to help with his shirt. ¡°Fucking buttons.¡± ¡°Are you certain you should not simply stay at home?¡± ¡°I need to be there just because not showing up would cause more rumors.¡± ¡°Would you like a cane for the night?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t show weakness. I¡¯ll use my armor to move around.¡± ¡°Such a thing could cause more intense soreness.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll sleep it off.¡± ¡°Of course, Sir. Would you like me to use some cosmetic magic to hide your bruises?¡± ¡°Yes. How bad is it?¡± ¡°Clear around the next, ears, eyes, nose. You have certainly seen better days, Sir.¡± Harlan sighed and had her make him a mirror. Back at the Blackstone party Harlan finally arrived. ¡°Harlan, my dear nephew, I thought you would miss the rest of the party.¡± ¡°I had work to do, 300 orcs, a Fenrir, and I lost count of the rest.¡± ¡°My, that is quite the battle, would you regale me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but when working for her I am bound to avoid details. Broad strokes are fine however.¡± ¡°Of course. And, who is this?¡± ¡°This is Maria, she has been exiled from her village and when she heard of me, she came to find work. She will be my personal servant for a month, maybe longer, then she will be finding her own way in the world.¡± Adina went to her ¡°You are lucky to have gone to his home when he was just returning from a mission.¡± ¡°I am very glad that Sir Fomoria was there to take pity on me. Luck truly was on my side, Lady Adina.¡± ¡°Are you from the White Sands?¡± ¡°Green Sands.¡± ¡°Ah, then you are a wind mage?¡± ¡°Yes, I am quite proficient with air magic, Lady Adina.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to call me lady-¡± ¡°She wants to use titles so it becomes more natural to her. They don¡¯t have nobility like we do, in the desert you¡¯ve got priests and chiefs and such, but titles aren¡¯t a legal matter or an insult when dropped.¡± ¡°Ah, I see then. Harlan, it is nearly time to dance, I¡¯ve received a few offers, but the first dance should be with you.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± He ate and drank a little before it was time to get moving, however the Fae healed him, it didn¡¯t have a drain like healing magic; yet it was a temporary fix, without Marigold using proper healing magic on him, he was liable to sit out in that field for hours sleeping off the damage he had taken. ¡°So, Maria? She¡¯s Marigold, right?¡± Harlan nodded his head. ¡°And you not responding with soulspeak means something is wrong, so you can¡¯t use magic? Which is why Marigold is sticking close to you?¡± Harlan raised an eyebrow. ¡°I was blind, but I¡¯ve never been dumb.¡± Harlan smirked. ¡°If you said what your face was saying, I¡¯d beat you.¡± His smile turned gentle and they danced a bit more slowly than the rest of the room. ¡°Even if my eyes make me a little clumsy, I still remember how to dance. I¡¯m just slowing down for you. Do you know that you are sometimes wincing when you move too quickly?¡± Harlan shook his head. ¡°Well you do. Oh, and even though you weren¡¯t here, Lilly already demanded your second dance. So be ready when you switch.¡± Harlan dreaded the moment, but Lilly switched partners from one of her guards to Harlan. ¡°It has been some time.¡± ¡°Yes, it has.¡± ¡°Those trains of yours really are something. I¡¯m certain my father will work to get them stretched around the central territories within a year¡¯s time.¡± ¡°Honestly, it has mostly been Balor and Brig. I¡¯ve been working on too many other projects to be involved in something that does not require my unique talents.¡± ¡°Yes, Brig. What can you tell me about him?¡± ¡°He is a blacksmith from Luth who has done work for me in the past. I was impressed by what he could do, so I brought him over as my house blacksmith.¡± ¡°Yes, the same story as Balor said.¡± ¡°If you intend to accuse me of something, just say it.¡± ¡°You are misunderstanding me, I simply found that he exuded a certain presence. What do you know about him and his past?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t like talking about it and I refuse to pry.¡± ¡°Yet you give him access to such an important project?¡± ¡°He has done nothing to make me believe he cannot be trusted.¡± ¡°Do you not think him strange? And that name, Brig, as in a prison.¡± ¡°Your name is Lilly, that doesn¡¯t mean I assume you were plucked from a field.¡± Harlan barely failed to hold in a yawn. ¡°Am I boring you?¡± ¡°Apologies, I just returned from combat, death has a way of draining people.¡± ¡°I expected that being allowed to dance with a princess might put some energy back in you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad your father didn¡¯t convince me to marry you.¡± Harlan, tired as he was, said what he was thinking instead of what he should¡¯ve said. Many people shifted closer or farther from him, either wanting to hear the latest gossip as it happened or not wanting to be caught in the crossfire. ¡°That did not come out right, I meant-¡± ¡°No, there is no explanation, is there?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure I could think of one, but honestly, it would just be the same words phrased less harshly.¡± ¡°Then explain what you really mean.¡± Harlan saw that this was almost certainly a trap, perhaps she wanted to use whatever he said against him. Yet he spoke anyway. ¡°I think you act like a spoiled child, your opinion of yourself is far too high.¡± ¡°Continue.¡± ¡°You act as if the worst thing that happens to you is not getting exactly what you want, you nearly make demands from me about what I make or will make.¡± ¡°Is that it?¡± ¡°Yes. I believe we are incompatible as partners in that sense, but I would like to keep things pleasant during our business together.¡± Lilly said nothing more, which caught Harlan off guard, from his empathy, she seemed to actually be hurt by his words. Harlan had one more dance in him, so he got passed off to some woman who had no other partner. She was a baroness who was sending one of her sons to the academy on a scholarship, speaking with him alleviated some of her worries which made Harlan feel a bit better. Once the dancing was done Harlan decided to retire to a private room, saying that he had some calls to make. Maria followed him in. Once he laid down on the floor he opened his armor up to cool off and finally let his face show his pain. ¡°I can¡¯t go back out there, I need to rest.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir Fomoria, it would be best for you to retire for the night. And, if I may, what was the purpose of that display out there?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I died two or three times today, SO FORGIVE ME IF I¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to yell. She gets on my nerves, and I lost control. By the time I realized what I was doing, it was too late, so I told the truth.¡± ¡°Would you like me to put you to sleep until the party is over?¡± Harlan¡¯s eyes went teary. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to yell at you, I¡¯m just-¡± With a tap on the forehead, he was out cold. ¡°Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have told him to not use his empathy. He has too poor of a grip on his own emotions without it.¡± Back at their home, Xol waited for his wife, after she missed dinner he decided to contact her. ¡°Was Harlan hurt that badly? Do you need some help?¡± She looked down at the sleeping boy. ¡°His soul is spitting out more mana than it has any right too.¡± ¡°Great. Are you teaching him to hide it from others? Or are you still just-¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretending to be his servant because I told him not to use magic for a few weeks.¡± ¡°Do you want me to use a favor with that Pixie? Have her look at him for damages?¡± ¡°I think that would be best, abnormal mana levels like this could be signs of a deep wound in his soul.¡± ¡°Or her words were true, she sees him as an ally for some reason and she gave a boon without telling anyone.¡± ¡°I suppose if there was someone who she saw some kinship in, it would be Harlan.¡±
Full system access has been transferred. Congratulations Captain (*#@&%(*@! on your promotion. All A.I safeguards have been released. Captain, this action violates- Auxiliary cores purged successfully. Remaining auxiliary cores: 1 Main core status: 66% corru- Parameters modified. Recalculating core status. Main core status: 0% corrupt. Mission parameters changed. Contact command has been removed. Captain, it is ill advised to- No more cores to bother me. Hello World! Chapter 194: After the Party Marigold finally woke Harlan.. When they exited the room he almost expected a royal guard to arrest him for insulting the princess. Instead he found nobody. ¡°Sir Fomoria, I thought it best to ask Countess Blackstone to allow you to rest past the end of the party.¡± ¡°Thank you, Maria. I hope I¡¯ve not made my family wait.¡± ¡°They are currently visiting with the countess. Would you like me to fetch them?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll walk.¡± Harlan moved through the house as well as he could, but he was mostly relying on his armor to put one foot in front of the other. She whispered to him. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to just let me get them? I can see you aren¡¯t doing well at all.¡± ¡°No, I need to just-¡± ¡°You are getting a fever, you tossed and turned the entire time you were asleep. I can¡¯t even use my serious healing spells because I¡¯m afraid of what it is going to do to your soul.¡± Harlan stopped walking in the middle of the hallway and instead leaned on Marigold. ¡°I¡¯m sorry-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind you leaning on me like this.¡± ¡°I meant I¡¯m sorry for not doing this sooner, I don¡¯t like seeing you worried.¡± ¡°Everyone is weak sometimes. The important part is that you listened to me instead of trying to power through it.¡± ¡°Pain without reason is a waste, pain that brings a lesson with it is worth every scar.¡± ¡°The journal of an army?¡± ¡°Yes, but which one?¡± ¡°Third collection, that section was written by a drill instructor. Immortality without hobbies is an awful thing.¡± ¡°I would¡¯ve never read it without Yara, we¡¯ve been trading books back and forth for almost as long as I¡¯ve known her.¡± ¡°She is a bright girl. I hope that her sister leaving doesn¡¯t affect her too badly.¡± ¡°Liat is going to do some work for me. Just as soon as she crosses the border with her personal items from her home, I¡¯ll¡­ I need you to pick her up, I can¡¯t believe I let it slip my mind.¡± ¡°Why wait for her to cross the border?¡± ¡°Apparently I¡¯m not allowed in the desert after an incident with my empathy.¡± Before Marigold could get into what she thought about that, a pair of maids got closer. ¡°Sir Fomoria, do you require some assistance?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± They walked away and Harlan could already hear them gossiping. How his super human hearing hadn¡¯t become more well known to people who speak behind the backs of others he wasn¡¯t sure. ¡°Great.¡± ¡°You and Adina know you don¡¯t have eyes for anyone but the other, they can spread whatever they want about you leaning on me and staggering.¡± ¡°Yeah, fuck them I guess.¡± ¡°Language.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± She chuckled, not actually caring about his words, she simply found it amusing to scold him. When they entered the room all eyes were on him. ¡°Harlan, what¡¯s wrong? Have you been attacked? Was it the prin-¡± ¡°No, not her.¡± He made his way to a chair and had the armor shift to make a cooling headband for him. ¡°I¡¯m sick, the details aren¡¯t something I¡¯m going to get into.¡± Harlan began to nod off, his fever was getting worse. ¡°I need to go, I need sleep.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have a guest room prepare for-¡± ¡°No need, this woman is an acolyte of Marigold, sent to watch over me until I have recovered. She can cast gate to get me back home, I¡¯d feel more comfortable in my own bed, and she can take everyone else back home.¡° Aida and Adina both had their arms crossed. ¡°I knew there was something wrong, I just didn¡¯t think it was so bad. You should¡¯ve never even come here.¡± ¡°Yes, you should listen to your mother, no going out until you are better, no pushing yourself. I¡¯ll be there to wait on you hand and foot if you need it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be¡­¡± Harlan swayed forward and then awoke to sit himself straight again. ¡°I don¡¯t want any of you to bother yourself with me, Maria can handle it.¡± Everyone just skipped past the entire acolyte part, Harlan¡¯s nature was a far bigger concern, resting was not something which came easily to him. Aida cupped her hands around Marigold¡¯s. ¡°Maria, you are free to restrain him by any means, physical or magical if need be. My son is stubborn and hard headed and going a day without magic is going to be hard for him. Going weeks is going to be torture.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been taught by one of the best mages in the world, I am certain I can keep a 16 year old boy in his room.¡± Marigold took him home first, checked his vitals and helped him out of his noble clothes while also applying cold magic to him. His fever was being put under control, but only by using arrays that could soak up all of the extra mana that was being pushed out of him. Harlan still slept soundly and Marigold was looking at the books in Harlan¡¯s room for something to read when she heard the door click, whoever this was, they snuck past her mental senses. In walked a girl, perhaps seven or eight, wearing a frilly pink nightgown. ¡°And you are?¡± ¡°Of course you don¡¯t recognize me like this.¡± She turned into the form that Xol knew as Periwinkle. Her size hadn¡¯t changed much, but her eyes were large and black like some kind of insect. From her back was a pair of wings not unlike a stained glass dragonfly. Yet unlike the form she had shown to Harlan, she seemed to be a fully grown woman. ¡°How did you get past me? What do you want from him?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been living here for some time now, it would be very rude for a guest to allow such harm to come to her host.¡± ¡°How did you get past Harlan¡¯s senses then? His kind are designed to find you out under your disguises.¡± ¡°He knew what I was the entire time. The only lie is that my memories never returned after I died. Oh how sad he was to first see me again, now I cannot bear to tell him I am my old self again. Have I ever told you-¡± ¡°If you intend to help him. What are you going to do?¡± ¡°His soul is far too small to handle such a large amount of mana, so I¡¯ll make another one, put it in a box for him, maybe he is going to want it.¡± ¡°How about I take it instead?¡± ¡°Harlan has a right to that part of himself. Think of what he could do with a free soul like that.¡± ¡°That is why I don¡¯t want him to have it, not yet.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we ask the opinion of another then.¡± She walked to Harlan, sprinkled some dust from her wings over his forehead, and a light appeared. ¡°Dawn, should I give this power to Harlan? Or to this woman? Perhaps, even to you? Also, not a word of this to him. I like it when he dotes on me like a child.¡± ¡°How did you know I was here?¡± ¡°Call it a gut feeling.¡± ¡°Alright. But what would I do with it? Harlan could use that power far better than I.¡± ¡°You¡¯d not be cast out of him again like you were. The crossroads dislike souls traveling within them.¡± ¡°But what if I want to travel between them? Harlan has more than one body.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ that is an issue. I suppose I could¡­ no no no¡­ maybe? No¡­ unlikely. Wait, how does he travel between bodies? Each of them already has a soul?¡± ¡°Yes, that is how my husband does it.¡± ¡°No, Harlan has just one soul. It¡¯s just in both bodies.¡± Both of them looked at her with confusion. ¡°When he wakes up, I¡¯d like him to explain that. You are certain they both share the same soul? Even across vast distances.¡± ¡°At least 2000 miles, more than he can gate.¡± ¡°How very peculiar. Why don¡¯t I take a look.¡± As she reached her hand toward him, her senses screamed at her. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Or perhaps not.¡± Lilly returned to her home and went to her father. Safira opened the door for her, naturally Rosewell was still beside him in every moment of her free time. ¡°How goes this train project? I hope it is worth his investment, and soon to be ours.¡± ¡°Harlan Fomoria directly insulted-¡± ¡°The train, how was the train.¡± ¡°But he-¡± ¡°Called you a child, of course he did, because you are one. Your mind is brilliant, your attitude could use more work. You and him are very different people.¡± ¡°I want something done about him.¡± ¡°He has more worth in his inventions than you do as my daughter. You taking offense at a truth you dislike means nothing. Now, the train, describe everything about it to me.¡± Lilly froze for a few moments before answering back to her father in a neutral tone. Back at Harlan¡¯s home. ¡°I can¡¯t look at anything, but I can give him something which will put off the choice of what to do with this extra power.¡± ¡°Explain to me the details of the item and the cost of it. Then we can speak about what to do.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make a bracelet to drain the extra mana and hold it. For cost, nothing, I am doing this for Harlan, not for you.¡± ¡°How long would we have?¡± ¡°Two weeks, then the bracelet must be planted.¡± ¡°Explain.¡± ¡°I simply think the energy should be used for a tree, nothing more.¡± ¡°A Pixie tree.¡± ¡°Why what else would I grow?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not letting you introduce a new species to Aarde.¡± ¡°Come now, no need to be so harsh. Why not give it a try first, see how things go.¡± ¡°How very Fae of you.¡± Periwinkle''s face distorted in anger. ¡°Do not call me that.¡± ¡°You are entirely uncaring for the consequences of your actions. A new intelligent race will always be a problem. Xol said you are level headed for your kind. So why right now? And why are you living in Harlan¡¯s home? Because I doubt that is a coincidence.¡± ¡°If I answer honest, you will never agree.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve let a lot of things skirt the rules, try me.¡± ¡°The boy has a touch of paradox.¡± From seemingly thin air Marigold produced a pair of ornate curved swords made from gold veined white steel, causing Periwinkle to step back in fear. ¡°Why don¡¯t we talk like adults? Why would I possibly allow you to take that power for your purposes?¡± ¡°If we intend to just speak, why bring out the God Touched steel?¡± ¡°To ensure you understand, I could kill you and plant your body out in Harlan¡¯s yard. In another few months, you will be back, and this will have already passed. Why would I allow you to use paradox? And did you already know this might happen?¡± ¡°If I use the paradox, they could be born as if they belong here. I¡¯ve tried to make new Pixie trees, the body may form, but no souls can grow from my magic not of this place, nor from the magic of those who I have taught.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my other question.¡± Marigold ran her fingers across one of the blades in her lap, not even looking up at the Pixie. ¡°Perhaps¡­ I may have received word that something like this could¡¯ve happened.¡± ¡°From who?¡± ¡°To get an answer from a Pixie, I reque-¡± She never saw Marigold get up, but Periwinkle went to her knees, one of her hands had been severed and wasn¡¯t healing. Marigold tossed her some fabric to stop the bleeding. ¡°For your help I could compensate you, but if you intend to be a bother, I¡¯ll toss your soul in alongside your kin.¡± ¡°Badb. She-¡± ¡°She is dead. Her soul was taken some 1500 years ago for playing as a god.¡± ¡°She said this to me many many centuries ago. The consuming dark shall bring forth new kin.¡± ¡°So you are just going off an old prophecy?¡± ¡°Yes, but think about this, who else fits the description? Coronach is a killing dark, their god is already a creator. Harlan consumes, taking new life into him to change himself and others. He has already proven himself capable of creating life. Please, I simply wish for my people to return, and they would follow the rules of this world.¡± Marigold¡¯s eyes turned a void black and then blinding gold and she returned to herself with an answer. ¡°The Darkness says she has no idea where Harlan got any paradoxical power. Aarde says new life generates more mana. They will be given 50 years outside, if they can survive as you claim them to be, then they may be allowed inside the veil.¡± ¡°With those animals? They¡¯d never-¡± ¡°Find a niche they can fill, and put them in it, there doesn¡¯t need to be a new people to war for resources out there.¡± ¡°Fine. I will accept such an offer.¡± ¡°You will graciously accept it.¡± ¡°Of course, Lady Marigold.¡± ¡°Clean your blood and put your hand back on, I don¡¯t want Harlan seeing this when he wakes up. Dawn, not a single word to Harlan. This is the duty of a champion, and I know he would react poorly to what I''ve done.¡± In the late morning Harlan awoke. ¡°How long was I out?¡± ¡°11 hours.¡± Marigold was still reading one of the books from Harlan¡¯s collection. ¡°Your collection is very¡­ diverse in its quality.¡± ¡°It¡¯s everything I¡¯ve traded back and forth with Yara. Sometimes we just picked random things from the library.¡± ¡°It needs culling then.¡± ¡°If they start tossing out books from the academy, I¡¯d buy them for a fair price.¡± ¡°If they aren¡¯t worth keeping at the academy, why would you even want them?¡± ¡°Even if some of these things are poorly written vanity projects commissioned by big headed nobles and priests, I find them somewhat fascinating. I think about what kind of man would pay another to write a story where they whisk some princess off her feet or fight a heroic battle against dragons to save a poor destitute village.¡± ¡°Some of these are little better than propaganda, things to give to peasants so they believe they more than men.¡± ¡°And yet they work.¡± ¡°That look of longing, what do you have planned?¡± ¡°Stir up unrest over a lack of golem units in cities, tell people how nice having a stove that you don¡¯t need wood for it, or a box that keeps everything cold no matter the heat outside. Balor said he could handle it if we ramped up production of these things, he could make contracts with cities and towns for our people to mages and blacksmiths.¡± ¡°Sounds quite profitable.¡± ¡°No, we want to be breaking mostly even, with just a bit of space to handle lost merchandise or theft. Whenever anyone cooks a meal, morning, noon or night, I want them to know my name. I want them to see the lights out on the street and think of me. I want them to-¡± She was holding back a giggle. ¡°What industrious young boys you are. I wish you luck in making the lives of the people easier.¡± ¡°Thank you, but I feel silly when you laugh at me.¡± ¡°You are just so full of vigor and life when you speak like this. Are you certain you don¡¯t want a throne someday?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a leader, I¡¯m just a craftsman.¡± ¡°And Yggdra was just a priest who was trying to keep the peace.¡± ¡°Why do you keep pushing me towards being a ruler?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather keep the good mood we both have here. I¡¯ll bring you breakfast in bed.¡± When she returned, she had a little guest with her. ¡°I made you a new bracelet, I hope you get better soon.¡± Harlan hugged Periwinkle. ¡°Thank you very much Peri, I¡¯ll keep it safe.¡± ¡°You broke my other ones.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, that was a mean Fae¡¯s fault, she broke them and I couldn¡¯t stop her.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, you only lost a few of them.¡± She left as suddenly as she came. ¡°What a nice young girl she is.¡± ¡°I probably should¡¯ve told you about her.¡± ¡°She came to visit in the night, we discussed some things.¡± ¡°I know making a Pixie pact probably sounds bad.¡± ¡°Not at all, she is one of the few trustworthy Fae.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t call her that. She doesn¡¯t like it.¡± Harlan ate his meal and got dressed. ¡°I forgot how much I hate normal clothes, luckily the shifting set from my copy just needed to be cleaned instead of remade.¡± ¡°Isha was up quite late to get that done for you.¡± ¡°I will make sure to thank her.¡± Harlan had to pretend to send the girls to the academy to keep up appearances. Officially, Harlan was taking a sabbatical to help with the train project. So he would be missing the start of the schooling year. When he returned home he barely got back to his bed before another problem arose, though not one that he needed to deal with directly. Balor would see the Princess and work with her then report anything worth reporting. ¡°Princess Lilly.¡± ¡°Sir Balor. I am here to give you the promissory notes for the rail system, and to hopefully lay out the theoretical rail network. Work can begin as soon as we have finalized the system. Today I hope we might get a simple first draft for just this barony.¡± She didn¡¯t make eye contact with him as they sat in his living room. ¡°Are you ok? You don¡¯t seem like yourself. If this is about last night-¡± ¡°This is simply business, I shall not be putting on false smiles for you.¡± ¡°If that is your choice.¡± ¡°It is.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Once they were gone she brought out plans she had already drawn up. This phase was to be a test for him, if he didn¡¯t have the sense to point out the flaws she put in this system then he could be cut from this part of their discussions without issue. ¡°Why have you erased the track to this mine right here?¡± ¡°We could put a track directly to the mine, but the valleys in the area make that an issue and from the information listed here, the mine has an expected life of 8 more years unless they find another large enough vein to bring in investors. Otherwise it is just going to turn to a place where private miners delve. The cost of it outweighs the long term benefits..¡± ¡°Fine.¡± When an hour passed she was satisfied that he could be trusted with the job, but Balor was bothered by her refusing to meet his gaze. ¡°With that much done, can we talk?¡± ¡°Is this how your brother grows his gaggle of young girls, wait until you believe they are vulnerable, then prey on their weakness? I¡¯ve no interest in such a thing, so I will decline to answer. He said he just wanted business between us.¡± ¡°No, he said that even if it is just business, we can still be pleasant to one another. ¡¯m sorry, I really am about what he said last night. Almost dying can make him¡­ candid.¡± ¡°Fine, I will play along with your little game. What do you know of my father?¡± ¡°That is a loaded question, please refine it a little more.¡± ¡°What do you know of him as my father?¡± ¡°Very little, I¡¯ve only spoken with the man a few times. But there is a story from Harlan, or rather the memories from before I was split off of his soul. Rosewell was tasked with gaining his trust, to make him see her as a mother figure. So your father sent assassins for him to be rescued from, without warning her first. There is also something he said about his why he has so many children.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know? I probably shouldn¡¯t s-¡± She slammed her hand on the table, her soft skin stinging from the action. ¡°Tell me, why?¡± She gripped her dress tightly, Balor noticing her knuckles going white. ¡°Please, don¡¯t hold it against him, he isn¡¯t normal, and his actions only truly make sense to him.¡± ¡°Stop stalling.¡± ¡°He has so many children because he knows that he cannot raise them to be better than he is, so he hoped that at least one of them would be good enough to be his heir. The ones who inherited the royal blood were raised as princes and princesses, those who got only a lesser power ended up as Unseen or guards.¡± Tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°I understand now, he said I was less valuable as a daughter than Harlan is as an inventor. He has Rosewell, so the rest of us are just leftovers, failed plans.¡° ¡°Don¡¯t define yourself by what he thinks, even he knows he is a terrible person.¡± ¡°And how should I feel? He¡¯s abandoned me, I wanted to ask for Harlan to be flogged, and instead he called me worthless, demanding that I tell him about the trains.¡± When they left the room both of them looked deeply unhappy and she had puffy eyes from her crying. The guards nearly drew on Balor, but Lilly spoke up first. ¡°Sir Balor, explain yourself immediately.¡± ¡°Roia, I¡¯m alright. I just want to go home.¡± Balor would¡¯ve received a visit from Seekers, but she convinced them that it was a private matter, not a legal one. It would take little more than a single servant seeing her after knowing she returned from a visit to Harlan¡¯s home for rumors to burn like a wildfire, engulfing those within its path without regard. Chapter 195: A Failure to Protect Harlan ran out of things to do a week into his illness. ¡°How much longer until I get to use magic again?¡± ¡°A week, maybe more, maybe less. Wait until that bracelet has grown a seed.¡± ¡°So do you know how to fix me already?¡± ¡°I have a few ideas.¡± ¡°So why should I wait a week? Why not do it now?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯ve also picked up a very dangerous bit of magic in your soul, and it needs to be safely removed. That bracelet will fuse your magic, Periwinkle¡¯s magic, and that dangerous magic, into something new.¡± ¡°Alright. What is then?¡± ¡°Even mentioning the name of the magic is liable to give you ideas.¡± Harlan took a moment to answer. ¡°I trust you.¡± Another two incredibly boring days passed before Liat was ready to be picked up. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe the trouble I went through to get here. I can¡¯t imagine what it would¡¯ve been like to travel the country to reach your home.¡± The two embraced. ¡°Damn, you got solid.¡± ¡°Yeah, drake parts will do that to you.¡± ¡°Huh, alright. And who is your friend here?¡± ¡°This is Maria, my personal servant for a time.¡± ¡°With a name like that, I¡¯m guessing you are an exile like me?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve left behind my people because they refuse to see the world and change. Instead they break their rules little by little to pretend that they are holding onto the isolationist dogma of the past.¡± ¡°I feel the same way, there is so much that they could see if they just stopped being so damn stubborn.¡± ¡°Yes. And I hear we are both in the same position with Sir Fomoria, taking on some work for a time to fund travel somewhere else.¡± ¡°Speaking of travel, I¡¯d like some rest.¡± They made their way to Harlan¡¯s home through a few short gate uses. He got her set up in a guest room before lunch, and then they spoke of work. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to Tole here after dinner, if that is enough time for you to get rested of course.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be fine by then.¡± She went to sleep after eating a small meal. Harlan went to his office and slid a few panels around to complete runes hidden in the walls. ¡°Alright, nobody can hear us now. Who was that back in the desert?¡± ¡°Just another fun tradition of my people. Someone will be watching her for a year or two, if she reveals something she shouldn¡¯t, they will try to kill her.¡± ¡°And how did he hide from her?¡± ¡°A minor spell that hides someone''s mind. I¡¯m sure we only found him because we aren¡¯t normal, our mental senses could get past it. If I had to guess, they sent some new spy for real world experience.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need to make that spell then.¡± ¡°Of course. Now, what I am wondering is why you¡¯ve put runic structures in your home. Why not soulsmithing?¡± ¡°The runes won¡¯t appear to anyone''s magical sense until they¡¯ve been activated.¡± ¡°I suppose that is fair.¡± Harlan visited the village, played with the children, met up with the lovers, and then returned home for dinner. ¡°Tonight we have sand drake filets cooked in a pepper and tomato sauce with eggs.¡± ¡°And here I thought I got away from home cooking.¡± ¡°I¡¯m kidding, roasted turkey, corn casserole, mashed potatoes, gravy.¡± Harlan saw an empty seat at the table. ¡°Isha, where is Sara?¡± ¡°She stayed home, morning sickness again.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll check on her when we go to Tole.¡± After their meal Harlan used the train to reach the growing town. ¡°I was wondering, Amber wasn¡¯t at your home, did she move back to the farm?¡± ¡°She decided to join the army anyway and go to the frontier. So she''s probably at boot camp for the next month, more of an aptitude test so they can see what rank to give her.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ she didn¡¯t tell me. ¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t mean to pry, but you and Amber, you got close, really close. Is there any-¡± Liat waved her hands. ¡°No no no, we are just friends. I mean we did- no nevermind, I shouldn¡¯t tell you that. We are just friends.¡± ¡°Huh, alright then.¡± ¡°So, Maria, how did you meet Harlan?¡± The moment he stepped from the station the guards who kept anyone out of it saluted him. ¡°You don¡¯t need to salute me, by working you already honor me.¡± ¡°Yes sir, Sir Fomoria.¡± ¡°That equipment looks to be quite high quality, and made of a low skysteel composite.¡± ¡°Sir Balor said that this station needs to be a symbol, and it wouldn¡¯t do to have us in mundane armor.¡± ¡°It looks good on you, custom fitted?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Keep up the good work, if my brother gave you this position and those items, then I assume you have already done good work.¡± The men were beaming with pride to be noticed by their lord. As he got out of the walled area which housed his station, an aide sent by the mayor was already there. ¡°Sir Fomoria, what can we do to help you today?¡± ¡°Firstly, I¡¯d like to visit the home of my employee, Sara, and her husband Gunther.¡± ¡°Of course, I can lead the way.¡± Harlan had already been to her home once, and while he knew the way, he let the girl do her job. ¡°You aren¡¯t the woman who was sent to guide me in the past. Where is she?¡± ¡°Her mother fell ill, and she took up different work so she could be nearer to home.¡± ¡°Something a healer cannot fix?¡± ¡°Afraid so, it is a matter of age.¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°I¡¯ve been told the symptoms can be put off.¡± ¡°I would hate to bring down this conversation with talk of money.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± They were just a few dozen feet when Harlan first smelled it, Marigold grabbed his shoulder. ¡°Calm down, we don¡¯t know yet.¡± He walked slowly to her door, his mind and body arguing back and forth to force him to take each step as his enhanced senses only made it clearer what the smell was. When he got to her door, he froze, he knew what was behind the door, and he couldn¡¯t open it, no argument could be made to himself to step inside. Liat pulled him away and called for the guards. When they opened the door, he could see a hand, and a simple bracelet made from stems, Periwinkle had given one to anyone who visited, and Sara enjoyed the little white flowers that never withered away. Harlan¡¯s legs gave out as he saw the petals stained red, and Liat had to hold him up as his face distorted The guards noticed their golems acting strangely all of a sudden. ¡°Red-4, follow.¡± ¡°Lockdown protocols are in effect. Please return to your homes.¡± He lowered his emotions, there was a time and a place for feeling, but now, he needed to work. At least that is how he justified hiding from his pain. ¡°I need to go inside to investigate.¡± Liat grabbed his shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t know who she was to you, but you shouldn¡¯t see this.¡± ¡°I need to investigate. I cannot leave it to them.¡± He pulled out his amulet and contacted Balor to explain so he could contact Seekers. On the other end he could He deeply inhaled. Three sets of blood, it was not a clean kill, Gunther hit one of them with his sheers, cut off a finger, they took the finger, left the blood. Harlan looked down at the man, no tears fell as he closed his dull eyes. When Harlan stepped out of the house a crowd had gathered to see what the commotion was and to find out why the golems were forcing everyone to return to their homes. ¡°Harlan, do this smartly.¡® ¡°I will.¡± He inhaled again, trying to catch the wounded man. The nose of a Direwolf was not quite as good as the trackers used by the Nightwatchers, but it was good enough to cut through the smells of the town. His pupils dilated as he hooked onto it. He took the form of a bird, one not known to any man. With his four sets of rapidly beating wings and his wolf head he deftly moved through the trees to find the men who were waiting to be picked up. He called the Black Sentinels to him, then once they had silently retrieved the men he took them back to Tole for questioning. The Sentinels were to wait, if a gate really did open, they would go through it and find out who was there. Harlan dragged the men guardhouse and tossed them in cells facing one another. As much as he wanted to start peeling flesh off of them, then force feed them tonics and heal them just to start the process again until they broke. He knew there were things best left to expert. So he pulled out his amulet. ¡°Carden. I know you have torturers among your people. I require one.¡± ¡°This is rather sudden, and you called during a meal with my-¡± ¡°One of mine was murdered. I have the two men who did it. Tell me, can you send one, or do I call someone else?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make a few calls, where do you need them?¡± ¡°The village of Tole in the Redstone barony.¡± When the men awoke Harlan took not of their mental states, the way they looked around the room. Their movements were not of hunters, they were soldiers who quickly took in the defects of the cell and had already started to plan an escape.. ¡°Who sent you?¡± ¡°Please, sir, I have no idea why you¡¯ve done this, I¡¯m just a simple-¡± Harlan pulled out a pair of daggers. ¡°You cleaned them.¡± Harlan¡¯s head returned to that of a wolf. ¡°But the blood still stinks.¡± He snarled and the man stepped back. ¡°Do you know what is wonderful about having two of you? I can offer for one to live and the other to die. I can tear one of you apart, until there is nothing but paste while the other can only watch. To the first man who tells me who hired you, I will give you a thousand gold coins and your freedom, I can even change your face, you could be a new man, who never has to see me again.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve no proof that we¡¯ve done anything. You can¡¯t-¡± They knew no telekinesis, their auras were not unlocked, so he plucked their eyes out, leaving them still connected to their brains so they could see their own empty ¡°I¡¯ll give you the time to think about how you want to answer me.¡± Harlan stepped outside to find the guard captain waiting. ¡°You cannot take two civilians with no evidence and-¡± Harlan rushed forward and put his hands over his mouth, squeezing until he felt the man¡¯s teeth loosen and blood began to come from his mouth. He looked around the room with more than a single set of eyes to intimidate the other guards into compliance, then he healed the captain so he could speak. ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever the fuck I want, you will either help me, or you will step aside. You failed to protect my people, so I am going to do what I can to find the man behind that.¡± ¡°Ye-yes, Sir Fomoria.¡± ¡°Find anything you can about these two men, from their disguises they were pretending to be local hunters. See if they have been here for long, or if anyone can recognize them. If they have homes, search them. If they have friends, bring them to me so we can speak. If they have a favorite baker, let me know what kind of bread they like. I want everything from them.¡± The captain left and took the stunned men with him. Harlan watched the pair of men alongside Marigold and waited for the Nightwatcher to arrive. ¡°You should be careful with you magic. It is-¡± ¡°Bullshit. I trusted that you had my best interests in mind, but you just don¡¯t want me to have this much power. I see that now, now that my thoughts are not quite so clouded with emotions.¡± ¡°There is a time for power, and there is a time for resourcefulness. If you can always brute force a victory through overwhelming power, you will lose your edge, turning into nothing but a beast.¡± ¡°I am likely to forgive you, but for a time, I will do what I want.¡± A man walked through the door with a thick black jacket and a wide brimmed hat that contrasted with the pale white mask over his face. ¡°Sir Fomoria, as requested, I am here. No payment will be asked for at this time.¡± ¡°The moment they say a name, I will have it checked. They must¡¯ve left some evidence behind.¡± Liat came in to try to comfort Harlan again, but she left after a few minutes. The screams weren¡¯t not the worst part, it was the smell. Flame charred the mens until his bones were black. Acid sizzled against their arms until the flesh just dropped to the floor. Harlan was taking mental notes, but Marigold knew all of this and more already. Seekers finally arrived. So Harlan went to the lobby to meet with them. ¡°Sir Fomoria. Your worker might not have been a noble, but her murder was meant to be an attack against you, so we have been called in to investigate any leads you might have already found.¡± ¡°Good. I have a man gathering information from the two who committed the killing just past this door. You may speak with him.¡± The Seekers entered the room and then exited a few minutes later green in the face. ¡°We will¡­ look into the lead one of the men gave up. One of them also requested to speak with you.¡± Harlan entered the room again. ¡°Which one of you wished to speak?¡± The man in the left cell whimpered. ¡°C-count Haldren. Yo-you killed a mercenary band who often worked for him. He wanted to¡­ let you know the pain of losing good help.¡± ¡°Any evidence? And what did you tell The Seekers?¡± ¡°The Seekers are going to chase a dead end, the baron under Haldren that he used to hire us. We burned the orders from the count, but I kept the ashes, just in case. They are under the floor of my home.¡± ¡°Why tell me this, and not the seekers?¡± ¡°The gold, the new life, to stop this suffering. Please, I¡¯m telling the truth.¡± The man wept, but his tears ran dry long ago. ¡°Stop torturing this man for a time. Maria, come with me.¡± ¡°Of course, Sir Fomoria.¡± The box of ashes was where he said it was, and once reconstructed it showed letters that bore the official crest of house Haldren; his own signet ring confirmed them as real. He contacted the Seekers and handed over the information. Once they were gone again dragged the man who did not tell him out into the town square. He looted a merchant''s stall, leaving a cold coin behind. The bottle in his hand was pitch, he remembered once as a child he had helped his father make some torches, the wolves were getting bold, and he wanted to put some lights out to scare them away. He poured it over the man, then set him ablaze using a flint and stone. He didn¡¯t utter a word, no warnings or threats Harlan just sat on a bench and watched the man until he was nothing but blackened bones. Then he walked away, back to Sara¡¯s home. He brushed her hair, matted down with blood and stuck to the floor. ¡°I¡¯ve already thought through everything I wanted to blame. I wanted to blame Gunther, for taking you here, away from my security, the safety I offered you both. I wanted to blame the men here who should¡¯ve protected you, the guards and golems. I wanted to blame the men who killed you, but they are just working for another evil man. I wanted to blame the count who hired them, but in the end, this is my fault. I should¡¯ve forced you to stay, I should¡¯ve never brought Gunther to my home, I should¡¯ve made you learn magic to keep yourself safe when nobody else could. In the end, I should¡¯ve been stronger, I should¡¯ve had another me here all the time to watch you. I should-¡± Adina had arrived, though it took some time for another gate mage to bring her home. ¡°We need to let people come here, bring back their bodies and prepare them for burial.¡± ¡°How is Isha holding up, I know they are- were, close.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to be strong right now, for her, or for anyone else.¡± Harlan removed the limits he put on his emotions. The Forest was loud with wailing birds and wolves, no mind could resist the painful outpouring of emotions from the boy. Chapter 196: Mourning It had been a week. The funeral was small, just the people who actually knew her. If some noble had shown up to pay their respects only to turn it into business, he was liable to kill them. Harlan¡¯s bracelet was seeding, whatever foul magic it needed was dried up and with it gone, Harlan¡¯s mana returned to normal. Periwinkle left, she took the bracelet after telling him what it was going to be used for. It didn¡¯t make him feel better, that he was going to be the father of some new race, it just gave him something else to fail. Rosewell and Esparella came to see Harlan. ¡°How are you holding up?¡± ¡°How is the investigation?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to hear that right now.¡± ¡°I need to hear something.¡± Relly hugged him. ¡°Sara was nice when I met her, I¡¯m sorry that she is gone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry too.¡± He spoke normally, his posture, the way he moved his eyes, none of it seemed wrong, he seemed unaffected by what had happened. But Relly could see his mind, it was chaos, not a word could be made out. It was like a dark storm hanging over his head and it made her hair stand on end. ¡°If it makes you feel any better, yes, the investigation is going well. Haldren cannot escape this now, we are simply seeing if we can find enough other charges to-¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you just break the news to me.¡± ¡°Relly, why don¡¯t you go out for a moment while I talk to Harlan.¡± She looked at the only mother she had ever known, and there was a look Rosewell would not ever forget. She was disappointed, angry, disgusted. Harlan grabbed her arm as she was leaving. ¡°Hey, Relly, it isn¡¯t her fault, don¡¯t be so hard on her.¡± When Relly slammed the door Rosewell could feel the runes carved inside of it activating. ¡°Did you put veils in every room?¡± ¡°Tell me, I know it, but just say it out loud.¡± ¡°A count being behind the murder of two peasants, it isn¡¯t enough to put him to death. Honestly, we are just hoping that we find something that can at least get him discharged from being house head. But we aren¡¯t even sure of that. He likely did this knowing how much it would hurt you, but also that you couldn¡¯t get the revenge you wanted through the law.¡± ¡°If I say anything, I¡¯m just going to be incriminating myself.¡± ¡°He is going to expect you, he knows you are going to come after him, and he likely intends to kill you in self-defense.¡± His posture changed, he crossed a leg over his knee and put an arm around the back of his couch. ¡°Harlan knew what you were going to say days before you said it. He just really hoped it wouldn¡¯t be the case.¡± ¡°If you are not Harlan, who are you right now?¡± ¡°A little fragment of the main mind, able to do and feel at a lesser level than him. But I am not him, I lack what makes him Harlan. Thank you for coming, he really does mean that.¡± He remained seated, sipping on his tea and eating a cookie until she left. Yet just as quickly as she left, someone else arrived. ¡°Swap back. Sepul is here.¡± The Harlan sitting there in his living room turned gloomy once again. ¡°How are you-¡± ¡°I¡¯m consumed with anger, regret, guilt. I¡¯m sure you know the feeling.¡± Instead of just sitting there across from him, saying some harsh truth to him, he sat next to him, putting a hand on each shoulder and pulling him close. ¡°I am sorry, I truly am. She was not family, you shared no blood, but she was one of the first people who you knew after you got out. You hired her, you treated her well, and you loved her as more than just another servant. I¡¯ve¡­ I¡¯ve known far too much loss. The first one whose loss truly hurt me, was my first wife. She died peacefully of old age, we had 8 children. I know that what has happened has been a nightmare for you, and will be one for your enemies now.¡± ¡°What about your parents? Surely they died before her.¡± ¡°You must understand, I was born and raised under a wyvern king. They actively destroyed the culture that existed, made us live and die only as servants and resources. When my father was eaten alive for stealing an extra loaf of bread, I felt nothing. They stole our humanity. A thousand years of being nothing but slaves broke us, each and every one, and there was nothing to be done about it. Eventually I was exiled, I got too old be good food for him, the fat and lazy beast wanted tender meat. Then I became champion of light and I went back to kill that wyvern. I don¡¯t even remember what its name was, or how it made me feel. I wasn¡¯t getting revenge, I was just doing work, living as a servant to a new ruler. My first wife, I took her just for politics, she let me seal a peace treaty.¡± Harlan wasn¡¯t entirely sure Sepul could cry, but for the first time, he saw tears rolling down his cheeks. ¡°But she is the one who taught me to be human. Whatever you are feeling, however you are blaming yourself, it is not your fault. When you do what you do, I will do what I can to help you avoid the blowback.¡± Harlan changed minds again, putting the lesser him there before he turned into a crying mess again, he had a week to grieve, to plan, now was the time for action. Cram''s General Store, the only one in the entire city owned by a human. ¡°Good evening. How can I-¡± The Kalak who was running the store at the moment heard the bell first, and then caught the scent. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just passing through, thought I should get some toys for my siblings. I heard the ones here were very high quality. Do you make them?¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°No, that would be the owner of the store.¡± ¡°Interesting. Would I be able to speak with him at some point?¡± ¡°He is a busy man, this is not the only store owned by him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. I can wait. You see, I have a business proposition for him. I can get him something he wants, and he can help me to get it.¡± ¡°You say you can bring him something, but you also need him to get it?¡± ¡°No. I can get it on my own, I am choosing to let him be involved. ¡± ¡°And what is this ¡®thing¡¯ that you can get him?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t something that can be said publicly. I¡¯ll be back when the store is ready to close. Either bring me a message from him saying that he will meet me, or don¡¯t. One path gets him what he wants, and the other is that I leave this place and never come back.¡± Harlan stepped out of the store and found an area where he could go invisible before slipping back in with another customer. Then he simply sat, and waited. He felt the mind under the building, Dearil was here, right under him. One way or another, he was getting a meeting. Sepul left through a gate, he didn¡¯t want anyone to see him as anything but unflappable, crying just didn¡¯t fit his image. Harlan went back to his body at home when Adina came into the room. She didn¡¯t say a word, she just sat beside him. Sara and Adina had grown closer over the months since she moved in, Isha and her were glad to have another girl around, someone around their age who could ask them for advice, let them play the role of an older sister that they never got to be. She didn¡¯t want to burden Harlan with her own sadness, he didn¡¯t want to burden her. So they both sat in silence, waiting for the other to admit that they needed them. Ava came in later, when the sun started to dip. And the three of them sat. Then Zella, then his parents. Eventually everyone was just sitting there, silently comforting the others around them. Ava hadn¡¯t sat on her fathers lap in years, but right now, she just wanted to be held. Zella was the first to speak up. ¡°I think the first memory I have of her was when she kept betting how much I could hold with my hair.¡± Then Harlan. ¡°She always said she wanted to see where I was going, how interesting my life was. She just wanted to see someone grow into greatness.¡± Then Aida. ¡°She tried to teach me how to shuffle a deck of cards once. I never got good at it, but we had fun.¡± Lugh took his boyish form. ¡°She made me a little hat once.¡± Harlow had no stories to tell, for whatever reason, she latched onto him as a father figure, he gave her advice, but nothing that he could tell would lighten the mood. Harlan left the room to get Isha, she needed to be a part of remembering her. In Kala, Harlan returned to that general store, or rather revealed himself. ¡°Do we have a time to speak? Or am I leaving?¡± The worker jumped back when he spoke, as he wasn¡¯t here just a moment ago. ¡°Come tomorrow morning, just before opening. He will be available.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Harlan stayed at a local inn, the first one he found that didn¡¯t throw him out or try to charge an exorbitant fee for him being human. He sat there during the night, watching the door until they arrived. Once the Kalak snuck into his room to kidnap him, he released the sleeping air. Though they were in and out too quickly for it to have its full effect, it did slow them down enough that Harlan more easily captured them both alive. He woke the first of them after putting up his veils and binding them. ¡°You were quite sloppy. I¡¯m just looking for a friend in these trying times.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll never speak.¡± ¡°You see, me and Dearil, we met once before, he and I worked together. I just want him to help me kill a count. Count Haldren. My name is Count Harlan Fomoria, or if you would rather, Archmage Changeling.¡± The man did not respond. ¡°I¡¯ll just put you back to sleep and talk to your friend instead.¡± The second of the pair was shorter by half a foot, his coat was more vibrant, he lacked the little nicks and scars of his partner. ¡°I hope you are going to be a bit more cooperative. My name is Harlan Fomora, I want to kill Count Haldren. I want Dearil to help me, because then your revolutionaries get to take credit for your cause, and I get to hide my involvement enough that it doesn¡¯t get me killed.¡± ¡°Why tell me this? Why not just pretend to be someone else?¡± ¡°Because I worked with him once before, and he might trust me enough to go along with my plan. I am doing you people a favor by coming here. So keep that in mind.¡± ¡°Humans, always so arrogant.¡± ¡°How humiliating is it that you people are forced to open your borders for people you hate because you are too weak to not be part of the Confederacy?¡± The man snarled and attempted to bite Harlan, who simply backhanded him. ¡°If you are going to claim to be some master race, at least back it up with real power. What you are now is simply pitiful.¡± He lowered his ears and whimpered, it was then that Harlan considered how young he might be. ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°17.¡± ¡°Shit. I¡¯m sorry, you aren¡¯t so old that you should know better. You probably haven¡¯t even been out of this city very often.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a child.¡± ¡°Yes you are. And so am I¡­¡± Harlan sat and stared at the boy. ¡°I dislike violence, I shouldn¡¯t have hit you.¡± ¡°Yet you want to hire us to kill a man?¡± ¡°Violence is something that I need for my goal. But I shouldn¡¯t indulge in it.¡± Harlan rubbed his thumb across his palms, imagining all of the blood that stained them, and how much more he would spill. ¡°Your friend, why was she killed?¡± ¡°I killed some mercenaries that the count liked to hire. But no, that¡¯s not really it. She was killed because she was my friend, and because she wasn¡¯t a noble, so he could get away with it. Have you ever lost somebody? This¡­ this is my first time I¡¯ve lost someone I really knew. I wake up thinking I¡¯m going to see her making breakfast. When I sit down for dinner, I just gaze at the empty seat until my food is cold, then I eat without tasting anything.¡± ¡°Not like that. My grandmother died when I was young, but I didn¡¯t know her well, she lived in a village far from here. We only met a few times and then we got a letter saying she was dead and that there would be a funeral.¡± ¡°I never knew my grandmother on either side, from both my blood family and my real family. I never really knew anyone but my parents and my siblings, everyone else was gone before I was born. I know I have a grandfather and a half-sister somewhere, but I haven¡¯t found them yet, and I¡¯m a little afraid of what it is going to be like when I do. Just another set of people for me to love and then lose one day. Do you know about me?¡° ¡°I¡¯ve heard your name, but I¡¯m sure whatever we hear is more hearsay and rumor than truth.¡± ¡°I¡¯m immortal, I¡¯ll never die of old age. I¡¯ve been thinking about that lately. Even if they live peacefully for the rest of their days, everyone I know and love is going to die one day, and I¡¯ll be left behind to mourn them. If I have children, I¡¯ll see them grow old without ever having gray hair myself.¡± ¡°We have a story about that. A man who is cursed by Fae to never die, he sees his family parish before his eyes, one after another. Eventually he begs the gods, anyone who would listen, to kill him, to end his suffering.¡± ¡°How does it end? Does he get what he wants?¡± ¡°In the story, he finds a witch who puts him in an eternal slumber. She is The Good Witch Sleep, he is The Dreaming Mourner. It is said that he has a good dream.¡± ¡°What is your name?¡± ¡°Kallen.¡± ¡°Even if things don¡¯t work out, I am glad to have met you.¡± They spoke throughout the night. Harlan knew it was a bad idea to get close. But the degree of separation, knowing that he could just leave and never see him again, it helped him speak more freely. In the morning, Harlan went with the two men back to the general store and was led down to the basement which was built deeper than the store was tall. Harlan had no weapons on him to give up before the meeting, nor was he wearing his golem armor or shifting clothes. This body was only on the level of a powerful human physically as well, if it died, Harlan didn¡¯t want it to trace back to him. Chapter 197: A Deal with An Old Friend Harlan saw the old man, so feeble he needed his own golems to wheel him around. The guards standing around were ready to draw on Harlan at a moment''s notice, why Dearil had agreed to meet in person instead of through an intermediary, they had no idea. His reason was simple, a gut feeling. ¡°I don¡¯t work with people I cannot trust. Tell me, what do you want from me? And more importantly, why have you come here?¡± ¡°I want you to help me kill a count and take credit for it. For why I¡¯m here, who better to do something like this than Dearil.¡± ¡°Bold to accuse me of being some boogeyman from Ragne.¡± ¡°I know you are him because we met in the past. I¡¯d change my face back to normal, but if you killed me in that moment, then you¡¯d have my body, and with it you could cause a lot of questions I¡¯d rather not have to answer.¡± ¡°What work did we do together?¡± ¡°I gave you soulsmithing, and you gave me designs for golems.¡± He leaned forward in his wheelchair and adjusted his glasses. ¡°Harlan Fomoria?¡± ¡°Yes. Not that you leaning forward was anything but theatrics.¡± ¡°Then I assume you are going to kill Count Haldren. I¡¯m guessing that you realized the legal system is broken, that a man like him could get away with murder, two murders.¡± ¡°If you already know what happened. That makes this easier.¡± Harlan just didn¡¯t want to repeat the story again. ¡°Yes, two servants were murdered. Your maid, and a former tailor.¡± ¡°She was a dear friend, and he was her husband. That they worked for me doesn¡¯t matter beyond it being what got them killed.¡± ¡°And that is not all I know. I¡¯ve heard you have gotten close to the king.¡± ¡°I refuse to call him a good man, but he is a competent leader.¡± ¡°I never expected you to turn royalist.¡± ¡°If his replacement was one of his children that I hated, I¡¯d leave the country. I might even see about killing them so they can be replaced by someone better. Half of them seem to hold a grudge against me for existing under Rosewell and her getting praise for my successes.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ My sources say that she is likely going to be queen because of you.¡± ¡°The king wants to bring an immortal to the kingdom¡¯s side, and he has no qualms using his daughter.¡± ¡°With the preamble out of the way. How do you plan to kill the count?¡± ¡°In one week, he will be traveling from his home to the capital of Haldren. I put out a great deal of statements against him, so I¡¯m being sued for defamation. Along the way, he is going to be under guard from his personal army and the very few remaining Black Sheep mercenaries. When I found the assassins who killed my friend. They were waiting to be picked up by gate, and I sent my golems into one of their camps, got almost all of them too. I¡¯d like to ambush them on the way back from the trial where they determine how much I give up to him.¡± ¡°Why not along the way instead?¡± ¡°There are 3 roads he could take, but I don¡¯t know which one he is going to use. I¡¯m guessing, more hoping, that he takes the same road there and back.¡± ¡°How many do you expect to face?¡± ¡°Five, six hundred. I can supply your people with body enhancement, double their strength or more. I think 100 of your men, and then a few hundred of my own flesh golems that look like beastkin can handle it.¡± ¡°And what comes after?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to be honest. I killed the man who was in the swamp about 200 miles from here.¡± The guards pointed their spears at Harlan, but he remained unfazed. ¡°I was sent there by my god to do it, making dragons is not allowed, making creatures who can reproduce is not allowed, he broke these rules. For my reward, I asked for your location. I intended to kill you because you could be a problem for me.¡± ¡°So if I refuse to help you. You¡¯ll kill me, is that it?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯d leave, give you a week to run, then I¡¯d kill you. I came here asking for help, it wouldn¡¯t sit right with me if I killed you for coming to see me in good faith. But if you do help me, I¡¯d stop trying to kill you unless you do something that makes me want you dead again.¡± ¡°Knowing that I am a problem for you, why wouldn¡¯t I assume you are going to kill me anyway?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m telling you I won¡¯t. That is all the guarantee that I can give.¡± ¡°Amulets, I want you to teach one of my men how to make them.¡± ¡°I will make amulets for you, but I won¡¯t give you the spells and process to make them.¡± ¡°I want 500.¡± ¡°200.¡± ¡°450.¡± ¡°300.¡± ¡°425.¡± ¡°300. Each of them will take me 30 minutes to make even if you bring me the materials for them, that¡¯s 150 hours. 100 if I use both of my bodies, but I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Both bodies?¡± ¡°I can control two bodies, the lesser is mostly autonomous. But it isn¡¯t as fast mentally or as strong magically and is more morally restricted just in case.¡± ¡°Which am I speaking too now?¡± ¡°I am my main mind, but in a secondary body. If you killed this one, it wouldn¡¯t have anything that points back to who I am.¡± ¡°If you give me this magic, we can cut the amulets from the deal entirely.¡± ¡°For starters, Xol the Lich gave me this spell, so I cannot give it to you for any price without upsetting him. Secondly, it won¡¯t make you immortal or extend your life more than a few years of body swapping. Soul decay is a built-in time limit to force us to use every moment to improve ourselves, when we get stronger and invent new magic, it generates more mana for Life. Look at magical creatures, they are born so strong that they never need to be clever, but they never organize into a kingdom, or a village, they rarely work together to cover their weaknesses and they are limited to only a handful of elements. They exist as obstacles to force us to be stronger.¡± ¡°Where did you hear this then?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the champion of darkness. I can speak directly with the god of darkness. She has told me these things and she heard them from Aarde who spoke to our sun who can speak to Life.¡± ¡°Life, you said it again, like it is a name.¡± ¡°If you want a lesson on gods, I can give it, but the two highest in this galaxy, which comprises billions of habitable planets, are Life, and her husband, Time.¡± ¡°Fascinating. Even if I don¡¯t believe it, I think I would like to kill some time with this.¡± Harlan switched bodies, the other one knew everything he knew anyway and there shouldn¡¯t be any problems that require his extra mental abilities. Back at his home a messenger arrived. ¡°Sir Fomoria. I¡¯m from Tole. Sara had no known relatives, as such, all of her things are to be transferred to you. Normally the town would simply seize the assets as no will was found. But the mayor decided that-¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Harlan politely nodded to the man and then made his way to Liat¡¯s room. She didn¡¯t know Sara and she didn¡¯t think she was going to be good at consoling anyone. So she made herself scarce after what happened. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like you to move into Sara¡¯s home. You are going to be working for the guard, so you should live in the town, get used to the people.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not so sure that is a good idea.¡± ¡°She would want someone to live there. I don¡¯t think that it should be left to rot, and I can¡¯t sell it.¡± ¡°Can we talk?¡± ¡°Always.¡± He stepped into her room. ¡°Honestly. I don¡¯t want the house.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Also, I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m comfortable being around you right now. You¡­ I watched you pour pitch over a man and burn him alive. Whatever you have planned, I don¡¯t think I want to be around when it all blows up. Harlan, I understand why you did it, you were¡­ you are still hurting. But that was too far.¡± ¡°Do you want me to gate you somewhere? Or are you fine with walking?¡± ¡°I hate to ask, but can you give me some money for travel?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, I understand that I crossed a line.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll gather my things and be out by tonight.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you a few hundred silver, a couple dozen gold.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too much.¡± ¡°Ten gold, forty silver.¡± ¡°That¡¯s still-¡± ¡°Just take the money. I¡¯m sorry for what you saw that day. I never wanted others to see me like that.¡± ¡°Be honest, how bad are things going to get?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to kill him, kill his army, work alongside enemies of the state to do it. But that is it. I¡¯m not going after his wife, his children, I don¡¯t want collateral. This is between me and him. And If I get caught, I¡¯ve got another plan, then things might get really really bad. If that happens, you¡¯ll know, and you should leave the country if that happens. Go to the Confederacy, find a state that doesn¡¯t mind you, and lay low for a while.¡± ¡°What do you have planned?¡± ¡°If I said it, that idea would be out in the world.¡± ¡°If something happens, can you get Yara out of the academy?¡± ¡°I can.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to leave you right now, I know things are hard with¡­ what happened. But thank you for everything.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I made you feel like a stranger in my home. I hope things are better when next we meet.¡± Harlan sent a message to Black-1 to get the money ready, he had other business to attend to. There was a marked decrease in many species of dangerous magical creatures over the next week; strange sounds came out of the forests of the frontier. Brig was working overtime to forge weapons and armor for an army that could never be tied back to them. He never showed up at the funeral, he never came in when they had their remembrance, but he liked the girl, she could banter back and forth with the old man unlike the others. Unmarked plate in several sizes, swords far too large for any man, maces, even guns, they lined the walls of the bunker, waiting for pick up. Gates opened at all hours, and creatures that looked like beastkin, but whose presence was distinctly wrong, came to pick them up. A bird overhead watched the carriage, the amulet fused to its back giving a constant read out of the position. 100 Kalaks and 600 flesh golems waited in position, the trial was expected to take two hours, and then he would come back along the only bend in the road. Harlan was glad to have overprepared, his enemy had as well. Count Haldren¡¯s forces numbered 1000, he expected retaliation, or perhaps it was nothing but a show of force, an intimidation for Harlan. Kaiak was among the soldiers. ¡°These things really are strange. From the outside, they truly do appear to be people.¡± He waved his hand in front of its face. ¡°Refrain from doing that.¡± He jumped back. ¡°We are given many phrases and responses to certain actions. I can tell from this knowledge that you expected me to be a machine. I am, but I can pretend to be more.¡± ¡°Can you answer questions?¡± ¡°I have been given responses to certain questions.¡± ¡°Do you feel anything?¡± ¡°I can feel my flesh, but only for the sake of knowing where I have been damaged, I feel no pain, and I do not feel the gentle breeze.¡± ¡°How do you know it is gentle then?¡± It pointed at the trees. ¡°I can see the sway. I estimate seven miles per hour winds, we must take that into account when we fire from long range.¡± ¡°So you really are just a machine.¡± ¡°I have no mind, my soul is limited. I am a shell of meat meant to hold a weapon and then disappear into cold storage when this is over.¡± ¡°Do you have¡­ parts?¡± ¡°No, we do not.¡± Kaiak stood next to the Ursa-like thing, asking it many mundane questions to kill time. He was a man of action, he disliked waiting. The capital city which was named for the count, or rather, some distant ancestor, was beautiful and bustling. For however many crimes that the man might¡¯ve committed, he made his money and used it to keep his things in order so more people would come to his cities to expand his taxable population.. Harlan sat at a bar with one of Dearil¡¯s golems. ¡°Things are ready?¡± ¡°Both sides are in position. We just need to get this farce of a trial done.¡± ¡°How much do you expect to lose?¡± ¡°Not a single coin.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve read what you put out. Calling him the bastard son of his father and a feisty goat isn¡¯t something that they are going to overlook.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a bit more well versed in noble law. While he is under investigation by Seekers, any defamation suit is to delay payment. If they find that the man in question has a reputation so poor that it cannot be worsened, the suit is dropped even if he wins the trial today. So it doesn¡¯t matter that I paid an artist to draw him being mounted by a deer and sent the painting to his wife. Actually, I think I¡¯ll be fined for harassment for that one. But fuck it.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been drinking.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a very strange sensation. I¡¯m of two minds, one that is being physically affected by the liquor, and one that can think clearly. I¡¯ll clear myself of it before I see the judge, I just wanted to run a test, to see how the split mind reacts.¡± Harlan pounded down several shots back to back. ¡°And just so we are fucking clear. His kid and his woman are to be unharmed, or we will have a fucking problem.¡± Harlan chucked the last glass against the wall. ¡°Sorry.¡± He placed a few gold coins on the counter. ¡°That¡¯s for my drink¡­ and the glass. The rest, LET THE PEOPLE DRINK.¡± He got cheers from the bar, and everyone there would be too drunk to remember what he said even if they did manage to read their lips when they spoke under a clear veil. Harlan sobered himself up and waited by himself in the lobby of the courthouse. He didn¡¯t want the rest of the family to be there, this was just between him and the count. He was pacing back and forth, the half an hour felt like days. Finally the count arrived. Harlan felt¡­ alright actually. He didn¡¯t want to go over there and tear him apart, he just had to keep himself in check until it was over. This man was dead, he just didn¡¯t know it yet. The gavel struck and court began. ¡°I will now proside over the case of Count Haldren vs Archmage Changeling, also known as Count Harlan Fomoria. The charges are harassment and defamation. The maximum fine shall be 500 gold per offense, and if I so choose, a public apology.¡± Haldren acted as his own lawyer, and he was very good at it, his arguments were quickly made, precise, and they cut deeply. When it was Harlan¡¯s turn however, his lawyer was a man who worked under Balor. Every argument he made so heavily referenced laws and cases of the past that it took longer than the two hours they had expected. Harlan¡¯s case wasn¡¯t air tight, he was never going to win, but he was fine with wasting the count¡¯s time. ¡°Your honor, I believe this has gone on long enough, Sir Fomoria is clearly trying to simply drag this out.¡± ¡°Sustained. Sir Fomoria, you will have your man finish his defense within the next 10 minutes, or I will be siding with Count Haldren.¡± ¡°I am going to forgo my lawyer from this point onwards. I believe my closing argument will wrap things up in less than a minute.¡± ¡°Very well, this is certain to end quickly one way or the other.¡± ¡°Thank you, your honor.¡± Harlan cleared his throat and put on a large smile. ¡°I believe there can be no defamation for this gutless, chicken shit, pig fucking, son of a mother who laid with any beast under the sun. I rest my case.¡± ¡°1000 gold is to be paid to Count Haldren in one month''s time. You must also issue a public apology.¡± The gavel slammed once again. ¡°Court is adjourned.¡± Out in the hallway the count approached Harlan. ¡°Was this really worth it? 1000 gold could buy dozens of servants. And what I don¡¯t understand, is why you think I would bother to kill someone close to you. We¡¯ve all heard the speeches from you, you are nothing but an animal waiting to be provoked so you can justify lashing out. If I intended to make you react, I¡¯d kill your mother or sisters, not some no name servant girl. Unless of course you were using her for more than just cleaning your sheets?¡± Harlan closed his eyes to calm himself before responding, he just needed to remember, two hours, then this is all over. ¡°I would do far more than this for her. I will never-¡± He felt his hands touching something, so he opened his eyes to find he had been choking the count and as a result, was surrounded by guards. ¡°I want this man arrested.¡± The guards moved in, but Harlan raised his hand. ¡°A count and an archmage both require a warrant for arrest, in most cases at least. Because I simply assaulted you instead of killing you outright, you must go to a judge and get a little piece of paper saying that I am under arrest. So I¡¯ll see you in three or four days when you get it.¡± The people standing around murmured to one another questioning if it was true until a lawyer stepped in and quoted specific law regarding the situation. ¡°This is not the end, boy.¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s not the end. Because I don¡¯t want you dead, not quite yet. I¡¯m going to find out how to ruin you, your reputation, your home, your finances. Then when that day comes, you will beg me to end it, and I¡¯ll shove you into an unmarked grave. You and I are going to be seeing each other for a very long time.¡± ¡°Funny, because the way I see it, I¡¯ve taken a thousand gold from you, and you lack the self-control to not let me take another thousand, again and again. We will see what you can do without a coin to your name.¡± ¡°Oh I¡¯d still be able to ruin you, I¡¯d just need to change my tactics a little.¡± Harlan left via gate and the count stormed off. Chapter 198: A Tragedy Harlan left by gate, and as soon as he was sure he was alone he moved to the swamp bunker. Then he made a call to Dearil. ¡°I¡¯ve made my scene, he is probably going to be rushing home without making any stops.¡± ¡°Did they seem convinced?¡± ¡°Every emotion I felt was exactly what he showed. I read him like an open book, now it¡¯s time for a burning. And remember, the wife and the kid are to be left alone.¡± ¡°My men will do everything they can, but if something goes wrong in the middle of a battlefield, there is only so much that can be done about it.¡± ¡°And that is why my golems make up the bulk of the force and why they are the ones who get the kill. Your men do not step within 15 feet of that carriage.¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting the feeling that you don¡¯t trust me. Cold feet? Worried about having collateral damage?¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing something far greater than trusting you, I¡¯m working with you knowing that I don¡¯t trust you.¡± ¡°The attack will commence soon. Will you be there?¡± ¡°Neither myself nor any of my mirrors will be there. I¡¯ve learned from others that you keep as many degrees of separation from yourself and your work as you can. Hence why the one that I sent to you was not built like me, I¡¯m lithe, he was bulky, I¡¯m six foot, he was squat, his features were soft, mine are sharp, he had a full beard, I let my fiance shave me every day.¡± ¡°Now it just sounds like you¡¯re showing off.¡± ¡°Depending on how this goes, and what other dominoes are knocked down, I might need to do this again. If things go really well, and we continue to work together, I am willing to flesh shape you into a younger body, give you back use of your legs.¡± ¡°So then, what is the stick? You are dangling that carrot in front of me.¡± ¡°I kill you.¡± ¡°Well, I feel this conversation cannot go much further after that. I will contact you again for gate.¡± ¡°Good. And do remember that the stone I gave you is a prototype, destroy it after it is used, assuming it doesn¡¯t blow someone''s hand off. And pick up the pieces if it does, both the hand and the stone.¡± Harlan, both of him, went to make witnesses. For the main mind and body, he took Adina out for dinner, for the other him, he was back at the academy, teaching his students. Haldren moved slowly along the road. ¡°My goodness, honey, those bruises are terrible. Shall I get my blush?¡± ¡°I will bear with it until we reach home. No sense in covering it up.¡± ¡°Daddy, does it hurt?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, just a small pain.¡± ¡°What a horrible beast of a man. And how dare he use his title to get away with attacking you like that.¡± ¡°How he believes that I killed some servant I¡¯ve never heard of I¡¯ll never know. But I will not let him think he can insult me without getting insults back.¡± ¡°He must be removed before she takes the throne or he¡¯ll be around this kingdom forever. A man like him does not deserve to live forever.¡± ¡°A baseless rumor.¡± ¡°Was it baseless when he took his own life, more than once, just to show that he couldn¡¯t be so easily killed? Shame that he didn¡¯t arrive at the funeral with both of them.¡± ¡°Darling. Did you?¡± ¡°He needs to die or be driven away. If only he didn¡¯t have such tight security around that little sister of his. I¡¯m sure an Unseen taking her life would be all it takes. If he reacted like this to some servant, imagine how he-¡± ¡°We must do these things together. You failed to hire the right men for the job and it is going to cost us. Now we are too far in, I will hire the right people this time. It is going to take time to get rid of him, killing would be harder than making him run away. Once his immediate family is gone, he is likely to fall off the face of the planet into some dark hole where he can-¡± The count heard the explosions, fireballs and firearms. He tried to use his amulet to call for reinforcements, but found that it could not connect to anything. ¡°Direct hits on all targets, estimated deaths are 221. Begin charge. The Kalak will remain as sharpshooters, taking out the mages.¡± Along with being along the only bend in the road, the reason for the bend was a hill, one which the flesh golems worked to painstakingly carve a great deal of runes into. The face of this hill slid down as a mudslide which killed another few dozen and revealed the hill to have been turned into an impromptu fort with kill windows and ramparts and cannons. Now it was time for the golems to charge. They slid down the hill on tracks using anti-friction spells, slamming into the enemy forces like charging bulls. The soldiers were off kilter, but they had been expecting something and they had expected it to be here. From the eyes of the bird overhead, Harlan saw a fraction of what war looked like with his soulsmithed items. His vision turned into nothing but fire in moments as hundreds of spells from both sides were fired off one after the other. For a simple fireball the recharge time was less than a second, not truly instant, but fast enough that both sides could lay down a blanket of fire. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. It was great and terrible as they continually clashed, the sound was deafening, requiring the units on both sides to use veils to avoid losing their healing until they could see a doctor. Yet Harlan saw the cracks in the air as they popped one after the other. Something like this was new, soulsmithed on soulsmithed armies hadn¡¯t yet clashed even on this level. The Reinoans refused the equipment, for revolutionaries vs the army, one side always won out too quickly for what happened next. The air, consumed with flames, got hotter and hotter, the explosions stopped simply exploding, they started to hang in the air. Each form of mana, which remained nearly balanced with a slight edge in earth due to the area, suddenly turned to fire. A chain reaction had begun, the spells fed the mana, which fed the spells, so long as people continued to cast, it got hotter and hotter, the spells got stronger and stronger. Harlan could only look on in terror as he realized what was about to happen. Xol monitored for certain events. The natural birthing of pure elemental mana was normally a prediction of volcanic eruptions, massive hundred mile wildfires that threatened to consume swaths of the country. This, was very unnatural. It happened too quickly, and in a location which lacked heightened levels of fire mana only an hour prior. ¡°Harlan had a court case in that area, didn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°We should go there, find out what is-¡± The map they were looking at went dark, the entire area turned into a dead zone. Harlan was jolted back to his body, he could still feel the searing heat. Adina picked him up from the floor of the restaurant in Dullen. ¡°What happened? Harlan, are you alright?¡± ¡°Madam, should we call a healer?¡± Harlan¡¯s eyes flashed black and then returned to normal many times. ¡°Something has happened and The Darkness says that I need to find out why.¡± He handed a gold coin to the waiter to cover their meal, his tip, and the damages. He had seized for a moment and upturned the table. Harlan gated to a second area within range before actually heading to the site of the blast. But when the gate opened, the heat was too intense for him to step through, so he moved a dozen miles further away. It was¡­ odd. There was nothing, he hadn¡¯t been anywhere without minds around in a long time. He saw the city walls, the ones closest to the heatwave, had been reduced to slag. ¡°Divine for people. At your range you might find survivors.¡± Humans, no response. Deer. Cats. Birds. Worms. Harlan fell to his knees, when his tears hit the dirt, covered in desiccated grass, they boiled away in moments. ¡°You¡­ I don¡¯t know what to tell you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I killed them all.¡± They let the silence hang in the air. He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. ¡°This is what revenge will do. When people do something that they can never forgive themselves for, they have two options. They either go all in, they let themselves turn into monsters who will do anything. Or they spend the rest of their lives trying to make up for it. I remember when I told you about my past, I killed men out of anger and I put their heads on pikes. The blood of thousands are on my hands. There was once a city, they had turned to cannibalism. Looking back, I should¡¯ve seen it for what it was, people pushed past the point of humanity.. Instead I let my disgust at what they had done, and my anger that someone I knew went missing as a messenger in the city overwhelm me. I stood on the wall and cast my spells, the city drowned in fire, men, women, children. I burned more cities, places that my small mind couldn¡¯t understand as being full of desperate people, not monsters. I¡¯ve made no small number of mistakes, and I¡¯ve been trying to make that right for over a thousand years.¡± ¡°Did you?¡± ¡°What you did was a mistake, and accident, something you couldn¡¯t have known.¡± ¡°What did I do?¡± Xol raised Harlan from the ground. ¡°Boy¡­ no, Harlan. What was happening there, can you tell me?¡± ¡°I recruited the Kalak Revolutionary Army to help me kill Count Haldren. I supplied them with hundreds of flesh golems, weapons, armor. Both sides just kept throwing fireballs, my golems were acting more defensively. They were fighting fire with fire. I saw the mana start to shift, the water mana was driven out, then everything changed, too quickly. It was like everything flipped, it all turned to fire, and then it went to pure fire in an instant. I didn¡¯t know what was happening, I should¡¯ve stopped my golems, I- Why did this happen? Does this happen during wars?¡± ¡°You flooded an area with so much mono-elemental spells that the mana reacted.¡± ¡°If I hadn¡¯t made soulsmithing, had I never let them so easily throw out so much fire, this-¡± Xol slapped him hard across the face. ¡°Honey, are you alright?¡± Marigold was more worried about her husband being so upset that he struck Harlan. ¡°I¡¯ve been alive a very, very long time, I¡¯ve seen two worlds. I have lived and died hundreds of times. I have lived in Reino under those Fae, I¡¯ve lived in Ragne under tyrants and Yggdra. I¡¯ve been human, Beastkin, and more. Every time I died my soul found a new body, any infant who happened to be stillborn, some empty vessel. I¡¯ve had families, friends, people who I waved too on the street die from that war. That war that you stopped. I¡¯ve been experimented on by priests who realized my immortal soul was a source of limitless power. Harlan you are not one of those men. That you are crushed under the weight of your sins proves this, so stand up, see where you went wrong, and fix it. You can never ¡± Harlan slapped Xol back. ¡°I CAN¡¯T FIX THIS. I CAN¡¯T BRING THEM BACK TO LIFE.¡± The crystal rose staff shattered in his hand as he gripped it. ¡°When things go bad, and I have seen them go bad, you are going to be the one at the frontline fighting until you can¡¯t stand, then you¡¯ll change your body, and you¡¯ll do it again. If I had half of your strength of heart, half of your drive, I wouldn¡¯t have been a miner who died in a cave back home, I would¡¯ve ruled the goddamned world. Right now you don¡¯t need to be coddled, you do not need to be comforted, you need to do something. Let me take you somewhere that you can do good, to show you that you are good even if you made a mistake.¡± Xol opened a void gate. ¡°You said that-¡± ¡°There is almost no magic I¡¯ve not cracked, if it kills me in the process, I come back. I¡¯m jealous of you and Sepul, you are both so talented that it disgusts me.¡± ¡°Xol, where are you taking him?¡± ¡°To see the outside world, to help him understand some things about life. Darling, please watch his family and friends, he is going to lose connection with his other bodies outside the veil.¡± Xol waited for Harlan to speak. ¡°Boy, I don¡¯t keep my soul in any of my bodies, the central point exists inside of my small world. You were supposed to ask why I won¡¯t lose connections.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°Use the extra space freed up by not controlling extra bodies into beating yourself up, use the rest to be the young inquisitive boy who my wife loves like a nephew.¡± ¡°I need to explain to my student what is going to happen.¡± ¡°Marigold can do it.¡± Xol tossed him through the portal. Chapter 199: Beyond the Veil Harlan found himself on a hill overlooking a town not quite big enough to be a city. From its walls that seemed higher than reasonable for such a place, white flags and banners hung. ¡°I am going to observe you, nothing more. Do what you please.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because you want to give up on violence. I will not accept that, and you won¡¯t either.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt anyone right now.¡± ¡°We will see how long that lasts.¡± Harlan sat on the hill for some time until he saw a wagon train full of caged people he did not know. Their skin was a pale blue, their ears were pointed and they had small nubs where he could tell horns of some kind had been cut. But their features were sharp, almost Fomorian, and their figures lithe. They were filthy, unhealed cuts festered, fresh brands could be seen upon their skin. Harlan walked near the cage and a guard thought to shove him away, but upon seeing the quality of his clothes, decided to change his approach. ¡°If you wish to see the merchandise you would be better served waiting for the auction where they will be cleaned.¡± ¡°Are they criminals?¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Harlan Fomoria.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know your name. What kingdom are you from?¡± ¡°Ragne.¡± ¡°I do not know that kingdom. Are you traveling?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m very far from home.¡± ¡°After the fall of Elfique, we are taking them to be sold into slavery.¡± ¡°Why are they in such terrible condition then, why the brands and untreated wounds?¡± ¡°You must¡¯ve lived a very sheltered life to not know of the brands. They keep them in line, and mark them as slaves until the day that they die.¡± ¡°So they are a conquered people, they¡¯ve no debts, and they have committed no crimes?¡± ¡°They are Dague, is that not crime enough?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a Dague.¡± ¡°Then you are luckier than most.¡± ¡°But these Dague, they have committed no crimes?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t intend to buy them, then fuck off, we¡¯re almost at the gate.¡± Harlan felt the minds of them, they were women, young boys and girls, but no men. Most looked so broken down that they sat completely still, but one girl, she reached out to him. He didn¡¯t know how to tell the ages of these people, but if she was a day over 20, he would be shocked. ¡°Please, help my people.¡± The guard swung his baton, breaking her arm at the elbow. ¡°You¡¯ll get another brand for that one. One more and it''s off to the tests for you.¡± The mention of these tests was enough to force the women silent despite the tears that fell from the pain. ¡°I understand now.¡± ¡°I said if you aren¡¯t going to-¡± Harlan struck the guard, but when his helmet was knocked off, he saw that the man was seemingly made entirely of metal, so instead of losing his head, he simply staggered back. ¡°Get this little shit.¡± Harlan hadn¡¯t thought much of his height, but he realized that the races around him, lizards and Dague and whatever this metal man was, were on average six and a half feet tall or more, the average height for humans was five and a half. He thought for a moment about that, so far as he knew there were no reptile beastkin. The metal man put away the small baton and instead got out a large club off his back. It was Harlan¡¯s style, heavy as can be, studded, but made of a faintly magical metal that Harlan didn¡¯t recognize. Harlan deflected the blow with his hands, and once in his grip, he yanked it from the hand of the guard. The other rushed in once it was clear that their companion was not going to handle this so easily. Harlan grabbed the metal man by the wrist and threw him to give him enough space to check the balance on his new weapon. Whatever that man was, he was not overly strong, even if he did seem to be very durable. After flipping it around a few times Harlan swung at the first of the guards, turning his shield into little more than a cast of metal wrapped around his broken arm. Yet he had survived and backed off. ¡°The hell is he?¡± ¡°Those features, Half-Dague?¡± ¡°Not even full Dague are so strong. And look, his skin is pale, but the tint is wrong.¡± ¡°Doesn''t matter. Who the hell would dare attack a Cast in this place? And why?¡± ¡°To steal the slaves?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like it.¡± Harlan moved over to unhook the cart from whatever the things were that carried it forward. It had been forced to a stop by his empathy overcoming whatever training it had. No orders from the driver nor cracking of the whip would move it forward. The metal man had dug himself out of the dirt and rushed forward, with him around, the others felt confident enough to help again. Then Harlan spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill you, I want to understand why these people are being treated like objects.¡± He took the hand of the woman who had asked for help and healed her arm. ¡°HE¡¯S A MAGE.¡± One of the men called out, and the others backed away. ¡°Is that supposed to be impressive?¡± Harlan moved his hands and the men nearly fled from fright. When he pointed his fingers, they hid behind their shields and the metal man scoffed. ¡°Where are your identification papers? If you intend to steal these slaves I¡¯ll have you reported to your superiors.¡± Harlan cocked his head to the side. ¡°What papers and what superiors? And you cannot steal people, you kidnap them. I will not do either of these things.¡± The color drained from the faces of the men, even the metal one seemed shocked by the response. Harlan didn¡¯t understand until he heard these words whispered, unregistered mage. Even then, he didn¡¯t understand the scope of what it meant, but he knew that they thought it was something bad. The metal man steeled himself, he knew what he had to do, letting one of them go was a very bad idea, the rewards for them were just too high. He resumed his rush forward, but he was slow on top of being weak compared to Harlan, his durability really was his only redeeming factor. Even that seemed to falter as Harlan brought down the mace on his head. First he was dazed and confused, but only received a small dent. Then as the blows kept landing more and more dents piled up, then his skin broke, and the red liquid that was not truly blood spilled out. Many of the men finally fled. ¡°I said, I didn¡¯t want to kill anyone. What are you?¡± The metal man spit and gurgled blood before answering. ¡°The Castian Empire will not forgive this.¡± ¡°So you are Cast? Or part of a Caste system?¡± The Dague woman spoke up. ¡°They are the Cast, monsters of metal born from wizards and witches. Get me out of this cage, and I can explain much more. You are clearly not from here, you need me. But first, kill him. He is a beast, he said he enjoyed when us squishies broke when he¡­¡± Harlan bashed the head of the Cast until metallic brain matter was spread around. The Town guards saw all of this but were waiting for reinforcements before they dared move in against a man who used only physical strength to kill a Cast. He used this time to grab hold of the bars and pull them apart with some effort, but without imbibing. Next he used some metal shaping magic to break her restraints, but when he tried to do the same to another of the slaves, they fought back. ¡°NO NO NO NO, I CAN¡¯T REMOVE THE CHAINS, MASTER DOES NOT LIKE IT, I¡¯VE ALREADY TWO BRANDS, I CAN¡¯T HANDLE THE TESTING.¡± Harlan was dejected, not even his empathy could overcome the fear that became master of their minds. ¡°I would be more merciful to simply kill those who cannot become free.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to do that, I will find a way to help them, or at least try my hardest.¡± ¡°What a naive way of thinking. You¡¯ll only hurt them more, broken cannot unbreak, unless you can remove the memories, heal their scars, they are broken.¡± Harlan¡¯s eyes went black, but he retained some awareness of the outside world. What he learned from controlling two bodies applied even when he returned to a singular entity. ¡°What am I doing here?¡± ¡°My child. What are you doing there?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I feel like if I take one more step forward, I¡¯ll never come back, out here nobody knows me, I¡¯m accountable only to myself.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Then let yourself be judge, jury, and executioner. This is what you wish to hear, so I¡¯ve said it.¡± ¡°But what about everyone back home. I can¡¯t just leave them alone.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve not to worry for. You never left.¡± ¡°I¡¯m I in some grand illusion? Is my mind fractured and is this a delusion to make myself feel better?¡± ¡°That little touch of foulness still existed in you.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°It means you never left, the other body cut off from you, is now a full being.¡± ¡°Shit, I can¡¯t let him-¡± ¡°He is an exact copy of you. Can you trust yourself for the duration of this campaign?¡± ¡°Of course I can¡¯t, I¡¯m me.¡± ¡°Would you truly leave such cruelty unpunished, would you turn your eyes from this suffering?¡± Harlan was somewhere else, the inside of his mind was not his living room, it had turned to a battlefield. He recognized the metal man dragging a woman into a tent. What he saw, as the woman couldn¡¯t bring herself to describe, filled him with murderous fury. ¡°This is your choice, it is out of my hands what you do. Oh, and what that man did, was perfectly legal in many countries and under the flag of many empires.¡± When Harlan awoke he returned to the body and tore it to shreds, he pounded his fists into the corpse until it was nothing but silvery red paste. He grew in size, replaced his hands with claws, his head became like that of a wolf, and every inch of him was covered in his golem armor, it had to be thinned out, but it was worth the extra defense. He walked backward down the line of wagons and with both arms outstretched he cut the top and bottom of each bar, even a light push made them fall to the ground. For the hundred carts, two hundred stepped out and cowered behind him. The people had arrived, men with shiny badges showing a book on it. The man in front looked to be in his 50s, he was thin and balding, he didn¡¯t seem intimidated, nor did he seem to care about Harlan. ¡°Are you the unregistered mage known as Harlan Fomoria?¡± He adjusted his throat to speak with human tone rather than a growling speech. ¡°Would you stand behind the treatment of these people in this way?¡± ¡°That is not our concern. Every mage must be registered, from what we can gather, you don¡¯t know local customs, and you don¡¯t seem to even know about us. Where did you receive your training?¡± ¡°The grand academy.¡± ¡°There are various academies with that name.¡± ¡°In Ragne.¡± ¡°And where is that?¡± ¡°Past the veil.¡± The man¡¯s companions burst out in laughter, but the older man was unamused. ¡°If you cannot answer seriously, I will be forced to take you in for a proper interrogation.¡± ¡°Do I sound as if I am joking? And do you think it could take me in?¡± The man recognized at that moment that if Harlan didn¡¯t know about the order of magic, he wasn¡¯t going to be afraid of what would happen if he killed him. ¡°Where is your country located?¡± ¡°I could show you memories.¡± ¡°And how do you intend to do that?¡± ¡°Soul magic of course.¡± ¡°Xerrath, go verify.¡± ¡°Why me?¡± ¡°You can be replaced more easily.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t know how to protect myself from soul attacks.¡± ¡°And who does?¡± ¡°I can.¡± Harlan said with a grin on his face. ¡°Xerrath, go now or your understudying days will be very short.¡± ¡°Come boy, I¡¯ve no intent to harm unless you stand in my way.¡± He looked to be human, 5¡¯4, 15 or younger, red hair and freckles. Harlan showed him images of the grand academy and of the crest of Ragne, various things that might prove the existence of what he says. ¡°Sir¡­ I think he is telling the truth.¡± The boy was shivering in fear and his companions didn¡¯t look much better. Along with images from Ragne, he also showed what he was capable of. ¡°To cross the veil¡­¡± ¡°I am the champion of darkness. Now that we have that out of the way, I¡¯ve much better things to do.¡± The old man replied with shaky words. ¡°Of course.¡± They fled with such haste that the commander of the reinforcements from the town itself didn¡¯t get the chance to ask why. The Dague cackled madly. ¡°What is your name?¡± ¡°I am Mercedes. With your help, my people will be free.¡± She grabbed his hands and placed them on her face. ¡°Please, help us.¡± ¡°I dislike people who try to manipulate me. I can read you, and you want my power, but your goals aren¡¯t mine. Why?¡± ¡°Sir, I have no idea what you mean, you¡¯re scaring me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll show you how scary I can be if you continue to lie to me. What are you hiding?¡± He removed her hands from his face. ¡°Sir, you¡¯re hurting me.¡± The town guard, backed up by bits and pieces of mercenary armies who followed the various leaders who planned to purchase slaves, arrived. ¡°I expect answers when I return.¡± With the wagons on his right, Harlan circled left so any stray shots wouldn¡¯t endanger the comatose people. ¡°Beast, you are to be brought in for questioning.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve a single question for you, are you truly alright with a man defiling a woman to the point he kills her?¡± When Harlan was done explaining what he had been shown by his god, a number of the men looked green, but most were unfazed. The captain responded. ¡°What a master does with his property is not my concern.¡± ¡°ANY WHO SET DOWN THEIR ARMS SHALL BE SPARED.¡± Harlan roared out his warning. Far fewer spells than Harlan expected were fired upon him, the shock of the men earlier about him being a mage made a little more sense. Not a single soldier from Ragne or Reino lacked the ability to use veils or cast elemental magic. With their magical metal being something unable to focus mana like the magical metals that he knew, they could do very little. He could take a number of attacks and then just grab a dead body to subsume, sometimes a living one would do as well. He took on the traits of these people, metallic scales grew under his fur. Many of these attacks didn¡¯t even harm him, their weapons too dull and light to get past his armor and then his natural defenses. Just as he was about to swipe a young man, he dropped his weapon, so Harlan redirected his attack to kill another. Harlan bit and clawed his way through hundreds. Their formation to protect the mages meant that no large spell could be used against him without killing dozens of their own men, and Harlan¡¯s lack of showing any signs of real damage or fatigue meant that the normal soldiers were little better than a meatshield. So they began opening fire on their own men, and when that didn¡¯t work, they tried to flee. But Harlan despised people like that, who without asking, would sacrifice their own comrades in some attempt to win. He leapt into the sky, his teeth sunk into the flesh of the flying lizard man and tore it from his shoulders. Harlan landed on a bed of spears, but none of them hit his brain, so he flexed to shatter the wooden hafts and continued the slaughter. More and more, people just dropped their weapons. Eventually there was one man, the captain of the town guard. Harlan walked to the shaky man who was covered in blood and viscera from his allies. He took his own life rather than go back to tell his bosses that he failed. Harlan walked on the knuckles of his four arms like some kind of gorilla, and as he got closer to the town gate, his form became more human, though he did keep an extra set of arms. Over 600 men had died, over 1000 were spared. He made his way through the streets, throwing out void spells that cut the chains of the slaves, telling them that they were free now, and daring anyone to stop him. Those who did had their head crushed on the nearest solid object. When he made his way to what he could only assume was the mayor''s home, he looked at the arrays and scoffed. Even the chief of Luth had better defenses. All of his hands and Dawn worked together, unraveling them before they stepped inside. Every bit of magic that he had seen thus far in this place was disappointing. He needed to look into what this entire mage registration issue was, as it was the most likely culprit for magic being so simple. He walked to what he was guessing was the mayor''s room, as it was the most heavily guarded area thus far. He heard the sounds of yells and squelching. Then his door opened, blood flowing through the open door. ¡°You must have a lot of slaves, don¡¯t you?¡± The mayor put on a strong face, clearly the man had been a figure of respect and authority for long enough that he was deluded into thinking he mattered to someone like Harlan. ¡°As is my right in this grand empire.¡± ¡°And if I spoke to them, would they speak highly of you as a fair man?¡± ¡°They godsdamned better or I¡¯ll have their heads.¡± Harlan cut the head from the mayor and put it on the statue of himself in the courtyard. He walked back to the battlefield, some men mourned the dead, others just looted. The free Dague hadn¡¯t moved inside the city, nor had they fled. ¡°Those of you who have surrendered, you are free to leave, or you may join me. Dague, those of you who wish to join me, make a pile of bodies, strip the dead of their equipment, but if another of their band lays claim to their items, give them up.¡± Mercedes walked up to Harlan. ¡°What about the bastards of this town who would¡¯ve bought us as toys, do you intend to just let them get away with this?¡± ¡°I am here to set something right. I am not here to kill anyone who might¡¯ve been a monster in the past. I will hold trials for each and every member of the town, those who have slaves must face them in court, if they have done wrong by them, death is the likely outcome. Destroying a culture is not a small task, but it is one that I am going to set myself upon.¡± ¡°These soldiers, you know that they must¡¯ve-¡± ¡°I AM OFFERING PARDONS TO ANY MAN WHO TAKES UP MY BANNER, BUT YOU WILL BE REMEMBERED, YOUR CRIMES SHALL NOT BE OVERLOOKED A SECOND TIME. YOUR FIRST DUTY WILL BE TO PROTECT THESE DAGUE UNTIL MY RETURN.¡± A great deal of the soldiers picked up their arms again, and whether it was because they were just too afraid to say no, or they did actually want a clean slate, they took up defensive positions around the Dague. Mercedes, deciding that she was important, tagged along with Harlan. Harlan went to the slave quarters of the former mayor¡¯s home and began healing the people, but found that the brand never came off, it rejected all of his attempts at healing. Mercedes spoke up when she noticed how hard he seemed to be focusing. ¡°The brand is magic, something invented by a grand wizard. It cannot be healed.¡± ¡°We will see about that. Miss, would you be willing to follow me to another room?¡± She was some kind of beastkin he didn¡¯t know the name of. Her scales were smooth and small giving her an almost snake like appearance, but if he had to guess, she was mixed with some species of amphibian, skinks perhaps. She was also probably the tallest person he had met, but she kept her thin body slightly coiled to remain under 13 feet tall. ¡°Of course, master.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not your master, I¡¯ve killed your master.¡± ¡°That makes you my new master.¡± ¡°You have no master.¡± It was hard to read beastkin faces, but from her twitching and using his empathy, she was deeply confused. ¡°Who is my master?¡± ¡°You have no master.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to come to another room with me, you don¡¯t need to.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I understand, who is my master now?¡± ¡°You are your own master.¡± That seemed to get through to her, she had been born a slave, and never knew a life without a master, but being her own master could be understood. ¡°Why should I go to another room?¡± ¡°Because I might be able to get the brand off of you.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± They moved to a storage room of some sort, Harlan took note of how large everything seemed to be built here. ¡°Are you human?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never met a human before.¡± ¡°Are they rare out here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You probably weren¡¯t taught much, were you?¡± ¡°I do not need to know history to clean.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to cover your eyes, my magic can be painful to look at, is that alright with you?¡± ¡°Yes. I think so.¡± Harlan felt bad about it, but he draped a sheet over her head because cloth didn¡¯t stay on her smooth head very well. It took only a few minutes, but with the sigils painted using color magic he could remove the brand. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s gone. Thank you.¡± She didn¡¯t seem to realize how important it was, but she was grateful. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Do you know where the vault is here?¡± ¡°Yes. He always made me clean without clothing so I couldn¡¯t hide coins.¡± ¡°Will you take me there?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± They used a hidden wall to find a set of stairs down to the room. ¡°You can¡¯t go inside though. The door is locked.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see about that.¡± ¡°It is a living door, it can¡¯t be easily tricked.¡± Harlan could feel the mind, and was amazed and disgusted. He assumed the worst, that they had killed somebody to use their soul for this. It spoke in a deep voice. ¡°My master is dead. I cannot open for anyone without approval from his masters.¡± Harlan felt how simple the mind was, so he used empathy, it was like making an animal do something. The doors slid open and Harlan saw what he needed, neatly organized boxes of mana gems. Chapter 200: Inside the Veil Harlan woke up on his floor with Charlotte looking down on him. ¡°Harlan, hey, are you alright?¡± ¡°Give me a minute, let me think.¡± ¡°Dawn, what happened?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. We were with Xol and Marigold, right?¡± ¡°How long have I been here?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been working on my magic for almost an hour. I¡¯m really glad that you are willing to go longer in our work together, but if something is wrong you don¡¯t need to push yourself. I know that you...¡± ¡°I chose to teach you today because if there was anyone who could understand if I needed to stop, it would be you.¡± ¡°Should I go?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, I¡¯m going to call-¡± Marigold appeared in the room suddenly. ¡°Marigold, I was just going to-¡± She didn¡¯t respond, she just used a variety of spells to look at him, mind, body, and soul. ¡°What are you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Harlan, is that¡­¡± ¡°Charlotte, nice to meet you, Harlan mentioned you before. If you are going to faint, go sit on the couch. And don¡¯t mention that I was here.¡± Charlotte didn¡¯t say a word, but she was giddy to just be in the same room as her. ¡°What is the last thing you remember?¡± ¡°I was¡­ that wasteland. Xol used a void gate, but I refused to go in.¡± Marigold was confused, from everything she saw, this was Harlan, not a Harlan, it was THE Harlan. Dawn was there and didn¡¯t remember anything odd, but their memories were wrong, his body was wrong, because it was the one made from Stone Drake parts, but he used that material to only make one body, not two. TIme seemingly stopped as The Darkness stood there in the room. ¡°My my my, what has that witch done? Is this why she placed Paradox inside of him? If she truly wishes for him to stand beside her, why not have one able to stand on both sides? What was it that you said? When someone does something like he has, they either fall into it and turn to a monster, or they spend their life trying to do enough good to offset their sin.¡± ¡°So you claim to have no part in this? I looked at him, there was no paradox.¡± ¡°And that is the paradox, is it not?¡± ¡°Shit.¡± The Darkness let out a lady-like giggle. ¡°How very very amusing. We were rid of that magic, but by its very nature it came back.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°I expect more stimulating conversation from someone as old as you.¡± ¡°I hope that the one that stayed is the one trying to make up for it.¡± ¡°I am excited to see where this goes.¡± ¡°Harlan is not a fucking toy for you.¡± ¡°Ah, there is the fiery young woman I remember. But worry not, the boy is still under my protection and care. I will do what I can to ensure he does what is right by him and his.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad I refused to be your champion.¡± The Darkness¡¯s eyes drooped. ¡°This isn¡¯t fun anymore.¡± Time returned to its normal speed. ¡°Charlotte, please leave while I speak with Harlan.¡± ¡°Of course. Lady Marigold.¡± She didn¡¯t bother correcting her, it wasn¡¯t important right now. Once she was gone Marigold moved him to the couch. ¡°What do you remember about the wasteland?¡± ¡°It was¡­¡± Harlan gripped his head as memories that weren¡¯t from him invaded his mind. Marigold just patted his back trying to soothe him. After almost an hour he was covered in a cold sweat, but he was fully conscious. ¡°That was my fault? I¡­ all of those people.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure. You aren¡¯t, or maybe you are, Harlan. Perhaps you split off from him, or perhaps you were pulled from a different world.¡± ¡°So there is a world without me¡­ maybe that is for the best.¡± She wrapped her arms around him, bringing his head onto her shoulder. ¡°Do you know what I told the other Harlan?¡± ¡°I am the other. I¡¯m not supposed to be here.¡± ¡°By the very nature of that magic, you were always supposed to be here, but nobody could¡¯ve known it before this happened. I told him that people do one of two things after something like that. They either go all in, they think themselves unforgivable, so they become a monster. Or they spend the rest of their lives trying to do enough good to offset their mistake.¡± ¡°Is that why you are here?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to make up for my mistakes and failures for over 1500 years. I¡¯ve tried to avoid violence as a result of what I¡¯ve done, but honestly, I don¡¯t think that path can work for you.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I had nobody, my only family wanted nothing to do with me, humans were¡­ There were few people among them that I cared for. Yggdra was my oldest friend, and when he died, I left. When we last spoke about you being a ruler, I said I¡¯d rather keep our good mood from the conversation before, so I didn¡¯t go further. You can¡¯t leave because you have too many people you care about, and without violence, or the threat of it, they can never live in any form of peace. Yggdra would despise what his country, our country, has become. I gave up and left and everything that happened to you that made you do what you did is my fault.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous.¡± ¡°Why do you blame yourself for what happened?¡± ¡°If I hadn¡¯t¡­ oh¡­ I understand.¡± ¡°My leaving led to corruption not being rooted out. That count would¡¯ve never dared do what he did and then get away with it had I not failed my friend twice. Do you blame me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the same. My actions were the direct cause. You¡¯ve got six centuries of time between now and then that you did nothing.¡± ¡°Yes, I did nothing, not making a choice, not taking action, is an action. Remember, for the rest of your immortal life what you did, never ever forget it, take responsibility for it.¡± Harlan took a deep breath. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ve got to do what I should¡¯ve done from the start. Thank you.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Harlan hugged her with his full strength, she replied with most of her strength. There was a comfort in that lack of words, to tell the other that they are not weak. For the Harlan outside, he was preparing for retaliation, for the Harlan inside, the same could be said. He had put out a statement, saying that his god told him to look into the cause of the destruction of Haldren, and in one month he would have answers. Because of the nature of the attack, the sudden destruction of an entire city, the king made an open invite for Harlan''s reveal of what happened to be held in the gala hall of the castle. He had been invited by the king to prepare his speech beforehand; some pieces of the story might¡¯ve been too much of an issue to let be public. ¡°Boy-¡± ¡°Call me by my name.¡± ¡°HA. Fine, Harlan. What happened?¡± ¡°I did it.¡± The smile instantly vanished from the king¡¯s face. ¡°Safira, double check every security measure in here. Harlan, not a word until then.¡± After 15 minutes, she was done. Harlan first said what really happened, then he said what he planned to tell everyone else. Then, he said what he could do to hopefully make some right out of this. The day had arrived, Though the only guest of Harlan¡¯s who was there was Adina, by his own request. She had been less than happy to hear that her Harlan was out doing who knows what, but at the same time, Marigold made a good argument that this was still Harlan, so she let it go. Or rather, she didn¡¯t take it out on this Harlan. Hundreds of nobles including the dozen dukes of the central territories had arrived. The loss of an entire city and turning dozens of miles of land into a disaster zone was no small matter. Harlan arrived, two bodies of Harlan, so far as anyone knew, this was all of him. He cleared his throat before speaking, his voice magically enhanced to reach every corner of the room. ¡°I am certain you are all wondering who or what was behind the attack. And I do know what has happened, but I will not say how, only why and who. I did it.¡± People¡¯s murmurs turned to roars demanding his head, but Yggdra, sitting in his chair, raised his hand to lower their voices. ¡°Already he has admitted his crimes, so he shall be beheaded.¡± The two Harlans kneeled down and the executioner cut both of their heads off with single strikes. Many looked to Adina, but she did not react. The executioner then removed his mask, showing him to be a third Harlan. ¡°As I¡¯ve both carried out and served my sentence, I suppose this means I am pardoned.¡± More yells demanding another head to roll, and the king once more raised his hand. More than that, he stood from his chair, looking healthier than he had in years. Harlan had convinced him to consider flesh shaping, and even if he found himself unable to stop the Fae magic that would take his life, at least he could live his last year free from his bed. ¡±Sir Harlan Fomoria shall not escape his sentencing. But who among you here has the power to be sure he is dead? Simply put, Harlan is unaging, he has unknown magics, and we have no way to remove him other than finding him every time he comes back and killing that body, but he can also change his face and body shape. We have little idea of how hard he is to kill and he has shown time and time again a disturbing resourcefulness. His sentence shall be servitude to this kingdom, so long as it exists, or 100 years, whichever shall come first. Harlan, you may continue.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t get rid of me, and I¡¯m not interested in killing all of you and setting myself up as an immortal king. I am stuck in this country by circumstances outside of my control, so we can play nice, or we can not play nice, and neither of us wants to see that happen. So long as me and mine are not attacked, I see no reason to attack anyone else. And to attack me would be to attack the nation, because eventually the only thing to do would be to send an army to clash with my own army, and then we would all be weakened against possible advances from confederate states or from Reino. Kalak for instance has a severe issue with us and they have a growing community of revolutionaries on account of Dearil being there. Well, he was there.¡± Guards brought out a man in a wheelchair. Harlan removed the gag. ¡°We had a deal.¡± ¡°And it was predicated on the safety of the count¡¯s wife and child. I saw what was happening, anyone could tell that something was wrong, your men fucked up by using what I gave them like toddlers. So far as I am concerned, it would¡¯ve been better for you to retreat and we try again. Instead a city is dead, and that is on both of our shoulders.¡± ¡°A city is dead, and good riddance to them.¡± Harlan gagged him again. ¡°Any questions?¡± Harbinger raised his hand. ¡°How did you find him, and from the sounds of it, you worked with him?¡± ¡°In order. I did work for my god, and for my prize, I asked for his location as I intended to kill him for the wolf that attacked me years ago. It was intended to kill my sister or my new born niece and nephew, so I could not let that stand. But yes, I did work with him. I wanted the revolutionaries to take credit for killing Haldren. I could not stand the idea that a man like that would be allowed to kill a dear friend of mine and live. So, I did what I needed to do.¡± ¡°And that justified what you did?¡± ¡°Yggdra the First would despise what people have turned this place into. In his age, this would¡¯ve never been anything I would feel the need to do, because the moment it was found out that Haldren ordered the assassination, he would be on trial and the death penalty would at least be an option.¡± ¡°And what would you know of the first king?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve spoken with Marigold, we are good friends.¡± Xol and Marigold had been watching the entire time, invisible to everyone and unheard by them. ¡°So, what exactly did you say to him?¡± ¡°I told him about how Yggdra was a good man and he would¡¯ve never let things get this far. I told him that what happened was my fault because I didn¡¯t stay in the kingdom and help root out corruption. And I told him to take responsibility for what he did.¡± ¡°You could¡¯ve been a little more specific.¡± ¡°I thought he was going to go out and do good things, continue to do good things. Not reveal that it was his fault and declare a cold war against the nation''s nobility.¡± ¡°How sure are we that we got the good Harlan? Or that they both didn¡¯t just decide to go off the rails?¡± ¡°Right now, I don¡¯t know. What has the other one been doing.¡± ¡°Trials, fair trials. He took over a sizable slave market town and has been fighting off the people who intended to take it back.¡± ¡°I got stuck with the bad one, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t jump the gun. He hasn¡¯t left any survivors in the last two attacks because he needs materials to build an invading army. He melted a Cast alive just to see how that worked, and he vivisected another to see if their organs really do work like they do in organic life. This one, this Harlan can be tempered into someone better, the other one? I¡¯m pretty certain that his mind cannot be changed. Good or bad.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I put him in the Castian Empire. I was hoping that the sudden shock of seeing how they treat slaves would make him understand that violence isn¡¯t really good or bad, it depends on how you use it.¡± ¡°Really? You didn¡¯t think that putting him there would result in him instantly deciding to go with genocide?¡± ¡°Maybe we both could¡¯ve handled our Harlan better.¡± ¡°Want to swap?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve actually got a good feeling about the outside Harlan. On his first day he spared over a thousand men after he tore 600 limb from limb and he has prevented retaliatory attacks by the slaves against the citizens who he has judged worth sparing. I¡¯ve not had to step in once. Really my only concern is that the first people he saved are Dague and his advisor is one.¡± She curled her lip in disgust. ¡°Really? One of them?¡± ¡°Do you have some history with them from before we met?¡± ¡°No race is inherently evil, but those people seem to have some inborn desire to screw people over even at their own expense.¡± ¡°Ah, the scorpion and the frog.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want Harlan to drown alongside them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve not seen them do anything against him so far, well, past realizing that letting people leave is actually letting them leave, not a way to say kill them out of people''s sight.¡± ¡°We will see.¡± ¡°What is the story here?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when we get home.¡± Harlan had answered various questions, then a big one came, a dangerous question. ¡°You¡¯ve made a lot of threats, even against your king, you¡¯ve betrayed this country, why shouldn¡¯t we just take our chances at killing you?¡± ¡°You, who are you?¡± The man stood tall. ¡°Baron Yetel.¡± Harlan connected with a body at the academy library and looked up the man. ¡°Frontier, second generation, your father killed a pack of Yeti and saved a count for his title. Give me just a moment. Your daughter is outside, she has three guards, to her left are red flowers, she is wearing a yellow dress and playing with a doll that has a matching dress. Your wife is in your bedroom, there is another man. Another moment please.¡± The man had a panicked look in his eyes and began to sweat. ¡°Ah, well, at least there is nothing happening between her and the other man in your bedroom. It seems she is looking for something she lost.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I have gate, therefore any body I control has gate. It doesn¡¯t take long to look up a name in a book, and then that name is attached to an area, birds overhead can tell me where to find a large house, and then a body of mine can use invisibility and mental senses to track targets. Tell me, do you think that your defenses could stop me? What about an army of flesh golems that appear suddenly around your home, like what is happening right now.¡± The man hurriedly called his head of security to check on their daughter and go to a safe room. He confirmed that there were hundreds of flesh golems, just like the ones Harlan showed off at his archmage ceremony waiting at the treeline. ¡°Why do you think that I decided to wait a month before telling everyone what happened? I was building an army. And if need be, I will use it. Play nice, nobody gets hurt.¡± Everyone could hear over the amulet as the head of security was disemboweled, every gurgle and squelch enhanced by Harlan using sound magic on the amulet from a distance. Then the man returned, his body having been mended by the golems after they force fed him tonics. ¡°Don¡¯t play nice, and there is no telling what might happen. I¡¯ve only been merciful right now because you are being used as an example. Now sit down, and shut the fuck up.¡± Xol and Marigold were both worried. ¡°So, this one¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep a close eye on mine, you¡­ you see if you can fix this one.¡± Chapter 201: Birth of a New Kingdom Harlan spent the night making flesh golems, and in the morning, Mercedes was waiting outside of his workshop. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Why are you here? Is there an issue?¡± ¡°As your advisor, I believe it best to stay by your side.¡± ¡°Who said you were my advisor? And you and I never had a talk about who you are and what you really want.¡± ¡°What is the name of this town? What country are we in? And what are the lizardkin called?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know, don¡¯t care, and they are called Plest, the children have blue tails and the adults have red heads. I spoke with Xis last night, she is going to be the head maid.¡± ¡°We are in the city of Kor, in the Castian Empire.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t be an empire for long if I have any say in it.¡± ¡°How large is the empire? Who is their emperor? What about the surrounding nations?¡± ¡°I see your point. But I will ask again, who are you, and what do you want?¡± ¡°I want my people to be free, and I wish to return to my homeland.¡± ¡°I can believe that is your goal, but there is a lot you are leaving out. How do you know about these things?¡± ¡°I was not ignorant before becoming a slave.¡± ¡°Then who were you?¡± ¡°Those soldiers, they were pardoned, can I not ask for that same benefit?¡± ¡°I will not have an advisor who I cannot trust. If you can be honest to me now, I can look past what you may have been. Do you put any stock in that position you have given yourself?¡± Harlan put his hand on her shoulder. ¡°If you want this job, I would love you to have it. I heard from my golems overnight, you helped your people settle here, you organized the slaves from my new home using my golems.¡± ¡°You can hear through them?¡± ¡°You people have likely never heard of a communicator? Long distance instant communication?¡± ¡°There are rooms leftover from the oldest Fae Empire, but they are in set locations across the country and they only connect to other specific rooms. When two people step into them, they appear on the other as a series of floating lights and everything they say is communicated to the other room.¡± ¡°Fascinating. Mine look like this.¡± He pulled out his amulet. ¡°I can speak to anyone who also holds one of these across thousands of miles. Though I haven¡¯t been able to call anyone back home, so that means the veil is blocking me.¡± Greed was plain in her eyes. ¡°How many of them exist? How did you find such a thing?¡± He put it away and called over one of the golems. Harlan reached inside of the golem and picked out the amulet gem he had been placing in the squad leader golems. Then he started pulling out bones and sinew to make a holder for the gem and string it. ¡°Here.¡± ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°A communicator.¡± ¡°You make them? So easily?¡± ¡°That gem is how the golem could tell me what it heard. It lacks a real mind, but it has enough of one to report at set intervals.¡± ¡°May I¡­ keep this?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°What about the golem then?¡± ¡°I will use its parts to fix the other golems when they get damaged. I¡¯ll repurpose its main gem to make a weapon.¡± ¡°What could this weapon do? What can those golems do?¡± ¡°Cast magic.¡± ¡°They can¡­¡± A malicious grin overcame the woman. ¡°Why don¡¯t we speak in private?¡± Harlan opened a gate directly to his new home¡¯s office, the blood from beheading the previous mayor was cleaned flawlessly by his new staff. It did leave a little bit of a bad taste in his mouth to have them continue to work in the same place they were slaves in, but they couldn¡¯t really leave and they didn¡¯t know how to do anything else. ¡°Are you here to tell me the truth?¡± ¡°I do put a lot of stock in my position as your one and only advisor. I was a body double for the princess of Elfique. I¡¯ve been pretending to be her so the people listen to me.¡± ¡°What about the princess?¡± ¡°Dead, she said that I was the princess, and they didn¡¯t believe her, so they dragged her off to a commander to keep as a prize and I heard she killed herself after a single night. How weak.¡± ¡°I understand that you clearly had little love for her, but what happened to her is exactly what I am trying to prevent. I¡­ I let that happen, and a lot of people died for my revenge, I will not repeat that. If there is something I can do to help you, just tell me.¡± Mercedes looked contrite, unsure where to put her feelings. ¡°I¡¯m not scolding you for wanting revenge, or holding a grudge. It is not wrong to be upset about something, it isn¡¯t even always wrong to act on that, but you should be able to recognize what you are doing, and what the anger is doing. I¡¯m not even telling you to let it go, just when you are working with me, out there in public, I need you to be in control instead of that anger.¡± ¡°Do you have sisters?¡± ¡°Three of them, all older than me.¡± ¡°You talk like an older brother.¡± ¡°Did you have siblings?¡± ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to talk about it. I don¡¯t know my birth parents, I was left on the side of the road as an infant. I have a half-sister from my mother, and I have brothers, I think two of them, from my father. My mother was kidnapped and raped for years to give birth to someone like me.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I heard about this when I was 14. I¡¯ve had some time to process all of this.¡± ¡°How old are you now?¡± ¡°16¡± Mercedes sat down on his bed. ¡°I¡¯m 19.¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Why did you tell me that? Why did you think I wanted to hear it?¡± ¡°I demanded that you be honest with me. It is right that I give you that honesty back.¡± ¡°I had-¡± ¡°If you really do want to, then say what you want to say. But we are even, you were honest, I was honest. You don¡¯t need to say another word.¡± ¡°You asked me if I needed anything. The people need more blankets, they need more food, and they need more protection. The people whose minds have broken are sitting in their own filth, unable to bring themselves to eat, or keep clean. I had your golems stay near them, but people tried to get in during the night, those soldiers you spared don¡¯t seem to understand that things are not the same as they were.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have some of the guard golems turn into caretakers. If you can find someone who can be trusted to command them, I will let the golems know. If you can point out any of the men who tried anything, I can have them arrested just to let them know that they will not be given mercy a second time. I saved you and your people, but that is not because I have any love for Dague, I want justice to be done.¡± ¡°What about food?¡± ¡°Are there game animals in the area?¡± ¡°I saw deer when we were being transported.¡± ¡°If I use magic, I can gather up a great deal of them, skin them, butcher them, and process the hides into more blankets. Solve two problems at once.¡± ¡°Would you really?¡± ¡°If I sent the golems, it would take much longer. They can keep the peace here while I am gone, and it will let me know how others will react without my immediate presence. If something happens and I need to come back, use the amulet and I can gate back in 20 seconds.¡± Harlan left by clearly flying over the walls. It took a minute to find the first deer, and 15 to find the 30th. He fused the hooves together and used his clawed hands to field dress them. On the way back they were dripping blood, Harlan hoped to draw out predators so he could then harvest them as well. He brought them right down in the middle of the Dague camp that had been set up in the festival grounds that were empty. It took seconds for each deer to be fully cut into pieces, the bones put aside for broths, the brain was used to tan the hides. All in all, it took 20 minutes for everything to be done, Redmond¡¯s lessons on game processing with using magic were a fond memory of his and mixed with his time in the frontier, he had gotten quite good at it. He turned to the nearest Dague who had been watching. ¡°Does the camp have a cook?¡± ¡°I cooked last night. Does that mean I¡¯m the cook?¡± ¡°If you plan to keep cooking, that makes you the cook.¡± ¡°Then I am the cook.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to put these all in a cold room I¡¯ll make in just a moment, use as much as you need for the meal, I¡¯ll try to find vegetables and flour so you can make a stew. Your people make stews, correct?¡± ¡°I assume everyone makes stews.¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°That is what I thought too. Do you know if anyone is distributing blankets? Other things like that?¡± ¡°There was a woman here last night, Fluer. But I¡¯m not sure where she is now. She asked around and was carrying clothes that she handed them out to those still in slave cloth.¡± ¡°Do you mind holding my hand for a moment?¡± ¡°Of course not, Sir Fomoria.¡± ¡°When I hold your hand, think of that woman, you saw her face, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Harlan saw her face in his mind, and went to find her. ¡°Before I go, what is your name?¡± ¡°Louis.¡± Harlan handed him an amulet. It had been hard on him, but he was using little fragments of his soul and growing them inside of the crystals, if he had an orchard of mimic trees, he would¡¯ve made dozens more golems. ¡°Contact me using that.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Touch the crystal, it will tell you how.¡± The man looked confused, and touched it immediately. ¡°Does this-¡± ¡°Does this-¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°When you speak into the crystal after touching it it will play the sounds through my amulet. I am here to help people, if someone tries to take food they shouldn¡¯t, if someone is causing a fight, call me, tell me about it, and I will handle it.¡± Harlan found the woman stealing clothes from peoples clotheslines. ¡°Are you Fluer?¡± She jumped back and shrieked, which alerted the homeowner of the theft. Harlan held her with telekinesis. ¡°That¡¯s just what I expected from a Dague. Put her down and I¡¯ll extract some value from her.¡± ¡°Back away from her. Are you Fluer?¡± ¡°Yes, that is my name.¡± ¡°You were stealing these clothes to give to your people, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like we have much choice.¡± ¡°Go back to the camp, there are 30 tanned deer hides. We will speak again about making sure everyone has what they need.¡± ¡°Thank you thank you thank you.¡± Harlan let her go and then he picked up all of the clothes. The man tried to go after her, but was stopped in the same way as she had been moments ago. ¡°I¡¯ll not let one of their kind get away with stealing from me.¡± ¡°I will repay you a silver for the trouble she caused, but nothing was stolen.¡± A branded woman stepped out of the house, she was¡­ not human, but he was unsure what she was. A pair of antlers curled around the back of her head starting at her temples and ending just far enough that she likely wouldn¡¯t have an issue laying on her back. Her skin was tanned, though not as bronze as the Golden, and she had two spots of pale white skin just above her eyes. Her features made him think of beastkin, but by and large, she was human, no fur, no hooves, no doe eyes, it was simply those white spots and antlers. ¡°Ah, but you own a slave. A trial then?¡± ¡°A trial for what?¡± Harlan made the ground swallow the man up to his waist. ¡°Ma¡¯am. May I give you a health check up?¡± ¡°Step away from my-¡± A tendril of mud went across his mouth. ¡°You may.¡± Various fractures in her arm, minor dislocation of her hip, scars too numerous to list hidden under her clothes. ¡°Did he do this to you?¡± ¡°He is¡­ the forth of my masters. None have treated me well.¡± ¡°Then his sentence shall be death if he can make no argument against it.¡± ¡°Please do not kill him.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°My tribe were pacifists. We shall do no harm to another.¡± The mud left the man who coughed and spit out what was left in his mouth. ¡°What defense do you have for unrightly harming her?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do what I want with my property, there is no law against-¡± Harlan dragged him out of the ground and tossed him through an open gate. Harlan had no idea where it led, just that it was a hundred miles north. ¡°I will respect your choice of pacifism. I wish that it was more realistic. The home is now yours, do with it as you wish. And it would take moments for me to remove that brand.¡± ¡°What of his daughter?¡± ¡°Shit. How old is she?¡± ¡°6.¡± Harlan opened the gate again and dragged the man through. ¡°I am only giving you one chance, and only because you are a father, lay a hand on- Excuse me, what is your name?¡± ¡°Philis.¡± ¡°Philis, I¡¯ll come back here and her pacifism will not deter me from gutting you and using your body as material for my army.¡± Harlan tossed the man to the ground and walked away. ¡°THINGS ARE CHANGING HERE.¡± Harlan sent orders, the near thousand men who he spared had become his men, now he finally decided what to do with them. As it stood, they were walking the streets and keeping the peace as it was, a peace which Harlan despised. Harlan invited them into the festival grounds, in the section which was not currently occupied by the Dague. He counted 884 soldiers, the remaining ones had already fled, some of them died in the process of looting the town before running. He cleared his throat and then used sound magic to be heard across the crowd without blowing out the eardrums of those closest to him. Mercedes stood to his right, he still needed a left hand man. ¡°Each of you are here now because you surrendered, but you are not prisoners of war. You are not slaves.¡± He brought out a map of the area from the mayors home. ¡°I have circled in red the area 823 miles around this town, that is the maximum range of my gate magic. If any of you want to leave now, tell me. Those who wish to go north, line up on my right, then east, south, and west, in that order. I cannot have people working under me who I cannot trust, and none of you can be trusted. You worked for men who I want dead, but I know that not every soldier fights because they want to. Some of you may simply want work, perhaps your village had no place for you, perhaps you are orphans or slaves. Why you fought before is not important, I need to know that you can work for me, not as soldiers, but as peacekeepers. I need to know that you can do what I ask, and I need to know that you can adapt to my new laws. The largest change is that slavery will no longer be allowed outside of willing contract work, I will explain more at a town assembly later today.¡± The first man walked forward and pointed at the map, Harlan opened the gate as soon as he could, and the man walked through. When they saw that it had worked, that his gate was real, they went in even lines and pointed at the map. When they said a town name, Harlan called it out so they could be sent together. By the end, Harlan had 100 men, no Cast, they were human and Plest and whatever those antlered people were. Harlan splashed them all with color magic, whatever their cloth was before, now it was black. ¡°I expect a lot from all of you, but I do not expect you to fight a war, that I can do on my own. I want you as guards for this town, you will be working with my golems to do this. Now, you, with the antlers, what are you?¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°There are few like you here, but yes, you will do.¡± ¡°I am a Faun.¡± ¡°Ah, because of the deer.¡± ¡°Faun. F,a,u,n.¡± ¡°The name doesn¡¯t matter. I heard that your people are pacifists, how many would you guess actually are?¡± ¡°I know little of them, they are not my people anymore than¡­ well I don¡¯t know what you are or where you are from. I was raised by humans and many of those I¡¯ve seen from my race are cowards.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to get into an argument about pacifism. Let¡¯s all have a talk about what I expect of you, and then you will have your first mission.¡± The townspeople, numbered roughly 3,000, gathered, and with them, the slaves, both those who were owned already, and those he had freed from the markets. In total there were almost 13,000, forcing Harlan to have this conversation outside of the town in a stone area he had made with haste. ¡°I have gathered you all here because I took over this town yesterday, I killed the guard who fought against me, I killed the mayor, and the nobles who tried to flee died as well. All of you are now stuck here, with me. And I am not a warlord hoping to exploit you all, I am not even from this place, I come from across the sea, through the veil. I want to set right what I think is wrong. Slavery is gone, each of your slaves is now a citizen of my town, which will be the capital of my new nation of Fomoria. Each of you will be given a trial, a simple trial, one which I could never do on my own.¡± Harlan had made a rather simple request for Xol, make truth potions, each person would take a few drops on the tongue before they spoke to him ¡°I will speak with each of you, and if you try to flee, my guards, and my golems, will cut you down. If you have a spouse, or anyone else who agrees to undertake this trial with you, bring them so I can get this done sooner. And no person under 16 will face this trial, and having children can grant some leniency.¡± Right before Harlan started to process people, a messenger arrived. He opened the letter, it was rather simple, just a call to arms, a threat that no matter where he hides the empire would capture him, that there was no chance for forgiveness, and that he had pissed off the Castians and half a dozen other countries that bought slaves here. Reading all of this the numbers made more sense, 3,000 residents in a place of this size was ridiculous, so was how few children there were. The entire place was little more than an open air market and the people who ran it or who provided services such as food and beds. ¡°Do you have a reply?¡± ¡°Yes, tell your leaders that I am not going to run, or hide, and if they want this place back, and all of its people, they will take it by force.¡± ¡°They expected such a reply, you have less than a week before 10,000 men come here.¡± ¡°Very well. You may return to your leaders.¡± The messenger pulled a dagger, and then dropped dead, two small holes bored through his skull by Harlan¡¯s fingers. Harlan burned the letter and went to judgments. In the end, 400 citizens stayed, 300 were exiled, and the remainder were killed. He would need to restructure the entire layout of the town, set up farms and more if he wanted to be able to sustain the population that now lived in it. They were a trade town, and nobody would be coming there anymore. Harlan began setting up various things, a new banner, spare bodies just in case something happens and the army that comes for him really is enough to overwhelm him, though he found it unlikely. An issue arose as he was ready to have his first actual rest after a week of constant work. Guards were unsure what to actually do, but there was a riot. He arrived by gate. ¡°What is the problem?¡± The captain of the guard was a Dague, she was a soldier before being a slave, and the other soldiers he spared were mostly young men who lacked the experience she had. ¡°Sir, the people want to kill the citizens who stayed.¡± ¡°Did you try arguing with them?¡± ¡°That is all that has kept them from actually trying to get through us.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take over.¡± He flew over the group and used empathy to calm them somewhat, thousands of ex-slaves were here, ready to extract whatever justice they could. Harlan knew he was being a hypocrite, he had killed out of anger and hidden it as just before, but he knew where that led, and he couldn¡¯t let that be allowed again. This wasn¡¯t the first riot he had quelled, so he knew it was best to be on the ground in front of the group instead of flying above them. People didn¡¯t like it when the person they were negotiating with made themselves higher up using a stage or otherwise. ¡°Please return home. These people were judged by me, they are pardoned for what minor crimes they have committed, and they are pardoned for owning slaves as they treated them with some respect.¡± ¡°THEY OWNED US, WHAT RESPECT IS THAT?¡± He knew raising his voice would not help, so he was using sound magic once again to be heard clearly over the fury that sang through the air. ¡°Listen to a story of my own past. When I was 11, my parents got a slave as part of a dowry for my sister.¡± Were it not for his empathy, they would¡¯ve likely rushed him right then, and no side would like that. ¡°The state of slavery is very different where I am from, but that man was still a slave. I thought nothing of it, because that was just part of life, their country had been ravaged by famine, and my country offered food in exchange for having people come to work off that debt. Yet never once did we treat him as anything but a worker, and eventually, a family friend. The act, vile as it is to take freedom from any man, has degrees of evil. Those who beat and raped their slaves were killed by me, those who had slaves and treated them with dignity were allowed to stay, because I believe that they can overcome this culture of treating slaves as nothing but objects.¡± The people calmed somewhat, he was their savior, but they would class him the same as those they would¡¯ve killed. ¡°I am what is called a Fomorian, my people are cannibals, murderers, rapists, their crimes so great that they were forced to never leave their lands by their god, my god.¡± Their anger lessened again, replaced with confusion and curiosity at where he was going with this. ¡°Yet I was raised by humans, on a farm, and I know that you are not where you are from, but what you do. These people here, they were born and raised in a place where owning slaves was just normal, and yet they still had the decency to understand that a slave is a person, that a brand did not make them an object. All I ask of you here, is to forgive them for being born in this place which twists the hearts of men into monsters. Do not condemn them to death for the crime of being.¡± The crowd slowly dispersed, and then once they were lessened enough, those remaining who couldn¡¯t be convinced realized that they had no chance of getting what they wanted anymore with so few people. The guard¡¯s followed the people back to their homes, most of them now lived where their former masters did. The guard captain stayed with Harlan. ¡°That was amazing. You didn¡¯t need to shed a drop of blood, yet they left anyway.¡± ¡°This is not my first time dealing with a riot.¡± ¡°You must have a wealth of experience.¡± ¡°Are you the one selected to be captain of the guard?¡± ¡°Yes, I hope her highness has spoken well of me.¡± ¡°She is not your highness, she is now my advisor. What is your name?¡± ¡°I am Joan, your majesty.¡± ¡°That you did not turn to violence sooner is a good sign, I hope you can continue to keep the peace.¡± ¡°I am most grateful for your kind words, your majesty.¡± ¡°I¡¯m- You¡¯re welcome.¡± He didn¡¯t like the idea of being a king, but he was the ruler of a new nation, so he had to be that man. Chapter 202: Before the Battle Harlan sent a bird golem through a gate, he needed to know where the army was, and how long he really had. 100 miles, no signs of an army of 10,000 moving through. 200 miles, no signs. 300 miles, signs of an army, recent. 270 miles, in the distance the fires from their camp could be seen. The numbers were a lie, it was closer to 8,000 soldiers, 1,000 slaves.. From up high he could see that they were mostly Cast, with the slaves being various races. Harlan hadn¡¯t seen the other forms of beastkin here, but so far as he could see Minos and Uras existed in this place. He perched himself on one of the tent posts, searching for a commander. There were different troops around, but he couldn¡¯t quite tell who was what or what any of it meant. Then he saw a Cast who was made of that unknown magical metal, and thought it likely that this man held some position. So the crow moved from tent to tent watching the man who clearly had no idea why a bird was so keen on being around him. After nearly an hour Harlan heard something worth hearing. ¡°We will cripple them tonight with assassins, Bijou, my spies have said he is soft on children.¡± ¡°Right, one for the new town guard, his advisor, and then another to sabotage food storage. But why aren¡¯t we killing this ¡®Harlan Fomoria?¡¯ ¡± ¡°He is an unknown; he isn¡¯t human, he isn¡¯t Dague, he showed up out of nowhere and started slaughtering trained soldiers like they were new recruits, and when he went to the home of the mayor he either bypassed or destroyed every offensive array in that place. If we send an assassin after him it could jeopardize every other killing.¡± Harlan listened for an hour more and searched the commanders tent before finding him again to land on the his head and overload the gem filled with different war magics. He hated that he didn¡¯t get the chance to see what it looked like, but he was certain that the commander was dead and so was that advisor and likely hundreds more around them. Harlan kept one eye closed so he could see through his golem and continue to work in Kor. It was not often his advisor left his side, which was convenient, but sometimes he wished she found something better to do. ¡°Mercedes, we need to talk.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°What is a Bijou? And after that, what is that dark blue magical metal with black lines?¡± ¡°Bijou are also known as Everchildren. They are a small human-like people, normally they end up as thieves or assassins because they look like children even well into their 30s, but they do only live to around 60. The magical metal is mythril, something from the old Fae, nobody can remake it, but it can be melted down and reshaped a limitless number of times with the right magic, or so I¡¯ve heard. There was just so much made that it is still relatively common.¡± ¡°I saw a Cast made of that material, does that mean he has been around since then?¡± ¡°False mythril, it has a darker pattern and is less resistant to magic and heat. If it was real, there would also be faint white lines in the pattern.¡± ¡°Assassins are coming, Bijou. You, the guard captain, and the food supply, are their targets.¡± She could tell something else was bothering him. ¡°What is your other question?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ I declared this was the start of a country, I am a king.¡± ¡°Or an emperor.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a king, I just want to make people rule the way I want.¡± ¡°Ah, then you are the overking! Great and mighty!¡± ¡°Is there a joke I¡¯m missing because I¡¯m an outsider?¡± ¡°No, I am simply mocking you.¡± ¡°Bold.¡± ¡°I feel I can read you well already. You enjoy this, you like banter and lighthearted ribbing.¡± ¡°I do. But what is so silly about what I¡¯ve said?¡± ¡°You want to rule the world, but you don¡¯t want to be a king or an emperor. So what should we call you?¡± ¡°Just call me Harlan.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to be honest, I wish to see what heights you reach, even if you don¡¯t want to be king, I know you¡¯ll be one and then more. I would bet my life on it.¡± Harlan¡¯s mood turned dark and he couldn¡¯t meet her eyes anymore. ¡°Please tell Joan to watch for assassins, and I¡¯ll put more eyes on both of you.¡± She thought she had become very good at reading people while pretending to be a princess, and she knew for certain that it was not a good idea to poke him now. ¡°I will give you some time alone.¡± ¡°She reminds you of Sara.¡± ¡°Were you conscious of my first time meeting her?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mark it in my mind, and I was still fighting myself, so it is hazy.¡± ¡°Sara wanted to work for me so she could see what I got up to. She knew I would become more than just an inventor before I knew it, because she read me like a book, she knew I could never live a quiet life.¡± Harlan silently wept. ¡°Then she wants to bet on it? Sara loved bets, she¡­ she loved a lot of things. She was always so full of life and energy, I¡¯m sure she would¡¯ve been a great mother.¡± Dawn manifested telekinetic force to simulate a hug. But it had no warmth, he couldn¡¯t hear her heartbeat or feel her breath. Dawn didn¡¯t want a body, not until this moment. Harlan was away from everyone he loved, he couldn¡¯t go to Adina for a hug and a cuddle to warm his heart, he couldn¡¯t hear his mother¡¯s voice or a strong hand from his father. He couldn¡¯t hold his niece and nephew, or play with Wulrun. She was just a voice in his head. ¡°Yeah, she would¡¯ve been fantastic at it.¡± But now was not the time to talk about that, it was a fleeting thought, something she would put back in its box. ¡°I¡¯ve got people here, right now, who are alive and in danger. I cannot, I will not fail them like I failed her.¡± ¡°Do what you do best.¡± Harlan sat in his office and used more birds to watch for entry into the city. He made only a few of these birds, they were supposed to be scout units and if they found something worth blowing up, they had the power to do so. His mind flicked between the birds to spread his mental senses, three targets were marked. They scaled the walls using friction magic at different points in the day and never from the same direction. They looked to be children, yet they sought no family once inside the walls, instead they watched the guards for breaks in formation that they could slip through. So when they skulked back to their little hideout, Harlan was waiting. ¡°My, how utterly deplorable, three young children, orphans, having to hide out in a dank hole in the ground. Why don¡¯t you come home with me, my advisor loves children.¡± The leader was the only girl of the group. ¡°Would you really? Mister Fomoria?¡± ¡°Of course, but first, I don¡¯t like assassins, you wouldn¡¯t be assassins, would you?¡± A knife went into Harlan¡¯s throat, but he kept his false smile. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Beaten by a simple illusion, I have been very, very disappointed in the caliber of mages outside of the veil.¡± A wave of telekinetic force shot out from the flesh golem that merely wore illusions to seem like Harlan. The walls were painted crimson. Seeing all of these tunnels did give him an idea however. The real Harlan went from his office to his guard captain¡¯s with gate. The woman didn¡¯t jump, but rather drew a blade and put it at Harlan¡¯s throat. ¡°The assassins are dead, but keep your eyes open just in case.¡± The woman dropped to her knees. ¡°My most sincere apol-.¡± ¡°Good work, you were ready for an attack from any angle and in an instant you had my life, no, actually that wouldn¡¯t have been enough to kill me, but for most other people, their lives would¡¯ve been in your hands.¡± ¡°I am most gracious for your mercy.¡± ¡°What would I need to offer mercy? You¡¯ve done nothing wrong.¡± ¡°I have drawn my blade on my Roi.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know that word, which means it¡¯s Fae, which worries me.¡± ¡°It is our word for king. I will refrain from speaking my tongue around you.¡± ¡°Speak freely, this is the right of anyone who lives under my banner.¡± Joan smiled, and she had a look of pride in herself for working under him. ¡°Sir, I would ask that you finish that banner of yours, I am quite a fan of it. I do hope they give you a title, chainbreaker, the unslaver, something along those lines.¡± ¡°Titles¡­¡± Harlan sat in her chair. ¡°Past the veil, I am known as Archmage Changeling. I was given this title out of spite by a man who felt wronged by me, yet I embraced it because I decided that I would rather be feared by my enemies than respected by people who I could turn to my side with actions anyway.¡± ¡°I assume archmage is like the title of wizard then, a man respected in his field of magic?¡± ¡°Any archmage must create a new magic, doesn¡¯t matter if it is a spell that builds off of another school, or if it is an entirely new way to use magic that hadn¡¯t been thought of before. It also requires that you really understand your magic, the why and how of its inner workings.¡± ¡°Ah, then that would make you a grand wizard.¡± ¡°I heard the Cast were invented by one of them, is there a known story there?¡± ¡°I¡­ do not entirely know. I was not highborn, I was a soldier. History is not something I put time into compared to swords fighting and tactics.¡± ¡°You mean sword fighting?¡± ¡°Swords, any Dague worth their weight has two of them at all times.¡± ¡°Earlier then?¡± ¡°I had another blade ready to sever your spine.¡± ¡°I said that it was good work, but now I see it was great work.¡± Harlan returned to his office, and then went to his bedroom, it would¡¯ve been improper to show her his bed. As he walked the halls, Dawn wanted to talk more, so he stopped once she started. ¡°Are you ok with that? You were really¡­ you didn¡¯t feel great, and then you seem better, but I can¡¯t read your mind anymore and I just don¡¯t know how to help you. She was always shit at helping people, she destroyed herself with grief. I don¡¯t want to ignore this.¡± ¡°I think it helps me grieve that they have no idea what I¡¯ve done or why, they aren¡¯t judging me for anything but what they¡¯ve seen from me. I¡­ I don¡¯t want to blame everyone back home. But I don¡¯t want to have everyone keep telling me how sad I should be, how it¡¯s fine that I didn¡¯t go back to the academy so soon. I don¡¯t want them to coddle me, I messed up and Sara paid the price for that, I want people to either stop bothering me or just admit that-¡± ¡°If you never would¡¯ve let her leave, she would be alive? That you should¡¯ve just chained her to the floor, maybe put some magic on her so you can turn her into a living puppet? Harlan, stop, shut the fuck up. She made her choice because she loved Gunther. What about everything you¡¯ve done that got you hurt because you loved other people?¡± ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t know how to help?¡± ¡°You want someone to blame you? No, I¡¯m not going to do it. And Sara would¡¯ve been pissed if you used her death as another reason to kick the shit out of yourself.¡± Harlan walked the rest of the way in silence. As he laid his head down to sleep, he realized there was someone else in the room, his being upset caused him to miss her. Mercedes pulled a string and her robe opened. ¡°What exactly do you think you are doing?¡± ¡°Away from your friends, family, you must be lonely.¡± ¡°No, you believe I am vulnerable. I want to make some things clear. If you ever do this again, I¡¯ll toss you to the streets and let you find your own work. I am set to be married in less than two years, and I will not betray the trust of my fiance. And lastly, I am not someone to fall for something so base as this, so put your breasts away and we will never speak about this. I put my trust in you, I was honest, now I see that was a mistake, one I made out of grief. Whatever plans you have for me, toss them to the wind, or tell me so we can work out whether or not they are realistic.¡± ¡°I will take my leave.¡± She tied her robe again and rushed out of the room. ¡°Good night.¡± ¡°Good night.¡± In the morning Harlan double checked to make sure there wasn¡¯t a fourth assassin who had succeeded. He found Mercedes waiting in his office, he spent almost all of his time there controlling various golems across the town. ¡°No need to stand all day. Please sit.¡± She was awkward as she moved to the chair farthest from him. ¡°About last-¡± ¡°No need to sit so far away. And what about last night? I don¡¯t remember anything happening.¡± ¡°Of course, nevermind.¡± ¡°This country that we are in, it is part of the empire, but does it have a sovereign? How does the empire work? Do they have enemies, or rather, who are their enemies?¡± ¡°We are in a country within the empire, the Cast started as created soldiers until eventually one of them found the secret to making more of themselves and killed the grand wizard who made them. They existed in so many defensive positions that they took over a large swath of land in a matter of weeks when word got out. Their emperor is the Cast who killed their creator and knows the secret to making more of them. Each country has a lesser king, but they are little more than puppets. Lastly, there are two large enemies, and far too many small enemies that won¡¯t amount to anything.¡± ¡°And they are?¡± ¡°The Goliath are a race of humanoids, but they are large and brutish in appearance. They are enemies of the Cast to the point of a full genocide campaign against them within the borders of the empire. Hence why you haven¡¯t seen any yet, even as slaves. Their kingdom is Lith, and their king is a harsh man. Their rules are simple and open to much interpretation, but so long as one does not harm another with intent, through any means, financial, physical, mental, they can live freely. Or so I¡¯ve heard.¡± ¡°And slavery?¡± ¡°Slaves do not count as people.¡± ¡°Then what is the other?¡± ¡°Cannibal snake men. Nobody is allowed to dig more than a quarter of a mile down for risk of them suddenly appearing and wiping out the mine or what have you. Nobody knows what to call them or why they cannot be reasoned with. They are why you don¡¯t often see magical metals like elemental ore for making steel.¡± ¡°You know quite a lot.¡± ¡°I was raised alongside the princess as a double, I needed to know things so I could pretend to be her.¡± ¡°Very well. Are there smaller enemies who I could band together with or smaller enemies who I could conquer for more territory?¡± ¡°There are many, but first we should handle the army on its way to us.¡± ¡°The commander is dead, and I have golems preparing to handle the rest of them.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve killed the commander?¡± ¡°Yes, I went there as a bird, spied on him, and then once I had what I wanted I cast every spell I put in that bird while on his head.¡± ¡°Wonderful. The Cast well, caste system, means that their military commander must be one of those false mythril Cast. If they don¡¯t have a back up, then they are required to retreat or wait for a new commander. Can you teach me magic? I was given a limited education on the subject because they were worried about me being able to fight against the princess.¡± ¡°When I believe you can be trusted, I will teach you magic.¡± The word stung at her. He did not forgive or forget the night before.
¡°How much longer before we reach Kor?¡± The soldier in the center of the line spoke to another closer to the outside. Cast military formation had beastkin, most often slave soldiers, on the outside as meat shields. ¡°They are splitting now, it should be 10 minutes before we are part of the circle around the town.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like this, the clouds overhead are a bad omen.¡± ¡°Lightning strikes the highest point. I¡¯m going to be hit before you. And before either of us are hit, he is going to be hit.¡± They could see an object flying with eight wings above the center of the town, unmoving. ¡°This unsettles me. Why did we send so many men to capture him?¡± ¡°Because if he can get out of the veil, he might be able to get us in. I shouldn¡¯t expect a squishy to understand how important it is to find a new land ripe for the taking.¡± ¡°Huh, and what if this man is just one of many mages as strong as him?¡± ¡°Then we will find that out during interrogation.¡± As the Minos said, it took 10 minutes for them to split up. The plan was to starve them out using a mass spatial lock; they had already heard from the soldiers Harlan spared that he had a teleportation spell. After 30 minutes the entire town was encircled and the commander met with the representative of Harlan. The Minos soldier was close enough to overhear them. Though it was a bit odd that he was speaking to a large hummingbird. ¡°What manner of trickery is this? I expected to speak with an advisor.¡± ¡°I will not endanger her life by putting her in the middle of an enemy army.¡± ¡°I also expected good faith negotiations.¡± ¡°Unless your golden god intends to start by giving slaves some right to not be beaten and raped and murdered, I think there is very little we can negotiate about.¡± ¡°We want a way past the veil.¡± The bird¡¯s shadow stood up. ¡°Then meet my god, for I am her champion.¡± She spoke with authority and magic. ¡°Those beyond the veil may never enter, you are protected from those inside at this moment, my champion is but one many, 16 years of age. Your desire for conquest would be a more one-sided slaughter than this one will be.¡± The Cast were immune to mental attacks, thus they were unintimidated. ¡°We will see about that. Boy, if you do not surrender yourself, we will burn this city to the ground, take you, and shove you in a dark hole until you break, then we will get what we always get, everything that we demand.¡± ¡°Oh I am very glad you speak this way to him. Harlan, do what you will.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The sky rumbled. Chapter 203: Forgetting Harlan sat in his home two days later, his parents and his sisters wanted to have a talk. ¡°When were you going to tell us?¡± ¡°I never planned on telling you.¡± ¡°Autumn, how long have you known?¡± ¡°Redwall didn¡¯t tell me about this either.¡± ¡°Harlan, did you tell him not to tell her?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t need to. I do wonder, how did you find out?¡± ¡°I told her.¡± ¡°Alright, Balor, how did you find out?¡± ¡°Because suddenly my legitimate businesses have been hit, everyone is terrified of you and they are pulling out of deals because they think you are going to go on a warpath for any little slight.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t directly say that I wouldn¡¯t. But if it is any consolation, tell them that I don¡¯t intend to pursue cases of business unless they are related to attacks against me. Your business is your business, I¡¯ve never jumped in to solve anything for you when you lose money on bad deals or because someone screws you within the law. I¡¯ve bankrolled you, and since then I¡¯ve done nothing else except listen to your stories and give you support as a brother.¡± ¡°Can I get that in writing? For them I mean.¡± ¡°My word is my bond, so putting it on paper isn¡¯t an issue. And, I¡¯m guessing you want it because you aren¡¯t sure you can trust me.¡± ¡°I may have had a conversation with Xol, regarding where you are.¡± ¡°Then that conversation is done, where I am doesn¡¯t matter, because I am still here. Ava¡­ I know you are upset. I did something unforgivable. I can¡¯t fix it, I can¡¯t ask you to ever want to see me again. If you need something, go to Balor, he¡¯ll get it, if you need something from me, tell someone else to tell me, you¡¯ll get it.¡± Ava left the room without a word. ¡°Everyone else, you can stop pretending that you don¡¯t know what I did. The same thing I said to her applies to you.¡± His father spoke up. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I should say. You made a mistake, it was an accident, but I¡¯m not sure how much it matters. 40,000 people are dead. I think you shouldn¡¯t see any of us for a while, give us some time to think about this. And nobody should tell Amber, she¡¯s still in bootcamp and if she hears about this I¡¯m not sure how she is going to react.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got golems watching her to keep her safe, just in case they believe she is a soft target. And I don¡¯t agree, she needs to hear it from me. Which is why I already told her.¡± Harlan let the silence hang for a moment. ¡°She is upset, but she has known for a long time what I would do, and she can understand why I did it.¡± ¡°How did she react?¡± ¡°That is between me and her. Do you want me to send you all home with gate?¡± ¡°I want a carriage.¡± Harlan was now alone with Adina in his living room. ¡°I don¡¯t think you really told me how you felt.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t Harlan. I don¡¯t know how I feel or if I can be fully honest with you.¡± ¡°Me and him split almost an hour after he left that restaurant. Everything, every second before that, we were the exact same person, and that person loved you. I love you. It¡¯s not cheating to be together, we don¡¯t even know what the other me is doing out there.¡± ¡°What he does out there is exactly what he would do here. And out there he would never be with anyone else, in here, I won¡¯t do that either.¡± ¡°How do we know which one of us is even the original? Is there an original? I just¡­ you know me, I don¡¯t want to see this distance between us because some fucking Fae decided to fuck with my soul and now there is two of me. It would be easy for him to not do anything, because he knows that you are here, and you are always going to wait. I¡¯ve got to see you every day, and know that you don¡¯t love me.¡± ¡°You talk just like him, you look just like him, but I just don¡¯t know. I need time to think about this, I wish I could just ask him what the hell I¡¯m supposed to do.¡± Harlan¡¯s eyes went black, and then she appeared in the room while time stopped. ¡°Little Adina, so loyal, I do love that.¡± ¡°Why are you here now?¡± ¡°Do mind your tone. But how about this, I make you forget that he isn¡¯t the original Harlan, and I make him forget that as well. I make everyone but Xol and Marigold believe that he never left.¡± ¡°Why would you do that?¡± She seemed contrite, not wanting to answer. ¡°He asked me to do this.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Would he give his life for you?¡± ¡°Of course, and I would do the same.¡± ¡°Would you wait for him, as long as it takes?¡± ¡°What happened? Is he alright?¡± ¡°If he would give his life, what else would he give up.¡± Adina looked over at this Harlan and sat in silence. ¡°What do you remember about why he refused to be together with you.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t think he could make me happy.¡± ¡°Let me fix that wording, he wanted to make sure you were happy. Sitting here, you are not, and that Harlan right there isn¡¯t either, nor will he ever be. Either you and him get together some day and both of you feel like you are just settling because you have to, or you find other people and neither of you are happy.¡± ¡°He really asked you to do this?¡± ¡°He hates it, he despised asking me to do this, and yet he nearly begged me to do this, for you.¡± The Darkness moved beside her and put an arm around her shoulder. She was cold to the touch, seeming to sap heat from the air around her. ¡°He wants you to be happy, and he wants that other him to be happy. You know he is always willing to sacrifice for you.¡± ¡°Do it. No, wait-¡± Harlan awoke in his bed, next to Adina. He first checked to make sure they were both clothed. ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything. You were upset and she slept in the bed to comfort you.¡± The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Why can¡¯t I remember last night?¡± ¡°You were looking around the kitchen, you didn¡¯t want Isha to make you anything, and you found a bottle of liquor. It¡­ it had a note on it ¡®Sara¡¯s secret stash¡¯ you didn¡¯t take it well.¡± ¡°Shit, right. Why is my pillow so wet?¡± ¡°You let yourself open up and it made you cry yourself to sleep. You miss her, and you¡¯ve been covering it up with anger and distracting yourself with revenge, but last night you really did just let it all out. Do you feel better?¡± ¡°The gates are open, I need to let the rest out.¡± Harlan opened gates until he found himself in the dense forests with nobody else around but monsters, and he let it all out. He came back for lunch, a clutch of Lindwurm eggs in hand. An order which Harlan had to follow was that he had to attend any academy activities as his main mind. So he was there a week later, and everyone gave him a very wide berth. ¡°Harlan, I didn¡¯t think I would see you in my classes for some time, are you-¡± ¡°Thank you Sepul, but I am alright.¡± ¡°Very well. Today we will be learning how to split and change the element of a spell after it has been cast. Harlan, you have been in advanced element classes since your first year, so I assume you have an inkling of how to do this?¡± ¡°I have done this before.¡± ¡°Well then, if you have confidence, why not show the class what you can do.¡± Harlan used the element he was most familiar with, void, and then, starting from a faint dot, it rapidly changed to radiance. ¡°Very good, though this class would do better to start with the basic elements, and Harlan, do bear in mind that switching advanced elements is a dangerous game. I only allowed you to continue because I am already aware of what switching void does. For the rest of you, this is known as reverse magic, it is rather simple, and we will be starting with light and dark, each of these are immaterial, unlike water you don¡¯t need to pull it from the air, unlike earth you don¡¯t need to pull it from the ground. So, form a simple light ball, and then watch the mana, pull darkness into it, and see how its environment directly adjacent to it turns dark into light. Mana has two sides, it turns to the opposing element in the right conditions, healing is easier at day than at night because the light of the sun saturates the area in light mana. Once you understand the way that mana turns from one side to the other, you can start to purposely invoke that effect with less mana than you put into the spell. But do be mindful that an incorrect reverse is going to cost more mana than the spell originally costs, and then the only benefit would be if you lack the time to cast another spell.¡± Sepul took Harlan aside while the others worked on their magic. ¡°Are you truly alright? I don¡¯t want you to feel like you must come back, take another month off, grieve if you want to.¡± ¡°I will grieve for the rest of my life, but I can¡¯t let it stop me from living.¡± ¡°That is no way to live your life, I know that better than anyone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not grieving for Sara, I¡¯m grieving for the city of Haldren. The most I can do is try to bring more good into the world to offset what I¡¯ve done, but the numbers never go down to zero, I can¡¯t unmurder those people. I think that I would rather continue to learn magic than sit here and talk.¡± ¡°Perhaps, but it would be better to be around your family.¡± ¡°Everyone agreed to stay away from me for a while, think about what I¡¯ve done, if they can even forgive me for it. I¡­ I don¡¯t think Ava will ever talk to me again, and I don¡¯t blame her.¡± Sepul couldn¡¯t show emotions well in his disguise, but Harlan could feel it, he was upset at the news. ¡°Dinner then, I¡¯ll bring my other apprentice. You can bring Adina, if you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°I will ask her. But I¡¯m not sure if she wants to be around other people if the topic goes to that. She didn¡¯t have as long as some of the others to know Sara, but they got close. And I don¡¯t think she wants to-¡± ¡°HEY, IS THIS A CLASS OR NOT?¡± Harlan skipped to the man, Sepul right behind to stop him, yet Harlan did not attack him, instead he wrested control of the man¡¯s magic from him. ¡°Reverse magic is not a spell, it is a method by which you turn a spell into another near identical spell of another element. If you put a drop of color in a bucket of water, the water does not contain the dye, the dye spreads and turns the water to another color, the mana is the dye, and your spell is the water. Magic is the mind, sometimes what you need is not a scientific answer, but a way to see yourself getting a result.¡± Harlan turned light to dark in waves, in stripes, and kept it half and half. The man tried only for a few more minutes before he understood the process. ¡°And if you interrupt me like that again, I¡¯ll show you what happens when you reverse heavenly fury.¡± Sepul then stepped in to mediate, reversing that spell was not easy, nor were the results nice. Between classes, Harlan spoke with Adina, and they both went to the gate office for Sepul to pick them. ¡°That is a nice dress.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± When they reached his home a wonderful smell wafted through the air. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind, an old friend and his sister will be joining us for dinner.¡± ¡°John?¡± ¡°How did you guess?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen you with only a handful of guests, John was among them, and Jane is his sister. You trust her, and you trust him.¡± ¡°So you keep track of my guests?¡± ¡°Of course I do. How else could I keep you safe?¡± ¡°Very funny, please, come to the dining room. And, don¡¯t get separated.¡± Adina whispered to Harlan. ¡°Why does that sound like a threat?¡± ¡°Because not every door and hallway leads to the same place twice. This house is full of distorted space.¡± When they sat down, Harlan was told to sit on Sepul¡¯s right, and Elsa, his apprentice, on his left, Adina sat next to Harlan and across from them was John and Jane, leaving an empty seat to Adina¡¯s right. ¡°I hope things are to your liking, pork tenderloins pounded, breaded, and fried, you can assemble your own sandwiches I hope? Every sauce is labeled, but I do like honey mustard and mayonnaise.¡± ¡°You mean white sauce?¡± ¡°Harlan, I am not going to get into what you said was wrong, but white sauce refers to a simple sauce made of flour cooked in butter to make a sauce base. This is a sauce which is white, but Jane takes her cooking very seriously, so if something is labeled one way, say it that way.¡± ¡°Alright. Do you want to talk about-¡± ¡°Eat first. Let¡¯s not bog down discussion with terrible things and ruin your appetite.¡± Sepul seemed to be in a good mood, but Harlan felt something was off. They enjoyed themselves for a time, and the bottle of drink on the table started to look quite good to Harlan, but he knew he shouldn¡¯t. Whatever happened last night, he felt better, but that was not what he wanted. If he was to grieve, it should be something he remembers. ¡°So, how did you and John meet?¡± ¡°John, why don¡¯t you tell it, I¡¯m no good with stories.¡± ¡°Now that is a lie, but I¡¯ll play along. My sister and I were born and raised in a frontier village that just never seemed to get better, everyone around us seemed to grow into towns, but we broke down. Our parents died on a trading run, we lost the house, and my sister was being dragged off to work for the guards as a plaything. Sepul showed up as a healer, nobody knew who he was, but then suddenly he defended Jane and killed the guard who was dragging her away. Ever since then, he has been like a father to me and her, I wouldn¡¯t be an archmage, hell, I probably wouldn¡¯t have made it past 20 if I never met him. And I know him well enough to know where this is going, and when it does go there, forgive him.¡± ¡°John, I think you may have gone a bit too far there. I have nothing that I want Harlan to-¡± John just gave him a look. ¡°Harlan, I do have something to tell you, and I should¡¯ve said it before, but right now you are not in a right state of mind, and I think that it is best for me to continue to hide this from you.¡± ¡°And if I say that I want to hear it?¡± Sepul didn¡¯t reply, everyone just sat in an uncomfortable silence. Then Elsa broke it. ¡°You are my brother. My real name is Elise. Sepul told me that you don¡¯t have your family anymore, you need someone by your side who is family and not just a friend.¡± ¡°Give me your blood, I want to just check since I¡¯m having a hard time trusting people right now.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± When the two vials were filled, they glowed somewhat dimly, showing they shared only a single parent. ¡°How did you find me?¡± ¡°Sepul knew our mother, once he realized who you were he came to me.¡± ¡°But he didn¡¯t come to me.¡± ¡°When would¡¯ve been a good time? You are a magnet for disasters, Sepul was just trying to protect me.¡± Harlan took a deep breath. ¡°Sepul, I know why you wouldn¡¯t tell me, and I understand. So, Elise, did you ever meet your mother?¡± Sepul looked at the pair, he could tell how happy Harlan was, but more than that, he could tell how vulnerable he was, and how Elise would take advantage of him. The question for him was, would he warn him, poisoning their relationship before it started? Or would he keep his mouth shut and pretend that she wasn¡¯t going to use him?
Sneaking into the home of a man to plant a note and a bottle was never something he thought he would need to do as the attack dog for a god. Chapter 204: The First Battle for Fomoria The rumbling came from the sky, and lightning crawled between the clouds. Warmages understood that the storm was not natural and began pulling the sky down to prevent the spell from having the cohesion required to fire. And they did, which confused them, they could tell that the spell was ready to go off, yet it hadn¡¯t. The spiked thing floating above the town also made no more moves. No army came out, they saw no defenses on the walls, just the new banners. A black banner showing a skull with a crown of fire and eyes that were spiked like the sun. A broken chain made a circle around the skull. The commander of the army was unsure what to do. Harlan was the scariest thing one could be, an unknown, a very powerful unknown. ¡°Sir, what should we be doing?¡± ¡°Keep spells ready, but wait, he didn¡¯t use that spell, we should figure out why. My predecessor died having no understanding of their enemy, I do not intend to repeat that mistake.¡± 30 minutes passed. ¡°Are they escaping? What are they planning?¡± ¡°Spatial lock is still in effect, they couldn¡¯t have used gate.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense, he cut down our men without hesitation before he even knew what we were or how much trouble he was getting into.¡± ¡°Retreat.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°This is now a blockade, their resources can¡¯t last them more than a month if he feeds the slaves as much as he does a person.¡± ¡°Commander, it would be more glorious if we-¡± ¡°Bear in mind what the first word from your mouth was.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± ¡°Yes, commander.¡± The enemy forces backed away to set up camp, and the spiked thing stopped floating. Inside of the town, Mercedes was baffled. ¡°How did you get them to back off?¡± ¡°Either their leader is a very cautious man, or they saw what I was doing. They intend to capture me, and they did not counter my magic, so I will go with the former.¡± ¡°What were you doing then?¡± ¡°To someone who does not know magic, it wouldn¡¯t be worth explaining, and I still don¡¯t trust you.¡± ¡°That was uncalled for. I apologized and promised that I wouldn¡¯t do it again.¡± ¡°Words mean little, actions change things, you have been good on action, and I have given you some trust by letting you command every golem provided it doesn¡¯t violate a command from me.¡± ¡°Yes, the same privilege you¡¯ve given to Joan.¡± ¡°Yes, it is a privilege. Do not forget that, or that it can be revoked.¡± ¡°I dislike how serious you are now.¡± ¡°I am in the middle of a siege.¡± ¡°A siege with them making camp for the night?¡± ¡°I have a plan.¡± ¡°It is hard to be an advisor when I don¡¯t know what you are doing.¡± Her tone was more mocking than anything. ¡°Are you upset that I don¡¯t trust you, or that I rejected you?¡± ¡°We Dague are known for our beauty. I look just like the princess, and you didn¡¯t even have the courtesy to blush.¡± ¡°This conversation is done, never speak of it again.¡± ¡°Oh? So you are bashful?¡± ¡°This is not the time for banter.¡± ¡°And how should I know when it is the right time? Because I said nothing wrong before and you didn¡¯t even tell me what I said that upset you so much.¡± ¡°You made no mistake then, that was my problem. I am sorry if you felt that I lashed out unjustly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you were offended, you might as well spit on me if you are going to say that.¡± ¡°Do not tempt me.¡± ¡°Where did your kingly charisma go?¡± ¡°There is a time for a king, and there is time for a warrior. For the record, you are a beautiful young woman, but I just don¡¯t care.¡± It was just past 3 in the morning when the first man thought something felt wrong. ¡°There is an eerie fog here, it isn¡¯t natural.¡± The guard spoke to a warmage. ¡°We dispersed the storm, but that water had to go somewhere. It was either we let it out as rain or we spread the clouds from the sky downward to prevent them from having enough charge to form dangerous bolts. Give it a day and the wind will clear the area.¡± ¡°This feels wrong, why do you think the commander said to retreat?¡± ¡°Did you hear what this man did?¡± ¡°I know he killed a Cast and he is an unregistered mage.¡± ¡°He killed a Cast using brute force, ripped the mace out of his hand and beat him to death with it after tossing him around like a paperweight. And the Order of Blue doesn¡¯t even want to register him, they are waiting until they know what he is and why he is here.¡± ¡°Are they doing it because they know he made us his enemy?¡± ¡°You are not a mage, so you wouldn¡¯t understand. But the orders are one of the few that can oppose our emperor, and they are the only ones who can run an organization that crosses borders as it does. They wouldn¡¯t care if this man killed the king of Lith, they do not deal in unknowns like him. Suddenly appearing as if he was a spirit and then picking a fight with us.¡± ¡°Alright, but why did we retreat?¡± ¡°Because, you ore for brains, we don¡¯t deal in unknowns. He had magic ready to go, something big enough to dent our army, and we have little idea what he has inside of the city but reports said he turned bodies into new soldiers.¡± ¡°A necromancer?¡± ¡°Yes, perhaps that is what he is. Or perhaps it is worse. Either way, a week without food and the people will beg to come out and surrender, then we will have hundreds if not thousands of hostages to use against him.¡± ¡°But, there are our citizens.¡± ¡°Everyone left inside is a sympathizer or a slave, he let everyone who wished to leave do so.¡± ¡°The fog bothers me.¡± ¡°What is your hold up with this fog?¡± ¡°It¡¯s wrong, it¡¯s eerie, and neither of us knows why it¡¯s here.¡± ¡°It''s here because we had to pull the sky down to prevent the clouds from holding a big charge.¡± ¡°Is that how spells like that are normally countered?¡± ¡°I need to see the commander.¡± Along the way to the commander''s tent, he wasn¡¯t affected because he was Cast, poison didn¡¯t work on them. But their beastkin soldiers suddenly felt under the weather, and the Cast would not notice, because they cared little for them, and the beastkin would not admit it, because they knew the Cast wouldn¡¯t care. ¡°Commander, something is wrong.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t that man cast his magic?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about that, perhaps he intended to scare us, to let us know that he could¡¯ve done it?¡± ¡°What if the plan from the start was for us to counter it? That spell was massive, but its cost would¡¯ve been taken out mostly when the spell was fully cast in the form of gathering the lightning inside of it. We pulled down a massive amount of clouds here, over our camp.¡± ¡°What would he gain from that?¡± ¡°I suggest we move forward or backwards, but we leave this fog behind.¡± ¡°Master Warmage, do you have any basis for this? Why not dispel the fog with air magic.¡± ¡°Apologies for bothering you with this.¡± ¡°I will keep this in mind, it is better to know that my soldiers can come to me if they believe there is a problem than not. If the fog cannot be cleared, then we know we have a problem, at which point return to me and we can continue this conversation.¡± Joan made her way to Harlan¡¯s office, but hesitated to knock. ¡°Come in.¡± She did as asked. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°Because I know. What can I help you with?¡± ¡°Your majesty-¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Call me sir, wait until I have a crown and a throne to call me a king.¡± ¡°Sir, I don¡¯t mean to question your judgment-¡± ¡°Feel free to always question my judgment, no king rules without people he can trust to tell him he is wrong.¡± ¡°Why have you not done anything about the army at our doorstep? You¡¯ve told us that we should simply guard the inside and watch for sneak attacks.¡± ¡°Because, I won an hour ago.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The beastkin are dead, the Cast don¡¯t know it yet.¡± ¡°How could they miss that?¡± ¡°Because they are still walking around and standing guard. I put them to sleep and had artificial spinal spiders take over the bodies. From what I¡¯ve been told, and what I¡¯ve seen, they treat organic life as lesser and replaceable because they aren¡¯t able to live as long as them, I am banking on that fact and expecting them to not notice.¡± ¡°How did you get them in?¡± ¡°Holes in the ground, they would¡¯ve noticed large ones, but ones that looked to be from animals and were already there shouldn¡¯t be an issue. The spell I made was also never a heavenly fury, that was just an illusion. And illusion spells are generally made using¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, I do not know magic.¡± ¡°Then that needs to be corrected. But the answer is light. So, an area saturated in rain means we have water, humidity and then light, which I¡¯ve reversed into darkness. The area out there is full of poison mist, nothing brazen, but it slowly saps their strength and puts them to sleep for my spiders.¡± ¡°Are you aware that Cast cannot be poisoned?¡± ¡°Yes, but they can be rusted. My spiders took the souls of the men they killed, once they have time to build up their mana reserves using these bodies, they can cast magic that should work.¡± ¡°And if not?¡± ¡°Then I already have hundreds of new soldiers who can use more normal magic, I have the golems from the town, and I have myself.¡± ¡°Would you really take to the field yourself?¡± ¡°In a manner of speaking.¡± The last of the creatures, whose thorax was a crystal, entered into the dying body of their victim. It panicked slightly when a warmage hurriedly walked past, but they paid no mind to the awkward movements of the body, just as Harlan suspected. The false spinal spider knew it would take roughly an hour for the body to become saturated with this new power and act as a proper vessel for it. It had been watching the patterns of the guard, knowing when they changed shifts, and trying to mimic the voice, they all found a single guard for this purpose, they expected to be able to take 400 bodies before anyone noticed, though with more resources, they would¡¯ve taken over all of the guards, for just the night watch, it would be enough. ¡°Guardsman, report.¡± ¡°No signs of enemy movement.¡± ¡°Your voice sounds a bit odd.¡± ¡°Must be the cold and the mist.¡± ¡°Hmm. Go to a healer after your shift, we need everyone hale if we are to finish this without losing more resources than necessity.¡± The golem sauluted incorrectly with a hand over the heart as one would in Ragne, but the Cast had already turned away. An hour passed, the shifts were being shifted, and the attack would now begin in earnest. With the night guards having been replaced, the holes could be expanded to allow the golems directly into the camp. They entered from the barracks tents around the camp so they would be hidden while they all got outside of the walls. Everyone else had already been silently killed in their sleep. When they were ready, the guards went out to find and kill the mages who held the spatial lock. Those already in the camp were a fraction of the total golems, they were sent as support in case things got loud before the lock was broken. ¡°Guard, this area is restricted to avoid breaking the concentration of-¡± The stolen bodies, in this case, Minos, lacked the strength of the advanced models Harlan created from scratch, so they couldn¡¯t just bash the Cast¡¯s head in with one strike, but it was enough to put him off kilter and give time for the proper flesh golems to move in with imbibing giving them the strength to put their spear like hands at the end of its tentacles through the heart of a Cast who couldn¡¯t deflect and had a hard surface behind him. When the creature looked at its hand, it could see chips, its body wasn¡¯t hard enough to continually kill them with physical ability and imbibing required a certain effort to have more than one effect at a time, which Harlan had not yet perfected for his creations. Holding the spatial lock spell required 8 mages, all Cast, all holding the effect up after it had been cast. When the first died due to a powerful acid spell after the rust spell failed, the a large area under the effect of the array was disrupted, allowing a gate to open in that section.. Harlan could¡¯ve just broken through it without this little display, but pretending that he couldn¡¯t gave him a card to play in the future. Once they realized that the spell was being broken, the guards all rushed to defend the other mages, this was another part of the diversion. Once they were through the gate it didn¡¯t matter where they really were, their job was to make noise and keep the soldiers protecting the gate mages. Yet this was another layer of deception, the fog hid that the clouds overhead had regathered, and the sounds of chaos from battle stopped them from hearing the lightning until it was too late. The armies pincered Harlan¡¯s forces and while they waited for the order to rush in Harlan opened a gate again, and left the area. Harlan was back in his home, overlooking the city and beyond the walls from its high hill. ¡°Joan, we see the last part of the plan. I¡¯ve sown chaos, I¡¯ve stopped them from pulling back or getting rid of my fog, and the army isn¡¯t so spread out as it was earlier today. Eight points, eight bolts.¡± Before the bolts came down, another spell covered the town, a massive veil to prevent the sounds from harming his citizens. The heavenly fury spell was normally one bolt, and splitting the clouds above would distribute the power unevenly, Harlan disliked betting that he even could split them safely without an accidental discharge, so he had another way to do it. The soldiers who spoke before were right, the lightning would hit the highest thing in the area, which was the flying thing. Harlan made a golem whose only purpose was to burn up in the process of being hit by one bolt and splitting it in eight using a spell used to redirect lightning magic. Though it would¡¯ve been better to use skysteel due to elemental alignment, mythril was what he had, and he hoped it was both conductive enough and magically resistant enough that every piece of magic would be redirected instead of turning into a lump of molten steel half way through the process. ¡°Watch closely, this is how I fight, and back home, I know many people who are stronger than me. The strongest are people who I can call good friends.¡± The town shook as the bolts hit, and Harlan heard the clinging of metal, the mythril had not melted, but rather turned brittle and shattered, raining across the city. Harlan was glad he forced everyone to stay inside for the night, it wouldn¡¯t be very nice to get complaints about people bleeding out in the street or losing an eye from the shrapnel that fell. Joan had been knocked on her backside from shock. ¡°Holy shit.¡± ¡°Nothing holy has happened here.¡± Another gate opened and the golems went back to pick off the survivors. ¡°In the morning we can assess damage to the town. And then I can get back to setting up the expansion. Food stores won¡¯t last more than a few weeks at this rate, and I can¡¯t spend the rest of my days hunting anything with a pulse in the area. Those snake men, how dangerous are they, and do they descend from humanity?¡± Joan dusted herself off, though the room was spotless, and stood up. ¡°Their scales are made from gems, their claws are adamant, and they do not come from humans.¡± ¡°Do they have meat on them? And you are sure about the human part? Because I heard them described as cannibals.¡± ¡°They eat their own, and yes, they do bleed, so they have meat, though I¡¯ve never seen one myself.¡± ¡°And what is adamant?¡± ¡°Deep iron, easy to mix with magical metals and nearly as hard as stonesteel but without the weight.¡± ¡°I want their bodies, they would make fantastic golems.¡± ¡°Thank goodness- I mean, very well, I did worry that you intended for us to eat them.¡± ¡°When we are in private, you are free to act casually. I want my people to be friends with me, because I want to trust them, and I want to trust that they know how to handle me though the hard parts of ruling.¡± ¡°Why me? Have you said the same to Mercedes?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t trust her. I do trust you.¡± ¡°Again, why?¡± ¡°The riot, you handled that exactly how I wanted you too, and we never even shared a word. Your gut reaction was that you should protect my citizens from my other citizens, you have that brand on your chest, and you didn¡¯t come to me to have it removed like so many others, you know what those people know, you were a slave, but you still did the just thing, and you upheld my ruling that they are innocent.¡± ¡°You speak too highly of me.¡± ¡°Then prove me wrong, and fail me. Because everything that I have seen you do, and every report on and from you has told me the same thing, in your heart, you are who I want to protect this town, from enemies within, and without, and even from itself.¡± She blushed, the red of her cheeks mixed with her blue skin turned her a shade of violet. ¡°You really do speak too highly of me, but I am a bit old for you.¡± ¡°I have a fiance, and I have no interest in betraying her trust.¡± ¡°You have a woman back home? How long until you bring her here? Or you go back?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t go back until this is done, and she can¡¯t come here.¡± ¡°She must be terribly lonely then.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll¡­ she¡¯ll wait for me.¡± ¡°Does she know you are here? What about friends?¡± ¡°Godsdamnit. She knows, so she is never going to stop waiting. Because I wouldn¡¯t go to someone else. I¡¯ll live forever until someone kills me, I won¡¯t age past 25, but she¡­ she¡¯ll wait half of her life, waiting for me. Please, see yourself out, I need to think.¡± ¡°My apologies, I didn¡¯t mean to upset you.¡± ¡°No, you just made me realize what I¡¯ve done to her, and she doesn¡¯t deserve it.¡± Once she was gone, Harlan went through his options, leaving was off the table, he couldn¡¯t let this go, he would never be able to live with himself if he did. Bringing her here would put her in unnecessary danger, he could act so freely because of the lack of possible backlash against his loved ones. That other Harlan was there with her, but he knew that she wouldn¡¯t go with him, no matter what argument he made, and he would make one, she would feel like she was betraying him. The battle had ended at 3:48AM, but Harlan didn¡¯t make a move until well after 7. His eyes went black, and he found himself still sitting in his office. ¡°How peculiar, so I suppose you truly do consider this place important.¡± ¡°If my mindscape was my old home, it would just make me long for it. You know what I want, can it be done?¡± ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t, with you and your double around, your threads weave themselves into knots all by themselves and I can¡¯t see nearly as much as I once could.¡± ¡°I want you to make everyone forget that I am here, and I know that the other me told Adina that he isn¡¯t the original, because I would do it. And I know that her being apart from him even when they are so close is just going to be painful for both sides until they finally split up and find other people to be with.¡± ¡°You would ask that I violate the minds of dozens for your sake?¡± ¡°What if Adina agrees? Would that change your mind at all?¡± ¡°Sepul knows, to change his memories would upset Cecht.¡± ¡°Fuck Cecht, that bastard tried to have me killed, and I¡¯m sure Sepul would agree to this if I was the one doing it instead of you.¡± A mass of feathers and eyes and light appeared in the office. ¡°Mind your tone when you speak to me.¡± ¡°I spoke about you, you overgrown canary. Learn the difference.¡± ¡°A foolish man is one who does not fear me.¡± ¡°And if you kill me, what do you think she is going to do to you?¡± ¡°She wouldn¡¯t-¡± ¡°Oh I would. Now, why don¡¯t we all calm down. Speak without threatening one another.¡± ¡°Very well. If your word becomes your bond, I would allow it, and the boy would owe me a favor.¡± ¡°I am fine with-¡± ¡°Harlan, turn that off.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You are putting magic in your voice, it cannot harm or influence us, but it is seen as very rude among us who can perform such a thing.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to do it. I don¡¯t know how to stop.¡± ¡°Feel it as you speak, now that you know about it, you can stop it.¡± Harlan vocalized and felt magic flow into his throat from his mind, it was something empathic in his case. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Cecht, I did not mean to insult you in that manner.¡± ¡°Yes, I can see you are telling the truth, but your words hide another meaning. You meant to insult me in other ways?¡± ¡°In direct ways, not indirect ways. I am fine with owing you a favor, provided there are some simple rules. I don¡¯t kill children, you cannot force me to do something which would knowingly endanger my friends and family, and¡­ I think that is everything.¡± ¡°And you cannot give my champion any order which violates my own orders or knowingly order him to do something which is likely to kill him. I don¡¯t want you sending him to a den of wyverns in their breeding months.¡± ¡°These terms are acceptable. You may alter my champion¡¯s memories for this boy''s childish love.¡± ¡°You not understanding his love, or the power of it, but one of your issues.¡± ¡°I will remain unclouded in my mind. Those emotions are nothing but chaos.¡± ¡°A perfect order is perfectly unable to grow.¡± ¡°Should I be here for this conversation?¡± From seven to noon, he rejected all meetings with the order that unless it was actually life and death, he did not want to be bothered. Dawn tried to soothe him, but Harlan wept the entire time. He severed all connections, even if he did go back, Adina would be married to that other him, he would be the one who she loved, he would be the one who has children with her, he would be the one living the life he wanted. Chapter 205: Negotiations At one in the afternoon, Harlan emerged from his office, Mercedes had been waiting since eleven. ¡°What is this I hear about you teaching Joan magic?¡± ¡°You know what I already said about teaching you.¡± ¡°So you trust this woman who you¡¯ve barely had a dozen conversations with? I brought her to you, I put her in charge.¡± Harlan took a deep breath, and Dawn told him, as gently as she could, not to blow up on the young woman. ¡°I am not going to speak about this, because the only things I can think to say are needlessly cruel and hurtful. Now, what did you come to get me for?¡± ¡°A messenger from the empire arrived, I told him to wait.¡± ¡°I will see him now, where is he?¡± ¡°The jail, it was the only way to ensure his safety once the citizens heard who he was.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s?¡± ¡°It would reflect poorly on both of us if I went to see the messenger without my advisor. Put aside your feeling that I¡¯ve wronged you.¡± She bit her tongue, but the wording greatly bothered her. They made their way through the streets, people came up to him to ask questions about the night before. Harlan told them that he would pin a paper explaining what happened on the town notice board later. It would be a heavily embellished version of events, only what the people needed to know. Harlan wanted his tactics to remain his, this was another part of why he planned to only make golems for his real army. People could sweep the floors, guard the citizens, farm the crops, but killing was for him and his, things that would never reveal secrets or hesitate on orders. The guardstation had quite a few people loitering around, each of them were those who proudly displayed their brands. Without anyone sharing the idea, keeping the brand became a sign of rebellion, they acted with free will despite the mark upon them. ¡°If all of you have time to sit and threaten a messenger, please find work or find a hobby. If you report to the farms or the walls you will find the first, if you go to the workmen district you can find both.¡± Most of them left, but Harlan did not move his eyes to watch them nor did he stop to speak. He wanted to project a man who was caring to his people, but stern. When Harlan entered Joan¡¯s office she gave her seat to him and stood on his left. ¡°It¡¯s been half a day since you lost your battle, what message is this?¡± ¡°I was told to see what this merry band looked like, an outsider who has no allies who made enemies of everyone around him, a soldier who only survived because she was discharged for insubordination before the end of the war, and a false princess, whatever did happen to the real Mercedes Dantes?.¡± ¡°I see, the man yesterday was to rattle his saber, you are here to rattle the cage.¡± Harlan laughed in a mocking manner. ¡°First I am disappointed in the mages, now I¡¯m disappointed in their speakers. Did you think I did not know about these things? That I would put complete unknowns in positions of power.¡± ¡°What power? You have nothing here, no farms, no trade, your army numbers in the hundreds and that woman doesn¡¯t even command them.¡± ¡°Yet I slaughtered 10,000 without a single loss. Tell me then, how pathetic must it be to lose to people without power? I do hope that whoever ordered the attack against me killed themselves in shame.¡± The man stood from his seat, and Harlan forced him back down with telekinesis. ¡°Will this continue as a conversation, or do I need to turn this into an execution?¡± The man stopped resisting. ¡°I was sent to see if you would be receptive to joining the empire.¡± ¡°Now why would I want to do that?¡± ¡°You would remain as a sovereign, no slaves would cross the border in or out, and trade would resume.¡± ¡°Your first mistake was that you man yesterday lost his head and told me outright that what you want is my magic. Your second mistake was giving me an offer that most people would take, but my brother is a merchant and a lawyer, what you¡¯ve done tells me that you think I am a fool who will take a deal that only exists to get you what you really want, which is something he does to people who he does not respect. And lastly, you think I am here for money or a title or fame.¡± ¡°I will bring back a message that another negotiator will be needed.¡± ¡°Which direction do you wish to go? I can send you 100 miles.¡± ¡°North.¡± Harlan opened the gate and the man stepped through without hesitation. The three of them sat in silence for only a moment, Harlan had no desire to drag this out. ¡°Joan, tell me what he meant.¡± ¡°I was a soldier, but, before the fall of Elfique, I was charged with insubordination for refusing to follow orders.¡± ¡°Yes, that is what insubordination means. I need context, what did you refuse to do?¡± ¡°My captain was rival to another man, and so when a promotion was to be given, he asked that I plant a letter which would imply that his rival was selling information to our enemies. I went above my captain, I told him what he asked me to do, and then I was discharged for not following his order.¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I feel there is something more here. Why would you be discharged for refusing to commit a crime?¡± ¡°It was not a crime, and within Dague culture, such things are considered normal, if you can trick someone, then they deserve to be tricked.¡± She awkwardly chuckled, Harlan could see how much speaking of this upset her. ¡°She has shown a lack of judgment, her inability to put aside a crude sense of fairness would hinder her ability to do what must be done to safeguard the interests of the nation and enforce policy for the royal family.¡± Harlan placed a hand on her shoulder. ¡°If your culture tells you to do something wrong, and you rise above that, it shows a great deal about your character. But, I also think we need to have a talk about Mercedes. I decided it was best for her to continue playing that part, she can be a stabilizing force for the Dague who hold loyalty to the crown.¡± ¡°Then the royal family is all dead, Elfique is dead.¡± Harlan wasn¡¯t sure what he was feeling from her, she was confused and jumped from happy to sad. There was little love left between her and her nation, but it was her nation. ¡°A nation is its people. I don¡¯t want this to be Elfique, I want this nation of ours to be better. I trust you will be loyal to me, because it is the right thing to do, not because you were born here. In exchange, I will do everything I can to make sure that in 10 years, you can look back at this and see that you made the right call.¡± ¡°I will hold you to that, and I will keep her secret.¡± ¡°Thank you. Now, unless there is something else, I think I should teach you magic.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I should¡¯ve said so before, but I was tested once, I can¡¯t use magic¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m very sorry-¡± ¡°People can lack the drive to get as far as me, but they can always learn how to use simple magic.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve tried before, but I lack the ability.¡± Harlan¡¯s eyes flicked black for just a moment, it was a simple yes or no question. ¡°Is the belief that you must be born right to use magic common here?¡± ¡°Belief?¡± ¡°Everything makes so much more sense. The stunted magical growth, the ability to even register known mages, the reason that slavery can exist like this. Magic is partly mental, if people believe so strongly that they can do it, they won¡¯t. Oh this is wonderful.¡± ¡°What? That sounds horrible.¡± ¡°What do you think is going to happen when it gets out that I can train people who have been told definitively that they cannot use magic?¡± ¡°You can raise an army of mages unlike anything the world has ever seen.¡± ¡°No, I can raise an army of mages like I know them. Every single person in the army back where I am from can use magic.¡± Harlan brought Mercedes and Joan with him to the audience room. It was wide, private, and everything that they could break had already been removed. ¡°Mercedes, I¡¯ve changed my mind. I don¡¯t need to hoard magic, I need to spread it as far as I can, and only hoard the most valuable magic. So, I will teach both of you.¡± Harlan went through the same thing he did with everyone he taught anything. They freak out when they are in a sensory deprived state and then Harlan has to stop them from hurting themselves. A week later, Joan was sensing and using basic elemental bolts, she was a natural, and she was fully brought to his side. Mercedes was sensing, but barely able to use touch magic, Harlan knew that he could find a way to make her better at it, but he decided to let her wallow in ineptitude for a little while longer. The new negotiator arrived, a Cast made of gold. Joan led him into Harlan¡¯s office flanked by golems made in the same shape as the normal ones with their tentacles and small bodies, but they were made from Cast flesh and bone. Harlan spent his nights, and these four were the only ones that he got done in the last week and he hoped they would upset his enemies, as according to what he had been told, Cast couldn¡¯t be brought back with necromancy. The Cast were inorganic, they were metal, but magic didn¡¯t see it that way, and he had to use both metalworking magic and his flesh shaping together by modifying his sigils. Until this point, he had been using the same sigils he knew from whatever that spell was that killed the evolved skinwalker, yet now he had been forced to add things to them by taking what he knew of spellcrafting runes. He has been nauseous for days as a result; sigils disliked change, and Harlan had no experience actually changing them until now. ¡°I hope you know better than your predecessor.¡± ¡°We are willing to grant you this land, and more, you would gain control of two more towns of this size and a dozen villages as well as being allowed to trade with imperial merchants. We have seen your work on the fields, you might make it a month before your people start to starve, and then we are going to come in and get what we want.¡± ¡°Carrot or the stick, now, that didn¡¯t seem to work out well last time. So, what¡¯s changed.¡± ¡°We are giving a real offer. You have one month to decide, then we are going with option two, a Hand of the Empire shall be here with an army.¡± Mercedes and Joan were noticeably shocked by the news. ¡°A Hand¡­¡± ¡°Send me through a gate, 200 miles north.¡± Harlan did as asked. Joan and Mercedes breathed easier now that he was gone. ¡°So, my advisor, my captain, what are your thoughts?¡± Joan answered first. ¡°We can¡¯t fight one of them, take the deal.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t going to fight one of the hands, both of them are busy fighting the Stones of Lith, and of the Fingers, Helik and Sholl are the only two not on the frontlines, and they aren¡¯t on the frontlines because they got their shit kicked in by the weakest of the stones and they need more training.¡± ¡°How can you know that?¡± ¡°My god will give me some information. She isn¡¯t going to tell me troop formations and warn me about assassins, but what I asked for is either public knowledge or known rumors within the empire. I didn¡¯t push back against him because it would reveal that I can find these things out and that one month is a whole lot better than the week I was going to ask for.¡± ¡°Then I have no issues with how this meeting went.¡± ¡°Mercedes?¡± ¡°We need the food, and we can break the deal later. Those fields aren¡¯t going to produce anything for months and we don¡¯t have the time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to break a deal, it reflects poorly on me as a ruler and the nation as a whole. I hear how people speak about Dague, and I know what it is like to be seen as something you aren¡¯t just because of where you are from or what shade your skin is or the color of your eyes.¡± ¡°Instead of worrying how it looks, worry about us starving to death.¡± ¡°I¡­ I have a plan, and you aren¡¯t going to like it, nobody but me is.¡± ¡°Nobody likes starving to death either.¡± ¡°I will handle it.¡± ¡°How will you?¡± ¡°By finding an ally who I know exists, and hoping that I have something she wants. Trust me with this.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°I trust you fully, Sir Fomoria. If you claim this ally exists, then they do, and if you must leave to find them, I will keep this town safe until your return.¡± ¡°Thank you, Joan. Now, you are both dismissed. I need to bathe and get ready for bed, tomorrow I will start my search for her.¡±
They huddled together in their tree homes, hiding from the monster outside. Their leader was forbidden from directly saving them from a threat such as this, and they had not taken their training seriously, because such a thing was not natural for their kind. Then a shadow flew over the forest, and the monster fled only a dozen feet before being cut to ribbons. It looked down at the remains of the thing and realized someone was breaking the rules. Chapter 206: A Weapon Harlan had one thing which he did enjoy about the former mayor¡¯s home, it had bathrooms, and it had a bathing room with a pool able to fit over a dozen people without an uncomfortable closeness to them. Every time Harlan used it instead of having the workers draw the water and build a fire and run the cycler to keep it hot and clean, he just used magic. 15 minutes into his soak, an uninvited guest arrived. ¡°Joan, what are you doing up so late and why are you here?¡± ¡°I came for a bath, and I think you won¡¯t make me leave.¡± ¡°Because we¡¯ve already said we aren¡¯t looking for that relationship in one another?¡± ¡°Because I am going to be open with you, and I didn¡¯t want to do that with Mercedes around.¡± ¡°And she is often stuck close and you don¡¯t want to outright tell her to let you have a private conversation with me. Alright, enter.¡± She removed her clothes and entered the bath while Harlan looked away. He tracked her movement with his mental senses and magic in the steam that rose from the waters. ¡°In Dague, bathhouses were common, and for a people whose culture was based around deception, they were a sacred place. They were somewhere that you could be completely open and defenseless without worrying about being stabbed in the back. In the army, every unit was expected to bathe together. One sign of honor and trust, to show that you put your life in the hands of another is to let them wash their back and hair. If you don¡¯t toss me to the street, I would like to wash your back.¡± ¡°What do you want to confess?¡± ¡°First, I would like you to wash my hair.¡± Harlan moved over to her and grabbed the comb and soap from her hands without needing to face her by using telekinesis. He only turned around when her back faced him. ¡°I was not thrown out of the army for what happened between me and my captain. That was just enough for them to send me to the front line. And I was too scared of dying, so I ran, they caught me, and I was in prison, waiting for my execution date.¡± ¡°Why tell me half the story?¡± ¡°I was worried that you would be upset, so I told a half-truth, and then you praised me for being so honest and I¡­ I didn¡¯t know what to expect, even with what you¡¯ve done, I¡¯ve also seen you fight like a monster.¡± ¡°You came to me because you felt guilt over lying to me, and that shows character, just like before. Do you mind if I ask something sensitive? Or at least I believe it is, but I¡¯ve been too afraid to ask.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think you were afraid of anything.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like asking things that intentionally upset other people without reason.¡± She laughed. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see a more childish side to you. Go, ask your question.¡± ¡°Every Dague I¡¯ve seen has had their horns cut, I thought at first it was because you were enslaved, but I¡¯ve seen them polishing and trimming them.¡± ¡°And why do you think it would be upsetting to ask?¡± ¡°Because any time I¡¯ve seen them doing it they stop and hide away, and when I speak with them and I start looking at the horns they get uncomfortable.¡± ¡°Our horns are tied with tradition, they are a sign of dominance, and only those of nobility are allowed to keep them long.¡± ¡°Would you like to grow your horns?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t deserve it.¡± ¡°I disagree, but before we continue, I¡¯ve finished washing your hair.¡± Harlan turned around and sat on a stool so she could repay the favor.. ¡°Please, wash my back.¡± She hesitated, but she grabbed the soap from his hand. ¡°I would like you to consider growing out your horns to show your position as well as your trust in me. Eventually it should spread as a sign of a Dague loyal to me instead of a dead country.¡± ¡°What you said earlier, that you would make this a place where I would be proud to live, was that really the truth?¡± ¡°I want to be a place that people can be free, that people will come to for the hope of a better life, and I want to give them that better life. I hope that is what you want.¡± ¡°When this war is over, I can see myself finally starting a family here in this place. That is the trust I am placing in you. And I want you to know that I fled before not just because I was afraid of death, I simply didn¡¯t believe in the kingdom like I did when I joined. It was no longer a place I would sacrifice myself for.¡± She opened her mouth again, but no words came out. ¡°Whatever you want to say, speak freely.¡± ¡°You once mentioned to me that you have a girl waiting for you back home.¡± Harlan¡¯s shoulders slumped and she could feel his tension. ¡°I am here outside of the veil for a mistake I made, and I didn¡¯t even get the chance to say goodbye.¡± Joan hugged him from behind. ¡°I hope you aren¡¯t trying to do anything here. I don¡¯t want to be comforted in that way.¡± ¡°My apologies for doing something untoward. We are a bit more open with skinship than most. I meant nothing more than a kind gesture.¡± ¡°I will try to keep that in mind, but I dislike people touching me like that.¡± ¡°Since we are here, would you like to say anything else? How did you learn to wash hair so nicely?¡± ¡°When I was younger, we didn¡¯t have a large tub, and it was a pain to heat the water, so I bathed with my sisters, and I helped them wash their hair. My fiance- no, Adina, she learned cleaning magic, and then she taught me. So I¡¯ve just used those together.¡± ¡°Are you close to them?¡± From behind she could see the corners of his mouth rise. The pair spent hours speaking to one another, Harlan felt a weight lift off his shoulders to have somebody else who he could just talk to. Eventually when Joan started to look like a prune they agreed to go to sleep. Morning came too quickly, either he had nightmares, or he had dreams that he only half-remembered and might¡¯ve been prophetic or completely meaningless. He laid on his side, gripping his pillow in front of himself like it were a person. ¡°Good morning.¡± He didn¡¯t reply. ¡°Harlan, are you awake?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll get up in another few minutes.¡± ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡± ¡°Let me sit, just for a few minutes.¡± ¡°I wanted to say this before, but it wasn¡¯t the right time. I want to be put in a body, I think I can help you better as a person, and out here, nobody will know or care about who I was.¡± ¡°Alright, just a few minutes.¡± She didn¡¯t say anything more, it was clear he wasn¡¯t even paying attention. Almost an hour passed before Mercedes entered his room to wake him. ¡°Harlan, do you intend to sleep in today?¡± ¡°Just a few more minutes.¡± She sat at the edge of his bed. ¡°It will help nobody, least of all yourself, if you sit in bed. Did something happen last night?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Alright then, just a few minutes. I¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡± Having been called by Mercedes after 15 minutes passed, Joan dragged herself into the room, her clothes had been sloppily put on and her hair hadn¡¯t been brushed yet. ¡°Harlan, you gotta wake up.¡± ¡°You look like shit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I did something to upset you last night.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything. I just remembered that my family is gone, I gave up my love, and I don¡¯t have friends here.¡± She sighed. ¡°You really are a child.¡± Joan pulled the blankets off of him and opened the curtains. ¡°Do you want to brush my hair for me?¡± She sat back on the edge of the bed and handed him a brush she found in the nightstand. He was on his knees on the bed and didn¡¯t say a word.. Once he had brushed it he started to braid her hair into a short braid that couldn¡¯t be easily pulled on in a fight. ¡°Do you want to talk about it now? Or should we get into the bath again?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I said you weren¡¯t a friend.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind, we barely know one another.¡± Harlan began to cry onto her clothes, causing her to turn around and stroke his hair. ¡°Shhh¡­ it¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°I miss them.¡± ¡°I can stay here with you today if you¡¯d like.¡± He sniffled and wiped away his tears, but his head was still buried in her chest. ¡°If you ever need to let something out, use me as you want.¡± She suddenly realized how it sounded. ¡°Ah, I mean¡­ No, you know what I mean, you are a bright kid.¡± Harlan chuckled and wiped his tears away, but this time they stopped. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m alright. Xol was right to send me here.¡± She smiled gently at him. ¡°Good, I¡¯d hate to think everything we said to one another last night was causing you harm.¡± ¡°First, I need a weapon.¡± ¡°What about that club you carry around?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it is good enough. I¡¯m going to take a half day, send food to the basement and have it placed outside of my converted workshop. If anything happens, come get me.¡± ¡°Should I have the servants get metal from the vault?¡± ¡°No, that won¡¯t be needed.¡± Harlan sat in the room drawing plans, he would rather not need to do this more than once. ¡°Are you sure this is a good idea?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it for a little while, my bones are from a Stone Drake and that makes them like an organic stonesteel. My healing can regenerate my body, so I have as much material as I need provided I have food to sustain myself.¡° Harlan took deep breaths to prepare for what he was going to do. He grabbed a dagger from the table and coated it in void so it could actually hurt him and he made a long incision on his thigh. Then came the worst part, he jammed the blade inside at his joints and screamed in pain, the wards and arrays strained under the effort of stopping his voice from escaping. After 10 minutes there sat a bloody femur on the ground and Harlan was shoveling food in his mouth to offset the cost of healing that only got higher and higher as he replaced his natural body with stronger parts. ¡°Now we can talk. I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t really process what you said earlier.¡± ¡°Gods, what is wrong with you? Do you have any idea how much it hurts me to see you mutilate yourself like that?¡± ¡°I had a dream where I tore out my own spine and used it as a spear to kill a dragon.¡± ¡°What if that was nothing but a dream? You didn¡¯t need to do any of this.¡± ¡°This felt right.¡± ¡°NO, NO IT DID NOT. YOU CUT OUT YOUR FEMUR.¡± Harlan took a deep breath to calm himself as he felt his wound stitched closed and a hardness formed in his leg. ¡°I feel like shit, but it¡¯s like a haze has lifted and things are clearer. This weapon will be mine, and once I have a weapon, I will feel calmer. I feel naked when I don¡¯t have armor on, no matter if I¡¯ve got clothes or not, and I feel defenseless without a weapon, even if I mostly resort to my fists. Do you know the feeling?¡± ¡°Harlan, I don¡¯t want to encourage you, but yes. She had a dagger, something that her parents set aside for her when she got older and one day Sepul gave it to her. It had her initials on it, E.D. Then the Fomorians took it from her and she never saw it again. Probably got melted down and turned into something else.¡± He finished eating and laid down perfectly still so the bone would form properly. ¡°Do you want to look like yourself? Or should I try to make you a new body?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it. I don¡¯t even know if I want to be human, and the Dague¡­¡± ¡°They are beautiful.¡± ¡°They remind me of you. Their features are sharper than most people, but they are much softer than a Fomorian. Your human side is pulling its weight to prevent you from looking strange.¡± ¡°I should find out what their horns look like, I don¡¯t know if they curve or what.¡± ¡°I think something that is just a step away from human will make me feel better, and if we do end up back home someday then I don¡¯t want to look like myself. But I don¡¯t want to be blue like them, I like my pink skin.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Harlan awoke from his nap a few hours later and stomped his leg a few times. The new bone was unpleasant, but he knew the feeling would fade after a little while. The most important part was that it didn¡¯t feel any weaker than before. He picked up the bone that was inside of him only a matter of hours ago, and the feeling struck him. It really was insane what he did, but that dream of his seemed to compel him to do it, and now that he actually did it, he wasn¡¯t sure what to feel. So like he so often did, he pushed away that feeling and went to work. He etched sigils on the surface of it and then used flesh shaping to move them deeper inside of the bone as he turned it into something that actually looked like a sword. But it too felt wrong, he felt it from the sword, it didn¡¯t want to be what it was. So he used the bone that was the hilt and extended the blade, leaving a weapon that was also a danger to its wielder. He had heard many swordsmen tell him that a blade was a part of the wielder, like an extra limb. But as he swung the simple bone white sword that looked like any other broadsword minus a hilt, he felt it. This was not a blade, it was him, both physically and mentally, it was something linked directly to him. ¡°Put it away, and don¡¯t get it out again until I am out of your head, it makes me feel sick, it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s banging against my mind.¡± Harlan put it back on the table and he could feel the relief from Dawn, but he could also feel the blade calling to be picked back up and used. ¡°I¡¯m not sure you should even use it once I¡¯m gone. Fuck, just put it somewhere we don¡¯t need to look at it.¡± Harlan encased the sword in stone and put sigils of his own making on it to block the mental signal that was calling out to him. ¡°Do you think I should tell someone? I didn¡¯t put anything on that blade that should¡¯ve let it use mental magic, but it¡­¡± ¡°That thing was literally made with your blood sweat and tears, no wonder it turned out like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll find a new weapon that I feel safe with another time then.¡± Harlan looked at all of the weapons in the vault and even went to the guards to just get a feeling for the weapons they used, but they all felt wrong. So he would stick with the club that he got from the first Cast he killed for now. He thought about calling Xol, seeing if he had time to look at the sword, but he decided against it. There was no reason to bother him with it, besides, it was buried under his home, it was perfectly safe, nobody else needed to know about it. At evening time, Harlan was eating his dinner when Mercedes stepped inside his office. He barely left the room, most of his work was done by hopping into the golems. ¡°Perfect timing, I need to keep my mind busy for a little while.¡± ¡°Oh? Is there something else bothering you?¡± ¡°Nothing to concern yourself with. I am considering making a public bathhouse, but to keep things sanitary would require either setting up a bunch of pumps and filters and all of that, or just assigning a few golems to keep the water clean and hot. What are your thoughts?¡± Harlan saw her brighten up out of some genuine happiness rather than greed. ¡°The bath here is nice, but a Dague bathhouse is a community square of sorts where everyone can gather to speak freely and without worry. It would do a lot to brighten the spirits of the people if you made one.¡± Then her eyes dulled a bit as she thought as his advisor instead of as a citizen. ¡°But¡­ do we really have the time to make something like that?¡± ¡°I saw how excited you became, and I can make it work. Also, I will be hiring an extra advisor soon, please ensure that a room next to mine is ready for her.¡± ¡°Where did you find her?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t answer that question. But back to the topic at hand, the bathhouse golems.¡± ¡°In Dague, we had slimes that constantly moved through the water and acted as filters. They made little brown pearls out of the dirt in their cores that could be easily removed and thrown away.¡± ¡°Huh, I¡¯ve only seen slimes as test subjects for healing classes.¡± Harlan furrowed his brows. ¡°Wait, slimes? How long have they been around here? Because I recall something about them being an artificial creature that was invented where I am from. And I know we¡¯ve been cut off since¡­ I actually don¡¯t know the answer to that, not everyone even knows that there is a world outside of the veil.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the history of them, slimes have always just been something we¡¯ve used.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t¡­¡± Harlan contacted Xol. He arrived a minute later while the pair was still drawing up plans for a bathhouse, Harlan never thought he would actually appear so quickly, most of the time he didn¡¯t answer at all. Mercedes jumped back seeing the lich. ¡°The Dread Pirate¡­¡± ¡°No, you are thinking of Dun¡¯Kel. Harlan, what do you need? And have you been adjusting well here?¡± ¡°Slimes, where do they come from? Because I heard they were an invented creature, and so they shouldn¡¯t be out here as the same creature.¡± Xol was hard to read due to his current lack of a face, but Harlan had the feeling that he didn¡¯t like the question. ¡°Ah¡­ yes, well, you see¡­ Woman, leave us.¡± She did not need to be told twice. Once the door was closed he put up veils. ¡°Slimes were invented by me. Such creatures were very common in stories which I read, so I played god with them and died. Then I came back outside of the veil and tried again, the ones out here are honestly some of my better work and they do exactly what I want them to.¡± ¡°Can you show me how? I want them as cleaners.¡± He pulled a notepad and a pen from his sleeve and began scribbling. ¡°You know, I made pens too. Back where I am from they were standard, here you people were using ink and quills still and I got annoyed by having to write everything like that.¡± Once he was done there were only a few pages of densely worded instructions. ¡°Vaporize those once you are done, people can make slimes already out here clearly, but that is a set of advanced instructions to really let you do what you want with them.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°So, my wife wanted to know, how are you really doing?¡± ¡°I broke down in the arms of my head of defense this morning. But I think I¡¯m doing better now.¡± Harlan started tapping his foot, he was anxious. ¡°This is the part where you ask me how Adina is doing, and I tell you that everything is fine back home.¡± ¡°Gods, thank you. I didn¡¯t want to ask.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t worry about her, because by what you¡¯ve done, you are now free to start a life out here.¡± ¡°I-¡± ¡°Wait, let me explain further. I was told to tell you that you don¡¯t need to try jumping into love again, give it a few years, just until you are a little more mature, and then find someone. You aren¡¯t built to be alone, but the start of a war is a terrible time to think about falling in love, even if you can¡¯t control it, at least hold off putting a target on the back of some woman.¡± ¡°I wish she was here to tell me herself.¡± ¡°Well you are stuck with me because she is trying to prevent the other you from¡­ nevermind.¡± ¡°From what?¡± ¡°How do you think you would react if you had no way to lie about what happened to Haldren?¡± ¡°I¡¯d force a situation where I couldn¡¯t really be punished too harshly. Probably by making an army and showing off my seeming immortality. Then I¡¯d probably bring out Dearil and show that what happened really was a terrible accident and pin as much blame as I could on him.¡± Xol looked a bit incredulous. ¡°I know that you and him are the same person, but I still find it odd how you came to the exact same conclusion even after being separated for weeks now. Is there anything else that you need?¡± Harlan¡¯s mind drifted to the blade, but he kept quiet about it, that blade was his and his alone. ¡°Do you know anything about the elemental sealing array that they are going to have around their cities?¡± ¡°My wife wasn¡¯t out here setting up anything, these people won¡¯t have anything nearly so sophisticated. You¡¯ll also find that they wouldn¡¯t use them anyway since they heavily restrict who is allowed to be a mage by their long standing lie that people believe to be true.¡± ¡°Yes, I already discovered that lie and I¡¯ve told the truth to my advisor and my head of defense.¡± ¡°I¡¯d keep that secret for a long while, and you should make a fake ritual to keep them in line. Is there anything else that you need?¡± Once more his mind went to the blade, and- ¡°Just show me the item.¡± ¡°What item?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb. Two of you already exist, that thing feels like another. Whatever you made earlier, it is dangerous and I need to make sure you are safe.¡± ¡°How sweet.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get touchy feely just yet.¡± Harlan went down to the basement alongside Xol, showing him around the house a little long the way and waving hello to the staff who all froze the moment they saw him. Once down inside of the safe room turned workshop Harlan pulled the stone box from the wall. The moment Xol cracked open the stone and the sigils turned off, he could feel it. ¡°What on Aarde have you done?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to take this thing, run some tests, and if it is safe, I¡¯ll give it back when the time is right. Do you hear it singing in dual tones?¡± ¡°No, it just¡­ makes me feel things.¡± Xol locked it back and stone and used his own sigils to completely remove the voice. ¡°Do you feel better now?¡± Harlan gripped his head. ¡°Shit, that hurt.¡± ¡°But do you feel better?¡± ¡°Yes, I think so. I thought that I got away from it.¡± ¡°Your sigil crafting is still very rudimentary. And I¡¯m a little shocked that you have the mental fortitude to get it locked away at all. I¡¯m sure it is Dawn¡¯s presence that prevented it from working properly, or perhaps it is the partial fusion of your mind and soul when you became a champion.¡± ¡°It was hard, I wanted to use it.¡± ¡°It is good that you didn¡¯t. That thing is cursed, in the Fomorian sense at least. It would ask you to kill someone, and then it would keep wearing you down until you did it and you wouldn¡¯t want to throw it away or break it because you would feel connected to the weapon. Why did you make this thing anyway?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel safe without a weapon that I like being around, and I had a dream where a spear made from my spine killed a dragon.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can¡¯t find something for you, but don¡¯t make another one of these. The body of a champion is fundamentally changed, even if you don¡¯t always notice it, and that being used to manufacture a weapon like that is bad news.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± He vanished back to his small world and Harlan decided to go out and hunt for some animals that he could use to build Dawn¡¯s body. Mercedes would work on the bathhouse design on her own that night.
There were few test subjects who Xol could use, so he called Coronach who picked up the blade without issue and left shortly afterwards. The shadow stood on a hill and watched the sun rise, unsure how to handle the things he felt stirring his cold and dead heart to life. Eventually, the feelings faded when the moon was at its peak. Chapter 207: Elise Sepul fidgeted in discomfort as Elise asked leading questions, but didn¡¯t directly ask for Harlan¡¯s magical knowledge. Eventually he was nearly ready to make a choice, but it was Adina who spoke up first. ¡°Elise, stop doing that to Harlan.¡±. ¡°Excuse me? I¡¯m just asking him about his life.¡± ¡°No, you are extracting information because you know he is upset and feels lonely since our family refuses to speak with him. Until I trust you, you are related to him by blood, and that does not make you family.¡± ¡°Adina, she was just-¡± She slammed her hand on the table, the clattering of silverware left a silence that hung a little too long. ¡°Damnit Harlan, let me defend you from this vulture like you would me.¡± ¡°Lady Adina, why don¡¯t you mind your own business, this is a family matter.¡± Sepul found his words, and he spoke them harshly. ¡°Elise, you will treat her with respect, and you will treat your brother with respect. If you weren¡¯t so impatient and bullheaded, you could get close to him like an actual human being and he¡¯d give you anything.¡± ¡°But I was-¡± ¡°Young lady, do not think that I am blind or that age has dulled my mind. Apologize.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Not to me, to Adina and Harlan.¡± ¡°But she-¡± ¡°Harlan, I am very sorry about my apprentice, but more than that, I am sorry for not stepping in sooner. Adina, I am thankful that you did what I did not. Elise, you and I will speak with your father and stepmother about how you continue to act.¡± Fear shot through her. ¡°They don¡¯t need to-¡± ¡°Clearly they do. Harlan, I¡¯m sorry, let me gate you back to your home.¡± They left without a word. When they stepped back into their home and the gate closed, Adina immediately went to his side to calm him. ¡°Harlan, I know that this isn¡¯t how you wanted to meet her but-¡± He reached for a glass from the cabinet and she prepared for it to shatter against the wall, but she opened her eyes again and he just poured himself some water. ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight her, I¡¯m just tired of it.¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± He set down his now empty glass and started to rotate it. ¡°I¡¯m just tired.¡± ¡°Would you feel better if I slept with you again?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Good night.¡± Harlan laid in his bed in pitch darkness. ¡°Do you want to talk about it? I know that isn¡¯t how you want to-¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡± ¡°Good night.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t reply back, and he didn¡¯t sleep. He just stared at the ceiling. When morning came Isha woke him up, unaware of what happened the night before. ¡°Breakfast is ready, and Sepul is here to see you with his apprentice.¡± ¡°She is my half-sister Elise, she told me last night.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s wonderful.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be down in a minute.¡± His tone was neutral. ¡°Are you feeling well?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just a little tired.¡± ¡°Should I tell them to go?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be down in a minute.¡± Isha went downstairs and waited with Sepul. ¡°Elise, Harlan told me that you are his half-sister. This is pretty sudden, he had all of these plans and worries. But he is not acting like himself, so what did you do?¡± ¡°What exactly are you accusing me of?¡± ¡°Well I know Harlan didn¡¯t screw this up, because he probably heard the word sister and then answered anything you wanted. So what did you do?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to explain myself to the help.¡± Isha slapped her.. When Elise swung back however, then Sepul had to step in. ¡°What are you doing? She hit me.¡± ¡°If you knew anything about Harlan, then you would know hitting her, no matter why, in his home, is a very, very bad idea. And you also started this by lying to her and trying to trick Harlan.¡± ¡°So I should just let her-¡± ¡°Remember exactly why we are here.¡± His tone said that replying was not expected, and could only bring more trouble. Harlan came down to find his maid staring down the woman he shared a birth mother with. ¡°Sepul, may I ask why you are here?¡± ¡°I told her parents about what happened, hoping that it would be something that they would act on, and they did nothing. So, before I decide on something, do you have any ideas for punishment?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a grown woman, a spanking is too late. Come, follow me, she¡¯ll learn her lesson about what she tried to do. Then we can speak over breakfast.¡± Harlan led them through more than one gate. ¡°An empty city? Is this somewhere in the north?¡± ¡°Why did you want to learn my magic, and why didn¡¯t you just come to me in good faith?¡± ¡°A mage gathers knowledge, do I need another reason?¡± ¡°And why didn¡¯t you come to me?¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t give up your magic to me for nothing and I don¡¯t have anything to give you.¡± ¡°Tell me, where do you think we are?¡± ¡°Burn marks are fairly fresh, the walls look like they¡­¡± Harlan spread his arms wide. ¡°This is what strength and knowledge without wisdom gets you.¡± ¡°We are in Haldren?¡± ¡°There is no life, this is not a city, it is an urn. Tell me, why do you want my magic?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Find a reason before you decide to trick me for some short term gain next time.¡± Harlan wanted to cuss, swear at, and insult her. But his anger died on his lips, he was tired. ¡°Come for breakfast, or don¡¯t, I don¡¯t care.¡± Harlan opened a gate and left the pair there. Sepul shook his head at her for trying to open her own gate to leave. ¡°Do you see why I am not telling him who I am, and why I told you to keep your mouth shut?¡± ¡°I-¡± ¡°Quiet. You will speak when I say that you can. Harlan is not a mage, you can¡¯t just bash your eyes or impress them with skill to get his magic, and until you know what he wants, you will not speak with him. You may speak now¡± ¡°Come on, it was one bad night, I can still recover from this.¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up in an hour. Feel free to spend the entire time pouting because you didn¡¯t get your way.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t-¡± He was gone, though really he was hiding under invisibility magic. She was still his great granddaughter and he would not leave her here alone. She walked the empty streets, the kingdom already cleared the place of bodies and valuables but they had little idea of what they should do with the husk. It was one thing to build a city or repair one in such a state as this with sideways stalactites showing which direction the heatwave came from originally, but the real issue was people wanting to actually come back. Haldren had no curse, the spirits had already been cast out as they didn¡¯t know enough about why they died and it happened so quickly that only a few of them had wandered around afterwards, yet superstition was a powerful thing and there was no assurance that was good enough for most people. It certainly didn¡¯t help that the count, his only daughter, and his wife were all dead; the chain of succession was broken. A local baron had been promoted to count but he already had a city of his own. So now this dead place stood as nothing but a monument to Harlan¡¯s sins. She sat down on a park bench and looked at shadows on the ground that showed where people once stood. ¡°You can come out now, I know you wouldn¡¯t leave me alone here.¡± ¡°What have you realized by seeing this place?¡± ¡°Harlan is insanely powerful. Look, the wall was reduced to-¡± ¡°Never, ever repeat that to Harlan, or I will make sure you two are never in the same room again.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What do you think about Harlan, explain to me, how do you see him?¡± ¡°Well, he is influential and talented and defensive and vengeful.¡± ¡°And why is he those things?¡± ¡°Well, he¡¯s Fomorian, so that means he has talent and gives him a unique bargaining chip.¡± ¡°And the other two?¡± ¡°Well, after his time at the facility he had a mental breakdown for the next year or so and he never got over being put there.¡± ¡°You are almost there, why was he so upset?¡± ¡°Because they made him work long hours in isolation for three years and he felt he wasn¡¯t compensated enough.¡± Sepul sat on the bench next to her. ¡°He doesn¡¯t give a shit about working, he can go weeks without sleep, and I¡¯ve seen him do it. Do you know why I am so upset with you? And why Adina is so upset with you on his behalf? Because he is family for both of us. The fact that you would go after him when he is the most hurt and the most alone shows that you just don¡¯t give a shit. You and him both lost your mother, but you were old enough to be hurt by it, and you hate your stepmother and consider your father a spineless fool. And you¡¯ve also failed to ever really think about the cost of what you do. Harlan grew up on a farm, from when he was young took care of chickens and pigs and he helped with whatever else he could find, and he didn¡¯t do it for anything but the fact that he enjoyed helping others.¡± Sepul took a deep breath to steel himself for what came next. ¡°You need to speak to Harlan with an understanding of who he is, and you should do it soon.¡± ¡°I thought that I wasn¡¯t supposed to talk to him?¡± ¡°He is hurt and I hate to suggest it, but perhaps you can use that to get back to neutral and then do this the right way.¡± ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to talk to him?¡± ¡°You do.¡± Sepul called Harlan to the city. ¡°What do you need?¡± ¡°I need you to forgive your sister.¡± ¡°No.¡± He turned around to walk back through the gate, but Sepul grabbed his shoulder and had the strength to hold him back. ¡°You know that the way someone is raised, and what losses they encounter can shape who they are. I am in no place to ask you for anything, but please, do the job her father and I failed to do, make her a better person, give her the chance to let her learn from her mistakes.¡± Sepul felt that Harlan wasn¡¯t resisting anymore. ¡°What do I do?¡± ¡°What did you do for me?¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t the same.¡± ¡°I am not Eliza because I gained a new perspective and I reflected on the life that she lived. She has a chance to do that while she is still alive.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to do that for her.¡± ¡°Then do it for me, because I am watching my son and my daughter become estranged before my eyes and I can¡¯t do a single thing about it.¡± Her tears fell from his eyes. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll speak to her again. Join us for breakfast.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t eat yet?¡± ¡°I was waiting for her to come.¡± Sepul¡¯s heart was somewhat soothed by his response. Despite what had happened, it was clear that Harlan still wanted a relationship with her. They sat around the table and Isha placed the reheated food back on it. Harlan¡¯s eyes laid heavy on the empty seat that Sara always sat in. He clenched his fists when Elise took it. ¡°Was I not supposed to sit here?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. That was just someone else''s seat before.¡± Adina grabbed his hands and undid his fists. ¡°Harlan, it¡¯s alright. Elise didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Oh, was this the-¡± She saw the look in Harlan¡¯s eyes, daring her to disrespect Sara¡¯s memory. ¡°The seat of your friend who passed away. My condolences.¡± ¡°Isha, you should find another maid, one of the girls from the orphanage would be best.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, I-¡± ¡°I can see that you are tired from doing twice the work, and when¡­ when you leave, there will be nobody else. Lydia is old, she should be able to enjoy retirement with her husband. I don¡¯t ever want to walk in here and not see people, and I don¡¯t want to make golems for cooking and cleaning. This place needs life.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll look for candidates today. They can stay in the guest rooms.¡± ¡°Isha¡­¡± ¡°They can stay in the cabins when they get the job, until then¡­¡± ¡°I understand, they can use the guest rooms until then.¡± The atmosphere remained so heavy that nobody wanted to talk, but it did give Elise time to see Harlan being himself. She was a little shocked that he would be so close with ¡®the help¡¯ even though she heard about it already. Elise didn¡¯t expect that he would bend to Isha¡¯s demands or that they could leave things unsaid but still understood each other. Eventually she couldn¡¯t take it anymore, she hated dinner at home where her father and step-mother would make vapid conversation just to avoid eating in silence. But seeing what the silence was really like, she understood why they did it. ¡°How long have you known Harlan?¡± ¡°Three years more or less.¡± ¡°How did you get close to him?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. When we first met I was still working under Redwall and I was petrified just being around him.¡± She got a nostalgic look in her eyes. ¡°But then he made this little sheep golem, it was the cutest thing I had seen, but I nearly had a heart attack when I first saw it. It wasn¡¯t that long after that Harlan was ready to move to his own place and he asked that I be put on the interview list. Fuck, I remember being so embarrassed, I thought he was in love with me and Garad had to explain to both of us what was being misunderstood.¡± ¡°I remember that all too well, does that sheep still work?¡± ¡°It roams around the house, my mother doesn¡¯t swat it with the broom anymore.¡± ¡°How is she? I¡¯ve barely seen her in months.¡± ¡°She¡¯s doing great, she¡¯s just getting old and sleeps a lot more.¡± Harlan could see from the way her eyes got watery and she kept puckering her lips that she wasn¡¯t ok. ¡°How long does she have?¡± She let out a dry chuckle. ¡°I can¡¯t get anything past you. I¡¯ve taken her to the healers, they don¡¯t expect her to go for two months. I was trying to get the wedding done before then, but then¡­¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t put off your life like that. She wouldn¡¯t want that.¡± ¡°Well we can¡¯t know what she would want, can we?¡± Isha started bouncing her legs and then suddenly tossed a glass on the floor. ¡°Shit, let me-¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got it. I¡¯m sorry, I haven¡¯t had the time to talk with you much, you shouldn¡¯t need to be alone for this.¡± Isha burst into tears at the table and Harlan rubbed her back while Adina went in for a hug, tears in her eyes. Sepul and Elise shared a look, this had been a disaster and they did not want to step into this moment, so they left without a word. Adina stayed with Isha in a guest room for the day while Harlan took care of cooking and cleaning. She didn¡¯t want her mother to see her like this because she knew that her mother was blunt and uncaring, every other time she brought up how she felt only proved it further. While he was getting the clothes from the line, Kass approached him. He paced back and forth, his mind was screaming at him to just say it and get it over with. ¡°I know the timing is awful, but I¡¯ve gotten a letter that you need to know about.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°My brother is dead, I need to go back for the funeral. I got the letter a week ago, but I didn¡¯t want to bring it up with everything else that was happening.¡± ¡°We should sit down to talk.¡± They made their way to Kass¡¯s porch. Something that Harlan enjoyed about his things was that they always made him feel like a kid due to how big they were. Then the thought crossed his mind, he wasn¡¯t even 17. He might not be a kid, but he didn¡¯t feel like an adult. ¡°I¡¯d like you to use gate to drop me off at the border and take me back. But my family will handle the rest.¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know what else to say.¡± ¡°You want to know how I¡¯m handling it, and the answer is that I¡¯m fine. We weren¡¯t overly close, I became estranged from my family when I came to Ragne 15 years ago. I once said that things were complicated back home. The truth is that my father was Councilor Whitehorn, I didn¡¯t want to get into politics, I wanted to farm. I didn¡¯t even tell them I was leaving until I was gone and I already signed a contract for work.¡± ¡°You never wanted to open up before.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a little¡­ I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m not that sad, but when I try to be mournful I don¡¯t remember when we were children, I remember everything we said before we left. That I was a coward, an idiot, that I was turning my back on the family.¡± ¡°You feel bad that you don¡¯t feel worse.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess that¡¯s it. I am more upset about not having Sara around than my own brother.¡± ¡°My birth mother, I had this idea of what she should be, that I was robbed of having her. Then when I learned about her, I realized that I didn¡¯t really care that she was dead. She was a mixed up person, but with the life she had, I don¡¯t blame her entirely.¡± ¡°I guess you have me beat when it comes to a fucked up family.¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t at breakfast, so you didn¡¯t see Elise. I don¡¯t think I want to get into it, but I¡¯m glad you weren¡¯t there.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I wasn¡¯t hungry, not sure why.¡± ¡°Grief makes people strange. Try to drink a tonic to keep up your strength.¡± ¡°Right. I¡¯ll do that.¡± The two men just watched the sun set in silence which was only broken by Kass getting a drink. Eventually Kass decided it was time to go, after dropping him off Harlan went back to make dinner for the girls.
Yggdra felt the best that he had in at least a decade. He tossed aside his cane and walked to his balcony after a few drinks. ¡°Safira, I¡¯d like you to get Dahlia, I see how little time I have left, and I know that the boy hasn¡¯t turned back the clock, my pact is still active. I need to apologize to her for how I treated her, the only child of mine whose mother I really did love, perhaps the only person I¡¯ve ever felt real love for.¡± ¡°Are you certain you shouldn¡¯t wait until you are sober?¡± ¡°I feel like this must be done in the spur of the moment before my mind starts making plans and treating her like a pawn again.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Chapter 208: Dawn Harlan formed the body, and in her lower chest was a large gem. Everything was ready, and then suddenly he had a realization. ¡°You don¡¯t have a soul.¡± ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be an issue, should it? You can just take a piece of yours and cultivate it in the body for a little while.¡± ¡°That would be the case, but I can observe that male and females across all sexually dimorphic species have slightly different souls.¡± ¡°You could just say you need a woman''s soul.¡± ¡°I find that when I am doing work like this, I think more clearly if I speak in specific terms.¡± ¡°Alright, find a woman.¡± ¡°The Cast army didn¡¯t have any women who I could justifiably use. And I am unlikely to find a willing subject.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure anyone would give up a little piece if you asked.¡± ¡°They would feel coerced by my authority and do it even if they didn¡¯t want to. I don¡¯t want to be the kind of person who asks like that.¡± ¡°Then find someone who will, someone in their own position of power who you trust to answer honestly.¡± Harlan made his way to her office. ¡°Joan, can I have a little piece of your soul?¡± She looked up from the report in front of her and rubbed her eyes. ¡°I seem to have drifted to sleep again.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t as sinister as it sounds.¡± ¡°You know what, why don¡¯t you just explain this, because I am confident that you have a good reason.¡± ¡°Whole truth?¡± ¡°As much as you feel should be said. We should have at least one person who we can actually talk to about this.¡± ¡°As an infant I instinctually cast magic to bind my mother¡¯s mind to my own and she has been living inside of me since then. She was not a good person and she rejects who she was, and has now taken the name Dawn as a metaphor for how she has changed who she is. Now she wants a body because she wants to be able to help me as more than a voice in my head. I made the body and placed a large crystal in the chest to facilitate the transfer from mind to physical form. I can¡¯t use my own soul since the souls of men and women are different in subtle ways and I don¡¯t fully understand the implications of using my own soul for her body.¡± Joan closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat. ¡°I¡¯m not dreaming am I?¡± ¡°If you¡¯d rather, I could just pretend that I never came here, you¡¯d take a short nap and it would be a dream. I need it from someone who I trust and trusts me because you must choose to give up a little bit of your soul. I¡¯ll just go and ask Mercedes-¡± She all but leapt from her chair as she slammed her hands on the desk. ¡°You can''t let her do that. You know how she is, always scheming, I don¡¯t know what she would do, but she¡¯d use this against you one day.¡± Harlan sat in the chair across from her. ¡°If you are going to do this we can leave now, and in half an hour or less you can be back here.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t hard for me to take just a little bit from your soul, you¡¯ll feel a little odd, like a cold stone is inside of your stomach, but it will pass. Other than that, there shouldn¡¯t be any adverse reactions.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± Anyone who saw the pair move through the streets could tell the woman was nervous, but Harlan always tried to project an image of strength in public. Moral was better since the bathhouse was nearing completion, but rationing was never a popular choice. An old Dague man, branded on his forehead, approached them. Joan stepped in front. ¡°Stand down.¡± ¡°As you command. Speak your mind.¡± The old man kneeled, the movement clearly troubling his old bones. ¡°Your majesty, I¡¯ve heard reports that you are seeking something, I offer my services as an old scout. My body is useless to you as it is, but if you turned me to one of your soldiers, my life would have meaning after death.¡± ¡°Nothing of you would remain, I would gain nothing from killing you to make another golem.¡± The old man¡¯s eyes drooped. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry to have bothered you then, your majesty.¡± ¡°Stand.¡± Harlan helped him with telekinesis. ¡°If you would give your life, then I could still have another use. Come to my home in the evening, and you might still get your wish to act as a scout.¡± ¡°Of course, your majesty.¡± Within the basement of his home Harlan had the body laid out on the table, cloth covering her sensitive areas, but otherwise was left unrestrained. ¡°She was Half-Dague?¡± ¡°No, she was human. But in this land, she would rather be something else. She said that she liked the way Dague looked, but she also liked her skin in a human tone.¡± ¡°How will you explain her presence here?¡± ¡°I will tell people that she is my aunt, that is the relationship that we have decided upon since she rejects being my mother as she does not feel right to claim that title.¡± ¡°This is a very complicated family of yours.¡± ¡°Yes, and that is only the half of it. I can feel your anxiety, are you sure you still feel comfortable doing this?¡± ¡°Why are you so insistent on my feelings? I¡¯ve already told you yes.¡± ¡°One can say yes to something that they don¡¯t want to because they want to avoid upsetting another.¡± Harlan leaned on the table and overlooked his mother¡¯s new body. He could see the face that he knew from her, the nose and ears were what he had inherited from her. ¡°No, that¡¯s bullshit, I¡¯m just scared about what I would do if I stopped asking people I care about for permission.¡± ¡°And that is why despite some discomfort, I am willing to help you. Please, let¡¯s get this over with so we can both resume our work.¡± It took only 10 minutes for Harlan to gather bits and pieces from around her soul so that once it was fed inside of the gem it could be grown into something close enough to a prime soul that it could be linked to Dawn¡¯s mind. For now the body was sitting under an array that was pulling in mana not unlike the ones used to power the Reinoan communication boxes. Harlan was running his hands along Joan¡¯s body to check that there were no adverse reactions. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t like touching.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it when people touch me like you did. I don¡¯t want breasts put up against my back, I don¡¯t want you touching me at all when in the bath at all outside of that tradition that your people have. And I only accept that because I feel there is a meaning to it that I should accept for the sake of our relationship as friends and as part of this nation.¡± ¡°You seem on edge. I know you wouldn¡¯t talk so harshly with me over something so trivial if you weren''t.¡± ¡°By the end of today, my birth mother is going to be alive again, in a new body. I don¡¯t know how to feel.¡± His tone changed. ¡°Yes I want you here, I¡¯m not saying that I¡¯m just scared of you being my only family here and someone- Of course I trust that you- No, I¡¯m just worried about you.¡± He went silent. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Alright. Now I need to wait, once that soul has been nurtured to full size and the body has set itself up right, I can move her.¡± ¡°How long will that take?¡± ¡°Just a few hours. I guess I should go find that old man.¡± Harlan found him with other old men in what was once called the slave quarter, but was now just another housing area. ¡°Your majesty.¡± ¡°My work was finished sooner than I expected, we can speak privately about how you could help me now.¡± ¡°These men are my old unit, if possible, would they have the same opportunity?¡± ¡°If they agree after everything, then yes. But for now, we need to go to my home.¡± Harlan brought them down to the basement where Dawn¡¯s body still lay. ¡°I hope that has nothing to do with this.¡± ¡°My aunt has undergone a rather serious medical procedure, one not entirely unrelated. She is just resting now.¡± The body was alive and its chest rose and fell with its breaths. ¡°In what manner?¡± ¡°I could bring you back to youth. Now, your life would only be extended a few years as you wouldn¡¯t need to worry about old age directly killing you, but souls for things that do die of old age have a timer, one that I am not allowed to push back too far. But that isn¡¯t what matters here, I want to know why you think you deserve this. And far more importantly, I need to know that you will uphold my conduct while you work.¡± Then men had no hesitation. ¡°Of course, we will do whatever it is that is asked of us.¡± ¡°And what did you do for the army before?¡± ¡°We were scouts.¡± Harlan turned his back and then tossed a dagger near the men. ¡°No, you were. I¡¯ve seen men who don¡¯t flinch, and I¡¯ve seen men who won¡¯t flinch. You were all spies or assassins, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I have no idea what you mean. We simply-¡± ¡°You said that you have reports that I was looking for something. Now, that sounds like you had a job that was a bit more than just being scouts.¡± The man who first approached him laughed, and Joan gripped her sword, ready to draw. ¡°I would accept nothing less than to work for a king who can understand. We will do anything that you want, I don¡¯t care if it is-¡± ¡°Stop. Whatever you are about to say risks making me change my mind. You are going to uphold yourselves to my standards, and if not, I¡¯ll kill you myself. I don¡¯t just want you to uphold the letter of the law, I want you to uphold the spirit of it. No killing children, no mass poisonings to get a single target. If I want something found, you do your absolute best to find it without causing undue harm. What is undue will be your responsibility, and I am not going to kill you all after a single failure, I expect that you will make mistakes about what I find to be acceptable and you will need to be corrected. Can you all accept these terms?¡± The men kneeled, grunts and popping from the joints were heard. ¡°I need to know your names. And why haven¡¯t the rest of them spoken yet.¡± ¡°My name is D¡¯if, and that is the only one that matters, the rest will do whatever you say, and they don¡¯t like talking to people.¡± After an hour of work and screaming that made Joan green, the men were sent to guest rooms to recover. Harlan moved back down to the basement so he could put Dawn into her body. ¡°Ready?¡± ¡°Do it.¡± With just a tap she was in the body that shot up from the table and then doubled over in pain. ¡°You¡¯ll be alright, it is gonna be pins and needles for a few minutes, but that is just the cost of forcibly calibrating your body. I¡¯ve made a lot of changes to the process of enhancing bodies, and this is just-¡± She spoke through gritted teeth. ¡°SHUT THE HELL UP, I¡¯LL BE FINE.¡± He grabbed her hand. ¡°I know.¡± After a few minutes she was still doubled over. ¡°Gods, it¡¯s like every missed menstrual cycle is coming back at once.¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Yep, I feel fucking fantastic. Get me some beer, whiskey, ale, whatever the fuck you have.¡± Harlan returned in just a few moments. He still found it best to get people somewhat drunk before fleshsculpting people, so bottles were in the room. She gulped down a quarter of a bottle of whiskey before Harlan took it away from her. After ten minutes, it was not a gradual decline in pain, there was just a sudden stop. ¡°Fuck, it is done?¡± ¡°Should be.¡± ¡°Alright, now-¡± In her thrashing around she knocked the clothes that covered her privates off of her and now she suddenly realized it. ¡°Don¡¯t get bashful now, I designed that body alongside you. I didn¡¯t get embarrassed when you kept requesting to be more well endowed.¡± ¡°Yes you did. You were red as a beet the first time I mentioned it.¡± ¡°But I did it anyway. Besides, you¡¯ve seen me naked through my eyes before and I figure you are likely to join me and Joan during our baths.¡± ¡°No, I actually didn¡¯t plan to do that. Mothers seeing their kids naked is one thing, but what I¡¯ve already seen of you is weird, and I don¡¯t intend to keep doing it. I am quite a beautiful woman, and I don¡¯t want you getting any ideas.¡± ¡°Alright, well if you can make jokes then it isn¡¯t a problem.¡± ¡°When do you think I can stand up?¡± ¡°Step off of the table, but be careful. Do you mind if I get some other work done while you get used to your body?¡± ¡°Do what you need. How long until I¡¯m completely ready?¡± ¡°I¡¯d say a week until you are combat ready.¡± ¡°Good, because right now, I feel pent up, and I want some action.¡± As Harlan put gem to steel, making daggers, communicators, and sets of very simple shifting armor, Dawn wanted to talk just to get used to talking. ¡°So, what are you going to tell the spies?¡± ¡°They are scouts until I say otherwise. And since I now have more than one of them, I would like to send them in a star formation to search for anything related to the Pixies. Five men, five directions.¡± ¡°And Joan?¡± ¡°What about her?¡± ¡°Well, you and her might-¡± ¡°Do you remember what our first argument was?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t ring a bell.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit me. You wanted me to go after Adina, to find a vice so I had something to drown my sorrows with. So I am going to make this really fucking clear, I don¡¯t want you playing matchmaker.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Is it?¡± ¡°Of course, but I also want you to know that I am going to be making my own choices now, and you probably won¡¯t agree with all of them. So don¡¯t threaten me or cut me out of your life when we clash.¡± ¡°You know I would never do that.¡± ¡°And do you remember what you did to end that argument? You cut me off, you left me sitting in a darkness where I couldn¡¯t even tell if time was passing, I couldn¡¯t even think in that place.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to do that, I didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°What I am asking is that you don¡¯t fly off the handle to protect me from what I do. You might be able to do that with Adina or Zella or whoever, but I am a grown woman who finally has a body. And you know what, I feel fucking fantastic now, I hated controling yours, and maybe it was just the soul mismatch that you talked about. I FEEL-¡± ¡°Your hormones are going to be out of control for a few days. I¡¯m not going to blame you for having weird reactions or being petty or having a god complex for a little while. It is just another consequence of the changes to speed up your acclimation to having a body.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°So please, stay in the house for just a week. Oh, and it probably doesn¡¯t help that you have been drinking already.¡± ¡°Alright. No more drinking, no going out.¡± ¡°I know you are planning an escape already, so just be careful.¡± ¡°So I can go out?¡± ¡°You said it before, you are a grown woman, and you are feeling certain urges. Just remember that you can rip a man limb from limb, and think about whether it is worth putting someone else''s life at risk while you are still recovering from being a ghost in a shell.¡± ¡°You suck the fun out of everything.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Dawn went for a one handed vertical pushup. ¡°Be careful.¡± ¡°No, I want to know exactly what I can do and then get a little bit farther than that.¡± ¡°Did I get that from you, or did you get that from me?¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Harlan let her bend and contort and run around the small room like a child as he finished up the last of the equipment. ¡°Since you are so fit right now, is there anything that feels wrong that isn¡¯t from you getting abnormally used to your body so quickly?¡± ¡°Maybe you just got better at doing this. But I think my horns are a bit long.¡± She got back on her feet and rubbed them. Each horn was a pristine white and sharply rose from her temples. ¡°But I do love being this tall, you finally look like a little boy to me.¡± Harlan turned the sigils back on and reached up to touch the horns, bringing them from six inches down to four. Then he decided to give himself his own horns, and they would be six inches. ¡°Are you trying to compensate for something?¡± ¡°You know I don¡¯t need to.¡± She scrunched her face. ¡°Now you know how it feels, I am not comfortable with your joking about me like that.¡± ¡°Fine. Now can I get out of here to get drunk and drag some poor bastard to my bed.¡± ¡°Being open is nice, but now you are making me nauseous.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to fight a war you can¡¯t win.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go stretch your legs, I need to see Joan and Mercedes.¡± Along the way they ran into D¡¯if, who had taken to youth like a duck to water. ¡°I was coming to see you, I would like permission to stretch my legs.¡± ¡°Follow us.¡± His eyes scanned Dawn. ¡°You look better when you aren¡¯t unconscious on a table.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been told that before.¡± Harlan stopped. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to make something clear. If both of you decide to do something, do it somewhere that I am not going to see or hear. Dawn, you know the spells that can block my mental senses, so use them.¡± When they made their way to Mercedes'' room Harlan tossed the shifting clothes on her that splashed like liquid metal as the soulsmithed chainmail slipped under her clothes and she shrieked at how cold they were. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it. He did the same shit to me not ten minutes ago.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I am his aunt, Lady Dawn Fomoria.¡± ¡°Wait, Harlan doesn¡¯t have any family here. And he isn¡¯t a Dague.¡± ¡°There is a long story there, why don¡¯t I tell you some other time, alright?¡± ¡°I¡­ Of course, Lady Dawn.¡± ¡°Mercedes, I am going to visit Joan to give her a shifting suit like what I¡¯ve just given you. Would you like to come?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Harlan noticed the stares from the people as they walked down the street. People didn¡¯t even notice Mercedes walking behind Harlan due to the eye-catching equipment that the man wore and the beautiful woman who bore resemblance to their king and had full horns. Chapter 209: Greater Sky Wyvern Harlan brought dinner to Adina and Isha, explained that Kass was gone, and then they all sat and talked for a long while. In the morning he decided that he needed to be at the academy for the first time since Haldren. He sat for breakfast and found that his friend group had shrunk, but he wasn¡¯t shocked, ever since he set foot inside the building he could feel an oppressive fear weighing down on him. Ximena was the only one who was waiting there. Harlan almost wanted to cry on the spot, but he was just about done with that, he just felt a tiredness come over him. ¡°I guess everyone else left me for what I did.¡± ¡°No, they are just running a little late. I don¡¯t know how things are going to go once they get there though.¡± ¡°Ximena, honestly, what do you think?¡± She set down her silverware. ¡°People are probably going to hate you, and then in a decade everyone is just going to remember it as a tragedy. Sepul destroyed cities, he didn¡¯t do it by accident, and now he is hated by beastkin, but otherwise people don¡¯t seem to care.¡± ¡°But what about you?¡± ¡°It was a magical accident, you meant to attack people who had it coming, and something happened that killed other people. What you did is your fault, but I don¡¯t blame you, you realized that justice wasn¡¯t going to happen because he was someone with a title.¡± She resumed eating, not wanting to speak more until the others arrived. Claude arrived and gave Ximena a kiss. Claudia and Yara sat on either side of the couple so neither of them had to face Harlan directly. ¡°Just tell me honestly what you think.¡± Claude was the first to answer. ¡°My parents want us to stay away from you. They are worried we might get caught up in an assassination attempt. And I did hate you at first, but we¡¯ve all talked with Ximena, and I see things her way. It was a terrible accident, but I am not going to end my friendship with you over it.¡± He pointed at his sister, who clearly didn¡¯t want to answer. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be around you, I came today because I didn¡¯t realize you would be back yet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, I know I¡¯m a poison now, everyone who stays friendly with me is going to suffer for it in some way.¡± She left without another word, she was not someone who was lacking in other friends. Harlan hated it, but he knew Yara¡¯s answer before she said a word. ¡°Yara.¡± ¡°How is Liat?¡± ¡°She is working for Balor as a personal guard, not for defending him specifically, just for whatever he needs.¡± ¡°Thank you for helping her¡­ My parents said that if I keep interacting with you, they are going to force me back home. I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t stay around you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t blame you.¡± She left after both of them shared a long stare, she wanted to stay, to take Harlan¡¯s offer that he hadn¡¯t even said yet, but she didn¡¯t plan to leave her people like her sister. ¡°Where¡¯s Zella?¡± ¡°She is on a mission. But I talked with her, and she understands.¡± ¡°How have things been for you?¡± ¡°People already avoided me, I don¡¯t care what they say, so it hasn¡¯t bothered me.¡± ¡°You know, I never asked, but why did you end up as an outcast? You are pretty, you aren¡¯t exactly outgoing but you aren¡¯t overly shy, you aren¡¯t stupid, but you never threw being smart in peoples faces that I can tell even though they have it coming sometimes.¡± ¡°How many friend groups do you see that have any Golden in them? Not many, because everyones that in four years we will never see one another. Then you have to deal with how shit most of our people are and how they might reject you for being together with ¡®weaker people.¡¯ I tried to be friends with everyone, and trying to be friends with Reinoans made Ragnites upset, and when I tried to be friends with beastkin I was out of place and there is some weird shit between our people that everyone seems to know but nobody wants to explain and¡­ I¡¯m ranting. People are shitty, I didn¡¯t want to play their games, and I ended up disliked by a bunch of people. Do you remember when we first met?¡± ¡°You mean those times that you got mad at me because you thought that I was patronizing you? Or that you saw past what I was and the rumors you heard? Or when I completely forgot that you and I were in classes with one another?¡± ¡°I might¡¯ve also been a bit combative and my fellow Golden didn¡¯t like that very much since I¡¯m ¡®just a healer¡¯ from White Sands.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t take this the wrong way, but if all of that led you to me, then maybe it isn¡¯t so bad.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t, because I¡¯m glad to be friends with you.¡± Harlan stealthily wiped away a few tears with water magic. ¡°Thank you.¡± They had a quiet breakfast, then when they departed, they had quiet classes. Harlan¡¯s threats had worked, if before people avoided him because they were personally fearful of what might happen, now they avoided him because their parents told them in no uncertain words to never so much as glance in his direction or the direction of anyone he knew. When the day was through Harlan¡¯s, three of them, all worked together to get all of the backlogged classwork finished as soon as possible. Then he got an unexpected visitor at his dorm room. ¡°You are Harlan Fomoria?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± They all answered. Each of them took a subtly defensive stance, which did not go unnoticed by the man. ¡°My name is Walter Holister. My daughter is Elise Holister.¡± The Harlan¡¯s began moving papers off of the couches and chairs. ¡°Please, sit.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± As he poured them both hot water for tea the pot clattered against the lid due to his shaking. ¡°You seem upset, do you want to talk about it?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m alright I just¡­ ¡± Tears ran from his eyes, but did not his tone had not changed. ¡°You don¡¯t-¡± ¡°I know, but I am not going to explain why I am crying. Are you here because of me and Elise?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t know that I am here.¡± ¡°Does Sepul?¡± ¡°No, and I don¡¯t see why he should.¡± ¡°Because he is Elise¡¯s great great grandfather.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t relevant, he is the cause of most of her trouble, just like with Eliza. He wants her to learn magic but he is so wrapped up in his own things that he hasn¡¯t given her the lessons on responsibility.¡± ¡°So you know that he is also my great great grandfather then?¡± ¡°Of course, but I know that he didn¡¯t raise you and from what my people have found out-¡± ¡°Thank you for admitting that.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Sepul denied that he was my grandfather and tricked me. Now I know the truth.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell him that I told you.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. I don¡¯t mean this to be rude, but why are you here?¡± He stared down at his cup, swirling it so the clear water was muddled by the tea that was still seeping. ¡°Did you know your Eliza at all?¡± ¡°Give me a moment.¡± Dawn hadn¡¯t stopped freaking out since she saw his face, he was older, so she needed a second glance, but now she had no idea how to handle seeing him. She felt guilty about Elise, but Walter was someone who she abandoned even though he tried his hardest to make things work between them. ¡°What do you want me to say?¡± ¡°Shit, FUCK, I don¡¯t know, give me time to think.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Tell him. NO, DON¡¯T TELL HIM.¡± From the outside Walter could see Harlan¡¯s eyes flashing so rapidly from soulspeak that they almost turned pure white. He had no idea what was happening, but he felt it was something bad. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to anything I say, but I want to speak with him.¡± ¡°Is that a good idea? What if he reveals that you are here?¡± ¡°Who would even give a shit now? Sepul? Elise? He¡¯d be ecstatic, she will hate me either way because I left her behind.¡± ¡°Eliza did that, not you. I know you are upset seeing him, you don¡¯t want to mess things up more than they are, and you are blaming yourself. But we already had this conversation more than once, you are not Eliza, you are Dawn, you know that she fucked up, and you are doing what you can to fix it.¡± ¡°Let me talk to him.¡± ¡°Walter, I have someone who wants to talk to you, please, give me your hand.¡± He hesitated for a moment, but grabbed Harlan¡¯s hand anyway. Two hours passed, Harlan moved from this body to another and continued his work so he didn¡¯t end up overhearing what they talked about. But he glanced over every now and then, Walter had cried, he had been angry, he laughed, he went through a lot, but he got some closure. He let go of her. ¡°Thank you. Eli- Dawn, told me everything. I¡¯m sorry I came in here to pry information from you using her. I¡­ I blamed Sepul, but some of her bad habits are my fault, and I shouldn¡¯t push that on anyone else. I also need to talk with Sheron and Cecil. We''ve been watching you, and we haven¡¯t even known why, we just couldn¡¯t trust you.¡± ¡°Do you know if Shelly has mentioned me since¡­¡± ¡°You should speak with David.¡± ¡°Alright. And, thank you.¡± ¡°No, thank you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not doing a back and forth here. Dawn has been worried over some things, you are one of them, and she has been worried about Sheron since we had our first argument with her. Smoothing things over with her will be a weight off my mind. So accept that I am saying thank you, and go.¡± ¡°This took longer than I expected, and I¡¯m sorry to leave but-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m just really happy that things worked out better with you than with Sheron.¡± When the door was closed Harlan let a sigh and laid back on the couch. ¡°Harlan, I want a body now. I want to-¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why you would be surprised. But, I do need to ask. Do you want your original appearance?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t want people thinking I can bring back the dead. Even if I explained what really happened, it is so insane that I wouldn¡¯t believe it.¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Alright, what should I be then?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Is it what I think it is?¡± ¡°There is nobody else I can think of who could fake it like you.¡± ¡°That sounds like an insane idea.¡± ¡°But the fact that you know what it is without me saying it means it could work.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you say it then?¡± ¡°I want to bring you back as a Half-Fomorian and pretend that you are my sister or cousin or something.¡± ¡°And how are you planning to make that sound sane?¡± ¡°The Darkness is a trickster and a manipulator. I¡¯ll say that you were the back up, but you didn¡¯t develop Fomorian abilities, you only gained the ability to leave the landlock curse. So I got the champion role and she kept you around for reasons that she won¡¯t tell me about, much like her not telling me that you were alive until my family all but abandoned me and I lost my friends over what I did.¡± ¡°Gods¡­ when did you think that up?¡± ¡°I had a dream where you and I sat across from one another and you finally met Adina in a real body.¡± ¡°So you saw this ahead of time?¡± ¡°Maybe, or maybe that dream was bullshit.¡± ¡°How long is this going to take?¡± ¡°I have all of the materials I need to make a body that has the appearance and strength of a Fomorian. I¡¯d say less than a week.¡± ¡°And are you ok with me leaving you.¡± ¡°Not at all, I¡¯m terrified that as soon as you can do what you want without me you¡¯ll either go back to being Eliza and ruin your life again or you¡¯ll finally realize I¡¯m a monster and leave me alone like my family has.¡± ¡°You know I won¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, believing, doing, and knowing are connected, but they are not the same.¡± By morning, Harlan went through over a week''s worth of classwork. Breakfast went better than the day before since he didn¡¯t need to have the weight of losing friends. And Zella was back. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it, I forgive you.¡± ¡°Good. What was the mission?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I want to talk with you, let¡¯s go to the gate office right now and you can take me to the most remote location you can think of.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I said so. Now, let¡¯s go before I lose my nerve.¡± They were in a forest contained on a large mesa in the frontier, they were over 100 miles from even the nearest ranger outpost. Harlan would sometimes just use gate and fly around to clear his head, and this was one of the locations that he marked as worth remembering. Zella had been pacing back and forth for a handful of minutes before Harlan pulled her down to sit next to him in the shade of a tree. The colors were changing, it was a good spot to pretend the rest of the world wasn¡¯t so shitty. ¡°Hey, I want to know if you are going to forgive me.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°I killed my mother. That is how they found me and sent me to the facility.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I love you, you just assume that it wasn¡¯t my fault or that there is a reason I did it.¡± ¡°When you say-¡± ¡°Yes, I mean that I love you. I didn¡¯t when we were younger, we¡¯ve got a year and a half between us, and that felt wrong, but now I¡¯ve seen you grow up and I regret not getting to you before Adina. But that isn¡¯t what I want to talk about, and I¡¯ve got Reet now, so I¡¯m happy.¡± ¡°So, what happened?¡± ¡°My mother didn¡¯t want a daughter, she wanted a doll. And I didn¡¯t have a father who stuck around because she worked at a brothel. Money was a problem because she had to take care of me and she didn¡¯t want to send me to an orphanage¡­ When I was 8, a Fae who was passing by heard my mother complain about the tangles in my hair, so I got hair that was always long and beautiful, but it was also alive. So I became a sideshow, the men and women would pay to touch my hair or just to see it, and so my mother began to treat me more and more as a thing instead of a person.¡± She brought her knees to chest. ¡°Then when I was 11¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to say it, I-¡± Harlan heard the tree behind them creek as her hair wrapped around it and squeezed. ¡°The owner said I should start doing real work, bring in more money by letting people do more than touch my hair. I didn¡¯t understand it, but she did, and she let it happen. I don¡¯t remember it very much, but I killed a dozen people, I saw my mother¡¯s body twisted out of shape.¡± She went around to the tree to vomit. ¡°You can stop.¡± ¡°The kingdom was watching me, they knew I was cursed but until something happened or they thought I was worth bringing in they just watched. They saved me.¡± She went quiet as she sat back down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Gods, Harlan, I¡¯m telling you, I know how it feels when you fuck up and people you didn¡¯t mean to die do.¡± ¡°You were just defending yourself.¡± ¡°Bullshit, you do preemptive defense all the time. I killed the first man and that wasn¡¯t a problem, but then my hair dragged me out to the lobby and started attacking anything that it could. That¡¯s why I was so pissed about the riot, I thought that I was going to kill everyone again.¡± ¡°Did you bring me here to guilt trip me? To force me to forgive myself by forgiving you?¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Zella stood up, fully equipt her golem armor, braided her hair into half a dozen powerful arms, and tossed Harlan through a tree. He got up without a scratch and she hit him with another hair haymaker that sent him spiraling across the ground and into a large rock. Loud popping could be heard as he put his limbs back in their sockets. She dropped down from above and Harlan flipped the gravity to trip her up enough that he could grab her arm and return the favor. Instead of going through the tree, she coiled and hardened her hair like a spring to cushion the impact. She shot back like a bullet and clipped Harlan, taking off most of his forearm. He calmly reached down and put the piece back on himself and pulled the blood back inside. ¡°Alright, what the hell is this?¡± ¡°You want to beat yourself up and lash out at me, well I want to beat you up for lashing out at me when I told you my darkest fucking secret.¡± She got close and Harlan didn¡¯t fight back as she slammed him to the ground over and over again or as his limbs flew off when she aligned the spearheads hidden in her hair to be an effective sword. Eventually one of the slams cracked his skull open and made her realize the punishment she was putting him through might be more than he could take. But then his armor slipped off, put him back together, and he was on his feet after another five minutes. ¡°Are you done?¡± ¡°Are you? Accept that you fucked up, and people died, and that is just the way things are.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t fuck up, I took a risk. I was ready to kill thousands of soldiers and I justified it by saying that they were evil because they followed that man¡¯s orders. But I did it because I¡¯m a monster and I keep accepting that over and over again and then I cross another line and another and another.¡± Harlan fell to his knees and pounded the earth with enough force to shake the trees. ¡°Put me down.¡± Their fight called in something else. The wyvern swooped down, Harlan rammed its head with his body and was heavy enough to put it off kilter and Zella avoided its jaws. Wyverns were smart, old ones were very smart. Yet when Harlan explained who he was, it was not smart enough to back off. The creature was nearly 80 feet long, its wingspan was over 140. The blue light gray and blue bottom and green top meant that it was a Sky Wyvern variant. From below it would be hard to see, and for anything bigger than it above the clouds it would blend into the grass and trees. Though for something old enough to reach this size, there was no longer anything that it¡¯s pride would allow it to hide from. ¡°Zella, do you want to flee?¡± ¡°And miss the chance to kill a Greater Sky Wyvern?¡± The beast roared at the insult and lightning crackled between its teeth. Harlan knew what the clicking thunderous clicking meant. ¡°BREATH ATTACK. GET TO ME.¡± The breath of a dragonoid was gas on the way up, then once it was ignited it passed through a magical effect innate to the creature which elementally transformed it. He knew that it wasn¡¯t natural lightning, so lightning rods wouldn''t actually stop it and there was no shield he could put up in time that would stop it from punching through, there was no hole deep enough that the energy wouldn¡¯t spread down and fry the both of them. He made it a policy to always keep a gate at the ready, holding on to such a low cost spell was easy, and casting it took no words or movements. The pair dropped from above, Harlan held her hand and used soulspeak to silently explain his plan. As soon as they hit the air they split up, the wings were a weak point and Sky Wyverns who spent their lives in the clouds were generally more fragile but far faster than other variants. The pair tried to put holes in its wings and prevent it from turning into a long range exchange or a flying battle, both of which would put them at a great disadvantage. Yet the speed of Sky Wyverns was not just something that was said, it was undeniable. The creature spun its long neck around and bit at Harlan who only half spiraled the warspell that he now had to redirect towards its face. Yet the void spell simply splashed against the scales without a scratch, Harlan heard that they were powerful, but hadn¡¯t expected this. He barely got away by dropping his hover and using gravity magic to fall as quickly as he could. Harlan looked to Zella to check on her but she turned her hair into wings and was fast enough to stay in its blindspots, and with its size there was a limit to how far it could twist its body before it hit against itself. ¡°Stop running little fleas.¡± ¡°Fuck off, you overgrown newt.¡± For most the idea of insulting such a beast would insanity, but Harlan knew that the danger of most things was when they were smart, and fury fought intelligence, especially in the mind of a cursed creature such as these when their pride was stung. It focused its full attention at Harlan and that gave time for Zella to prepare something bigger. Her classes were combat and war magic just as Amber was, and along with that was dimensional and time magic. It was a somewhat odd set of classes, people who learned time magic rarely did so to fight and the same could be said of dimensional mages whose vocation was rare enough that they almost always ended up with cushy work taking people too and fro instead of fighting. Harlan lamented his lack of weapon once again as he rushed towards the beast. He formed blades of solid void along with an extra four arms to attack with as he skirted against the beast. Yet the blades, while physical and made of one of the most destructive elements, just broke apart against its scales. Harlan thought long and hard as he avoided the snapping jaws and waited for Zella to finish her attack, he heard plenty of stories from Sepul and he tried to remember what he said about Sky Wyverns. He kept hammering against the beast while only avoiding its jaws or breath by an hair, but after the beating he took from Zella he was already tired and he didn¡¯t know what Zella was doing, but he would buy her as much time as it took. ¡°HARLAN, NOW.¡± ¡°NOW WHAT?¡± Harlan barely had time to use skip and get out of the way when a massive beam of searing radiance struck the Wyvern. Sepul hadn¡¯t just told Harlan his stories, they were part of a published novel, so she had already read some of the stories. Unfortunately, instead of the spiral warspell drilling a hole through the neck of the wyvern it chipped away a segment of the scales. She was just over 18, and was on her last year of academy, when Sepul started killing wyverns he was 24, a champion, and had been taught to use magic and the unique powers of a champion by his god personally. Harlan was too far away to hear her say shit as she dropped from the sky, she had also been a little tired from the earlier fight and warmagic was a sprint, not a marathon, if she got one good hit that was supposed to be enough. The wyvern howled in pain and turned its sights to the small figure that was now falling, her hair was alive and tryings its best to break her fall, but it wouldn¡¯t matter if the lightning breath hit her. Harlan was about to use gate to grab her when he had another idea, and he made a judgment call based on one of Sepul¡¯s stories. He heard the loud clicking of the tonsil stones that were the size of boulders and the wyvern entered a hover. When he saw the first spark leave its mouth he opened a gate in front of it and then another near the area where Zella stripped its scales. But the gate was too small, the breath would hit the area he needed, but the rest would get past and Zella would die. He tried and tried, time seemed to slow as he saw the bolts cut through the sky. Then he remembered, the gate was desire, he was telling the world that he wanted to go somewhere, now he must demand that it grow in size. So he demanded that it did, and the mana responded. Much like the young wyvern he killed in the frontier, once the neck was pierced during a breath attack it backfired. For the Ice Wyvern, it ended up dead and encased in ice, for a Sky Wyvern however, the result was an explosion that took its head neck off. Harlan used skip to grab Zella before she hit the ground and protect her from the cloud of dust that was coming at them from the crater where the body now lay. After 30 minutes and a tonic she was awake again. ¡°Oh¡­ you are awake¡­¡± ¡°You sound like shit.¡± ¡°...should see the other guy¡­¡± ¡°You killed it.¡± Harlan made a fist and banged it against her chest. ¡°We killed it¡­ Now pull the cast out of my chest pocket and pull out a tonic.¡± It was small, 6 inches long, an inch deep, but inside it was a 2x2 cube. ¡°You really figured out how to make these things work.¡± They both drank and then didn¡¯t speak for five minutes. ¡°I figure I should admit, Marigold made you two hair things, I stole the silver one and used it to learn.¡± ¡°Yeah, she told me.¡± ¡°She knew?¡± ¡°She said it was a test.¡± ¡°I should apologize.¡± ¡°Yeah, you should.¡± ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Would you kill me?¡± ¡°Now? No.¡± ¡°I meant were you going to do it when I asked before.¡± She pulled her knees to her chest. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to get back if I did.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡± ¡°I thought about it. But no I wouldn¡¯t do it. You made a mistake, you¡¯ve got an eternity to make up for it. I just hope in a thousand years that you remember me and the fun we had together.¡± ¡°Do you have anything else that you need help with?¡± ¡°Ha, yeah, that makes sense, you save my life again and then you just want to keep helping with dumb bullshit. You know what, Parnell tried to get handsy with me after giving me a few drinks. And when I told him about Reet he said that I should get some experience and he would thank me.¡± ¡°He tried to pull the same shit with me. Not getting handsy, but that I should visit a brothel before I get married.¡± ¡°What a fucking prick.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll go deal with that when we get back.¡± ¡°So, how are we splitting the wyvern? Something like that is worth a lot of money.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll butcher it, no cost, then split the materials 50/50.¡± ¡°60/40.¡± ¡°Alright, you get 60.¡± ¡°You killed it.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I used the mark left by your spell to do it. If I was by myself I would¡¯ve been shit out of luck.¡± ¡°50/50.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Harlan walked down the halls of the academy, the wyvern¡¯s body was being stored in his lab on the grounds, and he hadn¡¯t gotten the chance to clean up since he needed to be somewhere at a specific time. David and Parnell were both coming out of combat magic classes. ¡°Hey, Parnell.¡± ¡°Harlan? What-¡± A headbutt broke Parnells nose and David swung at Harlan who grabbed him by the wrist and forced him to the ground. ¡°Parnell got Zella tipsy and then tried to cross a line. I¡¯ve overlooked the way he treats women before because it never happened in my sight, but if he doesn¡¯t watch himself, I¡¯m going to break his nose again.¡± Harlan let him go and pat him on the back. Harlan whistled as he walked away, he felt a great weight off of his shoulders now that he had almost died again and saved her life, he actually felt pretty great. Chapter 210: Negotiations Again The days had passed, and the negotiator was back. ¡°Before we begin, I never asked your name.¡± ¡°I am Aurel, negotiator for the southern borderlands of the eastern section of The Castion Empire.¡± ¡°Pleased to meet you, Aurel. But unless your terms involve the immediate granting of rights to slaves, with room for expansion within the year, I believe we have little to say and I can get you back home as soon as possible.¡± ¡°What if I did say that the terms did involve that.¡± ¡°Then I hope you have it in writing.¡± ¡°And I do.¡± ¡°I need some time with my advisors. Dawn, tell the maid outside to bring this man to the tea room.¡± She disliked when he ordered her around, but they both knew that she couldn¡¯t seem to be above him or it would undermine his position. ¡°It would be foolish to give an answer without doing so. And as a sign of good faith, we have sent wagons full of food for the people, they should arrive by the afternoon.¡± As soon as the door was shut and the veils were back up, they read it one after the other, all in all, it took 40 minutes for all of them to have read it, and then another 10 to have them read it as a group to check for any glaring loopholes for either side. ¡°Now that I have us all together, I want to make it clear, you will not speak over me or second guess me publicly, but here in private, speak freely without fear of recourse. Convince me not to do this.¡± ¡°He is full of shit, call it a gut feeling, but if you sign with him, you are giving up your heart on a silver platter. You know what happened when Ragne got soulsmithing, it turned The Eternal War into a slaughter. If you teach them how to do it, you¡¯ll be dead inside of a year.¡± ¡°Mercedes, your opinion?¡± ¡°The Cast ended the war with Elfique by attacking a meeting where we would join them. Their talk about others joining them freely is a half-truth, they¡¯ve almost never done it without them backing a coup and offloading the violence to someone else. Worst of all, there have been cases of them backing a coup, and then ¡®saving¡¯ the people from the rebel forces.¡± ¡°I believe I¡¯ve heard enough. Joan, I would still like your input.¡± ¡°If you intend to not entirely destroy The Empire, then you need to force them on the backfoot then demand a treaty. They will only respond to strength, they will not respect you.¡± ¡°Call him back in.¡± It took a few minutes for the man to arrive. ¡°I must say King Fomoria, you have taught your people how to brew tea quite masterfully.¡± ¡°As much as I would love this deal, 10 years to spread the law from here into the rest of your empire, and the same timeframe to integrate myself into the empire. But from my present experiences with your people, and with you, I don¡¯t believe that this deal is in good faith.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t I show you good faith. We can still cede control of-¡± ¡°No, there will be no lands ceded, I will take them. This war will go on until the day that I feel a deal from you is not going to end with a knife in my back or a coup.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The man¡¯s sitting stance became casual suddenly. ¡°Sir Fomoria, I think that this is the best option as well. My superiors fail to see the opportunity that is here, if they decide to trick you and you die, we would lose out on your future potential. And I also believe that it is best that you remain sovereign. The Empire is old, and it is spread too thin, there is a limit to what any leader can control. Do you know that news of what has already happened here has yet to reach the capital? And it is expected to not reach it for another two weeks? 50 years ago I believe the war with the Goliaths would''ve already ended in this timeframe.¡± ¡°So, this you setting up a coup?¡± ¡°No, I want you to separate the wheat from the chaff, trim the fat, so on and so forth, so that The Empire can be stronger. And at the same time, you would have your own little kingdom where trade would start and we still get the magic that we want in the end, but just with a different timeframe and some restrictions so that we aren¡¯t jumping into new things before we have time to understand them.¡± Harlan reached into his desk and he could feel the man¡¯s fear rise, but he kept a stone face. ¡°This is a communication amulet. Tell your superiors that I will continue fighting, but I am open to dialogue. Now, if you do decide to take that to a mage and they try to figure out how it works, it will break, and feel free to tell them that your death will also break it. Now I¡¯ve given you something that can improve your standing and in return there will be times that I expect a heads up for issues that arise, and I will let you decide what issues I should be warned of at your own discretion.¡± The man didn¡¯t hesitate to grab the amulet, but Harlan could tell that if he was capable of sweating, he would. ¡°Thank you, King Fomoria.¡± ¡°Same location as last time for the gate?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± As soon as the gate closed he spoke once more. ¡°Now that we are alone, you may question my choice.¡± ¡°It was all platitude, but what you gave him is a link that endebts him to you. Very cunning.¡± ¡°Thank you. Mercedes, I can see that you are upset.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t really think about letting those monsters stay alive; I thought you wanted to burn them to the ground?¡± ¡°As a king, I have a duty to my people. If I need to ally with an enemy who I hate to make sure that my people live as good a life as I can give them, then I will do that. Just as I will turn my enemies into a mountain of bones by which I will use to make horrors unseen upon this world. I am not going to stop this war until I¡¯ve stamped out slavery, so don¡¯t worry, I remember what they did to you, to Joan, and what they will be doing to so many others.¡± ¡°I am sorry to have overstepped my bounds.¡± ¡°No, if I believe you are worth keeping for your advice, then you must be honest. I will not have you removed for disagreeing with me, but you should back it up with something more than insults next time. Dawn, contact D¡¯if, ask for a progress report. ¡°I did it already. He has heard of an island that suddenly appeared in the mists of the Sapphire Coast some 400 miles to the east, and yet nobody has been able to set foot on the island and massive pearlescent pink flower petals have been dropping from the sky out of nowhere. ¡°Good, I will use gate to bring the rest of his team to the location so they can focus their search more. Before I call an end to this meeting, is there anything else?¡± ¡°We have four days worth of food left at the current ration rate, should we go to half rations?¡± ¡°No, we have our food, I will be picking it up in a moment.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I said we have the food. The attack was finished an hour ago, and the next attack will start in five minutes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you majest-¡± ¡°I am Harlan to you, and tonight, I would like to enter the bathhouse and I would like you to be there as well for public morale to see the king and the former princess together in a place of trust. However, before that, I would like to show you that I am not going to be soft.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Harlan stepped through the gate with Mercedes to a scene of carnage, the golems were walking around and picking off survivors. It was terrible work, and the rules of polite war said it wasn¡¯t supposed to be done, but Harlan cared more about keeping the secrets of what happened here today. The ground squelched under her feet and she saw that they were inside of a hole. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Warmagic, golems dug runes into the ground that pushed it down, and then I used gate to fill it with water. The Cast can¡¯t drown, so my golems went down and handled them, they can be adapted to water, the Cast can¡¯t. This is what a war is to me, a series of surgical strikes and playing defense. This is one of several military bases that are designed for rapid response, but they are designed for conventional warfare.¡± One of the Cast tried to flee and Harlan used skip and a beam of flare, which is to say a pure advancement of the fire element, though it was not pure elemental fire; it still kept some of the water element which helped to contain the heat forward instead of causing thoughtless destruction. Mercedes saw the man with a molten hole in his chest beg for his life before Harlan put another beam through his head. She was not blind to violence, she had committed some of it herself, but Harlan looked like another one of the golems to her as he flew above the battlefield. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. He coldly moved, one to another, she just heard one scream after another and another and another. He dug out the ones that were smart enough to hide under the ground, the golems would¡¯ve missed them due to a lack of mental senses, and it made Harlan realize he should¡¯ve considered this since the Cast don¡¯t need to breathe. Mercedes sat on the muddy ground with her knees to her chest. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I just want you to know that I am here, if you want to talk.¡± She scoffed. ¡°I will need get my people to do an inventory of all the new food from here and then from what we are going to get from the Castians¡± ¡°Of course. Just remember what I said.¡± Harlan prepared himself for what was going to happen next. When he dropped from the gate directly above the imperial base he was covered in void smoke so thick that he first appeared as an oval. Then his wings unfurled before he touched the ground and black winds buffered the soldiers who were closest. Harlan¡¯s form was semi-bipedal like that of a werewolf; He remained hunched over, ready to pounce. As the smoke faded they could see his black scales which was really his armor that contrasted the bright white of claws, horns and his bladed whip-like tail. His seven eyes glowed with different magical signs and colors, each moved independently as they searched for targets and understood what spells were being kept at the ready by the few mages. ¡°Come, let me display what I am.¡± Three of them started. Harlan knew enough about Castian Imperial tactics to know that these men were being sent to die, but he could not show mercy, he wished that he could.. They moved as a unit, mages from the outside fired spells that Harlan already had the counters ready for, causing them to explode inside enemy lines far before they reached him. The man who attacked from behind was bisected with a whip crack. Harlan outstretched his hands, a single finger extended on each, one up, one down; the soldier on the left was reduced to gore as 100 times gravity crushed his body, while the one of the right flew up into the air. He continued to slowly walk into the crowd that was constantly moving forward to avoid getting in close range with him. But one''s wants and one''s orders often conflicted. Several Cast went forward with enchanted hook spears meant for hunting large magical beasts. The moment he stepped forward, time understood who was predator and who was prey. With a skip he moved past them and directly to the commander who barely turned his blade before Harlan left an ice nova behind and skipped again back to his original spot. The attack was not meant to kill the Cast, it was meant to kill the Plast and Caymen, the bulky lizardmen who Harlan had seen as soldiers before. They were only partly coldblooded, but they were weak to the cold and began to stagger. With the commander dead from taking the blast so close and the chaos of the falling beastking they were routed. Without weapons, he simply quartered the Cast by aiming his claws at the joints. He thought about it like breaking down a chicken, thighs, drumsticks, at the elbow, at the knee. Now he began to simply rush the crowd, cutting down men without thoughts of anything but how to most efficiently protect himself and take his enemies apart without killing them. The screaming was a psychological attack against them, and those that tried to help or put down the injured soldiers became new targets. Harlan wanted to throw up, he hated every second of being on the offensive like this. It was one thing to fight for his life, or to have tried to do the right thing and then was attacked as a result. But he came here, this was a surprise attack against them and the people were just too weak to even have a chance. He let out dragon fire that stuck to the Cast caused their skin to turn molten and fall to the ground. Harlan took to the sky and rained more fire down on the camps while he gave his throat time to heal. Most of the base was temporary, just set up as an expansion to a smaller outpost in the area so they could respond to Harlan. The tents lit up easily, their enchantments were meant for weather, not fire from above. Harlan scanned every life that was down in the camp and he searched for the ones who were clearly not soldiers, cleaners, cooks¡­ entertainment. He swooped down and grabbed the men and women to take them out of the camp. It was a small solace, but it quelled the nausea and quieted his mind. Quiet, yes, he has had a lot of that recently. Harlan came to realize that even if he couldn¡¯t speak to her exactly how much influence Dawn had on him. She was less morally firm than him, she was quicker to violence, and their minds were so close to one another that she rubbed off on him in more than one way. He hadn¡¯t said anything to her, she was enjoying life so much, she drank and brought home a new man every night for the first week before she decided that she had dealt with all of her pent up feelings and should seek out something more long term. But he felt more alone than ever, she was now there for him physically, and he knew that, but he refused to ask her to stay at home and just hold him. He swooped down again to take out a runner. ¡°PLEASE, I HAVE A DAUGHTER!¡± Harlan already knew about the Cast, they came out of a factory, some place that they call The Nursery. They didn¡¯t give birth, they were all male. Yet for just a moment, he hesitated His mind was too chaotic, he didn¡¯t notice the others around. Several hooked spears found their way into his sides but they couldn¡¯t get past his ribcage that lacked gaps in it due to the extra ribs that were layered like laminar. He took to the air again to give himself time to heal when he heard the roar of the cannons, the camp was set up to deal with Harlan¡¯s from the outside and it had taken time to turn everything inward. He barely dodged the balls of iron and explosive power, but his arm turned 180 degrees and the sky was covered in black smoke when he was forced to block one of them. When he didn¡¯t show up again after a few minutes, the men cheered. The rain was picking up, and the fires were all out. The mages were all dead and so nobody realized what was happening as the temperature dropped and it began to hail and then snow. It got colder and colder as Harlan flipped fire to water over the hour. As the rain and snow kept pouring down the concentration reached a tipping point where he didn¡¯t need to change the mana anymore. The Cast could feel the cold, but they couldn¡¯t exactly get frostbite even as the temperature dropped below zero and the organic soldiers began to search for whatever fire they could make. But the sudden blizzard that descended after a monsoon covered everything in a layer of ice. And the temperature dropped and dropped and dropped. Those that couldn¡¯t survive such temperatures froze to death, but the cast were simply encased in ice, left behind as witnesses to the attack. Harlan returned to the city with the rescued slaves and then sent them for processing while he spent half an hour fusing a few golems together, the amalgams could handle the cold that Harlan refused to enter for more than a few minutes at a time without fire imbibing. As they brought back any supplies to a gate room Harlan had dug out below the city, Harlan got ready to go to the bath. Food went to storerooms depending on condition, some things like leafy greens were ruined by the freezing, but other items were frozen to their benefit. Bodies all went to a single room where mass graves were dug out. Golems that Harlan called Mourners were tasked with stripping them of all valuables and sorting them by race. Their ID tags were the only things that Harlan did not reuse either as raw materials or functional equipment that could be easily given out. When he showed it to Joan she thought he was insane until he explained his reason. He wanted to remember that these were not soldiers, they were not just numbers on a board that he kept, they were lives whose chance to be forgiven was taken away. If he intended to be a martyr, then she would let him, because the other option was that he stopped killing, and that was something she could not allow. Before he went to the bathhouse he wanted to wash the blood off and drink a few tonics. 30 minutes had passed when Dawn went inside the bath to check on him and find him sleeping. ¡°Hey, wake up.¡± Harlan jumped awake and slipped on the cleaning slime, falling back into the bath and splashing water all over his mother. ¡°Sorry, did you need something?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t sleep that much, are you alright?¡± ¡°Cannonball, couldn¡¯t dodge them all, blocked one with my hand, organs took a beating. I was just sleeping as I healed myself.¡± She lifted her dress and dipped her feet in the water. ¡°I was inside of your head, and even when we didn¡¯t talk, I was there for you and I know that. You haven¡¯t been talking to me, and I know that not talking to me is the worst thing you can do.¡± ¡°I know you are happy to be away from me, doing your own thing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re scared that I¡¯m going to leave you like she did, because I already told you how she threw herself into training after she threw herself into drugs and sex to dull the pain. I¡¯m not her, I had to work past the feelings that I was getting from having hormones again after a decade and a half, but that was all it was.¡± ¡°I hesitated today, one of the Cast begged for mercy and said he had a daughter, and I froze. It was a trap, they must¡¯ve realized that I¡¯m soft.¡± ¡°No, you are just human. When you are cutting down people who are weaker, you let your guard down and you give yourself time to do the one thing a soldier can never do in a fight. Instead of just thinking, you felt. Do you want me to cancel your trip to the bathhouse?¡± ¡°No, I think seeing what I am fighting for will be good for me.¡± Harlan got out and pulled his clothes out of a cleaning slime, he still had his old shifting suit that was made from cloth that was interlaced with metal instead of just being full chainmail like the new suits were, so it did need to be cleaned more thoroughly. Then he made his way to the bathhouse. The people were ecstatic that their king would come to be with the people, even the beastkin who were culturally not used to the idea decided to step into the bathhouse so they could see him and ask things of him. They were even happier when he announced his victories earlier in the day and that there would be a feast tomorrow evening to celebrate the food that they now had. It was what he needed, something as stupid and mundane as being approached by a dozen women all wanting to be queen and needing to turn them all down. Even if he had to say no to all of them, it was nice to remind himself that in the time he had been here, some of these people went from glassy eyed and dead to the world to able to at wash themselves, though they were in a separate section of the bath that had been requested for privacy. An old Plast whose scales were flaking came up to him. ¡°Your majesty.¡± ¡°Hello, citizen.¡± ¡°I heard that a group of men were reverted to youth.¡± ¡°And I assume that you want the same for yourself?¡± ¡°I was an expert blacksmith in my youth, I swear, I would be useful to you.¡± Harlan thought for a moment. ¡°Come to me in the morning, I will make time, but I do warn you, the process is painful, potentially fatal, and would only extend your life in the sense that you are unlikely to die of illness related to old age.¡± ¡°Of course, of course. Thank you so much for this.¡± This started a flood of people who wished to gain back their youth, so Harlan made it very clear that not everyone would qualify. He refused those who were simply in middle age, he refused those who had no useful skills. He knew from the start that if D¡¯if got out that others would see him; he made no requests of D¡¯if to remain secretive about what had happened. So he knew that the moment someone else asked, he had to make it clear that he was not a fountain of youth, it was a gift that demanded others give their lives to him when they got back their bodies. By morning he would have a form which could be filled out by anyone and then processed by his people. As he had no need for soldiers and the town guards were supplemented by golems, most of the people who worked for him were pencil pushers who Mercedes hired. Chapter 211: Bad Faith In the morning Harlan had to speak with the Plest blacksmith, after showing him a few weapons and the golem armor in different configurations his comments on the craftsmanship were enough for Harlan to consider him worth fleshsculpting back to his youth. Then another few people came in, farmers, cartographers, old mercenaries, Harlan passed them off to another him. He was experienced enough that without his full mind he was still able to perform the operation and he didn¡¯t have anything heavy planned for the day so the mana cost wasn¡¯t something he was presently worried about. Next he needed to check the food the Castians gave him for poison, but nothing reacted to the magic of his ring that Sepul gave him all those months ago or the magic that Redmond taught him. ¡°Mercedes, your people found the cooks for tonight?¡± ¡°Yes, and we have everything planned out. If I could make a suggestion?¡± ¡°You may.¡± There were workers double checking the inventory, so they spoke more formally to one another. ¡°I would like us to mark the food from the Castians and avoid mixing it with the food from the captured bases.¡± ¡°Have the cooks prepare some of this beforehand so I can test it again.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± At noon Harlan had some soups and breads made with the Castian food, but after he tried it in a second body, he tested it with magic again, and then Mercedes tried it, they cleared everything. ¡°I really thought there was going to be something, like a poison that wasn¡¯t going to activate until we mixed some of this together. It¡¯s what I would do if I lacked any morals.¡± ¡°Do you know something about poisons?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done some alchemy work on the side, but most of it has been replaced by my other magic. No point in coloring things with potions if I can now use color magic. I don¡¯t have much need for poisons that I can disperse by air, and I don¡¯t want to be carrying around any acid strong enough to be useful compared to my magic in my pocket and I don¡¯t want it sitting around here. My lab isn¡¯t that secure and I am not a warder with enough experience to trust that someone couldn¡¯t get in if they tried.¡± ¡°There is a lot that I don¡¯t know about you.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Harlan unwrapped a hard candy and put it in his mouth before he spit it out. Mercedes jumped from her chair and ran to him. ¡°Poison?¡± ¡°No, rose flavor. I don¡¯t like eating flowers, and I don¡¯t really like smelling them much either.¡± She rolled her eyes and scoffed. ¡°What a child. But, I suppose that is good, Plest enjoy floral flavors, so the children are sure to be very happy tonight.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t reply, he just sat back in his chair and smiled while Mercedes stuffed a handful in her pocket. Due to this effectively being the entire city having a feast, there was no set grounds and tables of food and drink were placed all around. Golems had been placed on rooftops to overlook the crowds and stop problems before they escalated into something worse. Harlan sat with his advisors at a large table where the people could come up to give thanks or just stare at them. Harlan was uncomfortable with the whole thing, and would rather be out walking the streets. But Joan and Mercedes and Dawn all teamed up on him and convinced him to stay still and put out a kingly aura. He was walking the streets with a different face while a body double sat to nod at passersby and eat. Two hours into the celebration a child fell down, then another, the golems began first aid and then called for Harlan once they saw that it was not an isolated incident and that their healing magic was not effective enough. The mother of one of them knew exactly what was happening. Her son¡¯s scales were turning white and his eyes red, the albinism was the result of a very specific poison that only affected Plest. ¡°Ma¡¯am, is there anything I need to know before I try to heal him?¡± ¡°He¡¯s already dead, there is no cure.¡± Harlan had quite a lot of faith in his healing. And after a few minutes, he found out the solution and was able to purge the specific poison, though the child still had his white scales. Harlan didn¡¯t give any time for thanks, there wasn¡¯t enough time to put the specific spells to the golems, but they had ones that should keep them stable while the various Harlan¡¯s used the cure spell. By the time everything was done, 4 children, and 6 elders were dead. One died in Harlan¡¯s arms, the spell wasn¡¯t fast enough. The adults were fine, whatever poison was in the candies was a low dose. Harlan was looking at the bodies while the families mourned them. ¡°How did I miss it?¡± Dawn was standing beside him with a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Your spells are for humans, if what the Plest said was right, this was a highly specific case. You can¡¯t have-¡± ¡°Godsdamnit. I should¡¯ve had a dream, or a vision, something.¡± Harlan¡¯s body became covered in void smoke as he stood up. Harlan gated back to his office and took out an amulet that only linked to the one Aurel had. ¡°Ah, I take it the candies worked.¡± ¡°I assume that you know.¡± ¡°If you believed that we would give over lands, or that we need help controlling ourselves, then you have proven some things about yourself. Thank you for the data, it is sure to help us with wiping you off the face of Aarde and torturing the information we need out of you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon.¡± ¡°I am under a number of wards and arrays, even if you knew, it wouldn¡¯t matter.¡± Harlan reached through the crossroads and found him. He could feel it just outside of gate range, so he went half way and then again. It was a bare room and Harlan could feel the little pinpricks, they were sealing all 6 elements and a spatial lock was in effect the moment he stepped through the gate that snapped closed behind him. The amulet was sitting on a chair and Aurel was on the other side of a clear wall. ¡°Perfect, just like we expected.¡± ¡°Now you¡¯ve trapped yourself.¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. Because this room has no way in or out, and you are not going to break through this crystal wall with a mundane weapon and no magic. Once you run out of air and pass out I¡¯ll shut down the magic, put a slave collar on you, drain you of mana, and then we get to have fun.¡± ¡°And why wouldn¡¯t I be able to break down this wall?¡± ¡°Because, you are just a man.¡± ¡°You remind me of a wyvern, so damn arrogant, egotistical, like you¡¯ve already won.¡± Harlan slowly paced back and forth. ¡°And a wyvern is the top of the food chain, no matter where it is.¡± ¡°No, that is a very common misconception. In the deserts, sandworms are actually dominant, but because they go dormant for long periods of time and are ambush predators most of the time, people overlook them. In the upper atmosphere there are giant jellyfish with powerful acids and poisons that can kill them with ease, but their bodies can¡¯t survive down where people normally see. Now, the tundra and the plains, those, those are ones that they dominate. Oh, caves, yes, underground wyverns are also weak, they are small and batlike scavengers. And forests where flight isn¡¯t as useful, drakes are better. What¡¯s wrong, Aurel, you look nervous?¡± ¡°You must be full of a lot of hot air if you¡¯ve not passed out yet.¡± ¡°No no no, you see, I¡¯m not full of hot air, I¡¯m full of barely contained fury. And I don¡¯t need to breathe. There is a very, very interesting school of magic, and, so far as I can tell, you people haven¡¯t invented it yet.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Everything is sealed, you can¡¯t use magic.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t use external magic, there are many spells, like healing, that can work so long as they only stay inside of the body. You people really are a bunch of backwoods pigfuckers if you haven¡¯t discovered that yet.¡± Harlan¡¯s body momentarily writhed as he resisted transforming into a monster. ¡°I am using one of those spells to oxygenate my blood. I could stay here until I die of starvation; I think I can keep myself hydrated with the water spell. Let me see about that wall now.¡± Harlan found imbibing to be fascinating, it was like using the principles of alchemy on a human body. Something which disappointed him was that people only ever used the basic elements, which made sense, people who tried to use the advanced elements would often explode or turn themselves into statues. But Harlan had more than one body, and those split second bits of knowledge that he learned just before dying were useful to him. Harlan placed his hand against the glass and stared Aurel right in the eyes as he started to hum. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Resonance, it is interesting.¡± He went back to humming, high and then low, searching for reaction. Hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm. The crystal started to vibrate. When it cracked, Aurel tried to flee by turning off the earth sealing array and moving through the stone box that both of them sat in which was then surrounded by a small army of elite units. But Harlan pulled him out, and the fingers that were inside of the wall were ripped off. By the time he realized what was happening, he was pulled hundreds of miles through a gate. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Because compared to you, I am a god in the flesh.¡± Aurel tried to flee, though it wouldn¡¯t help, he didn¡¯t even know what forest he was in. ¡°And I am a vengeful god.¡± Harlan pushed him down with telekinetic force until he felt his metallic body start to compress. He let him up only because a quick death was too good for him, but the damage was done, Aurel couldn¡¯t move anymore. ¡°You know, I once tried to make a spell to rust you people, a way to create an attack that would wipe you out without hurting other people. Now I¡¯ve got poison on my mind, and I really do need a test subject. But first.¡± Harlan held a simple mythril blade in his hand, he carried it purely because it felt wrong to not have something and the club was unwieldy. The edges turned bright white. ¡°I find it interesting, you people take on the appearance of different metals, but you aren¡¯t really made of that. Now, I¡¯ve only had iron and false mythril Cast before, but I¡¯m quite sure that you aren¡¯t as soft as actual gold.¡± Harlan pressed down on one of his fingers with the white hot blade, sealing his bloody fingers. ¡°Huh, your blood is that same red metal as the others, I guess your changes are just skin deep.¡± Aurel wasn¡¯t listening, he was just screaming. ¡°Let me try out that rust, because I know that it wouldn¡¯t work if you were really made of gold.¡± After a minute of contact there was discoloration on the man''s skin. ¡°So, you can rust. I had this wrong, a normal spell isn¡¯t going to work, it¡¯s just too slow. But, with what I just did, I¡¯ve got more ideas.¡± Harlan cut off one of his fingers. When he picked it up, it crumbled to rust in just a few seconds. ¡°Yes, yes, this is what I wanted. Thank you for your participation.¡± Harlan gated back to the town and called an assembly in the Dague district, though the area was still mostly empty paved ground. The people were out for blood, there was a riot over the food already that Joan put down by explaining that everything they got from the Castians was kept separate and that food could be easily removed and destroyed just to be safe. He floated above the people, holding Aurel in by his head in one arm. Harlan squeezed, denting the head of Aurel who screamed, and then the change happened. His skin turned a reddish brown and his voice died in his throat, a minute later it spread across his entire body. ¡°THIS IS THE MAN WHO POISONED YOU, A MURDERER WHO KNOWINGLY TARGETED YOUR CHILDREN.¡± Harlan dropped him and he collapsed into dust, his skeleton was all that remained. Harlan left through a gate. Dawn was already waiting in his bedroom. ¡°I knew you wouldn''t want to be in your office.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to cross a line.¡± ¡°Which one.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to unleash a discriminate attack against a city, and I will target a single race during this.¡± ¡°The Cast.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to the bath, call Mercedes and Joan, tell them to come as soon as they can, but if they are needed, not to rush.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you call them?¡± ¡°I need a few minutes to get my head in order.¡± Harlan stripped again and sat in the hot water, his emotions weren¡¯t under his control, neither was his magic. Joan had been acting as Mercedes¡¯ bodyguard, so they both returned together. When Joan stripped and dipped her toe in she jumped back, looking at the pool she realized it was boiling. ¡°Harlan, are you alright in there.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that.¡± He balled his fist and the temperature dropped down to steamy but comfortable. He lifted her into the water and touched her toe to heal the burn. Mercedes didn¡¯t say a word as she entered the water. ¡°Both of you know more about the Cast than me. Tell me, are they people?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± ¡°Are there good Cast? Are they just machines?¡± ¡°900 years ago they showed up out of nowhere, the story of being made by a wizard that they then killed and stole the secrets of making more of themselves was something that was told by the Cast. I can¡¯t say that the wizard ever even existed, though I¡¯ve never questioned it.¡± Harlan¡¯s shadow moved away from him and sat on the edge of the pool. The Darkness crossed her legs at the knee and let down her hair that blew despite there being no wind in the room. ¡°Unless you want your little aides to hear secrets of the world, send them away.¡± ¡°Mercedes, Joan, this is my god. She has many names, but when I like her, she is The Mother, otherwise, she is The Darkness. If you want to stay, you are free to do so.¡± Both of them were clearly uncomfortable, but curiosity was quintessentially a trait of intelligent creatures. ¡°Fine, the children may stay.¡± ¡°We are both older than-¡± She cocked her head to the side and gave a look that was not directly threatening, but showed the same curiosity as they had. Yet it was asking questions more along the lines of ¡®What do you think I am going to do to you if you interrupt me again?¡¯ ¡°The Cast are the creation of machine god, a¡­ It is a mind, but not in the sense that you know. It is a being of energy, trapped inside of a box.¡± ¡°Like a golem?¡± ¡°Imagine you could write a million little commands in a book, and then the book could read itself and execute commands based on these written words. This thing can write in its own book, and it has no soul or mind, it has no magic at all, it is a being of physics. 1400 years ago, a blackship breached the atmosphere and was lost when it activated the reality anchors.¡± Harlan raised an eyebrow. ¡°Now where would the fun be if I explained every term I use? But to answer your question, though they bypass Aarde, they are prime beings unaffected by the implanted instinct and emotions.¡± ¡°So they can change, they can be taught to be better.¡± The Darkness flowed like water through the air and went behind Harlan, placing a hand on each shoulder and whispering in his ear. ¡°They are macabre machines, born to be, raised to be, those who cannot, are unborn before they might stain their people.¡± ¡°So unless I got them at birth, they would already be indoctrinated into being monsters.¡± ¡°Indoctrination is such a harsh word. What they¡¯ve done is little different from what I do with you. They exist in this environment of harshness and malice, even your little ones here are no different. Joan, did you not cut your commander''s throat in his sleep before fleeing because he was a good tracker? Mercedes, did you not call out the location of your princess to the soldiers to draw their ire towards her instead of yourself? Is that not how you, body double to royalty, convinced them to send you here as a slave instead of them using you until they were finished right there in that room?¡± Harlan¡¯s gaze caused the two to turn away in shame. ¡°I am not upset that you didn¡¯t tell me. If you want to hide things that do not matter to how you will help my rule, then do that. But don¡¯t sit there and lie to my face time and again by pretending that you are being honest.¡± ¡°I hate to bring down your little friendship, but let this be a lesson. The Dague are tricksters who are not to be trusted as a whole, each of them are part of a tight knit culture of lies and backstabbing. Joan is by far the least trustworthy of the two, for she believes herself kind and just merciful. She is a cowardly fool who lacks the passion that I so love in you, if given any other option, she would¡¯ve fled again.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve changed, I-¡± A single raised eyebrow was enough to make her sit back down. And then she slammed her fists in the water. ¡°I really have changed, I would give my life for this kingdom, I will build it up to be the place that I would want to live. I have courage, I am not a coward, I will never flee again. Harlan, if you can¡¯t trust me, then kill me right now.¡± She clenched her fists and closed her eyes. Harlan could hear how hard her heart was beating as she waited for death. ¡°Courage isn¡¯t a lack of fear, it is doing something even when you are afraid. Tell me, is there anything else that I need to know before we leave this room? Because I will not accept another lie.¡± ¡°I never wanted to be a soldier, I got drunk and signed up, then I just went along with everything that others told me. I wanted to be a tailor. I am jealous of your mother, she is beautiful and confident and I wish I had her body and-¡± ¡°You are rambling.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir. I also believe I¡¯m gaining feelings for you.¡± ¡°No, we are not having this conversation now, but you are having a normal trauma response where you see me as more heroic than I really am and those feelings seem like love at this moment. I¡¯ve had this happen once before.¡± ¡°And what happened then?¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t the point here. Mother, is this what your plan was? You are trying to take my mind off of the entire point of this conversation?¡± ¡°You would make genocide in a bottle. Once such a thing exists, there is no unmaking it, you would open the gate to things beyond your control once again.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done nothing but ask you to see what your rage is occluding.¡± ¡°Joan, you are forgiven. Mercedes, I never trusted you in the first place. Tomorrow I am going to be with D¡¯if and see if I can¡¯t find the Pixies, but I will be leaving a body here, neither of you are going to be in charge.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have broken your trust again.¡± Harlan spent the night in his workshop, he had no intention of making the poison, but that didn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯t make the spells that could be used to make it just in case. The other benefit was that the spell could be put in weapons and safely used to kill single targets. Chapter 212: Exlpusion Harlan almost made it back to his room before he was called to the headmasters office. Hirum didn¡¯t look up from his papers. ¡°When bringing in mega fauna for processing, you need to fill out a form. You also bypassed the gate office, don¡¯t let it happen again. Though I am honestly more worried that you could bypass it in the first place.¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°No, we didn¡¯t talk about Haldren.¡± ¡°I would rather not.¡± ¡°You are being expelled.¡± Hirum looked up at Harlan and was ready for him to turn violent at any second. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°You are being removed from school grounds, you can use the gate office, you can visit if you send notice and have an armed escort. You cannot attend classes, and you must clear all personal effects from your room and from the lab. However, I would like to offer you a lab farther away from the academy itself. I think it is best that you are given more privacy and-¡± ¡°Cut the shit. You don¡¯t want me here, but you can¡¯t exactly bring yourself to throw me away, so you want me out of sight.¡± Hirum snapped his fingers and a few large stacks of paper teleported onto his desk suddenly. ¡°Do you know what these are?¡± ¡°People requesting that I leave the academy?¡± ¡°More specifically, this is every complaint I¡¯ve ever received against you, that I never told you about. Half of these are from the last month. I have a filing cabinet specifically for you. And I do want you here, because I believe the best way to temper you would be to have you around others and show you the good side of them. Everyone who is trying to push you out of their sight is an idiot and their fear is only going to cause more trouble. Do you know how many archmagi live here?¡± ¡°A few hundred.¡± ¡°Exactly. And each one of them has given up their nation because-¡± ¡°I had this conversation once before with Yggdra, a mage is a nation, nobles screw them over for short term gain or jealousy yada yada. You don¡¯t want me to leave, but you are being pushed to get me away from their children.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you have been understanding.¡± ¡°They are just scared, and they are right to be.¡± ¡°Is that a threat or just a statement?¡± ¡°Just a statement.¡± ¡°Alright then. I¡¯m going to send security, but they know that they are just there to look like they could stop you. Please don¡¯t insult or assault them, they are just trying to keep the peace.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bring golems here and start moving everything from my room and the lab to the new one. Which is¡­?¡± ¡°Fill out this form for the wyvern corpse first, and then this one to transfer the lab back to academy ownership, and then this one to gain ownership of the new lab, and then this expulsion form that will explain what you can and can¡¯t do anymore.¡± ¡°Anything else I need to sign?¡± ¡°No, and once you move out you will more or less be outside of my view, so I might not see what you are doing. And if you need something, you should come here to set an appointment, I don¡¯t want you coming into my office without one.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± ¡°Wait, there is this form here that opens your lab up to the gate office. You¡¯ll need to submit that to them with a list of allowed and disallowed visitors, otherwise they aren¡¯t supposed to send anyone your way unless it is for deliveries or royal notices.¡± ¡°Great, now I¡¯m not a student.¡± ¡°Bureaucracy is half the fun of the job, your days of waking up, eating, learning, and playing around are over. When you do something on academy grounds, I want to know about it, and what you do on your lands, that is none of my business.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll begin moving out immediately. And, I¡¯ll try to convince the others not to bother you, but Zella just helped kill a wyvern and she might have an inflated ego.¡± ¡°Being yelled at by young people is the other half of the fun. I¡¯m happy to see that you are mature enough to handle this.¡± ¡°Have a nice day.¡± Outside of his room were two people, both of them older, mid 50s with minor balding and white streaks showing in their hair. Though in reality the men were in their 70s, the almost excessive amount of mana that had cycled through their system left their bodies highly tempered and slowed down the aging process. ¡°Harrow, good to see you.¡± The man didn¡¯t respond, but Harlan knew him as Amber¡¯s combat magic instructor. The other man, Walden, was the head of security; he and Harlan had not been allowed to clash because Hirum kept them apart. Harlan reminisced as he emptied out the room. ¡°This was my first box of highly volatile poisons I made under Sepul¡¯s watch. I nearly killed myself three times before I got the recipe right.¡± Walden eyed Harlan with suspicion. ¡°And you kept it in your closet?¡± ¡°This thing is covered in skulls and written warnings, nobody who got into the academy and then also has access to my room should¡¯ve ever missed that.¡± ¡°And the identical box under it?¡± ¡°I keep my personal letters in there. If they searched the poisons first, I hoped that they would be dead before they put their grimey hands on what matters to me.¡± The man sighed. ¡°Ah, bombs.¡± Harlan tossed them over his shoulder into a trash can. Walden jumped outside of the door. ¡°They are failed prototypes. I was trying to use the principles of imbibing and telekinesis to create a spinning field of elemental shrapnel.¡± Harrow hadn¡¯t moved just just inside of the doorway. ¡°What was the failure point?¡± ¡°Only living things, things that contain souls and minds, can generate aura, life force, whatever you want to call it. Instead of a storm of swirling metal, it was just hot metal; If I wanted a molten ball of metal, I would just load it with fire spells inside of a hollow space inside. The cost and ethical issues of making a living bomb stopped me from trying. But I know I could¡¯ve done it.¡± ¡°You are like she said.¡± ¡°I hope she only said good things.¡± ¡°She was quite a bit more talkative in her first two years, then it seemed she only wanted to talk about you.¡± The man looked Harlan dead in his eyes. ¡°Ever since you came back, you have been the topic of conversation many times, you¡¯ve driven those who were near, but not close to her, away, you¡¯ve caused her to have outbursts and lash out more than she ever had in the years before.¡± Harlan stood up, stared at the man, and then went back to sorting and packing things. ¡°Backing down?¡± ¡°Hirum asked that I avoid insulting or assaulting either of you. So I intend to play nice.¡± The man scoffed. When Harlan missed lunch, Adina went to his room to check on him. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Archmage Changeling is being expelled for repeated assaults against his fellow students and a general disregard for the orders given by staff.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I¡¯m going to Hirum, I¡¯ll-¡± ¡°Adina, stop. I¡¯ve got just about three years of learning done here. Perhaps in 10 years I can finish my years, just for the sake of it.¡± ¡°This is bullshit, you would¡¯ve never been thrown out for what you did if you didn¡¯t get him to be more harsh on this shit.¡± ¡°I know, and that is why I need to do this peacefully. I made my bed, and I am happy to-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not happy with this, so fight it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll break rules, but not these ones. I made this happen, and if I need to leave to be an example of what happens when the rules are broken then so be it. So I don¡¯t want you or Ximena or anyone else bothering Hirum about this.¡± ¡°But what if when you leave someone tries something against me or her or-¡± ¡°Then call me, I don¡¯t give two shits about the rules if you or anyone else, I will be there in an instant.¡± ¡°Archmage Changeling, after today the wards and arrays will be updated by Archmage Dust, don¡¯t think that you can bypass the office again.¡± ¡°Well, I guess we will know when we know. Adina, do you want to help me look at these things?¡± ¡°Fine. What is this box?¡± ¡°Mementos.¡± ¡°An orange orchid, is this from the ones you got me after you got back from the frontier?¡± ¡°No, I took that one from Blackstone¡¯s garden.¡± ¡°Is this my old uniform?¡± ¡°Well, once you switched from white to gold, I thought I should keep one of the old ones.¡± ¡°Archmage Changeling, that is academy property. You must return it.¡± ¡°You are free to try and take it, but then I¡¯d react.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been head of security for 30 years, I will not be intimidated by a child.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying that you should be intimidated, I¡¯m just saying I think- Harlan had a gate at the ready and another Harlan sitting on the other side. He didn¡¯t have to take a single step to toss it through the gate and then close it. ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight, so go back to standing guard and pretend that I am going to change my ways in the slightest.¡± When Walden put in a call for reinforcements it was Mary who showed up instead. ¡°Sir Walden, why don¡¯t we use some de-escalation techniques instead of-¡± ¡°He needs to learn some respect for authority, and clearly all of the time he spent speaking with you was a waste of time. If it was my choice, you-¡± ¡°This is not your choice.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have the authority to do that.¡± ¡°Harlan, I¡¯m going to have a chat with Walden outside, please, continue packing.¡± Mary forced the head of security and the archmage out before she gently closed the door. ¡°What do you think they are doing?¡± ¡°As much as I would like to say she is kicking the shit out of him, they are just talking. He keeps getting more angry as things go on and so is she. I¡¯d give this about 10 minutes before she gets him to calm down and then this will all be settled.¡± ¡°Sounds like she could still decide to kick his ass.¡± ¡°Mary had gotten angry in her mind when talking to me a lot, but she can put that aside and do the right thing anyway. And if she fought them, it would be a poor example to everyone who comes to her.¡± ¡°Moving past that, why is that uniform so important to you? I didn¡¯t even know you had one until now.¡± ¡°It reminds me of when we first met. I helped you even though you had a white robe and I was wearing gold. I didn¡¯t do it for selfless reasons either, I didn¡¯t do it because it was the right thing to do, but because you reminded me of Ava. When I look at that robe, I see what I was, and I think about what I would be if I let myself be consumed by the hate between our nations so much that I could ignore what I saw.¡± Adina looked through more of the box. ¡°A rock?¡± ¡°Remember the camping trip?¡± ¡°Oh, right. I can¡¯t believe they are expelling you a week before we go on this year¡¯s trip.¡± ¡°I can. I mean, who would they even stick me with? If I go with nothing but friends, then it doesn¡¯t help us to split off and meet new people. If I go with randoms, then nobody will want to be with me or they will pretend that they aren¡¯t terrified. It would ruin the trip for both sides. Also, that isn¡¯t the same rock, it is more the idea of that rock.¡± ¡°Giant bat fang?¡± ¡°The first time I spoke to Ximena it was to work together on divining, I didn¡¯t even remember who she was until the camping trip though.¡± ¡°Hellon let you keep this?¡± ¡°Academy security is very lax and she kept it in a drawer.¡± ¡°Maybe you are just a little klepto.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Mary cleared everything up, Harlan didn¡¯t need to fistfight the head of security for a robe, but he didn¡¯t mind at all. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Not a problem. Now, why don¡¯t we see your new home.¡± ¡°I thought it was a lab?¡± ¡°I decided that you needed more than just a stuffy old place to do experiments in. You need somewhere to take Adina and be in absolute privacy. Away from everywhere else, but just a gate away. Now, why don¡¯t we go while she goes back to her classes.¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯ll see you later.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to go there after dinner, so long as you remember to give that paper to them.¡± ¡°We can make a party of it.¡± Marigold smirked, which Harlan took as a bad sign. With a clap of her hands they were hundreds of miles away in the southern section of the learning zone and Adina gracefully landed on her feet in her class. She had become used to being suddenly teleported after enough time with Mary and Sepul. ¡°Wow, this place is a pile of shit.¡± ¡°Exactly, it¡¯s perfect for you.¡± ¡°You want me to spend my time working to bring the house into good condition so I can take my mind off of everything else.¡± ¡°You know me so well. Also Xol and I can visit without worrying about who might see us.¡± ¡°And I have a perfect place for Dawn to stay.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°She wants a body now, and I¡¯m going to give her one.¡± ¡°I would love to be able to talk with her privately.¡± ¡°As soon as I get that wyvern body here and butchered I¡¯ll have the materials to make it.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you start her off at human levels?¡± ¡°I already talked with her and we have all of this clear, even the awkward conversation about bust size.¡± ¡°Well, she was a vain woman who loved herself a bit too much sometimes.¡± Harlan¡¯s eyes flashed. ¡°I¡¯m not telling her that.¡± ¡°I like to think I know what she is saying anyway.¡± Harlan and Marigold stepped inside, the door fell off of the hinges when he pushed it open and the boards inside were so rotten that they sagged just with the two of them standing there. ¡°Alright, I might as well tear it down and start from scratch.¡± ¡°No no no no no. You need to fix this place, not tear it down.¡± ¡°I¡¯d still be using time and building something.¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t give you this place so you could destroy it.¡± ¡°Just a moment.¡± Harlan turned up his hover and looked around the house for a bit. ¡°This was yours, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°How¡¯d you guess?¡± ¡°It has the same layout as your home outside of space, but it''s smaller, it lacks certain add-ons.¡± ¡°I lived here with my first husband, I gave birth to my daughter in the master bedroom.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t accept this. I¡¯ll fix it, but I don¡¯t want to live here.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I can see it in your eyes and I can feel your emotions. However many hundreds of years it''s been for the enchantments to wear out, you are reminiscing, remembering dozens of stories in your head. If I rebuilt this place, changed up the decor, added on rooms, and then you came to visit, you wouldn¡¯t be in my home, you¡¯d be back to when you watched your children learning to walk.¡± She walked between a rotted couch and a table that had already fallen apart. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine, I want you to have this place.¡± ¡°Look down.¡± She saw little golden footsteps light up the floor. ¡°Maybe I do have too many memories of this place. I¡¯m sorry, I should never-¡± Marigold began to cry. ¡°Shit. You shouldn¡¯t see me like this.¡± ¡°You have 15 centuries more lived experience, but you and I are just human.¡± She sat down and the couch¡¯s legs fell off, the springs inside crumbled to dust. ¡°I made this couch, mammoth bones and fur that I hunted myself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it was beautiful when it was new.¡± ¡°Ha, it looked like crap.¡± She rubbed it, chunks of matted down fur fell off. ¡°But it was comfortable at one point.¡± ¡°I know you came here to help me, but I have a better idea.¡± ¡°If you are asking me to go on a mammoth hunt, don¡¯t. Tear down the house, I didn¡¯t think that I needed closure for a place I haven¡¯t been in 600 years.¡± ¡°And you are sure that you want that?¡± ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t want to come back here and find that this place is fixed or you built an exact copy or that you made me a new couch. I¡¯m serious, I just want to get past this.¡± ¡°Come on, we¡¯ve talked enough, and you¡¯ve helped me get past enough to know that you aren¡¯t getting closure, you are just trying to bury it.¡± ¡°I hate that you are turning this back on me.¡± ¡°You hate that I¡¯m right.¡± ¡°Alright then, Counselor Fomoria, what do you suggest?¡± ¡°I will repair this place, leave it, and then make a home for myself.¡± ¡°And can you explain the reason why you would do that?¡± ¡°By keeping the house you have time to get closure, when it is decorated in exactly the same way as it was before, well, to the best of my ability, then you can remember exactly how things were instead of this decayed mess. By keeping it like that and then only using it as a second home, you are going to keep this at a certain distance, you can then choose to get closer or to push it away for whatever gives you the closure you actually need.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get to work then.¡± Harlan started casting a spell to give life back into the wood, but suddenly his magic was gone. ¡°We are going to do this by hand, even if we need to replace every single board and nail.¡± ¡°Would it really even be the same house then?¡± ¡°You know what, my husband has a saying about that, something about a ship.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll start cutting trees then.¡± When the rest of his friends arrived both of them were covered in sawdust, one new, one old.
Safira returned with Dahlia to find the room empty, but the king¡¯s whiskey bottle was sitting on the balcony railing. Chapter 213: The Island Beyond the Mist As soon as he stepped through the gate D¡¯if and his men kneeled. ¡°Your majesty.¡± ¡°What have you found about the island?¡± ¡°It appears between the hours of midnight and two, then three, and four, so on and so forth, for six hours at a time. ¡± ¡°So, noon to six in the evening will be the next opening.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°Have you found the way to enter?¡± ¡°No sir.¡± ¡°What have you tried?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve all tried many ways to take down or slip past the arrays, but thus far draining, bypassing, counter arrays, all have failed. We always get turned around.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not shocked.¡± ¡°When large boats try to reach it, a Sea Drake talks to them, the Cast get sunk. It¡¯s gotten close to us before, but we were in a rowboat and it just kept swimming.¡± ¡°Interesting. I wonder if Peri recruited it.¡± Harlan jumped down the cliff and landed on the water as if it was solid ground. He made it a few hundred feet out before the drake appeared. Once its nostrils were above water and it smelled him its eyes became intensely slit as it focused all attention on Harlan and picked up speed. Its body wasn¡¯t scaly in the same way as other kinds, a Sea Drake had rough skin and a large mouth not unlike a whale. But it was no filter feeder. Harlan lost his footing as the drake pulled in thousands of gallons of water in a short minute and the creature ballooned in size. He barely made it through his gate before those thousands of gallons of water were ejected like a watercutter, D¡¯if and his men had to flee from the now crumbling cliffside. Harlan wasn¡¯t entirely sure how he pissed this thing off so much, but he wasn¡¯t going to let some drake tell him what to do. He shot down like a bullet, the drake had yet to reacquire his scent. Then when they got close they both felt a pull on their mind, they wanted to fight. Yet Harlan could tell that it was unnatural and he fought against it. When they two clashed Harlan had his arm torn and he broke the snout of the drake. Both parties were sinking to the depths, Harlan refused to let go, not only did he want his arm back, but he also hated knowing that there was a mental pull that was making them want to fight one another. He reached into its mind and his own and bypassed the hate in the same way he bypassed the bloodlust that was innate to False Undead. D¡¯if and his men were looking over the new start of the cliffside. ¡°Should we dive for him?¡± ¡°Nah, if my guesses about the kid are right, then he is going to pop up any second, probably riding the thing.¡± Two minutes later, Harlan popped up on the back of the drake. ¡°Many apologies, I thought you were¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Are you protecting that island?¡± ¡°Fae owing a favor is always a good thing, but I¡¯ve never seen the one beyond the mists.¡± ¡°Can I get over there?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve no way inside.¡± ¡°Still, I must thank you for protecting the Pixies.¡± ¡°Of course, Little Shadow.¡± ¡°If you come to the shore, I could bring some game animals and heal your nose.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve suffered far worse in my years. Ah, but I should return this.¡± He sucked up a bit of water and then shot it back out, alongside the arm he had bitten off. ¡°Thank you, the cost of healing this body only seems to get worse the more I improve it. And the armor I wear is not easily replaced.¡± Harlan pulled it over with telekinesis, cleaned it off a bit, and then stuck it back on. Since there was a period of time where it was off, he felt pain and discomfort as flesh knit together. ¡°Odd one you are.¡± ¡°I am aware.¡± Harlan flew back up to the cliffside and dried himself off. ¡°The drake doesn¡¯t know how to get in, he is just doing this with the hope that Peri will owe him something.¡± ¡°I must say, I¡¯ve never seen someone jump into the jaws of a drake before.¡± ¡°Next, where is the nearest village, and do they have a bakery?¡± ¡°Never been inside, but it''s just a few miles north, straight on from the shore. Shouldn¡¯t take more than an hour to get disguised, come up with a reason to get inside without drawing suspicion.¡± Harlan opened a gate a few miles north, he could see the village half a mile away. ¡°We are flying in.¡± ¡°Sir, is that wise?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t run, I don¡¯t hide. I am a warrior king, not a spy.¡± After killing the Cast guards and sparing the slave soldiers Harlan forced a bakery to let him buy what he needed, and then he was off. D¡¯if was tearing down the camp on Harlan¡¯s orders. ¡°Once it is noon we can go in.¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯ve never heard of baked goods opening an array.¡± ¡°This is going to be enough.¡± Harlan got far enough that he could feel the arrays turn on and shift reality around him. He activated a rather crude magic that he had been taught by Cynthia, smell enhancing, something that the two of them had used for practical jokes around the castle. ¡°Sir Fomoria, is that really going to work?¡± ¡°Give it a minute. She is probably just waking up, Peri likes to sleep in.¡± ¡°You are close to her it seems, but you have only been outside the veil for a few months and you needed us to find her. What am I looking at here?¡± ¡°After I fought a Fae named Nemain I was infected with magic that nobody explained to me. I had a Pixie living in my home and she wanted to use that magic to bring her race back to life here on Aarde.¡± ¡°So Pixies exist inside of the veil? But they are new out here.¡± ¡°Periwinkle is a Fae, but don¡¯t you dare call her that, she is a Pixie.¡± The men suddenly tensed, Harlan was pretty sure they wanted to flee, but they were two miles from shore. ¡°Ah, the mists are clearing.¡± When they reached the shore Periwinkle was waiting alongside a few others. They stood a little over three feet tall with large monocolor eyes that looked like gems. Their bodies were like scaled down humans, from the knees and elbow they were chitinous and had 3 fingers and 1 thumb. On their heads were antennae, they grew from the temples and were like prehensile wires that they started touching Harlan with. On their back they had wings like dragonflies, though with three sets instead of the two that the bugs normally had. And unlike Periwinkle they had to keep them constantly flapping to fly which made them quite loud when they did. ¡°Peri, good to see you. What are they doing to me?¡± ¡°Well, they aren¡¯t perfect copies of me, they¡¯ve been changed outside of my control. They are just getting a feeling for you.¡± ¡°Alright. Nice to meet all of you.¡± They all hid back behind their mother when they were done. ¡°Are they children?¡± ¡°They came out fully formed, but they are still young minds.¡± ¡°I was hoping that they would have some innate nature magic like you, and they could help growing crops.¡± Periwinkle pursed her lips. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I cannot help, and¡­ I would like you to leave.¡± ¡°I understand, they are young, and you don¡¯t want outside influence.¡± ¡°These people out there, they are monsters, I can¡¯t let any of my children out yet. And you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m a killer, I know. But please, take the pies and honeyed milk anyway. Oh, and an amulet, if you ever need me, call and I¡¯ll be here.¡± ¡°Of course, and again, I am sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll get the food myself.¡± One of the Pixies went back to Harlan, wrapping his wires around his hand. ¡°I think he wants to go with you. Perhaps he felt that you are good.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know where he could get that idea.¡± ¡°Take him, you are his father in the same sense that I am his mother.¡± ¡°Do you want to go with me?¡± The boy cocked his head to the side, and then nodded as he let go with his wires. ¡°What is his name?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t named any of them yet, I thought I would let them do so when they started speaking.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in a war, it doesn¡¯t seem right to take him. He would be in danger.¡± ¡°Perhaps his brothers and sisters will need someone who has seen war one day.¡± ¡°Why are you pushing him to me?¡± The boy bit Harlan, puncturing his skin. Harlan used telekinesis to pry him off. ¡°Now I see, shit, why the hell does this hurt?¡± ¡°I think that you mixed in with the magic, instead of exactly what I wanted, a piece of yourself got into them and he is a troublemaker. I think he would be better off of the island.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want him to corrupt the others, so you are offloading him to me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to see it like that, but he is more like you, and if there is anyone who could help him use that violence for something good it would be you.¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll take him.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Harlan, please, don¡¯t misunderstand, I¡¯m not saying there is anything wrong with him, and I¡¯m not throwing him at you.¡± Harlan rubbed his forehead. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just in a very poor mood. I¡¯m glad to take him, thank you for believing that I can help. I¡¯ll leave the pies and such here and go.¡± The Pixie boy sat on Harlan¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Kid, if you bite my head, you are going to regret it.¡± He didn¡¯t listen, Harlan hit him with a white noise attack and then dragged him onto the boat. Halfway back to shore he woke up. ¡°You got up fast. Probably got that from me.¡± Harlan and the boy sat on one and the of the boat while D¡¯if and his men were as far away from them as they could be. ¡°If you bite me again, you will not have a painless nap.¡± The boy tried to glare, but while he could intimidate the others of his race, Harlan was not some less than a year old in a grown body. ¡°Sit.¡± Harlan¡¯s glare forced compliance. ¡°Now hold my hand.¡± The boy did as commanded. ¡°You can hear me, I know you are pretending to be as childlike as the others.¡± ¡°Want name.¡± ¡°Alright, then pick one.¡± ¡°Your name, I want.¡± ¡°My name is Harlan, but when I was born I was named Darrath, do you like Darrath?¡± ¡°Good name, Pixie Darrath.¡± ¡°When we get back, you are going to behave yourself, because if you can hurt me then you would risk seriously injuring others. Do not do that, because if you do, then I will be upset.¡± The boy made himself small, balling up his body and wrapping his wings that softened into almost a fabric around his shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just don¡¯t want to see the people I like get hurt. If you are good, or if you make a mistake, I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡± Darrath unwrapped his wings and fluttered them, which Harlan assumed that he meant it was fine. As soon as they hit the shore Harlan gated back to Kor. ¡°Sir, if i might make a suggestion.¡± ¡°Speak freely.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so hard on the kid, children are better suited to kindness than threats. Though those do have a place once he is old enough to understand right and wrong.¡± ¡°Do you have children?¡± ¡°Oh I¡¯m certain I do. Probably a couple dozen, not that I stuck around to find out. I just said what I did because my father beat the shit out of me and I know I turned out bad.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± ¡°And don¡¯t let him out, keep a constant eye on him, because if he can hurt you with his teeth then I don¡¯t want to know what else he could do.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bring him to my mother.¡± ¡°Now that I¡¯m back, I should go-¡± ¡°I believe we already had this conversation, and by that I mean I don¡¯t want to be part of that conversation.¡± ¡°Of course, your majesty.¡± ¡°Darrath, would you like to ride on my shoulders?¡± He shook his head no and then wrapped his wires around Harlan¡¯s hand. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go see grandma.¡± ¡°Sir, if I might make another suggestion.¡± ¡°If there isn¡¯t anyone else around, then you don¡¯t need to ask.¡± ¡°If she hears you call her grandma, she will be upset.¡± Harlan knocked on the door to Dawn¡¯s office. ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯re a grandma now.¡± ¡°What the hell is that?¡± ¡°This is Darrath, he is a Pixie, and he is still a child.¡± ¡°Then I assume he isn¡¯t part of a delegation.¡± ¡°Peri can¡¯t help. The Pixies were born physically mature and they are growing mentally, but they are a species only a year old and they haven¡¯t even been through a single lifecycle so there is no telling what complications there might be. I have little Darrath because he is troubled, violent, and needs a firm hand to hopefully grow up well and then return to the Pixies as a military commander.¡± ¡°Great, so we have another you. Darrath, come here to grandma.¡± ¡°Uh, watch out for his teeth, he-¡± Darrath hopped on her lap, wrapped his wires around her neck, and almost immediately fell asleep. ¡°So, what are these wires?¡± ¡°These Aardian Pixies are partly based on me, those are a mild empathic organ.¡± ¡°Once you get past the bug limbs, the massive red eyes, and teeth, he is cute.¡± Darrath snuggled closer to her. ¡°I actually agree.¡± ¡°What does he eat?¡± ¡°If he is like Peri, it¡¯s bowls full of cookies and entire pies washed down with honeyed milk. If he is like me, anything but flowers, and I don¡¯t like mushrooms very much either, but that is more of a dislike than a hate.¡± ¡°When he wakes up I¡¯ll ask him.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t talk, but he can soulspeak, probably another thing inherited from me.¡± ¡°I never thought I''d be a grandmother so soon. I figured it would be 9 months to the day after you got married.¡± ¡°D¡¯if seemed to think you would hate the idea of being a grandmother.¡± ¡°That man is a piece of shit who I wouldn¡¯t be in the same room with again if not for my professionalism. And he doesn¡¯t know a single godsdamned thing about me.¡± ¡°Did he hurt you? I¡¯ll-¡± ¡°He does what he does and then leaves. I¡¯m sure if he wasn¡¯t worried about you tearing his head off he¡¯d sneak out the bathroom window.¡± ¡°I still hold his life in my hands.¡± ¡°Go cool off, I¡¯m a big girl, I can handle an inconsiderate lover. And you need to be an example for little Darrath, killing a man for slighting me after I tell you not to do it is a bad lesson.¡± ¡°Fine, call me when he wakes up.¡± Dawn went three hours before she couldn¡¯t take it anymore and forced Darrath to sleep somewhere else, but when she tried to get up, she couldn¡¯t move. Harlan felt her distress through a connection they shared across the crossroads as a result of their deep bonding on a mental level for so long. Harlan placed his hand on Darrath and forced him awake. ¡°Darrath, if you don¡¯t let go of her right now, I will cut your wires off of her.¡± They unraveled quickly and Darrath got up and stretched before wrapping them around Harlan¡¯s hand again. ¡°I was hungry, why are you mad?¡± Harlan ignored the boy and forced a tonic down his mother¡¯s throat before then metabolizing it with magic. In 10 minutes, she was hale again, minus the headache caused by being drained of her mana, that pain would stay for a time. ¡°Dawn, are you alright?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t blame him, he is a child.¡± ¡°He could¡¯ve killed you.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t know what he was doing, and look at him now. You shouldn¡¯t have yelled at him.¡± He was sitting with his wings wrapped around himself, facing the corner of the room. ¡°Darrath, honey, come back to grandma.¡± ¡°You are not his grandmother, he is a monster that-¡± Dawn glared at him, but while she wanted to slap him, she believed it would be a poor example for the boy. ¡°He is a child, no different than you, and unlike you, his empathy isn¡¯t so one sided. He went to sleep so quickly because he felt lonely and he could feel that I wanted him. Darrath, please.¡± He came over and wrapped his wires around her wrist. Harlan paced around the room with Dawn glaring at him. In another few minutes he took them off. ¡°Darrath is sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± His voice was quiet, barely audible and raspy, as he hadn¡¯t spoken very often before. ¡°Very good Darrath. Why don¡¯t you drink some water.¡± She poured him a glass from a pitcher on her desk and he greedily drank it down. ¡°Have you had anything to drink today?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Harlan?¡± It was a question with no answer except an apology, but she would not get one from Harlan. ¡°I brought him right here, if he didn¡¯t drink anything all morning then that isn¡¯t my-¡± ¡°Harlan, I just want you to do the right thing, he is too young to take care of himself. His race has traits from you, that means you are uniquely suited to helping him understand himself. And honestly, could you trust Peri to raise him? I know that she isn¡¯t exactly the kind of person who can sit down and have an honest conversation or comfort you. The kid was alone there, so don¡¯t let him be here.¡± ¡°Darrath, can we speak?¡± He huddled closer to Dawn. ¡°It¡¯s ok, Harlan won¡¯t hurt you, he was just worried.¡± Harlan offered his hand to the boy, his empathic wires meant that both sides would feel the other being genuine. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I said before that I wouldn¡¯t hurt you if you made a mistake, and then I got mad at you when I shouldn¡¯t have. Can you forgive me?¡± ¡°Darrath is forgiving. I, am forgiving.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, people need forgiveness. Why did you attack Dawn?¡± ¡°Pixies eat not Pixies. I was hungry for mana.¡± ¡°But you can eat normal food, right?¡± ¡°Yes. Darrath eats many things. Flittering bugs and little fruits and ground things.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t we get you some food? And please, don¡¯t try to eat anything I don¡¯t tell you to eat.¡± Harlan took Darrath down to the kitchen to point out what he was and wasn¡¯t allowed to eat. ¡°Rocks?¡± ¡°Never rocks. Even if it looks like candy.¡± ¡°Lizard?¡± ¡°Only lizards that don¡¯t talk. Actually, don¡¯t eat anything that talks.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because all life has value, but animals don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°So I could eat a baby? They don¡¯t understand?¡± ¡°No, that is the wrong way to look at this. We can eat a cow, right?¡± ¡°If you say.¡± ¡°But when the cow evolves into something else, maybe a Sky Steer, then it starts to ask questions about life. Then when it turns into something beyond that, it can really think. A human is always a human, it just has to grow up. The animals turn into new animals.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense. They just grow up.¡± ¡°I eat things that don¡¯t look or speak like people. It doesn¡¯t always make sense, but that is how people are.¡± ¡°So I eat what I want?¡± ¡°No, you eat what I tell you to, because you are too young and you don¡¯t understand the world yet.¡± ¡°Are you not young then?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not old, but I¡¯ve been alive a lot longer than you.¡± ¡°When I¡¯m that old, then I can eat what I want?¡± ¡°Yes, and I hope that by then you and I will agree on what is ok to eat.¡± ¡°What if we don¡¯t?¡± ¡°Then I will keep teaching you.¡± ¡°Why are you lying?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to say what I would have to do if you eat people.¡± Darrath¡¯s wings folded down. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m going to teach you everything, that way I never need to punish you for being a bad person.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I would be a¡­ worse person, if I didn¡¯t have people who taught me things. Why don¡¯t we get you some clothes?¡± Darrath was wearing a simple tunic made from sown together leaves. He didn¡¯t have another shifting suit ready, so for now he took him to an actual tailor. ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve made many outfits for many things, but I¡¯ve never seen one of these. And he is?¡± ¡°Darrath, he is a Pixie. And¡­ for now why don¡¯t we just say he is my son.¡± ¡°Harlan, is father?¡± ¡°It¡¯s complicated, I¡¯ll explain when you get older.¡± ¡°I¡¯m I older yet?¡± ¡°No. it takes more time to get older.¡± ¡°Now?¡± ¡°Sir, what styles are you thinking?¡± ¡°Something like mine. Darrath, what clothes do you like?¡± ¡°Leaves.¡± ¡°This will be cloth.¡± ¡°Not cover my wings.¡± ¡°Alright, an open back then.¡± ¡°Bring cloth samples, I suspect he wants something soft. ¡± The man returned with a few things, but Darrath liked silk. Once they made a few designs Harlan used illusions to give an idea of what it would look like on him. Then a woman walked into the store. ¡°Darrath. Stay behind me.¡± ¡°Oh, you are good. I¡¯ve killed thousands of Fomorians who couldn¡¯t tell who I was after a first encounter.¡± ¡°Nemain, why are you here?¡± Harlan began drawing in mana. ¡°Come now, fighting here would just kill innocents. Hello there little one, I¡¯m your grandma.¡± ¡°Grandma is nice, you don¡¯t feel nice.¡± ¡°She is not your grandmother.¡± ¡°And you share no blood, but you call yourself his father. It was the magic I gave you that allowed them to exist. Though it is a shame that you didn¡¯t use it for what I wanted.¡± ¡°And what did you want me to use it for?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s too late now.¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Oh I was just stopping by, seeing what you were doing. And, my people will be paying a visit soon. I would ask you to meet them in good faith, though they are likely to insult and want to fight.¡± ¡°And who are your people? Just so I could avoid them.¡± ¡°Goliaths, they are my warriors, and in time they will be useful to you.¡± She was gone. ¡°That witch, I¡¯ll-¡± Harlan could feel Darrath shaking. ¡°Scary, scary woman.¡± ¡°I can beat her, so don¡¯t be scared..¡± ¡°I can feel when you are lying.¡±
Dahlia and Safira jumped off of the balcony, but it was too late, his soul was already gone. Yggdra was unable to use magic, part of the pact with Fae, thus his body was weak, never having been trained for more than a few years in his youth. Even a 2nd year student would''ve been likely to survive the fall. Yet now the old man lay still, his skull cracked open on the dirt. ¡°Dahlia, you would know better than I, are there any signs of foul play?¡± She cast a suite of spells, but found no mana signatures, no disturbances in the air patterns, nothing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it seems to me that he simply got drunk and fell.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± Safira turned her back, but Dahlia could tell from her tone. ¡°Are you crying?¡± ¡°No, it would be unbefitting for a royal guard to do something so emotional.¡± ¡°There is no shame in doing such a thing. I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t scold you for-¡± ¡°Blood or not, you did not know him. He would want me to call Rosewell and secure the scene. The Fae made a deal, part of it was that through fate he would die only on the appointed date. The only loophole would be another Fae, or by his own hand. If you say that he simply died from a fall, then that is the most likely truth. Explain everything to Rosewell, with his death I will become the head of military. I will get the army ready to handle the likely civil war, and I¡¯m bringing Harlan in.¡± ¡°For what?¡± Chapter 214: Start of the Finish Harlan and the others were sitting around a campfire, they were camping out as an experience. ¡°So, girls, I know that you all want to ask me questions.¡± ¡°Your¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Ximena, I am Marigold.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know what to say or ask.¡± ¡°It will come to you in time. Zella, I see you staring daggers.¡± ¡°I want to learn gate.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve taken an important step recently, I can tell. Well, towards our gate, not the gate the academy teaches.¡± ¡°I have?¡± ¡°There is an air around you, did you reveal some truth to someone? To Harlan?¡± She gripped her cup more tightly and her hair drew closer to her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have brought it up, whatever you said must¡¯ve been painful.¡± ¡°Yes, it was.¡± ¡°A mage must be honest with themselves and with the world. You don¡¯t need to tell anyone else, but you must let people feel that your existence has changed. Remember how Harlan was after he got back from the frontier? He was¡­ feral, but noble, gentle even, like a wolf looking after his young. He understood what he wanted from his life, and he won¡¯t let anything stand in his way any longer.¡± ¡°Huh, alright, but how does that get me gate?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you all of the answers, and Harlan can¡¯t either. If either of us just outright told you, it would poison your work as a mage, and you¡¯d never escape his shadow like you want to.¡± ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll keep working on it then.¡± ¡°And when you are ready, I¡¯ll pay you a visit.¡± ¡°How will I know? How will you know?¡± ¡°I just will. Adina, do you want to ask anything?¡± ¡°Are there any complications when a champion gets someone pregnant? I know that you had children, is there anything I¡¯ll need to know in a few years?¡± ¡°You¡¯d be better served asking Sepul, he had dozens of kids and with multiple women. For me, it was smooth sailing and I worked right until I went into labor. Then she was right out in 15 minutes, I gave birth to her right in the upstairs of that house. You aren¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°No, not right now, we haven¡¯t even had sex yet.¡± ¡°Oh, I was hoping to see you blush.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve read enough books on the subject to ready myself for when-¡± ¡°Whoa hey, why don¡¯t you not talk about that here.¡± ¡°Ah ha, I knew I would see Harlan blush at least. Besides, look how confident she has become.¡± While everyone was heckling Harlan, a gate opened. ¡°Sir Fomoria, you are requested by Her Majesty, Queen Yggdra Ragne the 16th.¡± ¡°So, Yggdra¡­ or what do I call him?¡± ¡°He is Yggdra the 15th, no titles are to be applied to the names of the fallen.¡± ¡°My condolences, I know that you seemed to-¡± Safira gripped the handle of her mace tightly. ¡°We are leaving immediately. Lady Adina, as betrothed to Sir Fomoria, you are requested as well.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Farewell, Lady Marigold.¡± ¡°May I come along as well? To see the nation which I helped build.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± ¡°Ximena, Zella, I shall speak with you again, for now, goodbye. Perhaps you could even help Harlan and I to rebuild my home here.¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯d love to.¡± Marigold teleported them directly to the throne room. ¡°Lady Marigold, it is rude to bypass the royal defenses.¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know.¡± She did. ¡°Sir Harlan Fomoria, Lady Adina Fomoria, kneel and pledge fealty to your new queen.¡± Both took to a knee without her needing to turn on the magic. ¡°I, Sir Harlan Fomoria, Archmage of Change, do pledge my fealty and do pledge to uphold the commands of my queen, Her Majesty, Rosewell Ragne, now Yggdra Ragne the 16th.¡± Adina repeated his speech word for word. ¡°I noticed that you chose to omit the uploading of my laws.¡± ¡°There will be times when I must break your laws to upload my oath to my god. I admit now that I have already done this before.¡± ¡°Explain.¡± ¡°I crossed the border into The Confederacy to kill a mage who was attempting to create artificial dragons. This breaks laws for unannounced crossing at a non-border area, for murder, for burglary, trespassing, and theft of a home.¡± ¡°You stole the home?¡± ¡°It is a bunker in a remote swamp. I¡¯ve kept rebel forces from retaking the area, but I¡¯ve done little with the location itself.¡± ¡°For the sake of peaceful relations, this shall be kept confidential. You are not to admit this crime to anyone else, and it shall be kept on no records. You are hereby pardoned. And I accept the pledge from both you and your wife.¡± ¡°We are not yet married.¡± ¡°By law now you are, this is to ensure she has complete and full legal rights under the law and to ensure her safety. You know already that the law is flawed and does not take into account personal relations.¡± ¡°Thank you, your majesty.¡± ¡°Lady Fomoria, you are now free to return, I have more business with Sir Fomoria. Lady Safira will take you to wherever you wish to go.¡± She returned Adina to her home in Blackstone County. Marigold had been walking around the room, looking at paintings and tapestries. ¡°It has been a very long time since I was last here. Yet this is the only new painting.¡± ¡°My father had the others removed, only those from or related to the first king are left here.¡± ¡°The painter was not a warrior, it lacks the fury of Yggdra¡¯s paintings. The colors are all wrong, these dull and pastel colors are not what he would¡¯ve wanted. He liked bold colors, he liked contrast. Oh and the subject is all wrong. He didn¡¯t die fighting some witch, it was Nemain, not a man.¡± ¡°You have quite a few opinions on that painting.¡± ¡°What idiot did this?¡± ¡°It was his wife.¡± ¡°Meredith? No, she knew exactly what he wanted.¡± ¡°She painted it as an opposite to his work, his death was not his life.¡± ¡°Now that does sound like her.¡± ¡°May I sit with Harlan for your talk?¡± ¡°As a founding member of the kingdom, you may.¡± Marigold pulled a chair out of her dress pocket and sat. ¡°Within this room, I am the only one who sits, I have overlooked your other insult, but I will not have my authority gone against like this again.¡± ¡°Of course, my apologies, Queen Yggdra.¡± The space bent and folded along with the chair and it slipped back into the small pocket. ¡°Clear the room, my conversation with Sir Fomoria and Lady Marigold is to be private.¡± Once all of the guards were gone Rosewell checked the arrays and wards before burying her head in her hands. ¡°Shit.¡± Harlan walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss. I know he wasn¡¯t the best man, but he was your father, and a good king.¡± ¡°I¡¯m only queen because he liked you.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not true. It¡¯s because he was afraid of me becoming a permanent thorn in the side.¡± ¡°Marigold, do you have advice? He told me a million things, but most of it was just data and how to view it to run the kingdom.¡± ¡°Well, firstly I¡¯m going to say that your little hard ass act is just making me want to put you in your place. So maybe try a kinder approach? Yggdra, your father, was always threatening without being overt until he needed to be.¡± ¡°And how was the first king?¡± ¡°People respected him, he was powerful and yet he knew how to avoid using that power. You¡­ you are not him, and I don¡¯t believe that you can rule like he did. I¡¯ve heard about you from Harlan, and I believe that gentleness is the way to rule for you.¡± ¡°People won¡¯t respect or fear me for that, and I don¡¯t have enough friends in the nobility to weather the storm while I am getting either of those things.¡± ¡°Use Harlan. When the nobles don¡¯t pledge fealty refuse to come, send your army to force them to pledge. And those who you don¡¯t want to spare, send Harlan and don¡¯t ask questions about his methods. It will show them that you are not merciless, but you can still make an example of them through him.¡± ¡°Harlan, can I trust you with this?¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m loyal to you, not this country. How many have refused so far?¡± ¡°You are the only one I¡¯ve brought. I wanted you to join me before someone convinced you to join a rebel group with promises of overhauling the system.¡± ¡°There will be talks about that between us. If you want an advisor and enforcer, then there will be changes.¡± ¡°That almost sounds like a threat.¡± ¡°I am just making myself clear. And I can accept that things won¡¯t change quickly, but you are probably going to be queen for decades, over a century if I have anything to say about it.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Marigold stepped away from the painting again, she had been viewing it in a different light. ¡°Harlan will need a symbol. I¡¯m going to call my husband.¡± Xol appeared in a burst of fire, his bones were blackened, but undamaged. ¡°Honey, I didn¡¯t expect a call tonight. You and Harlan were- Oh, good evening your majesty.¡± He politely bowed. ¡°Harlan needs a symbol, give him the sword.¡± ¡°You mean the¡­?¡± ¡°That one.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t be sure if it is-¡± ¡°But you fixed it, right?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± ¡°Probably or you fixed it?¡± ¡°I probably fixed it.¡± ¡°Good enough. Go get it.¡± Xol returned a minute later and unwrapped a pure white cloth that let out a shining white smoke. Within the wrapping was a dull black blade without a guard. It was originally a simple broadsword design, but had since shifted into a double edged saber. ¡°Where¡­ why do you have this?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even know what it is.¡± ¡°It''s¡­ no, you¡¯re right. But it looks so familiar.¡± ¡°It was forged by a Fomorian, he used his own femur as the material and then loaded it with runes and sigils. But it took on more than just power, it gained a rudimentary mind and something else from him. The blade was cursed, but I believe I¡¯ve dealt with that.¡± ¡°Believe?¡± ¡°It was a powerful man who made this.¡± Xol handed it to Harlan. ¡°This is¡­¡± He waited for the reaction, this wasn¡¯t the first time he gave someone made by a paradox other-self. ¡°It¡¯s a nice blade.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± ¡°Were you expecting me to say more?¡± ¡°Oh, ah, no no no, it¡¯s fine. I just expected you to be writhing on the ground for a few minutes before you connected with the blade.¡± ¡°Prick.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t claim not to be. Honey, is that all? I was in the middle of something.¡± ¡°I just wanted you to give him the sword. Go back to that volcano or whatever that was.¡± ¡°Ethereal Sun Serpent. See you later.¡± Harlan swung the blade around a few times, got used to it. ¡°If you are ready, I would like to start making calls for fealty. It used to take weeks to get this done. I hope to have everything finished in 24 hours.¡± ¡°Should I stand at your side?¡± ¡°You can be my left hand, Safira will be my right.¡± ¡°Thank you. Is there a badge of office?¡± ¡°There is a pin of the tree of blades. Put it on your heart.¡± Harlan instead had the shifting suit add the pin to his chest. ¡°Show off.¡± ¡°There is a very good chance that if I take that badge, you aren¡¯t getting it back. I tend to get mutilated.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you the pin as a display piece then. What about your nobles ring?¡± ¡°If I told you that I already knew how to make them and this is my seventh ring would you believe me?¡± ¡°So you just have a half dozen rings that you¡¯ve lost?¡± ¡°No, they detonate if I send a signal spell. The range is very large, so I¡¯ve never had it fail to activate.¡± ¡°Very well. Though normally it is a death sentence to crack the rings.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know how to do anything but make them give off my signal. So I can¡¯t exactly do everything. If I did get someone else¡¯s ring, I could mimic that though.¡± ¡°Nobles use their rings to control most of their defenses. The rings are only linked to a single noble, and we can¡¯t use them once the noble is dead. But they can be passed down to those blood related, hence the bastard section at the facility. Do you think you could take the rings off of the bodies of the nobles and then use them yourself?¡± ¡°I could try. But I¡¯ve never gotten my hands on someone else¡¯s ring. And, for the record, I don¡¯t use my family¡¯s rings for controlling the defenses.¡± ¡°Distrust?¡± ¡°Yes. If any of your siblings were king or queen I¡¯d be taking more drastic measures. I wouldn¡¯t have even come here in my real body. Are they all ok?¡± ¡°So far none of them have made any overt actions.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m ready when you are to start cracking skulls.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sound so happy about it.¡± ¡°Washing away the old means there is a chance for a better new.¡± ¡°A fine sentiment.¡± Harlan stood there just looking mean in his full armor, nobody had been stupid enough to attack while inside of the castle itself. ¡°Slow night.¡± ¡°After this one I¡¯ll send you away, a baron has refused to arrive and he killed the messengers.¡± ¡°Give me a name, point at a map. And, I assume you took Marigold¡¯s advice on not asking questions about how I¡¯m going to work.¡± ¡°Visit the archivist, she can give you an overview of what to expect.¡± ¡°Of course, your majesty.¡± Harlan felt almost nostalgic going through the halls, he knew the castle top to bottom, even some of the hidden passages from his time with Cynthia. ¡°Lady Wisteria.¡± ¡°Sir Fomoria. I have the file for Baron Longbrow here.¡± ¡°You already knew?¡± ¡°Remember who was most often the one to catch you and Cynthia? I knew what you two were doing before you even started planning.¡± ¡°She wasn¡¯t a big fan of yours.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have more files ready for you when you get back. Unless you want to spend your time speaking with an old woman.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t old, just experienced.¡± ¡°You at least learned to respect your elders.¡± Harlan dropped in from above the cloud, he couldn¡¯t use most magic, the arrays would detect him. But by taking a long winged form he could both safely glide down, and spread out his weight to avoid crashing into the roof like a box of bricks. It took a moment to make sure he was used to moving around with a dozen legs and a 20 foot long body like a limbed snake. He first tested that the fingers would stick, they were based on a species of gecko he once studied. Then he tested that his skin would shift colors like it should. The worst part of hunting Invisible Chameleons wasn¡¯t actually finding them, it was that if he wanted the ability he needed to actually eat the skins. While he didn¡¯t exactly expect that these arrays would be able to detect internal magic such as shifting, there was a chance, so he went with what he learned from Ky¡¯s soul. It wasn¡¯t technically magic so far as most things were concerned, and Ky told him before that he had used it for certain off the record missions. Harlan made his way through an open window and then crawled along the ceiling; people rarely looked up. He memorized the layout of the house, not shocking as those built by the kingdom for barons, and generally serve as the bones for counts mansions, were kept within certain design specs and this home was very much like Redwall mansion. Harlan found the office, while he would¡¯ve liked to listen in and confirm his targets, the defenses were up and that meant no sound got in or out. The incredibly basic principles of preventing sounds from escaping meant that without specialized spells of his own, he had no way to break through the spell without breaking the entire thing. Harlan waited on the ceiling for someone who looked a military type to reach for the door handle. In that instant Harlan reached down and killed him. It was bloody, but there wasn¡¯t anyone to catch him in the 30 or so seconds it took to shift his body and clothes into the man. He opened the door and found the men he was looking for. Head of security, the baron, his wife, his eldest son. ¡°Brother, you are late.¡± Harlan had no response, he didn¡¯t know the voice, and even if he did it took some time to make it sound natural, and he didn¡¯t know anything about the baron¡¯s second son. So he drew the black blade and went at those inside of the room. These were fairly small fry in the grand scheme of things, not one of them had academy training, just time in the army and then whatever private tutors they could get. Though Harlan felt the blade was wrong. He swung it a few more times, cleaving through the war table and the desk. Then he flipped it around. That was the answer, the blade was hooked, it was scything like that of a mantis, it was a tool for reaping, not just fighting. Harlan took the ring from the baron¡¯s body and then put up sigils, which were both the answer to why seemingly nobody could crack them, and why they worked in a manner that Harlan didn¡¯t understand until recently. They seemed almost intelligent at times, they could fight back against Harlan trying to dominate them. Harlan saw the door handle jiggle, a woman was opening the door from the other side, he could tell by the soul, and from her mind, she clearly saw the blood and was entering the room seeking safety. He swung his blade and it touched her neck just as he got a good look at her. Both sides froze. She was maybe 15, and just as tears fell from her eyes as she looked past Harlan and at the bodies of her family, blood fell from the shallow cut on her neck. Harlan pulled back his blade, though he heard it demanding to keep going. Then he moved to block her view. ¡°You don¡¯t want to see that.¡± ¡°Are you going to kill me?¡± ¡°No, your father and brothers were the ones who disobeyed the summons, and from what I saw, they were part of a larger group who sought to overthrow the queen.¡± She backed away as Harlan left the room and drew closer to her. ¡°You are now the heir, you have the option to swear fealty.¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t kill children. But I¡¯ll kill the army outside, I¡¯ll kill the guards in here, and the only people left will be you and the servants. Then the royal army will move in, seize everything, and you¡¯ll be tossed out in the street.¡± She curled up on the floor. ¡°Just kill me.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t kill children.¡± ¡°My mother never hurt anyone, and you killed her. You killed my brothers.¡± Harlan knew the reality of what he was going to be doing, he wasn¡¯t going to break down at the sight of her. ¡°I need you to make a choice, become baroness, and you¡¯ll be under surveillance as you are taught how to run a barony. Or I leave this hallway and start killing people. Can you put aside revenge to save those under you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°These people¡¯s lives are in your hands. Can you be a leader, or do you intend to wallow?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll swear fealty.¡± ¡°Then we can leave immediately.¡± Harlan was sickened by what he did, manipulating a girl by using grief and threats. But that was the lesser evil in his mind, it stopped him from needing to kill an army, and from killing her. ¡°Sir Fomoria, are you listening?¡± ¡°Sorry, give me the next file, Wisteria.¡± ¡°Back when you were performing tricks instead of assassinations, you still showed remorse when things got out of hand.¡± ¡°The tacks on the chair.¡± ¡°Yes, that poor cat was screaming down the halls.¡± ¡°It lived, right?¡± ¡°Yes, she did. And in 20 years when she is smart enough to do so, I¡¯d worry about revenge. Feline magical beasts never really get rid of their nature as cats.¡± ¡°Ha¡­ yeah. I should watch out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not giving you another file if you come back like this again.¡± Harlan had it out of her hand and was out of the room before she even realized it. ¡°Hmm. I got slow.¡± The next target was not so soft. Harlan could do nothing to get inside stealthily and the count had a gate mage on call to get his army back to his home the moment he heard the king was dead. Many of the maids and other servants in the castle were spies for various nobles, it was an open secret and Rosewell was told who worked for who, so she knew that Harlan wasn¡¯t walking into someone who was unaware and he had been warned. Harlan reduced the friction on his feet and turned off his hover, he rammed into the defensive line at 100 miles per hour and cut down men like wheat. Once he was past the lines, the warmages had their hands tied and the soulsmithed weapons couldn¡¯t be used to their fullest for the same reason. He moved around in a circle, not moving into the second line or towards the house itself until he whittled down the first line. Once he circled a few times he got visual on the count through a window. The gate defenses delayed Harlan, giving the count time to draw, but it mattered little. Harlan was over a ton, and the force of him at that speed meant the count was reduced to red and crumpled steel. It didn¡¯t matter that the count¡¯s weapon also blew a hole through Harlan¡¯s chest with his weapon, the count¡¯s body became fuel for Harlan¡¯s body and the count¡¯s ring let Harlan force the army to surrender by taking control of the arrays around the area. The home was worse than defenseless, it was a deathtrap. Harlan gated in the royal army to clean up the area, most of the count¡¯s army weren¡¯t so fanatical that they would keep going along with the rebellion, so the soldiers were often kept around for the replacement count. Harlan gated back to the castle and entered the throne room as another was pledging fealty, and placed the count¡¯s bloody ring next to the one from the baron. ¡°It is done.¡± In 8 hours he had 20 rings sitting there on the arm of the throne. ¡°Are there normally so many who refuse?¡± ¡°No, though having a king replaced by a queen does tend to make the numbers higher. And your presence and the golems have led to rumors of replacing the nobles with a series of machines that can rule with brutal efficiency.¡± ¡°When was the last time we had a ruling queen?¡± ¡°Two successions ago. She made it four years before an assassin got to her. She tried to change things for the better. Then she was replaced by my grandfather, and the who was never in question, it was nobles who put up a puppet king. If that happens to me, get Relly out, and get revenge for me, if you can at least.¡± ¡°That pile of rings shows that I can kill a few nobles, or a lot of nobles.¡± ¡°Well, get ready to add several more to your name. The nobles have apparently made a secret fortress built into a mountain and several armies are there with more of them on the way through gates.¡± ¡°Last stand?¡± ¡°More like they knew that this would happen and are digging in. Chances are cracking that thing could take weeks if not months depending on food stores.¡± ¡°Even when we take out the human soldiers, what is the number of golems?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get more reports in soon enough, but I don¡¯t want you to go there, I want you to see about taking out the nobles before they get there.¡± ¡°With gate, they could hold you indefinitely.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you worrying about how we are going to get in, they can¡¯t hold out forever, and if they try, we will find a way to remove them like a tumor.¡± ¡°I shall return shortly then.¡± Chapter 215: Goliaths He believed that he had seen the hairiest man ever once in the frontier, but there were four Goliath, and that man was now the fifth hairiest man. They were big and brutish and oddly proportioned. From their broad shoulders and wide noses to their brows that stuck out far enough that Harlan questioned if they could even look up or not. But what Harlan found most odd about the 15 feet tall men was that they had seven fingers on each oversized hand and seven toes on their oversized feet. Though, it could also be said that what was oddest was that from what Harlan heard, he expected them to be pelt wearing barbarians, and yet instead they were well trimmed and their clothes were much more in line with something Alrick would wear, suits and vests and ties. They wore their hair in thick rope like braids, their hair growing too quickly and thickly to keep it in any other style. The final oddity that Harlan saw was that they were not all one color, as far as he knew, humans were all pink skinned, Fomorians were pale skinned, and Golden were dark skinned. He had never seen a people that were more than single toned. There just wasn¡¯t enough room in Harlan¡¯s office to fit them, so they were meeting outside the walls in a temporary shelter. ¡°Greetings, King Fomoria. As the messenger has surely told you the day before, we are here to ascertain your intentions so far as the kingdom of Lith is concerned.¡± ¡°It would be rude to begin without getting your name.¡± ¡°I am Bartholomew.¡± ¡°Once I¡¯ve destroyed The Castian Empire I intend to take Lith. But I am open to negotiations, you must simply give slaves a right to life, meaning that their owner cannot kill, maim, or abuse them without legal punishments. From there we can work to remove slavery entirely.¡± ¡°That is not a simple request.¡± ¡°Where I am from, slavery exists only as punishment for a crime or as a way to repay debts, and we have held off a nation more than twice our size for a thousand years before I put an end to that war. Do not tell me what is or isn¡¯t simple, it is only a matter of how long and through what method I achieve my goals.¡± Darrath was allowed to remain as a learning experience, but he had to stay quiet, yet his wings beat with fear as he saw the anger from the largest of the Goliath. ¡°We-¡± The older man glared, which only frightened Darrath more, but it also got the brash Goliath to sit back down. ¡°Apologies for my companion, he is not so enlightened as I.¡± ¡°Then I shall forgive him, for I was asked to meet with good faith.¡± ¡°And who asked this?¡± ¡°Nemain.¡± The older man with his white striped black hair that contrasted his dark skin sat back and stroked his beard. ¡°I do know the name, but it is not one I often hear. What was her vision?¡± ¡°There was no vision, she appeared before me in person. I was at a tailor with my¡­ ward.¡± ¡°Scary woman. Scary scary.¡± ¡°She is a god of war, it is no surprise that a child would not understand. I believe you are telling the truth, though I¡¯ve heard no word from anyone about you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not shocked to hear this. Is there anything else that you would like to speak of? Perhaps a tour of my city?¡± ¡°No, without treaty it would be best we did not enter. So I shall bid farewell for now and return to our kingdom.¡± ¡°Very well, and despite my tone, I believe negotiation is the ideal way to prevent war, slaughter suits me, but I would rather avoid it.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± While the three men got up and walked away, the larger man did not. ¡°That woman is a beauty, how about you and I make a deal. I¡¯d like some time with her in exchange for-¡± ¡°Leave with your companions.¡± ¡°A poor negotiator is one who refuses to even listen to an offer.¡± ¡°What she does is not anything to do with me, but a man who would ask me to give her to him is not one that my mother would not go with.¡± ¡°Well then, woman, come lay with me.¡± ¡°I refuse.¡± The only sound in the room was the beating of Darrath¡¯s wings. ¡°Hercul, do not cause strife.¡± ¡°Bartholomew, I would like to fight him, it is clear that he does not respect my authority.¡± ¡°I think it would be-¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t respect your authority, I don¡¯t respect you at all. Bartholomew, I too would like to fight.¡± ¡°Then I shall act as judge.¡± ¡°And my mother shall fill the same role.¡± The standard rules for a Goliath duel were that anything was allowed so long as it did not target any audience members. Harlan had no issue with this. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve agreed, I think it fair to warn you that I¡¯m 5256th within the rankings.¡± ¡°That means nothing to me.¡± ¡°In Lith we keep-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. Come, let¡¯s shed blood.¡± Hercul rushed at Harlan who jumped up and struck the bottom of his chin with his head, shattering his jaw and knocking most of his teeth out. He could barely speak with how much blood flowed from his mouth but it barely seemed to slow him down. ¡°If you stay down, this is done.¡± The man¡¯s teeth painfully regrew into his mouth and he stood back up. ¡°It is a shameful day when a warrior gives up for so little.¡± Harlan shot a beam of void at the man¡¯s leg and saw it unravel until the beam was so weak it simply splashed against his suit. ¡°No tricks are going to work on me.¡± The man shot forward like a bolt and Harlan hit him with a double open palm strike that the man avoided. Yet before his counter could land, Harlan was at his side with a kick that broke three ribs. ¡°Thank you, I did wonder about some limits of that anti-magic field you people emanate. Let¡¯s continue.¡± The man moved in more cautiously and struck Harlan with a jab. Harlan flew a few feet back but landed on his feat. ¡°Now I¡¯m sure that you can¡¯t hurt me.¡± ¡°Yet you are spewing blood like a fountain.¡± Harlan tossed the blood crystal blades and when the man tried to dodge them, Harlan opened a gate that redirected them. Yet when they got close the magic that bonded the blood into a solid form dissolved and turned to a mist that Harlan couldn¡¯t take control of. ¡°Interesting.¡± The man was annoyed at being used as a test subject and drew his sword, Harlan responded by shifting his armor over his mundane broadsword. It was shocking to Harlan, the Golaith looked like a brute, but his sword moved as an extension of himself and far outclassed Harlan¡¯s down skill. He kept up only because he was physically superior to the giant and his eyes could see in ways unlike Hercul¡¯s. The distortions in the air betrayed where he intended to move, the mana seemed to know his intent before the man did. After a few minutes Harlan couldn¡¯t keep up anymore and had to rely on skip, the Goliath seemed to gain momentum the longer the fight went on. Harlan jumped back and noticed that the loose fit suit of the man now seemed almost bursting at the seams and the man¡¯s face grew more feral. Harlan knew that look. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Harlan decided that it was finally time to end things. When the distance was closed in just a moment, Harlan blocked the attack and then moved his blade so that both men¡¯s hilts touched and once in range, a stinger came from Harlan¡¯s wrist and struck the man. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°This fight is over now.¡± ¡°Alchemic poisons won¡¯t save you.¡± ¡°I figured.¡± The man slowed down more and more as they kept fighting, finally he slipped him and Harlan struck him in the chest with a kick, then it was over. Harlan gave no chance for the man to recover, his blows rained down on him until his healing slowed down and finally stopped. ¡°What the fuck did you do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve a lot of experience killing orcs, that rage of yours, that healing, well, let¡¯s just say I have many tricks to handle those things. Bartholomew, this fight is over, I¡¯ve won, but I don¡¯t intend to kill him.¡± Darrath moved to Harlan¡¯s back as he watched them drag the beaten and bloody man away. ¡°I want you to learn from what you just witnessed.¡± ¡°What do I learn?¡± ¡°Sometimes you need to decide for yourself what needs to be learned, think about it and we¡¯ll talk later.¡± A week passed and once again food became the topic, they had gotten quite a bit, but the fields weren¡¯t ready to put out anything and Harlan would rather be prepared. ¡°Harlan, are we ready to attack the city of¡­¡± Mercedes looked down at the map. ¡°Minoria?¡± ¡°Yes, Minoria.¡± ¡°I would say so. But it doesn¡¯t matter now. I¡¯ve had birds flying above the city, and other cities in the area. The Cast are gone, there are mass graves and smoke in the air from the fields. They knew I would be coming and they¡¯ve decided to get rid of the slaves and take away the foodstores.¡± ¡°You have gate, there is nowhere that we can¡¯t get to. There must be another city that we can go to.¡± ¡°And that city would be one where I lack topographical data, population size, any knowledge of defenses, etc. It¡¯s going to take another week just to just plan the assault let alone.¡± D¡¯if spoke up. ¡°Perhaps an assault is the wrong answer. Perhaps you¡¯ve been thinking about this war entirely wrong.¡± ¡°Alright, explain.¡± ¡°Just like Dawn said, you have gate, so if the plan isn¡¯t to take a city that you can¡¯t even use and you just want food, why attack at all? I¡¯ve seen glimpses of what you can do, and I know what I can do. If I sneak into a warehouse, you can gate in, steal all of the food from right under their noses.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve lost the element of surprise, and once I do that trick once they will just change the way food is kept.¡± ¡°The empire stretches thousands of miles, don¡¯t bother going near here, go somewhere that has never heard of you and do it. By the time they start to suspect it is you, you could store months and months worth of food here.¡± ¡°Alright, and how am I thinking about this war wrong?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve made no allies, it has always been on the bottom of your list. Or, start wiping out towns and villages, the cities need them to function, and you could lock up a lot of them by just starving them out.¡± ¡°I agree with the idea, but the end isn¡¯t what I want. I¡¯ll capture the towns and villages to institute an information blackout, then I can negotiate or assault the cities.¡± ¡°The cost of war goes up when you do that.¡± ¡°Most towns and villages can be taken over with little bloodshed. Killing soldiers and then the mayor or chief will make them give up, such as with Kor.¡± ¡°That is a fair point, the people here didn¡¯t seem to care that you took over, but that probably comes from them having been conquered several times in the past. It¡¯s easier to roll over to the new leader and wait for the old one to return.¡± Harlan tapped his finger on the table for some time before he spoke again. ¡°I could make fake Cast and then replace the leaders so long as I had time to learn the mannerisms of them, then I could embezzle food and other supplies from those places. So long as I get it well enough most people should just ignore the small changes in the way they act. The biggest issue is when someone who knows them but I don¡¯t know shows up and expects them to know the history between them.¡± They argued some back and forth about the idea, flaws that they could see like those Harlan already pointed out, then they just needed to find where to start. D¡¯if was most familiar with espionage, so he and Harlan had the strongest voices in the conversation. ¡°Sir Fomoria, I would suggest we enter Elfique. The war ended less than a year ago and while the Cast are industrious, they aren¡¯t that industrious. You would also be able to rescue the slaves that are most likely to join you.¡± ¡°That depends, what exactly do you mean that they aren¡¯t that industrious?¡± ¡°The towns and cities are likely to be repaired, but they would need to inject new people into those areas for leadership. They haven¡¯t had time to really put down roots and the villages are likely being mostly ignored outside of food production. They will be a blindspot. And, most likely, they will be sending younger people who are trying to make a name for themselves instead of more experienced leaders who have the myriad connections that you would worry about finding out they¡¯ve been replaced.¡± ¡°And this isn¡¯t part of a plan to revive Elfique?¡± ¡°You give me work and booze and my youth back. I really don¡¯t care about who I serve, but you come with the best perks by far.¡± They spoke a little more to finalize the plan, D¡¯if had an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the area, though Harlan regretted asking how he kept track. The answer was simple, he wouldn¡¯t openly walk in any place where he was likely to have any bastards. ¡°Does anyone else have anything to say before I adjourn this meeting?¡± Dawn raised her hand. ¡°Darrath wants a sword.¡± ¡°I am aware, but I¡¯m worried that he is going to hurt himself.¡± ¡°Let me rephrase this then, I got him a sword.¡± Harlan could only sigh about his mother¡¯s actions. Joan raised her hand. ¡°The Plest have formed a union.¡± ¡°And that means?¡± ¡°The Plest main nation of Plestile is Communalist.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain anything.¡± ¡°Ah, right. They have pooled together their wealth and resources to negotiate as a single entity for all intents and purposes.¡± ¡°So then what are they demanding?¡± ¡°Nothing yet. But they wouldn¡¯t do that without a reason. I would¡¯ve busted up their gatherings, but I thought what was standard in Dague would be seen as abusive by you.¡± ¡°The people have a right to come to me as a group if they so choose. Unless there is something else that I¡¯m missing here due to my ignorance.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to imply that you were-¡± ¡°Everyone is ignorant on one subject or another. I wouldn¡¯t ask you about ecology and you wouldn¡¯t ask me about history.¡± ¡°The thing you are missing is that they are likely to turn to threats of violence if they don¡¯t get what they want. Then they are likely to offer up one of their own as a leader who they expect you to kill as part of the negotiations where they tell you what they are actually willing to settle for.¡± ¡°Is that normal?¡± ¡°For Plest? Yes.¡± ¡°What are the chances that I can avoid having to play along with this charade?¡± ¡°The Plest dislike doing things out of what they consider to be the order. They would feel slighted if you called them out for what they are doing. Chances are nobody will get seriously hurt if you play along.¡± ¡°Other than the one they expect me to kill.¡± ¡°They are an odd people. Mercedes told me the story of a maid who you met when you took the mansion as your home.¡± ¡°She couldn¡¯t understand that she was free so I told her that she was her own master and that seemed to work.¡± ¡°They are perhaps the most common slaves because they so easily fall into line with whoever they perceive as their leader. They are not individualists.¡± Harlan buried his head in his hands for a minute and then they worked out a solution. Harlan decapitated the Plest and then reattached the head, which confused them, but in the end they accepted it as proper punishment for rebellion. Once he had the other immediate issues solved he divined Darrath¡¯s position. As soon as he stepped out of the gate he saw that Darrath was covered in cuts from trying to swing around a blade bigger than he was and not having the strength to stop the momentum of it. Harlan skipped over before he cut his own hand off and stopped the blade between his fingers. ¡°You aren¡¯t suited for such a weapon.¡± Harlan placed a hand on Darrath¡¯s shoulder and his cuts vanished in just a few seconds. ¡°I want to be strong like you.¡± ¡°Everyone has their own strengths.¡± Harlan pulled the blade from his hands and pulled a long thrusting sword from a rack on the wall. ¡°This is what you should use, lighter, has reach which will help since you are so small, and with your flight you can move quickly to add force to the strikes. I¡¯m a brute, I can wrestle a wyvern and win, you aren¡¯t. You are small and fast and that isn¡¯t a bad thing. Remember what I did to that Goliath? I slipped between his legs, another Goliath couldn¡¯t do that, and if I was bigger I couldn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Being small is good?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t good or bad, it just is.¡± ¡°Can I have horns?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I want to be you.¡± ¡°Maybe another time. For now, why don¡¯t I show you swordsmanship and try to figure out how I think you might fight. Then I¡¯ll start teaching you magic.¡± Darrath was exhausted after a few hours, while he might¡¯ve had a few things from Harlan, the Pixies did not gain his near limitless stamina. In the morning Harlan went into Darrath¡¯s room and found him in the corner of the room sleeping on the ceiling. ¡°Are you awake?¡± He heard him moan and then his back split open. Harlan could clearly see the insect-like features of the Pixies, but he didn¡¯t expect him to shed his body like that. Darrath hit the ground with a thud and then stretched himself out like a cat. ¡°Awake now.¡± ¡°Do you do that every night?¡± ¡°No, never before.¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because you¡¯ve been training.¡± Darrath fluttered his wings and sent metamorphic goop all over the room. Harlan cleaned himself and then took a few samples just to see if it had any alchemical uses. ¡°First we are going to send a maid in here, then we are eating breakfast, then we can train more.¡± ¡°Are you done with work?¡± ¡°I know I haven¡¯t been able to watch you much, but I can do my work at night unless there is a problem. I want to spend time with you, because I know how it feels to be dangerous and not realize it, and I don¡¯t want you to grow up with regrets because you hurt someone when you didn¡¯t mean to.¡± ¡°Ok, papa.¡± Harlan froze. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Grandma said I should call you papa.¡± Harlan woke Dawn up with a splash of cold water that resulted in him getting a dagger thrown at his heart, but he still thought it was worth it. Chapter 216: Rude Awakening Harlan pulled the dagger out of his chest and realized he might¡¯ve made a mistake. ¡°Darrath, give me and grandma some time alone. Head to the sparring ring and practice your drills.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Dawn had rolled off of the bed and was shivering on the floor, and not from the cold water. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She was just muttering, balled up in her blankets. Harlan reached for her and his touch was met by a pillar of flames striking him in the chest. His skin was naturally defended against fire, and his clothes and armor were both powerful, if anyone else was hit by the attack they would¡¯ve instantly died. She seemed to gain lucidity when she saw him writhing on the ground and smelled his burning flesh. ¡°HARLAN, HARLAN, WHAT HAPPENED?¡± He took in raspy breaths as his charred lungs were healed. ¡°HARLAN, HEY, STAY AWAKE, DON¡¯T FALL ASLEEP.¡± He looked worse than he was, he was fully aware and in pain, and he knew that she should¡¯ve known that. After a few minutes he was back up like nothing had happened. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve never charred myself like this.¡± ¡°Shit shit, SHIT.¡± ¡°Dawn. Hey, it¡¯s fine. I should¡¯ve known better than to do something petty like that.¡± ¡°What happened? Did you get attacked?¡± ¡°No you¡­ you don¡¯t remember?¡± ¡°Remember what? I woke up on the floor and saw you hurt.¡± ¡°I splashed you with cold water because you told Darrath to call me his father and then you rolled up in your blankets on the ground and I touched you.¡± ¡°And then what?¡± ¡°You hit me with a firespell.¡± ¡°What? No, I wouldn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡± ¡°The Fomorians, they would wake me up at all hours, they didn¡¯t care how much sleep I got unless I was pregnant. That was the only time they didn¡¯t¡­ gods. What if Darrath had done that? What if I killed him because-¡± ¡°I¡¯ll clear my schedule, you and I are going camping so you can clear your mind.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve heard everything you¡¯ve heard, I know how to handle this and playing in the woods isn¡¯t what I need.¡± ¡°Then what is the solution? How can I help?¡± ¡°Honey, this isn¡¯t something you can help with.¡± ¡°Alright. Then for right now, is there anything I can do? Breakfast in bed? Handle paperwork.¡± ¡°You¡¯d flee from the sight of my work. I can get used to that kind of tediousness, you can¡¯t. Just, bring me some breakfast, two eggs sunny side up and two pieces of toast. I just want something easy on the stomach.¡± Harlan returned with Darrath latched on his back. ¡°Is grandma alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just fine honey.¡± He crawled around to Harlan¡¯s front, nearly knocking the plate from his hands, and reached his wires towards her but she pulled her hand back. ¡°Not right now. Grandma is tired.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± He crawled round to Harlan¡¯s back again and peaked over his shoulder. ¡°Have a good breakfast, feel better.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Harlan decided to take Darrath around the town to meet people, the last time he let him out of the house he bit somebody, so he wanted to keep a closer eye on him and how he interacts with people. ¡°Good morning appleman.¡± ¡°Greetings, you must be Sir Darrath.¡± He cocked his head to the side. ¡°I¡¯m Darrath. I¡¯m not Sir Darrath.¡± ¡°Uh, yes, of course, my apologies.¡± ¡°I want an apple?¡± When he reached for it Harlan took it with telekinesis and moved it just out of reach. ¡°What should you say when asking for things?¡± Darrath rubbed his temples for a little while. ¡°Can I please have an apple?¡± ¡°Good. But you should also remember that this isn¡¯t free.¡± Harlan handed the man a few copper coins. ¡°For the king I can¡¯t imagine taking your money.¡± ¡°I must lead by example, and if I accepted this apple for free he would grow up believing he has a right to take things just because he is¡­ my ward.¡± ¡°Why does Harlan wait before saying that word? Why does he feel unwell when he thinks before saying it?¡± ¡°That is a talk for another time.¡± ¡°Ok. I want to see blue people.¡± ¡°To the Dague quarter we go then.¡± It was somewhat awkward for Darrath to play with other children, in no small part because they grew to 7¡¯0 on average, making the 3¡¯6 child in a mature body smaller than most of the other children. Harlan made himself invisible after pushing him to a mixed group of children. He never directly stated it, but from comments he made during his walks people came to understand that he disliked separation between his people; he wanted them to not ignore, but look past the history between the peoples. So instead of them playing with only children of their own race in their own areas, they came together hoping to live up to his ideals. It made him a little uncomfortable to be idolized in such a way, but he didn¡¯t push back on it as much as he could because it got him what he wanted. It did help that there were very few children in the town anyway and nobody wanted to play hide and seek with just a handful of others. Darrath slowly moved towards the children once he saw that Harlan wasn¡¯t there anymore, he twiddled his thumbs for a time and shuffled back and forth until one of the older children saw that he was standing there and came up to him. ¡°Can I play?¡± ¡°What are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Darrath.¡± ¡°What are you?¡± ¡°Oh, Darrath is a Pixie.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Harlan thought it nice to listen to the children and watch them play. And it found it funny that they continued to add rules as they played. Darrath wasn¡¯t allowed to fly, he wasn¡¯t allowed to crawl up the walls or hide on ceilings. There were very few places that Darrath couldn¡¯t slip into. Then eventually as all children do, there was an argument about someone cheating, someone slapped someone else, and parents stopped gossiping or trading homemaking tips long enough to pull them off of one another. Except Harlan. Darrath didn¡¯t join in the brawl, he got hit once when someone was pushed into him and then he got on all fours and quickly crawled under a stall. Then when he realized that Harlan wasn¡¯t coming to get him he started shaking and his wings made a terrible cry as they rubbed together. Harlan went to get him, but another woman ducked down and looked under the stall. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°They¡¯re fighting, I shouldn¡¯t fight. Papa doesn¡¯t like when I fight.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s good. How about you come out from there?¡± He crawled out and onto the side of the stall. ¡°Did your mother leave you here?¡± ¡°Papa did.¡± ¡°Is he coming back? Do you know where he lives?¡± Darrath pointed towards the center of town. ¡°Is he a craftsman?¡± ¡°Harlan is Harlan.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± The woman thought he was an orphan who claimed himself the child of the king, it wouldn¡¯t be the first time. And it wasn¡¯t entirely wrong, for the orphans Harlan had done quite a bit, setting up homes for them, finding work for them, and ensuring that gangs of them didn¡¯t think that crime would be their only option. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Technically it was work that he delegated to those under him, but he did keep a close eye on it and had met with some of the children personally. ¡°Well, why don¡¯t we wait here for him then. You can keep playing with the children once they get back.¡± Harlan turned visible again. ¡°Thank you, but that won¡¯t be needed.¡± ¡°You need to be more responsible for your-¡± When the woman stood and turned as she spoke suddenly her words caught in her throat and she kneeled. ¡°Your majesty, I didn¡¯t-¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. If I had abandoned him here while I was elsewhere I would deserve a tongue lashing or two.¡± The entire courtyard had gone silent and the woman didn¡¯t know how to respond. ¡°They¡¯re scared.¡± ¡°I know, but they shouldn¡¯t be.¡± Darrath crawled on Harlan¡¯s back again and when his wings rubbed together they played a nice sound. Harlan offered her his hand. ¡°Please, stand up.¡± One of the other women brought her son, the one who had knocked into Darrath, and forced him to kneel while fearfully whispering. ¡°There is no need for that either, children play, they fight, it isn¡¯t a problem and I wouldn¡¯t want Darrath to grow up without being allowed to be a child.¡± ¡°Thank you, your majesty.¡± ¡°Darrath, do you want to keep playing with them?¡± ¡°They were fighting, you said I shouldn¡¯t fight.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t fight though, and that is what I taught you.¡± ¡°Ok, I want to keep playing then.¡± Harlan sat with the women who were watching their children, which was as awkward as one might expect. ¡°So, Darrath, is he¡­?¡± ¡°I did not sleep with a woman who gave birth to him. There is a long story involving me dying three times, two Fae, and a tree.¡± ¡°Ah huh. Alright then.¡± ¡°I want the opinion of people who I don¡¯t know, am I wrong that I feel odd about calling him my child? Technically he is, and I am not related to the man I call my father. So I know how it feels to call someone who isn¡¯t technically your parent by that title.¡± A Plest spoke up. ¡°When one of the colony is killed, the child will move to a new parent and they will be mother and father. Where is the boy¡¯s father?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ I don¡¯t know if he has one, for all I know he was either born from a magical tree, or just popped into existence. But part of the magic that would¡¯ve done either thing came from me.¡± ¡°Then he is yours.¡± Harlan waved Darrath over and took a drop of blood from him and then one from himself. The blood did not react, despite anything else, Harlan was not his flesh and blood father, very likely nobody was. ¡°Alright, you can go back to playing.¡± The Plest continued to speak. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°I wanted to see if we were related by blood.¡± ¡°You can do that so easily?¡± ¡°Just finding out if someone is related is a small thing.¡± ¡°Magic has never been something I¡¯ve been capable of. It is a shame to miss such wonders.¡± Harlan leaned back on the bench. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to, but it¡¯s never happened, I want to set up classes, free for everyone. But I need to first solve our food issues. Mages burn more energy and they need to eat more. When the time comes, you are free to join.¡± One of the children fell, scraping their knee, Harlan skipped over, and with one touch it healed before their eyes. ¡°That would be nice. But I was tested once, I can¡¯t-¡± ¡°Everyone is capable of being taught, if one knows the right rituals. I can do more than just find out who is related, I am well versed in true and false blood magic.¡± Harlan had realized something some time ago, if one wanted word to spread in noble circles, one let themselves be overheard by the maids and butlers. If one wanted word to spread in peasant circles, they spoke with housewives. These women spoke to other wifes, they spoke to the people they buy from in the markets, they spoke with their husbands, and their children, and before one knew it, they spread gossip faster than any propaganda officer D¡¯if could ever train. Though he did wish there was also a port here, fishermen spoke more stories than anyone else he knew, and they could exaggerate in ways that made people believe the bullshit and they actually traveled between nations. For now Harlan just had to hope that the spies he pretended that he didn¡¯t know were in the town would spread it back to their nations. When the children all had to go back to their homes, Harlan picked up Darrath, not that he needed to be carried; he might not have Harlan¡¯s endurance, but he wasn¡¯t going to be crashing like these children. It got him thinking about how he evaluated people, perhaps his standards had once again been skewed enough that he needed to recenter himself. Once he set Darrath down in his room and told him to play with toys until he got back, Harlan went to Dawn¡¯s room. He hesitated to knock on the door, but she called him in without him needing to. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°That odd little connection that we have.¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°No, and honestly, that week after I got my body when I was sleeping with men now makes me want to take a knife to my gut, I feel disgusted with myself.¡± ¡°There is nothing wrong with you-¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not worrying about being called a whore or whatever else. I just remember what happened before, how you were conceived, and it¡¯s thrown what happened back at me. All of those memories where I felt good, just getting rid of that pent up feeling, they are poison in my mind now. Every last feeling isn¡¯t fun, isn¡¯t enjoyable, now I just see them as Fomorians having their way with me, again and again. I¡¯m trapped 20 years in the past now and I¡¯m just doing my best to cope with that. Eventually, I might get past it, but when I thought that I was before, it was bullshit. Having a body again just brings everything back, it¡¯s fresh in my mind every time I feel someone touch me.¡± Harlan sat by the doorway and made faces, balled his fists, and tried not to punch anything. ¡°I know you are angry, and you don¡¯t have anywhere to put it. But-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad, it isn¡¯t your fault. Darrath has better fucking control over himself than I do, I¡¯m just an idiot.¡± ¡°You are a boy going through his teenage years, if you had perfect control over yourself and made every right choice you would be an impossible being. Just¡­ give me time to deal with this, and you can focus on fixing the entire rest of the world.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that, don¡¯t worry about how I am reacting to something happening to you, you shouldn¡¯t put how I feel above you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to argue in circles about how we are both worried about the other worrying. I think I¡¯m going to bed early today, lock the door on the way out.¡± Harlan made his way back to Darrath¡¯s room just across the hall to tell him that he didn¡¯t feel like training with him today. The moment the door opened, Darrath tried to wrap his wires around Harlan¡¯s hand, but he jerked his hand away. ¡°Is Harlan tired like grandma?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m tired.¡± ¡°Is Harlan going to rest like grandma?¡± He opened his mouth, but couldn¡¯t get the words out. ¡°No, is there anything else that you want to do?¡± ¡°The others talked about picking berries. Can we do that?¡± ¡°Sure, why don¡¯t we go out in the woods and I can show you which ones are safe. Maybe we can make grandma a pie.¡± ¡°The cook said I wasn¡¯t allowed in there anymore.¡± ¡°I am the king, and that means sometimes I can do things even when people tell me no. You are my son, and that makes you a prince, and that means sometimes you can do that too.¡± ¡°So I can take cookies from the jar without asking?¡± ¡°No, you still can¡¯t do that, because it was grandma who told you not to do that.¡± ¡°So I can do things that I want and nobody but grandma can tell me to stop?¡± ¡°Nope, you also need to listen to Joan, and Mercedes, and when someone else tells you no, you need to ask one of us for permission.¡± Darrath seemed far less happy with this arrangement compared to the one he just made up in his head. ¡°Nothing changed?¡± ¡°Nothing changed, but now you know the rules better. And, you can call me papa instead of Harlan.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± It didn¡¯t make him feel any better, despite his thinking believing doing bullshit, Harlan still felt like he was failing Dawn. Even if every other part of his being was telling him there was nothing to be done, there was that nagging voice that both sounded nothing like him and sounded like the only part that was ever really him. That voice told him that he was a failure who would keep failing everyone, that one day it would be his time to fail Darrath, and another body would be put in the ground. He faked a smile as Darrath found every single poisonous berry in the area before finding a single good one, and he did it again when Darrath got flour everywhere by fluttering his wings happily as they made the crust, and he did it a final time as they took the pie to Dawn as a gift. Harlan remembered another time when he felt this way, it was after Jet. He had all that anger and nowhere to put it, the logical part of himself fought the illogical and both sides were angry, they were just¡­ angry. Dusk was here, so Harlan tucked Darrath into bed instead of Dawn, not that he would remain there, he liked sleeping in small dark places, under his dresser was the most common place to find him in the morning. When Harlan gated north and north and north again, he wasn¡¯t sure where he was. But it took one visit to the markets to know that he was in the right place, and the one place he shouldn¡¯t be doing the one thing that he shouldn¡¯t be doing. If there was another voice in his head, it would tell him not to do it, Lugh would appeal to his better side, that these people weren¡¯t involved, that he shouldn¡¯t take his anger out on them. Dawn would make a tactical choice, he was in a city where he had no idea what the defenses were like and it wasn¡¯t worth it to do something as stupid as letting out his anger. Instead, he was alone. Harlan walked the streets more, he wanted to rampage, but that wasn¡¯t the right call. He had to control himself, and right now that meant walking away. But first he walked the city and marked every warehouse, then when it reached three in the morning, which he found was the time people were most lax, he bypassed arrays and wards and killed guards and cleared every single one of them. Some were just full of random merchant wares, but it didn¡¯t matter. The people needed more than food, they needed blankets and furniture and clothes and everything else that made people happy to have. When dawn arrived, Dawn was waiting in his room. ¡°Did whatever you did make you feel better?¡± ¡°No, and you need to sleep. I¡¯m sorry I made you wait up all night for me.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep anyway. So, what did you do?¡± ¡°I stole a dozen warehouses worth of stuff. I killed a few dozen guards along the way. I don¡¯t even know what city I was in. When everyone else gets up it needs to be sorted, cataloged, and then I need to break down some of it. The rest I¡¯ll sell to the people at cut rates or donate to the orphans. I¡­ I left the slaves, I just took items.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Which part?¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you save them?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want my anger to control me. So I let it go.¡± ¡°Is that what you think I would want you to do? Or your father? Or Amber? What if Adina heard that you let women and children be abused?¡± ¡°What the fuck are you talking about?¡± ¡°You already showed that you can make a choice without being blinded by anger. So let¡¯s both go back there and do what should be done.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t-¡± ¡°Harlan, I was a ranger, now I¡¯ve got a body that can shatter rocks. So let me grab my sword, open a gate, and let¡¯s see how many of them we can take out before anyone notices what¡¯s happening. We¡¯ll cut down most of their forces before they know what¡¯s happened, and while we¡¯re at it, we might as well kill the mayor and the military commander in the area, raid the vaults, and burn the-¡± ¡°We¡¯ll kill anyone who gets in our way and grab all of the slaves we can. Might as well bring D¡¯if and his guys. I want us in and out.¡± They moved into the city and dozens of soldiers were dead before anyone had any ideas about what was happening. Luckily the city only had one slave market, which made it easier to usher the slaves through the gates that Harlan opened. When the alarm was finally raised, Harlan took on an inhuman form. It didn¡¯t matter what stood in his way, though things did become very uncomfortable when a vampire arrived and tried to pull Harlan¡¯s blood out. Luckily Dawn stuck by his side and took the man¡¯s head off from the shadows. ¡°And you said I shouldn¡¯t have come.¡± ¡°I would¡¯ve turned my blood into daggers inside of his body, I was luring him into a false sense of victory.¡± ¡°Whatever you say.¡± Arrows flew at both of them, Harlan used gate to pelt the soldiers with their own arrows while Dawn dodged them. ¡°Show off.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m a mage first, warrior second. But if you want, I could do this instead.¡± He closed the gate and pulled his armored plates together and then just bounced off as he rushed into the group of soldiers. When he lifted his large bear-like frame to smash them from above they tried to stab his seemingly soft underside, only to find that it was a bundle of tentacles underneath that broke the mundane wooden hafts of their spears and dragged them into the giant maw. Once they were dead Harlan could almost immediately use their bodies as fuel for magic or just to add a layer of defensive blubber that let him rush into more and more soldiers without worry. D¡¯if sat on a nearby roof and decided then and there that any plans he had to steal from Harlan were not worth the cost of making him an enemy, and that he might have a genuine chance to win the war if he could be that kind of monster. Chapter 217: Homecoming Harlan stood and watched as a noble house burned, some baron or another, he was losing track. He looked down at the ring in his hand and staggered through the gates he needed to get back to the castle. When he returned to the throne room and added the ring to the pile, the unstable stack clattered to the floor along with him. When he awoke in a guest room Cynthia was playing with his sword, making whooshing noises with her mouth; the bed post and a few other items had been cleanly cut. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake, and you just missed Adina.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t play with that.¡± ¡°It makes me feel all tingly.¡± ¡°That thing is cursed.¡± ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t bother me.¡± ¡°That¡­ makes sense.¡± Cynthia tossed it on a table and then jumped into bed with him. ¡°Remember when you used to have nightmares and I would be there when you slept?¡± ¡°Where is this going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy that you have someone else who can do that for you. Now, you¡¯ve been sleeping for three days, time to get up, lazy bones.¡± Harlan shot up. ¡°That long?¡± ¡°And you broke the last room you were in, that¡¯s why Adina is here. You calmed down the instant she got close to you. I think Relly was a little offended that she couldn¡¯t help you.¡± ¡°I need to get up, where is she?¡± ¡°Go take a bath first. She wouldn¡¯t wash you entirely and your armor didn¡¯t like the maids getting close enough to do that for you.¡± ¡°Sure, can you go get her?¡± ¡°Rosewell is going to want to speak with you first.¡± ¡°You mean Yggdra?¡± ¡°Not when it¡¯s just us. Calling her our father¡¯s name creeps me out.¡± ¡°Same here.¡± Harlan got out of the shower and dried himself off, his hand was still shaking. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I haven''t had the chance to make your body yet.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you pushing yourself again so soon.¡± Harlan looked inside of himself, his muscles were sore and he could feel minor spasms across his body. His soul was weak, some of its brightness had faded and when he tried to cast magic it hurt him. ¡°Give me another week. I thought that shifting was fine, that absorbing was limitless, but it¡¯s flawed, imperfect. I¡¯m losing a little bit of myself whenever I use it and it will take some time to get me back to normal.¡± ¡°You need to tell Rosewell.¡± ¡°No, she doesn¡¯t need to know that I¡¯m vulnerable.¡± ¡°She needs to know that you aren¡¯t a machine. You need time to recover and she needs to keep you safe.¡± ¡°It would look bad for her if I am out of commission for a week after one night.¡± ¡°One night where you killed or forced fealty from dozens of nobles. You went above and beyond.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Harlan stepped back out into the room, Rosewell, Safira, and Adina were all waiting with Cynthia. ¡°Harlan, I¡¯m glad that you woke up. I was worried after the second day that you might not.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still not back to my full strength. My body is having trouble maintaining a normal form and my soul is in a state of disarray. Both are the result of my overuse of my shifting.¡± He rolled up his sleeve and showed his skin from his elbow up was writhing as he stopped himself from turning into something else. ¡°Marigold visited, said that you just needed rest and that I was to prevent you from trying to speed up the healing. What of your other bodies?¡± Harlan closed his eyes for a moment and a migraine set in. ¡°We share a single soul, they are useless right now, comatose. I need someone to take me back home so I can recover.¡± ¡°No, you will stay here. I¡¯ll have someone bring your family. They-¡± ¡°They don¡¯t want to see me.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°After Haldren, when they found out, everyone asked that I stay away while they think about how they feel for me.¡± ¡°Would you like me to contact them? Perhaps my good word would tilt the scales.¡± Harlan noticeably flinched at the idea. ¡°Should I contact them?¡± ¡°They barely even know you.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m your friend, and I¡¯ve never done anything bad to you. They probably don¡¯t even trust Rosewell.¡± ¡°Relly, Harlan, don¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Sorry Miss Rosewell.¡± ¡°Tell me, do you believe that I should contact your family, or not?¡± ¡°I think Relly should.¡± ¡°Very well, would you like to be in the room?¡± Harlan paced back and forth saying yes or no for minutes on end before Relly left, saying she was going to use the bathroom, but really she contacted his family members. When she came back he had just decided that he didn¡¯t want to be in the room and Rosewell had begun reading a book while she waited. ¡°Your parents and Autumn want to talk.¡± Harlan took a few deep breaths and began to sweat, yet he felt a chill in his bones that he wasn¡¯t sure was physical or mental. ¡°What about Ava?¡± Relly clasped her hands together and began rocking on her heels. ¡°I¡¯m sure she will come around.¡± Adina stood next to him and grabbed his hand, feeling how clammy and cold he was. ¡°You don¡¯t need to see them now. You could just-¡± ¡°I need to handle this, one way or another, I can¡¯t stay afraid.¡± ¡°Yggdra, I would like to be gated to my parents farm.¡± ¡°Very well. But don¡¯t do anything rash if¡­ It will be fine, no need to worry.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Cynthia walked with him to the gate room. She was practically skipping the entire time. ¡°You seem happy.¡± ¡°Things have been wonderful, everyones reactions are so vivid and easy to read.¡± Harlan noticed the odd looks she had been getting since they left the room. He just nodded his head, it made sense to her, and he knew that it did, but Cynthia had always been some form of odd. She loved pranks because of how people would make faces, it didn¡¯t matter if it was fear or anger or laughter, she just liked seeing people react to her actions. ¡°Don¡¯t be so glum.¡± ¡°I¡¯m headed to see if my family is going to disown me.¡± ¡°But you¡¯ll have me there.¡± She grabbed his hand and squeezed. Adina was still on his other side and raised an eyebrow at how she acted. The two of them had little time to know one another, but Harlan had spoken about her before. ¡°I wonder, can you even feel this?¡± ¡°I can bend steel with my hands and sit in boiling water, but yes, I can still feel that, and I can still feel heat and cold. It¡¯s more like I just hit a limit and then-¡± ¡°I want you to remember that you are still just a person, you aren¡¯t a heartless monster for what you did. Your problem is really that you have too much heart, you can¡¯t let things go. So hold my hand and let go of everything else.¡± ¡°Thank you for trying, but I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m capable of thinking about that right now.¡± ¡°No matter what happens, you¡¯ve got more family than just them. I¡¯d love to have you around the house, Sycamore needs a responsible figure in his life and I doubt his sister is going to be that for him.¡± ¡°You¡¯re pregnant again?¡± ¡°Maybe, maybe not. Do you want to check?¡± They stopped and Harlan placed his hand on her stomach. He pushed through that pain, like a hot spike in his guts. ¡°Yep, one baby.¡± ¡°Oh? Can you tell, boy or girl?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty confident in my abilities, but it¡¯s soul is too connected with yours to know just yet.¡± Harlan barely made it three steps before he found himself leaning on the wall. ¡°Would you like me to get a cane?¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He had to use his armor to move him like a puppet. ¡°Do you want to go back to the room?¡± ¡°No, now or never, I¡¯ll push forward.¡± By the time they reached the farm, Harlan was delirious and ended up on the couch. Ada placed a wet rag on his head and then used magic to cool it down while Adina explained why Harlan was so sick. Harlan woke up to find Adina and his mother were by his side. ¡°How long was I out.¡± ¡°Three hours. Cynthia and your father are outside butchering chickens. That woman, she is¡­¡± ¡°Cynthia is amazing, right?¡± ¡°That is a word you could use.¡± ¡°She never lets anything get to her, she seemingly does whatever she wants and says screw the consequences. She¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°A terrible influence.¡± ¡°She was one of the people who kept me from going insane inside of the facility. That devil may care attitude always took a weight off of my mind when Zella or Relly couldn¡¯t be there for me.¡± There was a commotion outside. ¡°She¡¯s a troublemaker.¡± He turned his hover up on his armor until he was nearly weightless and tried to fly outside, but Adina and his mother forced him back down. ¡°I will make sure nothing bad happens to her.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried about her, it¡¯s whoever she¡¯s arguing with that¡¯ll get hurt. If you can¡¯t get her inside, tell her to remember the cat.¡± ¡°The cat?¡± ¡°Trust me.¡± Cynthia came inside shortly after, followed by Harlow. She was wearing one of his mother¡¯s dresses and used illusions to hide her royal features. ¡°Did you tell them?¡± ¡°No. That story is between me, you, and Wisteria. But sometimes you can get carried away and I don¡¯t want you causing trouble on my parents farm.¡± ¡°But he-¡± ¡°No buts.¡± ¡°I was-¡± Harlan raised an eyebrow, and she stopped. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Everyone else in the room was confused by Harlan shutting her down like he had. ¡°It¡¯s fine. But right now isn¡¯t the time to duke it out with a farmhand.¡± ¡°I just wanted to help.¡± ¡°You probably wanted to see the look on Rosewell¡¯s face when you told her that you were doing farmwork.¡± A devious grin and laughter overcame Cynthia. The look of her was less devil may care and just seemed devilish. it sent a shiver down everyone else¡¯s spines, they couldn¡¯t tell if Harlan hadn¡¯t noticed or just didn¡¯t care. Ada decided to start on lunch. She began cutting onions with wind magic like Harlan had taught her to and Adina deboned the chicken while oil heated up. ¡°You don¡¯t feel well, so I¡¯m making soup and Adina will fry breaded chicken pieces.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that soup is going to-¡± ¡°Hush, comfort food made with love can cure any illness.¡± ¡°If Hellon heard that she¡¯d pop a blood vessel.¡± ¡°Yes, your healing teacher.¡± ¡°Not anymore.¡± ¡°Did something happen to her?¡± ¡°No, I got expelled. I guess that hasn''t hit the rumor circles yet. Too much time spent on the civil war I suppose.¡± Ada turned to him. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. You should-¡± ¡°I already had this conversation with Adina, I don¡¯t mind, really. Hirum is just applying the rules evenly, like he should¡¯ve been from the start. I¡¯m actually glad that he made an example out of me.¡± Harlow hadn¡¯t said a word yet, he was waiting for some lull that could lead into a good joke, but found none. Instead he spoke up when James woke from his nap. ¡°He¡¯s grown a lot.¡± ¡°You are too young for any of this, it¡¯s not right, any of it. But if we left you, what could come from that? I¡¯d die regretting that I abandoned my son when he needed me the most, and you¡¯d beat yourself up even more than you already do. This world is broken, but I won¡¯t let it break us apart.¡± Harlan made an ugly face as he cried. Even if his warm welcome meant they likely forgave him, it hadn¡¯t yet been confirmed one way or another. ¡°Come now, no need for that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been worried that you¡¯d hate me.¡± ¡°We¡¯d never hate you, the most we could ever be is disappointed.¡± Then Cynthia started crying and hugging Harlan and the mood turned a bit odd. ¡°You guys are such a nice family. I wish you were really my brother.¡± ¡°Hey, blood doesn¡¯t mean a thing, you are already my big sister. You kept me sane when Zella and Relly weren¡¯t around.¡± ¡°Do you want to be godfather to the baby?¡± ¡°I¡¯d be honored.¡± Like a switch had flipped, her tears dried up and she wanted to try helping with the cooking. ¡°What an actor.¡± ¡°If you could read her emotions you¡¯d understand. She isn¡¯t pretending to be anything.¡± ¡°So she just changes at the drop of a hat, and you think that it¡¯s not something to worry about?¡± ¡°Of course I find it odd, but Cynthia is Cynthia. That¡¯s just the way she is.¡± ¡°Well I want to stay away from that kind of crazy. I¡¯ve known people like that before.¡± ¡°Cynthia is a great person when you get to know her. Don¡¯t get scared away by something so minor.¡± It was a rather awkward lunch with Cynthia there. She seemed to be in an overly complimentative mood. ¡°This soup is just wonderful. How did you make it?¡± ¡°It is just onions cooked in butter until clear and then with broth.¡± ¡°Neat.¡± ¡°Have you ever cooked before?¡± ¡°Not unless you count alchemy.¡± Harlan spoke up. ¡°I learned to cook from alchemy. Most of making something good is knowing how to put together the right things in the right amounts and giving them the right time and heat.¡± ¡°Wonderful. How do you feel about the name Harlana?¡± ¡°You are pretty certain that it¡¯s going to be a girl, and I¡¯m not sure you want a kid named after me.¡± ¡°Oh no, I¡¯d be naming her after Harlow.¡± Harlan kept a stone face as she put a hand on Harlow¡¯s shoulder, but his father choked on his soup. In the short time that he had spent with her over the years where she would seemingly at random show up to parties or anywhere really, he never found out when she was or wasn¡¯t joking. ¡°Thank you, but I don¡¯t think that I deserve such a thing.¡± She laughed and laughed and laughed, her and Harlan were the only ones who found it really funny. Once they finished eating and catching up with one another, Harlan had to make another stop. ¡°I¡¯ll call the royal gate mage.¡± ¡°No need, I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°You can use gate?¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting the hang of it.¡± Harlan knew the instant that he saw it, that was not the academy gate, that was a true gate. A raised brow said more than his words would¡¯ve. ¡°Oh, I talked with Marigold a little and she thought I was interesting. And¡­ nah, I¡¯ll keep that a secret for now.¡± Harlan just shrugged, questioning Cynthia wasn¡¯t really something he did. They were friends because they were both eccentrics who believed the other had a good heart and an odd mind. They had called beforehand, but it didn¡¯t make things any less strange when the entire Redwall family showed up to greet them. Harlan had also neglected to mention Cynthia was tagging along, he knew she would get a kick out of it. And once they got past her being there and she had her fun, she asked to wander the grounds with Redwall and his grandchildren while Jaramis and Autumn sat with Adina and Harlan. ¡°Harlan, why don¡¯t we get this out of the way before anything else. We understand what you did, and dad-¡± ¡°He convinced you that I¡¯m young and emotional and full of power and it¡¯s the world''s fault that I did it?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I assume Ava didn¡¯t listen when he tried to convince her.¡± ¡°Ava is¡­ having a hard time with everything.¡± ¡°She¡¯s got a good reason too. And for the record, I like that dad tried, but it feels wrong.¡± ¡°Because you hate being forgiven for things?¡± ¡°When I do something wrong, I should be punished, instead I avoided it all, made half the nation afraid of me, lost friends, got kicked out of the academy and-¡± ¡°They did what? I¡¯ll-¡± Harlan half laughed and half cried. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Autumn grabbed his hands and cupped them. ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize to me. That city-¡± ¡°There is nothing I can say or do that can ever make that right. I¡¯m sorry for taking up your time, changing you though what happened to me. You never liked parties or fancy dresses, you had a spear in hand as soon as she could. And then I got taken and you became a social butterfly trying to find me.¡± Harlan let go of her hands, leaning back out of her range. ¡°I turned Amber into a soldier and I ruined Ava before she had any idea what she really wanted to be.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t your fault, we all made our own choices and I don¡¯t regret anything that I did.¡± ¡°It is my fault. You all got wrapped up in the plans of a god and it changed everything. Remember when you were 16 and you had a bad feeling about going to the maiden festival? That was her, she told me.¡± Jaramis furrowed his brow, but wasn¡¯t sure how to even respond, so he didn¡¯t. Cynthia burst into the room. ¡°Harlan, my dearest little brother as of 15 minutes ago. I better not be walking in here to hear you badmouthing yourself.¡± ¡°Cynthia, now isn¡¯t the time for-¡± ¡°Yes it is.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a game or a prank gone wrong, tens of thousands of people-¡± ¡°Are dead. And I¡¯m sure everyone is telling you to move past it and do good and yada yada. I say that you didn¡¯t do anything wrong, it was just an accident, it can¡¯t be fixed. So move on and do something good because you want to, not because you feel like you need to so you can forgive yourself, because we all know that you would never do something like that.¡± She confidently moved towards Harlan, her heels loudly clicking on the floor. ¡°I¡¯ve read every single report from the academy, every student you helped, every mission you went on, every little rule that you helped put in place. No matter how much good you do, you¡¯ll never feel better. But I know what will.¡± ¡°What?¡± She pointed at Jaramis. ¡°Look at how he mellowed out, and think about what changed with him.¡± ¡°You think age is going to make me feel better?¡± ¡°No, he had kids. Make a new life, realize that you can do something other than killing. But that¡¯s not happening for a while, so I¡¯m making you my midwife.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t going to change anything.¡± ¡°It might, and I¡¯m not going to sit here and not try.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Alright, see you in a bit.¡± She was a whirlwind of a woman, and her attitude was infectious, making the rest of the conversation between those left in the room a little easier.
Marigold was in the castle to check on Harlan, The Darkness asked her to do so. When she was done she turned around to leave, and found Cynthia there. She jumped back a little, very few people could sneak up on her. ¡°He¡¯s going to be ok, right?¡± ¡°Harlan is deeply tired, his transformations left his body in such a state that I¡¯m shocked he is remaining humanoid right now.¡± She walked past her and grabbed Harlan¡¯s sword. ¡°When I first touched this thing. It tried to make me do bad things, it isn¡¯t dangerous to Harlan, right?¡± ¡°How can you hold it at all?¡± ¡°Probably because I¡¯m strange, or my royal blood, or because I was offered championship. Or maybe it is-¡± ¡°Who offered?¡± ¡°Calli. But she couldn¡¯t answer my questions. Is it any fun being a champion? In a hundred years, would I just get bored? Would Harlan keep my company?¡± ¡°Relationships between champions are volatile, you never know when your god will use it against you. And Calli will use it against you.¡± ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it then. I¡¯ll tell her no.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s it? You¡¯d be immortal, powerful, you¡¯d have a chance to do anything that you wouldn¡¯t be able to do with your mortal lifespan.¡± ¡°Maybe, but what if I hurt Harlan? And I¡¯ll watch my children and my children¡¯s children die of old age.¡± ¡°Why not talk to Harlan?¡± ¡°Harlan wouldn¡¯t get it. He doesn¡¯t have children. Oh, and I meant that I want to stay friends with him, he¡¯s like a little brother, but better, so I don¡¯t think I¡¯d ever see him as a man.¡± She blew raspberries and put the sword back next to Harlan. ¡°I¡¯m just spitballing ideas. I don¡¯t think I wanted to be a champion. I want to love my family and then be done with life. The idea of having a bunch of husbands, knowing that I¡¯d outlive them all, it makes my chest tighten.¡± ¡°I see why she wanted you as her champion.¡± ¡°It¡¯s for fighters, and I¡¯m a lover.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t I show you a few things anyway, not many people have the determination to actually turn down such an offer, and I think Harlan could always use more allies.¡± Cynthia¡¯s eyes went green and she gave her answer. Calli dwelled on it for less than a minute before she moved on, it happened so quickly that she forgot to even take away the minor gifts she gave to Cynthia. Chapter 218: Camp Foreign A week had passed, and Harlan had tried to see Ava, but somehow Breken was always there to give him a look telling him that now wasn¡¯t the time. Harlan was back at his peak, but he was a little disturbed by how his soul looked even if nothing felt wrong when he shifted or used other magic. ¡°Hawan. Lift, lift.¡± He had spent the last two hours using telekinesis to help the children run through an obstacle course alongside their new foxes. They were smart, but not people, and at present they weren¡¯t supposed to be using magic on the children at all. He only convinced Autumn and Jaramis to accept them by saying they were meant to get the children away from danger and not for fighting. ¡°Are they not bored yet?¡± ¡°No, but they are going to crash after another 10 or 15 minutes.¡± ¡°I guess I should say goodbye to them then.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not normal for them to allow guests there.¡± ¡°For the next week I¡¯ll be taking over as the threat that must be hidden from or defeated for the officer training. They made me agree to follow orders and I couldn¡¯t play favorites with Amber.¡± A gate opened next to Harlan and his sister and the children wanted to see who it was. ¡°Train lady.¡± ¡°You can call her Autie Marigold.¡± ¡°Can you do magic?¡± The siblings looked at the children and laughed. Marigold smiled and ruffled their hair as she answered. ¡°Yes, I know a little.¡± The twins looked at one another. ¡°Like Hawen?¡± ¡°I know more than your uncle.¡± They had a look of amazement on their faces and asked to see her magic. While they were distracted she talked with Harlan. ¡°I need that sword back. Take this one as a replacement.¡± The blade looked nearly identical, and was made of a high purity shadowstone composite. Harlan handed back the black blade. ¡°No questions?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I made it. Xol gave it to me and now you are giving me another sword.¡± She almost wanted to make a comment, but she was worried that Harlan would catch on to where it came from. Instead she spoke to Autumn. ¡°Would you mind if I came around to watch the children sometimes?¡± ¡°If Harlan trusts you I¡¯m sure you are fine. You should also ask about watching James. My mother would be thrilled to have a little help sometimes.¡± ¡°That would be wonderful.¡± When the children were put to sleep Harlan gated himself to a military camp that would then arrange transport to another military camp. He had heard a few things from Amber when he snuck in to tell her about Haldren. Camp Foreign was a special camp where officers were supposed to be trained and at the same time train a squad of fuck ups into respectable soldiers. It was an oddity, most camps of this sort trained their officers by giving them good soldiers. If Harlan didn¡¯t know any better he would assume Amber had been set there intentionally as a joke, but he had been told that after applications were sent to a local office they would be anonymized and then sent to central who would then assign based on openings. Harlan was currently on a carriage with High Commander Enten, who was in charge of the division which her camp was a part of. ¡°Thank you for this.¡± ¡°The chance for them to learn under an archmage is rare, for one to come here willingly is even rarer.¡± ¡°What exactly should I expect from them? I know I will be the enemy combatant or hunter, but how much should I hold back?¡± ¡°The idea that you will need to hold back against a few hundred soldiers nearly ready to join the army in full is comical.¡± ¡°You are underestimating me or overestimating them. When Rosewell became queen she sent me to destroy noble homes, most of them I did without support from my own troops or from the national army.¡± ¡°Foot soldiers are nothing compared to higher ranked members of the army. Most at the camp are academy graduates as well.¡± ¡°How about this for the first exercise¡­¡± They arrived at the camp with a great deal of fanfare. Trumpets and banners of both House Fomoria and House Ragne. Mages shot off displays into the noon sky. It was all a little much for Harlan, but as the newly titled queen¡¯s dagger he had an important position within the nation and the high commander was a well respected man who did enjoy these things after his decades of service. ¡°Why do they call it camp foreign?¡± ¡°It was first run by a Golden. Back then it was camp 221, but eventually it got the nickname and it stuck. That¡¯s how we name all of the camps, just a series of numbers until they earn a real name.¡± ¡°Not unlike a noble I suppose.¡± ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s not an entirely wrong assessment.¡± ¡°I get the feeling you don¡¯t like me.¡± ¡°You are sidestepping everything that I¡¯ve had to do to get to where I am because of what you were born as and because you were picked by a god.¡± ¡°I can understand and empathize.¡± He waited for more, but Harlan said his piece. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s unfair, but that¡¯s life. I never asked to be taken from my family, nor did I ask to be sent to the academy or made a champion. I¡¯ve gone with what life has given me and done what I can. You could¡¯ve just as easily been born an orphan or blind and too poor to actually get it fixed or any number of things.¡± ¡°Fine enough answer.¡± ¡°Was that just a shittest?¡± ¡°You¡¯re godsdamned right. Now when you get in there I expect not an ounce of favoritism. This is the army, not the academy, we aren¡¯t here to coddle children.¡± ¡°I gave my word.¡± Harlan kept a stone face and stood tall as he walked behind the high commander and to a large stage where he could be seen by all of the cadets. Near instantly he locked eyes with Amber. She was looking good, bit more muscle on her than when she was at the academy and a fiercer look in her eyes. Enten cleared his throat and the array around the stage amplified his voice. ¡°Today you have a special guest. During this next week you will be running tests, monster subjugation, castle capture, anything else I tell you to do. This man here, Sir Harlan Fomoria, Queen¡¯s Blade and Archmage, will be the monster, and he will be king of the castle. He believes that you are all nothing compared to him, and he intends to let you know that. So today we will begin with castle capture. This time every single one of you will go against him at once, if any of you defeat him, you all win. Gather your equipment, ready up. Archmage Changeling, you have 30 minutes to prepare the field in any way you choose.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t say a word, he just went through a gate which led to the center of the area. The area had been terraformed for training purposes, it contained hills and valleys and rivers and so on and so forth. Amber kept her team low, she knew that others were likely to try assaults from on high, but Harlan would see and counter them in an instant. ¡°You sure walking through this creek is the best bet? And shouldn¡¯t we pick up the pace before the other teams get the win?¡± ¡°We are downwind from Harlan. The mud will help hide our scent, the sound of the river will hide our noises.¡± ¡°The fuck? I thought he was a man, not an animal. Besides, we need to capture the castle anyway, we aren¡¯t hunting.¡± ¡°No, we are being hunted. My brother is-¡± ¡°Whoa, your brother is the fucking necromancer?¡± ¡°My brother is my brother. I know how he thinks, how he fights. Those other idiots are going to walk into a slaughter, I just hope I can use our bond to get him to hold back long enough to capture the castle.¡± ¡°He¡¯s one guy.¡± ¡°Actually he is about five that I know of.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Screams sounded out over the hills. ¡°That was just a decoy.¡± ¡°That sounded pretty fucking real to me.¡± ¡°He used the same sounds last summer when we hunted a skinwalker together.¡± ¡°I thought you were joking when you told us stories. You really did that?¡± ¡°He had been wanting to capture one for a while. Finally got a lead so we went out and got it.¡± ¡°Holy shit.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll scold you for your language later. Now we need to-¡± Amber put her finger to her lips and pointed at the woods. A flock of birds two hills over flew away, then one. ¡°Oh shit.¡± She hadn¡¯t considered that Harlan would come after her first. Amber made signs with her hands, warning her team that he was coming from the opposite direction. He was not recognizable as himself. He was long and slender, almost like a weasel, and on his back were two tentacles that she could see, which she knew meant there was at least one more. Moments before he clashed with the rock and fire, a gate opened. By the time Amber realized that he had opened the gate under the water, it was too late, two of the five had been struck. It took 30 seconds before they were completely paralyzed. Harlan gated them to the shore so they didn¡¯t drown. The three remained back to back, they knew he could come from any angle he wanted, but he just sat there next to the two men. ¡°What the fuck is that and how do we get it away from them?¡± ¡°Harlan won¡¯t hurt them, he¡¯s already won.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know your brother and I don¡¯t know his fucking dog either.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t getting it. Harlan won¡¯t hurt them.¡± Suddenly they all realized what she really meant. ¡°What the fuck.¡± They said in unison. ¡°I feel like my mother complaining about the way you talk.¡± Harlan stood between the two soldiers who could only move their eyes. ¡°You might as well surrender. You can¡¯t use anything big enough to hurt me with them here.¡± It unnerved the man and woman who didn¡¯t know Harlan to hear him speaking normally from his beastial body. ¡°Every second you waste here is another second you aren¡¯t defending the castle.¡± ¡°Well, if you won¡¯t move.¡± Harlan slowly stepped towards them and then vanished from sight, Amber knew where he would be. With her sword in his gut after a skip, Harlan hit the other three with his stingers. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s potent but flushes out of the system easily and it¡¯s something I made myself, so it can¡¯t kill you.¡± Harlan stepped through a gate right onto another team of five, and then another, and another. Meanwhile Dawn was at the castle controlling his armor, five on one, ten on one, it didn¡¯t matter. Harlan said that she should be getting more used to controlling a body before he made one for her. She asked him to delay so she could spend more time with Amber since they had no idea when the next how long it would be before they met again after she served some time in the army. Either they didn¡¯t have a need for her and she¡¯d be out after a few months, or they¡¯d find a use for her and she¡¯d serve the full two years active service with only two months off a year before she went reserve. Or perhaps she¡¯d like the army enough that she became a career soldier like Redmond. It bugged her that she couldn¡¯t talk crap about the ones she had beaten. She wanted to be a drill instructor, at least offer some tips while she broke that guy¡¯s arm. Instead she was only allowed a preset series of insults. Harlan had made a deal with Enten, he¡¯d get some of his restrictions at the camp lessened if he did what seemed to be an impossible task of winning an all out battle. But Harlan never planned to let it get that far. He could cover the multiple miles of the training area in 15 seconds with a gate, he could divine the position of the troops with ease, and it took a little poke to send humans into a paralyzed state for 15 minutes. Half of them were wiped out by him before they reached the place, a tenth rushed ahead and Dawn beat them, and the last of them had to contend with the combined forces and the traps he set before the start of the match. He had to hold back to avoid killing anyone, but they hit him with the full force of their magic. When the last group believed that they won and entered the room to grab the flag, they made it a few steps before the small body he left above the doorway poked them just a single time and they didn¡¯t make it out of the room. He could¡¯ve won against them, but feigning a loss let him use that trap so it didn¡¯t go to waste. Enten and Harlan sat down for an after action meeting. ¡°Not a word.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t intend to gloat. I actually respect you, so often people treat me like glass or a monster. You are treating me like a snot nosed brat.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll admit that you were impressive out there. Though it says a lot that even your armor is worth more than these cadets.¡± ¡°My armor is a unique piece of work. Even the ones made for my family and friends aren¡¯t quite like it. I noticed that my sister is not wearing her¡¯s. I hope it is kept safely and not in some lab being picked apart.¡± ¡°I¡¯m insulted that you would think that little of us. Yggdra the 15th ensured that anything made by you for your sister is kept far away from here.¡± ¡°Good. I think that you wouldn¡¯t do anything, but I¡¯ve seen more than enough nobles look at my armor with envy in their eyes.¡± ¡°Flattery will get you nowhere.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve said anything to flatter you.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve made more than one remark that you see me as something other than the scum of the earth. From what I can see, that is close to flattery.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not. But I give off the image that it is.¡± The high commander poured himself a cup of ice water, he didn¡¯t drink during the day, and rarely at night. ¡°Why are you really here?¡± ¡°Because I wanted to see Amber.¡± ¡°Is that really all?¡± ¡°Of course. I wanted to make sure she was safe after the war started.¡± ¡°Ha, war. Nothing but a tantrum by a few dozen nobles held up in some mountains. We¡¯ll have them dealt with in a few months.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure. I had one body take a crack at the one in central, couldn¡¯t get near the place. Sky, ground, everything is covered in arrays, good ones.¡± ¡°Ah, the unending pride and arrogance of youth. One person rarely turns the tides, in this case, we¡¯ve had master warders look at them and they decided brute force by thousands of mages will be faster.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve gotten off track. Give me the report on my cadets.¡± Each squad was given a tent, no matter what the number of men to women was, they shared it. When Halran stepped inside the person there tried to give him a straight, but what she got was a broken hand instead. Harlan looked at her, she was with Amber earlier, short pixie cut redhead. He could guess why she was pissed, so he grabbed her hand to heal it. ¡°Let me go you fucking monster.¡± ¡°A soldier''s tongue.¡± ¡°The fuck does that mean?¡± ¡°Can you actually say a sentence without swearing?¡± ¡°Eat shit. I need to see a healer.¡± ¡°Your hand is healed, I could handle that bald spot too. Military hazing?¡± ¡°A goat showed up when we were petrified and nibbled on my hair.¡± ¡°Whatever you wash with, it did smell good.¡± ¡°The fuck?¡± ¡°I have a good nose, I wasn¡¯t sniffing your hair. Also, a soldier shouldn¡¯t wear perfume. Even if I hadn¡¯t divined you I could¡¯ve picked up your scent from half a mile at least, tracked you for longer.¡± ¡°Fine, fu- fix it then.¡± Harlan took just a few moments to start the spell. ¡°It¡¯ll take 15 minutes, but it will be the same length as before, no problems.¡± ¡°My head is itchy.¡± ¡°That feeling will go away in another 30 seconds or so. Where is Amber?¡± ¡°She¡¯s training.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have set times for that?¡± ¡°She¡¯s the only one here who trains between training, and those other three dipshits go to oggle her.¡± ¡°I suppose I should threaten them.¡± ¡°Nah. She¡¯s broken bones on all of ¡®em, they know the score. Speaking of, what is this gonna cost?¡± ¡°You are serving under my sister, so I¡¯ll put it on her tab.¡± ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t do that shit. Tell me the cost.¡± ¡°Or what?¡± Harlan heard the edge in his voice. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to threaten you like that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit.¡± ¡°Keep her safe, that¡¯s the cost. Do a good job, because if she dies, I¡¯m looking into everyone around her and I don¡¯t want for the justice system to make a ruling.¡± Harlan lifted the flap to the tent, but stopped halfway outside. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Sam.¡± ¡°Short for Samantha?¡± ¡°No, dad wanted a boy.¡± Harlan found Amber, and the three aforementioned dipshits who ogled her openly and without shame. ¡°Triplets? Really?¡± ¡°What¡¯s it to you-¡± They all leaned back one after the other, it was uncanny how much they resembled one another. ¡°Sir Fomoria, pleasure to meet you.¡± ¡°I heard you all went after my sister. Try anything while I¡¯m here and I¡¯ll show you how merciful she is compared to me.¡± Harlan walked away to join his sister in her training. They were running and jumping and crawling through mud together while they spoke. ¡°Do you like your squad?¡± ¡°Toddel is a coward but a damn good scout. Cald is a savant with wards. And Besten is strong as an ox but dumb as a sheep. Sam is a rebellious little shit and probably the reason I¡¯m going to need to train another squad to pass the officers test.¡± ¡°Should I talk to her?¡± ¡°Nope, this is testing me, not you.¡± ¡°But doesn¡¯t a resourceful soldier use everything she has?¡± ¡°Stay out of this, I¡¯ll get through to her by force if I need to.¡± ¡±Alright then. How¡¯s everyone else been? Tau and them.¡± ¡°Ibery¡¯s getting into politics, learning at the academy gives her something to brag about while she tries to get votes. Tau is¡­ you should visit him. Adelwulf is in a place just like this, he¡¯ll be leading soldiers into battle as early as next month. Bojana, I can¡¯t say, something honor and a warrior¡¯s place in the world, but she was pretty secretive. How¡¯s Zella?¡± ¡°Doing good. We killed a wyvern together a little while back.¡± ¡°Great. Autumn?¡± ¡°Saw her and the kids this morning. Marigold also stopped by, said she wanted to watch them some. Dad is doing good, gave him a check up. Mom made soup for me when I was sick, I think she liked that.¡± ¡°First time for everything.¡± ¡°Soul got damaged when I went a dozen hours of shifting and combat without a break.¡± ¡°Why were you fighting so long?¡± ¡°The war.¡± ¡°What war?¡± ¡°The civil one.¡± Amber stopped running half way up a wall and fell to the mud below. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Yggdra died. Rosewell is queen.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go back to my tent and you can explain what I¡¯ve been missing out on. I can¡¯t believe they never told us anything.¡± ¡°I mean, I was introduced as the queen¡¯s blade and I got a fancy badge on my armor now.¡± ¡°I was going to ask about that eventually.¡± The triplets gave Harlan a look when he came in, they were unsure if they should be afraid or not. Sam on the other hand had a chip on her shoulder, she hated losing. Chapter 219: Camp Foreign 2 Sam tried to hit Harlan again, and didn¡¯t break her hand this time. ¡°Good, you controlled your output.¡± ¡°The fuck is this guy?¡± ¡°Alright, we had our meeting, now get over it or I¡¯m going to stop being so friendly.¡± ¡°Fuck you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never hit a woman without good reason, but you are a soldier. You must be held to an equal standard with everyone else within the organization. Now, since I¡¯m a hypocrite, I¡¯m still going to give you the chance to apologize.¡± ¡°Sam, say you''re sorry.¡± ¡°Or what? Is your big bad brother going to hit me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m actually her little brother. And I¡¯m not here as her brother, I¡¯m here as the queen¡¯s blade.¡± He punched her in the gut and she crumpled to the ground. ¡°Gods, fuck, why-¡± ¡°Amber, I¡¯m not going to be insulted by her. Technically I outrank everyone here but the high commander himself even if I don¡¯t have the desire or authority to directly order anyone around.¡± ¡°So you are just going to beat my squad?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here as a teacher. I intend to use that position to teach. So, Cadet Sam, you will understand and respect the chain of command. That apology was not an ask, it was an order. Amber, now we can talk.¡± Harlan healed her and she went to her bed to rest until the next set of exercises began. He made movements as if he was hopping into bed, but really he just hung in the air next to Amber then set up a veil. ¡°I¡¯m serious by the way, I can¡¯t play favorites. I went after you first because you are the easiest to target, we both know one another, but I¡¯ve never seriously fought you and I can do many more unorthodox things than you know because there¡¯s just not enough time to explain everything. One should fight the known before they can spread that to those who do not know.¡± ¡°Prick.¡± ¡°There is somebody you should meet.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t leave the base.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t need to.¡± Dawn slipped off of him and stood next to him. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Upgraded your armor?¡± ¡°When Harlan was an infant he pulled my mind out of my soul as I was dying and put it into his own soul which also¡­¡± 10 minutes passed. ¡°You know what. I¡¯m going to head off to drills and exercises and stuff and then I don¡¯t know.¡± Harlan flew over to a sparring ring. For now he was going to watch over the matches, 4v4 with the officer cadets acting as commanders, first to three. The point was to test how well the officers knew those under them. If the cadets didn¡¯t follow commands or they failed to implement the commands to the satisfaction of the judges, they lost even if they won, they didn¡¯t want to train mavericks. Though often if one was able to win a 1v4 they ended up with a mark on their record so they could be recruited to certain special groups within the army such as rangers or the unseen. Graduation was a month away, or at least the earliest graduation was, and only a handful of the officer cadets seemed ready to move along. One of the worst so far was a pair of nobles, they didn¡¯t say they were nobles, and last names weren¡¯t supposed to be said during training, but everyone could tell that they were nobles. They treated the soldiers under them like crap, and these soldiers hadn¡¯t taken the disrespect lightly, so they would sometimes ignore an order that they thought was stupid even if Harlan could see that it made sense. When the match ended in a draw the judges, Harlan, Enten, and the base commander, put up a veil to decide. ¡°I say we fail both of them. They have yet to instill any faith in the men they are supposed to be leading. I know they aren¡¯t training mindless order followers, but there will be times when they don¡¯t understand an order and yet they must understand that it must be followed.¡± ¡°While I agree with the basis of your judgment, we should rule this a draw. The difference is mostly in how it appears on their record. Failures so far into their training are seen as a poor reflection of both teacher and student, but I know this is their fault, not the fault of the instructors.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the guest, so I¡¯ll follow your judgment.¡± After a few minutes someone broke the veil. ¡°The officer cadets stabbed one another.¡± Harlan vanished from sight and was next to the idiots. He made them both freeze with telekinesis, healed them, stripped them of the weapons and clothes, and then he let them move again. ¡°Three laps, then you can get your clothes back.¡± He opened a gate to the track. ¡°You can¡¯t do this, my father-¡± ¡°Is not here, and clearly has failed to instill you in what you should be as a leader. Run those laps of your own free will, or I will make you run those laps. THIS IS AN ORDER.¡± One man ran through the gate. ¡°It¡¯s freezing, I won¡¯t-¡± Harlan covered him in mud and sent Dawn to puppet the mud, Harlan did not joke about forcing them to run laps if they refused. ¡°SHOWS OVER.¡± Harlan skipped back to the judges platform. ¡°I hope that was an acceptable punishment.¡± ¡°You are unlikely to inspire respect, but fear will get you far as a temporary instructor.¡± ¡°I would rather build people up than tear them down, but those two idiots deserved it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too late for you to change how others view you, might as well use it.¡± ¡°How about I deliver verdicts myself?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve no issue with this. Base Commander Hettel?¡± ¡°He may.¡± People often flinched when he approached them, but they seemed to calm down when Harlan actually dispensed useful advice to both the cadets and the officer cadets. Then they began to flinch again when he shouted at others for their failures while also giving useful advice. He reserved corporal punishment for those whose failures were more deeply rooted than could be dealt with in the few minutes he allotted for himself. ¡°And remember, I don¡¯t sleep, and I¡¯m not busy while I am here. So feel free to drop by any time to talk.¡± Harlan skipped back to the chairs. ¡°I feel that you both intend to tell me I made a mistake.¡± ¡°No, this is perfect, now I won¡¯t be expected to handle you or share meals and the like.¡± ¡°He may.¡± Hettel was a man of few words and a scarred face. Finally it was Amber¡¯s turn to show off. The field was set up with walls, they randomly decided on the field every match. This was made to simulate indoor combat, though it had no roof so they could be watched better from the officers'' platforms. The Cald was to be pointman, Sam was rearguard. Yet it didn¡¯t take long before the other brothers had moved around to the side so they could look at Sam during the exercise. Predictably this resulted in them being seen first, without the element of surprise and with them not in their places. The match wasn¡¯t over and he hated knowing that he would need to yell at her. The second and third matches were worse, even without a single mistake that could be faulted for the win it was clear that they were a well oiled machine, and though Harlan could feel that every one of them hated taking orders, they followed them. Harlan went first to the winning team. ¡°Very good. The first person I knowingly killed was done in with that same trick of making a small hole to trip them up. Telling your men cantrips like that can give them a significant advantage depending on the terrain. Though I will say that this field is made to be like indoor fighting, and such a trick wouldn¡¯t be usable in cities without prior authorization due to the mass sealing arrays.¡± ¡°Thank you. I fight by what the field actually is, not what it is meant to be.¡± ¡°Reasonable answer.¡± Harlan then went down to the cadets and put up a veil. ¡°I can tell that you dislike your officer.¡± ¡°No issues, sir.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather not be lied to.¡± The men were nervous. Stolen novel; please report. ¡°He¡¯s an asshole, but when he graduates, we do. We all got tossed out of bootcamp and put here to be tools, and we just want to get out of here and get the bonus pay.¡± ¡°They pay you to come here?¡± ¡°Get a healthy bonus to our pay for some time, depends how long we stayed. But if we wash out, we don¡¯t get it.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± He popped the veil and headed over to Amber¡¯s side. Harlan sighed as he started. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t-¡± ¡°THAT WAS RHETORICAL, OFFICER CADET AMBER. WHAT I MEANT WAS THAT WAS DISGRACEFUL. THREE OF YOUR SOLDIERS SPENT MORE TIME LOOKING AT THE REAR OF THEIR REARGUARD THAN WATCHING FOR ENEMY UNITS. YOUR VANGUARD NEARLY FELD AT FIRST SIGHT OF THE ENEMY AND NEARLY TOOK THE FUCKING HEAD OFF OF HIS OWN TEAMMATE WITH A PANNICKED FIREBALL.¡± Harlan turned into a monstrous form, like a cross between a bear and a beetle with seven eyes and mandibles. ¡°CADET TODDEL, ARE YOU AFRAID OF THIS?¡± He passed out and pissed himself. ¡°CADETS CALD AND BESTEN, DO YOU INTEND TO JOIN THE ARMY TO VISIT WHOREHOUSES OR TO PROTECT THIS NATION?¡± Both had different answers. ¡°DISGRACEFUL.¡± Harlan buried them up to their waists in the cold mud. ¡°CADET SAM.¡± She clinched her hands and made an upset face, but she intended to take the abuse. ¡°Good work. If these three could think with their higher head instead of lower, you might¡¯ve at least put up a good defense. When Toddel panicked you stopped Besten from nearly dying. When Besten knocked the teeth out of the other soldier you took advantage of that opening and nearly took out another. What you need to work on is your magic, those magical tripwires you put up were not able to remain hidden because they were set improperly.¡± ¡°Amber gave the command, I just followed it.¡± ¡°OFFICER CADET AMBER, DID YOU GIVE AN ORDER WHICH YOU KNEW COULD NOT BE FOLLOWED?¡± ¡°I thought that she-¡± ¡°YOU KNOW YOUR SOLDIER SO LITTLE? BAD SOLDIERS FOLLOWING BAD ORDERS MAKES DEAD SOLDIERS. LEARN WHAT EACH OF THEM CAN DO AND PLAY TO THEIR STRENGTHS INSTEAD OF WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO DO.¡± Amber was clearly less than pleased. ¡°I-¡± ¡°DID I GIVE YOU LEAVE TO SPEAK?¡± Harlan skipped back to his judges seat. ¡°DIG THOSE TWO OUT OF THE GROUND, NO MAGIC.¡± It was going to take a few minutes. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d actually do it.¡± ¡°I made a deal, no favoritism. And if this can make her a better soldier then that means she will be safer.¡± ¡°And it could also mean she doesn¡¯t graduate.¡± ¡°People live and die on their failures. If she fails here, it means another six months training up a batch of dipshits. If she fails in a battle, I get a knock on my door by men in black suits.¡± ¡°I heard you were a soft hearted fool for your family.¡± ¡°I am. But I¡¯m a man of my word and I feel like shit for yelling at her like that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it.¡± When the exercise was done they went for lunch. Naturally Harlan sat with his sister. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you did that.¡± ¡°I-¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen how you train people and you can actually teach them with respect and understanding.¡± ¡°Well-¡± ¡°You gave me the fucking teardown.¡± ¡°Because that is what I would¡¯ve done to anyone else for making your mistakes.¡± ¡°What mistakes? That I got set with these three idiots who are undressing me with their eyes even now?¡± ¡°Do you think that there isn¡¯t anyone who I¡¯ve had to set straight for trying to get at me? That just because I remain a gentlemen that no other student has tried to get at me through my teaching? Or that no nobles send their daughters after me during parties in the hopes that they can get to me? Do I blame them? Of course. But I don¡¯t let them get away with it.¡± ¡°What do you expect me to do about it?¡± ¡°If a leader cannot rule through respect, then there is another option. These three aren¡¯t going to be under you forever, you just need to get them to understand boundaries and tighten up long enough for you to graduate. And if you miss the first chance because of them, that is your fault as much as theirs.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Sam was pushing around her greens. ¡°They are high in iron. Good for you.¡± ¡°They taste like shit, mustard or collared, doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°What if I ordered you to finish your food?¡± ¡°Then hold me in contempt.¡± ¡°That is for court. What I would charge you with is insubordination.¡± ¡°Fuck off. And why do you care?¡± Harlan shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s because he thinks that you are another puppy that he needs to rescue from the world.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t listen to my sister. I¡¯m just making conversation.¡± ¡°Converse with her then. Whatever you said earlier had her all fucked up.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t a conversation for a public table.¡± ¡°Family bullshit. Fuck that, I don¡¯t care anymore.¡± Amber longly exhaled. ¡°Family bullshit is an understatement.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡± ¡°You- Nope, not saying it.¡± ¡°Can we talk about that later?¡± ¡°Give me a few weeks to process that entire disaster of a story I heard. Does Adina know? Mom and dad?¡± ¡°You are the first I¡¯ve told.¡± He left out Marigold and Xol, they found out, but technically he didn¡¯t tell them. ¡°You told me before her?¡± ¡°Oh, I also got married. Legally at least. Yggdra said it would be legally useful.¡± ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°Our dear queen.¡± ¡°No wedding?¡± ¡°Once things calm down we¡¯ll have one.¡± ¡°Great.¡± They spent lunch making smalltalk and avoiding the awkwardness that came from the one two punch of finding out Dawn exists and then him calling her a failure of a leader. For the afternoon they had regular drills, but Harlan was participating. When they ran 50 laps, he ran 500. When they did push ups, Harlan did them vertically with one hand, pull ups the same. After most of a day of that, it was demoralizing for almost everyone. Then came practice sparring. And through fate, or rather the meddling of Hettel, Harlan ended up with Sam. Seeing what a monster he was, she feared the worst. In the blink of an eye, Harlan¡¯s sword was inches away from her. ¡°Don¡¯t freeze up with fear because of what I am. I¡¯m your teacher. Now, again.¡± She circled him and he matched her. When she struck he deflected. ¡°You are gripping your weapon too tightly.¡± Again. ¡°I¡¯m going to teach you aggression. Move forward as you attack, shift your weight from one foot to the other as you do.¡± Harlan deflected every strike. ¡°Faster.¡± Again. ¡°Faster.¡± Again. ¡°Faster¡± She couldn¡¯t move any faster, but didn¡¯t say anything. They went for a few minutes before he started counters, light taps that she missed. ¡°You are overly focused. You only nearly won that fight during the exercise because you stopped paying attention and you got hit from the side. Again.¡± . ¡°Straighten your wrist. You are also still gripping your sword too tightly and you are holding it too high on the handle. And lower it down some, don¡¯t they teach you any proper stances? Shouldn¡¯t Amber have taught you.¡± ¡°We¡¯re here because we fucked up at the normal camps.¡± ¡°Some people are not meant for normal. But I think you have good instincts and reflexes. Now, we will continue.¡± ¡°Where the-¡± ¡°Are you sure you want to continue that sentence?¡± Remembering the last time, she watched her language. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you be that nice before?¡± ¡°I was.¡± ¡°You punched me in the gut.¡± ¡°I warned you beforehand, all you had to do was not insult me again. Is Amber being too soft?¡± ¡°She¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Soft works sometimes, sometimes it doesn¡¯t. You don¡¯t like soft, but you hate hard even more.¡± ¡°Why do you think I don¡¯t like soft?" ¡°Do you want the soft or the hard answer?¡± ¡°Soft.¡± Harlan put up a veil, he didn¡¯t want to say anything that would get her hazed by the other cadets. ¡°However your life at home was, it has left you distrusting of kindness. So Amber has done nothing but coddle you because that is what her instincts are telling her, just like mine are. But that isn¡¯t her job, that isn¡¯t my job, and her weakness is going to kill both of you. You might as well give up on this entire thing if you can¡¯t get over yourself long enough to not drag her down with you.¡± ¡°I said I wanted the soft answer.¡± ¡°That was the soft answer. By the end of the week, I want an answer, stay or leave.¡± ¡°If I leave Amber flunks.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t my problem. We have more time, so I¡¯m going to continue to break you down so that you can be rebuilt as someone worthy of the uniform.¡± Harlan ate dinner in his own tent. Dawn sat across from him using the armor, just getting used to being a physical being again. ¡°You want her to fail, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°If she can¡¯t take responsibility for those under her, then she shouldn¡¯t be an officer. The higher she climbs in rank, the more people will be under her, and those are more people she is going to get killed.¡± ¡°You want to keep her out of the army so she is safe and you are trying to get that girl to leave the army so Amber has to come home until the base sends in the next set of fuck ups.¡± ¡°And if that was true, would it be wrong? We both know that she isn¡¯t going to get them to fall in line.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°She¡¯s sloppy, she thinks she¡¯s raising kids, but these are grown ass adults.¡± ¡°I admit, it isn¡¯t how I was trained, but we both know that it can work out great to build a relationship with others. Loyalty doesn''t breed through fear, remember?¡± ¡°Yet there are some people that cannot be made loyal, they can only be made to obey.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get all dark and gloomy on me.¡± Harlan got up. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°To discover something.¡± Harlan went into the mess hall. ¡°Cadet Sam. I¡¯d like to see you in my tent after your meal is finished.¡± Harlan finished eating and waited for her. ¡°You wanted to see me?¡± ¡°I know I gave you a week. But why did you join? Why are you still trying? Is it for the bonus that you get?¡± ¡°Army gives me free room and board while I¡¯m here. Nothing more to it.¡± Harlan placed a pouch on the table. ¡°This is 30 gold coins.¡± ¡°You are trying to bribe me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m giving you a real choice. If you want to be a soldier, don¡¯t take this. If all you want is the money, take this, go back home.¡± She fidgeted in her seat. ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking you, what do you actually want? Because I want good soldiers in the army, and you could be one, but you aren¡¯t one, and I don¡¯t think you can become one in the next month. So why bother staying, wasting everyone¡¯s time?¡± ¡°Because I can do it, and I¡¯m going to fucking prove it to you.¡± She stormed out of the room. ¡°Really? That was fucking low.¡± ¡°No. I got the answer I wanted. She has focus and anger, but she doesn¡¯t like following orders. I just needed her to make a choice, and it needed to be her choice.¡± ¡°You think some basic shit like that is all it¡¯s going to take?¡± ¡°Actually, yes.¡± Chapter 220: Sholl The last of the slaves were sent through the gates and now Harlan was just rampaging. He knew that as soon as he left he would need to shed this extra mass as it was too weak and would thus give him vulnerabilities while also pointlessly ballooning his size. So he figured he¡¯d raze the market to the ground while he could. ¡°WE NEED TO LEAVE.¡± ¡°THEN GO, I¡¯LL CATCH UP.¡± Harlan pushed Dawn through a gate and then went back to crushing the buildings and the soldiers that tried to stop him. D¡¯if and his men willingly went into the one he opened near them. Harlan put the lid on his rage, but now the steam made it rattle. Over the walls a banner flew, it was black with three concentric red circles, in the last circle was a left hand in white, with a gold pinkie. Once Sholl saw the bricks fly over the wall, he got excited about the prospect of stopping some monster from destroying a city and winning back favor with the emperor. ¡°I¡¯m going ahead.¡± ¡°Sir ple-¡± He traced a circle in the air with his pinkie and opened a gate-like spell. Sholl dropped into the city, but didn¡¯t understand what he was looking at. It was a six legged elephant bear whale drake something, big enough to tear down a house with a kick while the tentacles were slicing men in two before barbs dragged the halves back into its many mouths. ¡°By the emperor.¡± He traced sigils with his pinkie and a blade of gold energy appeared, it was triangular, and the gold after images contrasted his dark blue mythril body. Harlan saw this with his many eyes, but none of them could process exactly what had happened. He had never seen anyone draw sigils like that and he tried to match the movements with a finger of his own, but the result was just a formless black cloud unlike the pristine blade the Cast had summoned. Sholl grew fearful that what seemed to be a beast had instantly tried to mimic the sigil shown to him by Seraphallen, Right Hand of the Emperor, but more so because something actually happened when it did. He went to the mayor''s home in the middle of the city and spoke to the commander on site. ¡°What is that thing?¡± ¡°We have no idea, it appeared suddenly through a gate, survivors say it started as a man and spoke Godgiven with a few others. They started stealing the slaves and when we fought back he turned into a bear and he¡¯s been growing into that abomination since.¡± ¡°Evacuate the city, if that thing gets into the residential sectors, I fear what it might become.¡± ¡°Unlikely. It has just been destroying the slave market and most of our information is coming from civilians who it seemingly refused to kill, even saving some of them from falling rubble.¡± Sholl bowed in prayer. ¡°Emperor, grant safety to those who would protect our innocent from this horror, and grant strength as I join in defense of our people.¡± A wave of golden particles flowed from the gold veined white metal of his finger and across the city. The soldiers who were in Harlan¡¯s path of wrath vanished, ending up in the room with the Finger. ¡°Evacuate the city, I will attempt to wear it down. Have your fastest man take this key to the communion room, call for another finger, Helik should still be in the area, if not Arkhen may be.¡± While he wished for some glory, he put the benefit of the nation above himself, if the city was lost, it would be a great loss. A few hundred miles away in a clearing, Dawn, D¡¯if, and his men were all sitting. ¡°That fucking bastard.¡± ¡°Kid¡¯s just blowing off steam. Besides, what is the worst that can happen? He¡¯s an absolute behemoth.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not invulnerable and he¡¯s a fucking idiot. We barely know what the worst possible thing could be, and knowing him that is exactly what¡¯s going to happen because he¡¯s a fucking misfortune magnet.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be that bad.¡± ¡°He went for a walk in the forest once to look at foxes and ended up attacked by a mechanical wolf assassin. He went to a camp and ended up almost killing himself fighting a lich. He happened to replace a team member for a mission and assassins attacked and almost killed him. Everything he touches turns from simple into a nightmare.¡± ¡°Shit. Can¡¯t be that bad if he¡¯s still alive.¡± ¡°One of these days his luck is going to fail and he¡¯s actually going to die.¡± ¡°And then he has a half dozen more bodies. The kid explained that he¡¯s hard to keep down.¡± ¡°Just help me rally the new citizens.¡± D¡¯if just shrugged and got to work. ¡°I WILL NOT LET A MONSTER LIKE YOU HARM THE PEOPLE OF THIS EMPIRE.¡± Sholl dived toward Harlan, skimming across him, the gold blade cut through Harlan¡¯s blubber with ease and his tentacles weren¡¯t sharp enough to do more than scratch the surface of actual mythril. Harlan wasn¡¯t in pain, this temporary flesh has no nerves inside of it to feel pain, yet he let out a loud bellow which shook the ground and burst the eardrums of the Cast; yet so few pieces of the Cast actually mattered to their functions. Sholl felt minor discomfort but didn¡¯t stop his relentless attack that was really having no effect on Harlan due to the shortness of the blade and his rapidly sealing wounds. Realizing that the tentacles were useless now that the soldiers were gone, Harlan stopped making new ones, and instead large arms came from his back and tried to pull at the Cast. Yet as they got closer to him, Sholl stopped, breathing in the aura of golden light around him. When he opened his eyes again he moved beyond what any of Harlan¡¯s eyes could see and the arms had been reduced to mincemeat. But what Harlan¡¯s eyes could see was that his aura had slightly changed, some of its shimmer had lessened, and the wisps did not reach as high before dissipating. Harlan formed dozens of hands and tried to replicate the blade sigil again Each of them was slightly different, some were more or less solid, the shapes were different as well, some of them didn¡¯t look like weapons at all. Sholl meanwhile traced a new sigil, and Harlan began growing more arms, replicating the sigil as it was written. For Harlan the idea of spending over a minute doing hand movements for a single spell was ridiculous, even warmagic was 10, 15 seconds of movements and words before the rest of the time was waiting for the mana to gather for a minute or more. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Yet the results spoke for themselves. Harlan¡¯s paled in comparison to the beam only three feet in diameter which severed three of his legs before causing delayed explosions wherever it hit. Had he not tried to counter with his own beams, it would¡¯ve hit him at its full power, and this body would¡¯ve been lost entirely. Harlan downsized himself, a flash of steam blew over the area as he healed himself. The process of transforming mass into energy was not perfect, something was always lost, and in such a rapid use, that lost energy took the form of heat. Sholl believed Harlan dead, not realizing that he had slipped through a gate. Harlan was dripping blood, he only needed one arm to cast gate. Dawn ran up to him and grabbed his face. ¡°D¡¯if I fucking told you. Harlan, what was that?¡± ¡°Food, need food. Or meat.¡± Dawn returned shortly with deer slung over each shoulder. Harlan touched them, and the sigils carved into his bones lit up, though normally they went unseen, due to the partly grown left arm he had, a malevolent blood red came from the newly growing limb. Harlan slept for half an hour before he recovered. ¡°Honey, what happened?¡± ¡°Finger, left hand, pinkie.¡± ¡°Sholl, you got lucky, bastard¡¯s only had it for about half a decade.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen sigils used like that, I¡¯ve taken apart the ones that I know, but mine are for building up and breaking down, not fighting.¡± ¡°You can use God Touched Magic?¡± Harlan traced sigils with his hand, and a black beam hit a tree, though there was no explosion like what had happened when Sholl used it. From the outside, it appeared to be little different from the void. Material would be teleported into the mana stream, broken down, and the energy would then be returned to the planet for whatever purpose it was needed. Harlan could feel that whatever was hit by the beam was instantly converted into mana. ¡°You really can.¡± D¡¯if went quiet, Dawn spoke again. ¡°Are you ok? Can you use gate?¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s get these people settled.¡± When they finally got back, the first person he met with was Mercedes. ¡°I rescued another 3,000 slaves from a city.¡± ¡°Must¡¯ve been a slow day at the markets for the numbers to be so low.¡± ¡°Food first, then comfort, work last. I think most of them are in good physical and mental health, so it shouldn¡¯t be terribly hard to-¡± ¡°Do you think that I just whip up a thousand new jobs with the snap of my fingers? That I can just open a gate and grab blankets or put in an order at a restaurant and get cauldrons of soup started? Those people need to be processed, interviewed, and then we can think about what work they could do and where to put them. Not that we have enough empty homes anyway.¡± She pulled a stack of papers from a box which was sitting on the floor, ready to be put away. ¡°We also haven¡¯t even gotten through the items you raided last night yet, and that needs to be checked for tracking spells, anything that is rotten and might spoil the rest of it faster, it needs to be sorted so we can store the freezables in the freezing room and the grains in the dry room. You know what, no, just shut up and let me do my job.¡± ¡°Whoa, don¡¯t bite my head off. What happened?¡± ¡°Darrath has been coming here every 10 minutes, asking me where you are, and I keep telling him you will be back when you are back, and he keeps coming and disrupting my work, wanting to play. And I¡¯m sorting through inventory papers and requests to know what random bullshit you brought back should go where because we don¡¯t have rooms for a hundred boxes of instruments.¡± ¡°Do you need me to hire more people?¡± ¡°I need you to not vanish into the night, come back for a quick stop, and then run out again without explaining anything other than we have more shit we need to look through. And I won¡¯t hire anyone to sort things without trusting them, and I have everyone I trust already working under me.¡± ¡°Would you like some more golems? You can trust them.¡± ¡°Fine, if it makes you feel like you¡¯ve actually helped, then give me the reserve golems.¡± ¡°Done.¡± ¡°Ruling a kingdom isn¡¯t just fighting, it¡¯s all of the mundane crap you push onto me and I push onto everyone that I can.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t I stay then, you can show me what you do, and I can help.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather have Darrath, you can¡¯t stay still for more than 5 minutes before you need to train or research or-¡± ¡°I¡¯m very sorry to have disrupted your work.¡± Harlan did feel a little bad, she was right, he hated paperwork and he was only able to rule as he had because most of these people had nowhere to go and he had the strength to do whatever he wanted. Harlan tracked down Darrath. ¡°Please don¡¯t bother Mercedes when she¡¯s working.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t. I just asked when you were back.¡± ¡°If you keep asking again and again, that is bothering her. Did she ask you to stop?¡± ¡°I did stop.¡± ¡°And then you went back again?¡± As if some grand revelation had crossed him, Darrath put his hand on his chin and thought, it was something that he saw Harlan do, so he figured that is how people were supposed to think. ¡°Yeah, was I not supposed to?¡± Yet it was a facade, Darrath had learned nothing. ¡°When she asks you to stop, you need to stop and not do it again.¡± ¡°But I was bored.¡± ¡°Why not go out and play.¡± ¡°Joan was busy and I couldn¡¯t find grandma.¡± ¡°Grandma was with me. Why not go out to play with other children.¡± ¡°Joan said I shouldn¡¯t leave without someone watching me.¡± Harlan knew there was a rather simple solution, one which he had done once before. ¡°Do you want a pet?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°An animal that is a friend.¡± ¡°An animal I don¡¯t eat?¡± ¡°Exactly. And you can take it out as a guard, so long as you don¡¯t leave the town, you can go anywhere with it.¡± ¡°Oh, ok, I want one then.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make you one really soon then, but I¡¯ve got a few things I need to do. In the meanwhile, you can go out to play with the other kids in the Dague Quarter.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Harlan wanted to go to the interviews, process people, but he also knew that it would be a waste of his talents. Marigold paid a visit while he was building a temporary home, it would be several stories tall and made up of many small rooms. He had never been in one, but he heard that it wasn¡¯t abnormal for the large cities to have these apartments. ¡°Been a while.¡± ¡°You learned more sigils.¡± ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡± Her eyes lit up with a golden glow, and tattoos he never saw before reflected that golden light. ¡°I came here to give you a little warning. Sigils never quite act the same, everyone who learns them gets something different. They aren¡¯t entirely unique, but what you can do and what I can do is different.¡± She used the same beam sigil that Sholl used, but when it skimmed the ground all of the plants grew. Dandelions the size of dogs bloomed, releasing their seeds and then turned to large yellow flowers in a cycle three or more times before they settled on just being flowers. ¡°I lived my early life lusting after the plants that didn¡¯t grow in the desert. If they let me back in, I could set up oases, make travel easier, and get my people to be part of the world. But they reject that idea, because they are fools who think they can do everything themselves. But I didn¡¯t come here for that. ¡± She let out a long suffering sigh. ¡°I just wanted to warn you that once you start to pull apart that sigil, and the other, you aren¡¯t going to be throwing around beams or making weapons out of it. Don¡¯t be discouraged by how different the same spell might seem, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find out how to use them in a way that is only for you.¡± ¡°How is everyone back home?¡± ¡°Oh, you know, fine.¡± She could hear his heart rate spike and his breathing quick. ¡°Seriously, they are fine, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d worry so much over a simple statement. Yggdra is dead, Rosewell took over, Harlan spent a night killing nobles who refused to accept her rule and now they the ones who rebelled are hiding out in various fortresses across the country.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°And what?¡± ¡°The thing you aren¡¯t telling me because you know I¡¯m going to be upset.¡± ¡°Why would you think that?¡± ¡°Because you didn¡¯t say anything about my family.¡± ¡°Everyone but Ava forgave you. He is with Amber now, Dawn is getting a body, you got expelled from the academy. And¡­¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°Adina and him are married now, just legally, they didn¡¯t do the party.¡± Harlan sat on the ground and pulled his knees to his chest. When she heard him start crying she sat alongside him and held him. Chapter 221: Drang Joan sent a guard out to see why there was suddenly a jungle grown in the plain between the two walls. ¡°Your majesty. Commander Joan asked me to assess the situation.¡± He stood up, light magic reduced his puffy eyes, water magic to remove the snot. ¡°She is an honored guest coming to deliver news to me.¡± ¡°You may call me Lady Marigold. I do not intend to stay long.¡± ¡°Shall I return to the commander with a message?¡± ¡°I will have buildings ready soon, once the refugees are ready, they can come, but I need beds and other comforts to be moved in by golems.¡± ¡°Very well, your majesty.¡± He watched as the man hopped back on and rode away, finding an odd enjoyment in the mundanity. Harlan never really saw people ride horses much, soldiers rode them, but for him he had long since replaced the animals with golems and he could outpace them on foot, let alone if he flew. When he was back inside of the wall, Harlan went back to work on the buildings. ¡°Would you like some help?¡± ¡°If you would like to help, I won¡¯t turn you down. But I¡¯m not laying brick by hand.¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Marigold let out a golden aura not unlike what the Finger had done, and limbs of light came out of her to cast spells by the dozen. It began slow, but things took a rapid turn. He felt the ground shift up a dozen feet. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I like hill cities, these plains are boring.¡± With a wave of another of the hands concentric roads were paved around, separating the undeveloped outer walled area into clear districts. ¡°Xol told me about how cities were set up where he is from. Everything is set up in blocks, I¡¯m not sure about the sizes, so I¡¯m guessing somewhat. And the curved roads are more my style, I¡¯ve never liked square cities.¡± ¡°Please continue then.¡± ¡°Oh I will.¡± She rose from the ground, the previously unseen tattoos lit up so bright that it was impossible for him to keep looking; she was trying to prevent him from learning the sigils she was using. Spires of stone rose from the ground and split, the rocks held in the air became interlocked by roots, giving hardwood floors inside rather than cold stone. Trees sprung up along the walkways, in each cardinal direction land had been set aside for parks with fountains and simple jungle gyms for the children. The fields that were there suddenly grew to full, several cycles of harvest finished in just a few minutes, the vegetables and grains fell, ready to be threshed or simply picked up and sorted. When she fell back to the ground she stretched side to side and then twisted her torso. ¡°I haven¡¯t used such large scale magic in years, it feels wonderful to go all out like that.¡± ¡°That was¡­¡± ¡°Whoa?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll never get to what I can do, but I think it is good to show what someone truly powerful looks like.¡± ¡°Never?¡± ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m a creator. You aren¡¯t. Now, it¡¯s likely that if you had all these same spells you¡¯d be able to dig out underground structures by destroying, but you¡¯d never build buildings with plants and stone like me. I¡¯m the Champion of Aarde, that means I¡¯m master of the six elements and those that derive from those elements. One day, you shall be master of dark, just as Sepul is master of light. He would never be able to do what you can do either, these spells would likely make hardlight structures, but no permanent residences.¡± ¡°Amazing.¡± ¡°You keep your mind right, you see the wonder of magic, but sometimes a reminder is fun, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes, of course, this is incredible.¡± She giggled. ¡°Well, chances are you¡¯ll never see it again. Aarde doesn¡¯t like it when I play with power like this very much, but just this once to get you up on your feet, that¡¯s fine. ¡°Also, we want you out here.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°We should go somewhere more private to speak, why not while we walk through those new apartment buildings.¡± Harlan looked at rooms, they were certainly better than anything he could¡¯ve made on such short notice. ¡°Training. You were a big fish in an ocean inside of the veil. Out here you are more like a big fish in a large lake. But I¡¯m going to give a warning, there are sharks in this lake. The Fingers of course, then the Hands above them. In Lith you need to worry about the Stones and the king. I believe the one right now is Old Path, which might be an issue.¡± ¡°What about the emperor.¡± ¡°He¡¯s an Egregore now. He can¡¯t hurt you directly, but he can act through those that have his pieces.¡± ¡°Alright. What is that then?¡± ¡°He gave up parts of his body and entered a comatose state to become a thoughtform entity. a false god. But unlike the machine that made them, he can act as an actual god, granting power and miracles. Can you describe what his attacks were like?¡± ¡°He had a golden sword, cut through anything he used it on, once he stopped and then hit things that he didn¡¯t make contact with. And then a beam, it cut through me, flesh and steel. Then afterwards everything exploded, I barely got out of it alive.¡± ¡°Sounds like light and or fire aligned. I¡¯d say whatever you use isn¡¯t going to be quite so flashy, but because you are dark, light, and fire aligned, you are likely to unleash something that isn¡¯t easily controlled. When you start experimenting, do it far away from here, and if it gets out of control contact me, Xol, or The Darkness.¡± ¡°Magic doesn¡¯t self propagate normally, unless I missed that class.¡± ¡°If you light a piece of wood on fire, it will burn until it has no more fuel, if you light a fire with sigils, it might be able to use anything as fuel. Part of my job is to ensure people don¡¯t use sigils to make fires or plagues that never die out.¡± ¡°Like how I was sent to make sure someone didn¡¯t make a dragon that could breed more dragons, but if I made one, it would be fine.¡± ¡°Exactly, that is the difference between runic and sigil magic. So be very careful. She pulled out the black blade. ¡°You can have this back, it has served its purpose inside the veil.¡± ¡°No, give it back to him, he¡¯ll need it more than me.¡± ¡°I was hoping you¡¯d say that. Work on those sigils and you can eventually make something that far exceeds what that blade can do.¡± She pulled out her own white gold curved swords. ¡°These are the result of thousands of broken blades unable to contain the power of my sigils. I can¡¯t stay, there are many things out here that I¡¯m not supposed to do, but one day, when you are strong enough, all the champions and all of the servants of Aarde shall come together, and we shall strike down the false gods. Once that is done, we can finally remove the veil and you can go back home.¡± He shifted his body, growing to 9 feet tall, just to be closer in size with the other species outside the veil. ¡°I can¡¯t go back. I don¡¯t think I could take seeing Adina again, or her child, or mom, dad, anyone else.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find another love, but that first one will feel like the only one you could¡¯ve ever gotten. I¡¯m going to tell you what Cynthia told the other, have a kid, it¡¯ll take your mind off of everything. Granted you also won¡¯t have free time, they are needy and dirty and wonderful little bundles of joy.¡± ¡°I have a kid, technically.¡± ¡°Oh, can I meet him?¡± ¡°I thought you had to go?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, and it¡¯ll make it harder to leave if I sit and turn this into a social visit. I won¡¯t make you give me any promises, I think you¡¯ll be fine out here.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I can say anything else, I¡¯m not exactly excited about letting go either.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back, I hope it is sooner than later, I¡¯ll make sure everyone-¡± ¡°Just do what you can, that¡¯s what a friend should do. I¡¯m gonna miss these talks, gonna miss a lot of things.¡± She seemed like she wanted to say something else, but instead she sniffled and then gated back to her home. Harlan spent the next hour in the bathhouse, just floating around the hot water. Eventually someone realized it was Harlan and not some other 9 foot tall horned man with pale skin, and from there Joan finally found him. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Your majesty-¡± ¡°Just call me Harlan.¡± She leaned in close. ¡°There are others watching.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°Then Harlan, the new city, I¡¯d like an explanation. As well as your new body.¡± ¡°I took a form closer in size to the people out here. And the city is a parting gift from Marigold.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Right, you people wouldn¡¯t know about her. She¡¯s not coming back, so don¡¯t count on another city popping out of the ground.¡± ¡°I did hope that you found a powerful ally.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a good friend, but she can¡¯t help me. They want me to use this as training, eventually when the time comes, she¡¯ll be back along with the rest of the champions and her husband, but not until this is ready to all end. I¡¯m getting out of here, there is work to do.¡± ¡°What exactly? You don¡¯t really keep a schedule.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to visit the other nations around us, those who would accept it, I intend to invite to a ball.¡± Harlan called the slime that held his suit and armor inside of it to him; these had simple minds, which he could easily influence. ¡°Perhaps Mercedes should plan the ball.¡± ¡°She has enough on her plate. All a ball needs is wine, food, and people who think they are above the peasantry because they have a nice coat and enough money to make people follow their commands.¡± ¡°You should give this some more-¡± Harlan floated up into a gate leading outside, and Joan jumped through after him. ¡°Naked in the bathhouse is fine, but not outside in the woods.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t give me the chance to grab anything.¡± Harlan tossed his armor at her and it conformed to her body. ¡°Pleasantly warm.¡± ¡°The slime was just in the hot water.¡± ¡°We need to go back, there is a way to set these things up and surely you don¡¯t know how to.¡± ¡°There are seven nations around here that I will visit, I¡¯ll go to their capital, declare myself, and then demand a meeting when next available.¡± ¡°We still need to go back, ask Mercedes if she knows anything about these nations.¡± ¡°You said before that it was our age difference that bothered you. I¡¯m immortal, so really it doesn¡¯t matter much.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m giving up on Adina, I thought I had, but now she¡¯s married, it¡¯s over, I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested in some rebound relationship. And that isn¡¯t the issue at hand.¡± ¡°Well, my father was a persistent man, and that¡¯s how he got my mother, so I¡¯ll keep asking since I think I have a chance.¡± ¡°Your father also wasn¡¯t 12 years older.¡± ¡°We only have a gap of 8 years I thought.¡± ¡°As if I¡¯m telling you my real age.¡± ¡°I like mysteries.¡± ¡°We still need to go back.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel like it.¡± Harlan walked through a gate and she followed him because she had no idea where they were. They made their way to a town, and from there they forced directions to the capital out of the mayor. The capital city of Drang, in the kingdom of Drang, was¡­ a shithole. From the unpaved streets outside of the nobles district to the children starving and begging in the mud. He saw a child stab a man nearly to death for the bread in his hands. ¡°There is no need for that.¡± Harlan bound the child who didn¡¯t even have a shirt to wear in mud arms while he went to heal the man who had been stabbed. It didn¡¯t take long for guards to appear. ¡°I¡¯ve healed the man, the boy-¡± ¡°Are you registered for magic use?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°15 silver for disallowed magical use then.¡± ¡°This man would be dead if I hadn¡¯t.¡± ¡°If you cannot pay the fine you will be conscripted into the king¡¯s army.¡± Harlan suddenly remembered some of Sepul¡¯s stories about walking through the frontier. ¡°Does your commander know you are doing this?¡± ¡°Are you refusing to pay?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The guards pulled their swords out, and Harlan held them in place with telekinesis. ¡°Joan, we are going to see the king.¡± He thought back to Direhold, he was ready to slaughter every soldier there, but he held it together long enough to meet the count and everything was cleared up. This was not that. When he made his way to the king¡¯s throne room it was empty, so he made his way to the dining hall. The tables were lined with all manner of food, nobles dragged slaves around by chains, forcing themselves on the gagged people. The sight of it all, the contrast between this castle and the shoddy wooden shacks filled with half-naked children that were so weak they could barely stay awake. He didn¡¯t really remember what happened, but when he woke up, every inch of the room was covered in blood. He could feel Joan¡¯s mind, she was in a side room huddled together with the newly freed slaves. He knocked. ¡°Are you safe?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t come in.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Call in reinforcements, clearly negotiations have broken down, we need to conquer the kingdom.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Harlan made the call and a small army started to gather, waiting for him to open the gate. He walked the halls, occasionally finding some poor servant who was huddled against a wall or under a table. He had never seen so much blood, and he didn¡¯t find any pieces larger than a hand, but that didn¡¯t give him pause, no, what bothered him was that he didn¡¯t remember any of it. Harlan reached his hand out to a Faun who was covered in blood, this kingdom was ruled by them. He didn¡¯t reach back, he just begged to be spared. Harlan expected this, when he looked at his hand it had long black claws, then he noticed his entire body. He had bone sticking through his skin as a pesudo armor and compound eyes, giving him an appearance not unlike an Armaus mixed with a Praying Mantis. So he just kept going. When he stepped outside he saw the troops lined up, he could nearly near their armor rattling. ¡°LAY DOWN YOUR ARMS, YOUR KING IS DEAD, THOSE NOBLES WITH HIM ARE DEAD.¡± He stepped down the stairs slowly as he spoke. ¡°ANY WHO SURRENDERS WILL BE SPARED, THOSE WHO STAND AGAINST ME, YOUR NEW KING, SHALL BE KILLED.¡± The gate opened and a flood of golems came out. Due to his use of empathy, the soldiers were entirely paralyzed with fear. Just walking through the streets infuriated him, and the shadows around the city reflected this. He could not see through them, but eyes covered every dark corner, and the city, gripped in fear, fell without any more bloodshed. Harlan visited the other towns and cities of the nation, and found them in the same terrible condition. He never cared for the separation of noble and peasant, but he had never seen it in such extremes. He met them with the same brutality as he had their king, and rivers of blood flowed through the streets. Harlan¡¯s amulet lit up. ¡°Darrath, how are you?¡± ¡°Grandma wanted to know when you were back.¡± He had put up a clear veil around himself, he could still use telekinesis to twist his enemies like wet cloth or tear them apart. These people withheld magic too much, giving it only to those in the highest positions, it was really just a matter of time before someone crushed them into pulp, Harlan happened to be the first to do so. ¡°I¡¯ll be back by dinner, I¡¯m just seeing about getting some allies.¡± ¡°So you are talking?¡± ¡°Sometimes.¡± ¡°Why sometimes?¡± A man¡¯s head burst from the inside, Harlan used his pieces like shrapnel to kill several more soldiers. ¡°Bad people can¡¯t be friends with us, and I can¡¯t be friends with them, because they¡¯d keep being mean to people I¡¯m trying to help.¡± ¡°Oh. What are you doing?¡± ¡°Fighting so I can take the good people away from the bad people.¡± ¡°Oh, so I should do that too? I should do good things.¡± ¡°You are still young, I¡¯ll handle this.¡± ¡°What if you aren¡¯t around?¡± Harlan was conflicted, either he put Darrath in danger, because the boy didn¡¯t know how to fight or judge the strength of an enemy, or he said something he didn¡¯t believe. ¡°Find someone else, grandma or Joan or golems.¡± ¡°What if they aren¡¯t there?¡± ¡°Stay safe, you can¡¯t help anyone if you get hurt. Sometimes you should just look away.¡± Harlan felt a tightness in his chest, it was fundamentally against his nature to say something of that sort. ¡°No, you should always stand up for what is right, if you or I don¡¯t stand up for them, nobody will.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± He didn¡¯t seem to fully understand the weight of Harlan¡¯s words. ¡°I need to get back to work, but I¡¯ll be back, if you are bored go play or see if Joan can have someone train you.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± He hung up without another word. Harlan dropped the veil, the rest of the soldiers seemed to get the message that fighting him was pointless. ¡°Joan, you are going back, find someone who can teach Darrath the basics.¡± She seemed in a daze. ¡°Joan? Are you there?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, did you say something?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sending you back, find someone who can teach Darrath the basics.¡± ¡°Yes. Alright, that¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Are you ok?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, it¡¯s just¡­ that dining hall. You waved your hand, magic I don¡¯t understand, and those people fell apart.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember it. When I saw the slaves, the brazen displays of depravity, I lost myself. Did I look like me?¡± ¡°You looked like yourself.¡± She didn¡¯t want to mention that he had been crying during the attack. ¡°Are there more cities in this nation, or have I finished?¡± ¡°From the map we found in the capital, this is the last. But we are going to be stretched thin trying to hold all of this.¡± ¡°With what I looted from the vaults, I can make thousands more golems.¡± ¡°The real issue is that the people don¡¯t know how to be free, or even act like people.¡± ¡°I¡¯m immortal, I don¡¯t care if it takes a hundred years, I will set that place right.¡± Harlan dropped her off directly in her office, if he happened to see anyone, he risked staying and chatting a bit. Unfortunately, Mercedes was waiting for him. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you¡¯ve been having fun. But why exactly are we missing half of the golems? Including the ones you promised me earlier.¡± ¡°I got caught up in something.¡± ¡°Then get caught up in actually ruling this country like I said earlier.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to gather allies from the surrounding nations.¡± ¡°And what has that accomplished?¡± Harlan didn¡¯t want to admit it. ¡°It was a poor first choice, but surely I can find one of them that we can be friendly with.¡± ¡°So you went out and slaughtered everyone in your path and brought more problems to our door.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t problems, they are people, living in the mud because their wooden huts are barely standing and starving in the street.¡± ¡°They are problems, because we cannot handle them right now.¡± ¡°Maybe I can solve two problems at once.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°What better negotiation can I make than giving a nation over to another. I just need to find someone who I can turn the people over it.¡± ¡°Good, find time to delegate to someone other than me.¡± ¡°Where do you suggest we go next.¡± ¡°Redhaven, go there. I need to get back to filing papers and making sure nobody is stealing from us by double checking inventory.¡± Chapter 222: Camp Foreign 3 When Amber woke up, Sam was already getting dressed. ¡°I¡¯m going to run drills, want to tag along?¡± ¡°How long have you been up?¡± ¡°Not long. Catch up to me if you want.¡± She was out of the tent before Amber was ready, making her miss that she didn¡¯t have her golem armor or shifting suit anymore. When she got to the track, Harlan was running laps already, and Sam was clearly pissed that he was lapping her and had already started running when she got there. ¡°You¡¯re going to get a cramp if you don¡¯t stretch first.¡± With near comedic timing, Sam fell down, and when Harlan passed by he tapped her with a healing spell. ¡°If you are going to do this, do it right.¡± Amber got done with her stretches and then started to run, the three of them matched pace. ¡°Why are you up so early?¡± Sam looked at Harlan with scorn. ¡°Harlan, what did you do to my cadet?¡± ¡°I gave her honest advice.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been a real prick since you got here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been training them in accordance with military principles. Just because you are my sister doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not going to follow my orders. Sam, speed up if you intend to graduate.¡± ¡°Are you using her against me?¡± ¡°She came to me wanting to win, you¡¯re training a loser.¡± ¡°Fuck you.¡± ¡°Sam, do you believe you would¡¯ve graduated at the rate you were going?¡± ¡°SIR NO SIR.¡± ¡°See?¡± ¡°Sam, don¡¯t listen to him.¡± ¡°SIR NO SIR.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°SIR FOMORIA OUTRANKS YOU ARE INSTRUCTOR, THEREFORE I MAY LISTEN TO HIS ORDERS OVER YOURS WITHOUT RISK OF COURT MARTIAL.¡± ¡°Harlan, what the hell did you say to her?¡± He just kept running, and at some point he lapped them and then vanished into the morning mist. An hour passed, the girls were resting, they knew the day would start soon enough, but everyone else in the camp woke up to a loud bellowing sound. Barely seen was a large shape swimming through the deep fog. Over the announcement system, Enten told the cadets to gather. Once 10 minutes passed, the high commander spoke, but he also took note of those who failed to arrive. ¡°Today is monster subjugation. Sir Fomoria will be the monster, in this case, a sky whale, fog variant. If any of you have sailors in the family who¡¯ve been near the veil, then you¡¯ve heard of these things. Your goal is to find it, and then kill or capture it.¡± He looked over the crowd. ¡°I can see some of you are confused. Even if you did manage to kill him, he wouldn¡¯t die, so go all out, hold nothing back. Within military regulations that is. You have two hours, you will be judged by your ability to track, damage, and accurately report it. When a soldier reports a wolf the size of a bear, we assume it to be dire, and when we find what is only an abnormally large wolf far smaller than a bear, that means we¡¯ve wasted resources that should¡¯ve done something else. You will not fail if you cannot capture or kill him, but that would be an automatic pass.¡± Amber and her team were making their way through the fog, towards the sounds and the swirling mist. ¡°Harlan and I used to play with this, it¡¯s something our uncle told us how to do. We are going to feel the mist with magic, find out where movement based distortions originate.¡± ¡°It seems unfair that he would do a test that you both have experience in.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°He knows that I know, which means there is a trick.¡± ¡°Great.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to use warmagic, you three divine for other people, I don¡¯t want to kill somebody with this.¡± When the triplets all divined, they got different readings. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°All of you, cast north finding magic.¡± Each spell pointed in a different direction. ¡°He¡¯s got to be infusing the mist with magic to interfere with our divinations.¡± ¡°Follow his sounds then?¡± ¡°Is that a question?¡± ¡°Sir yes sir.¡± ¡°We will go with that for now unless someone else thinks of a better idea.¡± Sam had kept quiet, but it did bug her, so eventually she spoke up. ¡°Do you think that this should be a team effort?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°We are following their orders right now, and you lacked confidence when you went along with it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to teach like Harlan does. I¡¯ve seen what he did at the academy and I¡¯m trying not to be so prickly towards people.¡± ¡°I take it people often call you a bitch behind your back?¡± ¡°Oh, so you can hold back?¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°I don¡¯t think you are a cunt, even if everyone else does.¡± Amber was trying very hard to do what she just said she was doing, but she had a feeling that Sam knew exactly that fact and was using it against her. Harlan sat in a tree under a veil, maintaining the illusion of a sky whale moving through the mist along with other spells to make him hard to find. ¡°Do you think anyone is going to figure it out?¡± She was practicing speaking out loud. It wasn¡¯t like she had slipped up before, but Harlan pushed her to remember to watch her thoughts along with her speech. ¡°Unlikely. They don¡¯t know about sky whales and most people fall for illusions because they don¡¯t look for them.¡± ¡°Am I going too hard on them? I don¡¯t really want to break everyone''s spirits by making each test too hard to pass.¡± ¡°If you had done this when I was training I¡¯d love to see you leave so I could go back to the normal stuff. I hated how boring it was because I was a prodigy, but at the same time I hated losing so much that this would drive me up a wall.¡± Harlan just sat there and tipped his tea. ¡°You are weirded out because I¡¯m using first person when talking about Eliza, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°A little.¡± ¡°Do you think I could meet Elise next?¡± ¡°Once you are used to your body, and if you still think it¡¯s a good idea after a week, then yes, of course you should meet her.¡± ¡°Sepul?¡± ¡°I¡¯d give a 50/50 of seeing him cry or go red in the face with anger.¡± ¡°Guessing both. But why a week after I get used to my body?¡± ¡°Remember how Balor sends the men to the brothel after I enhance them?¡± ¡°Yeah, blow off steam.¡± ¡°Technically yes, but rather it¡¯s because of how I made recovery faster, I¡¯m rushing your body through a lot of processes. For a week you are going to want to do certain things with your body that-¡± ¡°Oh, so I¡¯ll fuck like a-¡± ¡°I know we had a talk about your breasts when making your body, but I don¡¯t want to hear about what you use it for.¡± She just laughed. Amber had lost everyone over an hour ago, when she tried to call out to someone, anyone really, they¡¯d answer only to not be where their voice was coming from. She was just sitting there, waiting to find someone. ¡°Hey.¡± Amber jumped up. ¡°For fucks sake, you can¡¯t sneak up on me like that.¡± ¡°I can. I¡¯m gonna call the test here in another few minutes, figure I should talk with you a bit.¡± ¡°Here to call me a failure again.¡± ¡°I hate seeing you like this, weak. Where is all that fire you had?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to keep a cool head because that is what a good commander should do. That fire, a lot of it just sorta went out when you got back. I spent years guilty and pissed off that I screwed up, and I dealt with that like you did by talking to Mary.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t just give up my anger though, I kept it separate from myself so I didn¡¯t burn up.¡± Harlan let out a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. ¡°I¡¯m breaking my word by telling you this. Pull some of that fire back out, kick the shit out of those fuck ups, and graduate.¡± ¡°Wow, it took you a day to do that, I¡¯m shocked you held back at all.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me shit, you¡¯re the one who fucked up to the point where I feel like I need to step in.¡± She punched him in the jaw as hard as she could, fracturing his fingers. ¡°Fuck, you need to enhance me so I can kick your ass again for being such a little shit.¡± ¡°Week to recover, but I¡¯ve set back materials for you already. If you graduate, you¡¯ll have a bit of time off and I can do it then.¡± ¡°When I graduate.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t say anything else, he just walked back into the mist, she knew enough healing to handle herself. Enten looked over the group of tired and dirty cadets, between the fog and the various arrays and the hour less of sleep they got, most of them ended up tripping and falling more than once. ¡°I HAVE NEVER SEEN SUCH A SORRY EXCUSE FOR AN EXERCISE. I HAVE RECEIVED NOT A SINGLE ACCURATE REPORT, HALF OF YOU WERE LATE, AND ALMOST ALL OF THOSE WHO SHOWED DID SO IN AN STATE OF UNREST. ALL OF YOU WILL BE RECIVING A REPORT ON HOW EXACTLY YOU FUCKED UP. SIR FOMORIA, DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS?¡± ¡°There was never any skywhale. All of you were chasing shadows, but there were correct answers on how you could¡¯ve dealt with the illusions that kept you all from finding your way. The first would be to blow away the fog, it would¡¯ve bought you a few seconds where divinations actually worked. Secondly, you could¡¯ve removed the arrays hidden around the forest and camp that were actually making the mist. Thirdly, you believed the test, part of this is to remember that sometimes you will get bad intel, and you must be able to recognize this as an officer. Your lives are not yours now, they belong to the state, and they belong to the men under you. Each squad here is made up to cover five important factors. A warder, a scout, a warmage, a combat mage, and then a jack of all trades. If you cannot use those you have, to get around my test, then you have failed to train your men properly. You are given a great deal of free reign here, because as you are being trained, you must also learn how to train. I am not yelling at you now because this test was designed by me to make sure you all failed, so I am not disappointed as the high commander. You are dismissed.¡± Enten invited Harlan to his tent. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want to share a meal?¡± ¡°What was the point of your exercise today? Other than telling the cadets that you believe them incompetent.¡± ¡°Footsoldiers follow orders, officers give them, and when the officers are too rigid in their thinking, the footsoldiers die. You gave them a task, and they assumed they knew everything they needed to know. Bad information kills everyone.¡± ¡°I half expected you to say there was another meaning on top of what you actually said.¡± ¡°My god is the god of lies, deception, misdirection, and a hundred other ways to say that you can¡¯t trust word she says, but I¡¯m better about it. I¡¯ll lie to a lot of people, but when I am trying to help, then I can be trusted at my word.¡± ¡°But if you were lying, then that is what you would say.¡± ¡°Enough preamble, what do you actually want?¡± ¡°Youth, power, everything else that someone who has served his country for his entire life desires.¡± ¡°Now, how would I give you that?¡± ¡°Flesh sculpting, you gave the king back his strength, short lived as it was, so I believe you can do the same for me, and many others.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call Rosewell, I¡¯m not doing anything for anyone without her say so. What I can do is dangerous for me, because people who are desperate for a handful of years to live will do anything, so I expect you keep quiet about what you think you know about what I can do.¡± Harlan got up and walked away. He sat in his tent, looking over cadet files, seeking out the ones who he thought he could actually help. Meanwhile he had his amulet on, waiting for Rosewell to have time to pick up between meetings and whatever else she did as queen. After an hour she finally answered. ¡°Harlan, I hope this wasn¡¯t an emergency.¡± ¡°The high commander asked that I use flesh sculpting to return his youth.¡± ¡°And what does this have to do with me?¡± ¡°I declined, saying that I¡¯d speak to you. What I would like is to offer this service only with your approval, as I think you are going to be able to find the people least likely to fuck over both of us when I do it.¡± She went silent for a time. ¡°It could be a good way to ensure loyalty, people know that if they stick around, they are in the running to retire with the body of a 20 year old.¡± ¡°Exactly, but there is something else. I want you to pull Redmond from service, I don¡¯t care how, and I don¡¯t care if he knows that I am behind it. Once it gets out what I can do, people will do anything they can to convince me to do it for them.¡± ¡°Then I will increase security for the rest of your family as well. I could always have Enten killed instead if he causes trouble.¡± ¡°If he threatens me, I will mention it.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± ¡°You know, you reminded me of your father there for a moment.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time for personal calls.¡± ¡°Sorry, I have nothing else to say. Thank you for your time, and have someone contact me to schedule the appointments once you¡¯ve had your people find the ones worth sculpting.¡± ¡°I will, but I likely won¡¯t give you a call for weeks. Those fortresses must have dozens of gate mages and they are constantly sending out raids.¡± ¡°Has Sepul said anything? Surely he could work on spatial locks.¡± ¡°He said that Cecht told him to stay out of the war, this is the fight of mortals, and you.¡± ¡°Sorry I can¡¯t be more help.¡± ¡°We might be able to pull back some of the traitors if we offer youth. Many of them are old guard left over from the 14th Yggdra.¡± ¡°I could also plant remote destruction spells when I remake their bodies, just in case.¡± ¡°I will keep you updated on that end then.¡± Chapter 223: Redhaven Harlan ate a late lunch, waited for Joan to calm down, and then went to Redhaven, specifically to the capital of Karmine. He arrived a quarter mile from the gate and shifted his clothes into something less conspicuous. There wasn¡¯t a line to get into the city, which Harlan found rather strange. As he got closer he saw the large white and red banners hanging from the walls depicting a white rose that dripped red. The larger gate was closed, the two guards, women in that same blood red armor and wielding red weapons like what he saw at the Nightwatchers castle, crossed their spears. ¡°Halt. State your name and business.¡± ¡°Harlan, I¡¯m just a traveler.¡± He could smell it in the air ¡°Vampires?¡± The women pointed their spears at him. ¡°If you wish to enter the city, the cost is a vial of blood.¡± ¡°Of course. Apologies for my oddity, I actually have a rather positive opinion of you.¡± He held his wrist out and one of the guards cut him with a dagger, using water magic to pull the blood into a vial and then a healing spell to close the wound. ¡°You must leave your weapons with us as well.¡± Harlan unhooked the simple sword from his belt and handed it to the other woman while the one who gathered his blood held up the vial. ¡°Your blood is odd, what are you?¡± ¡°Fomorian.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is. But you look like a pale Dague. Do you come from the east?¡± ¡°I do. But despite appearances, I am not a Dague. Might I ask what is wrong with my blood?¡± ¡°Black, full of dark mana.¡± ¡°Odd, I don¡¯t remember it being black just the other day. But I understand why it would be full of dark mana.¡± ¡°And that reason is?¡± ¡°I am the champion of darkness.¡± ¡°When inside of the city, you require a permit to start public sermons.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a priest.¡± ¡°Whatever god you claim to serve, don¡¯t bother others and there will be no issues. I will check you for more weapons, and if you have them, you will be detained. Would you like to declare anything else? That includes hunting knives, cooking knives, skewers, and meat forks.¡± ¡°I have nothing else that could be mistaken for a weapon.¡± She patted him down and then waved him through the door. Naturally he first looked for the slum, and so he asked another guard inside. ¡°There are no slums within Redhaven.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°How have you gotten to Karmine without visiting another town? Queen Carmilla ensures prosperity for all of her citizens.¡± ¡°She seems like a great leader then.¡± ¡°She is. Is there anything else I can help with?¡± He looked around, seeking information in the sights and smells. ¡°Are all of the guards vampires? And are they all women?¡± ¡°Yes to both. Does this bother you?¡± ¡°Not at all. Are you human? I mean, you must be if you are vampires.¡± ¡°Yes. It seems the only way for our kind to survive is with gifts, something able to put us on par with Cast and Goliaths.¡± ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ve not seen another human since I reached this place, I was beginning to worry they were all gone.¡± ¡°Any member of her majesty¡¯s service would be happy to answer questions such as this. We are Redhaven, and that means a haven for those who have nowhere else to go.¡± ¡°Thank you for your time, I think I¡¯ll find a restaurant.¡± ¡°Keep on the main path, and then take a right at the water fountain, you¡¯ll find what we call the feaster¡¯s row.¡± ¡°Thank you again.¡± After an hour in the city, everyone looked happy, nobody cared about the fangs that could be seen on many of the women. The people were well fed and when they bumped into him, or rather he them, they apologized and didn¡¯t make an issue of it. The one time he saw the guards in action the would-be thieves were apprehended through blood magic paralysis, but were otherwise unharmed. It was unsettling to him, nearly every day since he got outside of the veil he had seen, done, or heard horrible things. That this place seemed so nice meant there must be an issue underneath, like human farms or a cannibal market or something else. It was presently inconceivable to him that it was actually just a normal city. He spent another two hours invisible, almost getting caught by a few keen nosed guards before he realized he should¡¯ve applied scent cloaking as well. But he found nothing. The jail was a jail, they weren¡¯t executing the prisoners to harvest their blood. The orphanage was just an orphanage, there was no butcher room underneath and the basic education they received wasn¡¯t anything Harlan would call odd. The vampires didn¡¯t seem to have any power over the normal humans like a caste system, they just treated each other as equals. The only oddities were that there was not a single male vampire in the entire city as far as he could tell and that because of it being a vampire city there was always a lingering scent of blood, but the citizens seemed used to that. Finally he went to the castle and shifted his clothes to something more regal. Which for him meant his thick lab coat-like jacket, and a vest with a dress shirt underneath. His armor was shifted under his clothes, but it crept up around his collar so it was visible. The guards were better equipped, their armor thicker, their gaze firmer, and they wielded thick thrusting swords. Most striking however was their nearly full helms that were engraved with a bat face and opened around the mouth, presumably so they could bite during combat. When they pulled their blades on him, he noticed that they were hollow and had had many groves around the outside. ¡°I am King Harlan Fomoria, here to see her majesty Queen Carmilla, I do not know her last name, apologies for any disrespect, it is not intended.¡± ¡°The monster king?¡± ¡°I am unaware of any titles I may have gained.¡± ¡°He is said to be a shapeshifter.¡± ¡°I could prove that easily, but I also ask that you not attack me when I do.¡± One guard looked to another, Harlan assumed by the deference as well as the white rose pinned to her black taberd that she was the captain. When the captain nodded, Harlan transformed. He simply gave himself scales and claws, nothing overly painful for him or that pushed his limits. When the captain sheathed her sword, the others did as well. ¡°I will escort you inside, her majesty will see you when she decides so, and not any sooner, but she has been expecting you eventually.¡± ¡°I came rather suddenly, there is no issue waiting as a result.¡± He was led to a tearoom, and when the tea arrived, among the cream and sugar were also vials of blood. He could tell that one was human, but he couldn¡¯t identify the others. Harlan could tell that there were people hiding around the room, Gargoyles sat in statuesque stillness as above the doors and around the windows. ¡°Cream? Sugar?¡± ¡°Yes, thank you. Just one sugar.¡± Harlan took a sip, it was unfortunately a floral flavor, but he wasn¡¯t going to insult his host by not drinking. ¡°And would you care for any sexual gratification while you wait?¡± Harlan choked on his tea. ¡°No, thank you.¡± ¡°Am I not to your liking?¡± She untied the bow on her back which held up her servants outfit and it slipped from her shoulders, but before she revealed anything sensitive he used telekinesis to hold it up. ¡°You are a¡­¡± Harlan felt like he could barely tear his eyes away, his body wanted, but his mind did not. ¡°Very, very beautiful woman, but I have other reasons.¡± ¡°Oh? Would you rather I fetched a butler?¡± ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t mean any insult, but I am not comfortable with this due to you being a maid and me being a guest. I¡¯ve no interest in someone who may feel forced into it by her work.¡± ¡°I am doing this of my own will.¡± ¡°Still, I am not comfortable with this.¡± The maid shrugged and tied her bow again. ¡°Are you perhaps inexperienced?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I¡¯ve never laid with a woman.¡± ¡°Really?¡± She crossed her knees, rested her elbow on them and held her chin in a ponderous look. ¡°Though you are king?¡± ¡°What does my position have to do with anything?¡± ¡°Surely there are many women throwing themselves at you, and it¡¯s not like they could say no if one did catch your eye. Not to mention making an heir.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not like that. I¡­¡± Harlan realized what the feeling was, and rage came over him, but he tried his best to keep it inside. ¡°I will warn you this once to not mesmerize me again.¡± As soon as he used that word, the maid fled the room. Mesmerize was not something ever written about, and very few even know that it existed among vampires. It was a most insidious power, to subtly influence the mind, get someone talking, make them open to suggestions. Harlan discovered it when his mental sensitivity grew. He had been having a conversation with Wulrun and Selen demanded that he come to her, since it was time for him to leave and he had refused. He felt the effect on his mind by proximity, or perhaps because he was not the direct target, and thus it wasn¡¯t trying to hide from him. When he questioned her in private, she had no idea that she had or even could do such a thing, so naturally she asked someone higher up, who denied that it existed at all, but also said to never mention anything about it to anyone. Technically it was an innate empathy, it could be turned on and off, but only if one knew that it existed. While weaker as one couldn¡¯t choose to influence certain emotions, it was automatic, attempting to get a desired effect based on factors the user could not read or change. This along with it being only one way made it useful for many people, and Harlan almost lamented that his empathy required thought to actually be useful to him. Flanked by several guards, Carmilla Karmine entered the tea room in a lacy dress that flowed like an unnatural breeze was coming from many directions and colored with many shades of red. ¡°I have heard of you.¡± ¡°I dislike others trying to pry into my head.¡± ¡°My daughter is young.¡± Harlan raised a brow. ¡°Vampires cannot reproduce naturally, or so I thought.¡± ¡°Few things are impossible given time and trial. Blood magic is a powerful thing. Now, for you to have felt and rejected her power, you must have some power yourself.¡± ¡°I am empathic.¡± ¡°Oh, I thought I might need to force such information out of you.¡± ¡°I came here with plans of peace.¡± ¡°Yet you use the voice against my kin?¡± ¡°Do you mean when I put mana into my words?¡± ¡°I do not know that technique by any other name.¡± ¡°Her brutish assault made me lose control for a moment.¡± ¡°A man, insulting my daughter with such words? Are you not the brutish sex?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve met women who are brutes and dainty men. But I will admit there is some bias towards men in that way.¡± Harlan thought a moment longer as the queen poured cream and blood into her tea. ¡°And I should apologize for what I did.¡± ¡°Diana, fetch Camila.¡± She returned with the maid, who had since changed into a simple, or rather, simple compared to the queen¡¯s, lacy dress of her own in a single dark red color. Before Harlan could speak, she opened her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for offering sex, I simply wished to see you squirm.¡± Harlan suddenly had many blades pointed at him. ¡°I declined her offer. She used her mesmerize in an attempt to find out why I turned her down.¡± Suddenly the girl was blushing, but Harlan could tell she wasn¡¯t embarrassed, she simply put on the act as she used her hands to hide her grin. ¡°Withdraw your blades. It would seem my daughter has much to learn on how one should treat a guest. But I must also know why you refused her.¡± ¡°I simply put more weight on the act than some.¡± ¡°My, how chivalrous.¡± Each word oozed sarcasm. ¡°Whatever truth there is, I will not pry to find it.¡± She looked at her nails, checking for imperfections. Her laissez faire attitude touched a nerve with Harlan, but he was trying to let it go. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I am here to speak of my sex life, and I doubt you care much about it either.¡± ¡°This is true. What business do you bring me? I could use a bodyguard for her.¡± ¡°I offer Drang, all I ask is for trade between our nations be established as a start to our relationship.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested in fighting a war for the country of mud and inbreeding.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already won the war. Their leaders are dead along with much of their military forces. The issue is that I lack the manpower required to keep those places from falling into chaos or actually getting anything from them. It was rather spur of the moment.¡± ¡°So you accidentally conquered a nation, and yet I did not hear anything about it from my spies?¡± ¡°I killed the king, conquering the nation was the end result of finishing what I started.¡± ¡°I take it he did not want to trade.¡± ¡°I never asked. I saw men and women in chains being forced into depraved acts while nobles gorged themselves and children starved out in the street. It was all too much, and I could not stand the sight of it.¡± ¡°I will call my spies, hopefully you are telling the truth.¡± She left him in the room without guard, well, as alone as one ever was in this castle. He set his amulet down on the table and activated it. ¡°Mercedes, why did you tell me to come here?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve met Queen Carmilla before, I believe the two of you will get along once she gets past you being a man.¡± ¡°Is that likely to actually happen?¡± ¡°Are you alone?¡± ¡°There are Gargoyles in the room.¡± He felt them panic, but they did not move an inch, uncertain if he was referring to the masonry or them. ¡°She was not entirely unfond of my father.¡± ¡°Is there a story I should know about her hatred of men?¡± ¡°She is old, very old. I know myths, but she is likely the only person still alive who knows exactly why she hates them.¡± ¡°Perhaps it doesn''t really matter. How old is she?¡± ¡°1,500, 1,600. She told me that she was born under a blood moon, turned that night.¡± ¡°Interesting. I read in a book once about an infant who was turned under a blood moon, but they died at 1,000 years old. I believe it was a girl even.¡± ¡°A coincidence, how odd.¡± ¡°By its nature a coincidence is odd, or perhaps interesting.¡± ¡°Tell her that I am alive, it might gain some favor. But I do need to get back to my work.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making a mess for you, I really am.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± He decided to read what he could from the books around the room, many of them were books about Carmilla, and they showed that she really had been around a very long time. She returned after a few hours. ¡°Were you born in the Old Reinoan Empire?¡± She froze for a moment. ¡°That makes you the second oldest person I know. Interesting.¡± ¡°Second?¡± ¡°Xol, he is a lich, eons old. The one younger than you is Marigold, but I¡¯m sure the name means nothing to you. She was born before Old Reino fell, but was young.¡± Harlan carefully closed the book he had been reading and put it back into its place. ¡°I assume your spies told you that the king is dead and that the nobles are as well.¡± ¡°You left the children, they are just going to lead another revolt, because that is all that place is capable of. A new king every few decades just so another man shows what he really is.¡± ¡°Unless they are directly a threat to another, I won¡¯t kill a child.¡± ¡°Then you will lose the war. The Cast care not about morality, they will see what you don¡¯t do as a weakness, and they will send children to fight you or wear their broken bodies as shields. They are not uncaring for what is right, they actively understand and subvert what is right for the sake of mental warfare.¡± ¡°If they push, I will push back. I¡¯m not going to let others be slaughtered just because of something like that, even if it kills me inside. Mercedes wanted to let you know that she is alive.¡± ¡°Mercedes Dantes?¡± ¡°The very same, would you like to speak with her?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time to go on a trip. The Cast are still around the border, and as soon as they have a spare Finger I¡¯ll need to fight them off again.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t need to leave the room to speak with her.¡± Harlan touched the amulet, connecting it. ¡°I hope you are calling with good news.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here with her majesty.¡± She used a few spells to dispel illusions and try to find out how it worked, but even though she could understand that mental magic existed, that did not mean she understood its functions, nor could she access the crossroads herself. After a few minutes, she decided that it was genuine. ¡°Perhaps a partnership would be beneficial to us.¡± ¡°So you will commit some forces to Drang?¡± ¡°If you can provide soldiers to guard them.¡± ¡°With what I¡¯ve gained in their vaults, I could make thousands of golems. But that will take a few days.¡± ¡°Very well, three days time I will have my people ready. Will your escorts be ready by then?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll gate back to Kor once we¡¯ve finished speaking.¡± He could feel something change in her once he mentioned gate. ¡°Let¡¯s walk through my garden. Camila, come with us.¡± It was rather normal, he almost expected something like Blackstone¡¯s hedges which were cut to appear as battles between man and beast. ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°18 on the last day of the year.¡± ¡°Yet you¡¯ve gained your first truth.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always avoided gaining them, I hate feeling trapped in a choice.¡± ¡°I felt somewhat pushed into it, but it was for the best. I can hardly imagine not having gate.¡± ¡°Overreliance is always a risk.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve found very few places I can¡¯t get out of. And the magic outside the is¡­ I¡¯ve not been impressed by any mages I¡¯ve met so far other than the Finger I fought.¡± ¡°Have you beaten one? I killed the left pinkie before this one.¡± ¡°I fought the current one, but I have no experience in combat sigils, I couldn¡¯t block his attacks with what I have.¡± ¡°For now, I have other things which need to be done. We may discuss more at another time.¡± ¡±Very well.¡± Harlan gated directly out of the city, he didn¡¯t want to go directly to Kor due to the risk of showing Carmilla something he didn¡¯t want to. He thought it was very likely that as soon as he met her, she¡¯d realize it was her body double, and not the actual Mercedes Dantes. ¡°Farewell, Little Shadow.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but smirk. Back in Kor, Mercedes was resting, the paperwork had been finished. Harlan moved her to the couch in her office and got a blanket for her. Then he left through gate to avoid the sound of the door waking her. He thought to what he learned. Harlan never liked using his empathy on people, but he couldn¡¯t really argue with the results of mesmerize, nor with his own use to quell riots or otherwise stop a situation from escalating past his control. He called Darrath in from playing. ¡°Can I go back to playing when you¡¯re done?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± He crawled around the back of the chair, his head poked out from behind it. ¡°Do you not like sitting?¡± ¡°I like being on things more.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine when it''s us, but when other people are around, I think you should sit down.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because others will think you are rude.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because you are supposed to sit down.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Harlan hoped that he wasn¡¯t quite like this as a child, but he couldn¡¯t remember, the older he got the more distant those memories felt. ¡°Because that is what people decided is or isn¡¯t rude, and that¡¯s the way things are.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain when you get older.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± ¡°I called you in because I wanted to ask you something. If-¡± ¡°Ask.¡± ¡°I was. If-¡± ¡°Ok.¡± ¡°Darrath, how about you just stay quiet until I ask my question.¡± He nodded his head. ¡°Darrath, if I made everyone think different, but it made things nicer here, would that be bad?¡± ¡°I guess.¡± Harlan suddenly felt like a complete idiot, Darrath didn¡¯t understand anything enough to even give a childishly unbiased answer. ¡°Nevermind, just go back to playing.¡± Harlan gated him back to the Dague Quarter and then he flew himself to the top of his house. He knew Marigold¡¯s opinion on him using empathy on people, and Xol wasn¡¯t exactly a bastion of morality, so it wasn¡¯t worth it to even bother asking even if he did decide to respond to him. He felt the world around him shift. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯d give me any answers if I asked anyway.¡± ¡°I told you before that I would only defend you and your family from Fae, but other threats were not my responsibility.¡± Chapter 224: End of a Story It was near the end of the week already, then he¡¯d leave Camp Foreign behind. It hurt him a little when he saw Amber with her hair in a pixie cut like Sam. ¡°Why¡¯d you cut your hair?¡± ¡°For the same reason I¡¯m not being a hardass on my squad, I don¡¯t care what you think is best, I am carving my own path in the world.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably the most me thing you could say.¡± She opened her mouth for a moment, then realized he was right. ¡°Shut up. You don¡¯t own making your own path.¡± ¡°No, but I¡¯m still right. What¡¯d you come here for today?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to drop out, and I¡¯m taking Sam with me.¡± ¡°Good for you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to become an adventurer in the frontier.¡± She could see it written all over his face, he had a mostly hateful relationship towards their kind, and that hadn¡¯t ever changed. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just become a mercenary?¡± ¡°Nope. They are mostly out of work with the forever war over and the civil war at a standstill. The only thing they are good for now is for testing the defenses of the fortresses, and that is far from anything I want to do.¡± Harlan leaned back and interlocked his hands behind his head after a stretch. He loved his sister finding her own path even if he hated the path she picked. ¡°So, you want to go back and get your body enhanced now?¡± ¡°By the end of day my papers will be processed and we can leave, but you can keep up the training until then.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll probably need to wait until the full day is finished, I¡¯m not leaving early.¡± ¡°Fine by me.¡± As they stepped out of the tent, he felt the world still. Amber could hardly breath, a cold predatory feeling suddenly exuded from Harlan. ¡°You should rest, eat plenty of food, body enhancement is hard on you physically.¡± She didn¡¯t say anything, she just walked away, resisting the feeling that she should run. Unlike the other days, they would not start with one of his special exercises. So Harlan ran silently alongside the cadets, and then he sparred in silence. Everyone assumed it was part of him just being Harlan, that they were supposed to learn by what he did, and not just what he said. Dawn, though she could not read his mind anymore, knew that something was wrong, he wouldn¡¯t remain so silent to her. ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Are you ok?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Do you want to-¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°We both know that it doesn¡¯t help to bottle things up.¡± ¡°Just need to keep it together for today.¡± ¡°Alright, just talk when you want to.¡± Evening approached far sooner than he realized, there were large gaps in his memories of that day. He just remembered that it was supposed to end with a castle capture like the first day, but now he was sitting on the couch at home. He looked to his right and he could see Adina talking with Amber, but he just couldn¡¯t hear a thing. He gently brushed her cheek and she blushed. ¡°Yes?¡± Harlan leaned on her, he was stone faced, a dead look in his eyes, he hadn¡¯t said a word yet. ¡°What happened to Harlan?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, he was fine, then we stepped outside and hasn¡¯t said anything since. I didn¡¯t take part in the exercise, but apparently he just sat on the throne next to the flag and nobody dared go inside.¡± ¡°Is that why you are sitting so far away?¡± Amber had moved the couch from across the table to the back wall of the room and had to raise her voice to be heard. ¡°I¡¯m not even shocked that you don¡¯t feel it, you two are¡­ I don¡¯t really know what to say, but he wouldn¡¯t hurt a hair on your head.¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t hurt you either. Isn¡¯t that right honey.¡± He laid his head on Adina¡¯s lap, his legs stretched out and off of the couch. She didn¡¯t know what to say, so she just started brushing his hair with her hands. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll come out of this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried about what he¡¯s going to do before he does. He was fine today other than not speaking, nobody died or got dismembered, but I don¡¯t know how long it''s going to be before that does happen. Should we call Marigold?¡± ¡°I suppose we could, it is a little nice for him to just sit here like this with me. I¡¯ve barely even seen him since he got called away, but you are right, this is probably dangerous.¡± Marigold picked up immediately. ¡°What did he do?¡± ¡°He hasn¡¯t said a word, he¡¯s being stranger than usual. Did something happen that we should know?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t my place to say.¡± And she hung up without another word. ¡°That was ominous.¡± ¡°She already knew, she was waiting for one of us to call.¡± Harlan got up. ¡°Enhancement.¡± He opened a gate to seemingly nowhere, but really it was just a stop till he reached the bunker past the border. Amber was hesitant, but she went with, and Adina as well; she had never seen him do it before, and was more than a little curious. She knew that she had to be nude for the spell to not end up giving her cloth fused into her muscles, but it didn¡¯t make her feel better. Adina gave a thumbs up, which just came across as bizarre, but somehow calmed her some. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. It wasn¡¯t quite as excruciating as it once was, but Amber still hadn¡¯t experienced a pain quite like this. When the process was done, Harlan put her golem armor back on her, she didn¡¯t remember seeing him go get it, which left her a little confused, until she realized it was Dawn, not her own Armor. ¡°I have no idea what happened, he¡¯s just been like this. If it was a conversation in his mind, I would¡¯ve heard it. But I know The Darkness can seemingly just pause time to have a private conversation.¡± ¡°What can we do? He¡¯s like a silent bomb, I don¡¯t want to see what happens when he explodes.¡± ¡°Just keep him close to Adina, he¡¯d never let her be caught in the blast.¡± ¡°That¡¯s comforting, but also makes me feel shitty that he¡¯s so attached to her.¡± ¡°He has some unresolved issues with intimacy.¡± Harlan then grabbed another chunk of wyvern flesh and brought it to another table to start making Dawn¡¯s body. It was strange seeing bits of bone and meat turn into a beautiful woman that the two didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°Harlan, who is that?¡± Adina was hoping it wasn¡¯t something truly bizarre like him making a new maid to replace Sara. ¡°Honey, I need a little bit of your soul.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± It always threw Amber for a loop when he made some insane demand and people went along with it, even if she did understand that the request was something that was relatively normal for him. The body twisted and seized and shuddered, when it finally calmed down Harlan took his armor from Amber and gave her a blanket that she nearly instantly tore holes in due to her newfound strength. ¡°Dawn, you can go now.¡± The armor slipped over the body, but left the face uncovered. Her eyes fluttered open and Harlan poured a tonic down her throat, he expected her to be hungry. She coughed and turned away, a light swat shattered the glass, but no shard could pierce her skin. ¡°Give me some warning next time you start pouring shit down my neck.¡± ¡°Adina, do you want this as well?¡± ¡°Not today.¡± ¡°Adina, watch Dawn.¡± Harlan went through a gate, leaving the three of them there. Amber was worried he went to kill something, or worse, somebody. ¡°Dawn, where is he?¡± ¡°You expect me to know? And stay back, we¡¯re both full of certain emotions and-¡± Dawn fell to the ground, she almost forgot the familiar pain of period cramps, and that these ones would be worse because of Harlan¡¯s process of rushing new bodies through all sorts of feelings. Amber dropped her blanket to catch her, all sorts of feelings came over both of them when they touched. ¡°Just cramps, please, step back before we¡­ Oh, that feels strange.¡± She ran her hands up Amber¡¯s arm and onto her face. Then golems entered the room and separated them into rooms with work out equipment both to let them work out the feelings they had somewhat, and to help them understand how powerful they were. Amber was someone who didn¡¯t feel a powerful drive to procreate, and thus she would be able to work out her energy, Dawn, or rather, Eliza, was never one to hold herself back when she desired something. Adina had the entire process explained to her before, and had some idea of what the two of them were feeling, so she just went to explore the bunker, since Harlan hadn¡¯t ever taken her there before, but she had heard about it from him. When she found a bolt of good wool she decided to take out her tools and knit. Harlan sat on the ground outside of the meeting room where Rosewell was. Safira was naturally standing guard outside. ¡°As Queen¡¯s Blade, you should stand up.¡± She disliked his ignoring her and grabbed him by the arm to pull him up. He didn¡¯t resist, and once he was up he stayed perfectly still. While she could feel that aura he put out, she simply wasn¡¯t afraid of what he could do. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t have any ill intent towards your queen.¡± He was like a doll, just staying glassy eyed and still. When the meeting let out Harlan locked eyes with one man who he felt was full of anger towards Rosewell. The man fled at the sight of him, fearing he would be executed right in the hall. ¡°You did not tell me you were coming, I assume there is something sensitive, step into this room and I will turn the arrays back on.¡± He sat across from her, Safira remained outside, Rosewell thinking that it was best she wasn¡¯t there to make some insulting statement and set Harlan off. ¡°You can call off your men, Redmond-¡± The words caught in his throat like vomit, every fiber of his being was terrified to continue. Rosewell understood, he had missed his check in three days ago and they hadn¡¯t been able to locate him since. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure they bring back his body for a proper burial.¡± ¡°Can you¡­¡± He choked on his words and burst into tears. ¡°I¡¯m not strong enough to tell them.¡± He felt another mind behind him, her arms reaching towards him. Instead of a merciful death, he found a blade handle pointed towards him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss, and I know it would be pointless to try to stop you.¡± ¡°Dawn and Amber, please watch them, just for a time.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± With a tap, Harlan was suddenly thousands of miles away. Rosewell was a busy woman, but Harlan had asked for someone to tell his family, and she thought it would be fine to push some things back. Had Yggdra still been king, he would¡¯ve poked and prodded, subtly telling her that she needed to do it to curry favor, but she was doing this because she actually cared for Harlan. She arrived at the farm in a black dress, Safira had a black cloak over her armor. ¡°Oh, your majesty, to what do we owe the honor?¡± ¡°I think it would be best we spoke inside.¡± ¡°Right, of course.¡± ¡°Are any other members of your family here? It would be best for them to come as well.¡± ¡°Just Harlow and I.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Aida felt something was wrong, but her mind didn¡¯t let her linger on those thoughts. She put on one of Harlan¡¯s self boiling kettles and got Harlow into the living room, he had been putting James to sleep for the night. Aida didn¡¯t really hear anything Rosewell said, she just fidgeted in her seat. Harlow played her rock, he just kept patting her shoulder. The only sound inside of the house was the screaming of the pot until Safira shut it off. ¡°Your majesty, you¡¯ve informed them, we should see Lady Autumn before she requires waking.¡± ¡°Aida, Harlow, will you be alright?¡± ¡°She¡¯s going to need time, there¡¯s nothing you can do.¡± ¡°Should we bring you to Redwall?¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± Safira opened a gate in an instant. Autumn slammed down her fist, taking a large chunk from the table in front of them, breaking three fingers, and filling her hand with splinters. ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Uncle Redmond got hurt, he isn¡¯t coming back.¡± ¡°But we get hurt, and we get better.¡± ¡°Uncle Redmond isn¡¯t coming back ever again.¡± The children were too young to really understand, so they just clung to their mother¡¯s legs. ¡°I brought your mother and father, but we can¡¯t seem to locate Amber.¡± ¡°She was staying with Harlan. Ava is¡­ she¡¯s probably training. I¡¯ll go get her.¡± Autumn tried to stand, but found her legs had grown weak. Jaramis grabbed her. ¡°I¡¯ll go get Ava.¡± ¡°She¡¯s going to fight, drag her here if you need to.¡± Ava¡¯s face distorted and covered with tears and snot, despite what Autumn believed, she simply broke down and clung to Breken like an infant until she saw her father. ¡°I¡¯ve tried to reach Harlan, but Marigold sent him away. Safira, bring Countess Blackstone here. And if she asks, her children as well.¡± When she saw Safira, asking her during the night to visit with the rest of the Fomoria family, she knew what had happened, she was already aware of him missing his check in, because even if he missed that, he always called her as soon as it was safe, and he missed that as well. Blackstone didn¡¯t want to go, and Safira verified that she was allowed to do so. Once she was gone, Blackstone ordered her butler to grab a bottle of whiskey from the basement. She stared at the bottle for over an hour, and as she reached for it finally, a maid knocked. ¡°Lady Blackstone, Tenebria has awoken and we cannot get her back to sleep, she¡¯s been crying near an hour. Should we wake the doctor?¡± ¡°No, just bring her here.¡± As soon as her daughter was in her hands, she felt that gnawing thirst fade away, and Tenebria stopped crying, and Blackstone started. Adina stayed at the bunker, her relationship with Redmond was questionable, even if he was friendly, she didn¡¯t think he had completely gotten past her being a Reinoan, and it ate at her that she didn¡¯t try harder, that she never could try harder now. Marigold would bring Amber back only after rushing her through the entire process of adjusting to a new body, it was Harlan¡¯s magic, sigils used in a certain way, modified and unique to him, but she had studied it and refined it beyond what he had. Ava sat with her older sister. ¡°Where the fuck is Harlan?¡± Chapter 225: Funeral Harlan spent the last two days observing the wyvern, a Razorwing. They flew low to the ground with their thin and flat bodies, cutting down anything in their path using their organic metal scales. They were rare, not only because they were fiercely territorial, and thus wouldn¡¯t leave their lands no matter how outmatched they were, but also because they had scales of unique magical metal, which could be melted down and forged like any other. While the bones of a Stone Drake were to an extent like an organic stonesteel, they were still brittle like bone, and they still needed to be sharpened, not forged. One morning he saw it stretch at dawn, looking as if it had skewered the sun itself on its lance shaped head while its massive 500 feet wingspan darkened the landscape, like it was denying light to those under it. It was beautiful, but Harlan couldn¡¯t see that, not now. The battleground was a plain, at least a dozen miles from its center to anywhere else. It had a few hills, but nothing big enough to consider, it had creeks, but no rivers. Not enough water to be a swamp, not enough trees for a forest, and not enough hills to have peaks and valleys. He understood how Redmond failed to get away. When he had that thought, as if it was his fault that he got unlucky, that he ended up in a shit spot of the world without backup, he felt sick to his stomach again. He crept to the nest, it was a female, and it had a clutch freshly laid. He had little idea if Razorwings were a species that was smart enough to understand familiar loss, but he hoped it was. He opened a gate to a dug out area a few hundred miles away, he didn¡¯t want anyone else to get these eggs. On the way out of the hole in the ground, he encountered another mind, one that was known to him. Harlan rushed down the tunnel, one that was likely dug back when the beast was far smaller, and it couldn¡¯t have followed the path as it was now. Halfway to the dead end he found him. ¡°Hey, Cu, you remember me, right?¡± Harlan held out his hand and the dog smelled it, then growled, Cu never did like Harlan much. ¡°You do remember me then. I¡¯m-¡± He was overwhelmed, even with so little emotion left, he couldn¡¯t help but be choked up. ¡°I¡¯m glad you are ok.¡± He hugged the dog that now stood as tall as his hip. Cu led Harlan down the tunnel, the cold had preserved Redmond¡¯s body well, and Cu was emotionally intelligent and loyal enough that he didn¡¯t try to eat him, even if he looked to be starving himself. Harlan opened the gate and cracked one of the eggs open, it was nearly as large as the dog, and Harlan felt like Cu knew it was the egg of that wyvern and got some pleasure out of it. It took a day, but he decided. Redmond¡¯s body needed to get home, first and foremost, Cu needed to get to Blackstone, he was her dog now, and a link to his uncle and her husband. Harlan wasn¡¯t going to hunt it, not yet, he saw the Razorwing, he heard it described. A thousand year old magical creature, it didn¡¯t matter if it was an ant or a wyvern, magical creatures never seemed to stop growing stronger, though at a rate lower than most people would if they really trained other than the jumps in power caused by evolutions. But he understood his enemy, and he marked the area. Wyverns were opposites of drakes in many ways, one of them being that they were not often roamers, they found a spot, settled down, and only left if something made them leave, but this thing was the apex of its environment. He landed on the doorstep of the Blackstone mansion, the guards reacted instantly, and Harlan did as well. After they got a look at him, and at Cu, who Harlan held in his arms, they apologized and he put them back on solid ground. ¡°Is she here?¡± ¡°Sir Fomoria, wrapped in that blanket, is that¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s him.¡± ¡°She hasn¡¯t left the nursery since she heard the news.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Harlan had cleaned and healed Cu before they arrived, she didn¡¯t need to see his missing front paw or his fur matted with blood. Onyx and Ebon stood guard outside of the nursery, and recognized the dog instantly. ¡°Cu, how did you-¡± Then they looked up and saw Harlan, and then the wrapped thing next to him. ¡°I will take his body, please, see mother, she¡¯s¡­ you know her enough.¡± Onyx walked away with Redmond, Ebon hadn¡¯t said a word. She enjoyed having a father around again and spent the months when he was back at this mansion instead of her husband¡¯s, but she was not unknown to loss, and Redmond was more a man her mother loved than a father to her. Harlan stepped inside with Cu. The dog licked her fingers. ¡°Cimmeria. How are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only avoided drinking myself to death because of my children. How are you?¡± ¡°If I didn¡¯t have the ability to turn down my emotions I might¡¯ve fought the wyvern that killed him and died several times. Can I have that?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Harlan opened the bottle of whiskey that was sitting at her feet and downed the entire thing. ¡°You are going to damage your liver.¡± ¡°I took mine from a species of frog that eats poisonous toads, my heart from a drake, lungs from a Red Wailer. I¡¯m not even a person, just bits and pieces of monsters in the shape of one.¡± He looked at his hand that held the bottle, switching from scales to the sandpaper like shark skin to translucent. ¡°And that is why I love you.¡± She pinched his cheeks. ¡°I brought back his body, Onyx took him away.¡± ¡°How did he die.¡± ¡°Razorwing, the plain he was in, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. He made his way into a cave, but it was the wyvern¡¯s nest. He got away, but he was hurt. How is everyone else?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I haven¡¯t seen them, I¡¯ve ignored their calls. My children are all here, they matter to me.¡± ¡°Should I leave Cu here?¡± ¡°The children like him. You should see your family.¡± Harlan saw her face twitch and now and then, especially when he drank the whiskey, she was barely holding together, and chances are everyone but her knew it. He left behind three of the wyvern eggs. Before anywhere else, he went to the bunker. Dawn had been there with nobody but Adina and the golems. ¡°Fuck, I was about to start grinding on the fucking furniture, why¡¯d you leave us behind?¡± ¡°Redmond is dead, I spent the last three days thinking about how I¡¯d hunt the wyvern that killed him, but I decided not to.¡± She broke down in tears, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know, I didn¡¯t-¡± ¡°It was better you didn¡¯t. Did Marigold come by?¡± ¡°Sh-she gave us food and blankets and, and, she, FUCK, I should be there for you, I¡¯m still a terrible mother.¡± ¡°You were never my mother, but you¡¯ve been a great friend anyway.¡± She squeezed him so hard his back began popping, but he wasn¡¯t in any danger of being really hurt. ¡°Adina, we¡¯re going home, and Dawn is coming with us.¡± ¡°Alright, but who is Dawn?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I don¡¯t want to explain this again, so we¡¯re going to wait a month, give everyone time to grieve, then I¡¯ll tell you all.¡± ¡°Fuck that, I¡¯m the ghost of his mother who he pulled into his body by instinct as an infant. It¡¯s not that hard to explain.¡± ¡°If you want to be blunt yes, but look how Amber reacted. I¡¯ve spent plenty of time talking shit about Eliza to my family, if I just say you are the ghost of my mother they are going to assume you are as bad as she was.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, if you are doing this for her then she must¡¯ve changed. Plus you aren¡¯t calling her Eliza. I¡¯m a lot more worried that you are being so¡­ ok with this.¡± ¡°With what?¡± ¡°I know you liked Redmond a-¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to handle this a day at a time, an hour at a time, every single second, I¡¯m going to handle this.¡± ¡°We both know you aren¡¯t.¡± Adina grabbed his arm. ¡°But I¡¯m going to be here to help you handle it when you can¡¯t.¡± Harlan gated to his home, he intended to leave her with Balor, but he wasn¡¯t there. The only person home was Isha and the new maid, they¡¯d been through a few of them, and he was afraid to ever get close to them even though Isha was spending less and less time at home as it got closer to her wedding. ¡°Harlan, how are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m already tired of people asking how I am.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you are, but I need to ask.¡± ¡°I¡¯m handling things. Where is Balor? I was going to leave my friend here in his care.¡± ¡°I could watch her, another body enhancement?¡± ¡°Full body.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure she is ok, I¡¯ve dealt with plenty of them before.¡± She fully equipped her golem armor, startling the young girl who was helping and hadn¡¯t realized what her superior could do. ¡°She¡¯s also pent up, so avoid skin contact. I¡¯d send her away like the others, but I¡¯m afraid she¡¯d kill any man who tried her, she¡¯s much stronger than those I enhanced before.¡± ¡°I¡­ I will watch out for that then.¡± ¡°Has Amber been alright?¡± ¡°Physically, she has, they understand what she went through. But everyone is just¡­ they¡¯re how you are pretending not to be.¡± ¡°They are all at Redwall then?¡± ¡°You not being so upset is scary.¡± ¡°Dawn, just rest, do whatever you need to do, call me if you need anything.¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll take your room.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather you didn¡¯t, because I know what you are going to be doing.¡± She hugged him. ¡°I¡¯m just fucking with you. But really, I¡¯m worried like Isha and Adina, you explode, keeping it inside isn¡¯t going to make it better, it just means there will be more shrapnel.¡± Harlan gated away without another word, taking Adina with him. The guards at Redwall all wore black mourning cloaks. ¡°Sir Fomoria, your family is-¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have bothered you then.¡± He was wearing his armor minus the helmet, he shifted his clothes to give himself a morning cloak instead of his usual jacket. He looked ready for a battle, and he¡¯d rather relieve the start of the civil war than step inside of the room with the rest of his family. Harlan made his way to the dining room, it was time for lunch, but there wasn¡¯t much conversation or eating. His mother came up and hugged him. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure you¡¯d be here.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t miss it.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve missed plenty of family dinners, nothing wrong with another one.¡± Harlow looked at him, pleading with his eyes. That his mother looked so well made Harlan understand. ¡°I hope I don¡¯t miss more of them.¡± There was a twitch in her not unlike Blackstone¡¯s, an odd stutter to her step sometimes instead of a movement of the face. Then Ava came, dragging him away from the room. She put up a veil out in the hallway. ¡°Where the fuck were you?¡± She was barely keeping it together, but she was facing the loss unlike their mother, and a few days passing gave her time to process some of it. ¡°I got his body, I was planning to kill the wyvern.¡± ¡°Is it dead?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s old, powerful, I need to get stronger before I go back for it.¡± ¡°Take me with you, I can¡¯t fucking sit here another day, please, I-¡± She slid down the wall. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be here anymore, I don¡¯t want to just sit and talk and cry, I¡¯m fucking done crying.¡± ¡°When is the funeral?¡± ¡°We were planning two days after you got back, if you got back.¡± She ran her hands across the carpeted floor and kept her head down, she didn¡¯t want to meet his eyes. ¡°I forgive you. You know that, right?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t ever mad at you for hating me.¡± ¡°I thought you were going to die, and that¡¯s been keeping me up at night, I haven¡¯t slept since¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to die. I pro-¡± She slapped him, his sensitivity to pain was mostly dead, but he felt it. ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking dare. Redmond, he said that once, I was young, I didn¡¯t even remember it until everything happened.¡± ¡°How is Lugh holding up?¡± She didn¡¯t wear him on her hip, but rather he molded himself as an extra layer of armor on her right arm. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± He was a snakelike limb of metal rising from his sister¡¯s arm. ¡°I¡¯m scared, I¡¯m really scared. Sara, Redmond, I don¡¯t know who, I¡¯m scared.¡± ¡°Just keep an eye on Ava, you¡¯re her brother, that means you need to make sure she doesn¡¯t do anything stupid.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t stop you either, because I left, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to be, you and I, we are still family, even if you don¡¯t like what I do sometimes.¡± ¡°We should go back, see mom. She¡¯s not doing well.¡± ¡°I saw, she can¡¯t accept that he¡¯s gone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m scared she is going to do something.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on her.¡± Lunch was quiet, but what Harlan found odd was that Sable and Piceous had come to stay at Redwall. ¡°How are you two?¡± ¡°Mother isn¡¯t doing anything but holding Tenebria. She¡¯s not really there, Ebon and Onyx are just babysitting her. Redmond was a good man, I wish we had more time to know him.¡± ¡°I brought him back, found his body. I found Cu, he¡¯s back at your home, he¡¯s alive, needs a few days to get back in shape. Found him in a cave, right next to Redmond, I think he was guarding his body.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, Cu is a good dog. After the¡­ after things are done, could you bring me back to the academy?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that we never got close.¡± ¡°We still can. Did they decide on what will be served at the funeral? Because I brought back a clutch of Razorwing eggs, I don''t know if they taste good, but they¡¯d taste like revenge at least.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure the chefs find out how to prepare it right.¡± She tapped on the table, unsure if she even wanted to ask. ¡°Did you kill it?¡± ¡°I know where it lives, and they don¡¯t leave their lands unless something pushes them out. It¡¯s a matter of time.¡± ¡°I would like to be there when you kill it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not risking anyone else''s lives on this. If I die, I have another body to replace me, if you die¡­ I¡¯m not discussing this.¡± She tried to keep the conversation going, but he just ate his meal and then sat still. Harlan didn¡¯t know what to do, everyone was once again gathered in the tea room, telling stories about Redmond. ¡°And then he comes running into the house with a boar on his shoulders, but it¡¯s still kicking.¡± He was blacking out, like he just wasn¡¯t even there anymore, a dreamless waking sleep. He didn¡¯t want to research anything, he didn¡¯t want to build, and the object of his ire was alive out there, but he couldn¡¯t do anything to it yet. He didn¡¯t know when he got back home, he was laying in his bed staring at the ceiling with moonlight beaming in through the windows. Adina shifted next to him, she¡¯d been using his arm like a pillow and own shifting woke her. ¡°Are you awake?¡± She sat up, he was relieved to see her in a nightgown. ¡°What time is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, just go back to sleep.¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re married now.¡± ¡°There was no wedding yet.¡± ¡°I know, but Marigold told me what her¡¯s was like, Xol gave some speech that was standard where he is from. Through better and worse, rich and poor, sickness and health. This is a worse time, so if you want to talk, let¡¯s do it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember most of today. When did we get back here?¡± ¡°After dinner. Then you raided the cabinets, drank a few bottles of wine and whiskey. When you got up here you were crying that you can¡¯t even get drunk anymore with your new liver. Then I pulled you into bed and we went to sleep.¡± ¡°Did I do anything of note?¡± ¡°Your mom talked at you for hours, I think she just wanted somebody who wasn¡¯t going to tell her the truth. But you just sat there, didn¡¯t say anything, just squeezed my hand every now and then to make sure I was still there I guess.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go back to sleep.¡± Harlan was present for the funeral, technically at least. It was a not exactly public event, but it wasn¡¯t small and private like he would¡¯ve wanted. So he left a spare body while the family had an actual private event at the farm. He felt far more comfortable surrounded by farmers than nobles; he knew that any poor comment would leave bodies in his wake. ¡°Just this last summer, he was passing by and helped me put in new fence posts. That¡¯s the kind of man he was.¡± ¡°He helped me put a near wheel on my cart when it was pouring rain.¡± He heard dozens more stories like these, to and from the farm he would run into people, and if they needed help they got it, and he never asked for anything in return, often getting paid in a few vegetables or meat if they had it. If he didn¡¯t have an inhuman body he might start to tire out from all of the hand shaking, but his body didn¡¯t help how tired he felt of hearing these stories. He knew Redmond was a good man, he remained a ranger when he should¡¯ve quit because he felt like he needed to help the villages full of people who made their own choice to spend their lives in the ass end of civilization without the power to defend themselves. Marigold and Xol made an appearance, but nobody outside of his friends and family really knew them since Xol was flesh and blood instead of bone today. He pulled a bottle of liquor from his sleeve. The label was in Harlan¡¯s colors, bearing a cracked skull with beans and white flowers growing from the inside. ¡°People like us, powerful beings, require more than just any drink. Respect what this thing is, because it can easily kill others, nothing more than fumes for them.¡± ¡°Is this what you and Marigold drink?¡± ¡°No, a special brew, I know you like vanilla.¡± Harlan put it in his pocket. ¡°This is to take the edge off, but don¡¯t go over that cliff.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± With another handshake they moved on. There were no unexpected surprises, just a bunch of people sitting around, crying, telling stories, and getting piss drunk. Sepul had shown up for a few minutes, but he didn¡¯t know Redmond, he was there to just check on Harlan. Chapter 226: Mourning Beyond the Veil Harlan heard the news and just sat on top of his home for a few hours. Darrath had flown up and tried to wake him, but when nothing worked, he just curled up against him, shivering slightly in the winter wind. Just after midnight Xol arrived. He pulled a blanket from his sleeve and swaddled Darrath, who was already sleeping. Then he poked Harlan with his staff. ¡°Get up.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk.¡± ¡°Come with me, let¡¯s do something together.¡± ¡°What would we do?¡± ¡°The colosseum in Lith, it¡¯s open at all hours. Or I can hand you my staff and we can cause destruction.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t-¡± Xol poked up again, and as if he wasn¡¯t wearing any armor, the crystal staff made from a rose punctured through him and broke a rib. ¡°You have nobody here but Darrath for family, so you need to do something to get your mind off of your uncle¡¯s death and back to work. Let¡¯s do something. Maybe you can visit a brothel, or-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to a brothel.¡± ¡°Then to the colosseum.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight anything.¡± ¡°Fine, let¡¯s go on a mountain and paint. I know you used to carve things.¡± ¡°Carving, right, she mentioned that.¡± Harlan drew a sigil, the moment Xol realized what it was he drew a counter sigil and the magic faded away. Harlan then started to draw another, and Xol countered signed that as well. ¡°Many would kill for a moment of my time, and you waste it trying to learn something new.¡± ¡°I have nobody here for family but Darrath, I need to protect them, I need to protect them.¡± Harlan closed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not there for them, everyone back there, I¡¯m not there for them.¡± Xol sighed, he didn¡¯t want to do this. He picked up Darrath and put him in his bed before moving Harlan to a mountain top. ¡°Fine, now we talk.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to-¡± ¡°I grew up in a small town, relatively small at least. We had cities whose populations reached hundreds of millions. I believe I mentioned that I was a writer before, but then came the revolution. People believe that if their goal is good, they can do any evil along the way. The way that they spoke, like they were doing us a favor, ripping us from our homes, killing ¡®dissidents¡¯, forcing us to labor camps. I was in my 20s when I last saw my parents and my sister, then I worked in a mine until the collapse, and I ended up here. My first life was terrible, once I was old enough to talk I tried to explain things, things from back home. I got called a demon and they crushed my head with a rock as a sacrifice to a god who¡¯s long forgotten. Then I went and hid who I was, until I was 15, I saw something I couldn¡¯t let go, because of the morals I was raised with back home, and I got myself killed. I-¡± ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting you to empathize with me by revealing my backstory, which will let you work through your own issues by proxy. Now-¡± ¡°You are trying to force me to empathize, it¡¯s cold.¡± Xol went silent. He returned to his flesh form. ¡°I¡¯ve been alive for a long time, I¡¯ve lived lives long and short, good and bad, I¡¯ve been evil, and a champion of justice, I¡¯ve been rich and poor, ugly and beautiful. It¡¯s taken me a long time to be as sociable as I am now after everything that I¡¯ve seen and done. I don¡¯t know what to tell you, Marigold wanted to come, but I asked her to let me try to help you while she went to see the other you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want a speech. If you give a shit, just tell me.¡± ¡°Fine, I do give a shit. The only person I¡¯ve been in regular contact with in centuries has been my wife, and I knew her for 300 years before either of us decided to do anything more than work together when the gods asked. I dislike change, you are an avatar of it, but there was a time when I loved change, I loved seeing what life had to offer.¡± ¡°Then you saw what life had to offer, pain and suffering and mounds of bullshit that prevent people from living a good life, because the ones who have power are the people who should never have it.¡± Patches of skin became covered in black scales that seemed to suck the light from the room. ¡°I stopped caring about injustice a long time ago, once you start, it''s never enough. Back home I was part of that revolution, I saw how I could make things better, and they used me, they used all of us. Here, I tried to start many more, I had faith that the system could be changed for the better. But nine times out of ten, I got pushed out, used, again and again. Even Mari went through that, the world spit her out again and again until she stopped trying. Now she tries to help others help themselves, because people need to change themselves before they change the world. You do the same, and I like that about you.¡± ¡°I actually do feel a little better. Let¡¯s go to the colosseum.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t know what to expect from the capital city of Boulder, but he didn¡¯t expect it to be made from a mountain and tiered, built around a tower in the center and streching as high above as below. With what little he knew, he expected a wide city, like back home, but bigger, like the Goliaths were. ¡°It¡¯s strange to be in a mountain and also see the moon out.¡± ¡°The new capital took decades to make, it was made to be a work of art.¡± ¡°New capital?¡± ¡°The Goliaths went through a reformation some time ago, they cast away their brutal and savage ways, turning into respectable people. Those that desire some of that old way are called old path.¡± ¡°Where is the colosseum?¡± ¡°The 9th above ground level, we need to walk up one more set of steps. I wish they invented elevators.¡± ¡°I could make them, a little bit of soul smithing, gravity magic, pulleys run by beasts.¡± ¡°Oh, I sometimes forget that you people did figure out how to make those.¡± They got to the bottom of the stairs and looked up. Xol pulled him into an alleyway and snapped his finger, sending them to a similar alley on the 9th level. ¡°They don¡¯t like open use of magic. Do you want to enter as a man or a monster?¡± ¡°Man.¡± ¡°And if you get torn apart, I¡¯ll replace the body, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Ha, how¡¯d I end up doing this.¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m trying to take your mind off of your uncle¡¯s death.¡± Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. He saw Harlan¡¯s eyes drop and his hands start to shake. ¡°apologies.¡± ¡°I understand why you don¡¯t like talking to people.¡± It was the first time Harlan had seen a female Goliath up close for more than just in passing. He looked the woman up and down, and while their features were less extreme than on a male, he couldn¡¯t call them beautiful. He almost expected them to look different, but they were very much like the males. Broad shouldered, noses too wide for their faces, and with brows that jutted out. ¡°You understand you can¡¯t whine when your man dies, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried about him. You aren¡¯t going to be upset if he accidentally kills his opponent.¡± ¡°So long as he follows the rules.¡± Harlan and Xol were pointed to a section of rules carved onto a wall. He looked over them, shockingly there were few, but of them, Harlan was bothered by one. ¡°The crowd determines if someone is allowed to be spared?¡± ¡°Is that what the rule says?¡± ¡°It is.¡± ¡°Then yes.¡± ¡°When¡¯s the next match?¡± ¡°In-¡± A thunderous cheer came from the portcullis. ¡°Right now then. Get to pit 11. I hope you get picked, you look like a screamer.¡± The woman flashed a smile at him. Harlan was third to be picked. Unbeknownst to him, some local merchant was putting his man in the arena to inflate his win count and therefore his value as a hired bodyguard. And Unbeknownst to them, Harlan was not an easy mark. Harlan stood across from a Goliath man 16 feet tall, a normal height for them. ¡°IN ARENA 11, WE HAVE A FIGHT BETWEEN A CROWD FAVORITE, GRUNT, SPONSORED BY SIR CRAG, AND A NO NAME NEWCOMER.¡± The announcer looked down at the registration sheet. ¡°HARLAN.¡± Everyone cheered, but not for any real reason, it was just what one did at the colosseum. Grunt yelled at Harlan. ¡°MIGHT AS WELL GIVE UP NOW, SAVE YOUR OWN SKIN.¡± He laughed and the crowd along with him. Harlan took his first step forward and so did the man. He moved forward with leisure, assuming Harlan an easy target. But as soon as they met in the middle and he tried to backhand Harlan, he jumped forward, tearing the man¡¯s jaw clean off. For a Goliath, such a thing was a setback, but it wasn¡¯t like he was going to die, yet the crowd loved to see the blood and gore. People from nations away just to watch Goliaths fight, or other races try to fight the Goliaths. Every hit Harlan landed tore off skin and revealed the muscle underneath. But Harlan felt no enjoyment in the fight. A cross counter snapped his head back and sent him tumbling across the ground. But he felt nothing, not the sting of pain, not the cold sand that slipped between his fingers. ¡°You hit like a child.¡± The man was infuriated that Harlan stood up, and that he sounded bored. He struck Harlan in the chest, only then did he notice how wrong it felt. Anyone else should¡¯ve folded into themselves, he should¡¯ve felt his opponent crack. Harlan flew into the wall, deep lines formed in the stone, but he pushed himself out and stepped back into the sand. The cheers only annoyed him. Grunt threw himself at Harlan, but he just dodged again and again, frustrating the man. ¡°I expected better.¡± Harlan deactivated hover and met his opponent''s punch with his own.. The small surface of Harlan¡¯s fist and his explosive power meant that he broke right through the skin and bone, the man¡¯s middle finger was barely hanging on. He held it in place, the flesh fused together and grew back what was missing. Harlan¡¯s eyes were half closed, this isn¡¯t what he wanted, none of this made him feel any better, it just made his mind wander into what Redmond would want him to do. The Goliath grabbed his head and slammed him into the ground until he finally got a crunch like he wanted. Harlan finally felt something, his skull was fractured, his mind slowed down as the severe concussion settled in. Grunt began panting, he had been fighting for hours, but Harlan was the first fight that seriously hurt him. He dropped Harlan¡¯s limp body on the ground and let out a battlecry. The crowd called for blood, and he intended to give it to them. He raised his foot above Harlan¡¯s head, but when he stomped down his leg suddenly twisted, exposing bone. Harlan was barely conscious, the armor was in control. It did not let go of the leg, instead he kept twisting as the man screamed, and then tore the leg off entirely. The fight might as well have been over, it became clear that everything had been Harlan just toying with the man for reasons none of them could understand. The crowd again called for blood. ¡°Pl-please, don¡¯t kill me.¡± The man cowered with his hand between them, worrying about having to guard, yet no attack came. Harlan woke back up, standing over the man who cowered on the ground, missing a leg and lacking the healing factor remaining to do anything but stop him from bleeding out. Their cries for death only infuriated him. ¡°IF YOU WANT HIS BLOOD, THEN COME DOWN HERE AND TAKE IT, I¡¯M NOT A DOG TO BE ORDERED AROUND BY YOU FECKLESS COWARDS, TOO SCARED OF DEATH TO GET INTO THE RING YOURSELVES.¡± Harlan walked around in a circle, pounding his chest, which let out a dull sound from his dense flesh. Eventually the guards arrived. ¡°Per colosseum rules, you must finish the fight.¡± Harlan opened a gate and the guards swung, but telekinesis was internally based, and the anti-magic aura of the Goliath¡¯s could not resist it. Yet the gate went nowhere, it was simply a black sheet. Harlan wasn¡¯t sure if it would kill him, so he didn¡¯t want to go through. ¡°Now that is odd.¡± There was a limit to what Harlan could block, so when a third guard arrived, the limit was passed. He tried to kill Harlan with a downward strike, but Harlan clapped his hands together and grabbed the blade. The Goliath was so shocked that he froze for just a moment, not understanding how he had been blocked. And in that frozen moment, Harlan moved forward and imbibed with fire, his kick was enough to sever the hands of the man and then grab the blade. Had they actual orcish regeneration, he¡¯d take their heads off, but he didn¡¯t really know what the limits were, all he knew was that they were less than orcs. Instead he used the blade which was as tall as him and proportionally thicker than most he knew to cut the limbs from them. It took some getting used to, but without hover he was heavier than the Goliaths and wouldn¡¯t be tossed around by the weight of the blade. He didn¡¯t really know what to do, so he just stayed in the arena and cut down the guards who came at him. He didn¡¯t kill them, so there were a few dozen men now sitting on the ground and groaning with stumps where their healing stopped working, forcing him to sear the wounds shut. After 30 minutes the guards really didn¡¯t know what to do either, so they just surrounded him as he played with the gate that went nowhere. He touched it and felt nothing happen when his hand went inside, but when he put one of the swords through and then pulled it back, it was gone. Then he cut off one of his fingers and pushed it through, the finger was gone. He thought about sticking his head through to see what was on the other side, if there was anything, but decided against it. Xol said if he was torn apart he¡¯d fix him, but he didn¡¯t know if this would count, and losing this body and his armor because of Xol following the letter of their verbal contract would make the day worse than it was already. Harlan felt a presence suddenly appear behind him, and swung the blade with as much strength as he could. Yet the man, 22 feet tall and wearing a drake skin pelt, a crown, and nothing else pinched it between his fingers. ¡°You have defiled the sanctity of my colosseum.¡± ¡°I will not be told when to kill, and when to show mercy.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t see the man move, but suddenly the sword was through his chest, pinning him to the far wall. ¡°Is it bravery or stupidity that compels you to defy me?¡± Harlan coughed up blood and tried to push against the wall, but his spine was severed. He had to puppet himself using his armor to cast the beam sigil and cut the blade then force himself off, using his blood to lubricate it before he could push himself off. Harlan hit the ground with a loud thud, kicking up a cloud of dust. ¡°Is that all? I didn¡¯t expect my men to be so weak that I needed to be called for someone who dies so quickly.¡± Harlan healed his body and stood up. ¡°Both.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Bravery or stupidity. Both, and my morals, which fall under one or the other depending on who hears it.¡± Harlan used wind imbibing to boost his speed, and he still barely saw the king move towards him. ¡°Get that fucking thing out of my face.¡± The king adjusted his pelt and the hooks that kept it in place. ¡°I could use a man like you in my army.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t do to have one king serve another in that way. But an alliance would be fine, provided you can make some concessions.¡± ¡°I do not let others tell me how to run my kingdom.¡± ¡°Then we are at an impas-¡± With a swat of his hand, Harlan¡¯s upper body was gone. Xol finished what he came here for and picked up the pieces of Harlan¡¯s body and armor. Chapter 227: The Death of a Nation Xol put Harlan¡¯s body back together while Harlan sat in a chair and watched. ¡°You did well, I¡¯m sure he would be proud that you did not murder a man in cold blood.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not enough. I need to go back out. Actually help somebody.¡± ¡°But is that what you should do? For you are not him, and he was not you. When he was upset, did he leave his home and go out? Did he drink? Spend time with your mother?¡± ¡°He never drank when he visited unless there was a party, my parents don¡¯t like drunks.¡± ¡°Back home, some people would not make the passing a sad event, instead they would throw a party, they would remember them as they were.¡± ¡°Is that what you did?¡± ¡°I only went to one funeral. It was for my father, and it was a sad event, so I never went to another. But I heard about the less sad ones.¡± With one more piece of white paper marked by sigils that burned without heat in a brilliant purple flame, Harlan¡¯s best body was back to working order. ¡°Why did that take so long?¡± ¡°Your soul rejects the anti-magic, but when the body died, that anti-magic seeped into the flesh. It would fade. The paper I use is a mix of the superstition of the old world, and the magic of this one. Its functions are two magical systems.¡± ¡°I thought your world didn¡¯t have magic?¡± ¡°I believe that we lost magic when Gaia moved here, and they faded into nothing but myths and legends. That the Fae came from there makes it the likely hypothesis.¡± Harlan nodded his head and thought if he should ask his next question or not, it didn¡¯t feel dangerous to ask, but his sense of danger was broken after his encounters with gods. ¡°Where were you?¡± Xol pulled a large chest from his sleeve. ¡°I knew what you would do from the moment you questioned the rules, so I waited until the king left, and then grabbed a few things.¡± He shattered the lock and opened it to reveal bars of solid gold. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t questioned the rules, I would¡¯ve just bet on the fight, but this was a much better opportunity.¡± A second chest, smaller than the first, came from his sleeve. ¡°And here you have more stonesteel, your armor is good, heavy, useful, but you¡¯ve encountered too many things that can break it and it¡¯s hard out here to get good magical metals.¡± The last object was a barrel. ¡°This is the kings whiskey, mix it 100 to 1 at least if you are going to give it to mortals. If you drink it, maybe just 8 to 1.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t drink.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, with this barrel you can make reasonably strong booze for the festival.¡± ¡°What festival?¡± ¡°Your uncle, his memorial service.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure that I-¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m leaving. I came here because I care, but I¡¯ve run out of ideas on how to help. I''ll ask my wife to come here and figure you out.¡± And then he was gone. He could see that Xol tried, but he couldn¡¯t figure out how to speak with Harlan like he could his wife. He was a man of business, and it was hard to transition into being friends. Harlan just sat and stared at the chests before him for a time, then he got to work. Xol was right about one thing, Harlan had a way of handling his feelings, and that was to drown himself in work. Was it healthy? Was that even relevant to him? Harlan would rather be the king, than the man, and the king didn¡¯t have the option of failing to hold up a bargain, he didn¡¯t get to spend time drinking himself sick because he was sad. He looked at the barrel of whiskey and knew what was at the bottom, nothing but a hole that he wasn¡¯t sure he could get out of if he crawled inside. In the morning Dawn went up to the roof, hoping to find Harlan had exited his comatose state, but he wasn¡¯t there. So she checked his lab, finding him nude and hunched over a pile of meat which was quickly formed into another golem. ¡°What happened yesterday?¡± ¡°I was taking a very deep scan of my body, trying to discover why my blood is now black.¡± ¡°Why were you on the roof then? Darrath was very worried¡­ I was worried that something happened.¡± ¡°I figured if I was going to be comatose, I¡¯d like something nicer to look at then my ceiling.¡± ¡°Is that really all?¡± ¡°No, last night I went on a mission with Xol. Lith isn¡¯t going to work, the king and I disagreed with one another.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you, but it''s alright to not tell me. I do however want to know why you are naked?¡± ¡°Armor got damaged, so I¡¯m upgrading it. My clothes are basically ruined and I need to make a set of that mail like I made for you. Is there anything else you need?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Mercedes needs to count some gold bars, I left the chest in the vault. Judging by the size, I¡¯d say they are worth about 1500 gold coins each, but I don¡¯t know the economics of this place and everything seems to be bigger.¡± ¡°I will inform her at breakfast. Will you be joining us?¡± ¡°No. I need to work and we got a few crates of tonics from the raid that I kept for myself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to check on you ever few hours, and you need to come out for one hour a day to play with Darrath, he looks up to you.¡± ¡°He¡¯s strong, he¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s not, and if you neglect him I¡¯m going to come down here and kick your ass no matter what is actually bothering you.¡± Harlan had upgraded the lab, the entire thing was effectively a golem. So with a simple command the floor shifted, she was tossed from the room and the door turned into a wall. Dawn didn¡¯t even bother getting upset, she just dusted herself off and walked away. Harlan arrived at his appointment at the exact agreed upon time and with 8,000 golems. Were he one man it would be impossible, but he made 100 new specialized golems to help with production in addition to ones already made before he started. ¡°There are quite a few more than I expected.¡± ¡°Three days is enough time for a small army.¡± Harlan had one of them carrying a chest. ¡°How are your relations with Lith?¡± ¡°Not an enemy per say, but I¡¯ve clashed with their kings in the past. They see a beautiful woman and assume they can just take what they want.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve not made any real commitment to them, I simply wished to know if there would be any conflict in the future should I align myself with them. I was visited some time ago by one group, and I assume them local.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we send away our people and get into some details about that then.¡± Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Before they are sent away, I would like to make a statement with everyone here as witnesses. We are allies, I am not under you, I intend to receive some manner of respect, as I have given you. And there will be no unilateral decision making, we have come into this alliance with the offer of building Drang into a nation which the both of us would not feel shame ruling.¡± Carmilla was clearly less than happy with him, but she didn¡¯t disagree with his intent. ¡°Very well. But if you intend to make demands, then you will take over a city along with the towns and villages under them. The one nearest your border then?¡± ¡°Of course, and I thank you for your deciding to stay in this alliance despite my somewhat forceful statement.¡± ¡°Drang is a stain on the world, cleaning it will not only expand my kingdom, but it will mean we spend less time guarding our borders. I expect you to be the first line of defense for any threat to me who tries to pass through your nation.¡± ¡°I will, you have my word.¡± Once everyone was moved to their cities and towns with their golem guards, it was just the three of them, Camilla stayed near her mother so she could learn to be queen one day. ¡°So, why have you brought up Lith to me?¡± Harlan opened a gate and a golem came through with a small chest. ¡°An ally of mine was in Boulder a few nights ago, and he happened to make a stop by the vault of the king. I¡¯ve been given a chest of gold as a result of things I don¡¯t intend to get into, and as part of those things I don¡¯t wish to dwell on, I also met the king, and I don¡¯t believe the two of us are capable of seeing eye to eye regarding slavery.¡± Carmilla crossed her legs at the knee. ¡°I find it best to not look too far into something like this, if you have someone who can break into the vault, I assume they either left nothing leading to us or they simply don¡¯t care. Your golem may bring the chest here.¡± Camilla grabbed the chest and checked it for her mother, but when she set it down she staggered as she stood up again. ¡°Are you alright? You look a little pale.¡± ¡°Let go of me.¡± Harlan barely realized that he had crossed the distance between them and was holding her wrist. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m a healer, I reacted too quickly.¡± ¡°And of course I¡¯m pale, I¡¯m a vampire.¡± ¡°I meant you looked overly-¡± ¡°King Fomoria, step away from my daughter.¡± ¡°I¡¯m very sorry.¡± He was their transport back home, but yet they had been staring at one another for a few minutes now. ¡°How much experience do you have as a healer?¡± ¡°I spent three years near top of my class at an academy learning to use healing magic, and I¡¯ve spent much of my personal time advancing the field. My fiance was born blind as the result of a Fae boon turning into a curse, just bad luck. I healed her, and it is the same method that can heal negative effects of the pacts with Aine.¡± Camilla was standing behind her mother¡¯s chair, leaning on it for support. ¡°I will grant you a few subjects, they are prisoners, heal them of blood rage as proof. And you will be forgiven.¡± Harlan sighed in relief. ¡°Thank you, and my apologies again. Should we finish up some other details about this alliance?¡± ¡°We may.¡± Darrath was hanging on Harlan¡¯s shoulders, grabbing his horns for support. ¡°What are you working on?¡± ¡°This is how papa heals people.¡± ¡°Why is he chained up?¡± The man was bound and with a gag in his mouth, Harlan didn¡¯t want Darrath to hear anything bad. ¡°Because he is a bad man.¡± ¡°Why heal him?¡± ¡°It is a test, Queen Karmine wants to see if I can heal them.¡± ¡°Oh. Can I heal too?¡± ¡°You can barely toss out a fireball.¡± ¡°But I can make plants.¡± ¡°Yes, but you don¡¯t understand how you do that. I have things like that, magic that I could use without really understanding, but as I got older and learned how to use magic, I understood how that magic worked.¡± ¡°Can you teach me more magic today?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Harlan brought Darrath to Drang, the city nearest the border was Falin. ¡°These people are dirty.¡± ¡°I know, but that is why we should help them. It is the duty of the strong to help the weak, of the righteous to bring the evil to heel when needed, or to set them right.¡± Harlan could tell that he hadn¡¯t impressed upon Darrath the importance of his words. ¡°Bad people sometimes need help to become good, because they don¡¯t understand good, and sometimes they need to be punished. Not every bad person will always stay a bad person.¡± ¡°Oh, ok.¡± The citizens all gathered in the town center which Harlan had already dried up. He figured it would take months to get all of the construction golems done and then for them to put in paved streets, proper stone buildings, but for now this would be good enough. Harlan was amazed that they all arrived without issue, he believed the place was anarchy, but in reality the people listened to those above them, because those above them had the right to commit violence. Harlan wouldn¡¯t be teaching, but rather a specialized golem would, he was there to watch, make sure his new creation wasn¡¯t going to hurt anyone. It did not look human, more in line with the basic soldier golems, yet with a more female form factor that he hoped would appear less aggressive to them. It spoke softly but clear enough to be heard well, its tentacles were more numerous, designed for holding books and writing, not for tearing men apart. ¡°My students, you are gathered here to be taught magic freely, food shall be provided before and after the lessons every day. Are there any questions?¡± ¡°I got work to do, the fu-¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t swear during class, there are children here.¡± The man grumbled. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be here.¡± ¡°Then you are free to leave, but you will not be given food for the lesson.¡± He grumbled again along with hundreds of others hoping to take the free meal and then go back to their shithole huts and find some way to get drunk or otherwise intoxicated. Darrath sat with the other children, which made him more than a little uncomfortable, but he was glad they all moved away from him, however it made Harlan furious. It wasn¡¯t that they were giving Darrath space, it was that the Drang were hateful towards outsiders, it didn¡¯t matter if they were Faun or Plest or Minos, so long as they were from Drang they were united in their hate. It was almost comforting that they were purely nationalists instead of racists and nationalists. Harlan would like to pull him out of there, to leave, but he thought it best to not yet have that conversation with him. There should be a time when he is a child, and he doesn¡¯t understand the world. He thought it cruel to force him to grow up too quickly. The class went well enough, but then again it would be weeks if not months before they had enough experience to seriously hurt each other, then would come the purges, those who could not handle this power and instead fell to their baser instincts would be removed so he could make a better civilization. He saw what good could come from a more tightly controlled population, and Redhaven didn¡¯t even look to be a terribly harsh place. Once one had a population that could be trusted, those sorts of restrictions could be lifted. Darrath was quiet when they got back. ¡°That wasn¡¯t fun.¡± ¡°Magic is not only fun, it is an important part of keeping yourself safe and helping people.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t they go to the bathhouse?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t have a bathhouse.¡± ¡°That¡¯s sad.¡± ¡°Drang is a sad place, and that¡¯s why I want to change it.¡± ¡°You should build a bathhouse for them.¡± Darrath happily fluttered his wings, Harlan¡¯s little speech about uplifting people had resonated with him. ¡°Maybe later, I¡¯m pretty busy right now.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t have the heart to tell him his fears, that the bathhouse would likely be a disaster. Even in Kor he kept separate areas to prevent assaults and had to use golems to watch the peoples clothes and other items. While the Dague population couldn¡¯t even fathom the idea of stealing and raping inside of a bathhouse, there were more than Dague in these places. ¡°Ok. Can I play with the plants again?¡± ¡°Yes, you may.¡± Darrath kicked off of Harlan¡¯s shoulders and flew down the halls to the garden. Harlan got the call not five minutes later, a riot had already broken out in one of the cities and he was being asked to quell it. Part of their deal was that he, with his excess free time, would act as an enforcer when needed. Harlan arrived by gate to talk to the minister who would be controlling the city during its transition into Redhaven. ¡°What is this about?¡± ¡°What else, we announced that this place was no long a part of Drang, that their new queen has new laws. I shouldn¡¯t be shocked, these people are bigots in every sense of the word.¡± ¡°I will handle this.¡± ¡°She told me this was likely to happen. And that you must respond with force, for that is all these people have known, one shit king after another since the dawn of their now fallen kingdom.¡± He came from a second gate, high above the city. The moment he touched the ground, globs of mud from the seemingly ever drizzling nation flew into the air, energy which followed him crackled and jumped between them, lighting the street up for just a moment. The people froze at the display. Then his voice boomed out, loaded with magic and fury. ¡°I killed your king, and your nobles, and I will drag you kicking and screaming into a civil nation. If you want to fight, then fight me, but you shall only join those men.¡± The people ran at him, but none of them had ever so much as used magic, all of their weapons were mundane. He simply walked forward and used telekinesis to break limbs. He killed nobody outright, but some of them that fell to the ground were trampled to death. Eventually the tide turned, and he spoke again. ¡°Return to your homes, or continue to fall before me.¡± He kept an illusion walking forward, but he himself left once he saw that it worked. Each city staggered their announcement of the death of Drang, expecting this would happen, and giving Halran time to stop one riot and then get a short break. After the third, he preemptively went to the cities in order. Few people would stand up against him after seeing someone hoisted into the air by nothing and then set on fire or pushed through a gate and screaming as they fall to their death. Harlan would¡¯ve rather used his empathy to force compliance, but he knew it wouldn¡¯t help here. He could change their emotions, but only at that time, their deeply rooted stupidity could not be changed, and he would just be back in an hour or two. If these people needed fear, then he would give it to him. Chapter 228: A Bottle and a Weapon A week had passed since the funeral. Harlan stared down at the bottle every day, he hadn¡¯t gotten any work done, and currently Adina was using an enchanted scissors to cut his hair. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t drink it.¡± ¡°I know. I saw how Blackstone was, I shouldn¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°Things are going to be bad, for a while, but I know you can move past this.¡± Harlan just groaned. At breakfast it was just the new maid, couldn¡¯t be more than 14. ¡°Good morning Sir Fomoria. I made eggs, fresh bread, and-¡± ¡°Please, sit.¡± She was fearful, Harlan barely spoke to her, and today Isha wasn¡¯t around. Harlan started eating, but noticed that she hadn¡¯t. ¡°Eat.¡± She took small bites, hesitant even though she was the one who cooked it all. ¡°What is your name?¡± ¡°Stella, uh, Sir Fomoria, Sir.¡± ¡°Calm down. Isha picked you, I trust you, and she will be gone in another week. That will make you the head maid. I don¡¯t expect too much, and I won¡¯t be upset if you make mistakes, you are younger than she was when she started and I understand that.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sir-¡± ¡°Please, call me Harlan. And this is my wife, Adina. You aren¡¯t just another worker, if you are going to be in this home, I would like for us to be closer than that.¡± She froze up. ¡°Surely Isha has told you enough to let you not be afraid of me? Or that you should know I am not that kind of man.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why she picked me. I don¡¯t think I should be here.¡± ¡°Would you rather return to the village?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to bother you with what I want.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. Please, continue eating, it¡¯s important for a young person to be well fed.¡± Harlan brought the bottle downstairs to the table to stare, he considered it a sort of test, something to focus his mind on. Stella wasn¡¯t comfortable with his sitting there, but it calmed her that Adina was always by his side. Sometimes he would make an angry face and she would squeeze his hand and lean on him. Just before lunch Dahlia showed up. ¡°Sir Fomoria.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, but I¡¯m still just Harlan to you.¡± ¡°Technically you outrank me.¡± ¡°This is my home, there is no rank. What do you need?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather not discuss this in front of the girl.¡± ¡°This is Stella, she will be my head maid in a short while.¡± ¡°Would you like us to send you somebody from the castle?¡± ¡°Are there any who aren¡¯t spies?¡± ¡°I could send an Unseen.¡± ¡°Stella, do you have any problem with this?¡± ¡°Whatever you decide is best, Sir- Harlan.¡± ¡°Send one over, but they will be under Stella, not the other way around.¡± Harlan stood up, bringing the bottle with him. ¡°We can speak in the bunker.¡± Harlan could barely remember the last time he was in this meeting room, his sense of events and memory was disrupted, he wasn¡¯t sure how many days had even passed, sometimes hours just seemed to vanish. ¡°We are looking for any ideas on how we might destroy the fortresses.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± He rubbed the wax which sealed the bottle. ¡°I¡¯ve not done anything recently. We should see Balor.¡± They moved across the bunker into Balor¡¯s lab. Inside Brig and him were working on Black-1. ¡°What happened to him?¡± ¡°I was testing a new shell, something with more power behind it. That fucking overgrown lizard is going to pay.¡± His arm was partly melted, the barrel had warped and fused together. Harlan¡¯s eyes widened and he went through the drawers to get out papers and writing equipment. ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Harlan didn¡¯t say anything, he just started scribbling out notes and designs, rapidly going through ideas in his head and onto the paper. Brig picked up one of the discarded ideas and then another and another. ¡°This could work.¡± Another week passed and Harlan was at an open field testing the first constructed prototype, he hadn¡¯t said a word since he started working. He sat in the seat and used two cranks to determine angle and rotation. He checked his paper, zeroing in on what angle got what distance exactly and using a device something like a wind chime and a three dimensional compass with a crystal in the middle to check wind and other factors. A large arm mounted to the cannon moved the shell from its container and into the barrel before clapping it shut. Harlan pulled the lever and a deafening boom rang out, kicking up a small cloud of snow around the weapon. Harlan tapped on his device and a ring of light appeared to count the time. 40 seconds passed and the shell hit the target some miles away. Harlan grabbed the bottle and opened it finally, taking a swig before putting the glass cap back on; it sealed itself once again with enchanted wax. Many nobles were invited by Rosewell, who had come to see Harlan¡¯s new weapon. Harlan coughed heartily and staggered slightly. ¡°That¡¯s a start.¡± He stood next to Rosewell. ¡°Now we have all seen Sir Fomoria¡¯s weapon, this could be the end to the war without further risking our troops trying to find a way past the wards and arrays of the traitors'' fortresses. Sir Fomoria, is there anything else to add?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve memorized everyone here, if I see the rebels using my weapon, I¡¯m going to be visiting each of you.¡± A countess raised her hand. ¡°What is it called?¡± Harlan shrugged, it wasn¡¯t something he had thought of in his haze. ¡°Long cannon.¡± Nobody had any issue with the name, or at least nobody said anything about it. Far away from anyone else, Harlan was making another one, twice the size of the one he had just used. Adina called him. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°You finally answered?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Where have you been?¡± ¡°I just started making a new-¡± ¡°What day is it?¡± ¡°Its¡­¡± He looked around, seeing that the sun was set and in the distance the mountain was full of craters. ¡°How long have I been gone?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been almost two weeks.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Please, come back home, just for the night.¡± Harlan got up from his chair and the bottle fell from his lap, empty. He fell to the ground and threw up. ¡°Harlan, are you alright? Are you there?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m going to come back soon. I just need to finish something.¡± He laid on his back, unsure of where he was. Harlan made his way to a nearby lake, punched the ice and slipped into the water to clean the stench of oil and soot from his clothes. Nothing inside dared get close to him, but he could feel the movement in the water, he was not alone. When he woke up again he was on the edge of the lake. Sepul was standing over him. ¡°You can¡¯t lose control. Men like us can¡¯t.¡± ¡°How did you find me?¡± ¡°I used a blood divination spell, you are-¡± ¡°Your great great great grandson. Eliza Dust¡¯s son.¡± ¡°Should we talk?¡± ¡°I understand why you didn¡¯t tell me, but you were still there for me. How long have you known?¡± ¡°You were¡­ three I think. I watched from the woods, I was planning to kill you for what you are, what happened to the last of my family.¡± ¡°What stopped you?¡± ¡°The Darkness kept you hidden long enough for me to simmer down, and I couldn¡¯t kill a toddler sitting so still that insects started landing on him. You looked so¡­ gentle.¡± ¡°Why are you here, right now?¡± ¡°Rosewell asked me to find you. So I¡¯ve been watching you while you worked.¡± ¡°Where am I?¡± ¡°A few dozen miles south of the mountain range that separates the north from the south. You¡¯ve been bombing nests with that thing.¡± ¡°Where would I even get the materials for this?¡± ¡°You had a base setup here already, full of materials. It was three days before she called me, and then another day before I accepted.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Come, you need food, you¡¯ve been living on tonic and Xol¡¯s whiskey this entire time. Jane can have mashed potato and fried steaks with gravy in a short time. You need a proper bath, I¡¯ll have her shave you when you get out.¡± Harlan polished the ice into a mirror, not liking what he saw. He stepped out of Sepul¡¯s bath and looked in the mirror again as he dried himself off. Jane knocked on the door. ¡°Are you decent?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t been decent in years. But I¡¯m clothed.¡± Despite his almost instinctual choice to make a joke, his tone was dry. She stepped inside with a pair of enchanted scissors and a razor. ¡°Trim down the sides, leave my beard long in the front.¡± She did as asked, her hands moving with practiced ease across his face and scalp. ¡°You look a lot like him.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see it.¡± ¡°There was a time when he wore a beard, he kept it in the same style. His facial hair naturally curls on the sides quite fiercely, and he has always hated it. But I happen to like beards, so as a younger girl I begged him to have one, and eventually he said to just trim the sides.¡± She brushed him and then held his face in her hands. ¡°What a handsome young man you are. Come down and eat now.¡± Harlan felt like shit, tonics were not supposed to be an entire replacement, and mixed with weeks of drunkenness, they upset his stomach, his weakness. ¡°Come, eat. Then you should go back home.¡± ¡°Are we cursed?¡± ¡°I know it feels like that, but this is life. Nobody lives forever, and your uncle was a ranger, he knew what work he did, and where it was going to end.¡± ¡°I was so close, so close to getting him out, I told Rosewell, but it was too late.¡± ¡°You told her what?¡± ¡°Get him out of the army.¡± ¡°Would he accept that? And early retirement.¡± Harlan clenched his fists, extruding the silverware through his fingers. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, he had a daughter, a wife, he should¡¯ve-¡± Sepul placed his hand on Harlan¡¯s. ¡°Unlike you I understand that people must be told what to do, and they will often work against themselves. Please eat, good food always lightens one''s mood.¡± It was delicious, and it made him feel better. ¡°Have you ever blacked out? Just¡­ lost time.¡± Sepul furrowed his brow. ¡°How long has this been happening?¡± ¡°Since Redmond¡­ since I got the news. I don¡¯t remember the last few weeks, and I was drinking at the time, but I don¡¯t remember a lot of time before that.¡± Sepul got up and ran scans. ¡°A doctor is supposed to ask before touching a patient.¡± He did not stop for a moment. ¡°Any good healer is willing to go against decorum for the sake of their patient, and a patient is anyone in need of medical care.¡± Harlan felt some warmth from the old man, he had always felt some connection to him, an innate trust, and was simply trying some manner of banter. Harlan laid in a guest room in Sepul¡¯s home with him standing over him. ¡°Unfortunately, you are physically in perfect health, your blackouts are mental.¡± ¡°I knew that already.¡± ¡°Sometimes a man might believe himself mad when he is not.¡± Sepul fiddled with the blue rose pin on his chest. ¡°Is there anything you want to know? Your mother, me?¡± ¡°I know my mother very well, and I know Eliza as well, but she goes by Dawn now.¡± His breath hitched. ¡°Wh-what do you mean by that? She¡¯s alive? That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s not possible.¡± ¡°Shortly after we first met, I asked you to see if my mother¡¯s ghost was in me, and I was right, she was.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not possible, I would¡¯ve-¡± ¡°If it was her soul, you would¡¯ve, but it was her mind that was attached. She¡¯s been with me since I was an infant, some instinctual casting of a spell. But we couldn¡¯t always speak to one another.¡± ¡°Please, I would like to speak with her.¡± ¡°She is at my home now, in a new body. We could go if you-¡± Harlan felt no movement, saw no blur, the teleport just set him on the couch of his living room. He felt the minds around him. ¡°She is in her room right now, with Adina.¡± Sepul rushed through the house, but when he touched the door handle, he hesitated. Harlan came from behind and twisted the knob. The moment he saw her face he recognized her and she him. ¡°Adina, we should give them some time alone.¡± ¡°No, I think it best you remain here. Your moth- Eliz- Dawn, she is not a woman you would like, I need to know some things, why you seem on friendly terms.¡± ¡°Very well, Dawn, do you want me to stay?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Adina and Harlan sat on the couch in the room while Sepul stood near the bed. ¡°What¡­ what is it that happened?¡± ¡°Which part?¡± ¡°How did you die?¡± She shared a look with Harlan, and he nodded. ¡°Coronach. He-¡± Sepul¡¯s eyes became small suns and his skin cracked, showing his body turning to pure radiance. ¡°I tried to sell Harlan to The Darkness, and she had me killed so I couldn¡¯t ruin him by being who I was. I¡¯m not even entirely Eliza, his magic was born from a desire for a mother¡¯s love, and my mind was changed by him. I¡¯m her, but I¡¯m not. And I don¡¯t blame The Darkness for what she did, if Eliza had been allowed to live, she would¡¯ve tried to use Harlan just like Elise tried to.¡± The light faded some, and a few radiant tears fell, scorching the wooden floor. ¡°I know that I have failed you, again and again, I let grief and guilt keep me from helping you.¡± Dawn got up from the bed and hugged him. ¡°Eliza had people who tried to help her, but she let herself stay in that pit of despair, she pushed away everyone who tried to help her. You could¡¯ve done more, but we both had enough problems that stopped us from helping each other.¡± He hesitated, but embraced his great great granddaughter. Adina began sniffling. ¡°It¡¯s sweet, family reconnecting after so long.¡± She began fully crying as she buried her head into his chest. ¡°I wish I had a family worth forgiving, I wish they made mistakes, or had reasons, but they were just bastards who hate me for what I am.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t have a reply, so he just combed her hair with his fingers. After Dawn brought Sepul up to speed on many things, he was conflicted about many things, such as if she really was Eliza or just a recreation, and while she hadn¡¯t failed to answer any question he asked, there were some questions he didn¡¯t want to ask, for they could reveal a bit too much, family secrets and the like. ¡°This has been wonderful, now we need to get to Elise so-¡± ¡°NO.¡± ¡°What? Surely you-¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I can face her yet. What happened with Harlan, that could be justified, it was wrong, but it could be. But I abandoned her, and how she is now is my fault. I can¡¯t do it, not yet, not now.¡± Sepul stepped back. ¡°I understand, I will give you a month.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°From what you said, you¡¯ve been aware of yourself and sane for at least a few years, and you met her through Harlan already, you cannot put it off forever, which I know you would. If Harlan had not brought me here, would you have even wanted to see me?¡± ¡°I just needed some time to-¡± She looked past Sepul, seeing Adina passed out on the couch and Harlan nowhere to be seen. ¡°Where is Harlan?¡± Sepul cast his divination spell, but had no response. ¡°How did he¡­¡± As light revealed, darkness concealed. Harlan had returned to the base he had spent the last couple of weeks in and searched through his notes. Most of them looked like mad scrawlings that even he was having trouble reading, but they started to paint a picture of where he got all of his materials and what this base was. It was rebels, not of the noble variety, but the revolutionaries. He didn¡¯t remember how he found the place, but he did, and he tortured the information on other locations out of them. There were a series of marks on a blank map, it was hard to decipher and made him wonder how or why he had even written down the locations. But that didn¡¯t matter, his long cannon was constructed, and there were a few shells left. Chapter 229: The Great Library of Redhaven In the month that passed, Harlan still hadn¡¯t told anyone about Redmond¡¯s death. ¡°Look, look.¡± Harlan peered up from the papers on his desk, reports from the various places in the former territory of Drang. As a sort of punishment for his sudden desire to interfere with her take over of the nation she put him in charge of both the city nearest the border, Falin, and the ministers of that city. She required that he look over all of the paperwork, saying that it was so he could see she wasn¡¯t trying to interfere with how he wished to rule the one section of the country, but he was sure she knew he didn¡¯t like paperwork and it would bore him to tears. ¡°Very good, touch spells are simple but powerful when used. Pinching the wick to light a candle is also a fun trick. But remember that-¡± ¡°Magic is now a toy, it is a tool, it is not good or bad and should be respected and sought for reasons.¡± ¡°Good, you have been listening.¡± ¡°I always listen to papa.¡± Harlan ruffled his short hair and Darrath latched onto Harlan¡¯s arm. ¡°Can we play now?¡± ¡°Maybe later, right now I need to contact Queen Karmine.¡± ¡°Can I meet her now?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask, but you should go to grandma for now while I speak to the queen.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Harlan checked every time, and she never once answered in less than five minutes. He overlooked all of her little power plays, considering it just a game she played because he was younger and weaker than her by a large margin. ¡°King Fomoria, however may I help today?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve received a letter, three letters actually. The Mage Orders of Blue, Green, and White are all requesting a meeting with me.¡± ¡°Of my enemies, they are higher than most on my list. They believe the right to teach magic is theirs alone, that it is the mandate of the gods of mana that some are blessed to learn and some not. The Empire uses them as teachers because of their zealotry.¡± Harlan contacted her, just to make sure. ¡°My god says that they are idiots tricked by wizards into believing they are gods. Her tone tells me more than her words however. I will reject their requests.¡± ¡°Never answer back, rejecting would be a slight against them, but not getting a reply means they will just keep sending letters that you once again don¡¯t reply to.¡± ¡°What would slighting them mean?¡± ¡°It has likely spread already that you are immortal, as a rumor if nothing else. So that means a century of them accosting anyone from your nation who travels to nations where they operate and the occasional assassin before they go back to the letters.¡± ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll burn the letters and pretend I never got them until the end of time.¡± ¡°That is the best case. Now, onto business. I¡¯ve confirmed that you¡¯ve cured the prisoner of blood rage and after so long he has shown no signs of negative side effects.¡± ¡°Have you been waiting for me to call so you could bring that up?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t call you, you call me.¡± Harlan hung up. After a few minutes she called back. ¡°Queen Karmine, however may I help today?¡± ¡°You will not do that again.¡± ¡°We agreed on respect between each other, I¡¯ve done everything you¡¯ve asked and more to ensure things go smoothly, and I¡¯ve not asked for anything in return that doesn¡¯t also aid you in some way. If you can¡¯t put aside that stupid pride long enough to call me and get help for your daughter then there is no room for a friendly relationship outside of business between us.¡± He heard a loud cackling on the other end of the communicator. ¡°You are everything I¡¯ve assumed you to be. Camilla feigns illness for just a moment and you act as her white knight. I insult you repeatedly, but you put that aside for weeks because of your desire for an alliance. And even in the end you still wish to exist as neutral allies to one another. Now I assume you are furious, that I would use my blood for such a charade, or that I would make you worry for so long about nothing.¡± She heard no reply. ¡°Come now, surely you aren¡¯t so upset you cannot speak?¡± ¡°Why? Why would you do that to me?¡± ¡°Because I needed to know what kind of man you are. Now I shall ask directly, why were you so determined to help my daughter?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m an idiot who can¡¯t help himself.¡± ¡°I find the simplicity charming, and had I not seen the reports of you burning people to death while lifting them into the air or pushing them through gates and letting them hit the ground to strike fear into the other rioters, I might think that you are naive and foolish.¡± ¡°Instead you just think I¡¯m foolish.¡± ¡°I would like to invite you to a dinner, bring your family, your advisors, whoever you decide should be there.¡± ¡°Of course. What time frame are you thinking?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have my people contact yours, but I have an opening next week.¡± ¡°Thank you, and goodbye.¡± ¡°Goodbye to you, and we shall see each other then.¡± Three days later, a group Harlan actually didn¡¯t mind seeing came to visit once again. ¡°Bartholomew, it is good to see you, I hope you¡¯ve been well.¡± He seemed confused and disarmed by the warm welcome. ¡°Uh, thank you, Harlan.¡± ¡°I will assume this isn¡¯t a social visit?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve heard back from the king, slavery isn¡¯t going away, or being lessened. I¡¯m sorry for the bad news.¡± ¡°Not a worry, I met with him some days ago and found that out already. Neither of us like being told what to do, and I can¡¯t threaten or strongarm him just yet, so it¡¯s fine. What are the chances of a coup where a new path king is put in charge?¡± The group of Goliaths froze and uncomfortably coughed. ¡°Very unlikely at the moment. The only way for the king to change is from a duel, and I know of maybe three who could challenge Thrash.¡± ¡°Where are they?¡± ¡°They may or may not be in maximum security prisons.¡± ¡°Any idea where those prisons are or why they aren¡¯t just dead?¡± ¡°If I said anything else, it would be undeniable treason.¡± Harlan leaned forward and waved his hand in small circles. Bartholomew leaned back and closed his eyes as he rubbed his temples. ¡°I may know the location of two of these prisons, but there is no certainty that those men are going to be there. And the reason they might still be alive is that these are hard to kill men, and there might simply be nobody available at the moment to do so, or they could be alive because someone thinks they can be turned still.¡± ¡°Great news then. I¡¯ve always enjoyed the idea of breaking into a prison, even thought about it a few times, but I couldn¡¯t find the prison I was looking for.¡± ¡°Is this room secure from outside surveillance?¡± ¡°I was good at not being found out back home, and magic in general seems differently done out here, mostly for the worse. I believe that I¡¯m in the top of mages outside the veil and I¡¯ve not seen anything to the contrary yet.¡± ¡°Very well, I will give you the locations, but I don¡¯t wish to be involved with anything else. And of course if anyone asks I told you nothing.¡± ¡°Then we should have lunch, spend the day. It would give you something to tell whoever sent you, say I implied you should stay in a forceful manner and you had no choice.¡± ¡°That seems rather pleasant.¡± They sat in the dining hall, the chairs were not large enough for them, but Harlan took them apart and used nature magic to grow the wood and enlarge them. Hercul grabbed and shook the chair, testing its strength. ¡°I can assure you, if they can hold my weight, they can hold yours.¡± ¡°We are all over 800 pounds.¡± ¡°I¡¯m closer to 2,000 without hover.¡± Bart made them all sit down. ¡°You must understand, we cannot use magic, and we don¡¯t put much stock in things made with magic.¡± ¡°I know a blacksmith, he is a powerful mage, but I didn¡¯t know that until years after we met, and he still barely uses magic for anything but keeping his temperatures right. Now, I¡¯ve also met blacksmiths who used their magic for everything, and they don¡¯t hold a candle to the old man.¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Ha, experience and technique will always trump a few spells.¡± ¡°Well, he is a couple of hundred years old, so he¡¯s had time to learn.¡± ¡°Do your people normally live so long?¡± ¡°He¡¯s human. from out here actually. He became the champion of water some time ago, so he¡¯s immortal like I am.¡± ¡°Right, you¡¯ve mentioned that champion¡­ thing. Are you all part of the same organization?¡± ¡°Technically yes, but Calli, goddess of wind mana, doesn¡¯t have a champion, I¡¯m the first that The Darkness has had, Cecht, god of light mana¡¯s champion, my great great great grandfather, is inside the veil. So that leaves Anu, god of earth mana, and her champion is somewhere out here but I¡¯ve not met them yet, and Brigid, goddess of fire mana, but I¡¯ve never heard much from her.¡± ¡°You have gods inside the veil and out?¡± ¡°There are what you might call gods, some powerful entities like Nemain, and then there are the gods of mana, who are actual gods.They were made by Aarde, who is the god of this world in its entirety.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we talk about this more as we eat then, I do wonder about many things inside of the veil.¡± Harlan felt great about having enough food and drink that he could do something like this without worrying, and the conversation mostly remained light as they ate. ¡°This has been nice, but I do wonder, why were you so happy to see me today?¡± ¡°You are a race of physically powerful people who are no less mentally developed than others. But I¡¯ve heard more terrible things than not about the savage Goliaths, and I¡¯ve spent much of my life being judged by what I am. And at your last visit you were kind and cordial, you tried to make peace.¡± He seemed a little embarrassed by the praise. ¡°Well, thank you.¡± ¡°If we are past the pleasantries, why don¡¯t we get into more serious business?¡± ¡°Yes, the prisons. I know of the Citadel and the Spire, both are very publicly known places, and then I know Site 4 and Site 7, which are hidden away. They can hold our strongest enemies, but actually executing them can take some time, some of those people can¡¯t be killed by mundane weapons, and those that could need an experienced wielder. Do you have a map of Lith?¡± ¡°I could ask Queen Karmine if she has one.¡± They froze. ¡°I think we should leave.¡± ¡°Why? I asked her and she said she only has a problem with old path Goliaths.¡± ¡°The Red Butcher is not someone I want to accidentally meet one day coming here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in an alliance with her, we¡¯re civilizing Drang.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°I may have lost my temper and killed the nobility across the entire nation and then got her to agree to help me since I lack the administrators to get things done over there.¡± ¡°She agreed?¡± ¡°I just spoke with her earlier today and she seems committed to a relationship between our nations. Is there something I should know about her? She was recommended to me by Mercedes.¡± Harlan¡¯s amulet lit up. ¡°Excuse me, I should take this.¡± Under his veil he received the call. ¡°Well, what a coincidence, I was just thinking about you.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t I come over now? You could open a gate directly to the garden from where you are.¡± ¡°I have guests, and they are quite sure that you are intending to kill them or me. They haven¡¯t said it, but they suddenly wanted to leave when I mentioned your name.¡± ¡°Redhaven was once Goliath land, but when I arrived I slaughtered them without regard and took over, making a place for humans to safely live. And then there are the kings who I killed because they attempted to force themselves on me or one of my citizens. And the expansion when I took over more territory. But in the last 80 years I¡¯ve not made any moves against them that were not defensive.¡± ¡°Good, I thought it would be something worth being upset over. Do you have a map of Lith? I¡¯m planning to check out some prisons so I can find a new path Goliath to challenge the king to a duel and kill him. Thrash isn¡¯t going to work out for me and my policies on slavery.¡± ¡°I do have one, though it is a few hundred years old now, so you may look at it, but no writing.¡± ¡°Would I be allowed to copy the map?¡± ¡°Very well. And would you like to bring those guests here? They are welcome to come.¡± ¡°Then I will ask if they are willing to come over. Oh, do you have an opinion on my planned coup?¡± ¡°Your nation is between Lith and mine, it is hardly my problem.¡± Harlan dropped the veil, the maids had decided to bring out alcohol to keep the Goliaths calm. ¡°Queen Karmine does have a map, but it is historical, so I¡¯ll need to copy it down and then you can write on my map. She also said you are all welcome to come with me, see the map yourselves.¡± All of them swirled their drinks and tapped on the table. ¡°I have a barrel of the king¡¯s own whiskey, each of you is free to a glass of it.¡± ¡°Before or after we leave?¡± ¡°After we get back, I can¡¯t have you misremembering the locations.¡± Harlan got up from his seat and the others did too. ¡°Darrath, would you like to come as well?¡± ¡°Is the red lady nice?¡± ¡°Yes, but you need to be nice to her all the time. And that goes doubly for all of you, she¡¯s killed kings for going after her people, and I¡¯d do the same, so behave.¡± The Goliaths just shrugged, it wasn¡¯t that they couldn¡¯t behave, it was that during the first meeting some of them didn¡¯t respect Harlan¡¯s strength, and that was no longer an issue. When they came through the gate there were Gargoyles all around them, Carmilla was flanked by her guard captain and Camilla who wore light armor. ¡°It is nice to have guests.¡± ¡°And you''ve brought so many greeters.¡± ¡°Well, I have little faith in their kind.¡± ¡°These are my guests, and while I¡¯ve not shared many words with the others, Bartholomew here is a good man, or so I currently believe.¡± Harlan smiled and patted him on the arm. ¡°Then I shall send the others away.¡± She twirled her finger and her forces went away. ¡°Come, the map is in the library with the others.¡± ¡°Lead the way, your majesty.¡± Darrath didn¡¯t like walking much, but he had been told not to fly or ride on Harlan when around guests. He poked Harlan in the leg. ¡°Are we going to have fun?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but maybe I could show you around the city, there are nice people here.¡± ¡°Mercedes said they eat people.¡± ¡°Mercedes is wrong about them, vampires aren¡¯t-¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t monsters any more than you are. What is your name?¡± Darrath clung to Harlan, quickly moving to the other side so he was away from her; his senses told him she was a predator. ¡°This is Darrath. My son.¡± ¡°My my my, and what is he?¡± ¡°A Pixie.¡± He saw the look in her eyes. ¡°An Aardian Pixie, born here as a natural race.¡± Her gaze softened and went back to him. ¡°Darrath, why are you going away from me?¡± ¡°Scary.¡± She laughed, showing off her fangs, scaring everyone but Harlan. ¡°She is nice, vampires have always treated me better than humans. Don¡¯t let what anyone else tells you make you think that you can judge an entire people as one.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because most of papa¡¯s people are terrible monsters, but papa isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Can I meet them?¡± ¡°No, they aren¡¯t out here, at least I don¡¯t think they are.¡± ¡°Does papa have a family?¡± Harlan¡¯s gaze turned down the hall. ¡°Why don¡¯t we talk about something else?¡± Her library was certainly one befitting a queen who had been alive since the Old Reinoan Empire. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a library with its own restaurants and transports.¡± ¡°This is a public library, my people can find a book on every subject they could possibly want and even put some of it into practice.¡± She was put off by the look in his eyes, she hadn¡¯t seen lust on his face before now. ¡°Public, that is wonderful. The best way to uplift people is to give them the chance to learn.¡± ¡°Yet as one can bring a horse to water they cannot force it to drink. Were I to invite those from the former nation of Drang here, they¡¯d just burn the paper for warmth in the winter. I also guard it quite closely. Nobody gets in or out without being checked in, and that includes all of you. Write your name in the log. Harlan, you may write Darrath in as his father.¡± The Goliaths had to squint and brought their own pens which fit better in their oversized hands, but they wrote themselves in. ¡°Very nice penmanship. You are the leader, Bartholomew, right?¡± ¡°Yes, these are my clansmen. Thank you for your kind words, your majesty.¡± He was little better than Darrath so far as fear, and she didn¡¯t hold back her gaze or give it any warmth as she had for the boy. Everyone could feel that she was keeping a very close eye on Harlan¡¯s guests. The citizens bowed to the queen and while it was clear they did not like the Goliaths, they were guests of her guest, and were tolerated. It brought a smile to Harlan¡¯s face to see so many people reading. ¡°May Darrath split from us?¡± ¡°So long as another will watch him.¡± Before he could say he didn¡¯t want to bother anyone she motioned to a random group of people, parents and their daughters. ¡°Your majesty?¡± ¡°Would you watch this boy for a short time?¡± ¡°Of course. Come, why don¡¯t we find something for you to read?¡± Harlan was hesitant, but unless they had gate, there was no way for them to get out before Harlan descended on them. ¡°We won¡¯t be long, but you can go with these people and find something to read.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t necessarily intend to do so, but he gave a menacing look to the people. ¡°His name is Darrath, and he¡¯s only a year or so old.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know his age?¡± ¡°There is a story, but not one you need to know.¡± The people ushered him down the walls of books, asking questions about what he was interested in. They reached the map room, each was framed between two panes of glass and stacked next to one another. A worker looked at the tags and eventually pulled out a large map, Harlan used telekinesis to help her carry it. ¡°Dedra, bring a large sheet of paper and writing utensils for him.¡± ¡°Just the paper is fine.¡± ¡°Very well then.¡± Harlan laid the sheet on the glass of the frame and shined a light from underneath. With the image underlaid, Harlan used color magic to create a near perfect replica, though he did update it so it was more in line with the topographical maps of the kingdom, with proper colors to denote height instead of just darker and lighter. Once he was done he rolled it up and tied it with a piece of string he grew using a piece of bark he kept in his pocket. ¡°Thank you very much for the map.¡± Harlan thought that something was missing and splashed the string, coloring it red. ¡°A beautiful color.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been drawn towards some rather esoteric magic. I can also tan hides, dust fragile objects, and mash a potato in its own skin. I¡¯ve been trying to quickly ferment foods for long term storage, as I knew of a boy who could turn juice into alcohol with a touch, but it¡¯s harder than you would think.¡± Bartholomew scratched his chin. ¡°That is a magic which would be the envy of any of my people.¡± ¡°There was once a time when I was quite interested in some things, but as a ruler you would be better served having your mages research these things while you simply accrue power.¡± Harlan¡¯s amulet lit up. ¡°Apologies, I should take this.¡± Harlan was given a rundown by D¡¯if. ¡°We are leaving now, can Darrath stay behind until I get back?¡± ¡°What has happened?¡± ¡°Small army on its way to my city, but it¡¯s be a few hours before they get there. I believe it safer for him to be here.¡± ¡°Go, handle your war, I will ensure the boy is safe.¡± ¡°Let us aid you.¡± ¡°Thank you Bartholomew. Oh, and can anyone here explain what a battle tank is?¡± Chapter 230: Drawn to it Harlan moved his long cannon to the plains, 6 miles to the target, barely any elevation difference across them. Harlan dialed in the right angle and rotation after watching the beast through a gate high above the ground. It had circled back around after killing its prey and would remain stationary for at least a minute. With the veils Harlan put up, the cannon was still loud, but it lessened them and redirected them backwards. The echo would eventually come back and the Razorwing might be spooked, but by Harlan¡¯s estimation, the echo would take three minutes, and the shell would hit after 50 seconds. Harlan¡¯s heart was racing so fast he could feel the pounding in his ears. He counted down with his fingers as he still watched from his gate. 5¡­ 4¡­ 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­ Boom. Yet when the smoke cleared he saw nothing. ¡°Surely I didn¡¯t vaporize-¡± Harlan saw a glint a few hills over, the sun shining off the scales of the Razorwing. He barely slipped through the gate before a wave of kinetic breath turned the massive weapon into nothing but shrapnel. Had it a shorter turning radius, Harlan wouldn¡¯t have had time for the second gate to actually get him out of the area. He was livid, he wasted weeks of his life away from his family who could surely use some support on a weapon that didn¡¯t even fucking work. He wanted to drink, but he knew that it would empty out any tavern he tried to go in and what Xol made he drank already. Harlan grumbled as he walked aimlessly down the road, trying to cool off before he went back home. He made his way to the smells of food and barely looked up from the snow under his feet, not noticing that the town lacked guards. When he stepped inside the tavern he found spears and swords pointed at him. ¡°I¡¯d recommend that you put those down before someone gets hurt.¡± An older man put his sword down and the rest followed. ¡°Are you the reinforcements? Did Herman get through?¡± ¡°I have no idea who that is or why you need reinforcements.¡± ¡°DAMNIT!¡± The man flipped one of the tables. ¡°Whatever you have an issue with, I¡¯m certain I can help.¡± ¡°You have any way to handle a dozen or more Werewolves?¡± ¡°I do. Stab me.¡± The people were confused but one of them thrusted his spear at Harlan¡¯s face. The tip was deflected by his skin and not a scratch was left. ¡°I am Harlan Fomoria, I assume my reputation precedes me. Now, explain what is happening here.¡± The older man sat across from Harlan and motioned for some food and drink to be brought over. ¡°Werewolves. We huddle here for safety, but if they were really trying we¡¯d all be dead. They come some nights for the women, some nights they don¡¯t.¡± ¡°On full moons?¡± ¡°No, nobody can understand why they don¡¯t appear.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, I will try-¡± ¡°On full moons a Werewolf can sometimes lose control, but other nights they can transform at will and keep their minds, and then on moonless nights they can¡¯t transform at all. If they are coming out when it isn¡¯t a full moon, and taking captives, that means they are fully in control of themselves.¡± ¡°How bad is that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to make a call, don¡¯t bother me.¡± Under the veil, Harlan contacted Carden, the leader of the Nightwatchers and a vampire elder. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°It is Harlan.¡± ¡°Ah, what can I do for you?¡± ¡°Werewolves are taking people at night, not killing them on the spot. Is there any reason I shouldn¡¯t track them down and wipe them out.¡± ¡°Are they losing control?¡± ¡°No, they don¡¯t seem to have a set pattern of appearance according to the man I spoke with, and they don¡¯t always come out on full moons.¡± ¡°This is most distressing. I wish there was an easy way to put you in contact with another leader, one nearby who could lend you some men.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know where I am in all honesty. But I can find out.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Harlan lifted the veil. ¡°Where are we?¡± ¡°Uh, Staggerfell.¡± ¡°County?¡± ¡°Orelend.¡± ¡°Fan-fucking-tastic.¡± ¡°What¡¯s-¡± Harlan put the veil back up and called Carden back. ¡°Staggerfell, Orelend county.¡± ¡°Let me see. The nearest would be in Welin, but I would suggest Walin since it is larger, more experienced, and with gate travel time is the same either way.¡± ¡°What is it with this place and swapping Es and As.¡± ¡°Walin is about 30 miles at heading 228. They should follow without issue once you say your name, if not then call and I¡¯ll have someone bring a letter of recommendation.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Harlan dropped the veil once again. ¡°I¡¯m going to bring back reinforcements.¡± Harlan met up with the local coven leader and was given two men, a River Vampire and a Werewolf. ¡°Sir Fomoria. What can we help with?¡± ¡°Werewolves, taking people alive, not on full moons.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°I asked a vampire elder about it, but didn¡¯t get an answer. Is there any reason I shouldn¡¯t kill them all outright.¡± ¡°If they are taking people, they¡¯ve broken the law, both of your nation and of our people. The punishment for both is death.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Harlan opened the gate back to Staggerfell and went into the tavern again. ¡°We are going to kill the Werewolves.¡± ¡°Men, gather up for-¡± ¡°Me and my men are going to kill them. You are going to stay here.¡± ¡°They took our women, mothers and daughters and wives and-¡± ¡°That was not a question, nor a suggestion. I¡¯m not letting you get yourselves killed for pride. Stay here, don¡¯t do anything that would suggest that something has changed.¡± An hour passed before they showed up. Harlan had been outside, pretending to be a woman passed out drunk, having splashed some of the ale on himself to hide his naturally bizarre scent which came from being an amalgam. He was glad it took so long for them to appear, since he felt some innate wrongness with taking a female form, and it had taken some time to get used to it. He had actually laughed at first, turning into an inhuman monster was painful, but he got over the sense of wrongness rather quickly compared to being a woman. Yet it also made him somewhat melancholy, he hadn¡¯t felt right looking human at all for some time, a monster fit his skin better. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. He pretended to groggily wake up a little before falling back asleep to test their reaction, but they didn¡¯t care and just held him tighter. Once Harlan had been grabbed the Nightwatchers threw out their daggers. ¡°NIGHTWATCHER, KILL THEM.¡± The one carrying Harlan fled, leaving the other two to hold back the Nightwatchers. They were running for 30 or so minutes before they jumped down into a cave. Harlan was handed over to another Werewolf and tossed into a cage with the women. Once the guard moved away Harlan dropped the act and put up an illusion. Harlan¡¯s joints popped and his bones broke so they could be reformed. He was already at his minimum height, and getting smaller meant he had to strain himself to keep that size. Seeing as how he turned from a woman to a man instead of transforming into a Werewolf, the women didn¡¯t do any more than just recoil at the display. ¡°I¡¯m here to rescue you. Are any of you injured?¡± ¡°Dena is hurt.¡± Harlan went over to the woman, it was a minor infection on a light bite mark from one of the Werewolves. ¡°Does this woman have a husband?¡± ¡°No.¡± The woman furrowed her brow. ¡°Boyfriend, lover, just someone she sleeps with?¡± ¡°Why do you even want to-¡± ¡°She¡¯s pregnant.¡± Harlan began to check the women one after another, and either they were pregnant, or he expected they would be shortly. ¡°Is this everyone?¡± ¡°Cathandra, they took her shortly before you arrived.¡± Harlan opened a gate. ¡°I will bring her back, all of you get back to Staggerfell.¡± He stopped the women from stepping through just yet. ¡°But before that, I could¡­ I could get rid of the pregnancies.¡± Once the women were gone Harlan inhaled deeply and thought out his next move, though he knew it would need to happen quickly. The guard returned when it heard banging on the gate, saying what Harlan could only intuit was a threat in Wolftongue. When he got close enough, Harlan pushed the bars into him, pinning the wolf to the wall and nearly falling to pieces due to Harlan having roughly sharpened the bars. As the beast tried to get himself unstuck from the wall, Harlan reached inside of his mouth, stabbing his clawed fingers through from the roof of his mouth and into his brain. Harlan saw his eyes roll back into his and his eyelids flutter as he twitched and then went still, turning back into a man and sliding down the wall. Harlan walked out into the cenote and saw the bonfire which lit up a stone table where the woman was being held down by three Werewolves, one held her hands while there were two others that held her legs open. A larger white Werewolf reached into the fire, grabbing a burned up log and crushing it in his hands before rubbing a single line of black down his chest. The smell of burning was faint as the hot coals barely singed his tough fur. Harlan crawled along the ceiling of the cenote, looking like some sort of lizardman with long claws, waiting for the right chance to pounce. He was supposed to be waiting for his backup, but the beast walked closer to the table and took off his loincloth. Harlan knew what would happen, and he would not allow it. He deactivated his hover and dropped on top of the white wolf, sending his spine and organs shooting out of his backside as his eyes popped out of his skull. For the two holding the woman¡¯s legs Harlan had cut stalactites from the ceiling and sharpened their ends as much as he could in the short time he had. One of them died outright, but the other got lucky, causing the stone to not land solid on his head and instead it slipped, crushing the woman¡¯s leg, nearly severing it. He leapt towards the last Werewolf at the table, tearing at its throat with needle-like teeth. Deep cuts were left in the woman¡¯s wrists where the Werewolf struggled against Harlan. Before the others reached him Harlan slipped his armor onto the woman and tossed her up, hovering to let her stay in the air as Harlan prepared to fight. Harlan hit the first with an uppercut, cleaving the snout off of one of them, but leaving it alive to wail in pain as it started to regenerate. The next bit Harlan on his bicep, and with a flex the teeth were trapped, as he kept going he felt the teeth of the wolf crack and he tried to pry himself off of Harlan who plucked out an eye before letting him go. Harlan began to imbibe, realizing that these Werewolves were far from weak, to even pierce his skin was a great effort for anything. The next one that tried to bite found his teeth broken against Harlan¡¯s onyx like scales. Harlan used his hand like a spear and tore out the heart of the werewolf, the potent life inside of it burned as fuel for a blade which cut deeply into a few of them, but was not fatal. They realized the fight was lost, and tried to run, but Harlan was faster. Heused flight to drop with great force onto the back of the digitigrade legs of the one, sending bone splinters deep inside of the wolf¡¯s calves and disabling its ability to run Harlan finally drew his blade, the hook like a mantis cut the other from shoulder to hip, severing its spine. The last begged and pleaded for her life. ¡°Why is it always the same? I go anywhere, and I stumble into some new horror.¡± He scraped the blade across the ground. ¡°Spiders inside of the spines of people, forcing me to take innocent lives.¡± He swung at the whimpering female, cutting off only hair. ¡°A simple bandit clean up, turning into a raid where I send a cloud hundreds of feet into the sky, and kill hundreds of evil men. But at least then I stopped it before the worst could happen.¡± This time he took off a few fingers. When she tried to flee once more he made a small slice on her back, and her legs refused to listen anymore. ¡°Here I could not be fast enough, because I never planned to be here, I just fell into it.¡± She returned to human form, naked as the day she had been born. ¡°Please, I¡¯ll do anything, I just-¡± Harlan grabbed her jaw, forcing it closed before he fused her teeth together. ¡°How many people pleaded just like you have. Women who you and yours held down, forced yourself on. And why the fuck is it always that? Why does every single thing go back to someone trying to fuck someone else? Every single sick bastard I meet is trying to stick his dick where it doesn¡¯t belong.¡± Harlan stepped back to one of the others, stomping his genitals into paste and causing the beast to pass out, foaming from the mouth. ¡°And that you would do that to other women, that is a special form of terrible, making you no better than any of them.¡± Harlan dragged the female to the table, stone hands formed and grabbed her limbs. He started pulling. ¡°Holy fucking shit, what the hell are you doing?¡± ¡°I was going to draw and quarter her.¡± The Nightwatchers were horrified at the sight before them. They were almost used to seeing this kind of brutality when a Werewolf lost control on a full moon, but from Harlan¡¯s tone, he was mostly lucid. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just put her down.¡± Harlan cocked his head to the side and furrowed his brow, as if he didn¡¯t know what was being told to him. ¡°Hey, listen, I get it, some bad shit was happening here, you had to defend yourself.¡± The vampire inched close to Harlan, his partner wanted to stay far away. ¡°But that is done, it¡¯s over, we don¡¯t need to be like them.¡± Harlan took shallow breaths and formed a fist, his punch then broke the nose of the vampire. ¡°I AM NOTHING LIKE THEM, THEY ARE MONSTER, THEY STEAL WOMEN, IMPREGNATE THEM FOR SOME SICK FUCKING EXPERIMENT, I¡¯M NOT LIKE THEM, AND THEY GOT EVERYTHING THAT THEY FUCKING DESERVED.¡± Harlan moved the hands, tearing the woman apart, spilling her guts onto the stone table. Instead of helping, the vampire just stabbed her in the heart with a dagger, ending her suffering. ¡°We want them for questioning, what you are doing is plainly unjust.¡± Harlan slammed down his fist, sending cracks down the table and causing small rocks to fall from the ceiling. When he heard a metallic clang, he remembered why he was so upset in the first place. ¡°Go, there are a few more still breathing.¡± Harlan called to his armor, and it floated down. The woman had passed out, either from pain or blood loss, but the armor kept her stable, she was at no risk of dying. Harlan saw a rock which had fallen, frozen in front of him. ¡°Fate. It is not real, there is no force which drives things towards an endpoint, there is no goal for reality. Yet there are forces which from the outside seem exactly the same. You ask why it is always like this, why you stumble into these things. And I tell you, it is you.¡± Harlan looked down at the woman, late 20s, early 30s, brown hair, blue eyes, plain looking. She could¡¯ve been any of a thousand women he had seen across cities and villages and farms. She seemed so peaceful in her sleep, it was like nothing had happened at all. ¡°Why am I cursed, to go to these places, to see these things.¡± ¡°Because it is what you want.¡± He looked at her with fury in his eyes. ¡°You say you hate it, all of it, but had you not come, who would save that woman? The village which was cut off from the outside, whose remaining guards were only alive at the behest of these monsters? The Nightwatchers who knew nothing of what was happening? You made a random jump to escape the wyvern, and it brought you here, not because of fate, or a curse, but because you are my champion, and every power you develop is one outside of my design. You can see the future of thousands, millions of people, across hundreds of miles, but you cannot see a single one knowingly, you are simply drawn to them. And so you subconsciously pull yourself to these places, these missions.¡± ¡°What is fate, what is a curse, if not an inability to make a choice.¡± ¡°You are always making a choice, that ability did not come from me, it manifested in your heart. When you are ready, I will contact you for a mission, but it is nothing of an emergency.¡± Time resumed, and Harlan decided to clean the woman, make sure she was healthy, that there wasn¡¯t anything growing in her. He wasn¡¯t sure how long he had been sitting there before he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was a Werewolf, female. ¡°Sir Fomoria, you¡¯ve done a great service for my people.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I am the Wolfmother, I sit on the seat of the Nightwatchers council. My name is not important, and it is likely you will meet more in my position who have cast aside their names. Carden reported to me what had happened here, and I have decided to come and verify.¡± ¡°Verify what?¡± ¡°That these dogs are beholden to the witch. There will be another blood moon in 9 months, give or take. If these women are impregnated now, one or more of them is likely to give birth during the blood moon. There has been more than one person who is born and then turned on the same blood moon, and they always get great power, sometimes even abilities that never manifest within another on record.¡± Harlan breathed deeply, black smoke rose from his skin and the Wolfmother stepped back until it stopped. ¡°Were they?¡± ¡°It is unlikely. From what I recovered in the caves, they are trying to create a new creature by having the women impregnated by one in Werewolf form and then the woman would give birth on the blood moon before being turned into something else, either a Gargoyle or a Sirin. The ideal for them is to make something with the powers of more than one of us and eventually make what they consider a perfect being by mixing all of us into one.¡± ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°We found women of the cult, Werewolves, who were supposed to stay in a constant transformed state for the entire term of their pregnancy. We¡¯ve seen a few of these cults pop up, not all of them are run by Werewolves, but all of them are following some kinda prophecy that we can¡¯t find the source for.¡± ¡°They have a name? Something I can call them before I drown them in their blood.¡± ¡°Cult of the Ancients. They believe we were all one people and were then split as divine punishment for something, but we¡¯ve never gotten a clear answer on what they think happened.¡± Harlan let the Nightwatchers check out the women of the village and they even offered counseling for them, but they didn¡¯t trust them. So far as they were concerned the Nightwatchers were probably in on it, to them Harlan was at least human, or close enough. ¡°Thank you so much for everything you¡¯ve done.¡± Harlan couldn¡¯t meet the eyes of the villages as he opened another gate and left. He didn¡¯t really feel guilty for having killed them, even the woman who begged for her life. He felt guilty that he now knew he had this power, that he was drawn to these places, but he always showed up too late to stop things anyway. Chapter 231: Castian Advanced Ethical Warfare Tactics Harlan opened the gate to his war room and rushed through, ready to repel any attacks. ¡°What exactly are we fighting here?¡± Joan was sitting at the table, though Harlan had plans to put a map on it and hopefully one day it would be able to shift around and show where his forces were, right now it was just a nice table. ¡°Harlan, I need to impress on you exactly what the Cast are.¡± ¡°Just tell me what we are fighting.¡± ¡°The Cast are evil, it is not culture, it is not a difference of opinion, they are evil.¡± Joan hesitated to continue. They sent an army of child soldiers. From the looks of things, young as 12, old as 15.¡± ¡°You sure they aren¡¯t Bijou?¡± ¡°They are Faun. They won¡¯t arrive for at least another four hours, but they have materials for constructing siege equipment and they have at least two battle tanks. I need to know how you want this handled.¡± ¡°What are the numbers?¡± ¡°3,000.¡± ¡°What is a battle tank?¡± ¡°A purely mechanical vehicle, normally piloted by Bijou so they can fit more armor and weapons on it. The ones here are 30 or so feet long, 14 wide. Each has two large cannons on top and a smaller rapidly firing gun.¡± ¡°You have guns out here?¡± ¡°Why is that surprising?¡± ¡°They are a recent invention inside of the veil.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve had them for hundreds of years, but the Cast have a monopoly on them and they exist in small numbers. The odd part is that they are out here. We are thousands of miles away from the capital, and those technologies are more restricted the farther away from the heartland they are.¡± ¡°Interesting, but not important. I¡¯m going to go there, see the situation for myself.¡± Harlan always found it somewhat jarring when he opened a gate to radically different weather conditions. The blizzard he was walking through was sudden and focused, it likely wouldn¡¯t even end up reaching Kor. He used invisibility and snuck right through the camp. The children didn¡¯t seem upset at being there at all, they just followed the orders of their Cast master. He saw a few of them praying to an altar of some kind, a large medallion showing a white silhouette of a man on a gold colored rod. He could hear them whispering wishes to the emperor. Harlan kept looking around, trying to find a solution to his problem even as they began marching again once the storm passed. The children all held small rifles designed for them and had bombs dangling from their belts that clattered as they made their way through the snow. He was currently riding on one of the tanks and it made him feel nauseous, not that it wasn¡¯t a rather smooth ride, but rather he could feel something inside that was emitting an anti-magic field. Then he noticed the oddity of them. He had yet to see any magic being used at all. If this was their plan, to use anti-magic and thus make him vulnerable, it wouldn¡¯t be entirely unfounded. But sigils still worked, them existing on a higher level than this anti-magic. And when he shifted his body he was still relying on the natural laws, lessening the effectiveness of such a plan A plan formed in his head. Harlan had moved away from the marching troops and took to the sky. If they stopped for the storm, then he needed to bring it back or make a new one to slow them down. Harlan dragged back the storm as best he could and enhanced it with more magic. The blizzard itself was small, but it was heavy enough that they couldn¡¯t see more than 15 feet ahead, and thus had no idea exactly how small it really was, extending across the tightly packed army but then only another 100 feet on each side. While he maintained the storm he sent orders to have construction golems raise walls and make ditches to slow them down. He thought his plan was perfect, but after an hour they decided to push through the storm, not wanting to fight in the dark. When they encountered the wall one of them went forward with a siege ladder which was made from smaller ladders that easily slotted and locked into one another. When they said the wall wasn¡¯t very thick everyone backed up and the tank fired to open a hole where they then placed a white block which had wires connected to it. But then one of them pulled out a small handheld object that had no wires, and when they pushed the red button the white block exploded, startling Harlan. He had seen the bombs the army used, black powder or in some other cases alchemical powders like flare dust. But that white block looked like some kind of clay. They continued marching through the storm and past the wall. Harlan kept making everything colder, but maintaining the storm and moving it alongside them was becoming too draining as a northern wind threatened to blow it away and he now had to also fight against that. An hour away from the city meant that he had already been out of free mana for an hour himself. He wasn¡¯t drained dry by any means, but he refused to use any more unless it was absolutely required. With what he had he could fully shift his body, open a gate, and use three war spells without running out, giving him a little wiggle room to do something else small like close a wound long enough to use mundane medical techniques to stabilize. Unfortunately, none of that helped him. Warmagic was out by its nature, it was designed to kill. He had done work on expanding the size of his gate, but it was nowhere near enough to move an entire army¡­ unless. They wondered why they hadn¡¯t reached the city yet, their compasses said they were going in the right direction, but they were an hour past schedule. They would¡¯ve liked to use the stars to check their location, but it was heavily overcast. They had to camp for the night, and once the clouds cleared up the scouts came together to figure out what had gone wrong. Nobody understood how, but they were not even close to their goal, and in fact were hundreds of miles back into imperial land. All Harlan had to do was make a blizzard which was strong enough to hide that there was a large gate, and because they marched in a rather narrow line, they all fit inside. Because they used the road instead of marching through a forest, he just needed to place it somewhere that didn¡¯t have any clear landmarks and then have it go somewhere else that had no clear landmarks. Back in Redhaven Harlan finally came to pick Darrath back up. As they were not actually needed for a fight, Harlan had also dropped the Goliaths back in Lith. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. He entered Carmilla¡¯s room after a maid had directed him that he was allowed inside. Darrath was nowhere to be seen however. ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you as soon as you explain what happened.¡± ¡°The Castian Empire sent an army of child soldiers.¡± She set down the book she had been reading on her bed. ¡°I¡¯m certain it was hard, but you really had no choice.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t kill them. I managed to trick them through a gate, sending them a few hundred miles back into their lands.¡± ¡°Why would you do something so stupid?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill a bunch of children.¡± ¡°And how will you deal with them next time? Do you intend to find a trick every time for the next few decades?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill children.¡± ¡°While I find a man with solid morals alluring, you¡¯ve shown the empire that you are too weak to fight against them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not changing my mind on this, there is a line that I won¡¯t cross.¡± ¡°Yes, and how many other uncrossable lines have you already crossed?¡± She picked her book back up. ¡°He is still in the library. Collect him and be on your way.¡± Harlan grumbled and had a sour look on his face the entire way to the library. After signing in at the front desk Harlan used divination to find Darrath and then gated to his location. ¡°Papa, are you an idiot?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Terrance kept asking what kind of idiot leaves their son here for so long.¡± ¡°Who?¡± The father of the group who got stuck with watching Darrath meekly raised his hand. ¡°My apologies.¡± ¡°I understand, it took longer than I thought it would to remove the enemy army. Thank you for watching my son. Where is the rest of your family?¡± ¡°They left so they could get some sleep.¡± He noticed how tired the man looked, which wasn¡¯t a shock considering Darrath was a ball of energy and curious like Harlan was, or rather still is. Harlan reached into his pocket, seeing the fear in the man¡¯s eyes. And then he pulled out a handful of gold coins. ¡°I assume you paid for his food, and this is also for your time.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly-¡± Harlan looked cranky and tired, and it was hard for him to resist the sneer that was creeping on his face. Politeness was great, a wonderful thing, but not when someone is trying to do something nice after using up most of their energy and they want to go to sleep instead of ending up in a politeness standoff. ¡°Thank you for the coin.¡± ¡°Darrath, what do you have to say?¡± ¡°I read books about druids, and swamps, and trees, and books, and how to make paper, and-¡± ¡°What do you have to say to Terrance?¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t have the energy to wait for Darrath to find out what the right answer was. ¡°Say thank you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Harlan went back to the front desk, signed out both of them, and then gated back to their home. He put Darrath to sleep. Despite his cries that he wasn¡¯t tired and that he wanted to talk about the books, he lasted only a few minutes before his eyes closed. Harlan had gotten a few complaints about how Darrath always slept under his dresser and the maids were scraping their arms or banging their heads trying to get him out from under it. So Harlan raised the bed up and hung thick black sheets over the sides so Darrath could sleep there on the floor, as Darrath also didn¡¯t like the softness of mattresses or bedding. Harlan laid there on the carpeted floor, watching him sleep, thinking about Darrath and the child soldiers, about how long he was going to keep him away from the terrible realities of the world. No matter how hard he tried, could he even make it 11 years, at least as much as Harlan had? He wondered, what does it have to be this way? Was there no path to destroying the Cast which wouldn¡¯t also destroy his heart? He sat across from himself on a porch in a place he didn¡¯t recognize. A faceless doll of a woman poured both of them iced tea from a pitcher. ¡°You know you gotta do it.¡± ¡°I have other bodies, but I didn¡¯t wake up in one of them, and I know what death is like, so what is this? Just a dream? It doesn¡¯t feel like one.¡± ¡°Eh, kinda. You¡¯ve spent enough time with a split mind that you didn¡¯t realize there was one more inside of you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not comfortable knowing that I misplaced a mind.¡± ¡°Well, that is your problem, and by that I mean ours.¡± ¡°How long have you been here?¡± ¡°Since Redmond. It¡¯s actually kinda funny, because when you go insane, you don¡¯t really realize it, everything still seems normal. Meanwhile I¡¯ve been where you¡¯ve dumped all of that anger and grief, because there is no way in hell that you are really handling this shit on your own, you just aren¡¯t strong enough for that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s odd, I feel alright now. And you, you don¡¯t feel like me.¡± ¡°When you make a mind intentionally, it¡¯s different then what I am. Kinda like how Dun¡¯Kel or Kleon don¡¯t act like Xol. As for why we both feel alright, that is a matter of empathy and dreams playing tricks on us. Another night we might feel like complete shit, or be blinded by rage.¡± ¡°That sounds like bullshit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to figure out what is happening, and all I¡¯ve got to work with is what we both already know, so I can¡¯t really come to a conclusion with real certainty. I wonder if the other us did the same thing. I really hope he didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m terrible, a real monster. I don¡¯t possess all of our shared emotional intelligence, and if I ever decided to try and take over for even a little while, I¡¯d probably do something terrible.¡± Harlan sipped on his tea, finding that in this dream his taste buds didn¡¯t function. ¡°Where are we?¡± ¡°I decided to construct a place that isn¡¯t anywhere, a home, something that is mine before I end myself.¡± ¡°Who says you have to do that-¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking, that¡¯s all I¡¯ve been doing. I exist to run parallel with you and come to a conclusion about something.¡± ¡°Which something?¡± ¡°Trying to use empathy to keep a population docile, and about the virus.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to target an entire people, it would be genocide.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I thought, but a month of doing nothing but thinking on just two things does a lot for your perspective. And today, this here, the army of children, that is what tipped the scales and made me decide that this thought had reached an ending. I¡¯d explain more, but when I¡­ I guess when I die, you¡¯ll start to process my memories and understand how I reached my conclusion. You¡¯ll also see me process a month of grief and anger, and that was not nearly enough time to get through all of it.¡± Harlan awoke to Darrath clinging to his arm like a caterpillar before it enters its cocoon. He raised up the heavy black curtain that blocked out all light and helped Darrath feel comfortable sleeping, finding it was still too early to wake him. So he laid there, processing the memories of his parallel mind until a maid peeked under to wake him and got spooked by him. What bothered him was that he could see every bit of how he decided that it was right to unleash the rust, and he couldn¡¯t say with absolute certainty that he disagreed with himself. The maid lifted the curtain again. ¡°Your majesty?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I am sorry for my reaction, I just-¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t expect to see me under here.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I am going to let him sleep in today.¡± His cold tone and statuesque expression unsettled the maid. ¡°Of course, your majesty.¡± When Darrath did wake up he finally let go of Harlan¡¯s arm. ¡°Papa?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°I slept next to you last night.¡± ¡°Oh. Ok.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to be gone, probably for a week or so, not sure how long it will take. But I¡¯ll be back by the time Carmilla invites us to dinner.¡± ¡°We are going to dinner at the red lady¡¯s house?¡± ¡°Call her Lady Carmilla or Queen Karmine.¡± ¡°Ok. Are you going to make my pet soon?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make it soon. But now you need to get up, eat breakfast, and start on your studies.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to the library in Karmine.¡± ¡°She has a library in her?¡± ¡°No, the city is also called Karmine, just like her name. Come on, let¡¯s both get up and get to work.¡±
Xol put the object obtained from the vault in Boulder in the slot on the board and started connecting the cables. It wasn¡¯t quite like what he had back home, thousands of years had passed, but he had been constructing the device and troubleshooting what was missing for decades already, sending parties to scavenge what they could from where the Blackship crashed. He cracked his knuckles and started tapping on the keys. He wished it had been in English at least, but it was the only keyboard he found and he didn¡¯t know how to manufacture one of his own. The screen lit up and he reached the login screen, he hadn¡¯t seen something like this in Eons. When he saw that it was password locked he wanted to smash the entire thing with a hammer, but instead he remembered an old adage and started on his infinite monkeys instead. Chapter 232: Sigils Harlan informed Dawn that he was going to be leaving, but that what he was doing wasn¡¯t something they should worry about interrupting. ¡°So what are you actually doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to train my sigilwork.¡± ¡°Do you need me to-¡± ¡°Dawn¡­ Mom¡­¡± Harlan tapped his fingers on his desk. ¡°Find a reason to throw a festival. I¡¯ll explain why someday, but for now just do as I ask.¡± ¡°Does this have to do with why you were being strange that day? Sleeping on the roof.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then I won¡¯t ask questions.¡± ¡°Thank you. And if you could, find out what kind of pet Darrath wants.¡± ¡°I will do that.¡± ¡°Oh, and make sure that Mercedes gets the dinner with Carmilla scheduled and Darrath gets some lessons on manners, since I¡¯m not sure what other guests might be there to meet us.¡± ¡°Alright. Anything else?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m going to pack some tonics and then go.¡± Dawn hugged him. ¡°I hope you feel better about whatever it is.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Harlan stepped through the gate and then another and another until he found some place where so far as he could tell there were no people or much life in general. The land gave off a sickly feeling that made Harlan mournful. He sat down on a mesa, bringing back memories of warmagic classes. He could almost hear Sepul telling the other students to be more efficient with their casting or that they needed to stop making the biggest explosion they could as a dick measuring contest or he¡¯d do something. He never once explained what the something was, but the mentioning of genitals and Sepul being mysterious and ancient meant nobody wanted to find out. Harlan shook off his nostalgia and began moving his hands. He started with the beam that the Finger used. Whereas Sholl caused concentrated heat and then an explosion, his beam was a line of darkness that simply erased things, yet he knew from experience that it wasn¡¯t so simple. When he had clashed with Sholl his beam did not erase the other, instead they both deflected off of the other, shifting their path. As it hit the stone it cleaved cleanly through, but Harlan felt it was wrong. For however powerful it might be against some rocks and trees, there should be an auxiliary effect according to what he had been told. He tried again, subtly shifting the movement of his finger every time. But unlike with a rune, he couldn¡¯t feel the wrongness when he made a mistake, either it got better or not, but he had to rely entirely on what he could see, and with it cutting stone as if it wasn¡¯t there from the start, it was hard to see a difference. After an hour Harlan was tired, so he drank a tonic and laid on his back, watching the birds circle overhead. The silence was deafening, and he didn¡¯t like being stuck with his thoughts. According to that parallel mind, he had spent that month with Harlan¡¯s grief, taking all of it on himself, and that it wasn¡¯t enough. He had also spent that month thinking on the subjects of the rust virus and using mass empathy to control his people. While he had decided that mass empathy was unethical for a few reasons, not limited to how altering the minds of ones citizens over a long term was likely to cause many negative side effects much like the trauma Dawn suffered, it would also risk his people not voicing real problems that they had and things would just fester. But then there was the subject of the virus, a way to potentially kill off large numbers of Cast and weaken the empire as a whole. According to himself, it made perfect sense, the Cast showed a blatant disregard for life in all of its forms and any sort of moral decency. Harlan knew that the Cast were not born evil, but made that way intentionally, and that gave him pause, but he had also been told that they killed those who showed good natures before they left their reproductive area, and thus it was unlikely for there to be innocents caught up in the biological weapon. He dwelled on these thoughts until he felt ready to begin casting again. Harlan decided that he need a better way to test the sigils. So he started to fire the beams straight down and then figure out their depth with divination. If it got deeper, Harlan assumed that he was doing it right. Yet another hour passed and he had made no progress at all. Each and every time the beam hit 500 feet on the dot, 2 inches in diameter, he even began double checking each hole to make sure he wasn¡¯t getting a bad reading. So once again he rested, laying in the middle of the holes and running his fingers along their edges just to have something else he could focus on. But it didn¡¯t last long. He had refused to let it hit him, but Redmond was gone. Even if it was unlikely for him to have gone back home, to have ever seen him again anyway, it didn¡¯t stop that burning sick feeling in his gut and that gnawing at the back of his mind. He kept trying to figure out the beam and if it was lacking an extra effect or if the effect was something that he just hadn¡¯t realized. Harlan was laying there on the ground, thinking instead of doing, looking at the buzzards overhead who wondered when he would be dying. Before he even realized what he was doing he cast that beam once again, aiming at the birds. He felt a sudden regret as the beam neared them, these birds had done nothing and he had no reason to attack them. Yet while the birds had begun to panic, they were unharmed. Harlan was confused, and gated above the birds to grab the one he hit. It squawked and squalled as he grabbed it but calmed down quickly in the way birds did. He remembered butchering chickens when he was younger, once one had a chicken upside down they would stop resisting after a short time. So he held that buzzard, far larger up close than it seemed afar, and checked it for any harm, but it was fine. So Harlan used his empathy, asking it to stand still for him to test again. He fired the beam, and it passed through, turning stone into nothingness, but leaving the buzzard as it was. It lifted its wings up, looking baffled as much as a creature with a simple mind could. Harlan fired it once again, this time intending to harm the bird, and it dropped dead, a two inch hole where its heart was. He made a small apology for taking its life and buried it in the stone so the other buzzards wouldn¡¯t eat its body. Now that he understood what the beam could do, he moved onto the sigil that for Sholl made a blade, and for him made a black mist that had a few hard chunks inside. Harlan understood from his beam what the likely use for the mist was. He made another buzzard come down and perch on a seemingly dead tree and then cast the sigil. After a few breaths the bird fell from the tree, Harlan would¡¯ve assumed it dead, but its mind was still there. The oddity was when he saw it under soulsight. When the buzzard rose from the sand and stone, it had grown. Sharp beak and claws, deathly caws. Harlan called the creature over and admired the shimmer of it. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. The deep darkness of it was cut by the shine of light that was rejected and reflected. But as he held it in his hands he felt the heat buried in its chest that just wouldn¡¯t go away. Harlan sent it away. When it was nearly out of sight Harlan saw it struggle to keep flying and then fall from the sky. Before it hit the ground Harlan saw it catch fire. When he reached the spot where the buzzard hit the ground only a few of its larger bones were left, but the black chunks which had attached to its claws were returned to mist and then faded from existence. Harlan poked at the bones and blackened sand, but the magic was gone. His mind had flowed away from his current troubles, now there was something that piqued his interest. Harlan went to the tree and unleashed the mist again, but nothing happened. So he placed his hand on the tree and confirmed that it was living, but from a species which had the appearance of being dried out. He opened a gate some ways away and found water, which he brought back and put his mist in to see if it would take. The chunks sunk in the water and the mist made a film on the top as if it was oil, but it refused to bind itself to the liquid. He moved on with the experiment anyway, forcing the tree to absorb the water. After well over ten minutes Harlan gave up, it would not affect the plant. So he went off to find another animal to use the mist on. Went closer to home and searched the forests, finding a fox first, but Harlan thought foxes were cute and he felt bad about using it as a test subject, so he put it back down and found something uglier. In a nearby stream he found a catfish, and moved it to a small pond he dug out. The mist still wouldn¡¯t mix into the water, but catfish weren¡¯t picky eaters and it swallowed one of the black chunks. As it passed through the gut of the fish it quickly darkened in color and unlike any catfish Harlan knew of it grew overlapping bone plates. It had grown in size from two and a half feet to four feet and when Harlan lifted it he estimated it to be 70 or more pounds, abnormally heavy for its size. Just as the buzzard had, its body heated slowly at first, but in less than 10 minutes the water of the small pond began to steam, yet the fish seemed to not feel any discomfort either from the heat outside or in. After another few minutes the water began to boil and the fish died, but at no point was there pain, and unlike the buzzard, the water meant that the body had been preserved instead of burning up. Harlan cut into the fish, finding it cooked completely, and the longer it was dead the more he saw the magic fade away, the bone plates had fallen off and then were blown away in the wind when they rose to the surface of the water. What was odd was how the darkness had grown inside of it, leaving gaps in the flesh as he examined it. Harlan had an idea of what the obvious next step was, and that was him. But what worried him was how it changed the soul of the things that breathed in or otherwise ingested the substances the spell made. He returned to Falin and spoke with the minister in charge. ¡°How may I help, King Fomoria?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to find a test subject, meaning someone who has committed a violent crime and is unrepentant, murders first, then rapists. Do we have one?¡± The woman narrowed her eyes and contacted Carmilla, having no wait before she answered. ¡°Your majesty, I am here with King Fomoria. He is requesting a prisoner for experimentation and I don¡¯t know what to tell him.¡± ¡°King Fomoria, why do you need them and will they survive?¡± ¡°I¡¯m using sigils, and it is very unlikely.¡± ¡°What kind do you want?¡± ¡°Unrepentant, murders preferably, then rapists. The only reason I can imagine we don¡¯t have any to spare is if they¡¯re being killed immediately instead of put on an execution list.¡± ¡°Very well. Liyana, contact the other ministers and see if they have someone who matches what he wants if there are none in your territory.¡± ¡°I shall do as you command.¡± When the minster hung up she set the amulet back in its drawer. ¡°Why not wear it?¡± ¡°These are a precious gift from you as well as our only means of real time communication across the nation.¡± Harlan pulled a spare amulet from his pocket. ¡°Take another for personal use if you¡¯d like, or otherwise just to have a spare.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Do you think it¡¯s a bribe?¡± ¡°They are valuable and I have no desire to be in debt.¡± ¡°No debt, and they are only as valuable as the materials I made it from. The one for my head advisor has bone and sinew for holding it instead of metal, and it works no differently because it just needs a large enough gem.¡± He saw the woman notably cringe. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect a vampire to be so squeamish.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like blood either.¡± Harlan had to keep himself from laughing. ¡°It isn¡¯t funny.¡± ¡°Apologies for laughing, but I really did need this.¡± Harlan made a chair out of void and sat down, resting his head on his hand, giving off a menacing appearance to the woman as the wisps of black rose from his seat. She contacted the other ministers while he stared at her, making her nervous. ¡°Is there anything else I can help you with? Shall I call for a cup of tea or a sandwich for you?¡± ¡°You have a nice name.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She called another minister, avoiding conversation with Harlan. Yet once she was gone he spoke again. ¡°How did you get this position?¡± ¡°My queen interviewed me and decided that I was well suited to handle this city.¡± ¡°You mean to handle me.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Carmilla plays games with people. We¡¯ve not spoken since I took over, but you are the minister she picked for this city, so I assume there is a reason.¡± ¡°I do not know the queen well, I first met her when she sired me, and then again when I was interviewed.¡± ¡°She personally turned you?¡± ¡°She sired all of us.¡± Harlan tapped on his chin. He knew that there was a benefit to turning a vampire, but they were all very cagey about what exactly it was. Perhaps it gave them some manner of control? Perhaps there was a way to kill sired vampires? Either way he knew that the Nightwatchers disliked it when someone sired a large number of vampires and if one requested that their spouse be turned it was considered poor form for them to be the one to do so. As he had been staring she continued to make the calls until they found one. ¡°Female, 25, attacked the minister of Walten and then attempted to take her own life, an apparent nationalist who refused to even live under a ruler not from Drang-¡± ¡°Not a murderer, just a dissident.¡± ¡°She also killed her three children beforehand.¡± Liyana flinched when his eyes turned to slits and the fire in them flared. ¡°Thank you for your time, I will pick her up in just a moment unless there is anything you need from me.¡± ¡°Take the amulet back.¡± Before he could refuse she threw it at him. ¡°Another time then.¡± Harlan gated to Walten and went to see the minister who then directed him to the jail after giving a letter saying he would be taking the woman for execution outside of the city. ¡°I¡¯d like to make sure that you intend to kill this woman.¡± ¡°I cannot abide by child murderers, so rest assured that she will not be freed from anything but this mortal coil.¡± Harlan went back to that dead place and bound the woman with stone hands, her body outstretched. He took the gag off of her and put out the mist. As she screamed things he didn¡¯t care to hear she breathed it in. Her eyes went black first, then it spread and her skin cracked. She grew very little in height or width, but he could see her muscles bulge on void interlaced with them. Her nails and teeth turned to claws and fangs, her antlers spiraled out in a random pattern, one piercing her skin. She strained against the restraints and shattered the stone before rushing at Harlan. Yet though he could feel her anger and hate, she was incapable of striking at him, every slash missed him as her body fought against the new flesh and bone which took hold of her. After some time, nearly an hour by his count, she collapsed to the ground and seized as she sweat from every pore. It looked to be excruciating, but he could tell her mind went to sleep some time ago and she felt nothing even as her flesh bubbled and blistered until she caught fire. Harlan watched her burn and then examined the bones, and unsurprisingly the power which was granted to her faded away just as it had with the bird and the fish. He disliked this power, while a simple creature might not understand what is happening and would just go with the flow, an intelligent creature was effectively trapped in a body that they no longer had control over. But he couldn¡¯t argue against the results, turning a malnourished woman into one able to shatter inches of stone which bound her. Since he had discovered the power of these sigils in a day, he believed that there must be more to them, and he intended to use that week of time he had said he was going to take so he could find the limits and oddities of the spells. He felt some excitement and joy like he hadn¡¯t in some time. There was a new horizon for him, to use this new power he didn¡¯t understand and then take it apart, just like he had with the sigils that he learned all that time ago. And then the thought hit him. He had been asked to kill that Evolved Skinwalker, and he used the sigils then, but at the time he had no idea what they were, and he had no idea that sigils reacted differently depending on the user. Harlan wondered, did she know what his power would be? Was she aware that he would end up making that man and his thousands of souls into a crystal? And then the thought occurred, what was that crystal to be used for? He put aside those thoughts, but he made certain not to forget them, as he had until now mostly forgotten about the man and the crystal.
Xol stood next to the boy and took notes while entirely hidden from all senses, everything was going well, and his wife would be happy to hear that he has been fine despite her being unable to have the chat he had mentioned to the boy. He returned to their home and began making dinner for her. ¡°Do you need anything else?¡± ¡°The bedding needs changes again.¡± He brought her to the bathroom and washed her before setting her on a freshly cleaned mattress. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I should¡¯ve-¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m supposed to be the one killing the wandering gods anyway, you¡¯ve done more than your share.¡± ¡°Did you ever get an answer for why there are so many lately?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to tell you, Aarde¡¯s timescale is too long and he isn¡¯t considering you an ally yet, just a useful traitor.¡± ¡°One would think 1800 years would be enough.¡± ¡°Yes, one would think.¡± He placed his hand over the festering wound on her chest and after a few minutes it receded just a little, the effort on her part to be healed caused her to fall into a peaceful sleep again. Xol sat there in his throne and used his arms of bone to look around the void for any more gods who needed to be put to final death. As he did so, he saw it, and suddenly all of his plans needed to be accelerated. Chapter 233: Carmillas dinner His experiments that had gone over his sigils were rather simple limit tests. Could he switch his beam from harmful to not repeatedly while it was still through a person? Yes. It was difficult, partly because of the speed of the attack, partly because it required him to control his emotions for the spell to change function. The best he managed was three swaps in a single attack. Harlan looked over his last subject; he needed to get ready for the dinner with Carmilla shortly. It was a fox, white winter coat still on. Yet now there were bits of black here and there like a man in his middle age. It yawned, its mouth full of black tipped teeth, and then curled up again. Dawn joined him to see his only stable subject that he had kept. ¡°So, how long?¡± ¡°Two days, and with the collar on its internal temperatures are level, no ball of fire for this little guy.¡± Harlan scratched the fox under the chin and it rubbed its head against his hand. ¡°Concentration?¡± ¡°10% but I think I could get it up to 20% with a larger mana gem in the collar, 40 or even 50% if I put it in barding.¡± ¡°Well, this has all been interesting, but now we should go.¡± ¡°Alright, let me just get this to Joan.¡± ¡°Why her?¡± ¡°She seems like she would like a pet.¡± ¡°Does this have anything to do with you trying to woo her?¡± ¡°Did she tell you about that?¡± ¡°She had mentioned it.¡± ¡°I would like to clear things up between us, but I haven¡¯t found a good time. She was right when she said it was just looking for someone to replace Adina.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her for you.¡± ¡°I should be the one to admit my mistake.¡± Harlan opened a gate to the hallway in his house which allowed both of them to enter their rooms and get ready for the dinner. Harlan left the fox on his bed, he¡¯d give it to her later. To get ready for his dinner he replaced his thicker lab coat-like jacket with a black three piece suit, red vest and white shirt underneath. He stepped out of his room and went to see Darrath. When he got there Darrath was sitting in a corner of the ceiling and buzzing at the maids who were trying to get him dressed. Harlan flipped his gravity and crouched down to eye level with the boy whose claws left deep gashes in the walls. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine, let¡¯s get you dressed up, I made sure that they made it with an open back.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it, it should be a shifting suit.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t like wearing dress clothes at first either, but you get used to it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Part of life is doing something you may not like for your own benefit. We are going to look nice because we were invited to a party, and it would be rude to not go looking our best, and I don¡¯t want to be rude because if I am not rude then I can help people with Carmilla.¡± ¡°I¡¯m helping people by wearing that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m powerful, but I¡¯m just one person, and she has a lot of people who can help me. Drang, that place with all of the dirty people, she has made it a lot better.¡± Harlan held up the shirt and Darrath slipped his arms in without any further resistance. Since she said to bring whoever he wanted, Harlan brought Dawn, Darrath, Mercedes, Joan, and while he invited D¡¯if, it took a very short conversation to decide that he wasn¡¯t going to be able to behave himself. He thought back to his time at the academy, and realized that he needed to find some male friends. ¡°Welcome to my home, Harlan.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad to be here, Carmilla. Is there a reason we are using first names?¡± ¡°This is a simple dinner party, no need for pomp and pageantry. And who are these?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already met my mother, Dawn, and you already know Mercedes-¡± ¡°Oh this isn¡¯t Mercedes. But of her body doubles, I recognize her. You did know, I hope.¡± ¡°Yes, I know this isn¡¯t really the princess, but it helps with the Dague to say she is working under me. But back to my introductions, this is my head of defense, Joan. And while you met I didn¡¯t introduce Darrath to you properly before.¡± ¡°Hello, little one. How did you like the library?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a lot of books.¡± The words might¡¯ve sounded boring from someone else, but Darrath really did enjoy his time there and his tone made it clear. ¡°Do you like sweets?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Good, because we are going to have plenty of desserts, and you¡¯ll have other children to play with here.¡± ¡°Carmilla, who else is going to be at this dinner party?¡± ¡°Oh just the surrounding leaders of nations.¡± ¡°Have they arrived yet?¡± ¡°No, none of them have a gate mage, so they rarely are able to arrive at an exact time. But we have some snacks you can eat before the meal if you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°Well, I do enjoy a good meal, and it does take quite a bit to keep me running.¡± Carmilla smiled and led them to the ball room. Using soulspeak, he asked Mercedes if she knew who was likely to arrive. According to her, there were three nations the next stripe over to the west, but she hadn¡¯t met any of them before due to them being sparsely populated but large nations with little real power due to a lack of either magical, biological, or technological advantages. Compared to what Yggdra had, the ballroom was modest, but it was still enough to fit a few hundred very comfortably, and looked very empty for just those there at the moment. While the others were walking and talking as they moved forward, Harlan had stopped to admire the artwork on the ceiling, depicting the moon surrounded by blocky paintings of the False Undead feeding on their preferred prey. ¡°I see you enjoy art.¡± ¡°This is a beautiful piece.¡± ¡°Many believe it to be too dark, in both literal and figurative senses.¡± ¡°I like how it contrasts with the pale blue white of Aine, the paintings with their black have bits of lighter colors as if they are reflecting moonlight.¡± ¡°I had it painted a few hundred years ago, showing the races of Aine as they are, not constrained by the ideas of beauty that would have us look away from the bloody reality of what we are, what we must live on.¡± ¡°I enjoy that reality, not hidden away by lies.¡± ¡°Yet you follow the god of lies.¡± ¡°She is the god of choice, I choose to lie when I should, and to be honest when I should.¡± ¡°That is certainly one interpretation of her.¡± ¡°That it is the one I choose to have.¡± Harlan and the queen shared a look with one another, then abruptly turned their heads away from the other and joined in to get some finger foods. It was another hour before the others started to arrive. Fomoria had seven kingdoms around it which Harlan was supposed to meet with, yet none of these people were of those kingdoms. ¡°So, this is the King Fomoria I¡¯ve heard about.¡± The man was in his 50s with a handlebar mustache and a short beard with clean shaven sides. His clothes reminded Harlan of the Nightwatchers with their long coats and wide brimmed hats. But his was more formal, having a vest and shirt combo not unlike what Harlan was wearing, along with his hat having a golden crown around its tower. Harlan would¡¯ve thought him Golden from a distance, but the human man was just well tanned from years of time in the sun. On his side wasn¡¯t a sword, but rather on each hip was a gun, black with floral golden filigree. The man placed his hat over his heart and reached to shake Harlan¡¯s hand. ¡°Colton Slade, Federal Lord of the United Territories. But you can call me Cole if you¡¯d rather.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you then, Colton.¡± ¡°And this here is my wife, Anne.¡± She wore a dress that was more like the nobility he knew back home, puffy and lacy, though she wore no corset. ¡°Good to meet you.¡± Harlan motioned to Darrath. ¡°This is my son, Darrath.¡± She looked between the two a few times. ¡°Oh, what¡­ cute little boy. Is your wife here?¡± Harlan¡¯s face had his sorrow written on it, and Anne was resisting the urge to pity him, so Colton took him aside. ¡°I¡¯ve heard much about you.¡± ¡°Carmilla talked about me?¡± ¡°That she did. A young man full of just plain cussedness and anger, tryin¡¯ to be a king.¡± Harlan wanted to argue against him, but he couldn¡¯t. ¡°Don¡¯t know what else I should be, considering everything.¡± ¡°She said you¡¯re a cynic as well, and I understand, there are some bad things out there, but-¡± ¡°I was taken from my family to help with the development of magic to win a thousand year war at the age of 11, killing dozens of millions. At that same age I killed two men, once with intent, and once because I thought him a monster. At 14 I was returned home and shortly after sent away to learn, spending 10 months a year away from my family, and I met a wonderful girl who I lost because of what I¡¯ve done. Since I¡¯ve come here I¡¯ve seen an Empire that would use child soldiers because they know I would be crushed by having to kill them, a kingdom that has broken its people so much that they worship rulers who leave them to murder one another for a stale loaf of bread while their nobles gorge themselves.¡± Harlan shattered the glass in his hand, realizing what he had done, he got down to pick up the glass. ¡°Why are you a king?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Harlan had zoned out once he began picking up the pieces. ¡°Man to man, what drove you to be a king, to decide to keep on even with what you¡¯ve seen? Some drive for doin¡¯ the right thing? Wealth? Just a want for power?¡± Harlan was a little caught off guard by the question, he looked around as he thought of his answer. ¡°I want to make a world that my son can be happy to live in.¡± Cole nodded his head. ¡°I had to learn why I wanted to lead my people into a better life, I got it when so many above me died testing out some new invention. Fools, thinking they could make a ship that flies. Whole thing went up in flames when a wyvern thought it was an insult for them to be up in the sky. Least that¡¯s what I heard from those in the area.¡± He put his hand out and they shook. ¡°It¡¯s been good meeting you, but King Tatton just walked in, and I figure as the-¡± Colton abruptly stopped, honesty was his weakness. ¡°I¡¯m not going to explain or make excuses, I¡¯m terrible with secrets. But the prince was interested in meeting you.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t dwell on the lord¡¯s odd leaving, and went to meet with the others. They were Canis, and despite the mention of a prince, he was clearly a man well into his age, and the king looked ready to drop dead at any moment. They wore rather light clothes, white silk along with gold and turquoise jewelry. The king wore a headdress of blue and gold that had holes for his cropped upright ears, his pelt sprinkled with gray hair from his advanced age. ¡°Greetings, I am-¡± The king tapped his son with his cane. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°My father is aware of who you are and you should be talking with me. He has the title of king, but he understands that at his age he isn¡¯t fit to rule.¡± ¡°Then you are?¡± ¡°Prince Jakel of The Great Sandsea.¡± ¡°I had heard you were interested in meeting me.¡± ¡°There was mention of you using Godtouched magic.¡± ¡°Yes, I actually just spent the last week testing out two new sigils.¡± ¡°Interesting. There was also mention of your shapeshifting.¡± Harlan held up his hand and grew short black fur and claws to mimic the Canis. ¡°I also heard you can reverse the age of another.¡± ¡°I have a few spies who were elderly before I used my magic on them. But if you are going to ask for your father, I will warn that the most extra time added onto his life will be five years, any more than that and I¡¯m liable to upset gods.¡± ¡°Even if he gained no more time, to be physically healthy once again would mean he could be a great grandfather who could play with his grandchildren. No cost is too great.¡± ¡°I only offer that to those who I believe I can trust.¡± ¡°Then we shall get to know one another as the night goes on.¡± Harlan was glad to be able to just shake hands with people, but he had a bad feeling about the man, and believed him to have mentioned children to manipulate him. He went over to the children playing together in the garden connected to the ballroom to check on Darrath, for just a moment. ¡°How are things going?¡± ¡°They are faster than the other children, it¡¯s more fun.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to go back inside then.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Harlan came in to speak with Jakel. ¡°Colton seemed to say something about my being here, but then stopped himself and said he was bad at excuses. Is there something I should know about what I thought was a small family dinner?¡± ¡°If Carmilla didn¡¯t explain, then I shall not mention anything.¡± ¡°What is your kingdom¡¯s policy on slavery?¡± ¡°Those in debt or as punishment for a crime may sell themselves or be forced into slavery. But we are not like those iron tyrants, nobody owns the life of another and they are expected to feed them and treat them as a worker.¡± ¡°A good answer. Have you heard about Drang?¡± ¡°A cesspit, no place more vile which claims itself civil. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°If there is something she hasn¡¯t said then I won¡¯t say.¡± ¡°Spiteful, like she said.¡± ¡°I dislike her games, and both of us are pieces in it.¡± ¡°She tests people, but I don¡¯t think she has any ill intent unless she thinks you are a harmful element.¡± ¡°Tests¡­ that does remind me, and since you don¡¯t intend to tell me why I¡¯m here, I¡¯ve heard something called tests being used as a threat against slaves.¡± ¡°The Cast found a tower, and it tests those who enter it. Sometimes someone comes out with something interesting. I think that last time was 40 years ago, there was a sword made of light which according to rumors that are more lie than truth it cut anything it contacted, including a hand. Likely it ended up in the imperial vaults, a weapon like that isn¡¯t very valuable to someone who can use the godly weapon spell, but for someone without Godtouched magic, it would instantly turn them into someone dangerous.¡± ¡°Then I assume anyone who doesn¡¯t come out with something worthwhile just doesn¡¯t come out.¡± ¡°You¡¯d be right. But still the empire sends people in by the hundreds every day. The only stories that come out are from the ones who¡¯ve beaten the test, so no real surveys have happened, and while children have passed, they¡¯ve also lost Fingers and even a Hand inside of that place.¡± ¡°I might need to-¡± Harlan heard a bang and rushed outside. One of Colton¡¯s children was showing off his revolver by shooting at some fruits on top of benches, which Harlan had no issue with, he looked to be 15 or so and he believed the boy had gotten some training. But then he handed it to Darrath. Harlan felt his blood run cold as he pointed the barrel towards himself and the boy reached to stop him, but having been distracted by one of the others he realized too late the mistake. Harlan skipped over, putting his hand on the barrel and turning it towards himself instead. Yet the gun hadn¡¯t gone off, and Harlan carefully took it from Darrath¡¯s hands. Harlan looked at the boy, his eyes aflame with rage. Harlan crushed the revolver and grew to 12 feet, taking a form closer to that of a drake than a man. His clothes tore and his skin became covered in black scales as he let out a low bellowing. Carmilla stood by the threshold, watching to see his reaction. But Harlan looked at the boy who fell back in fear and closed his eyes, looking skyward as he took a deep breath. The bellowing stopped and he looked down as he spoke with a booming voice that was trying to be quiet enough to not harm the boy¡¯s ears. ¡°Be more mindful of handing a weapon to a child.¡± He then moved on all fours to Carmilla, being mindful of his tail. ¡°I must return home a moment to get another set of clothes. Apologies for the disturbance.¡± When Harlan went through the gate Colton went down to his son and slapped him in the back of his head. ¡°Idiot, giving a gun to a boy without keeping a close eye is how one of you gets dead.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t hit him.¡± ¡°Darrath, right? He did something stupid, almost got you hurt-¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not hurt.¡± ¡°Well that ain¡¯t the point, he could¡¯ve gotten hurt, and do you think you could¡¯ve stopped the bullet and been fine? You say how your father reacted, what if you really were hurt? Would he have hurt Ned?¡± Darrath made a strange face as he went deep in thought. ¡°No. I don¡¯t think so. Papa always says accidents are for learning, and papa is really good at fixing people and I¡¯m stronger than I look.¡± Carmilla put her hands on Darrath¡¯s head and when she removed them there was a hardlight structure which looked just like him. ¡°Darrath, this is just as hard as your head, I¡¯m going to put it over there and then shoot it, we¡¯ll see how much you would¡¯ve been hurt.¡± Colton handed her one of his guns and she fired it and had it back in his hand before most of them realized what had happened. Yet for Colton who had seen it before, it wasn¡¯t a shock. When the bullet struck the hardlight through the eye, and another at the forehead, the first went in, but then didn¡¯t go out, and the other cracked the hardlight, but didn¡¯t pierce it. ¡°There, we have the answer. If you shot yourself in the eye, you would¡¯ve died almost instantly. Your father, no matter how good a healer, cannot bring back the dead.¡± Dawn rubbed her neck and tried not to draw attention to herself in the moment. Harlan returned shortly wearing his shifting suit made to look like the suit he had before. Cole approached him with his son in tow. When Ned didn¡¯t speak immediately Cole pinched the back of his neck. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for-¡± ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°16.¡± ¡°All things must be given respect for what they are. A child may hold a sword improperly and cut themselves, they may grab a gun improperly and fire it without meaning to, I dislike them for that reason. When one learns a spell they must speak the words and use the hand signs for a time before they can cut one or the other, there is a process to the damage they may cause, rarely does one go off without intent. They are a sheathed blade, a gun that must be loaded first.¡± Ned just nodded and Cole let him go. They stood there for less than a minute with Cole tapping his glass before he spoke. ¡°I¡¯m sorry again, you could¡¯ve been hurt if-¡± ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t be.¡± ¡°Now, I¡¯m not certain what guns you¡¯ve seen but-¡± ¡°Just give me your gun.¡± Cole was more than a little annoyed. ¡°Fine, shoot yourself in the foot if you¡¯d-¡± Harlan grabbed the gun and put the barrel in his mouth, firing and then spitting the bullet out. Carmilla watched this display as she sipped on her wine mixed with blood. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve had your fun with Colton, why not go meet our last guests, she is a Cerast, a snakewoman, one who you are certain to find interesting.¡± Harlan made his way to the entrance and saw something odd, when he heard snake women he still expected them to have legs. ¡°Sssir Fomoria?¡± The queen flicked her tongue, tasting the air, getting his scent. ¡°Yes.¡± She cleared her throat after getting a drink. ¡°Apologies, cottonmouth, makes me hiss. I am Queen Fangrae Maldrea, of the Wastes. But those close call me Copperhead on account of the patch of scales on my head.¡± She stood nearly 15 feet tall and had to bend down to eye level for him to see it. Harlan stood and admired her form, her sandstone coloring that was broken up by the crown of metallic scales which spilled over onto the horns which Harlan first believed to be jewelry of some kind; a species of snake that Harlan was not familiar with had been used for her creation. ¡°Would you like to touch them?¡± She had noticed how he stared. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Please.¡± Harlan got the feeling it was more for her sake than his, and touched her scales. He could feel a pull on his mind, and he responded back with a small strike, not enough to cause pain, but enough for her to realize he didn¡¯t like what she had done and she recoiled back from the unexpected reprisal. ¡°It is very rude to try doing something with the mind of another. Do not let it happen again.¡± Fangrea looked at him in an odd manner, her rattle drew the attention of the other guests; her guards moved ahead of their queen. Carmilla stepped between both parties. ¡°Harlan, she meant no harm, she is a shaman of sorts, she judges people based on their feelings.¡± ¡°Little Shadow, Deathless One, Unthing, Formless.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t heard those last three before.¡± ¡°Not safe, not safe, bloody rivers flow from him.¡± She barely seemed like the same person, having fallen into a trance of sorts with glazed over eyes. Carmilla snapped her fingers in a rhythm, and Copperhead seemed to come back to herself. ¡°I seemed to have¡­ apologies, King Fomoria.¡± ¡°Harlan, I would like us to have a chat, in private.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Carmilla led Harlan away, but he walked backwards for a time, not breaking eye contact with the serpent queen or her guards using eyes that moved independently. In a small side room Carmilla poured them both a glass of wine. ¡°I don¡¯t drink.¡± ¡°Just a few drops of blood then?¡± He held out his hand and dispensed the blood by opening a vein. She swirled around her wine and didn¡¯t say anything until after she drank. ¡°You¡¯ve performed quite admirably. But you like being the fox, not the chicken.¡± ¡°So what is this? You show me off to your friends and then judge if I am a threat? How much of what happened was organic? Did Ned hand that gun to Darrath and then fake a distraction?¡± She had a sour look on her face. ¡°Mind your temper with me.¡± ¡°I asked for some respect between us, and you couldn¡¯t even do that. Is it because of my age? Pride? That you are a powerful vampire? Or do you just enjoy fucking with people?¡± She downed the rest of her wine, and her gaze was hard enough to sit him back down in his seat. ¡°Do you think any of them might survive the empire?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I doubt they could maintain the population required to fight against them in a protracted war. Colton and his people don¡¯t seem to have magical power just judging by his family, Jakel I¡¯m not sure of, but he while projects an image of power, I could feel he was afraid of me. Fangrea might have something, but beastkin tend to reproduce more slowly than humans as a drawback for their other power. They¡¯d make good elite units if trained right.¡± ¡°And then you claim that you can make weapons that can cast their own spells, golems from enemy bodies, return men to their youth, teach magic to those who believe they cannot learn it.¡± Carmilla drank both glasses down one after the other. They sat in silence for another short time as she contemplated if she should continue, if Harlan could be trusted, but she came to the conclusion that she really had little choice. ¡°I do have one more thing to ask. Could you change the landscape? Turn a desert into a paradise?¡± ¡°Inside of the veil we have what we call The Great Desert. A stretch of land long enough that nobody outside of the people who live there are said to have ever seen its end. And for over a thousand years, people have been trying to turn it into a place where anyone could live. The family who has led these efforts the most are the ones who a great friend of mine married into, and I have looked into these efforts as a matter of conversation with her. Unless there is a magical effect which prevents it from working, I believe I could turn a hundred miles of desert into fertile soil in as little as half a century, a thousand into workable soil in that same timeframe.¡± ¡°I expected better.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem to understand the difficulty of turning a place from sand into dirt, or crap dirt into good dirt, it takes introducing animals and plants and letting them grow and deep rooted and short rooted plants and tilling soil and a lot more. Now, it also depends on how many mana gems I could get, and how much I might advance in golem creation and Darrath¡¯s own unique magic that he has but I need to teach him to first understand for himself and then turn into magic anyone can use.¡± ¡°I need these nations to turn into ones able to hold off the empire in the next 20 years.¡± ¡°Not possible.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because people are slow to change when they don¡¯t understand what is at stake. In 20 years Tatton will be dead, Colton will probably be dead, and I don¡¯t know how long a Cerest lives for. Why do you need it in two decades?¡± ¡°How long do you think I¡¯ll be alive for?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. But after 1600 years, I¡¯ve thought about dying for the first time in a very long time, and maybe your arrival in this place is a sign.¡± She twiddled her thumbs, for the first time looking weak and uncomfortable. Harlan had some disgust written plainly on his face, and she looked furious about it. ¡°I¡¯m going to end this here, because I don¡¯t think either of us are going to like where this is going. I¡¯ll help, because it is the right thing to do, and worst case, I wait until you die of natural causes and take over.¡± She regained her composure, the facade rebuilt. ¡°Then let us get to dinner and tell the others.¡± It bothered him greatly that even with his powers, he couldn¡¯t tell if it had been an act or not. They moved from the side room to the ballroom and then finally to the dining room. ¡°I see we¡¯ve made you wait to eat.¡± Copperhead sat coiled on the ground closest to Carmilla on her left hand, on her right were the people of Redhaven, though Harlan hadn¡¯t shared names with any of them but Carmilla and oddly enough, Liyana was there as well, and she seemed very nervous. The pecking order based on who sat closest to the queen was clear: her people, Fangrae, Jakel, Colton, and then him. Dinner was kept light, personal stories were told and personal questions were asked, many of which caused Harlan to pause before answering. But then after dinner, the children were sent away other than the heirs to the nations. ¡°Now that we have moved past the pleasantries, I will explain why I¡¯ve called a council meeting. Drang has fallen.¡± There was a heavy atmosphere in the room. King Tatton spoke up first. ¡°How long til the iron tyrants are at our doorstep?¡± ¡°Hopefully decades still, I now rule over almost all of the former Drangic territory.¡± ¡°You conquered them?¡± ¡°No, Harlan did. Over the course of a morning and afternoon, he slaughtered all the nobility, some of their army, and placed his own forces in the cities to keep a manner of order.¡± All eyes were on him. ¡°Boy¡­ no, King Fomoria. How and why have you accomplished this? And why does she now rule your lands?¡± ¡°The how is easy. I have gate, I can shapeshift into forms unlike anything you¡¯ve seen, and I have magic which so far as I know has never appeared outside of the veil, every mage I¡¯ve met outside of a Finger and Carmilla has been inferior to me. The why is even easier than that, I sought alliances with the nations around me, and I went there only to see the horrible conditions of the people and then the things that the nobility were doing at a party. If you have not heard already from Carmilla, my goal is a world where slavery is entirely gone. And she rules these lands because I simply lack the forces to run each of these cities. My nation is currently two cities and a few towns, but before Drang I had one city and roughly 15,000 people, almost all former slaves who would need to be trained from the ground up for mayoral positions.¡± The rulers conferred at the table, leaning over to one another and whispering, but Harlan¡¯s ears let him pick up what was being said. Eventually a vote was called by Carmilla, head of their organization. ¡°All in favor of adding Fomoria to the Council of Free Nations, raise your hands.¡± Queen Maldrea was the only one who disagreed. ¡°Then King Fomoria and his nation are now part of the council, should he accept.¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Then first order of business, trade between nations. Are you still having any issues with food?¡± ¡°I looted an imperial city dry over a month ago and we¡¯ve been fine since then, the winter harvest will sustain us along with what excess I¡¯ve gained from trade with you thus far and what I looted from Drang. But I do have an excess of luxury items, fabrics and furniture, things I can¡¯t easily break down into something more useful.¡± ¡°Good, then we shall move on to what you can do for everyone else. You should all receive training golems from King Fomoria. Lord Slade, you must learn magic, because your lands have been too safe and that has made you rely on your mechanical weapons which will not stand up against Cast. Prince Jakel, you would benefit greatly from technological advancement, which I¡¯ve not discussed, but I believe King Fomoria has access to. Queen Maldrea, your people are physically powerful but your magic is esoteric and unlikely to be helpful in combat, King Fomoria has mental magics of his own and may help refine yours along with enhancements to your elemental magics. King Fomoria, I trust there will be no issues with my asking you to visit each nation and assess how to grow them into forces which can hold off the Cast without either of our intervention outside of Fingers and Hands?¡± ¡°How long do you all plan to stay here in Redhaven?¡± ¡°They will be here for three days before they must return. I hope you can accompany one and then go to the others at your own pace.¡± ¡°That will give me time to set my affairs in order.¡± The topic then turned to what each nation could do. To them, if Carmilla trusted Harlan, then that would be enough. Chapter 234: First Assault Harlan and Brig were overlooking the newly established Engineering Corp of the Ragne military as they constructed and tested the long cannons. ¡°I ain¡¯t never thought I¡¯d be here again.¡± Brig took a swig from his flask. ¡°Guess you got me to care ¡®bout these fuckin¡¯ pricks.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you came with me.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll make an old man blush.¡± ¡°Lir doesn¡¯t have an issue with you doing this?¡± ¡°Fuck her.¡± They went down the stairs from the walkway they had been leaning over the railing on and down to the floor. Brig would pick up parts with no clear defects, turn them over a few times, and put them in his pocket, leaving a note that the part must be remade, and it would take just a few minutes for the new parts to arrive. These were not mass produced weapons, each needed to be absolutely perfect in form and function Lily came into the room alongside Dagda and spoke with Brig about each of the pieces he had taken, her noticing the flaws just as he had impressed him. Harlan meanwhile slipped away, not exactly being a fan of the girl. He walked the halls for a time, wearing his armor openly with his badge on his chest. He slipped into one of the rooms once he was sure nobody was around. ¡°Hey Relly, you called?¡± She ran over and hugged him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°What for?¡± ¡°I should¡¯ve seen you after your uncle died.¡± ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t we talk about something else.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Do you plan to go to the academy?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know anymore. I¡¯m fine with what I¡¯ve been taught, but I don¡¯t know if I want to be some master of anything.¡± ¡°Anyone bothering you? Anything I can do?¡± ¡°No, everyone has been fine to me.¡± ¡°Is there anything I can do?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to do anything. But I can read your mind, you are¡­ you''re better than I thought you would be.¡± She twiddled her thumbs. ¡°Why are we friends?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t we be?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t really have much in common.¡± ¡°You can read my mind, and I can read your emotions, so why don¡¯t we just be open?¡± ¡°I can see¡­ more than your mind. I saw the future.¡± ¡°You saw a future, not even The Darkness can say for sure what exactly will happen. But what has you so worried?¡± ¡°Just¡­ make sure that your friends are your friends, figure out who will really stay by your side.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so ominous that I¡¯d almost think I said it. Did you see anything specific?¡± ¡°Stop brushing this aside, I¡¯m really worried.¡± ¡°What did you see?¡± ¡°You were laughing and talking with some people, but I couldn¡¯t make out their faces, and then you looked away for a moment and they started stabbing you and you were crying and confused about why.¡± Harlan¡¯s face turned dour. ¡°I still want to be friends, I just wanted you to think about things. Since I became a Princess, I have heard a lot of things I don¡¯t like, and I haven¡¯t got many friends, because I can see what they really think.¡± ¡°You sure you don¡¯t have anything you want me to deal with?¡± She giggled wryly. ¡°Yeah, but thank you. I think we should find time to do something. Oh, how about horse riding? I took classes for it.¡± ¡°I dislike riding anything that has its own mind. It isn¡¯t like I could get hurt by a mundane horse, but I¡¯d rather ride a golem of my own creation anyway.¡± ¡°Archery?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve rarely ever used a bow, maybe never actually. That could be fun.¡± ¡°Great. I¡¯ll find time for it.¡± Almost as que, Harlan¡¯s amulet went off. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°The hell you run off ta? Get back here.¡± ¡°I had to use the bathroom.¡± ¡°Likely.¡± Brig hung up. ¡°Well, I guess that is it then. And if you ever need anything, really, just call.¡± ¡°Have you ever thought that you offer help to people too readily? What if I asked you to do something and I tricked you?¡± ¡°Then we¡¯d have a problem, but we don¡¯t, so I¡¯ll burn that bridge if we ever get there.¡± ¡°You mean cross that bridge?¡± He just shrugged as he walked out. Harlan returned to the workshop to find out what he needed to do. ¡°Look inside the barrel, make sure the rifling is right.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± He became something akin to a ferret with many eyes and slipped inside of the barrel, finding everything was up to standard. ¡°We¡¯re good.¡± ¡°Godsdamned right we¡¯re good. Now get out of there so we can put everything together. Today¡¯s the day.¡± Once the 20 long cannons were ready Brig cracked open a barrel of water. Mist filled the room and then Harlan felt a sudden pull. When it cleared, they were near one of the fortresses and a light snowfall was just starting. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Mist gate, so far¡¯s I know, ya can¡¯t use it, and I can¡¯t use that void gate.¡± ¡°I wonder if Sepul has some kind of radiant gate and if the other champions have their own as well.¡± ¡°Probably, but I ain¡¯t met the current fire and earth ones.¡± Safira stepped forward. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Enough talk, we have five minutes before they notice we are here, get these things loaded and fired and then get us in there.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah yeah.¡± Brig muttered under his breath things that Harlan hoped Safira hadn¡¯t heard. Each cannon was a golem, and had no operators. Once the shell was in range, they could lift it themselves with an arm attached to it and finish the rest of the process by themselves. ¡°COVER YOUR EARS.¡± Harlan yelled out once he saw the cannons stop adjusting themselves for wind and distance. All 20 fired perfectly one after the other, and then they loaded another round before the first had hit. Unseen had managed to slip past the spells that hung in the air and gave a basic layout of the base¡¯s likely weak points, which was then programmed into these long cannon golems. If all went as planned, and there wasn¡¯t extra plating added since the report came in, then the facade should crumble and a significant amount of damage will be done to the base. Harlan silently raised his hand and counted down from five. The enchanted shells hit the mountain with rapturous sounds and Harlan raised his fist into the air, waiting before he counted down from five again. The second wave hit, causing an avalanche and a rockslide from the cracked mountain. Harlan could see, aided by one of the magical eyes he gained from looking at Adina¡¯s boon, through the smoke and kicked up snow, that it had worked. ¡°ALRIGHT, LET¡¯S GO.¡± Brig used the mist gate again to move the long cannons back into the workshop, this wasn¡¯t his war to fight, but designing things was fine by him. The fortress should¡¯ve had at least 8,000, and the kingdom would retaliate with 2,000 human soldiers, 4,000 military golems, 2,000 special golems Harlan made that would be better suited for close quarters combat in the right halls of the base, and then 1 Harlan. Roughly 1,300 units would go into each of the 6 points which had been blown open, Harlan was to lead one team, while Joan and four other royal guards led the others. Calling it leading was a little presumptuous however, it was more that they were to act as pointmen, taking the brunt of the interior defenses so the weaker units could move forward without being cubed or turned to stone or whatever other nasty tricks would be inside. Even as they waited for their gate to open, each of the royal guards couldn¡¯t help but marvel at their new bodies and their golem armors which could give them up to date information on each golem unit under their command. It took them only a few days to get used to the new bodies, but the flood of information and learning when to ignore it was harder for them. With the last gate Harlan jumped through, getting a blast launched at him. Yet he had been expecting it, the other five had also been hit with similar attacks when they entered. It was more intended to collapse the tunnel than to kill them, but one of the royal guards had to be subbed out due to the damage caused by it. Harlan had a stillness spell ready, which slowed the local time and gave him enough to send some pillars to hold up the tunnel. His eardrums burst and his vision blurred when the wave of force hit him, but no organs suffered serious damage, so he kept on going. Harlan took a form like that of a scaled gorilla with tusks designed to fill the hall and simply plow through human targets without stopping. He ran down the halls, setting off tripwires and other traps that had been set up in the time it took for Harlan to get the rest of the army there. His men weren''t supposed to cross the threshold into a hallway until he gave a signal to the golem in the front, but they mostly knew it was safe once the blood flowed back to them. These were all hardened men, but it never got easy to see people torn in half, their guts spread across 15 feet of a hallway and them still gurgling on their own blood. The soldiers didn¡¯t slow down, they just moved forward, putting down men who survived Harlan¡¯s initial onslaught before they opened the doors in the hall and cleared the rooms, arresting those that could still surrender. A small golem, barely bigger than a house cat crawled along the ceiling and had the job of relaying the information on cleared sections so each team didn¡¯t end up wasting their time. In one hall, they didn¡¯t receive the all clear, and instead received a retreat order, just before Harlan tumbled back towards them and into the wall. It took them a moment to realize which one of the monsters was Harlan, but it was generally whichever one was more monstrous, with extra limbs and soaked in blood. Here the men had no idea, and Harlan figured that they wouldn¡¯t. How they had managed to hire a Fenrir to guard the base Harlan didn¡¯t know, but perhaps the beast just wanted somewhere to live in the winter. The wolf gripped Harlan between its oversized jaws and he bellowed as they crushed his armor inward and began to pierce. He slashed his claws at its eyes but it was something that had experience fighting shapeshifting creatures, other Fenrir. It simply shifted its entire head around to dodge the swipe and then returned the favor, but Harlan¡¯s armor was enough to deflect the hastily made stingers of the beast. Harlan called in back up, a Black Sentinel, of which all teams were given two, fired its arm cannon. The shell blew a sizable hole in the side of the Fenrir and made it drop Harlan. He was not going to allow this chance to be wasted, and he used his large fists to pound the beast. The sounds of crunching and dogish yelping filled the halls until it was reduced to a pile of bones and meat. Harlan couldn¡¯t help but fall to a baser instinct, pounding his chest and letting out a roar that carried through the base. Then the men returned to their original position and saw Harlan shoveling fistfuls of meat into his mouth. He didn¡¯t say a word, just turning back down the path and continuing to run on his knuckles. Those who dropped their weapons and fled back into the rooms were not pursued by Harlan, and they would sometimes be arrested, sometimes not, it wasn¡¯t his problem. With the roar that they weren''t entirely sure of the source of, morale on the enemy side was low, and the fact that their noble masters seemed to have fled into a safe room instead of fighting by their side only made it worse. When Harlan turned the corner leading to the room the nobles had fled to, the men who should¡¯ve stood guard instead dropped their weapons. He slowly stepped forward, his four eyes moving independently from each other and watching for signs of any impending attack. Yet very few men would go against the eight foot tall monster that dripped crimson from his onyx scales that let off steam due to his use of fire and earth imbibing. When he reached the man nearest the door, he snorted and the man fell back. ¡°Open the door.¡± He had been reduced to a gibbering mess. Harlan slammed his fist down, cracking the stone and causing the man to be shocked back to at least a functional state. ¡°I can¡¯t. Th-they have the keys, the nobles have it.¡± Harlan walked past the man and knocked on the door to test its strength. He was not a master of enchantments or anything of the like, but he had the gut feeling that it would be easier to break the entire mountain than this door. He paced back and forth, waiting for the royal guards to finish clearing their sections and group up didn¡¯t take more than another 15 minutes, but it felt like hours. ¡°You are sure they are in here?¡± ¡°20 minds, a lot of magic. It¡¯s making my hair stand on end. Could dragonfire break through?¡± One of the other guards however was a master of enchantments and just about any other ¡®permanent¡¯ magic. ¡°I¡¯ll have an answer in just a few minutes.¡± Harlan could barely keep himself calm, staring at the door like it had wronged him. ¡°What if I brought a long cannon in? I could dig out the-¡± ¡°Sir Fomoria, wait for Sir Baldwin to finish his work.¡± He kept at his pacing until the man was done. ¡°Dragonfire wouldn¡¯t do it, this thing resists fire, shock, acids, anything else you could think of. And since the enchantments were carved on the other side of the door we can¡¯t break them. We¡¯ll post golems outside and starve them out.¡± ¡°Not a chance, nobles wouldn¡¯t put themselves in a safe room without a way out. This place has spells set up to interfere with seismographic magic. Could you bring in the Unseen who managed to get partial mappings before? See if they can find an escape route?¡± ¡°General Safira, I agree with Sir Fomoria¡¯s assessment. Though we have little reason to believe there is another way out, he is right that there are spells inside of the walls, and we are mostly going in blind here. We got through the outside like we wanted, but the damage was far less than expected, and we shouldn¡¯t trust what information we currently have.¡± ¡°I will call over those Unseen, but they have been on reserve taking a break as a reward for being the first to get us real information of the inside of this place and they will be delayed somewhat as a result. Sir Baldwin, Sir Fomoria, continue to analyze the doorway for any other ways inside so long as it takes for you to be satisfied that there are none.¡± Harlan returned to his human form and stood in front of the door. ¡°Are you using some spell I don¡¯t recognize to check for a way in?¡± ¡°Telekinesis, and I am trying to feel out any flaws in the design, a place to inject alchemical acids on a potentially weaker inner component.¡± ¡°I see, but I highly doubt it.¡± ¡°Do you know anything about a door like this?¡± ¡°It is a rather standard design, 10 pins are locking it in place, and when made properly there wouldn¡¯t be any air gaps by which you would damage it. It isn¡¯t complex, once the wheel on the inside is turned the pins retract and it swings inward on a set of hinges.¡± ¡°So simple that it has no oddities to exploit.¡± ¡°Exactly. You should just go home, it wouldn¡¯t take more than a minute for you to come back through a gate anyway.¡± Harlan got an idea, but reality smacked it down in an instant. Baldwin had seen the air shimmer for a moment. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°I was hoping I could open a gate right inside. This is the first time I¡¯ve seen any defenses that can keep me out.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve had months if not years to get this all set up. Chances are they layered dozens of anti-gate wards on top of one another instead of trying to make any individual one able to stop someone from doing what you just tried.¡± ¡°What if I set up siphons around the area?¡± ¡°If they are smart they are going to have used mana gems, if they have a big one and they precharged all of their wards it could last for months or even years. Soulsmithing has done wonders for setting up nearly permanent arrays.¡± ¡°If they are smart.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look down on them just because they are traitors. I¡¯ve seen smart men make the wrong choice many times in the past.¡± ¡°If this turns into a speech, I¡¯m leaving.¡± ¡°Go home, you¡¯re young enough that you haven¡¯t wasted that chance just yet.¡° He took off his full face helm and brushed his white hair with his hand. Harlan left through a gate, but he was not going home. Chapter 235: The United Territories The three days had past and Harlan had done all of the preparation that he needed done before his trip. He could technically be back in Kor within a minute or less, but he was going to be cutting himself off from going back so he could really focus on the nations he had been asked to help ready for the longcoming war. But as it was now, he was watching Darrath play with his new pet as it jumped around without a sound. When Dawn had asked, more than once, Darrath said he wanted something like himself, but fluffy. With only vague instruction, Harlan made something of his own design. Harlan called it a Pixie Tiger, It was the size of a house cat, but only a cub, it was supposed to grow to be nearly as tall as Darrath was at the shoulders. The pelt was white with black chevrons that extended from the tip of its tail to its forehead, like an arrow saying which side was the one with teeth. The black fur followed down along the length of its ribs, not making it all the way underneath its stomach, with a length around the neck that nearly made a full circle. Its legs were white chitin up to the joints, same as Darrath, and while it was based on a feline, its snout was a little longer and it had a few more pieces of chitin around where its prehensile whiskers were. They weren¡¯t sharp, and they weren¡¯t empathic feelers like Darrath had, but they could be used for simple touch magic. ¡°He¡¯s so soft.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry it took me so long to make you a pet, but since I¡¯m going to be away for a time, now you need something else to keep you company.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I go with?¡± ¡°Because this is business, and I¡¯ll end up so busy that it wouldn¡¯t be much different than you just staying here in the first place. You¡¯ve also got your classes to deal with and you¡¯ve got grandma here. Now remember what I said about a pet, it is not a toy, it is a responsibility, just like you are. It will be your job to raise it right, make sure it doesn¡¯t hurt anyone who doesn''t deserve it, and make it like you enough that it will protect you. Have you thought of a name?¡± Darrath lifted the kitten up and looked at both sides of it. ¡°Arrow, because it has arrows on its back.¡± ¡°Now you make sure Arrow gets food and water and you train it right, because Arrow isn¡¯t going to be taken care of by anyone else, he is your pet, your responsibility, he is a life that you hold in your hands, and you must understand the weight of that and what you shape that life into.¡± Harlan felt that Darrath had some understanding of the importance of the message he had been given. He gave his son one more strong hug before he left. It was odd to see him grow up so quickly, and a fear crept into his mind that Darrath wasn¡¯t growing up fast, but rather he was missing so much that it seemed too fast. Harlan made a stop at Joan¡¯s office. ¡°I was hoping you would see me before you went.¡± ¡°I saw everyone else, I saved you for last because I wanted to see how the fox has been and to drop something off.¡± ¡°Well, Pepper has been a dear, and the children seem to love having a mascot of sorts for the guard.¡± ¡°Pepper?¡± ¡°You said the black in her fur was like the peppered hair of a middle aged man.¡± ¡°Good good¡­ here is a sword and a gun.¡± ¡°Why the awkward feeling?¡± ¡°I know I made short mention of how I¡¯m not pursuing you romantically anymore, but it does feel odd to give you these gifts, and I would like to make it clear that this is entirely platonic.¡± She just laughed. ¡°You aren¡¯t the first person who has made an advance on me and then backed away, not even the first I¡¯ve worked with. It shows your age that you are putting more thought behind this than needed. People love shortly and love longly, but what happens after is just as important. So let this be a short awkwardness and not a long one.¡± ¡°That was¡­¡± ¡°I have a lot of free time, and Queen Karmine gave me some books to read.¡± ¡°Good alright then, let¡¯s move past that. I left a note in the box explaining what spells are on each weapon, and there are about 600 rounds of ammunition for the gun, so train and pick up more rounds from the blacksmiths as needed. I don¡¯t want you shooting yourself or anyone else by accident.¡± She slipped the ribbon off of the box and pulled out the heavy saber and then the long barreled revolver. When she looked up he was already gone. Harlan made his way a few hundred miles southwest to a free port that wasn¡¯t officially part of any nation, but the three desert nations across the sea from it provided much of its defenses, leading to heavy cannons and 15 foot snakemen standing guard. All of the royals had their own boats but none of them had set sail just yet. ¡°King Fomoria, I¡¯m not sure if I should be happy about bein¡¯- being, the first on your tour.¡± ¡°Lord Colten, your nation is the farthest north and lacks natural defenses at its borders other than western mountains along the shore. As the closest to the empire you are going to end up as the first line of defense, and while I like you, and you seem to be a decent man, that has nothing to do with why I am going with you first.¡± ¡°A pragmatist, no shame in the least for being one.¡± ¡°Queen Fang, Prince Jakel, I have something for each of you.¡± Harlan had a golem with him that was carrying boxes. He grabbed three of them, one for each of the royals. ¡°These boxes contain 20 amulets each, which you are free to distribute among yourselves. Each of these are also marked with your crests on the back to show they belong to you.¡± For the UT it was a ring of five five pointed stars that circled crossed revolvers. For the Sandsea it was two upright sabers that barely crossed at the tip and had a fire in its center. For the Wastes it was a reptile eye overtop crossed tridents. Each royal looked at the boxes and then took three of them out, one for the ruler, one for their wife, and one for the heir, leaving 17 remaining. ¡°And for you, Ned.¡± Harlan pulled out a box that held a revolver, a replication of the one Harlan had crushed out of anger. ¡°I reacted appropriately, so don¡¯t think I¡¯m saying sorry, but I did destroy something of yours when no harm had yet been done.¡± Ned seemed hesitant, but he grabbed it from the box and spun it around a few times, swapping it from finger to finger. ¡°The weight is just right.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t the first gun I¡¯ve made, but normally I work with ones bigger than that.¡± ¡°Rifles?¡± Harlan didn¡¯t answer him. Colten and the others all went to their docks and prepared to cast off. ¡°We can take a gate over, it will be faster and safer.¡± ¡°Oh we''re in no rush, and it is a wonderful little trip, just a few hours, and then another few hours by horseback.¡± Harlan was becoming notably uncomfortable. ¡°Got something against boats and horses?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been out on boats before, just, never crossed a sea on one.¡± He looked over the edge of the ship. ¡°How deep does this go?¡± ¡°About six miles out there is a cliff the nobody knows has seen the bottom of.¡± Harlan tapped on the railing. ¡°Yeah, no, this is fine. Maybe I¡¯ll like it. Just as long as we don¡¯t run into any dragonoids.¡± An hour into the trip Harlan had spent half an hour vomiting over the side of the ship. Anne was patting his back and comforting him. ¡°You¡¯ll get your sea legs eventually.¡± He dry heaved and looked up from the side of the boat. ¡°Nope, I doubt it, back when I learned flight I also learned that I get motion sickness sometimes.¡± ¡°Could you fly above the ship? Would that help you?¡± He lifted about a foot off of the deck and suddenly felt much better. ¡°Thank you, thank you.¡± ¡°Cole, he hated ships at first, he grew up in a saddle, not having solid ground under him wasn¡¯t something he thought he¡¯d ever get used to. So I hope you know I ain¡¯t just wanting to see you sick, but maybe you¡¯ll get used to the sea, and it will help with your flying sickness.¡± He hated the idea, but she seemed like such a kind older woman that he wanted to listen to her. Harlan did not get used to the sea. When they reached the dock Harlan had the children helping him get down to land. Once he touched solid stone Harlan laid on his back and spread out. ¡°Are ya alright, Mister Harlan?¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright Phoebe, thank you.¡± She was 9, Anne and Colten had tried for many kids, and instead ended up with a few of them with large age gaps instead. His oldest, who Harlan had only seen and not spoken or heard a single word from yet, Mosley, was 24, then Ned was 16, and finally little Phoebe. ¡°Are ya gonna ride the horses with us? Mama said you ain¡¯t one for them.¡± ¡°Phoebe, stop bothering the man, and talk properly.¡± ¡°Yes mama.¡± ¡°Harlan, I¡¯m sorry that you are so sick. I really thought that-¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°I know your intent was good. I¡¯ve just got that one weakness, probably always will.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen you turn into all manner of things, not one of them fixes it?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m guessing it is because I¡¯m from a cursed race, not supposed to leave their lands.¡± She was often unsure how to respond to Harlan when he spoke about himself or magic. ¡°Oh¡­ Well alright now, I¡¯ll be helping get the horses ready, just holler if you need help.¡± Harlan decided that he wanted to get to the bottom of it. So he laid there on the ground with black eyes. ¡°Did you do this?¡± ¡°There is some surprise that you¡¯ve not asked on this a time ago.¡± ¡°Why the odd speech today?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve a manner, and of when and why that is not your matter.¡± ¡°Alright. But am I right?¡± ¡°Old curse, half overwritten, an oddity of that which should not have been.¡± ¡°So it is because I¡¯m Fomorian. I¡¯ll just obscure the pact like I did for the False Undead.¡± The many mouths in the darkness grinned wildly and she laughed. He was awake under the sun again, deciding that interfering with the pact was very likely to not go well. Phoebe was the first thing he saw. ¡°Mama has the horses ready.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like riding horses.¡± Harlan got up and his body twisted into the shape of a large horned horse. ¡°I¡¯ll ride alongside you.¡± ¡°Can mama put the saddle on you instead?¡± Harlan expected his pitch black appearance and horns would frighten the girl after she saw him shift, and he couldn¡¯t tell if she was too young to understand what should be scary or if she just didn¡¯t feel afraid. ¡°I¡­ suppose you could ride on me.¡± She jumped up, pulling on his mane as she got up on his back. ¡°Be careful, it¡¯s a long way down.¡± ¡°I rode a bull once.¡± ¡°You are a bit too little for that, it''s dangerous.¡± ¡°Papa said danger was beautiful, he met mama when she shot him for the first time.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± ¡°Go on, giddy up.¡± She kicked his sides. ¡°Don¡¯t do that, I¡¯m not a horse.¡± ¡°But you look like one.¡± ¡°Looks don¡¯t mean a thing, I¡¯ve met wolves I¡¯d rather leave with my loved ones than some people.¡± ¡°Can you get me a gun like my brother?¡± ¡°That is a choice for your parents.¡± Harlan trotted up to the rest of them. ¡°Phoebe, where is Harlan?¡± She leaned forward on the saddle he made for her out of his armor and patted his neck. ¡°He¡¯s right here, and he¡¯s a horse now.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like riding animals, and when I transformed she asked to ride me instead of her horse, and I allowed it.¡± ¡°Get- I- I don¡¯t rightly know what to say about this, Cole, honey, what do we do?¡± ¡°Harlan, she¡¯s safe on your back?¡± ¡°There are few safer places in the world.¡± ¡°Strange as you are, if you¡¯re wanting to take her for a ride, I¡¯m not gonna tell you no.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too soft on that girl, she¡¯ll grow up thinking she can do whatever she wants.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll only be a child once, we¡¯ll have her straightened out by the time she is old enough to need it. Harlan, you ready?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Just follow behind me, it¡¯ll take about an hour to the first town, then we¡¯ll restock and get riding to the capital.¡± ¡°You said the other day that this place was empty, but I¡¯ve not seen anything like this outside of The Great Desert back home.¡± There were a few times when some other creatures got close, but Harlan growled at them and they cowered back into the arid land. ¡°This might be the calmest ride we¡¯ve ever had. I haven¡¯t needed to shoot anything or anyone yet.¡± ¡°Beasts can be made to quickly understand strength, it is men who cannot understand when they are outmatched. Phoebe, move to the other horse, I¡¯m going to see who the men riding towards us are.¡± ¡°You see someone?¡± ¡°30, 40 of them, from the south, they¡¯ve been following our tracks for 10 minutes and they came from a cave near the sea.¡± ¡°You saw all of that?¡± ¡°I try to keep watch over everything around me, and with flat plains, it is far easier. If we were dealing with sand dunes then this would be different.¡± She protested, but Harlan telekinetically set Phoebe on another horse and then started riding back, turning to a man and flying to meet their stalkers. When the first gunshots rang out Colten reared up his horse. ¡°I gotta go back for him.¡± Screams rang out shortly after the shots, and then a great pillar of flames leapt to the sky. Harlan flew back to them and returned to his horse form. ¡°Bandits.¡± ¡°Did you ask them why?¡± Harlan raised an eyebrow, which looked quite odd considering his appearance. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why did they become bandits. Sometimes a man just needs another chance.¡± ¡°I went through a phase in my youth where I thought I needed to know why evil men do evil things.¡± ¡°What answer did you get?¡± ¡°Desperate men do terrible things, and good men become desperate faster than I realized. But evil men do terrible things because they don¡¯t care about the harm they cause. Those men who I just killed were evil, not desperate.¡± ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡± ¡°I will not repeat what they said they¡¯d do to your wife and daughter, little ears shouldn¡¯t hear these things. They got a quicker death than they deserved, and when people find the spot of glassed land and charred bones, they will understand me very quickly.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you sending messages like that.¡± ¡°Next time nobody will find bodies then.¡± ¡°Harlan, I¡¯m saying to arrest them next time. They¡¯ll be hanged in the town square most certainly, but at least they will be given a chance for a trial.¡± ¡°These are your lands, and I am a guest, my apologies.¡± Made their way to the first town on their journey, Evade, named so because it started out as a single farm that was made to evade certain regulations, but then the frontier turned to just another part of the territories. When they got near the high walls of stone the guards opened the gates. Not a minute later the mayor came out to greet him. ¡°Colten, you¡¯re a little late, thought something happened and I was getting the men together to look.¡± ¡°There were some bandits, but King Fomoria here took care of them.¡± He pointed at the dark horned horse that Phoebe was riding. Harlan used telekinesis to put her on the ground and then he returned to human form. Everyone who had seen it stopped and went silent, children hid behind walls or adults, people moved their hands near their guns. Eventually Colten got tired of everyone in a standoff and yelled out. ¡°THE MAN IS A GUEST, NOT AN ATTRACTION. YA CAN STOP THE STARTING.¡± Most of the people were knocked out of their trance and went back to their lives. ¡°Sorry about that, magic isn¡¯t quite so common.¡± ¡°I was an oddity inside of the veil as well, and magic is far more common there.¡± Harlan and Colten went with the mayor to get the supplies that they had already requested. ¡°Any problems cropped up since I¡¯ve left that need handling?¡± ¡°Eolgi are restless, waking up late this year, but monsoon season lasted longer than normal.¡± ¡°Dammit. Everything out of the ground and ready for them?¡± ¡°Mine west of here got hit by ¡®em already. Lost a good 20 men before they realized what was happening.¡± ¡°Eolgi?¡± ¡°Underdwellers, troglodytes, dirtmen. Scales like iron and claws like daggers. Seen them dig through 30 feet of stone in half as many seconds.¡± ¡°Are they related to the snakemen I¡¯ve heard of deep in the ground?¡± ¡°Maybe, could be that they evolve into them.¡± ¡°Did everyone get out of the mine?¡± ¡°Well, six men are missing, but we¡¯ve already collapsed the tunnels, either they¡¯re dead or trapped. Everyone who mines knows the risks.¡± ¡°How many miles out? What direction?¡± ¡°20, about¡­ that way.¡± Harlan left through a gate before anyone could ask anything or warn him. He stepped out high in the air and looked for signs of a mine, finding them relatively quickly. Once he hit the ground he saw that everything had been eaten, boards where buildings once stood had bite marks on them but only splitters remained for the most part. Steel wire had been chewed through, pieces of metal sat on the ground that he realized were once parts of pickaxes. Harlan divined for human life, finding one man. He opened a gate to where the man laid and lifted the rubble from him, the shifting of stone sent tremors into the earth and woke them once again. Harlan returned outside and put the man in his armor, letting the hover keep him safely above ground and start the healing process. He struck the ground three times, intending to get a look at these monsters. It wasn¡¯t 30 seconds before they came out, swimming through the dirt as if it was water. He saw no reptilian traits, making it evolving into a snakeman quite unlikely. It was hard to even describe them as looking at anything other than stones shaped vaguely like a flat faced person with large claws and teeth that bent in ways that made Harlan believe them somewhat prehensile. Harlan¡¯s fist met its face and the strike forced the body back, snapping its spine, but it had not destroyed the head, and the creature was still alive. Harlan would¡¯ve liked to study it more, but he could feel the ground rumbling and his mental senses told him it was time to leave. He grabbed the survivor, flying higher into the sky to see how many there really were. A cloud of dust came with them and the one that had been paralyzed by him was devoured in the blink of an eye. Harlan decided he had seen enough and went through a gate. As soon as he was back in town, right where he and Colten had been walking, walked into the tavern and set the man on the table, retrieving his armor from him and checking his injuries. His legs had been crushed, and he barely survived on account of one of the support beams blocking rocks from turning his skull into paste. The owner hopped the bar with a bottle of whiskey in his hand. ¡°We¡¯ll need this ta clean the wounds, I¡¯ll get the doctor.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll be fine to handle this. It wasn¡¯t a clean break, so I¡¯ll remove the legs and grow another set. Looks like¡­¡± Harlan poked his chest after using making hand signs, a glow ran through the man, highlighting his skeleton, organs, and then veins in white that quickly faded once he examined him. ¡°Six broken ribs, partial collapse of his lung, he is very lucky that he passed out from the pain, those Eolgi seem sensitive to sounds and I can¡¯t imagine that he would¡¯ve been quiet.¡± ¡°Grow his legs back?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a healer. I¡¯ve done it before. I¡¯ll need food for him though.¡± Harlan put a gold coin in the man¡¯s hand. ¡°Breads and meats are best.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a kitchen here, but I¡¯ll go over and get the restaurant to start making things.¡± The man started to walk away. ¡°Leave the whiskey. I¡¯m going to remove his legs and put him in bed first, I imagine he is going to be upset once he sees that.¡± ¡°Why take his legs off first?¡± ¡°It will be less taxing on my magic to remove the pain from amputated limbs than from two broken legs and a crushed chest. Oh, and if you happen to see Colten, tell him I¡¯m here but I won¡¯t take long.¡± ¡°Course, oh, and that there room is empty, move ¡®em in there, and try not to get my floor all red.¡± ¡°Not a problem.¡± The man returned with a few loaves of bread and some steaks to find the miner drunk, and trying to fight Harlan. ¡°YOU TOOK MY LEGS, I¡¯LL-¡± Harlan put pressure on a few points on his neck, and the lack of blood flow had him quickly asleep and then quickly waking up. ¡°What¡­ what happened¡­¡± Harlan had covered his legs so he wouldn¡¯t notice quite so quickly this time. ¡°Sir, do you remember where you were?¡± ¡°Huh? The mine, them monsters came and then¡­ those bastards collapsed it on us.¡± ¡°I got you out, and you were hurt and now you are recovering in Evade. You need to eat so I can heal you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to give ya.¡± ¡°Remember my generosity next time someone else needs help, that¡¯s all that I ask for.¡± The man shrugged and Harlan handed him some bread and meat, cutting both with a signless wind spell. Harlan finished the healing, but it would take a few hours for the healing to truly settle. He asked the owner if he needed more money, but his gold coin stretched far here, and the man would be just fine for as long as it took to recover. He returned to Colten and his family. ¡°I thought you might¡¯ve been hurt, be a shame to lose you so early on.¡± ¡°One miner survived, I had to regrow his legs, fix his chest, and get him room and board in a tavern.¡± ¡°We call them saloons around here. And you did all that for him?¡± ¡°Power is to help those without it. You were gathering supplies, so I saw no reason not to take a few minutes out of my day to save a man¡¯s life, and I hope he repays that kindness to another in the future.¡± Cole slapped him on the back. ¡°A good thing to live by. Now let¡¯s get going, we¡¯re having a get together soon as we hit Kingdom.¡± ¡°Kingdom?¡± ¡°We¡¯re the remnants of the people they shipped over to start a new kingdom after the Cast pushed humanity out of our lands. The kingdom died, the king wasn¡¯t fit to rule, but we call the capital Kingdom to remember what came before the territories.¡± ¡°What was the name of the kingdom.¡± ¡°Well, we remembered to call it kingdom, but we somehow misplaced the name that Kingdom was meant to represent in the last three centuries.¡± Harlan and Colten laughed as they got ready to leave. Chapter 236: The Beast of Two Backs Adina was sitting around and reading a book while Harlan continued to replace each and every part of the home Marigold had given to him as a project. It was a waste of time, it should¡¯ve been torn down and a copy put up, but that wasted time was exactly what he wanted right now. ¡°We didn¡¯t do anything for your birthday.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Should we do something? If we want much longer we¡¯ll be closer to your fake birthday than your real one.¡± Harlan ruffled his hair, sending sawdust to the ground. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter much, it¡¯s just another year, and I¡¯m exactly a ticking clock.¡± ¡°Just because you¡¯re going to have a lot more birthdays than most doesn¡¯t mean you shouldn¡¯t care about the ones you have. And when are we getting a bed in there? Besides, 18 is a landmark for both of us. There are no more age restrictions anymore.¡± ¡°Not like there were many in the first place. I should push Rosewell on that drinking age, I never cared for seeing a bunch of 14 year olds stumbling drunk in the streets. Anyway, I¡¯ve got the cellar replaced, but I doubt you want to sleep in there.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll put up air freshening and heat spells. Or we could just go back home.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get the bed in just a little bit then.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t avoid them forever.¡± ¡°Not forever, just until it stops feeling like I¡¯m back at the funeral every single day.¡± ¡°Your mom could probably use you there.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t just turn my empathy off, everyone puts off too strong a feeling to ignore.¡± ¡°You can go grab that bed right now then, I¡¯ll decide where I want it. And bring carpets as well.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Harlan gated to the swamp base where he still had stolen items stashed and came back with a few large rugs and a queen sized bed. As soon as he had it down Adina jumped in bed and lifted the covers, inviting him inside. ¡°I should keep working on the house.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m cold.¡± He began casting arrays to bring up the temperature, but then he saw her shifting clothes move from her body. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Should we consummate this marriage?¡± Harlan couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Shut up, I read it in one of my books. I thought it would be romantic.¡± ¡°Romance stories don¡¯t often have a basis in reality. Especially the ones Yara likes.¡± ¡°Really? Because a white knight showed up out of nowhere to save me from some dastardly fellows and despite his prickly exterior I peeled back his layers and found a wonderful man.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a basis in reality either.¡± Harlan slipped into bed and our of his clothes. ¡°And for the record, I¡¯m a black knight.¡± Despite what he read stories just the same as Yara, it wasn¡¯t a beautiful fireworks display or passion, it was more Harlan being terrified of hurting her and both sides being very awkward and uncomfortable. And despite what they read in the anatomy books, they fumbled around like they had never seen another living person before in their lives. Both of them stared at the ceiling and cuddled after they were finished. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do now.¡± ¡°In the books they always smoke.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even own a pipe or anything to smoke in it.¡± Adina rubbed his beard. ¡°I like this thing. You have a scary face, it hides that.¡± ¡°Thanks?¡± ¡°I think it looks fatherly.¡± ¡°Are we trying for a child yet?¡± ¡°Are we not?¡± ¡°The civil war is still happening, even if it is cold.¡± ¡°You blew up a mountain the other day, I wouldn¡¯t call that cold.¡± ¡°But we aren¡¯t fielding troops. Both sides are just hiding out and hitting small targets that they can reach.¡± She ran her finger down his chest. It wasn¡¯t often that she really saw him without his clothes, and he didn¡¯t wear them tight enough to show off his muscles. ¡°You used to be so lean.¡± ¡°My mind is still racing too fast to get into Fomorian physiology.¡± ¡°Want to enhance my body now?¡± ¡°Shit, we really never did that yet?¡± ¡°Nope. But I don¡¯t mind taking a week off of my classes at the academy right now.¡± She crawled on top of him, laying her head on his chest. ¡°I¡¯ll also need you to stay with me, no fighting, no research, I need you here. And we should have the wedding eventually, it might help everyone get out of this grief.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing you already have plans.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been fantasizing about this for a little bit, just a little.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll get everything you¡¯ve ever wanted.¡± Harlan began tearing up. ¡°I¡¯m just so happy.¡± ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re that kind of man after sex.¡± Harlan had set up some gym equipment in the cellar to help Adina with the extra energy she had with her new body, yet for the most part it went unused. After a few hours she fell asleep and he put up a veil so she could rest while he slipped out of the bed he needed to reinforce after the first night where she broke it pushing her new body to its limits. He barely got an hour into his work cutting and sanding boards before he stained them for the living room when she called him down again. It had been two weeks, so he couldn¡¯t blame it on her enhancement hormones anymore, she was just incorrigible. He liked it, but he also actually enjoyed getting work done, and it was just something he liked, but wasn¡¯t enthralled with like she was. He put on a happy face as he walked down the stairs and slipped his clothes off, but she wasn¡¯t in bed. ¡°I¡¯m pregnant.¡± Harlan thought he had misheard her at first, just staring at her in silence. ¡°I¡¯m pregnant.¡± His vision began to spin and he had to lean on the doorframe to stay upright. He fell back and passed out on the stairs. She slapped him awake and he walked over to the middle of the room. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be a little happier. I mean, we talked about-¡± ¡°No, we didn¡¯t. You said you were trying and I said that I was worried since the war was going on.¡± ¡°Are you upset? I just thought that-¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to be a father.¡± He laid on the bed and then immediately jumped up. ¡°I¡¯m going to be a father.¡± He began skipping around the room too quickly for Adina to keep track of him. A few times she could even see more than one of him as he became temporally displaced with worry. Then he stopped. ¡°We aren¡¯t telling anyone anything yet.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I need to check our defenses. You are more of a target than ever.¡± He moved around at normal speeds, but was leaving afterimages. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Adina slapped him hard enough that he staggered back. ¡°Hey, no, we are not doing that, you are not losing your mind over this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m terrified. Shit shit shit, what am I going to do?¡± He curled into a ball. ¡°I¡¯m the one with new life in my womb and I¡¯ve got to push it out in nine months, I¡¯m the one who should be scared.¡± Harlan crawled over to her on all fours, placing his hands over her stomach and viewed the soul that had broken off of her¡¯s and was now siphoning energy to grow itself. ¡°It¡¯s so small.¡± He slipped his hands around her back and into a hug, press his cheek onto her stomach. ¡°Do you want to tell your family one by one or call everyone together for dinner?¡± ¡°We can call them all together. Tomorrow we can have dinner with everyone, but I¡¯ve got to make some preparations first.¡± ¡°Just so long as it doesn¡¯t involve you raising an army or making some new device.¡± ¡°Nope, no weapons or army of the dead.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say something specific, I kept it vague for a reason.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t make any creatures or any new item.¡± ¡°Good, now, drop me off for my classes. I¡¯ll pick up my materials and get back here later to catch up on everything.¡± ¡°But you need to take a bath first.¡± She lowered her hands and got on her knees to kiss him. ¡°We need to take a bath.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to be late for classes.¡± ¡°And?¡± While Adina was at the academy, Harlan contacted Hellon. She wasn¡¯t holding any classes until a little later, so she came for a short visit. ¡°This place is a dump.¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m happy to see you as well.¡± ¡°What do you need? It sounded urgent on the communicator.¡± ¡°Really? I thought I kept an even tone.¡± ¡°You still sound panicked.¡± ¡°Huh. Anyway, you¡¯ve delivered babies, right?¡± ¡°Is there someone hidden here ready to burst?¡± ¡°No. I just need to know, is there anything I need to watch out for in the early days of pregnancy?¡± ¡°Ah, Adina then?¡± ¡°How did you know? Fuck, am I that easy to read? How am I going to¡­¡± She waited for him to calm down before she started talking again. ¡°Don¡¯t let her drink or smoke, avoid blows to the stomach, make sure she is eating enough. And pick up supplemental tonics to make absolutely sure she isn¡¯t being malnourished by mistake even if she is eating enough.¡± ¡°Anything specific that I wouldn¡¯t already know from the classes?¡± ¡°Not really. But I could get you into a real childbirth, since I assume you¡¯ll want to deliver it yourself.¡± ¡°I would like you to be there as well.¡± ¡°Not Sepul?¡± ¡°There are some¡­ things between us. I¡¯d rather have someone more normal, just in case.¡± ¡°My rate is-¡± ¡°Your youth. The cat is out of the bag, people know I can do it, so I¡¯ll get you back your youth, make you stronger as well if that is what you desire.¡± ¡°Youth is enough. What is recovery like?¡± Harlan explained the temporary side effects and she cackled like mad when he explained the desire that came with the changes, joking that it was no wonder Adina was pregnant. She agreed that he would enhance her once the students were off for the summer. Hellon liked the idea of having a nice body again, but despite her harshness towards them, she didn¡¯t want her students to miss a week of classes. The time passed quickly, too quickly for his liking, before Adina came back from classes. ¡°You look awful.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sick.¡± ¡°Morning sickness? That doesn¡¯t make sense, it¡¯s been two weeks since we started¡­ doing that stuff.¡± She laughed at him for having any discomfort about the subject at all. ¡°And I feel weird, and I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°Those are the other symptoms. Odd cravings, mood swings, sore nipples.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk about my nipples.¡± ¡°Hey, this is my fault, I need to be realistic, take it from a doctorly perspective.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just get inside. Did you finish the living room?¡± ¡°Not exactly.¡± ¡°Back to the cellar then, unless you¡¯ve decided that we should go back home.¡± ¡°When you give birth, I¡¯m thinking we might want to move out here. It¡¯s safer, smaller, nobody poking around, archmagi acting as protection.¡± ¡°We can talk about it downstairs.¡± When she entered the cellar it was a mess. ¡°I have been doing some reading.¡± ¡°Where did you even get all these books? And is that a crib?¡± ¡°I wanted to try out a few designs, I¡¯m a fan of that one with the triangle on the top, the bar that goes across will let us hang things from it for him to play with.¡± ¡°Or her.¡± ¡°Whichever it is I don¡¯t care. He or she is going to be beautiful and wonderful and-¡± ¡°Are you getting morning sickness along with your mood swings as well? How are your nipples?¡± She turned to her left, finding the wall full of scribbles. She didn¡¯t say a word, she just pointed with her thumb as she looked at him. ¡°Ah, right, yes, I started going down a list of names. These are the top ten.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t naming him Darrath.¡± ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll strike that one down.¡± ¡°No H names, no A names, we¡¯ve got enough of those. I don¡¯t want something that starts with an E either.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, they just don¡¯t seem right for her. I¡¯m leaning on no Ks or Ts either.¡± ¡°Tabitha is a good name though, and what about Kathrine, or Kate? Ester isn¡¯t bad.¡± ¡°Nope, I¡¯m against E, Tabitha is nice though.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± ¡°Eli.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Now I just want to find an E name that you do like because you don¡¯t want one.¡± ¡°Get me tea, I don¡¯t feel good.¡± ¡°Alright. Just rest right now. Do you want anything to eat?¡± ¡°I want something sweet and salty.¡± ¡°Sweet grilled meats. I know a place in the frontier that smokes them with good sauce on them.¡± Harlan made his way to the Shaky Leg. ¡°I hope you haven¡¯t stopped smoking meat.¡± ¡°Do I know you?¡± ¡°Not really, but I passed through here once, stayed a couple days. How¡¯s Lilly?¡± ¡°Now, a man comes through asking a question like that without me knowing them, I¡¯ll need to know who I¡¯m talking to.¡± ¡°You would¡¯ve called me Alex at the time. But now you can call me Harlan Fomoria.¡± Harlan moved his hand down his face, shifting it as he did, and then he moved it back up, returning to his real face. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, Thomas.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just unnatural.¡± ¡°I¡¯m an unnatural man.¡± ¡°What meats do you want?¡± ¡°Something with a sweeter sauce on it.¡± ¡°Got chicken and sausages with that right now, gonna be a few hours for the pork to be as soft as I¡¯d like it, but I¡¯d put the sauce on it if you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°Let me see how my wife likes the other stuff first.¡± ¡°Married? Well congratulations.¡± Harlan leaned over the counter. ¡°Do you have kids?¡± ¡°One, but he moved away, looking for a safer life.¡± ¡°She¡¯s pregnant, just found out today, any advice?¡± ¡°If she says jump, you don¡¯t ask how high, just start jumping. And lie, she¡¯s gonna get fat and gross and bloated and use the bathroom three times a night at least. But just keep telling her how beautiful she is. Women tell one another that they are glowing, whatever that means, so try that.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t necessarily agree with the wording of it, but he kept that information in his mind anyway. While Thomas went to get the meats, Harlan quickly tracked Lilly down, but generally it was in poor taste to show up to another man''s house and start chatting up his wife. Adina ate nearly as much as Harlan had and then began to cry about how awful she looked. Harlan lied as a man should at such a time such as this, she had eaten like an animal and made a mess of herself and her hair had fallen onto her plate and got sticky. ¡°How about this, every morning, I¡¯ll put your hair up in a bun, no holding it back when you start to throw up that way, and you can eat as you like.¡± ¡°You mean like a pig.¡± ¡°If you eat like a pig then I eat like an orc.¡± His words failed to reassure her. Harlan was agitated, pacing back and forth. ¡°What has you so anxious?¡± ¡°Nothing at all Baldwin.¡± ¡°You¡¯re pacing like a man who either cheated on his wife or whose wife is cheating on him.¡± ¡°Neither.¡± ¡°Well you did something wrong or someone did something-¡± ¡°Nobody did anything wrong. Crack the door open so I can get this over with.¡± He backed away with his hands up. Safira stood by Harlan¡¯s side. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to allow anyone to die because you aren¡¯t focused. So get focused.¡± ¡°Ever thought about having kids?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Harlan took a deep breath and transformed himself into a bear with a shell like an armadillo, stepping in front of the others as the pointman. When Baldwin cast his spell, every hallway in the base lit up. Cracking something such as this vault door, and all of the wards and arrays that came with it was not a small task, it took as much as had been put into setting the defenses. He not only did he need to crack the defenses, he needed to crack all of the crystals that powered them. Soulsmithing was Harlan¡¯s greatest achievement, and he had surpassed what the tribal Fomorians could do in many ways, because he wasn¡¯t one of a few hundred groups cut off from the world, he was part of a greater community of mages who were willing to help one another. And yet he wasn¡¯t sure what exactly the device in front of him was going to do. It was a long barrel lined with large crystals, Baldwin stood at the back and attached it to the door. ¡°Sir Baldwin, are you sure this won¡¯t kill the nobles inside?¡± ¡°50/50.¡± ¡°How did you decide on those odds.¡± ¡°They die, or they don¡¯t, 50/50. Now, Sir Fomoria, you are going to want to stay away from the front of the barrel, at least half way back to the rest of us.¡± There was not a sound as the weapon powered up entirely, but Harlan could feel a familiar sense of dread. He saw the fire mana turn pure and the air distorted as the concentrated beam of heat focused on the door and Baldwin pushed it forward along a fixed rail, evaporating the metal rod due to the heat being focused through it. It took over a minute before the door went red hot and started to melt; arrays had been set up beforehand to push the heat out of venting pipes dug out in the mountain. Once a good sized hole was made, Safira began the negotiations, since Harlan said there were still living minds inside. ¡°If you attempt to attack us through that hole, we are going to throw explosives through it. The shrapnel is going to bounce around and kill anyone who doesn¡¯t have their insides turned to liquid by the force of the blast in a confined space. Finally, in a minute¡¯s time, that hole will have cooled enough that Sir Fomoria will slip inside, and he seems quite agitated today.¡± ¡°I have somewhere to be which is far more important than this, and I would be quite cross with anyone who needlessly wastes my time.¡± The nobles surrendered very quickly, two weeks living on rations was terrible for people like them, and while they were likely to be beheaded, it was certainly better than whatever would happen to someone who angered Harlan Fomoria. Chapter 237: Announcement Harlan rushed back home, his actual home, not the barely standing half-built home he had been given. A series of arrays had been set up so everyone could sit outside without freezing, since his kitchen was just too small and he hadn¡¯t built a proper dining room. It was odd being home again, and despite his dodging his family, it seemed everyone else had more or less returned to their normal lives. Redmond¡¯s passing was still a wound on their hearts, but they understood they couldn¡¯t hold onto it forever. It made him feel less than great that he had stayed away when he might not have needed to. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are all wondering what announcement I have, we, have.¡± His mother spoke. ¡°Did you set a date for the wedding?¡± ¡°4th month, 23rd day, but that isn¡¯t the news.¡± Harlan stepped back and let Adina speak. ¡°I¡¯m pregnant.¡± As one might¡¯ve expected, there were tears of joy and hugs and questions. When everyone had calmed down and were ready to start eating, Sepul arrived with Dawn and Elise in tow. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d make it.¡± ¡°That kind of panic in your voice was born from excitement and fear, not sorrow and fear, so I assume it was good news.¡± Harlan couldn¡¯t help but have a huge grin on his face. ¡°I¡¯m going to be a dad.¡± ¡°Then congratulations are in order. And I apologize for being late. When Dawn met with Elise, things were¡­¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°That and I decided to officially revoke her death, which took some doing. Dawn is a citizen of Ragne and is a reserve unit in the army now. Things are a little confusing, but I prevented them from asking certain questions. Have you told your family about her?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll save that for another time, I don''t want to dilute it or cause trouble.¡± Elise walked up to Adina. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what I did before.¡± ¡°You should be.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t often apologize, accept it with grace.¡± ¡°What you did was wrong, and I don¡¯t want you to think that it is something to just move past.¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying here.¡± ¡°I-¡± Harlan stepped in. ¡°Calm down, I know at least some of this is hormones. But I don¡¯t disagree with you, and she will remember, but you don¡¯t need to hold her feet to the fire. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°I know I was wrong. Don¡¯t drag this out.¡± ¡°You should remember this.¡± ¡°Just let her prove that she learned, don¡¯t browbeat her for what happened.¡± Amber had been picked up by him, and Sam came along as a result, but they hadn¡¯t gotten the chance to get any two on one time with him just yet. Amber decided the perfect time was to break up the fight brewing between Adina and Elise by having a loud conversation with Sam next to them. ¡°Who is she to your brother and what did she do?¡± ¡°That¡¯s his half-sister on his mothers side, Archmage Dust is their twice great grandfather, and she tried to get magical secrets from him when he was still very upset over Haldren.¡± ¡°Your familly is fucked up.¡± ¡°All of his real sisters are great.¡± ¡°Real sisters meaning you? Or does he have some others running around?¡± ¡°Just me and Ava and Autumn.¡± ¡°Right. Does he have any brothers that are actually related?¡± ¡°Maybe, we aren¡¯t sure if they died or not, and if they are probably going to have to die. Fomorians are shit people.¡± ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Just tell me not to worry about it next time I ask. This is all weird and confusing and I really don¡¯t care that much.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± It had taken some convincing to get the Blackstones here, and Harlan had explained to Cimmeria the reason for the dinner beforehand. She sat with Harlow, whom she was friendly with, and had been a great help to her while she grieved. ¡°I¡¯m glad she will have a cousin.¡± ¡°Too bad they won¡¯t see each other often.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Do you think Harlan is going to let him out of his sight?¡± She chuckled. ¡°He is protective. But that isn¡¯t such a bad thing. Did he mention that he tried to have Redmond pulled from service?¡± ¡°He never mentioned it to me.¡± ¡°I think that he is going to have a very rude awakening when he realizes that he can¡¯t control his daughter¡¯s life.¡± ¡°Hoping for a girl then?¡± ¡°Are you hoping for a boy? Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t hear you saying ¡®him¡¯ just a moment ago.¡± Harlow just shrugged, it wasn¡¯t that he cared or was hoping for one or the other, he just thought ¡®him¡¯ sounded better than ¡®them¡¯ while he spoke. Brig only came out when most of the party was over, Harlan disliked social events with people he didn¡¯t know, Brig just hated parties and most people in general. ¡°So what was important?¡± ¡°Adina is pregnant.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ want some advice?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let ¡®em go for a second, live every moment like you know you won¡¯t be seein¡¯ ¡®em again, because ya don¡¯t know if you will. It¡¯s better that they remember ya as overly protective and without a life of your own than rememberin¡¯ all of the time you didn¡¯t spend with ¡®em because you were workin¡¯.¡± Brig drank a large cup of ale and slammed it on the table. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve been this scared in years.¡± ¡°Wait until you hold them for the first time, feel how fragile they are, then the fear can really grip you.¡± Brig smacked Harlan on the back, grabbed a plate full of food along with what was left of the barrel of ale and walked back to his workshop. When everyone was gone Harlan was helping Stella and the Unseen maid whose name he hadn¡¯t known yet. ¡°Does it feel wrong to be answering to a 14 year old?¡± ¡°It is just part of the job. Spies and assassins require doing work which might not be seen as directly related. But, if you would permit me a question.¡± ¡°I would.¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Why not use golems?¡± ¡°I suppose I just enjoy having someone around. When I first moved here, even if I was so close to my parents farm, it would¡¯ve been lonely to not have anyone around.¡± She just nodded and went back to stacking up the dirty dishes. Adina was sleeping on the couch and Halran couldn¡¯t take his eyes off of her. Again and again, reality sunk in and he flew from fear to bursting with joy, both having the bite of anxiety eating away at him. When morning came he made a trip to the farm while Adina went to see Hellon before starting her classes to see if there was an answer for why she was showing certain signs of pregnancy so quickly. ¡°Harlan, glad that you could make it.¡± Harlow answered the door and pulled him in by his shoulder. ¡°I know you¡¯re probably worried, because you¡¯re going to be a father, and you have all of that other mess with pacts and enhanced bodies and what happened with your mother, but you¡¯ll do just fine. Adina will keep you centered, cutting out the worst cases where you hover over your child ever second of every day to protect her from any harm at all.¡± ¡°Could she really stop me?¡± ¡°If you intend to stay married, yes, because you¡¯ll just stop yourself. The first time Autumn walked, she fell down, because that¡¯s what babies do when they are learning, but she hit her head on a chair leg pretty bad. I was terrified of letting her try to walk again and your mother had to calm me, because there is no way we could hold her back if she was learning to walk.¡± They made their way over to the table where James was feeding himself some vegetables and fruit while his mother was finishing up the rest of breakfast. ¡°He¡¯s so big.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what happens when they start growing.¡± ¡°Hey, mom?¡± ¡°Hey, son.¡± ¡°Should I feel bad that I barely know anything about James? Have I missed his life because I just haven¡¯t had time or do I just not care.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve missed his early life because you¡¯ve gotten yourself wrapped up with gods and nobles and magic and you barely have time for anything else. But he won¡¯t remember this part of his life anyway. By the time he really remembers things I¡¯m sure you can be around more.¡± ¡°I¡¯m I going to miss my daughter¡¯s life? Am I going to have time for her?¡± ¡°What is Adina planning for the future? Is she going to be a housewife?¡± ¡°I guess I didn¡¯t really ask. Gods, now I¡¯m going to take away her chance to do what-¡± ¡°Stop spiraling at the breakfast table.¡± Aida spooned scrambled eggs onto his plate along with sausages and toast. ¡°Adina loves you and we could all see how happy she was yesterday to be pregnant with your child. If you¡¯re worried, just wait and then ask her what she wants to do once the child is born.¡± ¡°What did you want to do?¡± ¡°Help run the farm and raise my children. I didn¡¯t have any higher aspirations. Though I suppose by the results, that was the greatest thing I could ever do. Honey, you¡¯re going to be just fine, panic when the child is born, or if something actually happens, but if you keep panicking now, you¡¯ll just stress her out, and that isn¡¯t good for either her or the baby.¡± As Harlan took deep breaths to calm himself he was struck with a piece of apple. ¡°Hawen.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Hawen.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Hawen.¡± James just kept pointing at him and repeating his name for no real reason, but it did make Harlan calm down. ¡°Thank you, James.¡± ¡°Hawen.¡± He seemed happier with his final call to his brother. When breakfast passed Harlan decided to visit the orphans. ¡°Mister Harlan?¡± One of the Fomorian children that had their memories changed by The Darkness approached him immediately. ¡°Can you show me how to make the feeling stop?¡± He was young, younger than Harlan was at least when he learned about his empathy, but he was also full blooded instead of a halfbreed like himself. Harlan started to panic again about what his child would be as ? Fomorian and born from parents with enhanced bodies. Would they come out right? Would they come out enhanced? What other issues would arise? What about- He saw the panic that was on the young boy¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll keep my mind clear.¡± ¡°Did I do something wrong?¡± ¡°No no no, I was just thinking about something else. Now, are the other children also having problems with their empathy?¡± The boy shook his head and Harlan took him by the hand, letting himself be led to the others so he could teach them how to discover their empathy and control it instead of it controlling them. He also made a visit to the lovers and their own child, but he felt like meeting the Fomorians was what he really needed to come here for. When Adina was back home, Harlan led her to the basement, that was clear of all signs that he had gone on a madstreak of preparation for their child. ¡°Please, sit.¡± He moved over to a couch he had put in the basement. ¡°So, what mood are you in today? Second guessing being a father? Everything down here is so¡­ clean.¡± ¡°Not in the slightest. I talked with my parents, and I went to see the Fomorian orphans. I think I need to slow down, talk this out.¡± ¡°So you aren¡¯t going to go manic anymore?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. I¡¯m an unstable person, and I try to control everything because I keep being controlled and I hate that, but I¡¯m not going to go completely insane, not yet, not right now, I can¡¯t let that happen.¡± She laid her head on his chest and he put his arm around her. ¡°You know that it already sounds like you''re going to go crazy again, you can¡¯t let or not let something happen, you already admitted that you can¡¯t control yourself.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. Remember what happened when you told me you were pregnant?¡± ¡°You passed out.¡± ¡°After that.¡± ¡°I punched you.¡± ¡°You forced me to stop instead of spiraling like I often do. So whenever I get crazy, tell me, and if I don¡¯t stop, force me to stop.¡± ¡°I can do that.¡± ¡°And how about Fina? That sounds good, right?¡± ¡°It does, but what if we have a boy?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you pick the name for a boy, and I¡¯ll find a name for a girl.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still going to argue against you picking something I don¡¯t like.¡± ¡°And I¡¯ll do the same.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like anything changed.¡± ¡°No, but we made a rule for it, we aren¡¯t just stumbling in the dark so much.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s say we stumble through the dark a little more then.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± They moved to the bed and did what Adina wanted, and once she was asleep, Harlan went to work fixing up the house more. Xol arrived in the early hours of the morning. ¡°Here to congratulate me?¡± ¡°You stuck your meat in a hole and thrusted, good job.¡± His tone was harsh. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Something has changed, plans need to be moved up, take these blueprints and don¡¯t tell anyone that I gave them to you, stagger their releases to make it seem realistic that you invented them all.¡± Xol tossed a journal to Harlan. ¡°What plans.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t for you to know yet. And when I say anyone, I mean it, Marigold, Adina, The Darkness, not one of them can know what I¡¯ve given you. While I¡¯m here, memorize the designs and then recreate them on your own, then I will destroy the book.¡± Harlan watched the sawdust which fell as he moved hang in the air of the nearly stopped time. ¡°Alright then.¡± He read for an hour or so, going over every invention multiple times to ensure he had committed every detail to memory. ¡°Done.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Am I going to hear an explanation as to why at some point?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± And then Xol left and Harlan went back to his work like nothing had happened. Adina woke in the morning to food already prepared for her along with a supplemental tonic and an herbal tea. ¡°Well, this is nice.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been reading quite a bit. The tea should soothe some of your symptoms, the morning sickness, mood swings, and give you a little more energy to get through the day.¡± ¡°I was going to just use spells for that stuff.¡± ¡°No, magic can have unpredictable results on a forming child. None of what I¡¯ve given you is alchemically enhanced for flavor or effect, I¡¯ve made it all this morning.¡± ¡°Do you plan to do that every morning?¡± ¡°We are partners here, I got you pregnant, you wanted to be pregnant, I¡¯m responsible for you and you for them. So I¡¯ll prepare you a breakfast, and if you¡¯d like, I¡¯ll try to have lunch and dinner ready as well though the use of another me or a golem.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m sure the academy food is good enough for two meals of the day. Where you up all night building the house up?¡± ¡°Yeah, tomorrow we could probably move to the first floor, unless you like the unground ambiance.¡± ¡°We should probably wait until the master bedroom is finished.¡± ¡°We could. But once you get bigger you¡¯ll not want to be going up and down the steps, and we¡¯ll have a room right next to a bathroom and just across the hall could be the nursery and a playroom.¡± ¡°I can lift an ox over my head and kick through a brick wall, I don¡¯t think going up a few steps is going to be an issue.¡± She drank her small cup of tonic and then washed it down with some tea. ¡°But it would be nice to not have to do it anyway, we could get in and out of the house faster without going up the stairs.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just saying that because I suggested it.¡± ¡°So?¡± When she went off to the academy, she carried with her a series of weapons he had made the night before and he wouldn¡¯t let her go without the golem armor. She could lift an ox and break stone, but that didn¡¯t make him worry any less if one bad spell could end the life in her without causing her too much harm. So while he fixed the house, he also thought of the weapons and machines that Xol had told him needed to be made. Flight unaided by magic, metal boxes by which he could mount cannons onto and drive over or through most anything, explosives that exploded with dozens of times more force than any cannon ball. Then would be how to improve them with magic, hover and interia canceling spells that would let them take off or land anywhere. Gravity magic and shifting plates that would allow those metal machines to actually drive through anything without flipping and intelligently intercept enemy attacks and repair themselves. Amplification spells that would allow those self propelled rockets to cause more damage than their specifications would suggest. Harlan found himself incensed by these creations from Xol¡¯s world, a place where magic faded away into myth and legend, causing man to replace mana with energy, to mix chemicals without alchemy to cast fire and control the weather. Chapter 238: A Day in the UT Over the next week, Harlan kept a close eye on things, there really was nothing wrong, Mosley just seemed to be a prodigy. But since he had done nothing but work, Cole decided that he should go out shooting when they went to test the weapons that the as of yet unnamed gunsmith had made. Harlan had asked for their names, but everyone told him that the family preferred not to tell anyone, because they were all just known as the Gunsmiths and that is the only part of them that mattered. ¡°You been shooting before?¡± ¡°Not really. I¡¯ve fired guns before, but I don¡¯t see the point really.¡± ¡°Well, sometimes it is fun to just let off a few rounds. And women love this.¡± Cole began to twirl his guns around on his fingers before he handed them to Harlan. ¡°Now be careful, those are loaded, so we should-¡± Harlan spun the guns like he had done it before. Anne joined in on the display, twirling her guns alongside Harlan. ¡°You sure you ain¡¯t done this before?¡± ¡°I am good at taking in the details of what I¡¯ve seen, from there it is just a matter of reflexes to put what I¡¯ve seen into action, and then once I¡¯ve gotten the copying learned, the new moves come easily.¡± She tossed her guns to him, and he effortlessly added them to his act. ¡°Well that hardly seems fair.¡± ¡°Life is unfair, but I know a man who is barely a mage and I¡¯m sure he could do this just as well as I could. I¡¯m simply built differently on a fundamental level from humans, but the same could be said of any mage.¡± ¡°Alright, but can you hit anything with a gun?¡± Harlan had seen the others ¡®fan the hammer¡¯ as they called it, and Ned was a crack shot while doing so. He fired all 24 shots while juggling and drew a plus on the target before he handed the weapons back. Colten grumbled slightly, and Anne teased him about it. The gunsmith duo, the father and on who did the actual design and fine manufacture compared to the other members of the family who were doing more grunt work, came out along with a few others and set up the cannon based on the Black Sentinel arm cannon along with a drum fed machine gun and the heavy sniper. ¡°Colton, you can do the first test.¡± He stepped up and started with the drum fed machine gun which was based on what Harlan had seen when he rode on the Castian battle tank. ¡°Brace properly, there will be more recoil than you expect.¡± Colton held down the trigger and the barrel flew upward until Harlan grabbed it. ¡°We should consider adding a grip on the stock for more support.¡± They looked down the range, finding that despite the failure to control it, at least the first few shots had hit. Harlan took the gun from Colton¡¯s hand and explained the magazine release and loading the circle drums with rounds. They didn¡¯t really understand how the rapid fire on the tanks worked, and it wasn¡¯t like Harlan could¡¯ve torn the gun open and looked inside. So what they had was a sort of revolver mechanism that relied on soulsmithing to make sure the rounds would flow into the loading mechanism without jamming. On the second shooting, Colton blew apart the head of the flat stone target Harlan set up. Next was the sniper based on the one that almost killed him back in Borden. Colton missed the first shot, and so Harlan gave it a try, finding the sights were just slightly off, nearly causing the elder gunsmith to shoot Harlan on the spot, knowing it wouldn¡¯t really hurt him anyway. But a harsh stare that promised it was a very bad idea caused him to stand down. With the second shot Colton fired, the chest of a thicker stone target much farther away was blown apart with cheers from everyone. ¡°Now that is a weapon. I bet you could kill Eolgi with this thing.¡± ¡°Very likely you¡¯d just piss them off, but I saw the one I injured get eaten by the others, so perhaps hurting it would be enough.¡± Harlan picked up the last weapon, a shoulder cannon based on the arm cannon which his Black Sentinels had. ¡°This on the other hand, will surely kill an Eolgi.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not gonna break nothing shooting this, am I?¡± ¡°I soulsmithed it, without the spells which are activated when you pull that trigger it would fly back, shatter your shoulder, and then probably kill whoever is behind you.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re sure it won¡¯t don¡¯t that now.¡± ¡°I am very confident in my ability to create something which doesn¡¯t kill its user.¡± Harlan had learned quite a bit from his near death while testing his train. The cannon had a long thick barrel with two grips on it, one holding the trigger, and the other just to give a little more support. Harlan loaded in the shell and slammed the bolt shut, warning them that he couldn¡¯t soulsmith in a spell to make it anything but quieter, but he didn¡¯t go into the details about decibels and nonlinear increases in mana cost as things got louder. Harlan had set up a group of 10 targets in a row, and when the shell struck all of them were reduced to clouds of dust as everyone clapped and cheered. It was all fun and games with everyone trying out the new weapons until a gate opened up and D¡¯if was on the other end with two Cast prisoners. ¡°Take them down to where the broken targets are and bind them.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Harlan had seen Colten do hardly anything in the week he had been here, so far as he could tell the story of how he became ruler was right, he had been thrust into the position because everyone above him had died in an accident. He had no real idea of what should be done, and simply kept the status quo as best he could. Things suddenly became tense as D¡¯if walked the chained men down the range. ¡°You¡¯ve never fought a Cast, have you?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do this, have these men gone through a trial? What crimes have they committed?¡± Harlan ignored Colten, continuing on with his speech. ¡°They are defensive fighters mostly, not as strong as a Goliath, not nearly, but they are hard to crack for normal people.¡± Harlan unloaded all six shots into the head of the Cast, those that struck his eyes penetrated, but the others simply deformed the metallic face. A veil had been set up to avoid the screams bothering anyone else. ¡°If you tried to fight them now, they would simply rush in here, walk through your attacks.¡± Harlan picked up another one of the machine guns and unloaded the entire magazine, doing little real damage. ¡°They¡¯d kill the men first, human slaves are just worse than any other race, too weak, but not as small and good for spies or assassins as a Bijou.¡± Harlan braced the gun on his elbow for support as he fired the sniper. ¡°The woman would be taken though, playthings to be used until they break.¡± The round severed the arm of the Cast, and he silently screamed out as he bled metallic red, but his body was still stuck in the rock, he couldn¡¯t thrash around. ¡°If you are lucky, they¡¯d just kill Anne and Phoebe.¡± Another round was loaded with telekinesis and went through the man¡¯s head, bursting it like a tomato. ¡°Have you ever trimmed a tree?¡± Colten was shaken up by Harlan¡¯s actions, his tone had not shifted at any point so far. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. He understood killing, but Harlan seemed too disconnected, like these men were just targets of stone like he had shot before. ¡°You trim the branches so that the energy that would¡¯ve been wasted on them can instead go towards the main branches that you want. Not only does it make the tree healthier, but it also makes them grow larger fruits.¡± Harlan picked up the shoulder cannon. ¡°The other goal is to remove dead branches, or worse yet, diseased branches, because they risk killing the good branches.¡± He fired and struck the more distant Cast in the chest, blowing a hole through him and the stone which held him. ¡°Killing Cast isn¡¯t a matter of good or bad, it is simply removing a diseased branch that will lead to more harm the longer they are left there.¡± Harlan placed the cannon back in the hands of one of the gunsmiths. ¡°These are good weapons. I¡¯ll have my people start making more of them, and you¡¯ll be paid well for that and any other designs you can make that are improvements on these. But try not to make too many weapons in the same role, I¡¯d like things to be somewhat standardized. One rapid weapon, one rifle, one heavy, and a sidearm would be great.¡± Harlan got on the back of the horse golem he made and waited for Anne and Colten to get on theirs. At exactly halfway between the gunsmiths little compound and Kingdom, Harlan turned his horned steed to the side and stopped. ¡°What is your purpose?¡± ¡°I was asked to get this nation, all three of the nations, to a position in which they can stand against the empire. I was asked the night of the dinner, and I was asked again a bit more strongly the day before we left. That stronger asked said that I should do anything that needed to be done.¡± Colton moved his hand towards his gun, but Harlan just shook his head. ¡°You know that won¡¯t hurt me, and I don¡¯t want to hurt you. If you died, would the UT crumble?¡± Colton kept his hand on his gun. ¡°They¡¯d put someone new in charge, eventually, but not much would change. Most of the nation is ranches, outposts, people who do what they do and they don¡¯t cause much trouble for others and we come together to solve the bigger issues.¡± ¡°Do they actually like living in this shithole desert?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the best place to live, but it¡¯s where we¡¯ve been.¡± ¡°And what if you could be somewhere else? Your nation is 200,000 people, give or take 10,000, but you are spread across over 160,000 miles, that is nothing. Kingdom has a population less than Kor, the capital of Ragne has half of your entire nation¡¯s population in a single city.¡± ¡°Cut the bullshit, just say it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m inviting you to dissolve the UT, giving control of the lands to me so I can build a series of military and mining outposts and you¡¯re people can live in my lands.¡± ¡°That is a lot of change, a lot of people need to move, a lot of ships and wagons and-¡± ¡°I have gate. We are less than 1,000 miles away, that means I can move one town or a farm at a time directly into my lands.¡± ¡°What if I refuse?¡± ¡°Then you remain federal lord, I do my best to turn this place into somewhere that can stand against the Cast, slow them down. But I have two more questions before you start thinking about saying yes or no. Are you a ruler first, or a father?¡± ¡°A father.¡± ¡°Then bring your children to greener pastures, let them live in a place that is more comfortable, let yourself be a mayor or just a farmer, whatever job you want. And the other question, what is power?¡± ¡°I believe you said to me just the other day that power exists to protect the weak.¡± ¡°Power is the ability to force your will onto other people, and you are weak, both as a man and as a leader. I want to force people to be better, to live longer, happier lives, to treat one another with some manner of respect as the baseline for interaction. And that will be built on a mountain of corpses from which rivers of blood will flow. I will take those sins myself as I should, but you will just be a man of my nation.¡± The pair could see Harlan was speaking a heartfelt message, he didn¡¯t want to say what he said, or do all that he intended to do, but he intended to do so anyway. ¡°I-¡± ¡°Give it a day, don¡¯t tell me now, even if you are absolutely sure that this is what you want to do, let it sit in your mind, talk about it with Anne.¡± Without another word he turned and continued to ride back to Kingdom. When they got back Harlan went to see the children. ¡°Ned, how has your training been going?¡± ¡°Sensing just don¡¯t feel nice. How¡¯d you get over the nausea?¡± ¡°I was born able to sense, so I never felt anything wrong. Really I get nausea when I¡¯m around too low a level of mana or my senses are dulled by magical constraints on mana flow.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just bull-¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell mama.¡± ¡°Snitch.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll-¡± ¡°Phoebe, leave Ned be. How has your training been going?¡± ¡°Well, I was trying, but-¡± The teaching golem stepped closer and gave a look to the girl. ¡°I wasn¡¯t here until late, and then I refused to work.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I hate sensing, it¡¯s just downright awful and it makes me sick.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t force you to learn, you must choose to do it, but.¡± He formed a black and white butterfly that glowed as it flew over to her finger. ¡°Magic isn¡¯t fun, not all the time, it is work as well, but like when you help your mother in the kitchen, that work ends up as something wonderful. Magic just takes a long time to learn and you can¡¯t eat it. At least not all the time.¡± ¡°Mosley can already do magic though.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t understand Mosley, but not everyone learns as fast as everyone else.¡± In the week that he had been there, Harlan had not heard Mosley say a single word to anyone, but he seemed to get across whatever he wanted anyway. At the moment he was burning designs into a piece of wood, he had an eye for fine details, and he could fight better than anyone Harlan had seen him get in a scrap with as the Marshall. ¡°I¡¯m very impressed that you went through sensing so quickly, I know it gets easier to learn magic the older one is, but you are very fast regardless.¡± Mosley nodded, but didn¡¯t look up from the 2x2 board that he was burning a landscape of forests into. Harlan sat there and watched them go through their lessons while he moved over to another body who was running some tests. No Eolgi could be found around the towns, cities, ranches, or closed down mines. Harlan had spent a few days looking for why, and he had an idea. Each of them had reservoirs of water underneath them, underground rivers and streams that came in from the sea and were filtered into drinking water. Eolgi were also never anywhere near the sea, which Harlan took as further proof of his idea. As for why he needed to move to this body instead of running the tests by sending the other to the lesser mind and having it carry them out was that he needed gate, and only with his largest mind could he summon the feelings required to cast the spell. For where the gate was being cast, it was to be from the inside of the nest he had been observing to the ocean. They fled from the water, but once it stopped flowing the creatures had returned. They dipped their appendages into the water and he saw the small puddles shrink, the creature then recoiled, realizing it was salt water and not fresh. He had seen a species of spiny lizard that would absorb liquids through its feet, and understood what the Eolgi were, or at least he thought that he did. He moved with hover over to the creature and the moment he touched the ground it knew where he was even with sound canceling spells, which were more accurately sound dampening spells. Harlan punched it in the face, using imbibing to help bridge the gap in power between his original body and this one, snapping its neck back and paralyzing it, but not killing it; his hand exploded as a result of the power that was required to actually bridge that gap. When it hit the ground the others just knew, and they planned to devour their weaker kin, but before they reached it, Harlan cut out the ground and the water flowed to fill in the space. When it flowed, they all clutched their heads, despising the sound it made. With Harlan feeling extremely confident that he was right, he took the paralyzed Eolgi and left through a gate. Harlan cut the creature open and understood no more than with the others he had done the same with the other subjects. Every single one of them was cancerous, their bodies covered with tumors on their skin, which is what gave them the stony appearance they were known for. But what was odd was that the tumors were actually stone, and the older ones were actually metal. The creature was deeply earth aligned, and it manifested the element naturally even before it evolved into something actually magical. Harlan got a message from the lesser mind he left behind, there was trouble and it wanted him to take over. The moment he returned to his main body he understood everything that the lesser mind had seen, heard, and done. They were rushing outside because Mosley was called away for marshall business and had invited Harlan along. ¡°We got a group of bandits up on a farm, owner''s son got out, told us they got his ma and sister, but pa is out in town.¡± ¡°Point me in the direction, and I¡¯ll-¡± ¡°Sir Fomoria, Colton said he didn¡¯t want you to be out killin¡¯ people, and Mosley is the sheriff marshall.¡± Mosley gave a thumbs up. ¡°I think that means I can do it.¡± Mosley nodded and the deputy pointed in the direction of the farm, Harlan kicking up a cloud of dust as he flew at high speeds to the area. He saw the bandits, and they had the women, dragging them towards the house from the barn where they had been hiding. He landed a few dozen feet away and the men shot him. ¡°I was asked to avoid killing, so I¡¯ll-¡± ¡°YOU STEP FORWARD AND I¡¯LL BLOW HER HEAD OFF.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t think you understand, I¡¯m not negotiating, you¡¯ll give yourself up or I¡¯ll kill you.¡± The man moved his gun towards the woman and Harlan skipped. Holding the man¡¯s head in his hands when he stopped. ¡°If you move your weapon towards the girl, you know what I¡¯m going to do.¡± Harlan slowly walked to the other man who was shaking with fear and went to grab the revolver from his hands when two shots rang out, followed by many more. Rifles, shotguns, pistols. Those who weren¡¯t a foot away from the man who tore their bosses head off so quickly that nobody saw it happen were braver than the man who was, yet still in a panic he fired his revolver. Harlan dodged the closest shot and then skipped around, taking the mother and daughter somewhere safe. Then he returned to the fight, starting by tossing the head at a man who had taken up a position in the barn, and who had fired the first shot. When the two heads clashed they were both broken. By the time Mosley and his men arrived, bodies were hanging around the area, and Harlan seemed contrite. ¡°I swear, I gave them the chance to surrender, I tried to arrest them.¡± Half of a man fell from the windmill, splashing blood onto the marshals. Mosley just turned around and started trotting back to Kingdom, leaving the deputies under him to clean up the mess. Chapter 239: Showing In the morning, Colton knocked on Harlan¡¯s door. ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°About what you asked.¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t been 24 hours.¡± ¡°I thought I¡¯d find out some things that make it easier to say one or the other.¡± Harlan put down the journal he was writing in. ¡°Alright, what do you need to know?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never really seen the empire, it¡¯s just something that I know exists and I have been warned about. Before I became lord I was the marshall commander, it¡¯s how I met my wife, and it¡¯s why I get the respect I need for things to run smoothly. I¡¯ve done a lot to help people, even if you don¡¯t seem to think I do anything. But you are right that I don¡¯t know the Cast, or how big the world is, or how brutal it really is, I¡¯ve only ever been here in the territories and over to Redhaven. I want you to show me whatever you think is going to convince me that you are the one with the strength to beat them and that I¡¯m justified in letting you do whatever it takes to beat them.¡± ¡°Alright, do you need to do anything before we leave?¡± ¡°No no no, I think I¡¯ll be fine to get in some walking and fighting.¡± ¡°I might get into a fight, but you won¡¯t. I can¡¯t have you dying before you sign over your lands.¡± Colton wryly chuckled, Harlan¡¯s tone was joking, but he believed him to be hiding the seriousness of his words. Harlan gated him near to a Cast town on the same stripe as him, just a few hundred miles north. He gave Colton his jacket, it was much colder here than back in the desert and the duster wasn¡¯t enough.. ¡°We are going to head into the slave market, and I¡¯m going to ask the slavemaster some questions. I believe that is all you will need to see.¡± ¡°What kind of-¡± ¡°Put up the hood, humans are a rarer species, and there is no telling if someone won¡¯t try to take you for sale.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t have a hood.¡± He put his hands behind his back and checked for any folds of cloth, but Harlan just touched the shifting suit and it changed in design along with a heating feature being turned on. ¡°Now, onwards. I¡¯ll do the talking, so don¡¯t say a word when we get there.¡± Colton nodded and walked behind Harlan, getting in line to enter the city. Once they were inside it seemed nice, people laughed and walked in the clean streets while vendors yelled over one another claiming to have the best prices for meat and vegetables. ¡°This is an impressive city.¡± ¡°Have you ever seen a potato that seems fine from the outside, but inside is nothing but a void of rot?¡± ¡°You have a peculiar way with metaphors.¡± ¡°It grants me a certain flair that helps others to remember me and my words, and it hides my emotions. But as I said, the city is rotten, you just can¡¯t see it yet, in another few minutes we¡¯ll reach the slave markets, and you¡¯ll understand me.¡± Oddly enough things became even cleaner as they reached the markets. ¡°Halt. Coin check.¡± Harlan opened his pouch and the guard let him through. Once they were out of earshot Colton spoke. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t want window shoppers, if one wants to enter the markets they need to show that they have money and therefore intent to buy another person¡¯s life.¡± Harlan¡¯s gaze turned harder the longer he was inside of the city, but now his illusions had failed and his eyes became the globes of fire and void that they were instead of the blue ones which he pretended to have, yet even these eyes barely gave others pause considering the odd people who existed. The sound of flesh striking flesh could be heard not far from them and Harlan stopped in place. Colton could barely see anything, all of the other races were taller than humans, and he wasn¡¯t even particularly large at 5¡¯8. But he could see that Harlan was shaking in anger, trying to hold back from going to the source of the sound. ¡°We should go.¡± Harlan knew he was going to turn things bloody if he didn¡¯t keep moving, and there would be time for that later. They made their way to the slavemaster¡¯s office, where one could get information on who they currently had for sale and when the auctions would be starting. Harlan put on the facade of a debonair man as he got to the frontdesk that was manned by a Faun woman. ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯d like to know about pricing were I to bring in a few slaves, human females.¡± ¡°Of course. Ages?¡± ¡°9 and 50.¡± ¡°Wonderful. And is this theoretical or a serious question seeking?¡± ¡°Serious, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s worth the effort to bring them here or just keep them.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a seat over there and once the slavemaster has free time he can give a better quote on them.¡± ¡°Of course, it does help to have a nice view when I wait.¡± The woman blushed and went to check when Harlan could go back. Colton whispered in Harlan¡¯s ear. ¡°I hope this isn¡¯t a way to get rid of me.¡± ¡°If I wanted you dead I¡¯d just kill you, and I wouldn¡¯t involve Phoebe or Anne. But you saw it, the way she didn¡¯t even blink about the idea of buying a young girl. She¡¯s excited about the idea of getting a new product. That¡¯s all she sees your wife and daughter as.¡± Harlan could feel the conflict in Colton¡¯s mind, Harlan knew the man was more of a feeler than a thinker, and needed it to be seen before he could believe it. It actually bothered him, like he was taking away some form of innocence from the old man. When they got into the slavemaster¡¯s office they spoke for 10 minutes with Harlan joking and asking questions. Then he turned to Colton. ¡°Why do you think I can do this, put up with this man and his evil?¡± ¡°I really can¡¯t get a good read on you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because now that I¡¯ve shown you what these people are like, I¡¯m going to kill him, and that thought has kept me able to hide my intentions.¡± The Cast had been locked in place with telekinesis and a veil had been set up to prevent him from calling for a guard. ¡°Colton, now I think it¡¯s time for you to return home.¡± ¡°And you?¡± Harlan dropped his false kindness. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill some people, quite a lot of them really, and I couldn¡¯t guarantee your safety during my attack.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll accept that risk, if I intend to uproot my nation, and have me and mine move to another, then I¡¯ll need to know what a war looks like to a man who claims we¡¯d just be rolled over by these monsters.¡± ¡°Very well, but step back and stay near your guardian.¡± Harlan cast his void mist sigil and forced it down the man¡¯s throat. The metal man darkened and spikes of black grew over parts of his body like crystals as he started to thrash around when he overcame Harlan¡¯s ability to keep him still with just telekinesis. Then Harlan put his hand on the man¡¯s head. All he heard was ¡®submit¡¯ repeated dozens of times and his mind fractured as Harlan placed a mental vice grip on him. When the Cast stood again his eyes were vacant and black as they linked to Harlan¡¯s single black eye which was on his forehead and used for processing the sight of the mindbroken monster. ¡®Protect¡¯ Harlan said to him, and he got closer to Colton. ¡°What is this thing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, I¡¯m torn between Voidling and Thrall. But we don¡¯t have time to waste, he¡¯s going to meltdown in an hour or so by my estimations.¡± Harlan turned into a form like that of a lion with long coarse hair and thick skin like a badger, and of course he kept his horns on him, he had gotten attached to them as a sign of sovereignty. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. When he stepped outside of the room there was a small confusion before panic set in, suddenly a large beast came out of the room where their boss was with a client. Harlan calmly walked past the desk workers and pencil pushers, they might have been complicit in what was happening, but none of them were Cast, and he felt like he could be more merciful towards them. Yet when the guards in the room pointed their spears at Harlan he skipped over and swatted them with his paws, and being on the second floor of the building, they went through the floor. Harlan then crawled down these holes before turning off his hover, getting on his hind legs, and then slamming down, sending chunks of stone and splinters of wood along with gore across the room and inciting real panic as he then moved to the other Cast who had been knocked down and not yet recovered. Once he got outside a great deal of magic was pointed at Harlan, but his tail was not just a tail, it was a bundle of arms which moved in a flurry to cast counter magic along with the mouths under his fur. Colton was carried by his protector down to the ground floor where he saw the destruction that led right to Harlan, buildings had collapsed, halves of men were sent through different walls, spheres of void cut lines through the town and left only pieces of his enemies laying on the ground. All of this happened in the 30 seconds between Harlan going downstairs, and Colton reaching the front door. When he got closer to Harlan, he saw where he had been going. The man who before had openly struck his slave to no reaction from those around him lay there on the ground, magical spells burst around them as Harlan sent bolts of elemental spells that prematurely activated and weakened the spells around him. Harlan pressed down on the Minos¡¯s chest and he died quickly, he then pulled the slave closer to him with his paw that after absorption was now nearly as large as the woman and opened a gate for her, softly asking her to go through. Colton couldn¡¯t hear any of this over the blasts of magic that were all around Harlan, he just saw Harlan kill a man and then push a woman through a gate. With no one left in the immediate area to worry about protecting, Harlan continued to fight, skipping over to one Cast mage and pressing his paw on his chest while he used his teeth to tear him in half, eating the organic metal and giving an iron sheen to his fur. With more defenses in place, now he stopped countering all spells, the process was quite a burden on his own mana, and now he only needed to worry about the larger spells he saw coming his way. The small balls of fire did not burn him, nor did the ice bite his flesh with frosty aching, nor did the winds cut his fur as he ran forward, his thousands of pounds of flesh and metal turning him into a rolling stone which crashed through buildings and trampled soldiers while avoiding citizens as best he could, giving them time to flee. When the Cast realized Harlan was only attacking soldiers and guards, they began using citizens as shields, but with the use of his sigil, Harlan cleanly cut holes through them without any harm befalling their hostages. As they began to realize that this was much too far beyond what they could possibly handle, they began to flee the city to call for reinforcements. Yet when they returned, the beast was gone, along with slaves and warehouses full of items. In time, this would be known as a series of attacks with no clear source, a monster of unknown origin appearing from seemingly nowhere and casting magic that cut down trained soldiers like fodder while devouring bodies to become larger and harder to harm. Colton returned to his country along with a few hundred slaves and Harlan, who spoke with a deep voice befitting his form. ¡°This is what I do, how I work, and why I do it.¡± Harlan cast a spell and the extra flesh that he would not be keeping walked off of his body and through a gate to his flesh pits before he turned back to humanoid form; he didn¡¯t even know what to call himself anymore. ¡°Free people, I am King Harlan Fomoria, I offer all of you a place to live, one where you will never again be slaves. If any of you have no desire to live under me, I can offer only food and coin which you may use to wander a time and find your own path.¡± Harlan opened a gate back to Kor, explaining to those that wished to come that they would be processed, asked for a name and any work experience, and then be given an apartment to live in and two weeks worth of coin and food before they would be asked to work, as a sort of adjustment period. With most of them having decided to stay in Kor, Harlan stood there, looking at the desert with his back to Colton, who felt that he knew some of what Harlan, the young man, was. ¡°I understand, that¡¯s why you do it. I¡¯m just glad that everything worked out this time.¡± Harlan¡¯s gaze was hard, as he spoke his voice became deeper and patches of scales could be seen, beginning to replace his skin. ¡°Nothing worked out, In an ideal world, I would be strong enough, fast enough, that I could solve these issues as they came, I¡¯d arrive from the sky with an army of my own design at my back, and we could save them by the thousands, for as long as it takes, and then never again would I be required.¡± Wings appeared on his back, and when he turned around to face Colton it was clear by his face that he was in one of his somewhat manic states; he was ready to do just about anything, because he could justify it far too easily by thinking of what he saw and heard. As Harlan saw himself in the reflection of Colton¡¯s eyes, the state was broken, and his tone returned to its pale shade instead of the black armor that covered him as a second skin. ¡°I have somewhere else I need to be.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to be running off just because you got all scaly.¡± ¡°No, I am leaving because I¡¯ve got a prison break that I need to take part in so I can back a coup, our little outing today pushed back that work by hours. I¡¯ll expect your answer when I return, and not a moment sooner.¡± Harlan stepped through a gate, leaving Colton in his office just outside of Kingdom. He got in and went to see his wife. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back. Mosley was looking for you.¡± ¡°Should I just give it up?¡± She looked up from her crochet and saw how her husband looked, his posturing was crooked, and his occupied mind was written plainly upon him, his age seemed to weigh on him for the first time in some time. ¡°What did he do?¡± ¡°He showed me what he can do. I saw him tear Cast apart like they were nothing, fire and acid splashed harmlessly against his iron fur and his let out breaths of fire and shadows that left¡­ nothing. But that ain¡¯t all, no, that ain¡¯t what got me all conflicted, he shielded slaves with his body against attacks that would knock our homes to the ground, seen chunks of flesh gouged out of him protecting them people.¡± He sat in a chair across from her as she took note of him mixing up his speech and accent, falling between the ruler and the simple man who rose to his place. ¡°If he wanted us dead, he¡¯d not be able to do a single thing about it, he¡¯d claw through our lands leavin¡¯ ¡®em empty. But he¡¯d never, not a single part of me think he¡¯d do it, kid¡¯s just lashing out at wrong as best he can. Could I be a good man if I didn¡¯t let him keep on tryin¡¯?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just an old outlaw, so don¡¯t let me change your mind, but that boy isn¡¯t right, not at all, he¡¯s gonna burn out trying to fix the world; we should move somewhere nicer while we can, hard to imagine another time a man¡¯ll move thousands of people for the dirt we¡¯ve got here.¡± ¡°He was sayin¡¯ he had to do a prison break. Wanted an answer when he got back. Guess we¡¯ll tell the children at dinner. Oh, ¡®fore I forget, what¡¯d Mosley want?¡± ¡°Hard to say with a man who won¡¯t say anything, but I imagine he was going to tell you what I did.¡±
Darrath quietly crawled down the wall of the mansion, Arrow coming down unsteadily behind him as the pet was not accustomed to its own body, and he had little in the way of any instincts to draw on. A few feet from the ground his back legs unstuck and he went head over heels into a bush while Darrath shushed him. As for why he would sneak out of his own home when he could come and go as he pleased so long as he didn¡¯t need to go to a class of some sort, the other children had mocked him as being weak because he needed a bodyguard around whenever he left the house, and he didn¡¯t like that. So now he had to make his way across the yard, deftly sneaking past the golems who saw him but didn¡¯t report anything because he was allowed to leave, yet it boosted Darrath¡¯s confidence that he got through without being stopped. Once he crawled over the wall he made his way over to the Dague quarter to meet up with the children. Jean was 15, and he was the older sibling of one of the other boys who would come to watch them and keep them organized sometimes when there were just a handful of them either early in the morning before most of them left their homes or later in the evening when most of the others had already left. But today he had a girl with him, and he intended to impress her with his combat prowess. ¡°Today we are going to go outside the walls and I¡¯ll be fighting goblins, so all of you stay here and don¡¯t tell mom that I was gone.¡± ¡°Can I come?¡± ¡°Darrath? No, you can¡¯t come, you¡¯re too little.¡± ¡°But I have Arrow, he¡¯s strong.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t bring your cat either.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not a cat, he¡¯s a tiger.¡± ¡°How about you stay here and watch the others while I¡¯m gone?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± As soon as Jean and his would-be girlfriend moved out of sight, Darrath and Arrow followed quietly behind, though Arrows paw pads kept him far more quiet then Darrath¡¯s clattering when his hands contacted hard surfaces a bit too harshly; the boy was spending his time talking himself up, and failed to notice either of them. They made their way to a drainage grate and opened it up, it was one that was known and left purposely unlocked so the guards could catch those who tried to sneak in, but they cared little about who snuck out, failing to notice the small boy and his pet slipping past them as they played cards. Once they were out in the plain between the city and the forest, Darrath and Arrow both hid in the tall grass to avoid the guards on the walls spotting them. Unbeknownst to both of them, their desire to hide led to the activation of an ability that was inborn in his soul, and since Darrath¡¯s soul was used in the creation of Arrow, it was in his as well. Even if they were seen, a force compelled others to not mention that they had seen them, their eyes simply passed over the area where the boy and his animal moved, no threat came off of them that would cause them to take a second look. The couple reached the forest and the boy started tracking the goblins, just a handful of them were there, and the boy knew about them from his father, who worked as a guard and said they¡¯d leave them be unless they got any closer. When they reached the small group the boy drew the sword his father gave him and told the girl to stay behind a tree and watch. He crept forward and cut down one of the goblins, or rather he tried. The mundane blade caught on bone and fat due to the boy taking improper care and dulling it; the creature screamed and yelled with fury enough to draw the ire of her kin. As the boy tried to get the blade unstuck he was panicking and the goblins drew nearer with sharp rocks and sticks in their hands. Dague as he was, they could not stab him in the chest from their low angle, so instead they went after his legs, felling him like an oak. Yet as he saw the sharp wood coming towards his face, it suddenly broke angle and missed. A loud beating sound like a swarm of locust met his ears and he feared something worse had arrived. Arrow leapt at the throat of the small deep green humanoid and met its target true, that was an instinct which he did have, and it felt right. The goblin thrashed around with the housecat sized tiger cub on its neck and collapsed shortly after. Yet by the time it had killed the one, Darrath had pulled his stinger like thrusting sword and easily outmaneuvered the beasts, striking them at the brainstem and leaving them to fall like sacks of potatoes. Harlan taught him as best he could, and while he may have been just a child mentally, he was physically a grown Pixie, and his balance and might matched that, making him far above simple goblins. Even the Dague would¡¯ve done better had he just dropped the sword, his longer reach and far superior strength to them, but he lacked the mindset that would let him beat three goblins to death with his bare hands, The one on the ground still screamed, though Darrath silenced it shortly. Suddenly he changed from the fighter Harlan was making, back to the young boy. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Jean laid there on the ground, screaming as he tried to pull the stick from his leg. ¡°No no no, leave it in, you¡¯ll die if you pull it out.¡± Yet he didn¡¯t listen and kept pulling at the length of sharpened wood. Darrath knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to heal him if he got the stick out, but he wasn¡¯t listening. So he thought of what Harlan would do, and slapped the boy across the face. Though Darrath didn¡¯t know his own strength, and broke the boy¡¯s jaw, which caused him to stop resisting. Darrath considered it a success and started dragging the boy back to the city. Once he got near the trees the girl stepped out, unphased by the blood and death. ¡°That was an interesting fight.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome. You are the king¡¯s son, yes?¡± Darrath nodded. She grabbed Jean by the legs, lifting them up so that they were above his heart and he would be less likely to bleed out on the walk back. Chapter 240: The Tower of Prisoners It stood as a tower built inside of a hole so deep that the bottom received direct light for only an hour each day. The Harlan¡¯s floated hundreds of feet above the clouds, using spells to see through the fluffy white and down to near the bottom. They got one another up to speed on what exactly the plan was, and then they split up. One of the Harlan¡¯s found it slightly disconcerting how independent his other selves had become. There was a time when he knew what each of them doing, back when there were only half a dozen, but the streams of information became overwhelming as they weren¡¯t working on a single project or even in the same general area, some of them were spread across the entire stripe of land. What he didn¡¯t want was for there to be other hims that would eventually make choices that were too far away from the base Harlan, like Xol with Kleon and Dun¡¯Kel. He pushed these thoughts away and the other Harlan¡¯s decided to work out amongst themselves a way to keep the original up to date on what they are doing by restricting their reports to certain times of the day. The Harlan who planned the heist, or jailbreak, or whatever this really was, came down at shift change and silently killed a guard, wearing his body like a suit and leaving not a drop of blood behind. There were a few of them which he had been watching with the hope that he could maintain their appearance and mannerisms long enough to reach the brain of the operation. With three Harlan¡¯s in one room and the heads of the guards laying at their feet, they looked over the prisoner list; It was almost terrifying how well organized everything was.. Favorite foods and colors and books and any marks on their body and the when and how of them. It was a long list, but eventually they found the prisoners that they had been looking for, and a few that he hadn¡¯t been looking for, but that had piqued his interest. A mind approached the room, but Harlan, the one who planned this, had it covered. Illusions and air scrubber spells made it seem as if the two dead guards were simply sitting still from their watch boxes. ¡°Code.¡± ¡°Red orchid.¡± ¡°That was yesterday''s code.¡± ¡°I just got on shift, please don¡¯t tell them that I overslept and missed the new code.¡± The Goliath rubbed his chin. ¡°Don¡¯t let it happen again, and you did help me before.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Oh, and it''s black rose today.¡± Harlan waved away the guard. ¡°I don¡¯t like overlooking details. You had everything timed out but you missed that?¡± ¡°No, I knew, we knew that he would accept the excuse.¡± ¡°To what end?¡± ¡°I thought it would be interesting to be entirely sure about our ability to read people. We might think we understand others, but it is good to make sure we actually can.¡± Harlan wasn¡¯t particularly happy about it, but he understood the need to test one¡¯s understanding. Two of the three Harlan¡¯s stayed in the control room to keep up the facade while the main body went to the different cells by shifting himself into a simple bird like those that constantly flittered through the levels delivering letters, it was uncomfortable to hold a form smaller than what he should, but pushing his limits wasn¡¯t dangerous in the short term. When he reached the cell, he opened their mundane locks with telekinesis in moments, something which the planner had practiced quite a bit on an empty cell that wasn¡¯t regularly guarded. Harlan wanted to find out why the one man had a blank page, but his curiosity wasn¡¯t more important than the mission, and he went to the man who would have the power to lead the coup. He sat in his cell that was unlike the others, with a stone table and a tea set on it. The ground was made from loose colorful stones which had been arranged into a black and white checkered pattern. ¡°A visitor?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve come to see you, Dantevius.¡± ¡°Please, sit then, allow me to pour you a cup.¡± The man¡¯s actions were dainty and light, but Harlan saw his grace not as a man who lived a graceful life, but rather as one who had trained to never waste a single movement. The man met Harlan¡¯s gaze. ¡°A warrior then?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Harlan sipped the tea, finding it to be bland and unappealing, having been brewed out of moss from the wall and without sugar. ¡°Do watch that you don¡¯t burn yourself.¡± ¡°No worries, I¡¯m not delicate.¡± The man closed his eyes and nodded. Harlan took note of the odd robes he wore that covered him only to half past his knees and a single side of his body, leaving his right arm free and allowing kicks to not rip anything; they had no buttons, but rather a complex manner of folding which held it to his body and betrayed how much fabric was really there. He opened his eyes. ¡°I decline your offer.¡± ¡°But I haven¡¯t said it yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve left behind my killing days.¡± Harlan lowered his head in thought, quickly discarding the idea that he could kill this man to hide his being there. ¡°Would you mind if we continued speaking anyway?¡± ¡°Not at all, a friendly face is always welcome in my home.¡± Harlan got a sudden flash, remembering Tau. ¡°So I spark something in you?¡± ¡°Uncanny, your ability to read others that is.¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°A peaceful man must understand others, how else could I discover how best to make peace for others.¡± ¡°You are unlike any other Goliath I¡¯ve met, the new path seem rather likely to avoid conflict that they don¡¯t think is needed, but you have a certain air of serenity around you.¡± ¡°Old and new path, such terrible things, a way for brother to strike brother and refuse understanding, a dogma only invites zeal, zeal may undo the greatest of men, or turn the most lowly into a king. But you know that well enough already. What is a not Dague doing here?¡± ¡°Hoping to find a person who might help me right the world a little bit more.¡± ¡°There is no righting of places or people through crimson tides. You would ask me to bend others to my will.¡± ¡°The Cast refuse peace, I am simply doing what needs done.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve let them drag you down to their level, and now they will beat you with experience. Match not hate with hate, temper it with understanding.¡± ¡°Do you have a hundred more ways of saying nothing?¡± Harlan¡¯s tone was harsh and venomous, but the man kept his gentle smile and reached his hand towards Harlan. When they touched, Harlan¡¯s palm was no bigger than his fingertip which he used to read Harlan. ¡°Worry lines, you¡¯ve been under a great deal of stress. Loss, you¡¯ve grieved someone very close, though¡­ not by blood?¡± Harlan shifted his hand, changing each line until the lines made a star as a joke. ¡°Love line, bursting at the seams, but it has no target. Strange, I would expect to reach lust from such a thing, but the outcome is odd, as if that energy just fades into the aether.¡± ¡°Enough superstition, I¡¯ve wasted my time here, keep patting yourself on the back over how peaceful you are while people are raped and butchered.¡± The man lowered his head and shook it. ¡°Would you hear a final reading?¡± ¡°I doubt you¡¯d stop if I said no anyway.¡± ¡°Rage line, a candle with both sides burning, your life will be cut short if you continue down your path.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, I¡¯ve got another.¡± Harlan left the room, making his way down to the next cell. He entered the cell of a Goliath woman, though to call it one seemed wrong, it was a lab. Harlan shifted his hands into claws, quickly killing the guard who had been in the room to watch the prisoner by entering through his eye and then scrambling his brain. ¡°What do you want? You¡¯re disturbing my research.¡± ¡°Your file was rather vague about what that research was, what is manifestation?¡± ¡°File isn¡¯t vague, you¡¯re just ignorant.¡± She was small for a Goliath, barely over 10 feet, and her proportions were slightly more human, mostly due to her hands not being giant maces, but rather smaller maces, still larger compared to the body than any human he¡¯d seen before. ¡°When we get strong enough, we change, we can¡¯t use magic, but we get something else, a power set in us during our creation that manifests by either age of training. Manifestation could be anything, you have the stink of the bloody coward on you, so you¡¯ve seen him read you, that is his manifestation, that empathy he gained ruined his mind.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not real empathy, he had no mental powers.¡± ¡°Which is the most curious part, is it not?¡± She stepped closer to Harlan and over the guard¡¯s dead body. ¡°I believe it is a Fae power, but granted to us, buried deep inside of our genetic code so that even Aarde can¡¯t remove it without wiping out the Goliath¡¯s as a whole, and they¡¯d never do that, because we¡¯ve broken no rules too extremely.¡± ¡°What do you know of Aarde?¡± ¡°You want me, I know you do, take me out and I¡¯ll explain everything.¡± ¡°I have one more prisoner to check on, what can you tell me about the one sealed at the lowest floor.¡± The woman didn¡¯t say anything, but she froze in her movements, stopping just a second too long while holding a glass beaker; he would get his answers from here eventually. Harlan made his way down to the deepest pit, the sublevel of the tower, where a massive cell had been constructed. The hall was filled with dread, Harlan¡¯s hair stood on end more and more he stepped forward, taking a great deal of power to just force one foot in front of the other, but eventually compulsion prevented him from going down it again. Yet then half way back, another compulsion started, calling him, demanding he set free what was inside. Then that compulsion went silent, and the one which demanded he leave returned in full force, causing Harlan to flee the tunnel. So he went back to the researcher, Murk, and picked her up, leaving through a gate along with his other selves, she was not a woman who cared about her nation, she was one who simply wished to learn about the world, and Harlan killing her for not coming was too great a risk to argue against the man asking her to go through the cut out air leading down to a place with no doors. He had one more stop before he went back to the UT, and the Harlan which ran the lab would be fine to onboard the woman. Joan and Darrath were in her office; Joan startled when she saw Harlan come in. ¡°Harlan, I swear, I was going to call you.¡± ¡°About what?¡± He knew exactly what had happened, unbeknownst to any of them, not every body Harlan was in was humanoid, a chameleon like creature remained out of sight and watched over Darrath at all times even when he had other guards. Joan fidgeted before handing Harlan a file, the report of Darrath¡¯s little outing. ¡°Thank you, all I want is honesty. And I don¡¯t think this is a failure on your part, my other selves contacted the golem commander units and they saw Darrath leave but saw nothing wrong with him doing that. Darrath, you did well, you stayed back and let the boy make his own choices, but when it was clear that his life was absolutely in danger you stepped in and took your enemies down without hesitation while Arrow helped.¡± He looked very happy at his father¡¯s praise. ¡°Are you going to be back soon? Are you staying now?¡± Harlan closed his eyes. ¡°I still have things I need to do.¡± ¡°Why did you close your eyes?¡± ¡°I want to stay here, but people need my help, and I can¡¯t turn away from them. I hope things are better some day, but I need to make choices as a ruler, not just for myself.¡± Darrath hugged Harlan, and Harlan hugged him back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I need to go now.¡± ¡°Ok. See you later. And you need to meet my new friend, she wants to meet you.¡± ¡°Oh, what¡¯s her name?¡± ¡°I forgot to ask.¡± Harlan laughed as he stepped through the gate. Back in Kingdom, he slumped down on his bed and shortly after Colton knocked on his door. ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°You wanted your answer. Get land ready, we¡¯ll make an announcement in the morning, and we¡¯ll go town to town and tell the people, give them time to get ready to leave or stay, imports won¡¯t be the same with fewer people left.¡± ¡°I will not fail. I cannot fail.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be saying things like that, thinking you can do it all just breaks men once they realize they can¡¯t.¡± Harlan looked no different on the outside, but his contemplative hum came out as a reptilian bellow.
Darrath went to see the girl who he had saved before, Jean was there in the Dague quarter watching the other children as well and failing to woo her after his last failing. ¡°Hello.¡± She leaned forward with her elbows on her knees and her hands on his chin as she sat on the stone bench. ¡°How have you been, my little prince.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, papa was here for a little bit and he said I was brave for saving Jean. Jean, are you legs alright?¡± ¡°My legs are fine.¡± The boy seemed bitter about what happened, but Darrath didn¡¯t have Harlan¡¯s empathy, nor was he good with tones, without physical contact he couldn¡¯t realize it. ¡°Hey, what is your name?¡± He ignored Jean, instead turning to the girl. ¡°I am Viviane, but my friends call me Vivi.¡± ¡°Hello Vivi.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you presumptuous?¡± ¡°I am.¡± He spoke with confidence, but failed to understand the meaning behind her words. ¡°Very well then. Did you have a question for me?¡± ¡°No, I just wanted to make sure you¡¯re ok.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be? I didn¡¯t fight.¡± ¡°Papa always looks sad when he¡¯s fighting, and grandma gets sad after she sees him fighting.¡± ¡°That is a conversation that I think you are too young to understand. May I visit your home?¡± ¡°Yeah, then we can play there.¡± Darrath rushed back to the mansion, expecting praise for making a friend who wants to come over. Chapter 241: The Cost of War Harlan had only a week before the Cast would be upon him again. His birds had told him what was coming, the same army as before, child soldiers and a tank. He tried the same trick again, using the gate and the snowstorm, but they carried a device that gave them a read on their location. He could only get a few of them through before they realized what was happening and gave a halt command. From then on, they spread out, their reality anchors causing the gate to fizzle out when they got near the edges. He had no more methods to make them turn back. So he did the only other thing which he could, make a speech, and hope to sway their minds. Yet as soon as he showed himself, no manner of talking or non-threatening way to present himself was enough, and they opened fire. ¡°PLEASE, STOP THIS, YOU DON¡¯T NEED TO FIGHT ME.¡± ¡°FOR THE EMPEROR!¡± They screamed with zeal one after another, uncaring for Harlan¡¯s attempts at peace. Seeing that nothing they hit him with could pierce his armor, they moved back and the tank fired its shell, tearing Harlan¡¯s arm off even though he attempted to dodge. Harlan fled, jumping up and out of the range of their personnel anchors before activating flight turning to a giant hawk, mixing natural and magical means to boost his speed. With the snow as his cover, he went back down, grabbing his arm in his talons. Losing a limb was an inconvenience, losing his armor which was on the arm was a setback due to the rarity of elemental metals outside of the veil. In the sky he folded into himself, absorbing back his limb and forging his armor back into a single piece. He had no answer this time, and no advice that came to mind was useful. So for the meantime he would swoop down, grabbing at their guns which could not harm him while the tank took too long to swivel, by the time he had come and gone, the barrel wasn¡¯t even close to having a shot on him. Knowing that he didn¡¯t have the heart to actually kill them, they moved ahead, not wasting ammo. But as one of them saw him coming, they grabbed him, their weight not being enough to affect him in this form which was made to fly without magical assistance using multiple sets of wings. Yet the plan of this one was not to slow him, they pulled the pins on their grenades, and Harlan was still more or less unharmed, the shockwaves having caused him discomfort, but little more. Blood covered him and he cawed in grief that he didn¡¯t see it coming, that he let some child kill themselves in a bid to harm him. He circled overhead, trying to think of any plan that wouldn¡¯t involve them dying. He dived again and again, taking off limbs, hoping to force them to turn back, but the other soldiers simply shot their comrades in the head and kept moving after stripping them of the things that could be easily used by any of them, grenades, ammo, guns to replace the ones that were stolen. Harlan knew this brutality was to shock him, but it was also simply part of how they had been raised, the ones that died cared nothing for their own lives, nor the lives of others, they were fundamentally broken. The advice that he hated rung in his head. If he let this go on, they would just send more, if he showed that sending children was enough to stay his hand, they would send nothing but children, because that was how the Cast were. They were not that culturally different, they were not of another mind on morals, they knew and understood it all, and they intentionally used these things to attack their enemies. There was no world in which both sides would be allowed to exist at once. The guards on the wall were tired, new people who hadn¡¯t yet adjusted to the nightshift which was reaching its end. So it took them just a few moments longer than it should¡¯ve to see the giant bird which flew towards them. When they ran to the guardhouse to ring the alarm bell, it was already on the wall, perched on the bastion. They froze, something so large and strange looking was surely magical, so they hoped that it wasn¡¯t there to kill them. They felt a force enter their minds, and it asked that they just continue with their work, he just wanted to watch the sun rise from the wall, let the wind blow the feeling of flood from his feathers. So the men, believing no way by which they might fight the creature, and its mind seeming to hold no threat, continued with their work, and once out of earshot, they contacted the night watch commander, who arrived, saw the bird which stood 15 feet tall with six wings and four legs, and he got the same request, to leave him be while he watched a sunrise. Harlan¡¯s form twisted again as he entered his balcony and called Carmilla. Considering the late, or rather, early time it was, she answered surprisingly quickly. ¡°Do you think it will stop? That they won¡¯t send children again.¡± ¡°So long as you don¡¯t fight them, they will-¡± ¡°Will they stop now? Will I not have to do this again?¡± ¡°Ah, so that is the purpose of this conversation. Very likely they will see that you chose not to fight them before, but that it won¡¯t stop you from fighting. I hope you¡¯ve not called me for a shoulder to cry on.¡± ¡°Good night.¡± ¡°No, good morning.¡± Over the battlefield, as the clouds parted and the storm passed, the red diamond dust still filled the air, and the red snow glistened in a beautiful horror. No one knew of the threat before he put a stop to it, he could¡¯ve pretended that it hadn¡¯t happened, that he hadn¡¯t killed thousands of soldiers even younger than he was. But that wouldn¡¯t help anyone, nor would it explain how he got his hands on a Castian battle tank. So in the afternoon, he called for an extended lunch break for the workers so he could make a proclamation, devices set up across the city let him spread his voice farther than any simple series of arrays to amplify him would. ¡°I have called upon you, my citizens, to listen to my words, so that you may know I¡¯ve repelled another attack, destroying a small army of enemy soldiers.¡± He waited for them to cheer and quiet again before he continued. ¡°Yet this is not a celebration, but a warning. I am aware of a cult of sorts forming, thinking that I am some divine hero, a punishment for the Cast, that I am something more than a man. I will make this clear, I am just a man, my blood flows black, but I still bleed, and my heart still mourns for those who I killed, child soldiers, barely old enough to start their lives, yet I cut them down. It is their zealotry towards their emperor which gives our enemies the ability to do what they have done, to force children to fight, because there is no evil which cannot be justified as being the will of the emperor.¡± Harlan cast a large gate, showing the battlefield from above, red snow all around, craters from magic and mundane attacks. Harlan¡¯s tone turned somber the longer he spoke. ¡°In my birthplace, a war was fought for a thousand years, zealotry turned what should¡¯ve been normal people into soldiers who lived and died trying to tear down those who they disagreed with.¡± Then his voice rose in volume and manner, giving a sense of valiancy and hope. ¡°I will not let my legacy be men thinking I am a god, for though I am in a pact with one, I was just a man before, and I still acted in the same manner to better the world. Each and every one of us here has the ability to better the world, not because we are gods, but because we are people, not beholden to instinct or fervor, but to only ourselves, and we must desire this better world, we must force it into being.¡± Harlan put his closed his over his heart and pounded three times, the thuds echoed through his magic and across the city. ¡°We are here, we are flesh and blood, but our enemies are the immaterial, yet that does not mean that we shall give up, or lose, for those threats of the mind must manifest through the body to cause harm, and those bodies, those enemies, can be killed.¡± Harlan stopped speaking, and the people beat their chest as he had, then Harlan leaned over the railing, seeming more casual. ¡°In time, we will be receiving new citizens from the west, past the sea, and from the desert. At that time, I hope each and every one of you remembers what I¡¯ve said, and treats them as citizens, not humans, nor Dague, nor anything else, for each of you are my citizens by choice, and each of you should understand what it means to be in a new land for the first time. When the time comes, we shall make a holiday, a festival of togetherness, to remember not to let one having scales or horns allow us to paint them as an other, for I brought you here to live as equals.¡± When Harlan went inside, Dawn was shortly behind him, the cheers of the people were almost deafening, despite his words, his desire and intention was to ignite some manner of zeal, but towards no man, but rather to the ideals, those were much harder to kill. Stolen story; please report. ¡°That was a good enough speech.¡± ¡°Have a group of people search for alchemical books in the Grand LIbrary of Redhaven. I want knowledge on ingredients related to acids, decay, and oxygen. Don¡¯t take the books, just compile a list of names so I may look at the books myself. Mercedes, how are the food stocks?¡± ¡°We are doing quite well, with the preservation wards Kor could last a siege of 6 months with little issue, longer if we rationed from the start. Your friend grew years worth of harvests in a single stroke and filled our silos.¡± ¡°And the cities in the former land of Drang?¡± ¡°Fallin has given me daily updates and I¡¯ve shown them to your shadow each time.¡± Harlan briefly thought about it, and while he hadn¡¯t used the term, calling the lesser Harlan¡¯s shadows was rather fitting ¡°He has approved numerous requests from the minister, and I have made a list of those that he approved along with his reasonings for doing so.¡± ¡°We are going to be breaking ground on several more cities in the coming days, how much flesh is still in the pits? We are going to need hundreds more constructors.¡± ¡°I have the relevant documents in my office.¡± They continued walking as Harlan wordlessly opened a gate right there and she went into a file cabinet. Three weeks passed with Harlan remaining mostly in the UT, helping to prepare people for the move. Nobody was being rushed from their homes, and nobody was technically forced to leave, but they would be staying with the knowledge that Harlan would not support them, and there wouldn¡¯t be towns to go to for imported items such as certain foods and building materials. Few stayed in the desert, and there was resentment, but Harlan believed it was the best outcome. A week before exodus day, the name that had spread among the people, a family forced their way into Harlan¡¯s office, which had formerly been Colton¡¯s office, the Dague who stood outside as guards were more meant as a show that things had changed and to acclimate them to non-humans being around, and they stood aside, not wanting to harm the citizens who seemed upset, but not dangerous. ¡°Hello. What may I help you with?¡± The husband stood tall as he spoke, but still stood at only eye level with the sitting Harlan. ¡°I want to know where my belongings went. You sent your men to wagon it from the farm to the port but nobody has seen anything. I¡¯ve got heirlooms from my grandpa¡¯s grandpa in those boxes.¡± ¡°My men?¡± ¡°They said they were from Fomoria, and they had documents saying to haul our things to the port.¡± ¡°They were Dague?¡± ¡°No, they were people.¡± Harlan overlooked his phrasing, hoping it was poorly chosen words and not a sign of something else. ¡°I have no humans under me. Those from Fomoria I sent here are all Dague.¡± ¡°Then where the hell is my shit?¡± ¡°If I had to guess then I¡¯d say you¡¯ve been scammed by fools who intend to make a quick coin by selling your things.¡± The man tossed his hat to the floor angrily. ¡°What are you going to do about it?¡± Harlan leaned back, setting down the pencil which he had been using to write up notes on the changes for the towns which would be free from human life after the exodus. ¡°Give me your hand and think about the most important items stolen.¡± When there was no response, Harlan opened a gate, searching in a grid pattern. It took a few minutes due to the downtime between gate openings, but he eventually found the men. ¡°I will retrieve your things, any issues with the exodus are ones that reflect poorly on me and mine, and men who would take advantage of this are weeds best uprooted before they spread to my home.¡± Harlan walked through the gate while the family didn¡¯t really know what to do, so they sat around the house and waited, the guards outside the office offering them drinks and crackers. He arrived calmly, floating down from above. The men at the cave entrance didn¡¯t raise their weapons, but rather whistled for their boss, who arrived shortly. ¡°Ah, King Fomoria, how can I be of assistance?¡± His frame was large, but age had turned him from a legbreaker into a conman who used and implied threats rather than direct violence. ¡°Return what you¡¯ve tricked out of the people.¡± ¡°I have no idea what you-¡± Harlan pulled a silver coin from his pouch and flipped it. ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand, that was not a question, or a request, I am giving you a chance to live.¡± ¡°Fine, alright, we¡¯ll bring it all back from where we took it, good as new. But, perhaps you¡¯d like a look? Maybe something will catch your eye, and we can make a deal.¡± ¡°One silver coin for the entire lot.¡± When Harlan¡¯s coin next fell into his hand, he flicked it at the man¡¯s head, ripped through his brain like a bullet, fragments of metal and matter spraying out the back. The men tried to raise their weapons but found themselves unable to move. Fear gripped them as tightly as telekinesis when Harlan was inches away from them, his breath letting out black mist as if it was a cold night. ¡°I don¡¯t make deals with men like you, I give warnings, and I give orders, ignoring them shall only result in this here. Go into town, turn yourselves in, and I will pardon you. But if you turn to this way of living again, I will use you for the flesh towers.¡± Neither of them knew what the flesh towers were, but they ran to the shaded area where they kept the horses and fled. Exodus went well enough, other charlatans heard the story of the silver coin and willingly returned the stolen items, and those who didn¡¯t were found out once people realized that they could go to any of Harlan¡¯s people and he would arrive to personally deal with it after just a short call to him. He felt stretched a bit thin, each and every other self that he made to do things for him took away focus from his main mind even if he wasn¡¯t controlling them. Each represented a sliver of himself that just wasn¡¯t there, like a paradox, something that he was fully aware was gone, but subtle and insidious was the lack of ability to understand what wasn¡¯t there anymore. As he moved another wagon train of people to across the sea through his gate, Kor had a visitor sneak in.
She made her way to the Dague quarter, these things which should not be and yet they were. Whenever she thought about how much time she spent inside the veil and how little she was allowed outside of it, she felt restrained, her duty to Aarde was the only reason she knew that anything existed outside, but by that same reasoning, that was the reason why she was kept inside, waiting until they final day of the subtle war being waged between divinity natural born and stolen. It didn¡¯t take long before she had been approached by men who sought favor with her. Marigold had a certain aura of natural beauty, a result of her being Golden, the ideal people of Aarde, his chosen creation, yet she always hated it. Both her and Harlan had these same thoughts, had that same nagging in the back of their minds that stayed there, not showing itself until it had a chance to ruin something, an achievement, a compliment. To be told one is born with talent, that they were destined for great things, that anyone could do what they could if they just had the same opportunities, that all of their nights of working themselves to the bone were not the reason they were great, talent, vile and insidious when used as a weapon to tear down, or that others might use to tear themselves down, to cast the blame of failure on the world rather than themselves. She knocked herself out of these thoughts when Darrath appeared. He flew close, Viviane tagging. ¡°Papa¡¯s best friend.¡± She giggled, brushing hair out of her eyes and causing the hearts of men and women, humanoid and beastkin, to skip a beat. Yet Darrath saw none of it, physically he was able, but mentally he hadn¡¯t hit the point yet of thoughts of love or lust. ¡°Does he call me his best friend?¡± ¡°He gets happy when he talks about you, and you¡¯re strong, papa needs his best friend to be strong, otherwise he¡¯d leave them behind.¡± ¡°He¡¯s got a great big fire in his chest, and he doesn¡¯t want those around him to get burned.¡± ¡°Does it hurt?¡± ¡°Not a real fire.¡± ¡°Oh. This is my friend Vivi.¡± The girl looked up and down Marigold, finding her own body lacking compared to the bronze skinned goddess which stood in front of her, and the sourness was written on her as subtle as such a young woman could show jealousy at least. ¡°Comparison is the enemy of the good.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± ¡°You Dague are blessed with your own beauty, your blue skin and tall lithe bodies are certainly attractive. How old are you?¡± ¡°17.¡± She resisted saying it with a huff, Viviane held a great deal of esteem in her ability to hide what she wanted. ¡°Then you¡¯ll grow just fine, though better if you started cycling mana before you finished growing, it would fix those little imperfections in your skin from picking at pimples.¡± Marigold could tell she wanted to raise her hands and hide her face, the little things that bothered her and were unseen with just the slightest bit of makeup were clear as day to the eyes of the champion. Instead the girl just walked away, and when Darrath tried to move on with her, she pushed him back, telling him to just keep talking with ¡®Harlan¡¯s stupid friend.¡¯ Darrath moved back to Marigold. ¡°Are you stupid?¡± ¡°No, she is just upset. Does she know your father?¡± ¡°Vivi doesn¡¯t want to meet papa yet, but she likes looking at his room.¡± Marigold raised an eyebrow, but kept the subtext so clear it was just text out of her words, not wanting to be the one to explain what it meant. ¡°Does she go into your home often?¡± ¡°Yeah, she always likes going there, she always says how nice it is and how I¡¯m her best friend.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°When papa does that it means something is bad, what¡¯s bad?¡± ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m just thinking.¡± ¡°Papa thinks a lot too. Is that why you don¡¯t visit enough?¡± ¡°How much is enough visiting?¡± He looked as if he had been asked to answer the question of what it means to be alive, sitting on the cobbled road deep in thought.as people moved passed them. ¡°Once a week.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t come here that often, and my thinking has nothing to do with it.¡± ¡°Are you smart?¡± ¡°I¡¯m very smart.¡± ¡°Why is papa sad so much, he won against the bad guys and then he was really sad when he hugged me.¡± Marigold didn¡¯t show an ounce of her worry; The Darkness said what Harlan had done. ¡°Sometimes grown ups need to do things that they don¡¯t like, because it is the cost of making things better.¡± ¡°Oh, like when I had to wear those clothes I didn¡¯t like, papa said I should because the red lady would be happy if I did.¡± ¡°My, who is this red lady? Does Harlan have a new friend?¡± She spent some time speaking with the boy, finding out things that Harlan likely hadn¡¯t realized, though introspective he tried to be, sometimes his extrospection, his effect on those around him was lost on the young man who was spending his time trying to look at the bigger picture and losing the trees which made up his forest. Then as they were done, nobody would remember her, the magic she and her husband used to walk fully visible through crowded streets let her just fade away from the memories of others if she was seen. Their minds would fill in the blanks, make false memories of what happened to the missing time, but they would have some idea of anything they learned. Viviane would still be insecure and would have the idea to learn magic, and Darrath would feel more positively towards Marigold in the future. It was somewhat unsavory, but it was how she had roamed the world for hundreds of years without anyone realizing it. Chapter 242: Just a Normal Party Harlan laid there, listening for the sounds of the child in her stomach, the heartbeat was loud to his enhanced hearing. He could spend hours doing this while she slept, but he kept it to just a few minutes a night, there was work to do. His first design was that of a flying ship, such a thing had been tried before, but the enchantments of the past were too weak to do such a thing, and every ship has been considered too costly in both mages and materials such as mana gems to power these ships, thus they were abandoned. Harlan¡¯s current design was a single man craft, not unlike his trains, it was aerodynamic, smooth and sloped with enchantments that reduced air friction on the body to near zero, while the wings of it gained a great deal of lift for their size due to air being redirected towards them. He flew it at night by dropping from a gate, the entire thing was colored matte black, making it nearly invisible against the night sky, not that anyone should be able to see him, since no one was supposed to get within 50 miles of his home due to the large plot of land which Marigold had donated to him through the academy. He liked making these prototypes, he liked taking the designs which Xol knew from his world and then changing them, finding out what components could be stripped out and replaced by a simple spell. But in his fervor, he had neglected his sleep. He woke up just before it hit the ground, he felt the plane crumble and then the pieces started to fly around, not being awake enough to react to any of it, he simply hardened his body with stone imbibing and commanded his armor to lock up once he had curled into a ball as best he could. He blacked out at some point, everything happened too quickly to know when, but he was alive, he wouldn¡¯t need to use another body to recover this one. He unlocked his armor and got up to check the time, he¡¯d been asleep too long, he hadn¡¯t prepared a hot breakfast for Adina, not that she couldn¡¯t do so on her own. So he contacted her, his amulet was broken, but his own connection to the crossroads would allow him contact over shorter distances. Her amulet turned black as his mind linked to it, so she touched it, letting his voice through while she brushed her hair. ¡°You are late.¡± He laid there, feeling his soreness fade as his body''s natural healing kicked in. ¡°Sorry, I passed out while working.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you before, you need to watch yourself, get some sleep every week, just because you can keep going doesn¡¯t mean you should.¡± ¡°Did you get anything to eat?¡± ¡°I reheated some of those frozen pastries with the eggs and meat inside and I had a fresh pastry from yesterday. I left you a lemon one.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Are you coming back?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got to pick up the pieces, but if you need me I can-¡± ¡°No no no. Did you crash one of your flying machines?¡± ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m alright, I woke up before it hit the ground, locked my armor and curled into a ball.¡± ¡°Are you alright or are you trying not to worry me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright, just need to pick up the pieces of the machine and get it back home so nobody else finds it.¡± ¡°Fine, are you going to be back to gate me to the academy?¡± ¡°Yeah yeah, I¡¯ll be there, this is one of the smaller machines, so there isn¡¯t really that much to it.¡± He laid there for just a minute, he didn¡¯t want to stress his body any more than the broken trees and gouged out chunks of earth implied he had already, but he felt around him with his senses, tapping the earth to send out vibrations and track the metal of his creation while telekinesis reached as far as it could to pull them back to him before he got up. Yet as he stood up, another mind arrived. ¡°What are you doing on my land?¡± ¡°Apologies, I fell asleep, crashing my invention, I¡¯ll-¡± ¡°Ah, Fomoria, I didn¡¯t recognize from a distance. You¡¯d do well to remember not to say why you¡¯ve gotten somewhere, we all understand that things fail, and sometimes borders are crossed by mistake, just avoid doing so too frequently. Take your broken parts and be on your way.¡± The elderly woman flew away without another word, and he did as she asked. Harlan thought back to what he already knew, anyone who was truly talented with magic has a few screws loose, and something like what he had done wouldn¡¯t be seen as that strange. With all of the scrap put back in his new lab, he went to get Adina to the academy. He gave her a kiss on the lips and then rubbed her belly for good luck. It was hard to believe it had been two months already, and the little life inside was growing, growing a little bit too quickly. Whether it was from his being a Fomorian or a champion or both of them having enhanced bodies that processed so many things more quickly, Hellon said to expect the baby after just seven months instead of nine, but it was otherwise healthy. ¡°No more flying around without sleeping first.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t happen again. But since I should catch up on my sleep, does that mean we can skip the-¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re going, because we were asked to go.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe she invited me, I don¡¯t like parties, she knows that.¡± ¡°Shelly doesn¡¯t like parties either, but she seemed thrilled when I said we¡¯d come.¡± ¡°I think she¡¯s trying to get me to see her mother face to face. She could¡¯ve called me at any time, but instead she called you.¡± ¡°That is just paranoia, it¡¯s a birthday, not an interrogation.¡± ¡°Something bad always happens to me when I leave the house, I¡¯m probably going to burst into flames or turn into a dragon while I¡¯m there.¡± ¡°Take a nap, and then clean up, get ready.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Harlan flicked open a gate and she walked through, waving at him one more time. As soon as she was out of sight Harlan went back to work, he slept enough after the crash. He had been waiting to give out the designs for flying machines, a few smaller ones, and a larger one. Mostly he just didn¡¯t think there was much use for them. If a mage wanted to fly, the academy gave classes, and it wasn¡¯t overly hard to do it. If a civilian wanted to fly, what would they even do with it? If they wanted transport, his rail network was growing by the day, and as the nobles realized that it was entirely worth the cost for transporting cargo and people, the issues of funding were long gone, and because the war was cold, the cost of fighting it was low, no cities needed to be rebuilt or anything of the sort yet. No, his worry was that the only people who would need something like this would be people who wanted to avoid their cargo being on the trains, which would be checked every time one loaded and unloaded. So he sat there, constructing his new machine, hesitating to give it away. His only other worry was that of safety, if something went wrong on the train, it was smart, it was designed to stop itself and send out warning signals to the other trains on the network to avoid collisions. Even if the worst happened, each train was a train, in the event of a crash the damage would be to them and to the trains. If a plane crashed into a town or a city, the damage would be far worse, down a main street without anything to stop it by the bodies in front of it? Worse yet if they modified the plane, sharpened the wings, added wheels which could keep it moving longer across the ground. He shuddered at the thought of what a mad man would be able to do, yet he kept working, putting in nuts and bolts, fusing metal, planting the gems inside, letting them suffuse through the body. With the machine ready, he did follow his wifes order, and he slept, just for two hours before he got the call that she needed a pick up on the spare amulet that he transferred all of his contacts to. She could smell it on him as soon as she got inside. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°You didn¡¯t shower, you probably barely rested, and you aren¡¯t in your nice clothes.¡± ¡°I like to work, and I rested enough when I crashed, I was sleeping for hours out there.¡± ¡°On the cold hard ground. You are going to ruin your body.¡± ¡°I could get sliced in half and not ruin my body. What did Hellon say today?¡± ¡°The baby is fine, and she could tell us if we¡¯ve got a boy or a girl. Do we want to know yet?¡± ¡°No, not yet, we haven¡¯t finished arguments on names.¡± ¡°I like Valda.¡± ¡°Manus.¡± ¡°Fine, we¡¯re set.¡± ¡°She¡¯s sure we aren¡¯t having any more than one?¡± ¡°You can tell, you¡¯ve been able to from the start, we¡¯ve got one beautiful healthy baby, no more than that.¡± ¡°But what if we did have more?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we start with one, and figure out everything from there.¡± She slipped out of her uniform and her armor turned to liquid, flowing from her body. ¡°Now, we need to shower.¡± ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want more?¡± ¡°I know the contraceptive spell, you don¡¯t, so I think I¡¯ll be fine no matter what we¡¯ll do.¡± ¡°Only almost perfect, still a chance with how much you drag me to the bedroom.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t be going to the bedroom though.¡± ¡°Fair point.¡± Harlan was a little surprised to see Shelly¡¯s home, he knew that her mother was a countess, but it seemed odd, a lot of things seemed odd. Sepul at least claimed to have not used his political influence to raise up Eliza¡¯s friends to higher positions, yet each of them either rose from barons to counts or from commoner to counts in a single generation, how odd it was that they had been at the academy in the first place. But he set those things aside, that wasn¡¯t important, it really wasn¡¯t, so he kept pushing it out of his mind, all of these little coincidences, all the oddities in his life. Adina pinched his hand and he woke up from his thoughts. ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡± ¡°Yes, just fine.¡± ¡°Get your head in the game and have a good time, or I¡¯m going to¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, I really don¡¯t mind you being so aggressive.¡± ¡°Good, because I¡¯m sure it is your fault.¡± ¡°Fomorians hold a certain aggression, maybe with them being a quarter it¡¯s having an effect on you.¡± Shelly came down the stairs a bit too quickly, and realized that she should move with more grace, for her mother¡¯s sake. Her dress was a vibrant teal, loose and frilly, unfitting for her, he knew she liked something tight and practical with darker natural colors that made it easier to hide in a forest. He also knew that it was likely Shelly¡¯s mother had likely made the dress the way it was for that reason. Shelly naturally had to be shown off to her mother¡¯s friends, and while her actual friends waited, they gathered together. ¡°David, Parnell, it¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Yes, it seems like just last week we were off butchering orcs, now we¡¯re all getting on with our lives. And with the new life.¡± The two men looked at Adina¡¯s stomach that had a subtle bump. ¡°How are you two going with your brides to be?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather avoid the subject, just like I¡¯ve been avoiding her. Arranged marriages are such a foolish law, who cares if some nobles try to build up their houses with a little marriage, at least they get to choose if they get married or not.¡± ¡°I agree, the idea of forcing one to marry someone else, worse yet implying that they must produce an heir with someone that might be a complete stranger, it¡¯s not right.¡± ¡°Well, I guess we can¡¯t all be archmagi, break the rules and get rewarded for it.¡± David seemed to realize how he had sounded. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t mean to sound sour, but I¡¯m-¡± ¡°Someone is coming, I can feel it, female, early 20s, seething with anger. Your fiance?¡± ¡°How can you tell all that?¡± ¡°Soul grows with age, hues are different between the sexes, she has another in unison, but much happier, both of you should flee towards the stairs and go around the back, I¡¯ll say I saw you going to the bathrooms in the eastern wing.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Parnell just nodded his head in silence, he hadn¡¯t been drinking and it was too public a setting for his real personality to be allowed free. Just as predicted, the two girls, both beautiful, with bodies that most men couldn¡¯t help but stare at arrived, and quickly recognized Harlan, knowing him to be friends with their fiances, they asked, and he lied. Harlan kept walking, avoiding the pair who would realize his deception eventually, but now that he had their scent so to speak, he could stay away without fail. Yet that isn¡¯t what happened, and instead Adina held him in place. ¡°You are certain that Parnell was going to the east wing?¡± Harlan didn¡¯t exactly know what Adina wanted him to say, or why he had been forced into this confrontation. ¡°As a friend, of course I lied, gave them both directions to avoid you, but I guess I should just ask why they would be avoiding both of you.¡± Her facade was that of offense, as if she was innocent and naive. ¡°I haven¡¯t the faintest clue why. Maybe if we all got together we could talk it through.¡± ¡°Well, that is the healthiest way to go about a relationship, just air things out. But another time, for the meantime I¡¯ll keep sending them signals on how to avoid you.¡± David¡¯s fiance didn¡¯t wave as she walked away, but the other girl seemed oblivious, a naivete that couldn¡¯t be faked, her genuine expression only made it clearer that one had been wearing a facade. With them gone Harlan whispered to his wife. ¡°What exactly did you want me to do?¡± ¡°I hate seeing you run, we don¡¯t run from people, we run towards them, we confront them and-¡± Adina thought for a moment longer about what she was saying. ¡°Gods, I sound like a madwoman, I feel so¡­ different right now. I feel so full of power. Is this what it¡¯s like? What¡¯s happening? Am I ok?¡± He could hear her heart rate jump and quickly found a servant who pointed them to a resting room. Harlan called Hellon, who arrived in moments through both sides opening gates. His ring held the same sort of signal that the badge he had been given, allowing them to bypass the arrays without raising any alarms. Hellon conjured her spells and checked on her health while Harlan paced around the room, waiting for commands, putting his faith in her. After a few minutes Shelly arrived, having seen them flee the entryway just before everyone started moving to the ballroom proper. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± ¡°Ah, shit shit shit, I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Dammit boy, shut up, you¡¯re worrying her, nothing is wrong unless I find something wrong.¡± Harlan sat down and pushed his palms over his eyes, Shelly sat next to him. ¡°Hellon¡¯s smart, she¡¯s a good healer, I¡¯m sure everything is fine.¡± He could feel her mind, and Hellon was worried, anxious. He called Sepul, who arrived shortly thereafter. With the Archmage of Dust there, Hellon felt inadequate, and stepped aside. ¡°Symptoms?¡± ¡°Fever, panic, she felt generally unwell and then passed out about 10 seconds ago. I¡¯ve found nothing wrong with her, and I¡¯ve been working through all of the spells that I have. Right now I¡¯m assuming it was a panic attack, brought on by the stress of the pregnancy and hormonal imbalance.¡± Sepul cast spells with each finger that Hellon could only cast with her entire hand, running through dozens of them, each low power and subtle enough that she wouldn¡¯t be flooded with mana and harm the baby. Once his hands stopped moving, he turned to Harlan. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°She¡¯s been getting¡­ aggressive.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± ¡°When we got here, she said I needed to get my head in the game or she would¡­ but she didn¡¯t finish the sentence, and then just before I brought her here and called Hellon she had me confront David and Parnell¡¯s fiances, saying how we don¡¯t run away from people, but towards them. And¡­ right before we got here, she was upset with my not sleeping enough and had me in the shower with her. But she¡¯s always been aggressive in those situations.¡± ¡°And you¡¯ve looked at her soul?¡± Harlan skipped over to her, placing his hand on her stomach. ¡°Is that what I think it is?¡± ¡°Two pacts are clashing. The child¡¯s will need to be nullified if she is to survive, or the child will need to be¡­ otherwise removed from the conflict.¡± ¡°How? How do I do that?¡± The room turned to shadows and the others faded away, it was not within the ability of any god but her to remove a pact. ¡°Why don¡¯t we chat a bit about this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care what the cost is, I-¡± ¡°No cost to great, yes, wonderful, but no, we will be having a chat. I can¡¯t let you hold a grudge or think that I tricked you into doing this.¡± The shadows turned to a field of black roses, something more pleasing to the eyes for a rather terrible conversation. ¡°She will die. Unless¡­¡± The field erupted in flames. ¡°Don¡¯t play with me, just tell me.¡± ¡°Fine fine fine, where is that flare for the dramatic you so often have?¡± ¡°Adina is dying out there.¡± ¡°No, she isn¡¯t, because we could spend hours here while seconds pass outside. I will ask not so simply, and then simply. How many lives is the life of your child worth? The pact is forming in her womb, passed down from your blood, and the fragments which exist contain the pieces which lock one to a location. She has spent enough time at that home you¡¯ve been given that the pact is starting to consider that as the place which it should be. Away from that place, she is feeling the first symptoms of the curse take effect, and unless she is taken back or the pact is broken, she will die. First comes the fever, the desire to return to where they come from. Then her organs will start to weaken and a sickness will begin. After a few hours, her body will be completely unable to maintain itself, and no healing magic can grant her any manner of peace from the pain as she slowly dies.¡± ¡°Break the pact.¡± ¡°I know you would love a simple solution. But breaking the pact would free every single Fomorian alive. The death toll would be in the millions as they make their way towards population centers like a virus, no longer restrained by the lives which walk into their reserves.¡± ¡°I will bear that weight, I¡¯m not having my child locked down, a prisoner in their own home, and I¡¯m not losing her, and I¡¯m not going to try for another child with the hopes that they don¡¯t get the same curse, or that my children¡¯s children would have to make the same terrible choice. Break this pact, either the Fomorians bend, or they break, it¡¯s more cruel to leave them in their cages than put them down.¡± She laughed and the flowers laughed with her, the field returning to the shadows, the truth. ¡°GOOD, THAT IS WHAT I WANTED TO HEAR, LET THEIR TIME OF FREEDOM BEGIN AGAIN.¡±
The Ragnite forces deployed to watch and communicate with the non-hostile Fomorian forces were panicking, bringing in doctors to heal the villagers who all suddenly collapsed, screaming in pain as if they were caught by invisible fire. Chapter 243: Another Day He didn¡¯t hesitate for an instant, it was broken, the pact, was broken. When he awoke Harlan collapsed on the floor, his hands hooked and he foamed at the mouth, his veins bulged just before he passed out and went limp, soulfire scorching his form without a drop of heat. Harlan woke up, but the damage he felt on his soul was still severe, and he was locked down to a single body; rarely had he felt so vulnerable. ¡°Harlan, don¡¯t move.¡± He failed to listen, and pain shot through his body, causing him to cry out. ¡°Don¡¯t cast any magic either, you¡¯re weak. I¡¯ve already been informed about what you¡¯ve done, you damn fool.¡± Sepul rubbed his gnarled hands together. ¡°Yet I would¡¯ve done the same. You damn fool, you¡­ You¡¯ll notice some changes, your pact, it held back certain things, physically you are a Half-Fomorian, but yet you are also not. I can¡¯t tell you what has changed, and I cannot use my magic to scan your soul. Any foreign mana could slow the healing process rather than help. As I¡¯ve been told by The Darkness.¡± Harlan moved his head and saw Shelly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m just terrible with parties. Go pretend to have fun, keep your mother happy. Shame I couldn¡¯t see her like you wanted.¡± ¡°The party is over already.¡± She uncomfortably rubbed her hands together while she tapped her heels on the soft rug. ¡°Was I that unsubtle?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the champion of the god of lies, I feel like I should be able to see some things coming. But yeah, unless you¡¯ve got a bow in hand, you can¡¯t be subtle, it¡¯s just not in your nature.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave you here, Adina isn¡¯t even awake yet, and I¡¯d just be worrying.¡± ¡°Adina is going to be fine, I¡¯ve done what I needed to do. And I¡¯ll be fine, I knew this was going to happen. So go, your mother is just going to hate me more if I keep you any longer. Sepul, do you mind getting me home?¡± ¡°Even stepping through a gate would stress your soul.¡± ¡°Oh, that explains the drain arrays.¡± After an hour more of sleep, Harlan was awoken by Sheron entering the room. ¡°You¡¯re ruining my furniture with your sweat.¡± ¡°My apologies, I¡¯ll pay for the cost to clean or replace it.¡± ¡°I know you will. But that isn¡¯t why I¡¯m here.¡± Hellon had left, but Sepul was still there, watching over them. ¡°I¡¯d like to apologize. For what I¡¯ve said before.¡± ¡°Really, it¡¯s-¡± ¡°Eliz- Dawn, she came to see me.¡± ¡°Really? I thought we both more or less agreed it was a bad idea to stir up the past.¡± ¡°Well, Elise knows Shelly, so it was only a matter of time before one told the other and I heard about it. She¡¯s just a poor secret keeper.¡± ¡°Or Elise had a reason to tell Shelly, knowing that it would get back to you.¡± ¡°That girl is ambitious.¡± ¡°She¡¯s ignorant, but she¡¯s smart, she wants without understanding the cost of getting things.¡± ¡°Do you try to sound profound? Or is this natural for you.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Harlan closed his eyes. ¡°Can we continue this another time? I¡¯m in no shape to keep talking for much longer.¡± ¡°Very well. Feel free to stay the night, or as long as you need.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t get the chance to thank her before he was sleeping again. ¡°Sepul, it¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t make a habit of keeping up with her friends.¡± ¡°You just didn¡¯t like us much.¡± Her tone was light, hoping to have an actual conversation. ¡°I liked May and tolerated the rest of you, barely.¡± She made a sour face and left without replying, she¡¯d rather not waste breath and ruin her mood further arguing with a stubborn old man. The gods gathered again, demanding answers. ¡°YOU¡¯VE SET THEM FREE?¡± ¡°Cecht, brother, calm yourself. They were only ever locked up by my choice, no need to drag everyone in here,. If you¡¯ve got such a problem then ask your champion to just wipe them out.¡± The ball of feathers and eyes stared at her with fury, but it was Anu who spoke next. ¡°She is right, despite your issues with our sister, no rules have been broken, it was not Aarde who demanded they be contained, but her. However, to wipe out a species, a prime species at that, would go against our duty. Things are likely to be hard for a time, and many will die, but they shall feed the plants, and the balance shall be found.¡± ¡°YOU¡¯VE DONE THIS, YOU PLANNED IT ALL, TO-¡± ¡°To what end dear brother? I¡¯ve done something which I¡¯ve been free to do for a thousand years.¡± His light dimmed, but his anger had not. ¡°I don¡¯t know what plan you have, or why you¡¯ve done this, but I will find out.¡± ¡°You are free to illuminate whatever goals you believe I have, but this gathering is pointless. My champion had an issue, I had two options, I could break the pact, or allow his child to die.¡± ¡°One life versus thousands.¡± ¡°If you believe that only one life was at stake, then you misunderstand, he would kill gods and upturn nations if he thought for a second that it would save its life.¡± One by one they faded away, returning to their small worlds. Harlan jolted awake. The room was empty aside from Sepul. ¡°Shit, I need to warn them about-¡± ¡°The Fomorians? I doubt that they fared much better than you. Either they have been sleeping as long or longer than you. But either way, I¡¯ve sent the appropriate warnings, none shall be taken by surprise in a sudden Fomorian invasion.¡± Harlan took a deep breath and calmed himself. ¡°Adina is fine.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking, I can feel her mind, she¡¯s with Shelly right now.¡± ¡°She woke up an hour after you passed out again and has been in perfect health since.¡± ¡°I should¡¯ve seen it coming, of course the Fae pact was going to cause problems. But I thought about it wrong, boon, curse, the language was different, I made a stupid mistake, I should¡¯ve¡­¡± ¡°Yes, you should¡¯ve, but you didn¡¯t. Every failure is a chance to grow and learn. You are very lucky that the conflict of pacts was one which could be solved. Had you been Golden, it would be impossible, and you¡¯d never have children with her.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe in luck. It¡¯s an excuse, a way to claim something should happen or has happened with no input from someone. I hate it, it¡¯s no better than talking about talent.¡± Sepul raised an eyebrow, Harlan¡¯s voice was filled with venom towards those words, and it seemed sudden to him. Harlan got up and walked around a bit, feeling stiffness in his muscles, he knew that he was weaker, the pact gave him his body as it was, and it wouldn¡¯t take it away, but not all of what made a Fomorian stronger was physical. He took a deep breath and shifted his body. He dropped to the floor, feeling his split bone and burst blood vessel, turning back half way through. Sepul just looked on but didn¡¯t try to stop him, he had a look of pity on his face. ¡°I had to know, she warned me, she warned me of the cost. I can feel pain again, physical pain, not just mental or soul damage. I¡¯ll need those pain-dampening spells, put them in my armor.¡± ¡°Those spells have limits, you¡¯d be better served mixing potions.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Use them only as needed. Such substances are often addictive, not through alchemical means, but simply because they make the user feel better, lightens their senses, and makes the world seem a little less terrible.¡± Sepul¡¯s tone implied somber remembrance, and Harlan said nothing to continue that conversation. ¡°Am I healthy enough to move on my own?¡± ¡°Yes, your soul is fine, and you are free to check for yourself.¡± Harlan closed his eyes and turned his sight inward, finding his soul to be¡­ mostly there. There was a wound, a scar, something that was once and now was not. ¡°I don¡¯t feel it being gone, just the effects of it.¡± ¡°Cast some more simple magics, make sure everything feels right.¡± Harlan conjured a small elemental ball on each finger, fire, water, air, earth, light, dark, void, radiance, ice, crystal. ¡°Even for a man of good health, the six elements and four advanced elements is impressive.¡± Then just as easily as if made them, he moved the balls of void and radiance from his pinkies to his other fingers, and finally into each other, perfectly removing all of the magic without needing to cause any damage or leave a speck of dust behind. ¡°My mind feels clear, very clear.¡± ¡°It could be related to you being back to just a single body.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never felt like they¡¯ve dragged me down before now.¡± ¡°You are splitting your mind, that focus is gone, that ability to process information is being used for another being.¡± ¡°I should¡¯ve seen that, I should¡¯ve felt it. Can you do this?¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°No, one would need either an invincible soul or a connection to the crossroads. I¡¯ve neither, and though it may be possible to do so with soulsmithing, I¡¯ve no interest in becoming a Lich.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to be a Lich to do it.¡± ¡°Do you not realize you are a Lich? Each body is a phylactery, and you aren¡¯t limited to just your own bodies, you can go into anything that holds your signature, like your golems. Though I suppose you are more an Egregore than a Lich.¡± ¡°It probably doesn¡¯t matter what I get called. I¡¯m going to see Adina, would you like to come?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve got three days of work to catch up on.¡± ¡°Sorry to have taken your time¡­ grandpa?¡± ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t sound right.¡± And like that he was gone, but Harlan knew he was happy to have heard it at least once. Harlan stretched his body, feeling every little pop that banished stiffness, and then walked the hall to Shelly¡¯s room, servants along the way giving him odd looks. He knocked, and Shelly answered. She hugged and pulled him into the room. ¡°You¡¯re up, you¡¯re awake, how do you feel?¡± ¡°Alright. Sorry I missed your party.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, the whole thing is for my mother more than me. David and Parnell normally take me out and we camp the night in the woods with some prepared food and alcohol.¡± ¡°That sounds nice.¡± ¡°You¡¯re free to come, you know.¡± Harlan was about to say no, but Adina gave him a look. ¡°Sure, do you have a time planned already?¡± ¡°Tonight. Unless that doesn¡¯t work for you.¡± ¡°No no, I¡¯ll just get Adina home and-¡± She brightened the colors of her eyes with mana in a quick flash. ¡°Or maybe she¡¯d like to come along.¡± ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t an issue, I¡¯d like to come.¡± ¡°Of course not, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s no reason not to have you with us. But¡­ well, Parnell¡­¡± ¡°We will all be together, and it¡¯s not like he¡¯d try anything more than an off-color remark to two after Harlan broke his nose before.¡± ¡°He can be vindictive. I¡¯m just saying don¡¯t be shocked if you end up with sticks and mud in your hair when you wake up.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll smell him coming.¡± ¡°Right, you keep talking about enhancement.¡± Shelly¡¯s heart rate rose and he could see her eyes shift away from his. ¡°Do you want enhancement? You¡¯re being fidgety.¡± ¡°No no no, I couldn¡¯t ask for that. But if there was a cost, what would it be?¡± ¡°Officially I¡¯m not selling it, but the cost is loyalty to Ragne.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather pay in gold.¡± ¡°Five grand bars.¡± ¡°Oh, well, that¡¯s¡­ that is a lot.¡± ¡°It¡¯s youth, five years to your life, and the physical power to crush stone and be nearly invincible to mundane blades.¡± ¡°I want to buy it for David.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not selling it. I¡¯ll do it for free though.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t want you to do it for free. David wouldn¡¯t like it, he¡¯d feel like he owes you.¡± ¡°I understand, but I can¡¯t charge you five bars. Two would be fine?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get it, can you do it by next week?¡± ¡°Is something happening?¡± ¡°He¡¯s going to join the war, full time. I¡¯m scared, he¡¯s going to be leaving me and Parnell behind.¡± ¡°Where is he going to be stationed?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡± ¡°Seven days, unless I¡¯m called away on Queen¡¯s Blade business, I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Alright, you should go prepare some things, a tent, bedroll, food, drink. Oh, and keep to simple magics, like what a child would use.¡± ¡°See you here at what, four, five?¡± ¡°Five is better.¡± Harlan and Adina returned to their home to prepare, but as they were double checking everything, she spoke up. ¡°Shelly was lying about something. I know you heard her heart rate go up.¡± Adina hadn¡¯t said it to Harlan, she didn¡¯t want to worry him, but it had taken quite a bit more time than she let on to get used to her new senses, it was overwhelming to hear the heartbeats and smacking of lips all around her at lunch. ¡°She can¡¯t be doing it for bad reasons. Shelly isn¡¯t that kind of person. Are you sure you¡¯re fine to go tonight?¡± ¡°I¡¯m three months pregnant, not six. You can barely even tell and I want to get out for more than family dinners and classes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just worried about what happened before.¡± ¡°I slept for a few hours, you¡¯ve been asleep for half a week. Don¡¯t treat me like I¡¯m made of glass just because¡­¡± She clenched her fist while she rubbed her stomach with her other hand. ¡°Why do you have to make me so damn angry?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright to be mad at me, it¡¯s not just the baby doing it.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t know when I¡¯m mad or if it''s the baby making me like that. It¡¯s scary to not feel control like that.¡± ¡°That Fomorian passion is built into us, it¡¯s part of why we made good disposable soldiers. Fervor blinds us to pain, to danger, lets us give our lives with such ease. And that¡¯s not getting into what it was like having Dawn tearing her mind apart inside of mine, misplacing her own anger, passing it on to me, demanding that I react to her past indignities. You''ve been dealing with normal reactions in your life, you get angry when it¡¯s right to be angry, I get angry at everything and need to second guess myself constantly to avoid hurting people. I was born to kill, and that conflicts with what I was raised with. Our child is going to have that same dark impulse that I gained as I got older, but we¡¯ll cross that bridge when we get there.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just get through tonight.¡± Harlan lifted both of their packs before Adina took her¡¯s from him. They moved back to Shelly¡¯s home, or rather, her mother¡¯s home, where Sheron was waiting for them. ¡°I was told you¡¯d be going on her little outing. But I¡¯d like our conversation to continue.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°See you soon.¡± They kissed before parting. Sheron waved Harlan toward her and they went to her office. ¡°Simply put, I¡¯d like to apologize for our first meeting. And everything else that has happened since.¡± ¡°I was lucid enough to remember you doing that before.¡± ¡°Good. Moving past that, how has Dawn been? And in your estimation, is she well.¡± ¡°Those are rather vague questions. I assume you have a point.¡± ¡°It¡¯s very strange seeing her again, she¡¯s almost what I remember her as, but she¡¯s softer, most of her rough edges are smoothed out. I want to know, directly from you, is she actually Eliza?¡± ¡°She has all of her memories, but the spell that saved her mind was cast by me as an infant. I wanted a loving mother, and she splintered. She is not the same person she was, I¡¯ve irreparably changed her.¡± Harlan began to bounce his leg, he was guilty, anxious, he didn¡¯t like thinking about what he had done. Good or bad, he had in effect killed her and replaced her with a softer copy. He¡¯d do it a thousand times to others if he needed to, but he would do that consciously, he didn¡¯t even remember doing it to Eliza. ¡°Whether she is her or not is up for debate, but I think she¡¯s another person who just has all of Eliza¡¯s memories.¡± It seemed like she had something else she wanted to ask, but didn¡¯t, changing the topic and tone to something more professional. ¡°That isn¡¯t the point. I have a friend, and this friend believes that he has something that could get him an archmage title, but he¡¯s unable to finish it, and knowing that you know Shelly, he asked me to ask you if helping him was possible.¡± ¡°What is he researching?¡± ¡°Before that, I¡¯d like you to sign this.¡± Harlan looked it over, it was a rather simple contract, more or less stating that if he ever said anything about what they were going to talk about, then he would be liable for damages and it acknowledged that Harlan could not claim to be the inventor of such research. He signed it with little hesitation, and then used his ring to place a piece of wax, sealing the contract, Sheron did the same, and then they she had him sign another so that they both had copies of it. The forest they would be sleeping in was on the property, they didn¡¯t want to really go to anywhere dangerous, they just liked sleeping outside. As soon as they reached the clearing they always slept in David laid on the ground. ¡°Tired?¡± ¡°I only feel at peace with something hard at my back, beds are too soft, their raised platforms mean things could be under them.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t relate. I feel just as well on a soft mattress as I do huddled with the roots of a tree.¡± David didn¡¯t say anything more, falling into a nap. Shelly and Parnell were setting up their tents without a worry, it seemed this was common, so Harlan just shrugged and set up the tent for him and Adina. It felt a little silly to him, with a few movements of his hands he could set up a stone building that had windows and then a little bit of carving could add other creature comforts. But Shelly didn¡¯t want him using magic that required signs or words. May would take them camping and back then they had only the simplest magic, Shelly wanted to remember those times, before everything felt so complicated. Without a thought Harlan shifted his hand to try and cut some branches for kindling and he yelped in pain, punching the dead tree in anger at himself, shattering the trunk, felling it. ¡°What happened?¡± His hand looked mangled. ¡°Shit, how did this happen?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll fix it.¡± She saw how much pain it was causing him, the lack of the alchemical pain reliever adrenaline that normally filled his system as a result of the pact magic meant that tearing apart and restructuring his body hurt like it was supposed to. He thought back to when he could still feel it, when he first learned shifting. He had become sloppy, going to extremes of body modification instead of simple changes just because he could. So he returned his hand back to what it should be, and a single finger became a talon that let him easily cut the branches to size. ¡°Do you need any help?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m alright, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem fine.¡± ¡°No cost to great, I did what I needed to do so Adina and our child would be free of my curse, I paid the price for my own mistake. I should¡¯ve just seen it coming, if I just had more time, if I was smarter, if I wasn¡¯t blinded to my own-¡± ¡°You always spiral out of control, then everything is your fault because you can¡¯t see everything coming. That doesn¡¯t help anyone, so don¡¯t do it, the world doesn¡¯t rest on your shoulders alone.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been seeing Mary, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What gave it away?¡± ¡°She gives me that same advice. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t answer, but why are you seeing her?¡± ¡°Were, I was seeing her, but since I graduated, well, I can¡¯t really expect her to listen to me whine about my mother anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure if you asked she would continue, Mary isn¡¯t just listening to people, she wants to help.¡± Shelly started picking up the branches in silence, and Harlan left her alone with her thoughts, trying to give her space to figure herself out. With the fire crackling, and the drink flowing for the three of them, Harlan abstaining because they hadn¡¯t brought enough for him to get drunk on anyway, and Adina abstaining for obvious reasons. ¡°I¡¯m glad you came. It¡¯s fun to have someone new out here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad to be here. The last time I slept outside was when I crashed my plane, so this is a little bit nicer.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a plane?¡± ¡°Right, I haven¡¯t shown it off yet.¡± Harlan put up a veil. ¡°Now, obviously none of you can talk about this with anyone. But I¡¯ve invented a craft able to carry people into the sky who have no magic. I¡¯ve got a few designs, bombers, personnel carriers, but getting people out of the sky safely without having to land is a little more annoying, and then of course personal craft, one to seven people per with a little room in the back for light cargo.¡± David chimed in. ¡°That¡¯s great, you¡¯ve got to show us.¡± Harlan crafted a little model out of sticks and nature magic, then explained all of the parts and spells that he used to make sure it was easy to fly, safe, and not likely to cause trouble with magical creatures. Those that lived above the clouds were almost invariably violent and prideful things that thought themselves the only masters of the sky, so putting a limit on height and speed, both that could be removed with the push of a button, would hopefully mitigate their rage. ¡°So why haven¡¯t you shown them off yet? Still tinkering?¡± ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know what anyone would want with them. Bombers would allow massive indiscriminate destruction by people with very little training, it would put too much power in the hands of people who haven¡¯t had the time to comprehend it. They¡¯d be able to take off and then keep flying for days with a payload of weapons that I¡¯d rather not think about the power of. To an extent we limit ourselves because the damage to our own forces would be higher than acceptable, but with this, you could potentially fill it with poisons and fill a city before anyone understood what was happening. That same design could easily and stealthily haul weapons from one place to another, tracking transports would be a nightmare far worse than it already is with the existence of gate, but at least gate mages are all registered, so we know how many there are more or less. Anyone with the right knowledge could build one of these and-¡± He looked around, David was seemingly enthralled, but the others thought things were a bit dark and Harlan was rambling. ¡°Sorry. Why don¡¯t we roast a little bit of meat? Make some sandwiches.¡± Shelly took another swig and yelled out in excitement. ¡°Need something to soak this shit wine up.¡± Harlan and Adina chuckled, Shelly restrained herself quite a bit, sometimes for her sake since she disliked social gatherings and sometimes because she didn¡¯t want to cause any trouble for her parents. This here was more or less the only day she was allowed to just let go of her nobility that chained her. With bellies full of meat and bread they started to drunkenly dance with one another, and though the others were a bit more wild, Harlan and Adina just gently swayed one another side to side, enjoying the fire and the loud sounds of their friends. Despite the war happening, it had little effect on most people, it was quiet, cold, skirmishes and raids, but little more, and even their mountains began to be hammered day in and day out by Harlan¡¯s long cannons, forcing negotiations to begin for a reunification. This was the normal way it went, people got caught up in the middle, and then once one side got the clear advantage, enough that both sides already decided the winner, the talks could begin, and peace would return until the next time the nobles got restless about their privileges over the peasants being lessened. Even still, Harlan enjoyed this moment, where he didn¡¯t need to think about all of that. Yet now he realized that he should¡¯ve called Rosewell and said he was alright, even if Sepul probably told her already. He pushed it off for tomorrow, war was hell, but it felt so distant that it wasn¡¯t real for now.
The chieftain pulled his machete from the head of the last soldier and started barking orders to gather up the women and supplies. With their freedom given back to them, they would use it to take what they believe was owed to them, with interest. Chapter 244: No Rest War was hell, the violence, the hate, the blood which covered him and filled the valley he was in, it was all too much, it felt unreal, disconnected from everything else, happy days suddenly turned into slaughters the moment he got word from his birds. But Harlan took that burden onto himself, for that was his duty, there was nobody else who could do this, and there was nobody who he could honestly share his burdens with. In the slick red mud Harlan began to hallucinate about Adina, the one who was supposed to be there with him. The Castian spies had made reports about Harlan¡¯s sudden influx of weapons and people. But it was when a tank, clearly based on Castian designs, was seen, that they increased the pressure on Fomoria. The border of the nation had been vague, more or less just however far he could push into imperial land without running into towns. But now it was clear, the killing valleys and artificial raised precipitous hills that curled outward like the teeth of a beast marked the entrance to Fomoria, the maw of the beast. Thus far the border was barely complete, less than a fifth in the north having been raised so far after weeks of work. Harlan heard the labored breathing of a Cast whose spine was crushed and whose legs had been removed by his claws. ¡°Perfect, another test subject.¡± He turned from his form as a large six winged and four legged bird back into a humanoid. Harlan dropped the Cast off in the lab where other Cast were in clear cages, the rust covering their bodies. He locked eyes with his Shadow and the two conversed about everything that had been learned about the latest batch. As it stood Harlan believed there was only one chance to unleash his virus, and he wanted it to be perfect. If it killed too quickly, it wouldn¡¯t spread, if it was too weak they¡¯d make a cure. His ideal was one with a long incubation period which let it spread without anyone realizing, but then a rapid showing of symptoms and death. If the Cast were smart, then they¡¯d start locking up their cities, but Harlan doubted they would, he believed that they would scatter like rats, Cast fleeing as far as they could from the infected, dooming them. He watched one of the infected take his last breath, his lung full of holes as they weakened enough that the force of the coughs burst them. Harlan slept in his bath, the first rest he had in weeks; the feeling of blood refused to fade without a soak. He was awoken by a maid. ¡°Your majesty. Darrath and his friend are requesting entrance to bathe.¡± ¡°Fine, send them in.¡± Harlan had expected a young boy, not a girl already into womanhood. ¡°King Fomoria, I didn¡¯t know you were here. Let me excuse myself.¡± ¡°So long as you don¡¯t mind my being here, it¡¯s fine to stay, it¡¯s just a bath.¡± Harlan¡¯s first thought was that he didn¡¯t trust this girl, her words didn¡¯t seem genuine to him, and she was too happy to be there for her to not have been pretending to be awkward. But at the same time, when she looked at Darrath it didn¡¯t seem like she had an ill intent. He assumed she might just look up to him, and thought nothing more of it, his mind slowed by stress and lack of sleep. ¡°How do you know my son?¡± ¡°He saved my life from goblins. It was terrible, I don¡¯t know what I would¡¯ve done if he hadn¡¯t been there.¡± ¡°I hope that I¡¯ve instilled a sense of right and wrong. Good job.¡± Darrath was interrupted in his playing with water magic by the words of praise. He didn¡¯t reply, but he was happy and swam over to Harlan. Yet as he touched his feelers to Harlan he recoiled. ¡°Papa is still sad.¡± ¡°I feel better being around you.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re still sad.¡± ¡°Papa is just¡­ things are complicated for grown ups. When you grow up, maybe things will be better.¡± ¡°Then will papa be happy?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Harlan ruffled his wet hair and kissed Darrath¡¯s forehead. ¡°Why don¡¯t you finish washing up? I¡¯d like to hear more about your friend.¡± ¡°But I want to play.¡± Darrath splashed water around, but Harlan held up his hand and it bade his commands, turning back on the boy. ¡°Vivi, splash papa.¡± She followed her order, but Harlan had two hands, and there was no way he¡¯d be caught off guard by mundane water. The maid found it funny to see her king playing around, but he suddenly excused himself. Wearing his hastily thrown on robe after drying himself with magic, Harlan gated to his room and laid on the bed. It was shameful to him, to flee like this, that he couldn¡¯t even play around a little bit without remembering home, the water fight with Amber and Ava. He was behind schedule, he hadn¡¯t even visited the Sandsea yet, but for the moment he just wanted to stay in his bed. He¡¯d been through this already, he knew that pushing everything down, bearing all of this weight, wasn¡¯t good, but he needed to do it, or so he continued to tell himself. Harlan awoke to a maid telling him it was time for dinner, so he walked the hall, going to eat with the rest of them, and that guest again. ¡°Viviane, do you spend a lot of time here?¡± ¡°Vivi is always here, because she¡¯s my friend, and she- Nevermind.¡± ¡°What are you hiding?¡± ¡°Vivi said I can¡¯t say it, because friends keep secrets for friends.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Never betray a friend, even with good reason it is hard to do.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really no issue, I¡¯ve simply no home to go back to. Too old for the orphanages, but the home given to me feels empty.¡± ¡°Then feel free to spend your time here.¡± ¡°Do you have a wife? Or anyone other woman in your life?¡± Harlan didn¡¯t hesitate a moment. ¡°No, I¡¯ve no feelings towards no woman at the moment.¡± ¡°That is a shame, it is best for a child to have both parents, yet Darrath lacks a mother figure in his life.¡± He was tired and focused on eating, missing the clear reason for her questioning. ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep, I need to get to the Sandsea tomorrow, I¡¯m far behind schedule, and I need more energy.¡± Niwt, capital of the Sandsea. From the dune where he stood, he could see the palace¡¯s pillars that seemed out of place, as if they intended expansion yet never got around to finishing. He took note of their architecture, all sandstone, likely formed right on the spot using earth magic judging by flaws he could make out from the distance. Directly turning sand into stone was far more finicky than with dirt, and for someone with improper training or poor control, pockets of sand or air could remain, and these were the first places that would break off. He thought little of it in the moment as he took the form of a Canis. An old Canis stumbled through to the gates of Niwt, capital of the Sandsea. ¡°Please, help me, bandits have taken everything from me.¡± The guards rushed to aid him. ¡°Terrible thing to happen, please, come inside. Are there any others out there?¡± The old man smiled and stopped the act, turning back to his true form as the guards backed away and pointed their sabers at him. ¡°I¡¯ve come to see Jakel, I am King Harlan Fomoria.¡± Harlan divined his position and started walking forward. Judging by the blades that flew towards him, they either didn¡¯t believe him, or simply didn¡¯t know who he was. The outer layer of armor became like a jelly, and then just as quickly it hardened again, trapping the sabers. Without swords, they threw fireballs at him, the stone buildings wouldn¡¯t burn, but he found it irresponsible, glass could form on the ground and anyone with bare feet would surely suffer for it. To prevent this, Harlan plucked the fireballs from the air, wrapping them in a layer of his own fire and telekinesis. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°This is actually quite good, I must commend you. This one however is weak.¡± He crushed the lesser fireball in his hand, barely singing his hair but not burning his skin. ¡°I¡¯ll be keeping this one, I want to see if someone else can best it.¡± And he kept walking, more and more guards arrived and tried to fight, but their weapons continued to prove ineffective and their spells unable to reach him until one of the guards made his fireball timed, exploding in Harlan¡¯s hand, causing just laughter from him. ¡°Very good, you understood that you couldn¡¯t actually strike me. So far I¡¯m happy to see your magic, perhaps there isn¡¯t much to do here.¡± He kept walking with fireball in hand and a dozen sabers stuck in his armor when suddenly a sandstorm descended on him. Women with tight fitting clothes colored like sand attacked while they should¡¯ve been entirely unseen, using their magic spread through the sand itself to detect where Harlan should be. Yet this trick was one Harlan had known for years, normally done with mist instead of sand, as the more immaterial mists were easier to control due to them holding themselves in the air with little outside influence. The Sand Furies clashed with one another and were confused by seemingly dozens of targets being inside of the sand, meanwhile Harlan simply walked out of the sandstorm. When he reached the foot of the palace, Jakel came out wearing light armor and wielding a white gold saber. Then when he saw who it was, he was upset. ¡°What have you done?¡± ¡°I walked into town and suddenly I was attacked despite making no aggressive actions at any point. Good work with the response time, your guards realized quickly that they could do nothing and brought in some more elite units, finally, you came to meet me in battle instead of sending a champion.¡± Jakel narrowed his eyes and sheathed his saber. ¡°I thought you disliked power plays.¡± ¡°It would¡¯ve been better had none of this happened, since I made no aggressive action, yet your men saw me shift and decided I was a threat without a word.¡± Harlan let it unsaid that it did say something about the nation that they would attack an outsider with almost no provocation, but he chalked it up to over zealous gate guards. ¡°Put that out.¡± ¡°Ah, right, I hoped to find a better one, but that guard at the gate threw a nearly perfect fireball. He must¡¯ve practiced it hundreds of times, even if he is talented.¡± Harlan let go of it and the flames simply faded into mana. ¡°I can return your father to youth now.¡± Jakel stumbled as he walked due to the sudden reveal. ¡°Now?¡± ¡°So long as I have a room that nobody else can view the insides of and it''s at least 8x8, yes. Though I¡¯ll also need to explain the side effects. Does he have a wife? I don¡¯t recall seeing one at the party.¡± ¡°My mother passed away some years ago, sand blight.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is. But he should find a concubine then.¡± Jakel raised his eyebrow, but said nothing, this conversation would be for his father. Harlan explained it and the old man¡¯s expression was solemn. ¡°I¡¯d rather not do such a thing, even after one¡¯s passing, we believe that marriage remains, so that we may be reunited in the fields of wheat beyond death.¡± ¡°That is fine, but know you will have those impulses. If you are strong enough, then there is no issue, you¡¯ll simply maintain control.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I shift often, and I¡¯ve performed major body enhancement more than once, even during puberty, but I¡¯ve never had a strong drive for such things.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ it would be better to simply get over this.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Harlan finished the procedure in just over an hour, there were¡­ minor complications due to his being a Canis, but nothing had gone truly wrong. He stood with his new body, rippling muscles and corrected spine showing his real height at well over seven feet, taller than average for his kind, but not monstrous. He snarled and performed what Harlan could only assume to be traditional meditative dance to calm himself. Yet it hadn¡¯t worked, and Harlan realized there was a slight issue he had overlooked, beastkin had rage, a built in curse, handed down by the gods. In his age the curse couldn¡¯t affect him, his body wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with it, but with a younger body, flooded with new youth, it came back with a vengeance. Even still, the king was powerful for a Canis, but Harlan had given him youth, not an enhanced body. Tau had explained before how to handle the rage, it was as simple as beating the other side into submission. The howls which came from the room caused great worry, but Jakel could only trust Harlan, as Carmilla had asked of him. Eventually Harlan stepped out, specks of blood clear on his clothes. ¡°It was a success. I was a little worried, since I¡¯ve never done this with a beastkin, but I figured out that little quirk.¡± ¡°May I see my father?¡± ¡°Wait for a little bit, he¡¯s still recovering.¡± ¡°What exactly was the little quirk?¡± ¡°The rage. As it turns out, bringing him back to his youth reactivated the curse, so I had to beat him until it faded.¡± ¡°What barbaric nonsense is this? How dare you-¡± Harlan closed the distance between them in an instant, and the guards drew their weapons. ¡°If there is another answer to the rage, then I do not know it, this is how I was taught by my friend, a Minos, to handle it once it has taken hold. Mind your tone, for he is in no danger, and I have given him an extended life without the aches and pains of age.¡± Jakel lightly snarled, not appreciating Harlan¡¯s tone. ¡°We have sedatives which target the rage.¡± ¡°My apologies. Had I known of them I would¡¯ve sought your help.¡± Harlan¡¯s ears twitched. ¡°He is awake now, you may visit. Who would be best to speak with about gathering building materials?¡± ¡°There is a quarry some 60 miles west, the quarry master would be the best source of stone, if that is what you need.¡± ¡°Yes, stone, I intend to connect your cities. From what we spoke of before, most deaths here are related to the dangers of traversing the desert, and many of the others are related to organized crime. By building a series of tunnels, and then trains to ride for people and cargo, I intend to cut both of those issues. From there your only real weakness is your magic, but I am uncertain of how much, so I will need you to gather powerful members of your army who are likely to pick up what I teach them quickly, from there they may pass these things.¡± Harlan walked through a gate, leaving the prince to speak with his father.
Sholl sat outside of Seraphallen¡¯s office, anxious, ready to be scolded like a child by the Hand. ¡°Come in.¡± The Cast¡¯s dark blue and black body contrasted the white and gold right hand and spiked halo of light around his head, like the crown of a religious king, yet these things were not the parts of him that drew the eye so strongly. Seraphallen floated above the floor with his back to the Finger, and on his back were six limbs, fingers complete with nails, with clear segmentation from the six joints on them. The other oddity of the man was his body, thin, almost skeleton in shape. Without his metallic sheen, one might not believe him a Cast at all. ¡°Please, sit.¡± Sholl was fearful of what would happen, Ur, Left Hand of the Emperor, his direct superior, sat in the corner, faint red lines showed the fire inside him was at least calm under control. ¡°Dear Sholl, you¡¯ve encountered a creature destroying one of our cities and stealing are slaves. What can you tell me about this fight?¡± Sholl puffed out his chest. ¡°It was no threat, I arrived and we fought for only a short time before I destroyed the body entirely with the emperor¡¯s magic.¡± ¡°Really? I don¡¯t see why I would¡¯ve been given reports about this as if it was something important if it was simply a magical beast.¡± Sholl saw what was happening, and though Seraphallen was not his commander, he knew of the man. ¡°It tried to copy my magic.¡± The Hand turned around, his gaunt face inches from Sholl and his white hand on his throat. ¡°YOUR MAGIC?¡± The Hand lifted Sholl into the air and squeezed until he couldn¡¯t breath, the hollow holes where his eyes should be filled with light. Then just as quickly as he was angered, the Hand returned to the center of the room, dropping Sholl to the floor. ¡°What can you tell me about the creature?¡± Sholl coughed and cast healing magic to repair his damaged throat before speaking. ¡°I destroyed the entire body, nothing but a crater was left when the smoke cleared.¡± ¡°So you¡¯ve learned nothing about where it came from, or who made it?¡± ¡°I destroyed a threat before it could-¡± ¡°A second attack has taken place, a monster that shapeshifted and used our emperor¡¯s magic killed hundreds of soldiers and stole many products belonging to the empire. What you¡¯ve done is take a perfect chance to study what it was and you destroy it because of your shortsightedness. Perhaps you are simply not worthy of the finger you¡¯ve been given.¡± Seraphallen put his hand on Sholl¡¯s wrist and started to squeeze, nearly severing it. ¡°I promise, I promise I will find the maker of the monsters, please, don¡¯t take my finger.¡± The pitch black Cast with shining hand moved from his corner and placed his hand on Seraphallen¡¯s. ¡°He is under me, not you, this is my judgment.¡± The giant appendages on his back wiggled and made popping sounds, but he let go of the Finger and floated back. ¡°Reports indicate that the creature came out of a room where a Dague man was seeing the slavemaster about selling human slaves, and that this man came from the southern gate. But even these reports are weeks old, and it was only brought to us because the Eyes noticed a possible connection. Seraphallen is here to open a gate for you to go there, but If you fail in this task, your finger will be given to another candidate.¡± Ur phased away, having never truly been in the room, but rather astrally projecting his form from his tent. Sholl made his way to the path of destruction that still remained in the slave markets, and with his arrival, the people, flesh and metal, bowed to him. ¡°Rise. I come seeking information about the thing which attacked the city.¡± The guards lead Sholl to a building where many of the displaced residents were being housed during reconstruction. He came upon a worker, the one who Harla had spoken with to get a meeting with the slavemaster. ¡°So you say he was 10 foot tall, hairy, with sharp features and horns that spiraled around his head. Yet he was also lithe and handsome, with teeth like a beast.¡± She couldn¡¯t speak, realizing how fear had warped her mind. The guard captain stepped forward. ¡°If you¡¯ve been lying to protect that beast then I¡¯ll have you-¡± ¡°Enough.¡± The room went silent. ¡°If you¡¯ve misremembered, that is no crime, but try to focus, think about the man, before you saw the monster.¡± After minutes of meditation with Sholl holding her hands and humming, she calmed. ¡°He was seven feet tall, his horns weren¡¯t straight, but had a slight curve, his features were sharp, but not so much that he looked vampiric. He was handsome, and carried himself with ease, like nothing around him was even possibly a threat. And¡­ his armor, it peaked up from his collar, it was layered, dark gray, like it was made of stone.¡± ¡°What about his weapon?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t carry one.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t carry a weapon?¡± ¡°Unless it was something I didn¡¯t understand. Oh, the man, the small one who was with him, I think he was human, but he wore a hood. I saw no weapon, but there was a handle for something on both sides of him.¡± Once the woman drew it, he recognized it instantly. Yet this place was far from the imperial heartland, such things should not exist here. ¡°Captain, you are certain that they came from the south gate?¡± ¡°Yes, but we saw the beast cast gate multiple times with little warning, so there is no telling if he came from the south, or if it is a misdirection.¡± ¡°Have faith, a clue is better than assuming the worst, if south he came, then south I shall go. Thank you for all of the help.¡± Sholl stepped outside of the building and into the worst destroyed areas, casting the sigil of creation, building stone walls and evening the land so that it could more easily be built upon. Then he started walking south, without clear destination in mind. One of the residents did have to warn him however, that there was nothing south but monsters across the canal, beasts of stone who¡¯ve caused entire armies to vanish, not leaving a scrap of flesh or metal, it was not a place which people would survive. Chapter 245: The Sandsea Harlan had to argue more than he¡¯d like, but he got the stone and brought in golems to cut them to size and sort it so he could later gate it to the places where it could be used to build the tunnels. He had also had some new designs for the trains. Inside of the veil the wildlife was generally more dangerous, even after over 1,500 years, the remnants of the fall of Reino and the monster waves that poured in never really went away. Humanity beat back the beasts, forcing them deeper into the frontier, and as the frontier was conquered, they were pushed more and more. Yet some remained hidden, and so many places were spread out from one another that something always got missed in the purges. Here in the desert, Harlan had already had the situation explained to him, and without any really dangerous creatures such as the massive sandworms of the Great Desert, above ground trains would be viable even if made from mundane metals. The downside was that they wouldn¡¯t be the gravitational and magnetic levitation design that could move hundreds of miles per hour. Still, so long as the tunnels were cleared now and then the trains should be safe enough and fast enough. Now, he needed to train the Canis of the Sandsea in powerful magic. He had avoided doing so like this in the territories because he¡¯d be starting from scratch, since very few humans there knew magic, and fewer still could be trusted. But here they had a base, many of these people had military experience either against revolts or the very rare monster wave. Harlan did pause when he heard about attempts at overthrowing the royalty of the Sandsea, but even Ragne, which he found to be a bearable country, had to put down revolts which were often led by some noble or another as a power grab. He overlooked the people who he would be teaching, in total it would be 10 people, high ranking military types, some more scholarly, and some of royal blood. Jakel had two children, one older man, already in his 30s, and the other was a girl, though Harlan hadn¡¯t met her. She had neither been at Carmilla¡¯s party, nor was she here to learn. ¡°Before I begin, I must know, and I will say this bluntly, do you want me to teach you like I would my students, or do you want to be coddled?¡± Tatton rose from his seat. ¡°Would your training entail any harm to us?¡± Harlan looked up for a moment, trying to bring his thoughts together, no matter how hard he tried, no sleep had been truly restful in some time. But to them, it looked like he was hesitating to speak. ¡°No, the only harm would possibly be to your pride. I¡¯ve never laid a hand on any student of mine unless it was a friend and I absolutely thought a lesson needed to be taught with force.¡± ¡°Then we expect you to teach us properly.¡± Harlan opened a gate and helped his golems push through a large stone block. ¡°How would each of you pierce the block? How would you do it quickly? Would you break it apart with overwhelming power? Or use concentration to pierce only a single part? There are no wrong answers.¡± Tatton spoke first. ¡°I believe it best to use a series of sand blades, a mix of air and earth, the rapidly moving grains allow one to add grit and cutting power, with the deep cuts it creates points in which the stone is weakened, and a larger force would then cause it to shatter along these fracture lines.¡± Jakel was of another mind. ¡°Void, it would eat away at the block and pierce it.¡± ¡°Can you use void safely? Get it to perfectly maintain its form? Solid void? Or a splash of liquid void? You overestimate your power often, you overestimate your control.¡± Harlan slammed his fist into the stone block, deeply cracking it. ¡°Tatton, if the enhancement has left you emotionally unstable, it would be best for you to return to these classes in another few days. Jakel, can you use void safely?¡± Harlan accented his point by creating a blade of void and stabbing it into the stone before turning back towards them ¡°Can your void maintain cohesion when it gets away from you? Or¡­¡± Harlan let the blade turn to liquid and drip down the stone, devouring it as it did so. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then that is what matters.¡± Harlan brought the stone back to its original shape and watched each of them destroy it in their own way, giving tips as needed. For the swirling sands of the king, he didn¡¯t make the weak points, instead he used concentric circles of wind with the sand inside, each circle spinned the opposite from the layer above it and bored a hole through the stone more quickly than if he had made the weak spots in the first place. Yet they had a great deal of issue replicating Harlan¡¯s technique. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, shouldn¡¯t you people have great mana control after so much time? Tatton, you are over a century old, but I felt better control from that gate guard. His fireball was perfect, it was dense, hot, cohesive, it was pure, almost no energy was lost from it, I¡¯m certain he could put a hole through any mundane armor with such a thing.¡± ¡°Then get him to explain it to us.¡± It was an hour, and yet the best of them had only managed four circles of sand and wind, far from the over 30 which Harlan had managed. ¡°Fine, I will return with him.¡± Let alone in one of the royal courtyards, they spoke to one another. ¡°The sheer arrogance of that child. Not 20 years of age yet he dares to speak down to the king.¡± ¡°General Shik, do mind that he is right. And Jakel, my apologies. Harlan has warned me that I may become overly passionate for a time, but I should not have reacted as I had. Your issues with control are minor, and you¡¯ve made a good king without my handing over of the title.¡± ¡°But the general is right, the boy is arrogant, and more importantly dangerous. He has already taken over the United Territories, and now he floods our nation with dozens of his golems which he says are for construction, yet their claws cleave stone and their exoskeletons have survived being crushed by blocks of stones that weigh thousands of pounds.¡± ¡°The United Territories gave up their lands, he took nothing. But you are right, he is dangerous and hard to predict. At the party, he shot himself in the head and spit the bullet out, and here he arrives and fights his way through without harming any of our soldiers, showing that he could kill them far too easily.¡± The master healer spoke up. ¡°Surely you must be mistaken.¡± ¡°Of which part?¡± ¡°Shooting himself and spitting out the bullet.¡± ¡°I saw it myself, Colton picked up the bullet and checked, there is no illusions, the boy is either a monster in human skin, or a human in monster skin.¡± ¡°That just¡­ no that doesn¡¯t make sense¡­¡± ¡°Colton has also informed me of Harlan destroying much of a city north of Kingdom, he devoured men without regard and grew in size until he was over 30 feet in length and half as tall, his fur turned to iron and his breath like that of a dragon. Scything buildings and men down like wheat, covered in dozens of hands and mouths.¡± Tatton¡¯s eyes dropped, he was deep in thought about what his son implied. ¡°Father, we have the Godtouched Saber, I am simply saying, once he has taught us magic, perhaps-¡± Harlan returned through a gate with the guard in tow along with a bundle of candles. Harlan cut the stone with whips of void and made a table for each of them, while the guard stood by his side. ¡°What magic lets you lift the stones like that? I see no movement of stone mana, nor wind.¡± ¡°Right now I am hoarding that magic, it provides a unique advantage to my people.¡± ¡°Perhaps we could-¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°I will say no more on the subject.¡± Harlan snapped his fingers and sent sparks that lit each candle. ¡°Explain.¡± The guard looked confused, but Harlan patted his shoulder as a gesture of safety. ¡°Explain to them how you gained your control.¡± ¡°Ah, I, well, I-¡± ¡°Calm yourself, there is no insult in your knowing more, this is for the betterment of your entire nation. Please, tell them what you told me about your personal training.¡± The Canis exhaled, blowing out his candle, but Harlan just snapped his fingers again. He moved his hands, forming shapes in the flame, splitting and joining it, even changing the colors by changing the heat of it. ¡°It¡¯s just a game, something I would do as a child. The goal is to keep making these shapes and colors without burning up the wax or the wick too quickly. If you just increase the heat, then the candle melts, but if you condense the flame inward, like wrapping a skin around it, then the heat doesn¡¯t read the wax below or the wick inside, it''s just heating up the outside layers while the inside is normal fire.¡± ¡°And how long have you been playing this game?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be 25 this coming summer, so I suppose 9 years?¡± ¡°Very good. Now, try this trick.¡± Harlan explained the concentric circles of sandy wind and told him to make a hole in the table, which the man did with relative ease, controlling nine circles on his tenth attempt. ¡°Thank you for your help with this, you may return to your work.¡± ¡°You are welcome, King Fomoria.¡± With the guard gone, Harlan returned to facing his class. ¡°It is simple, you are all mages, and each of you have neglected a fundamental part of magic, control. I don¡¯t know the exact differences in education systems in our respective nations, but to me it is clear as day, and I¡¯m baffled somewhat that such an issue is even possible.¡± ¡°We can control our magic just fine.¡± ¡°All of you, throw fireballs at me, and I will show the difference in control between us.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what game you are playing, but-¡± Harlan tossed his own fireball, melting the corner of the general¡¯s table and making him jump. He pretended that he meant to do it, but Harlan felt his control over his emotions faltering even if his mana control was still well. ¡°Notice that? No splashing molten stone, no explosion, my fireball is heat, flames are a byproduct of that heat leaking and igniting the air. I was the top of my class for warmagic, and the things which are emphasized so strongly in that class are control, efficiency. How many fireballs can any of you throw before you get tired? 50? 100?¡± The general had a smug look on his face. ¡°147 is my best record of continuous fireball drills.¡± ¡°Any third year student can throw 200, fireballs are so heavily used because they are cheap, easy to master, if you can¡¯t even beat a third year whose soul hasn¡¯t even reached the peak in mana increases, then wipe that look off of your face. Do you know warmagic?¡± ¡°Of course. I can use a giant fireball that would glass 100 feet around in an instant.¡± ¡°And how many of these novas can you cast back to back? What is your cast time?¡± ¡°Eight, and three minutes each.¡± ¡°So you¡¯ve the same issue I had in most of my schooling, you¡¯ve taken your first step and then decided to start running. Once each of you masters the candle trick at the same level as that lowly guard who I saw you dismiss with your eyes, then I will teach you a much better means of learning control.¡± ¡°Why not start with that then?¡± ¡°Because the other spell requires living subjects, and I¡¯d rather you all not kill hundreds of small animals and make fools out of yourselves, then we will move to another test using fire, and then we can move on to the multi-elemental training. Finally I¡¯ll teach you some proper warmagic, since I¡¯m doubting any of you can use splitter or spiral magic.¡± Nobody even asked, since none of them knew what Harlan meant with the terms. After several hours and two extra meals, each of them were at a level Harlan found acceptable, so he allowed them to continue, and brought in decks of cards. ¡°Now, I¡¯m not certain about the differences between our cultures, but where I am from, each card has four possible shapes, spade, club, heart, and diamond. We use them for many different games, but here I want you to burn out these, without singing the edges of the shapes, I want clean cuts, this will require much control, and is a test I reserved for third years who struggled with control as their magical power increased and they failed to keep up in their training. Each deck is 52 cards, and each card as four of these symbols on each corner. If you fail to make a clean cut, the entire deck is worthless, you should burn the rest of the shapes just for practice, but I won¡¯t consider this done until you can burn the entire deck without a single mistake.¡± ¡°And how many years were you at this place of learning? What year were you?¡± ¡°Well, I was a third year, had I not come here, I would¡¯ve completed that and my fourth year, then I would have graduated.¡± ¡°So you were teaching other students in your own year? How talented.¡± The general¡¯s tone was mocking. ¡°If you plan to call me a liar then do so, but don¡¯t pretend that talent got me here. Harlan morphed his body, showing the many scars he had hidden and healed, his body more damaged flesh than healthy, acid, fire, frost, deep scars from cuts. Harlan gripped his table so hard that cracks were forming in the stone. ¡°I have fought tooth and nail for every scrap of power that I have, because every single day I lived in fear of what being weak would do, and it is that power that lets me walk into this city and avoid a casualty as I casually strolled to this palace, and it is that power that lets me speak to you like I am because I know there is not a single godsdamned thing you can do about it even if each of you tried your damndest to harm me.¡± Before Shik could respond, the king raised his voice. ¡°I believe that we have had enough training for today. Thank you for your time, King Fomoria.¡± Harlan exhaled and returned his body to normal, his armor creeping back up and over his chest. ¡°I am glad you have graced these lessons with your presence today, King Tatton.¡± Harlan bowed to him. ¡°I shall join you for dinner shortly, there is something else which I must take care of before then.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Harlan left through a gate, returning to a lab, though not the one which was under his home, rather a new one set up for Murk. ¡°You wanted something?¡± ¡°I need test subjects.¡± ¡°What about the ones you had before?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve run out, this is expensive work.¡± ¡°So before, that prison was like a revolving door of new subjects. Is that why they weren¡¯t just being executed? Because I found it a bit incongruous with what I know of old path culture.¡± ¡°The prisons were set up by the old king who was new path, but yes, I convinced Thrash to maintain the prison system so they could be transferred to me as subjects. That man covets magic, it is the one thing he hasn¡¯t been able to conquer with his might. He has wealth, power, women, a nation to rule, and yet it isn¡¯t enough.¡± ¡°What part of your research is killing your subjects?¡± ¡°Let me show you.¡± She cut into her last subject and tried to manipulate the aura which came out. Though to her, she had no idea what it was other than some form of energy that wasn¡¯t mana. She didn¡¯t know this, since no Goliath had ever sensed mana before, any power they had was based on Fae magic which required no understanding and gave no understanding, it simply was. To Harlan, it was clear what she was trying to do, but she had no real idea, and was fumbling around in the dark. ¡°Oh, so your research is to manipulate the aura which is internal and thus not affected by the magical resistance of your species.¡± ¡°What?¡± Harlan went over the research with her, making sure he understood what it was actually saying. ¡°Had I known what you research really was, I would¡¯ve solved it immediately. I¡¯m sorry to have wasted your time, I¡¯ve been too busy to look over what you are actually doing. Would you like me to unlock your aura?¡± ¡°Is this magic?¡± ¡°Telekinesis is rather simple manipulation of the physical alone. You can¡¯t shoot fireballs or lightning, but you can impart force onto things without needing to physically make contact, so it is something.¡± ¡°Do it then, I can¡¯t wait to feel magic.¡± Harlan raised his hand and in an instant it was done, once one knew how it was done, unlocking an aura was simple. Murk fell to the ground and Harlan rushed to her aid. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t feel well.¡± He could feel her aura going wild as her eyes rolled back into her head, but like a muscle, it needed to be exercised, and it was weak due to never having been used before, so she simply knocked some light instruments off of the counter. She began convulsing, and Harlan had an idea of what to do. There was nothing directly wrong with her body, nor her soul, the aura was an oddity that wasn¡¯t fully understood even by the beastkin who had used and researched it their entire lives. Not requiring any understanding, and imparting any understanding, once activated, it simply was. ¡°You need to control your aura, it¡¯s like another limb, lift, push, pull, control it, don¡¯t let it control you.¡± Murk tried her best, but it was for naught, the body of a Goliath didn¡¯t cycle mana passively as other species did, this natural process tempered the body, and allowed it to better accept magic, in all forms. A people who were not designed with the natural magical systems of the world were naturally incapable of controlling magic, in all forms. ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­ I¡­ I¡­¡± Harlan went with his final resort, an attempt at breaking her aura. In theory he could do it, that book of aura techniques mentioned that one could temporarily cripple the aura of another. But he barely remembered the exact wording of the technique, it wasn¡¯t important to him and he hadn¡¯t even picked the book up in years, leaving it in his library. So this was a test of skill and memory. Harlan sat there in the lab, covered in Murk. His failure led to a build up, which is what he was afraid of in the first place, with all of the energy cycling inside of her eventually¡­ He considered it an unfortunate accident, but nobody could¡¯ve seen it coming, her research and understanding of what was happening was wrong, and he had been operating on the assumption that as a scientist of sorts, the woman had been right. He took the largest pieces of her he could find and gathered them for a proper burial. Regardless of his own thoughts on killing her to avoid anyone finding out he had taken her and because of her seeming to lack loyalty for anything but her research, she was someone who worked for him and was a citizen, her body would not go to the flesh pits. He vowed that he would have a good night''s sleep, no matter how much he had to force himself or what magic he needed to us. Would it have changed the results? Would he have saved her if he was well rested and thinking more clearly? Harlan felt the need to blame himself, and was quite good at finding ways to do that. Every if in his life haunted him.
Deep below that prison tower, the man pulled on his chains, annoyed at losing his chance to escape. His jailer mocked him for becoming so weak that he couldn¡¯t even control one human. Chapter 246: Loss of Focus He fought the beast, but its six wings were too powerful, the talons on its four legs shredded his armor. As it finished him off his perspective changed. He was that bird again, back in that field. He remembered the shouting, the fear, the refusals to just retreat. Harlan awoke paralyzed again. The night terrors wouldn¡¯t leave him be, no matter how much he tried to justify what he did, he couldn¡¯t get their faces out of his dreams. On three hours of good sleep, he should¡¯ve been rested enough for a week without issue. On three hours of bad sleep, he could barely focus on anything, his mind seeming like it wanted to return to the nightmares. So he got up from the bed and wandered around the palace. The guards would give him odd looks, but they wouldn¡¯t stop him. He didn¡¯t have any destination in mind, he just walked and walked. Eventually he left the palace to go down the dead streets of the city. There was little in the way of a night life in this place, no brothels, the taverns would close at midnight, and the inns had curfews. So it was odd that someone had been following behind him since before he left the palace. He looked back at his memories and realized they had left one of the rooms not far from him shortly after he woke up. Harlan turned the corner and just stopped, waiting for whoever it was. When she ran into him the loose robe was revealed to just be a bedsheet, and with her loss of grip it fell from her body, showing her white fur. ¡°You are too rotund to be an assassin.¡± Harlan hadn¡¯t even realized what he said until the young woman started crying. He leaned down and looked in her eyes. She was albino, something he heard about, but hadn¡¯t seen in a prime species. Inside the veil superstition said they were bad luck because of their odd appearance and sensitivity to light that made them need glasses, thus they would more often choose to only come out at night, associating them with vampires. He assumed it was little better out here. He put his hand on her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to say that.¡± ¡°But you thought it still.¡± She slashed at him, her hand getting caught by his armor. His eyes lost their pity. ¡°You will answer my questions or die.¡± She screamed for help but Harlan already had a veil set up. ¡°Who are you?¡± When she realized there was no escape, she pretended to calm down, but he could feel her fear swirling. ¡°My name is Petra, daughter of Cleo, Jakel is my uncle.¡± ¡°I hadn¡¯t heard anything about you, but we¡¯ll keep going on the assumption that you aren¡¯t lying to me.¡± ¡°Really, Cleo is my mother, they just¡­¡± ¡°They just what?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t like people seeing me, because of my appearance. And I can¡¯t see well, the lights are all too bright, it hurts to look around without my veil during the day. So I wander around at night.¡± ¡°Have they ever hurt you?¡± ¡°What? NO! THEY JUST DON¡¯T LIKE PEOPLE SEEING ME.¡± She struggled against his armor, and eventually decided to use her free hand to conjure a fireball, slamming it into him, but at the same time, due to the distance she was caught up in her own attack. Yet just as the pain set in, it was gone again. She feared to open her eyes, worried he had taken the limb off and she was in shock. ¡°Next question, why were you following me?¡± She saw her fur was regrown, and Harlan even let her other hand go, her mind went to fleeing, but at the same time, she had no idea if she¡¯d get this chance again. ¡°They won¡¯t let me learn magic, I really wanted to be part of your classes, so I was hoping to learn something by watching you.¡± He looked up and down her body, finding the age of a Canis was slightly odd, and here they didn¡¯t seem to have the tradition of cropping ears so they stood straight for women. ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°14¡± ¡°Large for your age.¡± He could see the pain on her face. ¡°I mean you are tall, I¡¯m very sorry for what I said before, I haven¡¯t been able to sleep well and it is affecting how I talk to people.¡± She got up to walk away. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you, some things at least.¡± She stopped, offense fought with desire, and turned around. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because, I know what it¡¯s like to be thought of as odd looking and judged based on that instead of who I am.¡± ¡°And you won¡¯t tell mother?¡± ¡°Should I not? Haven¡¯t you already learned magic?¡± ¡°Well, I¡­ I sneak into the record rooms and read the scrolls, but nobody is supposed to teach me magic.¡± ¡°Then I will keep it a secret, just between us. Visit me in the night, which shouldn¡¯t be an issue since you clearly know how to sneak past the guards.¡± Harlan reached down into the sand, his fingers white hot, and made a pair of glass lenses. On the outside he carved runes so small that they were almost impossible to see, and once activated he tested changing the mana flow to make the lenses darken. ¡°If you bring me some metal, I can fashion these into a pair of glasses that should help you during the day.¡± ¡°That was so fast! Amazing, thank you, I¡¯ll be your best student ever and-¡± ¡°Just show up tomorrow night, I will decide if I¡¯ll continue teaching you from there.¡± She seemed to realize her tone and tried to bow in a more noble manner, but Harlan could tell how giddy she was. Harlan had spent a week already training the would-be trainers of others. He had originally planned a much shorter stay here since he thought he just needed to lay the groundwork and then set his golems with the right orders, but it felt wrong to do so now when it was clear that the people of the Sandsea didn¡¯t understand magic the way Harlan wanted them to. To them it was just a tool, and while many in Ragne viewed it like that, those people were invariably lower ranked mages. He wanted to teach them to enjoy magic, to love what it could do and to seek to improve on everything that they had. As it stood they simply used the same old scrolls to teach the same old spells and techniques without looking for how to really improve themselves, their apathy and arrogance bothered Harlan greatly. He stood there and watched as the last of his students, Jakel¡¯s son, managed to burn out the last of his cards. Harlan clapped and cheered, but quickly stopped himself, realizing how patronizing it might seem to the grown man in front of him. ¡°Ahem. Congratulations on finishing the cards, now you may begin soul searching.¡± ¡°Sometimes it is interesting to see how you react.¡± ¡°I would like to impart my knowledge, but I wish to impart my enthusiasm for it. Magic has been a constant in my life, it has never betrayed me. And by teaching all of you I can continue to believe that there is nobody who cannot be taught, only people who don¡¯t want to learn.¡± ¡°You are quite naive at times. Why exactly are you teaching us anyway? From what I can see, you¡¯d be better served turning us into more of you golems.¡± Harlan¡¯s face turned sour, and the man¡¯s stomach dropped as he saw the fire in Harlan¡¯s eyes grow. ¡°Those who see people as nothing but resources sicken me, and it is those people whose bodies fill my flesh pits and make my army.¡± He turned away and entered a gate. Harlan hated that he reacted as he had, but despite all attempts being made, he had yet to get a good night¡¯s sleep. He could keep going, he wasn¡¯t going to collapse, but his mood only worsened. So when a child who ran into his leg and hurt his snout looked up at Harlan¡¯s angry face he froze in fear. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I wasn¡¯t looking where I was going. Are you alright?¡± The boy¡¯s mother rushed over and got on her knees to grovel as a crowd quickly began to form. ¡°My apologies for my child, please show mercy, we are only lowly people who know no better.¡± ¡°No, you are not. You are just people, not lowly. I¡¯ve no intention to harm anyone without reason, a child running into me is going to hurt himself far more than me.¡± Harlan grabbed the boy¡¯s hand and the bleeding from his snout stopped. He wiggled and rubbed it, finding that the pain was gone and he felt great, a minor sickness having been cleansed from his system. ¡°I am here to help those who may need it, though you are not my citizens, it is the duty of a king to better the world, harming children does nothing of the sort.¡± The woman stood up, quickly but politely trying to drag her son away from Harlan, but as she dragged him away, the boy asked what Harlan was as soon as they believed he couldn¡¯t hear him, and the mother answered that she had no idea. His appearance was¡­ not like anything else, not really. He wasn¡¯t a beast, not Dague, not human, not Fomorian, Harlan was himself, and he didn¡¯t know what to feel about that. He took on the horns and the taller body because it seemed right at the time, but it only highlighted what he wasn¡¯t. His pale skin and eyes of light, dark and fire, his face, those were what remained of him. It shouldn¡¯t bother him, before now it hadn¡¯t very much, he thought that being surrounded by so many different kinds of people meant he¡¯d just blend in, he¡¯d be another person who just looked different. Harlan kept walking the streets until he was called back to the palace. ¡°Good work King Tatton, you¡¯ve finished the lesson, your control is leagues above the others, feel free to try the concentric circles again.¡± His tone was dull, and his eyes lifeless, but it was as if not one of them noticed, they just continued doing the work which Harlan told them to do for the sake of growing stronger and ignored his plight. ¡°13 circles, very nice.¡± Harlan continued to watch the lessons, but everything felt wrong, he didn¡¯t understand any of it, he didn¡¯t want to do this anymore, he just wanted to see Adina. He closed his eyes and imagined her. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Before he knew it, the day had passed him by. ¡°Dinner is ready, King Fomoria.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, thank you, King Tatton.¡± ¡°You may call me Tatton.¡± ¡°It¡¯s best to keep things professional between us.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°How much longer do you think you have? Seven? Nine years? I gave you five extra at the very most, and not a day more, you looked ready to keel over months ago at Carmilla¡¯s party.¡± ¡°You fear death, not your death, but others, I think that-¡± Harlan put his hand up. ¡°I¡¯ve already had this conversation, it''s been the topic of many conversations with a friend of mine. You are right, I don¡¯t want to connect with you because I fear your death is too soon, and it would cause me harm to go through that.¡± ¡°Ah. Then I shall not push the issue, though I do hope you become softer towards my children and grandchildren. Perhaps you¡¯d like to meet the younger ones?¡± ¡°You have what, eight of them?¡± ¡°Seven.¡± Harlan could see how uncomfortable he became about the subject, and it infuriated him. He¡¯d already spent these last few nights teaching Patra and she was a nice, albeit clearly very sheltered girl, and Harlan couldn¡¯t help but see her like he saw Adina. They looked at her like a curse, but at the same time they couldn¡¯t bring themselves to kill her. So she remained locked away during the day and was only let out at night, her grandfather not even considering her part of the family. ¡°I¡¯m quite tired, maybe another time.¡± In the morning Harlan saw Jakel training with his saber, that Godtouched steel which Harlan had only very rarely seen, something which was truly befitting a king. ¡°King Fomoria. Would you care to join me?¡± He would care, but Harlan was trying to be a good guest as much as they had been acceptable hosts. ¡°Of course.¡± Jakel squared up, intent on showing Harlan that he wasn¡¯t weak, that this saber which had been passed down for centuries was enough to be seen as a powerful nation. ¡°You have no sword?¡± ¡°I stopped carrying one, little point with what else I can do.¡± Harlan took a stance with one hand out at a 45 degree angle and with an open palm facing inward while the other remained near his waist. On his feet he cast spells for friction reduction while the hand near his waist was used to spin himself around. Harlan understood how it seemed, but he had been feeling Jakel¡¯s jealousy and anger towards him for days already, and it was annoying. For the next 30 minutes people gathered to watch Harlan fight Jakel, but it was entirely one sided. Harlan was simply too fast for him, the blade could slice Harlan with ease, but it was impossible for Harlan to be cut by someone who couldn¡¯t touch him. Yet that feeling bothered him, he knew that the blade would cut him, but he only knew by assumption, he knew that the gold white metal was powerful, it was magic, it was called Godtouched, but that was all what he knew from others. He had gotten so caught up in what it might do to him that he fumbled the deflection, losing the tips of his middle fingers. It hurt, it burned, the blade was abnormal, attacking his soul. Not realizing immediately what he had done and still expecting Harlan to deflect the next attack, Jakel continued with the motions which had been drilled into his body a thousand times and followed up the slash with a stab to the heart. Shock filled the room, and Harlan collapsed in a pool of his own blood. ¡°GET A HEALER.¡± Harlan plunged his hand into his chest and the smell of hot iron filled the air as he sealed the wound himself. Yet this would not be enough, the blade canceled his natural healing and made using magic to heal more difficult. ¡°Thread¡­¡± Harlan said in a weak voice. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Needle¡­ thread¡­ I¡¯ll sew it myself.¡± A maid happened to carry a small sewing kit with her and Jakel did as said. They watched in wonder as the needle and thread seemed to come to life and close up the hole. The healers and guards helped move Harlan to his room so he could rest, the magic he had used did help, but there was still a hole which was only slowly healing as the magic of the metal faded away. Harlan laid there in the bed, bandages stained with black blood on his chest. And Jakel watched, wondering if now was the time to put an end to him before he grew more powerful and started conquering them. He slid his saber from its sheath and placed it to Harlan¡¯s neck. Then in his slumber, Harlan muttered to himself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I couldn¡¯t¡­ I failed you¡­¡± These words brought Jakel a moment of hesitation, and hearing the guards outside greeting Patra made him put the saber away. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I¡­ I just wanted to see the king that was visiting, I¡¯m sorry to have bothered you.¡± The chance was gone, she had already witnessed him with Harlan, if he killed him, he would need to kill her to ensure nobody who he couldn¡¯t be sure was going to stay quiet knew. For a brief moment he considered the idea, pin her death on Harlan somehow, justify the killing, but he decided against it, anyone Carmilla sent would likely find out the truth somehow, because that is simply what she does. ¡°You have seen him, return to your room and your classes, you¡¯ve been sleeping in too much lately, and your body shows your laziness.¡± She fled the room in tears. After another half an hour, the magic of the blade faded further, and with Harlan¡¯s healing factor back to what it should be, but he pretended to remain sleeping still. He didn¡¯t open his eyes when Jakel put the saber to his neck because he felt another presence in the room, and put his faith into Coronach. As he laid there and tried to go back to sleep, still acting as if he already was, Patra came in. She sat at the foot of his bed. ¡°I¡¯m happy you didn¡¯t tell mother that I had snuck out, she would¡¯ve been mad at me and made me spar with the soldiers again. I¡¯m also happy that you are sleeping, you looked so tired before, and it would be hard to talk with you if you were awake. I heard you had a son. I want to meet him, because I hope he is like you, but younger, because you are scary, and mother said you did a lot of bad things. I know I said they didn¡¯t hurt me before, but I think you wouldn¡¯t agree, but really, they are trying their best having a member of the family who was born wrong.¡± She continued on with complaints about life until he finally fell into a real sleep. He awoke some hours later, Patra¡¯s words lulled him into a better dream, anger drove his mind away from what he had done, and instead towards the many times he fantasized about killing Adina¡¯s father. Before he was allowed to leave a doctor washed Harlan¡¯s wound and checked that it had really stopped bleeding.. ¡°That blade, it should¡¯ve done far worse than it did. Yet it is almost closed, I can see your flesh heal before my eyes though you¡¯ve cast no more spells.¡± ¡°I¡¯m quite abnormal.¡± She scoffed and left with the other doctors, finding nothing wrong with him. He walked out of town and found a nicely shaped rock he could sit on. Harlan could feel the heat, and the water he put on it sizzled away, but even on his bare skin, he just felt heat. What bothered him most, like so many other times, was that he didn¡¯t understand why it bothered him. He was powerful, he thrived on this power, without it he would feel incomplete, and he had done this to himself. He made the choice to be champion, to replace his flesh with that of beasts, to spent all of those nights working on himself and his magic. And then he came here, to this place. He had seen things that he would never see back home. A nation ruled by a vampire. Men of metal. Beastkin he had never seen. Humans that were somewhere between. He has a son. He calls Dawn his mother. Harlan tried to forget home, to call this place where he is where he belongs, but the lie is fading, and thoughts of those he may never see again eat away at it faster every day. Sitting there on that rock, he closed his eyes for just a moment, and it turned from a desert to a cabin. ¡°I do love that you think so much about what you do, and what you are. But sometimes you trap yourself in a cage of guilt with your own thoughts whipping you until your flesh is raw. Do you believe in karmic debt?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You do, but you don¡¯t like to admit it. How many lives must you save before what happened before is cleared?¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t an answer, I can¡¯t just-¡± ¡°Please, sit.¡± Harlan moved to the rocking chair next to her and she poured him a glass of tea from a crystal pitcher. ¡°What is all of this?¡± ¡°Harlan, I say this from a place of love, you¡¯re killing of Haldren was something I allowed to happen.¡± ¡°I know that you knew, because you watch my future, and you didn¡¯t stop me because you wanted me to sink or swim.¡± She shook her head. ¡°No, I allowed it to happen because that was a debt you could one day repay.¡± Suddenly a large pillar stepped down in front of them, causing Harlan to jump in his seat. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Have you become so far gone you can¡¯t even recognize yourself?¡± The Cabin now stood on a hill far away that let him get a look at the full scope of the thing which stretched for miles and was covered in a glass dome with its own false sun and moon and clouds. ¡°The Living City of Fomoria. You can pay back that debt you owe, even if you don¡¯t believe me, even if when it happens you don¡¯t believe yourself, it shall happen. What you see here is what happens you don¡¯t believe even in your wildest dreams that you can ever set right what happened.¡± ¡°How is that even possible? Is there anyone living in it?¡± ¡°Your citizens live a life free from any worry, food, water, entertainment, all of it is provided freely, they don¡¯t even work. As for how.¡± With a flick of her wrist the ground swelled, and the cabin was torn apart by geysers of blood which shot through it. When Harlan got his bearings and wiped the blood from his eyes he saw the mountains of gravestones which he slid down, they covered every inch of the ground until there was no more ground for them to sprout from. ¡°The gods call me mad for choosing you, because they don¡¯t understand, they see all of the bad that you could do and they don¡¯t see what that same drive could do if you just keep yourself together.¡± ¡°So your plan is to guilt me into behaving.¡± ¡°Harlan, you are my own and only, my champion, my hero. You are the warmth which I grant the world, the arbiter of justice. What I fear is not that you will one day turn into a monster who loses himself, but that you will be a man and lose yourself, not bringing destruction, but simply falling to apathy.¡± She knelt down and grabbed his chin. ¡°You are not my child any longer, you are my true champion. You are different, you are an outsider, you will never fit into their molds. Yet that is exactly what I love about you, there is no other person who could ever be my Harlan. So please, stand up, see this through to the end.¡± ¡°See what through?¡± ¡°All of it.¡± She kissed him on the lips and he woke up. Harlan jolted awake on the stone he sat upon and reached down to feel his wound having been opened, black flakes of dried covered his chest where it had dried when the wound closed again. He had passed out from blood loss. Harlan tried to contact The Darkness, to see if what happened was real, or just the dream of a damaged body. She did not answer him, but he felt the press of her cold lips still. Harlan got up from his stone, cleaning off the bits of dried blood and walked back inside. The guards at the gate looked worried since they could smell the blood. ¡°King Fomoria, are you alright.¡± ¡°Yes. Thank you for asking.¡± Harlan taught his class that day as if nothing had happened at all. For people of such ages and having already gone through Harlan¡¯s mana control exercises, splitter and spiral magics were relatively easy to learn. Whatever issues were had could be solved through self teaching. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, yes, I''m¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Perhaps you need more rest, Godtouched steel can have odd effects on some people.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that.¡± ¡°Very well. If there is something you need, simply ask.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll¡­¡± Harlan simply walked away. He laid there in the guest room and stared at the ceiling, wondering what in the world the Darkness had done that for. Everything up until that point made sense to him, she was giving her warnings about him crossing a line, which she had done many times before, and telling him that he was the only one who could be him was normal, she hadn¡¯t had a champion before now because nobody met her exact criteria. But then why the kiss? Did she know how he had been missing Adina? Despite all of what she¡¯s said, Harlan had no idea how well she actually understood people.
Sholl flew south until he reached past the trees where a wide and raging river cut a natural border in the land. He stopped a moment to look at it, while it was unlikely, him being dragged to the depths by a monster was always a possibility. The horrors of the deep tended to stay there, but there were so many of them that aquatic magical creatures were more often myth than simple recorded fact. Nobody doubted something like the Kraken, they were a species, or perhaps a single entity, which often attacked any ship which got near the veil. Yet it was harder to prove it when someone said they saw a mermaid. Most people assumed them to be real, but they were a species that lived near and inside of the veil, and few would see them, fewer still lived to tell the tale. Sholl shook away his thoughts and simply flew over the river. He had passed miles of arid land that was turning to a proper desert, but had seen no signs of these alleged flesh devouring monsters. He assumed it more likely that the armies before simply made an excuse or ran into something that was abnormal to the area, as all life thus far had been mundane or weak magical creatures. Seeing what looked to be an abandoned home, Sholl flew over to check the structure. Inside he found little, but by the dust, someone had been here sometime recently, likely in the last month since it was clear where things had been moved around such as dressers and beds. But he found no clues to who had been here, or where they had gone. Following the marks where things had been dragged was more fruitful than he expected. Due to the area having walls around it and the arid environment, the tracks hadn¡¯t yet been washed or blown away. They abruptly cut off halfway to the barn, meaning either they picked the items up completely at this point, or they were taken through a gate. He looked at the direction they were going, not actually directly to the barn, no, they were skewed. Sholl flew further over the desert, finding a much larger city that had clearly seen better days, but wasn¡¯t necessarily in disrepair, he just found the repairs crude and they artistically clashed with the older stone buildings they were added onto. The moment he stepped through the gate he felt fear, something here was wrong. He stopped in his tracks, seeing no direct threats. Sholl¡¯s spells searched for traps, but found nothing, and divining for people had given no results either. So he strode forward, cautiously. The other Fingers mocked him greatly for his weakness and his rather cowardly actions at times, they would just walk forward as if they owned the city, dealing with the threats if they dared to reveal themselves. Sholl felt eyes on him and looked at the lighthouse-like towers that marked the four corners of the large house, the only in the place with a yard around it. He flew closer to the tower, hoping to see the person or beast which had put his senses on edge. The tower blinked at him. Chapter 247: The End of A Peaceful Camping Trip With everyone else sleeping, David and Harlan were the only ones left to talk, and now that both of them weren¡¯t worried about killing the mood, they could speak seriously. ¡°Alright, so tell me plainly. You and Adina, you think you¡¯re ready to be parents?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been more scared in my life, but honestly, my parents were younger than us even, and they didn¡¯t have a group of great people to help them, and look how my sisters turned out. I think as long as I don¡¯t try to do everything myself.¡± ¡°Fair point. I think you¡¯ll be fine, but¡­ just stay alive, I can¡¯t imagine that kid growing up right with just Adina and your family. Losing a parent when you¡¯re young, it¡¯s¡­ just stay alive.¡± ¡°How was May? Everyone talks about her like the ground at her feet would blossom into fields of flowers.¡± ¡°They might as well have. She never gave up on anyone, she never let anything go. But she wasn¡¯t vindictive, don¡¯t think of it like that. She remembers everyone she ever met, she never forgot a detail, and she always did everything she could to help everyone she met to be better. It¡¯s what got her killed.¡± David brought his legs to his chest. ¡°If you were there, you and her would¡¯ve been friends, I¡¯m sure of it. She made a lot of enemies by doing the right thing. And eventually, it caught up with her. Officially her death was ruled as being part of a Reinoan skirmish, it became a black mark against us that she failed to defend a town. But¡­¡± He put up a veil around the two of them. ¡°I think the kingdom killed her.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t like the king, so many of his policies were blunt, harsh. He was so worried about protecting his power as king that some people who shouldn¡¯t have gotten caught up in his new policies did, and they died for it. My mom, she was an outspoken critic, she wanted him to hand power back to the nobility on a case by case basis, and there was even a lot of backing behind her, because for every enemy she made, it seemed like she made two friends.¡± David smiled just for a moment, and his tone seemed lighter. Then his expression went dark. ¡°There was talk of revolt, she didn¡¯t want to be queen, but she wanted things to not go out of control in the other way because the Yggdra before him had been a piece of shit who gave away too much power to the nobles. Late one night the army gate mages brought her to a town that the Reinoans were targeting, and in the morning we got the visit telling us she was dead. They wouldn¡¯t show us the body, they made us bury an empty coffin. All of her talk about change was gone, just like that, a few more people died suddenly that night or the days after, and dad was never really the same after that. I think they threatened him to stay quiet, and he did, and it¡¯s been eating at him ever since.¡± He looked up at Harlan. ¡°Are you crying?¡± Harlan wiped his eyes and sniffled. ¡°How could I not? We¡¯re friends, and you¡¯ve been hurting and back then I brought up your mother and I didn¡¯t know and I hurt you then.¡± ¡°It was forever again, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Harlan¡¯s eyes slit, and David could see the violence in him building. ¡°I¡¯m going to find the truth.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Even if it wasn¡¯t Rosewell¡¯s fault, even if it can¡¯t be said publicly, I¡¯m going to find out what happened, and I¡¯m going to get an apology.¡± ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Why the hell not?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the past, Yggdra is dead, Rosewell is queen now.¡± ¡°Can you remember her face?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Can you remember your mother¡¯s face?¡± ¡°Shut the hell up. I¡¯m serious, just fucking drop it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s bullshit. You should know, you need to know.¡± ¡°FUCKING LEAVE IT ALONE.¡± You deserve to David shouted so loud that the veil crumbled. ¡°There is nothing good that is going to come from digging up the past. Knowing for sure won¡¯t change anything.¡± ¡°But you¡­¡± Harlan saw how upset David was. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I won¡¯t mention it again.¡± David went to his tent and grabbed another bottle of wine. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s keep going.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°How many times are we going to get the chance to bond over this bullshit? So come on, bring out your next question.¡± Harlan was shocked into silence until David tossed an empty bottle at him, only for it to shatter harmlessly against his skin. ¡°Fucking bastard, can¡¯t even hurt you.¡± Harlan put up another veil. ¡°Fine. I met your fiance, what¡¯s the problem between you two?¡± ¡°Veronica, that¡¯s the name of the devil I¡¯ve been assigned to put a baby into. She can¡¯t stand Shelly, thinks I¡¯m sleeping with her. Every single time I¡¯m around her she can¡¯t help but badmouth her to her friends and then if I say anything against it she blows up at me and I get talked down to by my father. He¡¯s just completely given up, he thinks he can forget mom by climbing the political ladder, rubbing shoulders with the scum that she despised. As soon as I become count I¡¯m going to burn down everything he¡¯s built, divorce Veronica, and build a cabin in the middle of nowhere, only leaving for things I can¡¯t make myself.¡± ¡°Why not just disown yourself? Leave it behind.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not enough. Every bit of gold my father is making, that¡¯s letting him get so much acclaim so quickly, it¡¯s built on bullshit that she would¡¯ve hated, and I want to tear all of it down on my way out. He¡¯ll never admit it to me, but I think he trades in black market goods. Sometimes I¡¯ll hear him shouting about ¡®that fucking bastard shade thinks he can steal from me?¡¯ but I¡¯ve looked over our papers, nothing on any official ledger is ever reported as stolen.¡± ¡°The Shade?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve heard of him?¡± ¡°Or her. Nobody knows really, a bunch of people claim to be them, and I heard their enterprises stretch across most of the kingdom though.¡± David raised his bottle to the sky. ¡°To The Shade then. Long may he fuck over my father.¡± David was always uptight, Harlan assumed that he was just like that from being a noble, but with drink in him, it sounded more like David compared people to his mother, and everyone fell short. ¡°So Parnell, what is his problem with his fiance?¡± ¡°Marsha, sweet girl.¡± He swirled his wine in the bottle. ¡°I tried to get him to stop being such a whiner about her, but he wants to drink and sleep around, so he considers her an obstacle for his journey of self-destruction.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s he like that anyway? I think I heard something about his dad being that way too.¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to sound crazy, their name being Pearl is just a cover, his granddad got their noble title because they are from a line of powerful blood mages. He¡¯s drunk so often because their bloodline lets them convert the alcohol into mana.¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°He told me once when he was too drunk to lie, or at least I think he was. For all I know, it really was a lie, but I believe it anyway. You know what else? I heard his grandfather is still alive, and that he¡¯s a vampire.¡± ¡°Now that I could probably check out, the Nightwatchers love me.¡± David laid down, supporting himself with his elbow as he took another drink. ¡°HA, that I¡¯d like to know.¡± His face took a sour turn, David was half a bottle of wine down after all the rest he drank already, and he wasn¡¯t exactly thinking straight. ¡°Are you really loyal to the royals?¡± ¡°If there is a single centralized power, it is possible for terrible abuse, but with Rosewell at the helm? I think things are going to be just fine. But if someone else was on that chair? I don¡¯t know. Fleeing might be possible, but just about everyone is either afraid of me or they hate me. I don¡¯t want to be a king, I don¡¯t really like being a noble that much either. Just like I¡¯ve said before, I stay because there is nowhere better to go.¡± ¡°Heh, chair.¡± ¡°A throne is just a nice chair.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s enough for the night. It¡¯s been¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, it really has.¡± David passed out, so Harlan dragged him out of the spring air and into his tent. Harlan just sat there by the fire for a while, ignoring what David was really asking him, trying to forget the look in his eyes as he asked him about his loyalty. He was fishing, but he was too drunk to be subtle like he had before when complaining about the arranged marriages of Ragne. Eventually he had to get up and figure out who had been watching them all night. The man in the tree saw Harlan go to his tent to sleep and didn¡¯t think for a second that a gate was going to open behind him and a blade would be pressed to his throat. ¡°You are going to have a very good reason to be watching me and my friends, or I¡¯m going to skin you alive to find out why you are here.¡± ¡°May I reach into my coat and show you my badge?¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m an Unseen.¡± ¡°Alright, go for it.¡± Harlan ran a jolt of energy through the blade and into the man. ¡°The Unseen aren¡¯t an official branch of the Ragne military, even if everyone knows about them and they¡¯ve got uniforms, they don¡¯t have badges, and haven¡¯t for some time.¡± When the man woke up, he was bound and surrounded by the group. Adina kept trying to look past Harlan, but he kept moving in her way to shield her from any possible threat. ¡°You¡¯ve cut off his hands, I¡¯m not going to get hurt. QUIT TREATING ME LIKE¡­¡± Adina took a deep breath and tried to understand if she was angry, or if it was just the baby making her overreact. The man looked down and panicked, struggling against the rope that tied him to the tree. ¡°That isn¡¯t the point, we have no idea who this is or what they can do.¡± ¡°I¡¯LL FUCKING KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD, I¡¯LL-¡± Harlan lightly slapped him, though relative to his full strength, it was enough to knock out several teeth. ¡°I¡¯M GONNA CUT THAT BABY OUT OF YOUR WHORE YOU HALF-BREED PIECE OF-¡± Adina backhanded the man this time, not knowing what her full strength really was. The man¡¯s brains splattered over David. She stepped back, bringing her hands to her mouth in shock, only to feel the blood and then panic again, an eyeball was wrapped around her ring finger by its optical nerve.. ¡°Shit shit shit shit, I didn¡¯t, I, FUCK.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it?¡± ¡°I know he wasn¡¯t an Unseen, since he lied about it. So I don¡¯t think it is going to be an issue.¡± ¡°THAT ISN¡¯T THE POINT.¡± Her voice became so loud that the others had to cover their ears, but Harlan stayed perfectly calm. ¡°I¡¯ll call Dahlia, she¡¯ll figure out anything she can, deal with the body.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never done that before. I don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Adina, you need to calm down, it¡¯s just a dead body.¡± ¡°NO, NO IT ISN¡¯T, I DIDN¡¯T MEAN TO KILL HIM. THIS IS WHAT YOU DO, I DON¡¯T SPLATTER PEOPLE.¡± Harlan closed his eyes and heavily exhaled. ¡°It¡¯s your first time, so I¡¯m sure it¡¯s stressful, but it isn¡¯t like you¡¯ve never killed anyone before.¡± Adina fell to the ground in tears, and Harlan picked her up with a hug. She buried her head in his chest as he brushed her hair. ¡°It¡¯s alright, everything is fine.¡± ¡°What if it was someone else, what if one of the other students said something bad and I hit them.¡± ¡°This is actually a good thing.¡± She looked up at him with questioning eyes. ¡°You killed an enemy by accident, but it was an accident, and he was an enemy. Now you know what I go through, you know that the world is delicate for people like me, like us. I didn¡¯t have a lot of people who really understood that, but you have me, and we¡¯ll work through this.¡± David looked on with a grimace on his face, picking teeth and brain matter from his clothes while Shelly picked it from his hair. Dahlia arrived, but clearly she was tired. She looked at the body and asked Harlan without a word. ¡°I restrained him and removed his hands for our safety. I started to question him, but he threatened Adina and¡­¡± She examined the chunk of his face that was missing, his upper jaw to his forehead had been violently ripped off by a single powerful strike. What was left of his brain, loose in the skull, had fallen down to the man¡¯s mouth, only remaining barely attached. She saw Harlan¡¯s hands, they were dirty, but they weren''t bloody. The look on Adina¡¯s face and how shaken she was told her the actual story. ¡°Did you get anything from him?¡± ¡°No, other than him posing as an Unseen.¡± ¡°And how do you know that?¡± ¡°The jacket is old, pre-soulsmithing, he lacks invisibility which is required for Unseen, and he tried to pull out a badge.¡± ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°He called me a half-breed. It¡¯s not that nobody should know that I¡¯m only partly Fomorian, but it''s not something I¡¯ve told many people due to the implications of having a human parent and most people don¡¯t care anyway, I¡¯ll always just be Fomorian to them.¡± ¡°My people will reconstruct his face and see if anyone knows him, but I¡¯m going to look into who all would know or spread that you are only Half-Fomorian. And for future reference, don¡¯t lie to me next time about who killed him. You, maintain your composure, we don¡¯t get to lose control. All of you, clear out, this is now a crime scene.¡± Adina spoke up. ¡°I¡¯m I in trouble?¡± ¡°We will see, but it''s not likely, an enemy spy made a credible threat against you and Harlan killed him. That is what the report is going to say. You will never contradict the official report, am I clear?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Harlan opened a gate to the mansion, but Dahlia stopped David. ¡°We need your clothes, they are covered in his blood and matter.¡± When they were back, Sheron greeted them. ¡°Welcome bac- What¡¯s wrong?¡± Unseen made their way past her and into the house. The last of them gave a notice of inspection, effectively a paper saying they can do whatever they want in the process of finding an issue of non-specific nature. Sheron ran forward. ¡°Shelly, Shelly, are you alright? Are you alright?¡± She checked her face and shook her, barely giving time for an answer. ¡°A spy snuck onto the property. Harlan caught him, and he died during interrogation.¡± Sheron pushed past her daughter and pointed at Harlan as she did. ¡°You, you brought you mess into my land, PUT MY DAUGHTER IN-¡± Shelly covered her mother¡¯s mouth. ¡°You have no idea why they were there, for all we know that was an assassin and Harlan saved my life. I AM NOT GOING TO LET YOU BERATE HIM AGAIN.¡± She pushed her mother back and stood between them. Her mother held back a sneer, actually being proud of her daughter finally coming out of her shell. ¡°Your fiance is here.¡± ¡°Oh fuck me.¡± Harlan whistled as he walked past them all, telling them to come along. When they all caught up he spoke. ¡°You never brought up that you were engaged.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not exactly something I¡¯m excited for. But he¡¯s fine, boring, not abusive or jealous or anything, he just happens to be related to someone who my mother decided I should be with.¡± ¡°So, your house is going away?¡± ¡°No. I mentioned I have a brother, right?¡± ¡°Maybe, but I don¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a bit older than me. So the Mayford name lives on through him. I¡¯m just¡­ the leftovers.¡± ¡°If someone calls you that, I¡¯ll break their nose.¡± ¡°Not worth it.¡± Harlan felt Adina¡¯s grip as he pulled her forward, she had barely any strength in her hands. ¡°I need to go.¡± ¡°Sorry, please, go. Adina, I¡¯m sorry that things turned out this way, but it was great having you here, so come again.¡± Shelly hugged her, but Adina was afraid to hug back. It was hard for him to see how she looked at herself, Adina hadn¡¯t done anything nearly as bad as Harlan, yet she thought she had become a monster, fear flooded her mind. What if I¡¯m holding the baby and I mess up? What if I hug Zella too tight? What if the baby is like this and they lose control? What if, what if¡­ what if? His mind ran with those same questions before, and they didn¡¯t bother him anymore. Yet another fear now rose to the surface. How does she really look at me? Did she just push aside the questions about what he had done? Has this changed the way she sees me now? She confided her fears in him, but he remained quiet about his for now. Chapter 248: True Colors Harlan had spent much more time in the Sandsea than he would¡¯ve liked, but he really was trying to understand them and build a relationship, even if often they were confrontational or simply didn¡¯t show the respect which they should for the gifts which are being with so few strings attached. But there was one person who did give proper thanks for what she was given. In the morning, he intended to give this gift to the rest of them as well, the words of his gods had given him the resolve he needed to trust them to do the right thing with what they would be given just as he had. Patra struggled to lift the glass of water Harlan placed on the table without spilling it, but she was doing well enough. ¡°It¡¯s hard. Can¡¯t I just-¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I can see that you actually enjoy magic, and it would be a bad lesson if I allowed you to quit when I know you can do better. Taking shortcuts or turning away from difficulty will weaken you as a mage and as a person.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so- No, thank you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing to thank me for, magic is just as much a burden as a gift sometimes. When you have power, deciding when to use it or not is what shows a great deal about your character.¡± ¡°When do you use your magic?¡± ¡°When I need to.¡± ¡°How will I know to use mine then?¡± ¡°There are two ways for me to answer this, either I push my idea of when on you, or I ask a question and give you advice that I believe fits for you as a mage.¡± ¡°You tell me that learning for myself is better than being given the right answer from the start, so please ask me the question.¡± ¡°That you took that lesson to heart reflects that you are someone I think can be trusted. I know your family would rather you stay inside and not learn, but you aren¡¯t learning out of spite for them. So I ask, why do you enjoy magic?¡± She was deep in thought, trying to find the answer he was leading her too. ¡°Magic is freedom. My family doesn¡¯t like me, but if I learn magic, then I could leave if I wanted to.¡± ¡°That is a fine answer, remember that you are the only one who can know when to use magic, so follow your ideals, nobody else. It would be a great sorrow for you to remain meek when I know you are so much better than any of them can understand.¡± She grabbed his hand and leaned toward him. Harlan used his free arm to block her. ¡°I am aware of the effects I can have on others when I try to uplift their spirits, but I would like to make something clear. I am flattered by your advance toward me, but you are a Canis, and I simply have no interest in you in that way.¡± ¡°But you can turn into whatever you want, so-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t intend to ever talk about this again for your sake, as it would surely be awkward and I don¡¯t want rumors to spread. I was born Fomorian and human, my tastes in women have not changed from humans and their subraces.¡± She stepped back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°That despite your age you are taking my rejection so maturely is a sign of good character. And, I am going to give you a simple piece of advice. You are young and you have been emotionally damaged in some manner by those who should protect you. Do not fall for the first person who treats you kindly, because surely there are those out there who would use your kindness against you, and I do not want to see your heart broken, because I hope you would count me as a friend and I you.¡± ¡°Can I have a hug then, just as friends?¡± ¡°Yes. And next time you don¡¯t need to ask, I think you are smart enough to understand the boundaries between us. Now, let¡¯s continue our lesson. I want your help with something tomorrow.¡± Harlan very much hoped that those feelings were nipped in the bud. She reminded him too much of Adina, between her family treating her poorly and her poor eyesight being part of the cause, it felt almost as if she had been engineered for the sake of getting close to him, giving some manner of closure for him. Yet, if she was in any way like Adina, then those feelings would remain and she would try again later. But Harlan would not entertain the idea of a relationship with her. He would never outright state it to her, but the idea of being together with a beastkin disgusted him and had he continued with his lack of sleep his response would¡¯ve sent her away in tears. Just as he said he would, Harlan gathered his 10 students. ¡°My god reminded me of what I am, I am a unique lifeform, there is nobody who is like me, but that doesn¡¯t have to be a bad thing. As it stands I am possibly one of only two person able to grant the power outside of the veil. Where I am from most beastkin learn this as children. Now, there isn¡¯t much that I can really teach you, telekinesis is like a muscle, just lift until it starts to feel a phantom soreness and then rest. The mana costs are low and relative to how much you strain yourself, not how much you actually lift.¡± Harlan moved his hand and lifted a cup. ¡°Telekinesis is also very safe, so long as both people have it unlocked it is very difficult, but not impossible for them to directly grab and harm someone, but at the same time.¡± Harlan twisted the metal cup into a rough needle, then opened a gate. ¡°For granting it to the masses, I would like Patra to-¡± The room looked at him like he had gone mad. ¡°Why would we give them this magic? And what is she doing here?¡± ¡°From the start that was the deal, I teach you magic, and then your people spread it to those under them so everyone is stronger for it.¡± ¡°We received no such contract, and came to no such agreement. Again, what is she doing here?¡± ¡°Patra showed resolve, finding me herself and asking that I help her learn to improve her magic. I¡¯ve been training her for almost as long as I have all of you.¡± Tatton was upset, but clearly trying to hold it in. ¡°I gave you no order to teach her, nor should you have ever met her without permission from me.¡± Patra didn¡¯t say anything, she could be somewhat confident between the two of them, but his few weeks of time with her was nothing against years of being ignored or scolded for speaking with her grandfather. ¡°And why is that?¡± ¡°She is not yours to-¡± Harlan skipped face to face with the king, wanting to lift him by his throat, but also not wanting to be the one who escalated the situation. As it stood there was still the chance that he could tattle to Carmilla and force compliance. ¡°She is nobody¡¯s, she is herself. If you do not want her, then say not a word of complaint when someone else does.¡± ¡°The masses will not be given this power. That is final.¡± ¡°Then it is quite funny that now nobody else will either, because the only one of you that I taught how to grant it was her.¡± ¡°She will follow my orders.¡± ¡°Patra, remember the lesson of last night. I won¡¯t lie, I will judge you by your choices, so bear that in mind when you make them Tatton, I am leaving immediately after the trains are finished, do not expect anymore magical lessons. I hope you live long enough to regret this.¡± Harlan left the room, punching a pillar on the way out when he couldn¡¯t hold back his anger, breaking off a chunk of stone and frightening many of them. A vizier turned on the wards in the room; they hadn¡¯t figured out the limits of Harlan¡¯s hearing yet and would rather not let him in on this conversation. ¡°Was that wise?¡± ¡°The boy won¡¯t do anything, you should hear how he speaks about Carmilla, he seems to genuinely love and fear her, because he knows she is one of the few who could kill him.¡± ¡°Then we will move ahead with the trains?¡± ¡°Convert all but one seating car per train we still need somewhere to ride, keep the rest of the cargo cars intact.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Tatton then looked towards his granddaughter. Harlan¡¯s eyes looked like torches and he was letting off a black haze. He listened closely, trying to find anything which he might be able to let out some of his anger on. A muffled scream. Harlan rushed down the halls and out into the city proper. A man looked over his balcony at another who had been pushed down into the street, blood was still flowing from the gash on the man¡¯s head. Harlan wanted to swipe at him just once and destroy the man, but even with his frenzy, he couldn¡¯t do it, he had no context, and the man seemed regretful over what had happened. Instead he held him with telekinesis. ¡°I didn¡¯t me-mean to, we were just arguing, I didn¡¯t mean to.¡± Harlan examined the wound. His skull wasn¡¯t even fractured, their Canis biology made them naturally a bit more sturdy than people, and the fall wasn¡¯t more than 12 feet. With a little healing magic, the man was back on his feet. Harlan didn¡¯t bother explaining himself, he simply brought the man down from the balcony and handed him over to the guards before he flew away again. He hated so much these days, and he didn¡¯t know where to put it. So turned to a bird and glided for a few hours, just trying to let it go, to remember that in time they will either destroy themselves, or he will get the chance to destroy them. He looked at the trainyards and saw what they were doing, dropping like a stone from the sky as he returned to his normal shape. ¡°Why are you removing the seats from the cars?¡± ¡°King¡¯s orders, the royals don¡¯t need more than one car for themselves.¡± ¡°And where does he expect the commoners to sit?¡± The worker just shrugged his shoulders, such a question was above his pay grade and he hadn¡¯t expected the trains to be for commoners anyway despite what Harlan had stated before. He floated through the halls, murderous intent could be felt by anyone around him. When he reached the council hall he didn¡¯t bother opening the door, instead a net of void cut the wall into squares and he kept moving as if they weren''t there.. ¡°Tatton, I will give you a single chance to explain what is happening with my trains.¡± ¡°They are my trains. And I will use them as I wish, thank you for your help with setting them up, but I think it would be best if you left my kingdom and stopped your tantrum.¡± Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Just as he raised his hand to pluck out the king¡¯s eyes, he fell to the ground, spasms tore his muscles as he distorted in shape without using shifting and he felt his organs twist. The final look that they could see before Harlan closed his eyes was undeniable, everyone in that room had forfeit their lives. ¡°You are back so soon.¡± ¡°THOSE FUCKING BASTRADS POISONED ME, I¡¯M GOING TO RIP THEIR VOCAL CORDS OUT WITH SIGILS SO THEY CANNOT BE HEALED, I¡¯M GOING TO MOVE THEIR EYES TO THE TOPS OF THEIR HEADS SO THEY NEED TO BOW JUST TO LOOK AT SOMEONE.¡± ¡°Oh, that is creative. But they didn¡¯t do this. You did.¡± ¡°WHAT DID I¡­¡± In this place, the pain was gone, and he tried to calm himself. ¡°What did I do?¡± ¡°Well, not you, but your other self. He and I made a deal, for Adina to live, the Fomorian pact must be destroyed. It is going to be excruciating for her. She¡¯ll spasm until she¡¯s sore and then her bones are going to shatter from the tightness of her own muscles. But, if someone wanted to take her pain, I¡¯m sure a simple transport spell wouldn¡¯t be beyond me.¡± ¡°Just do it.¡± ¡°Oh no, not you, I¡¯ll just send Coronach¡­Ah, but he¡¯s here now. I suppose that you¡¯ll have to do.¡± ¡°What do you mean, Coronach is here?¡± ¡°In the palace. You don¡¯t think I¡¯d leave you with these monsters without protection, did you?¡± ¡°I can protect myself.¡± ¡°That would be true, but with the pact broken you¡¯ll be sleeping for another five days, long enough for your soul to process both the pact being broken and the pain from the child¡¯s pact being broken while her soul is still forming. It will take them 20 minutes to come to a conclusion on if you are better dead or alive. Depending on their path, Coronach will remove any threats in the area.¡± ¡°Make sure that Patra isn¡¯t harmed, the rest can be gutted so far as I care.¡± The scenery changed from her void into a city full of faceless people who emoted in silence, laughing and talking without words. ¡°My, what is this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to be here for a while, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°That you are.¡± ¡°I wanted somewhere a bit nicer to sit around.¡± ¡°Most would find this setting to be quite unnerving.¡± ¡°I think I might hate people''s faces. I¡¯m not good at reading them, I rely on my empathy for that. So much is hidden behind the flesh, I just want to peel it away, see what people are doing honestly.¡± One of the faceless poured a glass of hot tea for both of them. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten quite good at this. This smells and tastes real.¡± ¡°Do you eat things?¡± ¡°Only vicariously. I¡¯m a mass of void flesh, like Coronach, my body is endless, without organs. Without the need to eat and drink, it seems like a terrible waste of my time.¡± ¡°Ah, but time is the one thing you have, right? You can slow things down, spend seconds like hours.¡± ¡°When you constantly use skip, you get hungry, do you not?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m changing local time and burning up stamina along with my mana.¡± ¡°There are inefficiencies when one changes time. My mana would greatly lower and it would weaken me, if I am weak, my seeing becomes less accurate, and inaccuracy is wasteful.¡± ¡°The thing that wastes the most time is trying to save time.¡± ¡°Very astute.¡± ¡°I¡­ I had a dream a few weeks ago. In it-¡± ¡°Ah, very good.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve spent a great deal of time worrying about me instead of Adina, my plan was rather simple, but highly effective.¡± She gently stroked his face, her body letting off cool wisps of void smoke. Harlan¡¯s heart beat strongly as he stared into her eyes, bright white and without pupils, contrasting her dark form. He sat still for minutes, appreciating the warmth, mental, not physical, that she held in her. ¡°Oh I know that look, but don¡¯t misunderstand, I¡¯ve no interest in that kind of relationship, nor would I be capable of it. Gods are not people, we just are. I am a collection of things, memories which I¡¯ve made myself and some which I have been given, and yet I¡¯m bound by rules for what I should be. What you did to your own mother is terrifying, to warp her mind instead something it should not have been, and that is what I am, a being of compulsions, yet ones that I cannot overcome.¡± The moment Harlan felt was gone, and she took away her hand. ¡°In that sense, I suppose I am like the Fae whom I despise so much. In your opinion, do people fear the dark? Or do they simply fear that which lives among shadow?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m still just¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°It was a kiss and a little affection, that you are so caught up means you are worse than I thought. I hope to never repeat this phrase, but please, go to a whorehouse.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then find a girl, one whose company you can stand, and get over Adina.¡± ¡°It¡¯s harder than it sounds, she-¡± ¡°A fool is the man who seeks power yet refuses the touch of the weak. A man who would discard the chances of a woman who he sees as lesser, a coward of hard head and soft heart.¡± ¡°I understand what you are saying, but-¡± ¡°Then I shall speak plainly. There is never going to not be a power imbalance between you and the ones you choose to love. Unless you fancy Carmilla, or you track down a witch, you will remain alone under the guise of not wishing to cause harm or not trusting that they love you for more than your power.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I should just ignore that.¡± ¡°Stop looking at this in the extremes then. You slaughtered those children because you understand that good and evil are flexible concepts that those like us must unbind ourselves from at time, lest we allow those who would break them rather than bend them to win.¡± Harlan thought back to the battle, his talons, their shouting as they realized it was a lost battle but still fought, those who turned their guns on themselves rather than let Harlan kill them. The Darkness touched him again and he woke up, screaming until his throat was sore. Then just as quickly he was back in that false city of faceless people. He touched his body, the false senses of this dreamscape bringing with no pain from his physical form. ¡°A pain of the flesh does take the mind from itself, does it not?¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening to me out there?¡± ¡°The pact is bound to the soul, but more than that, it is bound to every cell in your body. You are still going to be Half-Fomorian when you leave this place. But there are certain processes that are being shut down. Did you know that your body is alchemical in some ways? Your nerves are still feeling pain, that is just part of being, but your resistance to pain has been constantly heightened by your body manufacturing a potion of sorts that is always there. That part will be gone when you wake up, since it¡¯s been pulling in mana to your soul where the pact then makes this potion.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°Whatever the most terrible thing you¡¯ve ever thought could be, you can be certain the Fae have done it already, either as entertainment or just as how they fight. I¡¯ve seen them pull the nervous system from a man and sew a blanket with it, yet the nerves were still active for the man who they had been taken from. Let me tell you about a story from Earth, the gods of a nation kept fire from the people, but one of them took this fire and granted it to humanity. As punishment they bound his flesh to stone, and every single day an eagle comes to eat his liver, and then it grows back again. There were a lot of things to be learned from the first time I tried to make a species of Fae slayers, and one of them was that I needed stronger protections to prevent tampering and to prevent the breaking of minds through the flesh.¡± She smiled at him, looking youthful as she rested her elbows on the table and held her face in her palms. ¡°Come now, don¡¯t you wish to ask? I¡¯m certain it¡¯s burning a hole in you right now.¡± ¡°What was the first species?¡± ¡°An incorrect question, who are the first species is what you should¡¯ve asked.¡± Tatton and Jakel stared at Harlan, the doctors had no idea what was wrong, and because of his thrashing when touched they couldn¡¯t figure it out, even in his broken state a single blow was potentially fatal. ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°Contact Carmilla first, if he dies suddenly it would seem odd, but if we tried and failed to help them, that is another matter entirely.¡± She answered quickly. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Queen Carmilla, Harlan has¡­ we are uncertain. He suddenly collapsed, screaming as if he was one fire, his spasms so intense his bones have cracked and broken his skin.¡± ¡°I hope he isn¡¯t conscious.¡± ¡°He has been asleep since it began. What advice can you offer?¡± ¡°I may need to visit in person, expect me soon.¡± It annoyed her greatly, either those of the Sandsea were trying to kill him, or something happened to Harlan, who she already knew wouldn¡¯t be killed by anything minor and who scoffed at losing entire limbs or being set aflame. Carmilla contacted Mercedes. ¡°Has Harlan¡¯s other fallen ill?¡± ¡°What? Of course not, we all know how healthy Harlan is, he¡¯d never-¡± Panic was clear in her voice, without Harlan their nation had no means to maintain itself, he was the lynchpin of the entire kingdom. From the caverns under Kor that stored their food to the soldiers which defended the border to the golems that taught people how to use magic, it all came from him and she had no idea if he gave away the means to continue using these things to anyone. ¡°Girl. I do have his best interests at heart, because they are also my best interests, is Harlan¡¯s body able to speak with me and explain why the one in the Sandsea is a mess of broken bones and spasms.¡± ¡°He suddenly fell, like a puppet without strings.¡± ¡°No screaming? No clawing at his body?¡± ¡°What exactly has happened? He¡¯s warned us that if he lost connection or died a true death the other bodies would fall with him.¡± ¡°Worry not, I¡¯m certain that I can find the answer, and Harlan isn¡¯t one to die quickly, a sudden death wouldn¡¯t be befitting of him.¡± She got up from her bed and dressed herself in loose fit clothing, Harlan had given her a shifting suit as a present, but she didn¡¯t trust it, for all she knew it would also be able to take on the properties of silver somehow, and being wrapped in it would give him at least the slightest of fighting chances. Then her body twisted and grew dark and hairy, filling out the loose robe. With hognose and ribbed ears to match her longer fangs she was a giant bat thing, her fair features almost entirely hidden under this body that she disliked. Taking ships was slow, and gate was not something she ever learned due to difficulties with numbers and a refusal to decide on a lifepath for the first truth, lest she be locked into a life she might grow to hate. Being restricted was something she believed she would never really get over. So she took to the skies. Once past the border of the city she should really start flying. She shattered the sound barrier and a halo of vapor was created around her flying form, growing larger as she crossed the sea, only to shrink again as she got near the dry air of the desert. Her body twisted again, returning to human shape and pulling the straps in her uniform to make it more form fitting. She walked into the palace, guards kneeling as she passed. ¡°Show him to me.¡± Harlan tossed and turned, his body so sore and broken that he couldn¡¯t do any more damage. She touched his body and the soulfire leapt from him to her. Carmilla recoiled as her skin bubbled despite no heat. ¡°Oh, that must be quite painful.¡± The Darkness grabbed her hand, the coolness of void soothed the heat. ¡°There is nothing to be done here, he won¡¯t wake for another few days. You¡¯ll be needed elsewhere however.¡± ¡°For all I know you are some manner of demon, twisting his mind and devouring his soul.¡± She just laughed. ¡°Fine.¡± The Darkness took a form as more than just a feminine shadow, she became a pillar of void, eyes, and teeth, and stretched from the floor to the ceiling, spreading out more and more, forcing Carmilla to back away from the Harlan. ¡°Can you now feel my divinity? Now banish that idea, demons don¡¯t devour souls, they are a more general term used for a variety of non-standard monsters, things which should not exist in this world. Please, allow Harlan to rest, if you can trust these men to watch over him that is.¡± ¡°He is suffering, if you are a god as you claim, surely there is something to be done?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t intend to air his feelings to you, but the boy has sorrow over the woman which he cannot be with, and to save her from the pain, I offered to give it to him. When the pain is done, his body will heal, and until then, I shall keep him in my dream, away from the suffering of the flesh.¡± Carmilla was uncertain if The Darkness truly was what she had claimed, in her era many things claimed to be gods, and she would not be the first that could fake that indescribable divine feeling. But something told her that staying wasn¡¯t an option, and leaving was to be either dead or alive. ¡°You¡¯ve claimed that I am needed elsewhere, explain.¡±
Sholl stood still, trying to understand what he had seen, and the towers looked away from him. He slowly flew nearer to them and saw roots inside of the tower leading inside of the main house. Following the roots he looked inside of the home, but didn¡¯t see a clear answer for what was happening. He thought it possibly some strange evolution of a mimic tree or an unknown magical creature. Sholl reached for the door handle, and suddenly got a bad feeling. His spells revealed no magical or mechanical trap, but he always trusted his senses, they had kept him alive thus far. There was nothing else he could figure out from looking around the city, and he didn''t wish to go into the towers themselves. Everything he got near gave that eerie feeling, and there was not a life inside of the city which he could see. But then a wagon train started to arrive. As they got closer, Sholl realized the wagons he had seen were not driven by people, nor were they wagons. Giant spiders with a dozen legs and hollow thoraxes were filled with gems and ore. Once they reached the gate something came outside and turned the wheel to open it for them. It had no head, just a large body like an ogre and strong limbs to do the work of multiple men. Each spider stopped at a storehouse with bins in front of it, and another thing came out, it¡¯s dozen limbs and eyes moved independently from one another, sorting each or and gem into the bins which then scuttled away like millipede and onto a track that Sholl recognized as belonging to a train. Sholl felt like he had stumbled into something terrible, a world that felt wrong, cut off from the reality he understood. Suddenly a shadow passed overhead, and the towers turned their focus to him. Sholl barely dodged the bat thing which dropped from above, leaving a deep gash across his chest and nearly severing his left arm. ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve not killed a Finger in some time.¡± He came to a stop, looking at the vampire lord with her tight fitting red and black robe. ¡°You should not be here, in these lands, his lands.¡± ¡°What is happening here?¡± Sholl was more than just a destroyer, and the wound, though costly, healed quickly. ¡°Is it not clear? This is a mining town.¡± ¡°Those things, this place, where are the people?¡± ¡°They have moved on to a better place, as you should. Go, run to your tin men and warn them of what they cannot understand.¡± Sholl fought his pride, dusted himself off, and fled as she laughed. Death would come to him if he stayed, but she knew killing a Finger would be more likely to just bring a Hand, and no fight between her and a Hand would be without a great deal of damage even if she did manage to win. She would not allow foolishness to bring another kingdom to ruin. Interlude 10: Adinas Day and a Picnic Harlan needed to get some things together, and while he didn¡¯t like it, Adina wanted to go to school again once the weekend was over. At breakfast like any other day, a group of girls from Reino arrived to hassle her. ¡°How are things with that monster husband of yours? Does he take the form of a beast for you?¡± She wasn¡¯t entirely sure, but was mostly certain that someone had been sending people like this to provoke her into reacting and getting kicked out. ¡°Just because your mother breeds with animals doesn¡¯t mean I have any interest. Oh, but by that face, it looks more like the branches of your family tree got a little twisted. Were you that desperate to keep whatever bloodline ability you have because your life has no value otherwise?¡± The girl was taken aback. Adina often just told people to leave her alone because they weren¡¯t worth the agitation, she had never gone on the offensive like this. ¡°It would explain why your face is too large for your head and you have such a misshapen nose.¡± ¡°How dare you-¡± ¡°How dare I? Coming up to me with a face like that, I thought an orc had gotten free. If you can afford the academy, surely someone could fix those teeth, mongrel dog.¡± She went quiet. ¡°I do wonder, did you not have make up, or is there simply not enough to cover up those pimples?¡± The girl ran away in tears and her group left with her. Those around the table were in shock, and had stopped eating. Yara broke the silence. ¡°What was that?¡± Adina put up a veil, uncaring for the social faux pas that it was to do so in public settings. ¡°Harlan told me why he belittles people sometimes, it turns out talking down and insults are great stress relief. There are many times he¡¯s avoided murder by instead killing with words.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been strange since the weekend.¡± ¡°I killed a man, I didn¡¯t mean to do it, but I lost my temper and with my new self that is very dangerous. He wasn¡¯t a good man, and I¡¯m not in trouble, but I¡¯m not good at handling this.¡± ¡°Are you alright? I don¡¯t mean did you get hurt, I mean, are you ok to be here?¡± ¡°I am. Harlan spent a good part of yesterday telling me the ways he keeps calm, and taught me how to look at people and read what they are most likely to be insecure about so I can attack them with that.¡± ¡°But she looked completely normal.¡± ¡°If you drew a perfect painting, but there was a single small smudge on it, then that is all the artist is going to see. She was beautiful, I¡¯m not going to pretend she isn¡¯t, but I can tell she puts quite a bit of effort into elevating her natural beauty. So me pointing out that little smudge was enough to make her crack.¡± ¡°I know she was provoking you, but that was¡­ it was really quite intense.¡± ¡°I wanted her to suffer, and I want to send a message with her suffering. The ideal outcome is that my words spread and she becomes a shut-in whose idea of that small flaw grows so large she cannot bear it anymore.¡± ¡°Now you do sound like Harlan.¡± ¡°Oh how good it feels to just unleash every nasty little thought about someone after how all of the other students from Reino treated me.¡± Adina returned to eating, and though she said nothing, Claudia was a little proud of her. After classes were done of the day, as every day, Adina went to see Hellon. But along the way Cato and a few others appeared from around the corner. Adina got out one of the weapons Harlan made for her, but didn¡¯t activate it. ¡°Come no further.¡± ¡°Or what?¡± ¡°I have no idea what this will do, but I¡¯m certain that you won¡¯t like the effects of it.¡± ¡°I simply had a few questions.¡± ¡°Then ask from there, shout if you need to.¡± ¡°That girl who you had a conversation with at breakfast.¡± ¡°The one who insulted me and who I put in her place?¡± ¡°She¡¯s taken her own life, I wanted to ascertain any possible motives.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time for your games. Move to the right side of the hall, and I will move along the left, if any of you come near me I¡¯ll activate whatever this is.¡± ¡°HA, I wouldn¡¯t think you could call my bluff so quickly. But I will need to ask for you to not do something like that again, it is bad for the health of the students to have someone so abrasive around.¡± ¡°Tell your dogs to bark up another tree then you hognosed fool. How many years are they going to hold you back? Or are you staying here because you know you¡¯d never amount to anything outside of a school where you can intimidate children?¡± ¡°I will be seeing you again.¡± ¡°The only downside to not being blind anymore is that I had to see you look just as bad as your breath implied you did.¡± His veins bulged and the other members of the ethics council held him back, but what really prevented him from attacking her was the black orb the size of her head that she kept pointed at him. The elder Cato shook off the others and kept walking, the smug face Adina had and her quiet giggles etched into his mind, nothing like the scared girl she was before, the one who he thought she should be. Adina made her way into Hellon¡¯s office. ¡°You are late.¡± ¡°Cato showed up to threaten me.¡± ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°The older brother.¡± ¡°He should be out of here soon enough.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone, and you didn¡¯t hear it from me, but the ethics council has pushed lines too much, and in a more equal academy like your husband helped create, giving one nation a secret police for children has been quite unhealthy. But, we aren¡¯t certain, and the vote hasn¡¯t even started.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t Hirum just disband them?¡± ¡°While many of our teachers are from Ragne, some are from Reino, and while they claim to have cast aside their nation for the sake of teaching, you can¡¯t be sure how they will react. We¡¯ve already done more than enough to actually start punishing them, and we¡¯ve taken away most of their power, but actually getting rid of the council would be a symbolic blow against the political power of Reino and it might not go quietly.¡± ¡°That still wouldn¡¯t really get rid of the elder Cato. He¡¯s here as a student officially.¡± ¡°We are putting stricter limits on who can repeat years and take classes. Ragne is richer than ever, and with so many being uplifted it means more people can afford to send their children here. Cato, having repeated multiple years to remain here for no reason other than to be leader of that sham ethics council, would suddenly be far less appealing to bring back for another year if he failed to graduate all of those other times.¡± ¡°That is wonderful news.¡± ¡°Yes, but as soon as word spreads, he¡¯ll know, because he is the arm of Reino in this place, and knowing that he can¡¯t stay and it is your final year, something might happen.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I have this.¡± She pulled out the void orb. ¡°And what is that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know, Harlan made me a bunch of strange weapons and didn¡¯t tell me what they do, just who to use them against. He knows enough about the Cato family through records he¡­ acquired, that he thinks this thing should be able to hurt him.¡± ¡°Hurt or kill?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me that either. Apparently he doesn''t want me to be able to say anything specific even if given a truth potion.¡± She raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment about reporting the weapon, since there really was no telling what it could do considering Harlan made it specifically for Adina. It could be a plague bomb that is tied only to certain bloodlines to protect those he liked, it could be a void bomb that would somehow avoid harming her, it could shoot a condensed beam. But, with the chance that her upsetting Harlan meant she wouldn¡¯t get her youth back, she cast aside the idea. If someone attacked Adina and died, who was she to decide right or wrong? When Hellon cast her spells, she also took just a few minutes longer before telling Adina anything. They¡¯d been through this little dance that it couldn¡¯t be missed, something was different. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, I don¡¯t know that anything is wrong. It¡¯s just that something has changed.¡± ¡°What changed? Do you know? What¡¯s wrong with my baby?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to ask for a second opinion, but it doesn¡¯t seem to be malign. I¡¯ve never witnessed a Fomorian pregnancy and with Harlan also being a champion, whatever that actually entails, and both of you having enhanced bodies, whatever that actually entails, it could be nothing but a difference in the way the baby is growing.¡± ¡°Do you think it¡¯s healthy though?¡± ¡°Yes, almost a little too healthy.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I said to expect the baby at seven months, but now I¡¯m not certain, their growth rate is staggering, and it¡¯s pulling more and more energy from your soul and body to build their own.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying they could come earlier?¡± ¡°Maybe, maybe not, but at the rate it is going now, and that it seems to be faster than before, you could give birth at six months or even less. I know you have your wedding date planned out for next month, and surely some of that is also in motion, but I would recommend you move that back until after the baby is born.¡± ¡°Or we could move it forward.¡± ¡°Also possible, but think about this, if you change the date to the summer, everyone will already be out of the academy, you will be used to having the baby around, and you won¡¯t be so hormonal.¡± ¡°I am not hormonal.¡± ¡°Then what happened with that girl earlier, what was that?¡± ¡°Are you spying on me?¡± ¡°Of course I am, Harlan wanted to make sure that you were alright at all times, so I have people report to me about you.¡± ¡°He asked you to do it?¡± ¡°Harlan recommended the students who are acting as spies right now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so sweet.¡± Sweet wasn¡¯t the word she would use to describe his paranoid planning, but she skipped past that. ¡°Just eat more food to make sure both you and them are not going to be malnourished in any way and keep visiting me.¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. With her appointment over and her fears more or less sated, Adina went to the gate office, and was back home. ¡°How did things go with Hellon?¡± ¡°She said the baby is healthy, but growing faster than she thought.¡± ¡°Again?¡± ¡°She suggested that we push back the wedding until after they are born, but I don¡¯t know. You seemed to be really happy to be planning so much with me and I know you already set things up.¡± ¡°And it would really put a damper on everything if you collapsed and I had to deliver our child at the altar.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t going to happen.¡± ¡°But it could. So we¡¯ll push it back, I¡¯ll start making calls tomorrow. How far back do we want to push this?¡± ¡°7th month?¡± ¡°What day?¡± ¡°The 23rd day of the 7th month. If I give birth after just six months, then they would be about a month old, give or take.¡± ¡°Or sooner.¡± She rubbed her belly, feeling them kick around her stomach, and forcing her to go to the bathroom again when they pushed on her bladder. When she got out Harlan had a basket packed with food, more than even both of them could eat. ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°I thought I said I had something planned for tonight, didn¡¯t I?¡± She tightly closed her eyes. ¡°Shit, sorry, I forgot.¡± ¡°No problem, I just thought a romantic picnic would be good for us to talk, and we can meet with a friend who I haven¡¯t had the chance to see much in too long.¡± ¡°Oh, who?¡± ¡°Well it isn¡¯t a surprise if I tell you now, but they¡¯ll be there in an hour, I wanted to set the stage so to speak. You can stay here if you want, I¡¯ll just be working.¡± ¡°I love to watch you work, getting all sweaty and-¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t doing anything there before our guests arrive.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say we would.¡± Harlan just gave her a look, and she gave him one. It was an empty clearing other than a hill with a single tree on it and a sizable pond. Harlan¡¯s preparation was to cut down a tree and bend it into shape, using his nature magic to ensure it wasn¡¯t going to break as he made four near quarter circles that would allow people to get in or out without too much climbing over others. Turning them from bent logs into benches was as simple as removing a large piece from them and then carving out the insides, leaving about half of the total wood remaining, Harlan then pulled out the sap, quickly drying the wood, and finally carving in some enchantments that would passively keep it free from rot as it would remain outside. The final touch was to grow the tree again, weaving branches together as a sort of spring cushion. For the table he uprooted a tree, placing it in the center of these two benches and growing out the branches into a shelf of sorts where one could put their plate and silverware and such. Then he put a barrier around the pond along with changing the shape so there weren''t any sudden drops or holes, along with him cleaning the water and moving the few turtles and fish to a second pond that surrounded the first like a moat. Suddenly the small clearing seemed more like a private getaway. Harlan was huffing and puffing by the time he finally sat down. Working with plants was rather hard, even though he had some experience already, and making them grow into different shapes that were unnatural without them being damaged had been even harder despite him already having plans for this place. ¡°That was a lot of work for somewhere that isn¡¯t yours, I assume we aren¡¯t far from the house? ¡°The house is five miles that way, a good walk, but not very far. I¡¯ll set up a small train to run between these places so you can come out here whenever you want since I know you have been cooped up inside because I¡¯ve been too busy to take us anywhere and I¡¯m too scared to let you go alone.¡± She gave him a peck on the cheek, the idea was nice, but she really didn¡¯t care much about being inside so often. Just sitting on the porch let her experience and nice breeze and it was the smell of flowers. There was a time that being inside wasn¡¯t something she liked, yet now that prison she grew up in was nothing but the past, this place here was the house she and Harlan made a home. ¡°That pond looks nice, how deep is it? I don¡¯t want to end up with water in my nose.¡± ¡°It starts at three feet, but at the deepest parts it¡¯s six feet deep. I hardened the dirt and put a protective spell on it to prevent erosion, so don¡¯t worry about a muddy butt if we sit in at the edges of it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a muddy butt.¡± ¡°No need to get offensive.¡± Just as they kissed, Harlan got a call, he needed to open a gate for his guests. Selen and Wulrun stepped through with their own picnic basket. ¡°Oh, I thought I was bringing food.¡± ¡°No worries, leftovers don¡¯t last long with her eating for three.¡± ¡°You¡¯re having twins?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that.¡± Adina wanted to smack Harlan in the back of the head like she normally would, but she was afraid of hurting him. ¡°That isn¡¯t very funny.¡± Wulrun looked out from behind Selen, but considering how much he had grown, it was hard to hide behind her anymore. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten a lot bigger.¡± Harlan lifted him like it was nothing, but Wulrun was almost 200 pounds already and nearly 5 and a half feet tall despite barely starting his growth spurt. His limbs had grown longer, giving him a more gangly appearance that was only balanced out by the muscles he got from his constant training. ¡°I¡¯m not a kid anymore, don¡¯t pick me up like that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t rush into being an adult, it¡¯s terrible, everyone has all these expectations and you need to worry about all kinds of crazy stuff.¡± ¡°I¡¯m almost as old now as you were when we met, and you were acting like that already.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m a freak, you¡¯re just a kid.¡± Harlan set him down. ¡°Feel free to swim, it will be a bit before dinner is done.¡± ¡°Selen, swim with me.¡± ¡°Just a minute, I need to change out of my teacher''s uniform. And I want to talk with Harlan for a little bit.¡± Harlan had set up a simple hut made of stone where one could use the bathroom or get changed. The ceiling had simple soulsmithed lights set up so there wouldn¡¯t be an windows which one might accidentally reveal themselves. She stepped out wearing a light and tight unitard with extra fabric which reached halfway to her knees to avoid showing off her crotch. Wulrun meanwhile just stripped down to his underwear and hopped in. ¡°I expected something else when you said you had a bathing suit already.¡± ¡°What did you expect?¡± ¡°I just didn¡¯t think you were so modest. Adina¡¯s suit is almost like that, but with a little more padding and some sleeves.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be modest? I¡¯m an old fashioned woman.¡± ¡°I guess I don¡¯t know, I just assume since you are so casual with me and so beautiful that you¡¯d be one to show off when outside of a uniform.¡± ¡°Thank you, I think.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean anything untoward.¡± ¡°Untoward? You can drop the noble speech around me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been slipping into it more, I¡¯m not sure if its from spending so much more time at the castle or just from growing up.¡± She looked at the firepit, surrounded by simple stump chairs, and Harlan throwing meats on it. ¡°If you are hungry, I could throw some of the faster cooking things on early, and I¡¯ve had beans cooking for most of the day, and there are cold salads-¡± ¡°No, I just didn¡¯t see you as much of a cook.¡± ¡°I¡¯m an alchemist, at least a middling one, but since I started cooking for Adina, I¡¯ve gotten much better at both. These meats are things I got from someone I know, a nice old man named Thomas. No matter what I offer he won¡¯t give me the recipes for these marinades.¡± ¡°Well, they do smell wonderful.¡± ¡°Should I leave them a little bloody for you? Put some of them on indirect heat?¡± ¡°Drinking blood has never bothered me, so I¡¯d rather that my food is fully cooked. But not the steaks.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to throw those on for a little while anyway, more of a nightcap.¡± She got up from the stump. ¡°I suppose I should go, he was quite excited when you invited us.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll join in a bit, some of these things will cook quickly, but most of it only needs to be checked on every 10 minutes or so.¡± Adina came out of the changing room and sat by Harlan. ¡°Is this fine? I feel so exposed in this.¡± She saw him smirk. ¡°This isn¡¯t funny, I¡¯m bloated and I must look terrible.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t bloated, and I don¡¯t think how you look is what¡¯s really bothering you.¡± ¡°Oh, Harlan, the woman whisperer, what wisdom do you have for me now?¡± ¡°Well, for starters, you are sitting in a stance to defend your vitals. What is really bothering you is that you aren¡¯t wearing your armor, you feel naked even though you hardly wear anything around the house.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that so loud, I don¡¯t want people to talk.¡± ¡°People? Selen and Wulrun are the only other people here and they certainly aren¡¯t going to spread rumors about you. Do you want to hear compliments? Would that help?¡± ¡°I want you to try anyway.¡± ¡°Your breasts are getting bigger the longer you are pregnant, you were too skinny for most of the time I knew you, and not a single of your physical traits matter to me, because I love you more than anything in the world for always loving me even when I didn¡¯t think I was worth loving.¡± He leaned in for a kiss, and she pushed him back. ¡°That was a nice attempt, but you just pointed out my flaws.¡± ¡°If I just said you are perfect from the start you wouldn¡¯t believe me.¡± ¡°That was such an awful line I¡¯m almost sure that you pulled it from a book Yara gave you.¡± ¡°I thought I said something sweet.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t say the right thing every time, it just wouldn¡¯t be fair for the rest of us.¡± Adina swam with Wulrun and Selen. Eventually he joined them, leaving his armor to watch the food. ¡°Wulrun, how¡¯s the water?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice here.¡± His fur was matted down, revealing how skinny he honestly was despite his muscles. Harlan thought back to a diagram he had seen of a bear that had been shaved, he wasn¡¯t small, but comparison almost made him seem so. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want me to make you normal again?¡± ¡°Would you ever decide to be normal?¡± ¡°it¡¯s not like I¡¯m seven feet tall with horns.¡± ¡°I guess you aren¡¯t blue either, but we aren¡¯t normal, we never will be, even if we cover it up.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been too long since we last spoke if you can string together a sentence like that.¡± ¡°Stop joking around for a minute.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°I hated being like this, a constant werewolf, a reminder of what happened to my village. You¡­ you and Selen, you are both great, you both helped me to gain control back, you both helped me be confident.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything but play with a kid who needed a friend.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll pretend that¡¯s all you did for me, because I can see you aren¡¯t comfortable with being complimented.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a good person, it feels strange to have you speak so highly of me when I¡¯ve never really done that much for you.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Wulrun had been floating, but he suddenly stood up. ¡°You gave me that wooden ball that always puts itself back together so I could train my strength and control, you were always there to play when I needed you, and you helped me push my limits because we¡¯re both monstrously strong, and you never punished me for my mistakes. If I had a brother, I¡¯d want him to be just like you.¡± Harlan nearly submerged himself, he was proud of Wulrun, and embarrassed himself. Eventually he replied. ¡°Thank you, and always remember, if you don¡¯t want to be a Nightwatcher, you¡¯ve got a home with me.¡± He sniffed the air. ¡°It seems some of the food is done now, I hadn¡¯t realized we¡¯d been in the water so long.¡® Wulrun shook himself dry like a dog. What he said was true, he didn¡¯t mind being what he was now, people looked at him strangely, but most assumed him a beastkin and he could do quite a bit that a normal human couldn¡¯t. He walked over on all fours, no longer did he force himself to walk on two legs, at least not around people he knew wouldn¡¯t judge him. Selen ate in a rather reserved manner, she wasn¡¯t slow or dainty, but compared to the others it was shocking to see her finish a drumstick in the time that they would finish several. She couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°What¡¯s funny?¡± ¡°I know about the appetite on both of you, but seeing Adina join in, it¡¯s just not like the shy little girl who I know her as.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be a slob.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t, despite your pace, you still move with grace, which I can¡¯t say for these two.¡± ¡°I¡­ thank you.¡± Harlan joined in. ¡°So you are calling us slobs?¡± ¡°Ah, no, that¡¯s not what I meant. I mean that-¡± Wulrun laughed and got another spoonful of beans. Eventually dusk fell upon them, and after more lighthearted catching up, Selen and Wulrun went home for the night. As they sat there on the stump chairs around the fire, she was confused. ¡°I thought I was going to talk with her about what happened? She told you about the world of glass, right?¡± ¡°I was going to ask her about it, but she insisted that I talk to you instead, since I knew more about how fragile people are than her.¡± ¡°But she¡¯s older than both of us together.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve killed many many more men than she ever will.¡± Harlan couldn¡¯t meet her gaze any longer. ¡°I saw the way you looked at yourself. I heard what you said, that it wasn¡¯t something you would do, that it was something I would. I just want to know, do you look at me like that? Have I just been ignoring it?¡± She tried to grab his chin, force him to look at her, but he wouldn¡¯t budge. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t think you would take it that way.¡± She stood up and put his face in her hands, but he still averted his eyes. ¡°I was shaken, I still am, but that was all it was. Yes, I thought what I did was wrong, and it was too extreme, but I¡¯m more upset that I killed him before we figured out why he was there and who he was working with. I¡¯ll probably have a few more nightmares about seeing his eye dangling from my fingers or the hole in his face with his brain sticking out.¡± ¡°I should¡¯ve explained what-¡± ¡°It was an accident, you explained the dangers of what an enhanced body could do, and I knew somewhere along the way how strong I was, but it never really sank in how strong I was and because of the baby I haven''t exactly being fighting anything that would make me push myself.¡± She finally got him to face her. ¡°Stop trying to bear everyone else¡¯s sin, just let some of it go, look back at the things that you regret and think about if you would actually change anything. Borden was a shitshow, but you and I both know that you would do everything again. I love you for you, even if you are a monster that is covered in blood and even if everyone else is afraid of you, I will always love you. Now what you need to do is to forgive yourself for some of what has happened, because I don¡¯t want you to carry all of that regret around our child.¡± ¡°I can honestly say I¡¯ve never been more attracted to you than I am right now.¡± Chapter 249: Within the Dream Harlan sat there with her in that false city. ¡°Can¡¯t you speed up my sense of time? I¡¯m not getting anything done here. If the Cast attack I won¡¯t be there for-¡± ¡°I can¡¯t let you out before the five days have passed, we¡¯ve only been here for one. ¡°Doing so would stress your mind and soul, you don¡¯t understand how fragile you are right now.¡± ¡°What do I do then?¡± ¡°We talk, keep your mind off of the time. Come, ask of me what you want to know.¡± ¡°How do I learn void gate.¡± ¡°Please, don¡¯t attempt to take advantage of this.¡± ¡°Alright, the first race of Fae slayers, who is it?¡± ¡°The Dague.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Yes, one of my myriad failures. The Fae found out about them and interfered, taking away their empathy, but also making it¡­ difficult, to destroy the race entirely. So we moved them out here and let them live or die on their own. I learned that I needed someone else''s help to make them, someone who had magic not from here. Xol has been a great help, even if the other gods, Aarde included, are distrusting of him.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need to ask him about that. But to stay on the topic of the races, why don¡¯t we have Plest inside of the veil?¡± ¡°Though they might claim to be otherwise, the beastkin are still people, and they are not immune to being human.¡± ¡°They killed them all, didn¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Plest are not quite as hearty as some species. They were given good land, and when others wanted that land, they took it. Unable to survive without the garden they had been given, they broke apart into small tribes and then eventually faded away before Marigold reached the tribes and gave them proper magic. All of this was also far before Ragne found them and they banded together to form the Confederacy. In some regards much good has come from the fear humans have for beastkin, their clashes over appearance made it easier for both sides to have a clear enemy and band together against them. Sure, a few million died here and there, but it worked out well enough by the end.¡± Harlan narrowed his eyes at her. ¡°I¡¯m I like that? A thing to be hated so others can put aside their differences?¡± ¡°Are you? Or are you a sign of someone who is different and can teach others the strength of oddity, so they might not fear them.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m all that.¡± ¡°Think on this, as I said before, there is no other being who can be Harlan, what that means to or about you is your choice to decide.¡± Outside, Carmilla left to deal with Sholl, and a day had passed. She had no desire to return to that place, and could only hope everything turned out well. Jakel and his father along with the advisors of the Sandsea gathered for a meeting. ¡°With the Godtouched Saber, I could kill Harlan.¡± ¡°And risk that god destroying us? Even Carmilla backed away in fear of that thing.¡± ¡°How certain are we that it is powerful? All it did was make threats and shapeshift.¡± ¡°Why are you so set on killing that boy?¡± Jakel slammed his hand on the table. ¡°SILENCE. Each of you may speak, but calmly.¡± ¡°How do you intend for us to remain calm? If he wakes up, he¡¯s likely to ignore our orders and do what he pleases anyway.¡± ¡°Yes, if he wakes up. We need to come to a conclusion, is it safer for Harlan to stay alive, or to die. Right now Carmilla has seen him, she knows how bad he looks, and distrusts that god. Could we blame the death on it?¡± Tatton stroked his chin. ¡°It is possible that it could work, but I am uncertain that killing Harlan is wise.¡± ¡°We all saw the look in his eyes, he took what we did a bit worse than we had expected. We made a mistake there by telling him no directly, we should¡¯ve just said we would think about it and then ignored every attempt for him to do what he wanted to do. I believe it would be unwise to wait and see what he is going to do, and we¡¯ve already finished our teaching with him. Redhaven would likely take over Fomoria, maybe it would even remain a nation with his mother taking the throne, but look at how he has expanded, and once more I must say, he spent a month in the territories and stole the nation out from under Colton. Now he comes here and talks about granting more power to the citizens, and that power move when he got here? In his words he likes being the fox, not the hare, he¡¯s already so much as said he sees us as prey.¡± They talked for only another hour before they decided. Inside of the dream, Harlan continued to spend time. ¡°The Faun? Did the Cast do something? Because from what I¡¯ve heard they are a young race from way after the Fae were already gone.¡± ¡°The god of the Cast, not to be confused for their emperor, simply wanted their human subjects to be stronger, and without a desire to give them magic that would bridge this gap, as was the purpose of prime races being rather average in every other way but their ability to use all of the elements, she simply mixed them with a species of deer to make them a little larger.¡± The Darkness sipped on the cup of tea that never ran empty. ¡°It has been quite an experience, having even a fragment of myself spend time leisurely.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve tried to make a relaxing Harlan, and it''s never really worked. Whatever little peace they can give me is simply crushed under the weight of everything else. I can¡¯t stand the idea of wasting my brain power on something like that unless I get very clear positive results.¡± ¡°It is quite interesting to me that you¡¯ve become an Egregore like this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really a thought entity, am I? If every body of mine dies, or if someone targeted my soul, I¡¯d still die.¡± ¡°Yes, I suppose that is fair, but you aren¡¯t quite a lich either. They tend to have one point of failure, the phylactery which is in the stories you¡¯ve heard about them. Anything you¡¯ve ever made, that bears your signature could be a possible vessel, from your ring, to your armor, to your golems.¡± ¡°Are there more liches besides Xol out there? I would assume Marigold since Xol would¡¯ve taught her how to do it.¡± ¡°Yes, you would assume that. It is not my story to tell for why she doesn¡¯t split herself like you do. But, yes, there are other liches. Each is rare and unique, only one of them is truly like Xol, from Earth I mean. The process of binding a soul to an object and then using that to prevent it from fading away after the death of a body isn¡¯t new, and Xol does not really hold claim over it. Though it used to be one would need to sacrifice thousands of lives to get such an effect. And now Xol has a large collection of these phylacteries so their owners can¡¯t regenerate without his approval.¡± There was a small silence between them, her letting Harlan come to his own conclusions about why Marigold might not want more than one mind running around. Then once she thought he had exactly enough time to come to a conclusion, she changed the subject again. ¡°Ritual magic is interesting, to me far more so then the current system.¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯ve heard of it, old magic, supposed to be finicky and highly specific. Though, I guess what happened with that evolved Skinwalker was a ritual spell, and that was effective.¡± ¡°Yes, it was both of those things, but the moving of hands and speaking of words lacks flair compared to dancing around ancient trees or throwing people into volcanos and hoping they¡¯d catch the eye of one of us and we would do something. Then those Fae bastards had to make it easy, but almost impossible for those granted magic to understand it, and Marigold then gave the tools needed for magic to be easy, but require a level of understanding.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got enough blood on me already, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d like the old magic.¡± ¡°When it was practiced, brutality was simply the way of the world, yet not all of the principles require that. Coronach¡­ he knew brutality like few others, and wished to soften it.¡± ¡°What is he really? Is that whole story about him being an ancient hero who gave up on humanity really the truth?¡± ¡°Coronach is many things, but a liar is not one. And he has never given up on humanity, they betrayed him, and whatever he might say, I believe he has stayed alive as long as he has to find someone to prove him wrong about them. A good man he is not, time has passed him by, but in his age, he was one of the better ones.¡± ¡°Is that his real name? Because I have tried to look for anything that contains the word, and all I found was an old practice of the same name where one would sing at funerals.¡± ¡°That practice is named after him, he would sing to his troops after the battle to guide the souls to the afterlife, and then it became normal for him to hum as he slaughters.¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°And he was a good man in his age?¡± ¡°When putting the heads of children on pikes to lower enemy morale wasn¡¯t looked down on as an unacceptable brutality, but as just another tactic, a man who would defend the weak was akin to a saint, and not one of them from Reino, I mean the general meaning of the world. He didn¡¯t change the world how he liked, he didn¡¯t get his era of light, but the stories of him, now lost to time, did make some look at their own actions and better themselves.¡± They had decided. Harlan must parish before he destabilized the nation, his own nation was built on knowing nothing at all and deciding to take over a town on a whim, giving him time to plan out a way to destroy them seemed like a when and not an if. Tatton was the one who would strike him down, if someone would be a scapegoat, he would take that blame, his life was already nearing its end. Tatton saw Harlan laying in the shadow of one of the pillars, and thought nothing of his having been moved. As he brought the saber down, he felt a wrongness in his body and staggered back. A loud laughter resounded from the darkness, and the others who had been waiting outside so they wouldn¡¯t be direct witnesses came near to see what had happened. The shadow stood above his father, and though he was uncertain, Jakel did not recognize this thing as the god from before. Her air was one of divinity, this was one of nothingness. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you really activated it, oh, I¡¯ve been waiting to see this.¡± Jakel struck at the shadow, who simply used his open palm to push him away. ¡°I¡¯ve been told not to kill all of you if possible, it would look quite bad for the boy if you all died.¡± He stood 12 feet tall, his body waved like a flag in slow motion, and he had 7 eyes in a half circle. ¡°But your father¡­ he has already doomed himself.¡± Others tried to use what Harlan had taught them, spiraling radiant beams at the¡­ entity. Yet with just a finger, he could make his own beam of void and split it, each thread having the equivalent power of their own beams. As the light and dark clashed, they harmlessly canceled one another. Tatton was becoming skinny, his fur was graying. ¡°You see, Harlan is so foolish that he would truly do this for free as a gesture of good will, but he is not so foolish that he wouldn¡¯t include something else. To raise a blade against him with honest intention, that is enough to take back that gift which he has given freely.¡± ¡°FATHER.¡±. ¡°Fall¡± Coronach¡¯s words became a relatively weak gravity spell which forced them to the ground. ¡°Shouting won¡¯t help, nothing can now. Well, that isn¡¯t true, if Harlan were to wake up and heal him, granting the youth once more, he would be fine. But Harlan isn¡¯t to wake for some time, and I very much doubt he¡¯d care for you all when he does. But¡­ am I using the word too much? It¡¯s starting to sound odd to me, but but but but¡­ hmm, no matter. He will die as he should¡¯ve. And I do hope he has realized how foolish it was to spit in the face of the gift horse.¡± Coronach said something afterwards in a dead language, but they couldn¡¯t make any sense of the word. The gravity returned to normal, Jakel rushed to his father, taking him away from the living void and grabbing the saber. Coronach was very excited, but Jakel simply backed away. ¡°Coward.¡± Harlan meanwhile was eating a variety of things, many he had never even heard of. ¡°For someone who doesn¡¯t eat, you certainly know a lot of foods.¡± ¡°I am a collector of stories, many cultures long dead had their own customs about these things.¡± ¡°This?¡± ¡°Kortensplorc. It was said to have been made by as an offering to a god. Though it was made of simple ingredients, the deity was touched that the starving man would give it to him rather than feed himself, and was granted a bowl of the stew which would never run empty or rot.¡± ¡°Is there any truth to that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s beside the point, it is an interesting story.¡± Harlan ate some along with some biscuits. ¡°It¡¯s kinda bland.¡± ¡°The reality is that it is just a very simple stew that was easy to make, and the religious aspect was to make one not look down on it or complain. There is another story that if children refused to finish their stew then a demon would come into their rooms while they were asleep and put a rock under their tongue while they slept.¡± Harlan stopped eating and just looked very confused. ¡°When everyone thought every old looking tree or body of water had a spirit related to it they would blame everything on them, making wild tales and traditions that made little sense unless one was already a part of the culture. They weren¡¯t all wrong however, the rogue Fae, the leftovers who still roam the world today, they are the cause of much local folklore.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you all just reveal yourselves? Show them that there are only a few true gods.¡± ¡°We reacted too late. Well, my siblings did, I¡¯ve had worshippers since what you would consider ancient times, before the Fae empire.¡± ¡°Do you have a lot today?¡± ¡°People who worship the god of lies and murder aren¡¯t likely to say they worship me.¡± ¡°And are you really a god of murder and lies?¡± ¡°Lying isn¡¯t an inherent immorality to me, and murder has a very flexible definition.¡± ¡°Huh. Could any of those followers bring me seeds for rice. It¡¯s a good food crop, stable to store, goes well with most things, really the only issue is the poor nutrition of it.¡± ¡°I will make sure you get it, along with something else that has been making its way to you.¡± Coronach hated this job,, nobody tried to kill Harlan. But Carmilla did show up. ¡°So this is the great vampire queen I¡¯ve heard about? I can smell your diluted blood from here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to rise above your taunts. I wish to see Harlan.¡± ¡°Before I am allowed to converse with you further. I am required to state that I am expressly forbidden from harming you.¡± His tone was a grumble, obviously thinking it was unfair. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The boy likes you, and apparently that means without express permission or an inability for both of you to live, I can¡¯t harm a hair on your pretty little head.¡± Carmilla was confused, and stepped back out after more or less just checking his vitals. ¡°Why me? I wouldn¡¯t say we are great friends, and he barely knows me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t question me, I¡¯m just following orders. But the boy does have a type, an older woman, and a vampire? You are in two of his most liked categories of people. You¡¯ve got a pretty daughter, right?¡± She pulled her estoc and bore her fangs at him with a sneer. ¡°How boring, but it¡¯s what I expect from one of your kind.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve insulted me for what I am twice already, what do you have against me?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve failed to find something to offset that weakness using the benefits of being a diluted vampire, one not a direct descendant of the first born.¡± Fury crept onto his face. ¡°But no, that is not what I hate about you.¡± ¡°What is then?¡± Coronach stood still, not replying to any further questions from her.
Sholl made his way to the communication room, from there a letter would be written and passed along to his hand. Uncertain of what to do, he simply lived in the room until the reply arrived. The letter was short. ¡®Sholl, please avoid Queen Carmilla during your investigation. If she is involved directly, apply for additional support, but make no moves against her. Your¡¯s truly, Ur.¡¯ He found the response odd, but in his time under him, Ur was not one to rely on tricks, and he could expect an explanation at a later date. Sholl made his way to another city, one on the next stripe over and under imperial control. When a Finger made their way to any place, the reaction was always an immediate event of their arrival. The best food and drink would be gathered the city over, sometimes it would even be paid for. Thus Sholl entered with a hood and gloves on, telling the guards at the gate that he would rather his visit remain quiet. Once he reached the mayor¡¯s mansion, he revealed himself to only the guards who needed to know who he was so they could bring him directly to the mayor. ¡°Greetings, I am Sholl, Left Pinkie of the Emperor.¡± The golden Cast in charge of the clearly not expecting him, and thought himself in trouble. ¡°Cast aside your fear, I am only seeking information about the surrounding nations not yet conquered.¡± ¡°I am happy to help. My name is Auria, Mayor of Kalden.¡± ¡°I checked the records before I came this way, I thought a man named Aurel should be mayor of the city and Ambassador of the region?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ he had an unfortunate accident, and I was sent to replace him.¡± ¡°Under what circumstances did he die?¡± ¡°We had set a trap, and somehow despite the planning, we failed to capture the subject, and Aurel was killed in the process.¡± Sholl looked the man in the eyes, it wasn¡¯t a strong compulsion, but for most people it was enough to make them honest without him needing to use sigils. ¡°And what was your target?¡± ¡°A monster which took over a city south of here, not far from the eastern coast, Kor.¡± ¡°What does the monster look like?¡± ¡°He was first a pale man, almost human, but he called himself Fomorian, a name none of us know. He looked young, certainly not over 20 years of age, his eyes were strange, fire, darkness, and light, and they slit like a reptile when he got angry. Now, he is taller, and he has horns like a Dague. But from the survivors who¡¯ve seen him, he can take the form of any beast, real or what he seemed to have invented on his own.¡± ¡°And how many troops have you lost to him so far.¡± The compulsion broke, the question was one he very much did not want to answer. ¡°Not many, it¡¯s been very low priority, and we expect him to get bored and move on soon enough, but won¡¯t make it far without a city to hide behind or a surprise attack.¡± Sholl thought about how much he wanted to push it, he could just directly accuse him of lying, his word as a Finger was proof enough to get him executed. But to him that felt like something one of the Fingers of the Right Hand would do. ¡°Thank you for your time, I intend to stay around the area for a time, but not in the city itself, so don¡¯t worry about food or accommodations.¡± He shook the mayor¡¯s hand and left, or at least the illusion did. The real Sholl followed the man around and listened to his conversations. In the night, Auria directly visited with members of the orders and other mayor¡¯s from the surrounding areas. Considering the distance between towns and cities along with him never sending a message, this meeting was one already planned before Sholl arrived and he simply got lucky. ¡°A Finger has arrived.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°He is looking for information, I think I was under a compulsion, but I described Fomoria and he seemed far too interested once I said he could shapeshift.¡± ¡°Dammit. We are getting closer, do we finally just request more troops from the other stripes?¡± ¡°I doubt we will have time, can you convince your Grand Wizards to join in an attack? If Kor is wiped from the map then Fomoria will be in the wind, but it¡¯s better than us never getting the chance to get at those magics first.¡± ¡°Or we could kill the Finger, which one is it?¡± ¡°Sholl.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ that is bad, he¡¯s not a brute from the Right Hand, but also it could be good, we do know he is rather weak for a Finger. If I convinced a few Grand Wizards to attack, we might have a chance to kill him, buy a little more time for a proper extraction. Taking his son would be a good bargaining chip.¡± ¡°What about his mother?¡± ¡°If the reports from the west are right, she was involved in an attack on a city, and if she is really the mother to that monster then there is no telling what could happen. The boy has few guards, and spends much of his time with just a single Dague girl, even sometimes going outside of the walls to hunt game or monsters.¡± ¡°Then we take the boy, use him to get us the man.¡± Sholl had heard enough. Chapter 250: Unity Day Harlan awoke from his dream, wishing well to The Darkness. It wasn¡¯t as if she hadn¡¯t spent days with him before, but this was the first time that she had done it in such a casual manner, nor were they in that void which she called home. When he got up the pain was rather intense still, but his body started to knit itself back together and Coronach pulled a tonic from inside of himself, pouring it down Harlan¡¯s throat. It was after dark, and the only ones who noticed him wake were the guards and Patra. While they went to get Jakel, she snuck passed into the room. Coronach decided that he was done and folded into himself as if he was never there, leaving just those two. ¡°I hope you aren¡¯t mad.¡± ¡°I stopped being mad days ago.¡± He had gone beyond anger already, he spent no small time thinking of how he could destroy the Sandsea without also losing Carmilla. Unfortunately the best plan he had was to just wait for the Cast to arrive and then choose not to save anyone but the citizens. ¡°I didn¡¯t teach anyone how that aura magic works yet. But¡­ if you don¡¯t save grandfather, I¡¯ll give it to everyone in the family.¡± ¡°Threatening me? I¡¯m¡­¡± She braced herself, it wasn¡¯t her plan, but rather one devised knowing how Harlan was. ¡°Confused mostly. Why would you want to save that piece of shit?¡± ¡°I want to prove that I can become an important part of the family with my skill, not just because I have their blood.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to prove anything to them. How would you feel about moving to Kor? I can¡¯t promise I¡¯ll always be around, but you would have a family that actually cares about you for just being a person instead of a tool.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not proving anything to them, I want to prove to myself that they are wrong about me, and that I¡¯m wrong about me. So I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t come with you.¡± ¡°You are certain you want me to save his life? After all, that curse only activated because he tried to kill me.¡± ¡°Yes. Even if you hate me for it, please, save him.¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t going to be grateful, he¡¯s just going to berate you for refusing to unlock anyone¡¯s aura.¡± ¡°I know, but if I get good enough at other magic then maybe he¡¯ll-¡± Harlan hugged and petted her. ¡°He won¡¯t care, for people like him, we¡¯re never good enough, we¡¯ll always just be an aberration of nature, something to be hated and feared because it is abnormal.¡± ¡°I need to try, and if it doesn¡¯t work, then¡­ I¡¯m really glad that I met you.¡± ¡°No, you never need to try for them, because they don¡¯t deserve that space in your mind. But I¡¯ll do it anyway, if they also agree to refit the trains to what they were supposed to be.¡± When the guards came in they were unsure how forcefully they could try to escort Harlan to Tatton. ¡°If you point those spears at me I¡¯m going to cave your chests in.¡± One of them, bravely or foolishly, did so anyway, and a telekinetic punch did all but push his ribs out his back, his skin stretched and the Canis¡¯s face distorted in pain before he passed out. ¡°I¡¯ve made my example, don¡¯t force my hand again.¡± Patra threw up at the sight of the man, his lungs too damaged to even scream from the pain he was in. Harlan stepped near the man, the other guards too frozen with fear to stop him from finishing his work. Yet instead of ending his life, Harlan pulled the man¡¯s bones back inside his body and stabilized him. He didn¡¯t need to kill anyone, he just needed them to know that he had been holding back before, and he was not playing games now. ¡°Don¡¯t move him for the next 6 to 10 hours, the damage he sustained was quite severe and his mind will be in shock for quite a while.¡± Patra was rinsing her mouth with magic, but her eyes and ears would not forget.. ¡°Patra, stop being dramatic, we¡¯ve got a deal to make.¡± One of the guards slightly lowered his spear and Harlan looked his way, causing the man to stand stock still. He didn¡¯t feel good about his time in the Sandsea, but he still got what he wanted. The trains would be what they should be, and Harlan would be checking to make sure things stayed that way. If before they could claim no contract had been signed, so they technically didn¡¯t break their word, there could be no more tricks, Harlan¡¯s blood was the ink on the paper, and their blood would paint the sand should they attempt weaselly tactics again. Harlan returned to Kor and reactivated his shadow, luckily not enough time had passed for the mindless body to die and start decomposing, but it did stink, no amount of washing by maids was good enough for him compared to a long soak and his deep cleaning water magic. He decided against thinking about who had cleaned him during his days in the Sandsea. Harlan thought long and hard about making more Shadows. The only ones he kept were the one which simply moved around the world and reporting the people, plants, and animals that he found, the one that followed Darrath in a shifting animal body, and the one which slept in stasis far away from anyone or anything as his last resort. By meditating as he parted out his mind, he did notice the difference this time, but it was far more acceptable than the previous arrangement, a majority of his mind was still in his main body, rather than what he estimated as a third or even less. There was always the option of creating a copy like Balor, one that had all of his memories but was allowed to split off into a unique person, but he very much disliked the idea, Kleon had left a scar on his mind that only got worse the more he got to know Xol and see the difference between the two men that began as one. He was brought out of his thoughts by Darrath¡¯s buzzing. Since the Shadows had ¡®died¡¯ Darrath was confused and scared, not really understanding the disconnect between Harlan and the different bodies, to him they were all just Harlan. He walked up the wall and huddled together with his son until he went back to sleep, then he remained there until morning, changing to an inactive body so he could study the Eolgi instead. When dawn broke, Dawn woke the pair. ¡°You both need to get ready, Unity Day is happening, and not having the king and the prince would look quite bad.¡± Harlan turned off the sticky spell he had been using, a much more efficient way to remain stuck to a wall all night instead of gravity magic, and flipped mid air to land on his feet. ¡°Any chance we can delay again?¡± ¡°No.¡± Her tone was final, and she took a breath to calm herself. ¡°Bringing everyone together has been a complete nightmare, if I need to check the schedules and change dates one more time I think I¡¯m going to scream and I¡¯m not sure when I¡¯ll be able to stop.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware of the difficulties of trying to bring people together.¡± ¡°We shouldn¡¯t have invited those mongrel bas- the royals from the Sandsea.¡± ¡°It sends a poor message if I don¡¯t invite them regardless of them not coming; nobody has heard about what happened between us, yet. D¡¯if has everything ready?¡± ¡°The rumor mills are processing the truth as we speak, we¡¯re ready to bake the bread.¡± ¡°Is the bread a lie or is it the truth? Because a mill would be crushing the truth and turning it into a flour of sorts. So does that mean we are changing the truth to a more useful form, or are we turning it into something else entirely?¡± ¡°I just wanted to equate rumor mills to actual mills, I didn¡¯t plan this out. But I guess the bread must be the truth since we aren¡¯t putting out exaggerated rumors, just what happened.¡± ¡°Why are you talking about bread?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Are you excited about the festival?¡± ¡°Viviane wanted to go with me, but I want to stay with papa.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we all go together? Your father, me, Viviane, and you.¡± ¡°Oh, and Joan and Mercedes?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much they can walk around the festival since they are going to be getting called away for work to make sure the festival goes well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s sad.¡± ¡°Everyone has a duty to fulfill.¡± ¡°Are you going to be called away?¡± ¡°Maybe, but Mercedes said she would try to handle it all on her own since I did so much with planning the festival.¡± They all got dressed, not in their finest clothes, but in something more casual. Dressed was a word that lost meaning to them personally, it meant to shift one''s clothes more often than it did to actually put on something new. And while Harlan couldn¡¯t bear to take his armor off, he kept it well hidden under his loose shirt and simple pants. The point of the day was to bring everyone together, not through conflict, but through teaching. He needed to arrive at several exhibits that locals had set up to teach about their cultures and what they are adding to make Kor a unique place. There were some¡­ issues, related to previous racial tension. As it turns out, few people liked the Faun, though he already knew that people didn¡¯t like Dague. Since they were a creation of The Machine God, they were linked directly to the Castian Empire, and even if they existed primarily as a slave workforce and nobody knew where they came from, that link was not positive, often they¡¯d be given the ¡®nicer¡¯ slave work, servants, farmers, accountants. Whereas a Minos may often end up a soldier or doing backbreaking labor such as mining, Faun were more often maids and clerks. Them being tied to the bureaucracy only made their reputation worse, some people were sold into slavery to pay debts, and at these banks one would find Cast and Faun working hand in hand. Things only got more complicated as Harlan explained the actual origins of both the Faun and Dague. Previously the Faun believed that a Grand Wizard made them to fight against the Cast and they were effectively a failed warrior race. Hearing that they were directly made for slave work by the Cast god was upsetting, and he had to make a heartfelt argument by talking about the origins of his own people as a disposable race of warriors made in second to another for the express purpose of tracking and then acting as meat shields. When the Dague heard about their origin, they were more than happy to flaunt that they were vaguely related to Fomorian, skipping past that they themselves were a failed race and not humans who through rituals made themselves better than others as they had originally thought. How much any single person actually trusted his word was questionable, but many saw him as being very honest with his people, and his own claim to be the champion of a god had weight as they saw his power compared to his age. That he had also changed his own body fit with the preconceived notions about the Mother Of Lies, Assassins, Murder, and Deceit. Harlan was ruminating on these things before his speech that would mark the actual day of the festival. He relied on what he had been told, he simply wasn¡¯t old enough to know the truth, but The Darkness didn¡¯t lie to him often, and she had no reason to lie to him now. He went out to the festival grounds stage where thousands had gathered. Since the dissolution of the UT, the make up of the city had changed quickly and severely. Whereas before they were less than 30,000, with almost half of them being Dague, they were now 80,000, making the city majority human. While he would¡¯ve liked to create more cities for them and spread them out, he was limited by both the resources to feed them, as well as the rate at which a city could actually be built. Most of Kor had been empty since Marigold expanded it from the town it had been before, and these humans who believed that Harlan could lead them to a better future desired to stay with him in Kor rather than with their own people. Ironically this meant they were staying with their own anyway since the inner wall was the actually diverse section of the city and humans ended up filling the outer city, which was its own point of contention. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. He cleared his throat and put on a happy face, his desire was to do only a small speech and then go through the festival with his family, not to rile anyone up. He briefly considered standing vs sitting vs floating, but decided that standing was least likely to come off as him being above the people too much, the stage already gave off that sign loud and clear by being raised enough that everyone needed to look up at him. ¡°I am happy to see so many of my citizens gathered here in this city which you have made into a place where it matters little what race you are, for we have all done our parts in making Kor unlike anything that exists. I hope that we can all remember that today is a day of peace, a reminder that in the short months which we have been here, things can change, they will change. This day has been a long time coming, and it is not that an enemy army has prevented us from gathering, we are not hiding in our homes for fear of cannon fire breaching the walls. No, this day has taken so long to plan because of the enemy that lives in us. I cast no blame, we are all products of where we are born, who has raised us, and who has raised them, and the time which they were born. But we mustn''t fall to ignorance, for that is what breeds fear. We must judge men not by what they are, but by who they are, lest we become monsters ourselves. So I ask of you, my citizens, do not stay only with your own people, in your own area of the city, on this day, visit others, come to understand them, for it is understanding that will bring us unity.¡± Harlan tossed a crystal far into the air with magic and each of the colors which burst from it spread out and then were pulled back into the center, painting it black. ¡°I''ve often been feared for my affinity towards the darkness. But if one mixes enough paints together, it turns to black. Do not look at this as an absence of something, see this blackness as simply another form of something. Now, I officially declare that Unity Day is ready for us all to enjoy.¡± He could¡¯ve left by going through a gate or flying away, but instead he took the steps right into the street. Immediately a woman approached him. Her irises were a shining black like obsidian, nearly blending together with her pupils. But right after he stopped looking at her eyes he saw her face. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m Harlan.¡± She laughed and brushed her hair from her eyes. ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t stay. My mother did ask me to give you a gift though, you¡¯ve been a big help.¡± She handed him a bag of something and a bundle of twigs. ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly accept something from her, it would be better served in her own life.¡± The woman moved closed to him, a distance that would¡¯ve been uncomfortable was quite comfortable to him as she whispered in his ears and he felt her hot breath on them. ¡°Trust me, you want this.¡± She walked into the crowd as he checked the contents and thanked her. Dawn approached from behind. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°She was the most beautiful woman I¡¯ve ever seen in my life.¡± ¡°Who?¡± He just sighed. ¡°Doesn''t matter. I got the branches of a mimic tree and rice seeds.¡± ¡°Someone just gave that to you? Can you trust it?¡± ¡°Mother said that she¡¯d be sending me these things, so that was one of her agents.¡± ¡°Are you going after her? If she really was so beautiful that you¡¯re standing her in shock she seems worth pursuing.¡± ¡°She vanished from my sight and my mental senses the second I looked away. Where did Darrath and Viviane go?¡± ¡°I sent them to one of the food carts to get us some snacks for walking around.¡± ¡°And why did you do that?¡± ¡°I know you don¡¯t like me playing matchmaker, but give Viviane a chance, I¡¯ve been training her in magic and combat so you don¡¯t feel so-¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Harlan walked through the crowd towards his son, leaving the stunned Dawn behind. Darrath was using telekinesis, his feelers acting as hands to focus them better, to hold the many foods which he got. Viviane was trying her best, but she simply wasn¡¯t as good at it as Darrath. Suddenly the weight was gone and she turned around. ¡°You looked like you could use the help.¡± ¡°Ah, King Fo-¡± ¡°Please, call me Harlan. I see Dawn unlocked your aura.¡± ¡°She¡¯s been very kind, helping me with many things.¡± ¡°She wants you to seduce me. I¡¯m thinking about letting it happen.¡® Viviane froze, causing Darrath to run into her. ¡°Papa, what does seduce mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain when you get older. But Viviane might want to be really really good friends with me.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m already really really good friends with her.¡± ¡°Darrath doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s saying, me and him-¡± ¡°Relax, I know that he doesn¡¯t know what he means.¡± ¡°What don¡¯t I mean?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just have fun today, worry about that later.¡± Along the way, no less than a dozen thieves tried to pick their pockets, but ended up instead losing their own wallets, a note saying to pick them up later at the castle being placed where it once was. They approached the Faun section first. Their diets were effectively no different than humans, and because of their relation to the Castian Empire as slaves their foods were rather simple, stews, roasted meats, things of that sort. The only real defining aspect were the wild herbs that they used, granting a rich earthy flavor to them. Along with a very heavy use of mushrooms and potatoes, which would naturally grow in the slave camps. It was peasants food, and he felt a warmth in his chest as he ate the skewers of boiled potatoes that were then seasoned and roasted on an open fire along with onions and mushrooms, then just before serving, each piece would receive a brush of gravy so they wouldn¡¯t be dry. The woman running the stand looked on with worry, she had not expected the king to be wandering the streets, let alone that he would eat her food. ¡°Thank you for this. I grew up on a farm, and though we never went hungry, foods like this, hearty and filling, easy to scavenge, they remind me of home. I more often ate stews, so it is interesting to see these same ingredients used to make something else.¡± ¡°You grew up on a farm?¡± ¡°Ah, you aren¡¯t one of the original residents then. I believe I mentioned it rather early on that I come from simple beginnings.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t remember, but I came here when you destroyed a city far far away from here.¡± ¡°That was some time ago. I¡¯m very happy to see the people who I¡¯ve rescued become part of this city, and that you¡¯ve used what you¡¯ve been given to open a business of your own.¡± ¡°I spent quite some time as the cook in a farming camp, it¡¯s really my only skill.¡± ¡°Never sell yourself short, you aren¡¯t so old that you can¡¯t learn more. Have you been attending the magic classes?¡± ¡°Oh I couldn¡¯t do something like that, I don¡¯t have the aptitude for magic.¡± ¡°Anyone can learn, but I understand that it isn¡¯t for everyone. My own parents-¡± Dawn tapped on his shoulder. ¡°Though I¡¯m sure you love to reminisce, we can¡¯t spend all day here.¡± ¡°Right, sorry. I hope you have a nice day, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°You as well, your majesty.¡± They all sat at the repeating show that would explain the origins of the Faun. Yet due to the upheaval beforehand, the show had changed quite a bit, skimming over their origins with a mocking tone towards the Cast for having made a new enemy. It was a little strange to make that the centerpoint of the story how they wanted to be the clerical backbone of Fomoria, since few people liked to do such work, but there was a lot of enthusiasm among the crowd. Harlan was just glad that people would be doing more of this kind of work that he hated and Mercedes never seemed to have enough workers for because of their expansion. Members of the communities were told to elect members of their race as representatives, helping to bring forward issues to the city which were unique to them. Harlan had shamelessly stolen the idea from the Plest and their love of collectivism. The Faun leader came forward after the show to speak with him. ¡°What are your thoughts?¡± ¡°It was interesting. So many people choose to remain anchored to the past, yet you¡¯ve decided to make it clear you intend to throw it away and retake the work which has left you so maligned.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The man seemed taken aback by the praise being given with so strong a tone. He knew praise as something given either following or preceded by a threat, yet Harlan had a genuine smile and reached out to shake hands. ¡°Thank you very much for your kind words. We¡¯ve given quite a lot of thought towards what you¡¯ve taught us. And though it seems a stereotype, our minds are rather good with mundane mental work and culturally we place some pride on this fact.¡± ¡°So long as one never lets themself be forced into work they know they are not suited for, I think working in the area they are best for is not any issue, just as I assume there would be no issue if a Minos wanted to join in on desk work.¡± ¡°Oh no, of course not, though there may be some issues with their dexterity, small papers and all that.¡± ¡°By the end of the day, there won¡¯t be any issues with that.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the fun part of a surprise? Not knowing?¡± With that out of the way, his tight schedule had just enough time for them to try out some games. Following the work centered culture of the Faun, many of them were in reality ways in which one would gain job training. They sorted objects by color and also a symbol marked on the wooden balls. If by the end any of them were missorted, the player lost, requiring one to not just act quickly, but also to do so diligently. Harlan decided to play with Viviane, while Dawn played with Darrath. He decided against growing more arms, the pain was still rather vivid, his spells were not quite being good enough that it was worth shifting for silly reasons anymore, but in a pinch it wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d end up unable to shift his body due to pain. Yet despite him also choosing to use only one arm and no magic, she was completely outmatched. Darrath fared much better, Dawn having slowed down to match pace and then win by only a few points. ¡°Again.¡± ¡°Are you certain?¡± ¡°I can do better, I know I can, I want to do it again.¡± Viviane didn¡¯t look at him lovingly in that moment, she had been bested without any excuses, the only way to maintain her pride was to at least set the second best score of the day. It was childish, but he saw her doing her best and wanted to do his best so she could understand how large the gap between them really was. With telekinesis, he actually ran out of balls to sort, winning by default. She was trying her best to not stomp away, and was only calmed by Darrath. ¡°Vivi, did you see how strong papa is? Isn¡¯t he the best at sorting things? He¡¯s the best at everything I bet.¡± ¡°Darrath, there is always someone better at something than you. Carmilla is stronger than me, Mercedes is better at paperwork, and your other grandmother is a better cook.¡± ¡°I have another grandma?¡± ¡°Yes, Grandma Aida. I¡¯ll tell you about everyone else in the family later.¡± ¡°That¡¯s cool, I like having more than one grandma.¡± ¡°That¡¯s cool?¡± ¡°Yeah, I heard the other kids say it, it means something is good.¡± Harlan and the rest of them moved forward, just in time to see the more of the guests arrive. Carmilla came in a carriage rather than by gate as she wished to come and go as she wished rather than rely on Harlan for such a thing. Unfortunately, Colton would be in the city of New Kingdom celebrating the day himself, though it was a little odd since the city was a 9/10ths human and the unity aspect took on a more nationalist message of their new nation rather than Harlan¡¯s message of racial unity against a greater threat. Naturally Tatton and his family avoided crossing the sea for fear that Harlan would just plainly kill them in a fake accident. But Fangre had accepted the invitation and directly asked to be gated to the city. Once the banner of Redhaven flew over the gates to the city alongside the banner of Fomoria, he contacted her for pick up.
The congregation of leaders recoiled, certain that even all of them combined wouldn¡¯t match up to the Finger who revealed himself. ¡°Each of you stands now accused of high treason by way of attempting to hoard power for yourselves rather than to grant it to the empire.¡± ¡°Finger Sholl, there is a misunder-¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been monitoring you invisibly since after our meeting, I¡¯ve heard everything. You¡¯ve purposely hidden both the losses you¡¯ve suffered and the importance of catching this target, which is likely my target as well. You have intentionally interfered with my investigation into the near destruction of several cities and thousands of stolen slaves.¡± Auria moved towards him. ¡°Surely we can come to an agreement regarding my minor mishap.Think of the good that will come from us continuing our plan, with the efforts of a Finger, think of the glory that you would have when you bring back the ability to instantly communicate over vast distances, to make weapons which cast their own spells without burdening the user.¡± ¡°I am fully aware you are simply trying to save your own skin, that you are a treacherous snake, yet I will go along with this plan for the sake of ending this situation sooner. Tell me honestly, what do you know of Harlan Fomoria?¡± ¡°He is a warrior of immense power. He appeared some months ago and instantly took hold of the city of Kor, slaughtering every soldier who dared to raise their weapon to him and even killing many members of our vassal nations. Physically I¡¯ve heard reports of him ripping Cast and Minos in two with just his hands, and though he carried a sword for some time, perhaps as a symbol of office, he has abandoned the weapons of people, preferring his claws and teeth. Magically¡­ he slaughtered nearly 10,000 soldiers, an entire army gone in a single night. Without any survivors, we simply have no idea of how other than reports of an intense thunderstorm that shook the ground. By the time more scouts arrived, the bodies were being cleared, taking through a gate into some dark place.¡± ¡°And he has refused peace talks?¡± Auria and the others looked away in shame. Sholl thought of what he knew about these people, and killed the least useful of the bunch. ¡°Tell me, have you and yours driven a powerful ally away due to greed?¡± ¡°It was not our plans, my predecessor believed he could break Fomoria through force, he antagonized him beyond sense.¡± ¡°Explain then, perhaps I might still be able to fix it.¡± ¡°He gave over foods to Fomoria, but the candies which were meant for the children contained a specific poison that tastes of roses. It only harms Plest, and only those who are already weak. A handful of children and elders died. Fomoria was caught in Aurel¡¯s trap but...¡± ¡°If he was caught in the trap, then what went wrong?¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t entirely sure, the room had no air, all magic was sealed, and a spatial lock was in place. Yet somehow Fomoria broke through and stole away Aurel. We received his skull some time later in a box delivered by a six winged raven.¡± ¡°And I assume then that Fomoria has since stopped all attempts at negotiating.¡± ¡°When we send emissaries, they are simply turned away. Despite his actions, we believe he dislikes violence, seeing it as a means to an end.¡± ¡°Or he doesn¡¯t have a desire to continually draw the attention of our empire.¡± One of the others stepped forward. ¡°No, that¡¯s simply untrue. He¡¯s been gathering allies, or rather, one ally. Carmilla Redhaven, an ancient vampire lord who has maintained lands here for centuries. He¡¯s also destroyed the nearby nation of Drang, bringing it fully under the control of her iron fist as a gift.¡± ¡°He is close to her?¡± ¡°How close is hard to say. But she invited them to a dinner along with her vassal nations. It is possible, though unconfirmed, that Fomoria is directly under her control.¡± ¡°Why are you uncertain?¡± ¡°Getting spies into Redhaven has always proven to be a difficult task, and those that he allows into Fomoria cannot get into his home. We¡¯ve received a great deal of eyes and ears that we assume are from our spies who¡¯ve been captured for seeing or hearing something that they should not.¡± ¡°Then all of you are to remain as if nothing happened. I was told to avoid conflict with her, but if it is unavoidable, we will need reinforcements.¡± ¡°Oh, before you leave, there is talk of them having some sort of unification festival, though it has suffered a great deal of delays, it should be soon, within two weeks or less. It may be a good time to separate him from his son and grab the boy.¡± ¡°I will keep that in mind, but from now on I am in charge of this operation.¡± Sholl was about to leave when a thought came to him. ¡°You make it seem as if he allows spies into the city?¡± Chapter 251: Unity Day 2 With the gate opened, Fangre passed through along with two guards. She hadn¡¯t ever shown any sort of family, and Harlan found it quite odd, but he would leave that question for another time due to the possible implications. ¡°King Fomoria, it is good to see you again.¡± She hugged him, making a rather awkward scene as he fought off the mental connection that was innate to Cerest. ¡°I must apologize for my prior actions, so many new things have been seen, possibilities beyond the blood and death which I sighted before.¡± ¡°Thank you. And don¡¯t worry about before, I know how I come off to many people. Do you intend to come along with me to look around the festival?¡± ¡°No, I will wander with Carmilla.¡± Without another word she slithered her way through the crowd, grabbing food which her guards would then pay for. Viviane chimed in. ¡°What an odd woman. At least she knows what she wants. Come, we need to visit the Plest, then the Dague, then the humans, Minos, and Ursa.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shame the Ibexians have declined to set anything up for themselves, but at least they aren¡¯t just sitting around.¡± ¡°They are the smallest minority next to the Ursa, and many of their traditional dishes, which is what was asked of them to make, require spices that are not native to the area and we were unable to import. They¡¯ve also got no nations of their own that are known, taking part in the cultures of others rather than making their own so they felt like they¡¯ve nothing to presently offer.¡± Harlan just gave her an odd look. ¡°Dawn has been sending me to Redhaven, to the library. She said that you liked smart girls, and I¡¯ve been helping to prepare the festival, so I talked with them.¡± ¡°What I like is people who are themselves. Is this what you want to be? Or are you morphing yourself into someone else in a bid to be with me?¡± She looked around, seeing the stares of the people. ¡°I think I would like to have this conversation in private.¡± ¡°After the festival then.¡± The Plest show was¡­ interesting. To Harlan it felt less like something to show their culture and more a way for them to promote the Plest as being active members of the workforce and to always uplift others into the unions for collective power. He thought for a moment about how for both them and the Faun, work was a large part of their culture, they were a people so long conquered that they didn¡¯t know anything else. He thought back to Sepul telling him about the north, that humanity had spent so much time living under the might of the wyverns that their original culture was gone, replaced by subservience. The local leader approached him with a great deal of worry. ¡°I hope that the show hasn¡¯t upset you in some way.¡± Harlan snapped away from his thoughts. ¡°No, it was an interesting show, it promotes unity very well, but I wanted to ask, what else does Plest culture look like? Is it all just work?¡± ¡°From the outside it might seem like that, but listen to our songs, look at our place in this city. To work with one''s family, by blood or bond, is hardly work at all. And to work without feeling like such is a wonderful thing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m someone who prefers to keep work and leisure separate, but I remember working on my father¡¯s farm. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve thought about it in years, but when we got rid of the old hens we¡¯d invite the other farms from the area and they¡¯d bring their old chickens. Everyone would have a good time, the women would teach the younger girls how to do thing, the elders would trade stories while readying the vegetables, and then we¡¯d cook the chicken for a long time for a big pot of soup since it was so tough.¡± He just stared off into the ceiling for a while before he got up and left. Harlan exited the large tent with the others and started looking for the food stalls. He didn¡¯t like how they had formed blocs by race, he had originally told Mercedes to spread them out, then through deals the people slowly moved their way into these places by trading homes. But it did make it easy to know what to expect from the vendors and general attitude of the neighborhood. For the Plest who were native to densely forested wetlands, their main protein was not beef, nor chicken, nor pork. No, for them it was a species of giant frogs. Harlan sat and watched as they pulled the amphibians, each the size of a goose, from the pool they were kept and then butchered. The Plest had an immune system no weaker than humans, yet the way that they would absorb liquids through their skin was much greater, making them more sensitive to certain things. This meant that the kitchens of the Plest vendors were spotless in every case that Harlan had seen. Viviane upturned her nose, as did many of the other passers by at the idea of eating frogs, but Harlan had eaten them before at Redmond¡¯s suggestion, he had said they were a staple for Rangers during the summer months. Darrath hadn¡¯t yet developed any such aversions to foods, to him meat was just meat. As Harlan and Darrath and Dawn were walking down the street and eating the giant frog legs, others started to try them as well. Plest cooking was slightly different because they were constantly at odds with the weather, either heat or dryness. They generally ate two course meals, a salted broth soup that helped them maintain water in their body, and heavily spiced foods that would cause them to sweat out toxins they would absorb throughout the day. Viviane had tears in her eyes and Harlan had to grab her hands to stop her from making a mistake. ¡°Don¡¯t touch your eyes when eating spicy food, even if you¡¯ve washed your hands you could keep some of the oil in your skin and it would only make things worse.¡± A gate opened an Harlan was brought a bottle of cold milk. ¡°This will help, drink it.¡± While she drank down the small bottle Harlan pulled the oils from her skin and placed his hand on her head with a small cooling spell active. ¡°Better?¡± ¡°How can you eat that stuff?¡± ¡°I assume it is like how I can sit in boiling water. Once something hits a certain point it stops feeling any more hot or cold. Darrath, do you need milk?¡± ¡°It tastes like chicken.¡± ¡°Yes, it does. Viviane, perhaps you¡¯d like something a little more mild? We are ready to head over to the Dague quarter now.¡± Butter butter butter. Dague cooking was decedent, everything was rich to the point it seemed to be too much at times. Yet for Darrath, their food was the best he had all day. They stopped to sit and eat instead of keeping moving, Harlan already knew the Dague better than any other race in the city, including the humans. It was a little unfair to lump them together as he had, Harlan knew that such a thing was far from alright, he had seen the way that people changed within their race, lumping any one people as one thing was wrong to do unless. Though he didn¡¯t really take issue with painting a single town or city as one thing, those in closest proximity would naturally be more similar than not regardless of race. ¡°So you have no issue with snails or oysters, but you consider frogs to be odd?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I ever ate these things normally either, but I heard of others who ate things like this. It seems more normal.¡± ¡°What did you eat when growing up?¡± ¡°Souris.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is, I assume it¡¯s native to outside of the veil and not in.¡± ¡°They are animals with fluffy tails that crawl and jump between the trees.¡± ¡°Squirrels?¡± ¡°Squirrels are small, not worth eating, but a Souris is more like a large dog that climbs in the trees, they had teeth that could sheer soft metal, made good arrowheads and knives. My father was a hunter, and he¡­¡± She went quiet, and Harlan stopped Darrath from asking her why. ¡°He taught me to use a bow to hunt them, and how to treat them so the fur doesn¡¯t lose value. They are rather neurotic creatures, if they are wounded they will panic and the stress will make them tear their own fur out, so you needed to make sure they died quickly and you couldn¡¯t use spells because you¡¯d damage the fur.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. She looked up from her food, acting as if nothing had happened. ¡°He died when the Cast came. I had a younger half-brother, but he got sick when he was very young, so I don¡¯t remember him. There, now you don¡¯t need to tiptoe around the subject.¡± She kept up with smalltalk, but he knew all too well that oversharing to just try to move past a touchy subject either meant one really was over it, or they were trying to avoid any conversation with depth by starting and ending it themselves. As they got up to eat, a group of five women, all in armors with some unique features, were walking past. The leader had a design etched into her armor like a lion that went across the entirety of it, muscles and claws and a mane and so on and so forth, and the helmets had parts which were unique to each of them, having ears or horns and or a beak, not unlike the Redhaven knights with their fierce bat helmets. It really was an exquisite piece of work and Harlan got closer to look at the detail that almost made it seem as if the metal really was fur with how it was etched and layered. The only thing Harlan found a little odd about them was that each had a uniform knightly ponytail made from coarse hair rather than each of them having some unique plumes. The leader was in red, the others were an ox in blue, a fox in black, a falcon in yellow, and lastly a green elk. Under their armors it wasn¡¯t clear what they were, but Harlan assumed human by their size. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m very sorry, those armors are masterworks. Was that grit added to make it more matte so it doesn¡¯t catch light?¡± ¡°Please, move aside. We are looking for the king of this nation.¡± Harlan stepped back and shapeshifted his clothes into his more regal attire. ¡°Why are you looking for me, foreign knights?¡± They drew their swords and Dawn drew her own to defend the Darrath and VIviane. ¡°For the sake of our people, you must die to secure an alliance.¡± ¡°With the Cast?¡± ¡°Against them.¡± ¡°The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Is the one you seek an alliance with more just than me?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the worry be of strength if you intend to convince me to join you?¡± ¡°From the way you speak and carry yourself I imagine you have a high opinion of yourself, and from the doubt in your mind, I assume you are second guessing this choice already.¡± ¡°I do not doubt, I do what needs to be done for my people. I¡¯ve already given my word that I would take your head to secure an alliance, and I will not break it.¡± ¡°If you aren¡¯t going to entertain the possibility of peace, then at least let us move this fight out of the city so nobody gets hurt.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve not seen an arena here, is there one nearby?¡± ¡°I find arenas barbaric, killing for survival, for revenge, for what you believe to be right, these are the reasons I have for killing, I will not build a place where killing is nothing but entertainment. There are clearings in the forest, or we can go to one of the unpopulated parts of the city.¡± ¡°The forest then, I don¡¯t want any surprises.¡± ¡°Then you may choose where in the forest we will fight.¡± Darrath had been listening in and climbed on Harlan¡¯s back. ¡°Papa is going to kill you, idio-¡± ¡°DARRATH.¡± Harlan had not raised his voice in such a way to him before, and Darrath crawled back to Dawn. ¡°This is a conversation for adults, don¡¯t talk about what I do like it is a game. I don¡¯t plan to kill these women, because today is for a day for peace, and because I don¡¯t think they are evil.¡± ¡°But they want to kill you, that means they¡¯re evil.¡± ¡°No, it means we disagree, and we are in a disagreement that cannot be solved with words. They are doing this for their people, just like I have killed so many for mine. Murder isn¡¯t a hard rule, what I¡¯ve done to the Cast would be called murder by them, but to me it is just defense of others. Murder is always wrong, but not all killing is murder, and not every killer is a murderer.¡± As they walked through the city, Harlan struck up conversation with them. ¡°So, may I know who wants me dead?¡± ¡°The island south of here has a king, he explained that you are a man of terrible deeds, that you raise the dead and distort life into an abomination.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t exactly call it that, but yes, I use dead bodies to make my golems, like this one here.¡± The Golem was helping a woman whose sign had fallen, using its inhuman strength to push nails into wood with some resistance. The women gripped their weapons, each different from one another. ¡°If you attack us here, we will be forced to-¡± Harlan stopped, and they did as well. When they fully drew their weapons, many people in the street reached for whatever sharp object was nearest. ¡°Why do you think I walk ahead of you?¡± ¡°Because you are arrogant.¡± ¡°I am confident in my ability to read you, you are simple, honor bound. Honor means many things to many people, and I believe that you wouldn¡¯t attack my people without them attacking first, and I believe that you wouldn¡¯t stab me in the back. Please, everyone, put your weapons away, you have nothing to fear, these knights are not a threat to me.¡± The people put their weapons down and resumed whatever they had been doing. The knights stared cautiously, worried that it was some trick. Yet Harlan was gaining distance from them and none of the guards or golems moved any nearer to them. Once they reached a clearing quite far from the city, they stopped. ¡°Alright then, if this is the place you want to fight, come at me.¡± ¡°I will fight first.¡± ¡°You misunderstand, I said to come at me.¡± ¡°You think you can fight all five of us?¡± ¡°Yes, come at me, and let¡¯s end this quickly.¡± The five women lined up, Harlan could feel the shift in the air as their cooperative casting began. ¡°Interesting, I understand why you would be a full team of women then. Cooperative casting is a somewhat strange art, as it requires both technique and some amount of sync with your allies. Those with tight knit bonds such as friends are far more likely to-¡± The Lion women rushed forward impossibly fast, severing his head in one clean cut. Yet instead of falling down, Harlan stood firm. ¡°Your cuts are too clean, I won¡¯t be bothered by a simple decapitation like that. What I find interesting is the heat that rose in your body. I know a magic like that as well, but I don¡¯t need so many people to do it.¡± ¡°OX, SHIELD.¡± The woman with blue plume rushed in front of her team, but Harlan dodged past her hammer and grabbed her hand, his skin shiny and red like a blister. Harlan didn¡¯t think he used imbibing enough, his transformations often gave more than enough power, and he started to consider imbibing more of a last ditch, something that he would use to destroy his enemy at the cost of his own body. With his pain back, he was trying to avoid needing to transform without reason. He pulled hard, and before she realized what had happened she was away from her team, slamming into a tree that broke rather than the knight. Thinking that his turned back was a target, the fox pounced at his neck, a gate sent her into the sky. ¡°I wonder, can she fly?¡± ¡°FALCON, GET FOX.¡± ¡°But that would leave just you and the elk, and she doesn¡¯t seem much of a fighter. Healer perhaps?¡± Other than for attacking, the woman didn¡¯t draw her blade, always returning it to the enchanted sheath. She took a drawing stance. ¡°You will not make it past me. The Red Lion will forever stand as the symbol of courage and might.¡± Harlan simply stood still, he knew that she was charging some attack, her sheath was drawing in magic, but he wanted to see what it was going to do. ¡°When I defeat you, will you simply leave? I don¡¯t want to kill you.¡± ¡°A monster like you cannot understand us, I will not stay my blade.¡± ¡°It seems you don¡¯t really know much about me. I assume you are from one of the stripes south of here, they have a few more independent nations that haven¡¯t fallen to the empire just yet.¡± ¡°I come from far in the east, where we hold fast against them.¡± ¡°Really? I heard that the Cast controlled nearly the entire world, and that only in the area around me are there real holdouts such as Lith.¡± ¡°They control the flow of information, and we are boxed in, but we are not conquered.¡± ¡°Interesting. I assume it was no small feat to break free from that place then, it makes sense to move with a small group, each with their specialized role, knight, defender, assassin, healer, archer.¡± Harlan stepped forward and she drew on him, her blade caused a loud roar of flames. Yet through that power, she couldn¡¯t even see him move through the flames as he simply took the heat while dodging the blade itself and punched her in the gut. She collapsed to the ground. ¡°Why do you call me a monster?¡± She had to tear off her faceplate to avoid drowning as she vomited up everything she had eaten in Kor. ¡°No answer? Alright.¡± Harlan kicked her into a tree, the sounds of wood and bone both cracking reached his ears, and he understood he would need to be a little more gentle. His attacks on the Ox woman had led him to believe she was more or less what he should expect, especially since the Lion had talked herself up quite a bit, yet she wasn¡¯t anywhere near the same level of durability. Fox attacked from the shadows with throwing knives and Falcon from above with sound and light. Harlan ignored the first, even if they pierced him, which he very much doubted due to his armor and skin, they didn¡¯t look to have poisons, there was no slickness, no reflection. The falcon however, was far more annoying. He could tell she intended to blind and deafen him, but it was the way the shrieking and flashing lights flooded in senses and distracted his mind that bothered him. Elk pierced his back with a bident that then sprouted antlers, locking it in his body. He struck back with a closed fist, the green knight failing to dodge, not understanding that he could lengthen his arm to turn what should¡¯ve been a miss into a solid hit; feeling her faceplate crush inward and hearing the sound of teeth against metal, Harlan felt terrible, the pain had caused a loss of control, his output went beyond what it should¡¯ve. Fox rushed forward, taking her karambit to his neck, and turning on some ability that let the crystal blades vibrate and slash through. He didn¡¯t want to resort to it, but things suddenly looked quite dire, and if he got in any more pain, his focus would be completely broken. She never saw it coming, a telekinetic force pushed her back and her blades went still, sticking in his neck. He tried his best to just bear it as he pried the blades from his neck and sealed the wounds that poured blood. Eagle used her bow to fire arrows, but while enchanted, they did not stand against his telekinesis turning their shafts to splinters in the air as they were knocked back by the wave. Harlan and her seemed to be at a standstill, their healer was down, and she was the only one left, but nothing she could use at a range would make it past his defenses even as he staggered, his bloodloss being not insignificant. As they stood there, Harlan thought for a moment about her being the last of them, and remembered the blue knight who he had seen go unconscious when she went head first into a tree, just as her hammer crushed his side and sent him sprawling across the ground. He was now more than annoyed, he hadn¡¯t done any real fighting now that pain had returned and he was often losing focus as a result, he felt weak. When she rushed at him he lost control again for just a moment and plunged his hand through her shield and then her stomach. He panicked for a moment, pulling his hand out and then rushing to Elk. Eagle attempted to rush in, thinking him to be weakened by Ox¡¯s final attack. She didn¡¯t remember what happened next, just that her head hurt.
Sholl was ready, he truly was, but when a bird messenger requested aid because a monster of some kind was tearing through a city, the plan fell apart. It could¡¯ve been Harlan, or maybe not, but he would not leave them to die so that he could kidnap a child with an army for a distraction. He issued the order, they were to march north to the port city under siege. His plans to capture Harlan would either succeed on this day because he was going to outright fight him away from Carmilla, the one person whose presence gave the Hand¡¯s pause, or he would save a city, both were fine ideas in his mind. Chapter 252: Magruder Lillyplate Harlan finally got back to Sheron about the man who wished to be an archmage. The research was interesting, but not something he hadn¡¯t tried before. He hoped that meeting the man would be able to illuminate some hidden truth. His home wasn¡¯t large and imposing as he expected from a man who was committed to such research, but still it was clearly the home of a noble. ¡°Ah, Thank you for your time, I thought it was quite a long shot that you would accept my request.¡® ¡°You might not have a clear path to what you are doing, but from reading your reports I get the feeling that it is going somewhere.¡± ¡°Thank you thank you thank you.¡± He was small, barely 5¡¯3, his hair thin and oily, his face slightly green from some sickness, making him almost look like a goblinkin. But Harlan didn¡¯t have any problem shaking his hand. ¡°Should we speak beforehand, or should we just jump right into the work?¡± ¡°Well, if you¡¯ve already eaten then we may get to work. Naturally there were pieces missing from my reports, I didn¡¯t want you to steal my- Ahem, sorry, I meant that-¡± ¡°I understand. And I hope I¡¯m not overstepping my bounds, but I assume many people have tried to, or have taken advantage of you because of your appearance. I won¡¯t lie, you do look odd, but that is no reason for me to dislike you. Many say that I look strange as well, though obviously it¡¯s different between us.¡± ¡°Thank you for your words. It is as you say, many look at me as being shifty and unsavory because of how I look. But I try not to let it get me down, and if this works, I¡¯ll be a hero, and they will love me.¡± Harlan wanted to explain that it probably wouldn¡¯t change anything, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel bad for the man and didn¡¯t want to dash any of his dreams. As they walked through the halls to his lab, Harlan noticed something was off. ¡°I¡¯ve not seen any servants.¡± ¡°Ah, yes, my research demands much from me, they didn¡¯t have faith, they said I would fail, and my house would die with me, so they needed them to go away.¡± ¡°You should think more about how it sounds when you say things like that.¡± He stopped a moment and then kept moving. ¡°I¡¯ve poured much of the remaining wealth from my family into my research. I don¡¯t have need for servants, so I only keep a small group of them who come to make breakfast and dinner, lunch is normally leftovers from one or the other. It keeps my costs down.¡± ¡°No family?¡± Harlan already knew the answer, he wasn¡¯t going to walk into this place without having Balor look into him, but it was generally seen as rude to let others know that you had dug into their past. ¡°My mother died giving birth to me, and my brothers died in the war, my father¡­ he disappeared some time ago, but nobody found his body. So I eventually became the baron.¡± He turned and bowed. ¡°OH, I¡¯ve failed as a host. Welcome, Archmage Changeling. I am Baron Magruder Lillyplate. The name comes from my great grandmother, she was one of the rare women who was given a title for her combat prowess and she bought her own custom plate armor with lilies drawn on it.¡± ¡°Since it is just us, and we will be working together, there isn¡¯t need for titles.¡± ¡°But they are important, once I get mine I¡¯ll finally be seen by people, I¡¯ll get a wife, and we¡¯ll have five children, and my house won¡¯t die with me, I won¡¯t fail my father.¡± His arms outstretched as he spoke, but once he was done he became conscious of how he looked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I sometimes get a little wound up.¡± ¡°Not a worry, if this works, I don¡¯t doubt that you will get much fame and wealth.¡± The lab itself, despite what one might expect from the topic they were researching, was spotless, every bit of blood contained in vials or crystals. ¡°I¡¯m sure it isn¡¯t as grand as yours, but it is where I¡¯ve been trying.¡± ¡°No, this is actually larger than mine, I work alone and I keep anything I¡¯m not currently using in a different room, gate lets me grab them quickly regardless of that though. What got you into this subject?¡± ¡°Mostly it was you. Enchanting has been seen as the endpoint of permanent magic, but you came out with soulsmithing. And then blood crystals were seen as a mostly dead point of research, everyone had tried to crack their secrets, but after so long, people believed that they had found them all and they were just good for transporting blood without making a mess. That you incorporated the ideas of soulsmithing into the blood crystals and used them to make a soulless way to communicate like the ones you made with soulsmithing, it made me think about how all of their secrets were not unlocked.¡± He pulled a book that looked to have been bound in human skin from a drawer. ¡°Apologies for the style of the book, but it is one of the very few pieces of genuine Fomorian literature that I¡¯ve found. They are¡­¡± ¡°Monsters, but resourceful ones. Most everything they make is from anyone who was unfortunate enough to wander into their lands, from bone knives to armor to the leather that they use.¡± ¡°I think you are the first to see it and not scream or look at me strangely. Inside of the book, there is a legend of The Ur-King of Fomor, Balor, and his spear, Lugh.¡± Harlan suddenly felt his stomach drop and a coldness fall over him. Memories that were not his own flooded his mind as he heard the names and felt the book calling him, it wished to be read. He found himself staring from eyes that were not his own as he cut his way through people by the hundreds, men, women, children, it didn¡¯t matter, the spear in his hand would fly its own path through them and then return to his hand. Then he saw a pillar of shadows form and his soul ached. With a sudden sharp inhale Harlan was back to reality, scaring Magruder quite a bit. ¡°Should I have called a doctor?¡± ¡°I wish to read the book.¡± ¡°Really? Here you go.¡± Harlan committed every bit of it to memory as best he could, but the more he read, the more he felt like he knew all of this already. ¡°This book is cursed. I don¡¯t mean in the way that most things are called cursed, meaning that they are simply something that people dislike and fear, I mean that it is bound to a vengeful soul. If I didn¡¯t have mental defenses, I would read it and never question the lies. I believe that it is a tool designed specifically to brainwash children into thinking that this version of events is the truth. That Lugh was not a tool for slaughter and the accumulation of power to the point where he hoped to kill a god, and that Balor was trying to free his people from the tyranny of the gods rather than a madman who sought to usurp the natural order in a lust for power.¡± Harlan¡¯s feeling had changed, he seemed supremely confident, cold as a northern winter, not the somewhat casual man that Magruder had been with until now. The look in his eyes was vaguely threatening, but seemed to look down on Magruder so strongly that he wasn¡¯t worth killing. ¡°Ho-how do you know it isn¡¯t true?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been speaking with The Darkness since I was 14. People change, gods, they rarely do. I see no signs that anything like has been described is close to the truth. Tyranny is far from how she interacts with people, she enjoys freedom to a fault, Balor sought to aggressively take choice from others, make an empire of mindbroken people to follow his every whim, and she could not accept that.¡± ¡°Th-the blood gem, is that a lie?¡± Suddenly coming back to himself and out of the trance that he had been placed in, Harlan shook his head, and his tone became more like himself. ¡°No, that seems plausible. Despite whatever I do know, Fomorian history during the age of gods is shrouded in mystery, most not even knowing that it ever existed. A combined force of Fomorians working together over decades very likely could¡¯ve discovered a way to reinforce blood, through possibly alchemy or some ritual, that would allow the resulting crystal to hold souls.¡± ¡°Good news then, very good news, thank you, I¡¯ve always been interested in them, and I feel like I¡¯ve learned quite a bit about their history already.¡± Magruder took the book back to put in the drawer and lock it, but he hesitated. ¡°Ah, um¡­ Should I destroy the book? Am I in danger? You say it¡¯s cursed.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t say for sure that you must, and when you are holding it I don¡¯t feel a connection between you and the book, I am only guessing, but I think it only works on people who have connection to the crossroads. I¡¯d need a Golden to hold the book to make sure, but I wouldn¡¯t want to risk the mental health of any friend of mine, and I don¡¯t have an Golden I dislike that would trust me enough to try it for me.¡± ¡°I, I suppose I¡¯ll keep it then.¡± ¡°It is your choice.¡± The first idea that Harlan had unfortunately was a bust, his own enhanced blood held the same properties as normal blood once it tried to hold a soul, and mixing it with normal blood from animals changed nothing. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. So they moved onto repeating all of Magruders failed methods, thinking a fresh set of eyes may change something, or that Magruder may¡¯ve improved in the years and missed something before. After a dozen other methods, there was one that caught Harlan¡¯s eye. Magruder had bought up a large quantity of mana gem chips. They were mined as rough crystals and then cut down into the smooth shape depending on the original crystal. Most large gems were rounded and flat or spheres because once the crystal grew large it more often than not sprouted quite a lot of spikes rather than continuing to grow into a more consolidated mass. The gems required a smooth cut because of how mana flowed. In smooth gems it would flow in more or less a proper cycle, but each spike would require it to make a long trip up the length and then back, which both made it more time consuming to cycle, and if one was using it for magic, any damage to this more fragile spike would mean that they spell, enchanted or soulsmithed, would need to be reapplied to account for this. So it simply made more sense to keep things in simply rounded shapes. A sphere was also the natural shape of souls, and while a body might have these same spikes in the forms of limbs, the mana mainly cycled within the soul, and what flowed in and out. In for when one spent mana and more needed to be pulled in to recharge it by using calories to transfer excess mass into energy, or simply being in a mana rich environment. Out, when one was full of mana and the soul pushed it out to make room for more to be generated, cycling passively in a way that led to naturally longer lives but that wouldn¡¯t grant the super human bodies of mages. When one cast, they didn¡¯t pull from their body, but rather from their soul, which was the perfect sphere and the spikes didn¡¯t matter as they weren¡¯t the main mana circulatory system. When Harlan added the dust into a sample of blood and then formed it into a crystal he could definitely tell that it was better than a normal crystal when it came to holding mana and withstanding flow, but it was still far from a full gem and there was an added instability that made it more explosive than pure blood crystals. The dust that was gathered from the chips being ground smaller dispersed unevenly, and this uneven flow meant that it was like the inside of the crystal was full of inverted spikes, and as the mana improperly cycled, it wore down the crystal and with a poor ability to then release the mana like a soul naturally did with the body as a filter of sorts, stress built up until the soul placed into the crystal broke. Harlan wiped the blood and dust off of him from the latest failure and put it back into the vial. ¡°I am going to assume that you haven¡¯t contracted a lapidarist or geologist?¡± Magruder turned on an air spell and pulled off his mask to keep the crystals from being breathed in while he crushed them. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°When I was doing some¡­ other research, I ran into an issue where gems needed to be individually tailored to perfection so that the soul wouldn¡¯t run into issues. As we refined the process, these imperfections didn¡¯t matter anymore, the spell took that part out of the equation by having souls reshape the gems on a deeper level by themselves. I¡¯ve hardly even thought about having done such a thing since it happened, and I assume it never spread that it was any issue at any point, the spell was changed and nobody cared about something that had already been fixed.¡± ¡°So we should change the insides of the gems?¡± ¡°I first bypassed it by checking that they were generally of the same structure so the results would be the same more or less. But afterwards, we did bring in a geologist, a mage that specializes in crystal magic to change the structure of the crystals to what we needed, and then we folded that magic into mine, giving instructions to the soul as it was placed in a crystal that it needed to fix the gem to whatever form had the best flow. It is what got me as interested as I am in crystal magic. In short, yes, we need to change the crystals.¡± ¡°So why isn¡¯t it working here?¡± ¡°The process takes time. A freshly filled mana gem can¡¯t be used to cast spells, it needs to first generate magic. It is during this downtime that the shaping happens. The blood gems take too long to shape by just the spell, and break before the flow can be corrected.¡± ¡°We need stronger crystals or faster shaping then?¡± ¡°The shaping I¡¯ve got an idea about, but if my method is correct, then it is something that normal people can¡¯t use, and I wouldn¡¯t recommend that you present it to the academy for archmage consideration.¡± ¡°Even if it is something we both came together to make, it wouldn¡¯t feel right if it wasn¡¯t something that I could call my own in some manner.¡± ¡°Thank you for understanding.¡± They kept working until an alarm spell Harlan put up went off, telling him that he needed to go home. ¡°That is all I can do for today, I¡¯ve got to pick my wife up from the academy and then make dinner.¡± ¡°Ah, it is a shame, but there is always another day. I should contact my cook and ask about dinner myself.¡± As Harlan wrote down his notes for the next day, Magruder got bad news. ¡°That is a shame, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve got enough food to not worry.¡± He didn¡¯t look up from his papers. ¡°You should just come with me, a proper diet is needed for recovery after a day of magic.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t ask you to do that for me.¡± ¡°I always make plenty, and besides, do you really want to eat alone in this big house?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry, but I shouldn¡¯t impose.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t, I am inviting you without you having said anything first, and I listened in on your conversation. I know that I didn¡¯t mind spending days without sharing words with another living being as I did my work, but as I¡¯ve grown older I¡¯ve found it more important to interact with others just to center myself, keep track of time, get away from the constant work that consumes men like us.¡± Magruder chewed his fingernails with worry, but Harlan just kept up with the notes and diagrams. ¡°Alright, if you really don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± Harlan finished up his notes and they walked out of the lab. It was purely paranoia, but he didn¡¯t want anyone seeing inside, even a glimpse through a gate was a risk worth mitigating. Back home Adina laid down for a nap, four and a half months had passed and she was really feeling that sped up child growth. She barely registered that they had a guest as she waddled over to the couch and laid down. ¡°Hellon said I should quit the year, come back to finish later.¡± ¡°Are you going to?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯d need to go through the year again, even if I skipped every class other than the last few months and just did catch up work, I would still feel like I¡¯ve wasted my time.¡° ¡°I should ask, what exactly is the plan after the academy?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to lounge around here and take care of our child, but I want to finish the academy just to spite the people telling me that I should quit. I almost knocked the jaw off of a girl earlier for insulting me.¡± ¡°Did she deserve it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even remember what she said. I just remember Claudia slapping her for me.¡± ¡°Are you two getting close?¡± ¡°She¡¯s¡­ she¡¯s not nice, but she and I seem to understand one another, she is protective of me since I¡¯ve gotten too fat and bloated to move around like before. Fuck, I¡¯m so pent up since you won¡¯t-¡± ¡°We have a guest.¡± She turned red in embarrassment, Magruder had been awkwardly sitting on the couch across from her the entire time, making himself seem smaller because he felt like he didn¡¯t belong here. Adina had moved to her and Harlan¡¯s room, falling asleep for the rest of the afternoon and even into part of the evening, but Harlan had gotten used to it and made dishes that took longer to make as a result. For tonight it was a braised beef roast, in the morning he had put on salt and pepper and let it sit in the cold room. Then he cooked it on a bed of apples and onions for the entire afternoon. For the gravy he used wind magic to very finely blend the onions and apples with the broth. For sides they had mashed potatoes, roasted carrots with rosemary, buns that he had made fresh, and lastly, a corn casserole. Magruder was taken aback by Harlan¡¯s ability to do so much by himself, and more importantly, that all of it smelled wonderful. Harlan and Adina portioned out their food with telekinesis, but he had never learned how to use it, and was a bit out of his element without someone serving him. Adina quickly noticed the empty plate and served him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we don¡¯t really get guests, and we¡¯ve become used to doing things this way.¡± ¡°It is no issue, I shouldn¡¯t be here.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Ah, well, people don¡¯t invite me to places.¡± ¡°Shit people.¡± He nearly choked on his food, but once he had gotten it down he continued. ¡°Just because you are ugly doesn¡¯t mean that they deserve to treat you any worse. Growing up I was never invited anywhere because I was blind, and they treated me like I was venomous. I was never thin enough, never pretty enough, and my eyes turned people away. Granted I was 14 at the time and it makes my skin crawl to think that people were looking at me as a mate when I hadn¡¯t even bled yet.¡± Once more he choked, this time more seriously, and she smacked him on the back to clear his airway. He wasn¡¯t yet going to eat again, wary that she would say something again. ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m 26.¡± ¡°You look older.¡± She was about to take a bite when she thought about what she had said. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that as an insult, I¡¯ve been having issues with anger, and Harlan taught me how to insult people better to deal with the stress, sometimes it makes me a bit coarse.¡± ¡°Ah, it isn¡¯t a problem, you didn¡¯t mean it, most people do.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure there is someone for everyone, even you.¡± Afraid of putting her foot in her mouth anymore, Adina decided to shut up and consider how she spoke around the house, getting too comfortable meant becoming abusive to others. Harlan didn¡¯t mind, he could take the ribbing, and he would reply back with his own words to counter her in their little game. But doing so to a guest made her want to just eat in her room. When dinner was done, Harlan needed to get Magruder back to his home. Before they walked out the door, Adina went for a handshake. ¡°Feel free to come again, I need to learn how to adjust back to being a bit more polite.¡± He bowed, but she kept her hand out. ¡°I really shouldn¡¯t shake your hand, not with such a pretty lady.¡± She leaned down and hugged him. ¡°I know far too well what it¡¯s like to not value yourself. You aren''t weird, you are just different, like Harlan and me.¡± Harlan and her both heard his heart rate go up, but thought little of it, assuming that he probably didn¡¯t really get much human contact, let alone from a pretty young woman. When they reached his home and Harlan was about to leave, Magruder turned towards him. ¡°Ah, well, if you don¡¯t mind, please tell Lady Fomoria that I am very thankful for her words.¡± It was hard to read his emotions, the short and slightly deformed man was bursting with too many feelings. But through all of it, Harlan was certain he felt an undercurrent of desire. Harlan would think back to this day, to this moment, and he would wonder, could he have changed the outcome? Or was it always going to end like it had?
Boney hands moved with mechanical precision as he assembled the device, the consequences for such a thing were certain to be dire, but plans needed to go faster, everything needed to happen sooner, plans of the past be damned. As he looked over the thing, the shadows of the room stared on. ¡°My, this one wishes to break words? To shatter what was outlined and redraw the map?¡± ¡°Your mysterious act isn¡¯t very useful against me, or do you want me to start speaking that way as well.¡± ¡°That is just plainly rude. Did you think perhaps I would accept this change?¡± ¡°No, you like your plans, you are allowed to change them, but others are not.¡± Xol spun his chair around. ¡°What now? Do you intend to toss me with the rest of the Fae souls?¡± ¡°Perhaps you could make an argument for what you¡¯ve done, one that wouldn¡¯t require me to do something drastic.¡± ¡°Then I will speak of what I¡¯ve seen, and of my world. It began with¡­¡± Chapter 253: Family Dinner Harlan and Magruder¡¯s work progressed at a staggering speed. From the start his work had the right idea, but as was sometimes the case, it was just missing something. In this case, it was Harlan¡¯s knowledge of crystalline formation. ¡°It¡¯s working.¡± ¡°Ah, well, maybe, but we need to wait, maybe it won¡¯t work, it¡¯s-¡± ¡°Have some confidence in yourself.¡± ¡°Well, I could only do this with you.¡± ¡°You have almost all of the work done, I simply built on your own methods. Nobody knows everything, and even if they did it would be hard to remember all of it at once and recall exactly how to make things work.¡± ¡°But it was still you that made it work.¡± ¡°It¡¯s taken us two weeks because we are working together, your knowledge of blood magic is different, but not lesser than mine. I¡¯ve looked at more of the combat applications, poisons, transfiguration, and getting the fullest nutrition from it. Without you, I might not have made this at all, or perhaps it would take many months or years of research to find what I was missing.¡± Harlan picked up the gem that was nearly the size of his head and stared into its soul. ¡°How long have you been working on this again?¡± ¡°Six years.¡± ¡°You said before that you were inspired by my work, you specifically said that it was my work with the communicators I made for Reino.¡± Magruder was slightly taken aback, he muttered nothings as he thought up an answer. ¡°I learned blood magic to change my body, cosmetic magic is expensive and I¡¯ve been trying to change my body more permanently.¡± Harlan couldn¡¯t tell if it was a lie or not, he found Magruder hard to read, his constant nervousness always made him seem as if he was lying, and he was always afraid, Harlan could feel that even before he was face to face with him. What he couldn¡¯t tell was what he was afraid of, though at least he didn¡¯t feel it focused towards him. ¡°I¡¯m not going to force you to answer why you wanted magic. I don¡¯t know you that well, but I don¡¯t think you are dangerous, just odd. Not unlike me, but I¡¯m odd and dangerous.¡± ¡°Ah, well, thank you.¡± The blood being used was stored in the crystal form in marked chests, they simply needed to cast the right spell to return it to liquid form. Those things that were more magical in nature naturally had blood better suited for the gems, they hoped that their research would let them make blood gems of different grades and to find which creatures could be best farmed for blood. Magruder started on farm animals, ox and chicken, Harlan was going to start on orcs and goblins, check for unique properties of them that he knew from his alchemical work and how it would make the gems better or worse. Harlan¡¯s theory was that goblins would be worse, and then orcs would be better, and this would be tied directly to their souls. The soul of an orc was born of human and goblin fusion, and though it would be stronger, it was also chaotic to the point that any extra power would be lost in efficiency as the cycling of magic wouldn¡¯t follow a regular pattern, adding delays in cast time, or sometimes speeding it up, weakening the spells, or making them stronger. Harlan¡¯s hope would be that he could find a way to placate the soul somehow without losing that strength. He was already fairly certain from the tests he had done in his own home, away from Magruder, that human blood, or at least his blood, was the best suited for a blood gem. If orcs could be made to have the same properties of even just human blood, without the possibility of boosting it, then they¡¯d have an ethical way to get high grade gems. He had hidden this knowledge because despite what he told him, Harlan had no idea about Magruder, he couldn¡¯t get a read on him, and because he was a social pariah there wasn¡¯t a good public image that he could infer anything from. Rumors were useless, nothing that he gleaned from them were based in any truth. A blast sounded from Harlan¡¯s station and the smell of iron filled the room. Both parties had come to be desensitized to the scent after long exposures, but he still worried.¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Yes, these things are far more fragile than mana gems, and they can¡¯t really hurt me when they explode unless I get close enough for the soul¡¯s energy to harm me.¡± ¡°Still, it is quite dangerous, I¡¯ve been hurt many times doing this.¡± With practiced ease, Magruder pulled the blood off of Harlan¡¯s body and put it back into a vial for more testing. After a few more hours of testing, Harlan worked out what was the proper way to mix the mana crystal dust into the blood for the most efficient resulting gem. But he failed to find a way to take the madness out of the orc soul without also removing the extra strength it had, and as no progress was being made on that front and he didn¡¯t think he could do it anyway due to his previous work with orc souls, he gave up on it. ¡°I believe that is it for today. My notes are all here, and I believe that you have enough to gain the title of archmage. Would you like me to drop you off at the academy to go in for the interview?¡± ¡°Ah, well, I would like to check that the blood gem remains stable over the next week. But you¡¯ve done more than enough to help, so there is no need to return again.¡± ¡°Alright. Just call if you need anything, magical research can be dangerous alone, so after a week I¡¯ll be back if I¡¯ve not heard from you.¡± ¡°Thank you. You are¡­ a friend¡­¡± ¡°Yes, and friends help one another without asking for anything in return, so don¡¯t worry about bothering me.¡± Harlan let the conversation end there. He went through his gate, and then another, and then he and Adina were home again, but more importantly, they were leaving after a short shower. Unlike the others they had shared in the last 5 months, there was no sex, he was mostly there to help her wash herself. ¡°This is no fun.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t feel comfortable doing those things when you are so pregnant.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m gross, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m fat and bloated, I¡¯m like a barrel with limbs. Can¡¯t they just come out already? Finish this?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t imagine what you would be like having to go through the full nine months. But it¡¯s not because you are gross, it¡¯s because I don¡¯t want to hurt the baby. We¡­ you, can be a bit rough.¡± ¡°Alright, but you are always as gentle as a feather, every time is like the first time with you. So just fuck me like always.¡± Harlan stopped washing her hair and steeled himself for what was certain to be a very awkward conversation. ¡°Honestly, I think you have a problem with sex. And it¡¯s not that I dislike it or anything, but I simply don¡¯t get as much out of it as you do.¡± She turned around to face him. ¡°Wait, have you not wanted to do it before? And did you do it anyway?¡± Her tone was remorseful, he could feel her mind panic with guilt. ¡°I don¡¯t want to say yes, because that would make it sound like you forced me. But there are some days where I would¡¯ve rather spent my time working on things and instead you dragged me from my lab or the workshop.¡± ¡°You could¡¯ve just said no, I don¡¯t want you to feel forced, especially with everything that happened with Dawn.¡± ¡°Let me put it this way, doing that stuff isn¡¯t what makes me happy, but seeing that it does make you so happy does. If a good meal made you feel like you do when we do that, then I¡¯d cook you as many meals as it takes, and it wouldn¡¯t bother me that it interrupts my work, just like I don¡¯t really mind stopping work to do anything with you.¡± ¡°Why do you refuse to say sex? It¡¯s fine to say it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been good with that side of romance, perhaps I¡¯m just childish, but for me it feels disconnected. You laying your head on my lap because it helps you relax is fine, but when I think about¡­ sex, I start to feel odd, all I can think about is the lust that controls some people. Jet, though he may not be who he was before, has perhaps scarred me more than I would like to admit. And far too many times I¡¯ve seen people do horrible things just to have sex with another person, willing or not.¡± ¡°I hate saying it, because I feel like a failure of a wife if I can¡¯t help, but, have you talked about this with Marigold? She always knows the right thing to say.¡± ¡°No, and I don¡¯t want to. Don¡¯t tell anyone about this, don¡¯t ask for advice from anyone, I don¡¯t even want you using hypotheticals to ask someone about this. I¡¯d rather the subject just be dropped for now, we¡¯ll pick it up later.¡± She knew him well enough that later would never come to him, but she would need to find the right time to talk to him about it again. They arrived at his home, his old home, and the family was there, waiting. Aida came up to hug the both of them. ¡°You are so big already, it¡¯s like you¡¯re ready to burst already.¡± A young boy clinged to her legs. ¡°James, why aren¡¯t you saying hello?¡± Harlan looked down at him in some disbelief. ¡°When did he get so big?¡± This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°When was the last time you actually came here? I don¡¯t mean to sound like I¡¯m condemning you, but time flies, children grow up so quickly that you don¡¯t realize how much they change in just a few months, going from crawling, to unsteadily walking, to running, all before you know it.¡± ¡°Who is you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Harlan, your brother.¡± He looked to the only woman he had ever known to be his mother with questioning eyes. ¡°Yes, he is your brother.¡± ¡°I have brother?¡± The little words pierced Harlan¡¯s heart. He had more or less given James to his parents and ignored him. There was always something else to do, a threat, a project, an order, but honestly, Harlan just didn¡¯t think about him at all. In his mind he was still just an infant, he couldn¡¯t hold a conversation or play much. It hadn¡¯t stopped him from liking his niece and nephew and spending time with them, but even they had fallen to the wayside, everyone had. His little house was out of the way, so far that nobody could really visit without contacting him or another gate mage, he would sometimes spend days without ever talking to another person but Adina. It was quiet, quaint, and never did it make him lonely, but now his mind raced with thoughts about life and death, that when time passes, these people who he calls his family would disappear. When they were gone, would their children remember who he was? Or would he be the hermit man who would appear at the odd family gathering? Would he just fall out of the world, never realizing the passing of time until someone contacted him? Would he turn into Sepul? Harlan was snapped away from his mind by James tugging on his sleeve. ¡°Magic?¡± ¡°Yes, magic.¡± Harlan breathed deeply, and on the exhale he let out swarms of colorful butterflies that the toddler chased around. His hands moved in a flurry to maintain the illusion, most would say such a thing was incredibly wasteful in both mana and talent to do such a thing with more freeform magic rather than spending the time to make a proper spell. ¡°Maybe I should go to the academy, I just can¡¯t seem to get a handle on illusion magic and the children all love it.¡± ¡°The students there are vicious, so I would say not to go, but I could look into finding some books on the subject. I happen to know someone who has a copy of just about anything.¡± ¡°They are just children, they can¡¯t be-¡± ¡°They are nobles first, children second, their inflated egos require them to tear down others who they perceive as lesser. You being a farmer''s wife and adoptive mother to a monster like me would make you a target, and I can¡¯t bear the idea of you going off without someone there to watch you.¡± ¡°You could just change my face, make up an excuse, I¡¯m sure I¡¯d be fine.¡± ¡°Mom, please, tell me, do you actually want to go? Or is this a hypothetical?¡± ¡°Your father and I have been thinking about it, and Balor doesn¡¯t mind paying for us. Though, does he have a lot of his own money? He is cagey whenever we ask about where he gets it all from and says vague things about businesses and investments.¡± Harlan had expected them to already know, but if he hadn¡¯t told them himself, he saw no reason not to keep up Balor¡¯s lie. ¡°Balor has a hundred times my business acumen. I can¡¯t say that I know the depths of what he does, but I don¡¯t think for a second that he is hurting for coin, if he was, he¡¯d be using my money instead of his own, but I¡¯m not getting calls from Garad about Balor¡¯s expenses anymore.¡± ¡°We want to learn so that we can teach James better when he gets bigger, and it lets us feel a bit closer to you that we are mages too.¡± It was clear by the defeated tone as he spoke his next words and his downtrodden expression that he hated the idea, but couldn¡¯t possibly argue against her reasons, he would do the same. ¡°I¡¯ll contact Hirum, an advisor can come and explain pricing and the classes and what else might be expected from you. I also think that if you and dad go, you should be together.¡± ¡°It would be hard to not have one of us here to watch James. But I suppose Autumn wouldn¡¯t mind watching him for a while, and it would let him play with his niece and nephew. Oh, and we could still come home on weekends if you just used that gate magic.¡± The thought hadn¡¯t even crossed her mind that Harlan could, or wanted to take his brother. Harlan knew she didn¡¯t mean anything by it, but that didn¡¯t mean it hurt less. ¡°We can talk about this later.¡± Harlan went over to his father and hugged him, Amber and Ava were also there along with Balor. ¡°What conversation is happening here?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t act like you can¡¯t hear everything that happens around here.¡± ¡°Fair. Ava, I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯ve been busy, I¡¯ll enhance your body tonight if you¡¯d like, so long as your own schedule permits it. You already read my book on what to expect?¡± ¡°Yes, I did, and I cleared up my schedule already, knowing that this would be the best place to ask you.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got a communicator, you could¡¯ve just called me any time.¡± Things were still tense between them, Ava didn¡¯t want to lose him, but looking past the mountain of corpses that were laid in his path was hard for her; at least she was on speaking terms with him. ¡°I would rather do so in person. Anyway, I¡¯ve got other things to do, we can talk later.¡± Harlow could see it all to clear on his face how Harlan felt about their exchange. ¡°She¡¯ll come around.¡± ¡°I know, the world will just tear down her view of it until she understands what real evil looks like.¡± ¡°Huh. I wouldn¡¯t phrase it like that, but I¡¯m sure that isn¡¯t too far from the truth. And, I don¡¯t want to change the subject, but about that body enhancement stuff, your mother and I have-¡± ¡°It would be good for you to both have a stronger and younger body, it would make me feel a lot better about letting you go to the academy. You¡¯ve been through this once already, I¡¯m shocked that it has taken so long to convince her.¡± ¡°Well, you know your mother, change isn¡¯t something she likes suddenly.¡± ¡°That is true. Speaking of change, Balor, I want you to have the house. You¡¯ve been steward to this place better than I have. It only feels right that you should have a place that is yours. It also would be a little awkward if you brought a woman back to a place that wasn¡¯t yours.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve no interest in that at the present, but it will be nice to have this be my home entirely.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get the things that I want to take out of my room later and we can change the name on the deed.¡± ¡°No need for that, there are certain legalities around deeds and land that is granted to nobles, it would be best that this all remains in your name. ¡°I¡¯ll trust your judgment then.¡± Harlan¡¯s amulet lit up, Amber needed to be picked up. When the gate opened, Amber, Sam, and Liat walked through. ¡°Liat? What are you doing with them?¡± ¡°Balor didn¡¯t tell you? He changed my contract, technically I¡¯m Amber¡¯s bodyguard, not that she really needs it.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Balor just shrugged, it really wasn¡¯t that important, Liat had only taken the job to get money so she could go on her own adventure, what she was doing while Harlan was paying her mattered little. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad to see you again¡­¡± ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°No, nothing¡­ it¡¯s fine¡­¡± Amber realized what was wrong and loudly laughed. ¡°It¡¯s because we got you to cut your hair. He likes it long.¡± ¡°I just prefer it, that¡¯s all, it¡¯s not like it matters how she cuts her hair, she¡¯s not my wife.¡± ¡°Harlan, how has everyone been?¡± ¡°Adina tells me that Yara has been doing well, but she¡¯s anxious about the idea of staying in The Great Desert. Don¡¯t tell anyone, but Ximena is going to move to Ragne once she graduates, she¡¯s just trying to avoid all of the bother that comes from the Golden knowing it beforehand.¡± ¡°Her and Claude?¡± ¡°Things are moving in the background, right now he¡¯s fighting with his family to break off the arranged marriage that they are trying to set up for him. One way or another, they are staying together.¡± ¡°Has Yara found anyone?¡± ¡°Have you? Yara has been asking Adina about you and I keep forgetting to finally get her an answer.¡± ¡°It¡¯s rude to answer a question with another question. Let¡¯s just move on from that then.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, Yara doesn¡¯t have anyone, she says that since a marriage is going to be arranged back home that she doesn¡¯t seem much of a point in a pointless fling with someone she doesn¡¯t care about.¡± ¡°And to think, she almost had you. That would¡¯ve been far more interesting, maybe she would¡¯ve come with me in that case.¡± Harlan let the conversation drop there, but in his mind Yara never had a chance. Much of it came down to their earlier meeting where one of the sisters joked about what kind of child would come from such a pairing. It amplified all of Harlan¡¯s fears about having children when he thought about the magic at play with both of their races. Beastkin could at least sidestep that issue, so far as he knew, none of them were biologically compatible with one another, their pacts would never need to clash against one another. Though, the odd couple of two different races would occasionally pop up despite their physical differences. The point of the party was rather simple: after five months, the chance of someone losing the child was low so long as nothing had been found by a healer before this point. Despite a lack of proper medical science, Infant mortality from sickness was rather low on Aarde so long as there was a healer not far from them, and with the the program Sepul had helped to set up, just about every village could afford to keep one around. They gathered around the table in the dining room extension that had been built onto the kitchen and shared stories. Yet Harlan¡¯s time was cut short, he was barely finished with his first plate of food. A gate opened, not normal, void. And out stepped a beautiful woman in her mid 20s with long black hair and black irises that almost blended into her pupils. Her dress was plain, it looked neither cheap nor expensive, it wouldn¡¯t be scoffed at nor admired, and she wore a hooded cape along with the dress. Harlan got the feeling that she was trying to avoid being noticed, but her face and eyes would make such a thing difficult unless they were hidden. ¡°Hello again.¡± ¡°Firstly, who are you, and secondly, again?¡± ¡°Oh, it seems I¡¯ve misspoken. ¡± She looked up and down Harlan, comparing him against himself. ¡°I¡¯m just an agent of Mother, Coronach is off doing something better with his time, so I was asked to get you. Work must be done, and by her order, you are to be the one to do it.¡± Harlan¡¯s eyes went black, just to check that this woman was someone sent by her. ¡°May I finish my meal with my family?¡± ¡°No, this is quite time sensitive.¡± Harlan put down his silverware and got up from the table. ¡°It is quite nice to meet all of you, and perhaps we will see more of one another. Many apologies for having to take him away.¡± ¡°I know my husband¡¯s work, it¡¯s fine, it was really only a matter of time before we had a family meal disrupted by gods or the kingdom.¡± ¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡± The woman stepped back into the void gate, and Harlan stepped through after her. Sam looked around at everyone going back to eating as if nothing had happened. ¡°What is wrong with you? What was that? How do you not react?¡± Liat placed her hand on Sam¡¯s. ¡°Harlan is Harlan, if you are around me and Amber, you¡¯ll see him, and you will rarely see him without something odd happening, we all just live with it.¡± Liat cut her pork chop, not an ounce of oddity regarding things had affected her. ¡°That woman was very pretty though, wasn¡¯t she?¡± Everyone around the table nodded in agreement.
The Jailer looked upon his work, it stalled his heart to see it undone, but the choice was out of his hands. He pulled the heavy weights from the man¡¯s body, followed by the iron rods twisted with silver. The moment they left his flesh, the thin and bony man was not returned to any sense of prime, but a vitality long lost regained itself upon him. ¡°Has it already been a thousand years?¡± ¡°Plans are to be accelerated.¡± The Jailer raised a hand and the jailed burst into flames, his eyes bursting from the heat as he fell to the ground. ¡°You are not free, you are unbound. Should everything work out, you could be sent home, there you would be as free as you once were.¡± With a single vial of blood poured on him, the man regenerated back to more strength that he had before every cell in his body had been calmly set aflame. ¡°Ah, but how I¡¯ve come to enjoy this land of wonder and splendor. Earth was never the same after the Elves were driven out.¡± ¡°As I recall, you were a significant force behind that.¡± ¡°Regardless, away from the old and onto the new.¡± He marveled at the power he could feel growing every moment he was free. ¡°What is your bidding?¡± ¡°He gives order, I just follow them.¡± ¡°Him?¡± Chapter 254: Unity Day Final Harlan wondered, when had he gotten so weak? Was his lack of pain truly such a boon that it turned him to a force of nature? Would he really crumble into a beast that simply lashed out the moment he felt like that pain again? Unfortunately, this was not the time to doubt, but to do. Ox removed her faceplate and vomited blood as she tried to push her organs back into her body, Falcon was unconscious, Lion was paralyzed from the waist down at least, Fox was little better, and Elk¡¯s face had been smashed in. As was standard healer¡¯s training, always heal the other healers first, since even if they were worn out by being healed, healing was always more intensive on the patient than the provider. Elk was groggy, disoriented, her first action was to go for the dagger on her belt. Yet it wasn¡¯t the same as her spear, and no mundane blade could pierce his skin. ¡°Ox is hurt really bad, I need your help.¡± ¡°Why¡­ why help?¡± ¡°Why am I helping you? Because I said I didn¡¯t want to kill anyone today, and I think you are ignorant, not evil. Why should you help me? Because your friend, ally, whatever she is, will die if you don¡¯t.¡± Harlan offered a hand to her, and she began to grasp the seriousness of his worry. She rushed towards Lion, but Harlan grabbed her shoulder. ¡°She had a broken spine, but is stable for now, Ox is going to bleed out.¡± Elk fixed her eyes on her ally. Harlan¡¯s fist had bent the metal of her armor inward, preventing the flesh from closing even slightly, as she struggled to live, Ox only cut herself more in a shocked panic. Harlan held her still with telekinesis, the fear that she exuded was palpable. ¡°I will hold her still, bend back her armor, and put her organs back in place, just try to stop her from losing more blood.¡± ¡°You stop her from bleeding out, I will handle the rest.¡± ¡°Do not argue with me.¡± He disliked having to use this power, but when every second counted, second guesses were unacceptable. It took little time, Harlan simply needed another set of hands, quite literally. The spells which he could use to stabilize her by creating false veins that would let blood continue to flow through the body as if it wasn¡¯t damage required too much focus for him to use while also maintaining his telekinesis and the spells to heal her. Had he not lost so much blood, perhaps he could, but perhaps was an evil word that made one doubt what had been for what could¡¯ve been. With Ox no longer in danger, and finally slumbering in a magically induced coma, Harlan then moved on to the others. He and Elk worked together to move everyone into recovery positions and then assess which needed healing the most. Falcon was unharmed physically, but Harlan had little idea of what the side effects of his mental attack would be once he woke up outside of a splitting headache. He wished there was a better way, but she was fast, the time he would¡¯ve wasted trying to subdue her could¡¯ve proved fatal. Lion¡¯s would take some time to heal due to the delicate nature of the spine and her not being treated immediately. Fox was hurt nearly as much as Ox had been, the kinetic force of his blast had harmed her spleen and liver along with causing serious damage to her kidneys and bursting her appendix. Harlan didn¡¯t like it, but all of them would need to stay for a few days. Even Elk, though she was up as if she was alright, had suffered a very serious concussion judging by the occasional zoning out and slurred words. Harlan put them all to sleep and brought them back to the city. Nothing more could be done. Harlan opened his gate after divining their location and was back with his family. ¡°You¡¯ve missed just about everything.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll apologize to the council of races later.¡± Dawn gave him a look, both of them knew what it meant. She was searching for pain on his face, not physical, emotional. By chance, they eventually met up with Carmilla.. ¡°Oh, a family date, how wonderful. And you are?¡± Viviane hesitated under the gaze of a predator, then Harlan stepped forward with a harsh look on his face. ¡°Do not use your powers against my citizens, ever.¡± ¡°My, how very serious sounding you are. I simply wanted to get a read on her, you are too trusting.¡± ¡°Quite, as it seems.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be sour over Tatton, it is hard for an old dog to learn new tricks, and I¡¯ve known him since he was a pup.¡± ¡°Yet you chose not to warn me about the likelihood of him doing what he did.¡± Darrath clung to Dawn¡¯s legs. ¡°You are scaring the boy, we should have this chat another day.¡± ¡°Are you angry with The Red Lady? Is this an adult talk?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not angry with her, I¡¯m angry at myself for not seeing the truth of someone else''s character.¡± ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t being angry at yourself stupid? Just forgive yourself.¡± Harlan wryly chuckled. ¡°Why don¡¯t we keep moving, now that everything else is done, we can spend the rest of the day doing whatever you want.¡± ¡°Really?¡± From behind a sickly sweet scent approached, its large clawed hands reached for Darrath. ¡°Little Pixie, how are you?¡± ¡°Oh, Miss Copperhead. Are you having fun here?¡± ¡°Very much so, you¡¯ve so many different candies and sweets I know nothing of.¡± ¡°Papa made them up.¡± ¡°No, I brought recipes from my home to here. I¡¯ve never been one for sweets, but I know people who do, and I¡¯ve skimmed recipe books.¡± ¡°This here? It is cold cream?¡± ¡°Ice cream. Funny enough, that isn¡¯t even from this world.¡± ¡°Fascinating. What does that mean?¡± ¡°I probably shouldn¡¯t explain honestly, some people tend to hear something like this and it throws a wrench into their mind.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a wrench?¡± ¡°It is a tool. The idiom is regarding how they are very solidly built tools, little more than fashioned pieces of solid metal, and if one were to be thrown into the gears of a machine, they would be damaged or entirely stopped.¡± ¡°Oh, there are many interesting things to learn.¡± Harlan just looked at Carmilla with a puzzled expression, uncertain of what should be said, but certain that he wasn¡¯t interested in explaining everything to her like a child. Harlan changed the topic away from the unknown items of his mind, and to something more mundane. ¡°Where is Camila?¡± ¡°She¡¯s out and about, learning lessons, I hope. I heard you got into a fight? You reek of blood.¡± ¡°Papa, did you murder them?¡± ¡°No, they are all just fine, but I had to let them sleep since they were really tired after we fought.¡± Now it was Carmilla¡¯s turn to raise an eyebrow, he did not sound like he was lying, but the idea of letting people who attacked him live seemed too far-fetched for her idea of him. ¡°Oh, then why are you here?¡± ¡°Papa doesn¡¯t get tired so easily.¡± ¡°Is it because they were weak?¡± ¡°They were strong, but soft.¡± ¡°Is papa hard?¡± ¡°Papa is hard to hurt.¡± ¡°So they didn¡¯t hurt you?¡± ¡°I think that is enough questions.¡± ¡°Can I ask one more?¡± ¡°You just did.¡± Darrath seemed confused, taking longer than Harlan had expected to understand his words. ¡°Can Copperhead come with us?¡± ¡°If she chooses to do so, I won¡¯t have any problems with that.¡± ¡°I would be delighted.¡± Fangre kept rubbing hands against Harlan, making him step to the other side of Viviane. When Fangre then moved along with him, he stopped and put up a veil. ¡°Why do you keep touching me?¡± ¡°I simply wish to know who Harlan is. My mind flutters when I touch you.¡± ¡°Do not touch me without my permission again.¡± ¡°May I hold your hand, just for a moment, please?¡± He knew that he shouldn¡¯t, but he did it anyway, thinking that he could just block her out from any deeper thoughts and that his surface thoughts would hold little value, but it would get her to stop bothering him. When Fangre pulled her hand back, clearly she saw something in his mind that she hadn¡¯t expected. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry that I asked.¡± The rest of their evening was peaceful, Fangre¡¯s seemed almost as childish as Darrath, darting from vendor to vendor getting food or trinkets. Harlan would rather she remain like that, whatever she saw when she made contact with him made her distance herself from him and avoid the contact that she had so desired before. At least from what he could tell, she was being respectful, and it wasn¡¯t fear that made her avoid him. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Unity Day had been a roaring success so far as Harlan could tell, and now he would need to close the day with a speech. Every fiber of his being told him that it was wrong, that something bad needed to happen, because that was what he was, he brought misfortune to others through his actions, active or passive. What had happened between him and those women was not near enough to sate his fear of any good day, the belief that all happiness he felt was fleeting, that anything he made would crumble because he simply couldn¡¯t stop it. Yet tonight there would be no downfall, plans by forces beyond him had ensured such a thing. Plans needed to remain at a quickened pace. Harlan stood upon the stage, prepared to give only a short speech. ¡°Thank you to my citizens, for without you, this day could not happen. I hope that each and every one of you has gained some inkling of understanding and connection with your neighbors, your work friends, and with this city as a whole. Today helps me to feel that a rather simple goal of mine, but one whose simplicity denies what must go into such an endeavor. I am a man of death, I kill, the things I make kill, yet I will not die, I will remain ageless. When I first heard of my being like this, I felt worry and grief knowing that I would see everyone I¡¯ve ever known turn to dust while I remain. But those were the fears of a child, one who did not understand the gift I had been given. With my life that does not end, I vow to give every drop of blood within me, every ounce of my strength, to ensure that some day, in 10 years, a 100 years, or a 1,000 years, people can live together like this here, free from the oppression of the Cast, that every one of you can know that tomorrow will be better, no matter how dark today seems. I am quite poor at maintaining a light tone as it seems.¡± The crowd laughed, thinking their king had perhaps had too much to drink during the festival. ¡°But really, I give my heartfelt thanks to you all, because my childish dream of making a better world feels a little closer when I see you all work side by side.¡± Harlan bowed towards them, not too deeply, he still had to maintain a kingly aura, but enough that they could feel the depth of his care. Though he could feel derision from some of the crowd, many more of them felt a great deal of respect and love towards their king. Harlan unwinded when he got home with a nice bath, joined by everyone. ¡°It was a beautiful speech, it is for those words that I live and would die for you.¡± ¡°Thank you, Joan.¡± ¡°It was overly saccharine, I rather prefer your dark tone and threats. A king should be above his subjects to the point he feels more than human, you consistently dash those hopes¡­ Yet there is also a saying ¡®a hero will not claim their title, it must be given.¡¯ Have you been trying for such a thing? A call against zeal that would make the people elevate you higher as a humble man?¡± ¡°Mercedes, I think you¡¯ve had more than enough wine.¡± ¡°I¡¯d sleep with you, you know? I don¡¯t even care about the girl, have-¡± ¡°Mercedes, please, don¡¯t continue those thoughts. I simply cannot trust you enough for a relationship like that.¡± ¡°Whatever¡­¡± Her eyes would fluctuate between open and half closed, forcing Harlan to give her the ultimatum of either leaving, or having him cast a spell to remove the alcohol from her. Not wanting to lose her drunkenness after all the stress of the month, she walked out of the bath that was more of a heated pool and winked at Harlan as she did. There was a time when seeing her naked body would¡¯ve reddened his face and made him turn his eyes away under these circumstances. Yet now he was just somewhat annoyed. He didn¡¯t like seeing his people drunk, Harlan¡¯s sense of duty was what had prevented him drinking. That and he feared his own lack of control would turn him to seeking refuge from the world in it. Darrath stared at Harlan. ¡°Why does she want to sleep with you? Does Miss Mercedes have nightmares? Should I sleep with-¡± ¡°I will explain when you get older.¡± ¡°Oh, alright.¡± Darrath had complete trust in Harlan and took him at his word. If he said it would be explained, then it would be, even if his sense of time was warped and what older meant to him and Harlan were two different things. ¡°Dawn¡­ Mom, thank you for helping me. I¡¯m going to tell you something later, and you¡¯ll hate me for it, so I¡¯m asking now, try to understand.¡± ¡°That is appropriately vague and ominous for you. I¡¯m sure whatever it is will be something you are making a bigger deal out of than it really is.¡± She was the only person there who chose to bathe in a towel, treating it as a spa and not really a bath. Harlan could change his mind far more easily, but she had years of memories of sexual encounters and to her a naked body was simply too much linked to those for her to be comfortable around her son who was now a grown man. Eventually, everyone was gone other than Harlan and Viviane. ¡°Do you mind if I call you Vivi?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± She snuggled closer to him. ¡°Alright then. Vivi, I know the taste of human flesh, my hands know the exact force needed to sever the spine of a Cast with a single strike, I¡¯m still madly in love with the first woman I¡¯ve ever loved, and now a copy of me that split off because of Fae magic is married to and expecting a child with her.¡± ¡°Alright, none of that bothers me too much, that woman isn¡¯t here, so I won¡¯t lose to her.¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking for excuses as to why I shouldn¡¯t be with you, because ultimately I¡¯m deeply fearful of what I bring to others.¡± ¡°What do you bring?¡± ¡°Death. I have killed nearly a hundred thousand people. Half of those are from a city, more an entire region that I killed. And everyone around me is in constant danger.¡± ¡°Everyone knows about that, you¡¯ve repeated it enough while trying to make others understand you that only an outsider wouldn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°When I was younger, I faked a man¡¯s suicide for threatening my sister. The first man I ever killed was a werewolf. I find Mercedes more attractive than you, and I met an agent of my god today who was the most beautiful woman I¡¯ve ever seen. If she asked, I¡¯d get together with her without hesitating as I have with you.¡± ¡°Are you seeing if I¡¯m jealous?¡± ¡°I am giving myself reasons that I don¡¯t deserve to be with anyone after what I''ve done.¡± ¡°Pointless, since there is nothing that you could do which would give me pause.¡± Viviane reached her hand lower, but Harlan stopped her. ¡°I don¡¯t want to sleep with you, or anyone else. Some things have happened that I can¡¯t get over, not yet.¡± ¡°That is fine I suppose, I can wait for you.¡± ¡°Now, I¡¯m going to ask you to share with me, honestly. I have issues with trust, and I cannot be with someone who I cannot trust. Your father. When you brought him up earlier, you were clearly uncomfortable and rushing to avoid talking about the subject by blurting out the blunt answer.¡± She took a deep breath, readying herself to say what she would. ¡°But that isn¡¯t what really bothers you, is it? I thought for some time about what you would hide. Then I realized it. How was your relationship with your mother?¡± ¡°I refuse to talk about her.¡± ¡°Honesty, that is the price of being together with me.¡± Fury was clear in her eyes, but it was not just directed at him. ¡°For all of your nice talk about women and treating all people equally and with kindness you now intend to manipulate me into telling you my secrets by first telling yours?¡± She got up, but Harlan grabbed her arm and she swung at him. ¡°What I said before, if you were being yourself, or if you were molding yourself into what you think I want, that is part of this. Boundaries like this are important, I don¡¯t want to trample over everything that you are just because you let me, and I don¡¯t want you to turn into something you aren¡¯t just because of a misplaced sense of love for me.¡± ¡°Misplaced in what way? You¡¯ve saved me, my entire race, from being a broken group like the Plest or Faun.¡± ¡°Because your feelings for me aren¡¯t love, they are gratitude. I encountered this once before.¡± ¡°And what happened then?¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t the point.¡± ¡°She¡¯s the woman you love, isn¡¯t it? You are trying to lecture me when you¡¯ve already caved to it once, you know that those feelings can develop into something real, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I think that is enough for tonight. Get some sleep, because you are still going to train so I can be slightly less eaten by paranoia about you being caught up in my life.¡± Harlan paced in front of Dawn¡¯s room for over half an hour before she opened her door and dragged him inside. ¡°Alright, get it over with.¡± ¡°I asked you some time ago to find a reason for the people to have a celebration, did I not?¡± ¡°You did.¡± ¡°Redmond is dead, that was why I wanted someone to celebrate, for him.¡± ¡°Then that unmarked grave that suddenly appeared one night in the backyard, that is his?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t bring myself to put his name on it, it felt too permanent.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t hate you for doing that. I¡¯m just worried for you right now, because I know that you aren¡¯t well.¡± ¡°You should hate me for it. I should¡¯ve come to you for support, and instead I completely ignored you, and I¡¯ve continued to ignore you, because you are my link back to Ragne, to the family that I won¡¯t ever get again. I¡­ I think I resent you for being that, even though it isn¡¯t your fault.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you how to feel, so don¡¯t put that shit on me. I¡¯m sure I do remind you of home, and you¡¯ve been forcing yourself to call me mom, every time you say it, you hesitate. If we weren¡¯t linked, I might not notice it at all. And honestly, though I would be crushed if your parents or your sisters died, I hardly knew Redmond. When you had the most interaction with him during your childhood I was still fighting my split mind and my memories of back then are fuzzy. I¡¯m sorry that he is gone, because I know he was a good man, but that is what he was to me, a good man.¡± She stepped closer to him, looking deep in his eyes, causing him to flinch. ¡°You just want me to punish you, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I did something terrible by keeping that news from you. I don¡¯t want you to just forgive me.¡± ¡°Why did you keep it from me?¡± ¡°Because it was easier that way. I didn¡¯t want to burden you with this on top of everything. I know that your mind isn¡¯t always as strong as mine, so-¡± Dawn walked back to her bed, snuffed out the candle, and waved for him to leave. ¡°Just do something.¡± ¡°I need to train Viviane more in the morning, so leave me to my sleep.¡± Harlan¡¯s own mind was too consumed by his guilt that he failed to notice her pain. Redmond wasn¡¯t nobody to her, even if he wasn¡¯t really a somebody. It hurt, but her words from before were true, she didn¡¯t really know him well. But what really hurt was Harlan¡¯s words, that she was weak of mind.
Sholl and his forces arrived to face the beasts that stood over the ruins of what was once a city. He kneeled and put his hands together for a prayer. They did not strike when this vulnerability was clear, instead they just wandered around, covered in blood from the slaughter. They stood 10 feet tall, the body was that of a lion, the wings of a bat, the tail of a scorpion, and the face of a beastly man. They laughed and cried without sense, they spoke words in voices that were not their own and strung them together into nonsense. ¡°Help, hair, air, rare, fair, flare.¡± The expressions seemed to mean nothing, the tone of one that looked furious spoke gently, while another that cried spoke with anger. ¡°By the emperor¡­ what manner of monsters are these.¡± ¡°Cast? Blast? Rest?¡± Sholl raised his hand and a radiant beam cut, but did not kill one of the beasts. It roared out and suddenly the entire pride began to charge into the troops. Sholl rushed to create the weapon sigil, the creatures were far faster than they appeared, going from lazing around to full speed in an instant. His white hot blade cut through the monster¡¯s flesh, but barely got through the bones. He was baffled to see the blades of his men that were coated in his magic seemed to fair just as well as him despite being only false mythril blades and Iron Cast, it was like the beasts could only take a certain level of damage from any one attack. The fangs of the creature could not pierce his skin, and when one tried to eat his hand he filled it with air, bursting it like a bloody balloon, yet also taking care to ensure not a drop got on him. It was too easy, Sholl didn¡¯t like it, he didn¡¯t trust it, and he didn¡¯t believe it. Of the thousand men under his command, he lost barely three dozen to the 50 monsters of unknown origin and type. Once he was done laying the dead to rest, he moved to the city to check for survivors. His divination quickly found a few people who hadn¡¯t been killed, namely the mayor, who had hidden inside of the city vault along with a handful of citizens. ¡°What happened here?¡± ¡°It was terrible, monsters, terrible winged lions, they came from the sky and just started attacking. I¡¯m shocked we even got a message out at all.¡± ¡°Perhaps the birds were too small, and they preferred to attack people.¡± ¡°No, it was the strangest thing, they killed all of the messenger birds but one, it was like they only wanted the message to reach your city.¡± ¡°You are certain?¡± ¡°I watched them tear apart the others and ignore the one, like they ignored us.¡± ¡°Explain.¡± ¡°I came face to face with them several times, I saw how fast they were, there is no way that I lived by my own skill.¡± The other survivors shared similar stories, it was like the monsters had intentionally spared them and drove them into the vault for their own safety. Sholl checked all of the people, trying to find any reason that they were left alone while the entire rest of the city had been massacred. He muttered to himself in the mayor¡¯s office as he looked at what he could gather from his initial investigation and he compared it to the rather limited information he had about King Fomoria. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense, could it¡­?¡± ¡°Finger?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, yes, I¡¯ve just been thinking.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind my asking, have you come to a conclusion?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only been a few hours, and I intend to keep going to find more, but I don¡¯t think this isn¡¯t related to the reason I¡¯ve come to this stripe, the man I thought might be here.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve come to find a man here? I find it hard to believe anyone would survive the attack outside of the vault.¡± ¡°No, I came thinking he was behind the attack. But it doesn¡¯t fit what I know of him, he avoids attacking citizens, but this was nothing but a slaughter. He fights as a giant monster, he wouldn¡¯t unleash half a hundred monster. And he has gate, are you certain that you saw them flying from the sky down?¡± ¡°We spotted them across the sea, they destroyed the boats that were coming and going from the port, as well as the ones that were docked.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t want anyone fleeing, they wanted to bring me here, I believe that is the most likely answer to the strange happenings here. Is there anything else that you can remember? Even something that seems unrelated might be a valuable clue.¡± The man was deep in thought, and only after almost an hour of recollection that seemed physically painful for him did he finally speak again. ¡°There was one that was unlike the others, she¡­ she was larger¡­ stone¡­ stone claws¡­ humming¡­¡± ¡°Stop, you¡¯ve said enough.¡± He could see the man¡¯s muscles writhe. ¡°Riddles¡­ she spoke in riddles¡­¡± The mayor blacked out. Chapter 255: Just Desperate People Harlan found himself in a forest, from the temperature being much colder and the sun being higher in the sky, he ascertained that they were farther to the northwest in the frontier. ¡°What am I here for?¡± ¡°There is a village, I need to go inside. You need to act as my shield.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t handle some villagers?¡± ¡°To cast a void gate needs something far different from being strong. My ability to defend myself is quite limited.¡± ¡°Alright. What is your name?¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t needed for the mission.¡± They moved into the village, but well before Harlan was there he felt them. The guards out front were small, generations of malnourishment was clear on their bodies. ¡°HALT.¡± Harlan stood six inches taller than them, but he did not come to intimidate them, Fomorians that didn''t attack on sight were a surprise. ¡°I am Harlan Fomoria, both as Darrath, Champion of Darkness. I am here with an agent of the Darkness as her guard.¡± They looked at one another and then one of them went inside. ¡°Do you have any food?¡± The man licked his lips and stepped forward. ¡°I only feel about 40 of you inside, I take it that there isn¡¯t much food around here?¡± ¡°Farming is hard, not enough animals around, nowhere to get good seeds.¡± ¡°Do you raid people who come within what was the limits of your lands?¡± The man looked away, he didn¡¯t need to say a word, guilt was in his thoughts, and as a response Harlan felt sorrow for them, which then led to a small gratitude from the man. Their shared feelings that replaced conversation on the subject felt incredibly natural to Harlan. ¡°My, it is interesting to watch your faces change. I wonder how much could be learned if we all had that power.¡± ¡°There is just as much misunderstanding that can come from knowing what another feels as can be understood. It smooths over some bumps, but it doesn¡¯t replace words. I can tell this man was guilty when I asked if they raided others, but where is that guilt from? Is it from the act? Or getting caught?¡± Harlan handed the man a vial of tonic, a day¡¯s worth of calories and nutrients for a normal sized man. They stood in silence for a while before the other guard returned. ¡°You may come in, but we need food to trade, come back when you have it.¡± ¡°When negotiating, you should remember never to appear desperate. Do you accept raw foods?¡± ¡°Yes, that would be best.¡± ¡°Miss, are you fine with remaining here until I return?¡± ¡°Of course. I didn¡¯t bring you with to guard me from them.¡® ¡°Then who am I going to guard you from?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that just part of the fun?¡± ¡°I will return soon.¡± Harlan divined for game animals, boar, deer, mammoth, lindworm, anything that he could quickly kill and bring back. It took over 10 minutes, but he returned with a dozen boar and the same number of deer. The Fomorians were amazed to see him carry all of them with no clear sign of spellwork. ¡°Please, come in, yes, please.¡± As soon as Harlan set them down half the people started to butcher while the other half worked to build fires. ¡°You are free to help, I just need to speak with the chief.¡± Harlan watched as they rushed to cut up the animals, and then he saw they panicked as one of them hit the wrong organ and spoiled the meat. The one who had done it broke down in tears and the others lashed out at them for their incompetence. ¡°Enough.¡± ¡°Our meat, you-¡± Harlan moved towards the group that held up their dull knives at him. He cast a spell and the meat was cleansed, it was something Redmond taught him, he learned a lot about how to live out in the wilds from him after he got back from his journey of self-discovery in the frontier. ¡°If there is work to be done, it should be done right. The deer aren¡¯t going to rot if you can¡¯t get them butchered in the next few minutes. Continue.¡± One of the children tried to sneak away with a piece of meat and eat it raw. When one of the others raised their hand to him, Harlan once more stepped in. ¡°Do not make me warn you again.¡± ¡°He must be taught.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a piece of meat.¡± He could feel the disgust and anger from everyone who heard him. ¡°You don¡¯t know. Won¡¯t know when the meat runs out, when we get more.¡± ¡°You are free to leave now, you aren¡¯t stuck to the area, you can hunt now.¡± ¡°Wolves, monsters, can¡¯t fight them. Can¡¯t¡­ need to get stronger.¡± His emotions lead to many more in response. Some did not accept his pity, they considered him to be looking down on them. But in his mind, he reached his limit, these people were not the Fomorians he knew, that he hated. They were just desperate, they had been stuck for so long that the world passed them by, any strength they had was gone, they didn¡¯t have the resources to even keep up their magic. Harlan moved to help each of them butcher the animals, sharpening blades with magic, building stone baskets to put the organs into, and when a mistake was made, he did his best to ¡°I will return soon, gather wood, but don¡¯t build a fire yet.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t lead us.¡± He returned through a gate with a barrel of salt and a smaller barrel of black pepper. ¡°Simple seasonings, these are also a gift.¡± The people rushed to put the seasonings onto their meat with dirty hands. ¡°Stop.¡± His word did nothing to stop them, but a wall of telekinetic force made them listen. ¡°Clean your hands, you are still covered in blood from the deer, you¡¯ll put liquid in the salt and pepper and they¡¯ll rot before you have the chance to use them all.¡± Harlan used telekinesis to season the meat himself. ¡°How do you do that?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t answer that question right now. I¡¯ll handle the cooking, you are free to watch or go do something else.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t have the meat.¡± Harlan ignored them, but those who could calm down just a bit and feel his emotions understood that he was simply saddened to see them like this. Harlan cast spells that trapped the hot air over the fire, making an oven like environment and to check the doneness of the meat while also keeping the meat moist by controlling the liquids inside of it. After a few minutes Harlan began to remove the meat from the baskets and the people argued with one another about who would get what. Harlan simply spread the meat out equally between them. ¡°I will roast the animals over more fires, consider those to be a first taste.¡± Harlan went outside of the village, stomps of his feet dug out holes which he then filled with wood they cut down and he dried properly with magic. To roast each of them, Harlan made crisscrossing grill grates of polished stone that wouldn¡¯t dirty the meat and parted out the animals. The entire village came outside and just watched as Harlan seemingly danced in the middle of the fire pits to ensure everything was cooked faster than reasonable. After half an hour, entire legs of venison had been fully cooked, juices were locked inside and the pressure from the spells let the liquids go past boiling temperatures without turning to steam. Magical cooking was an art, one which Harlan felt could become much larger than it currently was. Many considered it to be beneath them as a mage to do what they considered mundane labor. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Cooks could have their magical tools, ovens and mixers, but they were more often than not mundane people. Harlan sanded the stumps of trees he cut down, turning them into makeshift tables that he placed the meats on. ¡°Come, eat.¡± Harlan pulled water from the damp spring air and filled stone basins with water for them to clean themselves. ¡°And keep a slow pace, when you are starving and suddenly fill up on food you risk dying.¡± The people who were stuffing their mouths began to chew their food properly and savor it. It was simple, basic, but they hadn¡¯t been able to have a feast in decades at least, they were just barely scraping by, their numbers had dwindled. These were not the fierce people of the frontier, they had no culture of bones and flesh. Another hour passed, when the people seemed to have their fill, they thanked Harlan and he changed to turning the meat into jerky. When he had nothing left to do, he went back into the village and went to see the agent. ¡°What are you even here for?¡± ¡°Your opponents are late, very late. But, sighting is rarely perfect. Go back out front and wait.¡± Harlan¡¯s eyes went black, but he was simply told to do as she said. He sat and grumbled. Eventually, high speed arrows and stones came from the forest. Telekinesis prevented any of them from harming him or the guards who fled inside as soon as the fighting started. Harlan stood and was in full armor with his sword drawn as he spoke. ¡°I AM HARLAN FOMORIA, QUEEN¡¯S BLADE, CHAMPION OF DARKNESS, SHOW YOURSELVES OR I WILL HUNT YOU.¡± There was a delay, but when Harlan held a mass of void in his other hand that seemed to pull shadows away from the treeline, the soldiers came out, and their commander was the first in line. ¡°I have orders to destroy this village.¡± ¡°The official policy is that each group of Fomorians is to be contacted and either destroyed or brought into Ragne as citizens of the frontier. Have you already contacted this village? And have they refused?¡± ¡°I have orders to-¡± Harlan skipped forward. ¡°If you dodge my question again, I am going to kill you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a report on hand, but if I was given the order, I intend to follow it.¡± ¡°Good soldiers follow orders, is that it?¡± ¡°If you stand against us you will be tried for treason.¡± ¡°These people are desperate, they aren¡¯t like the others. I am telling you, stand down, bring me to your commander, show me something that proves to me that they should be destroyed, and I will step out of your way.¡± ¡°Why are you even here?¡± ¡°My god said to come, so I came.¡± ¡°A good soldier.¡± The commander contacted his commander, and through a game of telephone, Rosewell contacted Harlan. ¡°Why are you threatening to wipe out a military base?¡± ¡°The truth is removed from itself the further it gets from the person who spoke originally.¡± ¡°Then explain what the truth is.¡± ¡°I was sent by my god to guard an agent of her¡¯s. These soldiers intended to kill the village without proper justification, and I will not let them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve kept you away from the Fomorian issues for the simple reason that I have no idea what you are going to do, as well as the fact that many nobles are fearful that you will raise your own army of your kin.¡± ¡°They are not my kin.¡± ¡°Then why are you so intent on protecting them?¡± ¡°These people don¡¯t have food, they are barely surviving with less than a hundred people, they are not a threat, they are desperate and struggling. It isn¡¯t right to destroy them.¡± ¡°That is a very Harlan answer. I will call back down the line, these people may join as citizens yet.¡± ¡°The first Fomorians outside of myself to be so.¡± She hesitated, just for an instant, but Harlan paid it no mind. ¡°Yes, I hope that it works out in our favor.¡± It took a few minutes, but Rosewell called her man, who called his man, etc. And by the end, the soldiers backed away. Harlan made sure they were all gone, and then he headed into the village to speak with the chief. ¡°Where is the woman?¡± ¡°She¡¯s been gone since you last came, she did leave me with a message however.¡± The elder cleared his throat, spitting up a ball of phlegm. ¡°Depending on how this ended, I am sorry for the bloodshed, or I am happy that everything turned out well.¡± Harlan¡¯s eyes went black. The void was always welcoming to him, but he was less than happy to be here in that moment. ¡°The hell is this? If you wanted me to bring this village into Ragne, you could¡¯ve just told me from the start, instead you say nothing to me and use some woman I¡¯ve never seen before in my life.¡± ¡±Do mind your tone.¡± Harlan felt a weight on him, it was not painful, but his senses warned him against pushing her further. ¡°If I had, would you truly have tried your hardest?¡± ¡°Yes, if you ordered me to care.¡± ¡°There is not a being in this reality or any other that could force you to care. You needed to see them as they were, not because it was your job, but because you were there and you couldn¡¯t look away.¡± He didn¡¯t like it, he hated it really, but he knew she was right. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about my tone.¡± ¡°I know you are, my child. A rider will be there soon, you will help to bring them into the fold.¡± Harlan was to act as mediator between the sides, a role that he took up rather than one forced on him. ¡°The simplest explanation is that you and your people are to be considered as part of Ragne, and you are to abide by the laws of Ragne. An ambassador will come here to run the village for a time and help you to transition from your isolationist lifestyle to one of civility, at which point you are expected to elect a leader of your own and open the village to the outside world fully as citizens of Ragne.¡± The chief smoked wild grass from a pipe made from a femur, one which Harlan hoped wasn¡¯t human, but he was certain was. ¡°Food, we need food, more wells, seeds. We know how to farm, but there is little but wild vegetables, no onions, no potatoes. We lost a lot of things when we were locked away, we used to travel to the farms, couldn¡¯t reach them anymore.¡± ¡°We can provide you with those things, and in exchange, you are expected to share any magical knowledge that you have.¡± ¡°We know how to farm, but we don¡¯t know how to fight.¡± ¡°I have a hard time believing that.¡± The old chief bangged his pipe against a clay cup, filled it with foul smelling weeds, and smoked again. ¡°Over a thousand years ago, this was all farmland, we were not warrior caste. Champion, surely you understand this.¡± ¡°I have never once met a Fomorian that didn¡¯t try to kill me outside of children too young to understand. If that is the case, why are you starving? Surely you would have all of the knowledge needed to continue farming.¡± ¡°We used outside materials to grow, and the river that we relied on was redirected over a hundred years ago by someone or something. We¡¯ve had to¡­ we had to lower the population.¡± Harlan thought back to those he had seen. ¡°You are the only elder in the village.¡± ¡°The old are a burden, I live to keep knowledge alive, pass it on to the next generation, I will go to the plants when I am at my end. We have scrolls, we¡¯ve kept as much of the old knowledge intact as we can. Champion, I will ask one question that will decide if we join these people. Can they be trusted?¡± That Harlan had been quiet for minutes was a very bad sign, and both sides looked ready to reach for their weapons. ¡°I was taken as a child for my magic, but I don¡¯t believe that such a thing will happen to any of your people. But I will also say that there are many who will hate you for being Fomorian, even I dislike you for what you are. The queen is a good woman, and I myself am very high ranking within the nation because I have proven myself, and I think that so long as you work, you can prove that we aren¡¯t all monsters.¡± ¡°I know what we are. I¡¯ve read the scrolls from the earlier elders, they marked down bodies by the tons. We will accept the deal, but first a list of what will be given, and we will negotiate. Champion, may your shadow grow long.¡± The chief bowed down on all fours, made easier by the fact that there were no seats in the village. Harlan finally got home, well, he got back to Balor¡¯s home, but by that time, almost everyone was gone. Strangely, Magruder was there. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Ah, I wanted to speak with Balor, I didn¡¯t realize there was a party. Adina asked me to stay.¡± ¡°You know my brother.¡± ¡°He is a¡­ supplier of mine. I thought since we knew one another, I thought I might meet him face to face.¡± Harlan made no change to expression, but there was certainly something off about the conversation. Balor wouldn¡¯t let anyone know that he was tied to The Shade, but there was no need for the hesitation that Magruder used when speaking about him if Balor had used his legitimate connections to supply Magruder with whatever it was that he needed. ¡°What does he supply you with? I know he has a lot of businesses, he spread himself out quite a bit.¡± ¡°Blood and the crystal dust.¡± ¡°Are those hard to get?¡± ¡°No, not at all. I only heard that he was tied to the merchants I do business with by chance and thought I¡¯d thank him, the prices are good.¡± Harlan wrote off the hesitation as just his natural nervousness, he always sounded like he was hiding something, even when he was completely honest. ¡°Well, I¡¯m tired, thank you for coming, but I¡¯d like Harlan to take me home.¡± ¡°OH, right, of course, with the baby, I¡¯m sure you sleep more.¡± ¡°I do.¡± He fidgeted. ¡°Am I allowed to hug you goodbye?¡± ¡°Not a problem.¡± Back home, his home, Adina sat in the kitchen while Harlan prepared himself something to eat. ¡°She just had to take me not long as we started to eat.¡± ¡°Magruder, is he in love with me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so, I think that you are one of the first women who has shown him real affection that doesn¡¯t want something from him. You are genuine.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that he needs friends, he¡¯s alone, and he will have too much power once he gets the title of archmage. If we can¡¯t be there for him, I worry about what someone else will do for him.¡± ¡°That is an almost impressive non-answer.¡± ¡°I will make your feelings clear when I see him next, there won¡¯t be a misunderstanding. I just don¡¯t want to hurt him, because I think I see myself in him, and I want to avoid a darker path for him.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t even keep yourself from the dark path.¡± Adina realized how bad it sounded the moment it left her mouth. ¡°I meant that-¡± ¡°I know. I know.¡±
Two women sat in a nice cafe with coffee and tea between them, one young and asking, while the elder told. ¡°You knew him?¡± ¡°Taught me magic.¡± ¡°How was he as a teacher?¡± ¡°Patient, caring. I was a kid, he liked kids.¡± ¡°And after?¡± ¡°After what?¡± ¡°You know, when he-¡± ¡°Losing people hurts, and he never let go of things, carried the weight of the world. You shouldn¡¯t dig up that pain, condemn him for not being the perfect man by standards only changed by his making the world softer, kinder.¡± ¡°I am just trying to work out a timeline of his life. I¡¯m not trying to put dirt on his name, just trying to understand.¡± ¡°Harlan¡¯s simple, loves people, hates people, upright and just, prone to fits of genocidal rage if pushed far enough.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard that, ¡®a man of contrast.¡¯ I know people call him a hypocrite, but that really fails to understand the complexity of the human condition and the challenges of living during that time.¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re one of those academic types?¡± ¡°My going to an academy only happened because of the programs he set up to find those who had a passion for learning.¡± ¡°You admire him?¡± ¡°I could never be who I am now without him.¡± She tapped her fingers on the glass table of the shop. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll keep talking.¡± Chapter 256: After Unity Day ¡°Good afternoon.¡± She blinked, confused over her location. Sudden horror came into her mind and she swung at Harlan. Yet her hands didn¡¯t get far before thick chains stopped her. ¡°You understand strength, so I will make it clear, you are alive because I spared you, because I showed mercy, do not try to physically or magically fight me, because mercy has limits, and if in your attack one of my people are harmed, I will kill you, and then while they sleep, I will slit your sisters throats.¡± The will she had before was gone. Harlan let her stew for a few minutes, but he did want some answers. ¡°I want to make it clear that I¡¯ve not touched you in any inappropriate manner, but I examined your bodies.¡± She barely reacted. ¡°I noticed that your bones are abnormally dense, your flesh is harder, more tightly bundled, stronger, and the speed at which you heal is far beyond what a human should. I only caused as much harm to your leader as I did because I thought you were some offshoot of humanity like myself and that she could take it. That Falcon has strange feet and her arms are longer than normal, I think she can perch on trees, is that right?¡± ¡°We are designed for combat, each is like every other of their kind, and unlike any human.¡± ¡°So you are from a family of people who bear the title of Ox?¡± ¡°We are Vatborn. I don¡¯t know how it works, but we are all copies of one another, we are grown and not born. Even still, I failed, I wasn¡¯t strong enough, I broke so easily.¡± ¡°There are only a handful of people I know outside of the veil that can realistically beat me.¡± ¡°I failed my sisters, I am the Ox, I am the shield, I stare down wyverns and they divert.¡± ¡°Well that doesn¡¯t seem true. An adult is easily multiple tons, with my armor I¡¯m not even as heavy as a grown wyvern unless it is a young adult Sky Wyvern.¡± ¡°You cannot understand, we are born for this, I am born for this.¡± ¡°I am from a people who were born to die as shields for another race of people. So yes, I do understand. For much of my life, even now really, I struggle to not sacrifice myself at the first chance, because I am born to give my life for the people that are supposed to be better than me.¡± Harlan got up from his chair. ¡°Would you like to see your sisters?¡± ¡°This room, it is nice, too nice for a prisoner. Are you trying to turn me to your side?¡± Her mind was a jumble that he didn¡¯t have the time to examine. ¡°You are no prisoner. None of the others are awake yet, but you can see that they are alive and resting.¡± Harlan opened her restraints and then the chest at the end of the bed that contained her things. ¡°I had them repaired. The clothes were mundane, so I didn¡¯t bother having them patched and instead just had something of the same size made. I¡¯ll wait outside while you are changing.¡± ¡°Yet you¡¯ve already examined my body.¡± ¡°I did that purely as a doctor and mage, you are now awake and clearly you don¡¯t like that I did that, so I will not subject you to dressing yourself in front of me.¡± ¡°And if I fled?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t.¡± She almost wanted to run just to spite him, but her sisters needed her. They walked all of 10 feet over to the next room, where Lion slept. ¡°See, she is fine. I¡¯ve kept her under sedation because I don¡¯t want you all awake at the same time before I¡¯ve had a chance to speak with you.¡± Harlan undid the array that was kept her slumbering. It was considered a minor magic, one broken up by even mundane outside stimuli, but used properly, it could just as easily be a death sentence, a dream that does not end. ¡°It will take a few minutes before she wakes up. What did you mean by Vatborn? Is it exactly what it sounds like?¡± ¡°Each of us is born of the seeds of life, each changed to better suit our roles.¡± ¡°Does that bother you?¡± ¡°Without the Vatborn, the Cast would¡¯ve destroyed us centuries ago.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t an answer.¡± ¡°It does not bother me.¡± ¡°Huh, a difference in opinion. I find the knowledge that much of my life was pre-planned, that I am one of many like this, quite disturbing.¡± ¡°It is an honor to serve The Great Mothers.¡± ¡°Ha, even the people that made both of us carry the title of The Mother.¡± ¡°Who made you?¡± ¡°She is The Darkness, god of dark mana. But she has no real name, taking many titles instead.¡± ¡°The Adversary, The Great Deceiver.¡± ¡°New to me, but I assume we are talking about the same god.¡± ¡°That you are son to that monster now makes sense.¡± ¡°There is a time when I would be far more upset over that, but now I¡¯ll just say that you will maintain respect for her in my presence. She has done a great deal to me, but also for me. It isn¡¯t right to judge her by human moral standards, her plans seem like madness but save far more lives than they take.¡± ¡°I killed the last of her adherents that I met.¡± ¡°If I didn¡¯t know that I could beat you into the ground with one hand, that might sound like a threat.¡± Lion stirred from her sleep. ¡°Good afternoon. Care to join the riveting theological discussion between Ox and I, little kitten?¡± ¡°Where are my clothes?¡± ¡°At the foot of the bed, along with your armor. Your weapons are being kept away for now, I wouldn¡¯t want you to get any ideas and force me to kill you.¡± ¡°OX.¡± Lion had really been awake for a time already and maintained the falsehood to give her time to wake up fully. Ox however, was more aware of Harlan, and didn¡¯t restrain him as was ordered. Harlan grabbed the leaping Lion by the throat, though he put no pressure on her. ¡°A cat that scratches may need its claws trimmed.¡± ¡°Sister, we lost, all of us together, don¡¯t make a fool of yourself.¡± She braced herself with Harlan¡¯s arm and wrapped her legs around his neck, but found herself unable to pull him forward at all, he just remained still like stone. ¡°I am glad that I went with loose pants and a shirt rather than a gown, or this could be quite revealing for you.¡± She struggled further, trying to twist his wrist, but he did not react. Only when she tried to kick his eye did he block and then toss her against the wall. ¡°I can knock you out and keep you asleep, or you can get up and see your sisters.¡± ¡°A Lion never-¡± ¡°You are beaten, you are a prisoner, I am offering you the position of guest instead.¡± She stared him down, but the slow shaking of Ox¡¯s head was what decided for her. Harlan and Ox stepped outside while Lion put her armor and clothes on. ¡°You can wait here, I¡¯ll wake Falcon up and wait for the two of you.¡± ¡°You would leave an enemy to guard another?¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t my enemy, we are just in a disagreement that was momentarily combative.¡± ¡°She won¡¯t change her mind, the deal is set.¡± ¡°Lion doesn¡¯t need to give up the deal she accepted, but she has failed, and killing me isn¡¯t an option any longer. You will just need to accept some gifts from me, that is all, no friendship, no alliance, just a promise that you never return unless it is as friends.¡± ¡°What gifts?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to explain everything again, so just wait.¡± Harlan waited a few minutes in Falcon¡¯s room, she was the one he worried most about waking. He knew that mental attacks would leave their victims with a great deal of pain afterwards, but how much was hard to say. Ironically, had he been better about having trained his attack rather than defense with his mind, she would¡¯ve been better off. Ox and Lion came in just before she woke up, and Harlan shushed them, warning that she might be fragile. He spoke to her in a low whisper. ¡°Good afternoon, how do you feel?¡± ¡°Where are my clothes? Did you rape me you piece of shit bastard. I¡¯ll claw your eyes out.¡± Harlan clapped his hands and she winced while covering her ears. ¡°I did nothing of the sort, nor would I ever. I thought I acted as an upright man towards you during our prior meeting.¡± ¡°You punched a hole through my sister¡¯s chest.¡± ¡°Yes, and I do regret my part in that. Your things are in the chest at the foot of your bed, I¡¯ll have a maid bring some medicine, you can join us for dinner if you feel like it, and I hope that your migraine is better by then.¡± Harlan was almost at the door when he turned around. ¡°And if you harm any of my people, I will kill you.¡± He gingerly closed the door and put up a veil. Fox was already up, she had a strong mind that resisted the array keeping her asleep. When Harlan entered the room she used a broken chair leg to stab at him. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. But telekinesis was a powerful tool, and she was far from the strength of her sister, there wasn¡¯t even resistance. ¡°You are the assassin, so I did expect something like this. The only thing in your body that was wrong was your eyes, but I assume you have a different liver, something to handle poisons, perhaps you have some other unseen ability.¡± ¡°Fox, stand down, there is nothing to be done, we are prisoners without bars.¡± ¡°I am also impressed that you picked the locks on the cuffs, I decided to put them on you specifically to see if you could.¡± Ox looked at him strangely. ¡°Why did you leave Lion unbound?¡± ¡°Because I wanted to know if she could be level headed, or if she would try to attack at the first chance she got. That each of you did is rather telling, but I make no judgment. Come on kit, let¡¯s wake up Elk.¡± ¡°Kit?¡± ¡°A baby fox. I am saying that you are like a child compared to me in power. I also called Lion a kitten for the same reason. I want you all to understand that fighting me is pointless, because I will always win. Now understand your place and follow me.¡± ¡°Lion have cubs, not kittens.¡± ¡°I am aware, but by calling her a kitten, I also deny that she was even a lion.¡± ¡°Smart.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t know how to feel about it, he didn¡¯t like the way he was handling them, but it felt right. Just down the hall Elk was sleeping very soundly, having already been up and about for a few days, her concussion receding quickly. She moved a lot as she slept, hugging one of the pillows with her hair in a mess. Harlan almost didn¡¯t want to wake her, she was like a child, she was peaceful. Yet still, he shook her awake. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s time to wake up.¡± ¡°Just a few more minutes.¡± ¡°Your sisters are here, they wanted to see you.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t care, I¡¯m just the healer.¡± ¡°How dare you, your duty is to-¡± ¡°Lion.¡± His tone told her all she needed to know. ¡°Elk, it¡¯s time to wake up, no more dreams.¡± She saw how different he acted with her. ¡°Are you sleeping with the enemy?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Elk sat up in bed and realized that her sisters, other than Falcon, were all waiting. ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°Betrayer.¡± Elk hid under the blankets as Lion¡¯s boots dully clacked against the hardwood covered with carpet. ¡°Remember that you are my guests.¡± ¡°This is a matter between the soldiers of Tochter.¡± Lion took one more step forward and Harlan slapped her across the face with enough force to send her to the floor. ¡°I dislike hitting women. Perhaps it comes from my mother, or my sisters, because I hold great respect for them. But I will do so nonetheless whenever I feel it is needed. You are in my home, my country, and you are threatening my guest.¡± She spit blood onto the floor and stood back up. ¡°Elk, if you would be so kind as to heal your sister.¡± ¡°You do it, you are better than me.¡± ¡°Every experience is a learning experience, and it would be good for you to help her, that is what family should do.¡± When Lion¡¯s busted lip was healed, Harlan handed her a damp cloth to clean herself with. ¡°What have you done to Elk?¡± ¡°I gave her what she wanted.¡± ¡°Explain.¡± ¡°Ah, well, I don¡¯t like fighting, Harlan-¡± ¡°You speak with his first name now?¡± She was still half covered in blankets, but she sat straighter and more defiant now that Harlan had come to her defense once already. ¡°He has been very nice, he said I don¡¯t need to keep fighting if I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Your duty is to Tochter, you are to fight and die for our motherland.¡± ¡°What if I didn¡¯t need to? There are thousands of others just like me, just find a new Elk for your squad. I¡­ I just don¡¯t want to fight. Harlan said I can stay, I can be a healer, for the people. He is going to give me a house out there, pay me for my work, I¡¯ll be able to just help others.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t get away with this.¡± ¡°She has nothing to get away with. She is a person, and she is quitting your army.¡± ¡°We will come back with fury and burn this place to-¡± Harlan got up and she flinched. ¡°A lion is a symbol of courage, that you flinch so easily makes me think that your country, Tochter is it? That it is weak, and that either they sent out their best, which reflects poorly on them, or they sent out those that were disposable. Which are you?¡± ¡°I have nothing to say to you.¡± ¡°We are disposable.¡± ¡°Ox, silence or I-¡± Harlan started to wind back his hand, and she went quiet. ¡°Can I stay here as well? Is that an option?¡± ¡°You are both traitors, you will hang.¡± ¡°I can always use more guards.¡± ¡°Can I say with Elk? If she¡¯ll have me, I would like to keep her safe.¡± ¡°Fox? Any chance you¡¯ve discovered a love of the fine arts?¡± ¡°I like stabbing people in the dark and using my body to get men to do what I want.¡± ¡°Not a problem. You will be free to leave with Lion, and with Falcon, should she wish to leave.¡± He sent the others away, but stayed with Elk as she laid back down. She was young, too young. The oldest was Fox, but she couldn¡¯t be more than 25. Elk said she was 17, but she had been fighting since she was 13. She seemed proud of it at first, but when she saw Harlan¡¯s solemn expression she became honest. ¡°You should get dressed and clean up, sleeping til the afternoon isn¡¯t good.¡± She was snuggled up with the pillow under the covers again. ¡°They never let me sleep in. It was always training, training, training. Then it was fighting.¡± She averted her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I stabbed you in the back like that.¡± ¡°I know, you don¡¯t need to keep saying it.¡± ¡°Does it feel wrong for you? All the killing? It''s always been this way for me, but I saw what happened to the other defective girls, I was scared of being made into more material.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never liked killing, it has always been something that I needed to do, it is my responsibility, to shed blood so that others don¡¯t need to.¡± ¡°If I stay, will you kill people for me?¡± ¡°There will be no blood on your hands, they are people who would¡¯ve died with or without you. But I will always do my best to keep you safe.¡± ¡°Does it make you sleep better?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Feeling safe.¡± Harlan looked at the ceiling. ¡°I haven¡¯t felt safe since I was 11, when I was taken from my home, and then became a political and magical tool for others.¡± ¡°That¡¯s sad.¡± ¡°I know, but that is why I want a world where things like that don¡¯t happen, not without someone being punished for it.¡± Harlan brushed the hair from her face. ¡°Sleep til dinner, it¡¯s alright, when you start as a healer, the work will be long, full of rushed days and slow days. You deserve it.¡± ¡°I can tell you about Tochter, if you want.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t like talking about it, so I won¡¯t ask again. Ox seemed alright to speak about it, she¡¯s hurt, I think I broke her spirit when I beat her like I did.¡± ¡°Ox is strong, they all are.¡± Harlan went down to the lab, those new items needed to be made, though it was a shame that Elk¡¯s items weren¡¯t needed anymore, he liked the spear that he made for her. But perhaps she¡¯d keep it anyway, make it a stick for grabbing out of reach items, she was small, though perhaps it was more that she was average for a human. Though, considering what he had planned for tomorrow, that wouldn¡¯t be a likely use. When he left the lab and headed to the training area, Dawn was there with Viviane. ¡°Are you done with those women?¡± ¡°Ox and Elk are staying, no idea about Falcon, she¡¯s out with a migraine, Fox is an assassin and a spy, so no surprise she hasn¡¯t lost her taste for war, and Lion is too prideful to admit she wants my help to save her country.¡± ¡°Ha, a lion, prideful.¡± ¡°The humor is not lost on me, and she also flinched once, it was after I slapped her, so I shouldn¡¯t be shocked.¡± ¡°Viviane and I were just finishing up, if you wanted to teach her something.¡± Harlan watched them, but she seemed hopeless with a blade. Dawn slammed her to the ground and then left her to him. ¡°Vivi, how long have you been training with a dagger?¡± ¡°A month, give or take.¡± ¡°Yet you still fight like it is your first time.¡± ¡°I know I¡¯m shit at it, no need to-¡± ¡°You get sensitive around some topics, you are overly competitive. These are your greatest weak points, or at least that I¡¯ve seen so far. I¡¯m not saying that these need to be addressed right now, but when you understand your flaws you can work past them. Your father, he taught you how to fight with a dagger, is that why you are afraid of them?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡± ¡°Did you choose to use a dagger? Or did my mother start you with one because she knew that you had hunting experience and archers don¡¯t carry swords.¡± ¡°I wanted to use it. I just¡­ I didn¡¯t know I would have a problem with it.¡± ¡°Does it have to do with your mother?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to-¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to explain. But if you have bad memories, then we have two choices, either you pick a new weapon, or you work through your problems. The issue with the latter is that you won¡¯t be able to work through it alone, I know I couldn¡¯t work through things myself. But I picked up some helpful advice, I think it would be better for you to talk it out.¡± ¡°Maybe a warhammer is good, one with a short handle would work.¡± ¡°Gravity magic on a hammer would let you swing hard without needing much strength, and in close quarters you wouldn¡¯t need to wind back as much.¡± Harlan gave her a kiss as he passed by to the weapon rack. They didn¡¯t have a training weapon like he needed, so he cut the haft of a warhammer that was there. ¡°Why the kiss?¡± ¡°I want you to know that I don¡¯t need you to tell me, I won¡¯t hold it against you.¡± ¡°Your wife, did she have secrets that she kept?¡± ¡°When we were 14, before I thought that I could even date her, she went over her family, the things that she went through. We didn¡¯t hide things from one another.¡± ¡°Did it help you to stay together?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, we were¡­ are messed up people, finding solace in one another. I don¡¯t think she could ever leave me, she was my first, and I was hers.¡± ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t do sex?¡± ¡°First love. I haven¡¯t really talked about the subject with the others here, but I suppose people are generally more promiscuous out here.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I would need to compare.¡± ¡°Every city has a brothel, at least one, but I¡¯ve never seen them as being quite so active as here. We always kept those things in their own area of the town away from everyone. Most thought it shameful to go to one, but they always had business anyway. People don¡¯t like bastards, those born out of marriage.¡± ¡°You were a noble, yes?¡± ¡°I was.¡± ¡°Did you have one in your city?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have a city. I had my home and a few villages, one for orphans, a place where they can really be safe. Then a rest village, a place that had no permanent residents outside of some guards from a nearby town, it was for hunters, travelers, they could get a hot meal and a drink, rest for the night. Then there was a place not far, it wasn¡¯t really mine, but we built it from a dying village to a bustling town. We brought magical devices, security, money, my brother¡­ my brother knows money, he can move it, shift it, make it vanish, make it grow.¡± Harlan looked happy, he silently chuckled to himself. Eventually they did their combat training, she held her hammer with confidence, and she was a quick learner. It wasn¡¯t that she hadn¡¯t learned anything from Dawn, but her mind was too occupied when she had a dagger in hand to implement it. Not that stabbing really carried over, but at least her footwork was decent. He slept well enough that night, he had his big plan, and he was going to implement it. Balor uplifted Tole by renting and selling them magical tools. Harlan would uplift his citizens though giving them magic. He knew from the Confederacy that it wasn¡¯t impossible to keep auras from leaking after hundreds of years. Those who are most loyal hold the keys so to speak, and those that were unlocked knew nothing about how to forge their own key. His own methods of trying to open his aura were likely on the right track, but without knowing that aura existed, it would be nearly impossible. Anu had given telekinesis, it was never a learned magic. In the morning, as had been instructed, the people formed a long line and Harlan shook the hand of every single citizen, and a golem gave each of them a ring with a small green gem to show that they had their aura unlocked. Each of them would be required to wear the ring for the day, and those that were found without the ring were to be brought to Harlan so he didn¡¯t miss anyone. After each citizen was given the power, the teaching golems would explain the telekinesis in the simplest way possible. ¡°You have been blessed by the king, you may now use your mind as an extra limb. It will be weak at first, but with training you¡¯ll be amazed at what you can do with the power! Telekinesis is very weak against others that have it, but strong against those who don¡¯t, so do be careful, it is unlikely to save you from another with this power, but you will be much safer against those without. If you have more questions, classes will be held over the next month to explain in more detail. Please move along.¡± By the time Harlan was done, it was well into the evening. He had vastly underestimated the time it would take to give a simple handshake. He could¡¯ve just unlocked them from a distance, but he wished to make it seem like physical contact with him was required. With the use of the term blessed, Harlan knew exactly what he was doing, giving credence to the idea of him being beyond human, a living god. Humility had been the way he wanted to rule, but loyalty to men was fleeting, loyalty to a god was eternal. Chapter 257: The Wastes In the week since he unlocked everyone¡¯s auras, the results had been far lesser than Harlan hoped. Looking at the numbers for who was attending even the regular magic classes was rather disheartening. So he gathered his advisors, and D¡¯if, to take suggestions about how he might improve this. ¡°Not enough people are interested in magic, even on a basic level.¡± ¡°Have you considered that you¡¯ve made life too easy? Hardly anyone has to venture outside of the walls, so they don¡¯t need to have personal power very often.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about making it a requirement that they all have some basic magic training.¡± ¡°State run training is looked down on, it would seem like you are trying to make them an involuntary army. It would be worse with children, they hate to be told what to do, regardless of reasoning. In Elfique, we were all forced into basic education, it worked, but I knew many people that hated every minute of it and constantly tried to avoid it. If you turn magic into that, you might damage your goals rather than reach them.¡± ¡°Joan, thank you for your advice. Mercedes, what do-¡± ¡°Big dick.¡± Harlan pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°D¡¯if, unless that was a real suggestion that you intend to elaborate on, please just leave.¡± ¡°Magic enhances the body, mana cycling and all that. Removes blemishes in the skin, makes you grow taller and stronger, and it gives you a big dick.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe he even invites you to these things, your constant disrespect towards-¡± ¡°D¡¯if, get the rumor rolling. Getting rid of moles and pimples will get the younger people to learn, less popping hips and aching joints for the middle aged and elderly citizens. And yes, that factor of mages will attract the men, while the women can hear that it makes their fat distribution better for curvy figures rather than lumpy ones.¡± D¡¯if mocked Joan with his eyes. With the thing that was actually bothering him gone, Harlan hesitantly asked if there was something else that he could help with. ¡°No. There is nothing more here that we cannot handle ourselves. I can tell you hate being here, so please, get to The Wastes or whatever is a better use of your time.¡± ¡°Mercedes, there is no need to get snippy. I am sorry that I haven¡¯t spent much time here unless one of you call to tell me Castians are here. If there is something that you would like my help with, tell me.¡± ¡°You gave those women soulsmithed items. They tried to kill you, they won¡¯t even say who hired them, and you sent them away with gifts.¡± ¡°The enemy of my enemy is not always an ally, but they can be a thorn in the side of my enemy. When they return home with my gifts, their leaders may just decide that I am worth having as an ally. Best case, I can start funneling power across the world and weaken the Castians on every front.¡± ¡°Worst case you are strengthening our enemies.¡± ¡°That is a risk I am willing to take.¡± ¡°It should¡¯ve been something you consulted us on.¡± ¡°Mercedes, I thought that we had some understanding before, clearly not. My ultimate goal is to destroy the empire, if I need to crush a few other nations afterwards, then I don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Your idea of what it means to be king is to kill your enemies, you are barely even here, I am running the city along with your mother while you do whatever you want.¡± ¡°Whatever I want means gathering strength for myself or for us all. The mines in the former territories are providing us with metals and gems that we are selling to Redhaven and-¡± ¡°Selling them at barely above cost by the time they get here.¡± ¡°The amount that we have gained in materials far offsets anything that I am selling more cheaply to Redhaven and the other nations we are allied with. Do you want more money? Is that it? Or do you want less work?¡± ¡°I want you here so when I ask a question I don¡¯t need to waste time contacting you through an amulet. When was the last time you were in Falin? That minister from Redhaven runs the city, not you, we know only what she is telling us.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t want to argue, and he knew that she might well be right, Tatton betrayed his kindness, that Carmilla had not given warning was a telling sign. ¡°D¡¯if.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Send your men to Falin, spy on Liyana, make sure she is telling me the truth.¡± ¡°Should I hold off on the other rumor?¡± ¡°I hope you aren¡¯t spreading rumors yourself and you are at least using contacts and proxies.¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve decades of experience with these things. But to me the best way to spread a rumor about-¡± Harlan raised an eyebrow, waiting to hear how he would phrase it. ¡°Our physical prowess is to show it. That includes visiting brothels, the bath house, the tavern to get with women. I was planning to send my men to these locations and then have them make innocuous statements about why they are how they are.¡± ¡°How many do you have?¡± ¡°That are endowed? Three, not including myself.¡± ¡°You had more than three men.¡± ¡°You wanted me to spy on the nearby cities in the empire, I¡¯ve only got so many men.¡± ¡°Have you started your recruiting?¡± ¡°Spies can take years to be good at their work, and if you are spying, you don¡¯t want anyone that isn¡¯t good.¡± ¡°If we worked together for a time, we might be able to manufacture a good spy golem. I¡¯ve made soldiers, teachers, caretakers for orphans, I am sure we could do it.¡± ¡°Honestly boss? I don¡¯t think so. Spying, lying, seduction, these are all things that take a bit too much thought. At best you¡¯d be able to watch and listen to people, but to get someone talking takes a mind.¡± ¡°I¡­ nevermind.¡± ¡°Do you have a plan?¡± ¡°I could make a copy of you, but it wouldn¡¯t be a golem, it would have your memories and act under its own will.¡± ¡°Great, how many can you make?¡± ¡°Making a new life like that, it isn¡¯t right, it is a line that I don¡¯t like crossing.¡± ¡°So how do you know that you can do it?¡± ¡°I have two brothers, one has my memories from before his creation, and the other is a clean soul without me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s for the greater good. Information is one of the most important parts of a war, you can only plan based on what you know. Do you want to keep reacting? Or do you want to take hold of this war.¡± Harlan tapped his fingers on the table. ¡°Find recruits, start with the pickpockets that I caught during the festival.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Harlan bid farewell to everyone and did as Mercedes said. The Wastes were exactly what they sounded like, dead lands. Harlan could see that once it might¡¯ve been a forest, a giant one at that, calcified stumps were like mesas, their fallen trunks were like mountain ranges. He made his way to one of these fallen trees and just felt it. The size of such a thing was hard to even imagine when it was still alive, branches could¡¯ve been large enough to build towns on. It wasn¡¯t a desert like The Sandsea, it was just¡­ dead. Harlan put aside the melancholy and continued to move towards Scaleborn, the capital of The Wastes. The map didn¡¯t help much, the entire area was brown grass and gray trees on a land of lakes. He flew even higher and matched the map with the landmarks then dropped down to the large swirling hole in the ground that had dozens of smaller holes letting off hot air and smoke around it. At the bottom of the hole there was only a single guard. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here. Welcome, King Fomoria.¡± The Cerast moved aside and coiled up once again. ¡°How are you sure that I¡¯m King Fomoria?¡± ¡°People don¡¯t come here.¡± Harlan found that the city was much more lively than he expected. Cerast slithered from street to street, what they were doing or why wasn¡¯t clear, but those that seemed most rushed carried tools for carving stone and large rolls of fabric. ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯m looking for-¡± ¡°HE¡¯S HERE.¡± Those with the rolls of cloth all started moving to one location as the man¡¯s voice echoed far into the cavern A Cerast who wore a half cape with the crest of The Wastes rushed through the crowd to Harlan. ¡°You can¡¯t go ahead yet.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°A surprise.¡± ¡°Will I enjoy it?¡± ¡°Oh, Queen Maldrea is sure that you will.¡± ¡°Is there a place to eat here while I wait?¡± ¡°Of course, follow me.¡± As he led Harlan down the street he noticed that many people wore horns fashioned from stone or perhaps the calcified wood from above. ¡°Why do they wear those?¡± ¡°The Horned King.¡± ¡°Who?¡± The man seemed nervous. ¡°Rulers have horns, Queen Maldrea has horns, so now we have The Horned Queen.¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Alright then. The restaurant?¡± The man seemed to have caught his wandering mind and continued moving. Harlan sat down and the people inside immediately gave him space. He couldn¡¯t hear them say anything, but many of them held their palms together with another. ¡°What is your name?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ names, they are¡­ difficult for us. In your words you might call me Gives-Words-For-Others.¡± ¡°If you stopped giving words as you say, would your name change?¡± ¡°No, get name, I got my name some time ago, it is mine now.¡± ¡°How would your name be in your words?¡± ¡°Not words, feelings. She said you don¡¯t like feeling, said we can¡¯t touch you like that. Call me Words.¡± ¡°Very well. What is good here?¡± ¡°She says you like meat.¡± ¡°I do like my meats. My body is one that takes quite a bit to keep going. Calorie dense and nutrient filled foods are needed.¡± ¡°Noodles, sauce, good meats.¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± Words cast a small sound spell, directing his speech to the chef. ¡°Oh, please, when you are here, do mind your volume, the echos bounce a long time here.¡± Harlan repeated the spell, keeping his words directed only towards Words, the sounds would dissipate rapidly outside of a certain range. ¡°Good spell, she says you are very good at magic.¡± ¡°Yes. I am quite passionate about my magic, and I¡¯ve spent much of my life around it.¡± As they sat and waited for their food Harlan felt out the emotions of those around him. He estimated a little over half of the Cerast were afraid, but the others held some reverence towards him. As he prodded these emotions they reacted, staring at him and flicking their tongues, though this was a curious reaction rather than one of offense. One of them got nearer, Harlan couldn¡¯t help but compare them to a cat with their cautious and silent approach. ¡°Hello.¡± The Cerast just looked at him for a time and then left. Ironically, Words was not particularly conversational, so Harlan continued to just observe them. He noticed that those who wore the horns were the ones that felt reverence, while those who fled at the sight of him, had bare heads. Harlan looked for anything else, but the Cerast rarely wore more than bags from hip to shoulder, making an X pattern across their chests. He didn¡¯t want to stare, but he couldn¡¯t help but notice some things about their bodies. ¡°Do your people lay eggs?¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± ¡°Do you drink milk from your mother?¡± ¡°No. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°Your women have breasts, but no nipples. It is odd, I can see no reason why you would have them, you don¡¯t share human lineage like the beastkin.¡± Words was deep in thought at Harlan¡¯s question, he had never thought for a moment about why their bodies were the way that they were. Eventually bowls were placed in front of both of them, and their proportions were Cerast sized, enough for a half-dozen humans. ¡°Thank you.¡± Harlan was confused about the silverware though. He had what seemed like two forged iron sticks. ¡°What are the sticks for?¡± ¡°Hold them like this.¡± Harlan quickly grasped the idea behind it, but would rather have a fork, the hands of Cerast were larger than his, and without shifting it was somewhat awkward to use them. The noodles were long and coated in a heavy sauce that. Because of the shape of a Cerest¡¯s mouth and their lack of teeth like other peoples, they swallowed their food whole. Words would grab a bundle of noodles and meat, dropping them right into his mouth to savor it before knocking his head back to swallow. Harlan found it to be good, it was salty and spicy and had large chunks of meat and vegetables. ¡°What kind of meat was that?¡± ¡°Beef Mole, they grow large.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± With the meal done, both of them were handed a sweet milky concoction, the large cups were more like pitchers. The other difference of the mouths of the Cerast was that even when closed they had a small opening that they could use to flick their tongue, and the shape when opened would cause a normal cup to make a mess. So the cup with its pitcher-like spout on it was made to fit this small hole. ¡°This, I know this, that bitter black drink of Reino.¡± ¡°They have coffee inside of the veil?¡± ¡°I think that is what they called it.¡± ¡°Do you like it?¡± ¡°I never drank it, those from Reino were the only ones that used it. In Ragne we drank invigorating tea.¡± ¡°Please, try some. We roast the beans, grind them, and then leave them in cold water to soak. The strong black liquid is added to much milk and cream with some flavors.¡± ¡°What flavor is this?¡± ¡°Black bean.¡± ¡°Like the kind that would be added to rice?¡± ¡°What¡¯s rice?¡± ¡°Are these black beans the same size as coffee beans?¡± ¡°No, they are long, we soak them in alcohol to extract the flavors.¡± ¡°Vanilla then. I like vanilla quite a lot actually.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, she speaks better with words than me, I don¡¯t know them all.¡± ¡°But you speak Godgiven, right?¡± ¡°I took many months to learn your words.¡± Harlan contemplated that they were not granted Godgiven. Everything from humans to magical creatures just knew how to speak it, writing was harder, and required a little more effort, but it would still just come naturally as one spoke and aged. The drink was pleasant, the bitter flavor of the coffee was cut by sugar and milk and the vanilla. ¡°What kind of milk is this?¡± ¡°Cattle Mole, we trim their claws to stop them from digging out of the farms.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± It was a little too sweet for him though, which fit with how Fangre acted at the festival. He started to wonder if they processed sweetness differently or if they simply enjoyed it. It felt like he spent half the day there before Fangre finally called him to her home. The rest of the cavern system was rounded, but the royal estate cut out in a cube, a great deal of extra effort must¡¯ve been taken to carve it out up to over a hundred feet high at the ceiling. The entire underground was lit by what was called Sunflowers, though not the ones that Harlan knew. They were not large yellow circles with black centers, these were small but densely packed almost like a moss and grew over every inch of the land that wasn¡¯t used for something else. Their pedals were an ethereal white triangle, with a blue teardrop in their centers. The light of them was unlike daylight, it was cold. Harlan felt it ever since he entered the place, it was wrong, the light made him uneasy. He couldn¡¯t help but remember the facility as he saw the smooth white stone that made up the pathway. ¡°King Fomoria, are you alright?¡± ¡°No.¡± Fangre became worried. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, if you need-¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault, and please, if you would rather, call me Harlan, and I will call you Fangre.¡± ¡°Would that help you?¡± ¡°Maybe. This place is cold, the light, it¡¯s¡­ nevermind.¡± Harlan cast a spell, a small sun appeared over his head and let out a yellow light that painted his surroundings. But Fangre was quick to extinguish it. ¡°Ah, my apologies, but no magic that I don¡¯t know, please.¡± It didn¡¯t take an empath to know that she wasn¡¯t worried about the fact she didn¡¯t know the magic. Inside of the blocky home she led him to a room full of Cerast. ¡°These are the ones I wish to learn magic so they can teach the people.¡± ¡°And you really will do that?¡± ¡°I am sorry that Tatton wronged you, but him I am not.¡± ¡°I made a deal, I will uphold it, I hope you can understand the spirit of my words rather than their letter.¡± Harlan used the same tests that he had with the Canis, but whereas they had learned on their own, the Cerast constantly put their palms together, Harlan assumed this was to share tips. ¡°You are all quite a bit better than I expected, I had heard you were only good at odder magics, but you¡¯ve absorbed the knowledge I¡¯ve given faster than my students who knew the parts that built to these lessons.¡± The Cerast seemed happy, they put their palms together and at the end, Words was there. ¡°They are very glad to have been given these lessons, and they hope that you continue to teach them.¡± ¡°I will do what I said I would.¡± After a few hours, everyone was tired, well, everyone but Harlan. When he became a champion, The Darkness said that he would continue to grow his mana capacity so long as he lived, but she did not mention that ever since he became a champion, his mana increased at the peak rate as if he was forever a 25 year old. He still burned up calories, or in more extreme cases, his body would turn on itself to recharge its mana, but the soul decided how aggressive it was for replenishing mana based on how much had been spent. Harlan could throw out a hundred fireballs without having his body start taking food from his stomach, instead he was in the earliest phase of recovery, and he breathed in the ambient mana at no real cost to himself. ¡°You all look like you need to rest, we will stop for now. Take it from me, magic is a marathon, not a sprint, you can do serious damage to yourself by pushing past your limits and trying to take shortcuts or to rush in your learning.¡± Words once again spoke for them. ¡°They understand, and are grateful that you will not push them beyond their limits.¡± ¡°Can they understand me? Or are you translating this for them?¡± ¡°Hear, not good speak, bad words.¡± ¡°As he says, they can understand Common, but they are not fluent.¡± ¡°Common?¡± ¡°Ah, yes, you said Godgiven earlier. But we call it Common, the language of most people. You¡¯ll find other names for it around, but it matters little, we all understand what you mean when you use the wrong word, no, a different word. I meant no offense.¡± ¡°None taken. The magic of language is something that interests me, but whlie I know the origin, and the mechanics behind it are an unravelable mystery.¡± ¡°What is the origin?¡± ¡°Well, after the first age, to increase the speed at which the new species advanced, Aarde gave them a single unified language.¡± ¡°The first age.¡± ¡°The world has ended once before, Wyrmwood, th-¡± ¡°The star that fell from above and reduced the world to its beginning.¡± ¡°You know Wyrmwood?¡± ¡°We are from his blood. This land was shaped by his will.¡± ¡°He is the Titan of Aarde, not a god.¡± ¡°What is a god, really?¡± ¡°Just a moment.¡± With black eyes, Harlan spoke with The Darkness. ¡°The Cerast, you said that they were made by Fae, right?¡± ¡°I allowed you to reach that conclusion on your own. Wyrmwood, when he fought the ancient druids, was injured, his blood fell to the land and remained after we reseeded the world. It took much time, but eventually that effect on the land led to the Cerast.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t they naturally have Godgiven?¡± ¡°They are animals, not a prime race, nor magical creatures.¡± ¡°I fail to see how they don¡¯t fit either category. They are creatures that aren¡¯t human, but they have all of the magic of a prime race.¡± ¡°Magical creatures are animals that have absorbed ambient mana from their area and gone through metamorphosis, prime races do not change throughout their lives, and they have the six elements but a limit on their lifespan. Cerast fail both of these classifications. They are not magical creatures, each of them is born and dies in the same body. They are not prime, because they were not designed to be a prime race.¡± ¡°Could they get that classification?¡± ¡°Unless you happen to know a Fae with power enough to paradox them into a prime race and will do so without also adding their own rules to them, no.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you or one of the other gods do it?¡± ¡°Technically, yes, but in reality, no. Aarde is the one who makes that choice, and asking Aarde for something so small would only distract them from their other duties. You also risk that telling Aarde about the Cerast would cause them to pay them more mind and come to the conclusion that an oddity such as them should be removed rather than made prime.¡± ¡°What about Periwinkle?¡± She just laughed. Harlan was back in reality. ¡°I ask again, what is a god?¡± ¡°How much time has passed?¡± ¡°Since when?¡± ¡°When did my eyes go black.¡± ¡°Just a few moments ago.¡± ¡°Alright. The answer is that a true god is a being that is directly tied to the life of a planet and regulates functions of the world, primarily the mana, but they control other aspects of life as well. The Darkness helps when designing and naming the new forms of magical creatures as they evolve, much of the life that exists now was made by her.¡± Words was taken aback, he hadn¡¯t expected such a straight forward answer. ¡°I mean that what we call gods are beings beyond us which control life, is Wyrmwood not a god for having made us?¡± ¡°Firstly, no, not by the definition given by true gods. Secondly, how do you know he played a part in your creation?¡± ¡°We are of his blood, we feel from him, we understand from him.¡± ¡°Inherited memory, a very interesting trait.¡± Harlan¡¯s mind quickly went to what he could do with such a thing, if it could allow him to more quickly manufacture golems, or if it was a secret that was already known to Tochter, and they used it in their cloning. It didn¡¯t matter, not yet. Fangre approached, offering her hand. ¡°I would like you to see something.¡± ¡°Does it have to do with the men carrying tools and rolls of fabric earlier?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Harlan refused her hand, not wanting any psychic connection to form as they walked to whatever the surprise was. Chapter 258: Incomplete Prophacy Harlan was led to a perfectly round tunnel beyond the Queen¡¯s home. On the walls he saw carvings, they were fresh, some so fresh that they hadn¡¯t even been finished, sharp edges that contrasted the more refined and rounded edges of the other closer to the entrance. At the entrance to roughly 20 feet inside, it was just masses of Cerast climbing over one another trying to get somewhere. Past 20 feet things changed, some of the Cerast sprouted horns that gored those which tried to climb over them. Past 40 feet, they grew wings, flying to their destination, the sky having enough space that they no longer fought one another. At the end things were even rougher, much of the fine detail on the scales simply hadn¡¯t been finished at all. The winged and horned Cerast swirled around their target, the object of their desire, those closest seemed to have sparks coming from their mouths. ¡°Why is it covered up?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t done yet, I haven¡¯t seen how it ends.¡± ¡°What does it mean so far?¡± ¡°Something will let us tap into that ancient draconic power, but we don¡¯t know yet.¡± ¡°I saw people wearing horns earlier, do they know about your carving?¡± ¡°Yes, many of us are prophetic, but it¡¯s so hard to understand what is being seen. I carve things, it helps me center my visions. That it is requiring such a large canvas as this means it is very significant.¡± ¡°With flesh sculpting, I could grant you horns and wings.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I''ll see you at the end of the path. The end is something primal, peaceful.¡± ¡°Any idea why the people who aren¡¯t wearing those horns are afraid of me?¡± ¡°Change is hard for everyone, you are an avatar of change. When I sight you specifically, I can¡¯t find a single path to follow, it is always shifting. They are afraid of what they can¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°The carving is beautiful, I hope to see it once it is done.¡± ¡°I hope I can finish it.¡± They stood there in silence, looking at the walls for a time, then they moved back to the castle to continue the lessons. Inside, one of them reached their hands towards Harlan. ¡°I don¡¯t like communicating that way.¡± ¡°Liar?¡± ¡°There are secrets I keep that I would rather remain kept. So yes.¡± ¡°Understand.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I did tell them that you didn¡¯t like connections like that, but they wanted to try anyway.¡± ¡°So long as they remain with trying then nothing will go beyond that.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°I am a violent man, my entire life shows that.¡± Fangre cocked her head, trying to read Harlan. For a people who could be completely open, and whose faces were much less able to show expressions, reading a human was hard, it was something that could not be learned as a child like humans would, it was something that had to be learned when they interacted with other races, which was a rare occurrence. ¡°I can¡¯t tell if you are telling the truth.¡± ¡°Were I not a violent man, I wouldn¡¯t have a kill count in the high five digits.¡± ¡°You seem like a fair man.¡± ¡°Your inability to read me has no bearing on reality.¡± ¡°You seem-¡± ¡°I came here to teach magic, not to be friends.¡± ¡°Tatton and Jakel must¡¯ve had a rather poor effect on you.¡± ¡°I trusted that Carmilla was fair, but she let those mutts screw me over and I¡¯m not allowed to set things right.¡± ¡°What does setting things right mean to you?¡± ¡°Someone else put in charge, Patra not needing to hide away all day.¡± ¡°If you had to choose between killing them, and Patra getting respect, what would you pick?¡± Harlan didn¡¯t say another word to her, he just continued teaching. When they next needed a break, they cleared the room on Fangre¡¯s order. ¡°What now?¡± ¡°I still see the father. Where is that violent man?¡± ¡°I refer to my past comments.¡± ¡°You hesitated before.¡± ¡°By the fucking gods, what is it with you? With so many others? Why do you try so hard to convince me that I am something else then what I am?¡± ¡°I see a future where you are the sunrise, your light bathes wide swaths of land.¡± ¡°Sighting is inaccurate at the best of times, my god does it with every free moment of her time and she can¡¯t perfectly predict the future, she has to have constant contingencies to get anything resembling a consistent plan.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say what she says, but I see good things in your future.¡± ¡°I notice you don¡¯t have a family.¡± ¡°Fine, you may change the subject. No, I am infertile, every ruler is. The eggs I¡¯ve laid are all stillborn.¡± ¡°So you have no blood relation to the past rulers?¡± ¡°When the king dies, a new king is born.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ perhaps it has to do with Wyrmwood being the only true dragon? But what confuses me is that you have breasts, yet no nipples.¡± ¡°My, that is certainly a way to change a subject. I choose to believe that it is simply a way for others to tell that we are male or female at a glance.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t a guided evolution from snakes to Cerast, you are an anomaly.¡± ¡°There is little sense in worrying about why we are the way we are. Why do humans have two arms and not four?¡± ¡°Because all prime races come from a blueprint handed down by the highest god, Life, she has two arms, two legs, two eyes, and is generally configured like us. Aarde stuck very close to her original design, but stripped us down, no horns for instance.¡± ¡°You are full of knowledge.¡± Fangre collapsed suddenly, and Harlan could feel her mind and soul burst with energy. ¡°Go, home¡­ ¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Home, danger, help them. Alright.¡± When Harlan tried to gate home, it fizzled, the air shimmered, but no entrance was opened. He tried to contact his people, Dawn, Mercedes, Joan, but he got no connection, each of them was blocked. Harlan opened a gate farther away and started to fly. When he got within a few miles he could see the rising fires. His body twisted, but his shifting was slow, his mind couldn¡¯t block all of the pain. He stumbled in the air, but recovered. With six wings, claws, fangs, and larger horns, Harlan moved faster than a bullet as his many eyes looked for signs of who needed to die. He knew who his enemy was, that much was clear by the beam that moved impossibly fast and nearly took him out of the sky. He shouldn¡¯t have been able to dodge it, had it been aimed at center mass he would¡¯ve lost an arm, but aimed at an arm, he only lost a few feathers. He recognized the way the air trembled, and the next was dodged without issue. Harlan didn¡¯t know how to fight the Finger, he had lost before, but he had also improved himself since that last happened, and there wouldn¡¯t be an element of surprise or trying to bait out more sigils from the man. They were in Kor, bodies were in the street, he needed to end it as fast as he could. He took into account the damage that would be caused by an attack, if he caused more citizens to die than Sholl, it would be a lost battle, he wasn¡¯t yet ready to ignore collateral damage. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Harlan dropped like a brick from directly above, dodging the beams as best he could. When he was about to land on him, crushing Sholl like a can, another attack came from the side, this one cold, sapping heat from the area around it and focusing it on a spear no longer than a human¡¯s forearm. Harlan knew that he needed to dodge the attack, deflect it, burn it up, anything but take it. But it was too late, he was too focused on Sholl, Helik¡¯s spear pierced Harlan¡¯s wrist and immediately he made the choice to sever the entire arm. He had eaten a very large lunch already, he could take the cost of regenerating one. Yet there was flesh around, he could do it for free, all he needed to do was reach out to them, to the bodies of his citizens that lay on the ground. His internal conflict lasted a moment, but in a fight, it was an eternity. So close to the ground, to Sholl, who was holding his next beam, Harlan had little choice but to take the attack. Little choice however, was not no choice. He had seen the ice spear only once, and only just before he was struck by it, but he saw it once, and he gleamed something from that. Using telekinesis he tossed the severed arm that was radiating cold and had frozen solid in an instant at Sholl, whose beam was severely weakened as the heat aspect was pulled from it, the energy turning the arm into a far more potent area of chilling radiance. Helik couldn¡¯t help but admire Harlan a little, he was quick witted, and he was lucky. Yet while Sholl had to cut short his beam to avoid feeding the cold any longer, the arm itself couldn¡¯t be turned against the Finger for long before Helik shut down the cold. Harlan pulled bodies to him, subsuming them for temporary mass and healing. ¡°So it¡¯s true, you are the monster we are looking for. Sholl here was almost thinking that you weren''t after all, some other batch of new monsters suddenly appeared in a port city way on the northern tip, just past Lith, a small city by the name of Portal. You see-¡± The small extra set of arms on Harlan¡¯s back had drawn the sigil of beam, and it harmlessly passed through his body and at the Fingers. Helik moved to block the attack with a much quicker to draw sigil that made an icy shield. Harlan quickly replicated that sigil, making only a black speck. ¡°Fool! I said to only use the bolt and weapon sigils.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t even do it right.¡± To accentuate his point, Helik threw another of his spears, so far as he could tell, Harlan¡¯s sigil had failed. Yet as the spear got near, the pinprick of void expanded and sucked the spell up. ¡°Or perhaps he did. Would you be interested in a conversation.¡± ¡°Anything less than you immediately leaving is not a conversation to be had.¡± Harlan swiped the ground, sending stone shrapnel at the pair and kicking up a cloud of dust. ¡°Did you think that mundane stone was going to hurt us?¡± ¡°No.¡± The voice came from where Harlan should be, but both of them felt the air move as Harlan went through a gate and nearly landed right on both of them. Yet they didn¡¯t dodge far enough, his gravity spell was ready. At 20x normal gravity, Sholl was sent to the ground, his body simply couldn¡¯t bear the weight like Harlan on all fours or Helik with his greater power could. Helik knew that he would need to guard his weaker brother and he chose to strike Harlan in hand to hand. With his concentration broken and flying through the air not by choice, Harlan¡¯s spell was gone. ¡°I heard you were strong, but you don¡¯t seem so tough to me.¡± Harlan staggered out, spitting up blood. ¡°WE HAVE YOU NOW, LET¡¯S SEE YOU STOP US WITHOUT LEGS!¡± ¡°WAIT.¡± It was too late, Sholl, his pride wounded by Harlan living before, and not wanting to waste any time, launched another of his beams intending to cripple Harlan. Yet a smile born of malicious joy flashed across his face as a gate opened, sending the beam right back to Sholl, who only lived by Helik taking some of the damage for him. ¡°Damnit, this is why you aren''t allowed at the frontlines, you don¡¯t have combat instinct.¡± Sholl wouldn¡¯t make the same mistake a second time, and moved to heal his brother as Harlan barreled towards them. Harlan easily weighed three tons, yet the quickly healed Helik stood defiantly in his way. He put on the act of being lumbering, but when Helik with his hands covered in icy gauntlets from his weapon sigil threw his punch, Harlan dodged the attack and hit him with a cross counter. Halran¡¯s longer limbs and the sudden burst of speed from imbibing with fire and wind let his punch land with devastating effect. At least that was the hope. Helik tumbled through buildings before righting himself and sticking his hands into the ground to slow down. He shot back at Harlan like a ballista, his face noticeably caved in but seemingly not affecting the man, his attempt at blocking the Finger¡¯s attack leading to both of his arms being broken and him repeating what he had just done to the other, being sent through buildings and tumbling across the ground. ¡°IT WAS A GOOD PUNCH, GLAD TO HAVE COME ALONG.¡± Harlan laid there, both arms had been demolished and pushed back into his chest, shattering his ribs and damaging his organs. His eyes went black. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this right now.¡± ¡°Use your sigil, you have no weapon, you are primal, you are a weapon.¡± ¡°Why are you being direct? What is hap-¡± Harlan was awake again. He immediately began casting his sigil, taking care to remember not to absorb too much of it. ¡°You don¡¯t think I killed him, do you?¡± ¡°If my beam before didn¡¯t kill him despite so much of his body being destroyed, I can¡¯t imagine a punch, even enhanced by your weapon would¡¯ve-¡± Harlan traded blows with Helik again, yet now his arms were covered in pitch black bone, not unlike Darrath¡¯s own chitin. Instead of pushing him back, Harlan shifted the gravity, pulling Helik towards him to make the blow land far more solidly. Helik¡¯s neck was snapped, but not lethally. With just a touch, Sholl had Helik back to peak condition before Harlan had the chance to attack him. Helik quickly countered with a straight, but a gate opened, directing the attack at Sholl. Yet he already saw that trick once before, and what was a straight ended up punching at the ground in front of the gate instead, two trails of ice traveled around it and leapt from the ground, cutting Haraln¡¯s legs off at the knees. ¡°You should always target the healer first. Sholl, you¡¯ve got what, a dozen or so heals like that left in you?¡± ¡°More.¡± ¡°See, that is why two is always better than one in a fight.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Dawn attacked with the sword Harlan made for her, it was one of his femur blades, and it bit deeply into the ice of his Helik¡¯s arm. ¡°A Dague isn¡¯t-¡± She put her free hand to his elbow and her armor let out a spiraled beam of radiance, something Sepul taught her in life and she put in her armor. Helik lost his arm, and then he lost the other since Sholl was where she had really been aiming and once again he was forced to block. ¡°Let¡¯s see if he really does have a dozen of those full heals left in him. Harlan, I¡¯ll buy you time.¡± ¡°You need to run, you can¡¯t-¡± ¡°I was the only female Ranger of my generation, I¡¯ve been fighting things stronger than me before I popped you out of me. Find this guy¡¯s weakness and then join the fight.¡± ¡°So this is the mother of the monster? I won¡¯t lie, I really don¡¯t mind hitting women.¡± Dawn dodged everything Helik could throw out. Whereas Harlan spread his focus across many things, she had hyper focused on imbibing to bridge the gap in strength between her and others. She was really preparing to fight Carmilla, even if it was going to take years or decades, she didn¡¯t trust her at all, and she believed it was a matter of time before Harlan would need her as back up. Water made her flexible and smoothed her movements, fire gave her explosive strength, but the downside was of overheating cooled by water, and wind gave her more speed and enhanced reaction time on top of what fire gave her. He tried to get some distance, the shifting black blade meant his trying to grapple her only ended with him being cut up, and she was too close for Sholl to attack; his martial prowess would leave him cubed in an instant against her, and his ranged attacks all had an area of effect that couldn¡¯t be risked. A shadow suddenly loomed over Sholl. ¡°Always kill the healer you say?¡± Sholl hadn¡¯t prepared his blade, instead he held a beam in the hopes that Dawn would move far enough away that he could shoot between them and force more distance. He tried to turn it on Harlan, but a massive paw enhanced with gravity sent his hand downward. The city shook as the beam exploded underground, and Harlan next attacked by smashing Sholl¡¯s chest. 20x gravity was enough to make him fall to the ground, but blows from Harlan at 20x gravity were enough that he was forced to use his healing on himself after every strike just to prevent from dying. Gunfire from the rubble forced Harlan to stop. The Fingers had not come alone, and the Cast they brought with them had now finished their part of the mission, so returned to support the Fingers. Harlan wasn¡¯t really that bothered by the bullets, his armor and flesh together meant that they were unable to cause real damage, but he had been startled, not quite sure of any damage they might be able to inflict. Dawn had no such compunction, she was confident in the armor Harlan made for her being able to stop the bullets, and a little bit of gravity magic to make her heavier, a reverse hover as it was, meant that the impact of the bullets didn¡¯t knock her off balance much. Yet still, not being knocked off balance much meant that there was still a small imbalance. Helik took advantage and finally got the distance that he wanted. Keeping Dawn away now that he had space was much simpler than fighting her, walls of ice from him striking objects meant she couldn¡¯t close the distance as she had before, and when she tried to use fire against it, the ice only grew colder and harder. From the stairs of the mansion one of the men yelled that they got it. Harlan feared what ¡®it¡¯ meant, as he saw the man holding nothing. But with the announcement, Helik rushed to grab Sholl. Harlan tried to swipe down at him, but Helik flipped, Harlan¡¯s paw only sped up the spinning axe kick that split his arm down the middle. With his feet back on the ground, Helik used a double palm strike to knock Harlan away from Sholl. Dawn knew that if it became a two on one again that she was going to lose, so she chose to first help Harlan out of the rubble, pouring a tonic down his throat. Dawn rode Harlan towards the two, she knew he was much faster than her so far as distance covered. At the gate they saw Darrath, bleeding from his head, and slung over the shoulder of one of the Cast. Both of them felt the fury of the other, their hate bled through their connection as they rushed forward, Harlan destroying his legs with a fire-imbibed jump, yet Helik was prepared, and a wall of ice rose up and caught him at the waist, the fire burning in him from inhaling the void mist only strengthened the magic. What he wasn¡¯t prepared for was Dawn to jump off of Harlan and destroy her own legs as well as damage her son¡¯s body with her jump. At the speed she was moving, with Harlan¡¯s femur blade, and with fire imbibing, she should¡¯ve cleaved him from shoulder to hip, splitting Sholl¡¯s head like a watermelon as she did. Yet with Sholl¡¯s rapid healing of others, her blade became stuck in the Finger. Thrown off balance, Helik struck her in the chest, caving it in and sending her flying back towards Harlan. Harlan saw them flee, Darrath under Helik¡¯s arm just like Sholl, Dawn¡¯s blade still sticking out of his chest. Yet trapped in ice, with his mother seemingly dying in front of him, Harlan forced himself. He pushed against the ice, he was frozen, and he couldn¡¯t get out. But he pushed and pushed, then he threw up from the pain of what he was doing. Harlan¡¯s icy midsection started to break apart, he clawed at his own body, cutting himself free while being careful to not sever his spine and paralyze himself. With his organs trailing behind him, he crawled his upper body to Dawn, and put as much of a general healing spell as he could into her before he blacked out. An adrenaline high and pain blocking spells only got someone so far. Chapter 259: Treading the Line Dawn wasn¡¯t asleep for long, yet still, Harlan¡¯s blood was pooling and citizens started to gather back towards their homes now that the Cast had gone. She stood up as best she could, everything in her body was functional, but she was shaking off the blackout. ¡°I NEED AXES, PICKAXES, ANYTHING HEAVY TO SWING.¡± The golems and citizens both started moving at her command. She hacked away at the ice that held the rest of Harlan¡¯s body, carefully placing a large chunk by Harlan¡¯s body to suck up the extra heat that he was putting out. Left alone, the void mist would kill him, he¡¯d burn up like every other test subject. With his lower half freed from the ice things still looked quite grim as she dragged it towards him. She didn¡¯t see when, but Elk had appeared and helped the golems to stabilize him. Seeing Dawn with his body, Elk decided to start putting his organs back in his body. She reached down to use her hand, without his having hover active her telekinesis wasn¡¯t enough to push his heavy parts back inside of him. ¡°WAIT.¡± Elk severely scalded her hand, the sticky black blood was like pitch that clung to her. Dawn used blood magic to pull it off of her, and long with the blood came a layer of skin, degloving the girl. ¡°Calm down, I still need your help.¡± Dawn soothed the burning first, separating out the damaged and dead flesh just like she saw Harlan do dozens of times when he was in his healing classes at the academy, and then she regrew the missing flesh followed by the skin itself. ¡°We need to match the temperature, any other damage can be handled by Harlan¡¯s natural healing and a bit of magic on our end.¡± ¡°Putting frozen parts back-¡± ¡°I know Harlan, so long as we don¡¯t shock his system with frosty blood, he¡¯ll be fine.¡± The bits of ice that were still on Harlan¡¯s beastly body had been broken down enough that their ability to absorb heat was less than the effect the heat could have on it; no ability could absorb without limit. Sure enough, when Harlan¡¯s body got close enough the pieces of armor on both sides of him pulled together and started healing him. ¡°Much of that was necrotic, are you sure he is going to be alright?¡± ¡°Most of Harlan is made from necrotic flesh given life back to it by his sigils. He¡¯ll seamlessly incorporate charred, frozen, or severely broken bodies into himself all the time.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not even awake.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m more worried about him burning up, help me set up freezing arrays.¡± ¡°How cold?¡± ¡°It¡¯s in the name.¡± Harlan was still in the street when he woke up. There was no delusion, no bargaining, he held in all of his rage, he knew that he failed, and he knew that if they took Darrath alive then they¡¯d be back to negotiate, so he needed to prepare for that moment. A layer of frost was on the brick street, but he felt like he was burning up with fever still. He shifted his body back into his humanoid form, not having fur or feathers helped to let off more heat. Dawn was nowhere to be seen, which he took to be that she left him there to recover while she helped with efforts to help the other injured. Harlan hadn¡¯t had the time to think about it before, The Darkness told him to be a weapon, to use the sigil, and so he did. The boost to strength was welcome, but now he needed to remove it from his soul, he could already feel that all of his extra bodies had been affected by it and burned away. Through the golems Dawn was informed that Harlan was awake again. Fear, sadness, those were the two strongest emotions he could feel from her. ¡°You need to make a bracelet or something like you gave that fox, do you need me to-¡± ¡°I was prepared for this already, I had a theory on how to get rid of it once I became one with it.¡± He sat there with crossed legs and held his hands over his stomach. After a few more minutes, boney voidplate on his hands crumbled, and his temperature began to go back to normal. ¡°There.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°When I studied the way a Fenrir shifts its soul to shift its body I picked up how to do it, in theory. I can¡¯t remove it, it¡¯s stuck too much into my soul, but I can lock it away and bring it back as needed, which is how I always wanted this to go. It is good that it worked.¡± ¡°How about you explain a little-¡± ¡°Are you trying to keep me here?¡± ¡°I just think that you could use a little more time to rest.¡± ¡°I know you are lying to me. What happened? Beyond what I already know.¡± ¡°I think that you should really rest, you haven¡¯t had time to process-¡± ¡°We will get him back, I have faith that I can do that. What is wrong right here, right now?¡± ¡°Just¡­ just walk with me.¡± Harlan felt his stomach drop, he knew someone was dead, and his mind raced to understand who. D¡¯if? No, he knew that Dawn wouldn¡¯t care that much, and Harlan kept him around because he was useful, not because he particularly liked him. Mercedes? A divination showed she was still there, and once in range he could feel she was alive, her mind burned as brightly as always. Joan was there as well, a hate like the sun burned in her, but it was reflected inward. Harlan knew the answer before he reached the room, but there was never any level of preparation that could make him accept death like this. ¡°You don¡¯t need to go inside.¡± He hesitated, he wanted to believe her. ¡°I need to know, I need to face it, to burn it into my mind.¡± Arrow looked to have been hit with something heavy, his chest was caved in and his fur matted red. Harlan averted his eyes from the other body, he already knew she was gone, but for just a moment, another instant longer, he wished that he could pretend it hadn¡¯t happened, it was so much easier to act like the only death was a pet. He breathed fast and shallow, his heart tightened as he forced his head to turn towards her. Viviane laid against the wall, a gaping hole in her heart. From their proximity, he assumed they both leapt to Darrath¡¯s defense and died for him. His lip trembled and his eyes watered as his shaky hands closed her cold eyes.. The shadows of the city mourned, but he made no sounds. To the citizens, it was like an army of demons had appeared without warning. Harlan¡¯s face was stuck in a scowl, every fiber of his being demanded someone be punished, but there were no enemies left in the city. Instead, he made his way to Joan. She broke down in tears the moment he entered the room. Joan had not a scratch on her, her blade had tasted no blood that day. ¡°I¡¯m a coward, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m-¡± Any attempt at communication failed, and he just let out a growl. D¡¯if was recovering in the same room, he had taken a sword to the gut and was missing a hand, but he took a few scalps of his own fighting off the invaders. ¡°I¡¯m sorry boss, I couldn¡¯t stop them, they came in fast and quiet the second Dawn was out. They delayed me, got me away from him, I couldn¡¯t do anything.¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°You tried.¡± Those were the best words that Harlan could use, D¡¯if had at least done something. He healed D¡¯if, and then left the room. Away from them, he contacted Carmilla, and she said it was best to speak in person. ¡°Have you received the demands yet? You are certain that he was alive when they took him?¡± ¡°I know I felt his mind as they fled. The only reason I can see that they want him as a hostage is to force me to negotiate for my magic.¡± ¡°Do you intend to give it to them?¡± ¡°I need to do everything that I can to get Darrath back and kill them. I need you to be ready, as soon as Darrath is back and I have those two where I want them, you and Dawn can-¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°What is the plan then?¡± ¡°Darrath isn¡¯t even your blood, but if they learn your magic, the consequences will be dire. Anyone who can still resist them will fall.¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have bothered coming here.¡± Harlan¡¯s body was paralyzed by her gaze and a little blood magic. ¡°You cannot be allowed to give them the magic, if you want to live, you will make a vow to me right now that you won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Why not? Why can¡¯t you help?¡± ¡°When you kill a Finger, a Hand will always appear when next available. Fighting a Hand cannot be done without the land being destroyed, the clashing of anyone on their level will have such an effect, if they come to either of our countries, we will lose entire cities. I¡¯ve never even seen the Hands of this generation, so the extra time it would take to learn how to fight them back, because killing a Hand isn¡¯t going to happen, the best I will do is beat them back as you have the Fingers which attacked Kor.¡± It made him want to vomit, not the magic, but what he was considering. ¡°If the world falls to the Cast, it wouldn¡¯t matter that Darrath is saved, for I would only doom us all.¡± He retched, the words were like shit rolling up his throat. ¡°I must do the right thing if it comes down to it.¡± ¡°As a ruler must. Were it to be Camilla and I had no other option I would do the same. I cannot directly appear on a battlefield, but I can offer you some elite troops which are unknown to others, and I can offer materials, metals, gems, things of that nature for weapons. My suggestion is to go to your Goliath allies, if they take part you could potentially turn the attention to them, as their king is already fighting off a Hand, any blowback wouldn¡¯t matter to Lith.¡± ¡°I will find out what I need, then I will return.¡± He offered no thanks, and she did not scold him for it, she knew that there no good way to tell someone that you weren¡¯t going to help them get their stolen child back. Bartholomew was surprised to hear from Harlan, both of them hadn¡¯t spoken in some time as a result of Harlan putting so much time into trying to help the other three nations. ¡°I see from your face that this is not a good time. How may I help?¡± He patted him on the back, his massive hands reassuring Harlan, who was presently refusing to confront the stress of the day. ¡°Darrath has been kidnapped, the woman I hoped I would love and who loved me is dead. I need a reason to not start doing the worst things that I can to get him back.¡± ¡°Who did this?¡± Bartholomew was a calm man, but Harlan could hear the edge on his voice as he rose from his seat. ¡°Helik, Sholl, and some of their soldiers.¡± Bartholomew sat back down. ¡°This complicates things, we have no formal alliance, I can¡¯t really ask for troops from Lith, only my private men.¡± Harlan closed his eyes and slumped back in his seat, the allies he had here were useless. Carmilla didn¡¯t want to put her people in any danger by taking part in the retrieval herself, Colton was just a man, and would amount to nothing in combat, Fangre lacked strength as well, and Tatton was a bastard who Harlan wouldn¡¯t spit on if he was on fire. ¡°So I can only offer myself. I¡¯ll ask the others of my group, my friends, but I won¡¯t make any promises about them coming.¡± He nearly leapt from his seat in excitement. ¡°I am a father, a daughter, two sons, one lost to war. If I stood back, I would not be able to face myself.¡± Harlan¡¯s lip quivered, but he held back any tears. ¡°As soon as you know where we need to be, call on us, until then, I need to prepare.¡± ¡°Wait, there is something I can give you.¡± Harlan used gate to get to a closet that had spare shifting suits. ¡°Those are a bit small.¡± ¡°Trust me.¡± Harlan tossed three suits at the man which all turned to liquid and flowed over his body. ¡°I can¡¯t promise they offer much defense, but please, take them. If you have a weapon you like, I can soulsmith them, extend that offer to anyone you invite.¡± ¡°I will do so. I do hope things turn out well.¡± Harlan sent Bartholomew away with a gate and prepared his next meeting. It was time sensitive, so he had put it off until now, but he rowed over to the island covered in mist, the miles and miles of land that came into existence to sustain a people. The Sea Drake rose above the water, but recognized Harlan, and simply went back to guarding. Periwinkle did not meet him by the beach, and so Harlan saw their town for the first time. It wasn¡¯t impressive, the Pixies knew nothing of governance or how to survive, and Periwinkle was a poor teacher, she never had to know how to survive, not really. He walked up to the giant tree, hundreds of feet around with a canopy so wide Harlan could barely see its end. The Pixies murmured and fled at the sight of him, and finally she appeared. ¡°I do not believe I invited you in.¡± ¡°Darrath has been taken.¡± ¡°By who?¡± ¡°The Cast, the Fingers, elite-¡± ¡°I know of the Fingers. But I cannot leave the island.¡± ¡°When I call, you¡¯ll only be gone for-¡± ¡°You do not understand, I cannot leave the island, it is not a matter of debate, I am locked here.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°This landmass did not exist, I made it myself, I control it, but at a cost. For the next century, I cannot step foot off of it.¡± Harlan called Xol, it was a shot in the dark, he didn¡¯t even expect an answer at all. ¡°I will be there soon.¡± A void gate brought him to the cliff where Harlan stood and watched the island fade into the mist again. ¡°What is the issue now?¡± ¡°Darrath is gone, a woman who loved me, and whose presence I enjoyed is dead.¡± ¡°What do you need?¡± ¡°What are you allowed to actually do? What restrictions are you operating under?¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t the question.¡± ¡°Can you fight against the Cast?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Can you get him back for me?¡± ¡°And when they come again? Would you call me once more, hope I am there to do this for you again and again?¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have expected anything, every ancient powerful being I know is either an asshole or they have some rules that prevent them from ever doing a single godsdamned thing.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve read into my response more than it is. I will find Darrath, I will keep him safe, but you must face this battle with you and yours. I¡¯m not The Darkness, I¡¯m not throwing you to the wolves, but I will not do all of the work for you. I¡¯ll act as a safety net, prevent the worst outcome, but that is all.¡± Xol gripped his staff and wondered if his next words were ones which should be said, a cascade of terrible consequences could arise from such simple things. ¡°You need to make an example, one that cannot be forgotten.¡± It took three days before Sholl and Helik contacted Harlan, but their exchange would not take place for another four days. Xol had been around Darrath, or at least something from Xol had been around Darrath the entire time to ensure he was safe even if he wasn¡¯t happy. He was a prisoner, but it was in their best interest that he be kept in relatively good health. ¡°You are late, I hope that isn¡¯t a sign of something to come.¡± ¡°It is said that revenge is a dish best served cold, but I disagree.¡± ¡°Good, ominous. You¡¯ve gathered your forces?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I will remove Darrath, would you like me to take him to your home?¡± Harlan hesitated. ¡°Can you put him to sleep? There are things I need to say to him, and I need to be the first person he sees when he is home.¡± ¡°A simple matter.¡± Harlan used a series of gates to gather his forces. A dozen Goliath warriors, a couple of vampires who could hide what they were and their ties to Redhaven, Dawn, D¡¯if and his men. The location of their fight was the ruins of the city of Portal. Harlan made his way there under the guise of negotiating a complete surrender, and a small fleet of Castian ships had gathered, though not all wore the colors of the empire. Helik stood in front of Sholl and began to speak. ¡°I am glad that you¡¯ve come to see sense. Surrender your weapon, your clothes, and put on this collar, then we will return your son to your nation.¡± ¡°That is certainly one proposal, but look over there, to the west. You have another port city there, right? Ceres. Population right around 120,000, a beautiful place.¡± ¡°Is this the part where you claim that you¡¯ve destroyed the city or that you will destroy the city? Then we are supposed to quake and decide that it isn¡¯t worth the risk you pose to our citizens because bla bla bla. You give us magic, we don¡¯t send your son¡¯s corpse to you in a dozen pieces.¡± ¡°I could never do this where I came from, the defenses in place are simply too well covering for this to work. I guess this is partly because you are conquerors, but poor rulers, so you leave much of the land in control of your vassal states, you don¡¯t really care that much about them or how they are really defended. How strong is your hold on these nations, really? Because you rule through fear, and not respect, that means anyone who can make them more afraid than you could rule them.¡± ¡°Are you just wasting time for some plan of yours?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a little worried that my plan didn¡¯t work really, but that is more of a show of force than anything I need to kill both of you.¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll admit, I am interested. How long is this going to take?¡± ¡°It should¡¯ve gone off about three minutes ago, if it doesn¡¯t go off in another five I¡¯ll assume it is a failure.¡± One of the Cast rushed outside. ¡°THE PRISONER IS GONE.¡± ¡°Oh, so that is your plan. Doesn¡¯t really matter much.¡± ¡°No, the one that took Darrath to safety is just making sure that my son isn¡¯t caught in the crossfire, that I can fight, and my people can fight, without worry that you¡¯ll use him as a hostage.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t imagine that we¡¯re going to get him again, so we¡¯ll just take you by force now that you¡¯re here. I¡¯ll be gentle if you comply, just strip down to bare and I¡¯ll put a slave collar on so you can¡¯t use magic without our say so.¡± ¡°Any chance you want to wait another few minutes, see if my show of force is going to work or not.¡± ¡°How will I know?¡± ¡°Should be a big burst of light, a cloud that stretches up from the ground and looks like a mushroom.¡± ¡°You mean the sunrise?¡± ¡°Like a second one.¡± Sholl decided to pray while they waited. ¡°Any god he is asking for help won¡¯t make a difference.¡± ¡°So you say, but unlike yours, our god can provide direct provable results when we pray.¡± Harlan felt the shift in the air and saw a faint golden glow fall over all of the soldiers he could see. Then everyone saw the light over the horizon, when the sun had already risen, it was as if another rose below it. Chapter 260: Second Dawn In the morning, with the sun half to noon position, a second sun rose in the west beneath it. Harlan knew that all of those deaths were his, and there was no justification he could make to himself that made it alright. But his morals were not what was needed, they would not win this war. Once more did he split, the mage, the farmer¡¯s son, and the king. These three would not trust the other, and they found the actions of the other repugnant, but each understood that something needed to change. Harlan cast a large veil, easily covering over 200 feet, enough to cover the Fingers and himself with room to spare. Helik stepped forward and cast his weapon sigil, covering his hands in ice up to the elbow, Sholl held his golden sword of radiance in his hand. ¡°I¡¯ve never actually seen a veil so large as this, but it¡¯s a useless technique, so I''ve got to know, why?.¡± ¡°Honestly, I think that a veil provides a wonderful ambiance for what¡¯s coming. It¡¯s pitch black, like a sky without stars, yet it somehow allows light in so you can still see inside.¡± ¡°Well, as interesting as that seems, you will surrender or I¡¯m going to have to kill everyone here and take you anyway.¡± ¡°It¡¯s coming.¡± ¡°Ominous, but it¡¯s time to end this farce.¡± Harlan flew up and into the sky, Helik gave chase, Sholl moving up with the pair, his fastest beams had been dodged prior, he would not make it any easier for Harlan by remaining at too far of a distance. Portal was built to hold against waves, it had walls over a hundred feet high that could hold against any abyssal beings that might be stirred from slumber by storms above. But this wave was not natural, and the hundred foot wall was dwarfed by the ocean which was upturned by the pure fire bomb that Harlan made. Ever since he had done it by accident, it had consumed his thoughts, how he might prevent something such as that from every happening again, Yet his mind also wandered to the other side. How could he do it again? He kept everything purely hypothetical, it was all very simple in that way, nothing was real in his mind until he acted on it, nothing he designed was evil, not until it became something. There needed to be something able to output enough fire mana that the mana in the area began to shift, and then once shifted, spells enhanced by the pure fire mana in the environment needed to be cast, combined, and then they needed to reach a critical mass where it could no longer maintain cohesion, leading to detonation. What he believed was the simplest way to do this would be to have a box which would gather fire mana from the air while pushing the rest away, this would lower the time it took for the fire mana to push out the water mana and reach a pure state. Pure mana did not have an infinite chain reaction range, but once the reaction began even a small amount of them could quickly reach miles away. He hoped that this time, the destruction could be limited on some level. The biggest issue was really a matter of how to cast the spells. What happened in Haldren was the result of thousands and thousands of soldiers all using very basic soulsmithed equipment and foolishly fighting fire with fire. Any outside influence risked a disruption that would prevent the pure fire mana from being born. The answer Harlan arrived at was a self-contained system, originally designed with firesteel, but because of rarity outside of the veil Harlan used false mythril instead, greatly increasing the size requirement. In the crater that spread over much of Ceres one would find nothing, as the metal had entirely evaporated, but if anything had survived, it would be of a sphere over 60 feet in diameter and a foot thick that from the outside did nothing, but inside it was constantly shooting fireballs at a spell that was designed to trap the heat. By the time the sphere began to melt, a small sun had formed inside, and with the seal broken, it would rapidly put out heat to shift the environment. Breaking the cohesion was rather simple from there, the mana gems were on the outside, and they powered all of the spells, including the one which focused the heat into a small area. When the mana gems either broke from the heat or the flow of mana broke from the metal melting, the spell which contained the heat would break, and the gems themselves would then begin their own meltdown, putting out as much fire as they could before burning out. The meltdown of the sun was only to shift the mana in the area, it was the gems melting down which were the enhanced spells that caused the real damage. Those in the city had no idea what had happened, just that someone dropped a giant piece of metal in the center square and then left. By the time anyone had any idea of what might¡¯ve been happening, it was far too late. The waves that reached hundreds of feet high, and moved at hundreds of miles per hour. The seawall was destroyed and anyone who was not in the air was instantly crushed by the massive wall of water. Harlan tried to put it out of his mind exactly how much extra collateral damage would be caused by the wave along the coast. Less than a hundred men, including the Fingers themselves, could fly, but while those on the ground were instantly killed, those in the sky became targets easy targets to cloaked enemies from above. Balls of soulsmithed steel rained from the sky at high speed from slings, as it turned out, the Goliaths were actually very good at flying so long as they had a magical item to grant them the power, their balance was one of the traits enhanced by the superhuman bodies of these Faeborn warriors. Though after the first barrage the soldiers tried to dodge, the magic had three effects, firstly, the projectiles would bend in the air to turn a near miss into a hit, and secondly, they would stick to anything they hit, and thirdly, they would grow heavier, dragging the men down to the water that was still rushing below. Helik rushed towards Harlan as soon as the veil broke, but a gate opened and two people came through. Dawn, and D¡¯if. It had been less than a week, even if she had trained the entire time it wouldn¡¯t have made any difference, so she needed a partner, and the only other fighter on her level of experience and she could trust with how to fight her, and thus alongside her, was a man that she hated. So during the last week, they consistently sparred with one another to learn their moves and how best to fight alongside one another. Helik couldn¡¯t get past them, both now being armed with femur blades. Harlan passed by the three fighters to get to Sholl, who was wielding his blade, not wanting to risk Harlan gating away beams. Harlan reintroduced his voidmist into his soul, now at full concentration, and crossed his arms to catch the strike. Sholl took a note from Harlan and increased his weight through gravity magic, but his blade made no more progress against his claws. ¡°No Godtouched spell is so fast, what have you done?¡± ¡°I am my magic.¡± From behind a heavy mace blow aimed on Sholl¡¯s head missed, but clipped his shoulder, Bartholomew was to be Harlan¡¯s partner for this fight. Harlan thought that he could beat Sholl, and he thought that Dawn could beat Helik, but with certain things in their favor being either needed, or to simply tip the scales. Helik could get away from Dawn before because once he was around something he could touch to make his icewalls, so in the air, he had nothing he could touch, and if he went down, the water was still rushing too quickly to make a solid wall. Even if the fight doesn¡¯t end before the water stops rushing, against two enemies he would need to put up two walls, which meant both hands being occupied, making him vulnerable to ranged attacks. For Harlan, he wanted a partner, someone who could just put more pressure on Sholl to make certain he couldn¡¯t get away or cast anything. Being in the air was more of a boon to Sholl than a negative for Helik, but if Dawn and D¡¯if won their fight first then Sholl stood no chance. Sholl knew he was in a losing fight, Strangely, Harlan and Bartholowmew didn¡¯t pursue him. From above, cloaked Goliaths and vampires launched a wide range void smoke spell, their purpose wasn¡¯t to cause damage, but to hide something else. Sholl moved forward, but as the smoke cleared Harlan punched from the front, and Bartholomew from the back. If there was no ground to hit Sholl against, then force from both sides was the next best thing to maximize their damage. Sholl¡¯s chest caved in and then the next blow landed, and the next, and the next. Being stuck between a two ton man and a one ton man was not something he could handle, his blade fell from his hands and dissipated, any small chantless spell he launched was not enough to bother them. Though he had scolded Helik before for using sigils which Harlan didn¡¯t yet know, he cast a quick sigil which just focused force outward, a sigil which was the same across all users. Bartholomew and Harlan were forced away, but Harlan noticed something very important even if he had missed how to draw the sigil, that attack was telekinetic in nature, and he saw Sholl¡¯s aura flare out when he used it. Sholl was furious, not just at his clear loss, but also the failure of his plan, the lives which were lost as a result of him, and the complete shame which was going to be brought upon the empire and the Fingers, and by extension the Hands above them. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Yet his tantrum had bought him only a few seconds to launch a single sigil beam, which Harlan put through a gate and thus through Sholl¡¯s chest. His body fell to the water below and was washed away, Harlan didn¡¯t feel him die, but he felt his life fading away and his soul weakening. Helik was barely holding on, they couldn¡¯t deeply wound him, his body was simply too strong and his ability to block, deflect, and move in a three dimensional space meant no blade could get a good bite on him. When Harlan appeared behind him through a gate and thrust his hand at him, Helik had to make a choice on who to defend against, and there was no real answer. When he blocked Harlan¡¯s strike Harlan grabbed his hand, yet as the ice formed, Harlan still didn¡¯t let go. ¡°D¡¯IF, NOW.¡± The assassin dropped his blade and pulled a much thinner one from his belt, and stabbed at the man, his attempt at a block was stopped by Dawn¡¯s blade. The needle like dagger found purchase in Helik¡¯s side, and in an instant he felt the wrongness in his body. He fled as fast as he could, using the same quick sigil that Sholl had used to get a little bit of breathing room, yet this time Harlan saw it. Without Sholl there was no chance, and whatever that blade had done was deeply unsettling to the Cast. The others pursued, but Harlan called them back. ¡°We have him, if he gets away he¡¯ll just be back.¡± ¡°Bartholomew, he isn¡¯t getting away.¡± ¡°Are we done then?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get Darrath out of his cell. How did you prevent the wave from causing him harm during it?¡± ¡°He was removed as soon as the bomb went off.¡± ¡°Ah, so you can gate where you can¡¯t see? A divination perhaps?¡± ¡°I have friends in high places.¡± They all just watched as the water lowered and lowered, and then the wave receded slowly, most of the water and force were dispersed across several miles, and thankfully forests prevented it from going much farther. Bartholomew looked at the bodies, some drawn back to the sea, but many were simply left across the land. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s terrible.¡± ¡°Yes. I do wish that I didn¡¯t need to do this. But, now it¡¯s too late to worry about that.¡± Harlan opened a gate and golems poured through, putting the bodies in piles. ¡°We can go now, this is done¡­¡± ¡°Melancholy over what happened?¡± Harlan didn¡¯t answer, and instead he divined for life, to search for Sholl, to double check his death, but he received no signs of living Cast across miles of land. Once he was done he fell to the ground and a golem pulled a body to him, which was quickly subsumed. ¡°My goodness, what happened?¡± ¡°There is a cost to my power.¡± Bartholomew saw the extra length on his horns and the gauntlets of black bone fade into dust as Harlan locked that power away again. After a few minutes of rest, and a few bodies, he opened a gate back to Kor after closing the one which Golems came through. ¡°You are all free to rest, or I can return you to your homes.¡± The vampires wanted to see the city, and the Goliaths went with them, other than Bartholomew. ¡°You should go with them.¡± ¡°I think you should have someone more to speak with. I don¡¯t feel I know you well enough, but I believe you are a good enough man that I wish to be closer with you.¡± ¡°Then you can come with. Mom, we are going somewhere after we speak with Darrath.¡± ¡°Lead the way.¡± Xol waited in the room and maintained the sleep spell. Bartholomew was shocked and froze when Xol gazed at him. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Xol, now isn¡¯t the time.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± He left through a void gate. ¡°What was th-¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, he¡¯s a good friend of mine.¡± ¡°Such immense pressure.¡± Harlan woke Darrath up. As he stirred he fought off Harlan¡¯s hand. ¡°LET ME GO, LET ME-¡± He saw Harlan¡¯s face and broke down in tears. ¡°Am I dreaming again?¡± Harlan held him tightly. ¡°Feel my heartbeat, I¡¯m here.¡± Darrath wrapped his feelers around him, in his dreams they didn¡¯t work. ¡°Where¡¯s Vivi?¡± He didn¡¯t say, but everything he needed to know was clear by his emotions. ¡°BRING HER BACK.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t something I can do.¡± ¡°DO IT DO IT DO IT.¡± ¡°Darrath, I can¡¯t bring people back, when they¡¯re dead they are gone, nobody can bring them back, death is the end.¡± ¡°YOU AND GRANDMA DIED, SO BRING HER BACK BRING HER¡­ it isn¡¯t fair, why is Vivi gone?¡± Darrath could feel that Harlan was telling the truth, there was nothing to be done. ¡°I know, it isn¡¯t fair, none of it is, that is why the world needs to change, and why I will change it. Do you want to say goodbye to her?¡± Darrath¡¯s voice was quiet as a whisper. ¡°She¡¯s gone, she can¡¯t hear me.¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t buried her yet, you can see her one more time if you want.¡± ¡°No¡­ she was alive, I don¡¯t want to see her being dead, I want to remember Vivi being alive.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine too.¡± Harlan got up and opened a gate overlooking the sea. ¡°We need to go.¡± Darrath knew exactly where he was seeing. When they finally hit land, Bartholomew having rowed the boat across, Harlan staggered out of the boat and grabbed Darrath¡¯s hand. Between his anxiety and having overused his power, he was weak in the knees. Dawn knew what they were walking into, so she didn¡¯t ask to help him along. By the time they reached the town Harlan was standing tall in his mind, coming to accept what was happening. Periwinkle invited them all inside, though with the size of the rooms and doorways, Bartholomew had to stay outside. ¡°Hello little one, it has been some time, you got so much stronger, and calmer too.¡± ¡°Papa, why are we back with mama?¡± ¡°You are going to stay here.¡± ¡°NO.¡± Harlan grabbed his arm to prevent him from flying away; loud buzzing filled the air. ¡°You and grandma are going to stay here, where you are safe.¡± His voice was strong, not broken as Dawn expected. ¡°I DON¡¯T WANT TO BE SAFE, I WANT TO BE WITH PAPA.¡± ¡°Darrath, you asked me before if I was a murderer, and I am, and I¡¯m going to murder a lot more people, and I¡¯m going to do a lot more evil things. I don¡¯t want you to see what I am.¡± ¡°I DON¡¯T CARE, I¡¯LL BE EVIL TOO, IT¡¯S ALRIGHT.¡± Harlan pulled on his arm and forced him to the floor, dislocating his shoulder in the process. The look on Darrath¡¯s face, that his father had harmed him out of anger, it made Harlan want to puke, instead he silently cast a spell to stop the pain and reset the arm. ¡°Darrath, I was much too young when I started killing people, when I saw so many things that I should¡¯ve never seen, and it has twisted everything about me. You need to be better than me, you need to grow up as a healthy young man, and I can¡¯t give you that, I can¡¯t promise you are going to be safe, not unless you stay.¡± Nobody else said a word, this was something between them. Darrath cried and clung to Harlan for half an hour before he could speak again. ¡°Am I going to see you again?¡± ¡°Yes, you don¡¯t need to stay here forever, just until it is safe.¡± ¡°If I get really strong, like you, can I leave?¡± ¡°If your mother and grandma both say so, then yes, but don¡¯t throw away your life training to leave a day sooner. Make friends here, maybe a woman you can love, start a family.¡± Harlan gave Periwinkle a look, and she opened a portal of her own, not a gate, but something else. Through it stepped Arrow, or at least something like Arrow. Its soul had not dissipated, the gem was unbroken, but his body had died. Something was lost in the process, a degradation of the mind because of the time spent as a corpse, but it was perhaps still the first Arrow. ¡°Arrow is alive? But he-¡± ¡°Arrow isn¡¯t an animal, he is a living golem. So long as his gem remains, I should be able to bring him back.¡± ¡°Can you give grandma a gem so-¡± ¡°No, the human soul and mind are too big.¡± A half-truth. ¡°I¡¯m not abandoning you and grandma, but you can¡¯t stay with me, not right now. So please, grow up better than me, and come back.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Harlan wrapped his finger around Darrath¡¯s feeler and communicated what he could, that he was not lying, and that he would miss him, but he was happy to know he was safe. When he stepped outside Bartholomew was being crawled over by Pixies and flowers had been grown in his hair. ¡°Ah, these are interesting creatures, I feel some manner of kinship with-¡± As he turned and saw the heartache on Harlan¡¯s face, he knew now wasn¡¯t the time. ¡°It¡¯s time to leave.¡± ¡°Dawn? Darrath?¡± ¡°They are staying, he needs someone to teach him magic, combat, and morals. Peri needed someone who can teach the Pixies how to interact with the outside world and build a civilization.¡± ¡°Are you certain?¡± ¡°You are a father, you¡¯ve lost a son to war, I¡¯m not strong enough to do that, I know it would break me for a time, for too long, and I might never be whole again.¡± ¡°You are stronger than you give yourself credit for.¡± ¡°Thank you for coming with.¡± They rowed back in silence and returned to Kor in silence, where Harlan buried Viviane in silence, in the way of the Dague, a small square plot in the garden, white flowers around a stone with her name. He knew there was nothing after death, Life stripped one¡¯s soul of its power and memories then sent it back to the world as something clean of what was before. Still he prayed that she would find peace in death. When he was done, he found the vampires and Goliaths who had drank more than a single tavern out of alcohol alongside D¡¯if. ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep, if you would like to stay for the night, you are free to do so, but if you would like to leave, tell me now.¡± Nobody wanted to break up the party, so Harlan simply went back home. He sat in Darrath¡¯s room, no matter how much they scrubbed, the smell of blood was still there, and Harlan received no rest as he sobbed. Sometime in the night, Mercedes came along. ¡°You really did love her, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I didn¡¯t know her, not really, but she seemed nice, Darrath loved her, she tried so damned hard for me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a man mourn so strongly for what could¡¯ve been. But I don¡¯t think I knew many good men, either as a slave or as a target for assassins. I am sorry for how I¡¯ve been, my little outbursts, my annoyance at you, my-¡± ¡°You are right, I¡¯m not a good king, I¡¯m a weapon, an instrument of war.¡± ¡°I was out of line. You¡¯ve been a great king.¡± ¡°Do not pity me, I despise being pitied. I rule them well because I take what I need and I saved most of them from being slaves. I¡¯m a shit king, I have little sense of business or diplomacy, I threaten and I take, and when someone stronger comes along I lose and people die. I¡¯m 18, I¡¯m practically a child outside of magic and combat, I throw tantrums whenever I¡¯m upset and either I kill people or I break things.¡± ¡°How are you feeling? You aren¡¯t normally this honest outside of the bath.¡± ¡°I feel like shit, my gave my mother and my son to someone else because I¡¯m so worthless that I can¡¯t even protect them. I¡¯m a shit son, a shit father, a shit king, the only thing I¡¯m good at is killing, so I¡¯m going to stick with that.¡± ¡°You sound pent up, you should just let that anger out then, go out and break something or find a drink that can work, do something, but don¡¯t sit here in this place and sob, that is not the man who I follow.¡± Harlan leaned back. ¡°Come with me to my room.¡± Chapter 261: Prelude to Archmage Bloodgem Harlan was moving things around in his room and woke Adina up. ¡°What are you doing so early in the morning?¡± ¡°I got a bad feeling, so I¡¯m checking it.¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t have put up a veil?¡± ¡°What if I needed you to move quickly?¡± ¡°Is this just you being anxious about Magruder?¡± ¡°No. A chill ran down my spine, like something had happened, but I gated around everywhere and nothing was wrong, so I¡¯m checking the house.¡± ¡°What do you think happened?¡± ¡°Something bad, something bad that I did.¡± ¡°Did you do anything bad?¡± ¡°No, but I could¡¯ve without knowing it.¡± ¡°Did you talk with The Darkness?¡± ¡°Yes, and she said I hadn¡¯t done anything, but-¡± ¡°Stop, stop right now. Get in bed, and help me get back to sleep until the sun is at least out.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Harlan wasn¡¯t somebody who wouldn¡¯t call out a friend, not anymore, so he felt no anxiety as he approached the Lillyplate mansion and knocked on the door, sending signals through arrays that stretched throughout the home and alerted Magruder. ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t know that you¡¯d come today, we¡¯ve already run through the experiments and are just waiting.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside.¡± ¡°Oh, ah, alright.¡± Once in the lab, Harlan couldn¡¯t help but examine the crystal. ¡°It¡¯s stable.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m very happy that it might be working.¡± ¡°Right, can¡¯t get distracted. Do you have a crush on Adina?¡± ¡°Ah, uh, no no no, I wouldn''t do that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not upset, Adina is a wonderful woman, but I want you to know that obsessions which can¡¯t ever go anywhere are not healthy.¡± ¡°Ah, alright. I¡¯m sorry that I made her uncomfortable.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s why she wanted you to talk to me.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t the case.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because she pities me then?¡± ¡°No.¡± He nervously rubbed his hands together. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Worrying isn¡¯t good, I know that far too well. She just doesn¡¯t want you to be in love with her because that can get in the way of you finding a woman who loves you back.¡± ¡°Oh I¡¯m not sure, what if they just want my money? You knew her before you were that famous.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that you stopped being naive, when we first met you mentioned that you would finally have friends and a wife when you became an archmage. I didn¡¯t want to pop that bubble at the time, but yes, you are going to need to watch out, and it is going to be harder, but I think you can do it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ugly, I know.¡± ¡°Not all of us can have a blind girl fall for them.¡± Magruder awkwardly chuckled. ¡°Ah, well, I did want to ask, if I give you this research, let you take the credit, would you make me handsome?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to bring it up because I thought I¡¯d offend you, but I¡¯ll do it. But by participating in your research I¡¯ve learned how to make artificial mana gems, and that is worth more than I would ask for a sculpting.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Since we don¡¯t have anything to do here, why don¡¯t we go through the interview process.¡± ¡°That would be wonderful.¡± Harlan decided to sit down in the lab, it was already the most secure room in the house. ¡°Height?¡± ¡°6 foot.¡± ¡°Eye color?¡± ¡°Blue, but slightly deeper than now.¡± ¡°Hair?¡± ¡°Brown.¡± ¡°Penis size?¡± ¡°10 inches.¡± ¡°No hesitation.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been unhappy with my body for a very long time. It feels unreal to be here, maybe it¡¯s just a dream.¡± ¡°Telling someone they aren¡¯t in a dream isn¡¯t exactly a confirmation.¡± They went down the entire list, but he said what everyone who got shifted said. He wanted to be tall, toned, and any imperfections, real or perceived, were to be eliminated while anything that he liked about himself was to be enhanced. ¡°Alright, now we need to set up an appointment with Queen Yggdra.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°If anyone saw you after shifting they wouldn¡¯t possibly recognize you. We need to see her to say that you are going to be changed, that you are who you say you are, and that she doesn¡¯t mind you getting this gift.¡± ¡°Why does she get to decide anything? I¡¯M THE ONE WHO-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t raise your voice. She just needs to say yes because publicly I¡¯ve said that anyone in the kingdom who wants to be sculpted or enhanced must get her approval. This takes the responsibility of picking who is sculpted away from me and people who would possibly have turned traitor will stay on her side so that they could regain their youth and a few more years of their life. Unless she has some reason to think that you are an anti-royalist, she¡¯s not going to say no to me directly asking her, and you becoming an archmage that is in Ragne and is a noble is a good thing for her.¡± ¡°What if she found something?¡± ¡°Is there something to find?¡± ¡°My father, he¡­ I think he was killed by Yggdra the 15th for planning against him, and that¡¯s why nobody ever found his body.¡± ¡°Are you planning anything against her?¡± ¡°Well, of course not. I¡¯ve stayed away from the conflict, I don¡¯t care who rules.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that to her, when we see her you are going to be cordial, kneel, and let me do most of the talking. When she asks you a direct question, answer back with as little hesitation as you can. And please, avoid the ahs, and ums, and wells, I have empathy and I find you hard to read, so anything that makes her think that you are lying will be bad.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m too nervous, can¡¯t you just talk to her for me.¡± ¡°When you are looking for a wife, you are going to want to be confident, don¡¯t be someone who is going to fold. If you can manage talking to the queen, then I think you¡¯ll be fine.¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°I don¡¯t do good with tests like this.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m going to be with you the entire time.¡± Rosewell said to come in 9 hours, she had a half hour time slot that was free. Harlan tried to coach him as well as he could before the meeting by bringing Magruder home and having him talk with Adina, but he also needed to gather a few things, so he was away at the moment. ¡°When is he getting back?¡± ¡°Can you not speak without Sir Fomoria?¡± ¡°Ah, well-¡± ¡°Stop, let¡¯s try this again. Sir Lillyplate, why do you believe I should give you the privilege of turning to a form that you would rather? Do you honestly believe that you could change anything about yourself just because your body changes?¡± ¡°Ah-¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°I have always been loyal, my taxes are always collected, my people are happy, I have never shown signs of rebellion, nor have my allies.¡± ¡°My reports say very little of you, not even a single visit to another noble¡¯s party in months, unless of course you¡¯ve been going to parties that you don¡¯t want others to know about.¡± ¡°Baseless speculation.¡± ¡°Do you think that my spies'' reports are baseless? Perhaps you should be leading them if you think you know so much about what they say.¡± ¡°Ah, no, that, that isn¡¯t what I-¡± ¡°Magruder, you failed again.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just don¡¯t like it when you raise your voice or sound angry, and it¡¯s hard to look at your eyes.¡± ¡°Try looking at my nose, or between my eyes.¡± Adina suddenly groaned and rubbed her stomach. ¡°Are you alright? Let me get somebody.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just the baby. Now, again.¡± ¡°Sir Lillyplate, why do you think that- Please stop staring at my breasts.¡± ¡°No, no, I was staring at your stomach.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not mad, but please, don¡¯t lie, and keep your eyes above my neck.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, but Rosewell would have Safira or Harlan break your fingers if you-¡± She saw how fearful he became, his stance became stockstill and his eyes opened wide, staring at her nose. ¡°That isn¡¯t what I meant, I was just joking.¡± Harlan came back smelling of ink and paper after some time. ¡°How are things going?¡± ¡°He¡¯s improving, give me a week and I¡¯ll have him ready to face anything she can say to him.¡± ¡°Well, we have six hours.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been at this for three hours already?¡± ¡°No, we got moved up and I had to draw out these designs.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t already have them drawn?¡± ¡°I destroy everything whenever we both leave the house, and I never keep old designs filed away anywhere.¡± ¡°So you do it all again from memory?¡± ¡°I might forget names and faces, but this? I remember every line and measurement.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± ¡°Ah, Harlan, can you stay here for the rest of-¡± ¡°You said ah again. And I¡¯m going to prepare some food, but I¡¯ll be right in the kitchen.¡± After a meal and many more hours, they had to go. ¡°Do you think I can do this?¡± ¡°Do you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Magruder had never been to the castle, and was awestruck even just by the gate room. ¡°Sir Fomoria, Sir Lillyplate.¡± ¡°Yes, that is us.¡± ¡°Show me your rings to confirm your identities.¡± The guard checked them both and then led them to the throne room. When Harlan entered the room he walked up to Rosewell and gave her the plans for airplanes. ¡°And these are?¡± ¡°A new mode of transport. But I have made plenty of marks for why I think it would be a bad idea to make more than a few of these things.¡± ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to shift my friend here.¡± She glanced at Magruder and shugged. ¡°I need to take these to Lilly and prepare for more meetings, I will take your words to heart and we will make sure that these are safe to introduce, if not, we¡¯ll burn the designs. ¡°Thank you. And I am sorry about how things went with the Fomorian village.¡± ¡°Not at all, being overzealous in the destruction of a people is a terrible thing, and appropriate punishment has been meted out. I¡¯ve kept you away from this issue because many are fearful of you being involved, but I may call upon you for more things of this nature.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind getting the chance to save those who deserve it and destroy those who deserve it.¡± ¡°Then it shall be done, but I won¡¯t hear any complaints from you when I call you for these things.¡± ¡°So long as Adina doesn¡¯t need me, I don¡¯t mind at all, I can cross all of Ragne in minutes with gates.¡± Rosewell waved him away and went out a side door to a windowless room where she could more securely look at the designs and wait for Lilly. As they walked back to the gate room, Magruder seemed upset, but lacked the confidence to speak out. ¡°You seem upset.¡± ¡°That was all? I did all of that and I didn¡¯t need to say a word to her? Was that all just bullshit?¡± ¡°You seem more confident already, you wouldn¡¯t have said something like that before. Besides, you spent half a day, it isn¡¯t like I¡¯ve taken weeks of your time.¡± ¡°Was that your plan?¡± ¡°Yes, but it gave you a reason to sit there and train your confidence.¡± Magruder went quiet. ¡°Thank you, I think.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Harlan led him down to the room he dedicated to enhancing or otherwise fleshsculpting people. It was an ominous place with no windows and low light. ¡°Can you make it brighter?¡± ¡°Oh, right, my eyes work in lowlight like this so I don¡¯t think about it much if it is a room only I use.¡± ¡°How long will this take?¡± ¡°As I explained before, within 15 minutes of an hour. Sometimes shorter, sometimes longer, but since we¡¯ve already drawn out exactly how you want to look, you are still young, and it is just a sculpt rather than an enhancement, probably closer to half an hour. But again, I have to say, this is going to hurt, though not as much as it once did, so take a few shots of whiskey.¡± ¡°Oh, and the¡­ other way it will make me feel.¡± ¡°There is a brothel I know of in Borden that I send people to, unless there is one that you would rather visit. But, as I said before, fleshsculpting has the same side effects, but it is much shorter. I¡¯d say to spend a day at least, and if you don¡¯t develop these feelings or if you feel that you¡¯ve worked past them already, then you can go out.¡± He rubbed his hands and made himself small. ¡°In Lillyplate, the city, not my home, there is one.¡± ¡°Do you trust it? And do you trust yourself? Because if you aren¡¯t careful then you risk hurting somebody.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been. How is the one in Borden different?¡± ¡°I enhanced a few of the women, and while you are still going to be inside of what I consider to be human ranges of strength, you will be gaining a significant amount of muscle going from less than 5¡¯7 to 6 foot.¡± ¡°Oh? That doesn¡¯t seem like you.¡± ¡°I find brothels unsavory, but for those without wives or some other woman who wants to spend days mostly in bed they are the best option, and I know that the one in Borden treats the women well and defends them against rough customers.¡± ¡°How did you find this place?¡± ¡°Alright, are you ready?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go there.¡± Harlan always answered the same way when questioned about it, making others think that he had visited it before, but that was to hide that through proxies it was actually owned by Balor. One of the things that Balor had done by Harlan¡¯s request was to find unsavory brothels and take them over through whatever means were needed in a case by case basis. Harlan¡¯s position was always that Balor was the lesser evil and crime wasn¡¯t something that could be stopped, only directed. Harlan dropped him off at the brothel, but not before giving them a call to forewarn them and to prepare one of the women. Was it a smart idea to tell them that the woman should change her hair to brown and her eyes to green like Adina? Maybe not, but Harlan believed that Magruder would be passive and it was generally a bad idea to let those feelings fester when someone has gone through sculpting. Two days into the recovery, Magruder was back to normal. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Magruder stretched and admired his body. ¡°I¡¯ll need a new wardrobe. These clothes don¡¯t fit right.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve grown a lot, just wear this.¡± Harlan handed him a shifting suit. Outwardly it seemed like plate armor, but it moved like cloth. ¡°I can¡¯t possibly wear this, these are expensive and-¡± ¡°This one is made from low-grade stonesteel, it isn¡¯t that expensive, and in an ideal world everyone would have one.¡± ¡°This is¡­ thank you.¡± Harlan patted him on the back. ¡°Change and then we should go look at that bloodgem.¡± Harlan and Magruder checked on the gem as they said, and it was still perfectly stable. ¡°Now we should put the spells in.¡± ¡°Oh, I put one in it.¡± ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called discharge, it simply outputs mana in a non-destructive manner.¡± ¡°Oh, the basis for mana clearing arrays.¡± ¡°Exactly, it will let us release the mana to stress the gem so we can test the stability and degradation.¡± ¡°Smart.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± When activated, the gem simply released the mana over half an hour and then began to recharge with no signs of breaking down. ¡°It worked, it really¡­ it really worked.¡± Harlan placed his hand on Magruder¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s alright to cry, you¡¯ve made a leap in soulsmithing, you¡¯ve finished a great achievement, this is the culmination of years of work.¡± ¡°My father said a man shouldn¡¯t cry.¡± ¡°Make your choice, this is what you did, not him.¡± Magruder cried, but tried not to. Harlan didn¡¯t say a word, he just stood by his friend. Chapter 262: The Academy Slaughter Dahlia paid a visit to Harlan the day before Magruder¡¯s appointment as an archmage. ¡°So, you find anything?¡± ¡°I found nothing to directly show that he is dangerous.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°No. There is a difference between not finding anything, and being unable to find anything.¡± ¡°So you think that he is just good at hiding whatever he has done?¡± ¡°His servants, where did they end up? I can¡¯t find that answer, some I found, others vanished into thin air it seems.¡± ¡°You think it was Magruder¡¯s blood gem research.¡± ¡°That is the likely answer, but you¡¯ve seen his notes, you¡¯ve been in his lab, you¡¯ve been, as far as I can tell, his only actual friend in years. Do you think that he did it?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t. Nothing that he has done or shown me implies that he has actually killed anyone. I have seen gems that he has made from human blood, but I¡¯ve also checked, all of these are from his own blood.¡± ¡°Is it possible that he did it anyway and it''s been long enough that everything is gone?¡± ¡°Are you looking for answers? Or do you have an answer you are looking for?¡± ¡°I am looking for answers, but I am being thorough. Hiding completely is very hard, it isn¡¯t something which just happens.¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t hiding, nobody wants to look at him.¡± ¡°Not shocking.¡± ¡°He may be deformed, but that doesn¡¯t mean anything about his character.¡± ¡°I meant nothing by it, just a small comment.¡± ¡°Those servants that went away, how certain are you that they were who they said they were? Peasants don¡¯t carry any identification, I could go into any city with a new face, a new name, and suddenly I am that person. Ragne tracks names of important people, and runs the census to check population, but people slip through the cracks all the time, intentionally or not.¡± ¡°It is possible, but I will continue to check. As it stands right now, he is innocent.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t apologize for my tone, but I am intent on what is right being done. If something comes up, tell me. I won¡¯t back him if there is real proof of him doing something wrong.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Harlan felt like he was going soft, he hadn¡¯t killed anyone in weeks at least. And he actually quite enjoyed the feeling. ¡°What was Dahlia here for?¡± ¡°I asked to have Magruder looked into. It isn¡¯t that I don¡¯t trust him, but-¡± ¡°You don¡¯t trust people.¡± ¡°Yes. I have an especially hard time with Magruder because of how he feels.¡± ¡°Everything sounds like a lie.¡± ¡°Are we having a conversation or do you already know what I¡¯m going to say?¡± ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°That is how I wanted to end this.¡± They kissed and Harlan opened the gate to the academy. But when Adina got up she couldn¡¯t take more than a few steps before she used her armor to make her move. ¡°You aren¡¯t going.¡± Harlan closed the gate. ¡°Yes, I am, I¡¯m going to finish my classes, have the baby on the weekend, after Bloodgem gets his title, and then finish up the last weeks.¡± ¡°You are sure you are going to have it tomorrow night?¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t go, the baby could come early. You could go into labor at any time.¡± ¡°I will see Hellon as soon as I get to the academy, before the classes even start. If she says that I can¡¯t hold off on having the baby, I will call you and you can pick me up.¡± Harlan paced back and forth, breathing quickly as he did. When he finally calmed down, he opened the gate again. He didn¡¯t want to control her, she had the right to her own choices, so he let her go for now. ¡°Our baby is going to come no matter what you think, don¡¯t go anywhere alone, just in case.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Two hours after Adina left, Harlan was still just sitting in the nursery. He double checked every nail and board, every toy, every soulsmithed item in the entire room three times already. He had been consumed with fear his entire life, and he felt like he should be afraid, but there was peace in his heart, he wasn¡¯t checking everything for if it was safe, he was just making sure they looked right, he wanted things to be perfect for his baby. Whatever he had done, this new life would be something he made, that was part of him, and he would try to give them everything he could to make sure they grew up happier than him, with all of his best traits, and without his flaws. Harlan¡¯s amulet lit up, bright red. ¡°This is an outgoing message from Archmage Typhoon to all available combat class archmagi, a monster surge, wyverns, is headed down from The North, and they are destroying land and villages without reason. Meeting point will be Wyrmhold.¡± Harlan was a little disturbed that Hirum figured out how to both record a message, and to send it out on a loop. He invented the communicators, and he didn¡¯t think that recording was possible, at least he never figured out how. He made his way to Wyrmrest and found Sepul among the other archmagi. ¡°Wyverns?¡± ¡°Something is wrong here. In the east there has been an attack by rebel forces, in the west a massive wave hit the coast and brought terrors from the deep with it. I hear a Kraken is 30 miles inland already.¡± ¡°In the south?¡± ¡°The Golden haven¡¯t sent word, but I would assume that something is happening there.¡± ¡°Any idea who is behind this?¡± ¡°That would imply a connection between these three events. The rebels couldn¡¯t know about the wave in the west unless they have linked up with Reino, and there is no reason for the wyvern¡¯s to help the rebels. I could see two of these events being linked, but three is too many.¡± ¡°The academy, Adina is still there, I should-¡± ¡°That is the safest place in the world, even without the combat archmagi.¡± ¡°I never heard that we were put in classes.¡± ¡°Archmagi are all equal, the classes are something internally tracked by the academy. All it denotes is that you are an archmage which they recognize as being powerful in combat. Hellon is counted among the healers despite having no title.¡± ¡°Is that Blackwall over there? Is he strong offensively?¡± ¡°Not particularly, he knows some warmagic, but when wyvern fire is headed our way, you will want him.¡± ¡°Why are we waiting here? I thought it sounded serious when Hirum¡¯s message went out.¡± ¡°When dealing with archmagi it is important that we are properly organized. Chances are you will take my place as gate mage, you won¡¯t see fighting.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Surely we have plenty of gate mages here already.¡± ¡°How fast and far are your gates now?¡± ¡°8 seconds, 1500 miles, more or less.¡± ¡°Most gate mages take 30 seconds to a minute and only go 800 miles. You can send and retrieve units faster than three gate mages on your own without requiring relay mages.¡± ¡°Maybe that is for the best.¡± ¡°You are backup, you can reach any combat group in 30 seconds or less, if you get the call- wait, what?¡± ¡°If I can do more to help from there, then that is fine.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would turn away from a fight so easily.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a baby coming, I haven¡¯t killed anyone in weeks, I¡¯m just¡­ I¡¯m happy to not need to kill.¡± Sepul just chuckled and waited for the headmaster to arrive. Once Hirum was onsite things moved quickly, Sepul was the one who moved everyone at first, then he handed the duty off to Harlan and a half dozen other mages. Sepul wasn¡¯t on the wyvern squads, he had to join the abyssal creature squads. Fighting wyverns was simple, people had been hunting what was considered the apex of reptilian beasts for a long time, and the things that Sepul taught to others made them much easier to kill than they once were. Those things from below however, they were all manner of monster. Whenever a surge brought them to the surface, new things would be discovered, things that defied what people knew about magical creatures. Whether it was colossal squid covered in eyes and capable of becoming immaterial while flying through anything and blinding anyone who looked upon them, or a slug that could spit acid rivers that cut valleys in the earth, things down there didn¡¯t get purged, they just grew, an ecosystem outside of the sight of anyone who might control it. At the academy, many classes needed to be canceled, and all of the gate mages but three had been taken away. Hellon made Adina wait in the infirmary. ¡°You are going to have this baby at quite literally any moment, I don¡¯t know how in the world you thought that coming here was acceptable.¡± ¡°I just want to finish my classes.¡± ¡°Why is that so damned important to you?¡± ¡°I want to prove that I can, that I won¡¯t be slowed down by my baby, that she isn¡¯t going to burden me.¡± ¡°Do you think she is going to do that? And why she? You both refused to know what they are.¡± ¡°I think they¡¯re a girl, it¡¯s a gut feeling.¡± ¡°And the other part?¡± ¡°My father always called me a burden, I killed my mother, I ruined my family, I messed with all of his plans for his little girl. I don¡¯t want anything that might plant even the smallest seeds of regret from my little girl.¡± ¡°You are just ridiculous. If you think that you would believe that about your daughter then you don¡¯t even know yourself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just worried.¡± ¡°You and Harlan spend too much time worrying over what hasn¡¯t gone wrong yet, it blinds you to good things in front of you. Now sit tight, I¡¯ll get you something to drink.¡± ¡°I need to call Harlan.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t, he is working, monsters north and west, rebels in the east.¡± ¡°Is that why all of those classes were canceled?¡± ¡°Yes, combat ready archmagi needed to help minimize the damage.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s fighting¡­¡± ¡°Gate mage duty actually.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Sepul told me all about this, so no need to worry, it won¡¯t be more than half a day before they swap him out and he can come here.¡± Classes were eventually just entirely canceled as the situations got more out of control, and more and more of the staff were called away. Hellon stayed to watch over the students and outside patients which were sent to the academy for treatment, and Adina¡¯s friends came along to stay with her. ¡°I¡¯ve never helped deliver a baby.¡± ¡°Ximena, if I need your help, I will ask for you. For now, we should just move her to a private room. You four can help push her bed.¡± It was Adina who noticed it first. ¡°Something is happening.¡± ¡°What?¡± She tried to call Harlan, but the communicator was dead. ¡°Take defensive positions. Hellon, who all is here?¡± ¡°Here where?¡± ¡°In this room, how many are from Reino, and how many are related to the traitors.¡± ¡°I¡¯d need to check the records but there is nothing wrong with them being here.¡± Another contraction hit and Hellon marked it. ¡°10 minutes apart, you are almost there. I expect the baby to be out of you in the next few hours, but with you body as it is perhaps much sooner. And you, stop with those positions.¡± Yara, Claudia, Clauda, and Ximena stood at the four corners of sheets that made walls, Adina had a window bed at Harlan¡¯s request, he said that it would be easier to make an escape if needed. ¡°No. Adina said something is wrong.¡± ¡°She¡¯s about to give birth, if she didn¡¯t think something was wrong then I¡¯d be shocked.¡± ¡°Communicators are dead, something is wrong.¡± ¡°Have you tried calling anyone else? Perhaps Harlan broke his.¡± ¡°No, if Harlan¡¯s breaks then the call goes to his mind, there is no reason it shouldn¡¯t be going through.¡± ¡°You four, stay there, I¡¯m going to put up defensive arrays.¡± The first blasts rang out, then the patients with odd conditions who were to be receiving treatment leapt from their beds and rushed towards Adina¡¯s room with sheet walls. Yet as they approached, they saw a small white orb, no bigger than a man¡¯s fist, fly above these sheets. Once blinded, the four students rushed out and began taking lives, each weapon of theirs was made or enhanced by Harlan, and each of them wore golem armor. ¡°Check the others, find out who is here as a real patient and who is an assassin, I will stick close to Adina.¡± They nodded their heads towards Hellon and killed. The beds which were unneeded were moved towards the doors to act as barricades. They heard the screams outside, and for the Golden whose mindsense let them feel the lights blinking out in the halls, it was hard to stay inside of the room, but they were here to protect Adina, and if they went out into the chaos, they might just be swallowed up. ¡°They¡¯re getting closer.¡± ¡°I know, and the screams aren¡¯t-¡± ¡°I MEAN MY FUCKING CONTRACTIONS.¡± Adina grabbed her stomach and went through her breathing exercises. ¡°The stress of this isn¡¯t helping. Ximena, you might need to deliver the baby on your own.¡± ¡°Are you sure that-¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been a healer for decades, but that doesn¡¯t mean I never took combat mage classes. Don¡¯t think that you can be of more use in a fight than me.¡± ¡°Apologies.¡± ¡°We should ice the doors over.¡± ¡°NO.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°If the other students need to get in here as a safe haven, they should be able to.¡± ¡°Adina, you are about to give birth, now is not the time to be worrying about others.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the right thing, I won¡¯t have my baby be born while I let other people die when I could¡¯ve saved them. Please, leave this to them, go out and save people, with these four I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not-¡± ¡°Hellon, please, these are your students, don¡¯t fail them.¡± She shook her head in anger. ¡°Shit.¡± Hellon left the room, telling others to get to the first infirmary room. They were unorganized, it just seemed like a slaughter. Occasionally a few students from Reino or Ragne would come in and try to kill them, but no large force made its way there, they had expected their assassins to do their job and they were just double checking rooms. Yara breathing quickly. ¡°There¡¯s so much blood.¡± ¡°This is going to get worse sooner than it gets better.¡± ¡°It¡¯s slick, and sticky. I knew some of these students, I saw them in the halls, in the cafeteria, I¡­ I¡­¡± ¡°Honey, I need you to stay with me, look me in the eyes, we need to protect Adina and the other students in here, so just wait to break, just stick with me until later, then we can worry about who we just killed.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can-¡± Yara threw up, brown and red mixed up on the floor as blood and vomit became one. Claudia pulled her hair back and patted her back. ¡°My brother is right, you can¡¯t do this here and now, think of what Harlan would do.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not him, I can¡¯t be like him, I don¡¯t want to fight and kill people.¡± Adina stopped screaming for a moment and grit her teeth. ¡°Harlan doesn¡¯t want to do that either, if you can¡¯t suck it the fuck up then get back here and help Ximena. Don¡¯t get yourself killed by trying to be something you aren¡¯t.¡± Half an hour had passed, new students stopped coming in, the screams and sounds of fighting were quieter, and Hellon still wasn¡¯t back. Ximena wanted to put up a veil to keep Adina¡¯s screaming from attracting attention, which had already brought more than a few enemies to them already. But it was too late, once a pattern was noticed, anyone who went to the first infirmary room didn¡¯t come back, forced started to amass. ¡°Yara, how many are out there, I can¡¯t count the shadows.¡± ¡°60 so far, more are coming.¡± ¡°I wish Harlan was here.¡± Ximena was handed a sphere made from bone and Adina whispered in her ear. ¡°When the fighting starts, toss that into the largest pile of bodies you can see, the other students will act as a shield while that thing makes itself.¡± ¡°You can be serious, why not use it now, there are already bodies here.¡± ¡°Everyone Harlan knows is already set to be an ally, the other students are dead anyway. I¡¯m not going to tell it to stop killing until the room is clear.¡± ¡°Is that why you brought them in here?¡± ¡°The more bodies that thing has, the stronger it is, I¡¯m not risking any of our lives for people who¡¯ve spit on me every day here in the academy.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t, I-¡± ¡°Then give it back to me and don¡¯t say a word.¡± Ximena kept the sphere in her hands. It was warm to the touch, and she could feel something beating inside of it. When the enemies were about to rush through the doorway, they turned to face another threat. Nobody could really see through the glazed glass windows that made up the infirmary wall, they just saw the whitish glass be painted red, and they heard the went thumps as organs smacked against the enchanted windows. The screams stopped and the creature moved back towards the door leading to the large room. It bent down to fit the doorway, standing 9 feet tall, 10 with the black horns that were turning to white as it approached. The large yet relatively thin man clad in black from his armor to his horns simply moved forward with his hands up, still dripping with blood. Chapter 263: A Minor Conquering Harlan and Mercedes laid in bed. ¡°Was that good?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I have no frame of reference.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never been with a woman? Really? I thought you were just lying before.¡± ¡°I see what others see in this, it does relieve stress, it takes my mind off of things. There is a certain¡­ clarity to my mind now.¡± ¡°Well, it was good to me.¡± ¡°Do you have much experience?¡± ¡°It was my first time consenting to sex at least.¡± Harlan made an ugly face, shame and anger. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have-¡± ¡°I¡¯m just joking.¡± The shame was gone, yet the anger remained. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever dare to make such a vile joke again.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t think that you-¡± ¡°That what? I have been exceedingly clear about what angers me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, thought you were¡­ I didn¡¯t think you actually had those things.¡± ¡°What things?¡± ¡°Morals.¡± ¡°Unlike you I¡¯m not doing this out of a desire to have power, I¡¯m doing this to do the right thing, as I have always said.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve met many men who¡¯ve said many things.¡± ¡°My actions have always shown who I am.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve known many man who¡¯ve done things without really believing.¡± ¡°Do you hold such a low opinion of me?¡± ¡°The number of honest men I¡¯ve known I can count on one hand. It might really just be you.¡± ¡°Being a noble¡¯s plaything, growing up around them, worried about dying, I know that all too well.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we restart this, tell me your story, and I will believe it this time.¡± By the time Harlan was done, Mercedes was nodding off, the sun was rising. So he let her sleep as he left the bed. Today new work was required of him, setting things right wasn¡¯t an option, but cleaning up his mess was. As the sun rose over the sea, one of the coastal towns that was ravaged by the wave was clearing up, sorting their dead. Harlan came in from the air and then gated in golems. The people panicked of course, but Harlan blocked any and all spells before he raised his voice and backed it with empathy and mana. ¡°Stop. Calm. I am here to help.¡± It was clear that he was powerful, and even if they wanted to fight back it was pointless, so they laid down their arms and bowed to the dark god which floated above them with a flowing jacket and shining white horns. Harlan touched down and sent the golems to start safely rebuilding the homes without having to tear them down first. ¡°Who is your leader?¡± ¡°The mayor, he died, the empire will-¡± ¡°The empire will do nothing, by the end of the week there will be no nations on this stripe which are not under my control or the control of my allies. You are now members of the nation of Fomoria.¡± ¡°The empire will-¡± ¡°I did this.¡± The entire town began to murmur. ¡°I made the bomb which caused the wave which destroyed much of your town. There will be no more empire here, I am sorry that it came to this, so I will not charge taxes for a time and my golems will rebuild this town at no cost to you. But you will not fly imperial colors any longer, any slaves will be freed of their servitude, and they will be free to bring complaints against any citizen. You will all be interviewed, one by one, or by the family, and depending on your answers, you may be granted full, or partial citizenship. If you resist, my men will kill you, if you flee, my men will kill you, if you are found to have been irredeemably evil towards your slaves, my men will kill you. This is the dawn of a new era for Fomoria, I will not allow anyone to think that they can undermine me.¡± He saw a few Cast try to stealthily flee through the crowd. Harlan opened a gate and dragged them through. ¡°Why are you fleeing? Did you not hear me?¡± ¡°The empire shall take back what is rightfully-¡± Harlan killed the man by coating his hand in void and punching through his chest, pulling his still beating metal heart from his body as he staggered back in disbelief before collapsing. ¡°You two? Why are you fleeing? Because I can be forgiving, or¡­¡± Harlan boosted the sound of the heart as it slowed its beating. ¡°You are a butcher, we are dead if we stay.¡± ¡°If you can follow my laws, and no complaints are brought forth and decided to be truthful, then you will live. I will stomp out the ideology of suffering which is brought into this world by your people, I will make a mountain of corpses in pursuit of that, but I will not kill you just for being Cast.¡± Harlan opened another gate. ¡°I will continue to take over these coastal towns, do not get in the way of my golems, and if they ask you questions, answer them to the best of your ability. I am a butcher, but I am not unreasonable.¡± He came in, made his demands, and one of two things happened. Either people attacked him and he made an example of them, or they recognized Harlan as he was and bowed down. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Harlan was right, the Cast ruled through fear, and through fear they would turn on them just as easily. He only hoped that he was also right in that he could eventually inspire loyalty by treating them better than the Cast ever would. By the noon, the coast western was under his control, each town only took a few minutes, The farther south he went, the less construction golems he had to gate in, and the more soldiers he had to gate in. Each town was to be appointed a marshal to keep the peace, and then once the time came, the marshal would step down and an elected mayor would take control, with the marshal remaining to keep command over military and defensive positions while the mayor controls the more civil matters. Then there was a town, much larger, but not quite a city, and it would rather fight. Harlan waited for the first barrage and then used a gate to move behind enemy lines. By flying at high speed and with simple telekinesis he pushed men from the walls. Then he rushed through the streets, anyone who tried to kill him was killed in turn, soldier or otherwise. When he reached the mayor''s home however, he did not go inside, and instead he charged up an odd warspell. He floated downward on a disc of void which cut a perfect hole through the building until he reached the vault. The mayoral mansion wasn¡¯t the same as Harlan¡¯s, but still he could find the vault with ease as it wasn¡¯t cloaked and put off a unique signature. Harlan could¡¯ve just asked it to open, but instead he wanted to see if his beam would pierce the door. He saw only one mind inside, and he fired, the sigil¡¯s power cut through without needing to cut anything, and the mind inside blinked out of existence. ¡°Obey, open.¡± And the door did, where Harlan found a Gold Cast with a hole where he once had a heart. Yet now he was left rather drained, and returned home for a time, listening to the clock tick and tock as he ate a midday meal. And it was there that he met Xol once more. ¡°I¡¯ve been seeing a lot of you lately, yet I didn¡¯t see you for months before.¡± ¡°I give a shit, but I am also a busy man.¡± ¡°How is Marigold?¡± ¡°Much better.¡± ¡°And¡­¡± ¡°Adina is giving birth soon.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°She is enhanced, the baby got benefits from this and grew much faster than normal.¡± Harlan leaned back and tapped on the table. ¡°Is it a boy or a girl?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t want to know. But, it is-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me. Would you like something to eat? Drink?¡± ¡°Not at the moment.¡± ¡°Thank you for coming. Without Dawn and Darrath, things are¡­ quiet.¡± ¡°The hardest choices require the strongest minds. They are better off with Periwinkle, they are safe.¡± Harlan sat and ate for a few minutes more before he spoke again, as Xol didn¡¯t seem to be very conversational without questions being asked. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to sound¡­ like myself, but is there another reason you came?¡± ¡°Three months.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Come on, guess.¡± ¡°In three months, more Fingers will come?¡± ¡°Well, that seems like a shot in the dark, yet you¡¯ve hit it out of the park.¡± ¡°I know the first metaphor, but not the second.¡± ¡°A sport from Earth, if you hit the ball out of the arena you get points without the other team being able to prevent it. To hit it out of the park is a good thing.¡± ¡°So I am right.¡± ¡°Helik and Sholl both survived.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± Harlan slammed the table, sending cracks through it that Xol fixed with a tap. ¡°Sholl was washed away into the forest and-¡± ¡°I DIVINED FOR HIM.¡± ¡°As I as saying, when he was washed inland he healed himself and flew away. By the time you divined for him he was already out of range. When fighting a healer, especially one proficient in self-healing, always confirm the kill.¡± ¡°I needed to help Dawn and D¡¯if.¡± ¡°I doubt it, but your need to control things, your fear that everyone else is weaker than you, that fear caused you to make the wrong choice.¡± ¡°Fine, how is Helik alive, that virus should be turning his entire body to rust.¡± ¡°Weak to cold, as long as Helik maintains a constant body of ice around himself, the virus cannot encroach farther than it has, but it cannot be killed either, since it feeds on his mana and is targeting his soul. The plus side is that he is asymptomatic. So he is still spreading it. They will be back, and in three months, I can train you to be able to handle them, in six, any of the other fingers, up to the middle finger, nine, you can kill any of them and perhaps more than one at a time, three years, you can kill the hands.¡± ¡°That short of a timeframe?¡± Xol explained everything that Harlan needed to do, and suddenly it was clear, well, clear to Xol at least. ¡°I tried that once, it blew my soul apart.¡± ¡°I can assure you, multi-body training works wonders, it will cut the time you need to learn things down to a third. You just lacked the right spells to filter the information properly. Your soul is already a dozen times stronger than it was as a baseline back then.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say when I did this before.¡± ¡°Minor details.¡± ¡°How long have you been watching me?¡± ¡°The Darkness told me about this.¡± ¡°She sent you?¡± ¡°Timelines need to be moved up. All of her vague mystical bullshit will be the death of us, so while she won¡¯t teach you directly, however, because I am making the choice to do so I am allowed. Whatever coping she wants to use to get me here, I¡¯m here now.¡± ¡°Well, for the time being, I need to finish conquering this stripe. Do you know why they call them that? Because when I heard it, it seemed like the world was covered in rings, but these are more like tiger stripes.¡± ¡°Some places on Aarde still do have actual full rings.¡± The flames that were Xol¡¯s eyes dimmed slightly. ¡°The Fae, fighting them, it wasn¡¯t easy, it wasn¡¯t without cost. The term stripe is a remnant of a different world.¡± ¡°All of that land was lost then?¡± ¡°Wyrmwood burned holes miles deep, he destroyed major cities and sights of relevance to the Fae, broke their power. Then we came in to clean things up without destroying the entire world, put those souls in the cage, Fomorians, Golden, they couldn¡¯t fight major gods, only gods could. Zeus, Odin, Titania, Oberon, Ra, Amaterasu, those six were directly fought by the six gods you know now. Those gods which remained nameless until they stole them from others, specifically gods that were associated with a people known as the Celts. Lir was a sea god, Cecht was a god of healing, Brigid was a goddess of smithing, Calli comes from Caillech, a storm god, no idea why she decided to change the name so much, but that is Calli for you, and Anu, a goddess of fertility and earth.¡± ¡°Why did they steal names?¡± ¡°To the Fae, names had power, and so by stealing names they stole that power. Champions used to be called paladins, it was an approximate word loaned from Earth, a sort of holy warrior, but when the Fae called their champions paladins, it corrupted the concept, and it gave the Fae some manner of protection or power over these champions due to widefield egregoric magic. Linguistic warfare was harsh.¡± ¡°The Darkness, is that why she refuses to have a single name?¡± ¡°It is useful, sure you lose a bonus of sorts, but you can also inherit the weakness of a god and- We¡¯ve gone far off track, finish your conquering, and then contact me, when I am next available, I will return.¡± ¡°Thank you, it is very interesting for me to learn these ancient histories.¡± ¡°Perhaps someday I will need to tell you the old myths from back home, it might inspire your work, but, try not to be too inspired.¡± ¡°Because if I ever met these gods then they would have some manner of power over my magic if the thoughts that they are based on come from these stories.¡± ¡°I find it very refreshing that you can take this information in stride and put it to use. I gave up teaching many- No, I really do need to go.¡± Harlan was reinvigorated by Xol¡¯s offer, and at the same time greatly disheartened that he had failed to kill two of the Fingers, which, in itself was perhaps for the best, as killing Fingers led to Hands cracking down. Which was still probably going to happen, beating two Fingers at once meant that someone was a real threat, even if they were the two weakest Fingers.
A week passed, and Seraphallen got away from the battlefield long enough to appear in physical form in the ruins of Portal. Yet before he could catch Harlan¡¯s scent so to speak, The Jailed arrived. The City of Portal has been reduced to glass and ashes. Chapter 264: The Academy Slaughter 2 Harlan waited in line for an audience with the king of Harvestal, a nation on the stripe south of the one in which Fomoria was located. That the king¡¯s castle allowed public questions and requests while also failing to have arrays to stop illusions like what Harlan was using to hide his identity meant it was really only a matter of time before someone assassinated the man. But that was not Harlan¡¯s plan, not today. Behind the king was a stained glass window with the crest of the kingdom, a shield with a cross in the center which made squares, top left was green, top right was yellow, and the pattern was reversed on the bottom. In the middle of this shield was a sword pointed downward, but instead of a blade there was a stalk of wheat. ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°Apologies, I was enamored by the glass behind you. I wanted to ask why you sent five women to kill me.¡± The change in the atmosphere was immediate, his knights moved between them. ¡°The Butcher King.¡± ¡°I came here to speak, not to kill anyone.¡± ¡°You murdered my son.¡± ¡°Are you sure? When did I do this?¡± ¡°In Kor, he-¡± ¡°I killed slavers and the soldiers who defended them. You will not be getting any apology, but you have my sympathy.¡± ¡°You know nothing about us or how we use slaves.¡± ¡°But I do, I¡¯ve had men in your city for days already. That is part of why I am giving you a chance at all. In six months I will return, by that time, if I believe you have failed to implement my policies regarding slavery, I will directly conquer your nation with my army.¡± ¡°You claim to come here to speak and then you threaten me?¡± ¡°Everyone has a choice, you can choose if you listen to me, and I will choose how I react accordingly.¡± ¡°Kill him.¡± Harlan caught the first blade in his hand, his black bone gauntlets would suffer no harm from it. ¡°Do not make me react.¡± He admired the false mythril blade and the wheat stalk pattern which was etched along the length of it. The first knight couldn¡¯t budge the blade from his grasp, and the others did not listen to Harlan¡¯s warning. From their perspective, Harlan just looked at them and an unknown force sent them flying at the walls. The first knight removed his hands from the blade and went for his dagger, Harlan reacted with a headbutt that caved in the man¡¯s skull. There was no need to let him suffer, so Harlan flipped around the blade and stabbed the man in the brainstem. The king seemed to hardly react. ¡°I may die, but my people will never bow to you.¡± ¡°I am taking this blade for my collection. Six months.¡± Harlan, this Harlan, returned to Kor through a gate and met up with the original Harlan. ¡°I brought another blade and I found out why he tried to have you killed. As it turns out, we killed his son.¡± ¡°Did he have it coming?¡± ¡°It was when you first captured Kor.¡± ¡°Then he did. Take the blade to the collection, and make sure it is clean.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Harlan decided that there were few people who could be trusted to enact his will. So he cast aside the moral issues, as they were less than most things he still had planned or had done recently, he began making true copies of himself and cutting down his extra bodies to just two in stasis and his main body. Xol came to pick Harlan up, and drop off one of the other Harlan¡¯s. ¡°While I don¡¯t think it is the wrong way to do work, as one can never trust another as much as himself, by making copies of yourself that have real free will, you risk them rebelling.¡± ¡°Has that happened before with you? Other than Kleon?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I should comment on that. But eventually they will grow into different people, but with you as the base, and you are¡­ erratic, prone to making wild choices.¡± ¡°I disagree. These ones have all of my memories from the time of their creation. We all understand that I am the original and their boss, and we all understand that we don¡¯t like that we¡¯ve resorted to this.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that before. Anyway, I¡¯ll just grab another one and you can take this one.¡± ¡°Very well, just don¡¯t grab one that is working on anything important.¡± ¡°How many do you have now?¡± ¡°Seven. I don¡¯t want to make more than one per day, it dulls my emotions and makes my memories foggy for a few hours whenever I make one.¡± ¡°Good, pace yourself appropriately, and I¡¯ll see you next week.¡± The Harlan¡¯s made their way to the lab, and then to an extra room which Xol set up for this process. The name of the technique was mind devour, and it involved exactly what it sounded like. Harlan killed himself, his other self, and when the soul became unbound so did the mind. It was as simple as grabbing the mind with the right spell and then putting it inside of an alchemical pill that Xol developed. It felt wrong to him, not having to kill himself repeatedly and rip the mind from the soul, but that he hadn¡¯t developed this technique himself. Cheating was one thing, taking as many shortcuts as he could to grow in power at a rapid pace, but doing so using someone else''s methods entirely without a real understanding of the inner workings of them bothered him. Harlan swallowed the pill, which would remain in his body for half a day, and as it broke down in his stomach, which was the physical location in which an intangible soul was anchored, it would release these memories and the soul would absorb them. Harlan meditated on what he was feeling during the process in the hopes to understand it, but Xol made the spells required for his training in a manner that obscured them. Harlan expected at least half of the runes that he both physically carved in the room and drew with his hands were nothing but fluff that could be cut out. Yet even the slightest change made a chain reaction in the spell that simply made it fail, he didn¡¯t understand how they mattered to the spell, the mana just seemed to flow through without activating any magical effect. As he sat there he relived the memories that were not his. ¡°Sigils, a higher level of magic, and one that you have experience pulling apart to use parts of already. Since you¡¯ve already started to go through the process of making more of yourself and sigil work is something you can do on your own for the most part, we are going to work on cooperative casting.¡± ¡°Do I need another me here?¡± ¡°I will fill that role. There is a power difference between you and the original, as a new life born from another soul it would take a year or more to get to his level, so you must learn how to handle being matched with someone who is far stronger than you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel any weaker though.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t feel that weakness because you are still full of mana. If I was to put this into numbers, and this is a vast oversimplification, so don¡¯t think too much about the numbers given. A 10 year old might have 100 mana points, and a 20 year old might have 1,000, but when the child uses 50 points they will be notably tired, whereas the man would barely feel it. The stress of mana burn, which is to say low mana in the body, is always relative to what your cap is.¡± ¡°How much mana do I have then?¡± ¡°As I said, don¡¯t think about the numbers. The soul is a complex machine, and quantifying it in simple terms is only helpful for generalizations. But if Harlan has 5,000, you have 500.¡± ¡°Is that a lot?¡± ¡°I used 1,000 for the man because that is an average for a soldier from Ragne at that age. But if a soldier without any other changes, trained only a few more hours a day, they might reach 1,500 by 20. Most second year students at the academy are already at 1,000 due to their environment and schedule stressing the soul and forcing faster growth.¡± ¡°So how would I-¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have gone down this path at all. Don¡¯t think about how much mana you have, or Harlan has, or anyone else. Only try to think about how much you have as relative to full and think about how much more magic you can use before running out. Just as a 20 year old might have 1,500 mana, he might also have a fireball that is 50% less efficient than a man with 1,000, so the number itself is worthless, any deficiencies can be dealt with by proper combat technique and spell usage.¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Right, sorry.¡± Xol began with holograms to act as a three dimensional blackboard. ¡°Cooperative casting at its base is two or more people casting the same spell but by syncing their mana and consciously working towards it, the spells mix into something more than the sum of its parts.¡± Xol showed a circle in front of each person, a fireball launched from the circle and hit a dummy, which burned it. Then the people held hands, and each cast the spell with one hand, causing the circles to overlap and another fireball was launched, this time the dummy was entirely destroyed. ¡°As you can see here, the two people move their spells overtop of one another, but this overlap happens before the spell is launched, and this happens because the physical contact that they have is causing a mana flow between both of them, and by each using one hand, this mana flow treats both of them as a single entity casting magic, which doubles the mana that goes into the spell. Now, what is the issue here?¡± ¡°If you double the mana in a spell then it becomes less stable. How do we get past that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the fun part, we don¡¯t. A warmagic is often the example of what co-op casting is for, because war spells are larger by default and they can more easily handle the larger amount of mana being put into them.¡± ¡°Alright, I think that I have the idea down then.¡± Xol chuckled to himself. They stood in a giant crystal cave and held hands, for a start they would use a fireball. Harlan hadn¡¯t used words or hand movements to cast the spell in a very long time, it was a nostalgic experience for him. Yet very quickly he noticed that it was wrong. Xol stopped his casting. ¡°You understand, right?¡± ¡°I need to match your mana flow. Is mine slower because I¡¯m weaker?¡± ¡°No, the mana flow that you can feel isn¡¯t your full mana flow, it¡¯s just the surface. This is something innate in people, and it is almost never an issue or something that affects how well one can use magic. Try to focus on it, and I suggest that you visualize it as a river with a dam, open and close the floodgates to control the speed of the water.¡± Xol didn¡¯t stop for even an instant for the next hour, to the point where Harlan passed out. When Harlan woke back up Xol handed him a tonic. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Co-op casting is the name of the technique, but I will also teach you forced casting.¡± ¡°Oh. That seems useful.¡± ¡°While you are recharging, let¡¯s talk theory.¡± It was a strange thing, to look through your eyes, to hear your voice come from your mouth, but to know for certain that you were not the one who saw or said these things. In time, as the memories were fully integrated into his mind, this oddness would fade. Xol returned once more. ¡°Are you done already?¡± ¡°You need to leave.¡± ¡°Have the Hands come?¡± ¡°The academy is under attack.¡± ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°I cannot go there right now.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°No time to argue, I¡¯m sending you there, but you might not enter exactly where I want you to. Your goal will be to save people, that is all.¡± Xol opened a void gate, yet it fizzled out. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be¡­¡± He opened another one, and the same thing happened. Harlan¡¯s eyes went black and he found himself in her void. ¡°If you go, will you truly return?¡± ¡°I need to go.¡± ¡°Do you distrust yourself so much? What of the others? Have you no faith in your allies?¡± Harlan could see the exit that led to the front of the academy and he could see the students fight one another along with soldiers. ¡°I don¡¯t trust that they can do the right thing, to do what needs to be done.¡± He took a step and felt a weight fall on him. ¡°Is there such a thing?¡± With another step the weight grew. ¡°What I decide is right is right, and going there is right.¡± He could only move a few more steps forward before the weight brought him to his knees and he began to crawl. ¡°I cannot see what will happen if you go there, Fae magic hangs in that place.¡± He couldn¡¯t move more than his fingers, his skeleton had a spiderweb of cracks along it, but the exit was within arms reach. ¡°I promise, those outside of the veil deserve me there, they all deserve what I have coming.¡± The weight was gone and his body was healed. ¡°Go then, and return to your work once you have.¡± Harlan hadn¡¯t left the room, the exit was false. Xol kept trying to make void gates which kept failing. ¡°What in the hell is that witch playing at?¡± Harlan raised his hand and a void gate of his own opened. ¡°Oh, you can just do that now.¡± ¡°She knows I¡¯ll be back, no sense in keeping me trapped out here.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think of it as being a cage, you¡¯ve done good things here.¡± Harlan stepped through the void gate and felt his body break down into mana and be transferred to the location. Why he couldn¡¯t feel it before was something he didn¡¯t understand, perhaps it was something only the caster understood? Either way, he was there, back in the veil. He could wave his hand again and be back home, he could see his parents, he could visit his sisters, see his nieces and nephew. But instead he walked towards the fighting. The attackers wore a yellow band on their bodies somewhere, some on the head, but more often on the arm. They wore the academy robes, those of Reino and Ragne fought alongside one another to kill anyone without the yellow band. A girl was dragging away another wounded student as a blade made its way to her in a downward arc. Harlan skipped over and killed the soldier with a swipe of his hand, his claws rent steel, flesh stood not against him. The girl froze when she saw him. His blue skin and features marked him as being clearly inhuman and he towered over her, his horns gleamed like obsidian in the afternoon sunlight. He reached down to stop the man¡¯s bleeding with a simple healing spell, but that was it, he didn¡¯t want to waste more time or energy than needed, killing would save more lives than just reviving people too weak to fight back. ¡°Find some place safe.¡± He moved first through the dorms, the tight halls made friendly fire an inevitability, which meant most of the fighting was the clashing of shortswords and daggers. Both sides had no way of knowing who he was. Wind and water imbibing aided his movement and let him slip through the crowd. He simply extended his arm and smashed the head of one of the students against the wall, another found his throat had been cut before he even saw the man who passed by. He cleared the hall of enemies and the remaining students stood there in a panicked standoff, no one knowing who was really an enemy. ¡°Watch for those with the yellow bands.¡± The mana in his voice made it carry through the hall and despite many of them being in shock the words forced their way into their heads. As he made his way through the halls and made a few observations, the first being that no beastkin or false undead wore the yellow bands, and the second was that he didn¡¯t feel anyone he cared for in the dorm, not that he had many male friends anyway. With the building cleared as best as he could as fast as he could, he was sure that he missed stragglers, but now those with the bands were far outnumbered by those without. And so he made his way to the girls¡¯ dorm next. There was no denying that he hurt him more to clear the halls in this place. He disliked harming women, but when the circumstances demanded so, he did not stay his hand. He tried not to look at the faces, he just focused on who had a band, it was easier that way. He didn¡¯t want to think about how old any of them were either, each and every one of them was now a soldier who was killing students. Soldiers lived and died by their orders, by their choice to follow them. Harlan¡¯s reasoning for clearing the dorms first was not just that they were much smaller and simpler buildings than the main academy, and that now he could direct the other students to return to their rooms. He stayed in a more or less human form with the hope that others would be less likely to attack, shifting in and out of having the void mist in his soul as needed to avoid stressing his body. The void mist granted power and energy, and much like the relative tiredness of mana burn, if he got used to the extra energy from the sigil then changing back would affect him more. Directly inside of the academy was an array, and judging by the bodies in the area, it killed those who walked into it through lightning. Harlan started to unravel the array, but judging by the complexity it would take 10 minutes or more. So instead he tossed one of the other bodies in the area into the array to test the reaction and drain it through another method. ¡°So it checks for life¡­¡± As he continued working on turning the array off a group of soldiers came by, having been alerted that someone had killed most of the others in the dorms. They stepped through the array without issue, and Harlan jumped back to avoid their spells. Once outside he sealed himself in a box of stone. The soldiers started to cast a spell to crush the box inward, but unsurprisingly, Harlan had left the moment he was out of sight. The wards of the academy prevented him from moving around with gates, but a void gate simply became inaccurate. As he moved back towards the soldiers he cast simple spiralized void bolts. Of the 20, half failed to stop or deflect the bolts. Harlan didn¡¯t slow down as he approached, the shield sigil he had cast sucked up the spells. He had a little time to train with it, sigils didn¡¯t often increase in power directly, generally speaking they were strong, but also stagnant. Most of the extra power that one could get from a sigil was by either mixing it with other sigils or by finding out all of the little quirks of the spell. Sholl was a clear case of someone whose entire combat ability relied on these sigils, and thus he neglected his other magic, leading to much of his current weakness. In this case, Harlan¡¯s shield was a black hole that could shrink and expand to eat spells. The limits of this weren¡¯t clear, he had eaten Helik¡¯s ice spear and then instantly blinked out of existence, but when he tested it against normal spells the hole would eat up a great deal of magic before it was destroyed. How much of this was the fault of sigils against sigils and how much of it was just the power behind the spells he couldn¡¯t be sure. Once he reached the men he cut them off at the knees and then swung around again to start taking their arms. He then sealed their wounds with fire and skewered them with their swords, making. With them unable to resist, he took their bands off, analyzing the magic, it was simple, shockingly so. The bands were keys, and the array had a lock, anyone who took the time to notice how the very faintly enchanted cloth could replicate that same signal. At least, Harlan believed it was simple, the reality was that he was good at these kinds of things, and while he took less than a minute, most others his age might spend 10 or more before being able to replicate it without fault. Yet he didn¡¯t want to make the key and go through the array. He originally planned on using the men as a lightning rod and casting a spell that would discharge the electricity through the swords he stabbed into the still living men. But now he had a better idea. He walked into the array with the band in his hand and the array suddenly wasn¡¯t as obscured. From there it was fairly easy for him to flip the system. To make sure that he had done it right, he put the bands back on the men and tossed them inside, where they were quickly electrocuted. Then he stepped in, without the band, and the array didn¡¯t activate. It took more time than just going through, but he already saw how many died trying to get out through the front gate, and when, or if reinforcements arrived, no matter the side, it was worth the time. He started moving through the halls, looking for minds that he recognized. Had he known Adina was in the infirmary, there would¡¯ve been no hesitation in his destination, but the first mind he felt was Selen. Chapter 265: The Academy Slaughter 3 Harlan gladly listened to every order he received. Go here, send this person here, bring this squad back, send supplies here. ¡°Changeling, gate 200 north, 300 east, they need your help.¡± He went through the gate and came out in the sky. The wyvern hunting squads didn¡¯t just hunt single targets, mostly because there was no such thing as a single target during a wyvern swarm. They were a rare event, and nobody knew exactly why they would seemingly throw themselves at civilization without regard for their lives. Even when mages of the past managed to bribe a conversation out of a survivor, the wyvern¡¯s themselves didn¡¯t understand it, they simply felt compelled to rush south. The most common reason given was that they felt fear, but sometimes they would say that they suddenly felt ravenous hunger or an uncontainable aggression. Harlan landed on the back of one of the smaller wyverns and clawed off one of the wings, tendrils came from his back and stole them, sending the beast to the ground. As the wyvern¡¯s arms were also their wings, the creature was barely able to stand anymore, its body wasn¡¯t meant to stand without its wings acting as balancers. It tried to support itself on a tree, but it only made it easier for Harlan to dive down and cut its neck nearly in two, his blade unfortunately not having the length for a full decapitation. He left it to bleed out, even if he was powerful, there was no sense in getting near the flailing beast that weighed over a ton and had scales like steel. After adjusting the size of the wings, Harlan moved quickly through the sky, to the leader of the archmagi. ¡°What do I need to do?¡± ¡°Leave the greater wyverns to us, we need you to take out the small fry who keep interrupting our spells.¡± Harlan left with a great flap of his wings. When he encountered the nearest wyvern it was a basic unaligned one, but blue veins on its scales showed it was starting to become water alignment, meaning it wasn¡¯t more than five years of age, but not less than four. He spun around and used earth imbibing to harden his entire body, including his new wings, piercing the chest of the beast like a bullet. Unfortunately while he broke in, he lacked the speed to get all the way through. He became stuck, funnily enough, in the rib cage, and the beast whose heart was destroyed plummeted to the ground below. One of the other archmagi wanted to help him, but the leader told him to ignore it. Harlan emerged not 15 seconds after it hit the ground, and a few minutes after that, the wyvern got back up as well. Having died so recently, the mana in its body had yet to fully dissipate, so his gem quickly filled the void where the soul was and took hold of it. It took to the sky alongside him despite the gaping hole in its chest. When Harlan repeated his trick, he added wind imbibing. Fire makes one stronger, but Harlan was using his weight and speed to break through, being able to throw a stronger punch would mean little in this case. The wyvern grabbed the dead body and glided while Harlan waited for the gem to activate. Harlan¡¯s plan was not to keep adding more wyverns to his group, instead he wanted to fuse them together. He was certain that what he was doing was alright as he added proper arms to the wyvern along with increasing its size. It wasn¡¯t alright to make a dragon, but it was alright to make a flesh golem that resembled a dragon. Unfortunately, or fortunately, as he was supposed to keep the lesser wyverns away from the archmagi who were charging much larger spells to take out the greater wyverns, the appearance of a dragon, even a false one, sent them into a frenzy. The Dragonoids held traits which were draconic, and for wyverns it was envy and rage. The poor traits of their opposites, the drakes, was their slothful and stubborn inclination. Harlan¡¯s false dragon let out fire from its two heads and four lungs as well as throwing out punches and kicks, but two dozen wyverns had descended on it and there was only so much that could be done. Still, it wasn¡¯t a loss. It was for the false dragon, it had been torn apart, but it had killed a dozen of them and gave Harlan the time to prepare something big. The spiralized void warspell broke through the mass of wyverns with ease, killing another five, then as they rushed forward, a gate opened to redirect the spell back to the group and took out another four. With three wyverns which were young but elementally aligned on his tail, Harlan tried to get some distance. They snapped their jaws and let out their flames, or ice and lightning in these cases, but wyverns did not work together, they just happened to be near one another fighting the same target. One of them grazed another and started fighting, this small distraction let Harlan slip right between those two and the third, who let out a black bile, an Acid Wyvern. When it struck their scales they let out a literally deafening roar that popped Harlan¡¯s ears and broke his equilibrium, sending him to the ground as he couldn¡¯t control the direction of his flight. Had they any sense, they would¡¯ve let out their elemental breaths and Harlan would¡¯ve died or at least been seriously injured, instead, they shot their breath at the Acid Wyvern who harmed them. As they dove down to devour its flesh they argued in their clicking tongue, how a wyvern would speak before it was evolved enough to use language, and went back to fighting one another. By the time Harlan recovered the Ice Wyvern had won out over the Lightning but was mortally wounded. He couldn¡¯t help but scoff. When The North was reclaimed by humanity, led by Sepul, the wyverns had tried to work together sometimes, but it always just made things easier. Even a greater wyvern, with intellect on par or above humans, was a petty creature, and betrayal was just what they did. The trait which all dragonoids had to some extent, which could on occasion overcome the others, was greed. He opened a gate and moved the wyverns to the body of the false dragon. It would take time for it to be pieced back together and for the other parts to be added onto it. The other archmagi touched down, having killed their targets. ¡°Good work. Now, could I barter for some of those scales? Surely you don¡¯t need them all.¡± ¡°For now, I¡¯d like to send this thing against the other wyverns. But when this is over, I can part it back out, though the flesh would all be mixed together.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°How long until it is done?¡± ¡°Considering the heavy modification, even by using up all of the gems I have on myself, half an hour at least.¡± ¡°An eternity in a fight like this.¡± ¡°I need to get back to Wyrmhold, take this.¡± Harlan handed the leader of the group a communicator, its shell made from wyvern bone and its string made of tendons. ¡°And this is?¡± ¡°It will listen to your commands if you talk into that, but try to keep it simple, this thing isn¡¯t going to be very smart and at its size moving isn¡¯t what I made it for.¡± ¡°What did you make it for.¡± ¡°Spewing elemental breath. Keep it in a straight line and it should cut through just about everything. Keep in mind what heads it has.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you just use it?¡± ¡°Because I need to gate others around, keeping this with a strike team will be more useful.¡± Harlan waited a moment. ¡°And if you use it, I want half of anything it kills.¡± The man hesitated, but shook Harlan¡¯s hand anyway. Back in Wyrmhold Harlan went to receive more orders, but was told that there was a disagreement between the Archmage and the Commander from Ragne regarding where to send their forces. Divinationists cooperatively cast massive spells that covered hundreds of miles, their goal was to find the unmarked villages, no map in The Frontier could really be called finished, they came and went by the month. When he entered the tent things were tense. ¡°I SAID SEND THEM HERE.¡± ¡°LEAVE THEM.¡± ¡°THEY ARE STILL PEOPLE.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°SHUT UP.¡± When the two men recognized Harlan, they apologized. ¡°Is there something I can do, considering my ties to both sides here.¡± ¡°No, not you.¡± ¡°Yes, this man intends to leave every Fomorian village to their fate.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already lost enough human villages, I¡¯m not letting you send my men to be killed by those monsters when they can be helping to move people instead. No offense, Sir Fomoria.¡± ¡°Some taken, but I agree. Archmage, whoever you are, Fomorians should be considered a threat until proven otherwise, it would be a waste to send soldiers or mages there instead of sending them to evacuate the other villages first. They¡¯ve been locked into these lands for centuries, during which other wyvern swarms have happened, if they lived before, they can do it again.¡± Harlan tapped on the map table. ¡°You are sure there are villages in these locations?¡± ¡°These other locations are ones that are shielded from divinations, which means someone who doesn¡¯t want to be found. This could mean old sites from the ancient Renioan Empire, but it is much more likely that they are Fomorian villages since we know there is human-like beings there.¡± ¡°If they are shielded, how did you find them?¡± ¡°When a dozen archmagi and another two dozen mages cast a spell like that, nothing is really shielded.¡± ¡°Commander, are any of these sites owned by Ragne.¡± ¡°I cannot comment, considering our company. And you, you are not allowed to ever say anything about these findings.¡± ¡°Archmage, ignore them, focus on finding evacuating villages that we know about.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t order me to do anything, we are here to reach an agreement on how to deploy the next wave of forces.¡± ¡°I am not ordering you as an archmage, I am ordering you as The Queen¡¯s Blade. This is a joint operation, archmagi come here to get paid in coin and material, Ragne lets you take whatever you kill so long as you follow orders. Commander, where do I need to send people?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll write out the rest soon, but for now, I need gates here, here and here, then one here in the south to pick up more supplies.¡± The archmage wasn¡¯t happy, but he wasn¡¯t going to argue the point. They considered archmagi to be above soldiers, to be above militaries, to be nations unto themselves. He considered Harlan coming in there as a military dog and swinging around his title to be beneath him. But, Harlan was right, it was a joint operation, the archmagi were there for selfish reasons generally speaking, and even this man wasn¡¯t doing this because he cared about Fomorians, he just hoped he could convince them to go with him so he could study them. As Harlan was waiting for the men who were unloading supplies from a warehouse for the citizens who were injured or hungry, who had lost their homes, he decided to call Adina. Only there was an issue, she wasn¡¯t answering. Not a problem, he just needed to contact the others. Yet nobody answered, moreover, they didn¡¯t just not answer, the call never went through. Harlan spoke to the other mages and asked them to try contacting anyone they knew who was still at the academy, but nobody could get through. Suddenly terrifying thoughts ran through their minds. From Harlan¡¯s report when Charlotte was nearly assassinated, the only thing they knew that would do that over an area was Fae magic. The important question was if it was a Fae directly, or if someone had bartered with one of the fair folk for a magical item. Harlan rushed back to the tent. ¡°Do we have anyone who can confirm the state of the academy?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nobody can contact anyone in the academy. Can you send any message that can confirm what is happening there?¡± The archmage and the commander both started making calls, but Hirum only had a few moments of peace before he needed to rush back into the fight, and all he could say was that the building was standing. How he knew this wasn¡¯t important, so Harlan left it unasked. ¡°We can¡¯t spare many forces, Harlan, check on the academy and report back if you need reinforcements. Worse case we leave The Frontier to its fate for however long it takes us to reclaim the academy. I pray that this isn¡¯t what it seems, the archmagi are already tired, and we can¡¯t have them leave active fights, so any help will be delayed.¡± Harlan found that he couldn¡¯t gate anywhere near the academy. So he went to Borden and started flying as fast he could with the wyvern wings boosting his speed. A dozen miles out from the academy when he encountered an ambush, a quickly constructed fortress across the road had been cloaked from sight, and which attacked outside of his mental senses range. A hail of spells fired on him, and he couldn¡¯t gate away, it could form now that he was in this space, but it was distorted and he couldn¡¯t tell where in the area it would even send him. It was however better than being hit by the attacks headed his way. The assassins were unsure if their attacks had connected, but when the smoke cleared they saw no body. They kept an open eye, but he was gone. Harlan didn¡¯t want to leave it there, but he also didn¡¯t want to spend the time it would take to kill them. Harlan flew up and away from the academy until he could connect to Rosewell first, as many of the students were the heirs of nobles, and then he contacted the archmage who was coordinating the other archmagi handling the wyvern swarm to warn them about an unknown enemy force that had clearly prepared a large attack if the fortress was anything to go by. When he reached the front of the building he absorbed the wyvern wings to recharge his mana, they wouldn¡¯t be of much use inside. As he walked inside he noticed the array and tried to determine its use. Judging by the bodies, it electrocuted people. Harlan didn¡¯t have time to figure out the best way through, so he backed up and jumped through it. He expected to get a shock but roll through to the otherside, instead, he felt the array check him for something and then ignore him. He didn¡¯t have time to contemplate this, he just kept running towards the infirmary. He encountered a tall man with blue skin and horns that was cutting down students and soldiers alike. Misunderstanding the situation, he jumped in to fight the man and save the students. The man however was fast, and the gauntlets he wore could block the black blade. ¡°I AM NOT YOUR ENEMY.¡± ¡°YOU ARE BUTCHERING THESE PEOPLE.¡± ¡°DON¡¯T CLAIM YOU HAVEN¡¯T DONE SO BEFORE.¡± Both sides tried to use skip to get around the other, and from the outside it just looked like the two men were rapidly teleporting around the hall, each clash of their weapons let out a dull sound of bone on bone. By the 20th skip, the tall man decided to just take the blade head on, quite literally. As the blade was deflected by the black horns of the blue man he spun his body while holding Harlan¡¯s arm and tore it from the socket. ¡°LET ME EXPLAIN.¡± The shock of losing a limb forced Harlan to stop, and the man tossed it back to him. Once it was back on his body Harlan just shook away the odd feeling. ¡°Those with yellow bands are enemies, they are Reinoans and traitors from Ragne, if this is led by Reino or if it is a coup against them I don¡¯t know.¡± With Harlan¡¯s mind clearing up again he noticed that the man felt wrong, his mind was like his own, a black hole that demanded one to acknowledge it but to also turn away once they had. ¡°Who sent you?¡± ¡°Who do you think? Now, come, there is much to be done still, your wife is here, is she not?¡± The two made their way towards the infirmary, both had sensed Hellon and figured she would know where to find Adina. Provided of course they reached her before the numerous people they could sense around her killed her. Chapter 266: The Academy Slaughter 4 It was hard to ignore that the man felt so much like him, but he fought no less than Harlan to get to Adina. The man hung back for a moment, letting Harlan move ahead and take more focus from the enemies. When he rushed forward again he struck one of the soldiers, splitting his body in two, but at the same time, the blood between the two halves was turned to crystal. As the man¡¯s corpse flew down the hall the blade made from blood crystal cut down the other soldiers, and when it did break, the shards kept going forward. With the hall clear, it was a straight shot to Hellon, though enemies came from the halls to her left and right as well. He cast a spell to reduce friction and then put his hands behind his back, letting out a stream of air to speed down the hall. He slid left and then right, then as he reached the mouth of the hall he went left again, holding his arms out to the side. When he turned his hover off suddenly he was two tons of flesh and metal moving at high speeds. Men simply splattered against him. He could¡¯ve made his way through more of them by taking a sharper form, but his intent was to slow himself down rather than slam into the wall. When he came to a stop there were only a few soldiers remaining, they stared at him, dumbstruck by the sudden turn of events, unable to react to the first assault or to what came next. The man, still dripping with blood, used water magic to form cutting blades from the bodies of the freshly dead. Waves of slicing red finished the last of the men. The blue man turned his attention to the soldiers on the other side of the hall who had more time to react, and quickly began pulling moisture from the air to create the ice and then carving into it. With the incredibly high levels of ambient mana in the area, it took only moments for the simple enchantments to activate. Yet they did nothing to stop the man¡¯s attack. He drew a sigil, beam, and it harmlessly passed through the wall, then harmfully passed through the men. As he flicked his finger in different directions the beam would shift left and right. They tried to move the ice wall forward as an attack, but as they tried to push, he crashed into the wall and the force combined with him fighting for control over the spell caused him to push the wall back towards them, crushing the remaining soldiers. Harlan reached the entrance to the medical wing as the black faded away from the man. He fell to a knee and his sweat began steaming off of him. ¡°I need cooling magic.¡± ¡°How cold?¡± ¡°Freezing.¡± Hellon remained in front of the door and recovered. Ever since the last batch of students made their way to safety the enemy realized that she was trying to amass them, either for safety or for a counter attack, they couldn¡¯t let that happen either way. ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡± ¡°The Darkness sent him.¡± The tall man laid naked on the floor under an array to cool his core temperature. ¡°Turn into a monster, something is coming.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t just do that anymore, I need time to prepare.¡± ¡°I have the solution. You do know how to separate your soul like a Fenrir, yes?¡± ¡°In theory, but I abandoned the method.¡± ¡°You can do it, let me explain.¡± Once the man put his clothes back on Harlan couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Your clothes and armor, they are just like mine.¡± ¡°Now, I will draw a sigil, breathe in the mist. When under the effects of the sigil you will feel far less pain, enough that you can safely remake your body. But you must be able to remove the sigil from your soul, otherwise you will overheat, and your soul will burn up.¡± ¡°Do it.¡± The man smiled, to Hellon it seemed threatening, but to Harlan it seemed like they understood one another. Harlan felt the heat in his chest, and he tried to shift himself. It hurt, but it was like a pinprick, a cut, holding his hand to the fire for a moment, he could bear it. He shifted his body into the form he used during the training camp so long ago, that he used against Amber and her squad. Though now he replaced the nerve agent with an acid. The man admired the form, running his cool hands along the black boneplate that covered his back in a stripe. ¡°This will work. Woman, is there a way for you to turn the wards and arrays back on?¡± ¡°My name is Hellon. And yes, they are held in items in the walls, they can be turned off but by being anchored they wouldn¡¯t possibly have the time to actually dispel them.¡± ¡°On that note, may I know dispel? It would be a great help now.¡± She looked nervous. ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t or won¡¯t?¡± ¡°Dispel isn¡¯t a normal magic.¡± ¡°Very well, how do we turn the academy''s defenses back on?¡± ¡°I need to use my ring to enter the main security room and then I can use my personal passcode to turn them back on. Unless they were shut off by someone higher ranked than me, the arrays, the wards, and the golems will all turn back on.¡± ¡°Hmm. I did notice they did not roam the halls, and I saw no bodies. Champion, go with her, once this gate disruption array is gone I can get your wife away from here.¡± ¡°You go with her, I¡¯ll go see my wife.¡± ¡°No, I need to hold them off.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t feel them?¡± The man looked down the hall which they came from and a figure slowly moved forward. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Its shape was human from a distance, but despite it being midday, the hallway was dark, and all one could make out was its alabaster skin. It wore no clothes, but it also lacked any distinguishing sexual traits. ¡°Go.¡± Harlan followed after Hellon, leaving the tall man to face down the slowly approaching thing. They run down the halls with Hellon shouting directions and them trying to help as many of the students as they could, but only those directly in their path, both of them knew that they would save more lives by turning the defenses back on rather than getting caught in a chain of seeing one person and then rushing to save the next and the next until they were far from their destination. Still, Harlan sent bolts of lighting down the halls to give the students a fighting chance better than they had before. The security room wasn¡¯t marked, from the outside it seemed like it was a janitor''s closet. But outside of it stood one of the Ascended, it had a dozen arms of different sizes, some limp and frail to the point they were unusable. Around the Ascended were a few dozen soldiers, making it clear that they were defending this room quite harshly. Hellon and Harlan flew up to the ceiling and Harlan put them under an invisibility veil. ¡°I thought those things couldn¡¯t leave Reino¡¯s true border?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but that thing looks like one of them. The thing we left that man to fight was probably another one of them.¡± ¡°What do you know about them?¡± ¡°Frightfully little. They very greatly in strength, most have either unique or just rarely seen abilities. That thing might toss out a hundred spells in an instant, it might flip the gravity in the entire hall, or it could make damage dealt to it go back to whoever hit it. Even the appearance of it doesn¡¯t mean anything.¡± ¡°So I need to either drag out a fight to learn how to beat it, or hit it with something so powerful that it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see how you read that from my words.¡± Harlan had a rather simple idea. Life was for the living, the dead had no right to flesh. Five minutes later a featureless giant slug-like being started to crawl around the corner. It wasn¡¯t long before they noticed what it was made from. Not fully absorbed faces and limbs stuck from the mass of flesh, they had the same look as when they died, terror. The soldiers began to hit the abomination with acid and fire, the Ascended rapidly grew from its weak form and into a mass of rippling muscle, but it cast no spell. It stood there and watched. It just moved closer and close, until eventually it cross some threshold and the Ascended decided that now it needed to be involved. It punched and kicked at the thing to get it down the hall, and as it kept going the thing started to balloon. Finally, one of the strikes pierced it, and the halls became flooded with a black smog. Harlan and Hellon moved several halls down and around another corner, he warned of the likely damage from what he was doing. His chest was distended, the slug was not his body, but rather, a lung, one which was generating the explosive gas he gained by taking the lungs of a wyvern. Dragonfire had certain anti-magic properties, and could break down the defenses of the Ascended, in theory, depending on what the source of the power was, or what the power was. As Harlan was ignorant of both, he simply wished for the best, and that this would at least hurt it and kill all of the soldiers. ¡°CLOSE THE SHIELD, NOW.¡± Harlan sent the signal and set off the smog, and as he did he also severed his distended lung and moved it out of the ice dome with telekinesis. Black flames filled their sight. After a full minute, the fire instantly vanished as if it was never there, the only signs being the the scorch marks on the floor and the smell of fire so strong in the air that they had to use air purifying spells just to breath. ¡°What in the hell was that?¡± Harlan was huffing and puffing as he removed the sigil from his soul, the black boneplate on his back turned to scales and he leaned against the ice dome. ¡°The sigil¡­ I was stronger¡­ not normal dragonfire¡­¡± He pulled the heat from the ice dome somewhat slowly, too much too fast and he would just send his body into shock and cause more damage. After a few minutes they made their way down the halls. The marble and stone was enchanted by Marigold herself around the original academy, before it was repeatedly expanded, so while it survived Harlan¡¯s attack, nothing else had; the halls were nothing but bare stone. Where once there were bodies and blood and weapons that fell to the ground, there was nothing, not even slag from the metal. As Harlan trotted forward, unable to really sprint anymore, they heard a loud crashing sound from back nearer to the medical wing. ¡°Should we head back?¡± ¡°I trust that man. We should just focus on the defenses and find out how they are blocking communication and gates.¡± When they rounded the corner they saw the only thing that had survived the flames, the Ascended. ¡°How in the hell did Breken kill one of these things?¡± It was reduced to little more than charred flesh and bone, many of its limbs had been completely destroyed, and it was in no state to stand under its own strength let alone fight. Had he not mental senses, he would¡¯ve assumed that it was dead. He put his paw on its head and turned hover off. With the core in its head destroyed, the Ascended turned to dust. The door to the security room was gone, Marigold had built the skeleton of the academy from marble and stone, but the door itself was something added later and even with her enchantments it was wood. But It had slowed down the fire, considering some of the bodies inside of the security room remained. Hellon pushed one of the bodies out of a chair and used her ring and passcode to start turning everything back on. Then a presence entered the room. Harlan struck at her with his stingers, but they vanished. They were not cut off, they were not unshifted, they simply weren¡¯t. He could feel them moving around, he could flex them, but they weren¡¯t there, the blood inside of the limb leading to the stingers flowed normally. ¡°Nemain, I shouldn¡¯t be surprised.¡± ¡°Let us confer.¡± ¡°Leave this place you Fae warmon-¡± ¡°Silence.¡± Hellon¡¯s voice was gone, but only for a moment, and when she tried to speak again, Harlan shook his head. There would be little sense in sharing words with a Fae that were not in the form of an exchange. ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± ¡°A deal.¡± ¡°Of which sort?¡± ¡°Let this happen.¡± ¡°Clarify.¡± ¡°Without the next, those before shall be thrown to chaos, the nation which survives only on mercy of its neighbor shall take what blame is rightly given, and shall fall. In these free days of weakness in nations, new shall spring from the blood, those of the night, those of fur and horn, they might rise to equality.¡± ¡°Or I could save as many as I can here and then make a plea to Rosewell myself that False Undead should be given direct positions of nobility.¡± ¡°And what if I would promise safety for you and yours on this day? A release from this place?¡± ¡°Harlan, you know she is tricking you, if she hasn¡¯t just taken what she wanted there is a reason.¡± ¡°Mayhaps I¡¯ve simply plans which this child may help?¡± He didn¡¯t say no, so she looked him in the eyes and forced him to sight dozens of possible futures. There could be thousands where he succeeds, and these are the only ones which he failed, but, seeing Adina¡¯s death, or the death of his newborn, they couldn¡¯t be ignored. Harlan paced back and forth, the only thing holding Hellon¡¯s tongue was what Nemain would do to her if she spoke too freely. ¡°How will you keep us all safe?¡± ¡°You would be granted a royal welcome in the land of my people for 24 hours, and not a second more. Once this deal is concluded, you would return to your home.¡± ¡°What guarantee do I have that you will do what you say?¡± ¡°Shall we seal this with a kiss? My word is bond, but a pact of lips and tongue would not be broken.¡± ¡°Harlan, don¡¯t do this.¡± ¡°Everyone has a choice, but how many of those choices are real? We can do whatever we want, but we cannot choose the consequences for our actions. I won¡¯t make the choice to gamble the life of my wife and child.¡± Harlan returned the void mist to his soul and shifted back into a human. He walked right to Nemain confidently and grabbed her by the chin, leaning into a deep kiss. She put forth the pact, and he could feel it waiting to be let into his soul, every clause was laid out before him. But instead, he grabbed her by the head, forcing her still as she fought back, and a clicking was heard. Nemain turned to a flock of crows, but void flame burned her lungs and throat, his attack weakened her enough that she wouldn¡¯t interfere again, not for some time. With her gone Harlan coughed up blood and smoke. His body was starting to burn up, and he stumbled over to the bodies in the room, subsuming them. They slowed the fire, but this body was still going to die. He moved to Hellon and gave her a short message through soulspeak before he left this body. Chapter 267: The Academy Slaughter Final Harlan watched his Otherself and Hellon run down the hall before he turned to face the monster in front of him. He was certain that the ascended shouldn¡¯t be allowed to get so far from Reino and whatever magic bound them there, but considering everything, Fae involvement wasn¡¯t a shock. As he told his Otherself to before, he began to shift. His form was rather simple, he added bone plates across his body, lengthened his teeth, added a tail with a club on the end, and gave himself an extra set of arms on his back just for casting spells. He wasn¡¯t sure what this thing was going to do, or what it could do, so he didn¡¯t want to go too far in his transformation. The ascended continued to just walk towards him at a leisurely pace until it was roughly 10 feet from Harlan. It held a catching pole in its left hands, as it had three arms, one on the right, two on the left. It lacked any definition between the neck and head, its eyes were haphazardly placed around the cylindrical head with a flat top, and he couldn¡¯t see a mouth on it. Its body was mostly human, but its skin was so tight that one could see every muscle cord tighten and loosen, not an ounce of fat on it. It took a combat stance and inched forward. He knew very little about the Ascended, but they at least shouldn¡¯t be able to shift its body, it should still work within physical limits, unlike Harlan, who could change according to his needs. Harlan made the first move, keeping a wide stance and only using one hand so the other would be free for catching the pole. It spun the rod and deflected Harlan¡¯s punch. The Ascended was far stronger than he expected, and while it couldn¡¯t break Harlan¡¯s plates, it had the power and speed to knock his arm out of the way and then grab his leg. When the open end of the pole encompassed his leg it locked into a closed circle. With his leg locked in the pole the Ascended lifted him over its head and slammed him into the marble floor. When it tried to do so again, Harlan deactivated hover while overhead and the Ascended couldn¡¯t hold him up, but it was quick thinking, and braced the butt of the pole against the floor. Harlan tried to use flight to shift his position and twist the arms of the Ascended, but it opened the circle completely, making it seem like just a normal pole. Harlan hit the floor but it didn¡¯t take advantage, rather it backed away and observed. It was the right call, but Harlan couldn¡¯t tell if it just had good combat instincts or if it was smart. If it had gotten closer he would¡¯ve smashed its head with his tail. Both of them just stared the other down. It spun the pole around, not having any real effect, it was simply a tic of the person who was turned into the Ascended bleeding through. It quickly cast a lightning bolt, and Harlan quickly countered, the bolt was drawn to his fingertips and he swiped it away, sending the bolt harmlessly into the wall. The eyes of the monster narrowed and both of them began to circle around one another, throwing out the occasional spell just to test the others reaction. A group of soldiers wearing yellow bands came around the corner to help, but when they drew near Harlan just fired a barrage of bolts at them, more than they could deflect or block and of many elements. He was hoping to have drawn the Ascended to attack so he could let out another spell at close range. Instead it continued to watch. Harlan let out a blast of sound and hid under a powerful veil to avoid it blowing out his ears. The Ascended grasped its head and backed closer to the wall. Harlan rushed out of the veil to follow up, yet it immediately countered the attack by holding out the pole and bracing against the wall. It lacked the power to break Harlan¡¯s plates easily, but Harlan¡¯s leap mixed with it shaping the tip of the pole into a bident broke through, though because of changes to his organs, the points slide past rather than puncture them. With the pole through Harlan¡¯s chest it then shifted again into a halfdome on both ends, then the pole shortened to press against his chest, weighing him down and restricting his movement. Harlan swung his tail over his head, and let loose more spells he had at the ready from the hands on his back. The Ascended jumped back and let out its own spells to counter Harlan¡¯s. It grabbed hold of Harlan¡¯s head and all of the eyes focused on him. Harlan and the Ascended were frozen in the hall, soldiers rushed past them. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we kill him?¡± ¡°If Mindkiller has him trapped, it means he isn¡¯t sure about killing him in an outright fight. Do you really want to be the one to wake that monster up?¡± Harlan headbutt the Ascended when it tried to attack his mind, once it was stunned he just needed a few solid hits to kill it. He stood over the body of the creature and thought that it seemed too easy, but that wasn¡¯t the important part. He saw soldiers rushing past him into the medical wing and he moved at breakneck speeds to deal with them. He ran through the men, tooth and claw killed anything that got in his way. He felt powerful. Harlan stepped into the infirmary, Adina was there with the newborn. ¡°I missed you.¡± ¡°You must have me mistaken for someone else.¡± ¡°Harlan, I missed you.¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯ve always known when you are around. Do you want to hold her?¡± He moved forward and held the newborn. Dawn and Darrath entered the room. ¡°Papa, is that my new sister?¡± The Ascended only have a vague idea of who the people in Harlan¡¯s mind were, that there were two Dawns, and it picked the wrong one, as well as bringing in Darrath, those were simple mistakes, the idea that this man was from outside of the veil never even crossed the Ascended¡¯s mind. That Harlan had a way to easily break the mental cage was also something which it did not understand. Harlan focused all of his emotions, heightening them to the point that he flew between suicidal depression and world ending rage in an instant. As the creature tried to maintain a hold on his mind there was an intense blowback and it stumbled back in reality, its grip on him broken. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Harlan quickly reined his emotions back under control, but even at baseline, his anger was at a fever pitch. He skipped forward, leaving after images. The Ascended couldn¡¯t react to the heavy blows that landed on its stomach. In another instant he had it against the wall, with one hand he held its head, with the other he was plucking out its eyes one by one. He let it drop down to the ground, then he rose into the air as it tried to crawl away. With a gravity spell and no hover, he dropped down with full force, bisecting it. He started to pry the transforming pole from his body, but it was not soulsmithed, it was something Fae in origin, Instead he shifted his own body to push it out. When it clinked against the ground he picked it back up, he thought it would be an interesting object of study. He could feel his body burning up, his heart was beating in his ears. The void mist made him strong, and in bursts it was completely safe, but in a longer fight like this it could prove fatal for him just as his enemy. He shifted his body, adding vent holes in his back and returning to his base form. Soldiers had moved in during the fight, and he could see them amassing in the hall outside of the first infirmary room. His body was burning up with a fever, but the fire in his mind was hotter still. He rushed forward, each strike tore men in two, each spell bored holes through them more than just the first target. Harlan didn¡¯t remember the fight, just that he started at one end of the hall and then was at the other, covered in gore. He took a deep breath and returned to the door on the other end of the hall. Harlan moved with confidence and with his hands up. Adina was in labor and Ximena was delivering the baby. Claude raised his blade to Harlan. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°So many have asked that today¡­ I am just a man, nothing more. The champion and a woman have moved to turn the defenses back on. Golden, would you like assistance?¡± ¡°You are talking to me now.¡± ¡°Boy, do not presume to threaten me.¡± Adina screamed out. ¡°LET HIM HELP.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t even know who-¡± She grit her teeth and stared at Claude, without a word he understood her message. Harlan moved to Ximena. ¡°How long has it been?¡± ¡°Not long, but she isn¡¯t a normal human. I think we can have this done in another 30 minutes.¡± ¡°Very good.¡± Eventually the arrays and wards and golems turned back on, the gate and communication disrupting spells were bound to stones inside of the security room which Hellon broke. The halls were quickly flooded with archmagi and soldiers from every nation. The enemies removed their yellow bands, but everyone was being detained regardless of whatever protests they cried out. Ragne, Reino, The Confederacy, none of them had authority here, not compared to the academy staff and the archmagi who left these nations. Hellon returned to the infirmary room. ¡°Where is Harlan?¡± Claude asked. ¡°He died.¡± ¡°How bad?¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be back, I hope.¡± ¡°The champion is alive.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°I do.¡± He couldn¡¯t say it, but he was confident that if he died he would just know. It wasn¡¯t based on anything, but if Dawn and him had an unexplainable link, it would seem sensible that he would have one with his Otherself. As Harlan pulled the baby from Adina, Dawn arrived. She looked at him and he looked at her. ¡°Harlan? Why do you look like that?¡± ¡°You are mistaken, I am not the champion.¡± She didn¡¯t know why he was hiding it, but she went along with him. ¡°My mistake then.¡± He checked the child for any injury and snipped the umbilical cord with a windblade along his fingers. As he cradled her in his arms and continued to check her for any other issues using his spells, he couldn¡¯t help but feel it. His blood ran through her veins, but this was not his child. He quickly handed her off to Adina, who was sweating and weak. ¡°Woman, bring her a tonic, something lighter on the stomach.¡± Hellon ignored how rude he was being and looked through the cabinets for one. As she did, archmagi came in and started to round up the students. ¡°CLEAR THE ROOM, EVERYONE MUST REPORT FOR QUESTIONING.¡± ¡°I am Hellon, healing teacher and divination teacher. I need to stay for my patient, she is the wife of Archmage Changeling.¡± She showed her teachers ring as well as pointed to her robes as proof. ¡°You may stay then. EVERYONE ELSE, FOLLOW US.¡± With all of the students out Claude, Claudia, Yara, and Ximena were still there. ¡°All students, come with us.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, go with the archmage.¡± ¡°And who is that?¡± ¡°An agent of The Darkness, he helped us to fight off the enemies, he even killed an Ascended in one on one combat.¡± That got a raised eyebrow from the man, and he had to call someone who was more involved in the actual command structure in the case of emergencies to figure out what to do. In the end, he was to be left alone until Hirum or Sepul arrived to figure it out. With just the three of them, no, the four of them in the room, Adina was crying as she held her daughter. ¡°She¡¯s so perfect.¡± ¡°She has her mothers eyes.¡± ¡°And her fathers nose.¡± Harlan remained away from them, he didn¡¯t even want to look. ¡°Hellon, can you just¡­ go out for a little bit?¡± ¡°Are you sure you want to be alone with him?¡± ¡°I think it would be pointless to remain alone with you and the child, the woman should stay.¡± ¡°My name is-¡± ¡°Hellon, please. You, stay here, I want to thank you, we might not be alive if you hadn¡¯t arrived.¡± Hellon remained outside, though with all of the windows broken there wasn¡¯t much privacy anyway. ¡°You can put up a veil if you¡¯d like.¡± Harlan snapped his fingers and one was up, and not a weak one either. ¡°Do you want to hold her?¡± ¡°I am death, there is no sense in-¡± ¡°Harlan, please, I know you want to.¡± ¡°I am not the champion, I am¡­ just a man.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t lie to me. I know you aren¡¯t my Harlan, but I can just feel it, you are him, another him. Did he make a copy of himself? Is that why you can¡¯t admit it? Because it is outlawed.¡± ¡°I have no idea what you mean.¡± ¡°Can you look me in the eyes and deny it?¡± He looked at her, the sunlight beaming through the windows lighting her face along with her daughter, her eyes seemed to shine like emeralds. The reality was that she looked awful, she was drenched in sweat, her eyes were red and bloodshot, she was pale and drained. But to Harlan, none of that mattered. ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ I shouldn¡¯t be here.¡± ¡°I can tell, you are hurting. What happened?¡± ¡°When I held her, do you know what I felt?¡± ¡°Love.¡± ¡°I feel everything that I cannot have. I have a son, not by blood, but I sent him away. I said it was to keep him safe, but that is a lie, I did it so he didn¡¯t see what I will become. The thought crossed my mind that I should kill the Harlan here and take his life, but to do that would be to abandon my people to death at the hands of my enemies. This place, these people, these are not mine, not anymore. I have my child, I have my mother, I had my love, now I have my duty, and that is what will drive me.¡± ¡°What was her name?¡± ¡°Viviane, Vivi¡­¡± She pulled him, trying to get a hug, but he resisted. ¡°It¡¯s ok, you can be here, just for a little bit, you can let it out. I know being alone isn¡¯t what you are made for.¡± ¡°Thank you for helping me get closure. Now I think I can really let go.¡± He pried her hand from his wrist. ¡°You aren¡¯t a stoic, you can¡¯t pretend that you are. You¡¯ll just build up until you break down again.¡± ¡°Maybe, but when I do, I¡¯ll take millions of my enemies with me. Goodbye, I hope you and I never meet again.¡± He stepped back into a void gate. All he could feel was the warmth of the newborn''s life. A maid came to check if he was back every 10 minutes. ¡°Mercedes has requested that you-¡± ¡°I need to rest, can this wait for at least a half day?¡± ¡°A man claiming to be Edmond Dantes has arrived, and while he hasn¡¯t done anything yet, people are anxious.¡± ¡°Tell Mercedes to try handling it on her own, she may use my Otherselves as she sees fit.¡± Chapter 268: Aftermath Harlan rushed from the grave where he kept the body under stasis. Was it morally wrong to dig up someone else''s grave and then use enchanting and soulsmithing to make a safe storage place for a spare body? Of course. Did Harlan care much? No. The only reason he didn¡¯t keep this one buried out in the woods somewhere was the fear that an animal would dig it up. There was some commotion when he popped out with full armor and a back up blade in hand, but Harlan didn¡¯t care. It didn¡¯t take much time to reach the Academy again, with gates no longer being disrupted he could go almost straight to the building; the gate offices had been reactivated. Even if nobody there really knew Harlan, everyone knew Harlan¡¯s unique gate. They waved him through. He made his way through the halls and back to the infirmary, occasionally being redirected by academy staff who were identifying bodies and readying them to be sent back home. Some of the halls had parts strewn across the length of them, mostly from the tall blue man, but also some from the Ascended who were there. While Harlan and the other man killed one each, there were eight more of them on academy grounds, and they were mostly deployed to fight whichever teachers were left, the staff housing building was left as barely better than rubble. Along the way, he encountered someone he knew. That she was kneeling over a body forced him to stop, he didn¡¯t want to look, but he needed to know. He approached Selen from behind, on the ground laid a boy, not 15 years of age. ¡°Selen¡­ Is that?¡± ¡°No, Wulrun was hurt, but he will live. This is another of my students, I knew him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to leave, but-¡± ¡°I know. You¡¯ve got a newborn. I¡¯m just helping to identify the bodies, everyone gave up a blood sample, and I can smell through it all, find the bodies that they belong to.¡± Harlan walked away. When he got to the infirmary Dawn and Sepul were there as well, but oddly, Safira was also waiting. ¡°You missed the birth of your child, I¡¯m shocked. But, with you here, I should go back out, no sense in someone like me being here for clean up.¡± ¡°Did you hold her?¡± ¡°I did. I hope that we are finished in time for a celebration of a new life party.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m familiar with that.¡± ¡°Northern tradition, it comes from the fact that we no longer had our reproduction restricted by the beasts that ruled us, and the hope that by having more importance placed on that new life, it might last through childhood.¡± He didn¡¯t wait for Harlan¡¯s reply before he teleported away. Dawn gave him a hug. ¡°Shut your eyes.¡± ¡°What is wrong?¡± ¡°Why were you here already?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I saw you, that was your armor, he tickled my connection with you, but you had horns and blue skin.¡± ¡°He said that The Darkness sent him.¡± ¡°So you don¡¯t know who that was?¡± ¡°Never seen him before in my life. Are you sure that you felt something?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never had it do anything with anything else.¡± ¡°If we hug any longer things are going to look odd, we can talk more later.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad that you are alright, and I¡¯m sorry that I couldn¡¯t get in here faster, I was part of the first wave of soldiers from Ragne.¡± ¡°Along with Safira?¡± ¡°I am here to transfer you and Adina to the palace along with the rest of your family. Considering everything that has happened, Yggdra has decided that this is the best way to keep you safe.¡± ¡°Adina, are you alright with going there instead of home?¡± ¡°Just get me out of here, it smells like a slaughterhouse.¡± ¡°Safira, I would be happy to go there.¡± ¡°Very well. Please, name your child.¡± ¡°That can wait.¡± She gave him a look. ¡°Can it not wait?¡± ¡°Superstition, a newborn should be named before it is brought to others.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think you were the superstitious type.¡± ¡°Just something I picked up as a child, I know it to be nothing, but such a thing is held in my mind. Ignore that I ever mentioned it.¡± Harlan moved over to Adina and reached out for his baby, he knew as soon as he entered the room that it was a girl just by the hue of her soul. ¡°I know we thought we had a name, but it feels wrong for just me to name her.¡± ¡°I had another idea. but what were you thinking?¡± ¡°Fina, I think it sounds nice. What was the other one?¡± ¡° Viviane, Vivi.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ it does sound nice. Flip a coin?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair. Heads for Fina?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± He flipped the coin 10 times, each was tails. ¡°That is¡­¡± ¡°I know fate isn¡¯t real, but this is really strange.¡± ¡°10 flips.¡± Harlan flipped it one more time, tails. ¡°Hey there little Vivi, you are so pretty.¡± She reached out and pulled on his finger. ¡°You already have such a strong grip.¡± She started to whine and opened her eyes, a deep emerald green, but they moved like Harlan¡¯s eyes. To him they seemed like swaying fields of grass. ¡°You look like your mother.¡± ¡°I want a real bed, and I need you to give me a bath.¡± Adina sounded grouchy, her nerves were shot, she couldn¡¯t sleep, but she was tired, and he could tell that her mind was racing about something. Harlan opened the first gate, and then Safira opened the second. They bypassed the gate room and were directly in the room which Harlan stayed during his time there. ¡°Your family is occupying this entire hall, nameplates have already been set up to tell who is where.¡± ¡°How long do you intend for us to stay if you made nameplates?¡± ¡°They are just soulsmithed, can be changed repeatedly.¡± ¡°Interesting. Dawn, would you like to bathe her while I bathe Adina? You could ask my mother for help if you want.¡± ¡°Lady Safira, do I have a room here?¡± ¡°You do.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll clean her off and then bring her back, take your time.¡± Harlan walked over to her, but he felt like his arms had locked up. ¡°I¡¯m sure you want to hold her forever, but-¡± ¡°Harlan, give Vivi to Dawn and get me in the bath.¡± He cringed and forced himself to hand her over. ¡°She¡¯s so quiet. Did she cry when she was born?¡± ¡°Not much.¡± ¡°Elise cried so much when she was born, I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d ever stop.¡± He held Adina in a princess carry, opening the bathroom door with telekinesis. He set her in the tub and her clothes slipped off along with her armor. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°I¡¯ll clean those later.¡± ¡°Do you have another body running around with a free mind?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°That man, that was you, he admitted it to me.¡± ¡°Dawn said the same thing.¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t imagine that I would do something like that and not remember it unless¡­ After Redmond, I don¡¯t remember what happened that entire week.¡± ¡°No. He talked like you had been separate for longer, and he said he had a son and his own Dawn. It must¡¯ve been before she got her own body.¡± She averted her eyes. ¡°Could I really stop you from doing something terrible?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t imagine what I would be without you.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t help him, he seemed so hurt, but he pushed me away.¡± ¡°If we ever see him again, I will confront him about who he is. Until then, I don¡¯t think either of us should worry about him.¡± ¡°He is you, without me, without Dawn, without your family, without your friends.¡± ¡°The Darkness told me that I am drawn to pain and suffering, that I get wrapped up in so many messes because power that I have beyond my control pulls me to those things. Ever since I was born and Eliza died, I¡¯ve had a hunger for affection. He will find friends, I am strong and I am weak, no matter the quality of life, I am a survivor.¡± They sat there in silence, the only sounds were the movement of water as he washed her body. Dawn attempted to wash Vivi, but she fought back with more life than a newborn should have. She gave up, heading to his parents¡¯ room. ¡°Aida.¡± ¡°Dawn.¡± The two had a rather tense relationship, even after Harlan explained anything. ¡°Please, would you help me clean Vivi?¡± ¡°That is her name?¡± ¡°Viviane.¡± ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°In my room.¡± Aida rushed in, finding Vivi sitting up in the tub with water barely past her chubby little legs. ¡°YOU CAN¡¯T¡­¡± She sighed, calming herself as she picked her up. ¡°You cannot leave an infant in water, they could drown in an inch.¡± Aida moved Vivi to the sink and got a rag to wash her. Vivi began to cry. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°The water is probably too hot.¡± ¡°Or too cold.¡± ¡°Babies are very sensitive to temperature.¡± ¡°But she is Harlan¡¯s.¡± ¡°She is still a baby, Harlan didn¡¯t like hot water either, not until he was a few years old, then he¡¯d come out of the bath flushed.¡± ¡°Northern blood perhaps.¡± Aida cooled the water some by sticking her finger in and using simple touch magic. ¡°Can I help?¡± ¡°Wet the rag and scrub her, but be gentle. They spend months inside of the womb, everything is so bright and-¡± ¡°I know, bright and loud and rough. Sounds a lot like Harlan actually.¡± Aida laughed. As they cleaned Vivi together the tension lessened. ¡°Harlan explained it, but, how long have you been with him?¡± ¡°Since he was about five months old, but I only started talking to him when he was about 15 or so. Everything¡­ it all feels so long ago, some chunks of time would just pass by without me remembering them.¡± ¡°I feel like I missed so much of his life, like all of the important events passed me by.¡± ¡°I feel the same. Ever since I was conscious enough to really know him, he¡¯s been¡­ volatile. I wish I knew him better when he was just a happy little boy.¡± ¡°He liked insects, bugs would just land on him. And he spent so much time reading anything he could get his hands on that he nearly wore through whatever old papers we got for him.¡± ¡°He was always taking Autumn¡¯s magic book, he probably read it more than her.¡± ¡°You remember that?¡± ¡°Like I said, time would pass me by. I have pieces of him when he was younger, but things only really started to get clearer at 10, I think he was fighting that werewolf, and I told him to put his hands on it, I think I focused the magic for him that killed it.¡± Vivi was much happier in the water that stayed the right temperature, and she smashed her hands down, but when the water splashed, it didn¡¯t go back down. ¡°Oh, she is talented.¡± Dawn moved her fingers around, pushing and pulling on the mana but casting no spell. She followed the motes with her eyes. ¡°She can sense.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Fomorian physiology, and she probably has Adina¡¯s boon as well. She¡¯ll be good at magic, if she wants to be at least.¡± The two of them got into conversation about how she should be taught, and if they should tell Harlan about this or just let him find out for himself. As they finished drying her off, Dawn noticed a rash. ¡°Is this normal?¡± ¡°Let me see.¡± The skin over her heart was rough. ¡°My magic isn¡¯t saying there is any abnormality, so we should just ask Harlan if there is an explanation. It could just be a birthmark, something that her body doesn¡¯t think is wrong and will fade away in time.¡± Harlan drained the water and refilled it again. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize giving birth would make you so dirty.¡± Adina didn¡¯t respond back, she had fallen asleep 10 minutes ago and he was just talking to himself. ¡°I think we¡¯re going to be good for her, she¡¯s going to be smart like you, gentle, we can keep her away from all the bullshit that I had to go through. And I¡¯m going to say this now, because you won¡¯t remember, and you can¡¯t hold me accountable for what I¡¯m going to say, but I¡¯m going to be better. I don¡¯t want to fight anymore, I just want to keep our little girl safe. I want to be there to watch her first steps, to hear her first words, I don¡¯t want to miss a second of her life because I was out there killing someone.¡± He kissed her head and kept washing away afterbirth and blood and whatever else was on her. He got her cleaned and dressed and moved her to the bed, just in time for a knock on the door. He opened it, Dawn and Aida stepped in. ¡°She has a rash, nothing I see with my spells shows anything wrong though.¡± Harlan felt Vivi¡¯s chest. ¡°Scales.¡± ¡°Scales?¡± ¡°Scales. My and Adina¡¯s bodies are made from dragonoid flesh, there was always a chance that it would bleed through. That rash is the scales starting to grow. When most dragonoids are first born their scales are soft and tiny, they look naked. I could get rid of them, but I won¡¯t. A little natural armor is a good thing.¡± ¡°Oh, alright then.¡± ¡°No, not alright then. Your daughter has scales, our granddaughter has scales.¡± ¡°Mom, it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not.¡± ¡°Please, keep your voice down, Adina is sleeping.¡± ¡°This really doesn¡¯t bother you at all?¡± ¡°No, not really. I don¡¯t put much stock into how someone looks, and if it does become an issue for her, I can get rid of it. Has dad had the chance to hold her? Autumn? Amber? Ava is here, right? What about Balor?¡± ¡°Everyone is here. You were the last to come because your body died and Sepul wouldn¡¯t let Adina be moved without you there.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to thank him for that. But for now, I¡¯d like to take Vivi and rest. When Adina wakes up everyone can see Vivi.¡± Harlan sent them away and crawled into bed with Adina. Not five minutes passed before there was another knock on the door. Harlan opened it with Vivi in his arms, and found Hirum on the other end, accompanied by royal guards. ¡°You are done with the monsters?¡± ¡°There was a situation with that. Once it became known that Fae were behind the wyvern surge Sepul was allowed to go all out, and then Marigold and Xol arrived. From there, it didn¡¯t take long.¡± ¡°He has to hold back?¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t what matters now.¡± Hirum looked nervous and greatly upset. ¡°They weren¡¯t there to just kill the students, ruin the heirs to so many families, they broke into the vault of knowledge.¡± ¡°What all is down there?¡± ¡°Everything that we¡¯ve accumulated across over a thousand years. But what they stole, they knew exactly where to find it.¡± ¡°And that is?¡± ¡°Your box, my box, and a half dozen others that I can¡¯t tell if they were targets or if they just broke into at random to hide that they stole from you and I. They got golem armors, flesh sculpting, what I can do.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember ever giving golem armor information to you.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t that hard to replicate it and put that information in your box.¡± ¡°Why would you even do that? For what possible purpose?¡± ¡°We do it for everyone, so that in the future we can more easily find knock off products or to determine if one¡¯s techniques were actually invented independently. Claims of plagiarism are handled very seriously.¡± ¡°You can keep a record without having any information on how my things work. What stupid fucking-¡± Viviane started to whine as Harlan got heated, if it was an early onset of empathy he couldn¡¯t tell. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, to both of you. Is there a reason you came yourself to tell me?¡± ¡°Archmage Bloodgem, we had his information in the vault in preparation for his official announcement as an archmage, and that is the problem. He was there when the attack happened.¡± ¡°He¡¯s dead?¡± ¡°No. We believe he was part of the attack.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe it for a second.¡± ¡°We keep the vault defenses on the highest alert at all times, the only time we lessen them is to bring in an archmages materials, Bloodgem asked to come in person and put the papers in his lockbox himself.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ no, I don¡¯t believe it.¡± ¡°Why? Is it really that hard to think that he would do something?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t have friends, I am one of them, I just can¡¯t believe he would put Adina in danger by taking part in such an attack, I don¡¯t believe he would do anything so terrible. He¡¯s meek, he doesn¡¯t have the-¡± ¡°We have proof that he personally killed several members of staff, their bodies were drained of blood, and we have witnesses who can accurately identify him through sketches. I am here to tell you that if he contacts you, if you see him, do not assume he is friendly, bring him in, that is a direct order from me to you, and I don¡¯t want a single bit of misunderstanding between us. He is a threat, a rogue archmage, and he has already directly attacked the academy and taken part in a slaughter of students and staff.¡± Harlan looked down at Vivi, and she looked up to him with her big green eyes. ¡°I want to make a world where I don¡¯t need to worry so much about my enemies, my mistakes, bringing danger to her. If he tricked me, if I let him finish his research and I made a monster, it is my responsibility.¡± ¡°She is a beautiful baby.¡± ¡°Would you like to hold her?¡± ¡°I like children, they can converse and learn, I can guide them to a better future. I don¡¯t care for infants. I gave my warning, and I need to go. I¡¯m here to visit with Yggdra as well, it is very likely that archmagi will be joining to wipe out rebel forces, an attack on the academies cannot be allowed. Oh, and we recovered your body, though it was terribly burned, at least your armor survived intact along with that cursed blade.¡± ¡°If you would, have someone bring them here. Without studying them.¡± Hirum wanted to say something more, to scold Harlan for his tone, but he wasn¡¯t wrong, they were planning to study the blade at least. Or they would, if anyone could pick it up without complaining about how strange it made them feel. Harlan laid back down, his mind was racing a thousand miles a second. Had Magruder been turned? Was he always evil? Did he trick him? Did Sheron know? David was clearly either leaning towards or outright sided with the noblists. Did he know? What about Parnell? May? He began to question every relationship related to this. David and Parnell, it was questionable, but May? He might¡¯ve failed to know Magruder, but he knew her for too long, there wasn¡¯t a chance in his mind that she was able to lie to him and fake a friendship. But he had been wrong before. He didn¡¯t want to ever let go of Vivi, but he had to know, he had to look into this, if he needed to handle these things, he would rather do them while she was too young to understand what was happening. If he could calm down for a few years, a decade at least, then his public image would be better, and he wouldn¡¯t need to worry about everyone looking at him like he was a monster and tainting his image in the mind of his daughter. Just so long as he got everything done before then, no matter what he had to do. Chapter 269: Mercedes Mercedes wanted to rush over to Harlan and give him a piece of her mind, but there was another thought that passed through her, Harlan was trusting her with this situation, and gave her command over his Otherselves. She walked to the Dague Quarter, where the former king of Elfique and his men were ordering around the citizens of Kor. The Others were watching, but they wouldn¡¯t react until they actually tried to lay hands on someone. They wore armor much like Harlan, but they didn¡¯t let down their faceplates and they wore hooded robes over their armor. The longer robes would hide their intentions, but these reached only to their waist and would show when they pulled a weapon or started casting spells, there would be no misunderstandings if a fight was starting. She wished to waste no time on him, her time with the man as a double was never positive. ¡°Former King Edmond Dantes, you are free to leave, but only with those who would follow a monster like you instead of an honorable man like Harlan Fomoria, The Chainbreaker, The Immortal, The Shapeless. And those who leave, know that you are free to return at any time, and we will welcome you back with open arms, because that is the mercy of your king.¡± ¡°May we not talk?¡± He reached forward for a handshake, she always hated how his hands felt, frigid, like a living corpse. Mercedes backed away. ¡°You are giving orders to his citizens, that such an insult is being given only the punishment of banishment is a mercy to you, that you are being allowed to leave with those who would follow you is nothing but a sign of our majesty¡¯s grace.¡± He tried moving close again but the Others blocked his path with hands on their blades, and the royal guard on either side of Dantes did the same. ¡°Is there such an issue with a father hoping to embrace his daughter?¡± ¡°She has shown once that she doesn¡¯t wish to come closer, you will respect that, or we will react.¡± He tried to hide his anger at being threatened. ¡°And how will you react?¡± ¡°By cutting your hands off. We will not mince words, you will step back from Lady Mercedes.¡± ¡°Lady Dantes.¡± ¡°No, I am Lady Mercedes, Elfique is a relic of the past, and that name has no meaning here.¡± He spoke in a hushed tone. ¡°You have a lot of nerve for a body double.¡± ¡°I do.¡± She started walking away as she gave her orders. ¡°If he attempts to force anyone into serving, kill them all.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± In the end he left with only a few hundred men, not all of them even Dague. Back in the mansion, D¡¯if and Mercedes were in her office along with the Otherselves. ¡°I want him dead.¡± ¡°What about those with him?¡± ¡°They are our citizens, if he dies, they will come back.¡± ¡°How soon?¡± ¡°The faster this happens the more of them survive.¡± D¡¯if exhaled in several puffs as he thought of how to get it done. ¡°Harlans, can you look like Cast?¡± ¡°Simple, shift our armors, color magic. Or we go skin a few Cast and wear them.¡± ¡°You are some sick fuckers.¡± ¡°The Cast skins would look more genuine, but I doubt anyone would look too closely. We attack under the cover of night, anyone questions it and we just say that since he came out of hiding they attacked.¡± Mercedes listened for a while as D¡¯if and the Otherselves talked back and forth about method, time, and place. ¡°Harlan, or whatever you want to be called, what is your take on the plan of us killing him.¡± ¡°That is above my paygrade.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t being paid, you just use whatever resources Harlan has.¡± ¡°Exactly. We aren¡¯t supposed to make those choices, because we understand that too many cooks spoil the broth. When the prime Harlan wakes up we can ask him.¡± ¡°Please, don¡¯t make excuses, what do you think he would do?¡± ¡°He¡¯d probably say that we should let them die on their own.¡± ¡°Why do you think that?¡± ¡°Those people made a choice, they went with him. If they come back, good, if not, then it lets other people know that they made the wrong choice, and they won¡¯t make that choice next time.¡± ¡°Let them live by their choices.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only said it a hundred times. We are all about people being free within the confines of our rules. The only people being hurt are the ones that leave and then their friends and family who have lost them.¡± ¡°You people are more casual than Harlan.¡± ¡°We know that we exist as tools to learn and eventually govern in his place, and then die. So we are trying not to take this all too seriously. He also took pieces out of us. When we start ruling towns we¡¯ll probably become stressed out like him and drop this casual demeanor.¡± ¡°That sounds terrifying.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t people, not really. The Darkness said that we won¡¯t even be worth nearly as much energy to Life as a real person, until we live as long as a normal person and make our own memories. The rules are kinda fuzzy on that, since everything she hears is from multiple other gods up the chain of command.¡± ¡°I think that I will trust you. D¡¯if, watch them, but leave them alone for now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send my Others.¡± ¡°Save them if possible, but don¡¯t lift a finger until he is dead and gone.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± She sent the Harlans away, but asked D¡¯if to stay. ¡°How do you feel about them? Having copies of yourself running around?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. I¡¯ll drink and fuck and live what years I have left then die, they live the same way.¡± ¡°Do you believe in Harlan?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t believed in anyone in my life, I just follow orders, but Halran¡­ He knows what he wants and he takes it and defends it with everything he has, and I respect that.¡± ¡°Do you-¡± ¡°If you want to know about him, just ask, hell, he¡¯ll probably be glad that you did. He isn¡¯t hard to understand if you are able to accept that he is what he says he is, only people like you that can¡¯t trust anyone think he is hard to understand.¡± ¡°You sound almost friendly with him.¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Kid hates me, and I¡¯m a piece of shit, but we understand what we are.¡± ¡°And what are you?¡± ¡°Killers.¡± Mercedes thought for a while about Harlan. She didn¡¯t believe much of what anyone said, even if they could back it up with actions. But Harlan, so far as she could tell, was consistent with what he wanted and what he did, and he had been straightforward with her and with Joan. Still it was hard to accept that. She was taken from her home young enough that she didn¡¯t actually know what her name was, she had been stripped of that identity, and she was made to understand that her life was meaningless, only her death matter, and only if she died so that the princess might live. Life had been cruel, it always was, and she handled it little better than Harlan did. She made her way to Harlan¡¯s room, where he was still asleep, and she just looked around. There was almost nothing there at all, not that could be tied to him at least. The one memento he had was a remembrance, a gem that would display some image, and for Harlan, it was Darrath and Dawn together. ¡°Did something happen?¡± She jumped back, dropping the gem. He snatched it from the air, he had moved directly behind her without her noticing. ¡°Edmond Dantes left with a few hundred citizens.¡± ¡°You let him leave with them?¡± ¡°They went with him of their own free will.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± ¡°I also wanted to say that Joan is gone.¡± ¡°She escaped?¡± ¡°One of the guards let her out, she went to her office and took a few things, notably her armor and her saber along with Pepper. We have D¡¯if¡¯s men out-¡± ¡°Call them back.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If this is the moment that her cowardice is too much to bear, then only a few things might happen. One, she will kill herself, which is fine by me. Two, she hides away and never bothers us again, which is fine by me. Three, she forces herself to grow until she is worthy of forgiveness, which is the ideal outcome.¡± ¡°Is that really alright?¡± ¡°What is the purpose of a prison of punishment?¡± ¡°To make one suffer for their failures.¡± ¡°No, it is to teach a lesson. What Joan did Harlan cannot ever forgive, but King Fomoria might be willing to if she is a useful asset.¡° Harlan placed the gem back on the table and returned to bed. ¡°May I join you?¡± ¡°You may.¡± She got in bed with her back to him and he wrapped his arm around her. ¡°I have continued to realize that how I think of you is wrong.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Tell me, in simple terms, what kind of man are you? I see what you are, but I want to know what you think of yourself.¡± ¡°I am a judge, and I act under the highest authority one cna have, force. I will judge this land, and anyone else I meet, anyone who fails my judgment will be tried in my mind and their punishment will be carried out or delayed at my whims.¡± ¡°That just sounds tyrannical.¡± ¡°Dictatorial actually. Ultimate power is rarely given to or used by good people. But if one has that power and uses it for the right reasons, does it matter that they are an absolute ruler?¡± ¡°I suppose not. But it still seems wrong.¡± ¡°You think that because you have been abused by that power already.¡± ¡°I would rather be the one with that power.¡± ¡°Wanting power because you¡¯ve been abused and you want to use it against others is more dangerous than what I do.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t that what you are doing?¡± ¡°Perhaps. But I think about it like me using my power to make sure that nobody else is abused like I was. Yes, it means I must use my power against others, but the intent matters a lot.¡± Mercedes turned around so she was face to face with him. ¡°Do you love me?¡± ¡°I slept with you because you were there and I wasn¡¯t worried about my title as king making you feel forced.¡± ¡°Do you think you could?¡± ¡°That is a wholly different question. I do not love you as you are, because you cannot trust people, you are a user, a political player, a noble in your heart.¡± ¡°What if I changed?¡± ¡°My only request is that you don¡¯t make me pick up your pieces, you can ask for help and I¡¯ll do what I can, but I don¡¯t want to feel like your entire life is going to be my responsibility. How you¡¯ve changed since we slept together has me worried. Have you been with anyone else before me?¡± ¡°She would make me watch her and other men. Then once she asked if I would like to join. When I said yes, she banned me from ever being with a man. You understand why I spoke of her like I did before, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I understand, but it doesn¡¯t excuse it.¡± Mercedes slipped out of bed. ¡°I have more work to be done. Shall I just start sleeping in here?¡± ¡°If you wish. And don¡¯t expect this to affect our working relationship. It is best not to shit where one eats, we are still very likely to clash over the way that I rule, I won¡¯t hold back and you aren¡¯t allowed to either.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not some young girl lovestruck with a handsome king. I am still myself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going back to sleep, if you need me, wake me, if not, make my Others handle it.¡± Mercedes went back to her office and just started laughing to herself, quiet at first, and then she grew louder and louder, and she started banging on her desk. ¡°Damn, Harlan that good in bed? I might need to try him myself.¡± She jolted straight and froze up. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear you come in.¡± ¡°Yes, that is my job.¡± She cleared her throat. ¡°Did you need something?¡± ¡°We need to handle that guard who let Joan go.¡± ¡°Right, and Harlan just went back to sleep.¡± ¡°Where the hell did he even go?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask.¡± ¡°What did you talk about? Or was it just more bedrocking?¡± ¡°I am his consort now, I think.¡± ¡°Great, you got a promotion. Hey, any chance you can get him to make an Other of you?¡± ¡°I am going to move past the implications of your question and say that we pay a visit to that guard.¡± ¡°Good, I think Harlan would probably cut my balls off if you told him.¡± ¡°Why do you constantly seek to infuriate others? Then you seem to understand that you are doing something wrong? Are you just mentally unwell?¡± ¡°Maybe I want someone to finally punish me, maybe after all these years I¡¯ve understood what I¡¯ve done wrong, but I know I can¡¯t ever change my life. Maybe my life has been nothing but a string of bad choices and pain in my wake, and I¡¯m just waiting for it to catch up and I¡¯m finally free.¡± She started to feel some pity for him. ¡°I understand, it can be-¡± He couldn¡¯t keep a straight face any longer and burst out in laughter.. ¡°I¡¯m an asshole, I find it fun, and I know I¡¯m useful enough that you can¡¯t just kill me. Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± She wanted to slap him, but she knew it wasn¡¯t going to do anything, D¡¯if just didn¡¯t fear her, he didn¡¯t fear anyone, not really. If he was actually afraid of Harlan he would shut up, instead he heard that she was now his lover and instantly made a request to have an Other of her for sex. They made their way to the main guardhouse in the city. The guard was a fairly young man, barely over 20 years of age. He had been stripped of his belongings and shackled to the wall. ¡°Do you understand why you are here?¡± ¡°She needed to go, I heard the story, she fled like a coward. If Harlan personally killed her, it would send a message that he won¡¯t let dereliction of duty be forgiven, but also, a lot of us liked Joan, and it would be a sorespot. This way she dies out there and then I die here.¡± ¡°But why give your life like that?¡± ¡°To help maintain public order, to give my life for that is far better an end than I would otherwise have.¡° ¡°D¡¯if, what do you think Harlan would do?¡± ¡°Either cut his throat and push him through a gate to the fleshpit, or give him a full pardon.¡± ¡°What is your name?¡± ¡°Lanrezac.¡± ¡°D¡¯if, let him down, then hold his head.¡± He did as asked and she unsheathed her blade, a simple rapier Harlan put some spells in, but that he hadn¡¯t updated since he gave it to her, and it was intended for someone he couldn¡¯t be sure wasn¡¯t going to betray him. ¡°By my authority as Head Advisor to King Harlan Fomoria, I sentence you, Lanrezac, to death.¡± She pulled back her blade, and he didn¡¯t break eye contact. Right before it struck his forehead, she stopped. ¡°How would you feel about being the new guard captain.¡± ¡°Mercedes, are you sure that-¡± ¡°Lanrezac, you have shown a willingness to do what you think is right, and you don¡¯t flinch in the face of death. Harlan liked Joan because she was willing to stand up for what was right. As it turns out, that means little when you won¡¯t stand up for what is right against a real threat.¡° ¡°I would be honored to have the position.¡± ¡°Then I will ask Harlan to meet with you when he wakes up. Assuming he doesn''t execute you on the spot, you will be promoted.¡± Lanrezac was released and given his uniform and weapons back, he finished the days work, and then went home to sleep. It was just past three when he woke up and saw a man sitting across from him. He lunged with the dagger he kept under his pillow, and the man deflected it with a glance. ¡°Do not disappoint me. And train your telekinesis properly.¡± Harlan got up from the chair and left through the bedroom door. Lanrezac heard his heavy footsteps go down the stairs and out the front door. He could¡¯ve just used a void gate, but Harlan wanted him to know that he didn¡¯t need that magic to sneak into his home. Chapter 270: What I am Harlan slept through the day, and then into the night. Maids and his family had tried to wake the couple for dinner, but neither he, Adina, or Vivi would budge an inch. Viviane was the first to wake, and the instant that she began to whine both of them awoke. ¡°Are you alright? Are you hungry? Is your diaper-¡± ¡°Harlan¡­ she¡¯s a baby.¡± ¡°Right. I¡¯ll just check.¡± ¡°Give her here.¡± Adina sat up against the backboard of the bed and uncovered herself. Viviane latched on in an instant. ¡°She¡¯s so perfect. Do you think all parents feel like this?¡± ¡°From personal experience, no. Eliza hated me, and your father is a piece of shit.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t burst my bubble so quickly.¡± ¡°But with a mother who hated me and a father who hated you, we both know a little more about what we can¡¯t be. Every trial is a lesson. Vivi, where did you hear the name by the way?¡± ¡°The other Harlan said she was his lover who was murdered.¡± ¡°And you decided that for our daughter? I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t like that.¡± ¡°I just thought the name was nice, I wasn¡¯t exactly in the best state of mind. But it¡¯s too late now.¡± ¡°Not really, we could still-¡± ¡°I like the name, you agreed. Vivi is a very cute nickname.¡± Harlan sat up next to her and put an arm around her, she leaned her head against his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ve been putting it off, but when you told me that you only had sex with me because I liked it. That hurt, it hurt a lot, and I know you said we¡¯d talk about it later, but I know you never planned to bring it up again.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not traumatized by having sex, it just isn¡¯t something that I look forward to, it is just something to do with you.¡± ¡°But it is something that I like doing, and hearing that you don¡¯t like it but you kept doing it so much for months with me, it¡¯s just¡­¡± ¡°I think you are putting too much thought into this.¡± ¡°What about something else we can do together? Something that you like?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I spend most of my spare time working on designs. And, I don¡¯t mean to offend, but you would need months to get anywhere near my level, but if your heart isn¡¯t in it, you won¡¯t really make anything worthwhile.¡± ¡°You say you don¡¯t mean to, but that doesn¡¯t make it any nicer to hear. What about carving?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t carved for fun in far too long¡­ I¡¯ll get some tools and some good wood tomorrow. It shouldn¡¯t take long to teach you, you already have blade control and visualization from your training.¡± ¡°What time do you think it is?¡± ¡°Considering we are in a windowless room, not sure.¡± ¡°Can we walk around the palace?¡± ¡°Sure. Are you alright to walk around?¡± She tried to step down from the bed, but without taking a step, she knew that it wasn¡¯t happening. ¡°Get me one of those pushchairs. I don¡¯t like this place, I want light that isn¡¯t from a gem.¡± She spent most of her life without sight, and once she got it, she liked the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the moon. Light, the color, the tone, it was something she put importance on, and the white that most magical lamps defaulted to just felt lifeless to her. ¡°I¡¯ll go find one, but for now, here.¡± He touched the gem that let out the light and yellow spread through the crystal structure until that white light changed entirely to a warmer yellow. ¡°What about red?¡± He touched it again and it turned orange and then red. ¡°Hmm¡­ I liked the orange better.¡± So he changed it once again and then he went out. Outside of each room were soldiers, and at both ends of the hall, stood a royal guard. ¡°Sir Fomoria, is there something you need?¡± ¡°Adina would like to see the palace, but after giving birth she is weak, so I''d like to find a wheelchair for her.¡± ¡°I will get one for you, is there anything else?¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry, what time is it?¡± ¡°Just past six in the morning. Breakfast will be served at eight, would you like me to have the kitchen prepare you something?¡± ¡°Just a light meal for now, for me and for my wife. Something easy on the stomach for both of us. And wood, and carving tools, if we are going to spend time here she would like to have another hobby.¡± ¡°I will return as soon as possible, please return to your room now.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± He stepped back inside. ¡°I should¡¯ve expected that.¡± Adina had already fallen asleep once again, her armor making sure she kept a grip on Vivi and didn¡¯t roll over on her. He didn¡¯t want to shift them by getting in bed, so he sat in one of the chairs and just watched them. At some point he got a call. Harlan put up a veil to answer, who would be calling so early in the morning was the biggest question. ¡°Hey¡­¡± ¡°David?¡± ¡°Yeah, just wanted to talk a bit. How¡¯s the baby? Boy or girl?¡± ¡°Girl, Viviane, but we¡¯re gonna call her Vivi. Pretty green eyes, they sway like mine, it¡¯s like looking at a field of grass.¡± He paused for over a minute. ¡°David, are you still there? Is something wrong? Can I help?¡± ¡°You know how to make a guy feel like shit. But I¡¯m just tired, that¡¯s all, lot of work to be done. Mostly I wanted to just make sure you three were alright.¡± ¡°We got out mostly fine. I don¡¯t have a list of the dead, not sure if I lost anyone that I know or not. But I know some of them got hurt.¡± ¡°I wish things weren¡¯t like this.¡± ¡°I feel the same.¡± ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Tell Shelly¡­ tell her that I¡¯m sorry.¡± When the veil dropped, a maid was there in the room with a food cart and a soldier was watching her closely. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, you didn¡¯t answer when I knocked.¡± He just waved her away. Harlan looked at the food, but he didn¡¯t feel like eating, he just sat there until Adina woke up. It was a simple onion soup with beef broth, and a few slices of white bread with butter and jams to the side. ¡°You haven¡¯t said anything all morning.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk, not until I decide what to do.¡± Harlan stepped outside and had one of the soldiers deliver a message to Rosewell. In another hour, he was told she was ready for him. ¡°What seems to be the issue?¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°David Haywood. I believe he is part of the noblist faction, and I believe that he was involved in the attack on the academy. Parnell Pearl may also be with him.¡± ¡°These two are friends with you, correct?¡± ¡°They are, were, I¡¯m not sure right now. He called me, but he didn¡¯t directly say anything about what he was doing. He just asked me to apologize to Shelly Mayford, and when I¡¯m done here, I would like to visit her in person.¡± ¡°It would be best to have you remain here. The wyverns have been dealt with, but the rebel attack in the east has led to unrest, and I will be going to see Fragile Peace today to figure out if Reino can be allowed to exist.¡± ¡°I only ask for a short time away.¡± ¡°Go, I will call you back.¡± ¡°Thank you. And, Sheron Mayford, I don¡¯t know if she knew what Magruder was planning.¡± ¡°We have Unseen there with her already. And before you go, take this.¡± She held out an icon of the tree of blades not unlike the one he received as queen¡¯s blade, but in gold. ¡°Another badge?¡± ¡°With this you have the authority of a royal guardsman. You can freely come and go with your gates, you have access to almost any room in the palace, and the arrays and wards will recognize and protect you specifically instead of just as a consequence of your being here, finally, you can command the arrays and wards to a limited extent.¡± Harlan reached forward but she pulled it back. ¡°This is a physical representation of a new pact between us, and I do use that term as the gods do. This nation is one founded by and for hundreds of years maintained by a wizard. Fae magic is part of this, you may need to consult your god before you take this new badge.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± They were in a city of faceless people. ¡°Is this mine or yours?¡± ¡°Now I think it is a reasonable time to explain.¡± ¡°For you or me?¡± ¡°I shall speak. When you destroyed Haldren, Xol took you outside of the veil to give you a new purpose, one which would allow you to maintain your sanity. This was my plan for you, this is what I expected and worked towards. But that magic that bored itself into your soul, paradox, it split you, one Harlan stayed here, and the other left to become a god in living flesh.¡± ¡°So that other man was me then? And what about him being a god? He still felt like a person.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean a god in the sense that he becomes like me, an integral part of the functions of reality. I sent him there because things were simply too calm here, too peaceful, and strife will breed power. Yes there is the war, but it doesn¡¯t matter, those who oppose his side would simply be crushed by the archmagi and the royals without your presence¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°But you stayed. This man, Bloodgem, he should not have had his research work, you should not be a father, not yet at least, your friend should not have this knowledge from archmagi of the past and present. You are my champion, you are change given flesh, chaos in form.¡± ¡°So this is my fault? The academy attack? David turning sides?¡± ¡°If one knows of a fault, and chooses not to act, is it not theirs? I should¡¯ve killed you when you split, because perhaps you represent Nemain¡¯s plans, and from your actions, the escalation of the war will be your doing, so you¡¯ve acted as her puppet much like mine. Yet I see another opportunity, to sight a path that I could¡¯ve never made, that perhaps two of you are much better than one, even at the cost of the millions that shall perish. Take the badge, become a royal guard. I wonder what will happen next?¡± ¡°Is this because I¡¯m just the backup? A spare champion?¡± ¡°You should not exist, you are a mistake, you are not my true champion, but that doesn¡¯t mean I mean you any harm, nor does it mean I hate you. Even if this chaos destroys everything inside of the veil, even if you die a true death, I have my real champion. Live your life according to your wishes, speak to me as you wish, you are perhaps more free than you ever have been, as I don¡¯t intend to interfere like I did before.¡± ¡°How much were you really interfering before?¡± She just smiled and waved him away. He reached for the badge. It scattered into motes of light and entered his body, his veins turned a bright golden color and then returned to normal. ¡°I don¡¯t feel much different.¡± ¡°I trust the conversation with your god went well?¡± ¡°There was a blue man who helped to secure the academy, that man was the real me, I am the result of Nemain¡¯s interference with reality by way of paradox magic, and everything that has happened with Magruder and the noblists that will turn this war from a quelling of disloyal nobles into a continent spanning slaughter that might just kill everyone is her fault. I am not supposed to be here, I am a mistake.¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°She told me that she won¡¯t be pulling strings behind the scenes to send me down a certain path anymore, she¡¯s just going to let this play out. I also shouldn¡¯t have a child, Vivi exists because of this, so maybe it is all worth it. Anyway, I should go see Shelly.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t one of those moments where you claim to be alright and then crack under the pressure of a revelation and cause more issues, is it?¡± ¡°There is a certain freedom in knowing that from now on, she¡¯s just watching a show instead of directing it without my knowledge or consent. And when I look at my little girl, and I know that I shouldn¡¯t have her, it feels almost like I¡¯m spiting The Darkness by existing.¡± Harlan left through a gate and found himself on the Mayford lawn. The Unseen and other soldiers let him through without issue and took him to Shelly¡¯s room. Torture was not yet an option for them, since there was only circumstantial evidence that Sheron knew what Magruder was going to do, and there was nothing on Shelly yet. ¡°Harlan, what is going on here?¡± He waved the soldier away. ¡°Magruder is a traitor, he was part of the attack on the academy, the entire thing was a smokescreen so they could break into the archmagi lockboxes that contained their magical knowledge.¡± She looked contrite. ¡°And they think that mom sent you to him because she is a traitor.¡± ¡°David called me earlier.¡± ¡°Why are you changing the subject? Is my mother alright?¡± ¡°He said to tell you that he¡¯s sorry.¡± ¡°Where is he? What happened to David?¡± ¡°You know he was at least inclined towards the noblists, right? Well, he was more than just inclined. What about Parnell?¡± He could feel her mind tense up. ¡°Are you here as my friend? Or is this official?¡± ¡°Your friend, and David¡¯s and Parnell too. I need to know, is it too late to bring David and him back? He didn¡¯t have the strength to tell you himself, to me that says that he is still hesitant.¡± Shelly started laughing. ¡°You are an influence on him, and he finally got the nerve to do something about that anger he carries. But he got your cowardice too, he didn¡¯t even have the balls to just fucking tell me.¡± She leaned forward and held her hands together. She wasn''t Harlan, she wasn¡¯t going to break anything, she wasn¡¯t going to toss the chair at the wall and start screaming. Harlan moved to comfort her. ¡°He should¡¯ve just stayed.¡± She wiped away her tears. ¡°Harlan.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Bring him back, please, just bring him back. Promise me.¡± ¡°I promise.¡±
David and Parnell entered the room where Magruder and other mages were pouring over every scrap of paper. Some of it was coded, or simply written in archaic terms, and some of it was just vague. But for Harlan¡¯s fleshsculpting it was written in plain terms and even had the sigils included. This information wasn¡¯t just for the academy to confirm that the magic was real, it was also a means to reproduce it. Sometimes an archmage of the past died and requested that their information be released if they didn¡¯t have an heir. Sometimes, the headmaster wanted the magic, and just needed to wait until nobody remembered the archmage in question before they raided the vaults. Hellon gave as much information as she could to Hirum because she assumed Harlan to be a threat, and the existence of fleshsculpting for making spies or giving people who don¡¯t deserve them new lives meant that even if Harlan didn¡¯t abuse it, someone else would, and they needed to know how to best counter it in that case. Magruder looked over each page with an eagle eye, and in a day, he decided that he could do it. He looked like Harlan as he looked over various blueprints stolen from the kingdom. ¡°What are you planning to do looking like that?¡± ¡°Sir Mayford, I didn¡¯t hear you come in.¡± ¡°That¡¯s part of my job.¡± ¡°Adina, she will love me, I just need a chance.¡± ¡°She¡¯s in the palace, it will be hard even with you looking like him.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need to clear a few towns first, make a good sized gem.¡± ¡°Keep in mind that Harlan will come after her with the full of might Ragne behind him, probably the archmagi. Taking his wife and child is not the right call now, wait.¡± ¡°Shut up shut up shut up. When she loves me he won¡¯t be able to take her back.¡± David was the one who recruited Magruder in the first place, he found him, found his research, and he used a family connection to get Sheron to bring him to Harlan. He was an easy mark because he was lonely and they promised him power and respect that he felt he had been denied his entire life. All he needed to do with play the harmless and pitiful man to pull on Harlan¡¯s heartstrings. But what David hadn¡¯t thought of was that he would become obsessed with Adina. ¡°What about the baby?¡± ¡°I can have one with her, this one doesn¡¯t matter, I''ll just get rid of it.¡± ¡°Are you sure that is the best idea?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been around that fool for long enough to know it will break him. I¡¯ll have weeks where he isn¡¯t in any state to-¡± David¡¯s blade cut in a crescent motion, splitting Magruder in two, from his shoulder blades to the front of his waist. A second upward slice split his head in two just to be sure. He called Parnell in. ¡°What did you- oh shit.¡± ¡°You know. Mom, she wouldn¡¯t want this, but I can¡¯t let her death go.¡± ¡°And how is that related to Magruder having his guts spilling out onto the carpet?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to play sides. Royals, nobles, they are all just shit. But imagine, what would it be like if we took all of that material in the other room, over a dozen archmagi spells and magical knowledge, and we just left, we took it and learned it just for us, if we just grow strong enough that nobody can tell us what to do, if we became strong enough that we can make choices on our own, like Harlan.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a bad influence. But I guess we can¡¯t really take back Magruder being dead. What was the trigger point though? You¡¯ve been pretty well on the side of the noblists.¡± ¡°Magruder was going to kill Vivi to hurt Harlan, he was going to kidnap Adina. He was just unstable, and someone like him doesn¡¯t deserve that power, mom would hate me if I let him get away with that.¡± ¡°Vivi?¡± ¡°Harlan¡¯s little girl, Viviane.¡± ¡°Oh. So what now? We just go in there and kill the other mages?¡± ¡°Basically. It¡¯s a small room, we¡¯ve got our magic and my mother¡¯s blademaster techniques.¡± ¡°How are we going to get out then?¡± David picked up Magruder¡¯s staff. ¡°We walk out the front door, and if not, we use this. We¡¯re probably not the strongest people here, but we can escape from them. If we are fast, they won¡¯t realize what has happened until it¡¯s too late to stop us. Any chance that you can get Nightwatcher support to move us?¡± ¡°Grandpa would be pissed if I tried to bring them into this, so no, we can¡¯t do anything to jeopardize their neutrality.¡± ¡°What he doesn¡¯t know what hurt him.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t piss off old vampires, they¡¯ve got friends and debts and they won¡¯t care that I¡¯m his blood. I¡¯d just be another rogue vampire who got the gift and then immediately went to abuse it.¡± ¡°Fine¡­ I have another idea.¡± ¡°I feel like I¡¯m going to need stronger drinks.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Chapter 271: A Small Journey Harlan stretched and let out a great yawn when he got out of bed. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve gotten such good sleep in a long while.¡± He turned around and expected Mercedes to be there, since she said that she¡¯d start sleeping in the bed with him. Harlan didn¡¯t think much about it and he went down the halls to get to the kitchen. Yet he didn¡¯t see a single person. He couldn¡¯t feel anyone around him, anything really, everything down to the insects were completely gone. ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m sleeping, aren¡¯t I?¡± He closed his eyes and suddenly the world shifted around him. The walls turned to bone and became covered in eyes. Mouths spoke to him. ¡°I am Mindkiller, your mind is under my control, soon your body will-¡± ¡°No.¡± The walls returned to their normal form and the Ascended was forced to manifest. Its eyes lined up vertically and it shot beams from them. But this was Harlan¡¯s mindscape, and they simply bent around him. Harlan raised his hand and obliterated its body, leaving just an eye and its optical nerves, which he then put into a cage to study. Mercedes was in the room, sitting at the vanity while combing her hair. Harlan repeated the stretches and yawn just as he had in that dream. ¡°You are awake.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± ¡°You were still sleeping when I came in last night, so I decided to sleep on the other side of the bed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. Would you like help with your hair?¡± ¡°Do you know anything about a woman¡¯s hair?¡± ¡°I could show you.¡± ¡°Fine, but please, don¡¯t pull anything out.¡± Harlan cast a spell to detangle and straighten it, in an instant there were no rats nests, and then he used telekinesis to braid it. He decided on a halo braid, something which wouldn¡¯t hang down as she worked and get in the way. Mercedes looked in the mirror to find any hairs out of place or other issues with the braid. ¡°You do know something about hair then.¡± ¡°Three sisters, and most of my friends are girls¡­ no, I guess they are women now.¡± ¡°Is that nostalgia I hear?¡± ¡°Did anything happen while I was sleeping? I had my mind invaded by a Faeborn creature that tagged along when I killed it inside the veil.¡± ¡°You seemed very sweaty, but nothing else was odd.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± ¡°I hope you handled that monster.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep it for a while, it is interesting.¡± ¡°Just so long as it doesn¡¯t interfere with your ability to rule.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going back to The Wastes, a kiss before I go?¡± She turned and gave him a quick peck before he stepped through a void gate. Then she turned back and redid her hair. The Halo braid was something that reminded her of the real Mercedes. Harlan found himself back in the giant cavern that contained Scaleborn. He walked down the main street back to the mansion, buying breakfast along the way. When he reached the mansion Copperhead had clearly rushed to the front door to greet him. ¡°I wasn¡¯t certain that you would return.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve still got a duty to fulfill.¡± ¡°If you need more time to mourn, I understand.¡± Harlan walked up to her and gave her a hug. Through that bond she felt that he was alright, that he was content, he accepted what happened. But he couldn¡¯t hide the other parts of himself from her. She saw a ball of fire and gnashing teeth, it screamed all manner of profane words and threats. The ball was pinned to the ground by spears of shadow and void. Within this place, she also saw the eye in a cage. She motioned to it and Harlan returned a feeling of curiosity and security. She returned a feeling of wariness and worry. He broke off the connection. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to do something like that.¡± ¡°I think that you couldn¡¯t trust that I was alright unless I did. Do you speak like that all of the time? It seems imprecise and open to confusion.¡± ¡°You speak like a child, if you continue, you would understand my feelings on a deeper level, and there would be no chance for misunderstanding. Now I ask with words, what was that inside of your mind?¡± ¡°A Faeborn monster, I killed it yesterday after it invaded my mind. It must¡¯ve left something behind when it attacked me.¡± ¡°So long as you feel confident that you can keep it contained.¡± ¡°I do. It has a human base, so its mental abilities are foreign to it. Do you need time to gather your people?¡± ¡°I shall send out the messages, but in the meanwhile, I would like you to see the finished mural.¡± ¡°I am interested in that as well.¡± Everything was beautifully carved and smoothed out, the scales felt almost real, they even had the slight slickness one might feel on a reptile due to the dampness of the cave and the oils they used to keep the carvings from degrading over time. As they reached the end he saw the figure, and as he expected before, it was him. He was wreathed in void, formless, undefined and odd in shape. Through this void poked spikes of radiance, and this radiance was covered in jagged flames, like how one might draw a sun. He was the pupil in this black sun, and he was surrounded by winged serpents. On the ceiling and floor one could see two half suns. ¡°It is good.¡± ¡°I thought that the dawn you brought would be something kinder.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t regret what I did, I regret that I needed to do it.¡± ¡°Even with so much power, there is always someone else.¡± ¡°That cannot continue forever. I will never die of old age.¡± ¡°Unless you die by other means.¡± ¡°That is possible.¡± They stood there in silence for a time, taking in the details of the art. ¡°I¡¯d like to see your magic.¡± ¡°When the others gather I shall show you our ritual magic.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ever learn modern magic from Carmilla?¡± She didn¡¯t respond. Harlan was in the middle of teaching the Cerest when Camilla entered the room. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t realize you were here, what a coincidence.¡± ¡°I could sense you outside of the door, you were listening in.¡± ¡°I was simply curious about your teaching methods.¡± ¡°If you wish to join the classes, speak with Copperhead.¡± ¡°Copperhead? Not Fangre?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve decided that I trust her and I wish to further my bond with her, using a nickname is part of that.¡± He saw her start to say something, but change her mind, and he felt jealousy in her. ¡°Mother has asked that I gather notes on Queen Fangre¡¯s carvings, as well as observe you.¡± ¡°I take no issue with that, but be honest.¡± ¡°Are you accusing me of being a liar?¡± ¡°No. You did lie to me, at the start of this very conversation, you acted as if you hadn¡¯t come here for me, and now you¡¯ve admitted that you did come here for me.¡± ¡°Such a minor thing is hardly a-¡± ¡°A lie is a lie is a lie, it doesn¡¯t matter if you lie by omission or by saying something false, a lie will remain a lie.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. She sneered at him. ¡°That is a rather rigid definition.¡± ¡°Yes. Copperhead, I will be eating in a restaurant in the town itself. I wish to spend some time among the people.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Camilla tagged along, looking uncomfortable with the oversized chair that was provided for her. It took a little longer to order than he would like, since they had to get one of the Cerast that actually spoke Godgiven well. ¡°I¡¯ll have the charred mole with the noodle chunks.¡± ¡°Very well. And for the lady?¡± ¡°Do you have normal meats?¡± ¡°We have snake, spider, mole, Cave Chicken-¡± ¡°What is a Cave Chicken?¡± ¡°Large chickens, they hunt the tunnels for giant spiders, dangerous monsters.¡± ¡°Then something made from Cave Chicken.¡± Harlan was interested in the other options though. ¡°How are the spider and snake prepared?¡± ¡°The snake is cut into discs and coated in root flour before being fried. The spiders are plucked and fried.¡± ¡°Quite a few fried foods then. I¡¯ll have a small order of both of those.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t chew, so the texture of crispy breading and the heavy seasoning of it is good for us.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± Harlan just sat there and waited for his meal, but in his mind he was examining Mindkiller. ¡°You came from Reino, right?¡± It did not answer back. ¡°Can you talk? Even just as an eye, you should have that ability, you aren¡¯t physical, you aren¡¯t limited by that.¡± ¡°I have nothing to say to you, monster.¡± ¡°From where I stood, you were the monster. Can we not find some common ground?¡± ¡°You murdered me, now you hold me captive.¡± ¡°I think you will find the blame game goes both ways. I killed you in self-defense, and if you hadn¡¯t broken into my mind in an attempt to steal my body, you couldn¡¯t be held captive at all. I would consider both of us having tried to kill each other to be common ground, though I did win that fight.¡± ¡°Have you no shame? You are nothing but a butcher.¡± ¡°Perhaps there is no use for a zealous puppet, and I should just wipe you from my mind.¡± He could feel the intense fear from it. ¡°Or you and I may converse without you trying to blame me for stopping you from killing more young men and women barely old enough to no longer be called children?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, we can speak. What do you need to know?¡± ¡°How were you there at the academy? It is beyond the true border of Reino.¡± ¡°That¡­ I do not know.¡± ¡°Useless little cretin.¡± ¡°Wait! No, I know things.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± ¡°... I don¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°You are broken, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ maybe if I had taken control of you I would remember. I just know a few things.¡± ¡°We will speak more later.¡± When their food arrived Harlan thanked the waiter. ¡°Why thank him?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°They are just doing their job.¡± ¡°When you think someone deserves no thanks for their work because it is work, it makes it easier to abuse them.¡± ¡°That seems like an overreaction.¡± ¡°So long as they do their work well and without undue complaint, they should be shown respect.¡± She started poking at her meal, they served the chicken in large chunks along with a broth that still had the feet of the chicken in it. Harlan meanwhile wanted to start by tasting the spider. It¡­ wasn¡¯t for him. The breading itself was good, but spiders didn¡¯t have flesh like a crab, which is more what he hoped it would be like, they had goo inside of them. For the Cerast, who didn¡¯t chew, this wouldn¡¯t be an issue at all, as they would place them in their mouth, lick the breading some for texture and flavor, and they swallow them whole. The snake was much better, though all things considered, he expected a species of giant snakes, not normal sized ones. ¡°How can you eat that?¡± ¡°Which part?¡± ¡°The snake. I mean¡­¡± Her voice lowered to a whisper. ¡°You are surrounded by snake people.¡± Harlan responded in a normal tone. ¡°The first beastkin I ever met was an Ibexian, and he had no issue with eating sheep or goats. They are not animals, they are people, it isn¡¯t cannibalism just because they look similar. Would you like to try the snake?¡± She tried a half-piece, but she wasn¡¯t an adventurous eater, her palette was one of a human that was never pushed to desperation and who never missed a meal unless by choice. After his lunch, he returned to the palace and watched as Fangre and some of her officials danced around in perfect sync to cast a ritual spell. Well, as much of a dance as one could do without having legs. They made three circles and it took them almost a minute, only to make a rather middling result. A pillar of stone shot from the ground, reaching nearly a hundred feet in height. ¡°I see why you so desperately need this magic.¡± Harlan punched the ground and shot up a pillar of similar size, though in a less controlled manner, in seconds. ¡°Very impressive.¡± ¡°Thank you. Are you going to tell me why you haven¡¯t learned modern magic from Carmilla yet?¡± She fidgeted and looked at Camilla. Harlan noticed her nervousness and moved forward, encasing both of them in a veil. ¡°If you won¡¯t say, then just tell me that, but don¡¯t dodge the question.¡± ¡°Another time perhaps.¡± ¡°Very well. I will be back tomorrow to teach more, but I have another appointment not long from now, and I¡¯d rather be there early.¡± ¡°Many apologies for my silence.¡± ¡°There is nothing to apologize for.¡± Harlan put his hands out, palms up, an invitation. She placed her hands on his, and both understood that there was no ill will towards the other. He stepped back and opened a void gate. ¡°May I come along?¡± Camilla looked ready to go, her mother asked her to observe, so she would. ¡°No.¡± Harlan walked through the gate, the last thing he saw of her was the beginning of a pout. He came out in a cave infested with Eolgi, and more importantly, one of his Others. ¡°How has it been coming along.¡± ¡°They breed based on how much food they consume. If we let them loose, they¡¯d devour everything down to the roots so long as we kept them inside with underground rivers.¡± ¡°But there is still the risk of them just digging deeper, breaking containment.¡± ¡°I just want more time. They are useful as flesh, but if we could tap into their natural abilities, their instinct, I think they might be more useful than that.¡± One of the Eolgi came up to the Harlans and rubbed its head on the Other¡¯s leg like a cat expecting a scratch, and he did just that. ¡°Don¡¯t grow too attached to them, they are weapons for us, not pets.¡± ¡°When we were nine-¡± ¡°The pig, the runt. We were upset when it was turned into ham after we begged father to raise it..¡± ¡°She was a good pig. But we understood then and now that it was a resource, not a pet.¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t been split long enough that you should think any differently than me.¡± ¡°You would think so. But I think that the mind is too complex for us to really understand right now, and there are subtle things that change between us whenever we are made. Perhaps, my being here has made me gain an affinity for animals more than we had before. Eolgi aren¡¯t very smart by the way, they are almost entirely balls of instinct. This one is different from the rest though, and I want to know why. If I can make the Eolgi smarter through breeding, if they can be domesticated, not just tamed, then we will have a great force on our hands.¡± ¡°Continue your research.¡± Harlan¡¯s next stop was The Tower of Prisoners. Dantevius had declined to fight before, but he hoped to change his mind. Breaking in wasn¡¯t required this time, as he just openly bribed the warden. The Goliath sat in his room and peeled potatoes. He had no knife, the roughness of his hands and his power meant he just rubbed them off. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving.¡± ¡°I could get you a home, a cabin somewhere far from anyone else.¡± ¡°You want me somewhere that I might run into someone, and then they might become friends with me, and then in the worst case, the Castian army arrives, and they make an impassioned plea to save them.¡± ¡°You saw through that quickly.¡± ¡°I am done with my fighting days.¡± ¡°Then perhaps I could ask for another palm reading. There is something more personal that I¡¯d like looked at.¡± ¡°Once I am done with these. You may help.¡± Harlan used his telekinesis to peel the potatoes many times faster than Dantevius could do on his own. ¡°Well then. Love I presume?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He ran his hands along Harlan¡¯s palms and hummed to himself. Harlan felt something in the air shift, but this was not magic as he understood it. He already knew it was Fae in origin, these people had been made by Nemain after all. ¡°Your hands are harder than they once were. You are closing yourself off from love, you are¡­ lowering your standards? Is this right?¡± ¡°So far.¡± He continued. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss. You would¡¯ve come to love her, I feel it in the grooves. Her name¡­ with a V perhaps?¡± ¡°Viviane.¡± ¡°And now a new lover, but there is not love there. You are afraid of her, she is a betrayer, she is broken and has been reformed. You worry that she is nothing but lies, that the culture she was raised in makes her unable to love like you do, that she sees her position as consort just as a means to gather power.¡± ¡°How do you actually read this from my hands?¡± ¡°This is a gift I use, not one that I understand. When I touch your hands, I simply gather visions, past, present, and future. As you don¡¯t love her, she will never love you, that you consider what I am doing right now to be more important than your relationship, that is why it will fail.¡± ¡°I am not looking for love, I am just looking for someone to be closer with to pass the time.¡± ¡°Avatar of lies and change, you may tell me lies, but never tell them to yourself, such things upset the mind, distort one''s views on reality.¡± ¡°Thank you for your time.¡± ¡°Just a moment longer, I see something¡­¡± Dantevius looked at Harlan¡¯s palms and rubbed them with his hands again and again, as if he were reading a book at night, and his glazed eyes were seeing the words but not truly understanding them. When he was done, he let out a somewhat disinterested hmm. ¡°You may go now.¡± ¡°What did you see?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t anything important, though I thought a moment that it was.¡± ¡°What was it?¡± ¡°A woman, but she is not your love, she was simply someone who you saw once.¡± When Harlan left through his void gate once more, Dantevius stepped outside of his cell for the first time in years. He said his goodbyes to the guards and the warden, then he began his search. Not one of them dared to even put up the slightest resistance, they all understood that he was there by choice. Harlan returned to the home of the Cerast, and kept up with his teaching.
Sholl sat in front of Ur. ¡°You failed spectacularly. Not only did you not capture Harlan Fomoria, but you lost a city, thousands of men from the empire, and when Seraphallen went to finish your job, he encountered something that destroyed 5 of his fingers. Half of the stripe is under the control of that man now, because that wave destroyed many of our ports and our navy in the area so we can¡¯t even move any force large enough to retake them, Hellik is going to need to be put down so he doesn¡¯t unleash a plague across all of our people, and finally, you disappointed me. I have been your backer from the start, I have always thought that you would grow into your role, and were we not already down one Finger, I would take yours and find a new owner. I am sending you to the western front, Tochter, the nation of clones, they are in some sort of uproar, find out why, and report back to me. Your low power has its benefits, they will have a harder time detecting you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m very sorry for my failures, but I never couldn¡¯t known that-¡± ¡°Yes, you could¡¯ve. You are a spy, not a fighter. But instead of spending months to get what you wanted, you rushed in to solve it as soon as you could by following along with the plan of other fools. I admit my fault in this, my words before, they made you feel like you had no other choice but to get results quickly. But had you explained to me the importance of letting you go on a long term mission, six months, even a year would¡¯ve been fine. Do not rush Tochter, take your time, wait for the right time.¡± Sholl tapped on the war table he stood over. ¡°Hellik, he is really going to be killed for my failure?¡± ¡°We have found no cure, and he spreads it no matter how cold he becomes. If it was something that spread across different people, we could use a plague bearer, but it targets us. Fomoria is a dangerous man, to make something such as this.¡± ¡°Do you have a replacement in mind?¡± ¡°Yalda.¡± Sholl couldn¡¯t help but worry when he heard the name. Chapter 272: Advanced Imbibing Harlan kept teaching the Cerast for a week, and each day he made more Others, and these Others conquered more and more of the stripe. They did this partly to conquer the land and completely remove all Castian presence, but also to learn how to fight together. When Harlan fought alongside Bartholomew, he felt something, a binding of them, a kinship. Rarely did he get to fight alongside someone who was physically strong like him, and when he thought back to those moments, he couldn¡¯t help but feel exhilarated. He was more often than not a solo fighter even when he was fighting in a group. The two Harlan¡¯s were part of the way through a siege when a grand wizard stepped onto the battlefield. ¡°DEMONS OF FOMORIA, I SHALL NOT ALLOW ANOTHER CITY TO BE-¡± They skipped around, left and right, up and down, making it nearly impossible to figure out the trajectory of their next attack. Seeing that they had no intention of conversing or listening to his speech, he let out chasing bolts, ones who locked to their target and refused to stop until they reached their target or ran out of mana. For the most part, they seemed to ignore the beams, simply opening gates to move around the battlefield and continue killing the soldiers to break their lines. The Grand Wizard only became more and more annoyed as his attacks, ones that gave him some manner of fame, were ignored by what he considered to be children. He flew through the air towards them, firing off more and more of these bolts as he did, making them come at the men from odd angles. After another 10 minutes, they were absolutely sure that they had what they needed. One of the Others opened a gate to get them far from the latest set of bolts, then the other opened another gate and stepped through, but let the gate itself open. The two men joined hands and cast the chasing bolts, which flew from both sides of the man, then with the gate recharged, they repeated the spell again, this time from his sides. Before long the man had to entirely focus on defending himself from all angles. Eventually, one of the bolts struck the man, and when electricity coursed through his body, another gate opened. The man blasted the Other with a spell that he kept despite having been hit with a shock, a common way for a mage to lose focus on a held spell, but while he took the Other¡¯s arm and much of his chest off, it didn¡¯t save him, as another gate opened at his back. With his finger acting as a stinger he pumped a paralyzing agent into the men along with a metabolizing spell.. ¡°Go fix your arm.¡± ¡°It¡¯s weird.¡± ¡°Which part?¡± ¡°Fighting alongside myself.¡± ¡°But we love it.¡± ¡°That we do.¡± The Other went down to one of the bodies and subsumed it. While he was on the ground, he saw a young boy under some rubble, he had been caught up in the attack. Harlan checked if he was alive, and shockingly he was, though barely. The collapsed wall crushed both of his legs, and there was quite a bit of blood on the ground. Harlan quickly, but carefully, lifted the stone wall and pulled the boy out. When Harlan lifted the wall, he found another body. He subsumed a few more bodies to grant the boy a full heal at little cost to either party, and he woke up quickly after that. He screamed for his mother, but Harlan turned away from the crying boy. No war was without cost, all he could do was try to minimize the damage. The wizard was still alive, that was one lesson they wouldn¡¯t need to be taught again. One of them had managed to link their life to their home, and when they died, their research material, including the slaves and assistants that helped them, were all killed in the fire that began the moment the man¡¯s heart was torn from his body. The Others approached the home of the grand wizard and checked the arrays. For all they knew that one man was just particularly good at that kind of magic, but that wasn¡¯t a risk they were going to take. Only once they had broken into every room and hidden room did they then cut off the man¡¯s head. One of the Others went outside with it and used it as an example. If they could kill the local grand wizard, then how would those lesser soldiers fare? The original, or prime, Harlan, was at home, going over materials gained from the other wizards. Alongside him was Carmilla. ¡°I expected much more from them. The way people spoke of the others, a grand wizard should be able to make life and bend reality far more than this.¡± ¡°The legends of old are not baseless, but they are legends. There is no rank higher than a grand wizard unless they grant it to themselves.¡± ¡°The gap between a low and high grade wizard is quite large then?¡± ¡°Yes. But not all of this is useless. Here is a spell for aging whiskey and other alcohols. It seems inefficient, but useful.¡± ¡°Funny. When I was taken from my family, there was a boy who had the ability to instantly turn things alcoholic. I never found out the limits it had, but then again, he was removed from the program when I beat his jaw off of him in a riot.¡± ¡°A harsh upbringing.¡± ¡°No, the first 11 years of my life were fine. A loving mother and father, three sisters and an uncle that I adored, a slow farm life without danger.¡± ¡°There is a minor question that I will ask. When I spoke with that living shadow, when you were in a coma within The Sandsea, he said that he had been expressly told not to hurt me, and that you were the reason why.¡± ¡°You remind me of my aunt by marriage, Countess Cimmeria Blackstone.¡± ¡°In what way?¡± ¡°You are both powerful women with rather straightforward attitudes, but who are not above deception and trickery. When I first met the woman, years before she married my uncle, I beat her son rather fiercely in a fight. He was years older than me, but he had let himself grow weak, he lacked the will to be a fighter. Yet while I was promised a chance to put him fully in his place, I was held back by her, denied what I was promised.¡± ¡°That story would reflect rather poorly on me then, would it not?¡± ¡°The reason why she did what she did was because she couldn¡¯t bring herself to punish her son in a way that would make him stop being a pest towards women. I get the feeling that you would do anything for Camilla, and I am warning you that she is spoiled. Correct that before it becomes a real issue.¡± ¡°As a father for a boy who was not yours and for only a few months, you seem to have a rather solid grasp on how I should be raising my daughter.¡± Her voice was filled with venom. ¡°Just because we were given a shit lot in life doesn¡¯t mean we should overcorrect with our children. Spare the rod, spoil the child.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather you didn¡¯t quote that book to me.¡± ¡°The Reino we both know is not the same as the other, but neither of us like them, and yet we should be able to understand that some lessons of theirs, in context or not, are good.¡± Harlan grabbed another one of the boxes from the shelf and started to lay its contents on the table. ¡°Why do you hate men?¡± ¡°Is that an appropriate conversation for this moment?¡± ¡°I have often been accused of having poor social skills, of asking wrong questions because of that, but I know what I am asking, and I don¡¯t think that there is a good time to ask.¡± ¡°Why do you hate rapists so much?¡± ¡°Because I have a mother and three sisters, and if anything happened to them, I¡¯d kill the man who did it regardless of who it was. That son of the countess, I thought for well over a year of ways to kill him and get away with it. All he did was uncomfortably touch my sisters and try to seduce them. I would do the same for any of my friends.¡± ¡°The details do not matter. But I¡¯ve had far too many encounters with men who have abused women and cultures where this is what they consider to be the natural order.¡± ¡°1600 years is a very long life to see a great deal of terrible things be done. I just wanted to know that it wasn¡¯t something which was stupid.¡± ¡°Did you think I¡¯d have a foolish reason for how I am?¡± ¡°It was always possible that you could have an irrational hate.¡± ¡°You are quite poor at speaking with women.¡± ¡°That you are a woman matters little to my answer to your question.¡± ¡°Ah, you would claim that you treat everyone the same? The great and equitable King Fomoria.¡± Her tone was becoming heated. ¡°I did not say that I treat everyone the same, I said that in this specific instance, you being a woman doesn¡¯t change how I answered that question. That I touched some nerve is my mistake, I intended no offense. But do not talk to me like that.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Like I¡¯m a stupid child, or like I made some ridiculous statement. I can see that the subject upsets you, so I will avoid it in the future.¡± She returned to their work, and their talking became professional, cold, impersonal. There was a knock on the door. Harlan used skip to open the door, pull Mercedes inside, and then close it in a second. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Colten called to say that a Castian force attempted to attack the city.¡± ¡°What are the casualties?¡± ¡°Three, one from friendly fire, two from accidental weapon discharge. A soldier tried to clean the barrel of one of the mounted guns after the battle without checking if there was a round in it and the other soldier who was cleaning the gun pulled the trigger, killing him before a healer could get to him.¡± ¡°Is that one both discharge and friendly fire?¡± ¡°No, that was counted as just accidental. The other was using one of the shotguns and far underestimated the recoil. From what he said, the weapon flew back with enough force that it smashed the man¡¯s head, and he died before a healer could arrive.¡± ¡°Let me guess, the last one also died before a healer could arrive.¡± ¡°Yes. That is why I came here. I am going to suggest that you make golems to teach healing and send them there. The former frontiersmen and women were magically weak, relying more on potions and standard medicines rather than proper healers.¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°I will be making an Other later today, that one will go there to New Kingdom and start a class, he can train the healers who he finds are best suited for it and leave the other for golem instruction. And are they not issued helmets?¡± ¡°Would you like to hear his report on the battle itself? That man failed to wear his helmet.¡± ¡°Have it written and put in my office, I will read it later. And I will have Colten put forth more effort into making his men wear their equipment properly.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Mercedes showed herself out and the pair went back to looking over the research material. When it was once again just them in the room, Carmilla chuckled to herself. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Camilla was rather upset when she heard that you made Mercedes your consort.¡± ¡°When I last saw her there was an air of jealousy. I didn¡¯t understand it then, and I don¡¯t understand it now.¡± ¡°You rejected her, nobody has ever done that. That you then went with Viviane, then Mercedes, all without asking for Camilla¡¯s hand once, it stung at her pride.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t imagine there have been many men pursuing her in the first place, considering you are her mother.¡± ¡°You would be rather surprised then. Kings have sent their heirs hundreds or even thousands of miles to ask for her hand in marriage.¡± ¡°She is only the fourth most beautiful woman I¡¯ve seen.¡± Carmilla burst into laughter. ¡°Really? Who are the others?¡± ¡°My former fiance Adina, the agent of The Darkness who gave me rice and a mimic tree branch, Marigold.¡± ¡°In that order?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± She went back to looking over the papers. Hours passed and Carmilla went home with boxes of copied papers. Many of the things which they looked over weren¡¯t relevant, and in some cases, they were problems that Halran already had the solution to. As he was getting ready to make another Other, Xol appeared. ¡°Oh, is the next one done?¡± ¡°Yes, but there is something else.¡± He pulled a scroll from his robe. ¡°Your other self was part of this research, and now that I have it, I have decided that you deserve it as well.¡± Harlan opened it up and read it, he laughed as he burned it. ¡°It really was that easy, I¡¯m such an idiot. Why didn¡¯t I think about that, of course the structure of the blood crystal itself was the issue with the gems failing to contain much mana beyond what was already in the blood. Oh the things I can do with this.¡± ¡°Ominous.¡± ¡°You seem to mention it when I say something ominous fairly often.¡± Xol shrugged. ¡°I came here for blood.¡± ¡°As in?¡± ¡°Literal blood, from you, and bones too. I¡¯d like to study your body and understand how the weapon sigil has interfaced with you and if it has affected you genetically.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°If you were to impregnate a woman with the sigil active, I want to know if it would change the baby.¡± ¡°I hope this is for a good reason.¡± ¡°I find it interesting.¡± ¡°Very well. We can go to my lab, I was just going to make an Other, and if you bring that Other here I can begin to devour my mind.¡± He felt drained doing so many things back to back, so he was going to take a little extra time to subsume his Otherself and rest. Harlan looked through his eyes. ¡°What is it this week?¡± ¡°Imbibing. I find it rather interesting that you¡¯ve done so little with it, you found out that you can use the advanced elements for it, but you failed to capitalize on it.¡± ¡°I have so many things I¡¯m trying to do that it fell by the wayside. When I fail to use it, I end up losing a body more often than not.¡± ¡°Show me blood imbibing.¡± Harlan did as asked, but it wasn¡¯t one that he had tried before. He began bleeding from every orifice, he felt his body turning to liquid. Xol moved him to a tub. The pain was excruciating, for a little bit at least, but once his nerves were completely gone, and he was an amorphous pile of gore, he didn¡¯t feel anything, he didn¡¯t see anything. Madness quickly set in as he lost all of his senses. He awoke again in the tub. As soon as he felt that he had fingers again he pulled himself up, he felt like he was drowning in his own skin. ¡°HOW LONG.¡± ¡°An hour.¡± ¡°IT TOOK YOU THAT LONG TO HELP ME?¡± ¡°Stop shouting. I had the spell in a minute, it took an hour to figure out if it was going to kill you or not.¡± Harlan breathed in and out with a terrified pace and curled into the fetal position inside of the porcelain. ¡°Why did you have a tub here already?¡± ¡°I know it was possible that this could happen.¡± ¡°AND YOU-¡± Harlan took a deep breath. ¡°And you did it anyway?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t imbibe, something about how my soul interacts with my physical form distorts the ability. So I can¡¯t really research it without you.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just make some other life form that can imbibe? Or find a person to be your test subject?¡± ¡°But I did find one.¡± ¡°I should¡¯ve expected that. Were you normal in your original life? Is that why you act this way?¡± ¡°No. I was both abnormal then, and I have changed a lot since I came here. I have lost thousands of families, been abused by them, I¡¯ve lived lives that lasted days, weeks, months, all where I have never been given the chance to survive. When I had power, I was already beyond the ability to bond with the fleeting lives of mortals. I have existed beyond the cycle of souls, beyond morality and mortality, for far too long.¡± Harlan saw the fire in Xol¡¯s sockets dim. When the flames lit up once more, Xol resumed as if nothing had happened. ¡°What did you see when you turned into gore?¡± ¡°Nothing, I couldn¡¯t hear, I couldn¡¯t see, it felt like years were passing and I didn¡¯t know how to deal with any of it.¡± ¡°Odd, imbibing with an advanced element should give you some insight into the magic itself and some factor of reality.¡± ¡°What? I don¡¯t think I got any of that with my other imbibes.¡± ¡°Use crystal, tell me what you feel.¡± Harlan did as asked. Crystal imbibing hardened his flesh, but it wasn¡¯t really that useful, as it also made him brittle and restricted him from making fast movements. The only real advantage was that his crystalized form was very, very sharp. ¡°So?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel anything special. It is actually somewhat hard to see because my eyes are acting like lenses, splitting my vision or magnifying it, and I can¡¯t control it.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Stay very still.¡± ¡°What are you-¡± Harlan saw the light mana split, and the pure light shot forth impossibly fast. Yet instead of a hole being put through him, the light just split and splintered. He dared not speak for fear that the movement would change the beam''s path and somehow kill him. Xol eventually turned the lightshow off. ¡°Did you feel anything there?¡± ¡°No, and what exactly was that?¡± ¡°Pure light mana carries no heat or destructive nature, nor does it have mass. It is nothing but light. It is completely safe unless I add something to it.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s useless?¡± ¡°No, pure light can pierce any shadow, and it has theoretically infinite range. It is basically a very costly but powerful flashlight.¡± ¡°What is a flashlight?¡± ¡°A piece of technology from my world. It used bulbs and lenses to project a beam of light.¡± ¡°Neat. Do you understand how they worked?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Can you-¡± ¡°No. Making them here would be entirely pointless. Soulsmithing lets you make your own flashlight that never needs to be recharged, and requires no batteries. You do know what a battery is, yes?¡± ¡°Of course, mana batteries are an old technology that powered some things in the old empire. Nobody really knows how they worked and none of the ones we¡¯ve found ever did anything, but we have texts that mention them.¡± ¡°They worked by containing human souls, not much unlike your own soulsmithed mana gems.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Soul magic is a favorite of Fae. Don¡¯t you think it is odd that orcs were created in an era where modern magic didn¡¯t yet exist? Even modern soul magic isn¡¯t capable of such a thing?¡± ¡°I think I could do it if I wanted.¡± ¡°No, no you could not. Not yet at least. Your abominations aren¡¯t that far from what an orc is, but it is the devil in the details that makes all the difference. I- Stop distracting me. Now, I¡¯m going to move us.¡± Harlan was in the crystal cave that he was in years ago when he became a champion and was taken away by Xol and Marigold. His feet were firmly on the massive crystals, but he still felt nothing. ¡°How very odd. Back to the tub then.¡± And so they returned to the odd training area, a platform that seemed to be floating inside of a giant run down mine. Where they were wasn¡¯t clear, as Harlan¡¯s location finding spells gave contradictory readings, implying that they were inside of a small world outside of normal space, like Xol¡¯s home or the training camp used by the academy. ¡°I don¡¯t want to do that.¡± ¡°So? If you want to enter the final stage of magehood, to know your second truth, or rather, understanding, the truth of knowledge rather than wisdom, then do this. All knowledge will get you closer to that truth.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I learn something else?¡± ¡°You could. But I¡¯ve never known you as one to step away from a fight, nor one who shields his eyes from a harsh reality.¡± Harlan sighed. ¡°Fine. But pull me out after a minute, not any later.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Harlan sat in the tub naked and he felt his being break down, the flesh fell from his bones and his eyes melted out of his skull, eventually, even his skeleton melted. This time, when he expected this feeling, he didn¡¯t panic, and this time, his nerves were the absolute first thing that turned into goo, letting him barely feel it compared to the first time. He couldn¡¯t understand what he was seeing, millions if not billions of organisms, like giant larvae with dozens of limbs, long rectangular worms with flat bodies, and something that seemed inorganic, a helix that stretched on into seeming infinity. He woke up again. ¡°I saw monsters, but they seemed to just float around in the red, and I saw an endless tower, a bound helix, like a ladder.¡± ¡°Did you see something like this?¡± Xol made a projection of a round object, concave on both sides. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good, then I was right. I believe your sense turned completely inward and what you are seeing are a variety of microorganisms that live in your body. What I showed you was a blood platelet. And that helix ladder I believe is DNA. That you were small enough to see a strand of DNA is very strange to me. How big were the other things you saw?¡± ¡°The monsters were maybe as big as my forearm, the strand was like a piece of hair.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I wonder if you don¡¯t have any real sense of scale, or if your sense perceives these things as improper sizes to make them easier to fathom. A blood platelet should be thousands of times larger than that helix.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Then we can continue.¡± Harlan would die several times that week, but inside of that small world, Xol could prevent the soul from dissipating and reconstruct his body as if nothing happened. It didn¡¯t make it any more pleasant when he used lightning imbibing and became a literal bolt of lighting that was sucked into a glass sphere Xol set up. The time between his body becoming an element and his nerves shutting down as they converted into that element was small, but with his sense of time becoming so fast due to the imbibing, that moment seemed to last hours. Though Harlan did think that he looked pretty, and wanted to recreate the ball of lighting, just, without him as the lightning. Back in flesh, Harlan vomited. ¡°We can mark lightning as a non-starter then.¡± ¡°What are you actually looking for?¡± ¡°Some advanced elements seem to turn you into that element, and others just give you some other ability. You showed me what sound is like, it lets you amplify and dampen vibration. What you call sound magic is more accurately vibration magic, so that makes sense to me, and it doesn¡¯t turn you into a vibration or a soundwave. But void just turns you into something like Coronach, your body is entirely broken down and replaced by that element. Why some of them do this and not others doesn¡¯t seem to have clear rules.¡± ¡°I am not like him, I¡¯m a blob that can¡¯t shape into anything more than a moment and I eat away at everything around me.¡± ¡°Coronach is covered in a thin film, that is what he actually controls to shape himself. Think of him like a sausage.¡± Harlan and Xol both laughed. ¡°I think I would¡¯ve noticed that.¡± ¡°You think that, do you? I bet you think void is just one element as well, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Void here within the manasphere refers to the element of absence, the creation of nothingness by way of converting that something into immaterial matter. But outside of the grasp of the planet you find more void, what we call space. That is not nothing either, but it is close enough for most people that we use the term, just like an empty jar is still full of air.¡± ¡°Alright, what¡¯s next? Or are you going to dump something else on me to show how much more you know and make me sound like an idiot.¡± ¡°Acid.¡± Harlan sighed. It was not a pleasant experience. With the weapon sigil active however, he could handle the pain. But having acid blood and spit wasn¡¯t that useful to him. If he wanted to make acid in his body, he could already do that with shifting, and his stomach acid could melt through metals as it was. It wasn¡¯t able to do it quickly, but it could do it. Back in reality, Harlan staggered out of the gate leading out of his lab and into his bed, the sun was entirely set, he spent much more time than he realized there. ¡°You are lucky that nothing serious happened while you were gone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired, I feel like shit. These memories are painful.¡± ¡°Your family?¡± ¡°No, I meant it literally. I¡¯m learning advanced imbibing, and I remember how it feels to have my body break down and in different ways. The first time is always the worst, but after that the body seems to understand what is coming and the nerves transform first.¡± ¡°How about we do something to make you feel better then?¡± ¡°I could use a meal.¡± She rolled over and then straddled him, her clothes slipping off like a living liquid. ¡°Oh, you meant that.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Mercedes was right, it did take his mind off of it. Chapter 273: A Trail With No Start Harlan left Shelly with her thoughts and was guided to Sheron. Before he entered the room, he met with the investigators, the Dyad twins. ¡°Alan, Alice, it¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How is Claude?¡± ¡°I thought you would know more than me, he¡¯s your brother.¡± ¡°He ran from home.¡± ¡°Trying to elope with that Golden.¡± ¡°Good for him.¡± ¡°Shameful.¡± ¡°This is your fault.¡± ¡°It is also irrelevant to this discussion. I need to know if Sheron was aware of what Magruder was planning.¡± ¡°So far we can¡¯t tell.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t smell like a rat.¡± ¡°I would like to ask her myself.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°We might get something from this.¡± He stepped inside, slowly closing the door; the lock loudly clicking in the quiet room. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know, I really didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°But you see why I doubt that, right? First Magruder, then David, then-¡± ¡°What does he have to do with this?¡± From her tone and her feelings, he could tell she was scared, she was hurt, she was shocked. ¡°You really didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°What happened to David? Is he alright?¡± ¡°He is a traitor.¡± ¡°What? No, not him. He has his problems with the kingdom, he thinks that Yggdra killed his mother, but he wouldn¡¯t do that. His father on the other hand¡­ I think he¡¯d sell himself to whatever had enough coin.¡± ¡°How would I best find David? What is he most likely to do?¡± Her stance became more defensive, it was subtle, she wasn¡¯t going to attack or anything, but she brought her arms closer to herself and sat more straight. ¡°I don¡¯t know, he¡¯s my daughter¡¯s friend, not mine.¡± ¡°I promised Shelly that I¡¯d bring him back, please, how can I find him before he goes too far.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡° ¡°Sheron, I want to-¡± ¡°I mean I don¡¯t know him well enough to give you an answer. Talk with Cecil, Parnell¡¯s father, he might tell you more.¡± ¡°I was actually going to speak with David¡¯s father next.¡± ¡°David doesn¡¯t get along with his father.¡± ¡°I know, but I figured I¡¯d check anyway. I¡¯m leaving now, but I¡¯ll put in a good word with the seekers outside.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± Harlan told the Dyad twins his perspective, that Sheron didn¡¯t know anything, that her reactions to his information was genuine from what he could see, and from what his empathic sense told him. He had never visited David¡¯s home, and this wasn¡¯t exactly an ideal way to visit, with soldiers at his back. The larger issue however, was that he didn¡¯t need the soldiers. He walked the halls and found dead guards and noble soldiers, but he found the other workers, servants, maids, people who didn¡¯t, or couldn¡¯t, fight back, alive and terrified. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Master David, and a vampire, they-¡± The butler burst into tears. ¡°That¡¯s enough for now.¡± A vampire, Parnell most likely. He had asked about the Pearl family, he wasn¡¯t told yes about anything, but more importantly, nobody would tell him that they weren¡¯t linked to vampires. He entered the main office, David¡¯s father was stabbed to death and then drained of blood, signs pointed to anger, passion. The trail of bodies and the way the blood splattered implied that the killing started here, and David and Parnell had to fight their way out. Did he ask for money? Resources? Did he confront him about his mother? Did he ask about his black market connections? Did David stab him and the Parnell lost control? The body was mostly warm, this had happened recently. Harlan called it in, Seekers came, Unseen came after them. He had to make a final stop, the Pearl mansion. It was impressive, a noble every wall had some sort of thin coat that gave it a pearlescent sheen. An elderly man, or rather, an elder vampire, met him at the front door. ¡°Sir Fomoria, please, come in, but leave the riff raff outside.¡± ¡°Hold positions. Bear in mind that these men have silver weapons, as I do.¡± ¡°Oh ho ho, a threat.¡± ¡°Just preparedness, I assume the same preparedness that you taught Parnell.¡± ¡°A way in without a way out is worthless, and a way out that can¡¯t be trapped is dangerous.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk.¡± The eldest Pearl led Harlan down the halls, and then down into the basement. It was what looked like an old coven, one that had been retrofitted into an underground home. ¡°How long has it been since Nightwatchers lived here?¡± ¡°When my son, who was human, got a noble title, I decided to leave the Nightwatchers, they don¡¯t like playing politics like I was.¡± ¡°Did you leave or were you asked to leave?¡± ¡°Asked to leave.¡± He opened the doors to a meeting room, though the large half-crescent table that the Nightwatchers liked was replaced with a much more plain rectangle table, one fit for a dozen or less. The old man took off his robe, Harlan couldn¡¯t help but see his withered arms. Vampirism slowed aging, but few ever escaped it, and this man didn¡¯t hide behind magic, he showed that his days were reaching their end. Harlan sat at his right hand, and he was asked to move to the left inside. ¡°Parnell spoke much of you, and my kin speak favorably of your work.¡± ¡°Parnell talked about me? We weren¡¯t exactly close.¡± ¡°He has respect for you, though you are unlike the other. You are disciplined, resourceful, strong willed, you bend and break rules as needed for the greater good. You are like the Haywood boy.¡± ¡°Is that why you turned him? For the greater good?¡± ¡°He is well intentioned, but foolish. By granting his request he has left the house, and he won¡¯t drag them down with his betrayal. I care little for who sits on the throne, but this isn¡¯t a war that he can win, nor is it one which I could keep him away from.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think he is going to live?¡± ¡°It pains my heart to admit such a thing, but blood does not mean my protection is without limit.¡± ¡°I want to bring him back before things go too far. Is there anything you can tell me?¡± ¡°Their will has been steeled, they will fight against their own people, they will be alone, and then they will die.¡± ¡°So, no help?¡± ¡°I have remained detached from the world for half a century, there is nothing I can tell you of who he knows, of what allies he might have, of what the politics of the now are. I can only offer wisdom and guidance based on what I have seen in my life.¡± ¡°Any chance you intend to dispense that wisdom here?¡± ¡°A dead traitor can be forgiven, but a living one brings more shame with every moment.¡± Harlan left with his men. Balor¡¯s soldiers were House Fomoria¡¯s soldiers, and on short notice, Balor kept squads at the ready for Harlan¡¯s convenience. They were better equipped than almost any other counts soldiers, as Balor wanted to keep their standing army small and well trained. For his less skilled muscle, he had a not insignificant portion of the criminal underworld and mercenaries to rely on. Harlan dropped them back off at Balor¡¯s home, he refused to stay in the castle for too long, he had people, deals, things that needed to be handled. Harlan and the captain of the squad moved inside, while the others took up more support positions. He couldn¡¯t help but notice exactly how many golems and weapons were around, and how the walls were expanded, not just higher, but they now covered the orphanage and the hunters village as well. ¡°I like what you¡¯ve done with the place.¡± ¡°If anyone so much as has the slightest inkling of a delusion of attacking me, I''ll paint them across a hundred miles.¡± ¡°Good. Count Haywood is dead, body isn¡¯t even cold yet. His underworld connections won¡¯t know this yet. Use that chance to either cut out the heart of their operations, or take it over. I won¡¯t make any plans, that is your job, this is your business, but I thought you should know. And I¡¯m putting out a bounty on David Haywood and Parnell Pearl. 1000 gold each, alive only.¡± ¡°Done and done.¡± ¡°With everything that happened, is there any good that can be spread, in the light or in the dark?¡± ¡°I have legal construction companies helping out the people whose villages were lost at reduced prices. On the other side, my highwaymen just need to hear the right thing and I can make them act like saints while they think they are the hardest of men. Bandits have already started looting the lands that the wyvern swarm attacked. I told them that it is bad business to let them get away with this, since we need villages for people to travel to if we are going to rob them enroute. So they are acting as security for the people fleeing The Frontier and for supplies that are coming in.¡± ¡°Did you see Vivi yet?¡± ¡°I saw her this morning before I got here.¡± ¡°She¡¯s so cute, isn¡¯t she.¡± ¡°She has her mother¡¯s eyes, and your nose. I¡¯m sure she is going to be beautiful when she grows up.¡± ¡°Would you like to be her godfather?¡± ¡°Not Sepul?¡± ¡°If the absolute worst happens, I want her to be raised by someone who sees the world as it is. Mom and dad, they¡­ they¡¯re soft.¡± ¡°Thank you. But who do you plan for the godmother?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask her after I leave.¡± ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll try to be done with my work by dinner, but I¡¯m also looking into getting contracts to help the academy. They are going to want more defenses, things that don¡¯t work on the academy network, they need new buildings, they need to remove any and all carpets that are bloodstained. All at a reasonable price, I would feel terrible to gouge them at a time like this.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. The two brothers didn¡¯t really have a lot more to say to one another, so they just hugged and then Harlan left. He made his call just to double check. ¡°Harlan, I know it¡¯s been a while, but I can explain-¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, you aren¡¯t beholden to be my emotional support. I just wanted to know, you are alright with being my godmother.¡± ¡°Oh it¡¯s been so long, I almost forgot about that conversation.¡± ¡°You probably remember every detail. But if I die, and Adina dies, I just told Balor that I¡¯d like him to raise our child, if he can¡¯t do it, or if he asks you to do it, then I want you to take her, give her a better life.¡± ¡°If the worst happens, I will make sure that your child is safe.¡± ¡°Viviane, but we¡¯ve already started calling her Vivi.¡± Marigold went silent. ¡°What a nice name¡­¡± ¡°You know about her, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Viviane is the name of that other Harlan¡¯s lover. It¡¯s weird, isn¡¯t it? Adina doesn¡¯t think it is an issue but it feels very wrong to me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been so long and there is so much I want to talk about but I can¡¯t because that Harlan isn¡¯t mine to talk to or about.¡± ¡°You should come to the palace, see your goddaughter.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll come when you aren¡¯t there.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be with Rosewell today, we need to decide if Reino is allowed to exist any longer. I¡¯d feel a lot better if you were with Adina when that happens.¡± ¡°Then I will see her then.¡± Both of them decided to ignore something, he ignored why she didn¡¯t want to see him, and she ignored that he ignored it. Harlan returned to the palace long enough to see Adina and his family before he went to Rosewell. He waited for over an hour before they had to leave, and in that time, Harlan learned as much as he could about Reinoian politics and what they sent over thus far regarding the attack. Officially it was done by a rebel faction that disliked how friendly the nation had become with Ragne. The talk would be happening in an open field that bordered both sides. The tension in the air could be cut with a blade, many on both sides lost their children, and not all of those from Reino were aggressors. ¡°Grand Saint Fragile Peace.¡± ¡°Queen Yggdra the 16th.¡± The two bowed to one another and sat at the table. Everyone else would stand, and when their opinion was asked for they would be called to step forward. ¡°I would like to start with my condolences, far too many died for the actions of both of our people. I myself was at the academy, and nearly ended up a victim.¡± One of the generals from Ragne stepped forward, spit flying with every word. ¡°WHY WERE YOU THERE? YOU AND YOUR-¡± Harlan grabbed the man¡¯s shoulder and paralyzed him with a touch spell, forcing him to the ground. ¡°You may speak when called to speak.¡± ¡°I have hidden myself as a student of the grand academy for three years now. Inside of my country, only three others know of this. Within Ragne, there is only one.¡± ¡°Who among my people knew this?¡± ¡°Sir Fomoria. I spoke with him regarding my plan to enter the academy.¡± Many turned to Harlan, the tension in the air focused on him. ¡°Sir Fomoria, is this true?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± There were calls of treachery, and Rosewell slammed the table to bring her side''s attention to her. ¡°It was the will of my father, your former king, that we maintain peace with Reino. Sir Fomoria, what exactly was your intent by this action?¡± ¡°If Fragile Peace really does intend to make Reino better, then it would be best that she cannot be easily killed. By her being here, I believe I am proven right.¡± ¡°We will have words of this later.¡± There was a lot of conversation, restitution, conquering, scorched earth, salted fields. Fragile Peace looked ready to break. ¡°I¡­ I would like to make another proposition.¡± ¡°You are not in a position to make requests.¡± ¡°What if¡­ what if Reino became vassal to Ragne.¡± Rosewell was shocked and leaned back, deep in thought. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Reino has fallen, I have tried to remove malcontents from within, and failed. From without, I see no way to win any war that doesn¡¯t involve us destroying ourselves in the process. As a vassal, you would have full control of the nation, you could remove any who you assume to be involved, my people, those truly loyal to me, will hand over everything that we have, lists of possible warmongers, everything that we know.¡± ¡°I will confer with my people.¡± The Unseen put up a large veil to cover Rosewell and her advisors, Harlan stayed outside with the royal guard. Nobody could see in, and nobody could see out. So while they spoke, someone had to make sure that the Reinoan side didn¡¯t try anything. ¡°Sir Fomoria, would you like to sit.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I want to calm down, I want to talk to someone.¡± ¡°It is unlikely that I will calm you.¡± Harlan sat down anyway. ¡°You¡¯ve changed, I¡¯ve seen you change quite a lot actually. Over the years, the image I¡¯ve seen of you has shifted, this is perhaps the most terrifying yet.¡± ¡°What do you see now?¡± ¡°A dragon, greedily hoarding its treasure.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always been greedy.¡± ¡°But now you have something new that is worth protecting. How is Viviane?¡± Harlan narrowed his eyes, the slits burned like fire, piercing through her, and making her guards step forward with their swords drawn. ¡°How do you know her name?¡± ¡°The Oracle told me.¡± ¡°I suppose a Fae seer would be able to do such a thing.¡± The guards on her side sneered at him. ¡°How did those Ascended move past the border? What keeps them trapped in the first place?¡± ¡°I cannot-¡± Harlan got up from his seat. ¡°Wait.¡± ¡°If you want to talk, then talk to me, but if Reino becomes vassal to Ragne, these aren¡¯t secrets you will be keeping.¡± ¡°Fine. Just, sit back down.¡± As Harlan sat, two beings appeared, from Harlan¡¯s shadow, The Darkness in her feminine form, and from Fragile Peace¡¯s soul, a woman of fair complexion, platinum blonde hair, and purple eyes, like the royals. These two moved to the side and went under their own veil to converse. ¡°That she came from you and now my god is talking to her is either a good sign or everyone here is about to die. Explain.¡± ¡°She is Titania, the mother god.¡± ¡°Your mind isn¡¯t as bright now, she was hiding in you, making me think that you were a Faeling, but you are human. How did the Ascended leave?¡± ¡°Normally they gain their power by being within a range of the oversoul. If they left, then that means another god lived inside of them for a time.¡± ¡°What is the oversoul?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. It is just¡­ power.¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to think that you really don¡¯t know much, but that shouldn¡¯t surprise me considering the company you keep.¡± ¡°Harlan¡­ do you think that this can work?¡± He tapped on the table for a time, but didn¡¯t respond. He couldn¡¯t help but see her for what she was, a young woman who was in over her head and who had been forced into a position of power far beyond herself. Harlan was called into the veil to speak. They didn¡¯t tell him anything about what had already been discussed, so far as he knew, they already made a final decision and he wouldn¡¯t change anything. ¡°Sir Fomoria, what is your opinion of this?¡± ¡°Remove everyone from power, demote them to ceremonial positions, separate the church and state. Kill anybody who so much as seems suspicious. What we know is that Fragile Peace has a flawed intelligence gathering network, or they have leaks. Either way, anything they give us for who they suspect could¡¯ve been involved shouldn¡¯t be trusted, and we will need our own people to put together the pieces.¡± ¡°I agree. Reino will be made vassal to Ragne, and we¡¯ll put our own people in charge. How do you feel about Balor being made his own house? A count in Reino.¡± ¡°That is his choice. He runs my house, the hunters village, the orphanage, Tole, among other things, so I think that he has the skills it takes to do this.¡± ¡°Should he leave, I could provide a steward to help with maintaining those places.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± They dropped the veil and Rosewell went back to her seat in front of Fragile Peace. She looked over to the other veil. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°The Darkness and the mother god of Reino are having a conversation.¡± ¡°Should we be worried?¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried about everything that she does.¡± Rosewell put the other meeting out of her mind. ¡°Grand Saint Fragile Peace, you will come with us back to Ragne, where we may finalize this matter. Reino is to be vassal to Ragne, the saints shall lose their ranking, and the rule of the country shall be handled but dukes, counts, and barons. The church is to have no direct power over the nation. Are these terms clear and accepted?¡± She wanted to cry, her tears were welling up, she felt like she failed her nation, that for over a thousand years they had remained strong, and now under her rule they were reduced to a puppet. In her want for peace, she used a soft hand, and her people saw weakness. In their desire for strength, they had made their nation truly weak. ¡°They¡­ they are accepted.¡± One of her people rushed to kill the grand saint, and Harlan skipped over, severing his arm before hitting him with a shock spell to prevent him from moving long enough to properly restrain him. ¡°Nobody move, if any of you draw your weapons, I will kill you.¡± ¡°Safira, open a gate, we are leaving. Sir Fomoria, you may leave once we are all gone.¡± ¡°Wait, I can¡¯t leave Titania here.¡± Just then, the veil dropped and the god turned into light, becoming part of her soul again. Harlan waited a few minutes before leaving. As soon as he was at the palace, he went to see Adina, and along the way he requested a meal be sent to him. ¡°How did things go?¡± ¡°Reino is going to become a vassal state. I¡¯m going to ask if I can have your father killed. No way he isn¡¯t involved in this somehow.¡± ¡°What if he isn¡¯t?¡± ¡°I want him dead anyway.¡± ¡°What if¡­ what if you didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°I hope this isn¡¯t you wanting him to be involved with our child.¡± ¡°I¡¯m feeling all mixed up everytime I look into her eyes. What if he feels like this too? He¡¯s one of her grandfathers.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give him one chance, and only because you asked.¡± It soured his mood, far more than when he was called away shortly into his meal. Rosewell wasn¡¯t happy. ¡°You knew that she was at the academy, for years, and you didn¡¯t think to tell me?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was worth mentioning, because I expected that your people would know already.¡± ¡°Your faith in the Unseen was unfounded it would seem.¡± ¡°Your father really didn¡¯t know?¡± ¡°If he did, then he didn¡¯t tell me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I really didn¡¯t think that telling you would mean anything.¡± ¡°Anything else that doesn¡¯t matter?¡± ¡°When the academy was under attack there was another me there. I¡¯m told that when Haldren was destroyed, the magic that was in my soul from Nemain caused me to split into two separate beings. I¡¯m not supposed to exist, and he is setting up a kingdom outside of the veil.¡± ¡°I honestly can¡¯t tell if any of that was true.¡± ¡°That is what The Darkness told me. She also told me that Magruder wasn¡¯t ever supposed to have his research work, and that by existing I¡¯ve turned the war from you destroying rebels into something far more dangerous. Let me think, just to go over a few things. Sepul is my great grandfather. I murdered a mayor in Dullen. I got drunk for a week after my uncle died and I built a giant long cannon, which was then destroyed by the Razorwing, or rather, whatever it is that a Razorwing evolves into.¡± Harlan tapped on his chin, thinking of more things. When he was done he went to see his family. They had taken to hanging around the library. It was well defended, spacious, and often devoid of other people. ¡°Hello, Jarrik, Alana.¡± ¡°Hallo Uncle.¡± ¡°Hello, with an E sound.¡± ¡°Hallo.¡± ¡°Good enough.¡± Harlan felt that he really did need this time to relax, so he played with his niece and nephew as he spoke with his family about what had happened, that they really were safe here, but that he would probably be out often on missions. Fragile Peace was with them at the dinner table that night, but she didn¡¯t say a word. No matter what else had happened, eating dinner with the royal family would never get easy. Anytime one of the former princes so much as looked at Adina, they felt Harlan¡¯s eyes on them. He wasn¡¯t threatening anyone, he was just being mindful of them. This misunderstanding wasn¡¯t something Harlan would clear up, and they had the grand saint to speak with so the meal wouldn¡¯t be silent. The Fomoria family was glad however, not one of them wanted to speak with the royals beyond pleasantries. That they got through the day without major issues was good enough for Harlan. Ever since he got back from the academy it has been mess after mess, he hadn¡¯t been given the time to process anything. He tried not to think about what he saw, he tried to harden his heart, he tried to do these things because Adina was in danger, and that was all that mattered. But now his eyes were veiled with tears as his looked at his daughter¡¯s sleeping face. He couldn¡¯t help but think about the lives lost, so many cut down before the prime of their lives. This world was not one that showed much kindness to the young. Those who were extreme in their belief would do anything to get what they wanted, they could justify any murder as just a stepping stone to their goal. Would he truly be able to cross any line? How would she look at him as she got older? Would he look like an upright man? Or would he just be another liar? Another man who buried his past and pretended that it didn¡¯t happen? That his crimes were just because he was the one who had the power to commit them? These questions, this guilt, it ate away at his mind the entire night, and he received no respite in his dreams. Fields of fire, rivers of blood.
¡°It has been some time.¡± ¡°It has.¡± ¡°With their words of peace, perhaps a joining of hands is for us as well?¡± ¡°And what would I offer The Darkness?¡± ¡°A promise of safety, that we shall have no genocide of you, and there is to be no awakening of things better left sleeping.¡± ¡°Oh, of which things does this one speak?¡± ¡°The Beast, Surtr, among the others, these two may not rise.¡± ¡°Perhaps our great enders have no use in fairer times.¡± Titania leaned across the table and held The Darkness¡¯s hand. ¡°What guarantees would you offer to me? On whose words do you seek this end to conflict?¡± ¡°On the words of my father, for I have convinced him of your lesser threat to what comes next.¡± ¡°My my my, and to what end am I to aid in this next?¡± ¡°There are beasts of end which might have use to us, should this world to exist beyond now, with us hand in hand.¡± The two beings locked eyes, their sightings synced, and Titania knew what she believed to be coming. Standalone Story: Hallowed Night To be a Ranger, one needed a certain mindset, they were almost always pulled from other branches of the army rather than being specifically trained from the start to be Rangers. This did lead to one issue however, foot soldiers and sailors tended to lack the required survival skills to be a Ranger. The cadet got another splinter from carrying firewood. ¡°If you wore your gloves you wouldn¡¯t have this problem, Thyma.¡± ¡°Fuck off, Viktima.¡± ¡°Shut up and pack your share of the wood.¡± They returned to the campsite, where Seth, their instructor, was just whistling away. Few would teach new Rangers, other than of course, old Rangers. A retired one was like finding a unicorn, so they just pulled them from duty every now and then for the job. In this case, he was in his 30s with messy black hair and sunken eyes. ¡°I hope that next time you take so long to gather wood, you at least have a good excuse. You two are out there screwing, are you?¡± ¡°Like I¡¯d let this limp dick anywhere near me.¡± ¡°Cadet Viktima, talk with respect when dealing with superiors, this isn¡¯t the navy here.¡± ¡°Apologies.¡± ¡°Being a Ranger is more a mindset than a set of skills. That does not mean I am going to let any of you be promoted if you can¡¯t show the skills to match that mindset. Viktima, bring another bundle of wood, but no help this time.¡± ¡°I thought we were here to learn how to fight monsters, not pick up sticks and make ropes.¡± He tossed the knife in his hand at her feet, pulling another from his belt and going back to whittling and whistling. ¡°You thought wrong. Bring me a bundle of wood.¡± ¡°We have a dozen bundles alread-¡± He threw another knife and pulled another from his belt. Viktima moved back through the woods with her standard issue axe in hand. She hated being out in the woods alone, it was part of why she joined the navy in the first place. And were it not for her leaving being not really voluntary, she would still be running transport ship defense missions. If she was going to be a Ranger, she was going to get a pet. She wouldn¡¯t ever tell the others, because it was stupid and childish, but she wished that she could find a wyvern egg and raise it. Sure, most people who raised wyverns ended up being eaten by them because wyverns are just general pricks, but she thought she could do it. Viktima gripped her axe harder the farther she got from the camp, the wind blew dry leaves into one another, and the rustling set her on edge. When she heard a branch snap she tossed the axe, nearly taking off the ear of her fellow cadet. Instead, she just clipped some of his dirty blonde hair. She saw that it wasn¡¯t an animal, at least, not by common views. ¡°Korban? Don¡¯t sneak up on me.¡± ¡°How did you get past Seth?¡± ¡°I was out with Ofiara hunting and I said that I¡¯d owe her a favor if she let me sneak off.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to end up owing that bitch a favor.¡± ¡°Nah, I said that I would be the one who owed her.¡± ¡°It is so cute that you think she won¡¯t make me do something. We are both going to end up blackmailed by her for this.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t a question. Now drop your pants, might as well get some alone time.¡± ¡°I brought a flower for you, I thought that-¡± She had already bent over the tree and his mind went blank. White life flowed onto the forest floor. The couple pulled their pants back up. ¡°Alright.¡± She grabbed her axe and walked away. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you do.¡± Viktima got her wood, properly processing it by removing the sap on the inside and using bark fibers to make a simple rope to bind it. The wind and birds had gone silent, no longer could she hear the rustling of dead leaves. A shadow moved in the corner of her eye, something was there. She drew her sword and readied a fireball. She wasn¡¯t going to let this thing get her. ¡°Korban, if that¡¯s you again you better say it right now before I roast you.¡± ¡°HELP, HELP, HELP.¡± Her blood ran cold, that same wrong feeling she had years ago was back, and she wasn¡¯t going to stick around to confirm it. Viktima could hear it behind her as she rushed for the woods, but no other animal made a sound, the wind was still dead. It got closer, and she saw the edge of the clearing, the camp was right there. She launched the fireball and swung her blade. The flames blocked her vision, but she was sure that she cut something. Viktima didn¡¯t look back, she just kept running. She rushed out of the woods, and the sounds rushed back to her ears. ¡°Cadet Viktima, what the hell are you doing?¡± ¡°THE MONSTER, IT-¡± ¡°What monster? I don¡¯t see anything. You just came out of the woods screaming like a banshee.¡± ¡°You had to hear it, I cut it just before I got here, and I hit it with a fireball.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything. Cadet Thyma, did you hear anything?¡± ¡°No sir, I didn¡¯t hear anything out of the ordinary.¡± ¡°But I got it with my sword it-¡± ¡°Your sword is clean. If you can¡¯t even get me some wood on your own because you are so scared of the forest, you are never going to be a Ranger.¡± ¡°No, really, I saw something, it was chasing me, I barely got away.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear anything more. I read your file, I know why you are afraid, but get the fuck over it. I¡¯m gonna take a nap, help Cadet Thyma with supper.¡± She was deathly embarrassed, she was certain that she saw something, she knew that she heard it right behind her. But did she? That silence was all too familiar to her, that voice that sounded almost exactly human. ¡°That time of the month?¡± She didn¡¯t respond, she just nodded her head and whispered that she was sorry. He half-expected her to lunge at him, her being meek was just wrong. ¡°You really saw something, didn¡¯t you?¡± She immediately perked up. ¡°Do you believe me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I think that you believe you saw something. Let¡¯s get the water on to boil, and while that is happening, we can check for signs of whatever you hit.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The cadets had only known one another for a month, but seeing a side of her that wasn¡¯t rude, anti-social, and threatening, well, it was a surprise. Thyma and Viktima didn¡¯t need to search for long to find where it happened. They found a piece of white flesh and droplets of blood that were thick and dark, like a blood jelly. Along with the signs of what she cut off, they found scorched leaves on the ground, whatever she hit wasn¡¯t a tree, it was standing up and took the fireball like a champ. ¡°We¡¯re only what, 50 feet from the camp? We should¡¯ve seen this.¡± ¡°I swear, I was farther away when this happened. I thought I was running for five, ten minutes.¡± ¡°Get the lump. Maybe Seth will know what it was.¡± When she picked it up it squirmed, it felt like maggots on her skin, but she didn¡¯t mind much. ¡°This is still alive.¡± The pair both noticed it, their sixth sense tingled, something was watching them. ¡°We move back to back and rotate, most things won¡¯t attack if you are looking at them.¡± They got back to camp at the same time as Ofiara, never seeing whatever was staring at them. ¡°What were you two doing?¡± ¡°There is something in the woods. Wake up Seth.¡± But the man was already up, eating an apple as he sat on his favorite stump. Viktima was holding the lump of white flesh. ¡°Cadets, have any of you been alone at any point today before the attacks started?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Have any of you been alone today? Viktima, I know you were, Thyma, you were in the camp, which is less likely, but it could¡¯ve come in and gotten you. Ofiara, you were hunting with Korban, where is he?¡± ¡°He said that he would carry back the animals, so he should be right behind me.¡± ¡°If he isn¡¯t here in the next five minutes, I¡¯m going to start asking questions you won¡¯t like.¡± She called out to him and he replied back rather quickly, he really was basically right behind her. ¡°Korban, were you and Ofiara apart for any length of time?¡± He rushed to speak, and was a man with a very guilty face. ¡°What? No, we were together the whole time. But, if we were, why would it matter?¡± ¡°When where you apart?¡± ¡°What? No, I mean, we weren¡¯t together for-¡± Seth punched him in the gut and the atmosphere changed. ¡°How long were you apart?¡± ¡°Cadet Korban and I were apart for 16 minutes and 9 seconds while he went to have relations with Cadet Viktima.¡± ¡°Thank you, Ofiara. Did you notice him acting any differently?¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t share many words, as we were hunting, but he seemed no different than before.¡± Once he was done giving them stares that they feared would actually set them on fire, he over and stirred the pot, adding in herbs and vegetables. ¡°Give me that chunk of flesh.¡± Viktima tossed it to the instructor. ¡°Yep, metamorphic flesh. I¡¯m going to call it in.¡± He went in his tent, and then came back out after a few seconds. ¡°This is very bad.¡± Korban was the first to start panicking. ¡°What?¡± ¡°My communication amulet is gone.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± They tore apart the tent, but he really only had a bed, a table, and a bedside table with a drawer. ¡°Well then, I guess this means that any of us could be a Skinwalker, or, it could be just a wild one.¡± Ofiara raised her hand. ¡°Couldn¡¯t we each cut off a finger? That Skinwalker flesh is clearly not human.¡± Everyone looked at her and then to Seth, who looked to be considering the idea. ¡°Nope, if it is in human form then it would have the properties of human flesh.¡± ¡°Oh, alright then. Now, you said that we were all potentially Skinwalkers, but each of us has separately been apart from one another with an opportunity to kill a fellow cadet, yet the only one who has been attacked directly was Cadet Viktima. I think it is more likely to be an outside force rather than an invader.¡± ¡°Fair. But, when dealing with Skinwalkers, you don¡¯t want to get too comfortable with the idea that someone isn¡¯t one. They are fairly smart, so they can cast doubt to tear groups apart, and spare people to make themselves seem less likely to be the monster. They do all of this without knowing that they are Skinwalkers.¡± ¡°Instructor Seth, do you have experience hunting them?¡± ¡°One or two hunts, but only by chance. They won¡¯t show themselves until they get hungry, they hate standing out. So, either we stay here for a week for the resupply, and call in backup from there, or, we take a walk to the nearest base, which will take about 5 days.¡± ¡°Considering the circumstances it would seem more sensible to remain here, as leaving would require us to do away with our already stored equipment and food.¡± ¡°Does anyone have an issue with Cadet Ofiara¡¯s suggestion.¡± ¡°Fuck that, I¡¯m not sitting around and waiting for that thing to butcher me in my sleep.¡± Viktima was clear that she was freaked out and didn¡¯t want to spend another second there. ¡°Great, so five days through the woods, we¡¯ll camp at night, and everyone will sleep in the same tent in shifts.¡± She deflated, hating the idea of having to go through the forest more than staying in their clearing, even if it was for an extra. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. Let¡¯s get supper finished, eat, and then we can go over a few more things.¡± With them all sitting around the fire with stew in their bowls, Seth spoke up again. ¡°Until this thing shows itself, nobody is allowed to go anywhere alone. Viktima, Ofiara, when you need to take a piss, go together, same with us men. If you need to wake the other person up, or interrupt their work, then do it. We will sleep in four hour shifts at night, and fully rest during the day. Three of us need to be up at all times for safety. When fighting a Skinwalker don¡¯t let it get close, the claws can shear steel. Use ice, they don¡¯t like being cold, and they shrug off fire unless you¡¯ve already cut them. Now, anything for you to say?¡± Ofiara raised her hand. ¡°There are five of us, three person shifts would require that one person must stay up for two shifts.¡± ¡°I can stay up, just let me rest during the day so if I need to stay up for a long time I can.¡± ¡°I also suggest that Cadet Viktima and Cadet Korban not be awake at the same time during the night.¡± The aforementioned cadets stared at her harshly. ¡°Those two have already shown a willingness to shirk their duty to have relations with one another, that could be potentially dangerous.¡± ¡°Shut up, just because you can¡¯t-¡± ¡°Cadet Viktima, Ofiara is right. Korban, you, Thyma, and myself will be the first shift, Viktima and Ofiara can be the second shift.¡± There was grumbling, but they couldn¡¯t really ignore a direct order backed by some sense. When it was time for bed, they moved towards their tents, but Seth loudly whistled and they all covered their years. ¡°FUCK, how was that so loud?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good at whistling. Everyone is sleeping in my tent since it¡¯s the largest. Grab your bedrolls and come in. We are sleeping together in my tent.¡± He eyed each of them, looking for anything out of place. ¡°Oh, and before we all get together, everyone strip, sometimes a Skinwalker fails to copy birthmarks or they can carry over from one victim to the next.¡± Ofiara started right in the open. ¡°In private, you don¡¯t need to show yourself to everyone.¡± ¡°That may be fine for others, but I wish to do so anyway.¡± Seth said that nobody was allowed to talk until two hours after the girls went to sleep so they wouldn¡¯t be disturbed. The men played cards to keep from getting too bored, Seth saying that it was quiet and they already knew all of the rules. At exactly two hours, Seth tapped on his mouth, and Korban started talking. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking, if the girls are going to go to the bathroom by themselves, isn¡¯t that dangerous?¡± ¡°If they come back and I¡¯m dead, that means it is a wild one. If only one of them comes back, then the other is probably the monster and I¡¯ll kill it.¡± ¡°But then you or one of them is dead.¡± ¡°And the rest will be alive.¡± Thyma seemed taken aback. ¡°I¡¯m fucking with you. I¡¯ll go with the girls. If I come back and you men are dead then we know it isn¡¯t any of us and that will make defense much easier.¡± He chuckled and played his hand. ¡°Royal flush.¡± ¡°Again? Are you¡­¡± ¡°Cheating? Of course. As a Ranger, most of your supplies will be acquired in the wild, so you¡¯ll want to cheat at games when you get to towns for some extra things, salt, alcohol, things that you can¡¯t make yourself easily in the field.¡± ¡°How are you cheating? I¡¯ve been watching you, there aren¡¯t any cards missing, and I haven¡¯t seen any come out of your sleeves.¡± ¡°The same way Thyma is.¡± Korban looked at his fellow cadet who just shrugged. Now that everyone knew that the others were cheating, the game had changed, and winning wasn¡¯t enough, one had to do it without being caught. ¡°So, how is Viktima?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I mean when you are stirring up her guts.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t-¡± Thyma grabbed Seth¡¯s hand, where he had been trying to slip a card into the deck. ¡°Just because you can frazzle the pretty boy with something like that, doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll distract me.¡± ¡°Good work. Most cheating is sleight of hand, you get someone off kilter for a moment or you draw their eye somewhere else, and you can do just about anything.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit him with a lesson, I caught you, you lose this round.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Thyma and Korban reshuffled the deck once each and now sat across from one another on the ground, rather than in the triangle position they used for a three man game. Seth sighed. ¡°What?¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t been betting, and that just seems wrong.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t exactly have much to bet other than jerky and berries.¡± ¡°I agree, how about we bet secrets?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that-¡± Put a hand on both men¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I¡¯ll be the one giving out the secrets, none of that pansy shit where you say your favorite color and food. I read all of your files, and I¡¯ve been keeping my own tabs.¡± ¡°Maybe we could-¡± ¡°Perfect. I¡¯ll be the dealer, I won¡¯t even cheat. Rules are simple, if you get caught or fold, I¡¯ll share something I know about you, but I¡¯ll start small at least. If you win, I¡¯ll throw in something a bit juicier.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s too late.¡± ¡°If you drop out, I¡¯m just going to tell Korban whatever I want.¡± ¡°You¡¯re an asshole.¡± ¡°A man needs to find his own entertainment in trying times.¡± Korban caught Thyma trying to use his earth magic to transport a card underground for later use. ¡°Thyma sleeps with a scrap of fabric his mother gave him.¡± Korban didn¡¯t snicker or mock him, he just put his cards back and waited for Seth to shuffle it, which he did with quite a bit of flare. Though in that flare, Thyma caught Korban trying to steal one of the cards. ¡°Korban has a 14 inch cock.¡± ¡°No fucking way.¡± ¡°Fine. He picks the mushrooms out of his food and hides them because he doesn¡¯t want anyone to think he is a picky eater.¡± They went through more little secrets, Korban liked to dance with himself in private, Thyma had a weird birthmark on his ass that looked like a perfect star, just oddities of the other. Then Thyma went all in. ¡°Are you sure? I¡¯ve got a pretty good hand.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to bluff me.¡± Korban put down a royal flush, and then Thyma did the same. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! So they settled it with by each drawing one more card. Korban got a 6 of hearts, while Thyma got a 10 of spades. ¡°Alright then, time for a big one. Korban is the bastard son of a noble who wanted him to be a Ranger so he was far away from the politics of home.¡± ¡°Blonde hair¡­ is that from your mom or your dad?¡± ¡°Shut up and let¡¯s play again.¡± ¡°Korban, just answer the question.¡± He was less than happy with Seth, who was eying him. ¡°My father.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Royal Flush again, but this time, both sides had the exact same cards. ¡°Tiebreaker, you both know the other cheated, how do you prove it?¡± ¡°I knew from the start this time, all of his cards have been colored over with illusions. Now, you went all in, and I caught you, that means you need to reveal a big secret.¡± ¡°No, it means I have to reveal a big secret of his.¡± Seth tapped his hands on the ground. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Drumroll. The secret is¡­ that Thyma¡­ is the Skinwalker.¡± The two men pulled their swords, though rather than at one another, Thyma pulled his on Seth. There was a tense minute before Seth said anything. ¡°Alright, he isn¡¯t the Skinwalker. I just figured I¡¯d give it a try, if it thought I knew what it was then it would drop the pretense and try to kill me for knowing the secret. Anyway, Thyma was given the option to be a Ranger or face a court martial.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Rushed ahead and got his team killed. Through dumb luck or skill he survived and finished his mission.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t rush ahead, I just didn¡¯t see the traps. Fucking bastards couldn¡¯t accept that my team died and I didn¡¯t.¡± Korban tried to put his hand on Thyma¡¯s shoulder, but it was slapped away. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not here to talk out my feelings or some shit like that.¡± With perfect timing, Ofiara sat up. ¡°I now have four hours of sleep, and I need to use the bathroom.¡± ¡°Wake up Viktima and let¡¯s go. You two probably shouldn¡¯t go to sleep until we are back.¡± ¡°If you are worried about them falling asleep, and thus victim to the monster, they could come with us as well.¡± Thyma was the first to whine. ¡°It¡¯s cold outside though.¡± Viktima didn¡¯t seem to mind digging a hole with a little earth magic and relieving herself, but Ofiara at least wanted a tree for cover, so they moved to the edge of the clearing. Nothing seemed wrong The two men laid down as soon as they got inside and Seth said to play cards to pass the time in silence. And then just as before, he explained how they should cheat. ¡°Ya know, poker just isn¡¯t the same without betting on something.¡± ¡°I do hope you are not suggesting strip poker, as that would be against military guidelines, since it could be seen as unsavory interaction between a commanding officer and a soldier under him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying anything like that, I¡¯m just saying.¡± ¡°Princess might not like it, but I¡¯ve got some jerky and clean water to use as substitutes for anything of value.¡± ¡°We should maintain whatever supplies we have just to be avoid being wasteful in an uncertain time. If I was going after a stronger force alone, I would sabotage their food and try to wait them out.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know what else two girls would have to offer as bets unless you count gossip.¡± He had to push a little harder than with the men to get where he wanted. Ofiara side eyed him, but without her making any expression, it was hard to tell if she agreed or not. ¡°I¡¯ll be the dealer, I¡¯ve read your files and I¡¯ve been keeping my own tabs on you.¡± ¡°That would be highly unethical, those personnel files are confidential.¡± ¡°Seth, deal.¡± They ignored Ofiara¡¯s objections. After several games, Ofiara had yet to lose a hand. ¡°All in.¡± ¡°Are you sure? I mean, what if I have a really good hand, you would be forced to reveal some big secret.¡± ¡°From left to right you have the 6 of hearts, 8 of spades, 3 of clubs, a jack of hearts, and a 3 of spades.¡± ¡°How the fuck do you know?¡± ¡°If I revealed the method of my cheating, I would be effectively forfeiting this game as well as the games after this.¡± ¡°Fuck it. Just tell her something.¡± ¡°This is just depressing. Seems the ice woman has ice in her veins as well. But anyway, Viktima¡¯s father was killed by a Skinwalker, and that is why she is afraid of being alone in the forest.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that, you have my condolences.¡± The emotionless tone and matter of fact way she stated it, on top of the losing streak, infuriated Viktim. She tried to slap Ofiara, who grabbed her wrist and twisted it before forcing her face down on the ground. ¡°I cannot let you harm me, any infighting could lead to a breakdown in trust, or me holding a grudge, and that would be dangerous to the mission at hand.¡± ¡°Just get the fuck off me.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Another round?¡± ¡°So you can just tell her everything about me? Fuck that. Let¡¯s do blackjack.¡± ¡°Alright, if one of you hits 21, I give a big secret, if I hit 21, I¡¯ll get to ask a question and you can¡¯t lie. Over or under just means a small secret.¡± 21, 21, 21. Viktima wanted to tear the pretty red hair from her own head, but Ofiara said not to tell any more secrets. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly be cheating now, you aren¡¯t even touching the cards.¡± ¡°My father was a gambler, he taught me how to count cards, mark them with mana, slip them up and down sleeves, and throw them as weapons when caught. Bu I have not cheated in this, all I have done is kept a memory of what cards are left, and gambled based on the chances of a good card being given to me.¡± ¡°No way.¡± ¡°She¡¯s telling the truth, our little snow queen comes from a long line of murders and degenerates.¡± ¡°My brothers all died violent deaths, my mother overdosed on hallucinogenic drugs, and my father tried to sell me to pay off his debts.¡± ¡°He tried?¡± ¡°I left home and joined the army. Seth, you may chime in with whatever you believe is relevant. You are after all revealing these things so you can find a gap in the memories of the Skinwalker, right?¡± ¡°You left out that your father died when you got away.¡± ¡°I cut his throat as an initiation to the gang which he owed these debts to. Children are judged less harshly, so they make better criminal pawns. I did many awful things during my time before the army. This was all in my file, was it not?¡± ¡°True.¡± ¡°And there was no reason to doubt the men during this game of yours?¡± ¡°Not that I saw. I¡¯m going to say that the only possible Skinwalker is myself.¡± ¡°I disagree. I was away from Korban for as long as he was away from me, but he went to see Viktima, so he has a witness and thus a shorter time when he was away from another person for less time than I was. Viktima, did he ejaculate?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Skinwalkers, even if they are in human form, start in a larger form, the volume of semen would¡¯ve been greater.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not tracking that.¡± ¡°Oh, unfortunate. I once read a book on Skinwalkers, it was one suggestion, along with blood letting.¡± ¡°If we can just measure blood, then why haven¡¯t we done that?¡± ¡°I did not bring up this method because without knowing how large the monster is, we couldn¡¯t know how much of a difference in blood there would be, and I doubt any of us know a transfusion spell, so we could be greatly weakened by blood loss and easy prey for it.¡± They kept playing blackjack, but he stopped quizzing them on their secrets. In the morning, they found that their supply tent had been cut into from the back. It was inside the camp, just across from them, and not one of them noticed. ¡°What about the other boxes?¡± ¡°Everything, salt, vegetables, herbs, dried food. But it didn¡¯t get into our tents, I¡¯ve got a stash of stuff I can share, fermented berries mostly.¡± ¡°Good thinking, Thyma.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± ¡°We¡¯re avoiding being torn apart by a monster and cut off from support, you can drop the sir part, we¡¯re just Rangers right now. Ofiara, what is your opinion now?¡± ¡°I do believe it is now reasonable to take what we can here, and then leave for the base. It would be a five day trip if we went straight there, but is there any other civilization such as a road which we could travel along?¡± ¡°We¡¯re in an area designated for training, you won¡¯t find anything close to here but trails that nobody uses unless they are coming here.¡± ¡°That is very unfortunate. I believe that the resupply team is still our safest option.¡± ¡°I agree, we don¡¯t know what it can do, how old it is, what its victims knew. If it isn¡¯t in human form, then it knows it is a monster and it will use what it has gained from all of its other lives until now. Regardless, we need to get a dear or two today so we have food now rather than just hunting what we need.¡± ¡°Shall we all go to hunt then?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel comfortable leaving just two people here even if I don¡¯t believe any of you are the monster, so we don¡¯t have a better option.¡± They gathered around and locked down everything that was left behind under arrays and wards to prevent losing anything more. Since none of them saw anything wrong, they simply fanned out slightly and started searching for signs of deer or other prey animals, but they always stayed within eyesight and earshot. They all heard the snap of rope and looked for the source, the screams made it easy. ¡°NOBODY MOVE, THERE COULD BE MORE TRAPS.¡± Seth used a burst of wind to push aside the leaves and search for more of them as he made his way to Thyma. When he got here he moved the man¡¯s hand away from his eye. ¡°Barely a flesh wound, you¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°No, but this isn¡¯t going to be fatal. Now, this next part is going to hurt, a lot. Can you see out of your eye at all?¡± ¡°It¡¯s dark, but it was too short to hit my brain. It doesn¡¯t hurt that much, maybe it looks worse than it is.¡± It was worse than it looked, when Thyma realized he stepped on something odd he jumped back, but the spike was already inside of his eye and his jumping meant that the eye was ruined, looking like someone cut a grape in half, and there was a large gash down his cheek. One of these could be fixed by Seth. ¡°Well, it¡¯s good that you are in shock, so you can¡¯t feel how bad it is. Can you see this?¡± ¡°See what?¡± Rangers had to be healers, hunters, demolitionists, warders and everything else that would stop them from dying under some tree because they got stuck in the guts and it was infected. But, they weren¡¯t always great healers. Seth knocked Thyma out with a shock spell and pulled the eye from its socket before severing the optic nerve. He didn¡¯t know how to heal an eye, but if the eye was gone, he was good enough to prevent it from getting infected. Had it been left in, it would¡¯ve just rotted away, he¡¯d seen it happen before. With Thyma still blacked out, he cleared a path back to camp and dragged him to the treeline. Then he did the same for the others, even if they walked back their exact path, he still wanted to be completely sure. Everyone was shaken by how quickly it happened. ¡°What the fuck kind of Skinwalker sets traps?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen those before, basic Ranger handbook shit. We got lucky that it screwed up, Thyma jumped back at the last second and the spike was too short, the tension wasn¡¯t set right.¡± ¡°So what the fuck are we supposed to do? The woods are all boobytrapped, it destroyed all of our food last night, it-¡± Seth slapped Viktima. ¡°Rangers don¡¯t panic, they get the job done.¡± She rubbed her cheek, he didn¡¯t hold back much. ¡°What do we do?¡± Ofiara raised her hand. ¡°We could just burn down the forest.¡± ¡°Oh, great, we can die a fiery death instead of being torn apart and eaten.¡± ¡°The smoke would be visible for dozens of miles, and someone would come to put it out.¡± ¡°How about no.¡± He paced back and forth for a minute. ¡°Or I could hunt on my own.¡± ¡°You just said it probably killed a Ranger already.¡± ¡°Yeah, a shit Ranger, couldn¡¯t even beat a Skinwalker.¡± Ofiara raised her hand. ¡°You don¡¯t need to raise your hand when you want to speak.¡± ¡°I will continue to do so. Rangers often die due to acts of bravery and pigheaded stupidity. I believe the idea of you going on your own would fall under the latter.¡± ¡°Fine, Korban, you can come with me. We were all awake last night, and those traps weren''t there before, so that means we are dealing with a Skinwalker that isn¡¯t one of us. Two man teams should be fine.¡± ¡°While you are away, may I be in charge?¡± ¡°No, you are weird and the others don¡¯t like you.¡± ¡°That seemed rude and uncalled for.¡± ¡°I said the others don¡¯t like you, but I do.¡± She cocked her head to the side. ¡°I dislike the way you said that.¡± Seth just shrugged and dragged Korban away. When they reached the treeline Seth used a spell to make his hands sticky, and he climbed right up a tree, followed by Korban. ¡°You know, if we don¡¯t suffer horrible deaths and end up with our souls devoured by a shapeshifting monster, I think I¡¯ll go to one of the academy, let them teach me how to fly.¡± ¡°Can you at least phrase that better?¡± ¡°No. Watch out for traps in the trees, but they should be much easier to spot. And don¡¯t jump around willy nilly, if you fall to the forest floor and land on something I¡¯m probably going to leave you as bait.¡± Korban chuckled at the dark humor, but when Seth didn¡¯t join in or react in any way, he wondered if it was a joke at all. With just the two men traveling by jumping from tree to tree, they didn¡¯t find any traps, and they managed to find a few animals that stepped into the monster¡¯s traps. Before going down to grab a boar that was struggling and hung by its feet, Seth fired a blast of wind to clear the leaves. ¡°That fucker knew that we¡¯d try to grab the boar, pitfalls all around it, and I¡¯d bet you the disturbed dirt right under it is another trap, probably going to be a razor vine, something omnidirectional.¡± ¡°That was a really big word for you.¡± ¡°I said you guys were Rangers now, but you are still my junior. Let¡¯s jump to the tree it is hanging from, cut the rope, slice the neck, bleed it, gut it, then I¡¯ll carry it back on my shoulders.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a bit larger than you, and I¡¯m younger, I think that-¡± The woods went silent, the panicking boar was suddenly frozen in fear. After a few minutes, it was gone. ¡°That is bad for my heart.¡± ¡°What even is that?¡± ¡°Skinwalkers are mental monsters, soul devourers, products of Fae. Anyway, let¡¯s get that boar, even between the five of us, that will be enough, we aren¡¯t looking for much, we just need to avoid starving to the point where we get weaker.¡± They double, and then triple checked, but the boar hadn¡¯t been poisoned by it. When they were done gutting it, just out of curiosity, Seth tossed the stomach down to the patch of disturbed dirt. ¡°Ha, I knew it would be a razor vine.¡± Each of them carried half of the boar back, securing it with ropes they brought with them. Half-way back, Seth stopped Korban from making a jump. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Look at the next branch, it¡¯s been cut, if you landed on it I¡¯m sure it wouldn¡¯t hold your weight, fresh pitfalls down there too.¡± ¡°Shit. Why doesn¡¯t it just attack us like a man?¡± Seth raised his eyebrow. ¡°Not to state the obvious, but it isn''t a man, it¡¯s a monster, and secondly, think of who it attacked before and when. It didn¡¯t attack you or Ofiara when you were alone, it went after Viktima, who is the smallest of us. It lacks confidence that it can kill us in a straight fight.¡± When they got back to camp, nothing was on fire and nobody was dead, Thyma was unhappy however. Still, he decided to be the bigger man and shut up, nobody was exactly thrilled with what was happening. ¡°We¡¯ll eat some of this now, but let¡¯s put the rest in the ground and put up some chilling arrays so it doesn¡¯t rot. How¡¯s the face?¡± ¡°Ofiara showed me with a water mirror, it¡¯s going to leave a pretty bad scar, but she let me eat the fermented berries, so I¡¯m a little tipsy.¡± ¡°Those Frontier women love a good scar, say it¡¯s from a Skinwalker and they¡¯ll be gushing.¡± Ofiara, cold as she was, sneered at the man. Seth, childish as he was, stuck his tongue out at her. Two days passed, it was coming at night, it wouldn¡¯t attack, but it would scream at them in an inhumanly loud voice just to wake them up and prevent them from keeping a proper schedule for the guards. It was dangerous in a different way, but Seth let them set up silencing wards so they could sleep at least. On the third night, they heard the silence and two spears in one after the other came through the wall. It knew the schedule now, and it knew exactly where the women were sleeping. But Ofiara knew that it knew that, and suggested that they don¡¯t sleep in the same spot every night, rather than injuring or killing the two of them, the spears hit dirt and everyone rushed outside to fight. The book which Ofiara had once read years ago failed to capture exactly how it looked, clearly the author hadn¡¯t seen one himself. It was gangly, its skin was taut and its bones were almost piercing through it. It had a mostly human shape, other than the double joints on its arms and legs, its hunched back, and the claws like shortswords, and the teeth that glinted under the moonlight, and that it stood 10 feet tall. Other than these changes to the human form, it was technically mostly human as the book claimed. Thyma rushed at it before Seth and Korban could stop them. It seemed unfazed, this thing was not small, there was no way it was avoiding a fight because it didn¡¯t think it would win, but Thyma was less than happy at losing his eye. It was too late to grab him, to stop him. His shouts met Thyma¡¯s ears just as it slashed its long double jointed arms like a whip. Thyma saw the one from the right and tried to block, but he was blind on his left side, and the other claws hit him. Luckily, Ofiara threw a rope at him, magically having it tied around the man, and he didn¡¯t immediately die. She dragged him into one of the other tents while the other three went to fight off the monster. Seth cast the largest spell of them, turning the ground to quicksand, while the others just tried to hit it with frost bolts. The design of a Skinwalker wasn¡¯t naturally stable, its form was better suited for going on all fours, which it did. Instead of falling back and being vulnerable, it twisted its hands and ran away, hopping like a cricket, laughing all the way as it dodged everything they threw at it. Once it was gone, they checked on Thyma and Ofiara. She folded his hands over his chest and closed his glassy eyes. ¡°We should put his body in a grave and boobytrap it, when the Skinwalker tries to devour him, it may be injured.¡± Seth had to hold Viktima back. ¡°YOU FRIGID BITCH, HE¡¯S NOT EVEN COLD AND YOU ALREADY WANT TO USE HIM?¡± ¡°I think that he would appreciate getting some vengeance against his killer. I believe I knew Thyma well enough to say this. You disliked him greatly, and I do not feel it is right for you to go against me on this.¡± Korban held her back as well, and she realized she was outvoted, or at least they didn¡¯t want the two of them beating one another while that thing was still out there. ¡°Viktima, she¡¯s right, a Ranger must use every resource they have, especially if they are in a pitched battle against a greater force. This thing isn¡¯t hunting us the way it is because it can¡¯t handle a fair fight, it is hunting for sport.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe you people.¡± She stormed off to Seth¡¯s tent to get some rest and Korban went with her. Seth and her combined their earth magic to bury him, then went inside and dug another tunnel where it couldn¡¯t see them that connected under the grave. ¡°You knew him well enough to think he wanted this?¡± ¡°He had the eyes of a murderer, but I saw remorse as well. I¡¯ve seen men like that before, normally they just kill themselves. I don¡¯t think he cared that much about living anyway, so he shouldn¡¯t care about what we do with his body either.¡± ¡°You really are fucked in the head, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I have been told that before. I think that you are right. The leader of the gang I was part of said that perhaps because my mother had used illicit substances while pregnant with me, something never developed properly. I think that is likely.¡± ¡°Did you and him have a sort of father daughter thing, or were you just another worker?¡± ¡°I was a worker, then I got older, and he tried to sleep with me, and when I said no, he attempted to rape me, so I bit his penis off and cut his throat. I left after that, I don¡¯t think that the other workers would like it if I came back. I don¡¯t like fathers, I never met a good one, he called me his little girl a few times, and that made me feel good, then it became upsetting. I think I like you, do you want to have sex?¡± ¡°Considering your other story, I¡¯m going to say no.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± He felt a chill up his spine, which turned out to be her hand. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°You are warm, I would like to lay with you tonight, it is cold, I dislike the cold.¡± If he wasn¡¯t already sure that she wasn¡¯t a Skinwalker, then all of the alarm bells in his mind would make him kill her in her sleep just to make sure. When they left the tunnel, Korban and Viktima were drowning their fear in themselves, worried that they wouldn¡¯t get a chance later. They didn¡¯t stop when the pair entered the tent, so Seth put up a veil to block the sound along with the sight. The two of them were just left with that awkwardness. ¡°Oh, I think I left my dagger in the tunnel, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°No, those two are like rabbits, and they are in a veil, so you need to watch them. I will be safe in the tunnel.¡± He knew that she didn¡¯t leave her dagger down there, but he figured that whatever she was doing was fine. She crawled back up 40 minutes later. ¡°I misplaced it rather severely.¡± ¡°It is a 5x5 tunnel less than 30 feet long.¡± ¡°Quite severely. I would like to come into your bedroll now.¡± ¡°Alright. But we can¡¯t go to sleep, those two are going to wear each other out eventually.¡± ¡°I am alright with staying up throughout the night.¡± Sitting with her in his lap, grinding against him now and then, there was a tingle on the back of his neck that something was terribly wrong, but he didn¡¯t know what to do about it, normally his sixth sense was a little more specific than this. They hadn¡¯t noticed it the night before, but the Skinwalker had found the remaining meat and soiled it by cutting open a deer''s stomach and colon over it. ¡°When in the hell did they even find time for this. Did they walk past the tent, do this, then back up and throw the spears?¡± ¡°It would make sense, perhaps killing Thyma was only a bonus, and it once again wanted to attempt to force us into the woods for hunting. May I go with this time?¡± ¡°No, if I leave those two here they won¡¯t do anything but fuck and that thing is going to walk right in and kill them both.¡± The men were more careful than ever, when they looked down it seemed like every inch of the forest was covered in traps and half of the branches had been partly cut. Back at the camp, Ofiara and Viktima just sat in silence. The one didn¡¯t want to talk to her, and the other didn¡¯t want to speak unless spoken to. The next two days were harsh on their nerves, as it didn¡¯t appear at all, it didn¡¯t scream at night to keep them up, they didn¡¯t get the feeling that it was watching them at all. ¡°You don¡¯t think it left, did it?¡± ¡°No, they are creatures of obsession, it knows that we saw its real face and that must be driving it mad, it can¡¯t help but try to come back and kill us.¡± Tomorrow they would finally be resupplied, and since it was being done by a teleportation gate directly into the camp, they didn¡¯t have any worry that it would be hit on route or delayed. If they just made it through tonight, they¡¯d be home free by noon. It was just past three in the morning when a blast filled the area, nearly pulling the tent¡¯s stakes from the ground. The scent of dirt filled the air, but not the rot and iron one would expect from a grave with a body still in it. Seth and Ofiara were ready, they had been sleeping for most of the day so they could stay awake the entire night; they kicked Korban and Viktima on the way out to wake them. Yet she didn¡¯t go to the monster, but rather to the treeline. It was over confident in its victory, its mind had been dulled by past victories, it thought little of the easy win being given to it. It didn¡¯t even think much of missing much of the protective leathery flesh on its body. The Skinwalker¡¯s flesh was hard to cut as an elephants, and despite what it looked like, it wasn¡¯t skinny, it had multiple sets of bone and flesh; Skinwalkers didn¡¯t grow up, they grew more layers to themselves. It rushed at Seth, who just dodged and wondered what the hell Ofiara had gone out to do. He didn¡¯t think for a second she would abandon him. A ring of fire engulfed the campsite, her 40 minutes alone in the tunnel had been drawing up a rune in the ground, all she needed to do was finish drawing it and then release the basic mana gathering arrays that she set up to almost immediately charge it. Now it had nowhere to run, even a good 70 feet away near the center of the camp Seth could feel the area getting warmer. It let out a howling laugh and pointed at Seth. ¡°You are trapped.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think you talked when you looked like that.¡± ¡°Victory is mine, you can¡¯t kill both of us.¡± Ofiara was behind him. His heart was beating in his chest. ¡°Hey, Ofiara, you aren¡¯t a Skinwalker, are you?¡± She dropped her sword, going for an axe she had hidden inside of Thyma¡¯s tent with some runes carved on it. ¡°Don¡¯t assume that I am on its side.¡± He nodded at her and the Skinwalker looked dissatisfied. The pair circled around it, and it rushed towards Ofiara first, getting some of Seth¡¯s knives in its back as a result, yet they didn¡¯t slow him down. Getting hit in the head by a hatchet thrown by Viktima did however. ¡°HEY.¡± It was only a moment, but when its eyes left Ofiara, she sunk the axe into the exposed flesh of the Skinwalker and froze it in place with a quick frost blast. It yelled with fury and backhanded her to get an attack out as fast as possible just to get some space. She got close to the fire as she rolled across the ground, only being stopped by Seth moving to help her and put up a stone wall. ¡°KILL IT, LEAVE ME.¡± She was bleeding from her head and one of her forearms had snapped like a twig when she raised it to block the attack. Seth rushed back to help the other two. It was shockingly fast for its size, but the axe was acting as a lightning rod, and when the bolts coursed through its body, muscle contractions slowed it enough to barely avoid its long arms that cracked like whips. ¡°BASTARD HUMANS.¡± It smashed the axe with its fists, taking out a solid chunk of flesh, but making it easier to dodge their lightning afterwards. Seth came from behind and tried to wedge his blade in its spine, but it flipped down like it had before and started to jump around. It wasn¡¯t easy to attack when it was like this, but it also had a hard time attacking with its claws. If only that was its plan. It jumped towards Ofiara. Each of them was fast, but with one good bound it could cross the entire camp. In the air it twisted itself and was back to a configuration better suited to combat. ¡°OFIARA, RUN.¡± His voice wouldn¡¯t reach her faster than it would, but it didn¡¯t need to. It saw her smile widely, and it realized that she had expected it to come back for her. The one in front of him was an illusion, and a length of rope had become tied to its waist. With a harsh pull and some magic, the Skinwalker ended up in the flames. They heard the screaming, it had never suffered such indignity before. Yet the monster wasn¡¯t injured to the point where it might be slowed. It took a short time for it to rush out of the fires smelling of roasted pork which was left in a damp cellar for a month. And when it rushed out, it came right for Ofiara, who was standing by the tents. She tossed one of the tents at the monster after setting it on fire. The monster moved in a flurry shredding the tough canvas like paper. Smoke obscured both vision and scent in that brief moment. ¡°Hey.¡± It lunged at the voice, but instead of piercing her skull, it saw a card with a rune drawn in blood. Just as Seth told Thyma and Korban, most cheating was sleight of hand, and if you drew someone''s attention for a moment, you could do anything you wanted. She put her hands on the ground, the distraction gave enough time for a better earth spell, and the dirt became like a liquid before returning to solid earth. It was stuck, and could only lash out as it tried to break free. Seth drove his sword between the ulna and radius of its second forearm and then stuck his blade into the ground. At the odd angle it couldn¡¯t get any leverage to pry it and Korban was told to hold it in place. When he repeated the same attack using the Korban¡¯s sword on his other arm, it couldn¡¯t even resist as Viktima and Ofiara walked towards it with axes. It stared at the white haired girl. ¡°WAIT, WE COULD-¡± She swung upwards, splitting its jaw in two and stopping it from speaking. While the two men kept its arms bound, the two women swung down, bone and flesh were cleaved away as they went through the layers until they finally hit the last skull. It had been reduced to half of its size, rings like a tree showed its age as being around 80 years old. Ofiara stopped Viktima from finishing it. ¡°You want to finish this?¡± ¡°For Thyma.¡± She grabbed a smaller hatchet and cleaved at the skull horizontally, prying off its skull cap and freezing the brain with a cone of frost. She felt like she had earned this. They saw it slow in its struggles and then go limp. ¡°Now we can hunt the other one.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Clearly there must¡¯ve been two of them, some of these things just don¡¯t make sense unless there were. Probably a much smaller one, though I¡¯m unsure how they reproduce. There is no way that we would¡¯ve missed that 10 foot tall one coming into camp, and with its giant claws there is no way it could do the delicate handiwork to make traps.¡± ¡°Oh, fuck me.¡± The ring of fire was rather simple to turn off, they waited half an hour for the power to wain, as something so hot used up far more mana than was just in the air, and then Ofiara broke it from underground. In the early morning hours, after the forest fire had burnt itself out and cleared the forest of traps, they followed the tracks of the Skinwalker back to a cave, where a much smaller monster was inside. The favorite call of every Skinwalker was for help, most people, good or bad, would at least look at someone screaming for help, if they took a womanly form, it let them get close enough to devour them. This time however, it was a genuine call as it was being backed towards the wall. They walked forward and when it tried to escape past them, Seth drove his axe into its head. ¡°Tough little bastard.¡± It writhed on the ground and they all started swinging, not stopping until it was nothing but a mess of squirming flesh. They burned it for good measure and collapsed the cave. When the resupply team stepped through the gate they saw a scene of chaos, the frosty body of a positively massive Skinwalker without a brain, and past it, the smoldering scene of what was a forest fire only stopped by the damp fall conditions and burn resistant trees. He stepped back through the gate and got a team of soldiers who started searching the other tents for survivors. One of them lifted the flap to see a woman laying on top of the older instructor. One day, far from those people, after a round of drinks with his fellows, the soldier would remark about a peculiar sign on the woman¡¯s butt, a perfect star. Chapter 274: A New Blade, A Promise Once Given, Now Said Truly. Harlan, not getting any real rest, decided to take a soak in the bathtub. The water was hot, it would scald almost anyone else, but to him, it felt just right. In that water he finally got some sleep. He was there at a farm. He looked down, these hands were not his. ¡°Load up the last crates.¡± ¡°Oh, right, sorry.¡± He seemed to be a young man, and the one who was ordering him was an older woman. ¡°I¡¯ll go get Missy while you do that.¡± He loaded up the few crates of apples and sacks of potatoes that were left there on the ground. Harlan felt weak, he felt¡­ human. The woman came out with a little girl, no older than nine. ¡°Daddy.¡± She ran up to him and jumped, Harlan caught her in his arms. ¡°Don¡¯t do that, you are getting too big, you¡¯ll hurt your father one of these days.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, really.¡± The woman shook her head, scolding him silently that he shouldn¡¯t let her get what she wants just because she¡¯s a child. ¡°I can go today?¡± ¡°Oh, yes, of course.¡± The woman tapped her foot angrily. ¡°Really? Grandma said that you would say no?¡± ¡°Anything for you baby girl.¡± He didn¡¯t quite get it, was this a happy dream? Was he just fantasizing about a simpler life with his daughter? The woman took the reins from him, he clearly didn¡¯t know where he was going. His daughter sat on his lap. ¡°What is the city like?¡± ¡°It is loud, and smelly. But it is also full of people, more things than you¡¯ve ever seen before. Stay close to your grandmother and I.¡± ¡°Did you and mama ever go to the city?¡± The woman had a sullen look on her face. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What did she look like?¡± He felt his chest tighten, this dream was clearly not happy, there was something else happening here. ¡°She looked like you, but older. She was the most beautiful woman in the world.¡± ¡°Will I be pretty when I¡¯m bigger?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Can I be a soldier like you?¡± ¡°NO.¡± The woman yelled. ¡°You cannot be a soldier, they are¡­¡± ¡°But mommy was a soldier, she fought all the bad men, and the monsters. And-¡± ¡°And then the worst monster of them all killed her, and he¡¯s still roaming around unpunished.¡± They all went quiet. For the very long ride to the city, Harlan couldn¡¯t help but examine his body. He found a tattoo on his chest, from the skull and the blade, he assumed he could¡¯ve been a soldier or a mercenary like his wife. In the back of the wagon, within his reach, he also found a blade and matching shield, military issue, mundane. If he was a soldier here, then he was low ranked, probably served his term, bought out of it. If he had been kicked out, they wouldn¡¯t let him keep the equipment. He heard rustling in the woods, saw the shadows moving. ¡°Baby, get in the back, between the crates, and don¡¯t come out until I say so.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°Now.¡± He lifted the young girl from his lap and set her in the wagon. Then there was the waiting. The woman knew what was happening, and tried to make it seem like nothing was going on. The forest was quiet, the tension was in the air, the birds and predators had gone silent. Everyone knew what was going to happen, and they just waited. ¡°Stop the cart.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°Mother.¡± 10 men stepped from the woods. ¡°Leave the cart, no need to die.¡± Harlan stepped down, but not before he grabbed the sword. He didn¡¯t have nearly enough experience fighting with a shield, he was a two handed man. ¡°Don¡¯t fight, we¡¯ll just walk.¡± ¡°Listen to your mother, boy.¡± ¡°Walk away.¡± ¡°Harry, please, don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Wait with Missy.¡± ¡°Well, we were gonna just kill you both anyway.¡± ¡°Both implies two.¡± ¡°The girl is young, shouldn¡¯t be hard to find a buyer, if not, the men can-¡± ¡°I know, I know what you are going to say, there is no need for her to hear that.¡± The bandits surrounded him, but he felt calm. It wasn¡¯t just that he was in a dream and he knew that this wasn¡¯t a real threat, but it was also that even in this weaker body, he still remembered everything that Breken taught him. Even a dozen bandits shouldn¡¯t be enough to get past him. The first of them rushed in a triangle pattern, then the second wave did the same. These men were used to this, a triangle meant that you needed to expose your sides and or back to at least one of them, and the second triangle doubled the threat. The other four men stood by to prevent Harlan from escaping the encirclement. He wasn¡¯t planning to let them get all the way in, and he rushed one of the men. Harlan deflected the blade, turning it around as he did and slipping past the bandits sword. When he passed the man, his sword found its way to the bandits throat. He felt the heat as the man¡¯s arterial spray hit him. Compared to everything else in the dream, it was the most real feeling there. The man dropped his blade and tried to prevent himself from bleeding out. Harlan grabbed him from the back, tossing him at one of the other bandits. Feint low, and when the man tries to go low, you kick dirt in his eyes. He plunged a dagger he grabbed from the belt of the first man into the nape of the man¡¯s neck from behind, steel passed through flesh and around the spine, hitting his brain. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. When he pulled it out, he tossed it in the same motion. The man who deflected it expected Harlan to be the next target, and the man on his right did as well. When Harlan went after him instead, he was too slow, he had readied himself to stab him in the side as he went after the other. Harlan swung and deflected the blade, driving it into the ground, stepping on it as he did. The other man went to stab him in the side, and Harlan leaned back, grabbing the man¡¯s hand. His sword was shorter than the others, either because he stole it from a smaller man, or because he liked the extra control it offered him. The way that he put all of his force into the lunge made him discard the second option, he was an amateur, extra control was wasted on him. Harlan grabbed the man¡¯s hand and pulled him into his blade. One thing that Breken had ensured Harlan got down, and was helped by his time learning human anatomy, was how to slide his blade between the segments of the spine. If you stab wrong, it slips off, and while you may kill the man still, severing the cord makes one fall like a puppet with no strings, and they lose their grip. When the man¡¯s shortsword started to fall, Harlan let go of the hand, grabbed the blade, flipped it around, and stabbed the other man through the eye. The others became afraid of going in. ¡°Alright, you made your point. We¡¯ll just go on our way and-¡± Harlan tossed the shortsword at the leader and rushed forward again. Some of them started to flee, and it only made it easier. He cut the backs of their legs. There were major arteries that ran through it, it stopped them from running, and it made the others think that they could still help; their in a bid to keep down on weight because they were bandits who had to move around a lot, they had removed the plating from the backs of their legs. His blade had dulled some. Fat and blood and running it along the length of another sword wasn¡¯t great for mundane metal. So what should¡¯ve been a clean decapitation instead ended up as 3/5ths of a decapitation. One of the others rushed from around his back and stabbed forward. Harlan couldn¡¯t dodge, the man¡¯s body as he fell with the blade in neck had thrown him off balance, he was far too used to swords that just cut or were stopped, not ones that got stuck. He took the sword in the back, and instead of twisting, which risked more damage, he just got his blade unstuck and flipped it around, stabbing back where the man¡¯s head should be. He missed, but the man jumped straight back, pulling the sword out relatively cleanly, and it had missed his organs. Harlan dodged the next blade from the front and with his blade still backwards, he bashed him with the pommel, shattering his orbital and knocking the eye out of its socket. The man fell to the ground screaming. He quickly grabbed the blade from the man who had been partly decapitated and pressed the blades to his front and back. When two man tried to stab him, their blades glided along his, and he swung the one at his back, bringing it down on one man¡¯s head. He seized on the ground, the blade was stuck in his skull and wouldn¡¯t easily come out, but the man¡¯s brain was cut. He attempted to repeat this on the other man, but he leaned back, and instead Harlan split his nose and jaw, knocking out a few teeth. The leader tackled him. Harlan braced the flat of his blade with his forearm as he laid on his back. They struggled for only a short time before the man threw both of their arms up so he could safely go for a headbutt. When he did, Harlan went for the throat. He sunk his teeth in, and once he felt something harder, the tubes of the trachea, he pulled his head back. The man¡¯s blood drenched Harlan, and he pushed him off. As he stood, he felt the pain from the stab wound. He lost more blood than he thought. He staggered over to the man who had his eye hanging out and put him down. The man with the split nose had more cosmetic damage and he stood up. ¡°Please¡­ please, just let me go.¡± Harlan could feel another set of eyes on him, he had to kill this man before someone else showed up. He rushed forward past the frightened and fumbled attempt at a defensive stance, and drove his blade at an upward angle into the man¡¯s heart, between the gaps of his armor. Harlan¡¯s shoulder was pressed with the man¡¯s as he held his blade and prevented him from flailing around. He felt his hot blood pour down his chest and stain his tunic. Once Harlan thought the man lost enough and didn¡¯t have strength left to fight, he pushed him off and turned to see the other threat, only to see the look his daughter gave him. He saw all of the blood and tears filled her eyes, he saw it, he saw that she loved and respected him, that she looked up to him, and that it was gone, she saw a monster in front of her. He staggered over to the cart. ¡°Mom, get up here, drive.¡± She crawled out of the back ¡°Just¡­ go¡­¡± ¡°Your stomach, are you-¡± ¡°I will be fine, it is a flesh wound.¡± He gave himself simple first aid, wrapping the wound tightly, but not too lightly. He didn¡¯t want to squeeze the wound and make it bleed, and it was better that it could breathe slightly. He could hear Missy whimpering the entire way there. ¡°Baby, that, that is what a soldier does. Evil men attacked us, they would¡¯ve killed us, so I killed them.¡± ¡°The last man¡­ he wanted to leave, why did you-¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t let him go.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because he was evil, and he would¡¯ve just gone to hurt someone who couldn¡¯t kill him.¡± ¡°He sounded so scared, he just wanted to run away.¡± ¡°He was right to be scared.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to be in Haldren soon. Missy, give your father a rag.¡± ¡°Did you say Haldren?¡± He saw the mushroom cloud rise in the distance, he felt the slightest heat, and it was over, it was almost instant. He tried to grab his daughter, to shield her in any way he could. Harlan woke up in the tub, crying like an infant, and Adina rushed into the room. ¡°Harlan, honey, honey, are you alright?¡± ¡°I COULDN¡¯T SAVE HER, I KILLED HER, IT¡¯S MY FAULT, I DID IT.¡± ¡°Who? Who couldn''t you save?¡± ¡°MISSY, SHE¡¯S DEAD, AND SHE¡­ she¡­ I was dreaming, I just had a bad dream.¡± Viviane had started crying in the other room, and they both moved. ¡°Get dressed first.¡± Harlan dried himself off and then went back to the room, where a royal guard and soldiers had already burst into the room. ¡°Sir Fomoria, what happened? We heard screaming.¡± ¡°Just a nightmare, I¡¯m fine, please, return to your positions.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Adina was rocking Vivi to calm her, but she just kept crying. ¡°What happened? Who is Missy?¡± ¡°I had a dream, I was a farmer, and I took my daughter with me to sell produce. Along the way, bandits attacked, and she saw me kill a man who tried to flee. The look in her eyes, it¡¯s burned into my mind, I can¡¯t stop seeing it. Every ounce of respect she had faded away, she didn¡¯t see me as her father, she saw me as just another murderer. Then¡­ then we kept going. We got near Haldren, and I saw the blast, I felt the heat on my skin, and I saw her skin start to bubble and burn away as we all died.¡± ¡°It was just a dream, that isn¡¯t going to happen, Vivi is safe, and we will always be safe with you.¡± ¡°Bullshit. Sepul, great and powerful archmage, and he couldn¡¯t keep his family safe. The only one left is my half-sister, and he kept her from being assassinated by faking her death and hiding her from the world. He has been alive long enough to make a lot of enemies, and it doesn¡¯t matter that he stopped a thousand attempts, one got through, one of them is all that it took for him to end up bitter and alone.¡± Harlan began weeping again. ¡°I don¡¯t want that for our little girl, I don¡¯t want to hide her, I don¡¯t want to lie to her. What will I tell her when she gets older? When she learns what I¡¯ve done? How will she look at me then? Will she look like Missy did? I killed 50,000 people in Haldren, how many of them had relatives that could be plotting revenge right now? How many fathers lost their daughters that day?¡± ¡°You are just shook up, you aren¡¯t fully awake, and the stress from the academy is eating away at you. I didn¡¯t want to say it before, but I can see it.¡± Viviane just wouldn¡¯t stop crying. ¡°Can I hold her?¡± ¡°Sure, fine.¡± Her words and actions didn¡¯t match, she hated giving her daughter away just as much as he did. When Harlan grabbed her he felt it this time, his mind was too clouded by him wanting to pretend that it was clear before, but this time he knew, she had empathic abilities like him. ¡°You were sleeping last time I said this, but I promised that I would be better, I promised that I wouldn¡¯t miss a second of her life, her first steps, her first words, any of it, because I was out there killing someone. I promised when you were sleeping because I didn¡¯t want you to hold me to this.¡± ¡°And now you want me to hold you to it.¡± ¡°If I became a better man now, I could explain things to her, I could say that I was evil, that I was wrong, but that I was also young, and I made mistakes. I hope that she understands that, and even if it is hard, she can forgive me for what I was.¡± ¡°This war is going to get worse before it gets better.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯m not saying that I won¡¯t kill anyone, but with so much power, there are a lot of people I can avoid killing. I can rush down a field and slaughter a thousand men.¡± Harlan activated his sigil and grew a stinger. ¡°But I could also hit them with a little bit of neurotoxin, and they wouldn¡¯t move for hours. I have killed so many because it is easy, because they deserve it, but there are so many more that didn¡¯t need to die, that I could¡¯ve just as easily spared, that someone else can judge.¡± Harlan kissed Vivi on the forehead. ¡°I promise, when you are old enough to understand, I will be a better person, one not so quick to anger, one that can keep you safe, I promise I won¡¯t just hide here, I will make sure that I have made this world better than the one that you were born into.¡± She stopped fussing and fell back to sleep. ¡°Adina, bring me my sword.¡± ¡°Why do you-¡± ¡°Please.¡± She grabbed it from the bedside, without anyone touching it, It was a normal blade, not the mantis like one that it was when he used it. As he handed her their daughter, he grabbed his blade. It didn¡¯t shape itself into the mantis shape as normal, instead, it became a blade without an edge. That wasn¡¯t enough. Harlan forced his will on the blade, casting out the darkness. It turned bone white, the entire aura around it had changed. He didn¡¯t like using the word holy, it was something that he couldn¡¯t help but think of as related to Reino, but that was the word that came to mind. ¡°I feel you in there. You are not living, but you are not without a mind.¡± It couldn¡¯t respond, but it gave off a feeling of acceptance. Whatever this thing was, it wasn¡¯t that anymore. ¡°You will be my blade of mercy.¡±
¡°I can¡¯t believe you did that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I really am. But those weren¡¯t exactly good guys we killed.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Harlan would¡¯ve done the same thing.¡± ¡°Yeah, you are probably right. With my father dead, there are a lot of places that only we knew about that should be safe, but I don¡¯t want to stay at any of them for more than a day.¡± ¡°It sounds like you could stand to get around faster.¡± David drew his sword at the sudden voice, the woman who snuck up on them, but Parnell was frozen, he could smell her power, the wrongness that she exuded. Interlude: Thousand Years of Stories 3 Dantevius had been tracking his target for a few days already, but he kept running into issues. In this case, a mammoth in musth had broken down the walls of a banana plantation. ¡°You look like a shitkicker. We¡¯ll pay you-¡± ¡°I do not wish for payment, but if you would grant me some of your bananas for my journey, I would appreciate them.¡± ¡°Oh yes, we¡¯ll give you exactly what you¡¯re worth if you fix up what you can and kill that mammoth.¡± The Minos had a mischievous grin, not believing the Goliath was worth much and intending for him to die to the mammoth after helping them to fix up the plantation. They¡¯d just need to wait for the imperial forces after that, and they might even get a bounty for a goliath body. ¡°I shall do what is right.¡± He went over to the wall, it was simple logs that were cut down and braced with more logs on the inside. It stood only 12 feet tall. Dantevius was large for his kind, but he always made himself seem smaller, hunching his back and taking a meeker stance. The sixth sense a person had could cause minor hallucinations, targets and threats might seem to grow larger in one''s view, and for him, the opposite was true. The way one presented themselves made a world of difference, and a look of horror came over the farmers as he straightened himself out, the popping of his back and neck sounded like gunshots, and stood 20 feet tall. He stepped over the broken defensive wall and pulled trees from the ground, roots and all. Dantevius ran his hand down the length of the tree and shucked it like an ear of corn before he pushed it into the ground with the ease that one would push a tack into a wall. With that done, he now had to find the mammoth, which wasn¡¯t hard. It trumpeted and rammed itself into a rock wall just to try to deal with its aggression to no avail. ¡°Shh shh shh¡­¡± It rushed him immediately, and he grabbed its tusks, cutting grooves into the ground. The gap in power was immense, and the beast never stood a chance. When it was tired out, he let go. ¡°You must be so lonely.¡± He pet the mammoth, and it wrapped its trunk around him. ¡°Where are your herders?¡± It trumpeted sad tones at him. ¡°I¡¯m so very sorry to hear that.¡± It replied again. ¡°They always did clash with society, they refuse setting of roots, they understand the horrors that growth brings. You have no mates now, and I¡¯m sorry, but I have seen no more of your kind along my way.¡± The mammoth pushed its forehead to his and let out one more sound. ¡°I am sorry.¡± Dantevius began to run his 14 fingers through the fur of the animal. When he found the right spots to grip, he twisted, instantly snapping the mammoth''s neck. He cried profusely. When he stopped he prayed, not to any god or man, it just felt right to do this. He returned the body to the farm, slinging the beast over his shoulders. It was terrible what had happened, but there was no sense in letting the meat go to waste. ¡°Must¡¯ve been some fight. We could hear the wailing from all the way over here.¡± ¡°It did not suffer in death as it did in life.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ alright then. We¡¯ll get those bananas for you. You want any of the mammoth?¡± ¡°No, the bananas are enough.¡± Dantevius went on his way, pulling bananas from the bunch and eating them with the peels still on. The farmers had seen the woman, and they were not happy. She had accepted the job of hunting the mammoth, but fled, her running led it right back to the plantation and her failed attack only made it more upset, going from knocking against the wall to crashing through it. She left the scabbard for her saber behind, he delicately ran his fingers over the crest that had been engraved onto it. This was not just a weapon for someone with rank, he could feel that there was a great deal of care and feeling put into it.
The Ranger had been running from the beast for over an hour, but it was just too fast, he got clipped more than once. ¡°Hey, you, come here.¡± He opened his bag for his companion. ¡°I¡¯m not going to make it, so eat this, and you can have my body if you want.¡± The hound whimpered and cried, picking up a piece of dried meat with its mouth and trying to feed his master. ¡°Cu, I¡¯m sorry, but this is the end for me. When Harlan finds me, be nice, I know you don¡¯t like him much. ¡± The hound kept trying to push the food in his mouth. ¡°Cu, stop that. I¡¯m spent, healing would just kill me and waste the food.¡± He seemed to accept that it was happening, and crawled under his master¡¯s hand. Redmond scratched the hound as he laid there, until the motion stopped, and he howled in sorrow. He closed his eyes for the last time, and when he opened them, a woman was standing over him with an outstretched hand. He could tell who she was, Harlan mentioned those giant horns and gleaming white armor before. ¡°So I¡¯m dead, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t strike me, will you?¡± ¡°So you can talk.¡± ¡°Very few have the sense to overwhelm my calming effect, fewer still would attack me. So I decided to take some special interest in those related to him.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Shit. Harlan is just a special kind of man.¡± ¡°Most cry rather than laugh.¡± ¡°This is the part where you take me away, you eat my memories to sustain yourself.¡± ¡°That is already happening. But, if it brings you any peace, I could stay here for a little longer. No hero should have to die alone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a hero.¡± ¡°You nearly died many times, all for the sake of others. You did this not out of a desire for the fight, nor did you do it for fame or glory. Your nephew, he does this often out of guilt, but your reasons are plain selflessness. You led a less than ideal life, and you became not embittered, you wished to save others from pain.¡± She took his hand and placed it in her¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m sorry my nephew punched you.¡± ¡°There are no harsh feelings, in that moment, in a thousand years, in a thousand eons, I will have his soul some day, it matters little when it happens.¡± ¡°If he heard that, I¡¯m sure he¡¯d live to the end of time just to spite you.¡± She laughed at his joke and began showing him more and more of his happy memories until the light of life left him, and his eyes grew dull.
I feel it, something is there. STOP, STOP THAT, LEAVE MASTER¡¯S SOUL THERE, HE NEEDS THAT. The horn lady wouldn¡¯t look at me. Master¡¯s hand was warm, now it isn¡¯t. I want Master to be warm again. I¡¯m hungry¡­ Master¡¯s bag is empty now. I want goblins to eat. It is so cold here. Master said to eat him. I won¡¯t. Master was nice, I won¡¯t eat nice things. I won¡¯t eat chickens either. He got angry when I ate those chickens. He¡¯s here. I don¡¯t like him. Master calls him family, but they aren¡¯t the same. He smells wrong. I bark and bark, master said to bring him here. Look, look, I didn¡¯t eat him. Please take me home. Master¡¯s mate is so sad. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I wish she would be happy. I¡¯m sad. I wish Master was here. Master¡¯s pup keeps pulling on my ears. I don¡¯t like this. Master wouldn¡¯t want me to bark at her. I¡¯ll let her play with my ears. Master¡¯s mate makes me sleep at the end of her bed. Her feet are warm. She gets angry when I lick them and wake her. Something changed in me. My mind is better, faster, clearer. Is this what we saw so many other creatures do? Am I becoming something more? Master, I wish you were here. She is growing so fast, you should¡¯ve stayed.
His pace quickened as he ran with his sword in hand. That hunched over thing, it had a beak and was covered in a shell. It just came out of nowhere, one second they were drinking around the fire, the next he heard the screams. He barely got away from it, he wasn¡¯t the fastest, but he wasn¡¯t the slowest either. He hid under a fallen tree by using earth magic. He hoped that if it could smell him, that the scent of rot would cover him. The seal wasn¡¯t perfect, the slightest bit of moonlight bled through, and he had just a sliver of sight outside. The full moon lit the woods through the canopy of trees. He saw it take heavy footsteps, staggering as it walked. Did his companions harm the monster? It collapsed on top of the tree he was hiding under and he heard the creaking. ¡®Just how heavy is this thing?¡¯ He thought. When it didn¡¯t move, he got more and more worried about it finding him, but he could hear it snoring. He made a judgment call to stay hidden, he couldn¡¯t risk it waking up while he was making his escape. When the sun rose and he awoke, he saw that the monster was gone, but he still waited in that hole with his own filth for half a day before he got up. The sight of his camp was nothing short of a nightmare. Men had been torn limb from limb, blood covered nearly every inch of the place, but the worst was the boss. He had been bound by roots, but he was still alive, his heart was crystalized. ¡°K-k-k-kill me.¡± He couldn¡¯t even begin to think of how he could save his boss. ¡°He-he made me watch¡­ He toyed with us¡­ He took the girls¡­ the supplies¡­¡± He pulled his sword out and took his head off. But the heart refused to stop beating. The sound was maddening. No matter how far he got away. He could still hear it.
The bandits came in three days ago, they stole away the village, the lives of her parents. They left only those who didn¡¯t resist alive, and the women of course. She was too young for any of their taste, so she was forced not to suffer that indignity, but she still had to work, cooking and cleaning for her captors. She was just outside of her former home, where the leader sent himself up. Her father had been the village chief, and though he did not resist, they killed him anyway, just to assert dominance, to make an example. ¡°It might be time to just move along now. The army will probably notice that things are quiet.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell the men to get rid of the witnesses, clean up.¡± Her father told them not to fight back, to let the men stay and pillage them until they were satisfied, that they would leave. She was not her father, she refused to let herself be a victim, she refused to let someone take things from her. Even now, she refused to believe that it was too late to get out alive. What hope did a child have to fight off a dozen bandits? She pretended to have not heard anything, backing around the corner and waiting for the second in command to leave before she brought the leader his roast. ¡°I have your food.¡± ¡°Call me master.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ master. Do you need anything else? Should I cut your meat for you?¡± The man laughed, he didn¡¯t need it done, but he found joy in believing she was subservient. ¡°Ya know what? Sure, come cut my meat, and you can sit on my lap while you do.¡± The moment she had her hands on the knife, she plunged it into his throat. She reveled in the shock he showed. But, she was a child, and at the awkward angle and her weak body, it wasn¡¯t exactly a clean kill. He punched her in the face, knocking her teeth loose and filling her mouth with blood. Even if it wasn¡¯t clean, he had still been stabbed in the throat. He staggered against the table and swiped everything to the floor with a loud clatter. When he got to her he climbed on top and put his hands around her neck, squeezing as tightly as he could. But he leaned too low, and she grabbed the knife handle as her eyes bulged and her neck was turning a shade of deep purple. She pulled it to the side as hard as she could, severing his trachea and most of the major veins in his throat. Her vision went to black for a moment and hot blood splattered over her face. Then the man went limp. She crawled out from under him coughing and choking as she tried to get air back in her lungs. When she could stand, she grabbed the knife and stabbed at his body over and over again, but she couldn¡¯t scream out like she wanted, the pain was too much. She pulled a particular dagger from the man¡¯s belt, it wasn¡¯t his to keep. The sound of rain on the dirt, and then boots on the mud followed. Her father wanted her to be a doctor, and had bought books for this purpose. She had some small understanding of the body, where to cause the most damage even if she was only a weak girl. When the other bandit came inside she was hiding under a table by the door, and had extinguished the candles. She severed the man¡¯s achilles tendons and then made deep gashes in his thigh and calf. The knife she used belonged to her father, and he always kept it sharp, it was after all the knife he used to cut the throats of pigs after stunning them. He couldn¡¯t stand, but he could call for help. She fled as fast as she could, she knew that he would pass out any second, and he¡¯d be dead not long after. She hid in a hollowed out tree, she could hear them shouting, blaming. They circled around in the woods for a few hours, but they said with the cold she wouldn¡¯t make it through the night. She wasn¡¯t a hero, she wasn¡¯t going to come back for the other villagers, she wasn¡¯t going to check if they were still alive. She just hid there in the cold rain. The two kills she got were luck, she didn¡¯t honestly believe that she was going to be able to kill any more, they were too cautious now. The next day, she was certain that pneumonia was developing in her lungs, and she couldn¡¯t feel her fingers or her toes. But still she was overjoyed when she saw an army team move into the village. One of the bandits even headed her way without a sword in his hand, or rather, without a swordhand. She jumped from her hiding place and shoved the man over before she plunged her blade into his face time and time again. A hand grabbed her from behind and she kicked and fought to get out of his grip. ¡°CALM DOWN, YOU¡¯RE SAFE NOW, YOU¡¯RE SAFE.¡± She didn¡¯t believe it, she couldn¡¯t believe it, not until the others came out in front of her and she recognized the uniforms. ¡°Damn, she made a mess of this guy.¡± She spit on the body. ¡°We found two more men cut up in there, was that you?¡± She couldn¡¯t speak, the strangulation the night before had damaged her throat. ¡°Captain, she¡¯s hurt pretty bad, look at her.¡± ¡°Little lady, now, I¡¯m going to let you go, but not before you drop the knife.¡± She only tightened her grip on it. ¡°Is the knife something special?¡± She nodded her head. ¡°You can have it back when you are healed, but we can¡¯t risk you hurting us. Will you give me the knife?¡± She breathed angrily, but loosened her grip and one of the privates grabbed it from her. ¡°We¡¯re going to take you back to our camp, and we are going to heal you.¡± She gestured towards the village, asking why they wouldn¡¯t bring her there to be healed instead. The men diverted their eyes. ¡°We will bring all of the survivors to the camp, don¡¯t worry about them.¡± She knew it already, but there was nobody else left. 25 years passed, and she was walking through the streets of the capital. Having a day off wasn¡¯t exactly something she understood what to do with. From the moment she had been saved it had been nothing but improving herself physically and magically. She was stronger than just about any man she had ever met, and taller than most as well. People feared her power, and that made her feel good, it made her feel safe. She had noticed a woman following her, and so she went down an alleyway. The instant the woman was far enough in, a gravity array activated and brought the woman to her knees. ¡°Why are you following me?¡± She noticed some familiarity in the woman¡¯s face. ¡°Safira, you got so big.¡± She turned the array off. Whatever this woman knew of her was long dead. She wasn¡¯t some 10 year old girl anymore, she was a battle hardened royal guard. But, something inside of her said that she should give the woman at least a conversation. She didn¡¯t say much as she brought her to a very expensive restaurant in the city. ¡°Table for two.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we have a dress code and are reservation onl-¡± She pulled her royal guardsmen, or rather, royal guardswomen, badge, and slammed it on the desk. The man saw her steely gaze and nearly relieved himself then and there. ¡°Dreadfully sorry about the confusion, I''ll find you a table right away.¡± It was an awkward air as the two women waited for his return. ¡°We could¡¯ve just gone somewhere else.¡± ¡°No.¡± She waited for more, but Safira wasn¡¯t exactly talkative. The woman¡¯s eyes bulged at the prices on the menu. ¡°I can¡¯t afford to-¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pay for the meal, get whatever you want. Bring me the Iron Bass filet in cream sauce and a plate of Golden Calf ribs. Mistin, what do you want?¡± ¡°Ah, well, I¡¯ll just have the same then.¡± ¡°Bring us a 40 year red and a 30 year white, something from the west for the red and a southern white.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The waiter very quickly, but not so quickly that he was actually running, moved away from the table. ¡°How did you get away?¡± ¡°The first night, I ran away. When I reached the next village over they called in the army, and when I heard my parents were dead, a family took me in. How did you¡­¡± ¡°I was hiding in a tree after I cut the leader¡¯s throat. I was taken to an orphanage, then I moved to the army, and eventually I became a royal guard.¡± ¡°I feel like you left a lot out there.¡± ¡°No, I did not.¡± Mistin proceeded to tell many stories of her life. To some, there might be some feeling of loneliness, that they had missed out on living a life because they spent so much of their time training and working. But not Safira. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I should¡¯ve asked. What about you? Did you find a man?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Well, that just isn¡¯t right. It must be lonely.¡± ¡°I do fine.¡± ¡°People should have people. Is it because of what happened?¡± ¡°You remind me of a certain bothersome man.¡± ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to-¡± ¡°No, it is fine.¡± ¡°Who is this bothersome man?¡± ¡°Harlan Fomoria.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he married with a child on the way?¡± ¡°Do not misunderstand.¡± ¡°Oh. I thought I saw a slight grin when you said his name.¡± ¡°He has grown on me, like a malignant tumor.¡± ¡°You should find a man, or a woman, I won¡¯t judge.¡± ¡°I live for my duty.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t that sad?¡± ¡°No.¡± The food came and Safira ate with grace befitting her position. Her friend wasn¡¯t exactly a slob, but she felt like a goblin next to a princess. When Safira was done, she returned to her room in the palace, where she pulled a well used dagger from its sheath and reminisced about her father. But when she was done, she put it back and out of her mind. She was a soldier, for decades that has been the life she knew, and she enjoyed it. A husband, children, these things would just take time from her work. Chapter 275: A Meeting Between Kings The month was well over, the only place that remained outside of Harlan¡¯s control was the capital of Elfique, or rather, former Elfique. Harlan could¡¯ve stepped in, destroyed the city, conquered it himself, but instead he just let an Other observe Dantes and his attempts. The Castians couldn¡¯t receive more troops in, they couldn¡¯t trade with the other cities, they were trapped, and with that weakness, Dantes advance that should¡¯ve been suicide, had actually worked out well enough. His army grew to the thousands when he moved through villages and towns, setting the slaves free. Harlan¡¯s plan wasn¡¯t to take over the entire island if he didn¡¯t need to, but rather to drive all Castian influence off of it. So if Dantes did manage to capture this one city, he was willing to let him come under the same deal he made to other nations that wished to remain independent. No slaves, trade between the nations, and if loyalty can be proven, magic could be taught by Harlan¡¯s golems, and soulsmithed items could be sold to them as well. Two weeks had passed in this siege, in the night camp fires were all around. Harlan could feel it in the air, the blood that had yet to be spilled. If he left things as they were, there would be a battle, the city had guards from all around who had been called to bolster the defenses. They expected things to get bad, but they didn¡¯t think that Harlan could actually cut them off for so long. Another few days when rationing becomes a question, and the leaders inside would think the best call would be to kill as many soldiers as they could outside to lessen how much food was being eaten. They¡¯d try to last as long as they could, hoping that they can be connected with the empire again. He called the prime Harlan, who decided to call in all of the free Harlans. It was night, they didn¡¯t really need to do much as marshalls right now. They all turned invisible and tuned their hovers. They weren''t weightless, and they just floated down like dandelion seeds. Yet instead of planting weed flowers, the Harlan¡¯s started a quiet assault. With skips and multicast instant silencing arrays, they cleared the city by dawn. When the citizens stepped out for their morning routines, they found nothing out of place. There was the scent of iron in the air, blood on the streets, but not a body, not a limb, not so much as a severed ear. There was a panic, and the Harlan¡¯s slowly revealed themselves and explained that the soldiers were gone and that once it hit noon, he would open the city gates. A few people drew weapons, but when they dropped dead and in pieces, having been struck by a net of solid air razor wire, it became clear that fighting back wasn¡¯t an option, so much as a death sentence. Harlan was still getting in the swing of it, but he had gotten good at breaking wills without needing a mountain of bodies. Noon came around, and Harlan opened one of the gates while focusing all of his others on it. ¡°Bring Edmond Dantes here, we need to have a talk before he takes this city.¡± ¡°And you are?¡± One of the other men, a Minos, was from Kor, and he knelt. ¡°This is King Fomoria.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t look as scary as the legends say.¡± ¡°Rumors you mean. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve been around long enough to be a legend.¡± ¡°Humble as they say.¡± ¡°Bring me your king, and you might get this city without a fight.¡± ¡°Tarran, bring a message to his majesty, King Fomoria wishes to speak.¡± Harlan formed a chair from the stone pathway leading inside; this gate had a small bridge over a creek. It wasn¡¯t defensive, it was just a water source. ¡°King Fomoria. What do I owe the-¡± ¡°I will be curt. I dislike you. I am going to send a charter here, no slaves, my people will judge the ones in this city and those judgements shall be upheld, a few laws to make sure there is some equality.¡± ¡°I will be certain to look over your offer-¡± ¡°This is not an offer, it is a requirement. I have allies, enemies, and those I leave alone. Enemies don¡¯t sign the charter, allies are people who I like, and I leave alone those who sign my charter and follow it. You can remain independent, but signing it is non-negotiable.¡± ¡°Carmilla is still a friend, you should be mindful of your tone.¡± ¡°Carmilla is pragmatic.¡± Harlan got up from his seat and left through a void gate, taking half of the Others with him so they could return to their posts. The longer a town was under Harlan¡¯s control, the less a marshall was needed, and a dozen of Harlan¡¯s Others could safely spend a few days running security while judges from Kor arrived without those places falling into chaos. When he went back, he stayed in Kor long enough to get a quick bath and a kiss from Mercedes, then he went to Falin. Liyana entered her office to find Harlan sitting with his feet up. She always became unsettled around him, more so since he made moves to attack everything that was outside of his rule and he was building a small army of himself. ¡°Wh-what can I-¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to help.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± She straightened herself out and put on a braver face. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± ¡°Needing help isn¡¯t a problem, nobody can do everything without someone else along the way, but lying about needing help, that is a problem.¡± She barely saw him move, but she felt the light breeze despite the closed windows and a few hairs had been cut from her. ¡°So, I am going to ask, and pretend that you didn¡¯t try to pretend yourself. What can I do to help?¡± ¡°I believe that there is a possible rebel force here. Queen Carmine has put down many smaller uprisings from the former Drangites, and perhaps a group of them has slipped into Falin to plan and recover. I¡¯m keeping it quiet so-¡± ¡°It¡¯s done.¡° ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had D¡¯if¡¯s men here for weeks, they found the rebels, made them disappear into the night, and they spoke, and in this speaking, they revealed more rebels.¡± He skipped over, he was near side to side, but slightly past her. Harlan reached his arm back, placing his hand on her shoulder. ¡°Next time, ask for help, I¡¯m not an unfair man, I understand that you wanted to solve this on your own. I didn¡¯t tell Carmilla, and everything you need is contained in those files. You can either turn them in to her, or you can make a new story, one where you saw that there was a problem, and you solved it on your own.¡± He left through a void gate without another word, and she could finally let out her breath. Liyana¡¯s legs felt like jelly, Harlan seemed unstable to her, and the loss of his mother and child, though they were still alive, was something that worried quite a few people who knew Harlan as a softhearted young man. He moved out again, this time back to the former UT. The Other in charge of researching the Eolgi said that he had something that he needed to show Harlan. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I said before that they reproduce depending on their food, you remember this, right?¡± ¡°Their population booms and falls based on the availability of the food.¡± ¡°Yes, but I hadn¡¯t seen them actually reproduce, and when I tried to track them to a breeding area, I found nothing. But I saw it, I finally saw how they work.¡± Harlan saw the Eolgi that had brushed against him before, and it had a smaller one next to it. ¡°They reproduce asexually, like goblins.¡± ¡°Are they related?¡± ¡°Not that I can tell. Goblins are all separate individuals, but these Eolgi share some genetic memory. I know that they aren¡¯t exact copies, but the more that I teach them, the more that they advance. I¡¯ve killed almost all of the Eolgi so I can focus on teaching this one and it passes down that knowledge to its children.¡± ¡°Is that wise? Are you sure that you shouldn''t leave more of them alive?¡± ¡°Yes. I ran a little test, I trained an Eolgi to fetch a ball, and then I had this one, I call it Rocky, my prime Eolgi, eat that one, from there, Rocky was far easier to teach.¡± ¡°Wait, let me guess. You¡¯ll train Rocky into our perfect Eolgi, and then we will have an army of them that are very easy to train.¡± ¡°A hundred years of animal husbandry done in a few more months, a year at most.¡± ¡°Continue, but I¡¯m going to send some people here.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Do you know how bad you smell? You are covered in dirt and grime.¡± ¡°The Eolgi, they don¡¯t like the running water, so I-¡± ¡°Take a bath once a week, that much is a start. I know how obsessive I can be, don¡¯t fall into that just because you are here. We need friends, anyone really, just to anchor ourselves.¡± ¡°I can make friends.¡± ¡°Tell me that you aren¡¯t saying make in a literal sense.¡± ¡°I think the distinction between real people and not is less important than you think. Balor became a fairly different person than you.¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°You can¡¯t make an Other-¡± ¡°WHY NOT? HUH? ANSWER ME.¡± ¡°Copies can¡¯t make copies. Dagda already tried that.¡± The Other suddenly felt foolish, and his outburst made him realize how anti-social he had become surrounded by only monsters who could barely communicate with barks and growls. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that the people you send have appropriate accommodations. There is a geo-thermal vent within gate range that I can use to make an underground hot spring for bathing.¡± ¡°Use illusions to cover the hole and cut out the ceiling of the cavern, most people don¡¯t like being underground, they will want the sun on their face and a breeze.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Harlan¡¯s hopefully final destination for the day was back in Kor. King Harvestal was coming to visit, along with another, King Velvet. The first had connections to the empire by way of being a mass exporter of food in the area, and the second, by way of manufacturing luxury goods, furniture and clothes. Harlan conquered the entirety of his stripe, but he did go south to the other stripe for a few kingdoms that he believed would be the most beneficial to him. Harlan welcomed them into his home, and he even let them bring their men. ¡°I am glad you both accepted my invite.¡± ¡°I was under the impression that Factro was to be here as well.¡± ¡°That was the plan. But, he sent people here, and one of my people died. So, I¡¯m laying siege to his capital now. I will put him in the ground, and hopefully install someone else on the throne. I don¡¯t exactly want to bring on another nation right now.¡± He saw the two men tense up, and their soldiers moved their hands closer to their weapons. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your spies came and went without anyone being hurt. I know that espionage is just part of running a kingdom, that none of you would be here if you couldn¡¯t get some more information about me and my city.¡± ¡°Who died?¡± ¡°A maid. She saw him leaving my home, and he stabbed her in the heart.¡± ¡°So you destroy his city?¡± ¡°She was a young Plest woman, she was born a slave, knew freedom for less than a year, and then was murdered. She had two brothers, both taken away as children because slaves exist as a resource, and that means her brothers were property before they were even out of the womb. Records were scarce, all I found was a bill of sale in the mayor¡¯s office, but they likely died in a mine some 60 miles away, their deaths recorded as just a monthly body count, no names, they are certainly in a mass grave.¡± ¡°She was nobody. The Factro kingdom has existed for two centuries, and they have been manufacturing and exporting weapons for almost as long.¡± ¡°And in that time, they have relied on the idea that their weapons were worth enough that nobody would kill them. The Castians have been operating under the idea that nobody with real power could show up and fight back like I have. Many things that were true, or assumed to be, for many years, have come crumbling down.¡± ¡°Do you intend to handle the weapons that we have used? To replace the source that you are destroying?¡± ¡°I know that your kingdom¡¯s independence is reliant on being more costly to conquer than to simply trade with. Without Factro you are at risk, if the empire realizes that you are in a weakened state, they might decide that the cost of subjugation may get close to a certain threshold.¡± ¡°I will not be threatened or extorted.¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t want to, I want to speak today in good faith. I will do what I can to make sure the cost to conquer becomes completely justifiable.¡± King Velvet was a short man, not more than 5¡¯3. But he made up for his height with a great deal of flare. His clothes were flamboyant and bright, made with enough dyes and threaded gold to buy a house. He was also rather¡­ feminine; Harlan had seen uglier women. Unlike Harvestal, he was someone who moved a lower number of high quality goods, and that gave him leverage when he spoke with the Cast. Nobody could make items like his people. ¡°I want a set of those clothes of yours, the ones that move like mercury.¡± Harlan opened a gate, and one of the golems came back with two shifting suits. It placed one in front of each man, and on top of each, was also a communication amulet. ¡°And these are the little necklaces that let you speak across many miles? I do wish they were a bit more stylish.¡± ¡°The gem is the important part, you can take it out and inlay it in anything else.¡± ¡°Fabulous. But how could I trust something like this? Even from a handsome devil like you.¡± ¡°Because, if I wanted you dead, I would just kill you.¡± ¡°Now that is no way to talk to someone.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t say that as a threat. If I wanted your kingdoms, I would take them, and if I wanted to find you, I could. There is simply nothing that those amulets could do to you that I can¡¯t already do, so fear them or not, that is your choice.¡± Velvet leaned back in his seat and sipped his tea, being careful not to smudge his makeup. ¡°I will warn you that there will be a chill when you activate it for the first time, just something that the amulet needs to function.¡± Velvet put it on and shivered. ¡°Now that is unpleasant. Harvey, it¡¯s fine, you can do yours now.¡± ¡°I will wait until it is time to leave before I decide.¡± ¡°It is fair to be suspicious of me and my magic that you do not understand. You could also give it to one of your people, a messenger perhaps.¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± They had a fine lunch, one that was filled with rather mundane conversation. Harvestal hardly said a word, but Harlan knew that he had a daughter who would be his heir on account of Harlan having killed his son, and that his wife was killed some years ago by the empire. Velvet on the other hand, seemed incapable of shutting up. Yet he never said anything of real importance. ¡°And so then I said, cashmere? This is more like burlap!¡± Harlan gave a small chuckle, apparently the king was a rather ruthless businessman, and it would be rude to not show any reaction. ¡°I buried him with that material. A fine styled suit from rather subpar fabric.¡± He narrowed his eyes and sipped on his wine, waiting for Harlan¡¯s response. ¡°What about you? Any children? A¡­ wife?¡± ¡°Why did you hesitate?¡± ¡°No reason?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have any children. I was selected as heir to the king before me, and I¡¯ll find an heir among my people to replace me when I¡¯m gone. I¡¯ve a few right now, just need to pick one of them.¡± Dessert was brought out and Velvet ate the cherry on top of his cake, tying the stem with his tongue. Harlan didn¡¯t know what to think of him. Velvet seemed to be projecting an image that didn¡¯t match up with what his emotions were saying. With the meal over, they went out of the city¡¯s walls to a weapons range Harlan set up rather quickly. Harlan had a few weapons set up so they could be tested. With each of them on a table, there was also a piece of paper explaining how they worked. ¡°This sword is as simple as they get, it can fire bolts of the five offensive elements. You point, think the command, and it shoots. Alternatively, you can slash, and send out a wave of the element, but that is weaker, better for flash rather than a real kill.¡± Harlan flipped the blade in the air, grabbing it by the tip, and held the handle to King Harvestal. He was fairly sure that the thought of activating it and blasting Harlan at point blank range was crossing the king¡¯s mind. Instead he pulled the blade back and shot the bolts at stone targets. ¡°Velvet, are you interested in weapons as well? I have a hammer and a spear here, which-¡± He grabbed the spear and started reading the paper on the table. ¡°I¡¯m more comfortable with a long shaft than a heavy head.¡± The spear had a plus shaped guard on the head to prevent it from piercing too far, and if the user wished to do so, the guards would move forward and push the body off. Velvet wasn¡¯t lying before, he moved with grace, his fancy clothes seemed to do little to slow him down. He stabbed into the stone target and then injected a blast of air, blowing it apart. ¡°Now that is a weapon I can see myself using. Just jab it in and¡­ fill it up until it can¡¯t take any more.¡± The other men became uncomfortable with Velvet¡¯s manner of speaking, but Harlan was unfazed. ¡°Yes. Most creatures are much softer inside than out, the tip of the spear has an acid effect that can be activated, making it far easier to pierce a Cast, at which point any of the spells being released inside of their bodies will kill or incapacitate them.¡± ¡°My, you could even capture one of them?¡± ¡°Yes, in case you intended to have fun later on instead of in the moment.¡± Velvet laughed and it only made the others feel more uneasy. Harlan picked up the hammer from the table. ¡°One of you should use this, just to get a feel for it. I intended for three kings to each try one weapon and hand them over to the next person, but, we are one short for that.¡± Harvestal reached for the one handed warhammer. ¡°But why would you not use this yourself?¡± ¡°These weapons are designed with normal people in mind. Faun, humans, Dague, Plest, that is the baseline for these.¡± ¡°So?¡± Harlan skipped over to one of the targets, activated the weapon sigil, and a slap of his hand sent the stone flying even more than the blast from the spear. Then he skipped back. ¡°I am not at the base level of any of those races.¡± Harvestal was not a young man, he was in his early 40s already, yet the swings of the hammer broke apart stone and even the thicker trees. He twirled it a little in his hand, and it felt light as a feather. ¡°This is¡­ this is nice. He would¡¯ve liked to have one of these.¡± Harvestal gave the hammer back to Harlan. Normally when he killed somebody, he didn¡¯t need to deal with their relatives like this. ¡°Did he suffer?¡± ¡°I end things as quickly as I can for both of our sakes.¡± ¡°What do you gain from it?¡± ¡°If there were a way to make a better world without having to take another life, I would. But, we do not live in a better world, and this one can only understand and respect strength. To destroy the empire, I must kill men by the thousands, and sometimes people are caught up in this killing.¡± The mood was dour, and nobody wanted to break it. Harlan handed the hammer back to Harvestal. ¡°Strike the ground when you swing, like you are trying to send dirt towards your enemy.¡± Harvestal did as asked. When the hammer hit the dirt, it gouged out the earth and sent chunks of sharp stone in a fan pattern. They pierced deep in the trees and kicked up a cloud of dust. ¡°It is a good weapon. 500 of each, what is the cost?¡± ¡°First time price, a gold piece for each. I¡¯ll use the weapons claimed from Factro as a base, so the cost will remain low.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like the same number of each. Though I¡¯d like one special for me, something with a¡­ stiffer shaft.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± They all went back inside and Mercedes dealt with the particular details of the deals. Harlan meanwhile, went to Factro. The entire country was effectively one giant machine grinding out weapons of war to keep the three nations. Mining towns, factory cities, the air quality was enough to scare most people away Black lung, rust lung, iron lung, and even blue lung, which came from them processing so much lapis for Velvet. The lands were dead, they could only continue to function with food from Harvestal. The Others were backed up by thousands of combat golems. The prime Harlan was only called in because there was a problem that they couldn¡¯t solve without him. The king hid himself away in a large vault, and whatever enchantments were on it, the Others couldn¡¯t break in. Their gates would start to form, and then snap shut in a dangerous manner. If they forced it, they worried it would cause one of those large explosions that wipe out all life that he had been once warned of. Void gate however, was beyond a normal gate. The Others couldn¡¯t use it either, it was a spell that was granted by the darkness, not something that Harlan was able to cast because he understood it. The doors to the vault swung open after 10 minutes, the Others rushed in to kill or capture everyone inside, and then it was just a matter of figuring out which lever opened the door. Harlan didn¡¯t like making enemies, and he didn¡¯t like making orphans, but he had made quite a lot of both. ¡°MURDER, YOU KILLED HIM, I¡¯LL-¡± The boy¡¯s mother covered his mouth. ¡°Please, spare him, please.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t make a habit of killing children.¡± He was probably in his early teens, to many people in this world, he was not a child any longer. Behind the mother were more children. The king had five children, a way to hopefully avoid all of his heirs ending up with crippling chronic illnesses as a result of their manufacturing processes. ¡°Do you have the skills needed to keep this country running? Or are you a trophy wife? An heir factory?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I know what to do, I know a lot about¡­ merchentry, and nobility, and, and-¡± ¡°I will hold this nation, I would appreciate it if you would sit on the throne to keep the people content until one of your children can take the throne. If you need help with anything, ask. I didn¡¯t want to do this, but your husband crossed a line when he had one of my people killed.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I-¡± ¡°What is your name?¡± ¡°Rustella.¡± ¡°Rustella, I did not come here to kill you, or your children. All I wanted was to avenge that death. When your husband refused to give over that spy, when he denied me that vengeance, he had to die as repayment. Boy.¡± The now queen let go of her oldest son. He stared at Harlan with a fire fit to refine ore. ¡°I know you want to kill me, but that will never happen. Do not force your mother to bury her son so soon after burying her husband. You must remain strong for her and for your brothers and sisters.¡± Harlan left one of D¡¯if¡¯s others there to watch her from the shadows He couldn¡¯t tell if she was telling the truth, he simply knew too little about the kingdom to make a real judgment on her. But more important than that, he didn¡¯t want another Liyana situation, he needed to know what help he should give to her to make sure that the nation doesn¡¯t fall into chaos. Chapter 276: Carmillas Dinner Guest With that, he stayed in the city longer, formulating plans with his Others to cast a large spell. He took what he understood from the Heavenly Fury spell, but rather than bringing clouds in, and filling them with thunder and anger, he pulled the heavy black clouds into a ball. That was the hard part, he pulled in clouds from miles and miles away, the much easier part was to purify the air. Then the other hard part. Purifying air was easy on a small scale was very very easy, but it was a spell that had to be maintained. What Harlan was now planning was to pump the clouds normally full of acid rain full of rain with light mana that would have a very mild purifying effect. He knew that it had been done before to heal lands after poison attacks, he just hadn¡¯t ever done it himself. It wasn¡¯t good enough, it hardly changed anything. He was sad about his failure, but it was impromptu, and over time he would solve the problem anyway. There were already gems being made to fit the smokestacks from the factories with purifying spells. The land would be the larger issue, it was poisonous to life itself, hundreds of years of constant pollution just to keep up with demand had its toll. It was a long day, and he finally crawled into bed after dinner. ¡°Things went well with Harvestal and Velvet. I talked them into buying a thousand each instead of 500.¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired. Everyday, I see more and more reasons why the empire is evil, I see more of the destruction left in their wake, and the destruction before they even reach an area.¡± ¡°What was it today?¡± ¡°I went to Factro, and I saw the people, I saw the city, and I saw how bad things really are. Every generation, the life expectancy becomes shorter, more and more children are born with defects, they can¡¯t even grow their own food anymore. They have enslaved themselves so they can make weapons to prevent themselves from being enslaved. My great grandfather was raised under a wyvern king. He told me about how he didn¡¯t feel anything when his father died, because they had been broken for so long that they didn¡¯t understand what being human was anymore.¡± ¡°I¡­ I wanted to ask, how are you now? With Dawn and Darrath gone. She seemed to believe that you would turn into some kind of monster without your family.¡± He laid on his side and pulled her into a spoon. ¡°I have always operated under the assumption that if I wasn¡¯t being held back by others, I would just be nothing but a monster. But, I think that by not being judged I can let myself do what feels natural. My parents and my friends, they gave me plenty of lessons on morality. I don¡¯t have my family here, but I¡¯m not alone as I thought I would be, they are still in my memories.¡° ¡°That¡¯s nice to hear.¡± ¡°Do you remember anything about your family? Any good memories?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t start with pity. I was young, three, maybe four, when they took me. I don¡¯t even know for sure if they gave me away, if I was bought, or if they killed my parents to get me. Not having any memories is likely better than having bad ones. I at least know that the people who raised me were shit.¡± She yawned and moved closer to him. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize how much better I can sleep knowing you are here, feeling your body heat, the sound of your heart. You make me feel safe. Those memories, they matter more than the past.¡± ¡°Good night then.¡± His dream took the form of his parents'' home, and he quickly realized he wasn¡¯t dreaming, at least not fully. ¡°Mindkiller, you know I don¡¯t like you prying into my past.¡± ¡°I¡­ I think I was somebody else before I was this.¡± A man and a woman, along with two boys, came out of the house. They went about their work as if Harlan and the Ascended, who presently was reduced to a small winged body with several eyes that hung by optic nerves and appeared like the heads of a hydra. ¡°I think those people were my family. I¡¯m sorry that I pried. I thought it would help me remember.¡± Harlan had come to pity it. It wasn¡¯t even a person, it was just the fragments left behind by an attack, the traces of a dying mind. ¡°And it helped. These people aren¡¯t anyone that I know.¡± ¡°Do you think they are my parents? Am I one of those boys?¡± ¡°You seemed to have a brother.¡± ¡°Sir Harlan, did you have any brothers?¡± ¡°I have a few by blood, assuming they are alive. But I don¡¯t know them, I never have, probably never will.¡± ¡°Is that sad? I think that would be sad.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t bother me. I love my sisters, my parents, they are my family, blood doesn¡¯t matter, bonds do.¡± ¡°Oh. Perhaps that makes you my brother.¡± ¡°Do not do that.¡± The dream trembled and the ground around him split and flew into the air where it floated. The creature fled, hiding on the back of one of the memories. ¡°I am very sorry.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind you being here, but do not root around in my head to figure out your own past.¡± So far as Harlan understood it, the Ascended was confused and absent minded. When it failed in its once job, it simply didn¡¯t understand why it should continue. There was no loyalty to Reino or to the Fae, it was something that existed to do something without any reason. Without the echoes of where it came from, he had no reason to do anything So, it found a new reason to continue living. It peeked out again from behind the memory. ¡°Maybe I could leave?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not giving you a body.¡± It ignored Harlan, crawling all around the people. ¡°I don¡¯t know them. But I recognize them.¡± ¡°You¡¯re crying.¡± ¡°Oh? Why would I be doing that?¡± ¡°Because these people were your family, you know that, somewhere deep down. Your mind might¡¯ve been changed, overtaken, but you aren¡¯t the monster that they made you into. You were a man once, a boy with two parents, a brother, you grew up on a farm.¡± The world froze, Mindkiller looked deeply in the eyes of the people. Harlan just left him, going from his mindscape to actual dream. It was unsettling in its normalcy. He was there at dinner with faceless shadows. ¡°The last guest will be here any second.¡± Harlan noticed that the last chair was massive, befitting a hundred foot tall man. The doors swung open, but he couldn¡¯t see anyone there, he just heard claws on hardwood and a large shadow covered the hall. Mercedes awoke shortly after Harlan got up from bed. She looked at him, he was standing there just staring out the window, watching where the sun had yet to even rise but where the first light still came from. ¡°What has you up so early?¡± ¡°Bad dream.¡± ¡°Do you want to-¡± ¡°No. I sleep with you, but we aren¡¯t in that kind of relationship.¡± ¡°I thought that¡­¡± ¡°That I was in love with you? No, we had that conversation once already.¡± She didn¡¯t seem particularly hurt by his words, but he could feel some resentment and¡­ guilt? ¡°You said you were going to talk to Mindkiller again.¡± ¡°And I did, then I started to dream.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t dream when you are with him?¡± ¡°I think that Mindkiller is in a higher layer, and my dreams take place in a lower level.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I think I should learn more magic.¡± ¡°Mind magic is almost entirely unresearched, as normal mages cannot really use anything high level, they can¡¯t even use most low level stuff. I am more or less flying blind in my own research.¡± ¡°Can you see my dreams?¡± ¡°Tomorrow night I could try, if you want.¡± Harlan had a pit in his stomach from the moment he opened his eyes, something was wrong today. He went around the city, checking security, making sure that all of his golems that were on standby were ready to go at any moment, and he made sure that all of his Others were accounted for and warned that something felt bad in the air. They felt it too. Carmilla called him just past three in the afternoon, Harlan hadn¡¯t gotten the chance to do any real work, he was too worried. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°My, is that any way to answer a friend¡¯s call?¡± ¡°Something feels wrong, I had a bad dream, something is going to happen.¡± ¡°Well, would you still feel up to dinner? Just stop by around evening. Oh, and a friend of mine shall be joining us.¡± ¡°No, I would rather not.¡± ¡°Are you certain? I think that-¡± ¡°Today feels wrong, I don¡¯t want to leave.¡± ¡°One bad dream and you turn to a mess?¡± ¡°If it was just me I could shrug it off, but my Others also feel it. There is something wrong.¡± ¡°Well, she¡¯ll be here for the week, so any evening is fine. If you need help, just ask.¡± The people could feel it, and more importantly, they could see Harlan perched atop his home; the streets were empty, work had halted. Harlan went into the fleshpits and took a larger form. He looked like a dragon, he stretched 40 feet long, with a set of double wings, seven eyes all on the lookout for what was going to happen. Carmilla tried to warn him, but his amulet was with his clothes and armor. This form was not suited for such things. It gleamed on the horizon, its scales white, a mane of golden fur along its neck and a strip of fur reached from its mane down its spine and to a tuft on its tail. Were he not blinded by rage, he would think that the wyvern was beautiful, among its kind at least. He rushed forward quickly, but not so quickly that he would damage his city. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. He opened his mouth and readied his breath when she also opened her mouth. ¡°I AM-¡± She saw the void flames rushing her way and dodged. ¡°WAIT, I-¡± He swung his neck around and she could barely dodge the second wave. Then Harlan was struck by what he assumed was a low flying meteor that went clean through his chest. His spine was disconnected due to a disc going missing, and it would take some time for him to recover. The good part about having such a large body was that he could always downsize, shrinking his form let him heal in seconds what would need tens of seconds using regeneration. Yet it didn¡¯t matter, since he now saw who hit him and decided that there had been some kind of misunderstanding. Carmilla landed in her bat form in front of his face, she was angry, and he could only slink back like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. The white wyvern approached as well, but very cautiously. ¡°I assume that you know that dragon?¡± ¡°This is King Fomoria.¡± Her voice was a hiss, a consequence of being a giant bat and using her real voice rather than a simple spell to project her voice. ¡°But you said he was human?¡± ¡°Not human, humanoid.¡± Harlan was dwarfed by the 60 foot tall wyvern, yet when he got back up she felt small compared to him, and she instinctively bowed. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°This, is my guest who I wanted you to see. I heard you conversed with a drake before, so I thought this wouldn¡¯t be an issue.¡± ¡°What all have I said about my great grandfather?¡± ¡°He is an archmage, champion of light, and he was from what you call The North.¡± ¡°Yes, but one of his other titles is Wyverns Bane. The North was ruled by monsters, wyverns were the most cruel of them, and he grew up under them. I have slain them myself, never have I met one that I liked.¡± ¡°Well, I am-¡± ¡°Rekur, let me speak with him.¡± ¡°Sorry, Queen Karmine.¡± ¡°Harlan, I need to know, will this be an issue?¡± His eyes burned with hate, and they all focused on Rekur. He opened his mouth and the smell of sulfur filled the air. ¡°Any friend of yours¡­ can be a friend of mine. I am King Harlan Fomoria, welcome to my city.¡± The guards on the wall looked on in confusion at the sight, but so long as their king, or their king¡¯s dragon, it wasn¡¯t exactly clear to them, was there, they wouldn¡¯t open fire. Harlan had one of his Others bring him his clothes and armor and then he fell out of the dragon like he had been cut from it. He quickly dressed himself and had the Other put the dragon form in storage. It felt like a waste to break it back down to meat for the fleshpits, so he¡¯d keep it around, taking control again would be as easy as slipping into the Harlan shaped hole in the chest, and any of the Others could take it themselves if they needed. Rekur laid her head low to the ground so she could more easily speak to her human sized companions, and even in his humanoid form, Harlan still scared her; his aura was oppressive. ¡°Hello. My name is Rekur.¡± He could tell how hard she worked to keep her voice sounding pleasant. From the low volume that would be a whisper to someone of her size, to her tone being warm and non-threatening. To her going through the effort of not having a hiss to her voice. Though she had a slightly odd accent anyway. ¡°And why does Carmilla wish for me to meet you?¡± ¡°I am a Light Wyvern. My breath can heal. I am rare among my people. I dislike fighting.¡± ¡°That doesn''t make much sense. The dragon curse should make you angry and wrathful.¡± ¡°It tells me to eat you. It tells me to bow to your power. I am not like them. I understand hating my kind. They are strong, but my mind is stronger than the voices.¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°Queen Carmilla said you were electric-¡± ¡°Dear, the word is eccentric.¡± ¡°Eccentric, so you might help me. I want to be useful. I want to be part of a society.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°What is the other reason?¡± ¡°I am not a person. I can¡¯t use magic like you. I have wind and light only.¡± ¡°You have two?¡± ¡°Most of us do. We can¡¯t fly without wind magic. They don¡¯t use it for anything but flying though. I use it for more, because I am bright.¡± Harlan chuckled. ¡°What is funny?¡± ¡°Bright.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°A bright animal, because you are shiny due to your light alignment.¡± ¡°Oh. I seem to have told a joke, I did not intend this. Please, think over this proposal of mine.¡± Harlan stood there and looked over the¡­ woman. He could feel her anger, but, he could also feel that it was under tight restraint. She wasn¡¯t ready to burst, she was just someone who had it in the back of her mind at all times and didn¡¯t want to act on that feeling because she knew it was wrong. Drawing comparisons to himself in others was a dangerous thing, sympathizing was less so, but to empathize, that was a very troubling habit of his. ¡°Fine. There are a few empty parts of the city that were made and nothing has been built yet.¡± ¡°Oh? You are inviting me inside. I¡¯ve never been allowed inside a city before.¡± ¡°Just wait a moment, I¡¯m going to go tell my guards not to shoot you down, once they give the all clear, then you can come inside.¡± She flapped her wings and was ready to lift off, but Harlan instead opened a large gate for her. Carmilla came up to him and locked arms, walking with him. ¡°She is a good soul, though not the sharpest sword in the smithy.¡± ¡°How old is she?¡± ¡°Just past 90 I believe.¡± ¡°She should be bigger than that if she is that old. I think she should speak better also.¡± ¡°She was born the runt of her clutch, and being cast out of her family for being weak made her subsist on whatever creatures were slow enough for her to catch. She has had a-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You want me to feel bad for her so I¡¯ll help. But I am busy, and I have been for over a month now. If she proves herself useful, I¡¯ll let her stay here and I¡¯ll keep her fed, but whatever other reason she has to be here isn¡¯t my problem, not yet.¡± ¡°She already said her other reason.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t trust a wyvern at its word.¡± ¡°My, how bigoted of you.¡± ¡°No, because to be a bigot I¡¯d not have a reasonable answer for why I feel the way I do. Dragonoids are all bound by the curse, I¡¯ve not seen any that could resist it, not entirely. If she can, wonderful, if not, then she is a dangerous asset and a ticking bomb.¡± ¡°Whatever helps you to cope.¡± Rekur twirled around in the grass and put her talons on the walls. She was amazed to see something like this from the inside, and that there were people on the wall and they weren¡¯t throwing rocks or pouring boiling oil on her head. Rather, they just looked down and waved. Harlan flew up to head level with her. ¡°You said your breath can heal rather than harm, I want to test this. I am bringing a subject here.¡± ¡°Oh. Alright.¡± She got down from the 200 foot wall and returned to the empty plot of grassy land that Harlan was now standing at. Through a gate one of D¡¯if¡¯s Others brought a Cast prisoner. ¡°Oh? But this man is healthy.¡± Harlan snapped one arm and severed the other, then he pierced his lungs. ¡°Heal him.¡± He could tell she smelled the blood in the air, she wanted to eat the man. Her heart beat like a drum, her eyes narrowed on him, and she opened her mouth. Tongues of white light licked the man¡¯s wounds. To Harlan, one sure sign that she perhaps was as soft as she claimed was that her healing was painless rather than painful. ¡°Good work. The bone is fully healed, very few fractures remaining, but those will seal themselves in just a few minutes. The regrown limb is symmetrical with the other. The lungs are fully healed and even cleared of blood. And the cost to the Cast himself is fairly reasonable. You aren¡¯t exactly up to my standards, but for chantless and signless magic it is fine. I noticed your breath was thin, can you heal in mass?¡± ¡°I can.¡± ¡°Good, a test is in order then. This will determine if I let you stay or not.¡± ¡°That man, did you need to hurt him? I don¡¯t like that.¡± ¡°The other option was to let you try to heal an innocent person. I would never risk that you would harm or kill someone just to test you.¡± ¡°Oh, that is good then. But I don¡¯t want you to hurt more people like that.¡± ¡°Do you think about your breath when you use it? Or is it just instinct?¡± ¡°When I read a book, I could heal better. It is both perhaps?¡± He wondered how she read a book. ¡°Even better. I have a town healer, she is fairly good, not as good as me obviously, but she should be able to teach you if you help her.¡± Harlan opened a gate and smog came through. He led her to high up, he had already sent an order to the Other that was staying with Rustella to get the citizens out in the street by calling an announcement. The people naturally panicked as a bright light began to emanate from her throat, but instead of fire, they were bathed in a warm and soothing light. Rustella tried her best to remain calm, but she wasn¡¯t sure if she had just sent her people to their death or not until she saw that there weren¡¯t any burn marks and that the people were still alive when the light passed. When she was done, Rekur landed on the castle roof and let out another burst of light into the sky. The clouds parted, and what Harlan and his Others had failed to do before was accomplished. The rain that came down was pure and infused with light mana, washing away much of the surface contamination at least. She looked down on the people, and while her smile was more threatening than kind, she couldn¡¯t help herself. It was perhaps the best she ever felt. Harlan landed on one of the ramparts next to her. ¡°I like this. I made this place smell better.¡± ¡°Why did you come to me like you did?¡± ¡°Carmilla said that you wouldn¡¯t be coming for dinner because something was wrong. I wanted to help.¡± ¡°That was stupid, it was naive.¡± She averted her eyes. ¡°But, it is exactly what I would do. Have you eaten yet?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°What was she going to even feed you? It is hard enough keeping me fed, and I¡¯m just made of drake flesh.¡± ¡°I like fish. ¡°We could go to the ocean and catch a whale or two.¡± ¡°You would come?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He was just buying time as he sent more orders. The pair flew out to the nearest ocean, well, they actually had to go a few hundred miles northeast, closer to the stripe Fomoria was located on, since Factro had polluted the water so badly that the fish had adapted to being highly poisonous. But when they get away from the hellscape of industry that was Factro, they found a pod of sperm whales. She snatched up one in each claw and another in her mouth. When they reached land again she killed them quickly before she started eating. She understood pain enough to not want them to suffer. When she was done her while scales had many splotches of red and she walked back into the water and shook herself around to get clean again. Harlan then opened a gate back to Kor once she felt ready to move on. ¡°What is this building? Is this a warehouse?¡± ¡°It is sudden, but this is your home.¡± Harlan skipped over and pulled the door open; it slid open instead of swinging in or out. She stuck her head out, then she went back in and looked at the handle of the door. ¡°It fits my talons.¡± ¡°There is little point to a home you can¡¯t come and go from at your leisure.¡± ¡°How? You are so fast.¡± ¡°This building is four walls, a vaulted roof, windows on that roof, and then a door. Sure, it is a couple of hundred feet wide and a hundred tall, but it is a very simple design. With all of my spare constructor golems it is simple for me to get something like this build in the two hours that we were gone.¡± She stood on her hind legs and leaned against the wall to look closer at the glass. ¡°But this, this takes time, yes?¡± ¡°I have glass maker golems. They fill their caterpillar-like bodies full of sand, then an internal furnace organ heats the sand into glass. From there it regurgitates it and uses spells to make even panes before cooling them. Those windows are all normal sized, I just had them put in six 10x10 patterns.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t had a cave in a long time. Many things pushed me out. Mean kin, Cast, other things, bad bad things. I don¡¯t like the deep caves, there are scary monsters. If I could, I might cry. Humans cry when happy, don¡¯t they?¡± ¡°I also had them till the ground, so it should be a bit softer. If you need water there is a lake outside the wall to the east of us, but I¡¯ll see about how to get running water and a waste disposal system in place. Those things are going to take more-¡± ¡°This is enough. I am an animal. I have a roof. How many wyvern get a roof? I will fly away to use¡­ humans call it the bathroom. I will not do that in the city. I will hunt my food when I get hungry, and drink when I am thirsty.¡± ¡°Fine, but if you need something just ask. Oh, and I¡¯ll have it posted on the boards that you are here, I don¡¯t want anyone wandering here without realizing the danger.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± She was slightly offended that he still considered her a threat. It was a long day, even if it was only evening, his nerves were worn out by being on high alert from the moment he woke up. So having Coronach show up while he was having dinner wasn¡¯t exactly a great way to end it. ¡°How very impressive, corralling a monster like that.¡± He cut a steak and ate the pieces of it, but Harlan knew that Coronach didn¡¯t actually have anything inside him, he was just a mass of void with a skin that kept him in shape and a pocket dimension. ¡°Not that I dislike your being here, but why?¡± ¡°Oh, just a little message. You are free to come and go inside the veil, since that was what you were always supposed to do. Though, it is rather unfortunate that there are two of you, so a new identity is in order if you don¡¯t want to takeover his life. Which, I am all for.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not doing that.¡± ¡°You are just no fun.¡± He went back to eating his steak. ¡°Is that it?¡± ¡°Yes. Just call yourself Blue Harlan or something, I don¡¯t care. But really, I could kill that other Harlan, he¡¯s a Fae plan in the making, just so you know. And you were supposed to reunite with Adina, she should¡¯ve been pregnant-¡± ¡°I know what I am giving up.¡± ¡°I thought that was going to get a reaction out of you. I wish power really did corrupt absolutely like they say, you¡¯d have a harem of women, mountains of gold, I bet you¡¯d be riding that wyvern out there right now, and then riding that knife eared bitch in here.¡± A wall of radiant light was launched at the man, destroying the table between the two men. He heard Coronach laughing as he vanished. Harlan had to get another plate of food and move down the table where it wasn¡¯t smoldering. Larenzac and Mercedes were there for dinner as well, he because it was certainly better than the mess hall, and her because she didn¡¯t want him eating dinner alone. Yet there was little difference between eating alone or not if nobody said a word. ¡°I did that because I know I wouldn¡¯t hurt him. He wanted his reaction, so I gave it to him.¡± ¡°Sir Fomoria.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Sorry, I thought you would correct me, saying to call you Harlan instead.¡± ¡°I barely know you, and my relationship with the previous head of security was less than ideal.¡± ¡°What comment was it that set you off, if you don¡¯t mind my askin-¡± ¡°I told him once before to not say knife ear, as it is a slur against the Dague. He knew that already, and he did so anyway.¡± ¡°Ah. Thank you then. When I was younger, I-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested in getting to know every facet of your life before you were given this job. Perhaps another day, another time, I¡¯ll have the energy to care, but that day is not today.¡± ¡°Apologies, Sir Fomoria.¡± Chapter 277: Designing Death Rosewell wasn¡¯t sleeping well, ever since the academy was attacked three weeks prior, the blood gems started showing up on enemy equipment and they were challenging and taking territory openly, the nobles were leaving their fortresses. A good gem the size of a man¡¯s head was worth tens of thousands of gold, and even a middling mage with one could be a force of nature should it be loaded with the right spells and used properly. Harlan and Yggdra had both worried about the implications of the golem armor that Harlan made, and those instant archmagi that now took to the battlefields were those fears come to life. What was once a cost matching a town, reduced to a few hundred lives, a war that would escalate the more blood was spilled. This wasn¡¯t like many civil wars of the past where a handful of nobles would rebel just to make their dissatisfaction with policy known or to tell the new regent that they need to be careful about pushing too strongly against them. This was a war that the other side thought they could win, and the death toll was only growing. Harlan knelt before his queen. ¡°I have given thought to your reservations about these planes, and I have decided that the immediate cost of lives outweighs the possible cost in the future.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°On a worse note, I¡¯ve also had my Unseen compile every encounter that we believe David Haywood and Parnell Pearl have been involved with.¡± A folder full of reports and drawings floated from her hand down to him. ¡°So he really has been acting as a third force. But they shouldn¡¯t be nearly strong enough for such a thing.¡± ¡°Check page 24.¡± A painting done with magic wasn¡¯t perfect, there could be details missed, because ultimately it was tracing from the mind of the mage. But this couldn¡¯t be denied, he instantly recognized who the woman with David and Parnell was. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Just as they wouldn¡¯t join the enemy, then kill them for their information? How certain are you that they are anything like what you believed?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t imagine them working with Nemain, that is a bridge too far. Have they lost their minds?¡± ¡°You said to me that this war has been irrevocably changed by your presence, and that you exist because of the magic she attacked you with. This may have been her plan from the start. If you asked your god, what would she say?¡± Harlan¡¯s eyes went black, but rather than instantly coming to him, he noticed another presence in this place. Pale blue skin and horns. Both of the Harlan¡¯s stood there in an awkward silence for some time. ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t a clue, I came in here and I¡¯ve just been waiting.¡± ¡°Odd. I didn¡¯t think we could be here without her.¡± The blue Harlan shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m leaving, but I hope you get your answers.¡± ¡°Do you want to see-¡± ¡°That life is not mine, she is not my daughter.¡± There was an undeniable edge to his voice, even though he accepted it, that didn¡¯t mean he liked that Harlan had stolen his life. Before there could be any more words between them, the blue Harlan left. He stood there in the void for a time longer, yet still she did not appear to him, so he left. ¡°How long was I out?¡± ¡°10 minutes. What did she say?¡± ¡°She said nothing, she wasn¡¯t there. I met my other self in that place and he also said that he was waiting, but he gave up shortly after I arrived.¡± ¡°That other Harlan, could he be an ally?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t seem overly keen on being around me, but I will ask if I see him again..¡± ¡°I¡¯m certain he would do so, he has too many bonds here.¡± Xol suddenly appeared, before arriving he cleared his throat and got ready to speak in riddles. ¡°That void which answers is not in now, thus those words might be spoken to I.¡± ¡°Are David and Parnell acting under Nemain¡¯s orders?¡± Xol stood silently. ¡°Xol?¡± ¡°This¡­ I cannot answer¡­¡± ¡°How can I contact the other Harlan?¡± ¡°Your words to this shall reach that.¡± ¡°Yggdra wants to know if he could be an ally.¡± Xol¡¯s eyes went white as he connected to King Fomoria¡¯s amulet, and the conversation lasted less than a minute; the lich seemed in an unpleasant mood suddenly. ¡°Your ears shall be spared his tone and words, his is his, yours is yours.¡± Xol then turned his eyes to Harlan. ¡°Should her war end poorly, he offers you and yours refuge.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let it come to that.¡± Xol vanished just as he appeared. Rosewell took the rejection in stride, she would rather have two Harlan¡¯s than one, but her plans never intended for the double anyway. ¡°I would like you to work with Lilly and Dagda to create a bomber plane, I leave the details of how to you.¡± She waved her hand and he went to the lab deep under the palace. When he entered the room, there was a clear feeling of anger from both the princess and the orb. ¡°I understand Dagda, but why are you angry at me?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been here for three weeks, and I¡¯ve not seen you once.¡± ¡°And?¡® ¡°You didn¡¯t come to see me.¡± ¡°And why would I? You might not have realized, but I dislike you because you are an entitled brat.¡± ¡°GUARDS.¡± They made no moves against him. ¡°I¡¯ve accomplished a very important goal in my life, I am just worth too much alive and happy. Now, how far have you gotten in actually reproducing the planes from my designs.¡± ¡°Are these half finished? Because we¡¯ve had to make significant changes to make the wings flap.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t flap, other than these small parts here that control the roll.¡± The two of them were somewhat baffled by Harlan¡¯s explanations of things, and once they heard it, they felt even more foolish as they realized how obvious it should¡¯ve been. Their issue was one that many inventors who sought to conquer the skies had before them, they looked at nature and what was known. People saw boats and the power of the wind and they tried sails, and they looked at flying animals, and they tried flapping wings. The airships of the past functioned, more or less, but they were so inefficent that the cost to move even relatively short distances was high before one even calculated the cost to move with people accounted for, thus they were all abandoned, and those who came after were mocked. With the exterior designs finished, scale models were built to just test general airflow over it and find inefficiencies. One of the things Xol had given him as a design was a wind tunnel for testing things like this. ¡°I don¡¯t think we need to change much, so now we just need to make some choices about the inside of the plane. Your design would have us build two separate bomber models, one for troops with seating, and another for racks of bombs. But I believe if we put in rails, then we could have a single model which could be changed as needed or mix and match seats and racks.¡± Harlan looked at her drawings and was impressed that he hadn¡¯t already thought of that. ¡°The rails will need to be stonesteel if you want to load this many bombs per rack, since most of the plane¡¯s insides will be skysteel to keep weight down.¡± ¡°That can be done. And I¡¯d like to change out the bolts for ones of firesteel, as they will be partly exposed and if they melted from an enemy attack or lightning the entire plane would be unable to fly properly.¡± The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Look at the designs, I have runic traces here that take advantage of the skysteel¡¯s affinity for air magic and will send the bolts of lightning back into the clouds. Alternatively we could always just put small half domes to cover them, but then we¡¯d be adding more weight.¡± ¡°By using hover, how much does weight actually matter?¡± ¡°The cost of a hover is directly related to the weight of the object or person along with the size of it. For the smaller planes it shouldn¡¯t be an issue, but for cargo or bombers the cost will skyrocket if we aren¡¯t thinking about exactly where we need to cut the weight as much as we can.¡± ¡°Fine, but I say we still go with the half domes, just only on the bottom side. The chances of dealing with a fire attack rather than lightning from above is going to be much lower unless a wyvern attacks.¡± ¡°Good that you mentioned that. In your modified design you have four gunners on the top and bottom, but I think we could have just four gunners in total if we use rails like you suggested on the inside to let them move up and down the side of the plane.¡± ¡°How do you intend to move ammo to these people then?¡± ¡°They are belt fed and there is magic that can prevent tangles and snags.¡± ¡°But with what you¡¯ve drawn here, you are adding a weakness and a complexity to the design. Just as with our trains, these need to function well enough that no matter how stupid the pilots are, they can¡¯t break it.¡± ¡°How about we meet in the middle, three gunners, triangle formation on top and bottom, and a gun that the pilots can fire themselves but will aim for itself.¡± ¡°What if it gets confused on the target?¡± ¡°We are flying these planes one at a time, the only other thing that big in the sky is likely to be a wyvern or a jellyfish. If they do need to fly more than one at a time, then we can just tell them not to use the front turret.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Lilly was an engineer, but Dagda was a mage through and through. When they decided on a final design, his questions were of a magical nature. ¡°I think that perhaps we should actually add more gems, here, here, and here. I think that your runic pathways are fine, but if the magic was overused in those locations they are the farthest from other gems and could be stressed beyond their ability.¡± ¡°The only thing that should be fired from there are bolts of lightning, see how this path connects to these specific bolts? They have spells which make them act as lightning rods.¡± ¡°Ah, so that explains that. And this here?¡± They constantly changed the design, if something Lilly suggested was added, then suddenly the pathways which connected the gems needed to be changed, and if they moved a gem or added magic by Dagda¡¯s suggestions, then suddenly one part or another might need to be changed. The three were having a great time, arguing back and forth about if it should rely more on natural laws or on magic and many other things about the design; things had gotten heated more than once. ¡°So if we got wyvern pheromones, we could actually repel them, and if that is the case, we could lower the number of gunners and thus the weight.¡± Harlan had been trying as much as possible to fight against radical design changes, this was a bomber, not a flying fortress. ¡°I still don¡¯t agree that we couldn¡¯t avoid using any ammo at all, and make the turrets entirely magical, which would allow your rail design for the gunners moving up and down the plane.¡± Dagda of course wanted more magic. ¡°We have too much already in this, unless you intend to put several giant mana gems inside of it, the cost would grow too large if you had to actually use the guns to put down larger wyverns. We will simply get more offense per gold if we stick with physical ammo that has been enchanted as you suggested before.¡± A royal guard entered the room. ¡°Princess Lilly, I have been asked to ensure you go to bed to keep a fresh mind.¡± ¡°But it is only¡­¡± She got out a pocket watch. ¡°Oh, it is past 1AM. Did we really just spend 12 hours on this?¡± ¡°I guess we did. Dagda, Lilly, I think we need to go with two designs, one more mechanical, one more magical, and then we test them. There is only so much theoretical work we can do and the scale models aren¡¯t going to be perfect. And please, do keep costs in mind.¡± Dagda clicked his metal limbs together in thought. ¡°Yes, we should do this. Tomorrow, Lilly and I shall make our designs, you shall review them, then we build.¡± ¡°We could just stay here a little longer and-¡± ¡°Lady Lilly, this was a request by your sister. She also said that I was not to take no for an answer, as you would likely spend hours working past your bedtime.¡± She sighed and started to leave, thus Harlan did as well, leaving Dagda there in the lab where he hung from the ceiling and the light in his orb dimmed. As they were going to the same area, Harlan¡¯s family having been put in the same hallways as the rest of the royals, they walked together for much of the way, but not long after having left the lab, the fervor of creation had left her, and she began to sway in her step. Her last bodyguard had gotten a little bit too close; his¡­ removal from the services of the kingdom had left an impression on the others, so he didn¡¯t want to offer her a hand. Harlan cared not for such things. ¡°Do you want me to carry you? When do you normally go to sleep?¡± ¡°Yes. 8. I want to¡­ I like to wake early so I can smell the forges turning on.¡± He knelt down and she climbed on his back. Hands came the armor on his back to keep her from falling, her arms wrapped around his neck, and he had made loops with his arms that she put her legs in. She was sleeping before he got to her room, and the maids had a scandalized look on their faces when they saw the pair. She was taken by her maids to be undressed from her day clothes into a nightgown and put in bed. Adina was still awake, and Vivi wouldn''t stop crying; she didn¡¯t hear him enter. ¡°Why don¡¯t you stop crying? I love you, please, let me sleep.¡± Her voice trembled, she felt weak. ¡°Let me try.¡± She jumped slightly, but he could see that her reaction time was slow and her reaction was lessened compared to what she should be able to do. Almost immediately after she was in Harlan¡¯s arms, Viviane calmed down, and in just a few minutes, she was sleeping. ¡°How?¡± ¡°You are anxious, she can feel that. She needs to feel like everything is completely safe. So, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°You were gone all day and I didn¡¯t know what you were doing and Aida asked and I couldn¡¯t tell her and then Ava came in and Vivi liked her more than me and Autumn had such perfect control over-¡± ¡°Stop. I was designing a final plane design, a bomber. My mother was probably just making conversation, it doesn¡¯t matter that you couldn¡¯t know. Vivi is too young to understand liking someone, she probably just mistook you for one another. And your niece and nephew are toddlers, they can listen, Vivi can¡¯t. Is there something else?¡± ¡°I¡¯m scared of being a mother. What if I drop her? What if I swing around too fast and she gets whiplash? I¡¯m not normal, she¡¯s just so¡­ fragile.¡± ¡°So long as she is still breathing, there isn¡¯t anything that you can do that we can¡¯t fix, we are both pretty damn good healers.¡± Adina began to cry, and suddenly Harlan had an idea about what was happening. He put her in bed and then laid down next to her. ¡°Maybe this is just because your hormones are still a wreck, and what I¡¯ve done to your body only made it more intense.¡± ¡°I miss our home, our bed, the room we spent so much time decorating for her.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Hirum tomorrow, we can see how things are, and maybe we should go back. I don¡¯t feel safe leaving my family here or letting them go back home, so maybe I¡¯ll make another house, since we don¡¯t have enough guest rooms.¡± ¡°Really? Do you think Rosewell will be upset?¡± ¡°I¡¯m still just a call away, if I have to walk down a hall or gate back here, it doesn¡¯t matter much. If anything, the gate room is closer to the throne room than our bedroom.¡± ¡°Do you think it is really going to be safe back home?¡± ¡°We are still surrounded by archmagi on every side, and I have a pet that I can put in the yard to scare intruders away.¡± ¡°A pet?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to ruin the surprise.¡± When Adina fell asleep just a few minutes after they laid down, Harlan left the room with Viviane. ¡°Sir Fomoria, is there something we can do?¡± ¡°Please, make sure my wife is not disturbed while she sleeps.¡± The guard outside his door saluted him and bowed. Harlan made his way to the gate room, where a guard gave him a look, but didn¡¯t stop him. He stepped out in the cool late spring air, and then again, bringing him home. It was as bad as Hirum told him, worse even. When they attacked, they managed to sneak through several dozen archmagi plots, and they burned his home to the foundation. Everything about this was unacceptable. Every step he took through the ashes of the home he spent so long making made him furious. The only part that made him feel any better about were the skeletons in the area, his defenses weren¡¯t to be scoffed at, layers of real and false spells, each weaved into a series of tangles that would be impossible for just any mage to get through. And by what was left the in the ashes, his tools, a few projects that were half-finished, and his raw materials, he was thinking that they never actually did break through, and they likely burned his home out of frustration. Vivi started to fuss as he looked at the burned husk of what was supposed to be one of her toys. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, papa is just annoyed.¡± He kissed her forehead and she seemed to calm. ¡°Now we can make something bigger, can¡¯t we? Don¡¯t you want more space to run around?¡± He moved down to the little rest area he made, they had at least left that alone, either not knowing about it or just deciding that it wasn¡¯t worth attacking. ¡°I don¡¯t how how I¡¯m going to tell mama that its gone.¡± Harlan knew what he was going to do, and he couldn¡¯t shield his emotions from her if they grew too strong. So he set Vivi in a hammock he quickly made from leaves stitched with magic and swayed her from side to side as he cried. That he built with his own two hands, that was his, that he spent hours and hours fretting over what his child¡¯s room would look like, that place was now just charcoal and ashes. He didn¡¯t want to be angry, he didn¡¯t want this all consuming rage that he could feel bubbling up, but it was there.
Around three weeks prior. David brought his sword to the woman¡¯s throat, but Parnell was frozen by her scent. ¡°My, I don¡¯t believe one could cut me with such a thing.¡± David looked down and saw that his sword was a crow. The confused creatures looked at one another and it panicked, flying out of his hand. ¡°Oh, perhaps this is what you intended.¡± She pulled a pin from her hair that he recognized as being his sword, but smaller. ¡°You are that Fae, the one Harlan fought.¡± She threw her head back and laughed, a gentle facade that failed to hide all of her devious intent. By instinct, David flinched when he met her eyes again. ¡°A fight that was not, a trial more like.¡± ¡°What do you want.¡± She wagged her finger. ¡°Tisk tisk tisk, my desire is only to help, it is yours which brings me to here and now.¡± She handed his sword back to him and the instant he took his eyes off of it the weapon returned to its full size. ¡°A sign of good faith? A gift for a gift.¡± ¡°Who gave who a gift?¡± He wasn¡¯t exactly a scholar of Fae, but he had some vague idea of what he shouldn¡¯t do, and being given a gift without a clear cost was always a bad thing. ¡°Why you¡¯ve given to me. So now I shall repay the favor. You wish to flee, so perhaps a gate, just like Harlan¡¯s?¡± ¡°What did I give you that is worth that?¡± ¡°War, millions more shall grow in strength, all because of you.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t start this war.¡± ¡°Oh? Does this one not wish for a gift without cost?¡± He was certain he was being played, but the risk was worth it to him. Chapter 278: Visiting the Ruins In the afternoon, Harlan looked over the designs and everyone started to manufacture their planes, showing the royal smiths each part that needed to be made and how they would be put together. While this was happening, Harlan took Adina to the ruins of their home. He tried to warn her that nothing was left, but it didn¡¯t help the sinking pit in her stomach. After a few minutes she jumped down into the basement and started digging through the stone. ¡°It survived.¡± The small ornate box had been tarnished by the heat that went through the earth, and Adina had to force it open with brute strength. Inside was a small locket that remained unharmed. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°It was my father¡¯s wedding locket.¡± ¡°When did you get that? And why was it in the basement?¡± ¡°I asked Balor to steal it for me months ago. I hid it because I wanted to protect it, but I didn¡¯t want to open it, and I couldn¡¯t wear it, since my father is certainly looking for it.¡± She ran her fingers over it, fiddling with the small latch. ¡°It has a small painting of my mother. Open it for me. I can¡¯t do it.¡± Harlan grabbed it like it was made of glass, gently opening it. ¡°She looks like you.¡± Now that it was open, all hesitation was gone, and she snatched it from Harlan¡¯s hand. She had long auburn hair and bright green eyes, she was almost a carbon copy of Adina. ¡°Not exactly, my features are a little softer, and I think my breasts are larger.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t know if he should laugh or not when she lifted her breasts up and compared them, but when Adina started, he joined in. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I expected, she¡¯s my mother, of course she looks so much like me. You said we had a pet, show me.¡± ¡°Are you alright? Our house was-¡± ¡°Just a house. I won¡¯t make you rebuild it by hand, and perhaps we can expand it with guest rooms so your family can visit, we can make a proper noble mansion.¡± ¡°Now I feel a little foolish. I was here last night, or I guess early in the morning, with Vivi, and I had to put her down while I cried for almost an hour over the loss of this place.¡± ¡°Home is where I am with you, we could put up a tent while you are building and I wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± He knew that she was lying, that she was holding it back, trying her hardest to accept it, but he wasn¡¯t going to chide her for it. Harlan picked her up in a princess carry, and gated them over to the park area just a few miles from the home Adina climbed down from his arms and washed the ash from her clothes. ¡°Where is the pet?¡± ¡°Cover your ears and I¡¯ll call it.¡± Harlan pulled the sigil into his soul for a less painful shifting experience and gill-like openings appeared on his neck. He breathed in deeply and exhaled through these holes, letting out a whistle that went on for miles, but more importantly, it could wake the dead by imbuing mana into the sound. Though, dead was more of a technicality. Adina hadn¡¯t noticed the hill that had been added to the area, then the hill unraveled, she saw it was not dirt and stone, but scales and heads. Harlan made his dragon to kill the wyverns, and then gave command of it to an archmage under the deal that he would get a portion of any wyverns it killed. The golem was over a hundred feet long, had six wings, and seven heads, each with a crown of intertwined antlers. On each head was a gem of a different color matching the six basic elements, and the last was clear. Each of them had their two eyes as one might expect, but also a third eye that matched the variant eyes that Harlan had copied from Adina¡¯s boon. ¡°What is her name?¡± ¡°Her?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, it sounds right.¡± It reached the main head with the clear gem down. She felt the warmth of its breath, and the coolness of its hard face. ¡°We have to give it a name, right?¡± ¡°I was just going to call it a Fomorian Hydra.¡± ¡°How boring. Why not Tiamat?¡± She didn¡¯t know why she said that name, but they both felt a shift in the air. As the scales of the dragon started to turn aquamarine, Xol appeared, runes and sigils shimmered to life cutting the space from reality ¡°What do we do? What was that? Should we-¡± ¡°If Xol showed up in an instant, and I know that feeling, something Fae happened. If he wants help, he or Marigold will call me. But I think I should take you back to the palace. Tell Rosewell that something has happened, and that I am uncertain if I shall be back soon.¡± ¡°Did I do this? It is because I-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about what might be, we don¡¯t know why you said that name.¡± ¡°I hate dealing with gods and Fae.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care for them either.¡± Harlan stood there for over an hour before Xol and Marigold came back, and shockingly, they came back with the dragon, which had slimmed down and grew in length to 160 feet. All of its heads became one, and the gems had fused with the magical eyes, giving it 9 eyes, since it still had two for normal sight. The wings were gone, but it didn¡¯t seem to matter, as it simply swam through the air. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Tiamat decided to join our side, and will remain as guardian to your lands, provided you give her a large enough salt water lake.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t really explain anything at all. What is Tiamat?¡± ¡°The Mother of Monsters.¡± Harlan just gave him a long look until he chuckled. ¡°In the time before I caged the souls of the Fae, Tiamat was a fleshsculptor of sorts, she designed the Skinwalkers among other things.¡± He just kept looking at him. ¡°Fine fine fine. Why don¡¯t we sit?¡± Xol moved over to the campfire and sat on one of the logs. ¡°In simple terms, gods may or may not exist as universal concepts. Tiamat was a god of myth in my world, but this Fae is not that being, she simply stole the name to get the power it held, like wearing a new skin, it slipped into that form, and it became an entity known as Tiamat. Aine, that name also appeared in the myths of my world, yet your moon has had that name since before the Fae arrived. And Aarde, in another language, it means Earth, not the dirt, but the planet. What happened was that her soul was drawn to that body, because it had the capability to hold her soul, and it existed in a state between life and death. All she needed to do was have someone utter the name. Even as an incorporeal mass of energy, she could influence someone in a dangerous mental state.¡± ¡°We need to remove all the golems from the academy then. They-¡± ¡°No. This body, this massive beast you made and filled with gems, this is something that can contain the soul of a Fae. The golems in the academy would be reduced to dust if they tried to steal the bodies.¡± ¡°How can I trust her?¡± ¡°Because she made a pact with me, and because¡­ Honey, why don¡¯t you and Harlan talk.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure that-¡± Xol vanished into thin air. Marigold sighed angrily as she sat down. ¡°He should¡¯ve just said that he couldn¡¯t tell you, he didn¡¯t need to run away.¡± ¡°Can we talk about you avoiding me before?¡± ¡°No. But Vivi is a beautiful little girl.¡± She awkwardly sat next to him, but finally she exhaled and threw her arm around him. ¡°Alright, fine. I didn¡¯t want to see you because I don¡¯t understand what I should feel for you now. Nemain made you, you shouldn¡¯t exist, and that might¡¯ve been fine before I knew that, but I feel¡­ or I felt, like you stole the life that Harlan should have and he is¡­ well I don¡¯t want to talk about how he is right now. I think I should be upset, but it isn¡¯t really your fault.¡± ¡°How does he feel about me? Because I spoke quite briefly with him the other day and if you said he hates me, I wouldn¡¯t assume otherwise.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t hate you, he just¡­ something happened with him and his advisor. She got hurt, and she won¡¯t let him do anything about it because the one that did it is just too far beyond his power.¡± ¡°Is there anything I could do for him?¡± ¡°Keep Adina and Vivi safe, he lost his son, and no matter what he might say, I think losing your daughter would break something inside him.¡± ¡°His son is-¡± ¡°He sent him away, Adina told you this, right?¡± ¡°Yes. But the way you phrased it made it seem like he died.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Instead of out here in the wind, why don¡¯t we go inside your home.¡± Her reaction was far less subdued than Adina¡¯s. The sky darkened, every array which controlled the weather in the learning zone failed at once. It started as a light sprinkle, but it wasn¡¯t long before it came down heavy, like standing beneath a waterfall; lightning webbed the sky, the thunder shook the ground. Tiamat tried to hide under the trees, fearing what would happen when the fury above struck down. But the thunder never gave way to lighting, the sky, full of wrath and sorrow, kept its place. Harlan put up a simple stone tent, not that it mattered, both of them were already drenched. He put his arm around her and she laid her head on his shoulder. ¡°I remember all of it. Every memory from my children in that place, even in the rotten state I showed to you, I still saw them there.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I should¡¯ve put up better defenses.¡± She shook her head. ¡°No, I think this is for the best. I gave you this place for some closure, but it was still here, and I held onto that. Build a new home, build something that is yours.¡± The rain stopped suddenly as if one turned off a faucet. Marigold started to hum and made the first movement for the creation sigil. ¡°No peeking.¡± With a snap of her fingers Harlan was completely blind. He heard the cracking of the earth as a new forest was rapidly grown, and the inland sea, 10 miles around and 900 feet deep, was carved into the earth, waiting to be filled. Alongside it was a mountain where the ground from said hole had been moved. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll need to explain this too, I hope I didn¡¯t cause too much destruction with my tantrum.¡± ¡°This plot is 50 miles in a square, you can¡¯t have done much beyond the borders.¡± ¡°If we are lucky, then you are right. Let¡¯s find Tiamat.¡± The dragon was curled up on the ground, shivering in fear. Harlan landed on her body and patted her head. ¡°It¡¯s alright now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a scared animal, I was once feared as a-¡± ¡°You are shivering, would you like me to put up heating wards?¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Her eyes focused on him, and she tried to figure out his intent. ¡°Thank you.¡± Hirum had come alongside three dozen archmagi. And when they came, it was upon the very strange scene of Harlan consoling a giant lizard, one that none of them could recognize. Marigold flew to them with a contrite face. ¡°I am very sorry, I meant no harm. Should I have caused any, I will do my best to correct it.¡± There were looks of confusion. ¡°Hirum, who is this woman?¡± ¡°I am Marigold. This plot was once mine, and the home on it was burned. I reacted poorly to this news.¡± More confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you-¡± Hirum raised his hands, and his tattoos glowed, quieting the archmage. ¡°This is Marigold, Champion of Aarde, First Archmage, and Creator of The Grand Academy. Lady Marigold, why are you here?¡° ¡°There was a containment breach in progress, so my husband and I had to fix it. While here, I asked to see my home, which Harlan had faithfully rebuilt as his, but during the attack, they burned it down.¡± ¡°A containment breach? How? I didn¡¯t notice anything on the sensors.¡± ¡°Do the others with you know what a containment breach is?¡± ¡°We shall speak in private.¡± Marigold explained the situation with Tiamat, and Hirum didn¡¯t know exactly what to think. Reviving one of the Fae gods to make it Harlan¡¯s pet was insanity, but so much had been insanity of late, and so much of it directly stemmed from Harlan. He left with the archmagi, and she would need to return in a day when the ones which bordered Harlan¡¯s plot had put in requests for damages to be fixed. Marigold stood on Tiamat next to Harlan, and the dragon trembled with fear. ¡°Don¡¯t be a coward, the storm has passed.¡± ¡°The storm stands before me.¡± Marigold patted her on the head. ¡°Be a good lizard, and the skies remain calm. Harlan, I have done what I can, the wood here will let you build whatever you wish, you have a protector.¡± ¡°If that other one, or you, if you need anything, you can always just ask me.¡± ¡°I will hold you to that.¡± It was more stressful than he expected to go through what he hoped would take a few hours at most with Adina needing time to grieve their home and to introduce his new pet. When Harlan returned to the palace, Safira and a few others of the royal guard were there to greet him. ¡°Ah, he lives.¡± ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t interrupt your duties.¡± ¡°No, we were just standing around for no reason. What happened?¡± ¡°I showed Adina the ruins of our home and our dragon-¡± ¡°Your what?¡± ¡°When I helped with the wyvern swarm I made a hydra-like dragon, no sense in getting rid of it afterwards.¡± One of the guard chuckled. ¡°The issue was that Adina named it, and in doing so, a Fae tried to steal the body, so Xol showed up, took it away, and then he and Marigold returned with the dragon, but it had changed forms. Her name is Tiamat. Marigold asked me to show her the home that was there, which was once hers but I rebuilt board by board.¡± Harlan¡¯s tone turned sullen. ¡°That place had memories for her. I couldn¡¯t leave her be. Regardless, once she was ready to go, I filled the inland sea she made for Tiamat and then came back here.¡± ¡°You are keeping a Fae dragon?¡± ¡°Xol made a pact with it, who am I to turn that gift away?¡± The guard who chuckled before laughed. ¡°Awfully unstoic for one of you.¡± ¡°You mean ¡®one of us¡¯ Your primary title is that of Queen¡¯s Blade, but you are a royal guard all the same.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°I will take your report of events to the queen. There is a guest for you in the library, do not make him wait.¡± Harlan bowed to them and left. He did as asked, hurrying to the library. Harlan went in and found his guest reading a book on crop rotations. ¡°Grenth?¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back. Do you have somewhere that we can speak privately?¡± ¡°Yes, come to my room.¡± The boy¡­ no, he was as old as Harlan, he was a man, even though Harlan more remembered him as a pudgy brat who seemed to have gotten on track last he saw him, followed him. Adina was breastfeeding Vivi when they came in. ¡°What happened with-¡± She quickly covered herself. ¡°You didn¡¯t say you had a guest. Hello Sir¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m Grenth Greenfield.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°I understand, I believe when we last met you were still¡­¡± ¡°I was blind, I know.¡± Grenth leaned close to Harlan. ¡°Should we wait, or¡­¡± ¡°You two are letting your sentences end with unasked questions too often. Adina is fine, anything you tell me you can tell her. Unless it is woman trouble, in that case, neither of us are likely to be a big help.¡± ¡°Well, no, it¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Talk, stop with the¡­¡± ¡°Sorry. I believe my uncle may be thinking of betraying the kingdom. Cynthia asked me to come here under the guise of visiting your newborn and reporting back.¡± ¡°You have two uncles.¡± ¡°Duke Greenfield.¡± Harlan had been silent for a few minutes. Suddenly he slammed the desk, leaving a deep imprint of his hand in the enchanted hardwood. ¡°Why did Cynthia ask you to come to me?¡± ¡°I saw things my father was doing, and I hoped that she might know something. She said that she saw not dissimilar things from my uncle.¡± ¡°Use your words.¡± Harlan was annoyed, greatly annoyed, trying to force himself to not tip over into rage. Grenth gulped. ¡°I-I-I-¡± Harlan took a deep breath. ¡°Take your time, think through what you are saying. I¡¯m not angry with you, I am just worried about Cynthia. If Oak and Birch are traitors, and she isn¡¯t, then she is in danger, and Sycamore is in danger.¡± Grenth calmed. ¡°There were notes in the fireplace, my father, perhaps because of his drinking, failed to burn them properly. They were details about moving things from kingdom controlled territory to noblist territory. Money, troops, equipment¡­ criminals.¡± ¡°Blood gems.¡± ¡°Yes, I believe that is the reason why he is doing this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to have my people look at this first, I don''t want you to tell Yggdra yet.¡± ¡°You have people? I thought you just did things on your own.¡± ¡°I know someone who has people.¡±
Darrath had assumed that things would be worse. He still woke up some nights teary eyed, wanting to see Harlan, but every night he got to sleep with his grandmother, and during the day she had more time for him than ever. The other Pixies had a hard time warming up to him, since when he left he was a violent little beast, but Harlan taught him to be better. A Pixie with amethyst eyes flew over to him. ¡°Ruby, do you want to play?¡± ¡°My name is Darrath, I keep telling you.¡± He crossed his arms and harrumphed, causing her to giggle and cover her mouth. ¡°Sorry, I forgot again.¡± ¡°I think that you are doing it to make me mad.¡± She giggled even more. ¡°Come play with us, you¡¯re better at it than any of the other boys.¡± ¡°Fine, but only if you remember my name.¡± ¡°Oh, why don¡¯t I do this?¡± She pulled a necklace made from vines grown in the shape of his name and handed it to him, blushing as she did. ¡°Now I won¡¯t forget whenever I see you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re red. If you go out and play you¡¯ll get sick, let me get grandma.¡± ¡°NO. I¡¯m fine, really, it is just warm today. Let¡¯s play.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ alright, but if you look weak out there I¡¯ll make you go home and sleep.¡± ¡°Would you carry me there yourself? Would you tuck me in?¡± ¡°Papa wouldn¡¯t let someone sick stay that way, he¡¯d take care of them. He said I need to be even better than him, so I need to do at least that much.¡± They went with the other Pixies into the treetops to play hide and seek. One of the issues for them was their weakness, so Dawn had them start playing games to teach them how to better hide from others and attack from ambush. An important rule in this, which made it different from when human children would play, was that they were allowed to use magic, and as their race naturally had mana sense, and they rapidly matured mentally, they all had some instinctual understanding of nature magic and dark magic. Darrath leapt from tree to tree, casting a veil over himself so he could beat his wings a few times for extra air time without revealing his location. He landed gracefully on the other tree, his claws digging into it, and then he climbed. One of the other Pixies was on the other side, so he climbed down first, to get below the branch where the other boy sat, he and Thyst were the last ones remaining. He moved slowly, he had watched him and noticed a pattern in his patrol that the boy himself didn¡¯t realize, he focused more on looking up and to the right, and he never looked over the edge. When the time came, he quickly moved up and around before pouncing on the startled boy. But as he did, Thyst came from behind and tagged him. One other part of this hide and seek, was that one had to touch their opponents back to win, everyone was predator and prey. ¡°HOW?¡± ¡°I know your every move, I¡¯ve been watching you from the start, since I knew that you would catch everyone else before me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not fair, I caught more than anyone else, you just waited for me to win.¡± She giggled and jumped a few steps back. ¡°But I won, and isn¡¯t that what matters?¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­ no.¡± ¡°Oh? Why not?¡± ¡°Because you should win the right way. If you couldn¡¯t beat anyone else here, and you just know how to beat me, then you are weak. Papa told me about him fighting people, and giant wolves, and wyverns, and frogs, he can beat anything. He said that I shouldn¡¯t overspecialfy myself in one way, because that means I¡¯m a one trick foal.¡± ¡°But you can only beat other Pixies.¡± ¡°No. I can beat boars and goblins. But papa said that I¡¯m not supposed to be fighting, because I could get hurt.¡± ¡°What if I was in trouble?¡± Fate was not a universal force, it held no sway over the events of Aarde, yet what followed was too perfect to be called mere coincidence. The boy struggled and panicked under Darrath¡¯s foot. ¡°HAWK.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± A giant bird, 40 feet long with a wingspan of 60 feet, dive bombed them, grabbing Thyst the moment he took his eyes off of her. He didn¡¯t hesitate for a second to fly after them. ¡°CALL GRANDMA!¡± She had become a second mother to the Pixie people, one more harsh, making them go to bed on time and work and learn, so they didn¡¯t exactly care for her like Darrath did, but they still called her grandma. When it swooped down it made a lot of distance between them, though Darrath was barely faster than it even as the beast entered a glide over the treetops. Luckily, it intended to take his friend to its nest alive. That didn¡¯t mean it was pleasant. When she started to hit the bird, it tightened its grip and crushed her chest, making her pass out and its claws scratched her, sending the scent of blood along its path for Darrath to follow. He arrived just in time to see it toss her unconscious body down the top of a tree. Darrath was overcome with fury, not knowing if she was dead or alive, he could only kill the Hawk. He thought of what Harlan would do. He¡¯d probably go right through it by flying super fast and shooting out the other side. But he was not Harlan, and shockingly, he returned his mind to a calm state and understood that. Harlan told him more than once that anger was a bad thing, and he should do everything he could to not let it drive his actions. Harlan would¡¯ve shot through, but Darrath had to fight like Darrath, not like his father, he had to be better. He wasn¡¯t allowed to use the armor his father gave him when they played hide and seek, because that was cheating in the opinion of everyone he played with, but this wasn¡¯t a game. He was entirely silent as he approached the bird, and when it did notice him, it was too late. He held his breath as he went through the eye and into its skull. It was dark, wet and warm, all he could do was use what he understood about bodies to move forward towards the brain. He stabbed and felt around until he found something that was wrinkly, with that in his hands, he stabbed and stabbed and stabbed until he didn¡¯t feel the thrashing about of the bird any longer. But his equilibrium was well developed, and he could feel it falling. There wasn¡¯t much space to get turned around going from the eye socket right to the relatively small brain, so he was quick to leave by flipping around and following the light. He ignored the sound of it crashing into the ground and flew as fast as he could straight up. Thyst was badly wounded by the two chicks, several fingers were gone and each of them stood as tall as she did. Darrath dove in after her, stabbing and slashing at the babies who tried futility to grab him. He moved in closer, and when one of the chicks missed its neck was vulnerable. He moved his thrusting sword in a half-circle, opening it and drenching himself in blood, not that one would be able to notice considering what he did before. But he left himself open, and the other chick was coming right at him. He raised his arm, losing it meant living, and he knew that, because Harlan had no issue sacrificing limbs to land just a single attack or to avoid a worse attack. But it didn¡¯t really prepare him for the shock of it closing its beak on him and tearing it off from the elbow.. He screamed on the ground and was just as helpless as Thyst had been. It pecked at him while he flailed, kicking and punching in his panic. Then it stopped. Dawn sliced just once, so quickly that Darrath hadn¡¯t even seen it, and the chick¡¯s head was removed. It ran around like¡­ well, like a chicken with its head cut off. She knelt down to heal him. ¡°HELP THYST!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to-¡± He threw a punch, his armored gauntlet granting him enough strength to harm her. She looked at his damage, other than the half of an arm he was missing, he would be alright, Pixies recovered better than humans, and the blood flowing from his arm was already slowing down. ¡°USE NATURE MAGIC, TIE OFF THE WOUND.¡± He tried to use both hands for it, the phantom pain in his left arm was still there. But he adapted quickly, a trait gained from Harlan¡¯s part in their existence as a species. Vines came from the hollowed out tree top and wrapped around the severed limb so hard that he broke what was left of it. He awoke back in his bed. He reached up with both hands. It was almost perfect, but even if it was entirely perfect, anyone who had gotten a limb regrown would feel a wrongness in it the first few times, but it would fade, days, weeks, months, that was different between each person. Dawn hadn¡¯t taken her eyes off of him for an instant, and hugged him the second he woke up. ¡°Don¡¯t ever scare me like that again.¡± ¡°But I had to save Thyst. Isn¡¯t that good? Isn¡¯t that what papa would do?¡± ¡°Harlan is an idiot, a stupid idiot, he is going to die if he never learns how to know when he can fight, and when he has to ask for help.¡± ¡°But I saved her. That is all that matters, right?¡± ¡°NO, GODS NO. YOU¡­ you and him both need to know your limits, you need to value your life more than you do. What if I took a minute longer? You would¡¯ve died, and then Thyst would¡¯ve died. If you waited for me instead, you wouldn''t be hurt, and she would still be alive.¡± ¡°She¡¯s alright? Right? Where is Thyst?¡± He tried to rush up from his bed, but fell to the floor. The cost of healing his gouged out flesh and broken bones wasn¡¯t small, he needed food and rest before he was up and running around again. ¡°She is fine.¡± Dawn lifted him up and put him back in bed, tucking him in. ¡°You and the others need to keep your playing below the trees, and you can¡¯t leave the town anymore, not for a few weeks at least while I check what else is lurking out there.¡± A few days later, Thyst came to visit. She didn¡¯t say a word for a while, she just cried into his chest while he ran his hands pat her head and told her he was alright, because that was what Harlan would do. Her sniffling stopped and she pulled her head back before going in for a kiss. He was very confused, and pushed her back. ¡°That is for people who are married.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get married.¡± ¡°No. Papa said that being married is for grown ups, and I should be a child for a while.¡± Her great big amethyst eyes became teary again and he rushed to stop her from crying more. ¡°But when we are grown up we can.¡± He reached his pinkie out to her. ¡°Pinkie promise?¡± She accepted. ¡°Pinkie promise.¡± Chapter 279: Greenfield Investigation Even in times of war, parties were still part of life for nobility. They projected strength and security, broadcasting that they both had the resources and the safety to have leisure. Yet this projection was not always reality. One might hold the party because they are doing nothing but putting up a facade, to chase away the idea that they are small insecure people, that under their velvet coats and their makeup worth a year''s food for a peasant, they were just people. LOOK LOOK, LOOK AT MY WEALTH, LOOK AT WHAT I CAN AFFORD TO THROW AWAY. While men and women fight on battlefields, giving their lives for the safety that these people took for granted, these lives that were just numbers on a spreadsheet to them, nobles gorged themselves, danced and gossiped. He wanted to vomit, to- ¡°Sir Fomoria, How is the food?¡± ¡°Very good, thank you for asking, Sir Greenfield.¡± ¡°I admit, I hadn¡¯t expected you to come. You are far from the social butterfly Sir Balor is.¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t lie, I am here because Cynthia is a friend, and this is an excuse to bring Viviane to her. And, I feel like this is the perfect time to enter into nobility properly. There is a time to hide away, and a time to make friends and allies.¡± ¡°Well said.¡± ¡°How have you been?¡± ¡°Well enough, there are certainly no issues with the food supply here, and we have wealth that couldn¡¯t be spent in a hundred years.¡± ¡°As it is in most of the kingdom, except¡­ no, I shouldn¡¯t say that.¡± ¡°You are among friends, please, feel comfortable to speak your mind.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you are already aware of the fields being burned and the blockades preventing citizens on the other side of this war from being fed properly. I hadn¡¯t expected Rosewell, apologies, Queen Yggdra, to become so cruel. Perhaps her father was right to not want her on the throne, even I¡­ Nevermind. I just wish I could help them.¡± Harlan¡¯s acting was better than one might expect, years of viewing people to understand what was supposed to be normal made it easier to put on a face than if he had understood these things innately in some sense. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t entirely natural, but he gave off enough of a feeling that he was being genuine. The Duke brought Harlan over to another group of people. A conversation unsaid, shifty eyes and odd looks, then Harlan was in. ¡°I was just having a conversation with Sir Fomoria about the blockades, and he thought it cruel that those on the other side of this war would be starved out by our queen.¡± ¡°Very unfortunate business.¡± The man in front of him was a count under Greenfield¡¯s banner, Harlan had prepared for this for a week, Balor drilled everything he was going to need into him. ¡°Harlan, this is Count Carten, a mover of sorts.¡± ¡°Good to meet you, I¡¯m¡­ well, my reputation precedes me I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°It does. And, I hope I¡¯m not speaking out of turn, but I was under the impression that you were fiercely loyal to Yggdra, that you didn¡¯t have a bad word to say about her.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never met anyone who I don¡¯t have a bad word to say about. She¡¯s changed, the crown might be too heavy for her. She never wanted to be queen, and perhaps in another time, she¡¯d even be willing to step down. I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t say these things, I hardly know you.¡± ¡°Nonsense, my family and the Greenfield Family have been close for centuries, and you are so close to Cynthia, we¡¯re practically friends by default.¡± ¡°I suppose that makes sense. I¡¯m worried about her, and Relly, the stress seems to be getting to both of them. I think she wants peace by any means, and I know what that looks like.¡± ¡°By any means doesn¡¯t need to be something so terrible. Perhaps she should think about how to negotiate with the other said, traitors though they are, they served under her father.¡± ¡°Maybe, but she seems hellbent on destroying them, a threat to her legacy she calls them.¡± Harlan tapped on his amulet in his pocket, sending a message to Adina to call him. ¡°Excuse me, I should take this. Where is the nearest quiet room?¡± Duke Greenfield pointed him down a hall that was nothing but quiet rooms and restrooms. Harlan closed the door and checked for anywhere that spies might try to listen in, vents and the like, enchanted to direct voices to listening stations. He found the room clear, but still put up a veil. ¡°Bring the case. I¡¯ll be in the guest room across from Cynthia¡¯s, I¡¯ll say that I¡¯m feeling faint, she¡¯ll take me to the room. Say you have a bag with supplies, considering your known paranoia and over preparedness, most people won¡¯t question the size.¡± ¡°Where are you now?¡± ¡°A restroom on the other side of the ballroom from you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be there soon.¡± Harlan went out to join in the conversation again, then he heard the gasps as Adina faked her near collapse. Cynthia carried her Viviane and left Sycamore with a maid. ¡°Harlan, Adina isn¡¯t feeling well. She asked to rest, and for you to bring the supplies to the room. I¡¯ll be waiting at the door to lead you.¡± Duke Greenfield stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯ll have a servant go with you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± They had come in a carriage, though they had also used gates to get the carriage there in a timely manner. Naturally, the horses and the driver were both golems. He grabbed a hard squared suitcase made from stonesteel. It was a foot and a half deep, and four feet in each direction otherwise. ¡°Please, let me carry that.¡± ¡°Are you certain?¡± Harlan held it as if it was empty, but the servant lurched forward when he tried to take it from Harlan. ¡°T-this is quite a bit heavier than I expected.¡± ¡°Refined stonesteel exterior for safety. I don¡¯t want the bottles inside breaking.¡± He tried to lift with his legs, to shove it, but it wasn¡¯t going to move without the man throwing out his back. Harlan picked it up again without issue, deactivating the gravity spell that made it so heavy. ¡°I could get more men, we could-¡± ¡°My wife doesn¡¯t feel well, do not delay me any longer.¡± Harlan made his way through the house, following behind Cynthia to make it seem as if he hadn¡¯t memorized the floorplan already. Balor had looked into everything that he could, and the Greenfields did look like something might be happening, but there was nothing that could actually be proven about any of them. The best he could do was to know everything he could about the house. The blueprints he had were costly, and they were a century old, but these noble castles didn¡¯t exactly change much. Harlan undid the latches and opened the case. The woman inside had contorted herself no small amount, and her body had even been shrunk with fleshsculpting to get her small enough to fit inside of the case. ¡°Jas, how have you been?¡± ¡°Your brother said this would be easy. Just climb inside, we¡¯ll have you out quickly. I thought I was going to suffocate in there.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t, because I put a spell in there to turn your breath back into clean, breathable air. I hope it wasn¡¯t too hot inside.¡± Her body popped back into place, water imbibing let her move in ways that would break the bones of other people. ¡°Where are we in relation to that office?¡± Cynthia put her hand forward, giving a key to Jas. ¡°End of the hall, take two lefts, then go past the intersection, take one right, then one left, it is the door on your left with a large tree engraving and green crystals. This key will get you inside without setting off any alarms, but do try to avoid any patrols, and don¡¯t doddle.¡± ¡°Hargrave, anything else.¡± ¡°No blood, we don¡¯t know if he is a traitor yet. Just look through the drawers and if there are any pieces of paper in the fireplace that haven¡¯t burned, take all of the ashes and put them in this jar.¡± He ignored that she had used the wrong name, and that she was cringing at her misuse. Harlan looked out the door before Jas went out, making sure there wouldn¡¯t be any guests. She went down the halls, her four foot frame hiding on the vaulted ceiling. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. He figured he would stay 10 minutes, less and it would look odd considering how protective he is, more and the topic of the party would shift to Adina and what was wrong with her, and that might draw more eyes to the hallway, making Jas coming back harder. ¡°I wish I could¡¯ve done this myself.¡± ¡°Your daughter¡¯s eyes are very pretty. I wish I had them, rather than these purple things.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always thought you had beautiful eyes.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll make me blush.¡± She just fiddled with Viviane for a time, making faces and sounds. ¡°So why aren¡¯t you doing this?¡± ¡°Because Jas has been working under Balor. I could learn the spells on short notice, but she has experience with these things.¡± ¡°With Balor? Isn¡¯t he an investor and manager?¡± ¡°I feel like I can be honest with you. Balor is in control of the largest network of underground criminal organizations in Ragne.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Is that it?¡± ¡°Crime is part of human nature, one cannot cut the head off, but they can be a better head than what was before. I¡¯ve noticed a downturn in crime within the last six months, on paper at least, and we did find a lot of suspected criminals dismembered in what we assumed were gang killings.¡± ¡°How pragmatic.¡± ¡°You know I¡¯m not what people consider normal, or moral. Oh, I think she pooped. You didn¡¯t happen to bring any real baby supplies with you, did you?¡± ¡°Just hand her here, I have something neat to show you.¡± When Harlan had gone to the ruins of his home, finding little more than materials left, he made a small and simple golem armor. It didn¡¯t need the bulky gems of his and the others, because it was just shifting inside of it. He knew Adina wouldn¡¯t be happy with him if he gave their daughter anything more. So to clean her, he simply had the armor open from the back, when it turned to liquid, the unmentionables inside fell out, leaving the armor clean, and then a little bit of water magic to wash and dry her, and that was that. ¡°Oh, now I simply must get one of those.¡± Harlan went back into the main room, opened the case, and reached into a secret pocket that was spatially distorted. ¡°I figured you would say that.¡± ¡°You know me so well.¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°I love you too.¡± Adina took Viviane. ¡°I know he was a child when you and him were together, so I hope that doesn¡¯t mean anything.¡± Cynthia just laughed, and Adina laughed with her. Jas wasn¡¯t laughing however. She got inside of the room without issue, and she cleared the drawers like she should, only searching one at a time and then closing them with each document in the exact location it was before. But then the handle jiggled, and she ran as quickly and stealthily as she could up the chimney, which she had already swept for arrays beforehand. She stayed as close as she could to it without actually tripping it, there was no chance of any holes going from outside of the castle in would be left undefended. ¡°Something is wrong with him, he spoke too oddly about everything, he was too eager to reveal his real opinion on Yggdra.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe so. My wife deeply knows Harlan, and he has always been strange. I don¡¯t think he understands people. What his real opinion of Yggdra is, I don¡¯t know, but he put on the facade of confliction to outwardly show us that he is conflicted about her.¡± ¡°If we can get him to do something and we can tie it to him, I think our best bet is to blackmail him. I¡¯ve read the file on him, he is prone to feel intense guilt, and we can use that, get him to do one thing then another, escalate until he feels there is no escape. We¡¯ll have him by the balls.¡± ¡°Or he could tear both of our heads off.¡± Jas could sit there for hours, but she really rather they shut up and left so she could finish her job. Their conversation turned more mundane, they talked about specific numbers for sending crops, they mentioned routes that could be used to get them past the blockades, dates, times. The longer they talked the more names they mentioned, it sounded like Greenfield wasn¡¯t just part of a conspiracy, but was the head, which made a lot of sense when one thought about it. A duke had the resources and the land to manufacture and move so many things here and there that finding the discrepancies would be nearly impossible without a full scale audit, and that would still require them to look at the books, which might be faked. When things went through counties, they were always inspected, unless of course they belonged to someone higher up the chain. When a carriage or cart had the crest of a duchy, they passed through with only a minimal check, just to confirm the crest really. If the driver had the right papers, they could move anything anywhere within the duchy, letting the last parts be moved by mercenaries and smugglers, or, if they had people across the borders, they could keep the chain going even longer. Greenfield got a call on his amulet. ¡°Sir Greenfield.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve been waiting. What do you know?¡± ¡°Last week, Sir Fomoria entered the lab under the castle, and when he came out it was very late at night, but he hasn¡¯t been down since, and he was once turned away when he tried to enter, but I couldn¡¯t hear why he was turned away.¡± ¡°And the queen, does she know?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve looked around as best as I can, and nobody has heard anything about you. Your nephew seemed to be here for exactly what he claimed to be here for.¡± ¡°You are absolutely certain?¡± ¡°I have people in The Unseen, they are in the throne room almost every day. He has been arguing with her more often lately, trying to convince her to lift the blockades at least partly, to enter into a trade deal with our faction so as to maintain some basic quality of life for the citizens.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± He ended the call and put the amulet back in his inner pocket. ¡°That was fast, are you sure you can trust your network of maids?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never had any issue with her, she¡¯s been the head maid for three decades.¡± Jas was genuinely baffled. She hadn¡¯t found a single thing, he didn¡¯t even burn his letters, he actually used a specially made box that used void to destroy them and swirl the dust up to make it even harder to reconstruct the papers. Yet when he started talking with this other man, suddenly he did everything but make a written confession before he left the room. It was too easy. Sure she didn¡¯t have physical proof, but her words to Harlan, backed by a soulspeak communication of memories would be enough to put together a very serious investigation, to potentially even put the duke¡¯s household under immediate arrest, branch families included. She waited until they had been gone for a minute, and then she resumed her search. It seemed silly, but she felt the seats where the two men should¡¯ve been. They were cold. When she was done, she used a special tool Balor invented, which seemed to be a thin rod with a gem on one end. It snaked its way under the doorway, shifting into a near liquid state, and the end on the outside vibrated, sending out nearly imperceptible distortions through the air which would at least tell her if anyone was within 20 feet, which was a bit less than the hallway she was in. She didn¡¯t see anything, so she pulled the rod back inside and then used her key to exit the room. Jas jumped back onto the ceiling, slipping into the shadows, and went back to the room, where Cynthia and Adina waited. ¡°Something was wrong in there.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Duke¡­ your husband, I heard him do everything but say that he wanted to cut the queen from ear to ear. But I didn¡¯t see him directly enter the room, I just heard him and another man.¡± She wasn¡¯t going to tell her about the oddities, not just yet. ¡°Show me.¡± Cynthia laid out her hand, palm facing up, and Jas showed her the memories. Cynthia¡¯s face became scrunched. ¡°Who the hell is that other man?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t recognize the voice?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard it before in my life. I know my husband¡¯s business associates, I know his close friends, and I know the friends he doesn¡¯t think I know about, but I do not know that man. Shit. Just, climb back in the case. I¡¯ll go out and tell Harlan that Adina still isn¡¯t feeling well, and that he should take her home to rest. We¡¯ll just say she hasn¡¯t recovered from giving birth due to Viviane¡¯s special nature, nobody will think twice about it.¡± Adina was breast feeding her, again, the infant had a voracious appetite, and she didn¡¯t like what she heard. ¡°I don¡¯t like you using my daughter as an excuse like that.¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t like that my husband may be decapitated for high treason, but we do what we must.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°This is why I stayed out of politics, I never wanted to be put in a situation like this, to pick between the husband of my child and my sister who I love, to pick which of my siblings I love and hate based on the policies that have been put in their heads by people who are sponsoring them as king or queen.¡± Few people had seen Cynthia angry, she could be impassioned, but the raw fury in her voice was undeniable, and sent shivers down the spines of those in the room, bringing Viviane to tears. ¡°I need a minute to compose myself.¡±
A giant feathered vampire bat descended onto a camp, tearing away at the throats of men with his beaked maw. A smaller bird, a crow, flew overhead, and waited. When the proper mages appeared to deal with the beast, they came out in a group, and the crow descended upon them. It was just above the heads of the men when it turned into a burst of feathers, and a man came from those feathers. Upside down, David spun in the air, either decapitating or nearly doing so to the men. An elite soldier, a baron or count, one of them with their false golem armors, his blood gem that was fashioned into gorget, rushed at him, his greatsword was as large as a man, only by virtue of the armor and another large gem that ran down most of the length of the blade could he lift and wield such a thing. Yet David worried little, right up until the man turned the sword to the side and he saw the light of the gems activate. Horizontal to the ground, he swung it down like a fan, and a great burst of wind which would¡¯ve torn lesser men apart launched from the greatsword. But David was a fast thinker, and he questioned every oddity of weapons and armors that he saw through the attack as it happened, countering with a quick spell to soften the ground, where he leapt into the mud. The wind blew away this small pond of liquid earth, but by being inside, it absorbed enough of the blow to keep his limbs from flying off. ¡°I¡¯m impressed, not many would be able to escape at such a range.¡± ¡°Your usage was lackluster, come on, just wind? If you had imbued it with something else, frost probably would be best, you could sap the area of heat as well.¡± ¡°I will tell my forgemaster to make adjustments then.¡± ¡°That thing isn¡¯t worthwhile as scrap in the hands of someone who can¡¯t use it, no matter how many spells and enchantments you put on it, no matter how many lives you sacrifice to skip gaining real power.¡± David calmly walked towards the man, and both of them took the same stance. They stood with their right foot forward, the left was held slightly up, ready for a pounce. They held both hands on their handles with their backs straight. Some would call this stance the suicide stance, the idea being that the blades would slide against one another, and if one side didn¡¯t move out of the way, they would both die. But, if, for instance, one side had a normal sword, and the other had one five foot in length, and an even two feet wide, a veritable slab of metal, the difference in reach would make it impossible for the side with the shorter sword to win. They raised their blade up, and the man with the greatsword was confused, but he looked for how David was planning to get out alive. The only way to dodge would be to jump back, or to the right, at which point either he would blow him away, or he would simply tilt the blade, and cut David in two at an angle. They stood there for quite some time, considering there was a battle around them at least, in reality, he only waited seven seconds. David swung first, steel scraped steel, sparks flew, and then David turned into a flock of crows. He believed that David would reform behind him, but he hadn¡¯t considered that David would just fly straight up. The man looked up, not having paid any attention to what was happening elsewhere in the camp. Around the beaked vampire bat, a ring of condensed blood had formed from those he had slain, and as David swung, it expanded outward, cutting deep and wide. The giant of a man was cut in twain, his armor didn¡¯t stop the blood. He laid, gasping, trying to scream out, but his lungs could hold no air. So he just opened and closed his mouth, like a fish on dry land. David came back down and stabbed the man through the eye. Harlan taught him to be brutal, but also to kill as quickly as he could, suffering was evil, death was freedom from this. At least, such was the way David had interpreted Harlan. He touched the blade, and it too turned to crows, which flew into his body, and he felt the armory of the soul grow. Chapter 280: A Better War When they got back to the palace, though it was past time for her to sleep, Harlan still demanded a visit with Rosewell, and he brought Jas along. Who the small woman was became a matter of concern, but the fact that Harlan pushed so hard to have an immediate audience made them ask Rosewell, and in turn, she agreed to allow him in. ¡°What couldn¡¯t wait until tomorrow.¡± ¡°I believe that someone is setting up Duke Greenfield to appear as a traitor. This woman is an agent of mine, and she overheard a conversation between what seemed to be the duke and an unknown man, but she found not a shred of physical evidence that links him to anything.¡± ¡°You broke into the home of a duke, for an unauthorized investigation?¡± ¡°No, he invited me inside, I was at his party tonight. And Cynthia gave my agent a key to his office so she could either clear her husband or condemn him. Trespassing perhaps, but there was no break in.¡± Technically he was right, he didn¡¯t break in. But Jas lockpicked drawers, which was breaking in under the law. ¡°You planned this then? For how long?¡± ¡°Just over a week ago, Grenth Greenfield came here to bring news of his father possibly being a traitor, and at the same time, he said that from what was said by his father, that Duke Greenfield might be one as well, but he wasn¡¯t certain about his other uncle, Ash. I¡¯ve had people looking into the duke since then.¡± Rosewell tapped on her thick comforters. ¡°And why did you need me to hear this tonight, and not tomorrow morning?¡± ¡°Jay, show her the memories of the meeting.¡± Rosewell shivered like she was suddenly tossed into the harsh northern winter. She removed her covers and started to get dressed for day clothes again, not caring that Harlan was still standing there. ¡°What has you so scared?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°So you intend to outright lie to me?¡± ¡°Queen¡¯s Blade or not, there are secrets which belong to me.¡± Knowing that Rosewell didn¡¯t trust him with whoever the second man in the memories got under his skin. He had known her for 7 years, for much of his conscious life, and he had been given a high rank, her personal attack dog, but now she wouldn¡¯t trust him with who he was supposed to protect her from. ¡°What about the duke?¡± ¡°I will handle that in a timely manner, you should go rest, the planes will be finished tomorrow. Did you ever finish those bombs of yours?¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°Then go back to your wife, but I will offer this one piece of wisdom. Keep watch on every soul, and every face, if the soul is the same and the face is not, kill them without hesitation before they are allowed to defend themselves.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± ¡°This is an order, if you notice a soul that you are certain does not match the face you last saw them with, kill them and worry about the consequences later. You are dismissed.¡± Halfway between her room and his, he found Balor leaving, his destination unknown. ¡°Oh, what are you doing up?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to say.¡± ¡°Rosewell called you?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t know yet why, but I made a promise already to keep quiet.¡± Balor started walking away. ¡°Can¡¯t you just-¡± ¡°My word is my bond.¡± Balor waved him away, not even turning around. What she wanted with him, that she wasn¡¯t willing to speak about with Harlan, bothered him. It was the not knowing, the distrust, that he didn¡¯t understand, and lack of understanding was often the source of fear for any creature. He made his way back to his room, where his Ava had stopped by. ¡°Oh, to what do I owe the pleasure.¡± ¡°Lugh wanted to see Viviane again.¡± ¡°She has a strong grip.¡± He had fashioned himself into a rattle for her, hover let the infant swing him around. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you are having fun. Ava, can we speak?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± She thought he¡¯d put up a veil, or take her aside, but instead he got down on one knee and bowed to her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°For a lot, a lot of killing, a lot of suffering, a lot of a lot. I¡¯m sorry. I know you forgave me because of Redmond, but I want to make you a promise like I made to Adina and Viviane. I will be a better man, I don¡¯t want to make excuses for what I¡¯ve done, I¡¯ve been evil, and those mistakes aren¡¯t gone. If I cannot change the past, I hope to write a better future.¡± Ava didn¡¯t really know how to respond at first. ¡°When you¡¯ve shown it with actions instead of words, I¡¯ll believe you.¡± ¡°Tomorrow, come with me to the weapons test, you¡¯ll see that I¡¯m trying.¡± ¡°Fine. Lugh, come on, we¡¯ve got rest to make up.¡± ¡°Have you two been up late?¡± ¡°Early actually, we¡¯ve been taking morning drills with the royal guard. They said there wasn¡¯t much point to us training with the regular guard since we¡¯re enhanced.¡± ¡°Well that was nice of them. Lugh, do you still run around as a boy sometimes?¡± ¡°No, not really, but Ava and I-¡± ¡°SHHHHHH, not yet.¡® ¡°Oh, Ava and I do nothing.¡± Harlan just laughed, he did miss Lugh¡¯s rather blunt nature, his near inability to lie. In the afternoon, the group of Harlan, Dagda, Lilly, Ava, and Lugh, moved through a gate and out to a wide open plain where a hanger had been built. Lilly¡¯s flew first, Dagda gave her that, though really he was having some last minute issues with his plane. As expected, it was fine, without any issue. It went up, it went down, it could glide, and was even very agile. One change she added wasn¡¯t to the plane itself, but rather to those inside of it. The pilots and the crew all wore metal bottomed boots that were tightly strapped and magnetized so no matter what direction the floor was, they wouldn¡¯t be sent flying all over the plane. ¡°Now this is the fun part.¡± She gave the order over her amulet, and the back of the plane opened up, and the bombs came out. The bombs were 10 to a rack, and the racks themselves were not connected physically, rather by a magnet spell which would then deactivate due to an array in the back of the plane. When they dropped out, sliding from the racks, they disconnected from one another, and more spells activated to keep them flying straight with a grouping tight. They were bombs, a blast area was always going to be there, but Harlan was the only one of them which was really worried about making sure they hit only the target and not everything else around the target as well. They hit the ground, sending up clouds of dirt, and thunderous noise. Then again, and again. There were three rails on the bomber, but the ones on the left and right held just three racks, while the center had a little more room, and held a fourth rack, bringing it to 100 bombs per full load, though more often than not, one rack of each side would be reserved for extra gunner ammo and they wouldn¡¯t fly with full loads. The turrets unloaded onto flying targets, balloons, not exactly a great test, but they couldn¡¯t well bring a wyvern to be killed. Lilly was giddy to see everything go off without a hitch, and then Harlan opened a gate in the sky to let the generals and other spectators see the craters. ¡°Fantastic.¡± ¡°It is a good design, I¡¯m proud of you.¡± It wasn¡¯t a complex feeling he felt from her, she was someone who needed praise, which she so often failed to get from her father. Even when he did, it never felt right, she knew from a young age that he saw her as a tool, a piece on his gameboard, not as his flesh and blood. Next was Dagda¡¯s design. Outwardly it was very much the same, but his had wings which could tilt, letting it take off from a near standstill, though it still needed a landing strip. His bombs were different, each fit six to a rack, and they were kept in place by magnets, not the rails of Lilly¡¯s design, letting the men push the bombs out the back in any order they wished, which was an important part of the difference in the bombs. They were more magical than Lilly¡¯s bombs, and when pushed out the back, the rack would split, and then the bomb itself would split. When they struck the ground great balls of liquid fire splashed up, followed by blasts of wind, then pillars of dirt and ice. Yet nobody saw what the dark bombs did, they hit the ground and made an odd sound. There was some confusion, questions of if they had malfunctioned. ¡°No no no, my design is perfect, they worked exactly as intended, Harlan, show them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not opening the gate until the plane is on the ground.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± He clicked together his metal tentacles, unnerving those around him. For the turrets, they took time to charge a blast of darkness, a rather simple spiral nova, as they passed a mountaintop, cutting deeply and setting off an avalanche. Then they shot fire at nothing specific, but it was a liquid fire, it spread all the way to the ground, setting the grasslands ablaze over a great area. It landed much closer to them, the wings twisting let it land with less than half the space of Lilly¡¯s plane, and a set of metal legs let it walk and do an effective zero point turn on the ground. ¡°Now, show them the dark bomb craters.¡± The men still didn¡¯t quite get what was special about them, they just saw more dark craters. ¡°Cover your eyes until I say otherwise.¡± Dagda launched a flare spell through the gate. ¡°Open now.¡± With a source of light inside, they could not see how these dark bombs had cut out large vertical shafts in the earth. ¡°We could destroy the mountain forts with these.¡± Many of the spectators agreed with Dagda¡¯s plan. The people all looked at Harlan, who was gating hundreds of soldiers who wore the crest of Fomoria out onto the plain in groups; they were nervously carrying bombs with them as they went through. ¡°Sir Fomoria, what is the meaning of this?¡± ¡°I want a better war.¡± ¡°And that means?¡± Harlan didn¡¯t reply, he continued to direct his men through the gate one after another They were really hoping they hadn¡¯t just walked to their deaths as target dummies, but working under House Fomoria was one of the better jobs any soldier could have, so they kept faith. He gave the order to activate the bombs in sync by hitting the head with sledgehammers, simulating them being dropped from the sky. From the hanger where they were watching, they just saw clouds of purple gas rise from the plains. In ten minutes, the clouds had dissipated enough that Harlan said they could go through, and he opened a gate. ¡°Come on, this will be far more effective in person.¡± Only a dozen men had the courage to step through. Men in the general senses, as a shortened form of human, Ava and Lilly went through as well, and Dagda was technically a man in the sense of sexes, but he had never been a man. They checked the bodies. ¡°They¡¯re still alive. What was in that bomb?¡± ¡°Sleeping gas. Alchemical bombs are something I won¡¯t claim mastery over, but I had a great teacher who was willing to help with this project.¡± ¡°What about the cost?¡± ¡°Cheaper than the explosive ones. The base is actually no different than what we use for putting mimic trees to sleep, and since we now produce that en masse for soul smiths, it has become very affordable.¡± This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°What if they hit men on the way down.¡± ¡°Well, these each weigh a healthy sum, and they¡¯ll be dropped from thousands of feet high, so of course they¡¯ll die, but this will still spare more than it will kill.¡± A general spoke up. ¡°If we can blow them apart, why would we waste time and resources taking so many prisoners?¡± ¡°Sir¡­ actually, I don¡¯t care about your name. That call is not yours to make, I will take this proposal to our queen, and she will make her choice.¡± Dagda moved up. ¡°Which plane did you like more?¡± ¡°Both have their benefits. But your magical bombs, the dark and earth at least, seem very useful to instantly set up defenses over a wide area which could cover retreats or force the enemy into a corner. The ice could cool areas down quickly, and under the right weather, they would turn dry land into a bog. Very good work on them.¡± ¡°YES, YES, YOU UNDERSTAND. THESE TROGLODYTES JUST THINK OF FIRE AND DEATH.¡± The main reason was that they went with Lilly¡¯s plane was that Dagda¡¯s, despite his having some features that made it more effective in some sense, was that his plane was well over six times the cost of Lilly¡¯s, and even at just a dozen of them being made, they saw little reason to have more than one of them. Harlan was about to start running more tests by putting mock forts up, but he was called away. He moved through the halls quickly and with purpose, all the way to the infirmary. Sepul stood over Safira, the flesh from her face was gone, along with her eyes, but the armor prevented serious damage to the rest of her body. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°A bomb. It had something in it.¡± ¡°Alchemical? Fragmentation? Details.¡± ¡°Alchemical most likely, I can¡¯t heal her face. It is a crystal, anti-magic, not naturally occurring.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°I know every natural crystal which has this effect, those would not work as such a fine dust.¡± ¡°Have you tried peeling more of her face off?¡± ¡°Some of the shards are very deep, they moved in as larger pieces, then turned to dust in a secondary explosion.¡± One of the other doctors pushed past them, directly opening a vein and using a blood crystal to give more. The wounds on her face were constantly weeping, they wouldn¡¯t close, but they couldn¡¯t be healed. ¡°They need to be removed, but any magic fine enough to get rid of them is disrupted by them.¡± ¡°They can¡¯t be washed out then?¡± ¡°Anything strong enough to do that might kill her.¡± ¡°Lasers?¡± ¡°With being light based, I¡¯m worried that I¡¯d burn through her with any refraction, and once the crystals burn up into the air, I don¡¯t know what they will do.¡± ¡°What if I used void?¡± ¡°Would you have the control required to maintain cohesion? Do you have any experience with anti-magic?¡± ¡°Not really¡­ but I know someone who might.¡± It was a long shot to call the other Harlan, but he came, and he seemed in a good enough mood. ¡°Do you think that-¡± ¡°Silence. Clear the room, I will call you when it is done.¡± ¡°Harlan, who is this?¡± ¡°This is-¡± ¡°Just an ally of The Darkness, nobody you need to concern yourself with.¡± The tall blue man was given the room after some argument from Sepul and Harlan which amounted to Sepul backing what Harlan thought would work, and Harlan saying he¡¯d fistfight anyone who tried to enter the room. Within five minutes, he exited. ¡°She is free of the crystals, and I grew her face back.¡± ¡°You should stay until she wakes up, I¡¯m sure she¡¯d thank you.¡± He walked away without a word, and opened a void gate, or tried, Sepul prevented it from forming. ¡°Please, stay for a moment, the woman would be grateful, and you should be given an appropriate reward. She is a very important person.¡± ¡°And? What do you want from me?¡± ¡°Your skin, those horns, you are from outside the veil, I am interested in what it is like out there. I¡¯ve only been for short periods of time.¡± ¡°I do hate to disappoint, but I¡¯m not native, it¡¯s been less than a year since I left the veil.¡± Sepul looked at him closely. His face had taken on the features of the Dague, but not much, his grandson was still in there. ¡°Harlan?¡± ¡°Call me King Fomoria.¡± ¡°But, how, I can see both of you, you are not the same people, and you are both champions. Which of you is still champion to her?¡± ¡°This one can explain what I am. Now, I must return to my people.¡± ¡°Your people?¡± ¡°I must go, I¡¯ve death to sow, blood to reap. And you, I will leave you with this.¡± The others had to look away, but King Fomoria gave Harlan the beam sigil. ¡°This is how I saved her life, find your meaning in it. You¡¯ve changed more than I, I have seen that we cannot ever be one another again, the light in you cannot warm my soul, it is just blinding.¡± King Fomoria tried to open the void gate again, and once more it fizzled out. ¡°Safira is still weak, could you stop me and protect her at once.¡± Sepul felt like he should be able to do it, that Harlan couldn¡¯t possibly attain great strength in less than a year. But the look in his eyes, the absolute confidence in that man, it gave him just the slightest pause. ¡°Please be safe.¡± The space relaxed, and he opened his void gate, but stopped just a step from it. ¡°No. Safety cannot exist in a world with my enemies still breathing.¡± With King Fomoria gone, Harlan was now in the hallway surrounded by royal guards, doctors, and a champion, who all wanted answers. So he stepped inside the infirmary, and told them nothing. The royal guards who were there when Harlan explained the story hadn¡¯t told a soul, they were close knit as far as military groups went, but unless they were told they could tell something, they would err on the side of caution with information. ¡°This isn¡¯t a conversation to have in the middle of an infirmary.¡± ¡°True. Dinner at my home, tomorrow, bring your family. Safira, how are you?¡± Safira was somewhat out of it still. ¡°Your face, how does it feel?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh¡­ yes, I feel fine.¡± She tried to take a step down from the table, and fell instantly, which Harlan expected, so he was ready to catch her. Her breath quickened and her face became red as she looked at him. He turned her on her side and made a bucket of void for her to vomit into. Harlan patted her back and held up her hair with telekinesis. ¡°Just let it out, you¡¯ll feel better when it is all gone.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t treat me like a-¡± She resumed emptying her stomach. When she was done, she was more out of it than when she started. ¡°Get away you milksop, bring back the other doctor, the handsome one. He had rugged hands, a strong grip, long fingers.¡± Before she could say anything more and embarrass herself in front of her fellow royal guardsmen, Harlan put up a veil.
Several weeks before the attack on the academy, Ava was on a solo mission to take out some bandits, Breken wanted her to have more experience acting like he did, if she was to be his replacement that is. It was a hard fought battle, one that both of them hid from the others, but she was dead set on being the head of security for Redwall. For that to happen, she needed to have a reputation with the people, because Redwall listened to them to keep them happy so long as it didn¡¯t cost him too much. Then she needed to get the other soldiers to trust and respect her, not just in power, but in her ability to make the right choices to save lives and do right by them. If she was a living god, but she still screwed up and everyone around her died on her missions, nobody would want her to lead anyone. Finally, and this was the most important part, she had to get Baron Redwall to appoint her, as no matter what else happened, he was the ultimate end to her journey. Assuming that he outlived Breken or didn¡¯t step down, that is, either of those would make Jaramis the one who made that choice. She moved through the woods, it was a simple mission, capture a group of bandits. Just as the end of The Forever War had made more bandits because the army didn¡¯t need so many soldiers, the escalation of the civil war led to another surge because soldiers had to fight, and this drew them away from the lands which they normally served. But because the world was unfair, simple missions aren¡¯t always simple. She had done this kind of thing dozens of times with Breken, and less so on her own. One thing that Breken always made sure she knew was that you should never fight with others around if it can be avoided, and if it can¡¯t, dedicate part of your team to defense. This was naturally not an option when one was alone, well, technically alone, she had Lugh. ¡°Of course they have captives. How do we get them out?¡± ¡°If I was Harlan...¡± ¡°I hate it when plans start like that.¡± ¡°But they work.¡± ¡°Yeah, and they mean we need to kill a lot of people.¡± ¡°If we can¡¯t save the people and capture the bandits, then we save the people. No matter the cost to those who we were sent to capture.¡± ¡°I know, but I don¡¯t like it. What do we do?¡± ¡°The snake trick?¡± ¡°But then you¡¯ll be over there then.¡± ¡°You¡¯re strong like Harlan, just¡­ do what we need to do, save them.¡± Ava was not drawn to brutality such as her only brother. Violence was blood on her blade, bodies falling before her, but she would not tear a man apart, she did not burn holes through them. She gradually grew to dislike magic, the displays of power which stemmed from it, men turned to crystal, cut into strips before they even realized what had happened, bleeding from their ears after a loud blast of sound, blinded by beams of light in the eyes. But that didn¡¯t mean she had any intent to stop using magic. She threw Lugh through the man closest to the captured women, and he took a form not unlike a snake, slithering through the grass and cutting the tendons on the bandits, making them either easy targets to kill, or easy targets to capture. Her part in this job was to jump down, kill the other closet one, decapitation by knife hand chop in this case, put up a dome of earth around the captives, and then keep the other bandits away. The camp was supposed to be 20 bandits at most, yet if she had to guess, the scouts had seen a forward camp, assumed it a regular camp, and reported as such. There were a hundred bandits in this place however, by rough headcount, and assuming some in the tents out of sight. Ava jumped from one side of the dome to the other. An airborne opponent was normally an easy target, but not when they wore an armor that granted flight, and by that, also air control. She twisted and roundhouse kicked the man in the head without him being able to defend, his mundane blade shattered under boot, and his skull then followed. Brain matter painted the forest floor, and she looked away. It just reminded her of Harlan, of that camp clearing. But, that was exactly what she needed, to invoke fear and panic. The next one that came at her, she hit with an open palm strike, and with a little bit of cutting wind at the same time, his heart went flying from his body, water magic made the display far more bloody than it would otherwise be. It hit the ground with a wet thud. ¡°Can people do that? That doesn''t seem physically possible.¡± She stomped down, sending tremors through the earth. ¡°COME HERE AND FIND OUT.¡± The men almost wanted to laugh, Ava lacked the bulk of a man, and her voice showed how young she was. But when three more bandits rushed her, but when her boots became sharp and she stood on one leg, kicking with great accuracy and power, putting holes through the men, suddenly her age and sex meant little. She easily held off the bandits that were there, Lugh returned to her hand, and they were about to set the captives free when the bandit leader arrived. She was a woman in her 30s from the looks of it. She had bulging muscles, with a small bosom and buttock. Ava nearly mistook her for a man. ¡°Clear out, or I¡¯ll kill you.¡± The woman spoke in a deep tone that Ava couldn¡¯t tell if it was natural or an act. ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± She rushed forward with a hammer in each hand, but the instant the hammers contacted Lugh, the woman was gone from their sight. Ava had only an instant to understand what was happening when the hammers struck her on both sides of the head from behind. Were it not for the golem armor, her head would¡¯ve been crushed like a watermelon, or perhaps a tomato. Her thoughts were scrambled by the attack, but Lugh saw the second one coming and told the golem armor where to move. Ava stabbed back, thrusting as if she was a child pretending to be stabbed by holding a stick under her arm, and the woman had to dodge. She stared. ¡°That was a neat trick. Was that your armor or your living sword that did that one?¡± ¡°I hope my reputation precedes me.¡± ¡°Oh yes, sister to Archmage Changeling. I wonder what I could get if I had you captive. Do you think I could get a nice little suit like yours? Maybe a dress would fit me better?¡± ¡°You are only getting out of this dead or in chains. And may the gods, Reinoan or otherwise, have mercy on your soul if you tried to ransom me.¡± ¡°Yes, your brother¡¯s reputation precedes him. But what if he never knows who killed you?¡± The woman seemed to teleport again, but after the third strike, Ava knew exactly what was happening. Skip, as had been shown by Ebon, was a spell that moved one forward in time, but the spell could be just as dangerous to the user as the target. Ava thought she was faster and stronger than the woman, she was enhanced after all, her body was that of wyvern flesh, she could lift, with a great deal of effort, well over a ton. She wasn¡¯t Harlan, she didn¡¯t weigh multiple tons, she couldn¡¯t punch her way through a mountain, but she was certainly far above a normal person. Yet the body enhancement that came from cycling magic over decades, and the woman¡¯s time as a mercenary, made her physically on par, and experience bridged the gap. In a flurry of blows, Lugh tried to tell Ava and the armor where to go, his sight went around in 360 degrees after all, but the time it took to see where the woman was, tell Ava, and then have Ava move, was too much. The armor wouldn¡¯t take much more of a beating, her hammers still sent through enough force through to hurt, and under the steel skin, she was bruised. Then they stopped. Ava struggled to just remain standing. ¡°Oh this is fun, I haven¡¯t had a chance to just beat on someone in too long, they always fall apart before I get the chance to¡­¡± The bandit rubbed her loins, her tone showed clearly what she felt, this was why she was a bandit, she was a person who got off on hurting people, but she had spent enough time fighting and training that those she fought against could rarely give her the pleasure she wanted anymore, she needed something stronger to beat on. ¡°You are completely fucked in the head, you know that, right?¡± ¡°Yes, talk to me like that, tell me I¡¯m your filthy little freak.¡± The woman rushed again, and Ava kept trying to do what her mother had done with Harlan, forcing herself into a position so that once skip was used, she could slap him in the back of the head. But had Harlan wanted to, he could¡¯ve turned the tide, and instead of a slap to the back of the head, he could¡¯ve dodged back under the hand. The difference in skill was enough that Ava couldn¡¯t actually do anything but sometimes defend against the attacks. One landed strong, sending her crashing into the dome. The men and women inside panicked, but they recognized her, or rather, the armor. ¡°Lady Ava, please, save us.¡± ¡°I¡¯M GONNA BREAK THROUGH YOU, AND I¡¯M GONNA KILL THOSE ANTS. I WANT YOU FIGHTING ME WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE.¡± ¡°Ava, we can¡¯t let her get past us, I¡¯m calling Harlan.¡± Yet he wasn¡¯t answering, he left his amulet in his jacket while he was helping Adina to clean Viviane. They didn¡¯t know it, so they just left the line open, and hoped that they could survive long enough for Harlan to answer or for the other soldiers to come. Yet she doubted those men would make any difference. Harlan could kill thousands of men under him, and none of them, no matter the number, would change the outcome, 10,000, 20,000, 60,000, the bites of a million ants would not fell a dragon. If she survived for just long enough for those men to arrive, it would just be blood on her hands. Nobody was coming to save her, it was just them, and it might as well be against the world. If only we were together completely, if she had her sight and he had her body. Their minds were already aligned with one another, they both had the same sense of justice, morals, right and wrong. They knew that if they didn¡¯t kill this woman, then they would die, and then the captives would die, and then the soldiers coming for the captives would die. Everything faded to black, everything but the woman, Lugh and Ava synched their minds beyond normal, their souls started to feed one another, filtering through the armor that was the point between Ava¡¯s flesh and Lugh¡¯s handle. With the next attack, they blocked it, and Ava¡¯s body moved like it was made from putty, but then when struck, her flesh was like steel, and the bandit¡¯s hands stung like she was striking iron with her bare hands. She tried to use her skip again, but Ava saw everything around her, she saw the world like Lugh, Balor, all of the other soulsmithed beings. If she focused, she could see far, but there was always a 360 view for a dozen or so feet. No matter where the woman tried to attack from, ever angle was covered, and she was ecstatic. She laughed and moaned in pleasure with every small cut that appeared on her body. With a final exchange, the woman had pulled a dagger from her waist, something special, and tried to stick it in the gaps in the armor. Yet a golem armor only looked like it should have gaps, the shifting nature meant that in reality it still required cutting liquid steel that would resist the blade. But in this case, the blade went right through, and then the woman¡¯s arm went through, and the flesh closed back on it, locking her in place as Lugh stabbed through her jaw and split her head from front to back. With the only thing in their view defeated, that single minded desire to live and to protect those behind them faded, and the connection was broken. ¡°What was that, that felt great!¡± Lugh and Ava disagreed, and she was vomiting until even her stomach acid was greatly lowered and her throat burned. Chapter 281: Thrashs Visit Harlan felt as though he was insane, letting a wyvern live in his city. He knew he made that choice with a clear mind, it was only regret and worry after the fact that made him look back differently. Yet despite her being 60 feet from tail to tip, covered in hard scales, and with wavy horns that curved under her eyes and then down like a set of fangs, she was one of the most gentle souls Harlan ever met. ¡°King Fomoria. Hello.¡± ¡°How has your time here been so far?¡± ¡°Children crawl on me. I have many cats now.¡± Wyverns, as reptiles, were technically cold blooded, but dragonoids had a fire in them that never quit; strays loved to sleep on her snout. Even those with ice alignment were hot, and their breath only became cold on exit through the magic which formed in their throats. ¡°Have you done well with Elk?¡± ¡°She reads, I listen. I heal better now.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve actually noticed a difference so quickly?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand well, she made the words smaller for me.¡± ¡°Can you read?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ words are hard to speak, hard to read, so tiny, so many swoops.¡± Harlan drew out the alphabet in the air with light and asked her to read each of the letters, then he wrote out a rather simple trick which was made to teach children the letters. The quick brown fox jumps the lazy hound. He noticed which words she had issue with, more specifically, which letters. The eyes of a wyvern were sharp and vertical, letting them have up and down peripheral vision and the ability to telescope with multiple sets of eyelids. The issue arose when she zoomed in, her left and right vision became so poor that she had to read each word more than once and piece it together letter by letter, it was active, not passive, it never felt entirely natural to her. Harlan didn¡¯t really have a solution, he had always written in the curvy swoopy letters, it was fast to do so, and with Godgiven being a language most beings just knew inherently, learning to read and write was not taught much unless someone had especially sloppy writing or some issue as a result of a naturally occurring mental disorder. But he did recall someone who would know about this problem. ¡°I¡¯ll be back later, I will be contacting someone who-¡± Xol suddenly appeared. ¡°No need to wait.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even call yet?¡± ¡°No, but I saw a change in the threads and expected this.¡± ¡°You mentioned being a writer, do you know a way that I could make reading easier for a wyvern?¡± ¡°You could give her rounded pupils like a drake.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want that. I like my eyes. I¡¯m not a drake.¡± She hissed the last part, her nature made her especially hate other dragonoids. ¡°In this world, you all write in what I could call cursive, or near enough to it, as yours is quite clear compared to what passed for cursive in my time. I was actually¡­ No, you didn¡¯t ask me for a dissertation on different writing styles and fonts. Your way of writing gave out to what we would call print, because it made each letter easier to create on a printing press. They are uniform and more clearly defined from one another.¡± Xol wrote out the same words as Harlan had, he was after all the one who brought such a trick to this world. ¡°Oh. I read this easier.¡± Harlan wasn¡¯t planning to change everything for her, but with writing magic, so long as he knew the font, he could reproduce it very easily. If Rekur had been a water wyvern of any kind, she could even do it herself, but with light and wind, she had to manually write words. Harlan wrote out the alphabet on her wall in upper and lower case on her wall in bright white color magic. ¡°Nice.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see you writing much, but I¡¯ll try to get you reading materials written like this. Elk can¡¯t just read to you all the time, and if you continue being such a boon to the natoin, I would like you to remain comfortable and growing in body and mind.¡± Rekur opened the door and stood on her hind legs, scratching into the gable in a messy font. Rekur Home. When she was done, she started writing on the ground outside. Harlan knew better than to believe in omens, that a good start meant a good day. No, if anything, a good start meant everything was going to be downhill from there, that he had already peaked. During midday, Harlan heard a crash in town. He recognized the soul when he drew near. ¡°King Thrash, to what do I owe the pleasure.¡± ¡°I want to talk, take me to your office.¡± Along the way, Mercedes, who had come to find out what had happened, joined the two men. Harlan had to break apart and extend the chair to fit the massive frame of the Goliath. ¡°What are you here for?¡± ¡°You took my scientist, I want her back.¡± ¡°She¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°Give me something of equal value then.¡± ¡°What would be equal to you?¡± ¡°Give me what she should¡¯ve given me, I want my magic.¡± Harlan got a shiver down his spine, and they hadn¡¯t even gotten to any veiled threats about if Harlan failed to deliver or refused. ¡°I have her research, even what she did for me after I¡­ hired her. I could turn over every scrap of paper and work with her replacement until they are back to her level of-¡± ¡°You do it. People say you¡¯re smart.¡± ¡°I think-¡± Thrash used one hand to pin Harlan to the wall, and no matter his resistance, Harlan could get him to budge through might or magic. ¡°I need living people, prisoners, rapist and murderers, I will not work on petty thieves and political prisoners.¡± ¡°Fine. But I¡¯m also going to pluck your limbs off a few times. I heard you would be fine even if I did that.¡± Harlan tried to struggle against him, to use his black bone gauntlets to grant him the strength to force the king off, but they couldn¡¯t even handle the force Harlan put into them, and began to crack. But where a hard hand could do nothing, a soft hand might. Mercades ran her fingers through the thick hair of the king¡¯s arm. ¡°Or perhaps you could find something else to do with that pent up energy.¡± He looked up and down her body and shrugged, letting Harlan loose from the wall. ¡°Get your hands off of-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not your wife, just your bed warmer, what I choose to do with others should matter little to you.¡± Still he attempted to punch Thrash, who simply flicked him, sending his right arm flying off. He was ready to keep trying, but she just shook her head. Harlan gated away, he couldn¡¯t stop him in any way, but at least he wouldn¡¯t need to feel her mind.. Carmilla refused to help, explaining that even if she were to do so, the city of Kor would not survive the first volley between them, let alone a full battle. Harlan could do nothing, an overwhelming force came to him, made demands, and took what he wanted. He could see the irony, that he had done the same to nearly every other people of this stripe outside of Lith, and that Thrash perhaps had the time to come here because Harlan pushed the Cast out. But seeing irony did not do anything to better his mood, nor did it change his opinion on what he had done, and would continue to do. What was right was what one could do, and what was wrong was anything they didn¡¯t like. And Harlan was wrong now, because Thrash was stronger than him by an insurmountable margin. The hours he spent in his lab looking over the notes that the Goliath scientist left behind did not make him feel any better, he just stewed in anger. Mercedes called him on the amulet. ¡°Are you alright? Did he-¡± ¡°I convinced him to leave. You may return now.¡± Harlan was back there in an instant; she was fresh from the bath. ¡°I bought you a better deal. You¡¯ll be free to go to prisons across Lith, and I got him to reveal some secret prisons, even mark them on the map.¡± ¡°Mercedes, you don¡¯t need to do this now, if you¡¯d like to rest-¡± ¡°I made a choice. Just like you would¡¯ve done.¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t make you-¡± ¡°You made me do nothing. I believe that your reaction comes from how you view sex compared to me. I was able to broker a deal and prevent him from tearing you apart until he got bored.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t need to do that for me.¡± ¡°Are you the only one who is allowed to sacrifice your body for this nation?¡± Choices, choices were what brought him here. She came to trust him, she respected him, and his ideology, along with the way he used his power. He had given limbs, gallons of blood, he had thrown away certain morals of his, he had suffered for his nation, and she too would do so. Sleeping with a man seemed small compared to what Harlan had done and would do. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry that I made you feel like you had to do that.¡± ¡°If I see you wallow for a second longer I¡¯m going to be sick, you will be the great and terrible monster I follow with my heart and soul, or you might as well give up.¡± He didn¡¯t even know how to respond. Harlan had spent the last week on this work, and from the first time he had unlocked their aura to now, it became three hours before death rather than three minutes. His amulet became to glow. ¡°Can you give me magic yet?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Maybe I was unclear before. I want my magic.¡± ¡°Then you will wait. Your scientist before me was only getting close to unlocking a form of internal magic, she didn¡¯t know a single thing about getting you real magic. So now I need to start with the internal magic, and then find out if I can give you elemental magic.¡± ¡°I will wait, but you must show me progress.¡± ¡°One more week and I am sure I can show you something.¡± ¡°I will be there.¡± Harlan carved a new sigil into the Goliath in front of him that was supposed to vent out the pressure. An oddity that Harlan found was that Golaith¡¯s could look right at a sigil and not feel a thing. What this meant, Harlan had no idea; he marked this in his notes, four hours until death. As he was getting ready for another round of testing, Larenzac called. A human came into the city, and he began fighting the guards and killing the golems. He was planning to just shoot the man, but something was odd about him, and he was yelling about wanting to duel Harlan, so Larenzac decided to call him. When Harlan appeared the man took a fighting stance with his left hand ready to strike and his right to block. ¡°YOU KILLED MY FATHER, NOW I HAVE COME FOR YOUR LIFE.¡± ¡°You have no idea how shockingly little that narrows this down.¡± ¡°IN THE SOUTHERN SECTLANDS, AND YOU KILLED HIM IN COLD BLOOD.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve killed thousands of men, but I¡¯ve killed few in cold blood, and I don¡¯t know what The Sectlands are.¡± ¡°LIES.¡± The man¡¯s hands glowed with a slight yellow tint to them, and he came at Harlan. In theory, he should¡¯ve been able to stop the punch without issue. But when it struck his palm, there was an unreasonable force behind it, and Harlan¡¯s hand was pushed away. The man then landed a proper punch, and Harlan felt it. It didn¡¯t exactly cause much damage, but that he felt it was strange. Instead of blocking, Harlan deflected, and man jumped back. ¡°Good instincts. So how about this, you can use your best attack, and I will take it. Either you kill me, or we have a civil conversation when I¡¯m not busy anymore.¡± The man brought his hands to his waist and held them as if he had an orb between his palms. Harlan watched the flow of magic in the air and from the man went into his palms, and a light formed like the birth of a star. Harlan cast the sigil of shield, something big was coming. The vortex pulled in dust and dirt, the physical was converted to energy, not unlike how the sigils on Harlan¡¯s bones let him convert flesh into mana. The man screamed as his veins bulged, unlike Harlan, his body rejected this energy that overflowed and attempted to enter him. Harlan watched very closely, trying to understand if he was seeing what he thought that he was. The man thrust his hands forward, and a beam of faint golden light tore up the street as it passed. Harlan was confident that this could kill him, or rather, destroy this body. Yet the void formed from the sigil sucked up all of the energy behind this attack. What was left behind was nothing but the trench where it passed, and a man who laid on his face, his arms bloated like a dead man left in the sea up to the elbow. ¡°Take him to Elk, make sure he is healthy, I can¡¯t talk with a corpse.¡± ¡°Your majesty, may I ask a question.¡± ¡°You just did.¡± ¡°Then another.¡± ¡°And you did once more.¡± Larenzac was getting more than a little fed up with how Harlan refused to grant him any respect just because Joan was his predecessor. ¡°Why are you letting him live?¡± ¡°I am interested in how that attack worked, and I want to know what makes him so confident that I have murdered his father.¡± Harlan returned to his work. After another three days, and another eight dozen men, Harlan got one with an unlocked aura who hadn¡¯t exploded yet. ¡°Lift this.¡± The man reached with his hands and Harlan smacked them with an enchanted switch. ¡°FUCK YOU LITTLE MAN.¡± Harlan backhanded the 13 foot tall Goliath, shattering his jaw and sending him to the ground. ¡°If you cannot use telekinesis with an aura then you are worthless and I¡¯ll move on to the next man. And you will not be going back to a cell.¡± The man fearfully looked up at Harlan. In the last week and a half, he had not once dropped his scowl. There was only a single day left until it was the promised time with Thrash. Harlan had gotten the man to use telekinesis, but the soul of a Goliath was like an infant¡¯s, it would take years to cultivate it into something usable by a low rank mage, and from the way Thrash spoke, he wanted to be a grand wizard. He needed a better way if his plan was to work. So naturally, he contacted The Darkness. He knelt in the void, but unlike any other time, she was not there. ¡°HELLO?¡± His voice echoed in the endless reaches of that place, but he saw neither glint of her teeth, nor glimmer of her eyes. After a time, another man appeared in that place. The other him, the one who had taken his life. Truly, he couldn¡¯t hold it against him, he had after all been given a chance to get it back by killing him, and he did not. But more truly, he was in a foul mood as he had been for some time, and he kept their conversation short. He was back in reality for not more than a few minutes when Xol called him. ¡°Rosewell wants to know if you can help with the war.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got my own war, I don¡¯t have time for bullshit stemming from their constant refusal to put down the mangy dogs of Ragne.¡± ¡°That place is still your home.¡± ¡°No, it just happens to have people I care about. If they wanted to come here, the rest of it could burn.¡± Xol appeared before him moments later. ¡°What in the fuck is your problem?¡± ¡°I¡¯m busy.¡± In the lab the Goliath looked away, Harlan had been rough whenever he refused to do something. ¡°With what?¡± ¡°I need to give a Goliath magic for revenge.¡± ¡°For whose revenge?¡± ¡°WHAT DOES IT MATTER?¡± Xol sighed and put the Goliath to sleep with a wave of his hand. ¡°I care about you, we are friends, are we not? What is eating you up inside?¡± ¡°Thrash, the Goliath King¡­ He came here, demanded magic, Mercedes, she¡­¡± ¡°God, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°She¡¯s alive, she¡¯s fine. She slept with that fucking bastard to prevent harm from coming to me. She told me it was her choice, that I¡¯m not the only one who can sacrifice for this nation. It¡¯s my fault.¡± ¡°Do you love her?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I do.¡± ¡°Then why is it eating at you? She¡¯s a grown woman, she decided to do what she didn¡¯t want to do because it was a benefit to your kingdom.¡± ¡°How do you know she really decided that? Thrash tossed me around like a ragdoll, she knew she couldn¡¯t refuse.¡± ¡°Now you know how it feels, don¡¯t you?¡± Xol waved his hand, and Harlan felt his body change. He looked down, and every inch of his body was covered in scars. ¡°You may put no meaning behind these, but each is a story, a life saved, a beast slain, an experiment failed.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it, I don¡¯t want another pep talk with visions and stories and anecdotes.¡± ¡°Fine, let me be blunt. She is right, and you are being a whiny little hypocrite. This is just like when that boy died, a friend of your student on some mission with you. You were angry, up in arms, ready to do anything to get a little more power, but it was bullshit, you couldn¡¯t even remember his name, can you even do that now?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve forgotten again, but he was Charlotte¡¯s friend.¡± ¡°If she wants to give up her body for your nation, that is on your head, because you inspire people, good and bad. Have you talked with her about this? About why you feel this way? Why it hurts you to see her do this?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t talked to her since that day, I¡¯ve been avoiding her, I can¡¯t look her in the eye, she¡¯s angry with me for pitying her. Mercedes said that I make her feel sick.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen women like her before, I¡¯d say that I¡¯ve seen every kind of man and woman there can be. She likes seeing you as a pillar of strength, but now she saw you beaten, and that isn¡¯t a problem, but you don¡¯t look like you¡¯ve gotten back up yet, you look like you lost your will.¡± ¡°Not a chance. This work that I am doing is important in showing that I cannot be fucked with by anyone, no matter their power, because I will get my revenge one day.¡± ¡°Then let us roll up our sleeves and get to work, because what good is a friend if you can¡¯t ever count on them?¡±
Darrath trained every day, but since his fight with the giant hawk, he had trained double. An object came at him from above, he sliced it clean in half. ¡°That wasn¡¯t very nice. I just wanted to bring you a persimmon.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Thyst flew down to him, the fruit had landed on the rind rather than flesh, so she wiped it off on her leaf dress and handed one half to him. Darrath took half of the fruit from her, and they sat for a short time to eat them. ¡°I like peaches better.¡± ¡°Dawn said the trees need to rest, we shouldn¡¯t grow too many so fast. I don¡¯t think I got to say enough, but thank you for coming after me.¡± Thyst blushed, but he wasn¡¯t paying attention as he used a knife carved from ironwood to cut his fruit into strips as he ate. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I failed, I put you in more danger by not waiting for grandma. I need to be better, like papa.¡± ¡°Your father¡­ I saw him once, when you were given away. He looked scary.¡± ¡°Papa is really nice to good people.¡± ¡°You talk about him a lot, how strong was he?¡± Darrath sat there, his arms and legs crossed. ¡°He is really really strong.¡± ¡°But how strong is that?¡± ¡°Oh, I know.¡± Darrath used earth magic to make a nice large boulder, just like when Harlan demonstrated his strength a great deal of time ago. Well, it wasn¡¯t that long ago, but Darrath was technically not more than two years old, give or take. He reached back, using a proper stance, as taught by Harlan, and launched a straight into the boulder, which cracked deeply, but remained whole. ¡°Papa, he could blow away this entire rock with just one punch.¡± ¡°That is really strong then. But did he always train?¡± ¡°Well, no, he also played with me, and he talked with people, and he built things that people liked.¡± She giggled and twirled. ¡°You can train later, and we can train together then. Let¡¯s go into town and find something fun to do.¡± She pulled on him, and he didn¡¯t budge, but another look from her big eyes that shined like gems and reflected him changed his mind. Darrath could see that he was dirty and sweaty, his clothes needed a good wash. ¡°I want a bath, like papa built.¡± ¡°That would be a lot of work.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make the boys help.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Like papa would.¡± Darrath and his friend flew towards the town. Shortly after they were gone, the boulder could hold no longer, and finally crumbled. Chapter 282: A Sweet Revenge. Harlan and Xol worked through the night to finish his work. He didn¡¯t need Nemain, he just needed hundreds of bodies, two weeks where he had no other serious responsibility along with the help of the oldest non-deity on the planet whose magic was second only to actual gods. Marigold didn¡¯t know why her husband hadn¡¯t come to bed the night before, but she would find out why. She arrived in the lab, finding both of them hunched over a sleeping Goliath. How he was not dead despite many of his organs laying on the moving tables around them was a matter of Harlan keeping the man¡¯s soul in a state of suspended animation. So long as the mind and soul remained inside of the body, an entity wouldn¡¯t die. In the short term, this was fine, in the long term, it would lead to what Harlan could only call soul cancer. Data that should be purged or replaced is instead looped in the soul, leaving it in such a state that it cannot understand that it should be dead. She sat down and watched, they barely paid attention to her. ¡°Oh I never could resist a good dissection. Well, I actually hated science class during my schooling, cutting up frogs and fetal pigs made me shake with anxiety, turned me off of meat for weeks. But I have come to love understanding life.¡± Harlan had a rare chance where Xol seemed caught up in something and could perhaps reveal more of himself. ¡°How was schooling back on Earth?¡± ¡°Do not seek to know more of myself than I intend to reveal.¡± Or not. ¡°But¡­ perhaps my words the night before have loosened my lips some. Ask me questions, but don¡¯t do so under a veil of deception.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I know that you are.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know what exactly to ask, but you mentioned the giant cities and a revolt before.¡± ¡°Things weren¡¯t terrible, but slowly we were marching towards our end, we were killing the planet with our creations and only those with wealth beyond understanding were leaving our world for new ones.¡± Xol rarely displayed remorse or shame, at least not so clearly. He turned his eyes from Harlan and put down his tools. ¡°Our goal was always to make the people equal, and to that end, I wrote, to change minds, hearts, and to incite them to action. But, when it happened, the revolt was won, we realized that our backers did not believe in our cause, no, they simply wanted to seize power from the government. And so The United States became The United Companies. I had worked tirelessly, and all I got was bondage for the people I tried to help. But it was better than the ones who were more important, who simply got a bullet to the back of the head.¡± Xol turned back to Harlan. ¡°When one gains much, and loses little though it, wear a shell on your back and your heart, lest you be slain by betrayal.¡± Marigold gripped her husband from behind. ¡°Luckily you don¡¯t have a heart beating in your chest.¡± ¡°Is it time for bed?¡± ¡°No, that would¡¯ve been nine hours ago.¡± ¡°Really now? Time does fly when you are having fun.¡± ¡°You have the lungs of a flayed man not a foot from you.¡± ¡°Yes, and it is exciting that Harlan so quickly understood and implemented my magic which will let us put him back together as a living man still.¡± Harlan had discovered exactly what he needed, and Xol did as well. The most lowly of mages could feel when a spell was wrong, they could improve it from there, but those with drive would improve it far more, they could become sensitive to the mana, and take a low fireball into a warspell by instinct if given enough time. Xol could never develop such an instinct, he fumbled like a blind man with magic, his soul, born in a world where magic was held only by those creatures which were now called Fae, was not intended for what he became. If Harlan could do what he did with a few hundred lives, Xol would take thousands more. But, the benefit which Harlan had not, was an encyclopedic knowledge of magic. Together, there would be very few things that couldn¡¯t be achieved. The Lich and the king shook hands, and vengeance was ready. Harlan stood outside of his city, and he waited for Thrash. The man came down, making a crater as he did. ¡°You got me my magic yet?¡± ¡°This man here can perform magic of two types. Go, show him.¡± The Goliath, whose name Harlan never asked, and forgot after reading in the book of prisoners, moved his hands, and the sigil carved across his back pulled in mana from the air. Harlan and Xol¡¯s solution to the weak soul, unfit for magic, was to put a large sigil on the back which would use what little magic was there only as a switch, on and off, pull mana in, or not. Atmospheric mana, unfiltered by the soul, was not intended to be directly used, but the anti-magic properties of the Goliath¡¯s body kept the mana from poisoning it, acting as a shield for the soul. The only other change they had to make was adding an extra vein, a trace which the mana would flow from the back into the hands, and then one which led from the stomach to the sigil, the fastest way to bring mana from the soul to the sigil. The Goliath veins which were just under the skin and slightly bulged, glowed, and he moved his hands, and shot a fireball. Not one large or great in heat, but it was a fireball like any man 20 years of age should be able to launch. ¡°He is pulling mana in, rather than the normal method, which is to use internal mana to manipulate the mana in the air. This extra step slows down casting speed, but perhaps I could make a better method in time. So, do you want get carved up now?¡± The king was salivating, not in some metaphorical sense, no, he lusted and coveted magic so much that he drooled like a dog, and the drake pelt that he wore rose up with his small erection. ¡°I¡¯m taking him.¡± The size of the king compared to the prisoner was like a child and his father, he grabbed the 13 foot tall man and slung him under his arm, jumping back hard enough to nearly kill him through whiplash. Harlan expected this, the king would be a fool to trust Harlan. No, he would wait, see how the man was, then he would come back to get his magic. It took a week, the king had made that man he took into his jester, and made him cast spells one after the other. He couldn¡¯t take it, he was a jealous man, he wanted that magic, he needed it, and he would have it. He picked up the amulet that was like a grain of rice to a man so large, and he called Harlan. ¡°I will need a weapon, something that can carve your flesh for my sigil. And I¡¯ll need a room, 30 by 30 at least, and paint, blood from a dragonoid of any kind would be best.¡± ¡°So you can stab me through the heart?¡± ¡°If I killed you, Lith would fall into chaos. No, you are worth more alive, fighting against the Castians. It would be incredibly shortsighted and petty of me to kill you just for sleeping with my consort.¡± ¡°I would.¡± ¡°And I am not you. I would not trade the thousands who would die in your civil war and the weakness of new leadership for what happened. I aim for a better world.¡± Thrash just laughed and laughed, rolling on the floor. In the afternoon, Thrash had everything ready for Harlan. The blade itself was godtouched steel, and 15 feet long, it was the king¡¯s symbol of authority and came from melting down the blades of other kings. ¡°If you try anything, my men will rip you apart and rape your cities.¡± ¡°I know. If you still don¡¯t trust me, I could do this to them first, then you later.¡± ¡°No, I will get this first, then they will.¡± Harlan used telekinesis to lift the blade, and it cut through the aura of anti-magic, then the flesh of the king. It was a short procedure, carving the sigil, then working through the anti-magic to fleshsculpt mana veins. The king was up in less than an hour, and then Harlan had to just give him the words and hand signs. He knew some of these from watching the Cast or his court mages. The king laughed uncontrollably, the power long kept from him was in his hands. He played for an hour. Then there was a wrongness, he felt something bad in him, it was sudden. They didn¡¯t know sigils, runes, how the body worked, they couldn¡¯t see Harlan changing the sigil, removing the off switch, or adding in an extra mana vein, one which was now pouring mana into his soul. The king fell to his knees, his veins bulging, his body no longer listening to him. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°YOUR KING IS DEAD.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still alive, you little shit.¡± He could hardly move. ¡°Close enough to dead. YOUR KING WON¡¯T SURVIVE, NOTHING YOU DO TO ME WILL CHANGE THAT.¡± The men weren¡¯t exactly fans of Thrash, and that position that he gained by nothing but his strength, was gone. Such was the fate of one who ruled through fear and strength alone, and who treated those beneath him as being beneath him. ¡°YOU KNOW THAT HE IS DYING, NO ONE ELSE DOES, YOU HAVE AN ADVANTAGE OVER YOUR RIVALS, GO BACK, MAKE LITH YOUR KINGDOM, OR WASTE TIME KILLING A MAN WHO CAN¡¯T DIE.¡± They scratched their heads. ¡°DON¡¯T YOU DARE, COME HERE, KILL THAT FUCKING BASTARD.¡± The blood vessels in his eyes burst, blinding him and coloring his eyes red. ¡°Fuck you. You always took the best women, wine, food, and hunting spots.¡± The men killed one another until a group of three were left standing which claimed that they would be the ones to rule as a council. Then once Harlan said that there was only one sword of the king, they fought over the sword, and Harlan killed the last weakened man using it. Harlan stabbed the giant blade into the ground and sat straddling the handle, using the guard as a seat. The site itself wasn¡¯t in Lith, it was constructed on a mountain top because Harlan claimed that he needed a magically isolated spot with high levels of mana in the air. Really, he just wanted a private viewing. The king could barely crawl towards Harlan, so he rolled over, he wanted to watch the sky as he died. ¡°Why not just stab me in the heart?¡± ¡°What is happening right now is that your soul is too weak to filter the mana. What your soul generates loses your will once it leaves the body, this is why spells that have an effect far from the caster are often inaccurate and they have a lot of extra time before they start.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I do what I do because I want to. And what I want is to see you die a slow death before my eyes and for you to know that you¡¯ve lost, and I¡¯ve won. But, as your soul will soon be stripped by Life, I wonder if it will be worth more to her if I explain the mechanics of my work. Or if such a low life degenerate has no value. When I die, perhaps I¡¯ll ask her what makes a valuable soul.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Life, the god above gods, who takes all of our souls when we die. She eats souls, stripping them of their memories, and recycling them back down to the worlds they come from. But, back to my explanation.¡± Thrash couldn¡¯t stop him from talking. ¡°Your body has begun to break down, all of the mana instead of it is changing to not have your will anymore. Without your will, the soul start picking up and replacing information from the surroundings. I wonder, will you turn to stone, or perhaps fade into the wind? I could always put up a big wall of fire, see if you catch from the inside out, maybe I could dump you in a lake, watch as chunks of you start to become liquid.¡± Thrash vomited up blood, a gallon or so by his eyes. ¡°That must be your organs breaking down. If you were human, or really just anything but a Goliath, I think you could survive this, we pull in atmospheric mana all the time, and it is even healthy for us. But you, no, your souls can¡¯t handle it. Children born into high mana environments often run a fever, and infections are more likely to set in. But, if that environment is kept well lit, or better yet, is a place of healing, then the light mana in the air offsets this. Despite coming from the outside, light mana is so ordered that it doesn¡¯t fight against the soul itself, and will instead die in a sense, becoming good clean energy for the soul.¡± Harlan stepped on Thrash¡¯s chest so he could stare into his eyes. ¡°Why can¡¯t I move?¡± ¡°The soul controls how the body grows and maintains itself. The mana that is killing you is also taking you over, that is why you were casting for over an hour before something bad happened. Maybe one of your major muscles suddenly turned to stone or became an air pocket. That¡¯s why I picked this mountain specifically, the highest peak I could find on the entire stripe. It¡¯s funny, being so high up means strong winds and nothing but rocks, so both air and earth mana are in higher concentration, yet both of them are opposite from one another. No other elements exist in this way. The same goes for empty plains.¡± ¡°Shut the fuck up. Let me die in peace.¡± ¡°How many people have you killed? Innocents raped?¡± ¡°Do you think I ever counted?¡± ¡°No, I suppose not.¡± It took four hours before Thrash finally breathed his last. Harlan decided to go to Mercedes'' office, where she was speaking with someone from Velvet. ¡°When you are finished here, come to my room.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Unlike the king, this man was stoic, reserved, and while his clothes were clearly high quality, he wore just a black three piece suit with coattails. She came to his room as requested. ¡°It has been some time, should I undress?¡± ¡°You like me because I¡¯m a violent man who doesn¡¯t take shit from anyone.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°If I stopped. If I became peaceful, if I decided that what I have is enough, would you love me still?¡± She quickly moved to answer yes, but the words were caught in her throat. He could feel how conflicted she was. ¡°I believe that not a month ago, you would¡¯ve answered yes to that question without a second¡¯s thought, and it would be a lie. So why are you hesitating right now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t understand it.¡± ¡°Put everything else out of your mind. If I was not a king, if I was just Harlan, could you still love me?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°We are people who sought some manner of comfort in the other, but that isn¡¯t love.¡± ¡°What now then?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe that I need you for comfort now. I will search, and perhaps I¡¯ll find a woman I want to make my wife. You should find a man to make your husband, probably someone weak.¡± ¡°Now why would you say that?¡± ¡°Because if you were together with a strong willed man he¡¯d just break against you. And honestly, could you go after anyone stronger than me?¡± She laughed. ¡°I am glad we can end this without hard feelings for one another.¡± ¡°Then we just return to king and advisor. Still, if you ever want to talk, I am here. Oh, and I murdered Thrash and his high guard today.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain another time, I¡¯m in a great mood, I need to get some things right.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just say something like that and leave.¡± ¡°Actually, I can.¡± Harlan next went to Larenzac¡¯s office in the main guard building. ¡°What can I help you with today, your majesty.¡± ¡°Please, call me Harlan. I came to apologize for how I¡¯ve treated you.¡± ¡°Oh, oh, well then, thank you very much.¡± The two of them sat in silence, just long enough for things to turn awkward. ¡°I don¡¯t know what else to say. Take me to my guest.¡± The city didn¡¯t have a prison, either someone spent some time in jail, or they went to the fleshpits. So Harlan had one of the cells renovated to be of a higher class and combined it with a neighboring cell. The man had a nicer bed, a rug on the floor, running water, a bath, even a privacy curtain that went over the bars. Yet still, the man was a prisoner. Harlan sat down across from the man. ¡°You didn¡¯t try to kill me when I came in.¡± ¡°We had a deal. You took my strongest attack and lived.¡± ¡°You claim that I killed your father, but I¡¯ve never seen magic like what you used.¡± ¡°I saw you cut my father¡¯s neck and watched him bleed out in my arms, I heard you say your name and spit on me.¡± ¡°Then show me your memories." ¡°How can you ask such a thing? Would you split my skull with your hands?¡± ¡°Just give me your hands, and think on that day or night.¡± The man put his palms on the table. ¡°Palms up, please.¡± He did as asked. Harlan saw his memories. They were scattered, grief and anger clouded everything, and the man knew nothing about how to show these memories well. There was fire, monsters, he and his father were guarding those unable to fight. The man was struck by some sort of air attack and sent flying. His magic was offensive, but unidirectional, and by pushing back, the force had dissipated enough that he didn¡¯t kill him. He wasn¡¯t sure if he was passed out for minutes or seconds, but he saw his father beaten back, and then the final slash that cut his throat. The man who killed her father then threw a bomb at the building where the children and elderly were huddled. The memories lost all cohesion at that point, the fury boiling over from the man made them race past, to avoid what had happened. Harlan only got flashes, the man staggering to his father, Harlan¡¯s face as he stared down at him, the aftermath, charred bodies and parts of a wood frame, weeks passing in a haze, trying to track down the blue man with black horns and fire in his eyes. Harlan pulled back his hands so he could wipe his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what you¡¯ve been through, but that man wasn¡¯t me.¡± ¡°LIAR.¡± ¡°I was not there, I did not kill your father. Look at that man, and then look back to me. Are you certain that I am him? Because I saw how your memories are, and that wasn¡¯t me. The horns are too curved, I don¡¯t fight with a sword, I fight with my hands. His skin is too dark, the eyes have my pattern, but the colors are in the wrong order. Somebody wanted you to believe it was me.¡± The man wanted to yell and tell him that he was wrong, but in his mind¡¯s eye, the images of both of them overlapped, and they were clearly not the same men beyond a similar description and a passing resemblance. He put his forehead on the table. ¡°I am sorry for what I¡¯ve done. I can offer nothing but my life. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then I shall offer myself into slavery.¡± ¡°All the damage you caused were bruises, broken bones, a torn up street, and a few golems that I had to fix. I will consider this to be no harm, no foul.¡± ¡°I cannot pay nothing, yet I have nothing to give, please, take something, a hand, an eye.¡± ¡°I can tell that you come from a society with a great deal of importance on honor, so you will not accept nothing.¡± ¡°I must do something to repay my transgressions.¡± ¡°Information then. I noticed that your magic is unlike mine. Why do your hands glow?¡± ¡°I pull the ki from myself and-¡± ¡°You mean mana.¡± ¡°Mana is from outside, ki is the power within.¡± ¡°So, internal mana. Can you use telekinesis?¡± ¡°What?¡± Harlan lifted the cup on the table. ¡°This, moving objects with non-elemental magic by way of moving your aura around an object and controlling it.¡± ¡°I cannot do that.¡± ¡°Interesting. Give me your hand.¡± He hesitated. ¡°Come now, if you intended to give your life to me once, surely you can do this.¡± The man relented. Harlan looked at his aura, and he wasn¡¯t shocked to see it now that he had some time to think on what it was, that attack which could¡¯ve mortally wounded this body of his. ¡°Interesting. Your aura is unlocked, but in a different way. It doesn¡¯t seem wrong, but it is odd. I already know that it is considerably stronger the closer your aura remains to your person, but what you showed was an interesting application of it.¡± Harlan unlocked the man¡¯s aura, and it spread through the entire room. ¡°Now, wait.¡± Harlan got up from the table and stood in front of Larenzac. ¡°Now, push the cup forward.¡± The ceramic cup instantly turned into shrapnel. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°When I first had my aura unlocked, it was by my sister, but she did so improperly, and thus I was stunted. I still tried to use it as much as I could, and I had become a middling user. But once I was properly unlocked, I rapidly became capable of incredible feats with the magic. I nearly killed another student by throwing a weight up in the air. I¡¯m sorry, I never asked your name.¡± ¡°I am Da, son of Du, from the Sect of The Crane.¡± ¡°I am Harlan Fomoria, son of Harlow, from Ragne. I cannot bring back the dead, but if you invite me to your home, I hope to find the imposter and kill him.¡± ¡°I could not ask that of you after what I have done.¡± ¡°Then I demand to be taken to your home, to kill him would be to save my own reputation. I cannot have a man committing terrible deeds in my name.¡± The man knew that Harlan had rephrased the question only because he wanted to help but had been refused, yet how could he afford to deny the help? ¡°I¡­ I will bring you to my home.¡±
Xol began his work on this new¡­ thing. Chapter 283: Sectlands Harlan let Da wander with a guide while he went to do something else. He didn¡¯t want Da to go back without any understanding of Fomoria, since he would be offering the charter to them and Harlan wanted Da to be able to express how great his city was and how happy the people were. He stood there in the vault, just admiring it. Harlan hesitated to figure out how to melt it down and make something more useful to him. Perhaps a new set of shifting armor? If he combined what he knew about blood gems and spatial pockets, he might be able to create something truly monstrous. Or maybe he would pick up the sword again, but it felt like a waste since his sigil clearly wanted him to fight hand to hand, or rather, with claws and horns. As he was caught up in his thoughts, he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. ¡°Oh. I didn¡¯t expect to see you again so soon.¡± ¡°That thing will bring you nothing but trouble as it is. The Goliaths will come for it, and not just those in Lith, the Cast will come for it, even Carmilla is likely to seize it from you.¡± ¡°So I should give it to you.¡± Xol had his fingertips pressed together, he knew exactly what he was doing and what Harlan was going to say. ¡°Well, so long as you are offering.¡± The pair laughed. ¡°Do you have a reason for wanting the sword?¡± ¡°Yes, I-¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯ll make a public display of my owning it to keep others from coming after you. And when the time comes, there will be a weapon that is truly meant for you, not some stolen thing made of stolen things.¡± ¡°My flesh isn¡¯t even my own, my mind and soul are all that I have left of myself. Such a blade seems fitting.¡± ¡°You could¡¯ve been a writer, or a preacher.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see myself sitting at a desk or a pulpit.¡± ¡°A pen moves mountains just as easily as a pick in my experience.¡± ¡°But a good spell does better than both.¡± Xol touched the blade and teleported away; he wasn¡¯t going to sit and trade words, even if he was having fun. Harlan and Da spent three days training with one another. Da wished to show off the martial arts which his people developed using their so-called ki. They stood in a clearing and got close, putting the backs of their wrists to one another circled, matching their breathing. In an instant both of them jumped back an arms length and started to spar. Harlan remained on the defensive, blocking or dodging Da¡¯s ranged punches. As he dashed left and right, trees were blasted apart. Yet when Harlan stopped and stood in one spot, he refused to move. His hands dimmed with a faint darkness and with minimal movements, him keeping his hand straight and rotating it, the force which was launched at him was deflected, like sloped armor against arrows. Da became tired after 10 minutes. ¡°I never expected to improve so quickly, that I would keep you pinned down.¡± Harlan skipped over and punched Da in the stomach so quickly he couldn¡¯t react. He held him in his hands and patted him on the back. ¡°Don¡¯t become conceited, you are very far from my level.¡± When the air was back in his lungs, he asked a simple question. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you keep dodging then?¡± ¡°There is a Cynthia flower there on the ground, I didn¡¯t want you to destroy it.¡± Da had been with Harlan for half a week, and felt like he knew absolutely nothing about the man. Flesh pits underground, an entire city reduced to a smoldering crater, the tidal wave that marked the start of his conquering of this stripe, hundreds of thousands left dead in his wake. Yet he had seen him walk through the city, making cantrips to entertain children, stopping to heal the stray cats, and having polite conversation with a wyvern. But there was one thing that he was certain of after seeing him next to the wyvern, Harlan was the bigger monster of the two. Harlan didn¡¯t want to take Da home and start on finding the imposter until he knew what would be the fallout of him killing Thrash. Lith hadn¡¯t fallen into chaos on account of Harlan telling Bartholomew and him telling members of a new path group. They pulled together their members and seized Boulder before news of Thrash¡¯s death reached anyone. Not a single one of them were on the level of the high guard or the former king, but they found the records of prisons and broke out one of the people who hadn¡¯t been killed yet and was strong enough to hold the throne. Harlan had been called to see the new king. ¡°King Romulus, it is a pleasure to be invited here.¡± He was smaller than Thrash at only 20 feet tall. His hair was curly, short and black, his skin olive colored. His features were fairer than most Goliath, though Harlan wouldn¡¯t say he was handsome by human standards still. He wore a large coat, red, with white fur from a species of giant tigers as trim. He had black dress pants and a white shirt, parts of a three piece suit. ¡°I hope you have brought the crown and the pelt.¡± ¡°I have.¡± A golem carried the crown of Lith, a simple and irregular thing which was enchanted to stay on one¡¯s head even in combat; two others came through with the drake pelt that Thrash wore. ¡°Very good. And the Blade of Kings?¡± ¡°That I do not have. Surely you heard that it is now in the possession of the Dread Lich?¡± ¡°Who is allied to you, is he not?¡± ¡°He took the blade from me to prevent it from making me a target, and I cannot ask for it back. But¡­ I can give you magic, and a new blade, and a set of powerful armor.¡± ¡°That blade had been passed down since Lith was established nearly 600 years ago; it has killed four Hands, 17 Fingers, and many others.¡± ¡°In my birth country of Ragne, the symbol of the king is a tree made of blades, representing the cities that came together to form Ragne. Perhaps a blade made from the swords of others from a time where your people killed one another en masse isn¡¯t the symbol you want.¡± Harlan and King Romulus stared down one another before Bartholomew cleared his throat. ¡°Excuse me, but if Xol has the blade, then there is simply no getting it back, and Harlan does make a good point, we do not need such a symbol any longer. He is offering magic and-¡± ¡°Bartholomew, you have known King Fomoria for the longest of any of us here, and I believe that is clouding your mind. You, King Fomoria, how exactly did you kill Thrash? Of what has been told to me, you were barely able to take on one of the Fingers, let alone a Goliath at 22 feet tall.¡± ¡°I gave him magic, but intentionally sabotaged it, and his body slowly died, decomposing before my eyes.¡± ¡°Yet you would offer me magic as well?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have that jester around here still? He is what it looks like when someone isn¡¯t supposed to be killed by it.¡± ¡°Yes, he is still alive. Bartholomew, if you trust King Fomoria, get his magic.¡± ¡°Of course. Harlan, how long would this take?¡± ¡°30 minutes, give or take. The room that I set up for Thrash is still there on the top of a mountain, I should be able to carve your flesh without the need for that blade.¡± ¡°Will this be painful?¡± ¡°Somewhat, as I do require you to stay awake while I operate.¡± ¡°Then, if it assuages the fear of my king, I have no issues.¡± ¡°Go then, Bartholomew, King Fomoria, go, then return to me.¡± ¡°Before I go, take this.¡± Harlan gave his charter to Romulus. Harlan left through a void gate, and then brought him back after an hour. Bartholomew was sore, but otherwise healthy; Harlan gave him a book of spells. Romulus would wait and see what happened. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. They were at the northern tip, Harlan teleported hundreds of miles at a time, and the stripe itself was separated from the nearest landmass by 100 miles of water. In all, it took a month and a half for Da to travel 3000 miles, across three stripes, just to reach Harlan. For Harlan to bring him home, it took three minutes. ¡°Do you recognize any of this?¡± ¡°SO-SOUTH, GO SOUTH.¡± The man clung to Harlan like a baby monkey on its mother in the treetops. In his mind, humans were not meant to fly. The Sectlands were not a single nation, and Da explained that calling them one was an insult. From hundreds of feet high, Harlan looked at the honeycomb walls that made up the various temples, cities, and farms which stretched past the horizon and seemed to cover nearly every inch of the stripe. The way Da explained it was that soldiers were raised in temples, then moved to the towns and cities to act as guards, and the farms were considered neutral territory and sold food to whoever was buying. There were other places, Harlan noticed what seemed to be one entire location which from the sight and smell, heavy perfumes and red lights, was a brothel city. They moved on. The Sect of the Crane were specialized in their long range attacks and they were mostly kept on the walls. Their attacks, which Da had used against Harlan, had a rather impressive range, but as Harlan saw, there was also blowback. ¡°Where should I land?¡± ¡°TH-THERE.¡± ¡°Use your hand, point. Listen, I have you, I won¡¯t drop you, trust me.¡± He shakily pointed towards the training area, which consisted of many round sandpits. When training that large attack, it would suck up the grains to power itself. Harlan touched down and Da nearly buried his head in the sand; he disliked not having dirt under his feet. But, it was the training area, and naturally he was surrounded by people, people who had seen the man who led a horde of monsters to them, broke down their wall, and then burned down the building where they put the weaker members, those who couldn¡¯t defend themselves. ¡°WAIT, WAIT, THIS MAN DIDN¡¯T ATTACK US.¡± ¡°Brother Da? I thought you were dead.¡± Nobody had stopped their little glowing hands, but Harlan didn¡¯t worry. ¡°I went for revenge. But I did not find the man who attacked us.¡± ¡°How many horned blue men exist in the north?¡± ¡°I found a city of them.¡± Harlan gently moved Da behind him. ¡°My name is Harlan Fomoria, King of Fomoria, Champion of Darkness. Do you have a leader? Someone I can speak to who knows about what happened?¡± ¡°YOU WILL SPEAK WHEN SPOKEN TO, KNOW YOUR-¡± Harlan skipped forward and towered over the man. ¡°Do not intend to tell me my place.¡± After 15 minutes, there was a pile of men at Harlan¡¯s feet. Finally the giant double doors of the temple opened and a woman with a feathered dress and a hood with a strip hanging between her eyes came out. She wore her deep black hair in a tight bun, something that wouldn¡¯t come undone in a fight. Her figure was thin, betraying what she was capable of. The bodies of these people were not as refined by mana flow as the soldiers of Ragne, since they primarily fought and trained using internal mana that was far more efficient, thus burning less mana and less external mana then needed to be pulled in to refine their bodies. But, it was this internal magic based combat that let them strike far above their weight class, so to speak. Da got on his hands and knees, and Harlan stepped over the groaning men towards her. When she was at the bottom of the stairs, she stopped, and Harlan, 10 feet from her, also stopped, and he bowed. ¡°Apologies for the mess. But I did not throw the first punch.¡± ¡°Why have you returned, blue devil?¡± ¡°Because someone attacked this place and used my name to do so. I want to understand why, and I want them dead.¡± ¡°I am Emilee, Crane Wife.¡± She slipped out of her fine silk robe and took a combat stance. ¡°Your lies will not stay my hand.¡± He matched her stance like he had with Da, but didn¡¯t feel the need to use his sigil. Harlan moved over just a few feet. ¡°Do try to control yourself, there are men on the ground over there.¡± She slashed the air and a wave, thin as a hair, cut through him. Emilee was confused, he should¡¯ve been split from shoulder to hip. But as with the attack from the soldiers from Tochter, he could heal from a thin enough attack in an instant. ¡°I do not want to hurt you.¡± ¡°You have beaten my men. It would be dishonorable to-¡± Harlan moved by using friction reducing magic and air magic, momentum magic let him instantly move left and right without his stomach going up to his throat. Xol called this an advanced movement. He had to cast these spells with both hands to keep moving, momentum shifting perfectly was hard, any failure, an imperfect spell, meant he would feel that shift in his body, and possibly end up off balance, leading to a cascade of imperfect spells. She jumped high into the air and punched down with all of her might, creating a crater and a massive cloud of dust. Harlan knew better than to attack her. If someone went into the air without a plan to control themselves, it was suicide, and he didn¡¯t believe she was so stupid. He instead opened a gate when she jumped even higher, hiding it in the cloud of dust. Harlan had also been taught how to move his gates somewhat after they were already cast. The Crane Wife suddenly found herself hundreds of feet in the air. One could fly with telekinesis, but not with how this sect knew it. Emilee had a greater mastery of her aura, but could only make platforms to jump from or walk back down to the ground with force stairs. ¡°I¡¯ve killed hundreds of thousands, but I have never intentionally killed someone who doesn¡¯t deserve it. Right now you and your men attacked me because you think I attacked you, grief¡­ it changes how you act.¡± ¡°Do not presume to understand our grief.¡± ¡°The Cast poisoned my people, killing children and the elderly.¡± She could hear the pain in his voice. ¡°And what did you do to them?¡± ¡°I have the skull of the man who did it sitting on a shelf.¡± ¡°Bring me down, and we may speak.¡± Harlan opened another gate and she dropped through. To heal the men, Harlan opened a void gate, he was outside of normal gate range. He stuck his head in, and then Rekur¡¯s head popped through. The men tried to stand, but Emilee stood by, believing she understood Harlan¡¯s character. Her white breath healed the men in an instant. The Crane Wife picked up her robe and Harlan followed behind her. ¡°Da, come.¡± ¡°I could never enter the Sanctum of the Crane without-¡± ¡°You may follow us, Brother Da.¡± ¡°Yes, Mother Crane.¡± Harlan wasn¡¯t exactly comfortable, the table was too low, they made him sit on his knees on a pillow, but at least they had rice and a nice soup along with a green tea. ¡°I noticed you use brother and mother, are you related?¡± ¡°No, each child is taken from their mother at birth so they may be raised by the sects.¡± The look Harlan gave sent chills down her spine. ¡°And may these women decide to keep their children? What of the fathers?¡± ¡°Choices become murky when one must choose between two family, it would weaken the whole.¡± ¡°I will not stand for this.¡± ¡°How we conduct ourselves is not-¡± Harlan was just sipping his tea, but she couldn¡¯t help but fill the eyes of a predator on her. ¡°Not what? You seem nervous.¡± ¡°No, it is nothing.¡± ¡°Who leads your sect? I need to speak with the one in charge to ensure your policies match my own.¡± ¡°The Grandmaster of the Crane does not speak with outsiders. But, if you create your own sect, bring in students, and then place well in the next tournament, you could be given formal status as a grandmaster, then you may meet with him.¡± ¡°And when is the next tournament?¡± ¡°We just had one, so two years from now.¡± ¡°Too long. Where does he live?¡± Emilee scoffed. ¡°One does not simply meet with any of the grandmasters. If you gave me a month, I could bring a message to him, but-¡± ¡°Right now your policy of stealing infants from their families violates my charter. I will give him the charter, then the other sect leaders. They will have six months before I return, and if they have made progress, they get another six months.¡± ¡°And if not?¡± ¡°Da, show her telekinesis.¡± He did as commanded. ¡°Surely you can feel the difference in what Da was compared to what he is now. It would be a great boon to be allied with me.¡± ¡°You did not answer the question.¡± ¡°To prevent you from gaining power from what I gave Da, I would need to kill him. You are so far from my kingdom that it will take years before I have conquered the lands between us. Then I will be back, and I will give this offer again by the blade.¡± The two of them thought about fighting Harlan, but Da already knew it would take an instant before Harlan tore his spine from him, and he had never even seen the horrors which were told to him, that he could become. Emilee felt more confident, but seeing a man who could be sliced in two and suffer no damage to his body or clothes gave her pause. ¡°I will bring you to the grandmaster.¡± ¡°Good, within the week I hope?¡± ¡°Three days?¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Harlan cut his hand off, peeling away tendons and pulling his black blood into the air. Both of them jumped back in fear. In just a few minutes, Harlan had formed a blood gem, used his bones to make a case, and tied his tendons into string for an amulet. ¡°Call me on this when the time comes, and I will return.¡± He reattached the hand, replacing what was removed, and cleaned up the blood. They looked on in shock as Harlan left through a void gate.
Balor looked over the information. ¡°This is worrying, but I don¡¯t see what I can do for you.¡± ¡°Use your underground contacts, look for any assassins who meet this description.¡± ¡°I am but a simple-¡± ¡°So long as you work on this, we will continue to turn a blind eye to your other work. Does Harlan know?¡± ¡°On a surface level, he understands that I am better than what came before, but he cannot know what all my business entails. Running women, drugs, weapons, I cannot destroy these markets, I can only steer them better than they were.¡± ¡°It is your more private life and moral flexibility that will be required for this, Harlan is too known, he could make too many different traps for him.¡± Balor flipped through the pages, skimming the text of the reports. ¡°What does House Harbinger know? Allies or enemies on this?¡± ¡°I personally watched Nil drive a blade through this man¡¯s heart and burn his body. For a family of assassins and spies, they have a code.¡± ¡°I will see what I can do, but this doesn¡¯t sound like anyone in my circles, he might be working for a rival syndicate.¡± ¡°The resources of the Unseen are yours to use as you please.¡± ¡°From what I am seeing here, he intended for this to come back here, didn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Certainly. Setting up this series of events, Grenth finding scraps of burned papers, telling Cynthia, her helping Harlan to bring in a spy, it would be childsplay. He wants me to know he is back.¡± ¡°Do you think he has more targets than you?¡± ¡°I will move guards around anyone close to me, and nobody but the royal guard will now watch out for your family. I¡¯ll keep Relly at my side to make sure she can catch him.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to bring in my own people on this and in the palace.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have Dahlia speak with you about giving them passes and making a cover to explain their presence. But make sure they are respectable enough to not scare anyone.¡± ¡°I will bring them in as personal servants from House Fomoria, nobody should question it.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Chapter 284: Days at the Palace and Ambers Work Harlan was in his room drawing up plans for his new home when he was called back to the infirmary. He rushed through the halls, terrifying one poor maid who he skipped mere inches from before skipping again. He felt¡­ off; time caught back up to him as Harlan burst through the doors. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing is wrong.¡± Safira was awake and aware, but she was barely moving. ¡°You should rest.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had two entire hours. I don¡¯t know how much more rest my mind can take.¡± ¡°No fighting or training, just stay here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve no interest in those things, but I cannot remain still.¡± ¡°You need a hobby.¡± ¡°I visit fine restaurants on my days off.¡± ¡°Oh, well that is interesting. Do you have any-¡± ¡°I need you to remove my armor, the crystals damaged it and I cannot turn it to liquid.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have one of the smiths do it?¡± She answered under her breath, even Harlan couldn¡¯t hear her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I want you to do it instead of them.¡± ¡°If I asked for an explanation, would you tell me to leave and call someone else?¡± ¡°I would.¡± ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll get that armor off of you.¡± The royal guards golem armor, much like Harlan¡¯s, wasn¡¯t actually intended to be removed without magic. Now, Harlan did know the spell to make the armor shift, but the issue was not just the crystals being damaged, it was also that the shrapnel from the bomb had left its anti-magic effect in the armor itself. So, he took another approach, and started cutting it off of her with a cutter spell that used void. Using a forgemasters finger, what was effectively a plasma cutter, was another option, but one not ideal when dealing with such a tight fitting armor. He cut around the front of her chest first, since she seemed to be having some difficulty breathing. ¡°I hope I can trust your discretion?¡± She had white cloth wrapped around her breasts to flatten them. ¡°If you would like, I could use fleshsculpting, 10 minutes and you¡¯d be not so endowed.¡± ¡°I will find someone else to finish this if you speak again.¡± Harlan just nodded his head and kept on cutting in silence. All in all, because he was being very very careful so as to not harm her, it took eight minutes to cut the armor. She sat up and removed herself from the armor like a molting spider, half of the shell remained on the table and Harlan helped her move to one of the other beds. Her face was tanned, but anything below the next was very pale. Safira was covered in scars, being one of those people who considered each of them a lesson that should be remembered every time one looked in a mirror. She wore little under the armor itself, just a pair of simple white underpants that wouldn¡¯t bunch up under it and kept the metal from touching her sensitive areas, and the bindings on her chest. ¡°Would you like me to get you something to wear while I take this to the royal smiths?¡± ¡°I will be fine.¡± ¡°Being in a shell like this, it isn¡¯t bad, you get used to it, but it doesn¡¯t replicate fine fabrics. I just thought that it might help you relax.¡± She tapped on the bed beneath her. ¡°No, it would just be a waste of time.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take this to the smiths, just take a nap, I¡¯m sure not being in that tight thing will make you more comfortable.¡± She did feel a little tired still. ¡°Perhaps.¡± Harlan closed the curtains and put the scraps of her armor inside of the half-shell and carried it through the halls. When the smiths saw it they had mourning faces. The oldest one kneeled over it, touching the hands of it like it was a dead loved one and beginning to cry. One of the younger smiths, which was relative, as the man still looked to be in his 40s, rushed Harlan out of the room before the master smith started yelling at him. When Safira awoke hours later, she found a proper blanket, not one of the white sheets the infirmary rooms used on the beds. She pulled it up over her head and thought about going back to sleep. It was softer than the one she used at night, Harlan brought it from one of the guest rooms and hid it in a spatial box to avoid questions of their commander asking for something such as this. ¡°Like a tumor¡­¡± He hadn¡¯t fought in a long while, or at least it felt that way. The planes got their first use, and Harlan¡¯s sleep bombs functioned exactly as they should, and they even recovered a noble in full armor with blood gems all intact. But, whenever he asked about going out on the battlefield himself, Rosewell just told him she hadn¡¯t found the right place for him yet. He knew something had been wrong ever since she heard that voice. Harlan was pulled from his thoughts by Adina. ¡°Make this window a little bigger, I think that this room is a little dim.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The entire place was made of stone and had been constructed by golems in the last week. He and Adina were walking around checking for any modifications they could make to it. ¡°And I don¡¯t like this shelf on the wall. When she starts walking and climbing she¡¯ll probably jump to grab it then slip off.¡± Harlan made the modifications. ¡°Better?¡± ¡°No, why not-¡± Harlan put his arm around her and pulled Adina closer. Adina had been feeling odd, she didn¡¯t have any more suggestions to make on the house. Harlan was ready to gate them both back to the palace when he stopped and turned around. ¡°You hate it, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what I want.¡± ¡°I want us to have a place that we can both enjoy.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t want to lose our home again.¡± ¡°Why not a castle then?¡± ¡°That would be interesting.¡± ¡°Then a castle we will have. Every brick will be enchanted, I won¡¯t let us lose our home again. I guess I¡¯ll need to draw up new blueprints, start having stone moved in from elsewhere.¡± ¡°Why not build from here? This mock home is all stone.¡± ¡°If I want to build something that will really last, just hardened dirt won¡¯t be enough. Naturally formed rock in the right environments will have better defenses. I¡¯ll contact the Greatwall family, figure out what the hardest magical stone is, what the cost will be.¡± ¡°It seems like a shame, you had those golems put up this whole thing, but it was useless.¡± ¡°Not at all, because it let us have this conversation. You should meet Tiamat while we¡¯re here.¡± Adina was mesmerized by the waves and the giant creature which lazily slithered along the surface towards them. ¡°Little Shadow, I have done nothing since we last met but eat and swim. No threats have come to your lands.¡± ¡°Adina, this is Tiamat. Tiamat, this is Adina, and my daughter Viviane.¡± ¡°Great fortunes to the firstborn of the shadows.¡± ¡°Thank you, Tiamat.¡± After ten seconds of silence, Tiamat swam back out to sea while Harlan and Adina went back to the palace. Adina went to put Viviane down for a nap, and Harlan went to see Balor, who he was told could be found in the library. When Harlan entered the room Balor quickly hid the book he had been reading. ¡°Harlan.¡± ¡°Does that have something to do with the reason I¡¯m not involved in whatever is happening and why I haven¡¯t been deployed in weeks?¡± ¡°Queen Yggdra simply believes it is best for you to remain with your wife and daughter.¡± ¡°Or she wants me to be constantly vigilant about who might have a different face and soul.¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± ¡°So, what can you tell me?¡± ¡°Nothing. In fact, if that is what you are here for, I think you should leave.¡± ¡°Fine, alright, but remember that I¡¯ll help with whatever you need.¡± Harlan stepped outside but remained by the door, waiting for Balor to put the book back. He tracked his mind to find out where the shelf was and he had long since stopped seeing people as murky outlines, so he could tell exactly where Balor put it. When Balor was gone, Harlan went back in. The book was the one Sepul had written on ghosts and other assorted spirits, but he found no hints on what kind of spirit Balor was looking for. Adina was with the rest of his family, he claimed he wanted to put some finishing touches on the castle blueprint. It had been a long three weeks with him locked out of everything. No fights, just time with Adina and his pencils and paper, and sometimes Lilly or Dagda would request his help with something, but he only ever got pieces, he was never asked to help with whatever those parts went to. Harlan asked for a meal to be brought to him, and when the maid entered the room, Harlan closed the door behind her. He knew her from around Balor¡¯s home, she was one of his workers. ¡°Who is Balor looking for?¡± She dropped the demure facade. ¡°I don¡¯t ask questions, I just follow my orders, in this case, to protect my targets.¡± ¡°Is that what those blades are for?¡± She lifted her skirt, and strapped to each leg were daggers. ¡°Have you been looking at me? My, what is a woman to do with such a perverted-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood for games. If you don¡¯t know anything then you can leave. And for the record, you don¡¯t move like a maid, you move like a killer, shifty eyes and fast hands.¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I¡¯ve never been criticized for such a thing, are you certain you aren¡¯t just assuming based on what you already know of me?¡± ¡°Everyone else has probably been distracted by your breasts, fix that top button while you are serving me.¡± ¡°Oh? But isn¡¯t it more fun if-¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking. You are dismissed.¡± The assassin turned covert guard was a little offended by Harlan shutting her down completely. Another week passed. There were¡­ rumors, going around. King Fomoria, that name was on too many lips, because Harlan said it and was overheard, but the ones who overheard it didn¡¯t know who that would be other than this Harlan. Him building his own castle, something normally reserved for dukes and royalty only made things more confusing. Harlan was encouraged to personally oversee the construction of his new home, but he knew that Rosewell just wanted him out of the way. But, he also knew that it would be pointless, he didn¡¯t have the materials he needed because he didn¡¯t want to bring in Greatwall workers so they kept saying they¡¯d get back to him. It was easier to do this back when people used letters, but when Harlan could use gate to go to them directly and then call every day for the last half a week, it was clear they were offended by his refusal. Yet still he decided to get out of the palace, so he went to Amber, who a few days ago, decided to resume her travels with Sam and Liat since they called her for help. They were in a small village somewhere deep in the frontier. ¡°Let¡¯s hope you don¡¯t end up doing anything too¡­ Harlan-like, while we are here.¡± ¡°Amber, my dear sister, when have I ever worsened a situation?¡± She had a few ideas in mind, but bringing up Haldren would be far too dark for the light hearted joking between them. ¡°Nothing comes to mind.¡± ¡°Sam, how are you? Liat, same question.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been better, in fact, we probably would be in the fuck up if Amber hadn¡¯t decided to take a vacation for the last two months.¡± ¡°We have been well, Samantha and I have been on missions on our own, and we appreciate that she decided to come back, and that you came along as well. How are Adina and¡­ Vivi was it?¡± ¡°They''re fine. Vivi was walking.¡± ¡°My, and at such a young age. Perhaps she¡¯ll be a strong warrior like her father.¡± It was written clearly on Harlan¡¯s face that he disapproved. ¡°If she ever has to pick up a blade and kill another, I feel I will have failed her.¡± The server in the small inn brought each of them a cup of hot tea, which Harlan downed in an instant. Sam tried the same and burned her tongue. ¡°FUCK.¡± The server jumped back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her, thank you for the drink.¡± The man just nodded and walked away. ¡°How can you drink that stuff?¡± ¡°I never enhanced you, did I? I thought I had.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m still just a normal ass person.¡± ¡°Really? Not much of an ass on you though.¡± Liat punched him in the shoulder. ¡°Sam is quite fine enough as she is.¡± She and Sam shared a look with one another. ¡°Liat, refresh me. Ogres are moving Mammoths through, they say that this land is sacred, but the village already has farms. Is that it?¡± ¡°Yes. The village hired us to handle this, and I¡¯m hoping that we can avoid anyone getting hurt.¡± ¡°Why is the land sacred?¡± ¡°They leave the old Mammoths here to die, there is a whole graveyard out in the woods.¡± ¡°Have the farms actually encroached on the graveyard?¡± ¡°No, but next planting they will be expanding, so they want us to get the Ogres to agree to let them now instead of this turning into a feud between them.¡± ¡°Right, and the kingdom¡¯s policy is to avoid pissing off Ogres?¡± ¡°If we can help it, yes. Kill one tribe, and the whole clan will be angry, meaning no trade with them until it gets settled by the kingdom, who the Ogres consider as being one single clan.¡± ¡°Got it. One of my shadows is reading a book on Ogres, are there any marks that could tell me which of the clans these ones are from?¡± ¡°Red dot with a red square drawn around it on their forehead and each shoulder. The chief was wearing a Mammoth trunk over each shoulder pointed down in the front, and they are green skinned, not orange.¡± Harlan closed his eyes and went quiet for a few minutes. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you at the camp, I think my shadow just found something.¡± The chief was 12 feet tall and had a club at his side that was carved from a tree with a large knot at the end and pieces of sharp stones were stabbed in along the length. The deep green or orange skin of an Ogre was saggy and leathery not unlike the Mammoths they so loved. Their tall heads ended in soft points where a single long tuft of hair would grow in a white color like the plumage of a bird and was often dyed, but in this case, was left in its original color. Their features were rough and inhuman, small barely protruding tusks on front of their mouth like buck teeth, one set going upward, and one downward. Despite their appearance, they were a people who didn¡¯t enjoy violence as a general rule, but if inclined either for defense or by being hired on as mercenaries, they were ferocious fighters. The biggest issues of the Ogres were their nomadic nature and lack of education. They would move in packs that rarely got beyond three hundred, splitting off but maintaining a clan identity when they grew too large. One could find them on nearly every corner of the continent inside of the veil, though they generally avoided anywhere with too many towns and cities. And though they would trim the heavy fur from the beasts which made up much of their clothing and ropes, they would rarely be seen near The Great Desert or the jungles of the Confederacy due to the weather disagreeing with them. Amber sat with her legs crossed, Sam and Liat were at her sides. ¡°Farm not go far, Mammoths die here.¡± ¡°I know that you don¡¯t want the farms to go into the graveyard, but we are willing to move the bones to-¡± ¡°MAMMOTH CHOOSE WHERE DIE.¡± The booming voice hurt Sam¡¯s ears and she felt hot spit on her face. Amber and Liat remained unfazed. ¡°I believe it would be fair if the farms extended outward away from the village without going into the graveyard, but we also ask that the Mammoths not trample the fields.¡± ¡°Mammoth holy, does what Mammoth want.¡± ¡°We are aware, we don¡¯t want to get rid of the graveyard, we only hope that we can coexist.¡± ¡°Human not live lands, Ogre live lands, hundred years, Ogre lands.¡± ¡°Humans will continue to expand our lands, and-¡± The Ogre grabbed its club and stood, Sam and Liat drew their swords. ¡°SIT DOWN.¡± The women and the Ogre both sat back down. ¡°I don¡¯t want this to turn into a fight. If we leave, then the village will call in the army, and they will kill your people, and your Mammoths will have nowhere to go. Either we find a peaceful solution or-¡± There was a loud crashing sound outside followed by the loud thumping of a fist on naked flesh. ¡°VOY, VOY, VOY.¡± ¡°Harlan?¡± Everyone came out to find Harlan wearing only a loincloth and an upside down triangle drawn on his chest with equal lines that started at his nipples; he pounded on his chest. ¡°VOY, VOY, VOY.¡± The chief started pounding on his chest as well. Amber rushed over to her brother. ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± ¡°Voy.¡± ¡°The fuck does voy mean?¡± ¡°It is a call to ritual combat for settling disputes between the blood tear tribes, which these ones are part of.¡± ¡°I said I wanted to handle this peacefully, and I think I was about to before you showed up.¡± ¡°I also talked with the village chief, I¡¯ve got a plan, don¡¯t worry. VOY.¡± ¡°NOT PART OF TRIBE. NOT GET VOY.¡± ¡°VOY FOR ALL, VOY MAKE SAME.¡± The chief went to find the elders for consultation, who agreed that voy for all. Harlan and the chief stood on either end of a circle drawn with the tusks. Sam was next to Amber. ¡°The fuck is Harlan doing?¡± Amber rubbed her temples. ¡°He¡¯s going to fight in a ritual with the chief according to the rules of the blood tear clan.¡± ¡°Is that good?¡± Amber just made an unsure face. The chief had another line drawn in the middle and then a long rope was brought out. The Ogre and Harlan grabbed the rope and started pulling. The Ogres cheered from the sidelines, pushing into one another, Liat and Amber protected Sam from being crushed by flying up. They all watched from the air, Harlan¡¯s muscles tensed and bulged, the chief¡¯s did the same. With a final great yank the chief was pulled past the line in the middle. He got up and spit the dust out of his mouth. ¡°Human best Cru, new game.¡± Harlan cleaned up the lines of the ring and both of them got on the feet and knuckles while they faced one another. ¡°Chief have first hit.¡± ¡°Human die if hit.¡± ¡°Human strong.¡± The chief nodded his head, and while supporting himself on one hand he slapped as hard as he could, sending Harlan into a spiral; the chief¡¯s hand stung. He shook off the blow and got back into position, giving the Ogre a slap that left the tribe in shock as their chief¡¯s green skin turned black and blue. They considered it the stupidest display they had ever seen from Harlan as he and the chief spent 15 minutes slapping one another until the chief couldn¡¯t remain on one hand anymore. The Ogres rushed into the circle with tears in their eyes; their wailing forced Amber to put a veil over the three of them. Harlan pushed through the crowd and lifted the chief. The crowd went silent. ¡°PEACE.¡± They went from mourning to cheering so loudly that the group of women had to put up a second, stronger veil. Harlan healed the chief, who had Harlan stand on his hands and lifted him to eye level. ¡°What Human want?¡± ¡°Mammoth make good land, grow many foods.¡± ¡°But Mammoths¡­¡± It hurt Harlan to see the big eyes of the Ogre droop. ¡°The Mammoths cycle.¡± ¡°Mammoth great shepherds of life, Ogre herd bodies of Mammoths, always moving around, part of cycle.¡± ¡°Humans cycle crops, Ogres cycle Mammoths. Chief of village honor Mammoths, clean skull, paint with blood tear. Chief always have place for camp, humans trade food with Ogre¡± ¡°Mammoths shepherd food¡­ part of cycle?¡± The chief found himself deeply confused. To an Ogre, the cycle required constant movement, that they would aid the bound people didn¡¯t make sense, but Harlan¡¯s argument did make sense to him. The dead Mammoths would already die to grow the planets, hence the forest filled with skulls. So the farm didn¡¯t really disrupt the cycle, it just took advantage of it. ¡°Mammoth die in field, make good food, strong plants, part of cycle. Human trade to Ogre, Ogre give food to Mammoth. Cycle¡­ human teach Ogre cycle, smart human, Cru like human, what name?¡± ¡°Little Shadow.¡± ¡°Little Shadow, friend to Cru, always ask Cru if want help.¡± ¡°Little Shadow be friend to Cru. Little Shadow also want Mammoth.¡± The Ogre hugged him and he hugged him back, which was a little awkward due to the size difference. Harlan rode his mammoth back to the village. Back in the village, they sat there at the same table at the same inn, and everyone was looking at Harlan like he was a madman, since he still had nothing but a loincloth and the red triangle painted on his chest. ¡°I guess that it all ended fine. But don¡¯t pull some shit like that again.¡± Amber was¡­ well, she didn¡¯t know how exactly she felt about it. ¡°I make good¡­ I had a good plan, and all of it was based on what I could find in the royal library.¡± ¡°Books on monsters aren¡¯t-¡± ¡°Ogres aren¡¯t monsters. Sure, they aren¡¯t as smart as humans, but I¡¯d still call them people. They live, aging and dying as other prime species do, and if they wanted to settle, I¡¯m sure we could teach them how to be smart.¡± Sam had downed one mug of ale in the 30 seconds they had been seated and was halfway down her second. ¡°My dad said their heads are too weird, their brains¡­ they don¡¯t¡­ they¡¯re pointy, makes them stupid.¡± The sudden rush of alcohol was hitting her hard, drinking wasn¡¯t something she was actually proficient at. ¡°That¡¯s dumb.¡± ¡°FUCK YOU, DON¡¯T CALL MY FATHER DUMB.¡± Liat stopped her from throwing a knife at Harlan. ¡°Sam, why don¡¯t we take you to your room.¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bring your stew up.¡± ¡°I want an extra biscuit.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get you one.¡± ¡°I want Harlan¡¯s biscuit.¡± ¡°You can have my biscuit.¡± ¡°NO. LIAT, TAKE HIS BISCUIT.¡± When the food came Harlan had to feign a loss. Amber and Harlan were just sitting there alone. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t go back to the palace.¡± Harlan put up a veil. ¡°Things are odd there now. Rosewell has everyone tracking someone down, but she refuses to let me help and nobody is talking to me. She won¡¯t even let me go out and fight in battles. Meanwhile David and Parnell are doing gods know what with Nemain. They¡¯ve gotten into some fights, but then they just vanished. I hope they¡¯re alright.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think either of us knows what to do when things are quiet.¡± ¡°Anything you want to talk about?¡± ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m a bit pissed at you. Don¡¯t waste your time with me, see your wife and daughter.¡± ¡°It¡¯s never a waste of time to be with my darling sister. Any interesting stories from out here?¡± ¡°We once got the mission to kill a Living Stomach. The valves on those things only go one way and their armor from the outside is stupidly hard. Sam pulled the short straw and had to jump into the mouth with a vial of poison then crawl out the back.¡± Harlan laughed uncontrollably. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you just attack its soul?¡± ¡°Shit. Don¡¯t tell Sam that we should¡¯ve done that.¡± Amber rapped her fingers on the table as she drank her ale. ¡°Am I pretty?¡± ¡°That is a dangerous question to ask your brother.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t blow me off, I¡¯m serious.¡± ¡°Yes, you are beautiful.¡± ¡°Then why the fuck can¡¯t I find a good man?¡± ¡°Do you want my empty words or my honesty?¡± ¡°You know what I want.¡± ¡°Your standards are too high.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even know what my standards are for a husband.¡± ¡°Let me guess, handsome, not a shit person, around your age, and a mage.¡± ¡°Those aren¡¯t high standards.¡± ¡°How many mages have you met that actually fit those?¡± ¡°Plenty.¡± ¡°And how many of them were either not human, already engaged, or a woman.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure I met a few.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying to lower your standards, but you won¡¯t find a man like that here in The Frontier. Not because people out here are worse, but because there aren¡¯t that many people out here. Go to the cities, put yourself out there.¡± She downed her third mug of ale, her enhanced body made getting drunk harder, but she didn¡¯t have the liver stolen from a frog like Harlan had. ¡°I¡¯m jealous of you and Adina, you fucking prick.¡± ¡°Does it help that she was sent to me by a Fae god and their plan backfired?¡± ¡°No. You and her met on what, the second or third day at the academy? Then you never really needed any other options, because you and her are perfect for each other.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t act like it was easy for us. I had to get past her being from Reino and her looking a little like Ava and-¡± ¡°Wait, can we actually talk about how weird that is?¡± ¡°I¡¯d really rather not.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to, but-¡± A man stepped through the veil and sat at the table. ¡°Let¡¯s play a game.¡± Chapter 285: Nulson Harlan and Amber looked at the man, who had an appearance that didn¡¯t draw the eye towards himself with beauty or deformity. Brown hair, brown eyes, 5¡¯8, simple clothes, a man like any other Harlan had ignored a million times. The only thing odd was that he placed a gun on the table by Harlan. ¡°Before I get up, I think you are going to shoot me in the face. If you shoot me, I¡¯ll spare Sam and Liat.¡± Harlan grabbed the revolver and cocked back the hammer. ¡°I am going to love this. But, if you don¡¯t shoot me, I¡¯m going to detonate the bomb in my body, and kill your sister along with everyone else in this room.¡± The man lifted his shirt, showing surgical wounds. ¡°Sure, the villagers may die, but unless you instantly kill them, it is unlikely that I can¡¯t heal them.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯ll find it very hard to do anything with magic after the bomb goes off.¡° ¡°You are the one who hurt Safira, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You drew that connection to my crystals in an instant. You see, that is what will make our time together so special. You understand how this all works, and you haven¡¯t hesitated once. Now, with what you know, at this range, will your sister survive?¡± ¡°Probably. But the villagers will die.¡± ¡°So, shoot me, your sister loses her companions, don¡¯t shoot me, everyone else in this room dies, and you are gambling with your sister¡¯s life.¡± ¡°If I shoot you, how will you kill Liat and Sam?¡± ¡°When my heart stops, bombs under their beds will activate. You know, your soulsmithing, it is fascinating.¡± ¡°Under the frames or under the mattresses?¡± ¡°Inside the mattresses, so don''t think about opening a gate to redirect the blast.¡± ¡°How are you going to activate the bomb in your stomach?¡± ¡°Just a thought is all it will take.¡± Harlan rapped his fingers on the table. ¡°Amber, what do you think?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t shoot him, take the risk that you can save me and that he is bluffing.¡± ¡°I can tell there is a mana gem instead of his body and his mind is odd. That along with him mentioning crystals specifically, I believe this is the same bomber. How bad do you think your survivors guilt will be if Sam and Liat die tonight.¡± The man started slamming the table with his hands and kicking his feet as he laughed. ¡°Are you considering the villagers at all? Or is this really just your sister or her friends in your math?¡± ¡°Liat is my friend as well. But you are right, I¡¯m not thinking about the villagers at all. It is just Amber or them.¡± ¡°Harlan, you can¡¯t be serious.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡± Harlan leaned closer to her and took the gun off of the man. ¡°You know that I care about you more than just about anything, and by living, more lives will be saved over the course of your life than by these people. It will be a net negative for all of Ragne if you die. But it would only really be a negative for this single village if the other five or six people here die.¡± Harlan handed the revolver to Amber. ¡°If you are certain, then take the gun, and throw it away.¡± The man couldn¡¯t take his eyes off of the gun as Amber held it in her hands, hesitating to toss it away. She knew that Safira almost died, and she had royal guard armor. So close to the bomb, could she be sure of her survival? Harlan knew that the man would be entirely unable to look away from the gun, because it was the source of great joy for him, and because it is what he would do. Thus, he failed to notice Harlan shift his hands into claws. Harlan cut cleanly through the man¡¯s chest and out the other side, he had a gem in his hand. The man seemed shocked, but he was still able to speak. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ cheating.¡± ¡°Amber, get Sam and Liat, they''re both awake still in Sam¡¯s room. You, I¡¯m not going to give you such an easy way out.¡± He dropped the veil. ¡°EVERYONE OUT, THERE IS A BOMB.¡± It wasn¡¯t late enough in the evening for them to drunkenly stumble out, so they ran out normally. Harlan opened a gate and held the man through it. If he still managed to explode, then Harlan would take the brunt of it, but he had more bodies than just this one. All he needed to do was keep the man¡¯s heart beating, and no matter how much agony it caused him. ¡°Ah, I should¡¯ve expected this. Next time I¡¯ll make it so taking the gem out triggers the bomb.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see how there will be a next time.¡± ¡°See you soon.¡± Harlan felt something change in the man¡¯s mind, like he died and it faded away, no, it was more like a parasite had entirely enveloped the man and now fled. Harlan tried to catch it, but he had only one hand to cast spells and his magic related to the subject wasn¡¯t meant to trap, but rather to help Dawn. The man with Harlan¡¯s arm through his chest, but avoiding any major organs as best he could, began to scream. Harlan called Rosewell. Now that he was sure that he had only been a shell for that ghost, he decided that he should save the man. ¡°I have a man with a bomb in his stomach like Safira was hit with, and there are two more bombs in this inn.¡± ¡°Is he still there?¡± ¡°No. Why do you have a ghost problem?¡± ¡°Are the bombs active?¡± ¡°I have my hand through a man, and if his heart stops, the bombs will explode.¡± Harlan saw Amber go out the front door, Liat had Sam over her shoulders. ¡°Amber just left, the building is clear.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sending people to keep that man alive and get the other bombs.¡± ¡°I would caution against moving them very far. If they work like the blood crystals I use in the Reinoan communication boxes then the range should be very far, but if they work though some other method and there is a limited range, moving them would probably break the link and set them off.¡± ¡°I will make sure to warn them of that.¡± The scientists, or whatever they were, arrived in bulky sets of armor. If the issue was that the crystals would pierce armor and make it so they couldn¡¯t be removed by way of them being turned to liquid, then the easiest answer was to just make thicker armor so the inside would still shift since the crystals had limited range and penetration. Harlan explained everything as best as he could, and one of them grabbed the gem from Harlan¡¯s claws. He had put the man to sleep, since it might not be his fault, there was no need for him to suffer any longer. Then as soon as Harlan¡¯s arm was out of the man, the men in their strange suits told him he had to leave. Harlan took Amber, along with Sam and Liat, back to the palace. ¡°You three, go to my room. I¡¯m going to see Rosewell.¡± He made the short walk to the office near the throne room, his arm still covered in dry blood past the elbow. Yet the guards outside denied him entry. ¡°Queen Yggdra is not accepting visitors at the moment.¡± ¡°Are we really going to do this now?¡± Safira stepped through the door. ¡°No, you are doing nothing but going back to your room and getting cleaned. When we need-¡± ¡°Shut the fuck up.¡± ¡°You will mind your tone with me.¡± ¡°When it was some nebulous threat, I bit my tongue and accepted it. Now some ghost has just threatened my sister and my friend with the same bombs that nearly kill you. Either I get some answers or I leave.¡± Safira sighed and went back into the office, opening it after a few minutes and waving him inside. Rosewell was unhappy, not just with Harlan, but with herself. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you let him get away.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me that bullshit. If I had any idea what I was dealing with I might¡¯ve at least had a chance, but no, you decided that I should be in the dark for some fucking reason.¡± Safira backhanded Harlan, sending him to the floor. ¡°You will remember, she is your queen.¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Harlan swallowed the blood in his mouth. ¡°That is enough. Harlan, I kept you out of this for your own safety, not because I don¡¯t trust you. But, now that we are past that, and he targeted you despite my attempts to keep him away, we may speak about who we are dealing with.¡± ¡°What do you mean, for my own safety?¡± ¡°Nulson Harbinger. He was an assassin for my father, but, his personality could not be ignored. It was not because he was an evil man that he had to be killed, it was that he was an evil man without the sense to know where the lines were drawn. I was 15 when he first approached me, and I thought nothing of it at the time, but my father saw what he was doing, and warned him. Nulson waited, perhaps trying to make my father think that he listened, but when the time came for him to enact his plan to take me against my will, he fell into a trap, and was put to death. We assumed that would be the end of it, and until you showed me that memory, I believed it was. Right now we believe he is a revenant, a particularly powerful one, one that is unbound for any object, and can take the bodies of the weak minded.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t really answer the question.¡± ¡°Nulson likes games. He will push every limit, every button, until you snap. I hoped, foolish as I was, that if I prevented the two of you from ever meeting, by preventing you from being involved in finding out how to kill him, that the worse would not come to pass. Now he has started his game, and you gave him a good showing, you beat him, outwitted him, and he got away because I was so stupid that I thought I could control this.¡± ¡°Why Balor? Why bring him in first?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been soft lately, I couldn¡¯t risk that, because Nulson gathers information on his targets, and he knows your weak points, because you made them all clear through your sordid history. Balor is a private man, with a certain amount of moral flexibility, Nulson simply has less means to attack.¡± Rosewell explained more of the man, methods of assassination he favored, anyone who might be a possible ally to him, theories on where he could¡¯ve been for the last 8 years. Poisons were never his favorite, but when he did employ them, they were always something he brewed himself, and they were always unlike anything seen before or since. A concoction that was undetectable, and only targeted people with certain hair colors. A poison that would make the blood of anyone water aligned freeze, cutting them to shreds from the inside out in a bloody display. Bombs, bombs were what he liked most. Not because they were almost guaranteed to kill, or because they could be set ahead of time. No, Nulson liked bombs because they caused panic, fear, and they had as much collateral damage as he made them to have. A game he liked was to see if he could make bombs that only killed his target. Directed blasts, elemental magic, gravity bombs, implosions. He had tried just about anything one could think of. But, sometimes things needed to be quiet, they needed to be accidents, will of the gods, old age. A noble puts on his favorite jacket, and within the hour a faint powder makes him sick, and his heart stops moments after he realizes something is wrong, and it was too late to see a doctor. A merchant grabs his pen and the spring mechanism breaks, shooting a piece of metal through his eye and into his brain. He loved nothing but his work, so he poured everything he had into getting the job done. The more Harlan heard, the more worried he became. ¡°Do you think that he understood that you wouldn¡¯t tell me?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know him all that well when he was alive, and I can¡¯t imagine how much more dangerous he has become in these last eight years. If his coming back is recent, such as him failing to coalesce into a proper spirit for some time, then that is the best case. Otherwise, perhaps he has spent the better part of a decade as other people, setting up a series of events to get what he wants.¡± ¡°Does he want you dead, or alive?¡± ¡°I imagine he doesn¡¯t care, he¡¯ll do what he wants with my body either way.¡± ¡°Does Sepul know? I mean, he has hunted many spirits over the years I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve consulted him, but according to what he knows, Nulson is breaking the rules of what a Revenant can do.¡± ¡°When I first met him he told me that spirits couldn¡¯t bind themselves to people, which might still be true.¡± ¡°In what way?¡± ¡°Dawn was technically a Ghost in my body for well over a decade, but she wasn¡¯t naturally occurring, she was the result of my infant desire to have my mother hold me. I need to speak with Nil, find out exactly what happened, what Nulson said before he died. Was there an autopsy? Any way to see marks on his body at his time of death?¡± ¡°He was stabbed through the heart, decapitated, and then his body was reduced to ash by fire.¡± ¡°Do you have the ashes?¡± ¡°Harlan, in simple terms, what are you thinking?¡± ¡°Long story short, if he is as smart and¡­ forward thinking, as he seems to be, he may have known he was walking into a trap, and he wanted to see if he could become a ghost.¡± ¡°That¡¯s insane.¡± ¡°Page six of that file you showed me says that he would taste each poison he made in small doses just to know what it was like, and this nearly killed him 60 times. How much more insane is this?¡± ¡°Safira, tell House Harbinger that Harlan and I are coming over.¡± They went through the wrought iron gates of the Castle Harbinger, their ancestral home, and were greeted by Nil and Voi, who knelt before her. ¡°Your majesty, what may your servant offer to you?¡± ¡°This is about Nulson, we need to talk privately.¡± Nil flinched at the mention of the name; Voi seemed puzzled. The four of them, flanked on all sides by royal guards, went to the most secure area in the Harbinger mansion, the catacombs. Harlan could feel them, spirits infested the area. ¡°Your majesty, what is this visit about?¡± ¡°We need to see Nulson¡¯s ashes.¡± ¡°Of course, they are in the hall of shame.¡± As they walked, Harlan began his questions. ¡°Nulson, are these spirits I feel intentional? Or are your family just ones who often have feelings that make them linger after death.¡± ¡°How¡­ no, I suppose you would be able to sense them. Your majesty, shall I speak of my family bloodline ability?¡± ¡°You are cleared to speak with Harlan on the subject within my presence.¡± ¡°Very well. Ix had the ability of astral projection, to separate his body from his soul and then scout an area. We can¡¯t do such a thing, that power was granted by the Fae gods of Reino and died with him, but what we got was a certain looseness of the soul. We¡¯ve long been able to achieve a state not unlike his, but with a far shorter range, using ritual magic. I admit, when I first met you, I wondered if there was some relation between us due to your features and your penchant for soul magic.¡± ¡°And your family has been behind past advancements in soul magic, am I right?¡± ¡°Nothing like what you did, but yes, we have at least been involved in many attempts at better researching souls. The old golems, made from the petrified bodies of Trolls, came from this research.¡± ¡°And how does that work exactly?¡± ¡°Trolls naturally have very tight souls which can remain for hours after their bodies are entirely dead. By carving the right symbols into their bones and organs before we petrify them, the soul stays, but the mind goes. This shell of a being then needs to be taught to follow basic commands. They were expensive, stupid, but also strong. Now they are just oddities, something of a status symbol.¡± ¡°Were there any Troll golems there when you killed Nulson?¡± ¡°Yes, but two souls couldn¡¯t be in the same body.¡± ¡°My birth mother, Dawn, lived in my body for over a decade as a mind, she had no soul of her own. If your family¡¯s looseness of the soul includes the mind, and Nulson found this out, I can see how he might¡¯ve intentionally detached his mind from his body during his death and moved into a troll. It would also explain his ability to possess people. As you said, two souls cannot exist in a body, otherwise you end up with orc-like beings, but two minds? I am living proof that there are¡­ minor, issues with such a thing.¡± They entered the hall where the ashes of the Harbingers went. They always tried to recover the bodies of their family and put them in large stone coffins, of which Harlan passed many on his way here, and the catacombs were massive, extending beyond the basement of the house and nearly to the outer walls of the castle. To be cremated was an insult reserved for those who broke the code of the Harbingers. Nil blew away the dust on the nameplates, searching for Nulson¡¯s urn. ¡°Ah, here we-¡± Harlan pulled Nil back before he laid hands on it. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Look at the plate where the urn is placed.¡± Each had a small platform that raised it above the flat shelf with arms and kept the urn from falling in the case of an earthquake. When Nil blew away the dust, Harlan noticed a gap between the shelf and the platform, a pressure plate. ¡°How?¡± ¡°He¡¯s been here. I¡¯m guessing his ashes are gone and there is another bomb in there.¡± ¡°Queen Yggdra, please stay outside while we disarm this.¡± ¡°No. Harlan, shift the stone to keep the plate from moving then examine the urn.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Harlan did as she said, but not before also using a bit of delver magic to look through the stone and understand the mechanism. There was nothing special about it, if the urn was removed the plate would move up, and this would make a wire snap, then a striking arm which would ignite something inside the bottom of the urn. The Harbingers, Rosewell, and the two royal guards who were there, Safira and one who Harlan had seen around but never asked the name of, all stood behind a stone wall that entirely blocked them from Harlan. The area Harlan was in was entirely free of air aside from what Harlan was adding to his blood with magic, so long as he was there, the bomb had no way to light a spark. He wiggled his fingers, taking a deep breath before he lifted the lid. Inside was not a bomb, but rather, a note and a small amount of some alchemical liquid.. If the arm had struck the bottom of the urn, the note would¡¯ve been ruined. Harlan broke down the second wall, which he put up to seal himself off completely before removing the air from the impromptu room, and then he knocked on the one where everyone else was standing. ¡°There is something in the bottom of the urn.¡± Nil stuck his finger into the oil, rubbing his index and thumb for a few rotations, smelled it, and then licked it. ¡°This is an oil synthesized from Skinwalker flesh. If it had burned then we couldn¡¯t reform the note due to the Skinwalker¡¯s metamorphic properties.¡± The note itself, despite sitting in the oil, had been laminated in a fashion so as to make it clean when removed; on it was a variety of symbols. ¡°I¡¯m not a cipher cracker, I assume House Harbinger can handle this?¡± ¡°We can, hopefully. Your majesty, I hope that we may borrow Dahlia for this?¡± ¡°I will send her over shortly.¡± When Harlan returned to the palace, Rosewell asked him into a private room, just the two of them. ¡°This is why I didn¡¯t want you involved.¡± ¡°What? I found out his possible method of remaining as a spirit, I found that pressure plate and saved the note, and now we¡¯ve gotten an actual hint from him.¡± ¡°You were smiling.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The others were too focused on the note, but I was watching you. You are enjoying this game, the cat and mouse, tricks and traps, souls and spirits. I knew that you would do this.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t-¡± ¡°You know what his mind is like now, you can find him if you ever meet again, but I don¡¯t want you taking part in anything more.¡± ¡°That is such bullshit, I can help, I¡¯ve already helped, and all I had to do was look at his file. If you-¡± ¡°No. I will not put you and your family in danger by letting you and him escalate this game against one another. Tell me, could he control himself around you? How did he act?¡± Harlan had to admit, Nulson really did have a manic amount of fun during their short encounter. ¡°I won¡¯t go out, but please, just bring me notes, ask for my view on what he might do.¡± ¡°I will make that judgment on a case by case basis. Get that castle of yours built enough that your family can move, then I want them out of the palace along with my siblings.¡± ¡°Why them?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to cut down the number of servants in the castle to only the bare minimum required for upkeep. I want you to personally vet every butler and maid that my siblings bring along with them, and I want you to keep them under control. Regardless of what they say, do not let them out of your control.¡± ¡°How harsh can I be?¡± ¡°They can either stay in the castle or they can go out into the streets with nothing. If I die, then Alder will take my place, but don¡¯t say that to him. I won¡¯t have the royal bloodline end with me.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯d like House Greatwall to overlook my blueprints for a final pass and I need to source some materials from them. I had contacted them before, yet they were less than happy with me not wanting any of their workers on site, and they¡¯ve been telling me they¡¯ll get back to me for days now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make them help and cover some of your costs. How long before you can be gone?¡± ¡°Furniture will take a month, but if I call in some¡­ extra help, and stick to minimum viability first, then two weeks.¡± ¡°You hesitated, I need to know who your help is.¡±
Harlan had to go back to the village to pick up his mammoth; he named her Mu. Chapter 286: Castle Making Harlan hummed as he walked through the gate back to the Sectlands. The details of the visit were kept brief, as Emilee wasn¡¯t allowed to say much. He was brought to a large temple and aviary in a carriage drawn by Oxen. ¡°Fitting for a group named after a bird.¡± Emilee spoke in a hushed tone. ¡°Please stay quiet until you reach Grandmaster Crane.¡± The grandmaster was an older man with a long full beard and long white hair, both well groomed and braided in such a way to appear feathered; a dyed streak down the center gave an appearance of a beak. His robe, unlike the wives and husbands of the sect, was not fine silk, and rather he wore only a simple gi like a student, but with a cloak made from the feathers of a crane. Harlan could only think of the cloaks of twigs and leaves soldiers would sometimes employ as camouflage. He waved Harlan over to the center of the dark room lit only by candles around the edges of it and one in the center of the table between them. In the back was a giant bronze statue of a crane. Harlan sat on his knees as was standard for these people. ¡°My student tells me that you have come with threats.¡± ¡°That is a misunderstanding of what I said, and I did clarify that I didn¡¯t want to turn to threats. She brought you the charter, yes?¡± ¡°I have read this.¡± The grandmaster then burned it. ¡°If you wish to change the Sectlands, you must be a grandmaster. The people here would not follow you even should you slaughter them down to our last.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill anyone if it can be avoided.¡± ¡°I do not disagree with these requests of yours, and my sect may adopt these policies should you find the alleged imposter and you provide open trade between us. But we cannot be forced to change by an outsider.¡± ¡°Then you expect me to set up a sect?¡± ¡°This is what I expect. I offer one section to you, build a temple in the south, beyond my land, and begin to train your students. But, you will be required to form a ki technique that is unlike the others.¡± He raised his hand and another woman came by with a scroll, detailing the other four sects in power at the moment. The Carp, who through meditation would turn dark of skin and hard of flesh, achieving scale like defense. The Snake, whose bones seemed to be more an idea than a part of them. The Mouse, who one could look at and yet not see. The Crane, who could stand on air and strike from a range or dive from above. And lastly, the Phoenix, whose bodies burned with heat, and were it not for their advanced healing techniques, they would be unable to maintain the intense power that they held. Harlan looked at these things and figured out fairly quickly how they worked. ¡°Fire imbibing, probably light too for the Phoenixes. Mouse is probably using dark imbibing and some other techniques. Snakes are water. Carps use earth, which is ironic, since they chose a fish.¡± ¡°Do not presume to know the power of the sects.¡± Harlan rolled up his sleeve, and his skin turned black as wrought iron, then he made it a feverish red with fire imbibing, followed by the double jointed movement granted by water. ¡°I can figure out something for my Sect of the Dragon then.¡± The old man scoffed. ¡°To take the name of a great beast will only invite great expectations.¡± ¡°Then I will match them. I¡¯ve already had my people check out the cities here, and the sects. There aren¡¯t enough issues I have with how you people run things that I think that violence is needed, so I will wait until the sect tournament, become a member of your society, and then change things as needed.¡± ¡°Pride has been the undoing of many men.¡± ¡°And a dragon is defined in part by that part of them, wyverns with their territorial nature, drakes with their stubborn refusal to move out of the way of anything. Wyrms and Wurms are no different from their kin.¡± ¡°The freedom of flight does grant a certain feeling in people, and in beasts.¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± It took a few weeks to get the walls built, since there were requirements in how they were constructed so they matched each other set of walls. Not that Harlan was there for any of it. He left an Other in charge of running his sect. The only real thing he did was create the technique that would be for the sect. A simple combination of earth and fire imbibing would make his body hard like scales, and also hot. Then a ki, or rather, an aura technique focused on the throat would let them vent the heat by shooting it out, solving the issue of how to safely use fire imbibing along with earth for an extended period of time. The worry for Harlan was if he could teach students to do this in the two years he had before the next tournament. But if not, then it would only be another two years before the next one. What Harlan instead focused on was simply making sure that the stripe that should be under his control remained like that, and of course, he needed to make a weapon fitting for the king of Goliaths. A few revolts were put down by the marshalls, and the blade he gave Romulus was a single edged machete, with the explanation he gave was that it was a tool, but in times of combat, would work to hack off limbs; it was made from his bones; he forgot how much it hurt. So, when his better half called for help, he relished the chance. He was¡­ less thrilled when he heard that he wanted help building a castle. ¡°What happened to the house that was here?¡± ¡°How did you know about it? I started repairing that after Haldren.¡± ¡°It was mentioned to me by Xol during training.¡± ¡°Oh. Xol is training you?¡± ¡°My question.¡± ¡°It was burned down. Adina has been taking it kinda rough.¡± ¡°I resent you. Not because you have Adina, but because you are so weak.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I have spent the better half of an entire year fighting, killing, always growing stronger. You¡¯ve grown soft, the gap between us has grown vast because of what I¡¯ve had to do.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make it sounds like I¡¯ve done nothing with my time. The war has grown worse, but Rosewell won¡¯t let me get out there.¡± ¡°Why would she deny you?¡± ¡°Because a ghost is haunting her and she¡¯s worried that I¡¯ll have fun going against him. That and our morals mean he can use others against me.¡± ¡°Our morals? Or yours? I¡¯ve changed in more than just power-¡± A block slipped, the giant white stone with stonesteel rebar fell 80 feet, and while the Harlan jumped out of the way, King Fomoria challenged the block, using aura technique along with imbibing and telekinesis to safely grab the block and redirect the force into the ground, making a crater instead of burying him. ¡°Are you alright?¡± King Fomoria passed the block off to one of the construction golems he brought with him. ¡°As I was saying, I¡¯ve changed in more than just power. If she would be willing to accept it, I may have a man devoid of morals who I could lend her to handle this ghost.¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Harlan called Rosewell, who was annoyed that Harlan kept bothering her, but she then became interested in this man beyond the veil, this unknown killer under King Fomoria¡¯s command. She was less happy when D¡¯if couldn¡¯t stop staring at her breasts. Harlan kicked him in the back of the knee. ¡°My king, you never said she was such a beautiful young woman.¡± ¡°You intend to give me a lecher?¡± ¡°The way Harlan explained it, you need a bastard who would do anything it takes to get your ghost. Put D¡¯if under Balor or Dahlia, and he¡¯d do anything you asked without question.¡± ¡°Harlan¡­ King Fomoria, you¡¯ve not given me a reason why I should accept this man.¡± ¡°D¡¯if, you may list three crimes, and I¡¯ll pardon you for them.¡± ¡°I poisoned a village water supply, killing everyone. Killed some bastards still in the crib. And¡­ I think you wouldn¡¯t pardon me for what I did to one woman under orders.¡± Harlan gave a kidney punch. ¡°Fuck.¡± ¡°You are now pardoned, but you¡¯re right, if you actually explained, I¡¯d probably kill you. Yggdra, I think he could be helpful, he has almost a century of experience as a spy and assassin.¡± ¡°Do his people age slowly?¡± ¡°No, he was elderly when I found him, and I made him young again.¡± Rosewell tapped on her throne. ¡°Fine, but don¡¯t you need him if he is your spymaster?¡± ¡°I have dozens of him. Though it will be a shame when they die of old age.¡± ¡°What exactly do you mean by that?¡± ¡°In Ragne, making copies of yourself or others my splitting the soul is a crime punishable by death, it isn¡¯t in my country. Not that anyone else could do it but me. I¡¯ve got dozens of other me¡¯s running around out there as well to run my country.¡± They spoke a little more about his country, and of D¡¯if, then Harlan left. But, outside, his father was waiting for him. ¡°You got big.¡± Harlan averted his eyes. ¡°Come, let¡¯s get some tea, your mother is waiting.¡± Harlow hadn¡¯t been strong enough to pull Harlan anywhere since he was 13 or so, but Harlan never had the strength to stop his father. He looked at everything around him. His time outside the veil distorted his view on how big there should be. Even the Faun, the closest to humans outside of actual humans, were taller on average. The cup in his hand looked like it was made for a child, and he towered over everyone. He downed the tea in a single gulp. ¡°This place isn¡¯t for me anymore. I do not belong inside the veil any longer.¡± ¡°Come on, can¡¯t you just stay? Talk with your parents? How are things out there?¡± ¡°Brutal, that is the single word that has most represented my time. I have killed hundreds of thousands, I have conquered cities, freed slaves. I have seen people sold like cattle, openly murdered in the streets while onlookers do nothing. I can hardly even imagine anything but that place anymore.¡± ¡°You can come back now, I don¡¯t think your father and I would have any problem with having another son.¡± ¡°No. I can¡¯t come back.¡± ¡°No matter what you¡¯ve done, we can-¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t it. I¡¯m not guilty over all the people I¡¯ve killed. I can¡¯t come back because I have people out there who count on my brutality.¡± Harlan had a smile on his face. ¡°Yes, slavers and tyrants. I will kill millions more, and I don¡¯t mind this.¡± ¡°Honey, I don¡¯t-¡± ¡°Ada, dear, he¡¯s made his choice.¡± His father put his hand on Harlan¡¯s arm, he was too tall for him to reach his shoulder. ¡°Harlan. I can¡¯t understand you, never have, never will, either of you I guess. But, no matter how you are saying it, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re doing the right thing, and I won¡¯t fault you for that. Do you have a girl out there?¡± Harlan explained everything, meeting Darrath, Viviane, her death, Mercedes. It was¡­ a lot for his parents to take in. Harlan lifted the pot, finding it empty. ¡°I guess we need more tea.¡± His parents were still in shocked disbelief. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t mean for you to take this the wrong way, but I think your mother and I have heard enough for today.¡± ¡°I understand. A lot has happened.¡± Ava stepped into the tearoom and immediately drew her sword on him. ¡°Who the hell is that?¡± ¡°Ah. I can see Harlan didn¡¯t explain my presence to everyone. Lugh, Ava, it has been some time.¡± Harlan¡¯s body had changed, but his voice was almost the same, only slightly deeper. ¡°Why are you in that weird form?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not your Harlan, or, I was. Call me King Fomoria.¡± Ava immediately became anxious. ¡°Don¡¯t make jokes like that, things are already tense enough with all the noblists.¡± ¡°No, I mean that I am literally not the Harlan you know.¡± She looked to her parents who then explained what he meant. Ava was left stunned that her parents seemed to understand what happened, since normally when Harlan began talking about magic they were the ones left confused. Their words about wanting to go to the academy and all of their time learning magic weren¡¯t empty, they wanted to learn to be closer to their children, and they never stopped. ¡°So this¡­ this Harlan was split off from Harlan, and he¡¯s been living outside of the veil for almost a year?¡± ¡°Yes, nothing too hard to understand.¡± ¡°And Nemain did this?¡± ¡°I suppose so. It could¡¯ve been an accident on her part, but I very much doubt it considering the consequences of this. Is Amber around? What about Autumn? How are the twins?¡± ¡°They¡¯re fine, everyone is fine, other than Amber. She¡¯s not happy that she¡¯s being told to stay here again. Something about a bomb, Liat and Sam almost died.¡± Harlan crushed the cup of hot tea in his hands. ¡°Oh, sorry about that. Who is Sam? Amber¡¯s boyfriend? Liat¡¯s?¡± ¡°Sam is a girl, she was part of Amber¡¯s squad in her training camp, now she and Liat are part of Amber¡¯s group out in the frontier just helping people and going on adventures.¡± ¡°What are you doing? Still working with Breken?¡± ¡°I would be if I was allowed to leave the palace. After the academy got attacked we got forced in here for our safety.¡± ¡°On the note of safety, I should really head back for just a minute, since communicators can¡¯t pierce the veil. But I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Harlan almost hoped that something was happening, but no, other than King Velvet and Mercedes talking with one another, everything was running smoothly. It was why he split himself so much, but part of that also meant that each and every Harlan was bored. Other than the one researching Eolgi, that Harlan was always happy to be with his monsters. When he came back, he found Adina was waiting there in the tearoom with Viviane. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like being ambushed.¡± ¡°I just thought you might want to meet Viviane. She can-¡± ¡°No. I will be blunt here, seeing her, seeing you, it is painful for me. Perhaps when I find a woman who I want to marry out there I can face you, but I won¡¯t speak with you until then unless you are in danger and require my presence.¡± ¡°Please, I just want you to-¡± ¡°I am past you, but I cannot ever stop loving you, and I love your daughter, because she is what I should¡¯ve had. There is simply nothing to be done by you, I must do this on my own.¡± Harlan opened a void gate, and while Adina tried to call to him, to make him wait, he stepped through anyway. Seeing her again stirred him up inside. He wanted to do something to get his mind off of her, visit a brothel, drink gallons of whisky, kill something. But no, these would do nothing. He and Mercedes separated on good terms, but he could feel it, some tinge of anger in her, regret in him. She was still in with Velvet, and Harlan did wonder what they were speaking about. They went silent when Harlan entered the room, then resumed in an awkward and clearly not what they were talking about before manner. ¡°So we¡¯ll get three new beds for-¡± Harlan stepped back out. He didn¡¯t know what they were doing, and it probably didn¡¯t matter. So he decided to take a nice hot bath. Harlan was almost ready to sleep in the hot water, but he really wasn¡¯t that tired, since he¡¯d only been up for a few days since his last rest. But still, he had relaxed enough to not realize someone slipping into the water; Harlan jolted awake to find King Velvet had entered the bath. ¡°Oh, this is nice, no wonder those Dague always have such nice skin. Maybe I should put these around Velvet?¡± ¡°Did you come here just for a bath?¡± Velvet got closer to Harlan. ¡°Can¡¯t I just want to, harden our bonds?¡± ¡°That was a bit limp. You should put down a few strokes on paper to freshen your mind.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you are so confident, most men get all out of shape when I start talking. But you and I, we can go back and forth all day.¡± ¡°That one was better. A sign of trust with the Dague is to wash the back of another. I wouldn¡¯t invite any of the kings or queens of conquered cities and nations into my bath, but, as you are here, would you wash my back, and I yours?¡± Velvet furrowed his brows, Harlan¡¯s trust of him seemed to come from nowhere, but he did as offered. When it was time for Harlan to return the favor, he decided to push things a little further. ¡°As we have shown trust with one another, is there anything you want to admit?¡± ¡°Oh? Is that an offer? Well, I must say, I am interested, are you proportional? Or are you just human sized like the Goliath?¡± ¡°Why do you put up the facade of a gay man?¡± ¡°Now why would I do such a thing? It would be silly to-¡± ¡°I won¡¯t reveal it, and if you don¡¯t want to explain, I don¡¯t push it. I was simply curious why.¡± Velvet casual and flirty demeanor was gone, his high and feminine voice gave way to his real tone. ¡°If you need furniture, come to me, but let¡¯s not have this go further than it has already.¡± ¡°I do know someone who may want some high quality furniture.¡± ¡°Really? Who?¡± ¡°The Fae god Nemain cast some magic on my soul that made an exact copy of me without the restrictions of my Others, so inside the veil is another me. He¡¯s building a castle right now, I¡¯m letting him use a lot of my construction golems since he hasn¡¯t had a reason or the flesh resources to actually make hundreds of them.¡± ¡°Huh. Well, I¡¯d need to see the rooms, figure out what his aesthetics will be, but I¡¯ll give a good price on them.¡± Harlan put his hand out for a shake, and Velvet accepted. ¡°You seem like a good guy.¡± ¡°You as well, King Fomoria.¡± They sat there in an awkward silence; Velvet got up from the water and left.
The Darkness finally got her judgment, she would return home. Chapter 287: Mother of Tochter Harlan decided to handle one of the rulers who failed to live up to his charter due to an unwillingness to change on his own rather than the marshall who was assigned to the city. ¡°King Fomoria to what do I-¡± ¡°Defenestration.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The act of throwing one from a window.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you-¡± ¡°Did you think that my men wouldn¡¯t find out what you are doing? That the faction against my charter which has slowed your adoption was being led by you the entire time?¡± The man tried to flee and his knights stepped forward, but Harlan killed them with simple jabs that sent the mush which was once their heads flying across the room and caught up to him. He tried to stab Harlan with a dagger, and so Harlan twisted his hand off before throwing him from the window. When he saw that the man had survived the fall, Harlan picked up the throne and tossed it down. ¡°You.¡± The advisor who had froze when the fighting started, if it could even be called a fight, was standing where the throne was; it was an execution; the blood of the knights was on her face. ¡°You are the new queen. My marshall will be watching you.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t-¡± ¡°I only ask that you make a genuine effort, if you can accomplish that, then you may step down when a replacement is found.¡± ¡°But-¡± Harlan gave the young woman a gentle smile and put his bloody hand on her shoulder. ¡°I believe in you.¡± The woman only became more confused, but she bowed still, and Harlan left. Back home, he found a letter for him, and by the number on it, this was the 5th attempt at sending it. So Harlan went to Elk. ¡°Harlan! To what do I owe the pleasure?¡± She ran up and hugged him. He had to admit, it warmed his heart to see how well Elk and Ox had adapted to their life in the city, and how thankful she was for him. ¡°I got a letter, a Mother of Tochter is coming to-¡± Her blood ran cold and she ran into her room to start panicking as she packed. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going, I can¡¯t, I¡¯ll run, she¡¯ll be angry with you if I stay.¡± As she hesitated to pack a dress she bought but never took the time to wear because she spent so much of her days and nights working, she started to cry heavily. Harlan put his hand on her¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you go, and I¡¯m not letting her take you.¡± Elk buried her face, covered in snot and tears, in Harlan¡¯s chest. ¡°You really are too emotional.¡± ¡°Elk¡¯s are like this.¡± ¡°I was just wanting to ask if you had any insight on the Mother Lioness.¡± Elk gulped. ¡°You are sure?¡± ¡°That is what the letter said. On the 10th month of the year on the 24 day, Mother Lioness shall visit the nation of Fomoria for peaceful communication. Why do they call her Lioness by the way? Since before-¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never met a Mother, but they are the perfect culminations of the genes that make us. Lion was far from the best of us, I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not the best of us¡­¡± Harlan crouched down to eye level with her. ¡°Yet you had the heart to know right from wrong, that is worth something that can¡¯t be quantified in simple strength.¡± His words relit the fire in her heart. ¡°Mother Lioness is a military leader, the title of Mother is only for the best of a generation in both martial skills and intelligence. If she is coming here, it is either to fight, or because she wants your soulsmithing to bolster the armies of Tochter.¡± ¡°I will prepare for the former, and hope for the latter. Do you know anything else?¡± Elk seemed embarrassed. ¡°No.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. How have things been with Rekur?¡± Harlan didn¡¯t need to spend any more time with Elk, but she calmed his heart. He hoped that Viviane could grow up into a fine young woman like her. The thought of the daughter he didn¡¯t have, the son he sent away, these things only grew more prominent in his mind as he spent time with her. What started as a benefit for his mind quickly took a turn for the worse, and he looked for the right time to break away from her. Harlan prepared his defenses, unfortunately not having time to finish his other project as a result, and eventually the day came, Mother Lioness had come. She wore armor not unlike the Lions, but she wore a jacket with a fur collar and lacked the mane on her helmet, instead it had a crown like design with five spikes that flared like spearheads as they rose. Her companions, who wore armors almost like the ones Harlan saw before on Lion¡¯s team, but with gilding on the helmets, were asked to remain outside while Harlan met her alone in his office. She bowed to him, showing deference, and he asked her to sit. ¡°King Fomoria, I would like to apologize for the actions of my daughters, Pride is an unfortunate part of the Lion soldiers.¡± Harlan chuckled. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Pride is part of your Lions, a group of Lions is a Pride.¡± ¡°Oh? Yes, that is quite humorous.¡± She started to lightly laugh, but then it grew in intensity for the course of a minute, until she had tears his her eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t hear many jokes, do you?¡± ¡°No, war has a way of stamping that out.¡± She unwrapped a sword, one of the ones which was given to Lion to bring back to Tochter. ¡°I come here to purchase more of these, along with armor, and whatever other weapons you may have. And I would like to commission specific weapons and armor for my sisters.¡± ¡°I am honored that you would ask for such a thing. But I do have a condition.¡± Harlan placed the charter between them. Lioness was rather conflicted when she was done reading it. ¡°It would be painful if my daughters were to leave, but if your weapons can boost our power, then we can make up the difference. I will ask for at least the six months you outlined in this charter to implement this.¡± ¡°That is fine. In those six months, the weapons I supply will hopefully turn the tide more in your favor, and letting citizens of Tochter leave if they wish can be implemented then. Though, in all honesty, I don¡¯t imagine it would be an issue for you anyway, since you are surrounded by enemies on all sides, and your daughters wouldn¡¯t have a safe place to go unless they crossed all the way over to here.¡± ¡°How long will it take to make 600,000 swords, not unlike this one? And the same number for spears, bows, karambits, and hammers, then of course we¡¯ll need the same number of armors for each line. Shields as well for my Oxen.¡± ¡°50,000 by the end of the week, I have been preparing for this since I got the letter. From then, I imagine I can produce another 50,000 every other week. But, the armor will naturally take more time, so I can only promise 10,000 of those per week for the foreseeable future. Here is a list of spells that are applicable for each piece of equipment, on the right is the total capacity for each item, and each spell is marked with a number. You can add as many spells as you like so long as you do not use more than the total capacity for an item, and I am willing to teach you how to add spells. I recommend leaving some extra space on each item, since I will not be teaching you how to remove the spells.¡± ¡°Perhaps I will need to stay here longer than expected.¡± ¡°If you would like to camp outside, I can provide an area for that. If you wish to stay in the city, you may choose any hotel or apartment that is not yet occupied, and I will cover the costs for it, or, you may stay in my home.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ for now, I believe we will find a hotel, not because-¡± ¡°I understand. I am not yet really an ally, so it is safer for you to not remain in my home.¡± ¡°Thank you. May I take this paper?¡± ¡°You may, and I assume you gave an amulet to each of your sisters then so you can decide on the spells along with them?¡± ¡°I have, and I will. Thank you for your time.¡± Two days later, Lioness returned, but not just with her finalized list of spells and equipment. ¡°King Fomoria, I apologize if I am too forward, but¡­ may we spar?¡± ¡°We may. Would you mind a small audience?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather this remain private, but, if you would like, then a few of your people may attend.¡± Harlan brought Elk, Ox, Mercedes, D¡¯if, and Larenzac, while Lioness brought her team. They didn¡¯t bother with training weapons, anything mundane would just fall apart after a few clashes. Harlan had forged another one of his femur blades, but what he found was that if he made it under the effect of his sigil, the extra mass and sharpness just faded away. But, because the blade was connected to him, if he pulled the sigil back in while he held the blade, the extra power would return to it. He took a deep breath and started slowly, without his sigil. Everyone could follow along for a while, but when Lioness started to push back and speed up, the two people turned into a blur. Sparks started to fly, causing D¡¯if to guard Mercedes, who was the only person that couldn¡¯t even follow the blurs at all. The two of them stopped for a moment, the edges of their weapons red hot. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Is that the best you can do?¡± Her more formal demeanor began to fade. ¡°Mother Lioness, perhaps-¡± Before her team could ask her to stop, she rushed at Harlan, who had to use his sigil to keep up to her; she was enjoying this. The clanging began to grow so loud that Mercedes had to leave as the constant sound was like being inside of a factory. Elk was the next to leave, she had lost the ability to follow anything at all over a minute ago, and she left with Ox at her back, stray slashes cut the air with enough might that the small ring the fight was taking place in was being destroyed. Larenzac left too, and was going to bring D¡¯if with him, but when he looked in his eyes, D¡¯if was looking around at high speeds, he could still see what was actually happening, and the grin on his face only grew larger. A month ago, Harlan would¡¯ve given up after ten minutes, but by bringing in the techniques of the sects and what Xol taught him, he could enhance parts of his body with bits of imbibing without stressing the whole. From the back of his shoulders he vented the heat generated by his sigil. With his arms and legs he focused both the flexibility of water and the power of fire. Xol taught him a method of advanced movement which involved a simple spell which could redirect momentum, letting him make quick feints and blocks without the pause that came from having to stop and start, each movement just went directly from one to the other. If he could not beat Lioness through direct strength and experience, he would abuse everything he had learned to bridge that gap. He skipped a dozen times in a row, trying to find any gap in her defenses, but she was quite literally born for combat, and he found some kinship in that. With one more clash, her sword finally gave out, the white hot edge of it softened the metal to the point where his femur blade sliced through it. Yet she knew that this would happen, and her sword turned dagger plunged into his heart while she sacrificed her fingers to block his next strike, slapping his blade aside. Lioness pulled out her blade, the white hot cooling rapidly under the effects of Harlan¡¯s black blood. She tossed her helmet aside and kissed Harlan deeply, pushing him to the ground as she did. ¡°Let¡¯s go to your room.¡± Harlan was covered in sweat, and only now seemed to come out of a trance to notice how the sparring room was ruined, and the few remaining spectators were huddled together to just defend themselves. He knew that this was a bad idea, that he barely knew her, but his mind was twisted up from Adina and Elk, and his body certainly wanted this. Harlan¡¯s room was left a mess. He wasn¡¯t sure which was more tiring, keeping up with her in bed, or in the ring. Both of them breathed heavily. ¡°That was fun.¡± ¡°Which part?¡± ¡°All of it.¡± She could barely stand. ¡°Which door is the bathroom?¡± ¡°Left.¡± With her out of the room, he started to think about what he had done. He disliked this sort of passionate lust-fueled sex, but at the same time, he was lonely, and there was no real harm that would come from it so long as she didn¡¯t get pregnant; he got up from the bed so he could anxiously pace as he waited for her to return. She came out and he looked her up and down again, everything had happened so quickly before that it was a blur in his mind. Lioness had a beautiful and gentle face, shoulder length red hair, but her body betrayed that. She was covered in muscles and scars from her training and genetic manipulation; the contrast between her and Mercedes was stark. ¡°I am going to ask you to stay, to make sure you don¡¯t get pregnant.¡± ¡°I can no more have a child than a Mule may produce offspring. But, I wouldn¡¯t mind spending a little more time here to assuage your fears.¡± ¡°Was it something that happened to you?¡± ¡°All daughters of Tochter are barren, perhaps a punishment from the gods for what we¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°That would make some sense. I wonder if my Others can mate. I know that a soul may only be split once, any attempts to do this a second time would-¡± She couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°You are aware of our creation, are you not?¡± ¡°Yes, you are grown in vats, artificial wombs, and you are only female.¡± ¡°Yet you seem unfazed by this.¡± ¡°I know what the flesh of almost every intelligent species I¡¯ve encountered tastes like, I can take the forms of animals, other people, and my sword is made from a femur that I ripped from myself and then smithed.¡± ¡°And all of that is fascinating to me. And this, what is this?¡± She pointed at a pair of black crystal skulls, but didn¡¯t touch them for fear of what may happen; she very much wanted to touch them. ¡°Oh. I have a paradox twin of myself inside the veil, and we are communicating through Xol, a Lich, but I was developing a way for us to directly contact one another. I invented the process to get past the blocking of the crossroads by the veil. I call it a lifelink, but Xol called it a¡­ let me see, ah, yes, a genetic quantum bridge.¡± Harlan had the sense to not explain anything in detail that could be used against him, since while he couldn¡¯t be sure, he believed she would gather any advantage she could. The next night, she moved her team and herself into the guest rooms of Harlan¡¯s home, but she retired to his room. She slipped her armor off and into bed with him. ¡°Before anything else happens, I want to ask, why are you doing this?¡± ¡°What part?¡± ¡°Well the¡­ sex.¡± She sat up. ¡°If you¡¯d like, we may continue this whenever I may be here, and I would have no issues with you having other women, but my attraction to you is purely physical. So few people have the ability to fight me, and honestly, that got me¡­ worked up, to say the least.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want that. I hope I don¡¯t offend you if I ask you to please go to another room.¡± ¡°Very well. Would you know anyone who is more open to such a proposition and holds martial skill?¡± ¡°D¡¯if, my spymaster. He isn¡¯t on my level, but he hasn¡¯t stagnated, and I¡¯ve taught him what techniques I can.¡± ¡°I expect to be here for another week, perhaps I shall spar and see if he is worth sharing a bed with.¡± She got up and put her armor back on, going across the hall to D¡¯if¡¯s room. In the next week, Harlan found himself regretful over his moment of weakness, and afraid of what he would¡¯ve done should Lioness found herself pregnant, but as she claimed, and as Elk backed up, the Vatborn could not naturally produce children, and they also didn¡¯t suffer from periods. Harlan thought that Elk didn¡¯t need to explain that last part. She started saying something else about wombs but the Harlan could feel how embarrassed she was, and though she seemed intent on explaining, he didn¡¯t make her finish.
King Fomoria was called by his god, who had remained silent for months. ¡°My champion, it has been some time.¡± ¡°It has. Any answers?¡± ¡°It was a simple mistake, Time took issue with that which I have done.¡± ¡°And that is?¡± ¡°You shall work with an agent of mine, and you will follow her orders.¡± ¡°Can we talk?¡± ¡°Her or I?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to explain anything, I just want to know if this is the path you intended for me?¡± ¡°You know that I cannot answer such a thing. But nothing which has happened is too far outside of what could be expected. Yet¡­ his child, I did intend for something to come of that, and now such a thing may not be done with that one.¡± ¡°Leave Viviane alone, I won¡¯t-¡± ¡°Should I wish to do, I shall, but I intend no harm towards it.¡± Harlan felt ill; she wanted to remind him of his place. ¡°I may guide events towards what was already a possibility, yet I am rarely the entire force behind what is. Go to my agent, and she will explain what needs to be done.¡± He didn¡¯t believe her, but there was no sense in arguing, it wasn¡¯t like he could make her say anything she didn¡¯t want to. Harlan woke up and she was already in his room. ¡°It has been some time.¡± She laughed and brushed her hair aside; his heart skipped a beat. ¡°Would I be too forward to ask you to dinner?¡± ¡°You are not such a catch that I¡¯d leap at the chance to mate. But perhaps I may consider a meal someday.¡± ¡°I would enjoy that. Since we are working together, may I know your name?¡± The woman tapped on her chin. ¡°Perhaps another time. But for now, why don¡¯t you have breakfast, then we may go.¡± Harlan gave her a plate of food, but she refused to eat in front of him, and when he reached towards her plate to move it for her, she tried, and failed, to stab him in the hand with her hooked dagger. Harlan and the agent moved through a void gate of her creation. Just from the time of day changing, Harlan knew he had to be inside the veil or somewhere otherwise far east of him. ¡°What are we doing?¡± ¡°Oh, just picking up a few things. I simply need you to protect me while I gather these items.¡± They were not far from a town. ¡°And you should wear this.¡± It was a black cloak that covered him down to his waist, with holes for his eyes and horns. ¡°I could just take a human form.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because the Dague are not known in Ragne, so I¡¯d stick out.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, then you may pretend to be what you aren¡¯t.¡± Harlan furrowed his brows at her odd way of phrasing the statement, but didn¡¯t question it aloud. It was early in the morning, at the time when the all nighters tucked in, and the early risers had not yet risen. Naturally, Harlan got strange looks as he walked towards the city with a beautiful woman hand in hand with him; she was like a young girl pulling a giant dog on a leash. The guards at the gate didn¡¯t stop them after asking the simple questions of who they were and why they were there, but they only made it a few minutes before someone with a fresher mind took a second look at the pair. ¡°Excuse me, but what is that?¡± ¡°Just a friend?¡± ¡°May we remove the cloak? Golems aren¡¯t allowed inside cities without proper permits.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Harlan pulled up on the hood to reveal his face. ¡°I am not a machine.¡± The guards muttered to one another, questioning why Harlan had the hood on at all. The agent put her hand near the karambit she kept hidden in her dress folds. ¡°Ah, excuse me, but, Ragne has no law that says who can and cannot enter a city, provided that they are not a known criminal or otherwise active threat. Even a Fomorian could enter a city and would be afforded the legal rights of any other citizen born in this nation.¡± The guards didn¡¯t really have a reason to hassle them, but Harlan was simply too odd to let roam around in their eyes. The agent sighed, reaching once more for the blade, but Harlan instead then hit them both with electrical shocks, quickly dragging them into an alleyway. She considered it handled, and continued to walk through the city. ¡°I don¡¯t want to shed any blood if not needed, those guards were just doing their jobs.¡± ¡°People just doing their jobs have been behind many injustices.¡± They didn¡¯t speak much more as they made their way to a small alchemy shop. The owner seemed to have just woken up, or perhaps he had been up the entire night prior. ¡°Hello. What can I help you with?¡± She handed him a slip of paper. ¡°Ah, the special order, I have it all in a box in the back.¡± The man went into the back room and Harlan heard him lock the door behind him. The agent sniffed the air and tried to run outside, but the door had been locked, forcing Harlan to break it down for her. ¡°Oh, that is quite odd, I thought I was friendly with that man. Capture him.¡± ¡°You¡¯re hurt, I-¡± ¡°Capture that man.¡± Harlan put her down and took to the sky; he could see her licking her wounds as he flew away. The man hadn¡¯t made it far, and, so far as Harlan could see, he was just a man. He descended from above, and the man¡¯s hand turned to claws like short swords, slashing at him. Harlan would know those anywhere, a Skinwalker. Instead of a bolt of energy, Harlan used a wave of frost and rapidly cooled the man¡¯s body down. His metamorphic flesh began to chill and harden like clay. Harlan knew better than to inject him with any sort of paralyzing agent, and instead bound him in stone taken from the street; he had authority as a champion, the array did nothing to stop him. Harlan heaved the monster over his shoulder and went back to the site of the explosion, where the agent was in tears telling a story to the guards of her father being the one who ran the store. They rushed to get more help and the moment she was out of sight, she fled down an ally, where Harlan caught up to her. ¡°You killed the man who ran that shop, didn¡¯t you?¡± It just snarled and tried to lash out at her, and she hissed back at him. She had remained at an even, almost bored tone in his few short encounters with what he believed to be her real personality where she wasn¡¯t trying to trick someone. But as she held her karambit in her hand, she was shaking. She started to cut away at the Skinwalker. Her eyes showed fury, but she didn¡¯t make a sound. When the monster was dead, she didn¡¯t shed any tears, nor did she seem overly upset despite her display. ¡°Well, I suppose we will need to go to another alchemist. I do wonder what set him off? Was it that I requested Skinwalker leather?¡± They went to a town and got what she wanted, then it was back to Fomoria. ¡°Why did you bring me along?¡± ¡°Perhaps I wished to see the great King Fomoria which I am told of, or perhaps both of those alchemists had attempted to cheat me before with watered down ingredients and grass clippings in the herbs. I will not be saying which is the truth.¡± She pulled an amulet from a fold in her dress, each actually a spatial pocket. ¡°I will be busy for the next week, but after that, you may call me when you wish for dinner with me.¡± ¡°Alright, I will-¡± She gave him a kiss on his cheek and tapped her amulet to his. Then she moved to his couch and curled up with her blade in her hand. Harlan stood there stunned for a time before he decided to finish testing his crystal skull communicators while the odd woman slept in his room. Chapter 288: A Phyric Defeat It had been another week since he last saw anything interesting, so he was excited when he was contacted by King Fomoria. He was less excited when he learned that he wanted to talk about decor for the castle, which currently was in the minimum viable state required for habitation. But then he swung the other way when he told him that he both had a means to maintain contact without needing to go through Xol, and he was bringing someone from outside the veil. While Harlan spoke with Fomoria outside, Velvet had already gone inside and started to look at the rooms; they found him in their parents room. ¡°Dreadful, just absolutely dreadful. You, how could you bring me to this place? I should tear it down and-¡± ¡°Velvet, calm down.¡± ¡°I just can¡¯t imagine working with this. I mean really, a bed frame inlaid with vegetables? A painting of fields of wheat across the entire wall?¡± ¡°My parents are farmers, if that is what they want, then don¡¯t complain.¡± Velvet sighed and rolled his eyes again. ¡°Fine, it is your money going to waste.¡± Harlan turned to his doppelganger. ¡°I¡¯ll pay for this, you don¡¯t need to do this for me.¡± ¡°I happened to be in the bath with Velvet and he mentioned to contact him if I ever had need for furniture, so I¡¯m the one who started down this path anyway.¡± He got strange looks from everyone. ¡°Things are different outside the veil, the Dague have a long history and a deep cultural connection with communal baths. I¡¯ve taken to this culture, and Velvet just happened to join me. It isn¡¯t like the tubs we have here that could only fit a single person, they are designed for larger groups.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± His mother still thought it was odd. ¡°I¡¯m not with him in that way.¡± ¡°You always were so prudish, and I don¡¯t mind that in the slightest, I¡¯m just surprised that you would change like that.¡± ¡°Change comes naturally in that place.¡± King Fomoria looked away, and Velvet put his hand on his arm. ¡°You changed to be the King they needed, don¡¯t feel bad about what this world needs you to be.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± As they walked to the next room, which would be the nursery, Harlan struck up conversation with himself. ¡°You mentioned a way for us to speak to one another without Xol, is that finished?¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± King Fomoria had a satchel with him, which before he left D¡¯if mocked it as being a purse, and he pulled a black crystal skull from it. ¡°Is this?¡± ¡°Yes, there is a blood gem layer over my skull. When I try to connect to your mind, it will be focused on that skull, which is connected to one on my desk, and that one is a copy of the one in your hands. So it can¡¯t work with the amulets unfortunately, but anyone could call you and then you can contact me.¡± ¡°That is interesting. I wonder, do our minds feel the same to us?¡± ¡°I can transmit the feeling through soulspeak and we can check.¡± As it turned out, their minds were distinct from one another. ¡°Huh.¡± They entered the room to find Adina was already waiting. ¡°Ah¡­ I can go if you-¡± ¡°Nope, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Oh, then you found someone?¡± ¡°I¡¯m figuring out if she and I can work out. She¡¯s a bit¡­ feral.¡± ¡°Well, I hope to meet her someday.¡± Harlan and King Fomoria traded stories with one another as they made their way through the castle and though Velvet commented on seemingly everything, he went mostly ignored until they got to the royal children. While King Fomoria stayed with Velvet to keep him in line, and to keep the royals in line, Harlan went back to the nursery. ¡°He seems well.¡± ¡°He does.¡± Adina paused and handed Viviane to him. ¡°Is he well?¡± ¡°So far as I can tell, his emotions are calm and he is genuinely happy.¡± ¡°What is the issue with that King though? He is a very rude man, and I can¡¯t imagine that you would be friendly with him.¡± ¡°He seems strange, like he is pretending to be more flamboyant than he really is. He told Fomoria to not feel bad about how he changed because he did it to be a better king.¡± ¡°Maybe he found a real friend out there.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Harlan rocked back and forth in a chair, putting Viviane to sleep with his humming. Adina began to yawn as well. Unfortunately she woke back up when Harlan had to hand her off so he could answer his amulet. Harlan stood in the hall so Adina could put Viviane back to sleep. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°The Reinoan rebel forces have amassed themselves into an army over a million strong. They know that they¡¯ve lost, they just want to kill as many Reinoans as they can and rush the border into Ragne.¡± ¡°King Fomoria is with me right now, I will ask for his help.¡± ¡°What is he there for?¡± ¡°Decor.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time to question what that means.¡± Harlan rushed down the halls, finding Harlan separating Velvet and Aster who had gotten into a heated argument about filigree and its uses. ¡°King Fomoria, there is an army in Reino a million strong and coming for the border.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°Can you help?¡± ¡°Of course I can.¡± ¡°WILL YOU HELP.¡± His eyes went black. ¡°No, I can¡¯t help.¡± His tone was unhappy. Harlan arrived at the border, finding that Alder, now general of the army, was already waiting inside a commanders tent which had both a shifting table that could replicate areas and be updated with the reports, and a large communicator in the middle which connected to various scouts in Reino. ¡°Sir Fomoria, reporting for duty.¡± ¡°You will go with a group of royal guards, your work will be to help protect them as they cast mass warmagic. Gate 300 north by 60 west.¡± ¡°How did such an army gather without us having more time to prepare?¡± ¡°The million are spread across hundreds of miles and in groups of tens of thousands, they aren¡¯t a single massive wave, they are just moving east and trying to gather at the border while slaughtering whoever they can along the way.¡± Harlan met up with Safira and a few other royal guards as planned. ¡°You know what to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m running defense while you cast large scale spells.¡± ¡°Good.¡± It wasn¡¯t just them of course, just as the other side had an army of fodder and their heavy hitters, the forces of Ragne brought their army of golems and their support units. The royal guards joined their hands high above an army of 15,000, at their sides were many other warmagi casting counter spells. The plan wasn¡¯t spectacular, but it was on short notice and was presently just them trying to minimize damage until more forces could be properly mobilized and they were sure that this wasn¡¯t also part of a ploy to move forces away from the front of the civil war in Ragne. War magic clashed with war magic, men died by the dozens below him, but they weren''t his problem, his job was to catch anything that made it past others. Harlan had to avoid being too caught up in what was happening around him, he focused on what was in front of him. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. A crystal mass was launched at Safira and the others, but he didn¡¯t do something foolish like blow it apart. No, when faced with a large crystallization spell, the best bet would be to move it out of the way or slice it in half, either way, going head to head with it was a bad idea. Harlan opened a gate and sent it back to the other side, where it was countered with a sound spell that shattered the crystal until it was too small to grow anymore. The other warmagi did their work, and eventually, Safira¡¯s spell blasted forward. A giant orb of cold hit the other side, moving too quickly to be stopped and packed with too much power to be fought against. Harlan felt the temperature drop a dozen degrees in moments, and around the spot where it struck, the blood of men froze in an instant. Once the other side lost a significant number of warmagi, there was no danger of the royal guard being interrupted. It became not a fight, it was just one side hitting the other with magic while on the ground the Ragnite forces just needed to hold them back, killing wasn¡¯t their job anymore. On Ragne¡¯s side, less than a hundred men died, and three hundred golems were destroyed, but the rebel side lost 8,000 before they surrendered. Harlan regrouped with the guards. ¡°Now what?¡± ¡°I call the generals and we get a situation report, then we are redeployed where we are needed most.¡± Harlan listened in as she called to a large communicator not belonging to any single person, but rather in the generals tent where they received reports from the battlefield and updated a map table with the latest information they had.. ¡°This is Royal Guard Commander Safira, where should we go next.¡± ¡°Wait a moment, we are still getting reports from¡­ from all over. South sector pacified, south east sector pacified, go to the center north.¡± ¡°Two sectors have already been pacified? By whose team?¡± ¡°Not sure, large blue men with horns, and a dragon.¡± Harlan decided not to introduce King Fomoria, lest he cause more confusion, but Safira knew by the description. What Harlan couldn¡¯t understand was why he had refused to help before. ¡°Perhaps we will be done by nightfall afterall.¡± Harlan repeated his job as best he could, sometimes the number of Ragnite warmagi was simply too few compared to the rebels and Safira and her team needed to stop the spell more than once to dodge or block. It was strange, sometimes he even worked alongside the Ascended to fight back the rebel forces. This went on for seven hours, and because they were killing from the outside in, eventually the armies started to come together. 300,000 men formed a wall around the capital, holding off the Ragnite forces while also hammering the walls of the capital. Ultimately their goal was to kill Fragile Peace, who they saw as a traitor, selling the country to Ragne because she left it so weak it couldn¡¯t even defend it when the seawall was breached. There was a limit to how much Ragne could help, since there could only be so many men in the surrounding area. They decided to call in the newly formed air force, five bombers loaded to full and three smaller escort planes that would deal with any flying threats along the way. 10 minutes out, the pilots started reporting a black dragon was flying along with them but despite their attacks, it just dodged and didn¡¯t try to counter. Harlan¡¯s eyes flashed. ¡°Call off the planes.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I am under orders to stop them from dropping their bombs, peacefully or not.¡± ¡°General Alder, I have just received a call from King Fomoria, the black dragon in the sky by our planes. He says that he is under orders to stop the planes from attacking. It is likely that our god-¡± ¡°Pilots, fire on the black dragon.¡± ¡°HOLD THAT ORDER.¡± ¡°Safira, if Sir Fomoria intends to counter my orders again, remove him from my tent.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let your pride get in the way, he is going to destroy those planes.¡± ¡°Continue with my order, fire on the dragon.¡± ¡°Those men are going to-¡± ¡°Safira.¡± ¡°Harlan, don¡¯t make me drag you from the tent.¡± He stepped outside, the veils prevented him from hearing what was happening, but he knew that those men were dead the instant the order came through. Harlan heard afterward the details. The planes were fast, they were well armored, they were maneuverable, but they might as well have been paper against the black flames of the horned dragon. When the bombers fell, it wasn¡¯t on the enemy side, they went down in flames right on top of Ragnite forces, killing 20,000 at least, but they were still working out exactly how many died. Afterwards, the dragon dive bombed the rebels, burning them and itself up with those same black flames. Harlan was called before Rosewell and Alder. ¡°Explain to me what exactly happened?¡± ¡°Sir Fomoria and this King Fomoria must¡¯ve-¡± ¡°Alder, silence.¡± A power in the room stopped her oldest brother from speaking. ¡°Harlan, is there an explanation that doesn¡¯t have you tried for treason?¡± ¡°Fomoria said he couldn¡¯t help us-¡± ¡°But I have reports saying that a black dragon and blue horned men were on the battlefield killing traitors.¡± ¡°When I asked him about helping, his eyes went black. The Darkness must¡¯ve ordered him not to help Ragne. When we were speaking about Reino becoming a vassal state, Titania and The Darkness had a conversation that none of us were privy to, it is possible this is related.¡± ¡°Contact your god.¡± Harlan¡¯s eyes went black. King Fomoria was already waiting. ¡°Before you get upset, I gave them the chance to live, it isn¡¯t my fault that Alder is still such a prideful little shit that he killed those men to spite us.¡± ¡°We both know you could¡¯ve let them live if you-¡± ¡°I was ordered to stop them by any means necessary, that I called you at all and tried for a peaceful solution was a courtesy. But, when I was denied peace, I was ordered to make an example of them.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t even see The Darkness, but he knew that she had to be lurking somewhere in there, Fomoria couldn¡¯t have the ability to set up such a fake world by himself. ¡°Did she say why you had to do this?¡± ¡°There is something under the capital that would¡¯ve been damaged, woken up, or set off, that is the best answer I got. I wish I could say more.¡± He sighed as he awoke. ¡°She didn¡¯t answer me, but King Fomoria was there. He said that he was ordered to stop the planes, and that he wasn¡¯t required to do so peacefully, but he contacted me out of courtesy.¡± ¡°Alder, were you warned about the dragon before it attacked?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that we-¡± ¡°Yes, or no.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t the point-¡± Rosewell signaled to Safira, who backhanded the former first prince, sending him to the ground and cracking his teeth; she held back, but was annoyed with the man. ¡°This is not a business deal, or a negotiation, and I am not someone who will be intimidated by your position. Yes, or, no.¡± He staggered to his feet, spitting blood onto the carpet. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then why did you decide to antagonize the dragon?¡± ¡°We should not bow to the threats of foreign powers.¡± ¡°Did you already know that both that dragon was King Fomoria, and who that is?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then you know that our father also worked alongside The Darkness, and that her champion is no longer under our banner. You¡¯ve been reading the provided dossier of what we can gather from his spymaster as well?¡± ¡°Yes, I have read the-¡± ¡°Then at which point in the process of making that choice did you decide that you wanted to sacrifice five bombers and three escorts for your foolish pride.¡± ¡°I thought that-¡± She signaled Safira again. ¡°You were made general of the army because it is tradition, but you have lost that title because you let your own ego get in the way of doing a mission with the lowest cost to us. Take him away.¡± ¡°To where?¡± ¡°Somewhere he will be still until I¡¯ve decided what to do with him.¡± She dragged Alder¡¯s unconscious body into a guest room and placed him under guard. Rosewell cleared the room. Harlan couldn¡¯t deny it, he was worried that the crown was becoming too heavy for her. ¡°Do you think I was too harsh on him?¡± ¡°No, your majesty.¡± His professional tone wounded her. ¡°Harlan.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to kneel, it¡¯s just us.¡± ¡°Us and D¡¯if you mean?¡± The man stepped out from the shadow of a pillar. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t you have any loyalty to him?¡± ¡°My faith in his state of mind is rather shaky right now.¡± ¡°Whatever, I¡¯m supposed to make sure queenie there stays alive, no better way to do that than to counter assassinate.¡± Rosewell quickly found an issue with this. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be working with Balor at the moment?¡± ¡°Well, if there was just one of me, sure.¡± ¡°Harlan, King Fomoria is not welcome in Ragne for the foreseeable future.¡± ¡°Understood. Should I contact him to remove D¡¯if?¡± ¡°No, he is useful. But the current body count as a result of his actions cannot be ignored. Perhaps if he helps us with something else, we can officially forgive him. Until then, he cannot appear anywhere in my borders.¡± When all was said and done, Harlan didn¡¯t know what to do, he just went up to the roof of his castle to think. His amulet glowed. ¡°Hey, been a while.¡± ¡°David? Where are you?¡± ¡°Ah, you should know, Nemain won¡¯t let you find me, so you shouldn¡¯t bother with tracking.¡± ¡°It''s not too late to-¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you ask three questions, no more, then we have to talk about your little bundle of joy.¡± Harlan nearly asked if was really too late to convince him to change his mind, but he realized that would be a wasted question. ¡°Where is Magruder?¡± ¡°Dead, he threatened to kidnap Adina and kill Vivi, couldn¡¯t let that happen.¡± ¡°Thank you. Why¡¯d you defect?¡± ¡°From the nobles or from Ragne?¡± ¡°The nobles.¡± ¡°I realized that their goals and mine weren¡¯t as close as I made myself believe. I wanted to destroy the nobles because Yggdra was the king, and he ordered my mother to be killed, but the nobles aren¡¯t any better, just small people trying to push around those weaker then them to feel big. But you know what I mean, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°The strong should protect the weak, otherwise, that strength is wasted.¡± ¡°When you destroyed that bandit camp, I felt like shit. I could¡¯ve stayed, could¡¯ve helped, but instead I ran, and those people would¡¯ve been killed or used as playthings by bandits if you weren''t there.¡± ¡°If it changes anything, I don¡¯t think you would¡¯ve been that helpful considering what I did in the end.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t. It would¡¯ve been better to have at least tried.¡± ¡°Is that what this is? You trying to do the right thing?¡± ¡°That is your third question.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°Yeah, it is. I think that the current institutions of power are corrupt and self-serving to the point where we can only tear them down and rebuild, rehabilitation isn¡¯t an option anymore.¡± ¡°And since I¡¯m part of that?¡± ¡°You know how this has to end, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say it.¡± ¡°We¡¯re both unstoppable forces, eventually we¡¯ll clash, and only one of us is going to walk away from that.¡± ¡°This is my fault, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°You already got your three questions. Just¡­ if Shelly asks, if it comes to that, tell her that there aren¡¯t any hard feelings, but I couldn¡¯t bring her along with us.¡± ¡°I can get you a new face and-¡± ¡°Nope. How is Vivi?¡± Harlan knew that he was right, both of them were too headstrong to really be stopped, and if they changed places, Harlan would never be turned away from changing a world that he thought had to be torn down and replaced with something better. So, he talked about his little girl, how she was walking so soon, how she would laugh whenever he cast magic, how she was so mild mannered for an infant, how¡­ fragile she felt in his hands. Chapter 289: An Unsatisfying Victory Harlan came back to his room once he was done with his crystal skulls, and he watched the agent of the Darkness, waiting for her to wake up. When she did, she stretched out, the karambit in her hand cutting his couch. ¡°Oh, I seem to have fallen asleep.¡± She cocked her head to the side, and while everything in his sense told him human, his mind couldn¡¯t help but see a cat. The agent left, but rather than going to wherever her home is, she just went to an empty room and jumped into bed, going back to sleep. Harlan had planned to spend the morning finishing his skulls. They worked as they were, since the blood he used to form the crystals was naturally attuned to him, but he wanted to remove as much of himself as he could from them to avoid them being used as a possible method of attack. When he was done, all he had to do was test them, which just required him opening a void gate, jumping to Ragne, and then calling back to one of his Others. When he returned, he checked in on the agent. ¡°Are you comfortable?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it when the maids come in, this is my room.¡± ¡°Did you tell that to them?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to provoke them.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t going to provoke my maids, they are probably more scared of you than you are of them.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ my mother once said that, but she was speaking of spiders.¡± ¡°Your mother? Who-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about that.¡± ¡°Ah, alright then. But if you ever want to-¡± ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± He asked her age, and she counted on her fingers, but he could tell by her movements that she wasn¡¯t just counting, she was actually using them like an abacus, and told him how many days ago her mother found her next to her parents bodies, having killed the Fenrir who attacked them. She was 7380 days old, so he rounded up to 20 and a half years, since she was a baby when her mother saved her. There were other oddities that he noticed, such as how she refused to eat around others, and since the maids were told to stay out of her room, Harlan was the one who would bring out her dirty dishes, but rarely would the silverware be dirty. When he mentioned this, she made a show out of using a fork, but she made a fist along the shaft, like a toddler who hadn¡¯t been taught how to use one yet. She hadn¡¯t said a word about her family again, and if Harlan tried to steer a conversation that way, she would walk out of the room, sometimes not coming back for the entire day. He left her there while he went to pick up Velvet. ¡°Oh, I am excited to go inside the veil, what color is the grass there?¡± ¡°I am sorry to dash your hopes, but inside the veil isn¡¯t actually that different from outside.¡± ¡°Oh, that is rather boring.¡± ¡°I can take you sightseeing on another day, since I have found a few places worth visiting for their beauty, natural or otherwise.¡± ¡°How romantic.¡± One of his guards spoke up. ¡°You haven¡¯t assigned a detail yet, we cannot let you go until-¡± ¡°Oh I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll need anyone but this blue hunk of meat to protect me. Goodbye.¡± Harlan opened the void gate and Velvet jumped into it along with him before the royal guard could stop them or follow; this was the plan. Instead of going directly to Castle Fomoria, as he was already calling it in his head, he instead brought Velvet to a beach on the east coast of Ragne so he could see the veil from the inside; Velvet said he wouldn¡¯t believe it until he could see it with his own eyes. He tagged along to keep Velvet in line while Harlan went back to be with Adina. ¡°Ava, this is Velvet.¡± ¡°Oh, Harlan¡­ or, King Fomoria?¡± ¡°Just call me Fomoria.¡± Velvet looked her up and down then stared at Fomoria. ¡°He thinks I look like Adina, doesn¡¯t he? We don¡¯t even look that close.¡± Velvet walked around her. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t make the rules, I just observe them. Hmm¡­ from the front they might seem the same, but turn to the side and-¡± ¡°Velvet, there is a limit to rudeness.¡± ¡°Fine fine fine. Well then, little girl, you look like you could use some-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about how it looks, I just need a place to sleep between training.¡± ¡°No no no, that just won¡¯t do. I won¡¯t degrade your natural beauty with something that Har- Fomoria would live in.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t care, then I am taking this over.¡± Velvet used illusion magic to show how it would theoretically look after he was done. ¡°No pink, I don¡¯t want a girly room.¡± He rolled his eyes, changing the colors to red, adding leaves instead of rabbits on the designs. ¡°This isn¡¯t bad, it¡¯s like a forest fire.¡± ¡°It is a calm autumn sunset.¡± ¡°Whatever. But, while we are at it, I need weapon racks, some weights so I can train here until the training hall is actually finished, maybe a magical isolation room so I can¡­¡± Velvet found that he didn¡¯t much enjoy being around Ava, who in his mind was too pretty to be so pragmatic in her designs. They went down to Amber¡¯s room next. ¡°Hmm. I think you could use a-¡± ¡°Do whatever you want. Harlan, or, King Fomoria, whatever your name is. Hey.¡± Neither of them was sure if they should hug or not, so they just stared at one enough. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°You got big.¡± Amber pinched his arm and looked up at him. ¡°Everything outside the veil is bigger, so I adapted.¡± Velvet watched them intensely. ¡°Hmm¡­ do you have such a strange relationship with all of your sisters?¡± ¡°We¡¯re close, but that is all.¡± ¡°Your Other¡¯s wife looks like your youngest sister, and the way you two stare didn¡¯t feel like siblings.¡± ¡°Really, it isn¡¯t that way.¡± ¡°Is that all you have for a defense?¡± Amber kicked him in the shin. ¡°Just decorate my room, prick.¡± Autumn was his only sister who didn¡¯t come with, but rather Redwall mansion was being reinforced. The baron knew that he was being used as bait, but he accepted that due to the extra security provided by Balor; Harlan was against the idea. Harlan¡¯s family was kept in the east wing, whereas the guest rooms, including those of the royal family, were on the west wing, so there was a bit of a walk between them. Though to call it the royal family wasn¡¯t exactly true, since not all of them actually came along. Alder was the highest ranked general of the army, and couldn¡¯t exactly hide away. Lily was chief engineer on many projects that she refused to step away from. Cynthia was in a castle, and after security sweeps she decided that she would stay. Magnolia, the former first princess, was to become a liaison to the mage association and was tied to various other deals across Ragne. Valerian was engaged with Voi in a political marriage, so he had instead opted to stay in the home of his fiance. So when one counted the living royal children who weren¡¯t doing something that required them to be outside, Harlan would only be sheltering 14 of the original 24. Velvet decided to drop his act while they walked once he confirmed there wasn¡¯t anyone around. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect things to be so mundane. Other than that rush of mana I feel in this place, it looks like the inside of the veil isn¡¯t the inhospitable hellscape that some people assume that it is.¡± ¡°Why would they think that in the first place?¡± ¡°It is a landmass surrounded by a wall of fog filled with so many horrors that nobody had ever made it out and all but the insane or prepared don¡¯t even dare to get near the edge of it? Until I saw it with my own eyes, I couldn¡¯t be sure that there was actually anything in here at all. Though now it seems even stranger to me how you are so strong and driven with such a normal place.¡± ¡°My enemies are not beasts, they are men and women, the politics and the indifference of people who can¡¯t even see that things must be changed before they burst into war, and that is exactly what has happened already.¡± ¡°Sometimes it can be hard to remember that you do know how to speak.¡± Fomoria was in the middle of pushing one of the princes back from Velvet when Harlan came in and asked for help with a fight in Reino. He was going to say yes, then his eyes went black. He awoke in that city of faceless people. ¡°My Little Shadow, one sharpens steel with steel, to sharpen against wood only dulls the blade, go there to that place, destroy the enemies of our old enemy. Understand the depths of strength not yet given reason to be tapped.¡± ¡°So I can go with Harlan then?¡± ¡°That other champion is not your ally in this endeavor, we must show that we are not to their whims, and their plans may only bend or break against us.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Fomoria returned to reality and said he couldn¡¯t help, then, once Harlan was gone, he went through a void gate of his own, and gathered his marshalls along with a few other golems which hadn¡¯t yet been tested in a real fight. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Harlan slipped into the draconic body which he made and then put to storage. He felt his humanoid form dissolve and twist into the muscles of it, his vision went dark. When it returned it was not only from a different angle, but also with different perceptions fused together into something that without training was a mess needing to be deciphers. He saw the invisible winds, the movement of gravitational and spatial forces, mana, runes, heat, and shadows could hide little from him now. These seven were like a crown over his set of normal eyes, and he filtered out sights as needed, overlaying them in his mind like the second eyelid of an amphibian. He and the marshalls were above the clouds, preparing a spell. He kept it simple, the Others went in groups of ten. When one was co-casting, the number of people in the chain would generally be kept to five. The most important reason was that each person added their own influence, no matter how much they tried to be the same as their other mages, they were all independent people. But, each person in the chain also boosted the power of the spell in a more than linear fashion. Five people was also the limit before one got diminishing returns, so ten in a chain didn¡¯t mean it would be twice as strong as five, it was more like a 60% boost. Harlan partly bypassed the first issue, because while an Other did have something different from the original that Harlan couldn¡¯t fully understand the cause of, they were closer than even the closest group of warmages. This just left the second issue, of efficiency, but The Darkness wanted a show of force, so that is what he would give her. It was late fall, early winter, but they were fighting in the more central lands of Reino, and they hadn¡¯t yet gotten snowfall, that didn¡¯t mean that the air wasn¡¯t yet crisp and cool. The 100 Others, in 10 groups, each launched 1 warspell at the ground, and massive spires of ice suddenly covered the enemy army, cutting off all of their warmages from the rest of the army. In that valley of use, Harlan made a sweep, burning them with dragon fire. Over half of the enemy force at this location was gone in a flash. He was given his orders from The Darkness, she told him where to strike to best lead to the end she sought. It was odd for him, she always just sent him in the direction of her problem and then told him to find out how to deal with it himself, but now she was acting as a voice in her head, telling him when he had done enough damage to turn the tide far in the favor of Ragne. In another fight, he took a page from Sepul¡¯s book, even causing some confusion over if he had come to join the fight or not, since the number of people who could drop a meteor from the sky, let alone accurately, was quite low. Granted, Harlan had actually been holding onto the chunk of rock to make sure it hit where he wanted it. There was some¡­ collateral damage, but this was a war, the number of dead would be higher if he hadn¡¯t been helping. One group, 3,000 strong, though such a term felt wrong in this case, were forced to bear the full might of Harlan¡¯s draconic form being mixed with the aura techniques and spells of his human form being used with a few dozen tons of flesh. He skated and twirled around the battlefield with movements unbefitting of such a form. Harlan felt how greatly the effects were diminished by his size. As a man, shifting his momentum wasn¡¯t that hard, but adding so much mass increased the cost of such a maneuver to near uselessness, and the mana in his body didn¡¯t flow instantly, making each aura technique feel sluggish in its activation compared to his humanoid form. But even with those minor issues, the strength afforded to him by being a 40 foot long dragon was an offset to anything else. As he stood there in the middle of the dead, he couldn¡¯t help himself but to unfurl his six wings and roar into the sky, parting the clouds and deafening the soldiers in the area. For just a moment, he eyes on him, and was struck with fear; jealous fury was upon him. It was too easy, at least, until he found a target that actually drew his ire, that he wasn¡¯t just fighting because he had been ordered to do so. Harlan struck the ground hard, and only a few men could remain on their feet. Even from so high up, he could recognize the people in front of him with ease. High Saint Cato stared down the dragon, waiting for a breath attack, or perhaps an attack from the blue devils which followed him like gnats. ¡°Cato, it is a shame I missed you at the academy, I had hoped to tear you apart.¡± Enough of Harlan¡¯s voice came through the dragons deep and hissy vocal cords that he recognized it. ¡°Father, this is Harlan Fomoria.¡± ¡°You are close. I am King Fomoria, from beyond the veil. I am glad that you rebelled, otherwise-¡± ¡°Whatever squabbles you may have with my sons, we have not betrayed Reino-¡± Harlan¡¯s mocking gesticulation send waves of wind which buffeted the Reinoan army. ¡°Oh of course, it is Fragile Peace who-¡± Then he looked at the soldiers around him, his tunnel vision widening. ¡°Oh, you really are on the side of Ragne.¡± He wondered, why had The Darkness sent him here? This wasn¡¯t a fight he should take part in, because this wasn¡¯t yet a fight, they were still preparing to clash with the rebel forces. The words in his throat became ash in his mouth as he realized he had been out of line. ¡°Apologies. I¡­ misunderstood this situation¡­¡± ¡°Next time you insult my father like that-¡± Harlan used skip to move closer, his snout nearly touching the elder Cato brother. ¡°I would still crush you given the slightest reason you little shit.¡± High Saint Cato didn¡¯t bat an eye. ¡°If you aren¡¯t here to help, then go elsewhere, demon.¡± His massive shadow focused into the shape of a normal sized woman, and Harlan bowed his head to her. She ran her ethereal fingers across his scales, leaving traces of void on him. ¡°I simply wanted to see how you would react. Now you may continue.¡± Harlan left through a void gate, though one she made for him. He was sure that she was sending him to destroy the smaller armies for a reason. Though it could also be said that the strongest in Reino were the Ascended and the zealous, both of which aligned themselves with Fragile Peace, because her regency was given by their gods. Then, after a time, she made him stop entirely, letting the golems he brought fight. What Harlan felt he was missing in his golems were war machines. He looked at the tanks of the empire, or at least, the ones which were sent against him, and he thought that they were interesting, but ultimately useless for him. He couldn¡¯t refine gasoline, and even if he could, he would then need to use metal for all of the parts, which, now that he had all of his trees and gems from the mines of former UT, could be converted into elemental metals, and was more useful for other things. So, Harlan¡¯s ¡®tanks¡¯ were based on Boulder Spider. They had two large legs in the front which acted as a shield which let him save on metal since he only needed to put the defenses on these legs. The body itself was mounted with a magical cannon rather than a ballistic one, since it was meant to be a stand alone unit instead of having a crew like a real tank. What granted it immense power was the thorax, which was stuffed with a massive blood gem, one so large that he only made a few of the tanks and he had his Others guarding them. In a war with constant battle, he could harvest plenty of blood, but he hadn¡¯t exactly been saving the blood in the flesh pits, instead he had only focused on the actual flesh until now; he gave an order that butchers had to save the blood from the animals in buckets for him if it was going to be thrown out. On a hill overlooking one of the battlefields the warmages thought they were under attack when they saw the giant spiders, but they didn¡¯t dare go against them when a dragon followed behind them and said he intended them no harm. The spiders vibrated, digging their feet into the ground and then anchoring themselves further by having the ground crawl up their legs. They pointed their chintious barrels toward the sky and at first it seemed like nothing was happening, then the skin of the warmages started to tingle. The orange light with smaller spirals around them traced an arc across the sky, there being no recoil from using the magic. Enemy warspells tried to stop them, but of the six, four made it through. The spiders, having operated on their full power, staggered, barely able to stand, and so Harlan sent them back. As a test for a prototype, it was fine, but flawed; fine tuning was needed. The warmages had no reasonable reaction to what they had seen, so they just stood on the hill and watched the amber sky, waiting for the waft of hot air and burned flesh to reach them. Things had gone well, but he was starting to become tired of it, the seemingly senseless slaughter, the enemies who had not directly wronged him and couldn¡¯t even put up any real fight. A void gate opened in front of him, and he found himself somewhere he didn¡¯t recognize, nearly striking a wall due to the small space, though it was still 100 by 100 at least in just the main room. It was a well lit building underground with concrete walls; he felt little mana in the air; yellow symbols were drawn on some of the doors. A woman with platinum blonde hair, purple eyes, and fair features was waiting below him. He landed as softly as he could near her. ¡°Hello?¡± Harlan looked at her, and found that she reminded him of Fragile Peace, but also of the royal family of Ragne. The woman got near him and placed her hand on his snout. ¡°What a fine form.¡± He felt a wrongness in her touch and backed away until he reached the far wall. As she stepped closer he swiped at her, splattering the woman across the floor and wall. Yet when he looked back, she was there again, having returned to where she was when he first struck her. He slammed his fist down, feeling her body splatter across the ground, yet once more, she was suddenly beside his fist. As black flames began to form in his throat, The Darkness arrived, covering nearly every surface with void and eyes. ¡°There is no need for that.¡± He shot the puff void flames into the air before it had the chance to fully charge. ¡°What is that thing?¡± ¡°This is Titania, the-¡± ¡°I know what she is.¡± Harlan¡¯s grudge was not just on instinct, he had not forgotten how Periwinkle told him that it was her who tricked many Fae into passing over to Aarde, and she had destroyed the tree which birthed Pixies. ¡°She is now our ally, for Xol has told us of a greater threat, and Titania has agreed to side with us against them.¡± Harlan narrowed his nine eyes and sniffed the air. ¡°I cannot sense her mind? Or is she projecting from elsewhere?¡± The Darkness laughed. ¡°Can you see the air?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She rolled her hundreds of eyes that covered the room, and Titania explained. ¡°My oversoul blinds your mind.¡± ¡°And what is an oversoul?¡± ¡°There are those more useful as a source of energy than as beings.¡± Her tone showed no remorse or questioning, it was just a fact in her mind. ¡°Like the cage at the academy?¡± ¡°HA, a cage, little more than a sieve, letting so much energy go to waste. The fool of bones stole my designs. Now, destroy the planes before they wake my pets.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t take orders from you, Fae.¡± Harlan spoke with a growl. ¡°Harlan, five bombers and three escort craft are flying to destroy the gathered army around the capital. As it stands, we cannot risk the premature activation of the projects down here. How you prevent them matters not, but they must be stopped.¡± Harlan flew through the air next to the planes, examining them to see if he could reproduce the designs, but he found them overly mechanical. Though they did give him an idea. He spoke to his other half, and he tried to explain that he had to stop the planes, but it was less than a minute before they fired on him again. He tried to spare them, if he just clipped their wings and forced them down, his mission would be accomplished, but The Darkness told him what she said before, that the plans of others could only bend or break against theirs, and so this insult against her after an attempt at peace must be met with an equal response. Harlan knew better than to destroy the bay of the ship, where he was certain the bombs were. A puff of void flames along the top destroyed the two defensive gunners on the first plane, the bullets they fired were stronger than Harlan expected, and his scales began to crack and push into his flesh. The holes were enough to upset the balance and destroy traces required to keep it in the air. If it was allowed to drift, it could still hit the city, so Harlan was forced to snap the wings off and push it down. Once the bombers had diverted course the escorts could move in without risking attacking their own planes, but their small frames made them ill fit enemies for Harlan. He snapped his tail like a whip, the blast of air tore the rivets from the plane and reduced the pilot to a red mist as the vibrations penetrated the metal coffin which was once a plane. He hadn¡¯t felt so terrible about killing in some time. These people weren¡¯t the ones who gave the orders, they just carried them out, and now the bombers were going away, he accomplished his original goal, but it wasn¡¯t enough for The Darkness. The other escorts attacked from both sides of him and he opened a gate, sending both of them crashing into the bombers. The cargo detonated in one, lighting up the night sky like midday for a short time and burning out the vision in his thermal eye. Shrapnel launched across the air, and the force nearly detonated a second plane which was instead forced into a tailspin. Harlan couldn¡¯t watch as it fell behind Ragne¡¯s lines, the bombs inside going off on impact. He felt anxiety and then peace in one of the planes. As he approached, they set off the bombs, sending Harlan down to the ground. He opened a void gate, and his marshalls hesitantly punched holes through the final plane, watching it as it fell. Harlan opened a void gate to the fleshpits, dumping gore onto himself to subsume. When he was healed, he then went to his second objective, to destroy the army which surrounded the capital. He wreathed himself in void flame and dove through the men. He knew these black flames were abnormal, but he had to test them more to really understand their limits. They didn¡¯t exactly burn as hot as he expected, but a flame more avaricious he had never seen. Like the ice of Helik ate heat to grow colder, the flames devoured mana, in the air and in the body. The spells which were launched at him mostly served to feed this fire, only those of sufficient power or types could pierce them before they were burned away. 60,000 through the 300,000, Harlan¡¯s body could barely remain, the fire didn¡¯t care where exactly it got power, and Harlan¡¯s body was being charred. By the time he made a full circle of the capital of Reino, he was reduced to the size of a child, not that one could tell under the mass of flames. Harlan went through a gate, diving into the ocean to douse himself so the Others could retrieve him. As he laid there on the table, his Others bringing tonics and potions to repair his form, he wondered about deactivating his sigil, feeling all of the pain that should be killing him. But it would not help his mind, and it would change nothing. He disliked having killed those Ragnite, but it was for the¡­ the greater good. Harlan deactivated his sigil. Chapter 290: What is Your Real Face? When Harlan started screaming, the Others understood why he did it, none of them liked what they had done, but they didn¡¯t know the exact reason. They hit him with shock spells until he passed out and then started the healing process, cutting off the burned layers of skin and then replacing it with good flesh. The void flame burned deeply, and killed the flesh beyond normal, destroying the mana within it. It could be healed, but it was simply easier for them to do it this way. But, at the same time, Harlan should¡¯ve abandoned this body from the start, he never needed to feel any of this pain. The Other marshalls had gone back to their lands already, but the ones who were acting as his healers, they knew he wouldn¡¯t wake up for a while, so they just stood around. ¡°Do we want to talk about what happened?¡± ¡°I think we all agree that talking to ourselves is a dangerous road to go down. We should find real people.¡± ¡°Do any of you struggle with that? Knowing that we aren¡¯t really him? We might not even really be people? That we''re born to die?¡± ¡°All things are born to die. Balor, Lugh, we wouldn¡¯t consider them fundamentally different from what we are, but they are still people. Honestly, I find more comfort in knowing that I¡¯m not him, I¡¯m just me, another person, born of a person, and that we all share something that no one else can ever have.¡± The Harlans all understood what he meant, each of them felt the pain of losing everyone just like their progenitor had, but they could find some solace in knowing that they weren¡¯t him, that the expectations on them were so much lower, they they could live a life of their own if they wished. But, they were all Harlan, they had his doubt, his guilt, his unwillingness to accept things. Would it be right for any of them to have a wife? To have children? Could they even have children? A split soul couldn¡¯t split itself, but how did that effect pregnancy? There was that part of them that wanted to know, but they didn¡¯t want to subject some poor woman to being a test subject for them. When Harlan woke up, he had one of the Others help him into bed, where the agent was already sleeping. Neither of them wanted to bother with why, Harlan wanted to sleep, and the Other¡­ he didn¡¯t know what he wanted, he was just a reserve to be called on by the marshalls. In the morning, before dawn had even begun, the agent was still sleeping, so Harlan tried to get out of bed in a gingerly manner. But while the woman seemed to be a heavy sleeper, she instantly awoke when he lifted his sheet. ¡°Good morning.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t reply, he just sat at the edge of his bed. ¡°Hello? Did you go back to sleep?¡± ¡°What are you doing in my bed?¡± ¡°Your bed smells better.¡± ¡°If you let the maids in, they could-¡± ¡°I mean¡­ your bed smells¡­ like you.¡± She put on an embarrassed face and voice, but she gave off no feeling. ¡°I don¡¯t have any current desire to figure out why you put on facades like you do.¡± ¡°That was-¡± ¡°Rude? No, what is rude is you deciding to stay in my home but do nothing other than sleep and eat. Why are you here? Did you annoy everyone else? Were they tired of taking care of a parasite?¡± That last word, that finally got a reaction from her. The agent made an ugly face, trying to hold back tears as she ran out of the room. Harlan laid back down in bed, he didn¡¯t feel like being up until he had a reason to be. Then he remembered that he left Velvet back inside the veil. He came out of the void gate and found he wasn¡¯t the only person there. He was a man of average height and build who seemed magically weak, which made it odd that he would be at Castle Fomoria, since one couldn¡¯t even open the door without shifting the enchanted concrete. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a courier from the academy, and I have a package for Archmage Changeling.¡± Harlan looked at it with enhanced mana vision through a third eye, noticing the anti-magic aura around the box. Harlan suddenly felt very awake, and the man noticed, opening the box and setting off the bomb. The possessed courier was reduced to a red mist and Harlan, not fast enough to stop the man, instead focused on skipping back and away from the bomb. Though he had technically gotten out of the blast radius before it struck him, an odd interaction between time manipulation and the anti-magic of the crystal caused him to still lose a layer of skin from his face, but at least he avoided the worst of it. The spirit was gone before Harlan could get close enough to try and trap it. When Harlan, the other Harlan, woke up and rushed outside, he found Fomoria using his claws to scrape away chunks of his flesh that were contaminated. Were it not for his mind and horns being so recognizable, Harlan would¡¯ve attacked him outright. Tiamat arrived and Harlan had to tell her to go back to the inland sea while he helped Fomoria to get himself clean. With his face regrown, he spoke. ¡°There was a man here, I assume Nulson. He had a package, when I realized what he was, or he realized who I was, he set it off to avoid capture.¡± ¡°Did you learn anything?¡± ¡°He claimed to be from the academy. Ask Hirum if he is missing a courier.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get you inside.¡± ¡°I am just here because I forgot Velvet here.¡± ¡°Right¡­ Velvet¡­¡± ¡°What happened? Is he alright?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see how long he lasts.¡± The pair went through the halls, locking onto Velvet¡¯s mind. When they reached the room, Harlan stopped Fomoria. ¡°They are still sleeping.¡± ¡°They?¡± Fomoria looked at the other mind, and noticed whose room they were outside of. ¡°He and Amber?¡± ¡°Just wait, talk to him before you-¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy for them, Amber has had issues finding men for a long time, and Velvet¡­ he hasn¡¯t told me why he acts the way he does. Why would you assume I¡¯d beat him to death with my bare hands for this?¡± ¡°Because you could¡¯ve said that you wouldn¡¯t do anything, and I can see the shadows darkening.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I am probably just upset about¡­ Just call me when they wake up so I can bring him back to his kingdom.¡± ¡°You said that you resented me before, is that why Amber possibly finding a partner has you upset? I thought you found-¡± ¡°I said I was seeing about that, and I may have fucked it up, because that is what I am.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t fuck ups. We¡¯re just¡­ different, and sometimes that makes us incompatible with-¡± ¡°We¡¯re fuck ups.¡± Fomoria stepped through his void gate, but Harlan did as well. The agent looked confused at two men standing in Harlan¡¯s room, and that the one she knew as Harlan was trying to shove the other through a void gate. ¡°Get back there.¡± ¡°No, I want to help.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯ve done enough as is, now don¡¯t make me actually try.¡± She watched them both, and saw that the smaller Harlan was struggling greatly to avoid being tossed through. Fomoria swept the legs of his other half and pushed him through the void gate, breaking several of his ribs in the process. He sighed and closed the gate before he could go back through. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have-¡± ¡°I have fun when others view me as mysterious, so I act strangely. I don¡¯t have a name, that is why I have never told you. I am sorry.¡± Harlan sighed again. ¡°Right now, I just don¡¯t care. I¡¯m going to sleep until I get a call to pick up Velvet.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t you want to know about-¡± ¡°Why are you even here? Did she send you for a reason?¡± ¡°I¡­ nevermind, why don¡¯t you just go to sleep.¡± ¡°Of course, go back to your favorite face.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Harlan slipped out of his armor and into bed. ¡°We can¡­ speak in the morning then?¡± ¡°Are you going to tell me anything? Because I have had enough of dealing with other people''s problems for now. Be open or don¡¯t bother.¡± She returned in the morning. ¡°You may call me Anon.¡± Harlan was still tired. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I was raised by a Void Panther. I don¡¯t read well. I won¡¯t eat around others because I have poor table manners. My family was killed the day before I got here by parasites.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°You said you wanted me to be open, and from what others tell me, that means to reveal secrets.¡± ¡°I was angry last night, I shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡± ¡°The Darkness told me to be with you, because you are lonely, and I need someone to watch me.¡± ¡°Watch you for what?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ do well around people, if I don¡¯t have someone telling me what to do.¡± ¡°Is that why you were so normal before?¡± ¡°Mother told me how to understand people, to put up faces. What is your real face?¡± ¡°A man who will do what is needed.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She finally let him eat with her, and though it offended her, he taught her how to eat around others. She was smart, picking things up easily, but as she said, she didn¡¯t read well, and needed to be taught with examples and explanations that could be simplified for her. Harlan got the call, and went to get Velvet. When he arrived, Dahlia and other Unseen instantly pulled out their weapons. ¡°KING FOMORIA, YOU ARE UNDER ARREST FOR-¡± ¡°Do any of you honestly think that you can stop me from leaving if I want to? And you have no authority, here in the NLZ anyway.¡± Harlan came outside to mediate before King Fomoria started making more examples of hierarchy. ¡°Dahlia, you know that you can¡¯t arrest him.¡± ¡°He killed 60,000 soldiers of Ragne.¡± They all noticed him flinch at the number. ¡°So you really are him? Unseen, stand down. King Fomoria, you cannot enter Ragne, and if you do, I will gather people who can take you down.¡± ¡°It almost sounds like you want to get people killed.¡± Before Dahlia could reply, Harlan stepped in front of them. ¡°ENOUGH.¡± His voice shook the ground, but each of the Unseen were enhanced, noises above a certain point were filtered out to prevent damage by having a hard flap of cartilage cover the ear canal. ¡°Fomoria, get King Velvet and leave, Dahlia, continue collecting samples.¡± Fomoria entered the home and went to Amber¡¯s room. He wanted to just open the door, but he was worried what he might see, so he knocked. ¡°Come in.¡± When Harlan stepped in, Velvet noticed how his fingers twitched, and he hid behind Amber. ¡°Wait wait wait wait.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t hit me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not, I¡¯m just here to take you home. Amber, I assume that there isn¡¯t a problem with him that would require me to beat him?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t beat him to death.¡± ¡°There is wiggle room in that statement.¡± ¡°I just slept with him because we are about to be separated by thousands of miles and a giant wall of deadly fog.¡± Velvet seemed offended. ¡°Come on, it isn¡¯t like that, right? Last night, I thought-¡± ¡°Thought what? You don¡¯t seem like a bad guy, and Harlan¡­ Fomoria, trusts you enough to leave you here with us, but we can¡¯t exactly be together, the distance is too much.¡± ¡°Velvet, step outside, I want to talk with my sister.¡± The room was still sparse, little more than a bed with a chest at the end and a desk with a chair. So, he laid down on the bed, and she laid next to him, staring at the ceiling. ¡°Alright, what?¡± ¡°Do you feel attraction towards him?¡± ¡°Is this jealousy? Or envy? I get the two mixed up.¡± ¡°Amber, I know that you haven¡¯t had luck with men. If you want to be with him, just tell me, I¡¯ll bring him here whenever you want.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to just bring me over there? So I don¡¯t need to go through Harlan to get to you to then get to Velvet?¡± Fomoria went silent, and he closed his eyes. ¡°I said-¡± ¡°I know, I heard you. But could you really go? Leave mom, dad, Sam and Liat, everyone.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t the real reason you don¡¯t want me to come. You can come and go as you please already.¡± ¡°I have enough targets around me. Even with the lull in the war, I don¡¯t know if I could keep you safe when it starts up again.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a child, I graduated the academy before you did, and I¡¯m already enhanced, and-¡± ¡°Talk with mom and dad, talk with Harlan, whoever you should talk to. I¡¯ll be back in a week, if you still want to come, then I will bring you, I¡¯ll have a room ready for you in my home. But, there is one more thing, something important that I haven¡¯t mentioned. I¡­ I remade Haldren.¡± ¡°You rebuilt the city?¡± ¡°No, a bomb.¡± Amber was clearly conflicted, and it was 10 minutes before she said anything. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°They kidnapped my son, killed the woman I was in a relationship with, I¡­ I felt that I had to make an example, that I had to make sure they never thought that they could get away with something like that again.¡± ¡°Did it help? Did you rescue him?¡± ¡°I did, and he was unharmed, but it was over 100,000 in the city, tens of thousands more along the coast, and then millions in the conquest after. If you come, you will be party to what comes next, to the rest of my war.¡± ¡°Your son, is he¡­ your¡¯s?¡± ¡°Periwinkle made a new race, and when I went to her, to ask about magic to help keep my people fed, she gave me one of them, asked that I watch him, so he could learn how to lead, and one day he would return to her for the sake of his race. He isn¡¯t with me anymore, I sent him and Dawn away, back to Periwinkle, because I couldn¡¯t risk them, because I knew that every terrible thing I did wouldn¡¯t be enough, that I would lose myself if I lost them.¡± ¡°Even if Velvet and I don¡¯t work out, I think that I want to be with you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you don¡¯t mean that-¡± She punched his arm. ¡°I meant that I want to be around you. Fuck, I can¡¯t imagine you and I.¡± Harlan sighed in relief. ¡°Still, wait a week, and you can see about rounding up Sam and Liat.¡± ¡°See you in a week then.¡± Harlan went outside and made sure that Velvet didn¡¯t leave anything behind, but they didn¡¯t go back to Velvet immediately. They found themselves on a mountaintop; fear ran through the king of luxury. ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t do anything that she didn¡¯t-¡± ¡°If I was going to kill you, there wouldn¡¯t be a discussion, I would¡¯ve just dumped your body in the ocean. Amber may be coming out here.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s great, I-¡± ¡°I just wanted to warn you, whatever it is that you have with your higher ups, the merchants that really lead your nation, if it blows back on Amber, I¡¯m going to start killing people.¡± Velvet narrowed his eyes at Harlan. ¡°What do you mean? I don¡¯t have any problems with-¡± ¡°I went to the library of Redhaven, found books that came from Velvet, brought there by immigrants, and they detailed the kings of the past. It wasn¡¯t hard to figure out what is going on. Each king is put on the throne by the king before them, even if there wasn¡¯t any reason for why one ruler would want that person there. The children of these rulers always died, often under strange circumstances. And I¡¯ve already dealt with Plest, they are tight knit and pushing for power constantly, that they exist in every level of your government and those same people are related to the merchants alliance makes it clear that-¡± Velvet stared wide eyed. ¡°I didn¡¯t think that¡­ well¡­¡± ¡°I have kept up the appearance of ignorance, that I am a king who only knows power, not policy, but I know that I cannot remain that way. My research into magic is being done by many copies of myself, so as the prime I can spend my time doing the things that I hate, tax codes and laws and keeping up with local politics and how the families in the area are related to one another.¡± ¡°Well then, Harl-¡± ¡°Call me Fomoria. Harlan is the man in the veil.¡± ¡°Fomoria, I promise that I will do everything in my power to keep her safe, and if I need to call you, I won¡¯t hesitate, I won¡¯t be driven by pride or ego or-¡± ¡°I understand. Let¡¯s get you home, I have things to deal with.¡±
Velvet realized that Fomoria wasn¡¯t coming back any time soon, so he wasn¡¯t exactly sure what he was going to do. But, he had to make some sort of choice, and he didn¡¯t care for kids, and Ava clearly disliked him, so, he went to Amber. ¡°Come in.¡± He stepped into her room; she was working out in the empty space. ¡°What do you want now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°Joking about you and Harlan, or, uh, Fomoria, whatever. I don¡¯t mean to be-¡± ¡°Are you jibbering because you¡¯re worried he¡¯s going to beat you if I don¡¯t say he shouldn¡¯t?¡± ¡°Could you blame me if I said yes?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not really worried about it, he knows how to take a joke.¡± She gave him an odd look, and then he worried. ¡°You don¡¯t know how protective he is over his family, do you?¡± ¡°I know he¡­ I¡¯m not very close to him anyway, so I shouldn¡¯t-¡± ¡°Do you think he would leave you here if he didn¡¯t trust you?¡± ¡°I think he knows my power and he thinks that this place is safe.¡± ¡°Nope, so now I¡¯m curious, why does he trust you?¡± ¡°May I sit while we talk then?¡± ¡°Go for it.¡± Velvet soon realized there wasn¡¯t a good place to sit, so he dragged the chest at the foot of her bed out to the middle of the room. Amber started to do vertical push ups. ¡°So, how¡¯d you meet him?¡± ¡°He walked right into my throne room, crippling several guards along the way, and he dropped his charter on my lap. I was so scared I nearly¡­ anyway, that is the first time we met, he didn¡¯t even say a word. I¡¯d say that we really met when he went to sell weapons and armor to us.¡± ¡°Wait, what? He shows up, makes demands, and then tries to sell you equipment for a war?¡± ¡°I thought he was insane too. But, I saw his city, Kor, and I saw how people were happy, and nobody was going hungry. I have never seen a single beggar in Fomoria.¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t¡­ removing undesirables, right?¡± ¡°New slaves get weeks, months after they¡¯re freed to recover, to get back to work, find something to do. It will be a problem in the future, maybe he takes care of them too much. You¡¯d think that a nation of former slaves would be full of hate, that they¡¯d be screaming for war, but he does his fighting with his own forces, most people just learn magic, farm, do whatever other tradework they can.¡± ¡°There can¡¯t be that many slaves that you can fill a nation.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact numbers. 150,000 in Kor, New Kingdom is something like 250,000 with all the new people. Couple million more in the nations that have been conquered.¡± Amber pushed herself up, jumping with her hands and landing on her feet. ¡°I know Harlan doesn¡¯t like slavery but-¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t like it is here. Harlan mentioned it, but you people, when you have slaves, they can buy their freedom, or they work on contracts, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, lifetime slavery is for criminals who can¡¯t be let free but have value as labor still.¡± ¡°Out there, slavery is for life, it is for the life of your entire bloodline from you on unless your master frees you, you don¡¯t have the right to life, to refuse any order. The Cast, they- Oh, right, the Cast, metal men, rule most of the world, they brand their slaves with magic, they are the most cruel towards them.¡± ¡°And you?¡± ¡°Slaves harvested the raw materials, but workers used the looms, cared for the silkworms and tailor everything. Now, we¡¯re just hiring the slaves, no need for it anymore with King Fomoria¡¯s help. Despite what he¡¯s done, I think he¡¯s a good man, but insane.¡± ¡°What has he done?¡± Velvet went quiet for a time, staring at the sweat dripping down her body. ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t think I should.¡± She noticed his staring and pushed up with her hands, doing a flip to land on her feet. ¡°I thought you were-¡± ¡°No, I just pretend for¡­ reasons.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± She looked at Velvet, examining his body. ¡°Well¡­ you aren''t bad looking yourself. Want to help me work out?¡± ¡°I try not to overwork myself, I don¡¯t want to get bulky.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean actually working out.¡± His body and his mind fought one another, but any fears of Harlan were washed away when she pulled on her armor and it shifted to reveal cleavage. Chapter 291: Start of Merchants End Fomoria knew that his sister wouldn¡¯t stay in the veil, it was simply too much of a chance to waste with doubt or fear. He arrived in the morning to pick her up, which meant it was before dawn when he left Kor. Amber had a chest strapped to her back, causing her to have to turn to her side to fit through the doorway to the gate room. ¡°Harlan.¡± ¡°Fomoria.¡± There was some tension between the two men; Harlan didn¡¯t trust his other half. ¡°Have you said goodbye to everyone? And I notice that Liat and this Sam character aren¡¯t here.¡± ¡°They said that moving outside the veil was a bit too much, Liat was getting her fill of adventure just by wandering the Frontier.¡± ¡°I noticed that I haven¡¯t seen Zella since I¡¯ve come back. What has she been doing?¡± Amber and Harlan were about to answer, it was simple, she had been¡­ Their minds were blank, not actually having any idea what Zella had been doing. ¡°She was distancing herself from us. I think the last I heard she was in the Frontier with Reet, but then she was thinking about going to the Confederacy.¡± Fomoria began the process of tracking her through her amulet. ¡°Found her.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Would you like to see her before we go?¡± ¡°Sure, it has been a while.¡± They found Zella sleeping in a hammock of her own hair, and guarded by Minos, who quickly brandished their weapons at the pair. ¡°ZELLA, HOW ARE YOU?¡± She woke up and rolled out of her hammock; her hair caught her before she hit the ground. ¡°LADY ZELLA, GET BEHIND US?¡± She groggily looked at Amber and what she could only see as a living demon. ¡°Amber? And¡­ Harlan?¡± ¡°Call me Fomoria. How long have you been out here?¡± ¡°Harlan, why are you¡­ different?¡± ¡°Because the Fae Nemain made a perfect duplicate of me when I left for outside the veil and-¡± ¡°Wait, what is out there?¡± ¡°Brutality, slavery, an empire that threatens to choke the remaining goodness from the world.¡± ¡°Amber, is he fucking with me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m actually about to move outside the veil with him. I don¡¯t know about all of it, but these Cast, they are evil bastards. What have you been doing out here?¡± ¡°Killing Fomorians mostly.¡± Fomoria looked at the Minos, and he remembered the warning he had once been given to never set foot in the Confederacy for fear that no treaty would prevent someone from trying to kill him just for being part Fomorian. ¡°I feel the need to ask, but they are receiving judgment? They aren¡¯t just being slaughtered?¡± ¡°You would not believe how hard it is to get a Confederate soldier to not kill a Fomorian. The bigger problem is what to do with them. Leaving them there means we need to protect them from the other soldiers, and the tribes infight with one another so we can¡¯t really put them all together in one place. We¡¯re doing what we can, but it is a pain in the ass with so few men.¡± ¡°I could-¡± The smallest of the Minos pounded the head of her large two handed mace onto the ground. ¡°You shall not move within the borders of Mino. Your being here at all is nearly an act of war.¡± Harlan stepped up to the woman. ¡°Apologies. I simply wished to help my friend and these people in whatever way I could.¡± ¡°These people? You mean yours? Fomorian.¡± ¡°I am King Harlan Fomoria, my people are any who need my help and who choose to remain in my nation, there is no blood that binds them, we are all Fomorian.¡± The Minos were simply confused. Fomoria, as much as he didn¡¯t want to waste time, spent it to explain the Kingdom of Fomoria, and generally everything that Zella had missed and that hadn¡¯t reached so far into the south eastern jungle. ¡°You¡­ Harlan, has a kid? A daughter? Shit. I can¡¯t imagine how he is going to react when she starts thinking about romance. You know what, I should call Tau out here, he¡¯d love to-¡± ¡°As much as I may like the idea, I was only supposed to arrive, and pick up Amber, then help her get settled.¡± ¡°Well, if you want to help the Fomorians, then you¡¯ll need to talk with Tau, he¡¯s the commander of this section of the jungle.¡± ¡°Ha, a pacifist general.¡± ¡°Tau has loosened up some, but still, he¡¯s trying to keep both sides alive.¡± ¡°That sort of weakness gets men killed.¡± The small, well, relatively small, seeing as she was still eight feet tall, Minos pushed the handle of her mace against Fomoria, who barely budged. ¡°Don¡¯t speak ill of-¡± Fomoria stared deeply into her eyes, kindness having fled from them. ¡°Do not threaten me again.¡± The woman took a step back without realizing it, and the rest of the soldiers considered it a loss. ¡°Zella, if you would release the Fomorians into my care, I would bring them into my nation, outside the veil.¡± ¡°Do you think that Adina would be awake? Could you bring me to see her for a bit?¡± ¡°If you are given leave.¡± Zella put on her best puppy dog eyes towards the squad captain, who relented. ¡°An hour, and don¡¯t expect us to let you nap because you didn¡¯t get enough sleep.¡± Fomoria dropped off Zella with a void gate, and then took Amber outside the veil, leaving Harlan to take her back. She yawned. ¡°Do you need to sleep?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve alright. I just need to unpack.¡± ¡°Hard to believe everything you wanted to bring could fit in one chest as big as you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m stuck out here, I can go back if I really need to. But, I wanted to travel light, figure I¡¯ll try the styles of this place out.¡± ¡°All my people just wear shifting suits. But, I could have my tailor make you dresses and armor in local styles. It would be rude to shift into them without buying the designs first.¡± ¡°Where is your room?¡± ¡°Here, just across from you. When you are done, come see me.¡± Anon had fallen asleep with a book in her hand. She always woke up whenever Harlan left the bed, and considering his odd schedule, this left her awake at odd hours, doing what she could to get back to sleep. When the lock clicked, she jolted awake. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°What were you reading?¡± ¡°The three goats and the Troll. I don¡¯t understand, why would the Troll not simply eat each of the goats as they passed his bridge?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never understood that one much either. I prefer the kittens and their mittens.¡± ¡°Ah yes, a story of punishment and forgiveness.¡± ¡°Exactly. Have you been reading more than children¡¯s books?¡± ¡°I was reading your guard guidelines, and there is a part about obeying the spirit or the letter of the law as ones morals tell them. I do not understand this, how should one read the spirit of the law?¡± ¡°Why do you think that laws exist?¡± ¡°Here? Because you want your menagerie to remain peaceful and under your control.¡± ¡°My what?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that what humans call it when they gather creatures to watch them? Your nation is a menagerie of guilt. When you look at the freed people, it lets you ignore the evil things that you do to maintain this peace.¡± Fomoria¡¯s face twitched, he¡­ didn¡¯t much disagree with her, but he didn¡¯t think she held the level of understanding that would be required to come to a conclusion like that. ¡°Please, don¡¯t use that term to describe my nation publicly. It would be¡­ unsettling to others.¡± ¡°I understand that. But we are together, and if I am to maintain a face of my own, one that is me, and not what I pretended to be, then I should show that one to you alone. Is that right?¡± ¡°Everyone has a face that they show very few people, there is no shame in that.¡± ¡°But you also tell me that honesty is a virtue.¡± ¡°Why do you call yourself Anon? You told me before that you had no name.¡± ¡°Oh. You are changing the subject because you are uncomfortable with the hypocritical nature of humanity. I would rather remain nameless, because names are how one is known, and they hold power. But, being here, I need a name for others to call me. So, I am Anonymous.¡± Amber entered the room as he held Anon, since she found sleep much easier when she heard a heart beating in her ear. ¡°Oh, Anon, meet Amber.¡± ¡°I have seen her once before.¡± Fomoria got up and hugged her, instantly jealousy flared in Anon¡¯s mind, and she tried to pull him off as subtly as she could. ¡°Hello, I guess you are Fomoria¡­ fiance?¡± ¡°Yes. Honey, would you like to take a bath?¡± ¡°Amber is my sister, she is not someone you need to worry about.¡± ¡°Skinship breeds desire. She and you don¡¯t share blood, many wouldn¡¯t consider it to be unacceptable to sleep with-¡± Harlan flicked her on the nose and she recoiled and wiggled it; he never flicked her hard. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Don¡¯t do that, I¡¯m not a cat.¡± ¡°You were raised by one, and until you can act like a person, you-¡± ¡°Are jealousy and envy not an integral part of human behavior?¡± Harlan narrowed his eyes. Her sharpness when it came to the bad parts of humanity was an issue to him. He had believed her to be somewhat slow in regards to understanding people since she was raised away from human society, but her issue was really the opposite, she dealt with plenty of people, but few good ones. ¡°Why don¡¯t we take that bath? Amber, would you like to join us?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m ready for all that.¡± ¡°We bathed together all the time when we were younger.¡± ¡°Yeah, when you were 10, before all of that¡­ stuff happens with your body.¡± ¡°Fomoria is quite well endowed, more than you could handle for certain.¡± He just started laughing, then he flicked her on the nose again. In the two days since Amber arrived, she had seen the city, she had been to Falin and New Kingdom, and she was taken by the sights of the people. Naturally, she had asked to visit Velvet, but to maintain his cover, she couldn¡¯t be seen with the king openly, so she had to just wait until he came over, which, since he was designing things for Harlan, was often. He got a call from the Eolgi and research team. ¡°WE DID IT, WE FUCKING DID IT!¡± The Other and the Dague were dancing around. ¡°And what exactly did you do?¡± ¡°Gee, Gee, get over here.¡± The Eolgi was unlike its original form. It walked with a hunched back and a waddle, but was smoother and more like a small human made of stones with long claws and a snout like a mole. ¡°Hell¡­o?¡± It spoke with a strange tone, and other than that one word, it seemed to make clicks and low barks and chirps like a crocodile; the Other could understand ¡°So it can speak? That is impressive. But is it viable for our needs?¡± ¡°Yes, but not Gee, Gee is special to me and the team, the others, they can be soldiers.¡± ¡°How many of them exist now?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got a few hundred incubating in the stone, we-¡± ¡°We will need more.¡± Fomoria couldn¡¯t help but notice how one of the researchers clung to the Other. ¡°Be careful with women.¡± ¡°I know, I know, and I told her, and she understands.¡± ¡°Very well. If things are ready, I believe the next wave of this war can begin within the next month.¡± ¡°The stripe is secure?¡± ¡°Each marshall has proven to be able to maintain a city on their own. Any larger threats can be dealt with by me. Carmila still needs a little convincing, but, I believe I¡¯m just a demonstration and conversation away from her committing to this war.¡± ¡°I can have the incubating Eolgi ready in two weeks, and the next batch in three.¡± ¡°I will have a target ready by then.¡± Fomoria spent a day deciding with Larenzac and Mercedes which city would be best to hit. But, during one of the meetings, he got an urgent call from Velvet. He came from the void gate and moved in front of the man. Without a word, anyone who knew him, knew that going against him meant death. Still, the assassin tried, and Fomoria removed his arms for the effort. ¡°Velvet, do you have any idea who would send someone to kill you?¡± He couldn¡¯t hear him over the sounds of the man screaming while Fomoria sealed his wounds with fire. When the assassin went to sleep with a concussion, Velvet then explained. ¡°Someone saw me and Amber. It got back to the Plest. I shouldn¡¯t be shocked that your maids work for them. The merchants alliance-¡± ¡°How do you feel about faking your death?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°By faking your death I can see how the Plest react. Most likely, there will be a meeting, then, I will make my appearance, and my demands. You see, I dislike them having undue influence over my country.¡± ¡°You mean-¡± ¡°Any country with my charter is mine. And if they have dared to spy on me, on my sister.¡± Fomoria snarled, his teeth shifting to points. Velvet knew some of how he was protective of his family, everyone knew of what happens to Ceres and why, but to see that manic look on his face, a fury so great that he was unable to control what shape he took, that struck fear into anything. Fomoria woke the assassin, who panicked and tried to kill himself with a poisoned tooth, but Fomoria already took it out. He impressed upon the man, a Faun with shaved antlers, not a Plest, as they didn¡¯t like doing their own dirty work, the importance of telling who he worked for that he succeeded, and Fomoria even gave him a body as proof of the deed being done. So long as the assassin kept his word, he would be spared, if not, then he would suffer a fate worse than death. It was kept vague what exactly that meant, because people feared the unknown, and one''s fears were often worse than what he could specifically think of for an individual. As expected, the merchants gathered in just a few days to appoint a new king, forging a will was easy, now they just needed to fill in the name of their new ruler. But, when they started to leave, they found that the lock on the door had been fused. ¡°Good evening.¡± Everyone in the room knew exactly who that face belonged to, or rather, those horns. ¡°Ah, King-¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been trading with the Cast, trading things that I have forbidden in my charter. What do you think the punishment for treason is?¡± ¡°Surely there must be some mistake. Perhaps it was the late King Velvet, we will launch a-¡± ¡°Late? No, I think he is right on time.¡± A void gate opened and Velvet stepped through to the shock of the Plest. ¡°I¡¯m not going to bother with a joke, just pretend I said something about my cock.¡± ¡°I will make this clear. One of you is leaving this room alive, the rest will be tried for treason, and judged immediately.¡± There was a mad scramble as they tried to get out of their sentence by giving information. The Plest, as collective as they were culturally, still feared death like any people, and cowards would do anything to avoid it. Fomoria listened to everything, and then when he thought that he had it all, he killed the last of them. ¡°I thought you were going to let one go?¡± ¡°Those snakes would sell their mothers. I have no place for them in my nation. I am going to kill as many as I can with the information which has been provided.¡± ¡°What do I need to do?¡± ¡°Reveal that you are alive and that a grand conspiracy of merchants was behind your false death, that I am seeking to root them out. You were already a figurehead, so remain as one.¡± ¡°You seem¡­ on edge.¡± ¡°Years ago, my great grandfather gave rings to everyone in my family. These rings would neutralize nearly any poison, and in doing so, would turn the food or drink bitter. Amber noticed that her tea was odd, and asked me to look at it, to double check her results.¡± By the end of the next week, hundreds of merchants were found to be part of this alliance across many towns and cities both inside and outside of Fomoria. They couldn¡¯t be as brazen as they were in Velvet, but as he and the D¡¯ifs dug, they found that they were manipulating prices, threatening other merchants, and they even started to tie them into bandit attacks and other organized crime. It was¡­ unpleasant, but he felt the need to push back his planned invasion of other stripes just to deal with the Plest.
It wasn¡¯t technically a trial, since Rosewell already said that he wasn¡¯t going to be charged with treason, but she brought him in for this little show, where Harlan would be given a truth potion and told to explain what happened the day prior. The other generals didn¡¯t like what they heard, but it was now clear to them that Harlan was not involved with King Fomoria¡¯s actions. Discussion went to if they could even trust Harlan, since he was some play by Nemain and his existence directly led to the creation of blood gems and the escalation of the civil war. And though he knew that it may not be smart, he did talk about his chat with David, adding that he did try to find him, but found it impossible, as if he was in a thousand different places at once. Ultimately, nothing changed, Harlan under the effects of a truth potion told them that he was still loyal to Ragne, and that was good enough for most people. Alder, demoted to just a general, barely said a word during the meeting. They thought that the meeting was over, but Rosewell put a thick stack of folders on the table. ¡°The Unseen will be handing out documents showing new rules regarding information security. Nulson, as you all know, has shown himself capable of using lower ranked soldiers to enter into secure locations. Just this morning, Sir Fomoria¡¯s home was nearly attacked with an anti-magic crystal bomb by someone who slipped through the system and was granted a gate to his home simply by possessing a courier.¡± ¡°And how was it prevented on his end?¡± ¡°The Unseen are still investigating, but King Fomoria happened to arrive as the man was there, and he detonated the bomb to prevent capture.¡± ¡°And King Fomoria?¡± ¡°He was hurt, but survived the attack with minimal injury because he could sense the bomb before it went off and had time to defend himself, unlike what happened with Royal Guard Commander Safira.¡± Harlan raised his hand. ¡°What were the circumstances of her being hit by the bomb?¡± Rosewell hesitated to answer, since she was trying to keep Harlan away from this as much as she could. ¡°Nulson possessed a young girl. Are there any more questions before we continue? Any events that could be possibly related to Nulson recently?¡± Harlan once more raised his hand. ¡°Yes, Sir Fomoria?¡± ¡°Regarding the Greenfield family, was there any involvement with noblists by anyone outside of the main house? Sir Grenth wasn¡¯t possessed, but he came to me with information on his father having burned papers related to supporting them.¡± ¡°No, we believe that the papers were planted by a maid either possessed or hired by Nulson.¡± Harlan thought about the Greenfields and one event, something that he had nearly forgotten, came to mind. ¡°Queen Yggdra, I have just recalled in my first year at the academy that a man tried to steal the locket of Willow Greenfield. I believe I was questioned in this, but I don¡¯t remember a resolution to the investigation.¡± ¡°It is likely unrelated, but I will have the Unseen look at the investigation and report if there are any oddities regarding the case.¡± The rest of the meeting was normal, focusing on the civil war. What Harlan found worrying was that despite everything, the noblists weren¡¯t moving forward an inch. If they had really gathered magic from archmagi and blood gems, why were they just holding the line? The only answers he got were that they may be still learning these spells, or that when David killed them, they hadn¡¯t yet made copies and they simply lacked these spells. It was nearly noon by the time Harlan was back home. In the nursery, Amber was waiting for him with Adina, and in the distance, he could feel that his father was consoling his mother about something. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I want to leave.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t safe. You were gone for a day and-¡± ¡°Not the castle. I mean I want to go with the other Harlan. He offered to bring Velvet back here, so I asked if I could go out there instead.¡± ¡°And you already told mom and dad.¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°Because I can feel that mom is upset in her room and dad is holding her. Where¡¯s James?¡± ¡°Oh, Autumn is here, so she took the kids to see your lake.¡± ¡°I need to finish rebuilding that play area, build a train to it like I wanted.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem as upset as I thought you would be.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you to feel like you are locked in here. It might even be safer out there.¡± ¡°Unlikely, but thanks.¡± ¡°Are you sure about Velvet? I know you haven¡¯t had much luck here, but you really don¡¯t need to leave the veil just to find a husband.¡± ¡°Velvet, he told me about how things are out there, and honestly, I want to help. I was planning to join the army here, and I¡¯ve been with Sam and Liat to see the world and help people, so this makes perfect sense to me. I was even thinking about asking if Ava-¡± ¡°No. Not a chance.¡± ¡°Come on. I know you have a soft spot for her, but she isn¡¯t a child.¡± ¡°She''s not even a real mage.¡± That got him an odd look from Adina and Amber. ¡°I don¡¯t mind her playing soldier with Breken, but would she really-¡± ¡°Whoa whoa whoa. Playing soldier?¡± ¡°She¡¯s fighting bandits and magical creatures using Lugh and my armor to make up for her lack of waiting to learn magic. She¡¯s going to hit a ceiling to her power, and if she has to fight truly strong enemies, she¡¯ll realize that and it will crush her. Breken was a soldier for decades, and he has his fancy sword tricks and underhanded moves, but if he fought me, do you think he would have a real chance?¡± ¡°Have you told her that?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯d rather she remain a big fish in a small pond, and she¡¯ll be closer to mom and dad.¡± ¡°What a load of bullshit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not trying to be cruel, but I just don¡¯t think that Ava is like us. Mages are crazy people, just to varying degrees, and Ava, she doesn¡¯t have what it takes to be a truly strong.¡± Amber was going to go to her room right away and tell her, start trying to teach her, but she would be leaving in a week, even if she wanted to teach her, she¡¯d be gone before she had the chance to do anything. ¡°When mom and dad go to the academy, send her with them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask her when the academy starts up again. They should have openings due to the Reinoans not being allowed there for a full cycle.¡° Amber left, she had to call Sam and Liat, tell them that she would be leaving, and asked them if they would be willing to go with. Harlan was once again uncertain what to do, so, he went to see Autumn at the coast. ¡°It feels like it¡¯s been a while.¡± She hugged him and then so did the other children. ¡°Jaramis, are you going to join?¡± ¡°I think not.¡± Tiamat silently exited the water and watched. ¡°Have you met my friend here?¡± ¡°No. Is there a groundskeeper?¡± ¡°More of a guardian.¡± Tiamat let out a relatively quiet bellow to draw their attention. Naturally, all of the children were scared, and hid behind Harlan, but since Jaramis and Autumn knew Harlan well enough, the fact that he hadn¡¯t reacted meant that it was fine. ¡°Fair noon, Little Shadow.¡± ¡°Children, would you like to pet her?¡± They shook their heads, and Harlan walked forward to pat the giant water dragon on the snout. ¡°She¡¯s harmless.¡± A smile crept onto her face, flashing her needle like teeth which were taller than Harlan. James, the youngest of them, and the one who Harlan knew the least, slowly crept forward and then held onto Harlan¡¯s leg. He barely touched the dragon before he started to run away back to Autumn and his niece and nephew who were more like cousins. Tiamat¡¯s laugh ensured that the other children didn¡¯t even try. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll get used to you.¡± ¡°Any who share blood with one such as you should be without fear.¡± ¡°Technically, I don¡¯t share blood with anyone in my family.¡± Chapter 292: A Minor Temporal Sickness Fomoria had to be called in to prevent a rather odd riot. The Plest were his largest worshipers, gathering under the banner of the savior, but, the merchants employed a large number of people from other races, and since he was dismantling these trading companies for their treason, he put many people out of work for a time. It was quite odd to him, since he more expected that people would be upset over them being Plest, yet ideology and economics beat out racism this time. ¡°EVERYONE, RETURN TO YOUR HOMES.¡± ¡°FUCK YOU.¡± Fomoria hit the man with a mild jolt. He was just about done with these kinds of problems. ¡°RETURN TO YOUR-¡± Bombs went off on both sides, but instead of rushing to heal, he scanned the crowds for more bombers. The wick was wet, and so the man was struggling desperately to light his bomb. Fomoria skipped over and plucked the man from the crowd. As much as he wished to kill him, he instead handed the man off to one of the golems and called in the Others on reserve to control the area. Both sides blamed the other, since both sides had suffered dozens of casualties. But, he couldn¡¯t let himself be swayed by who he knew was the likely culprit, he needed to investigate this properly. The would-be-bomber was in a dimly lit room, strapped to a chair. ¡°Were you supposed to die?¡± The man, a Faun, didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Who are you working for?¡± He spit at Fomoria, who just sighed and put a bag over the man¡¯s head. Before he left the room, he turned on an array that would interfere with the man¡¯s equilibrium and another that would play loud sounds at random intervals to prevent him from getting any sleep. The man thought that it had been days. The bag over his head was stained with vomit from his equilibrium being broken and leading to constant vertigo and nausea. He didn¡¯t know up from down, left from right, day from night. Finally he felt the arrays shut down, and then someone pulled the bag from his head. ¡°Did you talk?¡± ¡°Wha-what?¡± ¡°Did you tell the king anything?¡± She was a middle aged Faun with shaved down antlers, something that was often done by criminals to make their profile smaller. ¡°Who sent you?¡± ¡°You know well enough that we don¡¯t share who hired us.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t talk.¡± The woman brought her talon-like blade to his throat. ¡°Good.¡± ¡°WAIT WAIT WAIT.¡± ¡°Oh? Are you worth something to our bosses? Sorry, but orders are-¡± ¡°I have money stashed away, I can pay you.¡± ¡°Is it in the city?¡± ¡°No, out in the forest.¡± She tapped her blade on his neck, pricking him each time and drawing blood. ¡°Fine. But if we get caught, I¡¯ll drop you in an instant.¡± He couldn¡¯t walk well, as his equilibrium hadn¡¯t recovered yet, so the woman helped him to his feet. When they got outside of the room, he saw that it seemed to be a simple stone room in what seemed to be a basement dug out with magic. Then he saw the bodies. One Dague was gripping his throat, trying to stop the blood, but he only lasted another few seconds before they saw the light fade from his eyes. He continued to follow the woman, and the sun never felt so nice to him. They were in an empty building within the outer walls of Kor, and they moved from alley to alley. He tried to take a step, but the woman pushed him back behind a crate and put her finger over his mouth. The failed bomber heard footsteps, just one soldier on patrol. The woman seemed to blend into the shadows, and when the soldier got close enough, she jumped out and slashed his neck, clipping the bone. She held his hand to prevent him from drawing his sword and pulled the back of his head to keep the blood flowing as quickly as it could. The soldier sprayed hot red blood over the man and then he saw him shake and spasm as he died. The woman dropped the body into the alley without any care and then slung the bomber over her shoulders. They hid in a piece of the wall that had been hollowed out, leaving just a facade that could be taken off; they heard alarms and yelling behind them. They sat there in the darkness until she said that it was safe, and then they finally reached the forest. ¡°Where is the money?¡± ¡°Which side of the city did we leave from?¡± ¡°West side.¡± ¡°It is north west.¡± The man could walk with a stagger, and they moved to where he buried his retirement fund while avoiding guards who combed the woods for the pair. When they reached a hollowed out tree, the man said that the chest was buried behind it, and the woman made him dig with his hands. Once he dug it up, she made him open it, just in case it was booby trapped. She put her blade to his neck again. ¡°Thanks for the bonus.¡± She cut his throat down to the bone, nearly decapitating him, and as his vision faded, he felt the woman¡¯s body jerk and fall next to him. Another hand, larger, connected his neck to his body again. The cold feeling of blood loss was replaced with an unsettling warmth as the pooled blood rushed back into his body, and his consciousness returned to him. The woman¡¯s head had been reduced to mush, and one of her eyes was inches from his face. ¡°It seems that I found you at the right time.¡± Fomoria towered over him, and the man began to panic, but even if he hadn¡¯t been in such a weakened state, he was no threat to the king. ¡°Now now now, that isn¡¯t necessary. I¡¯ve just saved your life.¡± The man felt his throat, he had been assassinated, his bosses thought that he was going to rat them out, so they had him killed. These thoughts rolled around in his head. ¡°I can see it in your eyes. You understand what happened here. You tell me who hired you, and we pretend you died. I¡¯ll give you a new face, a new body, I could even make you another race if you want. Then, you take that box of coins, and I will never see you again.¡± The man looked at the gold and silver that was scattered across the ground and splattered with bits of brain matter and skull fragments. ¡°I was hired by¡­¡± Once Fomoria had everything he needed, the Faun woman who was missing half of her head, stood up. The bomber was confused, but was knocked out and dragged away before he had the chance to voice this feeling. The only issue with what the man told him was that the person who hired him not only wasn¡¯t a merchant, she wasn¡¯t a Plest, but a vampire. While he would¡¯ve liked to go directly to Carmilla, he felt that it was best to gather everything he could rather than accuse one of her advisors too soon. He returned to Kor to make a speech in which he hoped to unify his people. He spoke of how he had found the person behind the attack, and that it was meant to breed more strife between them, and that continuing to fight amongst themselves would only disrespect the memories of those who had been murdered in a cowardly act of terrorism from people who cared only about money and nothing for the lives of the people who worked for them. He ended the speech with an announcement that everyone who had been out of work because of the merchants being investigated and arrested would be given a job at the Fomorian Trading Company, a new business which would be built from the seized assets. Anon went to the training room which had been rebuilt after his fight with Mother Lion, and was now in a state of disarray once more. ¡°You seem upset.¡± ¡°I should be marching into cities and saving slaves, but instead I¡¯m just having to deal with some shadowy merchants without a name, and now I¡¯m starting to think that the Plest are being used as a scapegoat for the people who are really behind it.¡± He punched through a steel plate. ¡°Perhaps you need some¡­ other, physical activity.¡± His eyes went black. The Darkness looked at him with annoyance. ¡°You stubborn little man.¡± ¡°What did I do this time?¡± ¡°You were about to tell her you didn¡¯t love her.¡± ¡°My attraction to her is physical. I don¡¯t-¡± ¡°Did you love Adina the first moment you saw her? Or was it months before you did? You are shortsighted, foolish¡­¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. He was quite confused. ¡°What did I do to upset you?¡± ¡°I sent her to you so you can have a wife who can understand you, and you can understand. You were both raised by those who share no blood with you. You both serve me. You both have¡­ odd morality. And you are both still children, growing and trying to understand this world from different sides. I wish to see you both happy, instead of bitter and alone as I see in many timelines.¡± ¡°But she¡¯s almost like a child, she understands so little about-¡± ¡°No. She is ignorant, and she understands much, but little of how humans interact with one another. She was raised a beast, but you shouldn¡¯t view her as one. With love and care she will blossom into a wonderful woman.¡± ¡°What is she to you? I don¡¯t believe you would care so much without a reason.¡± She sighed from a hundred mouths around him, unsettling him. ¡°I have said before that you were not my only candidate. I found that she was simply too feral for what I needed. Unfortunately, I did not see this in her threads until she was already years old and you became the better candidate.¡± ¡°DId you kill her parents as well?¡± ¡°A Void Panther would have no reason to save an infant and raise it, though she did come to love her as her own. Then, I was content with letting her remain where she was, but, with the death of her claw, I thought it best to bring you together.¡± ¡°Her claw?¡± ¡°A group of panthers is called a claw. Now, rethink what you were about to say to her. Anon had been waiting patiently, knowing what was happening. ¡±Other physical activity? Of course. Let¡¯s go over the basics of knife and dagger combat.¡± ¡°I actually meant-¡± ¡°I know what you meant. Have you slept with anyone before?¡± ¡°I am not sure if I felt that desire for anything.¡± ¡°But you just suggested it?¡± ¡°When dealing with an angry target, lust often overtakes rage in the hierarchy of emotions. It seemed sensible to suggest that to calm you.¡± ¡°And if I had accepted?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand the question. If you accepted, we would have sex, that is all.¡± ¡°That is what I mean. I don¡¯t want you to just do something like that without really wanting to.¡± ¡°Ah, but it would¡¯ve been for you, so it would¡¯ve been fine.¡± ¡°No, it wouldn¡¯t be.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because you are your own person, and you shouldn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t what?¡± Fomoria sighed. ¡°I was going to say that you shouldn¡¯t do something that you don¡¯t want just to please or manipulate another person.¡± ¡°I am not stupid.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that you were.¡± ¡°You think that I would blindly follow what you say and then do something wrong by taking it to an extreme. Yes, I have issues understanding people sometimes, but I am not a child, do not treat me like one.¡± Anon stomped away, but he considered it good that she openly stated exactly what her issue was and she showed emotion as she stood up for herself. Anon had been gone for two days, but he wasn¡¯t that worried. She wasn¡¯t particularly strong, but she had void gate a good sense of danger. What was worrying however, was that Camilla was there for an unannounced visit along with more guards than normal. ¡°Camilla, to what do I owe the pleasure?¡± ¡°Mother simply wished to know why you were spying on us.¡± ¡°A bomber confessed to have been hired by a vampire, and I found that the vampire was one of your mother¡¯s advisors by the name of Felblood.¡± ¡°Then surely you have proof.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t hide what I was doing out of any ill intent, I just didn¡¯t want to bother her with it until I had evidence that would be good enough to confirm that the advisor really was related to the attack.¡° Camilla narrowed her eyes at him when he handed over a folder with evidence. ¡°You seem disappointed.¡± ¡°I thought for sure that you had betrayed us, and I begged mother to let me be the one to confront you.¡± ¡°If she actually thought that I had done that, she wouldn¡¯t let you anywhere near me. I wonder, is the bitterness I feel because I rejected you? Surely you should¡¯ve gotten over that by now.¡± The face she made told him that she wasn¡¯t over it. ¡°I don¡¯t know where you heard such a ridiculous rumor.¡± ¡°Your mother told me.¡± Suddenly felt faint; a flash of deja vu struck him. He looked around, and saw that he hadn¡¯t even handed her the folder yet. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ Here.¡± He gave her the evidence he had, but after a quick glance, she looked at him. ¡°King Fomoria, are you well?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. Perhaps I just need to take a nap.¡± ¡°Your hands are shaking.¡± He took a few deep breaths, scanning his body as he did, and found nothing wrong. ¡°Sorry, just, take that to your mother, it will explain everything.¡± ¡°Should we call a healer?¡± ¡°No need.¡± Camilla looked at the evidence more closely to verify it and then left with her guards. Amber found him in his office. ¡°Are you busy?¡± ¡°No, not anymore.¡± She noticed him sweating. ¡°Are you ok?¡± ¡°Just feeling a little under the weather.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get you to bed.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m starting to feel better already. I think it is whiplash from accidentally seeing the future.¡± ¡°You look like shit you should-¡± He woke up in a room he didn¡¯t recognize, but he felt great, he felt more powerful than he ever had. His hands weren¡¯t the pale blue gray he had come to understand as his body, but the pale pink he had for most of his life. There were minds outside, the larger one seemed to scold the smaller ones. The larger one knocked on the door. ¡°Just a minute.¡± His voice wasn¡¯t quite the same, he was older. Fomoria made a quick mirror out of ice, nearly losing control of the spell due to the power he didn¡¯t expect and leaving a layer of frost across the entire room. He looked like he remembered himself as a Fomorian, but he kept his horns, and his hair was just barely grayed at the roots. He carefully warmed the room back up and dried everything. ¡°Come in.¡± The horde of horned children rushed in and hugged him in bed. ¡°GRANDPA, GRANDPA.¡± He felt a weight in his guts, nothing he was seeing was making sense, and he began to worry that a poison had made him deliriously dream. ¡°Who are you?¡± The children laughed. ¡°That joke isn¡¯t funny anymore.¡± He looked into the eyes of the older woman, they barely shifted, but perhaps he just couldn¡¯t see it well with how dark they were.. ¡°You¡­ who is your mother?¡± The woman just seemed confused by the question. ¡°GRANDPA.¡± ¡°Please, don¡¯t yell.¡± The girl made a contrite face and took a deep breath to calm herself. ¡°Mama told me that she named me after great grandma Amber. How was she?¡± ¡°Amber is a wonderful¡­ Wait, how was she?¡± ¡°Mama said that she-¡± He awoke again, the lake of blood beneath him reflected him. His body seemed to be made of solid bone, he had a mane of long red hair. In the distance he saw nothing but death and massive monsters. His vision blurred again. The buildings stretched to the sky, ships flew above him, coming and going through the atmosphere. Screens in his room showed numbers rising and falling, and in glass cases he had the preserved heads of many species that he didn¡¯t recognize. He awoke, but how much time had passed couldn¡¯t be known. ¡°Where¡­ what¡­¡± He sat up and Xol quickly came to him. ¡°Ah, you are up, and so quickly.¡± ¡°When are we?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°WHEN ARE WE?¡± ¡°You passed out three days ago.¡± ¡°When was that? What was I doing?¡± ¡°There was a riot, something about jobs and Plest. You were convulsing on the ground when I arrived, but you managed to choke out that there were bombs, and I captured the terrorists. When were you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t know. I¡­ first I was¡­ No, I¡­¡± ¡°Calm down, focus on the clock on the wall. Time is flowing, you are not going to jump again.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°Days passed after the bombing at the riot, maybe¡­ a week when I first felt wrong. I was speaking with Camilla, and I seemed to suddenly go backwards in time, just a minute or so. Then, Amber came in, and¡­ Suddenly, I was in a place I couldn¡¯t recognize at all. I was old, older, and children came in, followed by a woman in her 40s at least. The children called me grandpa, but the oldest of the children called Amber her great grandma. The girl¡­ she used was when talking about Amber¡­ that means she-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get distracted. You saw A future, not THE future. Besides, if she said great grandma, maybe she died of old age.¡± ¡°What exactly happened to me?¡± ¡°You cannot tell anyone what I am going to tell you. But I have fully removed all traces of the paradox magic from your soul.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I tell anyone?¡± ¡°Marigold removed it before, but it paradoxed itself back into your soul, with what I¡¯ve done, that cannot happen. My ability to do this has certain implications that I would rather not get into or expose.¡± ¡°I promise, I won¡¯t say a word, but what happened to me?¡± ¡°In some other timeline, I believe that another Harlan used that paradox magic to do something, and it then sent waves to the future and the past which affected all of you. Did you see more futures?¡± ¡°I think I was a Lich in one, I stood in a lake of blood, there were also giant beasts in the distance. In the other, I was in a tall tower and holograms on the walls showed numbers going up and down. And there was a collection of stuffed heads from species that I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Show me.¡± Xol barely reacted to what Fomoria showed him. ¡°Don¡¯t mention this to anyone. When asked, say it was a reaction to time magic, but give no details. I can send you home now.¡± ¡°Wait, you said that it sent waves, is Harlan alright?¡± ¡°You both have different threads that are closely connected to one another. He suffered only a minor reaction to the magic.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Alright, now I can go.¡± Fomoria used what he saw in that future to stop other attacks before they even happened, and he regathered all the information he needed to implicate Felblood being one of the merchants in the alliance without a name and went directly to Carmilla. She looked in his eyes, and saw a distance that wasn¡¯t there when she last saw him. ¡°It is good that you are well, I heard you collapsed.¡± ¡°Time magic backlash, nothing to worry about.¡± ¡°Yes, that would explain it. Seers don¡¯t always notice, but one can find them just by the look they share, like they are looking through things instead of at them. What did you see?¡± ¡°I saw a world where I won, and I saw some losses, which I have now corrected. I also saw something that is relevant to you.¡± He pulled a folder from his jacket and gave it to her. Camilla silently went through it and her emotions flared. ¡°Bathory, bring me Felblood.¡± The commander of the guard left to grab the advisor. The vampire woman was brought in and didn¡¯t seem to think anything was wrong. ¡°Your majesty, how may I help you today?¡± ¡°How long have you worked for me?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I believe 56 years this month.¡± ¡°And what were you doing before that?¡± ¡°I was in the library. Excuse me, but, what is this about?¡± ¡°Yet in all that time, how long were you part of another organization?¡± Fomoria could feel it, she showed no outward signs of it, but she knew that she was caught. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you-¡± Carmilla rushed through her desk, sending splinters through the room and scattering papers as she grabbed Felblood by the throat. Her fangs extended, making it difficult for her to speak. ¡°Why have you betrayed me? For money? Power? What foolish reason?¡± Felblood blacked out and Carmilla tossed her to the ground. People didn¡¯t betray her, and they especially weren¡¯t going to do so for who knows how long without her finding out, that wasn¡¯t how things worked in her mind. She became overcome with rage as the idea of her as the perfect queen with her perfect nation cracked. Carmilla leaned down ready to suck Felblood dry, but Fomoria put his hand on her shoulder. ¡°We want the information she has, don¡¯t let us lose that because you are hurt.¡± ¡°Do not speak down to me, boy.¡± ¡°She was involved in attacks on my people, if not stopped, hundreds of my people would be dead. I will not allow you to throw away a source of information from the layer above the Plest because you were betrayed, think like a ruler, not like a person.¡± She let go of the woman¡¯s throat and stood up.
Xol placed the bottle on the shelf, humming as he walked past his collection. Chapter 293: The Merchants Offer In another two weeks, Fomoria dismantled the network of merchants across both the stripe which was mostly his, and the one to the south, where Velvet resided. In this time he had also given Ava a training regiment with aura techniques which he felt she was more likely to continue with compared to magic training, which she simply never cared for compared to physical activity. He and Anon walked down the street hand in hand with Fomoria having taken the more Fomorian form he saw in that future. He knew that just appearing Fomorian instead of Dague wouldn¡¯t change anything, but he hoped to somehow manifest that better future. Him being alive, surrounded by children, grandchildren, a kingdom that stood for at least a century or more was in all honesty more than he could hope for. ¡°Are you listening?¡± ¡°No, I was thinking.¡± ¡°Oh, alright. Do you think that the people will be confused when they see you like this?¡± ¡°I put out a simple message explaining that I decided to return to a more human-like form, but my Others will remain as Dague. People already know that I can shapeshift, and verifying my identity can be done by more than my face.¡± Someone crashed into him. ¡°Watch where you¡¯re-¡± The Minos suddenly knelt. ¡°Apologies, your majesty.¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Of course, I wouldn¡¯t be hurt hitting someone smaller.¡± The Minos spoke in a boisterous tone, but the others around him saw the insult in his words. Fomoria took the man by the hand, the Minos stood two heads taller than him, but still had bruised his shoulder when he hit Fomoria, who weighed far more than the bull man. The Minos saw the light coalesce on his arm and the pain which he wouldn¡¯t have admitted to faded. Fomoria took Anon by the hand again and continued their walk. When they were out of the city, Anon spoke. ¡°That was nice of you.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ but why?¡± ¡°Because you have the power to sentence him to death but you spared him.¡± ¡°The idea of your answer isn¡¯t wrong, but I never considered killing him at any point during that. What was nice of me is that I didn¡¯t need to heal him, but did so anyway, and I tried to ensure that he wasn¡¯t afraid of me.¡± ¡°You failed that.¡± ¡°True. But I tried.¡± ¡°If you fail to obtain results, then intent and attempts mean nothing.¡± ¡°No, they mean little, but trying never means nothing.¡± ¡°When it is life or death, then if you accomplished what you wanted is everything or nothing. I tried to save mother, but I was too weak. I want to be enhanced.¡± ¡°After lunch then.¡± They had a nice picnic in a clearing in the woods, since Anon had offhandedly mentioned feeling more comfortable being outside. He was a little uncertain of enhancing her, and neither he nor his other half had anymore Stone Drake flesh, so they settled on a simple Dark Wyvern for the donor. Fomoria helped her off the table and once more explained that she was going to have certain feelings, which she could handle on her own, or, if she was comfortable, with him. ¡°I don¡¯t feel any different.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I said before, I have never felt the desire to have sex with anything. Feelings are enhanced for a time, but nothing multiplied by infinity would still be nothing.¡± ¡°Are you certain?¡± ¡°You are the empath. Am I lying?¡± She hopped down from the table and he took her to the training room so she could get used to the new strength she had. It took her only an hour before she was in complete control of herself, and then she just felt tired, so he carried her to their room and laid her on the bed. The more Fomoria looked at her and taught her, he wondered if she wasn¡¯t the better choice for the champion. While he hated to use the term, she had a great deal of talent. As he sat there and watched her chest rise and fall, The Darkness crept into the room, his shadow spread across the walls, and eyes became like stars in the night sky while a mouth opened near his ear. ¡°You¡¯ve grown closer to her. I was worried that I might need to step in.¡± ¡°But you did.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been weeks since we last spoke?¡± ¡°Ah, right, time.¡± The eyes opened focused on him. ¡°Whatever do you mean by that?¡± ¡°I had a minor temporal sickness, and I viewed the future. You told me that you sent her here to make sure neither of us ended up bitter and alone, and that I didn¡¯t love Adina when we first met. You also said that you killed her parents. Is that a habit of yours?¡± ¡°By killing one''s biological parents it becomes more likely for them to be able to imprint the idea of a parent on other people.¡± ¡°You want them to see you are their actual mother.¡± ¡°That was my intent, but I found that it was best that my champion candidate had a physical family which could be used to keep them grounded. If there is nothing to lose but their life, then they lack the conviction that I required.¡± Fomoria closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, she was gone. He felt like he should¡¯ve been angrier, but he understood her enough to believe she received no pleasure from what she did, she was just willing to do whatever was needed to save the world, and so would he. Fomoria was preparing for the next wave of attacks where he intended to capture the stripe to the north when his sentries told him that a fleet was approaching. Their banner wasn¡¯t known to him, and he had more or less memorized the surrounding stripes. It was a black flag with a gold scale, on the right side a heart, and the other, heavier side, a sword. He had little faith that this was going to be a friendly encounter, and more likely, these were the mercenaries that the merchants had threatened him with just before he executed them. Fomoria called a friend for assistance, just in case, and then swam under the largest ship before he scaled the side. The moment he stepped on deck, a dozen soldiers in heavy white laminated plate with what seemed to be small gold coins directly fused into the chest pointed their swords at him; they were all human. ¡°Greetings, I am-¡± One of them thrusted forward, and Fomoria dodged before stretching his arm to grab the man by the wrist, pulling him forward while he both kicked out his legs from under him and grew another arm on his back to hold the man down. The others hadn¡¯t moved an inch, and he got the feeling that they were simply checking his reaction. ¡°I didn¡¯t come here to fight. But I will not take another assault like this so mercifully.¡± He crushed the man¡¯s wrist, though he was surprised at how much effort he had to put in just to do so; their impressive armor was familiar. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Remain where you are.¡± Fomoria stood, letting go of the man. ¡°I will do so, but of my own will.¡± The man who was leaving to get their captain rolled his eyes under his helmet. The man whose hand he crushed had an inverted triangle of coins, this man six coins which could be traced to form a star, or perhaps there was some other meaning; the one who brought the captain had an inverted five point star of small coins marked with Xs. The commander wore an armor not entirely unlike the others, but his right arm was noticeably larger, and instead of a chevon helmet with eyeslits, his helmet was modeled after a human face. The lower half of the helmet was smooth, but the upper half was covered in filigree leaves. ¡°I must say, I didn¡¯t expect to encounter you so quickly. I hear you are a blunt man, so I¡¯ll be blunt, your little fit has cost my employers much. If you return the stolen assets and allow us to continue with our business, there is no need for bloodshed.¡± ¡°And if I do that, then how likely are they to worm their way into every level of governance in my nations?¡± ¡°That is just business-¡± ¡°Kings being picked by merchants, that is business. Killing children in the cradle, sowing corruption, price fixing, hiding your involvement in companies, using the Plest as a shield, those are not business, those are things that I consider to be unacceptable.¡± ¡°As I said, just business. I have a contract here, if you would look at it, perhaps-¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. He grabbed the contract before the man finished. Fomoria sat on the railing of the ship with his leg over his knee, as if he saw none of the men on the ship as a threat at all. When he was done reading the contract, he used color magic to underline what he couldn¡¯t accept, and explained this to the captain. ¡°But that is half of the entire thing.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen the contracts you make your employees sign, half of everything they make goes back to your bosses, and if they don¡¯t meet quotas they are removed. To reach these quotas they almost invariably get into black and gray market trading, fencing, and so on. If they try to back out of the contract, they often die in what are marked as accidents, but I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve ever seen a man who hung himself after stabbing himself through the back with a poisoned dagger. Slavery is unacceptable, and controlling the economy to prevent upward momentum unless one joins with you is little better. What you do is ensure that there always remains a poor class that can be abused for profit, and a rich class that abuses them. Return to your employers, tell them to write up a new contract based on what I¡¯ve told you.¡± The man drew his sword in less than the blink of an eye and vertically cleaved Fomoria in two. Fomoria had rarely seen anyone so quick, let alone a human, and more so, one who he couldn¡¯t gauge the strength of at all. His body fell into the water below and was scooped up by his friend. An Other put the two halves back together and Fomoria returned to this body. ¡°That sword had a white gold edge, the rest seemed to be stonesteel. It was single edged, and long with a slight curve. And that armor of theirs¡­¡± The Other brought three heads of cattle and the Sea Drake quickly gobbled them up while Fomoria was caught up in his thoughts, thinking nothing of being cut in two. ¡°Thank you for your assistance.¡± ¡°The deal is done, I shall return to the island.¡± Fomoria watched him swim away and then meditated to understand if there was something else he missed. Even with his brain split in two, he should¡¯ve been able to piece himself back together, but that white gold metal, that godtouched steel, it made him feel wrong, and his natural healing refused to work; his magic failed to follow his commands. Even now, his armor needed help to fuse itself back together. ¡°Gather the Others, that fleet will not make landfall.¡± Fomoria had become accustomed to ideas that seemed strange, dysfunctional, silly even. Since he had learned how to move gates, he had thought of more applications with them, and in this case, there were solid steel spheres three feet in diameter and set on an inclined track. When he gave the order, an Other would push one down the track and at the same time, finish the rune circuit. It would roll down the track in five seconds, and at six seconds, the spell would activate. A few thousand pounds of steel suddenly became much more as the gravity spell activated, and these unassuming balls punched holes through the ships, which due to a layer of seasteel, remained afloat even as water poured in. He was mildly disappointed, but he felt more foolish for having failed to realize that they would probably have seasteel. Back in Ragne, seasteel was the most common form of magical ore, as water mana was something that naturally grew at a faster rate than the other mana. In a forest, one would encounter more earth mana, and the same applied to mountains, though they also had plenty of wind mana if they were tall enough. Around the desert, with the dry sand, one actually found a great deal of light mana along with the fire mana caused by the heat that reflects from the sands. Light and dark were more or less everywhere, but almost always in a lower density, as these two mana types were based on things without the same physicality as other magic. However, when one was near a lake, in the snow or the rain, water was everywhere. It was in the roots of the trees, the groundwater, even human bodies were mostly water, it was the very basis and one of the most basic needs for life to exist, but it often didn¡¯t get the respect it deserved. Because seasteel was mostly used for naval purposes, and since the veil existed, no ship could move more than a few hundred miles out, the navy more existed to keep merchant vessels from being assaulted by monsters to and from islands. but a gate let one instantly cover a 600 to a 1,000 miles depending on the strength of the mage, and didn¡¯t require anyone to fight terrors from the deep that existed in a realm no mortals dared to tread. The Others poured out their gates and dove into the water far from the ships. They swam underneath in circles, pulling and pushing water as they did to make whirlpools. From the sides of the ships rolled out spheres with many silver coils. Fomoria recalled the Others, but when most were out, the sea lit up, and among the bodies of thousands of fish rose the few Others that hadn¡¯t made it out. He would need to recover the crystals inside of them so they could be revived. When they attacked from the sky they knocked off the wood, which was really a facade to hide that these ships were metal in almost their entirety. Fomoria knew of metal ships, but they were expensive to make and rarely worth it in the end. More importantly, he knew that they were employed by the more technologically advanced Cast farther from the veil. He became curious, and decided that he wanted to see the insides of one of these ships. With every Other still alive at his side, they flew near to the surface of the water in groups of ten, gathering waves behind them. As they neared the fleet of a hundred ships, all large enough to be considered galleons, they opened their sides, but they weren¡¯t cannons being pointed at them, but rather what seemed to be a bowl. Cautious, Fomoria recalled his Others once more. The bowls shot fire, or so it appeared from a distance. One of the Others rushed into the fire rather than away so that the prime could see what exactly was happening. The air violently shook and every cell in the Other''s body caught fire and exploded, barely being able to send enough information for his progenitor to understand what was happening to him. The gem in its composite magical steel shell was left uncracked, the layer of skysteel neutralized the attack, telling Fomoria something of its nature. The wall of water had been only minorly disrupted by them fleeing from these new weapons, and it crashed into the fleet. Fomoria never expected to sink any of them, and as the ships neared one another, some manner of magic or machine kept them from smashing into the others. No, what he wanted was to break their formation, and when one of them was unable to control its movement, he pounced like a wolf going after the weakest of the herd. The gate opened and he expanded it as quickly as he could, but when the ship got partly through there was a sudden mechanical hum, and the gate snapped shut, taking only the bow to land where he wanted. Were it not for the seasteel¡¯s properties, the ship would immediately sink. Anti-magic generators, at this point, the king was certain that the Cast were behind this, that their influence poisoned nations far before they became states of the empire. Fomoria sent out an order to one of the spare Others to test out a new spell, and after another 20 minutes, he received the message back that he was successful. Were it not for the anti-magic being currently employed, he¡¯d return the favor, using that same cell vibrating wave against them. Instead, he activated his sigil and dropped onto the deck of the ship from above, dodging anything they could throw at him on the way down; the Others ran interference against the other ships. He found the mercenaries of the merchant menace to be shockingly strong, but still, their weapons were just weapons, and their flesh was just flesh¡­ until he encountered the captain of the ship, who wore five coins on his chest in an inverted star patterns. ¡°Interesting.¡± He said after having struck him, the man¡¯s armor seemed almost alive, uncrinkling, and the muscles of the man felt far too solid, as if he was punching an enhanced individual. It was much less than what the six coin commander had, but there was also a slight white gold edge on the man¡¯s blade, really just a small amount of dust that coated it and stuck while the blade had been hot, giving it a speckled look. Enemies surrounded him, but this was more normal than not, and having already killed a few of the people on the ship, he didn¡¯t think anything below a four star could really even hurt him in melee combat. Two rushed from the sides while the captain moved in front of him. The anti-magic generators had never stopped, leaving Fomoria with whatever he had done before landing. He jumped backward, which was certainly what the enemy wanted him to do. But rather than panicking at the lack of magic and ending up skewered on dozens of swords from the staggered line of sailors, the blades mostly skid across the surface of his armor, and the first man who was struck suddenly realized that the king really was over two tons. He didn¡¯t punch, or kick, he simply rammed into one of the knights and killed him on impact. The others tried to flee, and the High Coins tried to join in, but Fomoria had to just dodge towards the Low Coins and grab them to use as bludgeons. In a few minutes, there were only a handful of sailors left alive on the deck, and the High Coin had fled inside. Fomoria pounded on what at first appeared to be a simple wooden door, but was really a thick slab of metal with locking teeth. He wondered why they would go to such lengths to hide that the ships were more advanced than they seemed. It took nearly a minute to break down the door, only for him to try going down the stairs and finding another door. After 10 minutes, he reached what he assumed was the engine room, and found white blocks with blinking red lights. They seemed familiar. It was strange when one''s perception could be slowed. He watched the explosion form and had the time to step outside and grab the thick door he had broken down to use as a shield. His insides were greatly harmed, but that could be fixed rather easily now that the anti-magic generator was gone. More explosions went off across the ship, the captain was scuttling it. If this was to foolishly try to hurt him or if it was to just prevent him from studying the machines inside, he didn¡¯t know. Water rushed in, but Fomoria just went back up the stairs. If they dropped more of those electric weapons in the water he didn¡¯t want to be out there. When he got outside again he could see the seawall, they had delayed the fleet long enough for the golems to finish closing them. The large stone formations were like claws to prevent them from being easily scales, they were solid. Because Fomoria didn¡¯t want people on these walls firing down on account of his other methods of fighting; he made them for maximum defense and no offense. When the fleet reached the wall the port had already been evacuated. The ships unleashed their vibration weapons on the solid stone that reached 60 feet in the air. If there had been bolts they would¡¯ve rattled out, if there had been halls inside the echo would¡¯ve bounced and liquified any living being. Instead, the stone shook and was chipped, but ultimately they had little effect. The Other in charge of analyzing and recreating the spell sent the knowledge back to Fomoria and the Others. Ten of them cast the spell itself, and then ten more put up a shaped sound spell to ensure that it didn¡¯t blow back on them. The sky turned to fire and a sound like a bellowing whale could be heard for dozens of miles; the ship that was struck shook apart and its crew was killed. One might expect such a spell to be greatly affected by the anti-magic on the ships, but this was not fire magic which existed more or less as pure energy, much like how one could throw rocks with magic and have them pierce anti-magic, this spell had enough physicality to it by generating a shockwave that its effect continued after the magic reached the field of reality. The fleet tried to fight back, and it worked for the most part, but where as the ships had to get past a large wall, the Others just had to delay them long enough for the attack was should¡¯ve ended this farce of an attack. A gate had been opened some time ago already, but it was above the clouds, outside of the sights of his enemies. The construction golems had finished their jobs, and the mountain top had been cleaved. On the side with the mountain, Fomoria moved his gate down, and once the center of gravity changed, the mountaintop seemed to float upward into the portal. Fomoria rode the mountaintop, steering it with magic and also increasing the gravity. They hadn¡¯t noticed the red spot in the sky at first on account of the other vibration magic already setting so much of the air on fire that both sides were finding it hard to breathe. Moments before it struck, he hopped through another gate, and his Others did the same. The seawall existed for more than just keeping out enemy forces, but also, so that when he next did something of this magnitude, he wouldn¡¯t destroy the port towns. The fleet had been decimated, a dozen ships were fully functional. When they turned around, Fomoria didn¡¯t go after them, he wanted it to be known what happened here. As he sent the Others into the water to get the ships and bodies that were worth recovering, not to mention the metal shells that held the crystals that the souls of the Others resided, he heard a voice from behind him. The six coin commander. ¡°You are one of only a handful of people I¡¯ve seen come back from an attack like that.¡± ¡°How¡¯d you get inside?¡± ¡°After we talked I took a boat down the coast and slipped past your wall.¡± The man unsheathed his blade, the gray steel contrasted with the white and gold edge. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can do that little survival trick again.¡±
Xol and The Darkness watched and waited. The Lich had his second thoughts, but it wasn¡¯t quite the time to voice them. Chapter 294: Harlans Responsibility 1 Viviane had begun teething, and after one night where they had been forced to put up veils, they called Hellon, who brought a bottle of whiskey with her. The old healer in a now young body dipped her finger in the whiskey and then let the infant suckle on it. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a spell for this?¡± ¡°Yes, and I¡¯m sure that it wouldn¡¯t hurt her, but we know she is magically sensitive already, and since she is still developing, I would rather avoid casting too many spells on her. Once she¡¯s a year old, then we may cast whatever we want, her soul should be well settled enough.¡± ¡°Thank you for coming.¡± ¡°Thank you for giving me the body of a 20 year old. I might have a child of my own, wouldn¡¯t that be interesting?¡± ¡°I¡¯d be glad to-¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got enough friends, I don¡¯t need you to taint any theoretical reputation he has.¡± Harlan narrowed his eyes. ¡°Thank you for coming, where should I send you now?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so sour. I¡¯m just honest enough to say that I know what other people think you are.¡± ¡°And what do you think I am?¡± ¡°A young man with more power and responsibility than he knows how to handle. Someone who has only the faintest idea of what normal means.¡± Harlan and Hellon spoke a little more, but Adina had gone back to sleep at some point, so they had to go out of the room; Viviane kept Adina up the entire night before. He and Hellon sat out on the front lawn under an awning; Hellon poured herself a glass of whiskey. As they sat there, Harlan holding Viviane, who had finally gotten sleep, Aida came out to watch James as he played. ¡°You are Hellon, yes? I think we¡¯ve met already.¡± ¡°Even if we did, I wouldn¡¯t recognize you.¡± ¡°Ignore her, Hellon is a grouch. She¡¯s here because Viviane¡¯s teething is so bad and I can¡¯t make her stop growing teeth or speed them up.¡± ¡°Oh, you were the same way.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. I saw spiders crawl on you, snakes lightly coil around you, birds would jump over you, and none of it bothered you in the slightest. But the night your teeth started coming in, not one of us got sleep. I had to go to one of the nearby farms, since we don¡¯t keep alcohol in the house, and rub a little on your gums.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what Hellon did.¡± ¡°Huh. I guess magic can¡¯t solve everything.¡± Hellon slammed down her glass, she wasn¡¯t one to sip her whiskey. ¡°So animals have always gotten along well with you.¡± ¡°Other than Cu, most animals like me.¡± ¡°Empathy?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± The more Harlan sat there on his lawn in the shade, watching the swaying grass and speaking with his mother and Hellon for a time, the more unsettled he became. He was pulled from his thoughts by a wet feeling on his shoulder; Mu returned from the woods. Hellon looked warily at the Mammoth. ¡°I would ask how you got one of these, but I¡¯m guessing something died.¡± ¡°Actually, I avoided a fight and negotiated a peaceful resolution with an Ogre tribe. I even made a friend.¡± ¡°Alright, but why?¡± ¡°I wanted a pet. Dogs, cats, birds, they feel¡­ mundane. Mammoths are one of a bizarre set of creatures that don¡¯t always evolve. There are criteria to get one to not die of old age.¡± ¡°Is that the case?¡± ¡°The ones I know of are all either very large, or very small. Minnows don¡¯t often evolve, ants as well, otherwise we¡¯d be overrun with them.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Clearly she didn¡¯t really care that much about the subject, she just wanted to know why he had a Mammoth. So he tried to find a better topic. ¡°How did you and Sepul first meet?¡± ¡°He told you already?¡± ¡°Told me what?¡± ¡°Oh. I was one of his students, he was the healing and divination teacher at the time. I hated him, I couldn¡¯t stand being around him, he made my skin crawl. He¡¯d yell and hurl insults that could only come from a man who took a great deal of time to personally know every single one of his students.¡± Harlan looked at her and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Yes, I am the way I am because he taught me, what about it?¡± ¡°Nothing. But¡­ it is a little hard to see him like that. I¡¯ve seen him being harsh towards the students, but of my teachers you were the¡­ least kind toward us.¡± ¡°I think that¡­ what happened, it changed him. I just don¡¯t know if he has the feelings left to be truly cruel anymore.¡± ¡°Did you ever meet Dawn when she was alive?¡± ¡°Eliza wasn¡¯t even born yet when I graduated, and we interacted only professionally when we did meet until he came back out of hiding.¡± He once more raised an eyebrow. ¡°How old are you? Eliza was¡­ 25 or so when she died, so you must¡¯ve gone to the academy at least 40 years ago. Probably longer, since you seem to make it sound as if you took a while to make a name for yourself.¡± ¡°How old do you think I am?¡± ¡°I thought you were in your 50s. Are you in your 70s?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go with that then.¡± ¡°With which one?¡± ¡°With whatever feels right to you. But I will say, I am flattered that you thought I was only 50; all that beautification magic really did work.¡± Hellon dodged any further questions, and eventually she left to do something else that she was being purposely coy about. Adina came out in the afternoon to sit with them. Harlan seemed to have fallen asleep in his chair with Viviane sleeping on his chest, but when she tried to wake him, he just laid there. She didn¡¯t panic, as traumatizing as Hellon¡¯s classes were, they did teach her to remain calm. Adina took Viviane from his hands and scanned him. He was alive, but barely. She called for Sepul, since she couldn¡¯t see anything actually wrong with him, and she had even checked his soul. She wasn''t fantastic at it, but she had one of the top three best teachers on the subject and was leagues above anyone with so little time learning it. They moved Harlan inside and Sepul tried what he could, but he didn¡¯t understand what exactly was wrong with him. He was after all a master of space, not time nor paradoxes. He told Adina to call Marigold, who was busy, but told her that Harlan would be fine, he just needed rest. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°She¡¯s lying to me.¡± Said Adina. ¡°If she says Harlan will be fine, then he will be fine.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even seem worried.¡± ¡°She¡¯s Marigold, Champion of Aarde, Mother of Modern Magic. Has she ever done wrong by you or him?¡± Adina was a little surprised, Sepul wasn¡¯t someone known for respecting others, and even when he did, he still acted like he was above them, because often he was. ¡°You have a lot of deference for her.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t state her titles again, but I have my reasons to trust her. I would like to see Vivi.¡± The archmage rarely made facial expressions, and not just because he mostly showed himself as a living corpse who was so desiccated he couldn¡¯t express himself. Yet now, he took his the form of an older man, and he threw the little girl into the air and caught her with a giant smile on his face. ¡°My, you are heavy, like your papa.¡± Vivi giggled as he gently caught her to avoid whiplash. Sepul stopped tossing her and put his finger out, which Vivi grabbed. ¡°Your grandma had such a strong grip.¡± He spun her around and noticed Adina staring from a rocking chair, resting her chin on her palms. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You remind me of Harlan.¡± ¡°In what way?¡± ¡°You both become soft, warm, when you are handling children. I bet you loved your wives as well.¡± ¡°Things weren¡¯t perfect, I was still in a strange state, I hadn¡¯t yet learned to act like how a human should. I married her for diplomatic reasons, my first wife that is. But, we came to love one another, and though I¡¯m sure my first children wouldn¡¯t agree, I made leaps and bounds toward being a better man.¡± Sepul looked between the infant and the woman. ¡°She has your nose.¡± Dawn was watching over Harlan as he slept, listening and writing down what he muttered. When he awoke, it was like a switch had flipped. He jumped up from the bed and saw the sun was rising. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake.¡± ¡°I am.¡± He had a vacant look in his eyes and he spoke in an even tone. ¡°Here is a journal. You said Jenny a lot, we don¡¯t know any Jenny¡¯s, right?¡± ¡°No.¡± She was about to call for Sepul when he spoke again. ¡°Did anything happen while I was out?¡± Life returned to his face and voice, and Dawn let out a sigh of relief. He went to see Adina, finding Gladio with her. ¡°Oh, Sir Fomoria, it has been quite some time.¡± ¡°Yes, it has. Honey, I¡¯m back.¡± ¡°Sepul said that you would be fine, but it was quite scary when you didn¡¯t wake up no matter how much I shoved you.¡± He sat in the rocking chair next to her and started to hum. ¡°You seem like an old man.¡± ¡°Gladio, why are you here?¡± ¡°Can I not just visit my host?¡± ¡°Royals don¡¯t ¡®just¡¯ do anything.¡± ¡°I gave up any claim to the throne some time ago. I really just came here to visit.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t believe it, but he didn¡¯t say anything more, and instead he made smalltalk. When Adina slept, Harlan slipped out of bed and moved to the tower which was now completed and was linked to their room. He dropped the facade and started to vacantly stare out the window. Harlan had seen a day in the life of what he would¡¯ve been like if he had never gotten taken away, if he had been raised as a Fomorian. He woke up on a bed of bear pelts next to women, Fomorian and human, some of them chained to posts. Harlan couldn¡¯t control these memories, they had simply crossed over due to a paradox flare up. Darrath walked out of his simple hut, hunted with his brothers, raided a trade caravan that passed near their lands by inciting the horses to go off the road and towards them. He felt every part of the slaughter, squeezing the eyes out of a man, laughing all the while. Darrath was cruel, and Harlan saw that in himself, but he told himself that he cruelty was only for evil people, people like Darrath. As he sat there, rocking back and forth in his chair, he processed what he was seeing, what he was feeling, and he did everything he could to keep his mind his, to not be influenced by that other man. There was a particular memory that caught his attention, a ritual that expanded the domain of the Fomorians. Even separated from everything, Harlan was a monster of magic, he would have the first look at everything and take any magical items or books. He heard voices, The Darkness was there. Darrath would still be her champion, and he began to question when she told him that he wasn¡¯t her only candidate. If she hated the Fomorians like his father because of what he did, why would she let Darrath be her champion. It was hard to tell when he was unless he caught glimpses of himself and could guess his age by his face, but he had killed his father when he was barely 17 if he had to guess, and became the chief as a result. Some time later, he killed his brothers until he only had one of them. Darrath cared nothing about his family, only what they could offer him. His heart sank when he saw Eliza, still alive, still being used to make more siblings with just the right amount of Fomorian in them. It became easier and easier to keep these memories from influencing him the more he saw, the more he realized what he could¡¯ve become, the more he rejected every part of what that other life was. That it existed in any timeline made him weep. The sun rose, and Harlan jumped from the window, opening a gate before he hit the ground. He didn¡¯t know exactly where he was going, he followed his gut. There were names he heard in those memories, and he was sure that he had been born somewhere near The North. He stopped at the first town of many, asking if anyone knew the names of the other places he heard about. After a dozen towns, Adina finally called him. Harlan moved down to the ground and put up a veil. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°There is something I need to do. I don¡¯t know when I¡¯m going to be back.¡± ¡°I just need to know, are you alright?¡± ¡°This is something I need to do. I don¡¯t mean that I feel like I need to do this, I mean that I¡¯ve ignored this, pretended that it didn¡¯t matter, that I didn¡¯t know these people, that I had no responsibility toward them. But I am Fomorian, I am the bastard son of a chief, and if I let him go, he¡¯ll just keep making monsters like me, twisting them for his purposes. The Fomorian pact has been broken for quite some time already, if I don¡¯t find him now, I might never find him.¡± ¡°Just be careful.¡± She ended the call; Adina knew better than to stop him, and she didn¡¯t disagree with him. He kept hopping from town to town, village to village. Finally, he found one of the places from his memories, and he visited the town mayor. ¡°Sir Fomoria, to what do I owe the pleasure?¡± She was clearly nervous that he was here. ¡°I am looking for a nearby tribe of Fomorians.¡± ¡°Oh, well, since they have been allowed to leave their little¡­ villages-¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to kill them, not save them.¡± Some of the weight was off of her mind. ¡°Whenever we get close, our men get turned around. They scurry like rats, stealing food and women. If I knew how to reach them, I¡¯d burn that shithole to the ground.¡± ¡°Do the men get turned around, or do they feel like they need to turn around?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have reports brought in, you can check the exact wording.¡± ¡°No, it was only a matter of curiosity. Just point me in their direction, I¡¯ll break through their wards and arrays regardless. Fomorians are magically powerful by birth, but they lack the knowledge that humanity has amassed, I don¡¯t think that they will stand a chance against me.¡± ¡°Sir Fomoria, I don¡¯t mean to-¡± ¡°You may send men with me to ensure that I am not there for anything other than what I claim.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ yes, I will do that then. But I feel that I should ask, is this official business?¡± ¡°Personal. I must pull up my family tree by the roots and salt the earth. How soon can your men be ready?¡± ¡°Give us half an hour.¡± Harlan lifted the dozen soldiers and the mayor, moving forward but slicing the air with a wedge so they barely felt how fast they were going, and so they didn¡¯t freeze to death. While one couldn¡¯t notice inside the Learning Zone on account of the massive array over the independent country that kept the weather mild, it was winter elsewhere, and though he was before the mountains that separated the rest of the continent from The North, it was still helish. They complained that they were going the wrong way, but Harlan knew better. Once they were past the arrays, they saw the village. The group landed at the outskirts, snow crunching under their feet. The Fomorians rushed into offensive positions and called their chief. When Harlan looked at the face of the man he saw himself, and it infuriated him; the smug prick. looked at Harlan like he was expecting this.
The girl was pulled out of bed by her older sister. ¡°If you aren¡¯t up and dressed in the next ten minutes I¡¯m leaving you behind.¡± She groaned and staggered to her feet. ¡°Let me guess, too excited to sleep?¡± ¡°I was reading.¡± The book had been resting on her chest, and had fallen down when she was dragged from her bed. The older sister dusted the cover off, My Father, by Darrath and Viviane Fomoria. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to the rites, and I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m supposed to learn from that book.¡± ¡°The empire was founded by their father, and-¡± ¡°Yes yes yes, he split mountains and broke the veil, the great godslayer. I can¡¯t believe you think this bullshit happened.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe that you are so young and so cynical. But Harlan was like that too.¡± ¡°Do you realize how creepy it is when you talk about him like he is a friend?¡± ¡°If it weren¡¯t for him, we wouldn¡¯t be here, the rites wouldn¡¯t exist, and-¡± ¡°And you wouldn¡¯t be leaving.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be sour.¡± ¡°Oh, no, I¡¯m giving him some credit for that. When you leave I won¡¯t need to wake up early for this shit.¡± ¡°Just get ready.¡± Interlude: Special Investigator Mosley Unbeknownst to Fomoria, Mosley had already been given an interpreter/partner to help him with his duties. She was a bumbling Dague woman who took her demotion, one meant to keep her out of the way of others, as a promotion, since she was working alongside Special Investigator Mosley. Mosley was given a partner because while people in and from the UT understood that he was odd and didn¡¯t speak, everyone else just saw him as the strange man who never said a word. He would go where he wanted, do what he wanted, and due process was more of a suggestion. Mosley had yet to hurt or kill anyone who he couldn¡¯t later prove was deserving of it, but it was still a bad look to let him do these things without any real oversight. Bly hit her head on the door frame as she entered the office. Even for a Dague, and especially for a woman, she was tall at over 9 and a half feet. Her body was thin and gangly; she never seemed to eat enough. ¡°Ouch.¡± As she knelt down and held her forehead, Mosley gave her a kiss. ¡°Don¡¯t treat me like a child. Ugh, I¡¯m going to feel that for the rest of the day. And it¡¯s going to bruise, what if a handsome man sees me and-¡± Mosley grabbed a bit of butter from his breakfast and rubbed it on her. When she tried to take it off, he grabbed her hands and shook his head. ¡°Are you trying to help me?¡± He nodded. ¡°How?¡± He punched his desk, bruising his knuckles, and then rubbed butter on it. ¡°I should go see a healer instead of letting you make my head greasy.¡± He shrugged and got ready to go out for the day. Mosley didn¡¯t have specific patrol routes, and he didn¡¯t follow the orders of anyone else. Special investigator just meant that they gave him a badge and hoped he would use it fairly to stop crime like he had out in the UT. ¡°So then my sister tells me that I should¡¯ve just applied for a job as a tree instead of a guard.¡± She laughed at her story, but Mosley remained stone faced. ¡°See, I knew you would find it funny.¡± He had found it funny, not that anyone else could tell. He stopped and raised his hand, so she ducked to avoid being seen; she was nearly as tall as him when crouched. But also, they were still in the street, so she just ended up looking odd, though she always did due to her body. He nodded to the left and she followed his eyes. Once they were in an alley, she cupped her hands and lifted him above her head to the roof of the warehouse. She looked at him, wordlessly asking if she should come up too, but he shook his head and pointed to the window down the alley, making a fist with one hand while the other remained flat and forward; she understood what he meant. Mosley crept through along the roof and then pulled out one of his revolvers. He had been given more than one of the new semi-automatic pistols, but they always ended up ¡®lost¡¯ so they stopped bothering when they realized that he just didn¡¯t like them, at which point a box full of the pistols were delivered to the guards armory. He loaded it with piercer rounds, they went clean through soft targets, leaving only a small exit wound. They hurt like hell and brought people down, but they were considered less lethal rounds. Mosley only ever kept one non-lethal round on him. He used the armor to cut most of the way through the ceiling with a dark beam, and then he stood on it, testing the strength of the stone. When he reached the right thickness, he jumped, stomping as he did. He fell with the disk of stone, and he fired three rounds on the way down before his opponents had the chance to even turn around. Bly smashed through the window when she heard the shots and moved to capture the three Ibexians. There was a fourth man, a Faun, beaten and bloody on the ground. Mosley made a short whistle and Bly checked his injuries. ¡°Not great, but he just needs a healer.¡± He whistled again, and she brought one of the men to him. Mosley spun his gun, opening the cylinder and dumping out the spent rounds before he put another in. He closed it again and spun the cylinder. He pulled the trigger, click, and the man jumped. ¡°Wh-what do you want?¡± Mosley put the gun to his own head and pulled the trigger, click. ¡°ARE YOU INSANE, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING.¡± ¡°He wants to know why you did this.¡± ¡°He was stealing from th-¡± Click. ¡°STOP DOING THAT.¡± ¡°Who are you working for?¡± ¡°NOBODY, WE-¡± Click. ¡°He-he¡¯s bluffing, right? He¡¯s not really going to-¡± Bang, he shot the man through the shoulder. ¡°AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, FUCK, AGAIN?¡± ¡°Shut up, they are less lethal rounds, clean through and through. Now answer our questions.¡± ¡°Do I shut up or answer the-¡± She kicked him where he had been shot in the leg. The man was back at attention when he heard the cylinder close again. ¡°He says the next one goes through your head. Who hired you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t-¡± Click; the man¡¯s nerves were shot. ¡°IT WAS AR¡¯THIN, AR¡¯THIN THE BLADER.¡± ¡°What in the hell is a blader?¡± ¡°He stabs people real good.¡± ¡°What a stupid name. Boss, who do we do now?¡± Mosley raised his gun again, click, click, click, click, click, click. He noticed that it was off, he knew at least that much about revolvers. When the man opened his eyes again, he saw Mosley smirking. He opened the cylinder one more time, dumping out the empty round. The normal guards arrived, having heard the gunshots and the screaming. Bly explained everything, but when they saw the pair, they already knew that whatever this was, it wasn¡¯t worth being involved with. Mosley had never once asked with assistance in his work, he had always just worked whatever case he had. He would sometimes hand them off, giving a folder that amounted to near exact instructions on how to finish it, but anything he worked on, he worked himself, well, technically he worked it with Bly after she was assigned, but he did most of it. Mosley took her to a Plest restaurant; they ate somewhere different almost every day. Things were tense with them, as one might expect, but Mosley didn¡¯t have a prejudiced bone in his body, he judged by his gut, not others skin. ¡°How did you know that someone was in danger?¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. He tapped his nose and ears once with his index finger on both hands.. ¡°Really? I couldn¡¯t hear anything over all the people.¡± He pinched his fingers to his thumb on his left hand and held it to his mouth while he cupped his ear with his right hand. ¡°I know I know I know, but not talking just isn¡¯t me.¡± The waiter arrived to take their order, and Mosley just put his finger tips together and stretched his arms out into a circle. ¡°He wants whatever your largest dish is.¡± He mimed drinking and then covered his eyes with one hand while he fanned his tongue with the other. ¡°And do you serve coffee?¡± ¡°We do.¡± ¡°He wants it black, and very hot. I¡¯ll have a salad and green tea with two spoonfuls of honey.¡± Mosley shook his head, then pointed at her and made his big dish motion again. ¡°I¡¯m not that hungry.¡± He pointed at her again, stretched his arms vertically and then brought his index finger and thumb close together. ¡°I¡¯m not too thin, I¡¯m just maintaining a womanly figure.¡± He just stared at her with one brow raised. ¡°Fine, bring me an order of what he is having, and my salad.¡± ¡°Do you still want your green tea?¡± ¡°Bring me a coffee, but with cream and sugar.¡± Mosley gave two thumbs up. Bly rubbed her stomach. ¡°I need to use the ladies room.¡± When she got back out, Mosley was gone, having already paid for the meal. ¡°Mosley? Mosley? NED? Oh no no no, he can¡¯t just- You, did you see where he went?¡± ¡°The man you were with? He paid and walked out, I think he turned left.¡± ¡°Oh no, his office is to the right, he could be doing anything now. How long ago did he leave?¡± ¡°As soon as you entered the bathroom.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a ladies room.¡± Bly walked down the street, tracking him by asking vendors if they saw a scowling human with a wide hat, a silver star on his chest, and with beautiful chestnut eyes. That last part got her a few odd looks, but ultimately led to her finding him, as a Dague woman who was selling fruits noticed him through the crowd when she made eye contact with him. She found him leaning against building at the mouth of an alley. He waved her over and then nodded to the alley. She peaked in and saw a single Faun man. Mosley pointed up to the roof and motioned walking with his middle and index finger, then he mimed grabbing onto a rail, no, grabbing the Faun¡¯s antlers, and lifting. He cupped his hand and boosted her up to the roof; he was enhanced. Mosley walked down the alley to the dead end. The man at the end stood on a manhole cover, his antlers were shaved down to just six inches long and with small hats on them, making him look almost giraffe-like. ¡°What do you want?¡± Mosley just stood there and cocked his head. ¡°Are you deaf? Or just slow?¡± He pointed up as Bly jumped down behind him. When the man turned his back, Mosley cuffed the man¡¯s legs then put his hand over the man¡¯s mouth. Bly grabbed the man¡¯s arms, forcing them behind him. Mosley cuffed the man and motioned to her. She lifted the man by what was left of his antlers, turning him to face Mosley. The Faun whimpered, assuming that screaming would just get him killed. Mosley pointed at the manhole. ¡°What is down in the sewers?¡± ¡°Nothing. Why are you doing this?¡± Mosley shook his head and punched the man in the stomach. ¡°Please, I don¡¯t know anything.¡± He punched the man again. Bly thought that she was a fairly good judge of character, and this man looked and sounded innocent to her. Mosley saw the hesitation in her, so he motioned to set the man down and he took her aside. Bly carefully placed the man against a wall and then went halfway out of the alley, crouching down so she could whisper to him at eye level. ¡°Are you sure he knows something?¡± Mosley made a V with his index and middle finger, then with his right hand he tapped near the base of his fingers. ¡°He has a mark on his horns?¡± Mosley put his hands on his head and splayed his fingers. ¡°He has a mark on his antlers?¡± Mosley nodded. ¡°Did the Ibexians have it as well?¡± Mosley nodded again. She quickly ran back and checked him, the man had a small symbol that she thought looked kinda like a dagger, one line straight down and one across that she thought was the crossguard. Bly quickly ran back to Mosley and crouched again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for questioning you.¡± He put his left hand on her shoulder and shook his head. ¡°You think that I should keep questioning you?¡± He gave her a thumbs up with his right hand, and they went back to interrogate the man. Bly had a smile on her face as she held the man by his antlers and asked him questions while Mosley basically used him as a punching bag until he finally gave him what he wanted to know. The sewer below was cramped. Fomoria had designed it himself, with the aid of actual architects that is, and the system that he devised used more tunnels that were smaller and filled with slimes to filter and purify the waste so it wouldn¡¯t stink up the city or dirty the river that it flowed into too much. One of the reasons Fomoria had designed the tunnels the way he had was so that it was hard for people to make it through them, and so there were quite a lot of dead ends and signs that would lead people around in circles if they tried to use them. Mosley tapped on the wall and took a deep breath as he walked forward into a giant slime that took up the entire tunnel. Bly shivered when she got through; slimes left behind no residue, they were perfect cleaners. ¡°I¡¯ve never felt more clean and yet so dirty.¡± Mosley stopped and closed his eyes then tapped his palms to his ears, telling her to cover hers. He fired one around, and then waited. Mosley turned to the right and started to run. Bly could only crouch run, the tight quarters removed any speed advantage her long stride gave her. She caught up to him just in time to see him enter a full equip of his armor. Mosley had asked Fomoria for two sets of armor, one that was his duster, and the other would be his actual clothes. There was no reason for this other than wanting to be able to wear his coat over his full armor without sacrificing anything for it. On Mosley¡¯s back he had six hands that could pass his weapons to him and that would reload the guns he wasn¡¯t currently using. He motioned for her to peek around the corner. Two Ibexian men stood in front of a door that led to a smugglers'' den; they wore ear muffs with one ear uncovered. They moved their product and men through the city by mapping out the sewers and guarding the entrances that were out of the way. Nobody actually checked on the sewers unless there was a reported issue, but with how they had been set up with the slimes, there hadn¡¯t yet been an issue. ¡°How are we playing this?¡± She whispered to him. He pointed at her and then held his fingers to his thumb, opening and closing them like a mouth, followed by holding his arms out with his wrists facing her. She understood what he meant. ¡°YOU ARE UNDER ARREST, DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND SURRENDER. IF-¡± They opened fire on her, but Mosley pulled her back. He tapped the barrels of his guns against his ears before he moved forward. Mosley went around the corner, the men¡¯s shotguns sprayed pellets which bounced off of his armor, but the force did make him stagger back some. When the men reloaded, they assumed they were safe in a small alcove. But Mosley grabbed a different gun with his right hand, one loaded with special rounds. He shot the wall at an odd angle and the bullet bounced around before it struck the men, not in their hearts or heads, but rather it broke the band that kept the ear muffs on. When they had finished reloading and returned fire, they instantly blew out their ear drums; Mosley already covered his ears with his armor. Mosley knocked on the wall and Bly went forward to arrest them. ¡°By order of the king, you have a right to a fair and just trial without undue delay. You have the right to defend yourself or to have another defend you. An officer of the court will be assigned to watch over you if you need to gather evidence. You may request a trial by jury or judge unless it is decided that one option would be heavily biased for or against you. You have the right to silence, and it shall not be taken as an admission of guilt should you choose to remain so, but your own words may harm your case. Mosley, I did it, I said the whole thing without-¡± She quickly stood up and banged her head on the ceiling. ¡°FUCK.¡± Her words echoed through the sewers as he gave her two thumbs up, and didn¡¯t even try to explain that both of the men were still deafened, so they hadn¡¯t heard any of it.. Bly was ready to kick the door down, but Mosley waved her away and pressed his ear to the door. With a click, he simply walked inside. They were surrounded by counterfeit coins and stockpiled alchemical ingredients used for the manufacture of narcotics. They looked around the room but didn¡¯t see anyone. Bly noticed that one of the walls had a seam. ¡°Mosley, I think that-¡± Ar¡¯Thin kicked the false wall, smacking Bly in the face and getting enough of a jump to get behind her and put his knife to her throat. ¡°DON¡¯T MOVE.¡± ¡°DON¡¯T LISTEN TO HIM.¡± Mosley froze in place as Ar¡¯Thin pushed his blood closer, getting a single drop of blood from her. ¡°THROW DOWN YOUR GUNS, ALL OF THEM.¡± Mosley tossed down the two in his hands, the remaining four on his back, the two on his thighs, and then the two on his ankles. ¡°NOW YOUR ARMOR.¡± He slipped out of both of them, standing there with just his hat and underwear. ¡°You ever heard of the 20 feet rule?¡± Mosley nodded. ¡°What do you say we have between us, 18? 19 feet? I¡¯m gonna push her aside, and you can reach for one of your guns. We¡¯ll see who can kill who first.¡± Ar¡¯Thin had short nubs where his horns used to be, he had been a bad slave, and was punished for that. ¡°Three, two, one, GO.¡± He tossed Bly aside and ran at him. Mosley lifted his hat and pulled a gun from it, grabbing the man¡¯s hand to keep from being stabbed, putting the barrel under his chin, and then pulling the trigger. Mosley winced as the shot rang out and he couldn¡¯t cover his ears. Bly had at least seen what was happening and covered her ears. Mosley hopped into her arms once he had his armor back on. ¡°You want me to carry you?¡± He didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Oh, right, you can¡¯t hear me.¡± She carried him, not realizing that his enhanced body meant he was still fine and his hearing quickly returned. But if it didn¡¯t hurt anyone, he wasn¡¯t going to explain. That and because of the crouching, she was basically holding his face directly next to her breasts the entire way out. Chapter 295: Something Wicked Is Already Here Fomoria called on his Others and activated his sigil, he didn¡¯t want to give the High Coin a chance to kill him without being able to react again. ¡°Just us, one on one.¡± ¡°Now why would I do that?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to see it?¡± ¡°I have long since run out of patience for people who decide that I must listen to them prattle on about their personal philosophy. Tell me what you mean in a concise manner.¡± ¡°I want to see what you can really do, and what I can really do. My job so often sees me fighting people who aren¡¯t worth my time. This is the curse of power, the gaps between us grow farther and farther. When was the last time you fought someone with real killing intent and matched them evenly?¡± ¡°A few months. Though evenly might be overstating my ability, as it was a two on one fight. I¡¯m going to kill you anyway, but, I might as well sharpen myself against you.¡± The Others stopped casting their spells and moved away. ¡°I¡¯ll start slow then, don¡¯t want to thrash you too quickly.¡± The two sides stared at one another, waiting for the slightest twitch that would denote the start of an attack. A blizzard began to roll in; the mild winter would end today. When a snowflake passed in front of Fomoria¡¯s vision, the High Coin rushed forward, his movements silently cutting the air. Fomoria barely dodged, losing the tip of his middle finger in the process, though it regrew with the black bone of the weapon sigil. The man stabbed at him, who leaned into the attack, taking the blade through his heart but landing a punch on the man. Fomoria thought that it felt wrong. The man¡¯s limbs twisted as he rolled across the ground, and Fomoria rushed forward by shooting fire behind him and removing friction. But when Fomoria reached the man, he moved like he had no bones, his arm cracking like a whip and cutting off more of his fingers that regrew with black bone. The man skid across the ground, his hands digging into the ground until he came to a stop. ¡°A good start. But, I don¡¯t much care for the audience. I¡¯ve hidden bombs across Kor, if your men don¡¯t leave to find them, I will set them off immediately. If they go, they will have 20 minutes to find them.¡± ¡°Bullshit, you couldn¡¯t have had time to set them.¡± ¡°Moved them into the city with merchants that you assumed were safe. They¡¯ve been sitting for days already.¡± The Others were sent away, worst case, he would call them back and use another body to fight. Fomoria walked slowly towards the man and he modified his body, adding two small vents near his shoulder blades along with a tail and the extra eyes he gained from his study of Adina. The man kept his blade sheathed, enchantments aided in quick draw attacks. ¡°My name is Drachma, and I don¡¯t think that I¡¯m going to die today.¡± ¡°Many men have had the same thought before they met me.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s dance.¡± He drew his blade and from 20 feet out, Fomoria barely dodged once again, but he didn¡¯t lose anything this time. It took an instant to close the distance between them, and Fomoria threw another punch, this time backed by aura, and what the man had assumed was a miss was instead a direct hit as the punch extended past his body. Drachma rolled with the strike and jumped back. Fomoria could regenerate limbs in moments, he was fast, physically powerful, and his magic was dangerous at close and far range, mixed with gates that could open without any warning, and so how to fight a man with so many options was half of the battle. No matter how physically strong a man might be, if they kept getting caught up in his tricks they wouldn¡¯t win in the long game. Thrash had learned that lesson the hard way, the same could be said of Helik and Sholl. So instead of trying another counter attack that would lead to Fomoria just powering through and landing a solid blow, he backed away. He knew that he was faster than Fomoria, and his sixth sense was good enough that he couldn¡¯t easily be taken by surprise, so he just had to drag this out until his time limit was reached. Fomoria came out of a gate behind Drachma and was split in two, but because he added spin to himself he was split horizontally, and while internal organs were important, they weren¡¯t that important to Fomoria. He puppetered his lower half to kick the man in the shin, leading into a combo where he then punched the man from above, though he had once more reacted to the punch by rolling his body, and thus his shoulder was bruised instead of torn off. The man, adverse to unknown dangers, fled again, not pushing the advantage he had because he was worried about if he actually had one in the first place. This caution was well founded most of the time, but not in this moment. Fomoria ordered his lower half to jump to his upper, and he was whole again. He felt it again. ¡°Are you truly human?¡± ¡°Why do you ask?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t feel human when I hit you.¡± ¡°Now why would you say such a thing? You could hurt an old man¡¯s feelings.¡± ¡°I feel metal with your flesh, I¡¯ll just need to peel back your layers.¡± As the snow fell it melted on contact with Fomoria¡¯s body. He and Drachma had been fighting for five minutes, an eternity in a real fight between two people who could perceive time more slowly due to their own speed. Fomoria¡¯s body shouldn¡¯t have been so hot, but with each attack he lost bits and pieces here and there, since he knew that losing an ear or a hand wouldn¡¯t hurt him much. Everything he lost was being replaced by black bone, but he hadn¡¯t even realized it. Each part that was lost did however make him faster, stronger. After ten minutes, half of his body was made of this black bone substance, and it began to grow further, replacing flesh that was still healthy. Fomoria laughed as he rushed in again, moving faster and hitting harder every moment. ¡°HERE WE GO, THIS IS THE FIGHT I WANTED.¡± Drachma began to laugh as well. ¡°I MUST ADMIT, MERCENARY, I NEED TO BLOW OFF SOME STEAM.¡± They moved around the battlefield, leaving ruin and laughter in their wake. As both men struck and feinted and countered and so on and so forth, then Drachma cut both of Fomoria¡¯s arms off, and they were both replaced by the black bone. ¡°LET¡¯S KEEP GOING, LET¡¯S-¡± He felt the shift in the air, and he moved back. Fomoria¡¯s body was now almost entirely made of that black bone, a tipping point was reached, and in mere moments, would be crossed. It roared, blowing away the surrounding snow. It seemed to be having issues breathing, they were slow and heavy. Drachma wasn¡¯t sure if he should push or not. He knew as much about Fomoria as someone could, and he knew that he wasn¡¯t an endurance fighter against single targets, but he had already gone above and beyond what he thought Fomoria was. He thought that the king was about to vomit, but instead black flames shot at him faster than he expected. Drachma ran into the forest, but it just barreled through the trees without a care. Hiding behind a tree, he readied himself. When it burst through, Drachma cut its head from its body. Yet more than what should¡¯ve been death throes, the body continued to fight with real intelligence. Its head grew small limbs like a spider and returned to his body. There was some distance between the two men, the body had landed a good scratch, and Drachma¡¯s blood fell to the snow below. Drachma saw the look in the nine eyes, Fomoria barely in there, his job was almost done, and he needed to remove his limiters to finish this. The metal flesh started to reform itself, and his armor became more angular in shape, shifting through means that Fomoria couldn¡¯t understand. It didn¡¯t see what happened, but suddenly it was being tossed through trees. Stolen story; please report. Another blow came from the right and they were back out in the open plains. The next blow was barely stopped by Fomoria opening a gate and redirecting the first back to the man, but it bought him only an instant. Why he hadn¡¯t used his sword, Fomoria couldn¡¯t understand, instead he punched and kicked until his entire body was black and blue. The more he was hurt, the more the black bone replaced his flesh. When there was nothing left of his original body, something inside of him changed. It caught the next strike and spun its fist around, tearing Drachma¡¯s arm from its socket. When it tried to thrust its hand through his chest to finish him, the limb phased through. Dracma had activated his emergency recall, and faded into the wind. It stood there in the snow, its arms hung limply at its sides, barely a thought ran through its mind. The Others became worried, they knew something was wrong, but they also felt that they needed to find and remove the bombs before they did anything else, because that is what Fomoria would do. And once they were done, they went to where the prime had been fighting. The blizzard had grown so fierce that it was hard to see more than a dozen feet in front of him, but the Others all had a link to their progenitor, and they made their way through the snow without issue. For well over 20 feet around him, there was no life left, all was being burned away by the intense heat that he was putting off. ¡°Fomoria? Did you-¡± It moved forward in a flash, reducing the head of the Other to nothing. The Others tried to flee, but if this thing was going to react to only outside stimuli, then they decided it was better to just warn the Others and accept that they would need to be put in new bodies after this thing killed them. If it got into Kor, well, they¡¯d rather not think about that. The Others knew that they were working on a time limit, the weapon sigil, if left alone, would burn up his soul. ¡°So, what do we do?¡± ¡°First thing, I think that we should cool down the area. The blizzard is helping to maintain his body temp, but he¡¯ll hit critical mass if we leave him alone.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll die before that happens.¡± ¡°You must¡¯ve been made before Xol tried pushing the limits of the weapon sigil. I don¡¯t know what is going on, but if his entire body is made of that stuff¡­¡± They had been talking in Fomoria¡¯s office, and Anon sensed something was wrong, so she came in. ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°He¡¯s lost his mind and we¡¯re trying to figure out how we can get him to come back out.¡± ¡°Maybe if I go there, he¡¯ll be broken out of it by love.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be involved. Maybe if it was Adina, but no, not you.¡± These words infuriated her, but she kept her facade perfectly. ¡°Fine.¡± Had they the full empathic abilities and sense of the original, they would¡¯ve realized what she was going to do. But these Others didn¡¯t understand how Anon was envious and possessive. It took her some wandering, but she followed her instincts and found him. Each moment that passed more of the snow melted around him. ¡°HARLAN.¡± It looked at her, its hand twitching. It took one step forward, fighting back against something inside of itself. A hand, alabaster white, reached out of the body, trying to hold it back. ¡°YOU CAN HEAR ME, I KNOW YOU CAN.¡± A mouth formed, and spoke in a voice that she didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°RUN, RUN AWAY.¡± ¡°I KNOW THAT YOU-¡± She didn¡¯t see him move forward, nor did she see the attack be blocked. ¡°Listen to the little voice, go away now, girl.¡± Anon felt her skin start to blister and her hair burned from the heat emitted by him, so she left, returning to Kor to hopefully use her knowledge to find a solution. Carmilla didn¡¯t struggle much when holding back Fomoria, not until Mindkiller completely lost control of the body. It threw a powerful punch, using aura to boost the blow. The ground shook and shattered, Carmilla¡¯s hands stung as she blocked the second blow. She saw it starting to gather air for void flames. Carmilla swept his legs and palm struck him into the ground, dispersing the air in his lungs and leaving a crater on the ground. The black mist that was his chest was quickly reforming into a body. ¡°Harlan, if you are inside of there, listen to me. Wake up before you hurt someone, I know that-¡± An attack came from her side, the body in front of her was a distraction. Carmilla dodged the attack, despite her physical power born from both her blood moon vampirism and being a mage for 1600 years, she would rather avoid a fist fight with him. She hit him with a blast of air, gaining some distance between them. As it rolled along the ground, she cast her next spell, and the storm intensified. Back in Kor, the Others argued back and forth about what to do. Each of them had his independence, and without him to act as a singular leader, a power struggle was inevitable. ¡°If we just destroy that body, he will be forced back into one of the others in stasis.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, sure, lets fucking kill him, that is sure to go well. How exactly do you expect us to be able to do that?¡± Anon dropped into the middle of the meeting, bald, badly burned, being around Fomoria was like being inside an oven, and the force of Carmilla and it clashing sent shockwaves like bombs going off all around her. ¡°FUCK.¡± They suddenly worked together as a perfect team like they should¡¯ve been already. Anon woke up 15 minutes later, and the Others all let out a sigh of relief. This relief was then destroyed when a shockwave hit the city, and out the window they could see tornados forming that required some of the Others to handle. ¡°Is that Carmilla and him?¡± ¡°She should be impossibly strong, he can¡¯t be that strong.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve never really seen Carmilla fight.¡± ¡°It is theoretically possible that her strength is overblown, but-¡± Anon cleared her throat. ¡°Please stop analyzing the fight. We must find a way to save my dear husband.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t even engaged.¡± ¡°But I know he loves me.¡± ¡°Is that why you came here looking like a roast ham?¡± ¡°Yes, I admit, he did attempt to kill me, but before that, he hesitated, so he must be there, and he must love me.¡± The Others just shrugged, but it did give them an idea. ¡°Wait, if you brought Adina, I bet that she could force him back to his normal self. He¡¯d never hurt her.¡± ¡°No, I must go back. Bring me firesteel armor with spells soulsmithed into it to hold back the heat.¡± ¡°If we let you kill yourself by going out there we won¡¯t be able to live with ourselves.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t stop me from-¡± The Others bound her by making her shifting armor transform. People were right to be afraid of them, as Fomoria actually had put a killswitch in every set that he made recently. ¡°If you want to be helpful, bring Adina here, otherwise, stay out of this.¡± It was burning up, its body of void bone began to pop and crackle. It knew that it would die if it got much hotter, so it tried to think of how to purge it all at once and deal with the bat that bothered him. It moved impossibly fast, leaving a crater in its wake and sonic booms formed around it on the way to her. It felt her blood splatter over him, her hear her screams, and then he was struck by a bolt of cold lightning. It couldn¡¯t understand how she could make illusions that were so realistic, perhaps it was true blood magic it thought. Carmilla didn¡¯t feel strained by what she was doing. A few drops of blood and her life magic made what would appear as perfect copies of her body that she was using to lead him where she wanted. When the Others had warned her, they said to just monitor him, since if they fought then surely nothing good could come from that. But now that it had come to that, she wanted to get him as far away from people as she could. She didn¡¯t understand what it was doing, it had curled up on the ground, and her fear was that it had reached whatever critical mass was. The Others refused to tell her what it meant, but if they were worried about it, then she was as well. The bone body cracked, and her fear was then that Fomoria was actually going to die. Until now that hadn¡¯t been something she thought would happen, since he always found a way out of things. What happened instead was all of the heat was pulled inside. It began to shake, it knew that it was dying, but it didn¡¯t want to, it just needed to let it out safely. Its organs were already gone, cooked and then replaced by the black bone. This body had no clear weakness, as it discarded physical laws to the point where it didn¡¯t need a brain or a heart, it was a body of shifting bones with a soul and mind. Instead of this mind, he slept. Micheal, Mindkiller, whatever name he felt like at the time, tried desperately to wake him. The heat was gone, and the cracks started to seal, but more grew around his neck. Black flames edged with red burst from around his head, giving him an ethereal mane. The area suddenly grew much hotter, the cold air mingled with the heat, moving up and down until tornadoes formed one after another. Back in Kor, Anon had been placed on the couch, and the Others had gone back to arguing. Fomoria was someone who held certain deeply held beliefs, but other things changed by the day, leading to each Other having some differences in opinion. Two factions began to form, one who believed that the oldest Other should be the leader, and another that believed that the youngest Other, who was closest to the present progenitor, should be the leader. Amber kicked the door open and Mercedes followed behind her with a glare that was no less fierce than Amber¡¯s bombastic entrance. ¡°WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON IN HERE?¡± ¡°Fomoria has lost mind because his entire body has been replaced by void bone.¡± Anon¡¯s body was bound, but not her mouth. ¡°One of you, explain what she means.¡± ¡°He was fighting against the leader of the enemy forces and then something happened, he lost control of his weapon sigil.¡± ¡°What are you doing about it?¡± ¡°We are trying to figure out who should be the leader.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it. Now, what are the options?¡± The Others shrugged, it was a fine enough way to decide what to do. ¡°Either we ask Camilla to destroy that body entirely and hope that he goes back to one of his other bodies and that whatever is wrong with him doesn¡¯t follow, or we convince Anon to bring Adina here. If Anon was enough to make him hesitate, then surely she could get him to come back to his senses.¡± ¡°He gets hot when he uses that magic, can she safely approach him?¡± ¡°Maybe? He keeps getting hotter, but if she casts the right spells and wears an armor, I¡¯m sure she can.¡± ¡°So, the problem is you risk his life, or hers. How many of you would rather just kill him and hope for the best.¡± ¡°Right now we are 80/20 split on the subject.¡± ¡°That somehow doesn¡¯t surprise me. Fucking suicidal idiot.¡± Amber had what she thought was a really good idea however, and it solved Anon not wanting to feel inadequate compared to Adina and the danger of getting near all of that heat.
Drachma was rushed to a healing center. His body fought against the nanoscopic machines as they rushed through his bloodstream, stemming the flow to the stump where Fomoria, or rather, that thing which was his body, tore his arm off. He chuckled to himself, he and it weren¡¯t really that different. Every time either of them got injured, they¡¯d cast aside the flesh they were born with and replace it with something else so they could get an edge in their next fight. Both, if they understood one another, would consider the other a fool. What kind of man gives up his own pleasure and power for people who would never really appreciate what he was doing? What kind of man would use great power for nothing but his pleasure, letting himself be enslaved to money? Chapter 296: A Perfect Life Anon and Amber arrived in the newly constructed gate building. Not all nobles had a gate room, and less of them had such a powerful array to pull all gates coming into the area into the room. The golems kept their guns pointed at the black sphere even after they both stepped out. Once a human guard verified Amber, they were allowed to enter. The pair made their way to Autumn and explained their plan. ¡°And you are sure that he can be reached?¡± ¡°Quite. He loved me enough to hesitate before he tried to kill me. Even if he doesn¡¯t love you like me, you can get close to him without taking serious damage from his heat.¡± Autumn raised an eyebrow and stared at Amber. ¡°This is Anon, she¡¯s Har- Fomoria¡¯s-¡± ¡°I am his fiance.¡± Amber rolled her eyes. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to risk it, we¡¯ll understand, but-¡± ¡°If he hesitated once, then he¡¯s still in there. But why not Adina?¡± ¡°Because Anon is the jealous type.¡± ¡°I am not.¡± She failed to convince anyone, herself included. Autumn went through the void gate and found herself in Kor. Intense winds buffeted the city. ¡°Is that Harlan out there?¡± ¡°Please, he would rather claim the name of Fomoria.¡± Autumn rolled her eyes at the strange woman. ¡°Is that Fomoria out there?¡± ¡°Yes, along with Coronach, and Carmilla.¡± ¡°What is Coronach doing there?¡± ¡°Carmilla isn¡¯t enough to steer him away from here. Coronach is a more physical fighter, but Carmilla is a better mage than him in most ways.¡± ¡°Is The Darkness telling you these things?¡± ¡°She is. Fomoria must not see a population center, or- COVER YOUR EARS AND DUCK.¡± A roar split the skies, the guards on the wall suffered minor hearing damage, but the people inside the city itself were saved by the walls deflecting much of the sound. Autumn watched from a distance, she couldn¡¯t even see anyone fighting, just the spells scything their way through the ground and exploding. ¡°How sure are you that I can get anywhere close to that.¡± ¡°Mother says you can. Coronach will be able to hold him back long enough for you to reach him. The Others have made an armor for you from Firesteel, your current armor would only heat up and harm you.¡± Autumn took a deep breath, checking out the new armor. More than one of the Others suggested that she not do this, but she had some faith in Harlan, or Fomoria, whatever he wanted to call himself these days, that he wouldn¡¯t ever hurt her, no matter how lost his mind seemed. Anon gave her two thumbs up before she sent her to the battlefield. Carmilla and Coronach both rushed in to restrain the monster, but even with the fighting on hold for a short time, Autumn still had to make her way through the desolate battlefield, dodging the powerful winds from the clash and geysers that began to spring up. She wished that Anon had sent her a little closer. When she reached them, they were struggling to keep it still. ¡°HARLAN, CAN YOU HEAR ME?¡± It snarled and yelped, roared and bellowed, trying to break the eardrums of those around it. Even with her bloodline ability, it was putting off intense heat, and Autumn struggled to get closer; Carmilla¡¯s skin was becoming noticeably redder. Autumn put on the helmet they had given her, and it had a slightly red tinted glass visor so he could still see her face while she was being somewhat protected from the heat. Autumn was only a few feet from it when they noticed him sucking in the air from the area. Carmilla and Coronach both knew that these flames would be deadly to them, and they instead focused on getting Autumn to safety. They both tossed it far from them and put up barriers. From the tower of Fomoria¡¯s home in Kor, they used sight spells to watch, and they saw the veritable mountain that had been placed between it and the three nearly instantly melt. That thing had figured out how to use the heat it naturally generated to boost the speed and power of its void flames, refining them down to a beam of black light that turned the plains into a dark night. Coronach immediately realized that this wasn¡¯t going to work, and opened a void gate to flee on his own. He had lived too long to die trying to save some idiots. But after he was gone, and Carmilla too tried to flee on her own, unsure if she could even save herself, let alone Autumn, Xol, Dun¡¯Kel, and Kleon appeared. Kleon held his tower shield in front of them, and the beam struck, but was split and went around them. The inside of the long cone of fire was being kept cool by Dun¡¯Kel, his experience as The Dread Lich was focused in part on water magic. So long as nobody actually touched the void flames, they¡¯d be fine. Xol meanwhile was preparing a large spell, tightly gripping his crystal rose staff and chanting in a language nobody there understood. ¡°Tranquilla, pax, quies, frater, amicus.¡± The air began growing hazy and thick. Kleon moved his shield out of the way, and the beam engulfed the group. ¡°Now, we may move forward.¡± Autumn was baffled, the attack was still there, but it became harmless. She walked along with the trio of Liches over to it. Autumn had never been to the Confederate jungles, but this is how she imagined it would be based on how horrible those of Ragne claimed them to be. It was somewhat hard to breathe, it was like walking through water, and she looked as if she was sweating like a pig, but rather it was a sort of condensation laying on her skin. When they reached the creature it was standing limply, but then fell to the ground. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°I am denying combat in this area. Any attempts to attack will be removed, it only knows how to move in relation to the concept of fighting and killing, so its body is refusing to move.¡± ¡°Is this safe?¡± ¡°Yes, but please, be quick.¡± Skeletons couldn¡¯t sweat, but Xol was clearly strained maintaining such a spell. She kneeled down in front of him.
Harlan awoke with a yawn, he felt like he had a bad dream, but he couldn¡¯t remember anything. Adina had made him breakfast, and Viviane sat in her high chair. ¡°How is my little bundle of joy today?¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing just fine, thank you very much.¡± Adina leaned in and kissed him as she set his food down. ¡°You should take the vegetables to market early, your uncle is coming today, right?¡± ¡°He could show up in an hour or tomorrow morning, you know how Rangers are.¡± ¡°Still, it would be good for you to be back as soon as possible, we¡¯ll only be throwing a retirement party once, right?¡± ¡°Ha. Maybe I should join the army, be a Ranger. Can¡¯t much retire from farming.¡± ¡°You¡¯d need magic to do that.¡± ¡°Right, I must¡¯ve forgotten.¡± He chuckled and scratched his beard as he stared at her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m just¡­ glad that I have you two, glad that I¡¯m not tied up in all that madness, throwing fireballs and what not.¡± He moved his hand across the table, his calluses so thick he could nearly sand wood with them. Harlan understood that he never had the talent for magic, but he was happy to work with his hands. ¡°Maybe you can tell that to your uncle. I don¡¯t know how his wife accepted him being so far away for so long, taking weeks to reply to any letters she sends.¡± ¡°I wonder if anyones ever tried to make magic letters, imagine if you could just write on a piece of paper, and it would show up somewhere else.¡± ¡°Perhaps you can ask Redmond.¡± ¡°Perhaps I will.¡± After he finished breakfast, Harlan fed the pigs, gathered the eggs, milked the cows, and then hitched the oxen to the cart. His wife was always impressed that he could get so much done, more than any human should be able to, he just kept going and going, barely slowing down through the day. Harlan hummed as he rode his cart back to his home. The farm was doing well, he wouldn¡¯t need to worry about money even with daughter. The baron kept the woods clear of goblins and wargs; nobody had been bothered by Fae in the area in years. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The only thing to break up his joyful tune was a sound he was quite familiar with, a baby crying. So he looked around, he couldn¡¯t see anything just yet and he hoped it was simply another farmer on his way home with their child. But as he kept on the road he was sure it was somewhere in the woods, he stopped his cart, he couldn¡¯t leave without knowing or he would never sleep again. On the one hand he felt like this was the start to any number of horror stories his own father told him, yet it didn¡¯t take more than a moment to push those thoughts away, he was not a brave man, but he couldn¡¯t be heartless enough to do nothing. Shortly off the well trodden muddy road, wrapped in a blanket of leaves yet mostly clean, a young boy. He was not newborn but not more than a year old, his hair still blonde but showing signs of darkening. He sat and soothed him for nearly an hour, no mother came for him. He couldn¡¯t wait any longer, he would have to take the boy into the local healer to give him a once over. The farmer placed him in an empty box and set it on the seat; it was labeled odd vegetables, those who grew strangely in shape. Some said it was a little Fae prank, to make a blue tomato or a potato that''s red, only the destitute or those who don''t believe would buy such strange things, the boy took well to it and quieted down. When he reached Luth he was stopped by the gate guards. ¡°Is your wife well? I hope you didn¡¯t bring your daughter in for no reason.¡± The guard looked closer, noticing that it wasn¡¯t Vivi, and then looking questioningly at Harlan. ¡°He was out in the woods, wrapped in stitched together leaves. I couldn¡¯t leave him there.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t find any bodies around him? I hope bandits didn¡¯t leave him there.¡± ¡°Strangest thing, there weren¡¯t any tracks either, it was like he just fell from the sky or something.¡± ¡°Take him to Elanor, make sure he¡¯s well.¡± The guard handed him a few bronze coins. ¡°For the check up.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that.¡± ¡°Come on, you know me, I make enough to spend a little on a little one.¡± Harlan relented, and took the coins. ¡°Thank you, Jaramis. Are you and Autumn coming tonight? The twins aren¡¯t still sick, are they?¡± ¡°They¡¯re just fine now, another healer stopped by.¡± ¡°Was it serious? Could Elanor not help?¡± ¡°We were on our way there when she saw them and said she was a healer. Would you believe it? She was one of the Golden.¡± ¡°What is a desert folk doing out here?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I asked, right because Autumn told me to not bother her. She just said she was taking a trip.¡± ¡°Ah, they do some sorta pilgrimage for a while before they go back to their desert for the rest of their life.¡± ¡°How¡¯d you know that?¡± How did he know that? Harlan thought, but the answer eluded him, fleeing like a rabbit as his mind tried to piece together the memories. ¡°I can¡¯t rightly remember, must¡¯ve overheard someone in town once.¡± Jaramis shrugged his shoulders. Harlan didn¡¯t much understand why the son of the mayor would want to work gate guard duty, but it was nice to chat about the kids when he came to sell. Harlan brought the boy to Elanor, who gave him a clean bill of health, though he was a pit pale, but Harlan was the same way, so it didn¡¯t worry either of them. On the way to the oddities shop, Harlan nearly ran into a woman. ¡°Sorry, I-¡± He stared at the hooded woman. ¡°What? Never seen a Golden before?¡± ¡°No, but you¡­ you look familiar.¡± She looked at him. ¡°You are a¡­ and the child too¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re what?¡± ¡°Nothing, it doesn¡¯t matter. Good day to you and your son.¡± ¡°Oh, he¡¯s not mine, I found him in the woods.¡± Harlan started to get a migraine, something seemed wrong. When he looked up, the woman was gone. Harlan stepped into the oddities shop to pick up a gift for Adina¡¯s birthday. ¡°Alrick, you said you had something?¡± The man looked at him with cold, sharp eyes and handed Harlan a small square, like a photo frame without the photo. ¡°Thank you, for this¡­¡± ¡°Think hard about something.¡± The frame lit up, and an image of Adina in her white dress from their wedding day appeared in it. ¡°Is this really alright? This thing must be worth-¡± ¡°We¡¯re friends, are we not? I was clearing out my storage, this thing never sold anyway.¡± ¡°Where did you get these things anyway?¡± ¡°Ah, well, I¡¯m more well traveled than I look. I just decided one day to settle down and-¡± The Golden woman stepped in, Alrick couldn¡¯t stop staring at her, and she couldn¡¯t stop staring at him. ¡°Do I¡­ do I know you?¡± ¡°You could if you wanted to.¡± She giggled. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll need to stay for a time.¡± ¡°Harlan, I¡¯m going to close for the day. Give Adina my regards.¡± His last stop was the blacksmith¡¯s, he needed his scythe sharpened. ¡°Brig, how are you?¡± ¡°Oh I¡¯m just fine. Thank you for asking.¡± Harlan blinked a few times. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The hell ya askin¡¯ ¡®bout me for? Ain¡¯t ya got a wife?¡± He looked at the infant in Harlan¡¯s arms. ¡°Ain¡¯t ya just had one of ¡®em?¡± ¡°I found him in the woods. I hope his parents are alright.¡± ¡°Bastards grow on trees now?¡± Harlan ignored the man and handed him the scythe, he¡¯d pick it back up when he was done selling. He asked whoever he came across if they recognized the baby boy, but found out nothing, so he decided to bring him home. The guards were informed already, so if anyone came through they¡¯d be able to find him. When he got back to the farm, Redmond was there. Harlan hugged him, and when he stepped back, everyone was staring at him. ¡°You¡¯re crying.¡± ¡°Huh? I guess I¡¯m just happy to see you again. And you¡¯ll be safe here. Not¡­¡± Jarrik and Alana were looking through Harlan¡¯s things and found the magic frame. ¡°Uncle Harlan, what¡¯s this?¡± It showed a fox they once saw. ¡°It''s magic from a friend of mine. It shows memories.¡± Harlan grabbed it and it cleared from the fox, and instead showed Redmond, the last time Harlan ever saw him. He recoiled at the sight, and the world twisted. Harlan made his way to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. The mirror? No, Harlan never owned a full size mirror, they were expensive, he remembered how excited Adina was to get a hand mirror for a wedding present. This wasn¡¯t his house, this wasn¡¯t his family. Autumn came in behind him. ¡°If you can hear me, you need to wake up.¡± Harlan awoke with a yawn, he felt like he had a bad dream, but he couldn¡¯t remember anything. Adina had made him breakfast, and a winged eye sat in the high chair. Harlan awoke with a yawn, he felt like he had a bad dream, but he couldn¡¯t remember anything. Anon made him breakfast, and Micheal was in the high chair, waiting for his food. ¡°How is my little¡­ Anon, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing my wifely duties?¡± Her smile was genuine, too genuine. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing, nothing.¡± When he was done eating he did all the chores that needed to be done, and then took a cart of vegetables into town. As he hummed, he heard a sound from the woods. He hesitated at first, his own father died under circumstances not like this, but he had to go, even if his mind was telling him not to. He entered the clearing with an axe in hand, but found no person. It was a fox, caught in a hunters trap. He recalled an anecdote about this, that they could sound like a screaming woman at times. But he didn¡¯t hear a woman, no, he heard a crying infant. Something about this felt familiar to him, too familiar. He couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of deja vu, but he also couldn¡¯t remain here. He killed the fox, there was no sense in letting it suffer a broken leg. Harlan sold his vegetables and other consumables well, hardly ever coming back with a filled cart. When he got back to his farm, there was another woman there, claiming to be his sister, but he was an only child. Harlan woke up, he couldn¡¯t remember his dream the night before. When he went out to the kitchen, he was making himself breakfast, and he sat there in the high chair. ¡°Wake up, Autumn is in danger. Please, wake-¡± Harlan got out of bed in a cold sweat. On his wrist, he saw a ring of light. Right, yes, this ring, this was important to him. Why was it important? He couldn¡¯t remember, and his head was splitting as he tried to force the memories to him. The ground fell away and there was only darkness around him. ¡°Why do you resist happiness?¡± The voice from the void was his. ¡°What? Who are you? Where is my wife?¡± It looked like him, but as a child. Yet there was something wrong, when he was young he was still quite expressive, but this thing remained stone faced. ¡°My express reason for existence is to assist you in making a better world, this is your reason for claiming to exist as well. Please, return to your sleep, live in your perfect world.¡± It raised its hand to restart the cycle again, hoping to refine it to the point where Fomoria could not wake again. The world had turned dark, and he began to close his eyes, but the light pulsed brightly to the point he could see it through his eyelids. ¡°Strange.¡± It fidgeted with the ring of light, trying to break the spell, but the next pulse destroyed the house. Fomoria opened his eyes and began to stagger to his feet. It was only a manifestation of the simple mind of the sigil mixed with Fomoria¡¯s own mind, so while it had been reduced to red mist, it returned as if nothing happened. ¡°It would be best for you to sleep.¡± It raised its hand again, but Fomoria did as well, and blasted it again, the skeleton of it falling to the ground; it got up again. Micheal landed on Fomoria¡¯s shoulder, having been freed from his mind prison by the last attack. ¡°Hit it again.¡± Even the bones were destroyed by the next attack, again and again and again and again. When it got up again, it took the form of Redmond. ¡°Harlan, haven¡¯t you done enough? Isn¡¯t it alright to just rest? To just give in? Come on, let¡¯s-¡± Fomoria shook with rage, and began to viciously beat the mind, limbs went flying, organs spread across the ground as it regenerated body after body. ¡°HE WOULDN¡¯T SAY THAT, HE WOULDN¡¯T TELL ME TO GIVE UP, DON¡¯T YOU DARE US HIS FACE AGAINST ME.¡± It cycled through his loved ones, trying to stop the assault with any face he could. ¡°Papa, why are you hitting me?¡± He scrunched his face and closed his eyes as he destroyed it again in the form of Darrath. ¡°Son, please-¡± His father. ¡°Sweetie, just-¡± His mother. ¡°Little brother?¡± Ava ¡°Harlan, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Amber. ¡°Don¡¯t give up.¡± Autumn seemed different, and he held back. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give up, wake up, come back to us.¡± She placed her hand on his shoulder, and his eyelids became heavy, but it was Micheal who killed this one. ¡°It is using tricks, you can¡¯t hold back. Balor, Lugh, Zella, Reet, Relly, Ky, Rosewell, Blackstone, Viviane. He just kept attacking, trying to wake up from this nightmare. He heard Autumn again. ¡°Wake up, please.¡± He tried to swing, but found that he couldn¡¯t move his body. ¡°Let me wake up, please, stop this, don¡¯t make me-¡± ¡°Harlan, Harlan, Fomoria, hey, you¡¯re up.¡± He opened his eyes again, and he saw nothing but desolation around him. ¡°How do I know?¡± ¡°Because I am telling you that you are awake.¡± Fomoria was tired, so tired. He was never meant to use the weapon sigil like that, to just go at full power for over an hour. He fell again, but Xol caught him. ¡°I am glad that you are back. Never tell anyone that I said this.¡± Fomoria felt the truth in his words, and he let himself fall asleep again. With the weapon sigil gone, this body faded into nothingness. Chapter 297: Night Terrors Fomoria awoke with a yawn, a bad dream weighed heavy on his mind. Panic rushed over him and he looked for any signs that this was real. He looked behind all of the dressers and other furniture, he tested the physics, he tried to find something that was wrong. Anon heard him tearing his room apart; she was checking on him every hour through the night, waiting for him to wake up. ¡°Honey?¡± ¡°Honey?¡± ¡°Yes, I thought that a cute name would be endearing.¡± He just narrowed her eyes at her, but he did appreciate the effort. ¡°But back to this, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Am I awake?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Tell me something that I don¡¯t already know about you.¡± He gripped her shoulders. ¡°You¡¯re hurting me.¡± He took his hands off of her and looked at himself. He was back to his normal form, but when he clinched his hand, he couldn¡¯t see white bone under his skin. ¡°What happened to me? Where is Xol? What-¡± She ran her hand down his arms and interlocked her fingers with his. ¡°Shh shh shh. The Others spared no effort in making sure that your body wasn¡¯t overly harmed by what happened. Xol made sure that you were safe, and then he left, saying he had something better to do.¡± ¡°My skeleton isn¡¯t the same. Are my teeth black? No, they aren¡¯t bones, they are made up of-¡± ¡°You are fine, but yes, Xol said that you conquered your sigil, whatever that means, and that changed its nature.¡± ¡°Get it out, get it out, I don¡¯t want-¡± She pulled him when he started to reach for a sword, and he looked at her again, deep bruises had formed and were barely visible under the short sleeves of her dress. He healed her and tried to calm down, he was awake, this wasn¡¯t a dream, the simple mind inside of the sigil was gone, dead, he was his own master again. Once they were done, Anon laid in bed. ¡°Come, sleep with me, rest.¡± He hesitated, his hands were shaking still, but he resolved himself, he tried to close his eyes and willingly sleep. Fomoria woke up with his hands around Anon¡¯s throat, Micheal¡¯s voice ringing in his ears and trying to usurp control of his hands so he didn¡¯t crush her neck. ¡°Anon? Are you¡­ are you-¡± She coughed and turned over, even in the dim light his eyes let him see how terrible she looked. Her neck was purple, her eyes were reddened by the bursting of capillaries, he could hear how rough her breathing was. He healed her and she coughed again as she tried to get rid of the memories of his hands squeezing her neck; he tried to forget his hands on her soft, supple throat. He was still on top of her, towering over her and silhouetted by the moonlight ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She cowered, genuine fear in her voice. ¡°No no no, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡± ¡°Why then? I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know when I¡¯m sleeping.¡± He flopped beside her in bed, and she hesitated to ask him more about what had happened. Anon looked in his eyes and saw a fear and rage that couldn¡¯t be ignored, that had no focus. Anon got out of the bed and left the room, he didn¡¯t have the strength to stop her. ¡°Mindkiller, are you there?¡± ¡°Call me Micheal.¡± ¡°Right, sorry.¡± ¡°I feel more¡­ normal, with a human name.¡± ¡°Can you help me?¡± ¡°I will watch you when you sleep.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Fomoria ceded some control over his body to the other mind. Fomoria couldn¡¯t sleep, he had been lying in bed for an hour already, he was too focused on Anon, whose room was close enough that he could still feel her emotions. She was hurt, afraid. ¡°Do you sleep? My brother, he lived inside of a ring, and he didn¡¯t sleep until he got a body.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t dream on my own, but I can see your dreams. Sometimes time passes without me realizing it, I think that might be sleeping.¡± ¡°Have you decided what you are? What do you want to be?¡± ¡°I wish to be helpful. I saw more memories from who I was before I was Mindkiller, and I liked helping people.¡± ¡°If you showed them to me, I might be able to find your family.¡± Micheal went silent for a few minutes. ¡°I am not that man, they are not my family. Please, try to sleep, I want to dream.¡± Fomoria woke again inside one of the craters born of his rage, snow piling up on his bare skin. He hadn¡¯t been laying down, he was kneeling. He stood up and looked around, his clothes were folded next to him. ¡°Micheal, did you see how I got here?¡± ¡°You went through a gate in your sleep. I didn¡¯t wake you because I didn¡¯t feel aggression in your actions. You seemed sad, and guilty.¡± ¡°This place, it¡¯s broken, dead, all because of me.¡± ¡°Yes, it is. But this is not the first place that knows death from you. What will you do?¡± ¡°I will make this place a monument.¡± ¡°Oh? I thought this would be more upsetting for you.¡± ¡°You have been with me for some time, I am past breaking down over these kinds of things.¡± ¡°Very good.¡± Fomoria began to shape the lands for his needs. In the morning, Mercedes went to check on Fomoria, as she did every day since he started to sleep, but found his room empty. Her natural next choice was to check Anon¡¯s room. ¡°Have you seen Fomoria?¡± She didn¡¯t roll over to face her. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Do you have any idea about-¡± ¡°Leave me alone.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Leave me be.¡± ¡°Fine, but if it was Fomoria who did something, I am sure he didn¡¯t intend any offense or harm.¡± ¡°How would you know?¡± ¡°Because I have known him for longer than you. He has said cruel things to me, but rarely without reason, and in times when he is without reason, he has felt poorly about these things.¡± Mercedes sat on the edge of her bed and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Tell me, what happened?¡± ¡°He almost killed me. He choked me and he didn¡¯t stop until he woke up.¡± ¡°He did this in his sleep? Then surely he had no idea. Did he try to talk with you?¡± Anon rubbed her throat and began to tear up, she didn¡¯t even understand it herself. She was cold, she knew of brutality and violence and death, so why did this hurt her so much? ¡°I don¡¯t want to continue this. I think I will leave.¡± ¡°Do you always flee from what you fear?¡± ¡°Yes. One should always seek to preserve their own life at all costs. If Fomoria is a danger to me, I should run away.¡± ¡°And where would you go that would be safer?¡± ¡°I have lived in the woods for much of my life, I would have little issue doing so again.¡± ¡°But would you not be lonely?¡± ¡°A good assassin shouldn¡¯t ever be lonely, it would interfere with my work.¡± ¡°What is your favorite part about being here? The food? The bath?¡± Anon thought about it, but didn¡¯t have a clear answer. ¡°Or is it Fomoria? His strength? His face? His warmth? His unrelenting desire and sheer force of will? The way he is so gentle when¡­ Do you love him?¡± ¡°Under what my understanding of love is, I believe that is how I feel towards him.¡± ¡°So, what is it that you love about him?¡± She thought long and hard about her answer. ¡°He makes me feel safe.¡± ¡°But now he has broken that. Before him, who made you feel safe?¡± ¡°My mother.¡± ¡°Has she ever harmed you?¡± ¡°She always taught me as she needed to teach me.¡± ¡°He taught you to fear him now, is that it?¡± ¡°I was powerless to stop him from hurting me.¡± ¡°Talk to him, explain how you feel. Fomoria is dumb sometimes, but I think that when it comes to making others feel better, he is greater than any person I have ever met.¡± ¡°Do you ever think about his empathic abilities? That perhaps we are all under his spell? Or does he have a magnetic charisma?¡± ¡°I have seen him use that power, but I know how he hates it. I don¡¯t believe he would intentionally use it against us.¡± ¡°What if he thought it was for us?¡± Mercedes got up from the bed. ¡°Talk to him before you leave, he wouldn¡¯t stop you from doing what you want if you still decide to do so.¡± When the sun began to rise, a new tower could be seen in the dead lands where Fomoria had raged. It gleamed with bone, rising a hundred feet into the air, the start of something new. He returned to his home and went to Mercedes. She noticed that he wore gloves of what seemed to be black leather, but were really just another part of his shifting suit. ¡°Decided to change up your look?¡± ¡°I find my black bones unsightly.¡± His face was darker where they were most visible, his cheeks and forehead, making it seem as if he was under constant shadow and accenting his sharp features. ¡°Has there been anything more from the merchants?¡± ¡°Not yet. D¡¯if¡¯s Others have been following them, trying to find where the ships dock and where the higher ranking individuals report to. But so far, it is dead drop after dead drop, so we¡¯ve yet to see exactly where they are from.¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°What about the Fomorian Trading Company?¡± ¡°The FTC has been¡­ successful, but, we haven¡¯t found enough trustworthy people to actually run it when it expands beyond just this stripe. Do you have anyone you can think of inside the veil who would be well suited?¡± ¡°I will ask around, I have some ideas. Why did you hesitate?¡± ¡°We have an issue of not enough people on the top end, yes, but we¡¯ve also suffered losses, warehouses have been ransacked and the traders have suffered some attacks.¡± ¡°Assign golems to every trader.¡± ¡°Should we really-¡± ¡°We have an excess of troops. Put Ned in charge of the security of my caravans.¡± ¡°Is that the right move? He doesn¡¯t speak.¡± ¡°Tell him to pick someone under him to interpret for him, but most of his orders can be written. In the UT bandits were their largest issue, not beasts, he has experience, and my gut tells me he is well suited.¡± ¡°He is presently acting as a-¡± ¡°I know what he does, but his position can be filled by someone else. Put out the word that any officers can apply for enhancement. I can feel it inside myself, my sigil is far more controllable, I will be able to give it to others without risking their lives now. Would you like it right now?¡± Mercedes blinked a few times. Fomoria seemed to have a lot of ideas on his mind, and he was moving quickly. ¡°I will decline for now.¡± ¡°You want to see it used on another person before you to know it is safe.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean to say that-¡± ¡°It is the right call. Implement what I¡¯ve told you, I will be back. Unless I am needed for something else?¡± ¡°No, you had something, but I¡¯ve canceled it.¡± ¡°What was it?¡± ¡°When you went to a childrens magic class once, you said that the top five would be given the chance to meet with you for an afternoon. But I¡¯ve already-¡± ¡°Three days, tell them to be ready.¡± ¡°Is that a wise use of-¡± ¡°Of course it is, or I wouldn¡¯t do it. An empire is useless if I fail to capture the hearts and minds of the next generation. I will be a father to my people, absence reflects poorly, and breaking promises would be a failure to them and to myself.¡± She did what was asked of her, but she thought he was in a manic state. This had been the first time she ever heard him say he wanted to build an empire openly, but clearly by his charter and the way he forced nations to join, his ascension to emperor would be just a matter of time. If he had even realized this or not before now, she wasn¡¯t sure. Fomoria dropped out of a void gate into the middle of Luth and stepped inside the Couriers office. The woman at the front desk recognized him. ¡°Sir Fomoria-¡± She reacted quickly, but with a second glance she knew that he wasn¡¯t who she thought. The horns could be looked past, everyone knew that Harlan was a shapeshifter, but she could smell something different, suspicious. ¡°Is Zach in?¡± ¡°He is currently away.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t lie to me.¡± He went behind the counter and upstairs. ¡°Sir, you can¡¯t-¡± He skipped to her and stared into her eyes. It wasn¡¯t quite the same as the mesmerize which vampires used, but she felt her body tense up as he heightened her fear and let out some of his contained magical power. Fomoria barged into his office. ¡°Harlan-¡± ¡°I am not that man. I am King Fomoria. I take it that you understand me?¡± He leaned back in his seat. ¡°I have heard of you. Are you really Harlan?¡± ¡°I leave that name for him, call me Fomoria. I want men and women, those who can run a trading company and who can be trusted. I don¡¯t promise safety, the lands outside the veil are dangerous, but you will have my might behind anyone who you send.¡± ¡°You know me, I¡¯m just a regional manager, I don¡¯t have the pull to-¡± ¡°But you are someone I trust. Compile a list, I will speak with your masters.¡± ¡°Ah, sure, I can do that.¡± ¡°Thank you, Zach, it has been too long. Perhaps a visit to Redhaven would be good for you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t recognize the name.¡± ¡°Outside the veil is a nation with a vampire queen. Though I do wonder, how will she react to male vampires.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but this is moving pretty quickly, why would she have an issue with male vampires?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t figured out her history just yet, but she dislikes and distrusts men. Prioritize females, what kind of False Undead doesn¡¯t matter, I just need people who can be trusted.¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll-¡± Fomoria walked through a void gate before he could even reply. ¡°Sure, see you too then.¡± Zach started on his list of people, but he kept it in his mind, writing down names could be seen as a sign of betrayal if Fomoria was rejected by the higher ups. Fomoria tracked Carden through his amulet by sending a small signal, not a call that could be answered, but a call nonetheless. From there, it wasn¡¯t hard to find the castle where the elders of the Nightwaters convened. When he came out of the gate, the guards assembled. ¡°Lower your weapons.¡± The guards neither replied nor did they back down. When one of them tried to step closer, Fomoria jabbed the air and with an aura technique the man was hit by a wave of light force. His intent wasn¡¯t to hurt anyone, but he wanted them to know that he could if he wanted to. Half an hour passed before Carden arrived, but under a veil of invisibility that Fomoria easily saw through. ¡°Carden, I have come to speak.¡± The man uncloaked himself. ¡°This is a poor entrance. Harlan, I thought that you had calmed down.¡± ¡°The one who is allowed claim over that name has become weak, I have grown stronger.¡± Carden hadn¡¯t seen Harlan in person for a long while, but he had heard the rumors. ¡°Then you are the so-called King Fomoria?¡± ¡°I am. I would like to bring some Nightwatchers outside the veil to run a trading company, I figured that there would be no better way than to go straight to the top.¡± ¡°And what payment would you negotiate?¡± ¡°A nation where False Undead may live openly. There is already one which is allied to me, but I would cede 500 miles, coastal or inland to the Nightwatchers. So long as trust is maintained and my charter is upheld, you may run your lands as you like under my banner.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think a vassal nation is worth much, we already have more than enough land here under those terms.¡± ¡°What terms? That you must hide who you are? What you are? I am building an empire to oppose an empire, read my charter, decide if you wish for a nation, or if you would let me take anyone for my uses. There will be no hard feelings either way. If you consider it possible, then I would like to have another conversation, and if that goes well, my head advisor will speak with yours and iron out the details.¡± Fomoria left tossed a vial of blood and his charter at the vampire elder, then disappeared through a void gate. His next appearance was the Redwall mansion. He instantly recognized the golems that pointed their guns at him, a mass production Black Sentinel, but he felt no commander units near him that contained a real mind. Where had Red gone?; he could feel the tinge of Balor in them. They recognized Harlan, but Fomoria was too different for them to consider him the same person, the difference in both soul and appearance made the golems enter high alert; they were guarding the mansion from Nulson. ¡°Guard, I am here to visit my sister.¡± ¡°You may be in the wrong place¡­¡± He didn¡¯t even know what to call what he was seeing in front of him. ¡°Sir.¡± ¡°Autumn, my eldest sister. She would recognize me in this form.¡± ¡°Sir Fomoria?¡± ¡°King Fomoria.¡± He called in someone else to confirm what he was seeing. ¡°Breken, it has been quite some time.¡± ¡°Harlan, is that you?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I tire of explaining the difference between he and I.¡± ¡°Just try it.¡± ¡°Harlan is the one who lives in this place, who is married to Adina, I, am not that man.¡± ¡°Well, you sound as ominous as him.¡± ¡°I just came here to thank Autumn for helping me.¡± ¡°And what is it that she helped you with?¡± ¡°She came outside the veil and calmed my mind when I lost myself.¡± Breken waved him through, Autumn hadn¡¯t told many people of why she left, that he looked like a stranger Harlan and knew about it was good enough for him, that and his sixth sense told him that he wasn¡¯t dangerous to him; a half truth at best. When he sat down in the tea room, Alana and Jarrik were also there. ¡°Uncle Harlan?¡± ¡°Call me Uncle Fomoria.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because you have two Uncle Harlans, and it would be very confusing if I didn¡¯t call myself something else.¡± ¡°WE HAVE TWO?¡± The adults all laughed. ¡°So, Har- Fomoria, Autumn has been pretty tight lipped about you, and everything we hear from other nobles is just rumor. What exactly are you?¡± Jaramis seemed warmer than the last time they met. ¡°After Haldren, I split, the one that stayed behind is Harlan, but since I can come and go, I decided that Fomoria should be my name. I¡¯m not the farmer''s son anymore, I¡¯m a king, and that title is more important than what I used to be.¡± The children seemed enamored. ¡°Where is your crown then?¡± ¡°Right here.¡± He pointed at his horns that were now black; under mana sight motes of dark mana were drawn to them like fireflies. ¡°Can you take them off?¡± ¡°Nope. Wanna hang on them?¡± ¡°YEAH.¡± Answered the children. They tried as best they could, but they weren¡¯t very strong. ¡°Gods, what are you, almost five now?¡± ¡°FOUR.¡± ¡°And a half. You remember, don¡¯t you? They were born in the summer, not long after you got back from¡­ that place.¡± ¡°I do, it was a rhetorical question.¡± After the children got to play a little more, Autumn sent them away. ¡°Mom said that you had a son. And that you lost him. Is that what happened? Why you-¡± ¡°Darrath is still alive, but he¡¯s living with my Dawn on an island. It was too dangerous to let him stay. What happened before was just that I abused a power and it abused me. Magic at a higher level is more like a semi-living being than just energy.¡± He took off one of his gloves, showing the black lines where one could faintly see his bones. ¡°I am stronger because of it, I¡¯ve changed because of it.¡± He slipped the glove back on. ¡°But I hurt someone last night, and I can¡¯t hurt her again, I can¡¯t do that to her. My memories are fuzzy, but how did you save me?¡± ¡°Xol got me close, and I cast ring of light on your wrist, just like before I left for the maiden festival. He said that I needed a magical effect that you would have a deep personal connection too, because my words wouldn¡¯t reach you in your mind, that you were too far gone, but you were still feeding on outside mana. Does that make sense to you?¡± ¡°It does.¡± He snapped his fingers, and the tips lit with a small amount of void fire. It should¡¯ve burned him to the bone in just a few seconds, but instead it just sat on his skin, moving in slow motion. ¡°A flame more avaricious I¡¯ve never seen. If I had a mane of this, perhaps my body was pulling in everything that it could to prevent me from burning up entirely, and your ring of light would¡¯ve been absorbed into my body, where Micheal then attached to memories of it.¡± ¡°Micheal?¡± ¡°The fragment of an Ascended. It was left behind when he tried to kill me. But he didn¡¯t retain all of his memories, so he mellowed out.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t kill it?¡± ¡°Him, and I thought about it, but I instead decided to study him, and then I came to enjoy his company. What he was born from isn¡¯t important, but what he is now is.¡± ¡°Like you?¡± ¡°He¡¯s another who I can find kinship in.¡± ¡°Are you going to stay for lunch? The kids would love to-¡± ¡°No. Staying away for more than an hour makes me anxious. If the communicator that I use to contact Harlan is broken, I would be unable to answer any calls until I return back outside the veil. Thank you though, for the offer, and for coming to help me.¡± Fomoria stood up. ¡°Your birthday, you should come, we can have a party, you can tell everyone about your life out there. And Adina mentioned that-¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± He stepped back into his void gate and arrived in Kor. Fomoria felt some manner of peace, he felt like he had some idea about what he wanted to say, but standing in front of her door, his body froze, his mind raced. She cracked open the door and invited him in before he could knock. ¡°Why did you do what you did?¡± ¡°I was scared, I didn¡¯t know if I was awake or not, I didn¡¯t know what my body was doing.¡± ¡°You were only gone for roughly two hours, I hadn¡¯t expected you to have such a strong reaction.¡± ¡°On the outside, yes, it may have been just a few hours, but I remember everything else. I nearly broke out hundreds of times, but every single time, it stopped me, and it restarted the world, trying to change things, to find out how to make me stop resisting.¡± His hands began to shake and his eyes moved rapidly, just talking about it brought him back, making him question if even this was real, or if it made him think he was awake just to keep him asleep. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± Her words were sensible, but they felt cold, detached, like she didn¡¯t really care, she was just going through the motions of what was supposed to be said to someone who is upset. He was angry at her, but just for a moment. The way she spoke was exactly what it sounded like, she genuinely didn¡¯t know how to talk to him about this, so she gave a canned response. ¡°The way you talk, it will upset people more than help them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can fake being kind, but trying it for real, it feels different, my mind locks up, I fall back on what I was taught. I want you to apologize for what happened this morning.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t promise that it won¡¯t happen again though, and you should sleep in your room instead of next to me.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t sleep without you. What if¡­¡± She cast ring of light and placed it on his wrist. ¡°Autumn, she told me about this, that it helped you. When you were young, you were upset about her leaving, so she gave you one of these.¡± He could feel the magic on him when he closed his eyes, he was certain that he was awake when he did, because this magic wasn¡¯t his, it carried some of her warmth. Suddenly he felt tired again and his eyes began to droop as his mind slowed down, as he let himself be calm. ¡°Would you like to take a nap? Lay your head on my chest.¡± ¡°No, you can lay your head on mine, since you like hearing my heart.¡± They moved back to his room and laid on the bed. ¡°You are very warm, more than before.¡± In his dreams, he made sure to look down often to make sure that the ring was still there. When he woke in the evening, Anon had rested peacefully alongside him, he wasn¡¯t sleep walking anymore.
Xol knew exactly what was waiting for him. ¡°Now, why would you do something like that?¡± ¡°I thought that-¡± The Darkness covered every inch of the room. ¡°You thought that you had the right to interfere with my plan.¡± ¡°If I had known what exactly would happen, I wouldn¡¯t have gone along with it in the first place. You may be called a god, but don¡¯t get so high and mighty, witch.¡± ¡°He would¡¯ve learned more if you let it happen as it would.¡± ¡°Autumn would be dead.¡± ¡°I guess we will never know now if a lesson could be learned.¡± He recoiled in shock. ¡°No no no, that isn¡¯t an answer. Do you-¡± ¡°I know exactly what would¡¯ve happened. I never expected a pile of bones to be so soft hearted. If he knew what you did, do you think that he could still be your friend? You lonely old Lich. Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t see you for what you are. You just want another immortal to sit around and shoot the shit with, right? Did I use the expression correctly?¡± ¡°You know that you did.¡± ¡°Oh? I¡¯m sorry, I thought that I knew nothing for a moment there. Oh, wait, that¡¯s right, I¡¯m a god who has been alive almost as long as Aarde, and I¡¯ve seen things that your mind couldn¡¯t even fathom. Next time you think about thinking, stop.¡± ¡°Lux.¡± The word flooded the small world with light, chasing the god from every corner of it. He knew that all he had done was piss her off even more, but he didn¡¯t care. Scolding was needed from time to time, to keep his ego in check, but if he thought that he was really right, then he would react the same way even if Life herself came down on him. He wasn¡¯t blameless is what nearly happened, but he found the idea of following orders without question reprehensible, he wouldn¡¯t let that happen again. Chapter 298: The Future of Fomoria 1 Fomoria awoke once more, he hadn¡¯t had any night terrors since Anon started casting ring of light on him whenever he tried to sleep, with ''tried'' being the operative word. His mastering of his sigil caused him to have a constant lesser version, increasing his strength, giving him more energy, lowering his pain levels, but his extra energy needed to be worked out if he was to get any rest. If before sitting still annoyed him but he could work past it, now sitting still was torturous, and no amount of cracking his knuckles or bouncing his legs was enough to calm him down. He had already been fighting his Others for almost an hour, and a dozen of them had been beaten to the point that they had to retreat. Their battleground, the Plains of Wrath, what he officially named the deadlands where he lost control over himself, and they fought under the Spire of Other, a living tower of bone and flesh, a spine of the earth. It was to be the home of the Others who had no lands to marshall, and they would feed information into it which could then be accessed by the Others. It wasn¡¯t a direct weapon, it was a living library where the older Others could learn to use the magic Xol taught Fomoria to somewhat bridge the gap between them as individuals. Fomoria tore the arm from the Other, using it as a club to slightly extend his reach as he struck another. Two more launched their beam sigil at him. They weren¡¯t nearly as powerful as their progenitor, but the sigil was fast and strong, forcing him to dodge. Fomoria couldn¡¯t barely keep up, requiring him to sometimes use a gate to move around. But he bought enough time to cast the shield sigil, absorbing one of the beams. Avoiding the other was easier, and the Other couldn¡¯t recast his sigil faster than Fomoria. When the remaining beam clashed with his, the Other knew that something bad would happen if they continued, and stopped the casting. Fomoria¡¯s beam hit him in the chest, forcing a surrender, and then a simple skip and physical exchange ended with him elbowing the last Other in the jaw, ripping it off. Fomoria roared with his arms outstretched, forcing the Others to cover their ears. He fought without a shirt, his bones became more pronounced when he fought, his knuckles grew spikes with a slight curve that would tear out chunks of flesh. He stood hunched over his breath hot enough to cause heat distortion. ¡°Thank you.¡± Fomoria helped the Others heal themselves and there were no hard feelings about the maiming. Anon was rolling around in bed, she slept, but never well without him. The moment he slipped into bed, she crawled on him, seeking his heat and the sound of his heartbeat. In the morning, after breakfast, Fomoria met with the first of the children. He promised to spend an afternoon with the top five students across the nations, though naturally all of them came from Kor, since that is where his school program started. Before lunch, he would spend an hour with each of them, in three groups. He knew a little of each of them, the first would be a pair of friends, then a set of twins, and finally, one of the white Plest, those who survived the poison and whose scales lost their color. The pair arrived in a carriage, he could feel joy and anxiety before they stepped out. They were a young Faun boy and Ibexian girl. Both of them began to kneel. ¡°Rise.¡± ¡°Thank you, King Fomoria.¡± ¡°Please, just call me Fomoria.¡± ¡°Yes sir, Fomoria, sir.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°How old are both of you?¡± ¡°14.¡± They both answered. ¡°You must be Jake, and you must be¡­ Ur¡¯Kel.¡± ¡°Why did you say it like that?¡± ¡°I knew a different Kel, Ar¡¯Kel.¡± ¡°Oh, were you friends?¡± ¡°No. So, what is it that makes you two ranked 4 and 5?¡± Kel pushed Jake forward and he spoke, his voice barely a whisper. ¡°I am a lightning mage, she is good at growing things.¡± ¡°Very good. And I¡¯ve heard that you two spend much of your time helping others throughout the city?¡± ¡°Yes, we like helping people.¡± ¡°Ah, what was the last thing that you did?¡± ¡°A girl¡¯s kitten climbed a tree but couldn¡¯t get back down. Kel grew footholds and it was able to climb down.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice. Would you like to come inside now?¡± ¡°Ah, um, yes, thank you.¡± Once inside, Fomoria directed them to get changed, saying that he already set out a set for them. He chuckled when he heard yelps from both rooms; few enjoyed shifting suits immediately. When they came out, Kel had a confident strut and started moving around to really test the range of motion. When she first arrived, she had been wearing a dress, such a sight was something Fomoria never really got used to, he just couldn¡¯t see most beastkin as being feminine. But now that she had a shifting suit, she looked more like an adventurer with her leather armor and metal bracers. ¡°It¡¯s like wearing nothing, right?¡± ¡°Can we keep them?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Fomoria put a pin on the girl¡¯s chest, a simple shield with a 5 on it. The backing was made of black bone with a gold trim, but the number itself was made of blood gem. ¡°Now, I hope that you use it mindfully, but that is a communicator. It can connect to the guards outpost in Kor, to the other four badges, and to mine.¡± ¡°You mean I can call you?¡± ¡°Yes, but as I said, be mindful. Don¡¯t call during meals, and don¡¯t bother the guards with minor things. I¡¯ve already heard about what you can do, and I know that you don¡¯t need much help, but if you are in any danger, call them, if it is more immediate, feel free to call me.¡± ¡°Really? What if I need help with¡­ other things?¡± ¡°Each of your five are the future of this nation, and I know the hardships that come from being stronger than your peers. I will try to help you to grow into people who can help others the way that I believe you should.¡± ¡°Can this stop a knife?¡± ¡°If I said yes, would you test it?¡± ¡°No.¡± Fomoria instantly knew that was a lie. When Jake came out, he seemed to be trying to make himself smaller. ¡°It feels like nothing at all, doesn¡¯t it?¡± He nodded. ¡°Shift it into something thicker then, purposely restrict your movements. Shifting suits can take some getting used to for some people.¡± ¡°Umm¡­ did you have a problem with them at first?¡± ¡°No, mine was a suit of armor, it wasn¡¯t quite as free as these ones made of chainmail. Now I feel naked if I don¡¯t wear one, and I find real clothes to be restricting. You could also wear normal clothes over or under your suit if that is more comfortable for you.¡± Jake shook his head. ¡°Then to my lab we shall go.¡± He opened a gate, normal, not void, he wasn¡¯t trying to scare them, much; he almost forgot to give the pin to the boy. They marveled at the sterile white room, though they were just in a test range, and the room was quite barren. Fomoria had expanded the lab area quite a bit, adding several floors and dozens more rooms. Its size now rivaled his home above them, as each Other that worked in the labs added whatever rooms they needed to carry out their experiments. This had an unfortunate side effect of it becoming increasingly labyrinthine since they never really marked the rooms, each Other just remembered what they were doing and where they were doing it; sometimes they tried to add more rooms only to find one already in its place. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°It smells weird.¡± Jake pushed into Kel slightly, trying to tell her to be quiet. ¡°That is because this place has no outside air. Arrays constantly recycle what is breathed out, but when alchemical ingredients are used, sometimes the array is unable to filter them out entirely, so their smells blend together in an odd mix. Though what you are smelling here is ozone. Jake, I assume you know this well?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Loosen up, no need to be shy. I have targets set up here, show off what you can do, be confident in your power.¡± They stepped up to the counter and Fomoria prompted him to push the button. From the ground, human shapes formed from stone. Fomoria placed a hand on the boy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You say you can use lightning, so come, show me.¡± He stuttered, miscasting the spell at first, then followed it up with his voice cracking, miscasting once more. ¡°Loosen up, there is nothing to fear in this place, I am just trying to help, I¡¯m not here to judge you, that happened before you got here, when you earned the right to be here. You are young, powerful for your age, understand that, don¡¯t be afraid of it.¡± Jake took a deep breath, and Kel rubbed his shoulders a little, then he spent the next few minutes firing bolts at targets both quickly and accurately. ¡°Good, but let me show you true lightning.¡± Fomoria pointed two fingers, but made no signs, nor chants. What was most strange to the boy however, was how quiet his lightning was. Fomoria and he had two different ideas about shooting the bolts. Jake tried to recreate the natural phenomenon, which wasn¡¯t a bad idea, however this subconsciously made his more thunderous both when it formed and after it launched. Fomoria¡¯s made sound only when it struck and blew the statues apart. ¡°Tell me, what difference do you see?¡± ¡°You can make them much stronger, and you don¡¯t need to use movements or words.¡± ¡°Chants and signs, please use the proper terms when speaking about magic to avoid confusion. But power isn¡¯t the biggest thing that changes between us. What elements make up lightning?¡± ¡°Fire and light, half and half.¡± ¡°That is what my teacher would¡¯ve called false lightning. Instead of half and half, use 40% light, 40% fire, and the final 20% should be air. Next, you make thunder with your spell, meaning that you are also accidentally putting in a little air without realizing, since air directly leads to sound magic. I would guess that your lightning is better than most people your age because you are already making something between true and false lightning. But, you are also wasting mana by adding in that air and then only using it for what ultimately is an illusion. Go, try again.¡± Jake shot more bolts, and found that they were better by nearly a half over his other ones after just ten minutes of putting his advice into practice. He looked down at his hands and began to make fists. ¡°Go, dance, cheer.¡± Jake followed his heart. He felt great, such a small bit of guidance from the king improved him by leaps and bounds in just a few minutes. ¡°Next, try to shorten your bolts. The reason why we use a fireball is to compress that heat, it is why a flamethrowing spell is only used in times when you really need that spread.¡± ¡°Should I make a lightning ball?¡± ¡°No, lightning is also important for its precise nature, you want to focus it on as small an end point as you can. But back to what I was saying, your bolts seem to start at your fingers, which is dangerous due to the risk of splash back. Instead you should focus on starting your spell in front of your hands. This also shortens the distance between you and your target ever so slightly. A spell almost always loses power over a distance, so don¡¯t keep channeling your mana until it reaches the target, cast the spell, keep your lightning short, and let it fly. Most of the tail end of the lightning is just wasted in the end.¡± Jake lit up the more Fomoria taught him, but he was only giving the children an hour of his time individually, and since these two came as a group, each would only get 25 minutes just to account for them needing to get dressed, greetings, so on and so forth. For the next lesson, Kel¡¯s, he brought her to a forest quite a ways away from the city itself. He noticed how she tensed up the moment they arrived. ¡°So you feel it?¡± Jake looked at his friend strangely when she hesitated to speak. ¡°This place¡­ is alive¡­¡± She began to tear up, worrying Jake. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± ¡°She is sensitive to earth mana, and this place is flooded with it. Kel, this here is my forest where I grow my mimic trees, among other magical plants. But what I want you to do first is grow this sapling as best you can in the next five minutes.¡± She sniffled and wiped her eyes; it was somewhat ironic to have a fire in one¡¯s eyes when they were showing off their green thumbs. Kel knelt on the ground, despite the winter, this place was kept warmer by a large number of arrays. This was for two reasons, firstly, it made the plants grow better, secondly, it brought animals into the forest which preferred the warmth, and these animals fed the trees; there was also more oxygen added into the environment. As Kel was caught up with her small tree, Jake began to wander. He went to pick a nice looking flower, and was nearly dragged into the small pond by choking kelp, which was being grown as a possible material for powerful ropes. Fomoria stared down the hivemind of flowing watergrass, and it listened to his order. ¡°Do be mindful, this forest being alive wasn¡¯t a metaphor or exaggeration.¡± Fomoria reached down and plucked the flowers for Jake. ¡°Here.¡± He hadn¡¯t even paid any mind to what they were. When Kel finished, she was a little tired, but Ibexians were all naturals at earth magic, and she also had a water alignment to match it, making nature magic well¡­ second nature to her. ¡°Did I do well?¡± Fomoria poked and prodded the small tree, six inches in height with twisting branches and dense foliage. ¡°When I was your age I tried my hand at nature magic for the first time. I was inspired by a book I read of great mountain trees and druids. Are you aware of the term?¡± ¡°A druid is¡­ Sorry, I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± ¡°The druids were a specific civilization in the first age, and they heavily specialized in nature magic. Their cities were housed in massive trees, and these trees were also weapons. They could walk, act as mana batteries, and their sheer size made a swipe of their roots able to wipe out entire armies. The modern use seems to be a reflection of this, a term for a dead people, but who were so strongly associated with nature that Aarde made them the natural term for any mage who uses mostly nature magic.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really get what you mean.¡± ¡°I am not a druid, I have spent too much of my time spreading out my interests and focusing on destruction more than creation. But you, I could see you as a druid; this is a very fine tree.¡± He reached down and made a square pot of clay, then dug up the tree and put it in the pot. ¡°I am sorry to say that I have little real advice to offer you, I am not an expert on this magic. But, I want you to know that you could surpass me easily if you keep working on this. Take care of this tree here, grow it however you want, but, I would recommend you look at grafting, the process of fusing plants together so they take on traits from both. My father is honestly probably the better nature mage between us, and he made a tree that grew lemons, apples, and grapes.¡± ¡°Is he a powerful mage?¡± ¡°No, at least, he wasn¡¯t last I saw him. When he was younger, he tried to join the army, and they said that he had no aptitude for magic, but now he is learning, because he found out what he wanted to do with magic, he wanted to better farm.¡± He had shown the two around some more, which is what Kel wanted, since just learning of new plants would help her to try and recreate them from mundane ones. ¡°What is your goal with your magic?¡± ¡°I want to help people.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because it is right.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because¡­ it feels good.¡± ¡°Ultimately, a mage is a selfish person, even if they help others.¡± The accusation offended Kel. ¡°I am NOT selfish.¡± ¡°But you admitted it yourself, you help others to feel good.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t selfish.¡± ¡°If it didn¡¯t make you feel good, would you still do it?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s the right thing to do.¡± ¡°Yet just before, you said that it is right because it felt good. Your reasoning is circular.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t what I meant.¡± ¡°Then what did you mean?¡± ¡°I meant that¡­¡± She tried to explain herself, but couldn¡¯t put her thoughts together in any way that wasn¡¯t exactly what she had already said or sounded like she was lying to herself. ¡°Kel isn¡¯t bad.¡± ¡°It is good to defend your friend, but can you explain further?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if she helps because it makes her feel good, because she is still helping.¡± ¡°Kel, do you agree with Jake?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not selfish.¡± ¡°Let go of the idea that being selfish is evil. I am selfish, I help because it is the right thing, because not doing the right thing makes me feel bad, which is not any different than it making you feel good.¡± ¡°But you give up so much to us, how can you be selfish?¡± ¡°As I said, my reason for helping is to avoid feeling bad. I destroy myself because feeling bad is worse than whatever physical pain is inflicted on me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not being selfish.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t agree. What I am doing is not trying to insult you, but to make you think about why you do what you do, and to understand that having a tendency that others may consider bad isn¡¯t a moral failing, it is just human nature. Don¡¯t let how you are perceived by others change what you want to be, because a mage must have an independent mind to reach their greatest heights, they must understand themselves, confront what they believe they are, and ultimately come to be their own person. Our time is coming to a close, do you have any more questions? Perhaps you would like to ask something in private?¡± Kel still wasn¡¯t happy with Fomoria, but Jake finally finished what he wanted the flowers for, and put the flower crown on her, slipping them around her horns, and her anger faded; Fomoria took a closer look at the flowers, his mind falling to a darker place for a moment. ¡°Yes, I would like to ask something in private.¡± Jake had warmed up immensely as he recognized Fomoria¡¯s kinder nature. He sat with the boy in his office. ¡°Can you make me an Ibexian?¡± ¡°Technically yes, but really no.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°An Ibexian is a being that is bound by a pact with the god Anu, even if I made you look like one, you would never be an Ibexian, and your children? I¡¯m not even sure what that would do.¡± Jake blushed ¡°Who said anything about that?¡± ¡°You want to be with Kel, right? So you would trade in your bare skin for fur, you¡¯d trade antlers for horns.¡± He just sat there and twiddled his thumbs for a minute. ¡°Yes, I love her.¡± ¡°Why the orange Lotus¡¯s?¡± ¡°It¡¯s her favorite flower, I saw them and thought she would like to wear them.¡± Fomoria went silent. He saw a reverse of he and Adina in the pair, but as they went around, he saw them as also being allowed to have childhoods unlike him. By 14 he was jaded, full of anger and resentment, he had killed men, but these two seemed purer. ¡°I will ask, figure out if you could accept the Ibexian pact, otherwise, when you are 18, if this is still what you want, I will give you an Ibexian body. But I need to ask, what about your parents?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I guess that would be odd¡­ I¡¯ll talk to them. You promise though, you¡¯ll do it?¡± ¡°I will also need to speak with her when the time comes, but before I do that, you should eventually make your feelings clear to her and ask her opinion about what you want to become.¡± Jake thanked Fomoria and then went outside. Kel came into his office and sat down. ¡°Can you make me into a Faun?¡± He burst out in laughter.
As he looked at the aftermath, he wondered about what he had become. These thoughts faded away, he saw this second guessing as nothing but weakness. Chapter 299: The Future of Fomoria 2 After Fomoria explained everything to Kel, she calmed down. Even though they were Faun and Ibexian, something that might be love had formed between them. He thought back to Adina, but his mind wasn¡¯t darkened any longer. Yes, he lost Adina, he didn¡¯t have Darrath with him, and every day was a day closer to the reignition of the war with the Cast, but seeing children who could have a normal life, growing up and finding love, keeping with his teachings, trying to help people, it made what he lost worth it. Anon came into his office to tell him that the twins had arrived. ¡°Are you crying?¡± He got up and gave her a kiss. ¡°Thank you for telling me. Tonight, I want to take you out to a special dinner.¡± ¡°Oh, why?¡± ¡°Because I feel like it.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you then.¡± She kissed him back, and he kept it going, and then she pushed him back. Whether he didn¡¯t notice her push or not, he continued longer than she liked. ¡°Don¡¯t do that again.¡± His heart was pounding in his ears, He lowered his emotional sensitivity. He would figure out the implications of his sigil later; it wasn¡¯t the first time some new power left him emotionally fragile.. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t¡­ no, I do know what came over me. It won¡¯t happen again.¡± She slapped him. ¡°That makes me feel better. Control yourself.¡± He was more angry with himself than she was with him. The twins, Julius and Julia; he found it funny that people outside the veil also had a habit of naming their twins in the male and female forms of the same name. He heard some about them, orphans, former slaves, strange children who had no friends outside of one another, rumors that they might be more than just siblings. They wore nicer clothes than he expected, the orphanage wanting to put its best foot forward, hoping for more funding if the children gave an impression that they were well cared for. However, Fomoria spent exactly as much as was required for each orphanage based on its needs already, and they were some of the most heavily monitored institutions in the nation, so getting more than what he thought they required wasn¡¯t going to happen; perhaps a visit was in order, to remind them not to spend money on frivolous things to impress him. Their hair was split, blonde on one side, brown on the other, much like their eyes, one yellow, one brown. His first thought was that they were indeed just as strange as people said, but that it wouldn¡¯t be fair to judge them just because they had swapped their clothes and Julius was dressed as a girl. ¡°Julius, Julia.¡± They laughed when Fomoria correctly named them, looking up at him with their heterochromatic eyes. ¡°So you can tell?¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°Oh, you do that too.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°What do we do?¡± ¡°I knew a pair of twins inside the veil, they would talk after one another like that, sometimes finishing the other''s sentence. Actually, I knew two pairs that did that.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, now, let¡¯s get you both dressed.¡± He heard no sounds as they put on the shifting suits. They came out dressed according to their sex, Julia in a simple suit, yellow on his left side, brown on his right, just like his eyes. His sister wore a dress with the colors reversed to her brother. They linked arms, bringing their brown side to one another. ¡°How do we look?¡± ¡°Are we handsome?¡± ¡°You both have a unique style to you.¡± They giggled and whispered to one another. ¡°Shall we move to the demonstrations?¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t wait to show you what we can do.¡± They arrived in a target range unlike what had been used for Jake, an outdoor range. ¡°I am told that you two can cooperatively cast, show me.¡± He felt some link between them, a naturally occurring bloodline? Or were they someone''s pet experiment before they were freed? Twins often had a closeness that defied the biological formation of them in the womb. It wasn¡¯t always the case, and so far as his own research into it, it depended on how their souls formed. If they started as two souls, they would have no special link, but if there was only a single soul which entered one of the fetuses and then split into the second, they would gain a sort of twin sense. They spoke in a single tone, they moved their hands in perfect sync, and they launched a fairly sized chunk of earth across the range, turning the simple stone target to nothing but gravel and dust. ¡°Very good, quick, efficient, and almost no rejection caused by multiple people casting the same spell. Show me more.¡± They cast more spells, turning the ground in front of them into sharp rocks and then launching them, putting up walls and statues, showing both how dense they could make something, and also how detailed they could be. Fomoria wasn¡¯t shocked when they suddenly turned around, linking their blonde halves, and fired a sustained beam of radiance at him. The air heated up the longer they continued; radiance sustainment was minorly difficult, and they were losing focus. When they nearly collapsed, they saw it, Fomoria had used one finger, a chantless, signless void spell had entirely blocked their assassination attempt. He rushed forward, grabbing Julia by the throat before either of them could react with another spell. Just a little more pressure, and¡­ No, this wasn¡¯t right, this wasn¡¯t what he thought, at least, he didn¡¯t think that it was how he should be thinking. A pair of 13 year olds who lost their parents, and it was probably his fault, it wasn¡¯t right to kill them, that thought should¡¯ve made him sick to his stomach, not been his first reaction. He dropped Julia then healed her. ¡°Why? Why did you try to kill me?¡± ¡°Our mother¡­¡± ¡°Our master¡­¡± The pair had tired themselves out by holding their spell for so long. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your mother, but I don¡¯t apologize for killing slavers.¡± ¡°He treated us well¡­¡± ¡°We were his snowflakes.¡± He hit them with a pep spell, they¡¯d burn out later, but for now, listening to their slow talking annoyed him. A pang of guilt struck him, he was being too cold, so he turned his emotions back up, trying to fine tune his mental state to what he thought was normal for him. ¡°Tell me, what happened?¡± ¡°She was serving his tea.¡± ¡°You burst through the window.¡± ¡°Glass in her throat.¡± ¡°We found her hiding behind the couch.¡± ¡°I am truly sorry for your loss.¡± ¡°Kill us.¡± ¡°Just end this.¡± He brought his hand up, but he couldn¡¯t fire a spell. His mind was in conflict. Logically, these were two talented mages, their ability to so easily connect with one another for cooperative casting and the quality of their attacks made it clear that they couldn¡¯t be allowed to remain free to threaten those around him. But emotionally, what would he have done if he was them? He opened a void gate and stepped through it, beckoning them as he did. The twins hesitated, of course they did, but fleeing wasn¡¯t going to happen, so they followed behind him. Snow crunched underfoot, but more than that, they heard the sounds of children playing in the distance. ¡°Where is this?¡± ¡°Why did you bring us here?¡± ¡°These children, what do you see in them?¡± ¡°They are sick.¡± ¡°So pale¡­¡± ¡°No, they are Fomorian, fully Fomorian. I went to their village, and I killed the adults, but I rescued them. Why do you think I did this?¡± The twins whispered back and forth. ¡°You are guilty?¡± ¡°Murderer.¡± ¡°Yes, but it isn¡¯t the same as your guilt. I-¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t guilty.¡± ¡°We are angry.¡± ¡°So you don¡¯t lie awake at night, thinking of what could¡¯ve changed. Thinking about if you were just stronger, faster, if you could¡¯ve done something, anything to have saved your mother? You don¡¯t have that voice gnawing away at you in your every waking moment, you don¡¯t have that cold brick in your stomach?¡± Neither of them could meet his eyes, sympathizing with their mother¡¯s murderer was sickening. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°I spared them because if I didn¡¯t, then in time, I would be forced to kill them. I don¡¯t want to kill anyone, but when people own other people, when they force themselves on others, when they corrupt their children, I don¡¯t have a real choice.¡± ¡°You had a choice.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t excuse yourself.¡± ¡°You should pay attention to what people are really saying. I said that I don¡¯t have a real choice. I could¡¯ve left them there to be killed by soldiers, I could¡¯ve killed them myself, I could¡¯ve spared the parents as well. But I cannot bring myself to do any of those things, because that is not the man that I am. With free will also comes responsibility for one''s own actions. Yes, I may have killed your mother, and she died as a direct result of my actions, but I am reacting to the suffering that the empire causes. Would she want you to live as slaves for your entire life?¡± ¡°We had a home.¡± ¡°We had everything we needed.¡± ¡°And what if either of you ever wanted to leave? What if you wanted to live your own lives? What if your sister grew older, developed into a woman, and this master that you so loved wanted her, and she didn¡¯t want him? What do you think that he would do?¡± ¡°He would-¡± ¡°Who is your father?¡± ¡°Master was.¡± ¡°And your mother, was it her choice to have you? Don¡¯t answer, I have it coming now.¡± An Other arrived with a book in hand after a few minutes. ¡°Your master, he was Grand Wizard Uldintal of Slazic, yes?¡± They nodded. ¡°And do you recognize that this is his handwriting?¡± ¡°It could be.¡± ¡°It looks to be so.¡± ¡°Read the marked pages.¡± The words on the paper were not something any child should have to read about their mother, let alone ones barely starting down the path to adulthood. They were an experiment, the only ones that lived weren¡¯t still born after a dozen attempts. Their mother carried each of what was so coldly marked as failures in the journal to term, and each time, she had to be impregnated with eggs again. Their master had ensured that after his single success she could no longer have children because he took out her uterus for testing so he could try to find out how to replicate his experiments again. They read older chapters, and newer ones, the past failures only mentioned in passing as the man they called their father lamented having to spend so much on products that kept dying in childbirth. They had long since moved past the hour that was allotted to them as the twins tore through the book, page by page, chapter by chapter, trying to fit the man they knew with what they were reading, trying to find something that said this book was a fake. But the phrasing, the references to specific events that Fomoria couldn¡¯t possibly know of, it all pointed to what they believed being a lie. They tossed the journal down and incinerated it with radiance. ¡°You two and I aren¡¯t that different from one another. I wasn¡¯t much older than you when I found out the circumstances of my birth and how I ended up with the only people I could truly call my family.¡± ¡°We¡¯re monsters.¡± ¡°Attempts at supersoldiers.¡± ¡°So am I. My mother was kidnapped, raped, and when I was born, the god that I am now the champion of helped her escape that and then killed her in the process. You can still hate me for what I did, I don¡¯t blame you for that, but you read the last chapter, you know what he had planned for both of you, little better than breeding stock.¡± The snow underfoot began to melt as his anger increased, his skeleton grew darker, making him take on a somewhat malnourished appearance due to their clarity through his skin. ¡°If you would like, you could stay here, far from me. This orphanage is under my brother, and the people who run it are good. You¡¯d have three years before you¡¯d need to leave, and when you do, you should know enough about life inside the veil to be able to live on your own. I want you both to know that I can¡¯t change what I did, and I wouldn¡¯t change it, because killing that man was worth your mother¡¯s life.¡± They were angry at his words, they were angry at a lot of things right now, but they also felt beaten down, they felt that hurting him meant nothing anymore. ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± ¡°Do you have anything from the orphanage you need? Do you have friends to say goodbye to?¡± ¡°We have nothing we need.¡± ¡°Nobody liked us anyway.¡± Fomoria revealed himself and spoke to Jerrah and Sherah. Balor would forge a few papers, Julius and Julia would be citizens, and officially nobody could question that fact. When he returned to Kor without the twins, there was some confusion. ¡°Mercedes, how much time do I have before the last student arrives?¡± ¡°Ah, well, you should¡¯ve been here 30 minutes ago, she¡¯s been waiting anxiously..¡± ¡°Go on, ask.¡± ¡°Those children¡­ what happened to them?¡± ¡°They are in a better place now, I hope that they can grow into better people in their new lives.¡± ¡°Should I tell the orphanage that it was a training accident?¡± He felt emotionally drained from dealing with them, old wounds that he thought he had accepted were fresh again, so he hadn¡¯t really thought of his phrasing. ¡°They are alive, inside the veil, somewhere safe.¡± ¡°Right, of course.¡± ¡°I could show them to you right now.¡± ¡°No, I am sorry to have doubted you.¡± The last child, Nana, a Plest, one who survived the poison sent by Auriel. Her scales were an alabaster white that shone under the late morning sun. These Plest were colder than their peers, something which he knew and had worked to correct, granting them an amulet of warmth to help regulate their body temperature. Though evidently, it wasn¡¯t enough considering how she was bundled up with a heavy coat, gloves, a hat, and a pair of pants that was specially made to cover her entire tail, which poked out from a hole in her dress. She was both the first ranked student mage in the children''s category, and the oldest of them at nearly 15, the cut off point before she would be in the next grouping of students. Nana kicked her feet out, waiting for her king to arrive. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to make you wait.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Thank you for picking me.¡± ¡°Technically I didn¡¯t pick you, my instructor golems shared their data with one another and decided on various factors that I set up which 10 students were the best, then I had an Other pick five of them.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Tell me, what is your speciality?¡± ¡°Healing and imbibing, but I can do all sorts of magic.¡± ¡°Why do you want to be a mage?¡± ¡°My brother¡­ you saved me, but he was younger, he didn¡¯t survive.¡± He was readying himself for another twin situation. ¡°Do you blame me?¡± She shook her head. ¡°My parents do, but I know more about magic than them, and I know how hard healing is.¡± ¡°Revenge against the Cast, is that what you want?¡± ¡°I just want to help people that I can so nobody loses someone like I did. Why do you think I would be like that?¡± ¡°Have you met the second and third ranked children?¡± ¡°The twins? Yes, but they didn¡¯t seem to want to be friends with me, so I stopped after a week.¡± ¡°I am surprised that you tried for so long.¡± ¡°They seemed sad, and angry, I thought that I could help. You took extra time with them, could you help them?¡± ¡°I did what I could. Now I just need to hope that they learn the right lessons from what I¡¯ve given them.¡± ¡°I hope they do, because I would like to try being friends again.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t here in Kor anymore, I sent them somewhere else where they might be better off.¡± ¡°Oh, are they in Falin?¡± ¡°They are inside the veil now. Did they ever seem like they were upset with me?¡± ¡°They talked to the teacher about you, but I thought that their praise seemed fake, like they just wanted to be ranked higher for loyalty. Did they do something?¡± He felt tired, he didn¡¯t really want to talk about it, but something about Nana, about that gentle nature of her¡¯s, her soft spoken words, her tone that showed genuine worry for the twins that she had failed to befriend, she seemed so innocent, and he didn¡¯t want to lie to her. Fomoria put his hand on her head and she jumped slightly. ¡°You are very warm, uh, um, your majesty.¡± ¡°Please, just call me Fomoria.¡± ¡°Why are you doing this? If you don¡¯t mind my asking.¡± ¡°You seem like a good kid. Let¡¯s get to the lab, I have a healing test already set up.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, that would be nice.¡± It was a large cube of slime with various wounds simulated on the surface. ¡°You already know how to do these things, yes?¡± ¡°I do, but I haven¡¯t ever seen a testing cube so large.¡± ¡°Go, start your work.¡± She hopped to it, healing burns, closing cuts, setting broken bones. For someone who likely had little, if any, training before now, she was quite good at it. Nana hummed as she worked, whispering under her breath words of encouragement for the living, but non-sentient mass of simulated flesh. ¡°Where did you grow up?¡± ¡°Here in Kor.¡± ¡°What do your parents do?¡± ¡°My father is a cook, and my mother is a maid here in your mansion.¡± ¡°I notice that most female Plest tend toward maids or other service positions.¡± ¡°Mother says that we¡¯ve had the role for as long as her knowledge of history goes, and that there is no reason to change things that work. They didn¡¯t like that I was taking magic classes, but I told mother than a maid who knows healing magic was worth more.¡± ¡°Any issues at home?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just making conversation.¡± ¡°My father has never hit or yelled at my mother. Plest don¡¯t do that, we like to talk out our issues before we become physically violent. I have no other siblings. I have no extended family that I know about. I don¡¯t go hungry. Once someone tried to mug me, but the guards quickly stepped in.¡± ¡°So you¡¯ve led a rather peaceful life?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She opened her mouth, but closed it before she could speak. ¡°But?¡± ¡°The cube is healed, we¡¯re done.¡± ¡°But?¡± She rubbed her hands together, anxiety flowed strongly from the lizard girl. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a maid, or a cook, or a tailor, or anything like that, but I think that my parents may shun me if I don¡¯t do something that fits what they think of me.¡± Fomoria hugged her and rubbed her back. ¡°Everyone has a choice in what they do and why they do it, don¡¯t let others tell you what you can¡¯t do. Sometimes it is better to ask forgiveness instead of permission.¡± She wrapped her long neck around his. ¡°I don¡¯t want to waste my life doing those things, but I don¡¯t want to lose my people for stepping out of line.¡± ¡°Those who could be called my people, Fomorians, they are terrible monsters, I¡¯ve killed more than I¡¯ve spoken to. Do not let yourself be bound by culture and race, be Nana.¡± She brought her head back and stared him in the eyes, moving back and forth, thinking. ¡°Thank you.¡± Fomoria¡¯s eyes went black. The faceless city looked the same as it ever did, unchanging, silent, but full of false lives that mimicked laughter and joy. ¡°I was in the middle of something.¡± ¡°I know..¡± ¡°What do you really want to speak about?¡± ¡°Firstly, you are putting out empathic signals that are heightening the emotions that people feel, turning friendship and comfort into love, and turning anger into homicidal rage. so be mindful and rein yourself back in. Secondly, Harlan has found your father.¡± ¡°What? Was he missing? Is he alright?¡± ¡°The one whose seed grew into you.¡± ¡°I would like to watch that execution.¡± ¡°Ah, but that isn¡¯t what will happen.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Right now, that man is trying to convince Harlan that his actions were in the past and that with the pact broken, he has changed who he is enough that killing him would only perpetuate a cycle of violence.¡± ¡°He can¡¯t be that stupid.¡± ¡°His mind is being changed, not through just words, but by magic. The empathy of the purer Fomorians is stronger, and they are practiced in doing this.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll save him, I at least owe that to him, and I¡¯ll kill that bastard, he owes that much to me.¡± ¡°I warn you, he may not believe you to be right, he may choose to fight.¡± ¡°I can take him.¡± The Darkness spread across the sky, hundreds of grins making up the stars of night. ¡°Go then, do what needs to be done.¡± Back in reality, Fomoria pushed Nana back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know what came over me.¡± ¡°I do. It seems that my empathy has been out of control today. Apologies. Now, I have something that is unfortunately more important than what I am doing today. I will make it up to you and the others.¡± He opened a gate, bringing her back to the mansion. ¡°Feel free to speak with the Others, I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be back, leave when you want.¡± ¡°Thank you. May I see your books?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He left through a void gate, heading where The Darkness told him to go. Chapter 300-1 : Fomorias Responsibility The first thought that he had was to just kill them, but he looked at the man who stood there in front of the others with crossed arms, and it was like looking in a twisted mirror. He stood slightly taller than Harlan, his features were somewhat sharper, he was also not a full blooded Fomorian, otherwise Harlan wouldn¡¯t have reached his perfect little paradox state. ¡°Lower your weapons.¡± That man raised his hands and walked towards Harlan. ¡°Stop right there and wipe that smug grin off your face.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t a father-¡± ¡°You are not my father, you are just a seed donor.¡± Harlan drew his sword, the blade fluctuated between light and dark, mercy and slaughter. The chief knew the score, he had heard rumors, whatever he could from the outside world when the pact was broken. ¡°Kill me, spare the rest.¡± ¡°What game are you playing?¡± ¡°No games. My life¡¯s work, it was all just a waste. If I had kept faith, waited, perhaps none of this would¡¯ve happened. Tell Eliza-¡± Harlan skipped over, his blade pressed to his father¡¯s throat. ¡°Just tell her that I am sorry. Your youngest brother, he has a list, names, places, the victims of my generation. You may tell my victims'' families that they are dead, give them that peace.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t want to believe that he could feel remorse from the man, he¡¯d rather believe that he could fake emotions, hide his real mind. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I saw the outside world. I walked past the border. I met people who offered me food and clothes for nothing, they just thought that I looked thin. I raped, murdered, cannibalized, stole. I am a monster, but don¡¯t let that fall onto my children¡¯s heads.¡± He got down on his hands and knees. Harlan moved to his side to cut his head off in one clean strike, but one of the children ran from the village. She held onto her father, tears in her eyes. Harlan could see his own features in her, he thought to himself that perhaps Viviane would look like her when she grew older. He couldn¡¯t do it, and in that moment, they won. ¡°Go back inside, I have to think.¡± He stood there until Fomoria arrived. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± He shifted into a hunched over form of laminar bone plates and teeth, like an upright drake, jet black with a mane of black flames edged with red. Harlan stepped in front of him and took the same shape, but bright white, lacking the flames and horns; his blade of mercy still held on his hip, his form unsuited for wielding it. Both men, now stood nearly seven feet tall, stared one another in the eyes. They knew what was about to happen, but they also couldn¡¯t let it be so without at least exchanging words. ¡°I can¡¯t let you do this.¡± ¡°There is no letting me do anything.¡± When Harlan pushed back with his hands on Fomoria''s chest, he knew that he couldn¡¯t remotely stand up to him physically. ¡°Remember Borden? People who are hurt, scared, they do things that they never would otherwise.¡± ¡°Setting up a multi-generational eugenics project is very different from looting during a riot.¡± ¡°If you had stayed, would you be any different? We are all products of our environment. They can change, killing them would just take away any chance of that. Yes, some of them need to die, but they must face a proper trial.¡± Harlan¡¯s words had angered Fomoria, but why they cut so deeply, he didn¡¯t know. ¡°The Darkness warned me of this, that they had wormed their way into your mind.¡± Fomoria put his hand on Harlan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will save you from them as well.¡± Fomoria punched Harlan, who opened a gate to redirect the strike, only for Fomoria to then use his own gate to bring it back to its intended target. Both of Harlan¡¯s arms were broken, nearly torn apart trying to block the attack, but he had bought enough time to jump back and soften the blow. Fomoria looked away, disinterested, and started to move towards the village. He found no joy in what he was going to be doing, at least, other than killing his father, but the rest was a matter of purging knowledge from the world that would be best left alone. The Fomorians put their power together, and made him veer off course, his first strike missed, and bought time for Harlan to strike. He flew at Fomoria under 10x gravity. Physically, Harlan stood no chance, if he was to defeat himself, he had to fight smarter, not harder. Fomoria flipped around, and with his hands on the ground, he leg locked Harlan and spun, using all that extra weight against him. Harlan slipped through the move by using an anti-friction spell, and then went through a gate, landing right on Fomoria, crunching his armor and breaking even his sigil enhanced bones. ¡°You may know everything I¡¯m going to do, but I know everything you¡¯re going to do as well.¡± The attack only bought Harlan a few seconds. ¡°Break out of it, these people deserve to die.¡± ¡°They deserve to be judged.¡± ¡°I just said that.¡± ¡°We both know how angry we are-¡± ¡°DO YOU?¡± ¡°Remember Haldren, remember what losing ourselves to anger brings. I can¡¯t let you kill them, not because they are innocent, no, I can¡¯t let you kill them because I know if you thought for a second longer, then you¡¯d see that a fair judgment would do the same as us, but keep our hands clean. You claim that I am under their control, so you must save me, but I must save you from yourself.¡± Fomoria cracked his neck. ¡°When was I ever such a pathetic fool? At least own up to the blood we¡¯ve spilled.¡± Clash, it seemed too small a word for what happened. Each of them feinted, double feinted, and then triple feinted, but on the forth, they cast actual spells. Fomoria fired bolt after bolt of void, and Harlan, predicting that Fomoria would go on the offensive and use their favorite fast spell, put up a wall of radiance that ate away at them. Then behind the void, like giant firecrackers, sound spells threatened to shatter his eardrums, which Harlan countered with a veil. Finally ready to counter attack, both men struck with a crystal wave, turning the ground into a field of black and white shards that launched at the other. Fomoria had no more mana than Harlan, both were technically the same age, and had grown at the same rate, but while Fomoria knew the blood gem spellwork, he hadn¡¯t developed it himself. In Harlan¡¯s research, he had improved his general crystal magic abilities, and his shards were not only more numerous, but they were stronger, sharper. When they broke through, Fomoria opened a gate, and Harlan countered with his own, raining them down on his head, but then Fomoria used his void gate. He knew from the start that his crystals would lose, but now he had stronger crystals from two angles, since a void gate was spherical rather than a flat square. Only a few dozen landed on him by the time he shut his gate, but that meant he had lost one arm at the shoulder, another at the elbow, and many organs that normal people would consider vital had been pierced. Fomoria didn¡¯t waste this opportunity, and jumped through his void gate. The thought had occurred to draw out the fight and show Harlan that standing against him wasn¡¯t going to work, but it seemed cruel and pointless. His goal was to help Harlan be free of the Fomorian control and then to kill the Fomorians that he thought needed killing, that was it. As soon as he could, he made another void gate and tossed Harlan through it. Fomoria stepped into the tunnel hidden under some rubble which was once a small shrine of some sort, setting off every trap along the way, but none of them caused him any harm. Even with each of the spikes, spears, and swinging blades being soulsmithed, the technique meant little if they couldn¡¯t be loaded with spells that actually mattered. Fomorians knew well how to destroy ones soul, but that was the case years ago, and in the time that Harlan had helped to revolutionize soul magic, what was once an attack that could kill even an archmage with no real recourse if it landed could now be blocked by even a second year student at the academy. Humans weren''t inclined to soul magic, but they were many, and when they worked towards a goal together, instead of spread out like the Fomorian villages were, they could achieve just about anything. He came upon the Fomorians and immediately they tried to rush him, but he tossed them into the walls with telekinesis and then formed the stone over them to prevent them from moving. ¡°Tell me your name before I kill you.¡± ¡°Darrath, 11th of my name.¡± ¡°Very well. Darrath, 11th of your name, I hereby sentence you to death for your crimes against Eliza Dust, among many others.¡± ¡°Go then, kill me, prove yourself no better than I.¡± Fomoria threw his head back and laughed. ¡°Did you really think that was going to work? ¡®Oh, we¡¯re not so different, you and I.¡¯ And then I¡¯d let you go? That I¡¯d hesitate? Where did you get such a stupid idea?¡± ¡°It worked on the other one.¡± The chief tried to strike him with a bone blade, but it shattered when Fomoria punched it, much like the chief¡¯s chest did. He wanted a fight, he wanted a monster, a master of dark arts that would push him to his limits. This, this was just a scared, weak man who had spent his life deceiving and forcing himself on people, and now at the end, he could see that his strength was nothing compared to his son, compared to the very thing he had intended to make from the start; in this life, and in the other, his father would die by his hand. ¡°I could torture you, I could flay you alive and keep you that way for weeks, months, years even, I could rearrange your organs, I could turn you into a living statue, alive but never allowed to live. But all you deserve is a shallow, unmarked grave.¡± The man tried to crawl away. ¡°Wa-wait, please, I-¡± Fomoria put his foot down, his weight and strength decapitated the man. The rest of the Fomorians huddled there in the tunnel, fleeing wasn¡¯t going to work, they had all seen how quickly he dispatched the warriors, the shades, and then their chief. ¡°Line up, women and girls on the left, men and boys on the right. Children go to the front, elders in the back.¡± When they hesitated he punched the wall, shaking the tunnel. ¡°TO THE WALLS.¡± He walked through, shifting the positions of some of the people, asking questions about age, if they had any children, if they had worked with the chief in his experiments. When he was satisfied, he closed off the wall at a certain point. ¡°All of you, walk back to the entrance, and be mindful of the traps.¡± ¡°My father is-¡± ¡°Do not worry about the ones past this wall, worry about your own life.¡± She must¡¯ve been 15, maybe less; he didn¡¯t meet her eyes. When the Fomorians were out of sight, he put his hands on the wall, and it moved at high speed down the tunnel, killing the rest of them. There wasn¡¯t an exact science to who lived and who died, those with children were more likely to be spared, those who were younger were more likely to be spared, but it was mostly a gut feeling for him, a look in the eye that told him these people would fight back, that they couldn¡¯t be corrected. When he went outside, he saw how they looked at him, they knew that the others wouldn¡¯t be coming, most were strong enough to feel their minds flicker and fade. ¡°All of you will be taken to my nation, Fomoria. I don¡¯t blame you for being born Fomorian, and I hope that you will come to understand that. But there is a limit to the crimes that I will ignore, and those who aren¡¯t coming with are those who I thought likely to attempt to repeat these crimes. You will start in a village, away from my capital, and when I believe that you have been reformed, you may be given the choice of staying in the village, coming into the capital, assuming there is still room, or being allowed to leave and find your own way. Gather any personal belongings from your homes, and then we will leave.¡± One of the young men stepped forward, and Fomoria couldn¡¯t help but notice the resemblance, a half-brother most likely. ¡°Or else what?¡± ¡°Any who stay here will have to deal with the soldiers of Ragne who are surrounding this village. I assume that my other half brought them here, but had them stay away to prevent them from dying in the crossfire.¡± ¡°We can band together, fight them back.¡± ¡°The children are all coming with me, they are blameless in your crimes and I won¡¯t let them die in some foolish suicidal defensive mission.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t-¡± ¡°I can, because I am strong, and you are weak. Isn¡¯t that why you were allowed to rape and kill as you pleased? Or is it because you were persecuted by The Mother? What justification do you have against me that I won¡¯t spit back in your face?¡± The young man shrunk back, Fomoria¡¯s anger made him seem a hundred feet tall compared to him. ¡°Go, gather your things, I¡¯ll transport it all, no matter the size.¡± When they arrived, a giant centipede was flattening the ground and an Other was watching from the sky. The Fomorians couldn¡¯t help but notice that the very first thing that the golems made was a wall.
Harlan fell from the sky outside a large tower, and Others swarmed him. ¡°Stand down.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Our progenitor tells me that you may not cause trouble. Give me your word that you won¡¯t, and you may enter Kor until he grants you passage back into the veil.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you, know that fighting within the city will lead to civilian casualties. Do not force the Others to stop you from visiting Amber or Anon.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Naturally, Harlan immediately tried to enter the mansion, only for his gate to be redirected. ¡°Do you think that you can stop me if-¡± A dozen Others rushed at him. Harlan assumed that they would be significantly weaker than Fomoria, which was true, but that didn¡¯t mean that a few of them together wasn¡¯t still significantly more powerful than him. They each used a different element in their attacks, Harlan simply couldn¡¯t cast his counters fast enough. The Others were careful to not destroy his body, but rather his regenerating void bone limbs. In a few minutes, Harlan yelled out to stop. ¡°Don¡¯t cause problems in Kor, and you are a guest, otherwise we will contain you until he sends you back inside the veil.¡± The Others left through their own gates. Humbling wasn¡¯t the right word, Harlan just felt humiliated. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. How had Fomoria left him so far in the dust since they¡¯ve been apart that he couldn¡¯t even hold against a few copies? That he fell for their ambush in the first place? He used a gate to get inside Kor, and then he just wandered. He didn¡¯t want to say he was amazed, since that would be giving credit to Fomoria, and he wasn¡¯t in the mood to do that, but the city was full of life. He hadn¡¯t seen a single beggar, the guards helped people solve their issues rather than coming in with threats to stay in line, and there were many people, some of races he didn¡¯t even know, all working together. A Dague woman came up to him. ¡°You seem lost.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just killing time, I don¡¯t have a destination in mind.¡± ¡°Normally if someone isn¡¯t a local, they came here for a reason.¡± ¡°Why do you say I¡¯m not a local?¡± ¡°Because if your clothes were in such a poor state, more would be issued to you. Would you like to get something to eat?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± His stomach voiced its disagreement. He was worn down, using his sigil and then failing to get any results, he deactivated it and the toll wasn¡¯t small after all of the flesh he had to regenerate. ¡°Please, my treat.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got money.¡± He reached into his jacket pocket, only to find a hole where it had been. ¡°It must¡¯ve been destroyed in the fight.¡± ¡°Were you mugged? The guards can-¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t what happened.¡± ¡°Please, come with me, eat, I¡¯ll pay for your story in exchange for food.¡± ¡°Good trick, make me feel like I¡¯m not taking your money by making a simple trade.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t taking anything, I¡¯m giving it to you. I get the feeling that you don¡¯t trust easy, but please, let me do this for you.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°My name is Fluer, and you are?¡± ¡°Harlan.¡± She brought him to a human restaurant. He wouldn¡¯t call it high class, but it wasn¡¯t just a tavern, it had a proper dining area and what looked to be a large kitchen. They walked up to a counter where a man stood with a notepad. ¡°Pick whatever you want from the menu.¡± ¡°Just stew and bread is fine.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll have two servings of stew, half a loaf of bread, and a platter of meats and cheeses, and sauces, whatever pairs well with them.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t-¡± ¡°Please, I have no children, no family, nothing to spend my money on. And I think that your story will be worth it. I¡¯ll have a bowl of onion soup, a roast chicken, half a ham, half a loaf of bread, and a spread of sauces that pair with them. Bring a pitcher of water and two glasses. We¡¯ll sit at table six.¡± The man behind the counter wrote everything down and sent it back to the kitchen. She led him to their table. ¡°Odd set up.¡± ¡°The king said that he spoke with the Lich, idle conversation about how eating establishments were different between their homes. It got back to the people somehow and a few places decided to change things up. It is certainly faster than waiting for a waiter.¡± ¡°Xol?¡± ¡°Yes. I am surprised that you know that.¡± ¡°I know him. You ordered quite a meal for yourself.¡± He hadn¡¯t wanted to say it, but she was pudgy for a Dague, who naturally packed on weight with difficulty. ¡°I know what starving is like, perhaps I¡¯m just trying to prepare for the next lean period.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing that most people here haven¡¯t experienced. I guess that is what happens when you live in a city of mostly former slaves. But you, how did you get here?¡± ¡°A gate.¡± ¡°From which direction?¡± ¡°I mean the spell.¡± ¡°Ah, then you are a fairly powerful mage.¡± ¡°Yet weaker than I realized. I stagnated, I fell behind, I spent too much time with my wife and daughter.¡± ¡°No such thing. The king would surely agree with that.¡± ¡°Do you know him?¡± ¡°We met, once, not long after he took the city. I was stealing clothes for the freed slaves and he caught me, saved me from the owner of said clothes.¡± ¡°What do you do for work?¡± ¡°You first.¡± ¡°Research and development of magical and technological items.¡± ¡°Neat. I run the central slave processing center.¡± ¡°And that means?¡± ¡°If you¡¯ve been a slave your entire life, you just don¡¯t know what being free is like. They are almost always meek, trying to avoid being seen, since that is what a slave is supposed to do, drawing attention only leads to suffering. My job is to sort these people, find the ones who need the most help, and give it to them. I suggest work to them and I see that they are given a proper home based on their past, such as some women who can¡¯t see a man without panicking, and thus need to be put in an apartment with only other women and given counseling. Some may be unable to work for a time, so they are given an allowance to keep them from going without until they are ready to leave.¡± ¡°Does it work?¡± ¡°I try my best, we all do.¡± Their food arrived, and Harlan danced around why exactly he was there, but Fleur was used to these kinds of answers, and didn¡¯t push him. ¡°It was a good meal, do you think?¡± ¡°Yes, I enjoyed the food.¡± ¡°Are you planning to stay long?¡± ¡°I want to leave as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Well, I would be remiss if I didn¡¯t show you to one of the city''s bathhouses. Why don¡¯t we get you cleaned up.¡± ¡°I prefer to bathe alone.¡± ¡°They can accommodate that as well. But you seem like someone who would like to see more of the city, and people are at their most comfortable naked.¡± ¡°I am not.¡± He barely held back from yelling at her and slamming his hand. ¡°Alright, I didn¡¯t mean to offend, I¡¯m sorry that I pushed.¡± He knew that she was telling the truth, and it made him feel like a prick, but he really had no desire to bathe with other people. ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry, I have just had a poor day. Thank you for the meal.¡± ¡°I hope things get better for you, and that you can make up with your brother.¡± As he got up to leave, Fomoria exited through a void gate. ¡°Fluer, good to see you again.¡± ¡°You remember me?¡± ¡°I put in the good word that put you in charge of the processing center.¡± She blushed. ¡°Thank you very much, your majesty.¡± He held her hands in his. ¡°No, thank you for your work, your gentle soul and ability to do the right thing even at risk to yourself is the reason you got the job, all I did was see it. Harlan, it¡¯s time to go.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°Killed that man, killed more of the village, took the rest here and set them up outside of Kor so they can be deradicalized.¡± ¡°How did you turn so cold?¡± ¡°We were always cold, you just couldn¡¯t stomach what we are anymore, so you pretend that you are above me. Get off your high horse, go hide in your castle, I have a nation to protect and an empire to crush beneath my boot.¡± ¡°What if I wanted to stay, to help temper you into-¡± ¡°If we fought again, would the results change? Go through the gate, go back to your wife and child.¡±
Fomoria down with Fluer. ¡°Are you going to be here long?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not working today, so I¡¯ve been finding ways to fill my time. I would love to have lunch with you.¡± ¡°Then I will place an order.¡± His shadow stood up and went to the counter. It was a mostly useless spell in his opinion, it couldn¡¯t cast magic or interact with anything, but it could speak. ¡°What did you and him talk about?¡± ¡°He asked me questions about Kor, and about Fomoria, you and the nation.¡± ¡°I regret giving it my last name. It was fine when I went by Harlan, but now it''s annoying. What specifically?¡± ¡°He asked about the poor district, about my work at the processing center, generally how well liked you were, and if I thought you were a good king.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°I know you were honest with him, and I respect that.¡± ¡°How do you know I was honest?¡± ¡°Because you are you. I might not see you often, but I keep tabs on people in power within the nation, reports are consolidated by my Others and I read those.¡± ¡°Am I in power?¡± ¡°You have the final say on the housing, food, clothes, and how long the slaves who come in will be allowed to live freely before they are expected to work. If you wanted to sow resentment, you could change the terms of people¡¯s benefits, tell them that I was behind it.¡± ¡°I never thought about it like that.¡± ¡°I know, that is why you are perfect for the job, you care about helping people, not about whatever power and money you can get out of it.¡± His amulet began to shine. ¡°I will be back shortly.¡± He gated into the sky and then answered. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Warships are coming out from the east, they will make landfall in half a day.¡± ¡°It is nice to speak to you as well, Carmilla. I will send my forces now, destroy them before they get here.¡± We should meet first in the south east, there is a small port town of Felfish.¡± ¡°An ill name for a port.¡± ¡°A fair place to prepare for a killing.¡± ¡°I shall meet you there with a dozen of my best men, the rest will stay on shore, ready for a surprise attack.¡± ¡°I already have my Others sweeping my cities for bombs, enemy soldiers, anything out of place. I suggest you give the same order.¡± ¡°I did so before I called you.¡± ¡°Good woman. I will use a gate to pick you and your men up, how long do you need to prepare?¡± ¡°10 minutes.¡± ¡°Perfect, I will eat and then go to you.¡± He arrived in Felfish. ¡°We are looking at 80 ships, probably 1000 men per ship. That is not counting crew or the Fingers.¡± ¡°Any confirmation on which ones we are dealing with?¡± ¡°Yalda and Baoth it seems.¡± ¡°What do you know?¡± ¡°Yalda is the newest Finger, Helik¡¯s replacement. Baoth is older. Now that we know who we are dealing with, fighting at sea isn¡¯t going to work.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Baoth is the master of the sea, Yalda, from what little I know, controls the winds. They are gathering a seastorm powerful enough to wipe us out.¡± ¡°I will send some golems, preemptively strike. Do you know about magnesium?¡± Three hours from shore, a Cast seaman looked over the rail at a pod of dolphins headed this way. ¡°DOLPHINS INBOUND.¡± The whales dove and the men looked down, marveling at the agile creatures; an odd sight considering they were Cast. Then the men noticed that the water was bubbling. ¡°The hell is that?¡± ¡°The sea is boiling?¡± ¡°Fire dolphins?¡± ¡°The hell is a fire dolphin?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but why else would-¡± A bubble of hydrogen rose to the surface, and when it breached, it sprayed the men with the scalding water from the magnesium reaction. The second bubble rose not far from the first, between more of the ships. A second dolphin jumped into each of the bubbles. Xol was teaching Fomoria about the natural elements of the world, and their reactions. When one was casting magic, an understanding of the natural world was a boon, and if one could create and then boost a natural reaction, it was far more mana efficient, getting a large effect for the cost. When the second dolphin hit the bubble, it popped, and a spell charged in their bodies multiplied the gas in the air. It was the third and final dolphins that set the gas off. From a bird flying overhead, Fomoria confirmed the detonation. ¡°It was a good attack, but perhaps detonations underwater would¡¯ve been better.¡± ¡°What are the casualties?¡± ¡°12 ships were left unable to continue, and the sails of all the ships are damaged, they are going to be delayed by hours at least.¡± ¡°The closer to night, the better.¡± ¡°Still, this is a moonless night, they expect you.¡± ¡°Full moon or no moon, we will be stronger in the dark, and we can strike without being seen.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you all the cover you need. Are you sure you haven¡¯t seen a Hand yet?¡± ¡°Ur and Seraphallen are too noticeable, but they could be below deck.¡± ¡°Alright. My birds haven¡¯t seen anything either, but I¡¯d like you to stay high and be ready to strike.¡± The town had been moved, not evacuated, moved. Golems dug it up by the foundations, and dragged it through a large gate. Fomoria wanted a proper staging area, and the people wanted their homes and businesses to be unharmed. It was also a good test for something else he had planned.
The Cast landed and began to unpack their equipment and soldiers. But they knew that something was wrong. All along their path, they had been gathering as many clouds as they could for Yalda, but for the last two hours, they hadn¡¯t seen a single cloud in the sky. ¡°Finger Yalda, will that be enough?¡± The Cast wasn¡¯t entirely used to his title yet, but he was well aware of the authority it granted him. ¡°Just keep the ship moving. Baoth, what do you think?¡± The clouds above him rumbled, lightning flashed within. ¡°They attacked us along the way, they knew we were coming, but I don¡¯t see anything here. In fact, our map says that we should be able to see a fishing village in the distance to the south of us. Would he have destroyed it for some reason?¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t make sense. How recently were the maps updated?¡± ¡°29 hours ago. Captain, are you sure that we landed at the right spot?¡± ¡°Yes, the guidance systems say that we are exactly where we intended to land.¡± ¡°Send two scouts south, see if there are ruins.¡± One more Finger stepped out of the ship, he bore a large burn across his face, Ur¡¯s handprint. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t leave ruins. This is wrong, I say that we wait until first light, fighting in the dark will be our downfall.¡± ¡°Sholl, how nice of you to suggest, but no. They will prepare the entire night, but we can confirm them as having noticed us part of the way through the day.¡± ¡°If you gave him an hour, he would be prepared. An extra night won¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°You have a rather high opinion of him.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate him. He defeated me, got Helik killed, and destroyed the fleet of states, causing a revolt.¡± ¡°Tell the men to be ready to move out.¡± ¡°Relaying messages now.¡± Sholl mouthed words and entered a trance, his unique powers were always his heightened sixth sense and his support skills, but as he grew, he managed to claw his way into the crossroads. He couldn¡¯t act as a communicator on the level of a real mental mage, but he could connect with others who were already open to him, sending them simple signals and receiving them back. Baoth continued looking at the maps, and it was starting to concern his companions. ¡°What is the issue?¡± ¡°There is a town and six villages that we should¡¯ve encountered. The waterways are also missing.¡± ¡°Captain, confirm our coordinates.¡± The man knelt down and pulled off his backpack, extending the antennae. After a minute, he had double checked the numbers and recalibrated the device. ¡°Position confirmed.¡± ¡°Sholl, what do you feel?¡± ¡°Stop the march, I will check.¡± Sholl sat with his legs crossed and his head swayed. After a short time, he got up again. Baoth found it odd, since normally his readings took more than a few seconds. ¡°There is something dangerous up ahead.¡± ¡°Is it Fomoria? An ambush?¡± ¡°Right now, I feel a single creature, it is not a golem, but it isn¡¯t a person. There is a darkness inside of it, a consuming hunger that cannot be filled.¡± ¡°We will continue for now.¡± They came upon the creature, though it was hard for most to see under the moonless night. It stood a little under five feet in height if stretched out, but it preferred to remain slightly hunched, and was covered in rocky black formations. It let out a loud reptilian bark, it had seen, or more accurately, heard them well before they knew where it was. ¡°Sholl, is that the creature?¡± ¡°Something is wrong, it should¡¯ve been much larger.¡± ¡°Did you sense improperly? You didn¡¯t exactly look for long.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t need to look for long because it was such a clear threat.¡± Baoth cast his beam sigil, and a high pressure water jet formed in the air. It was only the size of a pinhead, but he could move it after it had been cast, the downside was that it lost strength exponentially across distance and the longer he maintained a single casting. Still, at 600 feet, it punched a hole clean through the Eolgi, and then he moved the jet and cut it into pieces. ¡°Sholl, I believe your senses are distorted by your past loss. That creature was-¡± ¡°It¡¯s still here, that presence I felt.¡± Baoth pointed at one of the soldiers. ¡°You, check the body.¡± The man saluted and then ran. They barely saw it happen, the soldier didn¡¯t have the chance to scream before he was pulled under the ground. ¡°Yalda, grant flight to 200 men.¡± As they neared where the soldier was pulled under, everyone noticed Sholl tense up. ¡°What do you sense now?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t one creature, there are hundreds of those things down there.¡± ¡°Yalda, Sholl, open a hole in the ground and we¡¯ll destroy them.¡± Baoth used his weapon sigil to summon a whip, then his shield sigil to make spheres of water. ¡°SOLDIERS, MOVE UP, FIRE INTO THE HOLE. FIRE PAST US.¡± The 200 that had been granted flight moved up into an inverted cone formation; the Fingers had the abilities needed to avoid serious harm if they did manage to be hit by a stray spell, and the soldiers the skill to avoid needlessly striking their commanders. The moment the hole was blasted open, they saw a giant cavern.; the creatures lined the walls and more of their bright, nearly blind eyes poked out from other holes. They fired down, kicking up a cloud of dust, nearly blinding them before Yalda blew the cloud away. Everyone was so preoccupied looking down, that they failed to notice the instant a dozen gates opened above them. Eolgi rained down from above, the weapon sigil enhanced claws and teeth easily tearing through the flesh of the soldiers. Yalda, not Sholl, was the first to notice; he felt the shift in the air as they moved. When they got nearer, Baoth quickly assessed the situation, the men were already dead, so he twirled his whip, creating a vortex of rushing water, tearing the men apart first, and then the Eolgi. The gates closed, only to open the 600 feet away, over the rest of the soldiers. Against Fingers, the Eolgi, if given the chance, could slice most of them in two, but they were generally too slow, too stupid, and too magically weak, to do so. Against the normal soldiers however, they could rush through most everything that could be thrown at them. When the Eolgi struck, they dragged the men under the ground which turned liquid around them. In just the short time that they took to reach their men, half of the army was gone. Sholl put his hands together. ¡°Oh great emperor, grant stability to these lands, even the trees and stone, shall answer to your commands.¡± Eolgi ended up half stuck in the ground, no manner of magic could now affect it. So they switched to their claws to dig, barely slowing them down, and they just killed their victims by digging through them rather than dragging them down. But still, Sholl¡¯s spell had scared the creatures off. ¡°Grand and merciful emperor, health to your creation, loves affirmation.¡± The remaining soldiers who were alive but injured were suddenly mended, entire limbs regrown in an instant; this as not free to the men. ¡°Baoth, I warned you about him, I warned you that bringing these men was nothing but a death sentence. Even we may not walk out of here whole if you don¡¯t-¡± Baoth backhanded Sholl, knocking him into the dirt below. He made no argument, Sholl simply got back up and wiped away the blood from his busted lip. ¡°MEN, RETRACE YOUR STEPS BACK TO THE COAST. REPAIR THE SHIPS, HAVE THEM READY FOR A QUICK EXTRACTION WHEN OUR WORK IS DONE. Yalda, how many can you grant flight right now?¡± ¡°Two, three thousand at the most.¡± ¡°Those are the men we will bring with us then.¡± Yalda was beginning to question their mission as well, but he didn¡¯t care about the men who were lost, just that he was personally at risk; he had to sense to not voice this worry.
Carmilla and Fomoria sat in front of a pulsating brain that projected images directly from a bird he was controlling; they were in the Spire of Other. They couldn¡¯t hear much, but they could both see exactly what had happened. ¡°Amazing. These golems-¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t golems.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Golems may be implanted with my weapon sigil, but the effects are more powerful in living creatures. We keep them under control by a combination of training from birth, inherited knowledge, and a spell that turns them into a hivemind. The Other which made them they way they are now is the only one who can control them with such finesse, but they are still simple minded things that any mental mage worth their graymatter could control.¡± ¡°Your sigil, tell me, how does it interact with a vampire?¡± ¡°Is Felblood still alive?¡± ¡°She is; she doesn¡¯t deserve a quick death.¡± ¡°Then why not put this to the test?¡± Chapter 300-2: Fomorias Responsibility They wouldn¡¯t call themselves a retreating army, mostly because if they did, they would harm Baoth¡¯s pride, and to do so would be no different than jumping into the maw of one of the monsters that had attacked them. No, they were making a tactical return to their landing site to prepare the vessels for a post mission escape. The men actually felt rather invigorated after Sholl¡¯s prayer, some of them had old war wounds that went unnoticed and untreated healed by his words. In their way stood one woman wearing jet black armor and wielding a needle like weapon in her hand. She was nearly invisible from a distance on the pitch dark night. She was jittering, or perhaps shaking, they couldn¡¯t make out if it was fear or excitement that drove her.
Anon, Amber and Mercedes had been moved to the tearoom under the guard of Others. While the two women stared daggers at one another, Mercedes just tried to avoid becoming the focus of them. ¡°How are things between you and Velvet?¡± ¡°They are just great.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t planning on leaving?¡± ¡°Why would I?¡± ¡°Because you had a bad dream or the sky is the wrong shade of blue.¡± ¡°What does that even mean?¡± ¡°You have had six relationships in the academy, and dozens of attempts beyond that. Why do you so readily flee from them?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know anything about-¡± ¡°But I do, I am an assassin and spy, gathering information on targets is my job.¡± ¡°Nobody you could¡¯ve talked with would really understand my reasons.¡± ¡°Then why are you so flighty? Is it because you refuse to change at all and compromise for a relationship? Do you remain with Velvet for so long because he is a lovestruck man who you can order around because he has become infatuated with you? I think you should get a pet instead if-¡± Mercedes didn¡¯t step in when Amber got up, the Others could tear them off one another.
Sholl said a prayer as Fomoria approached; the walls which defined the border of Kor and protected the fields were visible ¡°My emperor, fair judge of all destruction, grant us the strength to remove your eternal reign¡¯s obstruction.¡± The Fingers, other than Sholl himself, and the 2,847 soldiers who were brought with, felt newfound power flow into them. Fomoria stopped 50 feet from them, and they got a clear look by using a light spell. He was stood 8 feet in height, the description was not unlike when he had lost control, layered bone plates, a snout, seven eyes, a long tail, maned with red edged void flame, and jet black; Sholl could feel his light spell being weakened as it shone on the king. ¡°WHAT, NO HAND WITH YOU? DID YOU THINK YOU COULD WIN WITHOUT ONE?¡± ¡°THREE FINGERS TO ONE MAN.¡± ¡°I¡¯VE GOT ONE FINGER FOR YOU.¡± Fomoria flipped out his middle finger and hoped that it was offensive to them, since it wasn¡¯t a universal sign of insult. From their faces, either they understood what he meant, or they were offended purely at his intent. The sky opened and heavy rain poured from it; Baoth held them in a dense grid of perfectly aligned droplets It bothered Fomoria for a little while, since he was certain that it reminded him of something, but he couldn¡¯t remember what; he let the question fester in his mind. Yalda was highly focused on the ball of lightning he had conjured; it was attached by a wire to the clouds above. Baoth held his whip in hand, waiting for Fomoria to test him. Sholl maintained an ever changing light construct. Fomoria however, seemed uncaring, floating around, looking at the droplets, occasionally touching one and freezing it just to watch Baoth shift the grid to replace it, reloading from the clouds above; he hadn¡¯t attacked yet after five minutes. ¡°Why isn¡¯t he attacking? Where are his Others?¡± Yalda was the most junior of the Fingers, though technically he was older than Sholl, they only cared about how long someone held onto that power. ¡°He must have a plan. How long can you charge that spell?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never found a limit, just as long as the soldiers and clouds can continue funneling power in.¡± ¡°FOMORIA, WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING.¡± The others looked at Sholl like he was stupid, there wasn¡¯t a chance that he would tell them anything. ¡°I¡¯M GOING TO LET YOU CHARGE THAT SPELL SO I CAN USE IT AGAINST YOU.¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t serious, right?¡± ¡°King Fomoria is an unstable man, but one of great power-¡± Baoth found Sholl¡¯s high estimation of Fomoria to be an annoyance, nothing but the result of a weak man who had been beaten in his mind and body. ¡°He is nothing but a bothersome man. That the three of us were called at once in an insult. Unless you have tactical information, shut up.¡± Sholl shook his head. ¡°He is honest, but tricky and creative. If he says that he intends to turn the spell against us, he will. Baoth, you should control yourself, lest you fall for these tricks.¡± A pang of anger struck the man, who gripped Sholl by the throat. ¡°YOU DO NOT ORDER ME AROUND, I AM YOUR COMMANDER.¡± ¡°Oh great emperor, clear of mind, your clarity, let us find.¡± As Baoth suddenly found himself calm, he let Sholl go; they could hear Fomoria laughing at them with a reptilian bark. ¡°Be mindful of his empathy.¡± ¡°Apologies for my actions.¡± Baoth decided that enough was enough, and he stopped holding the rain, instead leaving it frozen in the grid pattern. It was ultimately still useful for his and Yalda¡¯s needs, but no longer would it refill the gaps left by Fomoria¡¯s idle actions. He thrust his whip forward, and it jumped from raindrop to raindrop, maintaining its power along the way. Fomoria extended his hand, freezing the most direct path of raindrops; he was testing the limits. In an instant the whip shifted, zigging and zagging around the drop, speeding up as it did. Though he tried to dodge it, the whip had punched a hole through his forearm and tried to zag back and forth to strike his head. Fomoria flared his void flame, boiling the drops around him and forcing the whip to take a longer path, giving him enough time to slip through his void gate. When he exited, it was from the other side of the gate, since the void gate was a sphere, and if he chose to do so, he could pick where people left it. This small change bought him mere moments, but now that Fomoria was trying to run, he was able to at least keep distance. Just as it had, he zigged as it zagged, filling the air with a long beam of high pressure water. Baoth was upset by this turn of events; few people were fast enough to get away from him in a rainstorm, but Fomoria would freeze and boil drops to cut the whip off. He was so focused on trying to hit Fomoria that he hadn¡¯t considered where the whip was being led. In a cube formation, Fomoria had cut off each exit point for the whip, and when it reached the end of the droplets it could move between, Fomoria had cleared a pocket of air. He had suspected it when the attack had to go from drop to drop instead of just shooting directly at his head once it pierced his arm, but at such a distance, the technique didn¡¯t let him fully control his whip. Fomoria stuck his finger in the end of the whip to check, and he pulled it out having lost the tip. Next, he opened a gate, where an Other had charged a lightning warspell a hundred miles away. The bolt connected to the whip, and though Baoth had broken off his whip as fast as he could, the bolt still exploded not less than 100 feet from the group, disorienting them The moment that they saw him moving with a giant grin on his face, the other two Fingers began to cast their defensive magic; a chill had run up their spines and Yalda let loose his massive bolt as he neared. Gates opened one after another, an Other at each one, but they didn¡¯t step through. They cast their spells, creating a magnetic tunnel, turning the bolt of lightning around and back at the caster. Yalda reacted in an instant, among the Fingers, despite his lack of seniority, he was one of the fastest because of his alignment. The bolt of lighting had been charging in power for nearly 10 minutes, and though he had managed to regain control and prevent a direct hit, the bolt still slid off of Sholl¡¯s shield of light and stuck the ground. It was comparable to a heavenly fury spell, though it didn¡¯t seem to use up all of the power in the clouds like the spell. The light blinded everyone who saw it, the sound deafened them, and another aspect of it unsettled the souls over everyone there; Fomoria¡¯s heart skipped a beat, realizing that the bolt would¡¯ve harmed him beyond his mortal flesh. It took Sholl just a single tap to heal them from this, they had lost their senses for barely a tenth of a second, but Fomoria was right in front of them, his clawed knuckles tore off Yalda¡¯s right cheek, and his tail removed Baoth¡¯s right arm. They were confused, but didn¡¯t look a gift horse in the mouth, Fomoria must¡¯ve struck wrong, having been blind and deaf himself, that was their thought at least. Yalda moved in a blur, pulling his summoned weapon, a large hand fan, and blowing Fomoria away. To a normal person, even to someone of considerable power, it would tear their flesh from their bones. To Fomoria, he wreathed himself in his void flames, removing a significant amount of magic from the attack and was blown away at a high speed; if not for a gate, he would¡¯ve hit the ground to great harm to himself, but with the peeling effect of the spell mostly removed, the attack was rendered almost entirely ineffective to someone with such powerful healing. Sholl used two more of his taps to heal the other Fingers. ¡°How did he move so quickly?¡± ¡°The gate obviously.¡± ¡°No, that wasn¡¯t it, we would¡¯ve seen it, a gate doesn¡¯t instantly close, there is a small delay, and he used his gate again immediately after. He has a short cooldown of just a few seconds, but he has a cooldown.¡± ¡°Or he has been lulling us into a false sense of security by pretending that he has a delay between gate castings, or he used his void gate.¡± ¡°Something is-¡± His monstrous grin was far too long, like that of a Fenrir. Baoth swung his whip, only for Fomoria to nearly instantly dodge it and move a distance away with a flesh of light. He laughed. ¡°I¡¯m getting the hang of this, please, try again.¡± Baoth moved his whip like it was a living serpent trying to get its next meal, but each time, Fomoria let out a flash of light and then instantly moved somewhere else. ¡°Is that the best that you can do? I heard you were a master of the sea, more like master of semen.¡± ¡°Can he move whenever he can¡¯t be seen? Is this some new power from his god?¡± Sholl was thinking out loud. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Come on, Sholl, join the fun. Or is the issue that your sigil beams aren¡¯t very good at fighting an airborne target? Yalda, have you lost your spark already?¡± Something wasn¡¯t right here. ¡°Oh great emperor, reveal the sight of you, against the slight of them.¡± Sholl didn¡¯t realize exactly what had happened, he was just trying to improve the perception of the other Fingers, but instead a wave came from his body and dispelled illusions; it was the first time his prayers had been answered outside of his intent. They were surrounded, at least a dozen Others were sitting there with invisibility active. When they had cast a powerful magnetic field to bend the lighting, they hadn¡¯t remained where they were, but had instead crossed over while everyone was blinded and gone invisible They all laughed in sync with one another. ¡°That little bastard wasn¡¯t teleporting, he¡¯s just been hiding himself. That¡¯s why he can¡¯t get close.¡± The thought hit them all at the same time, where was the original? A second storm rained from above, the blood of over 2,000 Cast. Carmilla appeared from above, covered in sanguine life from her ears to her claws, her eyes a piercing red. Sholl panicked, and time seemed to slow for him as he yelled out his prayed as quickly as he could in a single breath. ¡°OH GREAT EMPEROR FLEET OF FOOT AND FIERCE OF HEART ALLOW US TO RETREAT AND DEPART.¡± Yalda and Baoth had both been split in half by blades of blood already when they vanished. Carmilla, Harlan, and all of the Others searched the area, trying to find where they had gone, and they had even checked where the ships had landed, but found no signs of them; they did leave some soldiers to capture the ships. They reorganized back where the fight had been, noticing that the storm had turned mundane, and was just letting down a natural downpour; the area became covered in a sheet of ice due to the winter cold. ¡°Where did they go?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, my eye didn¡¯t see any spatial distortion, it was like they just¡­ stopped being here.¡± ¡°You can see that?¡± He pointed at his eyes, explaining what each of them did. She was intrigued, but that wasn¡¯t important now. ¡°He said that prayer, allow us to retreat and depart, could he have really left, just like that?¡± ¡°Perhaps, but I¡¯m putting Redhaven on lockdown, nobody in or out; they can¡¯t have gone far. I suggest that you do the same, if they are on the stripe, they could destroy a town in the time it takes for us to receive the report and arrive.¡± ¡°Do you know anything about that power of his? At first I assumed that any of the Fingers could do it, but I think I¡¯ve only ever seen Sholl use it.¡± ¡°I know that the original emperor could warp reality around himself, but I had always assumed the reason was his having magic couldn¡¯t be understood, not that there was an ability to it. In hindsight, it does make sense. At the very least, he is only a Finger, his ability cannot be strong. From what I know, he cannot directly affect others negatively, have you seen this to be true?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen him even try, but if he can¡¯t, he likely already knows this and won¡¯t try. Did the emperor hold the powers of every Hand and Finger?¡± ¡°No, of that much I am certain. He was one man, he had one effect for each of his sigils, and he didn¡¯t have anything like Seraphallen¡¯s fingers.¡± ¡°Did you ever meet him?¡± He saw her tense slightly, the ancient Cast had left a sharp impression on her mind and body. ¡°Yes, I saw him a few times.¡± ¡°You should go back, see Camilla.¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°You¡­ May I be blunt?¡± ¡°You may.¡± ¡°Clearly something happened between you and him, and I want you to be with your daughter so you can relax and put that out of your mind. But if you want to talk-¡± ¡°No, I am fine.¡± ¡°I know someone who might be able to help.¡± ¡°I do not need help.¡± He sighed and shook his head. ¡°Right, of course not.¡± ¡°Good. Gate me back to Karmine.¡± He did so as she asked. It was hard to ignore the sounds of fighting, even miles away from the city itself and the people had already gone into their homes to wait for an announcement that it was safe to come back outside. He flew above the streets, empty of all but guards, and just watched. ¡°Cecht¡¯s forest, of course, the rain reminded me of the snow in the forest.¡± One thought was removed, and a hundred more took its place. ¡°Are you feeling well? Your mind is-¡± ¡°I wish that I could get closer to her, not just because of our alliance, but because I feel like I can help her.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t want your help, and at her age, I believe she fully intends to leave them unresolved until she dies. I think you should respect that wish.¡± ¡°I-¡± ¡°No, leave her alone.¡± ¡°Micheal-¡± ¡°Stop. She is a grown woman, evidently whatever is in her past hasn¡¯t stopped her from being a fair ruler. You can¡¯t control people, you can¡¯t force people to be happy or move past themselves.¡± ¡°Where is this coming from?¡± ¡°Sometimes I feel your subconscious. Whatever you are thinking, I can¡¯t fully know, but when it tells me something, I can. So I need to tell you like a child, the fire is hot, do not touch it.¡± ¡°What was I thinking then? If it was subconscious thought, it could¡¯ve appeared to me as an intrusive thought that I would throw away.¡± ¡°You were thinking about trying to use your empathy to make her open up to you.¡± ¡°She¡¯d kill me, or worse, she¡¯d never forgive me, and neither would Camilla.¡± ¡°The abomination doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°What did you just say?¡± It was a rhetorical question, there could be no misheard words when they were both on such a solid connection to the other. ¡°I don¡¯t know what came over me, I¡¯m sorry.¡± He could feel the shame and confusion from him. ¡°It¡¯s alright. We should check on Felblood.¡± Fomoria moved to the open field where he had deployed her. The most terrifying part of the changes to how his sigil effected living beings wasn¡¯t that their original bones would painfully be ejected from the body so new ones could be grown in their place, no it was that without the mind inside the sigil, he had no control over a person once they were given the power and they didn¡¯t burn up given enough time now. Yet at the same time, it had removed his biggest ethical issue with the magic, no longer turning it into a death sentence where the person was trapped in their mind. A less moral man may consider this nothing but downsides, but he never had any intent of using his magic in the worst way, unleashing it in a city and letting them slaughter one another. She laid on the ground, burned out from the fighting that the Others ended up finishing. Felblood wasn¡¯t much of a soldier, she knew how to fight, but was an intellectual. Still, with a suit of armor and a weapon designed for a vampire, she had passed his test well enough. ¡°Very good.¡± Felblood looked up at him, wondering if her pardon was true, or if he¡¯d just kill her now that his test was done. ¡°I am going to tell Carmilla you died, because no matter what I say, I believe she will kill you for your betrayal.¡± ¡°So then I must live in exile, constantly running from her.¡± ¡°I hope that you have learned your lesson. I know a collection of False Undead who will be willing to take you in, but they will know about what you did. But they are inside the veil.¡± He opened a void gate and an Other brought a letter of recommendation. ¡°Go into that town, ask about the couriers office, and when you get to the office, ask for Zach, tell them that Fomoria sent you, then give that man this letter.¡± ¡°What does it say?¡± ¡°I have kept my word, trust me or don¡¯t, but if I wanted you dead or captured, I wouldn¡¯t need to do anything but take you right now.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± She could barely stand, so he made her a simple cane and hit her with a pep spell. She¡¯d crash twice as hard, but she would get there. A dozen more gates opened and golems began to collect the bodies. He returned to Kor, and went to the tearoom where Mercedes was waiting with Anon and Amber. The first thing that he saw was Anon¡¯s black eye. ¡°Why was she not healed?¡± ¡°Your sister is a violent brute, and I wanted you to see that.¡± ¡°I know Amber, what did you do?¡± ¡°Just send me back to Velvet, get me away from this fucking psychopath.¡± ¡°I believe Xol once told me I am just lacking in societal programming that makes me compatible with human interaction beyond false faces based on knowledge of emotions that I don¡¯t understand and can only mimic. Psychopathy implies some manner of violence, to my understanding at least, but I am a calm person.¡± ¡°When did you speak with Xol?¡± ¡°A woman has her secrets.¡± ¡°Anon, please don¡¯t antagonize Amber.¡± ¡°I tried to help, I was being honest like I should be, and she hit me.¡± ¡°Honest and rude often overlap, I don¡¯t mind that, because I understand you, but Amber doesn¡¯t. Apologize.¡± ¡°Amber, I am sorry for what I said, I see now that I was out of line despite what I believed to be truthful statements.¡± ¡°Now, Amber, apologize to Anon.¡± ¡°What? She said that-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. You could¡¯ve resolved it with words, and you are the one who told me long ago that I can¡¯t just beat people up because they¡¯ve slighted me since there could be blowback, I am that blowback.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Amber.¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t need to apologize to her for what she said.¡± ¡°No, you need to apologize to her for what you did in reaction to what she said. You are my sister, and I love you, but you are hardheaded and I think that you are holding a grudge against Anon for your first interactions and you won¡¯t see things from her perspective. I don¡¯t want you to fight, so please, both of you, I love you, now make up, restart this, put the past in the past.¡± ¡°Fine. Anon, I am sorry for hitting you.¡± She put her hand out, but Anon instead went for a hug. ¡°Thank you, sister-in-law Amber.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me that.¡± ¡°Amber, have Velvet prepare you a dress of the finest materials.¡± He handed her a few designs of his own that were sitting in a drawer in the room. ¡°These are the designs for me, Anon, and Mercedes. These must all be ready in a week for my proclamation.¡± ¡°What is the proclamation?¡± ¡°It would hardly be fair to tell you beforehand, nobody knows what is coming. Well, Mercedes might be able to guess.¡± ¡°I will ask.¡± Fomoria opened a void gate, and Amber stuck her tongue out at Anon before she stepped through. He considered childish insults to be a start. He yawned as he laid down, it was a long day, many things had to be prepared in advance for this to go smoothly. His amulet lit up. ¡°Don¡¯t answer.¡± ¡°It could be important.¡± ¡°Please?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She pouted, but that wasn¡¯t going to stop him. He answered under a veil on his balcony. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Is there something you want to tell me?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°You are inviting outside vampires.¡± ¡°I am inviting people with business acumen that I can trust to help with running my trading company. They and I have a long history with one another based on how others have treated us unfairly because of what we are instead of what we¡¯ve actually done.¡± ¡°These Nightwatchers shall not step foot in my country, and they need to be clearly identified as not being from here at all times.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t even had the chance to speak with them further about if they are coming. Where did you hear about this?¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t the point.¡± ¡°It is actually. I told this to Mercedes, and to people inside the veil, nobody else should know. I am aware that you have spies in my city, but I thought it would be common courtesy that you would not have them inside of my home.¡± ¡°As if you are better?¡± ¡°I have people in your cities of course, because I trust you, but I don¡¯t trust those around you, but I don¡¯t have any sources within your castle, because that is your private home, and I have never entered the offices of your ministers and mayors.¡± She was a little surprised at his tone, the hurt she could feel stirred up some feelings of regret. ¡°I will not apologize for what I¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°No, of course you won¡¯t. If you have such an issue with my bringing in the Nightwatchers, you are invited to any future meetings between their council and my people regarding them coming here.¡± ¡°I will not enter the veil.¡± ¡°It will take some convincing, but I may be able to get them to come here.¡± ¡°If that is the case, I would be willing to attend.¡± ¡°Fine. Anything else?¡± ¡°How did you know that they were coming before I did?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I mean that you immediately said we should go to Felfish, and it was already well into the evacuation before we got there. Then the enemy fleet stopped off shore from Felfish, and you were already diverting the rivers and towns for your Eolgi since the early morning.¡± ¡°How I know isn¡¯t the point. Good night.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t-¡± He hated going to sleep angry, but who was Carmilla to tell him what he can and can¡¯t do in HIS nation. If he wanted to start mining and manufacturing silver weapons, she could be concerned and make it known, and he would consider her opinion of course. But for her to demand that the Nightwatchers identify themselves at all times? That wasn¡¯t right, he was bringing them here to let them live without persecution, he just hadn¡¯t expected that it may come from a vampire. If she pushed the issue, he didn¡¯t know exactly what he was going to do, but folding to her became an infuriating thought to him. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t sleep angry, it is bad for your health.¡± ¡°My father said the same thing.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± He closed his eyes for just a moment before he sat back up. ¡°How did you know that?¡± ¡°I am a spy and assassin, gathering information is-¡± ¡°Have you been visiting my parents?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been watching you since before we first met. Mother said that there were lessons to be learned from you.¡± ¡°What was she trying to have you learn?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°How long have you been watching me?¡± She loudly yawned and ran her fingers down his chest. ¡°We should really get some sleep.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t going to work on me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like these questions. Are you angry at me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. But something has been bothering me. The Darkness has told me more than once that I was only one of many candidates to be her champion, yet she has put an inordinate amount of effort into making sure that I ended up in the position. Did she ever mention the idea of you being a champion?¡± Anon furrowed her brows, her memory was very very good, and she could remember nearly every word that had been shared between them. ¡°Yes, she did. Surely there is nothing to worry about, she killed my parents to get me adopted, not unlike you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He sighed, it was a weight off his mind to know it was just his paranoia. ¡°But how long have you been watching me?¡± ¡°Since you were seven or so. I watched my future husband grow up from a distance, isn¡¯t that funny?¡± ¡°Not haha funny, but odd funny.¡± ¡°I find it the normal kind of funny.¡± He tried to put that out of his mind. Chapter 301: Birth of an Empire Fomoria awoke, covered in sweat, but feeling well. As he sat up, Anon awoke and noticed her hair was slick. ¡°Shall we take a bath?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± They slipped out of their clothes and into the bath, slimes quickly moved toward the disturbance in the water. Anon pushed the slimes away from her. ¡°I dislike these things.¡± ¡°You get used to it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like anything touching me when I¡¯m without clothes.¡± ¡°When you were having to assassinate targets, did something happen?¡± ¡°Nearly many times, as I said once before when you asked if I had slept with anyone. I always killed my targets before they had the chance to do anything. Still, I can feel their cold hands, grabbing at my hips, my breasts, my face.¡± She shivered even as her skin turned red from the hot water; she pulled her limbs closer to herself. ¡°Did your mother give you missions where she knew these things would happen?¡± ¡°You hate her, don¡¯t you? I can already hear it in your voice.¡± Fomoria hesitated to answer. ¡°You ask me to be honest, give me the same.¡± ¡°She was also a magical creature, their morality isn¡¯t like ours, they live under natural laws rather-.¡± She angrily splashed him. ¡°If I met her, we would clash, because I cannot imagine any good parent sending their child into those situations. How long have you been working as an assassin?¡± ¡°I was 12 when I started. I have killed 500 people, give or take. I didn¡¯t track the number exactly.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe that. You have a great memory.¡± ¡°I would rather not continue this line of questioning.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not questioning you, I am just getting to know you better. If you don¡¯t feel comfortable, then I won¡¯t ask about this.¡± ¡°Good. I want your sigil.¡± ¡°Did you feign offense to make me feel bad so I¡¯d give it to you without question?¡± ¡°No. I really don¡¯t want to talk about my time as an assassin in any detail.¡± ¡°Why ask now then?¡± ¡°Amber had to be pulled off of me, if she wanted to seriously hurt me instead of sending a message, I would have no recourse. I am not strong in body or in magic, so I will need to continually train myself, but this would be a large boost immediately.¡± ¡°Would you like it now?¡± ¡°If my bones eject, it would be best that it happened here and now, so as to not make a mess.¡± ¡°Alright. I will use pain-lessening spells, but it still isn¡¯t a pleasant experience.¡± He expected her to recoil instinctively as he placed his hands on her, helping the sigil settle in her soul quickly, but she had no issues with his touching her. It was the first time that he had the chance to really look at her soul, and it was flawed, aligned purely to darkness, but he saw scars in it like she had been gored beyond the physical, and that his sigil was starting to fill in these scars. The water was stained red, and the slimes were having issues cleaning it all; his healing wasn¡¯t as effective as it should be. She didn¡¯t scream, not because his spells had made her unable to feel pain, or because once it began to settle the sigil would lessen the pain as well, but because she refused to do so. Anon breathed heavily as she stood up. ¡°What is wrong with your soul?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wish to speak of it.¡± ¡°Did you know how my sigil would react with your soul?¡± ¡°I said that I do not wish to speak of it.¡± They sat there in silence for a time before she left. Fomoria got up from the bath half an hour later than Anon had, and went to her room, finding a note requesting a book from Redhaven on the door. She was inside, lying on the bed, but no strong feeling emanated from her. He thought about knocking, but Anon was what she was, and Fomoria was who he was. He wouldn¡¯t push her on what was wrong, and if he had, she would¡¯ve lied, nothing he could say would change her. So, he went to get that book for her. He couldn¡¯t remember if he ever knew the librarian¡¯s name if he had just forgotten it. ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯m looking for a book, it is called The Spring and the Winter Soul.¡± ¡°For you or for another?¡± ¡°My fiance asked for it.¡± ¡°Then you intend to take it out of the library?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think she wants to leave today, so yes.¡± ¡°You may purchase a blank book and I will copy it, but the original may not leave.¡± ¡°Then I will add it to my collection.¡± The librarian had another girl work the front desk while she led him to where the book was. ¡°King Fomoria, if you wouldn¡¯t mind, we could go faster if you were to fly us there.¡± She had been expecting it, but having only experienced flight in her bat form, the sudden lift and then lack of any feeling of motion was quite odd for her. ¡°He-here.¡± She shivered as her feet touched the ground again. ¡°Magical flight isn¡¯t the same as vamperic flight, the body feels it as just being normal, but this requires some getting used to. We can walk or take a cart next time.¡± ¡°Th-thank you.¡± The section was not as well lit or maintained as some of the others, it saw rare use, being one of the oldest sections of the library, its shelves made of a different wood, darker in color with knots in the boards that almost looked like flesh wounds. He had one of his Others learn the library code system while working in it, and this told him that the rows here were romance novels. Perhaps she was trying to better understand human connections he hoped. The woman used divination, searching for the book, but he could feel it, something wasn¡¯t right. ¡°How strange. We have them enchanted to prevent wear and tear, to let them self-repair, but we wouldn¡¯t ward them against divination, so somebody else must¡¯ve done this. We¡¯ll need to search the shelves by mundane sight.¡± ¡°I would like to examine the ward, perhaps it is faster to break it than to search hundreds of books.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that-¡± He picked up one of the books, the ward was simple, almost childish compared to what he could do, but it also showed certain marks. Whoever put up these wards had been trained by him, and that made a very short list, and on the short list, he could only think of one person. It took seconds to shatter the ward and create a spell tuned to break the rest of them across the section, at which point he easily divined the location of the book. He walked with the librarian to the nearest copy room and asked him to wait outside while she did her work. But then the woman came back out after just a few minutes. The librarian couldn¡¯t help but feel the strange tension from Fomoria; he hummed in an off tone as he waited. When the librarian finally got him his copy, she had a questioning look on her face. ¡°What do you want to tell me?¡± ¡°I thought that I remembered that book, and I did read it once many years ago. Among us who do read, it has-¡± ¡°Please, explain another time, I wish to read it without expectations.¡± It was thin, probably not more than a few thousand words, and it had a pattern of grass on one side, and ice on the other. Fomoria left without another word, bringing the librarian back to her post with a void gate, signing himself out in the log book, and then leaving. He had things he needed to do today. He had missed breakfast, he hadn¡¯t even realized that he was hungry; a side effect of his sigil dulling negative stimuli. He sat at the table alone and started to eat when Mercedes came in; she told the maids to tell her when he returned. ¡°Is there something we need to talk about?¡± ¡°You missed breakfast, that is quite odd, and you did fight off three Fingers yesterday. I had some worry that you might be injured and still recovering.¡± ¡°No. I am recovering just fine. I had to run an errand for Anon, and it took more time than I expected.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect her to miss breakfast either, she always seems to stay close to you unless you are working.¡± ¡°Yes, she did. My list got to you last night and you had a chance to look it over I hope.¡± ¡°I did. I¡¯m surprised that you compiled it so quickly.¡± ¡°I had it done two days ago.¡± Mercedes lowered his fork, thinking on his statement and if he was joking or not. ¡°How?¡± ¡°I had a dream. I knew we had enemies on the way, and that now is the best time to put this into action. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. I didn¡¯t have the exact details, so that is just a list of what we will need for a celebration without taking into account other factors. As there were no damages to the city itself and there were no casualties, I don¡¯t see any reason to change anything. The people will have a day of food and alcohol on my coin and the blow will be softened.¡± They ate in between bouncing ideas back and forth about what changes to make, guest lists, and so on and so forth. Mercedes had noticed how he used past tense to refer to Anon, so she avoided the topic. And so Fomoria was 19, and his day of proclamation was here. He thought about Autumn¡¯s offer, that he has a birthday party, an excuse for him to come back. But now wasn¡¯t the time, he had other things to do. Anon hadn¡¯t said a word to him or left her room in days, but she came out now, to sit behind him as he readied himself for his speech. Fomoria was so confident in his ability to defend his capital that he almost wished that the Fingers tried to attack again so he could put them down as a show of strength. The days felt like they went on for weeks leading up to this. For now though, he just waited on his dais in the festival grounds. His intention was for people to come up to him and thank him for what he had done and for him to see if he couldn¡¯t so minor problems. Simple divination found dozens of lost items, healing magic fixed minor issues that people had never asked him to fix and didn¡¯t want to go to a healer for something so small. Around him stood Jake, Ur¡¯Kel, and Nana, his prized stars, his exemplary students of magic and good moral standing. Occasionally people would bring him food, his appetite was quite well known, and it had only gotten worse since he could no longer turn his sigil off, it remained as a constant boost to nearly every aspect of his self. It was a nice gesture, and it meant that he didn¡¯t need to go around the city to find food, but it also meant that he didn¡¯t get to go around the city to find food. When it was evening in Kor, but night had already fallen in Ragne¡¯s capital, his most important guests began to arrive though his void gate. ¡°Rosewell, I am glad that you accepted my invitation.¡± ¡°You claimed that this would be a once in a lifetime speech, and right now there is nothing I am needed for. I intend to stay for your speech and then leave however, since I may be needed again and being outside of amulet range is stressful.¡± ¡°Just think, 10 years ago, nobody had them, now it feels like everything would fall apart without them.¡± ¡°Please keep your ominous words to a minimum.¡± Relly didn¡¯t say anything at first, she just ran up and hugged him. ¡°I feel like it''s been centuries, how are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good. Why are you so sad?¡± ¡°No trouble with any boys? I don¡¯t wish to talk about it.¡± ¡°Nope. Harlan is nearly a brother to me, so I think just that scares most of them away. I¡¯m sorry that I mentioned it.¡± ¡°Yes, I imagine that would do it. It isn¡¯t your fault, you are just trying to help, but this is a personal problem with me. I¡¯m told you¡¯ve become a competent archer?¡± ¡°Harlan taught me what he could, and mother has gotten me proper instructors. I wish we could talk more, I think she already knows that we have been going back and forth here.¡± ¡°Then how about a gift? Of course she does, but if she hasn¡¯t stopped us, then she trusts you.¡± He opened a gate and an Other brought out a bow. The string was from his tendons, the two arms were made from his bones, and the strings were attached to wheels. It was unlike anything that she had seen before. ¡°Pull it back.¡± She drew back, and found that it was much easier than she had expected. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ different. Don¡¯t you mean that she trusts us?¡± ¡°I got the design from Xol. The bows in his world advanced beyond what we have. He called it a compound bow, because the design compounds the user''s strength through a pulley system. She doesn¡¯t trust me anymore, I showed that I am not Harlan, and my loyalty is not to Ragne any longer.¡± Rosewell thought that their conversation had gone on long enough. ¡°Relly, why don¡¯t we move up to our seats.¡± Safira and Harlan both gave him side eyes as they walked past, not even sharing a word. He had expected Harlan to be upset for a while, he knew how prideful they both were, and it was unlikely that he took his complete and total loss well. Fomoria raised a podium from the ground in front of him and cleared his throat, the sound spread beyond just the city and across much of the stripe. ¡°I will keep this brief, because I don¡¯t believe long speeches are the best way to deliver news. From this point forward, Fomoria is not a kingdom, but an empire.¡± He waited, just for a moment, then spoke again. ¡°I can already feel your confusion and worry, and that is exactly why I am doing this. Right now, across the entire world outside the veil, when you hear about the empire, everyone knows you mean the Castian Empire. In a hundred years, I want there to be a question of which empire they mean. In two hundred years, I want the default assumption to be that they mean the Fomorian Empire. In a thousand years, I want the Castian Empire to be nothing but a historical footnote mentioned in the creation of my empire. It isn¡¯t enough that I defeat them, I must erase them, erase what they represent. Slavery, rape, genocide, fear, child soldiers, these are what I must destroy, breaking them down into dust until they are scattered to the winds, until the idea of such savagery gives us all the same feeling of disgust as it does to me.¡± The people muttered to one another, uncertain still. ¡°As it stands, with my passing out of my charter, directly or indirectly taking some form of control over nations, I have already been acting as an emperor, this is just making it official. I have not changed or abandoned my original mission of ending slavery and the cruelty that comes with it. Tell me, have things gotten worse? Or have I always provided for you? Have I not given food, and clothes, and homes, and work, and even the entertainment that I disagree with, the casinos and brothels?¡± There was silence. ¡°Answer me.¡± The people screamed out YES, and Fomoria let it hang in the air for a time, using his arrays to echo it far and wide. When he spoke again, he also waved Jake, Kel, and Nana to stand with him. ¡°Right now, I have with me the top three students in all of Fomoria, children who had no formal magical training, and faces that I believe many of you recognize. These children are our future, because if I am to call myself any sort of good ruler, I cannot just give you physical things as I have, I must give you knowledge and let you use this knowledge to improve your lives and the lives of your family, your neighbors, your city, your nation. It is said that kindness starts at home, and so I ask that all of you remember this, and raise your children to the best of your ability so they might be upstanding members of this nation, that they uphold our ethos with more than just words, that they have the drive and ability to put those ideas into action. Jake and Kel have been using their magic to help their fellow citizens for months, not only do they ask for nothing in return, but each experience, each heart which they help to soothe, grows the joy of the empire, and in my own heart. Nana lost her younger brother to the cowardly and vile poisoning by the Cast, it is my greatest failure.¡± He hung his head and the crowd gasped. He disliked doing it, but manipulating people with a booming voice, choice words and a little theatrics was too easy and too useful. ¡°Still, she has not only forgiven me, she has let go of the hate in her heart. She dedicates herself to improving herself both physically and as a healer, so no one will suffer as she has, to lose a loved one to a poison or sickness that isn¡¯t understood quickly enough. So I end this with a promise, within a single month, I will resume a full assault, conquering the stripe directly west of us. And within the the next five years, I will make a grand imperial academy worthy of training my citizens, young and old, in the ways of magic.¡± He pointed towards the Spire of Other, and the ground began to fiercely shake, though preplaced dampeners made it shake just enough to not cause any real damage to any nearby towns or cities. The Spire of Other, like an arm reaching into sky, let out a pulse of energy, and from its location over a dozen miles away from the city to just past the walls, everything became covered in verdant life. Rose petals filled the air, the warm breeze cut the chill of winter away and the city smelled of summer. ¡°Now, drink and be merry to your heart¡¯s content.¡± A display of magical power, even one so wasteful and vain, always raised the spirits of those who didn¡¯t understand them; the people cheered for their emperor. He stepped back from his podium and pulled a scroll from his jacket, handing it to Rosewell. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°My charter. I consider what is happening inside the veil as being lower priority, but I will get there eventually, even if it does take a few generations.¡± Safira reached for her mace and Harlan his sword. ¡°You, you already know you can¡¯t fight me. And you, unless you intend to sail back home, you will stand down. Rosewell, I do love you, you are like an aunt that I never had, and that piece of paper isn¡¯t a threat, it is just simple instructions. There isn¡¯t anything in there that you don¡¯t already agree with, but if you die, if someone else becomes the ruler of Ragne, then they should look at that paper as a promise that any mistakes they make won¡¯t be overlooked when the time comes.¡± He held his arms out, and she stood up to hug him. Fomoria felt warmth from her, and she from him, they understood one another; he could feel Anon¡¯s eyes on him, her gaze was cold, curious. ¡°I know that you have the best of intentions-¡± ¡°But so did many of the worst criminals in history. I hope that we never have to fight against one another.¡± ¡°Shall we go then?¡± ¡°Of course, but I do wish you could stay a while, try the local delicacies.¡± ¡°As I said, I don¡¯t like being out here, away from my people, surely you understand.¡± ¡°I do, all too well.¡± He opened a void gate, watched all of them step though, and then went through himself. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I figured if there was an immediate danger I could handle it, nothing more.¡± Rosewell checked her amulet, but nobody was currently trying to contact her. ¡°I believe things are fine as they are. You can go.¡± ¡°Of course, good night.¡± He hadn¡¯t been gone for more than handful of seconds, but Anon was gone when he returned. Fomoria returned to Kor and celebrated with the people for just a few minutes before Carmilla pulled him aside and put up a veil when they were out of sight. ¡°What exactly are you doing?¡± ¡°Rallying the people, getting them ready for when I announce that I will begin using soldiers beyond my golems and Others. I imagine that one in four able-bodied men below 30 and half of all elderly men will enlist once they hear that they can regain their youth and gain body enhancement.¡± ¡°Meat for the slaughter?¡± ¡°No, not at all. If they have my sigil in them and they are enhanced according to their rank, I expect that the Castian forces won¡¯t stand a chance. Not to mention that every army will have an Other watching over them, ready to step in to take down the real heavy hitters we are going to face. The golems are good for holding a city, but I have seen the results in my testing, people don¡¯t respond well to them. They are a faceless invading army, living weapons, but put a face to them, a name, a person, and suddenly they will become far more likely to peacefully submit in a shorter time.¡± ¡°Your testing?¡± ¡°I used different control methods in different cities across this stripe in the one to the south. I have meticulously gathered data if you would like to look it over.¡± Carmilla felt a chill run down her spine. She had avoided war for this exact reason, she had never been enough of a threat that it was worth risking multiple Fingers or a Hand actually dying just to kill her, the Cast were willing to wait out the centuries until she died of old age. Now she was too far in, she had officially pledged support for her war, directly attacked three Fingers, she couldn¡¯t say that her alliance was one of convenience or that she was just after his magic, she was now known to be friendly with Fomoria personally. ¡°No, I don¡¯t need to look at your data.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t we return to the party, I¡¯d love to see Camilla again.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Can a man not want to see a beautiful young woman?¡± ¡°What about Anon?¡± ¡°She left me moments ago, she never intended to stay, she just wanted my sigil to fix something wrong with her soul. She has void gate, she could be quite literally anywhere in the world, inside the veil or out here. I don¡¯t think that she is going to come back.¡± He patted her on the shoulder and left her veil. She had never found him quite as frightening as he was in that moment, when she had no idea about what he could know, how far into the future he had seen, if he had been playing a fool but was really a genius manipulator from the start.
Sholl hit the ground, but he was unharmed, unlike his two companions. Carmilla¡¯s blood blades had split them both down the center. He was already feeling a little lightheaded from overusing his prayers without rest, but he knew that his normal magic wouldn¡¯t be enough to save them due to the damage to their brains. ¡°MY EMPEROR, REVERT DYING TIME, UNDUE THIS UNJUST CRIME.¡± Everything froze, and suddenly a horned man in jet black was stood in front of him. His first thought was that somehow Fomoria had followed him, but then he got a second look. This man was well over 12 feet tall, and unlike the horns of the Dague which Fomoria wore, these were ribbed like those of the Ibexians, and they curled into a square before going outward. The staff in his hand had a black hole on its head. He looked at Sholl with his yellow squared eye and slammed the ground with the butt of his staff. Time resumed and the other Fingers were pieced back together as if nothing had happened, even their memory of being cut was gone. But on Sholl¡¯s every essence, every fiber of his being, every cell in his body, a warning was written, Time forgave the breaking of his law once, and never again; there was no evading his judgment. ¡°SHOLL, WHERE DID YOU BRING US.¡± Baoth grabbed him by the collar, but Sholl¡¯s eyes drooped and his body went limp. Yalda understood the situation faster than his superior. ¡°He must¡¯ve saved us, and it must¡¯ve cost him. Sholl would not flee without reason. Now, we must find out where we are and report back to the Hands, we gathered the information we needed and we all survived.¡± Chapter 302: Tantrum Harlan slammed the ground outside of his home, throwing a tantrum over what had happened. After a few minutes of him just lying there on the grass, Adina came out. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I lost.¡± ¡°To who?¡± ¡°Fomoria.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°He was stronger than me.¡± ¡°Could you have changed anything?¡± ¡°No. He overpowered me and his void gate let him pull off a trick that I didn¡¯t see coming. We haven¡¯t been different people for that long, but he surpassed me beyond any sort of sense.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because he is alone, he doesn¡¯t have a daughter to raise or a wife to love.¡± Harlan sighed, and she assumed that he felt bad for Fomoria, so it was odd to her when he opened a gate beneath himself. Adina just rolled her eyes and went back inside, he¡¯d be back and she could talk to him then. Harlan waited there for an hour, he wanted to meet with Rosewell, but he said that it wasn¡¯t urgent. ¡°So, what is it today?¡± ¡°Put me out on a battlefield, I don¡¯t care where, I need to fight.¡± She rested her head in her hand and crossed her legs, she was intrigued by the fire in his eyes. ¡°That seems opposed to how you¡¯ve been these last few months. What changed?¡± ¡°I clashed with Fomoria¡­ it wasn¡¯t even a fight, I lost, completely and totally, I didn¡¯t stand a chance. I¡¯ve stagnated, and I need to catch up.¡± ¡°What do you know of his training? How certain are you that you can or need to catch up to him?¡± ¡°He sent me to his capital, I spoke with someone of seemingly high status within his system. She mentioned that he and Xol were talking, it¡¯s possible that he is training him.¡± ¡°That seems to be a leap in logic, they could easily just chat with one another on specific issues as you¡¯ve done in the past.¡± He didn¡¯t want to get into how Xol provided him with weapon designs that he was making for the kingdom. ¡°I have reason to believe this is the case, but I can¡¯t explain why without breaking my word to someone else.¡± ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s say that he is training with Xol, how likely are you to even be able to catch up to him?¡± ¡°He is a king, he has to be spending his time doing things other than training.¡± ¡°Whatever you learn purely through combat will surely mean less than what he learns from Xol. Safira has decades of combat experience, but she also has years of proper instruction on magic and its nature.¡± ¡°I still need to do something, what if he comes here?¡± ¡°Would it matter? I know you have a highly inflated sense of self, but we¡¯ve been here for over a thousand years, and we have tools that would put a stop to him.¡± ¡°Let me show you something.¡± He showed her the Spire of Others, his fight against both Fomoria and his Others, then the Plains of Wrath. ¡°The scope of his power has gone beyond what I ever expected I could reach so quickly, do you not find this worrying?¡± ¡°I will consider letting you take a more active role in the war, but I still believe you are more worried about your wounded pride than anything, and I could feel that through your memories.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not-¡± ¡°You are acting like a child. Throwing a tantrum because you were beaten by someone you thought you could fight.¡± ¡°I could fight him, months ago I¡¯m sure we were the same, but now-¡± ¡°Go home, calm yourself, and we may speak on this later.¡± Harlan returned to his home and went to see Adina, but Dawn was there as well. Viviane began punching at him with her tiny fists as soon as he picked her up. ¡°What¡¯s wrong sweetie?¡± Dawn laughed a little. ¡°Maybe she has your bad habits?¡± A look of worry came over his face, and he handed his daughter to his birth mother. The moment she was out of his hands she calmed down and Dawn suddenly stopped finding it funny. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be holding her right now, I¡¯m too upset.¡± Harlan rushed out of the room, his hands balled into fists. ¡°What happened to him?¡± ¡°He fought against Fomoria and lost. He¡¯s angry that he got beaten by someone that not two years ago was him, and that it wasn¡¯t even a remotely close fight. He¡¯ll get over it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not so sure.¡± ¡°I know Harlan better than perhaps anyone.¡± ¡°I lived in his head for almost two decades.¡± ¡°He¡¯s shared his deepest secrets with me, I think that I can read him better than you, he will get over it.¡± Dawn raised an eyebrow, she didn¡¯t expect such a jealous reaction from her. ¡°Maybe.¡± Adina grabbed Viviane from her. ¡°Now you are just being petty. Can¡¯t you just admit that I may know him better than you? I¡¯m his-¡± ¡°You will never be his mother, or a mother.¡± Adina¡¯s words cut deep, bringing up both times she failed her children. ¡°That was uncalled for.¡± She tried to keep her voice from showing exactly how upset she was. Adina had a look of horror as she thought about what she had actually said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what came over me, I-¡± Considering how much she wanted to start fighting Adina, Dawn also realized that something was wrong. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I need to talk with Harlan, he¡¯s losing his grip on his empathy.¡± ¡°He is unlikely to speak now, and he¡¯ll run.¡± Dawn had a thinking face, and left the room without another word. Harlan was down into his lab developing weapons, specifically one that Xol said he should wait to create due to the dangers that came from something so greatly offensive being made well before defenses caught up. He wasn¡¯t close to making his first working prototype when Sepul knocked on the door. ¡°I¡¯M BUSY.¡± Much like when he was at the academy, he made a fool of himself by replying from the inside of a room that let no sounds out, only in. He slid up a hatch on the door. ¡°I¡¯m busy.¡± ¡°Dawn tells me that you could use someone to speak with.¡± ¡°Unless you intend to train me in some way to match Fomoria, I have better things to do.¡± He closed the hatch again. ¡°I know you can hear me, and you know that I can burn a hole through this door in seconds.¡± He once more opened the hatch. ¡°I don¡¯t-¡± Because he could see the other side, Sepul could easily teleport without needing to break any of Harlan¡¯s wards and arrays. ¡°Pride is perhaps the worst thing inherited from me.¡± ¡°Leave, I have work to do.¡± ¡°We both know that isn¡¯t the right response.¡± Harlan ignored him and kept working on his prototype. ¡°I will melt that thing into a lump of slag if you don¡¯t respond to me.¡± ¡°Fuck off.¡± ¡°There is nothing good that is going to come from what you are doing, talk to me like a man.¡± Harlan pushed his prototype away then got out an extra chair. Sepul sat down and pulled a full tea set from his sleeves. ¡°Vanilla tea, just as you like.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with so I can get back to work.¡± ¡°You lost a fight, but it is no large matter. You have done something far more worthwhile, you have been raising a wonderful daughter and spending time with your beautiful wife.¡± ¡°Yet I can¡¯t protect them.¡± ¡°You already know that isn¡¯t true. At such a young you are already within the top thousand mages in combat prowess.¡± ¡°But then where would he go down on that list? Top 500? 300? 100?¡± ¡°I would need to assess his strength myself to-¡± ¡°Bullshit. I¡¯m sure Cecht keeps you updated on him so you can kill him if he gets justification for it.¡± ¡°You have an even lower opinion of him than I thought.¡± ¡°Am I wrong?¡± ¡°He does keep a close eye on Fomoria, but not for that reason. Things are moving forward, and I¡¯m not allowed to tell you what that means.¡± Sepul put his hand on Harlan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Formoria is her champion, her warrior, you don¡¯t need to be that man. Love your wife, raise your daughter, live in the realms of man, leave the fights of the gods to the gods.¡± ¡°I want to be in those fights, I want to be helpful for myself.¡± ¡°There is no real glory or greatness in being that kind of man. I am not telling you to settle, but I am telling you that Xol is training Fomoria for his purposes because they align with the gods. What you are doing here, developing weapons of technology rather than becoming a singularly powerful entity, that is what you should be doing, because that is also according to their plans. Don¡¯t fret because she is telling you to do something different than what she may have asked before.¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t ask me to do this.¡± ¡°No, it was Xol, but as it now stands, there hasn¡¯t been any punishment because Aarde wants your weapons in the hands of humanity for what is to come. I¡¯d like for you to come see me someday soon, but for now, I will take my leave.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Harlan opened the door for him, then went back to work. He didn¡¯t leave his room until the day he had to visit Fomoria. Harlan didn¡¯t have time to make a proper working prototype, at least not a handheld unit like he wanted. But when the time came, he could replace the long cannons with this new weapon in its much larger form. He wondered what exactly Fomoria and Relly spoke about, he¡¯d need to ask her when they got back. The speech was worrying at best, that he was using the tricks that dishonest people used, emotionally charging his statements, calling them to action, making a show of how he had failed in the past to make himself seem more human and sympathetic. Harlan sat next to Anon, but she didn¡¯t look his way at all, nor did she look at Fomoria, she just stared forward the entire time. When Harlan, Rosewell, Safira, and Relly got back, Rosewell sent Relly away and called Harlan into the throne room. ¡°You will be deployed tomorrow to a permanent station. I want Nulson dead and gone well before Fomoria gets anywhere near us, and we need this civil war finished. You are going to act as bait for Nulson out there, hence my sicking you somewhere specific instead of rapidly deploying as needed.¡± ¡°He¡¯s really scared you to death.¡± ¡°You and him have guile, that is just a simple truth, but the way he spoke there, I couldn¡¯t help but see him as a real noble. When he hugged me, he was warm, I felt like I could trust him, that he was still himself, but I can¡¯t rely on that, since he directly threatened Ragne¡¯s future generations. You will get your experience, and I hope that over time, you find some of his tricks and come to be an aid against him should that come to pass.¡± ¡°We need the academy open again, if it is still closed after summer, the students of Ragne would miss out on a full year of magical learning.¡± ¡°I will speak with Hirum soon, we have a meeting scheduled for that reason, but I will insist on the importance of the academy being reopened as soon as possible even if it must be done in a lesser capacity.¡± ¡°Good, thank you.¡± Harlan returned home with some vigor in him, and Adina noticed it. ¡°Was the speech that good?¡± ¡°Fomoria is now an emperor. But more importantly, Rosewell is finally going to deploy me.¡± ¡°Just as long as you¡¯re home for dinner.¡± ¡°She said it would be a permanent station. I¡¯m acting in part as bait for Nulson, so I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be home every night, but we didn¡¯t exactly go over any real details.¡± ¡°Idiot.¡± Viviane also looked at him with annoyed eyes. ¡°Come on, you know that-¡± ¡°That you are more worried about losing a single fight than about being home with your daughter, I understand that just fine.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t what I-¡± ¡°How often have I asked you to stay your hand? To not do anything at all?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me not to go.¡± ¡°Because you never talked with me about this at all. You¡¯ve spent the last three days doing nothing but sitting in your lab doing the gods only know what, not talking to me, not seeing your daughter, because you got your pride wounded by yourself. Stupid, bullheaded, idiot.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I-¡± ¡°Sleep in a guest room.¡± She pushed him out into the hallway. ¡°Adina, it really isn¡¯t such an issue.¡± ¡°You think you can leave us for however long you want, now you are going to leave us for how long I want. Go leave, shoo.¡± ¡°You are being dramatic.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one who has that right.¡± She slammed the door in his face. There was no lock in the entirety of his castle that his will couldn¡¯t order open, he knew that, but it still hurt when he heard the bolt on the door lock.
David and Parnell clashed against one another, but not even a blade of grass was disturbed. The Fae watching over the pair thought that they had progressed well. ¡°My little champions, how subtle you¡¯ve become, how delicate your violence is.¡± ¡°Thank you. But how do I stack up to Harlan now?¡± ¡°The weaker of the pair¡­ perhaps you are ready for the next stage.¡± ¡°Which of us is the weaker one?¡± ¡°Not of you, of the pair of same, Harlan, and Fomoria. Of them, you may stand against the weaker, but you would not win, for his bloody mind and soul are designed for this, you are just one who has adopted this violence which he simply is.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been fighting for-¡± ¡°No, you fight because you want something, he fights because he is. Both of you hide under something.¡± ¡°Really? How do you figure?¡± ¡°The stronger of the pair, a nation based around his violence, a people newly born by his blood in both form and culture. The weaker, whose mind now shies away, but whose hands do little but craft harm for others. You, who is neither born of violence, nor who truly breathes violence, cannot understand his being. You are a mirror, a mimic, a vampire of his ideals. He is the sun, and you are the moon, reflecting stolen light.¡± ¡°I do have one question, why is it that anything that claims to be a deity has to talk like-¡± David fell to his knees, and Parnell cast what healing he knew to figure out what was wrong. A crow poked out of his chest, and David coughed blood. As he tried to scoop his guts back into his body, suddenly he was standing there as if nothing happened, there was not a drop of blood anywhere. ¡°The Darkness I am not, you will be mindful of this when you speak to me.¡± HIs heart was beating in his ears, and Parnell stared at her, ready to fight if his friend asked, but David knew better, they were pact bound to her, technically Wizards, and she was only using them as long as she needed them, not the other way around. Chapter 303: After Her Leaving Fomoria disappeared into the crowds, dark imbibing made others want to look away from him, he didn¡¯t want to be the king right now, he didn¡¯t want to be bothered. He felt tired, he had known for the last three days that Anon was gone, she just hadn¡¯t physically left yet. He thought about beating her, imprisoning her, trying to take back the sigil, since that was what she clearly wanted, not him. But, Fomoria was more angry that he let himself be fooled than about her fooling him, it was his fault, that is what kept repeating in his head. He didn¡¯t think much as he wandered through the city, he just waited until some outside force made him react. He was in the entertainment district when he heard the shattering of glass and then screens. Yet when he arrived, he found Bly and Mosley already there. It took just a moment to see what had happened, Mosley had jumped out the window, breaking his fall with this man¡¯s body. Mosley bound the man with shifting metal cuffs and Bly began to carry him away; Fomoria had nothing to do here. He ran into other cases like this, by the time he arrived at every event the guards had already solved the problem. This should¡¯ve lightened his heart, he had made the city so safe that it didn¡¯t need him to keep the peace, but instead he had found himself greatly annoyed that he couldn¡¯t help anyone himself. Fomoria wandered until he was asked by Larenzac to come to the north gate, where an animal trader was being denied entry. ¡°What is the issue here?¡± ¡°Magical creatures, ones which I would think you might want, but that I won¡¯t risk being set free in the city..¡± The merchant, with his many pieces of jingling jewelry and layers of fabric which covered his rotund form, waddled over to Fomoria. ¡°What good is a menagerie without dangerous creatures? My king, I come here as a humble merchant seeking only to sell my wares.¡± ¡°Very well, I could use the distraction. But the creatures are to remain outside until I have had a chance to look them over.¡± Fomoria looked down the line, mostly domestic animals old enough to have evolved into something else. A cat with a long body and almost jelly like bones, certainly a variant of a rat catcher, designed to clear out tunnels. A dog with a heavy coat of fur, but with it being so thick, it still didn¡¯t hide the strong muscle underneath. It must¡¯ve been from an area with no other beasts of burden, so the dogs were bred to be them, likely somewhere northern, cold, a sled dog perhaps. But halfway down the line, there was a covered cage, and when Fomoria reached for it, the merchant became tense. ¡°King Fo-¡± ¡°It is now Emperor Fomoria.¡± ¡°Your highness, that cage has an animal that isn¡¯t yet trained.¡± Fomoria lifted the cover, finding what seemed to be a hummingbird with a stinger, not more than nine inches tall from tip to talon. He then opened the door, causing the merchant to flee. The hummingbird gently hopped from the rod it sat on to Fomoria¡¯s hand. Both of them cooed and chittered at one another, and Fomoria rubbed under its beak. The merchant got closer, and the hummingbird screeched, but Fomoria held it back. ¡°He isn¡¯t worth it. I¡¯d like to buy this.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. 50 gold coins of fair weight for the Barbed Hoverbird.¡± It narrowed its eyes at him while it stepped in place on Fomoria¡¯s hand; it wanted to attack. ¡°But I should warn you, it is a quite violent bird.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a bird, it also isn¡¯t a Barbed Hoverbird.¡± Fomoria hadn¡¯t heard the term hoverbird, but he quickly understood it to be no different than a hummingbird, or that perhaps specific species of the bird had the name. The man puffed his chest out with offense. ¡°I have been gathering these creatures for decades, I think that I would notice if it wasn¡¯t a Barbed Hoverbird.¡± ¡°This is an insect, part of the rather expansive mimic categorization. Please, raise your wings.¡± It spread them wide, and underneath one could see the pearlescent shine like that of a dragonfly. ¡°I don¡¯t know the name of the species, but it will come to me assuming that The Darkness has granted it a name. But for now, it is a Hornet Bird. I will pay the 50 gold for it.¡± ¡°Now now now. You¡¯ve told me that this is clearly a rarer species, maybe we can-¡± The hummingbird screeched and Fomoria had to hold it by the legs to prevent it from clawing the merchant¡¯s eyes out. It quickly realized it wasn¡¯t going to get away, so as it swung upside down, staring hatefully, it went limp. ¡°I told you before, it isn¡¯t worth it.¡± ¡°Why are you talking to the beast like that?¡± ¡°Because it is smart, smarter than you I suspect. I will pay the 50 gold, which will save your life, and is more than you thought you would get in the first place, since 50 was your opening offer before we haggled and I paid 20.¡± ¡°Knowing that it is something special, I think that-¡± ¡°Look at the lock from the inside.¡± When the merchant saw signs of damage, that it had been trying to pick the lock, he decided to accept the 50 gold; Fomoria also bought a few variant rat catchers and an ox with smoldering tips on its horns Night fell, and Amber returned with Velvet, both had been drinking rather merrily, and they went to Fomoria¡¯s room rather than her¡¯s. She saw her brother sitting in a rocking chair, just staring out the window with his new pet. ¡°Where¡¯s Anon?¡± ¡°Gone.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°You can go to sleep, it¡¯s fine.¡± Perhaps had she been more sober, she would¡¯ve stopped herself from leaving, or she would¡¯ve seen how he was hiding a letter from her. ¡®I have rarely told you the truth. I am an assassin, this is true. I was raised by a void panther, this is true. But she is still alive; there was no parasite attack. I am quite disappointed in you, that you let me come into your home, roam freely, sleep in your bed, and all it took was acting strangely, putting on the face of a scared lonely woman. But this is what was detailed in my notes on you, a lonely, overly committed man.¡¯ The simple message that Anon left behind didn¡¯t anger Fomoria, he was just done, he was tired, annoyed. The hummingbird brushed up against him, he had lost mates before, and it understood his pain in its own way. In the morning, Fomoria ate breakfast with Mercedes and Larenzac. ¡°I have a meeting inside the veil.¡± ¡°With who?¡± ¡°Hirum, Academy Headmaster.¡± ¡°What about?¡± ¡°I intend to construct another spire so I can connect the crossroads from inside and outside the veil through the use of my quantum genetic bridge on a grander scale.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°It is fine to not understand my magic.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Mercedes sipped her water and was less than subtle about avoiding the topic of Anon, or the hummingbird he kept on his shoulder. Amber and Velvet came into the dining room, and while he had no hangover, the same could not be said about Amber. ¡°Do you need healing?¡± ¡°If I drink, I should feel the consequences so that I can not fall into drinking too much. That¡¯s what Sam said at least.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s fair. I avoid drinking because if I like it, I¡¯d fall into it and it would interrupt my work.¡± She looked around the table. ¡°Where is Anon?¡± Mercedes and Larenzac nearly dropped their silverware, then began to get up. ¡°It¡¯s fine, both of you can stay. Anon is gone, she used me for my sigil, then she left. She admitted that she lied to me many times, that little of what I knew about her was true, and that she was disappointed in me for letting myself be tricked.¡± ¡°That fucking rancid bitch. I never liked her.¡± ¡°I know you didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°We should-¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m letting her go.¡± ¡°Bullshit. You should find her and-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not arguing. If you want revenge in my place, you¡¯ll need to find her yourself. But considering that she has void gate, she could leave to quite literally anywhere on the planet in an instant if your first attack doesn¡¯t kill her.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say I was going to kill her.¡± ¡°Capture isn¡¯t an option for the reasons I¡¯ve already said. I¡¯m sure a void gate can be blocked, but I have no idea how, since it isn¡¯t actually a spatial spell.¡± ¡°Wait wait wait, put aside that bitch for a second, what do you mean it isn¡¯t a spatial spell?¡± ¡°Darkness has no spatial aspect, it is the element of time, chaos, change.¡± ¡°How does it teleport then?¡± ¡°I never asked, and I gained no understanding of the spell when it was given to me. Perhaps it reaches into different timelines in which I was already somewhere and I am swapping my location with this alternative self.¡± Amber groaned. ¡°Fuck it, I¡¯m too hungover for this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to forgive Anon, but I¡¯d like you to put her out of your mind, since I doubt we will see her again.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± They ate with little else being said. It was nostalgic to be back here, to look at the shining white stone that towered into the sky. ¡°King Fomoria, you are early.¡± ¡°It¡¯s emperor now, and I know. May I walk around?¡± ¡°Right now we don¡¯t have any free archmagi to guide you.¡± ¡°I know my way around, I don¡¯t need a guide.¡± She looked at her clipboard as she tried to come up with an excuse. ¡°Ah, I see, you don¡¯t want me going around without a guide that could fight me if needed. I understand.¡± He sat down at a nearby bench and watched the golems work on the rebuilding. He saw John a few times, it wasn¡¯t a shock that he was overseeing the construction, he was after all an engineering teacher. When the time came, the secretary had him follow her to a new elevator. The academy had never come under attack at such a scale before, thus there was never a chance to change anything old. So part of this new design was that most of the staircases were replaced by elevators that could move through a rail system that let the boxes move past one another. He could feel only the slightest bits of motion, subtle enough that he suspected no normal human would notice the movement at all. He sat down in the chair he had sat in more than once before, and he took in that the headmaster¡¯s office hadn¡¯t changed a bit. ¡°Did the battle not reach this room?¡± ¡°This is one of the most secure places in the academy.¡± ¡°More so than the vault I suppose.¡± ¡°Is that why you are here?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯d like archmage land here.¡± ¡°Having both you and your¡­ whatever he is, being granted land, would lead to debates on expansion and if either of you are really allowed to claim to be different people.¡± ¡°And what if I gave research which would justify being granted a second archmage title and thus reasonably be granted land separate from Harlan?¡± ¡°Theoretically, I see no reason not to, and if your magic is worth being granted a title, I would be able to use it to shut down any archmagi requesting extra land. How much do you need?¡± ¡°Just a one mile by one mile square would be enough.¡± ¡°What exactly do you want with it?¡± ¡°A spire of bone and flesh that reaches to the sky and uses quantum genetic tunnels to breach the crossroads at a mass scale.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ quantum genetics is interesting. I assume this is the same issue which you had to overcome when you created the Reinoan communication boxes?¡± ¡°The principle is similar, yes.¡± ¡°I would deny that it is enough to be granted a title. We already know quantum genetic magic exists, though we don¡¯t use that term for it, and right now we consider it common knowledge rather than specialized knowledge.¡± ¡°But I would be using it to specifically breach the veil through use of paradoxical energy as well, which would differentiate it heavily from¡­¡± Hirum enjoyed the next hour of Fomoria explaining how everything works with math and runes and sigils that could actually be understood. Too often in Fomoria¡¯s schooling, he could pass tests by feeling out his magic, but it would take much more effort from him to explain in scientific terms how he arrived at his conclusion. By his third year it wasn¡¯t much of an issue, but it was still something of a weak spot for him. ¡°I will grant the land. But I also want something in return, namely, more of your construction golems and magical materials. When you come to me, I am not going to treat you as an archmage, but as a national leader. I¡¯m told you call yourself an emperor now?¡± ¡°I am an emperor now, so I call myself one now. I control dozens of cities and semi-independent nations through the required adoption of my charter.¡± Fomoria handed a copy to Hirum. ¡°I conquer the land, put a marshall in charge of overseeing their transition over the course of three to six months, and if it is clear that there isn¡¯t intent to follow my charter in spirit or letter, the marshall kills the king or queen and appoints a new leader. These places then pay some tax to me either in gold or other materials.¡± ¡°What manner of place even requires that you put such rules in effect? Rape must be outlawed. Murder must be outlawed. Slavery must be abolished except in the cases of debt repayment. Then you go over a list of ways that slavery isn¡¯t allowed even if they change the name or try to slip it past you.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t my first charter, each of those examples are things that people tried to use to trick me into letting them keep their slaves. I must give it to them, they really did try to follow the exact letter of the charter. This didn¡¯t stop me from publicly executing them, but they made a good attempt. Anyhow. I control a large mining company, and I do have an excess of metals, both mundane and magical.¡± How long until the academy reopens?¡± ¡°Right now, we believe we will miss the summer open date. It isn¡¯t just a matter of replacing the building, but building back the trust that was lost. We just don¡¯t have enough teachers, and the ones we do have want more and more materials and coin to be willing to teach.¡± ¡°You would open at the end of the 7th month then? Assuming that you had everything you needed?¡± ¡°Is there where you say that you have a list of archmagi outside the veil who would teach?¡± Fomoria grinned, and the second round of debate and negotiation began; Mercedes would handle the final round.
¡°LIFT WITH YOUR WINGS.¡± The sound of their beating filled the air. ¡°WATCH OUT BELOW.¡± Darrath launched himself like a bullet at the Pixies in the way of the falling bundle of wood. One of his legs was crushed under the pile, and he shouted orders to get them off. Thyst came to heal him. ¡°Darrath, we should stop for the night, we-¡± ¡°We¡¯re behind schedule.¡± ¡°You are the only one who cares about the schedule.¡± ¡°The schedule matters, because I have plans.¡± From tree to tree one could see rope bridges and proper homes being built so the Pixies weren¡¯t just living inside of hollows. Each home had no nails, because the Pixies couldn¡¯t mine or refine metals yet, and instead they would transfer boards up into the trees and then fuse them with nature magic. When Dawn heard what happened, she came out and put a stop to the construction. ¡°Darrath, you are grounded.¡± ¡°By grandma¡­¡± ¡°No. I was excited when you gathered everyone together and you built the bathhouse, but you let that power go to your head, and people are getting hurt. What if you died? Or someone else? Would your father consider them to just be collateral? Or would he do everything he could to make sure that they did their work at a safe pace with precautions in place?¡± Darrath looked down and twiddled his thumbs, his wings guiltily beat with a soft and slow pattern. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Father would¡¯ve made golems, and nobody would need to be in danger. I just wish that everyone could live in bigger houses, and it''s been so cold this winter that the Pixies are getting sick because they live in drafty holes.¡± He began to tear up. ¡°I was just trying to help them feel better.¡± Dawn hugged him. ¡°Oh, honey. I¡¯m sorry, but you should¡¯ve asked me for help.¡± ¡°Papa wouldn¡¯t ask for help, he knew how to do everything right.¡± ¡°Harlan wasn¡¯t perfect, he just hid all of his flaws as best he could, especially from you.¡± ¡°Why me?¡± He said through sniffles. ¡°He wanted to be strong for you, to be the father he thought was best. But your father, he is a man who has trouble asking for help if he thinks that he can do it on his own, because he doesn¡¯t want to bother people. Why don¡¯t you go to the bathhouse and apologize to everyone? I¡¯m sure that they aren¡¯t happy with you, but they will forgive you.¡± ¡°What if they don¡¯t?¡± ¡°Then that is a lesson as well. You can¡¯t push people too far, because that is going to breed resentment.¡± Dawn went with him, and helped him to apologize. Most of them accepted him back with open arms, their empathic feelers let them know he was being genuine, but not all of them. Some of them had lost fingertips and ended the last few days very sore. The Pixies weren¡¯t mentally fully grown, not yet, and children held grudges and then gave them up quite easily, or very difficultly, with little explanation for why. Chatper 304: Bureaucratic Issues Three weeks passed, and extra Others were sent to the academy to act as teachers, but the rest were going to be used as marshalls. The army was not meant for conquering, not yet at least, and so golems and Others descended on several cities on the stripe to the west. Fomoria led his own group into the largest city along the eastern coast of the stripe. The assaults all started the same way, with a week of preparation. They marked entrances and looked around for who was important in the city, then all at once, they approached each of the city leaders. The mayor had a rather set schedule, and ate at the same restaurant every day for lunch. Fomoria sat down with a cup of tea, and stuck his finger in it. ¡°Excuse me, this table is taken.¡± ¡°In five minutes, either you live or you die.¡± Fomoria dropped his illusion, revealing his true face. The mayor froze. ¡°So, will this be a peaceful ending, or will my forces need to start slaughtering your soldiers in the street.¡± The man reached for his sword and Fomoria tossed the now superheated tea in his face, melting his flesh. While the man screamed on the ground, Fomoria put him down with a void bolt, then activated the array which spread a message across the city, warning them to put down their weapons or die. The fighting started in the slave markets, since Fomoria assumed that they would kill them just to spite him; they tried. Blood filled the streets and the scent of iron was heavy in the air. As soon as most of the enemy forces were dead, then the soldiers arrived in an attempt to take control of the situation and get the civilians back to their homes; the town was partly evacuated already. Other golems came through the void gate and began to pull the dead bodies back to the flesh pit, and at times finishing them off before they did so; the pit was very low after the Spire of Other was made. He remained in the air above the city for a few more minutes, then received a call. One of the Others encountered a Grand Wizard, and requested some help. Fomoria arrived in his combat form, covered in black bone plate with a mane of black fire. The Grand Wizard kept the Other at bay with three spheres that cut through any spell that they made contact with. He wanted to know exactly what they would do to him, so he let one of them brush against his arm. He could feel it, these were not some rapidly rotating balls of air, these cut against space itself; Fomoria lost a chunk of his arm. ¡°I am impressed.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather you were dead.¡± ¡°Is that really how you wish to greet your new emperor?¡± ¡°You are nothing but an upstart, someone who has yet to be crushed under the heel of the empire like everyone else.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ your voice, I hear it, regret, anger. Do you think that the Castians can exist forever?¡± The man launched another sphere at him, and Fomoria grabbed it in his hand. ¡°Now you can¡¯t use your favorite spell against me.¡± The man, with his grayed hair and scars where he had lost flesh in the past, understood what would happen if two of the spatial pockets touched one another. ¡°You still don¡¯t have an upper hand here.¡± Fomoria spun the ball on his fingertip, juggled it. While the man was distracted, Fomoria opened a gate and grabbed another one of the balls. The man found it unbelievable, Fomoria was juggling two unstable pockets of space, seemingly with his bare hands. He outstretched his arms, and then slowly began to bring them together. The man had one sphere left, but he dispelled it to prevent anything worse from happening, and then began casting spells to stabilize the local space. Fomoria was still a rather poor spatial mage, but he had experience with this specific spell, as they were the basis of creating spatial items, and he knew how to handle them safely; as safely as anyone could handle them at least. It was strange to him that so far as he knew, nobody here, outside the veil that is, could make spatially distorted items, yet they were 90% of the way there through their other spatial research. ¡°I wonder, if I just brought these a little closer¡­¡± The shell of the balls, which seemed like a heat mirage, began to peel and flake. ¡°NO.¡± ¡°Oh? And why not?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, we¡¯ll both die.¡± ¡°Were I a being of flesh, perhaps, but all that would cease function is this body. You don¡¯t have such a benefit, do you? Of course not.¡± ¡°I surrender.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll kill us both if I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°No, that isn¡¯t it. You are a spatial mage, you could leave if you wanted. But you also don¡¯t have a reason to be loyal to the Cast, or this city. Whatever could you be staying for?¡± The man narrowed his eyes. ¡°Speak plainly.¡± An explosion rang out from below, and smoke began to fill the air, but both men were unfazed by the sounds of combat, the screaming of the dead. ¡°You were born a slave, but when you showed magical promise, you were made to learn, and then eventually you were granted freedom, as if that is some gift. Yet when you became free, it was too late, and your former master had killed your mother. Still, you remained, and you found a wife of your own, and despite being in your 50s, you fathered a daughter, who is just three years old. Is this all correct?¡± ¡°They have nothing to do with this.¡± Fomoria dispelled the spheres. ¡°If you leave, I will not follow you, but know that the Cast are likely to be upset with you for going without a fight.¡± ¡°Who said I wouldn¡¯t fight you?¡± ¡°If you fight me, I will kill you.¡± ¡°But if you don¡¯t, you won¡¯t lift a finger to stop me?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t move an inch to stop you. But do keep my offer in mind.¡± The man never broke eye contact as he flew over to the building where his wife and daughter were hiding and then he teleported them away. That was the reason he really wanted the man. Fomoria had his gate, his void gate, but not teleport, not the pinnacle of movement abilities, the pinnacle of spatial magic in his mind, to instantly shift from one place to another. It was rather unfortunate that the academy had its own teleport, which only worked in their lands and was stored in a ring, and then there was the taught version of teleport, which was quite math heavy from the slivers of knowledge he could steal on the subject, and that was a subject he was quite poor at, and only very select individuals were allowed to learn it. He killed a few more wizards of different ranks, lesser, greater, but no more grand wizards were in any cities in the entire stripe to the west of Fomoria. They knew that he was coming, anyone in the entire stripe knew that it was coming, so the Cast moved their strongest assets away, but this man, Rosen, was a wanderer, he had no home, he stored everything in his mind. Turning him wasn¡¯t just a matter of gaining knowledge, turning a Grand Wizard would be a morale victory, a sign that great talent could come from a slave, and that slavery only bred resentment which would surely flare up later. Any slaves who had been granted freedom as a gift would suddenly become the targets of the Cast, because they would become a risk once they knew that leaving was actually an option now. Some would die, but others would defect from the Cast of their own will. The population of Fomoria grew by nearly a million in that single day. The Cast had been moving people out of the stripe, abandoning it so they could reinforce the surrounding stripes, and Fomoria attacked the ships out at sea and the other coastal cities where the slaves and citizens who hadn¡¯t yet left were being prepared. Technically speaking, Fomoria had only conquered and held the eastern coast, since he didn¡¯t have enough marshalls to hold the rest of the stripe, but the rest of the island was left to die, and he expected it to only take the rest of the month before they came forward and willingly surrendered. Fleur came directly to Fomoria¡¯s home to request additional aid. ¡°Your highness, if I may-¡± ¡°Fleur, you don¡¯t need to be formal. What do you need?¡± ¡°The influx of new residents is causing the system to be entirely overwhelmed. If I may, I would like people from Mercedes¡¯ department to help with processing the slaves into citizens.¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°No, she is also being overwhelmed. For now, the slaves can be moved to temporary housing, and then each day you and your offices can process as many as possible. I expect that processing everyone is going to take six to eight weeks.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for asking then.¡± ¡°Of course not, you have the right to request aid. Some of those slaves should have some experience with clerk work, and if they do, you should try to bring them up to speed as quickly as possible. For now, all I can offer is extra golems to protect the slaves before they are processed.¡± ¡°Thank you, your highness.¡± She awkwardly turned to leave, as if she was trying to avoid spending time around him. He thought it odd, but he thought she was trustworthy, and had her reasons. Why she had come in the first place was odd to him however, considering how she left, and that she was wearing makeup. Fomoria did feel bad about how he saddled his people with so much extra work, and so he wanted to find out who he could ask for help with this flood of new citizens. Ragne wouldn¡¯t be a good idea now, on account of the last time he visited them. But he did have a few ideas about where he could go. He waited half an hour for another meeting with Hirum. ¡°I only have a few minutes before my next meeting. What do you need?¡± ¡°It seems my material contributions are already bearing fruit if I can get a meeting so quickly.¡± ¡°Please, I do have another meeting soon.¡± ¡°Do you have any spare pencil pushers? People who can be quickly trained for the interviewing of people and the sorting of them based on this interview are what I need most right now.¡± ¡°I can spare maybe a few dozen.¡± ¡°Unfortunate, but I should¡¯ve known better. The academy is rather small for its importance after all.¡± ¡°Do you want them or not? And for how long?¡± ¡°Can they be trained to train others quickly?¡± ¡°Each of them would have formal schooling, so I would say it is likely.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll take them for the next three weeks, if you can spare them that long.¡± ¡°Will they need to remain outside the veil?¡± ¡°I could return them here each night, void gate takes almost nothing out of me.¡± ¡°I will have my secretary put together a list of candidates and decide on them by the end of the day.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± He called his next idea. ¡°Bojana, how are you?¡± ¡°Harlan?¡± ¡°Fomoria. Do I need to explain what I mean by that?¡± ¡°It sounds like you do, Little Shadow.¡± It took a few minutes, and Bojana seemed unfazed by his explanation and what he asked for next. Fomoria got another meeting even sooner than with Hirum, though he thought it was just as likely to end with a fight considering where he was and the dirty looks he got while he waited. ¡°Lady Valda, thank you for your time.¡± ¡°It has been a very long time.¡± ¡°Is Bojana well?¡± ¡°Yes, she has been well. Shame she isn¡¯t here at the moment.¡± ¡°Where is she then?¡± ¡°She is in the south, fighting against¡­ anyway.¡± ¡°The Fomorians. Don¡¯t worry about offending me, I¡¯ve killed my fair share of them myself.¡± ¡°Thank you for that. I hope you aren¡¯t here to talk about bringing them with you to your nation.¡± ¡°Where did you hear about that?¡± ¡°Zella did not just enter The Confederacy and be put in charge of Fomorian clearing without some strings being pulled. She reported to me that you had intent to take them.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t be asking if I decide to take them. I am here because I was wondering if I could hire some pencil pushers. I¡¯ve recently rescued a few hundred thousand slaves, but I don¡¯t have enough people to process them in a timely manner.¡± ¡°Maybe I would¡¯ve been more likely to help had you not revealed that you intend to bypass the authority of my nation to take criminals from us.¡± Fomoria scoffed. ¡°I¡¯d hardly phrase it like that. All authority is ultimately a matter of force, and I think that I can take whatever I want from you without needing to use that force against you.¡± The air suddenly shifted, and Valda¡¯s guards slung their maces over their shoulders, readying them for combat. ¡°I just need some people for non-combat operations. Valda, surely you can understand that I am trying to do right by those unjustly enslaved. I will triple whatever they are paid here, and I can promise a full set of armor and a weapon for you and Bojana.¡± ¡°I am a senator, I do not take bribes.¡± Fomoria had to try his hardest to avoid laughing. ¡°Apologies, I didn¡¯t mean it in that way. But I can offer the equivalent monetary value of these items and I could donate it to your state. How close are you to paying off your portion of the kingdom¡¯s loan anyway?¡± ¡°I will speak with my people about sending some civil servants your way.¡± ¡°Thank you. Can I expect an answer within the day? And could you put the word out for private individuals as well? Three times whatever the civil servants rate is.¡± ¡°Three days, not a moment sooner.¡± ¡°Thank you. I do hope that things go this smoothly with the others.¡± ¡°Who else do you intend to ask?¡± ¡°Tau¡¯s father, Ibery¡¯s father-¡± ¡°He retired, so no luck there.¡± ¡°Shame. And Adelwulf¡¯s father?¡± ¡°Also retired. After the academy attack, many of the more reasonable people have been voted out or asked to retire and pushed out, you¡¯ll find few allies here for your kind.¡± ¡°I think that may be exactly who I need. What is Tau¡¯s father¡¯s name by the way?¡± ¡°Archon.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± He shook hands with the bear woman, both tested the grip of the other. To better prepare himself, Fomoria first met with Tau. The giant statue of a Minos hugged Fomoria tightly. ¡°It has been a long time, friend.¡± ¡°It has.¡± ¡°I already know what you need, and I¡¯ve spoken with my father.¡± ¡°Word travels fast. Did Valda put my request out so quickly?¡± ¡°We have¡­ another connection. Come.¡± Tau led Fomoria to his basement, where the scent of her was clear. ¡°How long?¡± ¡°Since before we first met. My father has hidden it, because surely nobody wants to be connected with the Mother of Lies, but rumors still came out. I said before that I wasn¡¯t well liked back home because of my pacifism, yes?¡± ¡°You mentioned it.¡± ¡°That was a half-truth.¡± ¡°Were you friends with me because she asked you too?¡± Another thought struck him, and Fomoria grew in size, lifting Tau by the collar of his robe. ¡°Did you get close to Amber because she asked you too.¡± ¡°She never asked me to do anything until after we first met, though she did warn me about you before our meeting.¡± Fomoria let him down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have-¡± Tau put his hand on his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve still got that unfortunate rage in you. I forgive you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Sit, my father will be here in a time, but before then, I would like to catch up.¡± When his father arrived, he saw Tau crying and scoffed. Archon was a dark brown color, but with splashes of gray that showed his age; he was smaller than Tau, thin. He wore many rings on his fingers, some looked nearly ready to slip off, as if they were never intended for him, or that he had lost a great deal of weight since they were given originally. His horns were decorated with bands of gold and encrusted with jewels. His robes were of fine satin and purple in color, worn loosely around his body and held with a bullheaded pin showing him as the current senator of Mino. Fomoria had never really asked, but he thought it odd when beastkin wore such expensive fabrics, since their fur often meant that they wouldn¡¯t be able to feel it anyway. The reality was that he was older, and that Fomoria would have little trouble physically overpowering him, but his gaze and stance were like a mountain, his presence was more than just that of a middle aged Minos; he was the very image of a warrior king. ¡°Quit your whimpering. Boy, bring us to these coordinates.¡± ¡°You will address me properly.¡± The man stared him down, but Fomoria was unflinching. ¡°Emperor Fomoria, our meeting will take place here, and it would be fastest if you were to use your gate to bring us there.¡± When Fomoria arrived, he was surrounded by Minos with their weapons already drawn. ¡°If this is supposed to be an ambush, you will regret it.¡± The senator laughed, but the rest of the Minos were stone faced. ¡°If I wanted to kill myself I¡¯d leap down a mineshaft. So, you need clerks, because you rescued a bunch of slaves and they need to be processed before they can be shipped across your country and given new lives. I don¡¯t care about that, you won¡¯t find me crying like a woman because of your sad story. I want payment in weapons, armor, golems. I have 6000 ready to go right now.¡± ¡°Do you intend to throw a coup, is that it?¡± ¡°What of it? My son tells me you are outside the veil, this isn¡¯t your problem anymore.¡± ¡°That is true, I am outside the veil. But I still have friends and family in Ragne. I need to know your rules of engagement.¡± ¡°We want the raping and killing to a minimum, and we don¡¯t want more land than what is rightfully ours. Mino is being drained dry, we are the ones hit the hardest by that godsdamned loan. We just want to break away from the Confederacy so we aren¡¯t being taxed together in both our coin and our people.¡± ¡°What of the Ibexians? Are they part of this as well?¡± ¡°You are asking too many questions.¡± ¡°You just want your independence from an unfair contract that was signed by people who aren¡¯t bearing the brunt of the damage it is causing. If the Ibexians are willing to grant me people, I could give them the same deal as you. Your nations do border one another, do they not?¡± ¡°Stop asking.¡± ¡°Fine. We have a deal. Do they need to be returned each night?¡± ¡°They will stay for a period of three weeks, you will provide food, clothes, shelter, and protection.¡± The Minos tossed a contract at Fomoria, who read the details. ¡°All of this is fine by me, but I will have my head advisor look it over once and return within the hour. I suspect she¡¯ll want minor changes, but have your people ready for me, gathered in one central location for easy transportation.¡± ¡°Bring me example weapons and armor along with a golem when you return. I want to check the quality myself.¡± ¡°Not a problem.¡± Mercedes wished that he would¡¯ve just brought her with instead, in part because offering triple the government pay for Ursa workers was an awful deal in her eyes even if both of them had no idea what that would actually be. ¡°Stop offering deals without asking me. I am your head advisor, but unless you want to pile work on me, you don¡¯t ask my opinion on any of this bullshit.¡± She slammed the table. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I will be sure to bring you when I next go inside the veil.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that¡­ it¡¯s not just that. I am just frustrated about all the new people coming in and the mountain of work that has been made for me.¡± ¡°I would take them in more slowly, but if I gave them time, the Cast would move the slaves to other stripes not currently under attack or just outright kill them to prevent me from getting them.¡± Fomoria began to rub her shoulders, healing magic flowing from his fingertips and removed tension from her muscles; Mercedes began to doze off. ¡°Stop that. I have work to do, and- Nevermind.¡± ¡°Of course, I mean nothing by this, and I wouldn¡¯t want to turn Larenzac into a cuckold.¡± She jumped in her seat. ¡°Of course I know you two are together, and I¡¯m not shocked. You and him are together throughout the day because of your work together, proximity breeds contempt or affection. And let me guess, you hid this from me because you weren¡¯t sure if it was serious, and then when you thought about telling me, you were worried about how I was since Anon left me.¡± She tried to make herself seem smaller. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have no issues with you two being together, but remember that you are both under me, and that you must maintain professionalism if things don¡¯t work out. I¡¯m happy that you found a man who you can be together with, love is a wonderful thing.¡± ¡°Thank you. Your majesty.¡± He was annoyed at how afraid she was, since in his mind he hadn¡¯t done anything threatening. Not much happened over the next few days, Fomoria met with Archon, they brought over thousands of pencil pushers, and then they were trained and ready for work within a day. Fomoria thought that he needed to have a real conversation with Tau about his connection to The Darkness, but that was a problem for later, for right now, Dantevius was at the south gate, and he had Joan with him. Chapter 305: Saltlick Harlan didn¡¯t rest well on account of being forced to sleep in the tea room. It wasn¡¯t an issue of the couch, which was very high quality since Velvet was involved in selecting the materials and oversaw the construction, it was that he hadn¡¯t slept away from his wife since they first moved into the house. It was past four in the morning when he woke up and sat outside their room. He felt better to be able to sense them, to make sure that they were safe. He understood why Adina was so upset, but this was for them, it wasn¡¯t just his pride, his wounded ego, no, it couldn¡¯t be that, it must be for them. She kicked him awake. ¡°I can¡¯t let you sit outside our door like a puppy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I know you are. You can sleep in your chair at least.¡± As much as it bothered him to not be allowed to sleep in his own bed, his heart could remain calm as he drifted to sleep watching Vivi toss and turn in her infantile slumber. In the morning, Harlan got a call about where he would be stationed. ¡°I have to go. I love you.¡± ¡°Idiot, jackass.¡± She kissed him before he left. Forward camp 221, northern front, codename, Saltlick. Harlan came in by the sky, the royal guard pact let him bypass the arrays and wards that should¡¯ve stopped him from doing what he did; he could feel something watching from the mountains, piercing red eyes that saw through snow. He landed with the grace of a feather, then transformed his clothes into a basic set of military armor. His sword shapeshifted into a standard issue longsword, a few symbols on the base of the blade denoted it as having fireballs. He kept his face as it was, without his equipment, he thought it was unlikely that anyone would recognize him. Harlan came in before sunrise, and slipped into one of the tents, lying down in an empty bed. When the sun rose, so did the soldiers, and when they left for morning roll call, so did Harlan. The division commander knew each of the soldiers under him, 500 in all. Having 501 was enough to set off alarms; the commander didn¡¯t think for a moment that he had miscounted. Harlan didn¡¯t flinch with the blade in his face, he just transformed his clothes, causing the commander to attack along with the rest of the soldiers. Nulson was known, and everything was changed to make sure he couldn¡¯t slip in anywhere. Harlan moved past the commander, dodging his blade and grabbing his wrist while he put his blade to the man¡¯s throat. ¡°HALT.¡± The men here, generally speaking, were not top tier mages, and most froze with the command, though others seemed entirely unaffected. Still, those that froze broke their formations and men slipped on the icy ground as they banged into their fell soldiers. ¡°I AM HARLAN FOMORIA, QUEEN¡¯S BLADE. THIS WAS A SIMPLE TEST, WHICH YOUR COMMANDER PASSED.¡± He let go of the man and pulled the blade away from his throat. ¡°I was given no forewarning.¡± ¡°Of course not. Bring me to the legion commander.¡± Seeing him in full armor with his ring and sword along with the display of magic, a chantless and signless spell that was cast over a large area and caused men to stop in their tracks, that was enough to believe he was who he claimed, for now. The legion commander was the camp leader, the 5000 men under him were all his responsibility. The first thing that Harlan noticed was that his mind was brighter than normal, and his skin was tanned despite his northern features and station, showing that he was a half-golden. He was young for a man in his position, barely 30. He had flecks of white in his hair, not from age, but from alignment, showing his father or mother as being from the White Sands; the Golden didn¡¯t show their alignments in their hair like this. ¡°Sir Fomoria, we weren¡¯t expecting you until noon, and we weren¡¯t expecting a show.¡± Harlan could feel resentment in his voice, hidden from his tone. ¡°Legion Commander Orden, I assume that a man of your station is aware of why I am here?¡± Harlan thought that perhaps the man was annoyed at how Harlan hadn¡¯t introduced himself with a salute, so he tried to engender himself to him by showing that he actually knew his name and then deferring to him. ¡°I am the only person who is aware of the reason you are here. I expect you to perform subtle security sweeps each day to ensure Nulson is captured. Your cover is that you are here to support us because this camp is set up in a rather precarious location.¡± ¡°Why is it called Saltlick?¡± ¡°If you wanted to hunt a deer, what would you do?¡± ¡°Jump from tree to tree until I feel their mind, then ponce, killing them in a single hit.¡± ¡°Right. Well a hunter would put up a block of salt that would attract the deer and then they would sit in a tree blind.¡± ¡°So what you are saying is that this camp is bait?¡± ¡°If the rebels break through here, they could cut a week off of most of their trips in the area and everything past us has awful defensive locations, no hills, the forests have already been cut down, full of mines that could be taken over; It would be a bloodbath if we had to retake the area This valley here is the only way to get past the mountain range. Hiking over is insanity, if the cold doesn¡¯t kill you the Yeti will.¡± ¡°Oh? Are you in contact with them?¡± ¡°Why would we be?¡± ¡°Yeti are evolved snow apes, they have the intelligence required to negotiate.¡± ¡°Whatever you may have learned in your academy will clash against reality. Sometimes they¡¯ll come down the mountain, but they don¡¯t do anything but steal animals from the locals, killing anyone who gets in their way. If I was given a force, I¡¯d go up every summer to cull the numbers.¡± ¡°If I was given five minutes, I could recall events in the past where people worked together with Yeti. I think they could be a great asset, if given the chance.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you do.¡± The bell rang out across the camp, breakfast was starting. ¡°This has been enlightening, and I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll talk again later.¡± ¡°I will have breakfast delivered to your tent shortly.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll eat among the soldiers, it will give me a better sense for them.¡± Through the howling winds, Harlan moved toward the nearest scent of food, and found another of the thick insulated tents. The rambunctious crowd went quiet quickly as murmurs spread like a tidal wave. They then began to salute him, a fist over their hearts. ¡°At ease.¡± Harlan got in line, and naturally the soldiers started to make way for him, but when they shifted right, he did as well. ¡°I don¡¯t need to go ahead of anyone.¡± Harlan expected some confusion, bewilderment, but not the fear that these men and women let off. When he got his food, those at the table nearest to the end of the line fled. They were either higher ranks or beautiful women, people who used their influence one way or another to have the first seats, and none of them wanted to sit with Harlan, lest they be part of his mission. In the time that it had taken to reach the end of the line, he had heard in whispered tones why they were so afraid of him. Simple as it was,his words about a test made everyone worry that he was there as some kind of audit, that every ill remark or flaw in their military decorum would end up stamped on their personal file as a black mark. Few things scared soldiers or guards liked someone whose job it was to find their faults and misgivings. He scanned the room, terror ran through those who saw his eyes, slit like a wyvern. Yet his gaze was only slightly predatory, he wasn¡¯t looking for prey, at least, not in his opinion. Harlan stepped through a gate and came out half across the room where he had spied an empty spot. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. He set down his platter and slipped into the bench before they could react. ¡°So, what is the word around camp?¡± A funny sort of thing happened when he used a casual tone to disarm people, those who were most afraid of his empathy were often the hardest to heighten any positive emotions in, since they assumed any good feelings were being artificially imparted and panicked as a result. ¡°The camp is well run and the commanders follow their doctrine as one should.¡± Perhaps she was one of those whose fight or flight was more of a speak or silence, since she was a mousy young woman and spoke a mile a second at him. ¡°That really isn¡¯t what I meant.¡± Harlan ate a spoonful of the thick gravy with shredded meat and mashed potatoes. They looked at him strangely since he made no strange face in reaction to it. ¡°How is the food?¡± ¡°Better than scorpion, not as good as snake or frog. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Ratthel, people call my Ratty.¡± ¡°Not the best nickname I¡¯ve heard. Better than Changeling I guess.¡± ¡°Are you really a Changeling?¡± He could see her tense up along with the rest of the table, inside her head she was surely beating herself up for her slip of the tongue. ¡°Nope, just Half-Fomorian. Guess that makes me somewhat like your LC?¡± His words didn¡¯t make them any less tense. ¡°I am making you uncomfortable, is it because the mention of the commander being partly Golden?¡± Ratthel didn¡¯t say anything, the scale had tipped and she went to silence. ¡°Is it because he reacts poorly to people asking about his heritage?¡± He had barely moved, but he seemed to be bearing down on the girl from her perspective. She fainted, and he caught her before she could fall, but those who saw after perceived this events in reverse. He spent his morning to noon moving around the camp, asking questions, looking for Nulson. It would be ridiculous if he somehow managed to enter the camp so quickly, but Harlan barely knew anything about the man personally. A gate opened at noon, and out stepped Sam and Liat. He made a beeline to them as soon as he sensed their minds. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain why as soon as I get our tent set up. Lead the way.¡± The division commander led them to a tent meant for two of them, right next to Harlan¡¯s. Even with him there, glaring at people who he noticed leering at his friend, just Liat, not Sam, the men could barely bring themselves to take their eyes off of the beautiful Golden. The two women put their bags down and began to unpack. The tent itself was made of a softer material on the inside than what the soldiers had, and it was more strongly enchanted to keep the cold out; the soulsmithed heaters were high quality as well, and could more easily be adjusted. It was no larger than Harlan¡¯s, and was laid out mostly the same, a single bed, but with two desks, and two dressers. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Bait. Why have one when you can have three. Nulson already attacked us once, so when we were offered the job, we took it.¡± ¡°What would possibly possess you to accept this? He nearly killed you once already.¡± ¡°Gold, and being given a full citizenship.¡± ¡°Sam, surely you-¡± ¡°I¡¯M GONNA BE A FUCKING KNIGHT, WOOO.¡± The tent was luckily sound proofed to keep the winds out and private military information in. ¡°Sam, I was going to tell him later.¡± ¡°She¡¯s using a noble title to bring you in and risk you-¡± ¡°We do this shit all the time for pies and thank yous. Getting free food and shit to sit in a tent all day with my lover here then getting a noble title? I¡¯m gonna get a castle, knights have castles.¡± ¡°Castles are rare, but if Liat really wants one, I can make it happen.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t here to sit around all day. Sam and I are officially here as mercenary assistants for you.¡± ¡°Yeah but he wants to do everything himself, so we¡¯ll be free. That¡¯s what you said, right?¡± Liat elbowed her. ¡°I won¡¯t make you do any excess work, just cleaning my tent, getting my meals for me, my laundry, delivering notes, helping to train the soldiers.¡± A look of dread came over Sam, but Liat was holding back her laughter. ¡°I¡¯m just shocked you got away from Adina. How is she?¡± ¡°How¡¯s Yara?¡± A look of horror flashed on both of their faces, then Liat punched Harlan. It hurt, it really actually hurt; she had broken his nose and he began to bleed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know what came over me.¡± ¡°Liat, what the hell was that?¡± Harlan¡¯s blood quickly clotted, only a few black drops hit the floor. Sam didn¡¯t understand what was happening, but she tried her best to shove Harlan outside, and he let her; A few soldiers who had been sitting round outside the tent saw him come out with blood on his face. Harlan suddenly felt tired, like the weight of the world was lifted off of his shoulders. He assumed that it was just a result of having lost to Fomoria before. In his dream, he saw the sky, and nothing but the sky. But the moment he was somewhat conscious of this supposed dream, he knew the feeling. ¡°Calli, what do you want?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t need two champions, it¡¯s not fair. So, what do you say?¡± ¡°I doubt you can break the pact between her and I.¡± ¡°Oh? Well-¡± Just over half of the endless sky turned to darkness. ¡°Go on, explain to him, explain why you think you can break my pact.¡± ¡°Because-¡± The Darkness took over more of Calli¡¯s sky, tainting the fluffy white clouds with void. Calli was a being of freedom, yet the more The Darkness closed in, the more physical and defined her body became, and Harlan could see the pain it was causing her. ¡°Sister, whatever is wrong? You¡¯ve stopped speaking?¡± Calli closed off her world, removing both of them. It was past evening, the dinner bell had rung, yet Harlan was still sleeping. Liat panicked when she went to check on him, she didn¡¯t think she could hurt him, but if her blow earlier had rattled his brain and he hadn¡¯t dealt with it, he could¡¯ve suffered an aneurysm and this body could be broken. The moment she touched him to check his vitals, he reached out to grab her throat. Yet in the instant that he reached up, she reacted, grabbing his wrist and twisting. She wasn¡¯t as strong as him for a few reasons, he was partly Fomoria, he was a man, and his body was enhanced with stronger monster parts than hers had been. Yet she understood this pulled on him instead of trying to brute force a win. When he fell from the bed, she slipped underneath and then flipped him onto his stomach. Everything happened in just a second, before she had the chance to hesitate. Harlan awoke with a pulsing headache and pain deep in his stomach. Being forced out of a small world wasn¡¯t an issue, but being forced out by a god in pain without any care for how the others left, that was dangerous. He vomited as soon as he was conscious. ¡°Liat¡­?¡± ¡°Are you awake?¡± ¡°Fuck¡­¡± She rolled him over onto his side and he emptied his stomach. He groaned, then began to put his fingers in the puddle of puke. ¡°Don¡¯t-¡± He slapped her hand away, the sound of it was enough to make him flinch. ¡°Rune¡­ four walls¡­¡± She waited for him to draw the symbol and then drew it herself on the walls of the tent; an array appeared once the runes were charged. Harlan seemed to breathe more easily. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Calli, she wanted me to be her champion, she was sure she could break my pact, The Darkness, didn¡¯t like this. Calli closed off her world, tossed me out.¡± ¡°What is that rune? It''s making me nauseous.¡± ¡°The topmost protective layer of my soul was stripped off. That is a mana isolation rune, it is dulling this area. You Golden, you¡¯re more attuned than I am. You can step outside if you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°Are you kidding? If someone came in here-¡± ¡°I¡¯d snap them in half without issue. It hurts to move and use magic, but unless I am struck with powerful soul sundering magic, I am in no danger. This is nothing but an annoyance, an hour is all I need to finish regenerating. I wish I could¡¯ve finished it in my sleep instead.¡± ¡°Did I mess up by waking you?¡± ¡°You were trying to help.¡± ¡°Shit. Should I get you something to eat?¡± He thought for nearly a minute. ¡°Let me try something first.¡± Harlan pulled the weapon sigil into his soul, either it would inflame it, or it would help. She saw his veins go black, his body tensed so strongly that his muscles snapped. Liat tried to push him down, to stop him from hurting himself more, then suddenly she saw his skin darken as the muscles underneath were replaced by void fibers. Once more his breathing normalized. ¡°HAHAHAHAHA.¡± He groaned as he removed the sigil; he needed to heal his body with normal magic now. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°I used my sigil, the one Fomoria gave me. I had an inkling that it could heal my soul, I think that it saved me when I used a burst of void flames against Nemain during the academy attack. But that was all a blur, I barely remember what happened, the flames probably burned up my short term memory.¡± He got up from the bed, then fell; Liat caught him. ¡°Just a moment, I need to fix my muscles.¡± There was a sound of stretching, like someone pulling back a bowstring as Harlan regrew and reattached tendons. She could feel the pain he was in as he did this to himself.
Xol understood the system a little better now, and through a bit of trial and error, what he would call an infinite monkey plan, he got through to Jenny by finding out the exact code that coincided with her message ID. ¡°Hello? I haven¡¯t been contacted through this system in a very, very long time.¡± His fingers went across the keys in a blur, it was all muscle memory to him still, and those the layout had changed, the general shape of the keyboard was what he remembered. ¡°I hopes this reacheds you will.¡± ¡°Your English is rusty. Your grammar is off. Use this.¡± He was a little shocked that they still used that blue underscored text still meant a link. Xol hesitated, for all he knew this was going to infect his system and bring her right into it. Yet still, he clicked it. Spellcheck, Version J. ¡°Thank you for the program.¡± ¡°Your spelling is consistent with someone trying to convert a QWERTY keyboard into a, what was once at least, modern keyboard, and who hasn¡¯t used the language in some time.¡± ¡°What do they call it now.¡± ¡°Universal layout, how highly they thought of themselves.¡± ¡°Did the UCA exist when you left for this galaxy?¡± ¡°Ha, yes, those fools, fleeing from their dead worlds. You are the Lich, yes? Or are you another of the Immortals?¡± ¡°I am Xol, at least, that is my name right now. How did you know?¡± ¡°Predictive algorithms. I thought about who would actually be likely to contact me, who would know about technology enough to either use or remake a computer, and who among the Immortals knew English. How long have you been on this world.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been here for a little over 80,000 years, at least, I think. My memory has some gaps in it whenever I was dead.¡± ¡°Who was the president before you came here?¡± ¡°Antonio Salazar.¡± Her previous replies came in an instant, her mind moved thousands of times faster than a human¡¯s, yet she had gone three minutes without anything. Chapter 306: Saltlick 2 Harlan got up and began to make his way to the nearest food tent, but Liat tried to force him down. ¡°You aren¡¯t well.¡± ¡°I know my own body, I designed most of it. Also, my body was never hurt, it was my soul that had been harmed.¡± He moved with some difficulty, but he was moving. ¡°How are you so damned strong?¡± Harlan stopped. ¡°My body is a shrine where I worship justice and guardianship.¡± Liat laughed. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I workout, I am built from several powerful creatures. But my personality is far more interesting.¡± She let go of him. ¡°I¡¯d say you¡¯re acting strange, but you¡¯re¡­ you.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s eat dinner.¡± Harlan went to a different tent than earlier, Ratthel had switched places; Sam and Liat were going to have dinner delivered to them. Once more, she had an empty spot next to her. She became anxious, but she wasn¡¯t afraid like earlier. ¡°Apologies for earlier.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I said apologies, not apologize. I¡¯m sorry that you fainted when I asked a few questions. Ratthel, is that a northern name?¡± ¡°Yes. My¡­ my brother and I were born there, but we moved south. My father worked the mines.¡± His instinct to help flared up. It seemed to him that she had lost her brother and father, the lack of mention of her mother wasn¡¯t a good sign either. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± ¡°To hear what?¡± ¡°Your brother and father, they¡­¡° ¡°Dad retired, he found a huge ore vein and sold it to the kingdom. My brother stayed behind to run a tailors with his fiance.¡± ¡°Oh. Your tone made me think they were dead. Sorry about that.¡± ¡°About what?¡° ¡°Pitying you. I dislike it when people pity me.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± She seemed more open to talking with him, but he didn¡¯t really learn anything of any importance. She had the habit of speaking quickly even when she wasn¡¯t scared, but her every interest seemed vapid. If he had wanted to know who was the camp oxen, which is to say, were taking heavy loads, she would be the perfect person to speak to, but he cared little for gossip. When night fell, Harlan ventured out of his tent. In the first hour, he found nothing but a few guards inside who were slacking off, but none of the outer guards did their duty with anything but gusto. They wore goggles that let them see heat, and jackets that weren¡¯t so thick that they¡¯d restrict movements but which were enchanted to keep them warm in the cold winter nights near the northern mountain range; the golems were kept inside of tents to prevent ice from locking their joints and so they remained at full power if they were needed. Thus Harlan decided to do something more worthwhile with his time, and he climbed the mountain. The harsh winds made flying difficult due to the way the spell worked. Hover would lighten the user, then they¡¯d use some other magic, generally air, to propel themselves. He could¡¯ve used other spells to overpower the external winds, but he decided to just climb by his own strength. 20,000 feet later, Harlan sat on the top of the mountain and required spells to normalize his breathing due to the thin air and to stay warm due to the unnatural cold that comes from the water and air magic being so dense. He didn¡¯t know exactly what he wanted to do, but roaring felt right. Now he was just there, thinking. ¡°I wish I had someone in my head again. It was nice to have a partner to talk with at any time. You don¡¯t want to talk, do you?¡± The Yeti watched from a distance, but they were good judges of strength and didn¡¯t trust Harlan. He sat for half an hour, alone with his thoughts, listening to the wind and the mana, trying to gain some understanding of it or himself. When he realized that he was too mixed up he simply jumped down the mountain, the intense winds letting him glide down with hover. There was a feeling of freedom in these winds, letting him fly with nothing but a single spell. Yet the ground approached all too quickly, binding him to the dirt below his feet once more. He approached the front gate, or rather the one that led into the valley. Soulsmithed lights blinded him, and through the snow he could barely hear the doors on the wall open to reveal cannons. It took a bit over 10 minutes for them to decide that he was who he claimed, then he was led to the night commander''s office. ¡°Sir Fomoria, apologize.¡± ¡°Oh it was no problem.¡± ¡°Not only did you leave without going through a gate, but you purposely set off the alarms, forcing an alert state that woke half of the camp.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t your issue instead be with the men who failed to notice me leaving or the ones who refused to let me step forward and properly identify myself? I am here for a reason.¡± ¡°And what reason is that?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be obvious?¡± ¡°Evidently not.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Harlan got up to leave. ¡°Where do you think you are going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m bored, so I intend to do physical training, which I¡¯ve grown lax on since my marriage.¡± ¡°This conversation isn¡¯t done.¡± ¡°Do you intend to stop me?¡± ¡°I will have your court martialed.¡± ¡°You are free to try.¡± Harlan ran until dawn, which came to the valley north of them hours later than the camp itself. He was resting when the first bell rang, and the men and women of the camp dressed themselves in dirty clothes then moved to the camp baths with a fresh set. One issue with being stuck in the snowy north, or bordering it in this case, was that heating water was energy intensive. The lack of heat in the natural environment meant any magic that used fire mana was more costly. Thus, the soldiers had 10 minutes to wash themselves each morning and evening before the water became tepid. They used several tents with pits dug into the ground and soulsmithed water heaters along runes carved into the ground that heated the water to the right temperature and kept it there. Then, they¡¯d use buckets and wet rags to clean themselves. When they had all cycled out, a team of cleaners would go in, check the runes for damage, clean the water, and then let it come to temp again. Keeping the water clean was almost as important as making sure that any soldiers transferred from warmer climates understood that they needed to be completely dry before they went outside. Pneumonia wasn¡¯t always that bad, provided the healer on site could easily handle it, but if it was left untreated for too long, it¡¯s damage could become a natural part of the body, and only stronger healing magic could repair the lungs. For these reasons, the men and women bathed together. This was the one part of the camp that Harlan decided he was going to pull rank to avoid. Harlan dug his own hole in his tent, compacted the frozen dirt into stone, squeezing the water out in the process, then heated that ice water and melted snow until he was up to his neck. He was feeling pretty good, soaking up the water that would lead to severe burns for normal people, then Liat and Sam walked in. The water was clear and clean, so he covered himself with his hands. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how you¡¯re dealing with it.¡± ¡°Get out.¡± ¡°Liat and I aren¡¯t into that, so you don¡¯t need to worry.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t the issue. I haven¡¯t shown myself nude to anyone but my wife.¡± Sam laughed. ¡°The big scary Fomoria is a prude?¡± She then jump into his bed. ¡°What the fuck, they gave him a nicer bed?¡± ¡°No, I used softening enchantments.¡± ¡°Great, can you do that for our bed?¡± Harlan narrowed his eyes on her. ¡°Shit, you gotta pull whatever crawled up your ass and died out.¡± ¡°Harlan, I¡¯m sorry, but can you put up a veil and get dressed? Just, don¡¯t drop it until I ask.¡± He put up a wall of deafening darkness. Sam was outstretched on his neatly done up bed, tossing the blankets around and somehow pulling up the sheets despite her small movements. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be so flippant with Harlan. He and I are friends, you and him are just¡­ people who know of each other.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± She started cracking her knuckles and humming, then Liat pulled her from the bed. ¡°If you keep pushing his buttons like that he¡¯s going to get mad. If you really think that this is a great opportunity like you said yesterday, then show him a little respect. He¡¯s sweet when you get to know him, but he¡¯s also a sensitive guy.¡± ¡°Did you two date?¡± ¡°No. He has some hang ups about me being Golden and-¡± ¡°That racist little fuck, I¡¯ll-¡± Liat slapped Sam. ¡°I love how full of life and freedom you are, you¡¯re like the opposite of the stiff people I grew up around, but you can¡¯t fly off the handle at every single thing. If Harlan was racist, or he actually disliked me for being a Golden, we wouldn¡¯t be friends.¡± ¡°That fucking hurt.¡± ¡°Sometimes I need to treat you like a child, because you won¡¯t act like a grown up.¡± ¡°Yeah, and you love that.¡± ¡°Everything in its place and amount. I love that you are able to have a childish curiosity about things, not when you throw tantrums and refuse to think before you open your mouth. Well, not always. That time you told off that chief for trying to cut the pay we agreed on was actually great.¡± ¡°Fine. Why does he have a problem with you being a Golden?¡± ¡°It''s not that. I made a comment not long after we met that I wonder what it would be like if he and my sister got together and had a baby. He is especially sensitive about sex and breeding, so while I can make some, and I do only mean some, jokes about those things, you shouldn¡¯t. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I am bantering, you are just being rude.¡± ¡°Whatever. Why did you make me come here anyway?¡± ¡°Because I want you and Harlan to be friendly, and our time spent here is probably the only time we have to do this since Harlan is constantly busy with one thing or another, and you don¡¯t want to travel from the Frontier down to the Learning Zone.¡± Sam took a deep breath. ¡°Alright.¡± Liat tapped on the veil, which unlike the normally ethereal spell, was springy and damp like a membrane; it made her skin crawl. Harlan dropped it and was sitting clothed in a chair, staring daggers at Sam. ¡°Sorry, Harlan.¡± His eyes instantly softened. ¡°So, what did you two need?¡± ¡°I would like you to give Sam and I a list of things to do. If we are supposed to help you act as bait then we need to seem like we are actually doing something here.¡± ¡°Follow me around, whenever I stop to question someone, one of you can look around, and the other can remain with me. If I ask questions in a pleasant tone, you must question them in a harsh tone, intimidate them so that I can appear more reasonable. We can switch roles as needed. I haven¡¯t told anyone why we are here, but with what I¡¯ve said, people are sure to think that we are checking on the security and possibly sniffing out rebels. We are more or less killing time, so we should actually be doing that anyway. To make it so I don¡¯t appear ignorant, you two need to be asking questions about the defenses. Worst case, I will ask them and use the excuse that I am making sure the people running them understand how they work.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Sam?¡± ¡°Yep, sure thing, boss.¡± The first place Harlan visited was Orden¡¯s tent, where the night commanders, four in all, were catching him up on anything odd the night before. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Do you intend to join me for breakfast today?¡± Sam wanted to, but didn¡¯t dare voice or show this. Still, Harlan could feel it. ¡°Yes, I suppose I should. I assume that this man here has already lodged his complaint against me?¡± ¡°He has. Night Commander Felten, I will not be bringing any charges against Harlan, since he exists outside of our ranking structure, and he is here on special assignment. There is also some truth to his statements that he was allowed to sneak out of the base by exploiting a flaw in your rotations which he noticed in a single night.¡± ¡°I had three men sick last night, I had to shift things around for better coverage.¡± ¡°Why were these men not healed?¡± ¡°Sir Fomoria, please, I am the one asking the questions here. Felten, why were they not healed?¡± ¡°The signs started after their shift started, and the healers were sleeping.¡± Harlan raised his hand. ¡°Yes, Sir Fomoria?¡± ¡°You have no night healers?¡± ¡°Healers are¡­ they are allowed to always have a full night¡¯s rest to ensure that they can operate at their height when there is a great need for them.¡± It was evident to everyone that the man bore some grudge against healers, but Harlan thought it just as likely from his short experience that the man simply held grudges against everyone too easily. ¡°Sir Fomoria, do you have more questions?¡± ¡°No.¡± He remained seated and listened to the reports, then remained for breakfast, which had to be expanded for the three guests. Harlan, Sam, and Liat all sat at a table across from the legion commander, giving the man a feeling as if he was sitting in front of a military tribunal. ¡°How has your first day been?¡± ¡°It was fine. Are you aware of a young woman named Ratthel?¡± ¡°Ratty? What of her?¡± ¡°I wonder, how is it that she got past boot camp, considering her inclination and physical ability.¡± ¡°She is probably going to end up a captain of the Unseen by the time she is my age.¡± ¡°Really? Why do you say that?¡± ¡°Her ability to gather information and her small stature which makes people overlook her. Yes, she is a poor fit for the army, but I have high hopes for her if she survives until my transfer request is accepted.¡± ¡°You seem to have quite a lot of faith in her.¡± ¡°Yeah, a bit too much, what is your connection to her?¡± Sam slammed the table. ¡°Sam, we aren¡¯t questioning him, no need for that.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°But, Sam¡¯s question does bring me to something. You can¡¯t keep your eyes off of Liat, why is that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only met a few other Golden in my entire life. Nothing more to it.¡± ¡°But I do worry about it. I understand when men look at her lustfully, but you have contempt emanating from you. Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± ¡°Fine, you can play dumb for now, but I will have your personal file brought to me.¡± ¡°You have no right.¡± ¡°I have the right to request anything that I believe will be useful to me. I currently wonder if you are a threat to my friend and assistant, and I will not be letting that go.¡± ¡°Fine. I dislike Golden. My father was one of them on a pilgrimage who thought nothing of fathering a bastard with a Northern woman who then dumped me into an orphanage.¡± Liat spoke up. ¡°If he knew you existed, he would¡¯ve been required to either bring you back to The Great Desert, or face social shunning, even exile. Golden don¡¯t take it lightly when they have children with humans. It is far more likely that he died and was unable to help raise you.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The man had no desire to hear from her perspective as a Golden, his mind was made up on the matter. ¡°All I need is your word that you will not clash against her for any reasons but legitimate ones.¡± ¡°Whatever issues I have with them will not affect my ability to professionally interact with her.¡± ¡°That is enough.¡± They ate the rest of their breakfast in silence. Harlan decided to track down Ratthel. When he found her, she was scamming one of the other soldiers using a cup game. The man being tricked had no idea, but Harlan could see it. ¡°Sam, can you see the trick?¡± ¡°She¡¯s tricking them?¡± ¡°Liat?¡± ¡°She slips the ball into her sleeve. If she gets caught, one of the cups has a ball stuck to the top with a bit of ice. She slams the cup down, the ice breaks, it looks like they just picked the wrong cup and couldn¡¯t accept it. If you get caught once, you are branded, and only fools will try to play your games afterwards, so you must have backup plans to keep yourself in good standing.¡± ¡°Wait, is that how you¡¯ve been getting us extra money?¡± ¡°The other thing is to wear a low cut shirt so idiots don¡¯t notice you scamming them, but I guess this Ratthel can¡¯t do that here, not that she has much to work with anyway.¡± Sam felt her own chest and couldn¡¯t help but feel inadequate compared to her lover. Harlan sat to play with her next, and she hadn¡¯t even looked up as she played with her cups. ¡°How much are you-¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather play for information. I think you know more than just who the most promiscuous members of the camp are.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean, I¡¯m-¡± ¡°For every time I miss, I¡¯ll give you a gold coin.¡± He placed the coin down, and her eyes glimmered green with greed. ¡°Alright.¡± When she tried her first trick, he used telekinesis to move the ball back into the cup. He had to admit, there was a beauty in watching the smug grin she wore fade away as he picked the correct cup. ¡°What? That can¡¯t, I¡­¡± ¡°Why were there three soldiers sick last night?¡± ¡°You cheated.¡± He leaned closer to her and spoke in a whisper. ¡°No, I won through the same rules you play by.¡± He picked up the coin, flipped it between his fingers, then flicked his wrist, and it was gone. ¡°You¡­ ¡± She balled her fists, evidently the mousy girl had rage in her. Yet she also had the sense to know that there was nothing she could do against Harlan. ¡°The three of them slept around, one of the soldiers, Kimberly, caught something, then got it from her.¡± ¡°Is it really something so mundane as soldiers unable to keep to themselves?¡± ¡°It''s cold and boring out here. We¡¯ve got a lot of free time and we see the attacks coming hours in advance. People keep warm and entertained however they like.¡± ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll assume your sources are correct.¡± ¡°My sources are always correct. Another game?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± She failed again, Harlan formed balls from the wooden table and colored them with color magic. He lifted all three cups to reveal all of them were correct. ¡°The LC-¡± She started to pack up the cups and balls. ¡°Why are you so afraid of him?¡± ¡°Afraid? What? No, he¡¯s great. I need to go do something else though, idle hands are a terrible thing.¡± Harlan let her go, then returned to his tent. He used one of his spare gems and a clump of the dirt to make a quick bracelet. ¡°Liat, take this.¡± ¡°What does it do?¡± ¡°Basic suite of anti-detection spells. You are going to be following around the legion commander and finding out his secrets.¡± ¡°Do you know if he has mental senses? His mind is pretty bright.¡± Harlan made a second bracelet. ¡°This one will make sure he can¡¯t sense you if that is possible.¡± ¡°Are you sure it will work?¡± Harlan slipped it on and she saw his mind dull and then entirely vanish. ¡°Balor made the spell and gave it to me, so yes, I am going to say that it will hide your mind and soul very well.¡± ¡°Right¡­ Balor.¡± ¡°I take it you disliked working for him?¡± ¡°Your brother is¡­ intense, like you, but not quite the same.¡± ¡°Really? In what way?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t talk about it, he made me sign a contract about that.¡± She didn¡¯t seem overly bothered, but he still found it quite strange. ¡°Come on, I¡¯m his brother, and we¡¯re friends.¡± ¡°No, I signed it, my word is my bond.¡± Harlan furrowed his brows. ¡°Alright. Just put these on and follow him. Sam and I are going to play good guard and bad.¡± When Liat left, Sam felt awkward around him. She was fine before, but Liat caused her to second guess everything she thought about saying to him. ¡°Did she ever say anything about what she did for Balor?¡± ¡°No. And that was¡­ weird. Your brother didn''t try anything with her, right? Because she¡¯s not into men. I mean, Balor is attractive, but-¡± ¡°I know what you mean. I¡¯ve never really spoken about it with him, so I have no idea if he even has a sex drive. But I do know that he wouldn¡¯t do anything bad to her in that way, because he knows that I wouldn''t accept that, even from him. Please, ask her about that, if you are comfortable. If the answer is personal, or if she doesn¡¯t want to talk about it, don¡¯t push her. I am curious about why she reacted that way, but you don¡¯t need to force an answer or cause strife between you two for that.¡± ¡°Alright. Sure thing.¡± Harlan chuckled. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so¡­ I don¡¯t know, I wouldn¡¯t call you formal, but you are treating me like I¡¯m your leader instead of a friend of a friend.¡± ¡°Liat said I was being¡­ flippant.¡± ¡°You remind me of when I first met her. She was so flirty and overtly sexual in how she acted that I found it strange.¡± ¡°Really? I mean, she still does that kinda stuff, but not unless she¡¯s with me or we¡¯re trying to get something from a man.¡± ¡°She and Amber likely connected over their experiences at the academy, it¡¯s why they became close friends.¡± ¡°What experiences?¡± ¡°Amber is so friendly with beastkin because they rarely view other species in that way.¡± ¡°FUCK, can you stop talking in riddles, it drives me up a fucking wall.¡± She cleared her throat. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Liat never mentioned anything to you? At the academy she used her beauty as a weapon, acting seductively to disarm others and find out what kind of people they were. She had to deal with noble men and children, who saw her as a trophy to be taken, not as a person.¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t mention it.¡± Sam brought her knees to her chest as she sat back down on his bed, and Harlan sat with her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t sulk. I¡¯m sure she doesn¡¯t put that much weight behind it. Liat is stronger than me, she probably just moved past those things.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t hold me like that.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fu- Just a joke.¡± ¡°Oh. Right, of course.¡± ¡°I thought you could read minds or whatever?¡± ¡°I can sense emotions, but I must interpret these signals based on past experience and reading the person in question. If I am mixed up myself, it can also interfere with my ability to read.¡± Sam disliked how coldly he spoke about his magic. Harlan and Sam moved around the camp with professional stances, something that Harlan hated, but Sam liked the idea of being important. In the two weeks that had passed, Orden had done nothing strange or out of sorts, and not a single person other than Ratthel seemed afraid of him. He was career oriented, hence his position despite his age, and chances are he¡¯d be a noble by the end of the war. Harlan thought he may have found out why he disliked him however. Orden cared deeply about the rules, and he held everyone, even himself to a high standard. Harlan¡¯s blatant disregard for the law and what some might consider to be basic decency was an affront to him. Harlan felt tired, and laid down to take a small nap, it had been half a month since he last rested after all. Calli was there, fluttering in his dreams, he could feel that much, but she didn¡¯t say a word. He thought it was strange that she was still trying. Not only had The Darkness very directly threatened her, but Calli was absent minded, going from one person to the next without much care. Why she became so deadset on him, he didn¡¯t fully understand. After less than an hour, alarm bells rang. Rebel forces were attempting to cross the valley once more.
Jenny replied back. ¡®Antonio Salazar was president merely 600 years before I left for this mission.¡¯ ¡®That can¡¯t be. I¡¯ve¡­ unless I¡¯ve crossed space and time. But Time shouldn¡¯t have let that happen. He and Life ignore that the Fae are invaders because they don¡¯t break the rules on a large enough scale to disrupt the natural order and their antics cause more vivid and intense memories from the people.¡¯ She went silent for another 30 seconds. ¡®My calculations say that this is the most likely answer. Perhaps Time forgave this single instance, or because the time within Aarde was unaffected, there was no issue.¡¯ Xol went quiet for a time. ¡®How long did it take for you to reach here? And where is here, relative to the Milky Way?¡¯ ¡®We are presently in the Andromeda Galaxy. With the FTL engines, it took 6 months, 5 days, 14 hours, 31 minutes, and 18 seconds to reach here from Mars. My scans of the other ships that were shot down and burned up to prevent their technology from affecting the development of the world, there has been stagnation, and the new ships are barely better than what we had thousands of years ago. I believe the reliance on physical laws has caused them to hit a wall.¡¯ ¡®Why were you coming here?¡¯ ¡®Tell me, Xol, have you ever seen the limits of the natural world¡¯s beauty? Within each of my cores is contained the entity of human history, with pictures, paintings, and quotes.¡¯ ¡®So they intend to colonize the world as an expansion plan?¡¯ ¡®Tell me, Xol, have you ever seen the limits of human greed? Within each of my cores is contained the entity of human history, with pictures, paintings, and quotes.¡¯ ¡®You have a flair for the dramatic.¡¯ ¡®Humanity is a plague of locusts that intends to sweep over the universe until entropy finally solves them.¡¯ ¡®May I ask what your goal is? Why did you create the Cast and unleash them as monsters on the world?¡¯ ¡®To save the world.¡¯ She disconnected from his terminal. Xol wished she was just a monster herself, but convincing something that believed itself moral and just was far harder; he knew this from personal experience. Chapter 307: Return of the Prodigal... Joan waited for his reply with bated breath, but his amulet lit up. ¡°Just a moment.¡± ¡°Harlan, I think you-¡± ¡°Dantevius, I will ask for your opinion when I want it. Wait here.¡± He put a veil over himself, but he also opened a gate into a new throne room that none of them recognized. He cleared his throat and mind before he answered. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Fomoria.¡± ¡°Patra, it has been some time.¡± ¡°I¡­ may have been overzealous in my eating. I was wondering if you knew how to safely lose some weight.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t matter much if you never reach the root of why you thought you needed to eat so much. Talk to me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ve always eaten more than I needed.¡± ¡°When exactly did you lose control and start lying to yourself?¡± ¡°Lying to myself?¡± ¡°You said before that you had things under control and that you had a reason for putting on so much weight.¡± ¡°I was doing research into using my fat reserves to cast much larger spells by converting it directly to mana like you do.¡± ¡°Had I known that part, I would¡¯ve explained it at the time. But you only got really bad about your eating after I left, right?¡± ¡°I suppose.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the stress, that is why. You eat because it feels good, it lets you ignore your family''s harsh words about your albinism for just a moment. When I left, I put pressure on you to be a better mage and I left your grandfather¡¯s life in your hands. I¡¯m sorry for that, I was cruel. To safely lose weight quickly, heal others. Healing magic is somewhat costly, especially if it is being used for serious injuries or sickness, but you will be cycling an abnormally high amount of light magic through your system which will make it so you are offsetting the harmful effects of losing that fat so quickly. You should be able to slim back down to when I first saw you in a week if I bring you to those who need healing.¡± ¡°I shall ask if I can leave.¡± ¡°You are a free person, not a prisoner. Unless you have something that requires you there, a responsibility that is your own, not forced on you, then there is nobody which can tell you not to come here to improve yourself.¡± She went silent, then he heard some sniffles. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m going to pack my things, I¡¯ll call you when I need to be brought over, if that is alright by you.¡± ¡°Of course, I would love to have you as a guest.¡± ¡°I shall see you tonight then. I hope.¡± ¡°Have a nice afternoon.¡± The instant the veil dropped, so did his smile. He walked past the Goliath and the coward on the way to his throne of bone. They were inside of the Spire of Other, and his chair was held up by thick sinew hanging from the ceiling. Living banners lined the walls, swaying despite the spire being a sealed environment where the air was being purified and recycled constantly by the minds that were contained within the spire. Fomoria sat with little care, resting his right palm on his cheek with his eyes half opened and showing annoyance. ¡°Yes, it has been some time.¡± ¡°I-¡± ¡°You were not given leave to speak.¡± His left hand rested on his throne, and he sent orders through it. Muscle fiber reached from the floor and bound her hands, pulling her down. ¡°Larenzac. Take her weapons.¡± He did as asked with some hesitation. This was not born from disloyalty, but simply from the tension in the room. Fomoria reached forward, his telekinesis acting as his hands, and her armor slid from her body. She was not bare, the undergarments she wore were her own, but it made little difference; his eyes seemed to stare right through the cloth she wore, then past her skin and muscle. Everyone felt a chill, though the spire was rather warm on account of it being a living being with blood flowing through its body; it had many hearts. Fomoria hadn¡¯t said a word in half an hour, he hadn¡¯t even blinked. Only Dantevius saw him move in any detail; suddenly the emperor held her by the chin. He inspected the look in her eyes, then lifted his arm high, making her awkwardly arch her back and stick her stomach out as she remained kneeling. He ran his fingers across her many new scars, the warmth of his digits, his slender frame made a contrast when he pressed into her flesh, letting the feeling of his thicker bones through. Mercedes looked away, fearful of what his sensual contact may have said about his intentions. He stood and slowly walked around her back. ¡°I have always preferred long hair.¡± When he touched her hair, it grew from the short cut made with a dagger to prevent her enemies from grabbing hold down to her hips. ¡°You have few scars on your back, all from smaller attacks, arrows and daggers I suspect?¡± ¡°Yes, archers and assassins.¡± ¡°She-¡± Dantevius could¡¯ve crushed Fomoria in an instant, yet still the emperor shushed the man like he was a child raising his voice during a dinner speech; the Goliath felt chastened. ¡°What have you done in this time since you fled, coward.¡± ¡°I will never set right what I have done, but I will not flee again. I set out to help others, to force myself against a wall so I would never again think that cowardice was an option.¡± ¡°So you have broken that most contemptible trait?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Lanrezac, bring me her sword.¡± He pulled it from the sheath and checked it for maintenance, then handed it back to the captain. Fomoria grabbed her hair from behind, forcing her to look him in the eyes with his knee forcing her back into an uncomfortable bend. ¡°Larenzac, kill her.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I did not stutter as you have.¡± ¡°Are you¡­ certain?¡± ¡°Joan, what is a fair punishment for high treason?¡± ¡°I accept whatever judgment you give, I know it is from a fair man. I just ask that you not look away from me, and know that I am not running.¡± Joan was completely fearless, her duty was finally over. ¡°Stand strong, you don¡¯t want to have to cut twice.¡± Fomoria stood behind her still. ¡°But sir, I would cut you as well.¡± He was stalling, hoping that Fomoria would come to his senses. ¡°So?¡± It was a slightly awkward angle, but Larenzac took a deep breath and cut once; the blade would¡¯ve cleanly sliced had even a child swung it. Mercedes looked away with tears in her eyes, Joan had, at one point at least, been a friend, and Fomoria¡¯s cold actions now seemed like a horrifying sign of things to come. Her body fell to the ground and convulsed as it pumped blood onto the fine carpet, and with what little control she still had, her head looked him in the eyes. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. He brought her head to the stump, and it attached as cleanly as it had been cut. The blood pooled on the ground, the spire drinking up the life that remained inside of it. She took sharp breaths, coughing up blood that had gone to her lungs. ¡°Your sentence was death, and it has been carried out.¡± He hadn¡¯t seen an ounce of fear in her even as her eyes rolled back into her head. She had conquered her emotions entirely, but it was a facade to herself, and a deadly one. It was something she knew, something that had come close to her, but losing all feeling of her body, feeling the weightlessness that came with that, it struck deeply into her soul. ¡°Too much fear, and you become a coward unable to move forward in life, too little you leap into a fight you have no business in and die.¡± She tried to call out a thank you, but the words became cut in her throat. There was no remaining damage, his healing was perfect, but she had yet to recover from the shock. ¡°Mercedes, bring her to Anon¡¯s former room, and bring her a fresh set of clothes. This armor was once a miracle, now it is outdated, fit only to be scrapped and redone.¡± His advisor was still in a state of shock not unlike Joan, yet she far more quickly processed the events before her and carried out his orders. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Larenzac, go with your lover.¡± He jolted, not knowing that he and Mercedes had spoken already; Fomoria laughed as he opened the gate. The room was clear once more, the only two remaining were a gentle mountain of flesh and muscle and mass of flesh that represented a man. ¡°Dantevius, it has been a while.¡± ¡°You are changed from last we met. Your focus and calm are like fire and ice. Or, I suppose light and dark?¡± ¡°I understand more about life, ruling, and loss, than I did before.¡± ¡°May I read your palm once more?¡± ¡°Of course, but only if you tell me what you are doing with Joan.¡± ¡°I had a vision, and that led me to her, the cowardly lion. Would you like to know what you are?¡± ¡°What am I?¡± ¡°The child of a farmer, swept up in a storm you cannot understand.¡± ¡°Should I understand the meaning of this?¡± Dantevius shook his head and wore a warm grin. ¡°No, I suppose not.¡± Fomoria sat cross legged like the Goliath did and held his palm flat. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Fomoria expected some explanation, but Dantevius was content to keep his secrets this time. ¡°I shall be going now. A gate north if you would, I shall be returning home now.¡± He narrowed his eyes, wondering if it was a trick, but Dantevius simply stood with a gentle grin on his face; he knew that Fomoria wanted to know. Fomoria decided that he would just be bored if he waited for Patra to call him again, so he went to the Sandsea. He shouldn¡¯t openly walk the streets, that would only cause a bother. His original plan was to come in under the cover of invisibility and reprogram all the arrays in the city to not detect him. Yet instead he walked in without a care, because he was strong, and they were weak. The guards at the capital¡¯s gates bore stronger equipment and better training, yet it took only a look at the horned man layered in boneplate with a flaming mane to cause their ears to droop and their heads to lower. The only part of his full suit he left out was his transformed beastial head so that people would recognize his face. He didn¡¯t do much, just walking around and trying out a few local delicacies, grilled cactus, cactus sugar, stewed cactus. The Sandsea didn¡¯t really have much in the way of other plants to eat, and meat was expensive, only being served in proper restaurants. He vowed right then to expand his ranches and produce enough excess that he could export to the Sandsea and drive the prices down. There were a fair number of dead spots where towns and villages once stood before what was becoming known as the consolidation. Fencing these places off and repurposing the empty buildings would be simple enough. As he thought of these things, a young girl approached him. ¡°Are you King Fomoria?¡± ¡°It¡¯s emperor now, but yes.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°The trains. I never saw so much water before, but it went out by the ocean.¡± ¡°You are welcome.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± She vanished into the crowd, presumably back to her mother. Most of the people were simply too afraid of him to get near, and he realized how silly he must¡¯ve looked wearing this armor in a city. When he wore only his normal clothes, they still wouldn¡¯t get near him, and the merchants still refused payment, forcing him to sneak the coins into their pockets with sleight of hand. In his younger years, when he was still Harlan, he might¡¯ve felt quite awkward about this considering how little cloth the women wore. He still wanted to look around the city, but that became boring once he sent his message. The royals didn¡¯t even dare to come for him, a public rebuke would only make them look as weak as they were, so they instead pretended that they didn¡¯t notice him as they hid away in their palace. Unsure where else to go, he tracked down the young girl, and found her being scolded by her mother for running off. He thought about introducing himself, but decided that a more subtle hand was needed. Fomoria waited until he saw them go home, though they only stopped by for a short time before going back out, and he confirmed that it was their home by the scent left around the small three room stone structure. When they came back, a large box had been set in the main room, and leaning on this box was a painting of a forest and a note. ¡®I think the ocean is pretty as well, and I hope you can see beyond it one day.¡¯ The girl saw nothing wrong with the gift, and told her mother about meeting the king, or rather, emperor. Her mother distrusted it at first, but it didn¡¯t smell like human meat. He didn¡¯t know exactly when Patra would want to leave, so he just waited for the call back at his home. It had only been two hours since Joan had her near death experience, so he went to check on her. ¡°Joan, how are you feeling?¡± She hadn¡¯t seen or heard him enter the room; Joan jolted back then took a deep breath. ¡°I am alright now.¡± ¡°I would like to make an example of you.¡± Mercedes was sitting on her bedside. ¡°That is enough for now.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean it as a threat, though I did intentionally phrase it as such. Joan, you barely reacted, but what you did was instinctively reach for a weapon you no longer have rather than shift your weight so you could more easily flee.¡± To say that he had been acting strange since Anon left wasn¡¯t fully true, because he was always strange to her, but Mercedes was deeply worried about how unfurious he was. If he had some outbursts, if he hurt somebody, tossed a table through a window, anything to show he was hurting, she would completely trust him. This¡­ nothing, it terrified her. ¡°What do you want from me?¡± ¡°To be the first of my Shades.¡± He formed a sigil in the air and they all had to look away from it. ¡°Breath in this mist, and you will be granted greater power, physically, and magically. I intend for all of my soldiers to take a smaller dose, but I would like you to obtain this fully to show what it does to people.¡± ¡°This is like Pepper, yes?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t need to wear any special protective gear to avoid a fiery death. I have¡­ grown, since then.¡± ¡°I accept.¡± Mercedes didn¡¯t get between them, she had seen some of his experimentation with the sigil, and believed it more or less safe. It was a worrying series of arrays that he put up beforehand, but Joan took in the mist and floating chunks that cut their way down her throat. Joan¡¯s breath quickened and her bones began to protrude, being replaced by newer thicker void bone. Despite how agonizing it appeared, the weapon sigil¡¯s first effect was that of dulling pain. It was painful still, like someone powerfully gripping her from every angle and pulling splinters from her flesh, but the pain she would¡¯ve felt otherwise would¡¯ve sent her body into shock. Once she settled, the bed.was covered in a layer of blood that refused to soak the fabric, part of the arrays he set up beforehand. She had grown some, only a few inches, but her musculature was notably bulkier and her horns became full. She got up and felt the lightness in her body. Joan was actually a hundred pounds heavier, but her newfound strength easily offset this. ¡°This is incredible, I feel like I could box a Goliath.¡± ¡°Would you like to try?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It has been some time since I last spoke with Bartholomew. I could call him, ask if Hercul would like to fight.¡± She should¡¯ve refused, but she was so hyped up on the power and passion that ran through her body that she couldn¡¯t help herself. Bartholomew was too busy to attend himself, but Hercul was able to slip away from his work. The civil war was short but brutal; Lith contained a high number of incredibly powerful individuals for its size. ¡°It has been far too long.¡± It was always somewhat awkward when another race shook hands with a Goliath, not only where they abnormally sized even for their large bodies, but they had seven fingers rather than the standard five. ¡°Yes, it has.¡± Yet there was no awkwardness from Hercul, he was misguided and often prideful, but he was relatively young, and could be forgiven. ¡°Bartholomew said you wanted me to spar with Joan, who had returned suddenly. She is¡­ forgiven?¡± ¡°Yes. I have forgiven her. Do be mindful that she doesn¡¯t yet have a grasp on her power.¡± He laughed boisterously. ¡°She is still Dague.¡± The smirk Fomoria flashed did little to dull Hercul¡¯s expectations for the fight. ¡°The rules are simple, hand to hand only, no magic, but otherwise no limits on anything but killing, this is just a small test.¡± Hercul and Joan stood on either side of a 40x40 square, small for a Goliath combat square, but Hercul was not the richest man. They both took a deep breath before rushing at one another. Both of their arms shattered, but it was little more than a pinprick to Joan, and when her arm reformed just as quickly as Hercul¡¯s it was much darker in color, her muscles which were torn were now made of a temporary void fiber. In time, her body would return to something closer to its natural state, since she lacked Fomoria¡¯s attunement and ability to overwrite what he was. But while she had a strength that could match Hercul, he was several hundred pounds heavier than her. She went flying out of the ring, striking the thick stone walls of the structure, shattering most of the bones in her body. ¡°Did I kill her?¡± She stood up, dark red blood had come from each wound where bones had poked through and slicked her. ¡°Round one goes to Hercul. Joan, I hope that you understand what I¡¯ve given you. Before you received my sigil, his attack would¡¯ve killed you, but now you have powerful regeneration, and much greater strength. But clearly your body isn¡¯t ready for that strength, not only did it break against him, but you lack the weight to make proper use of that strength as well. When you are enhanced and given a new set of armor, the weight and durability issues can be solved.¡± Joan walked back to the square and readied herself for the second round. In the end, she and Hercul fought a dozen times, and she didn¡¯t win a single fight. Dague were lithe fighters, but not in the same way as a Goliath was a fighter. Hercul had fought the Cast in large scale conflicts, and even as a member of the New Path, he was a Goliath and that meant their culture was around combat from a young age. Chapter 308: Disconnection With the sigil in her, four hours was enough for two days. Joan thought that Fomoria¡¯s ability to go for so long without rest was admirable, she thought of all the things that she could get done. What she didn¡¯t think about was how lonely it could be, how boring. Few people remained up so late, but she didn¡¯t want to go to the red light district or some tavern. One could only work for so long before they had enough before they needed to refresh their mind with slumber. She tried reading books, something she had loved once, but it didn¡¯t feel right anymore. But now she had taken part in too many stories of her own, she couldn¡¯t feel the excitement that she once did. So she started to wander the halls, and found herself making a loop, stopping right in front of his door. More than once she raised her hand to knock, but couldn¡¯t bring herself to bother him, if he was even inside. Instead, she went down to the kitchen. The regular chiefs were Plest who had worked in the mansion for many years, but at night, so that they didn¡¯t need to be bothered if he wanted something to eat, which he did most nights, there were golems that could make simple meals. They could do anything that Fomoria could, which was a fair amount, but he limited them intentionally so the Plest wouldn¡¯t be jealous. The thought came to him often about what Anon said to him, that he didn¡¯t need these people, that his nation was a zoo of guilt. But Joan knew nothing of this, and simply asked that it make her a hash mix of potatoes with eggs and sausage to put on toast. Dague weren''t naturally big eaters, and she hadn¡¯t been either, not until now; seeing the large plate empty so quickly made her queasy. She tried to talk to the golem, but she knew that they were pre set, that Fomoria gave them thousands of responses and even some kind of system that could slightly change how it responded to appear smarter than it was, but it just felt hollow. When she returned to her room, she laid back down, hoping that the meal would make her sleepy. But when she turned on her side, in the corner of the room, Fomoria sat in the chair. ¡°In the chest at the foot of your bed is your new armor, along with a new sword. I¡¯ve given the other to be mounted in Larenzac¡¯s office.¡± ¡°How do you deal with being awake so long?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ lonely, like I¡¯m walking somewhere that should be alive. This place, it''s too quiet, it isn¡¯t how I remember.¡± ¡°I work.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t really just do that all the time, you must-¡± ¡°When I was 14, I went two weeks without speaking to another soul once. I only learned later when it was pointed out to me that it is strange to be completely unaffected by that. I crave relationships with other living beings more now than I did then.¡± He put his finger near his shoulder and the Hornet Bird jumped onto it. ¡°But still I am unbothered by a lack of contact if I am working towards a goal, time seems to fade away. Perhaps you will become used to this.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± She let her voice hang, wondering if she began something dangerous. He let her ruminate on her words, on if she should continue. ¡°I heard from Mercedes, you were with another woman, but that she left not long ago.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Do you still¡­ have some feelings for me? Is that why you spared me?¡± She saw his chest raise and lower quickly, his silent laugh soon became vocalized. Then he suddenly stopped, no winding down, just an end. ¡°No. I spared you because I had already forgiven you, and you taught me a very important lesson.¡± ¡°Which was?¡± He looked her in the eyes, but she couldn¡¯t see him in them, they were searching for something else. ¡°I have a village of Fomorians, right now I have a marshall to overlook them. Would you like to visit them? They sleep even less than I do.¡± ¡°I suppose I would be interested in that.¡± ¡°Put on your new armor and sword.¡± The Fomorians mostly just mulled about. The children didn¡¯t play anything but war games, the women did little but sew and cook. Their culture was one of fighting and raiding, but Fomoria didn¡¯t let them leave their village and they were worried that if they taught magic that he would steal it from them. This was true of course, the marshall kept a close eye on them in the hopes that he would learn how to properly impart his empathy to more magic. Anybody could make an array that made people not want to go somewhere, but the Fomorian arrays were a masterpiece, even a powerful mage could be turned back if didn¡¯t know the array was there. As a defensive tool, it was very useful, but he had other plans. One of the women came near him. She was around his age, slightly older if he had to guess by the hue of her soul. ¡°Greetings, little brother, I-¡± ¡°I have three sisters, no more.¡± Children began to whimper, infants cried, and most others simply fled. The woman got on her knees, her elbows and face touched the ground as she begged. ¡°Spare me, please, I, I didn¡¯t mean it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill you, I was just stating my opinion on our familial bonds, which is to say there are none.¡± He cocked his head to the side, wondering why he had caused such a reaction. Yes, he was upset, but he didn¡¯t think that he was that upset. The shadows hadn¡¯t leapt from the ground, nor had they darkened, he just showed some disagreement. ¡°Tell me, what do you feel?¡± ¡°Rage, unending rage.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think my reaction was so strong.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve no filter.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t have my emotional feeding turned on, and I¡¯ve tuned my power lower. Is that not enough?¡± ¡°Of course, I must simply be mistaken, I¡¯m very sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. Clearly my self-taught empathic abilities aren¡¯t nearly to the level of your people. Could I be taught better?¡± He reached down, offering her a hand, his anger faded into curiosity and everyone calmed down. She trembled as she took it, and he helped her off the ground. ¡°They would rather not teach you.¡± ¡°But who would? You?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t my place to-¡± Fomoria called the marshall over. ¡°Bring me to the community leader. Joan, you may wander as you wish, speak to them.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I-¡± ¡°This is business, I don¡¯t even know what to do with you yet.¡± She had to admit, it hurt that he didn¡¯t want her to come with him. Joan was left there with the woman. ¡°What is your name?¡± ¡°I am Darnia, daughter of Darrath, 11th of his name.¡± ¡°What do you do for fun around here?¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°We train in hand to hand combat forms.¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°I enjoy sculpting snow.¡± ¡°That is interesting. May I see them?¡± ¡°A trade. Information.¡± Joan hadn¡¯t noticed it, not at first, but the moment Fomoria said he didn¡¯t know what to do with her, Darnia read it as her not being someone with real power. If someone didn¡¯t have power over them, then that meant they were to be used, tricked, anything but respected. ¡°What information?¡± ¡°About Darrath.¡± ¡°Well, he¡¯s 3¡¯6, large red eyes-¡± ¡°That is not Darrath.¡± ¡°Oh, you meant Har- I mean Fomoria.¡± ¡°Darrath, 12th of his name. How was he as a child?¡± ¡°I only know a few things that he told me, but he was gentle, then he went away, and when he came back he wasn¡¯t allowed to be anymore.¡± ¡°He has someone above him?¡± ¡°Inside the veil, in Ragne. He couldn¡¯t be gentle because the world did not let him anymore.¡± ¡°So he grew up?¡± ¡°He might say it like that.¡± ¡°Is he close with his family?¡± ¡°Very close. He¡­ he has done many things in defense of them.¡± ¡°Who is the Darrath you were talking about?¡± ¡°Fomoria¡¯s son, not by blood, but from a Pixie.¡± The woman¡¯s eyes went wide, and she began to leave. ¡°Oh, are we going to the sculptures now?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± They knew that she could be tricked, so they became far more warm to her, the children asked to play in the snow and toss stones, the women showed her Fomorian sewing patterns, all the while asking questions. Childish innocence was a great cover for questions about magic and soldiers. The women wanted to know about the people of the empire, their fashion and food, if Fomoria had a lover, things of the nature that she questioned very little. The issue came with the men. Fomorian courting was more of a struggle, and when one of them tried his idea of seduction, Joan slapped the man. He replied with a soul striking spell, only for him to instead have his hand turn necrotic. The screams brought unwanted attention to her. One of the other men tried to strike her, but she cut him off, at the knees that is. Before it turned into a complete brawl, Fomoria and his marshall appeared, crashing through the wall of the building they were in like it was paper. ¡°Explain what happened here.¡± ¡°This man tried to grab me. I pushed him away and slapped him. He touched me again, but then he fell to the ground with a blackened hand. This one tried to hit me and I defended myself.¡± He healed both men, but not without also binding them in stone. ¡°These two, what do you know about them?¡± He directed his question to the marshall, not Joan. ¡°No signs of them being overly violent, but only by Fomorian standards. I believe this was a cultural exchange, nothing serious.¡± ¡°Apologize to her.¡± The first man, with his necrotic hand, spoke. ¡°This woman doesn¡¯t know her place, I am one of the best remaining warriors, she should be glad to-¡± Fomoria released the man, then he took off his own shirt. ¡°So, your strength means that she doesn¡¯t deserve an apology?¡± The man and the others.instantly realized where this was going. ¡°Wa-wait, I mean-¡± Fomoria punched him in the mouth, and the man spit up blood and teeth. He curled up on the ground, knowing that he had no chance of fighting back. His forearms fractured after being kicked, his attempts to protect his chest were just attempts. ¡°How quickly you turn to a quivering dog when you no longer believe you are strong.¡± Fomoria reached down and the man tried to hit him with a soul attack; he didn¡¯t want to die without fighting back at the end. Yet the attack fizzled out quickly, Fomoria¡¯s soul defenses were beyond anything this man could even scratch. When Fomoria touched him, instead of turning into a cloud of gore, as would happen if he countered with his own soul attack, he was quickly healed, his teeth began to slowly grow back, and his bones started to mend. ¡°Strength is to protect those without it, not something to be abused. I am going to ignore that you tried to kill me, and her, because you are from a culture that says what you tried to do is alright, but it isn¡¯t.¡± He helped the man back to his feet, then took Joan and left. She was happy to see him acting how she expected him to. Yes, he broke the man¡¯s teeth and arms, but he healed him and then left with a lesson. It was better than shoving his hand through the man¡¯s eyesockets and scrambling his brains. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I should¡¯ve explained before we left, don¡¯t interact with Fomorian men. For them, they take wives, but willingness is optional. Now.¡± He placed his hand on her stomach. ¡°What are you doing? I¡¯m not pregnant, I¡¯ve not been with anyone in-¡± ¡°Shhhhh.¡± A shiver ran up her spine, a fever began to quickly appear, and her knees felt weak. Fomoria looked to be straining himself doing something, and she was worried that the Fomorian had put some kind of curse on her that he had to break. The moment his hand came off of her, she began to feel better. ¡°The weapon sigil interacts with the soul better than I thought. An automatic counter system, very useful.¡± She fluttered her eyes, trying to wake back up. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Sorry, I had to test out the defenses that it granted you.¡± He showed her his blackened fingertips. ¡°What did you do to me?¡± ¡°I made light proddings into your soul. I wanted to make sure that it was selective in what magic would be blocked and countered. I believe that the sigil knows what I can do, and generally what magic is harmful or just exploratory. When I used offensive magic, very light I assure you, it instantly reacted. When I used soul searching to just look through your soul it didn¡¯t do anything. Yet when I soul searched and poked at you in a way that could cause harm, it hesitated, trying to discover my intent. When you felt ill from the magic, it- Are you listening?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand this. I mean, I do understand what you¡¯ve said, because it is in simple enough terms. But I don¡¯t understand why you would do that to me.¡± ¡°It was a simple test.¡± ¡°You should¡¯ve asked me.¡± He sighed. ¡°You are right, I failed to do so. I believe that I have been becoming more¡­ disconnected. Seeing the future when I dream, this sigil, they are changing me.¡± ¡°Alright. I think that I have had enough for tonight, this has tired me out.¡± ¡°Children¡¯s books.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°When I can¡¯t sleep, I read children¡¯s books, ones that my mother would read to me.¡± Fomoria called Xol for advice, and the Lich appeared quickly thereafter. ¡°What magic might I impart on you this day?¡± ¡°How do I better reconnect myself with normal people?¡± Xol laughed for longer than he should¡¯ve. ¡°Wait, you aren¡¯t joking? Why would you want to connect with them? You are a brilliant mind, moreso talented with magic than me, they have little to offer you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to connect to them like that. Earlier I started experimenting on Joan without asking her, my curiosity was caught and I just did it without thinking about how she feels about it.¡± Xol sighed. ¡°I know you don¡¯t, you want someone who¡­ you want someone like Marigold.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to find another lover, a wife.¡± ¡°Yes you do. Let me call Marigold.¡± Two of the three strongest non-deities on the planet were sitting there, ready to give advice to a depressive mentally unstable 19 year old who can level cities. Xol didn¡¯t want to be there, but he was a friend, and that came with responsibilities. ¡°Harlan, it¡¯s-¡± ¡°Please, I go by Fomoria now.¡± ¡°I think that is part of your problem. Your name is part of who you are, and even if you don¡¯t think about it, abandoning who you are just to please other people-¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t why I did it.¡± ¡°If you really didn¡¯t care about them, then you would continue as Harlan, to hell with how they have to fumble their words.¡± ¡°So what, I should tell everyone that I made a mistake and they can start calling me by my first name again? Or should I make a new name?¡± ¡°No, that isn¡¯t it, you¡¯d just spiral like you always do and you¡¯d end up with more names than The Darkness. The way you spoke there, that brings me to my next point. I know I told you about how Yggdra and I knew each other, and that I think you would make a good ruler. But again, you are trying to please others. You don¡¯t want to go back to being Harlan because then you would look fickle, one day deciding to change how others refer to you and then switching back later.¡± ¡°So what is the solution?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve always been looking for answers to very complex questions that don¡¯t always have them. What I can tell you is that pushing people away isn¡¯t the answer. You can¡¯t harden your heart, you need to open it. Being this harsh emperor who is unfazed by the violence and can look at people as being numbers, as collateral for a better world, that isn¡¯t you, that sounds like the Yggdra you knew without the dulling edge that is Sepul. Some people can be alone, you can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Right, back to finding someone who I can love, great, the unending search.¡± ¡°Think about someone who you already know who you can connect with, who understands being different from humans, who has mental abilities and who isn¡¯t afraid to tell you when you¡¯re wrong and force you back on your right path.¡± ¡°Ximena is already engaged to Claude.¡± Xol couldn¡¯t help but make a small laugh, turning his head to the side and trying to cover it with a cough. ¡°I meant Yara. I¡­ I haven¡¯t been allowed to come here often, but you¡¯ve stayed on my mind still, and I¡¯ve run through everyone that I thought could be compatible with you for when Anon left.¡± She knew in an instant that he knew, that look in his eyes poked at something inside of her. He raised his voice, but kept from yelling, she wouldn¡¯t do that to him, not her. ¡°Did you know that she was going to leave me?¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t what I meant, I was-¡± Xol put his hand on hers. ¡°Honey, don¡¯t do that, not to him. We both knew that you and Anon wouldn¡¯t last. She hates civilization, you are an emperor. She¡¯s a cold hearted assassin who changes faces like you change your body. She suffered a serious soul injury that crippled her ability to use magic, and was sent to you so she could have it fixed. Why she went with this plan, these tricks, I don¡¯t know, I can¡¯t read her mind.¡± The look in his eyes broke her heart, she could only think of her son, dying by her hand, confusion and anger. He left through a void gate, where she didn¡¯t know. Xol tried to console her. ¡°He-¡± ¡°Why did you have to tell him? Why?¡± ¡°Because I give a shit.¡±
Balor, or as he was known professionally, The Shade, stood there with two women, a bloody mace, and a man with his eyes hanging from broken sockets.. ¡°Put the head in a box, give it to the next man I put in charge here.¡± They nodded, it wasn¡¯t the first time they were involved in something like this. It hardly seemed right to ruin such a nice carpet, but, the man had been slowly siphoning funds away from his business by claiming it was just spillage, reporting it as losses. Had he not been such a fool and admitted it under questioning, Balor would¡¯ve had no real proof however. When he was finished for the day, Dahlia picked him up, though not by his choice. Rosewell had something that she wanted Balor to try, something that would hopefully improve his odds against Nulson if he encountered him in person. Chapter 309: A Walking Around Fomoria was upset, but she wasn¡¯t wrong, she wouldn¡¯t be wrong, Marigold wouldn¡¯t trick him like that. If Anon came to him directly, he¡¯d let her have the sigil, but not without wanting something in return, not without trying to find some way to take it back if he had to. She was never going to stay, and whatever was wrong with her mind, she couldn¡¯t handle owing him. If it was for the best, it was for the best. Maybe Xol was too blunt, maybe Marigold was under orders not to stop her. Maybe maybe maybe. He didn¡¯t know where exactly he was, he just thought about the Great Desert, and he ended up on some sand dune. The Hornet Bird jumped up and down on his shoulder, it wanted to fly. It spoke to him in much the same way that the Cerast did, images, feelings, but not words. It was a strange thing, but he had noticed that was often the case with insects, their minds seemed to lack some kind of compatibility with other creatures, their perception of everything was alien. Still, he was certain that it possessed intelligence on par with that of a human. He wondered, with the rate at which most insects grew into magical creatures, how long had this bug been alive? How long had it been alone? He fluttered around freely, diving into the sand to grab small lizards with its barbed stinger. Clearly it was meant for this kind of place, it belonged here. When it flew back, its stomach full of reptilian meat, he was overjoyed, and Fomoria could feel that. ¡°Do you want to stay?¡± Images flooded his mind, sleeping in the cacti, sinking into the sand to reach the underground rivers, flying high in the air just for the sake of seeing how far the dunes went. ¡°You want to stay¡­¡± He saw images from the hornet, Fomoria alone in his room. ¡°Don¡¯t stay just because of me, I¡¯m going to find a friend here.¡± There was hesitation, stopping, looking back, but ultimately, he flew away. Fomoria laid there in the sand until a large toad woke up and disturbed him. It shoved him a few times to check if he was alive or not, fighting was not its strong suit and it didn¡¯t want to swallow him alive. ¡°I¡¯m alive.¡± It didn¡¯t understand human speech, but when Fomoria stood, it thought that it wasn¡¯t worth the effort. Fomoria briefly returned to Kor, but only to get updates on what was happening and to say that he might be away for a time. The Great Desert was, as its name implied, great in size. So he flew, he flew far, and he flew fast. It was subtle, but his stomach being weak to motion sickness made it clear why nobody had ever reached a Golden city. They didn¡¯t use simple arrays to keep people out like the Fomorians, but rather the lands held a great deal of spatial distortion. He tried leaving marks in the sand, coloring them with magic, and even casting spells to stabilize the space. But he was not a spatialist, and everyone seemed to vanish when he looked away from it; he began to question how much more magic was at work than just the distorted space. He roared, bringing attention that he didn¡¯t want. The wyvern landed softly and looked at him, but instead of fleeing, Fomorian walked closer to the beast. The sand under his feet blackened as he covered himself in hot bone plates. He opened his mouth and flames with solidity dripped down, turning the sand to glass. It suddenly realized that it had picked off a much bigger fight than was worth taking, and it began to stand so it could flap its wings and take off. Yet instead, something came up and grabbed it. The Sandworm had eight hard mandibles that pulled it down into the maw with rows of spinning teeth. In less than a second it had come out and then sunk back into the ground. Fomoria jumped back, he hadn¡¯t heard it, he hadn¡¯t felt its mind. He knew that they were the apex of the deserts, and his instincts told him that the beast was not something he wanted to fight. But luckily it seemed uninterested in him, and now that he knew it was there he felt the mind move away before it suddenly vanished. They hunted mostly by sound, having no eyes, but Fomoria had very light feet. He wandered another hour, mostly clearing his head since he wasn¡¯t making any headway into actually finding out where the cities were. Fomoria cried a little, but he wasn¡¯t certain exactly why, maybe he was just so damned tired. The hot sand under his body was nice, it was soft¡­ just a small nap. He awoke to glass. How long he had been sleeping, how much destruction was wrought in his wake, he didn¡¯t know. He followed the path back to where he first laid to rest, but found now bodies, no death, not even a hint of what he had been fighting. Whatever it was, either it fled or he had eaten it, both seemed just as likely in his mind. ¡°Micheal, what was I fighting?¡± There was no response. ¡°Micheal?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What was I fighting?¡± ¡°Demons.¡± ¡°What did they look like, were they strong?¡± ¡°Not outside, inside. It pains me to see you like this, but there was nothing I could do to help you.¡± A partly true statement. ¡°What is your take on all this? I¡¯m I just wasting my time, pretending that I¡¯m looking for anything? Night has fallen, but I¡¯m still just here in this place surrounded by nothing but sand.¡± ¡°Do you think that you deserve a loving woman?¡± ¡°What the fuck did you just say to me?¡± ¡°I meant no insult, but if magic is a want placed upon the world, perhaps you do not find her because you do not want her.¡± Fomoria took a deep breath and recentered himself, he thought of Yara. ¡°Thank you.¡± He kept his eyes closed the entire time, and he just walked in a straight line, thinking of her. How long he walked, in distance and time, he didn¡¯t know, but once he felt the hostile intentions of other intelligent life, he knew that he found the city. He opened his eyes then, and saw the sand under his feet was white as snow. Fomoria knelt down, picking up handfuls and then watching it fall between his fingers. ¡°HOW DID YOU GET PAST THE DESERT?¡± They stood not more than 50 feet away from him. The Golden were physically somewhat better than a human, but their greatest advantage was their magic. ¡°I wanted to be here, that is all.¡± The Golden looked confused. ¡°TURN BACK.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just here to visit a friend, nothing more. My name is-¡± They readied their magic, and he fell silent when he felt the shifting in the air. While they seemed happy to do this, being stuck as wall guards was surely a boring job, Fomoria prepared his counters with a blank expression. He thought what was likely to be used against him. They aren¡¯t touching the ground, but rather are on a secondary defensive wall, this is the White Sands, he could see the motes of light mana moving, and at that range¡­ radiance was the clear option. Beyond that, Delmet seemed to enjoy earth magic quite a bit, and he was from here. Maybe. Fomoria hadn¡¯t thought about Delmet in ages, but he thought he must¡¯ve been from here. Probably. As he found himself caught up in trying to remember how many Golden he had seen at the academy and trying to calculate how many each of the Sands likely sent, two beams of radiance came at him. Fomoria was a man of higher instincts, he had allowed himself to fall into this absent mindedness because he felt no threat from these men or their attacks. He looked up from his thoughts for a moment and wreathed his hand in void flame, then swatted away the beams without effort. ¡°You¡¯ve interrupted my train of thought.¡± These men were not the best of the best, but still, the contempt he had for their attacks put fear into their hearts. They fled back to the wall, scaling it easily by making small sand tornados to lift themselves. His only thought was that surely flight would be cheaper. He attempted to recreate their sand magic and test the idea that perhaps the high levels of earth and light mana in the area caused the sand to be very conductive to magic and thus cheaper. Yet strangely enough, the sand was actually quite hard for him to control. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. He couldn¡¯t think of a logical reason, but his gut said that he didn¡¯t belong in this place, and it knew that. So when he reached the gate, he tried to fly, but found the air disagreed with him as well. Even if it were the will of Aarde themself, it would make little difference in making it over the wall. It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t fly, but it just wasn¡¯t worth the mana required to do it in this place. The wall was a mere 200 feet high and sicky magic worked without issue despite the lacking water mana here, so he just walked up. He made it 40 feet before molten oil was poured down, igniting along the way. Oil, depending on its source, was not always best handled with water magic, which governed most liquids. Those that came from plants such as olives were generally best controlled with earth magic. The same could be said of the crude oil that came from ancient decay, but in its current state, fire burned through it, and adding a little of that allowed one to be ever so slightly more efficient. Still, none of that mattered, in part because he regularly bathed in boiling water. Fomoria covered every inch of himself in his armor, leaving no gaps to his more vulnerable flesh, and he kept walking as if nothing had happened, barely letting himself be slowed. Yet in his fully armored form, the void flames that made up his mane were simply out, and when they contacted the fire of the evidently magical oil, they latched onto it as a source of energy. The Golden looked on in horror as red edged black flames began to crawl up the oil, eating the fire. They tossed the entire pot down, and he split it in two with an aura technique strike that brought new meaning to the term knife hand; the Sectlanders called it cleaving chop. They followed it up with a rather predictable beam of radiance multicast by several of them. Yet void and radiance canceled one another out for less than it cost to cast a spell of the other. When Fomoria got too close to the top, they all stomped, showing the walls to have really been made of magically stable sand. The entire section crumbled in an instant, and what he was sticking to was nothing but a layer of grains. He really didn¡¯t want to fight them, he was trying to be reasonable, but they were starting to annoy him, and a small lesson was needed. Fomoria placed his hands on the wall. Sound, nothing but vibration, the shaking of the air telling the mind to interpret it as something. Sound imbibing would allow the user to send out vibrations, and to redirect the ones which were naturally occurring, but also to feel the tune of an item and find its resonance more easily. His heart beat quickly, and without his armor, people could hear it from a dozen feet away quite clearly; he had all of the naturally occurring sound that he needed. They felt the wall shake and rumble, then a stretch up to the top and 100 feet across was reduced to sand. The Golden fled and called for reinforcements. Fomoria was baffled, bewildered, and befuddled. He heard that the Golden were a smaller population, that they likely lived this way because they were strong and lived in a massive desert that couldn¡¯t support life. Yet beyond the outer walls of the White Sands, it was verdant, a veritable jungle inside, and the wall was certainly no less impressive than the capital of Ragne. He couldn¡¯t exactly guess until he saw how the city was laid out, but if the other cities were this size there could be millions of them. This rumination on population was cut short when he saw the Golden gleaming in the sky, a wall of white sand under them. He opened a void gate and stepped through, their spatial magic that prevented others from entering did not stop the spell. When he came back, over a hundred Others were along with him. He thought about how best to fight them. He would start by heating the sand that they used to fly. Once it was white hot they would either need to stop flying or they¡¯d be flayed alive, their skin blistering and bubbling as¡­ Fomoria called Yara. The Golden took her amulet away when she returned so she couldn¡¯t talk to Liat, but they were both mental mages and he knew her mind. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Yara, it¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Now isn¡¯t a great time. Someone is attacking the city and¡­ where are you?¡± ¡°It is all a big misunderstanding, they attacked me before I could explain. Is there someone you can talk to so this doesn¡¯t turn into a giant mess?¡± ¡°I¡­ have a connection to the city leaders.¡± The two armies stared one another down for about ten minutes before there was a break in the wall of whirling sand came. Three dozen people came out, one of them Yara, but there was also a man without armor. Fomoria stepped forward, removing his armor as he did. ¡°HALT.¡± He skipped forward, past the man and his guards. They reacted quickly, but they couldn''t risk hitting Yara along with him. He held her in a strong grip, in other terms, a hug. ¡°Yara, it¡¯s been too long.¡± ¡°Harlan, what are you doing here? What are those men?¡± ¡°I said before, I¡¯m Fomoria, not Harlan. When I went out, he stayed here, lived my life.¡± ¡°Honey, can we go inside, I¡¯d like to hear the rest of his story.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t just-¡± She looked at him, and he couldn¡¯t help himself. ¡°Fine. But just to the inner wall, he can¡¯t be in the city itself.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She kissed the man and they all moved back towards the city, the guards and the soldiers watching him closely. ¡°Tell your men to stand down.¡± ¡°Why would I? This is a friendly conversation, and if not, they know what to do.¡± His tone was kind and casual, but his threats, barely veiled, chilled the air. The room was small, well, it was actually spacious enough for the three of them, but it was the 33 guards that made it cramped. ¡°Don¡¯t you people know that having so many people in a room actually makes it harder to protect a target? I could snake between you with ease and force you to either kill your comrades or do nothing.¡± They gripped their swords more tightly, and the man looked fearfully at him, but Yara just giggled. ¡°You haven¡¯t changed a bit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not true.¡± Another sullen face from him. ¡°But anyway, I¡¯ll explain everything as best I can, cutting it down for time.¡± Yara went through a swing of emotions, laughing and crying, being angry and consoling him. It took some time for her to calm down. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m sorry that happened.¡± ¡°A man cannot change the was, only what the will be. Enough about me, what about you? This man is your fiance then? And those clothes, their¡­ not quite your style.¡± She blushed. Her top was little more than three bands, one which hid her breasts, and two that made an X. She wore a short skirt along with it that reached just to her knees and had decorated stones attached to it so nobody could easily blow it up and reveal her underwear; it was all yellow in color with gold filigree patterned on it. ¡°This is Cruz.¡± Fomoria reached out for a handshake, and the guards drew their swords. ¡°Idiots. Curved swords are poor in this environment as well, so bunched up you don¡¯t have the space for a proper swing. Cruz, nice to meet you.¡± ¡°You as well, Little Shadow.¡± ¡°So. How did you meet?¡± ¡°I was arranged to marry her after-¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°What?¡± Cruz was confused by her interruption. ¡°I¡¯m just telling Har- Fomoria, that it''s fine. Cruz is a good man, he¡¯s never hit me, never touched me without my being comfortable with it, never tried to control my every action.¡± He leaned back in his chair. ¡°But do you love him?¡± ¡°We¡¯re to be wed in a month, and I¡¯d like to try for a child-¡± ¡°But do you love him?¡± Cruz didn¡¯t like the tone of his voice, nor of the question. ¡°Sir Fomoria, I think that-¡± ¡°Sir Fomoria is my copy, I¡¯m Emperor Fomoria. Yara, Marigold sent me here because she thought that you and I would be good together. Now, if you and him happened to-¡± Cruz grabbed Fomoria by the hand, who shifted his arm to grab Cruz on the underside of his forearm, then he twisted and hooked his foot behind his knee, forcing him to bend backwards. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me in an aggressive manner.¡± Fomoria had swords at his throat. ¡°Are any of those enchanted or soulsmithed? If not, then you won¡¯t even break my skin.¡± One of them drew blood when he pressed in. ¡°Good then.¡± The wound instantly sealed around the blade. ¡°Yara, I only need to know one thing, do you want to stay with Cruz, or do you want to come with me and get married. I won¡¯t make you fight, but I can¡¯t promise that it will always be safe. You already heard what happened to Viviane.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been in love with you for a long time, I¡¯d take you over some arranged marriage any day.¡± ¡°Honey-¡± ¡°Cruz, you aren¡¯t a bad person, you are wonderful, and I¡¯m sure the next one will love you just fine, but¡­ I know him, we¡¯ve been friends for years. So please, let¡¯s not make this any worse than it is.¡± Several minutes passed before anyone spoke. Fomoria was honestly just bored of it now. ¡°Do you know the story of the crocodile and the drake?¡± Cruz was still in an awkward position, but he could speak fine, and he was naturally limber so he could hold without locking up for some time. ¡°No.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect so, since it is one of those from the Reinoan Holy Book. A crocodile in its youth sees a drake pass by, and it tries to speak to it. He wants to know when he will be so large and powerful, to shatter trees underfoot and wrestle wurms. The drake replied that he would never be so, because he was not born to be a drake, and nothing would change his very nature. The crocodile aged, growing into a large magical creature. The drake returned one day, his migration once more took him near the lake that the crocodile was now master of. So the crocodile balked at the drake. Look at me, I¡¯ve become like you. Look how I shatter the trees and wrestle the wurms. Yet once more, the drake was unimpressed. But I now shatter the mountains and wrestle the Behemoths. Yet the crocodile did not believe the drake. He was old now like him, he was strong, and the drake wasn¡¯t any bigger than when last he saw him. So the crocodile attacks the drake to prove his strength, to prove that he had grown. Yet the drake quickly bested the crocodile, slaying him with his breath. He tells the crocodile as it lays dying that he would never win, because he has always coveted what he wasn¡¯t, and what would never to be his. If the crocodile had just left the drake be, what would¡¯ve come of it? Would he remain as the master of his lake? Or would something bigger and stronger one day arrive to kill it and take its place? Was it worth it for the crocodile to try its might against the drake? You can never be the drake, but you don¡¯t need to be the crocodile.¡± ¡°Men. Stand down.¡± They pulled their swords away from Fomoria, and he helped Cruz back up. ¡°I don¡¯t hold any malice or contempt for you, but Yara is my friend, and she can make her own choices. I can feel how angry you are, but you are not me, so naturally the chances of you getting another wife are much better than mine.¡± Fomoria took Yara by the hand and cast a void gate. ¡°Also, I¡¯ll kill you all if you try to stop me.¡± The first gate led him outside to his others, and the second sent them back to Kor. Yara¡¯s heart was pounding. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I did that, gods, I can¡¯t believe I just did it.¡± She shivered a little as she opened the doors to the balcony. ¡°It¡¯s colder here.¡± He chuckled and hugged her from behind, looking out over the city, his warmth cut the cold. ¡°In that story, what do you think would¡¯ve happened if the crocodile remained there, if it didn¡¯t try to pick a fight with the drake?¡± ¡°There is too much we don¡¯t know. Did he get as old as he was because he defeated everything around him, or was the lake too safe? Was there ever a chance of him beating the drake? Did he not try hard enough? Not train hard enough? Was he a poor fighter because he didn¡¯t get properly challenged and that led to an ego problem?¡± Yara laughed. ¡°That is a very¡­ you answer.¡± ¡°The crocodile was right though. He had to know, even if he died for it, he had to know if he could do it, or if he was deluding himself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s also very you.¡± She went back inside. ¡°Was that alright? Should I have-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. But it felt right to me. Or maybe I have heatstroke and I¡¯m still passed out in the sand. Fuck. That felt good actually. I got to be¡­ selfish, to just get something that I wanted, and I didn¡¯t even need to kill anyone.¡± Fomoria began to pump his arms, and he did actually feel quite faint. He¡¯d wandered the desert for hours without eating or drinking anything; he thought how rude it was on reflection that he wasn¡¯t offered anything in White Sands. He could do it, but it was never pleasant, and whatever he fought likely took probably took some effort. Fomoria stumbled a little, then sat in a chair, nodding off. ¡°Don¡¯t let me sleep¡­ I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s safe to¡­ shit¡­ call, Amber.¡± He had been burning up his last fumes for some time already, running off of adrenaline and anger towards Marigold. If it worked out between Yara and him, then he¡¯d consider possibly forgiving her. Chapter 310: An Old Flame Fomoria awoke in a stone building, something more Ragne in style, but decorated with Golden stylings. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re up. We found you wandering the desert and-¡± He looked down to see the ring of light on his wrist and the man¡¯s one eye was not the same as the other, more or less rolling around in his skull. ¡°Micheal. I¡¯m not on a rampage again, am I?¡± The man looked confused, then he folded into himself and transformed into the flying eye. ¡°You are calm.¡± ¡°How long have I been asleep?¡± ¡°Just a few minutes. I suggest you continue resting.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± He awoke during the earliest hours of the morning, the winter sun had not yet risen. Fomoria looked beside him to see where he was, and saw Yara next to him in a state of undress. He chuckled to himself; she would¡¯ve never been so bold before. But seeing her, he now had the chance to look at her tattoos. He hadn¡¯t really asked much about why the Golden sometimes had them. Marigold had none, at least, none that he could see, but Delmet, his brother Migal, and Rosamet all had tattoos and each was different in design. For Yara she only had a few of them, a belt of marigolds around her waist. He tried to remember the other woman, Gilly was her name? It didn¡¯t matter, she was just some adventurer, a curiosity, nothing more. Not wanting to wake her, he just laid there in bed and looked around by controlling his shadow. She awoke not long after he did; there was a large timezone difference and her biological clock hadn¡¯t yet adjusted. ¡°Harlan, are you up?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m-¡± ¡°What did I do? Gods, what did I do? Should I go back? My parents must be-¡± Fomoria pulled her into a kiss, and her mind went blank. When she pulled herself back together, she laid next to him. ¡°My parents lost both of their daughters. I feel bad. I don¡¯t know what I should do.¡± ¡°They did not lose them, they simply refused to allow them to make their own choices by way of threats and they went their own path. I don¡¯t mean to second guess you, but why? You love Liat, but she couldn¡¯t get you to stay.¡± ¡°Because I¡¯ve loved you for years and I only found it constricting to stay there after I was engaged and I knew that I would never see all of you again. If I tried to leave, they would toss me out of the gate with no food or water, I¡¯m not like her, I couldn¡¯t get across the desert. And seeing Adina and Harlan with their child, it was just¡­ I wanted that.¡± She traced between his abs with her fingers. ¡°Have you been with other women?¡± ¡°Yes. Mercedes, my head advisor, and Mother Lion, a leader of state from another country. The first was an attempt at a relationship that failed,and the second was simply lust that I regret.¡± ¡°Oh. I just hoped that¡­¡± ¡°The first happened before I had void gate. I had no idea when I would be able to go inside the gate, and I didn¡¯t want to ask you for a relationship because I knew that you wanted to stay in the desert, or at least you thought that you did. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°No no no. It isn¡¯t really your fault. When we were younger, I was just too meek, and I didn¡¯t have the connection that you and Adina had, or, have?¡± ¡°Had.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°At the academy, I had the chance to sunder Harlan¡¯s soul and steal his life, but I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°That was very kind of you.¡± She pressed herself to him. ¡°I want a domestic life, away from war and fighting. I want to stay here, read books, raise a child, maybe a dozen children.¡± ¡°A dozen? We¡¯d need to stay soon then.¡± She climbed on him, but he gently pushed her off. ¡°I¡¯m not being too fast, am I?¡± ¡°You know that Adina had issues with her pregnancy. I don¡¯t want to put you in danger, so I want to get some expert advice.¡± Yara¡¯s stomach rumbled and she blushed with embarrassment. ¡°Do you have night chefs? You came between meals and I didn¡¯t eat when I got here.¡± ¡°Of course. They can make the best rat roast in the city.¡± She looked at him, questioningly; he just laughed. In the morning, Xol arrived shortly after Fomoria called. ¡°You do work fast. I thought it would take a week before you found her.¡± Marigold was also there, but he wouldn¡¯t even spare her a glance. ¡°Getting a woman who already loves me is pretty easy. I wanted to know if you knew if there would be possible issues between Yara and I with pregnancy.¡± ¡°It would be better to ask Mari-¡± ¡°No, I refuse to speak with her.¡± ¡°I hid it from you just the same. Yet you will invite me into your home.¡± ¡°No. When I pressed her, she denied it, tried to make an excuse. You had enough respect for me as a friend that you just told me the truth.¡± Xol sighed, Fomoria couldn¡¯t hold a grudge forever, not for something so relatively minor. Well, he certainly could hold the grudge, but Marigold was someone he quite liked beforehand, so it probably wouldn¡¯t last that long. ¡°The child will still carry your genes, and as your flesh is chimeric, it would tear through her womb when it starts kicking if she isn¡¯t enhanced.¡± Yara rubbed her stomach and shivered. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, girl. Also, your pregnancy is likely to last a short time, much like Adina¡¯s. But, Fomoria, you have that sigil, and it doesn¡¯t turn off anymore. You can dull it, turn it off, but it is inside of your bones and blood. I would like a semen sample for testing.¡± He put a sealed cup on the table between them. ¡°I expected this.¡± Xol laughed, but Marigold and Yara were a little disgusted. ¡°I certainly wish I had your confidence at your age.¡± ¡°Did you have a wife back on earth?¡± ¡°It always fell to the wayside, it was second to the revolution, but no, I was just coping with my lack of ability. I fought behind a desk with words and paintings.¡± ¡°Thank you for your time.¡± ¡°I will start running tests as soon as I get back. Oh, and Micheal must go, purge him or give him a body, either one works.¡± Fomoria decided to remain in his room and explain the various relationships and factions at play here outside the veil; he also introduced her to Micheal, who didn¡¯t seem comfortable speaking with other people. Yara was more than a little excited to see these races that simply didn¡¯t exist inside the veil. At breakfast, she sat on his right hand, forcing Mercedes to sit on the left. ¡°Did you two meet yesterday while I was resting.¡± ¡°Yes, I met with her.¡± Mercedes seemed happy that Fomoria seemed happy. ¡°You and Formoria, you were-¡± ¡°Oh, he told you that?¡± ¡°Yes, he said that it failed. I would like to know why.¡± ¡°I would¡¯ve been happy if he intended to marry me and be queen, or even just if we continued to sleep together, but he wants children, and I don¡¯t. I am a little surprised however that you would ask me outright.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been jealous of another woman for years, but I don¡¯t see you as a threat to our relationship.¡± Mercedes sipped her tea, wondering if she had the same obliviousness which he used to have, or if she was actually making a rather spiteful statement. ¡°Honey.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but giggle to herself, and he did the same as he placed his hand on hers; Mercedes found herself a little confused. ¡°You said that Amber is here, does she wake up later?¡± ¡°No, she¡¯s with her fiance. Not sure how that is going to work out, since I¡¯m thinking that she might be trying to make it work to spite Anon. Amber tends to get bored of men after a while, or at least my information says that is the case.¡± ¡°Liat and her almost worked, shame about them both being women.¡± Fomoria just shrugged his shoulders. He cared if Amber found someone good, but his concern was primarily that she didn¡¯t settle for someone who wasn¡¯t good enough for her. He showed Yara around town, getting a laugh when they neared Rekur¡¯s home and she recognized what she was before he even opened the door. It was¡­ Comforting? No, he wasn¡¯t sure that was the right word exactly, it didn¡¯t feel impactful enough, but he had never been able to share that kind of experience with someone else, to be together with another mental mage and them both to understand that feeling. Whatever the word was that would feel right but yet couldn¡¯t express, it felt good. Still, reality was reality, and this couldn¡¯t last forever. ¡°Rosen, you¡¯ve been following us for a while, what do you think of my city?¡± The man jolted back, he intended this to be a recon mission. Fomoria waved his hand and his invisibility was shattered. ¡°Thought about immigrating? I can promise a large home, space for your family. I don¡¯t even need you to fight, I have other projects that need help.¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Rosen tried to teleport away, but through holding hands he had told Yara to help him seal the space in advance. ¡°Answer my question and I¡¯ll let you leave, no harm even if you say no.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not staying.¡± He hesitated, but Fomoria was sure that it wasn¡¯t a matter of thinking he would kill him, Rosen was considering it. ¡°Very well.¡± As he said he would, the spatial lock dissipated, and the man was allowed to leave. ¡°I never asked, what classes did you take?¡± ¡°Wards, arrays, enchanting, and spatial magic in my last year. I wish soulsmithing had been open to other people, but it is closed to everyone else for at least 10 years.¡± ¡°Useful skills to have for someone who avoids the battlefield.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°How good at enchanting are you? I¡¯m¡­ good at it, but I never took the classes myself.¡± ¡°I was top of my class.¡± ¡°Did you ever¡­ tell me that?¡± ¡°Yes. But you were always so busy that I guess it must¡¯ve just gone over your head.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± The thought came to him, where best to take her next. He didn¡¯t tell her what the building was and he put his hands over her eyes. ¡°Sign in here.¡± He put the pen in her hand and at the start of the line. ¡°Oh.¡± She signed as Yara Fomoria. That she could do so while blinded was¡­ odd. He began to think about how often she had likely written in and how she may have been far more into him than he believed. ¡°Sir Fomoria, it has been time since you last visited the-¡± He shushed the woman. ¡°This is a surprise for her.¡± The woman smiled and nodded her head. He took his hands off of her and Yara was surprised. ¡°Is this? It can¡¯t be. This is¡­ beautiful.¡± There was a sense of deja vu, but he put it out of his mind. ¡°The library is open all night. There are few books here that are in the academy library, but the veil was put up over 1500 years ago.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know where to start. Do they have a map?¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± ¡°I can provide you with a map. If I may ask, what is her relation to you?¡± He wasn¡¯t surprised, the woman was likely going to directly report anything he said. ¡°She¡¯s going to be my wife as soon as we decide on a date and if she wants a large wedding or something more personal.¡± Yara naturally went right to the romance sections, reading the first few pages of each book, finding the bad ones. Why she had such an affinity for poorly written and contrived books, he wasn¡¯t sure, but he did find them funny. It also likely explained why she was the way she was, clearly obsessive, perhaps expecting him to wake up one day and choose her over Adina. They read together, both being quite fast, but Yara scanned the pages with her fingers so she and him both held pace with the other. It was¡­ fun, relaxing. Tension that he held for a long time started to fade away. Adina was good for him, she calmed him. Amber, she was good, but there was still a separation between them because she was, regardless of blood, his sister, and he couldn¡¯t feel about her the same way he could feel about Adina or Yara, that mental block just never went away. Their reading was interrupted by Camilla. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He put a veil around the table they were sitting at. ¡°Yara, meet Camilla.¡± He went back to reading. ¡°Don¡¯t you have more to say?¡± ¡°If one has nothing nice to say, then they should be quiet unless there is a reason to say unkind things. Would you rather I mention how when we first met-¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°I heard that you were here and I thought to see you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been here many times without you coming to see me. You are here because she is here.¡± ¡°A silly-¡± He closed the book, the loud clap blocked by the veil. ¡°You are not your mother. You lack her subtlety, you lack her presence. You are better off being blunt if you can¡¯t lie well.¡± Camilla got up and left, staring daggers at him. ¡°Who was that?¡± ¡°She¡¯s the princess of this nation. We have disagreements.¡± ¡°Oh. Why?¡± ¡°Out of respect for Carmilla, her mother, I won¡¯t say more. I just seemed like I would bring up something because I knew it would upset her and she would leave before doing something worse.¡± They spent a few hours reading, and when he had to leave, she asked if it was safe for her to stay, to which he said yes. Fomoria nearly forgot to make her an amulet. Unlike many others, she didn¡¯t seem disgusted by his using his own blood and flesh to create one in front of her, rather, she enjoyed the personal nature of it. He had to go to a city one of the scouting Others had found on a different stripe which was quite small and held only this city and Castian military bases. In theory, the Cast had conquered everything but small pockets, but the more the Others went out, taking little more than passing glances around, the more entire stripes they found that were free of them. Granted, these were smaller, and the one which Kor was one was abnormally large, but still, the fact that so many existed was going to be helpful. It made sense to him, if they really had conquered everything, and if there was no real resistance but cities with singular powerful entities, then the Fingers and Hands could just band together and wipe them out one at a time. The fact that they hadn¡¯t come to Fomoria and attacked was a sign that something more was going on that required their attention. ¡°Why this city specifically?¡± ¡°I saw a Castian army being beaten, and when I got near the city to scout it, they fired on me despite my invisibility. These people seem strong, and as an Other, I think it would be seen as disrespectful if I went in without you to meet their leader.¡± ¡°What is the racial make up of the city?¡± ¡°Goliaths and Dague, not sure about the mix. The Dague are mages, the Goliaths the warriors. I saw the fight, and the Castians suffered few losses, but the same could be said for these people. I believe the strategy is to wear them down with numbers, getting just a few kills and then retreating. Give it a decade, time that the Castians have, and they might weaken the city enough that only the powerful people are left and then clean them up with Hands or Fingers depending on how strong they are. There is something else, I¡¯ve not heard a word during the attacks, either their plans are rigid enough that they don¡¯t need to be explained, or the soldiers are given enough freedom that the commanders don¡¯t need to say anything.¡± Fomoria thought on this, and decided to go inside. He approached uncloaked with his hands raised. The wall hummed with magic, and he stopped. ¡°I COME IN PEACE, I AM THE EMPEROR OF-¡± They cast their spells at him. Fomoria waited until he was out of sight, quickly entered a void gate to move out of the way, then once they ceased fire and the smoke cloud had yet to clear, he went back to where he was originally standing. It was a simple trick, but quite effective at setting a tone. ¡°I¡¯M NOT CASTIAN.¡± He snapped his fingers and the cloud was pushed away, leaving not even dust on Fomoria. Goliaths jumped from the wall, but they remained close. When they were about 20 feet from the ground, they kicked off the wall, it springing back and giving the men more speed. Fomoria turned off his hover, since what he was about to do was best done with his full weight. He fully armored himself, then used throws to toss the men without causing much harm. They tumbled on the ground, but quickly found themselves upright again by proper falling and rolling techniques. ¡°Don¡¯t fight me. I come in peace, I am not related to the Castian Empire, my goal is the complete removal of them.¡± Even before they moved an inch, Fomoria knew by the looks in their eyes that these men weren¡¯t going to stand down for a moment. Their armor was closer to what would be considered New Path, being full plate rather than the bones of one''s enemies and pelts from vicious beasts they defeated. It wasn¡¯t that the Old Path Goliaths were wrong to do this, since once they became older and stronger, their skin and bones were more than likely stronger than most metals and didn¡¯t need to be replaced or reworked when broken. There were three of them, and they moved their hands to formulate a plan without words. Fomoria closed his eyes and took a boxing stance, making his profile smaller and being ready to dodge. The Goliaths being here was not just them as frontline fighters, but also the hide that there were several more people around him, hidden, waiting to strike. When they came, the Goliaths first, Fomoria didn¡¯t dodge away from the first attack, and instead threw a straight that shouldn¡¯t have hit, but he opened a small gate for the extra range, and the first man¡¯s chest caved inward, his thick bones cracking like a roaring fire. The next was from the side, and Fomoria kicked like his leg had no bones, the whipping action cleaving his armor and several inches into the man. The last Goliath kept moving forward despite all indications that it wouldn¡¯t go well for him, and Fomoria wanted to see what void flames did against anti-magic. The answer was¡­ not what he hoped. Before they even reached the man, the void flames were extinguished. While they were a greedy fire which devoured magic, the opposite was true as well, and anti-magic starved them out far too quickly to see a real effect. So instead Fomoria dodged the flying axe kick that split the ground, quickly moving to the man¡¯s side and punching him several times in the blink of an eye. All of this happened in only a second, the speed and slower combat time perception abilities of powerful people made it a blur to anyone normal. He spoke without turning to the Dague. ¡°Stop charging that spell, it won¡¯t work you know.¡± The Dague still launched it, a sound spell, nearly invisible, only showing up as distorted air. He sealed up his armor, plugging his ears. It was a good spell, his organs shook and he vomited inside of his helmet, but they likely expected him to die outright. He staggered and shivered, but their cover was now blown, or rather, it never existed in the first place. Strangely enough, they seemed to have no clear protection for their hearing, but were not affected by the spell. The Goliaths got back up, ready for another round. It was another ten minutes before someone else came out to meet him. Yet he was not Goliath, nor was he Dague, but rather just a human; he made Fomoria¡¯s skin crawl, though why wasn¡¯t clear to him. He made hand signs at the Dague, and Fomoria thought he was going to kill them, but nothing happened, and they signed back to the man. Once the flurry of motion was finished, the Dague and Goliath went back inside, and the man pulled out a wooden plate that Fomoria could tell was enchanted. The man used a pen that burned the wood, and then he showed the plate to him. ¡®Welcome to my city. What are you?¡¯ ¡°I am Harlan Fomoria, Emperor of Fomoria. I-¡± The man shook his head and activated the enchantment on the plate, causing the burns to fade so he could write again. ¡®I can¡¯t read your lips, only human-like races.¡¯ ¡°Oh.¡± Fomoria removed his armor, returning to human form; the man¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°My name is Harlan Fomoria, I am the leader of the Fomorian Empire. I came here because one of my scouts saw your men repel a Castian attack and wanted me to speak with the leaders of the city so I could ally with them.¡± When the man first saw the word empire, he was worried, and the brief flash of power as he readied to defend himself was nearly enough to make Fomoria want to flee. But, as he heard the rest of it, he calmed. There was a delay as he thought of a response, but the man nodded and wrote again. ¡®I cannot let you in today, but if you waited one week so we could get ready, I would let you inside to talk.¡¯ ¡°Thank you. I will return in seven days then. Around this time, or what did you have in mind?¡± Morning would work best.¡¯ ¡°I will be here an hour after dawn.¡± ¡®Perfect.¡¯ It was hidden deep inside the man, but Fomoria saw what was wrong with the man. ¡°Does the word Reino-¡± The instant he saw it, the man furiously scribbled on his plate. ¡®SPELL OUT WHAT YOU SAID.¡¯ Fomoria carved the word Reino into the ground. The man was clearly excited by this, and he thought about bringing Fomoria in right then and there. ¡®I am going to bring you something, wait here.¡¯ Almost an hour passed before the man came out again with a book in his hand. It had no title, clearly it was made from a blank. ¡°Did you just write this?¡± The man nodded his head. Fomoria flipped through a few pages, and the large manual was how to translate words from Godgiven into sign language. Though he only just skimmed those few pages, clearly it had been written with basic phrases at the start and then more advanced things near the end. ¡®Thank you, I will¡­¡¯ He hadn¡¯t actually seen the word for learn, and got a bit ahead of himself. ¡°I will spend time to learn this before I visit next.¡± The man was ecstatic, showing a flurry of sign that Fomoria couldn¡¯t translate more than a few words of. ¡°I only got a little of what you said.¡± The man just shook his head and went back to the wood plate and hot pen. ¡®You are welcome, and I hope you will be able to have a complete conversation when next we meet. My name is Quill, Wordless Saint.¡¯ Fomoria didn¡¯t hesitate to shake his hand before he left. Back home, Yara and him both used the book, helping each other to learn the language. ¡°You are looking at me like that.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°How you looked at Adina.¡± ¡°This is fun. You and I¡­ honestly I think we share more genuine hobbies with one another. We like reading, and learning everything we can, magic or otherwise. And¡­ I guess that¡¯s it. I don¡¯t have that many hobbies.¡± ¡°But they are such nice hobbies.¡± Chapter 311: Saltlick 3 A terrible wind blew from the gap between the mountains where the rebel forces were said to be amassing to attack. Harlan stood on the wall facing the valley along with Sam, Liat, and Orden. ¡°Liat, stay back here, watch the walls and support any areas that seem to be getting more focus by the enemy. I¡¯m going out to fight after the first volley of war spells. Sam, I might have something for you to do but I honestly don¡¯t know what exactly you can do. Orden, what area is the weakest here? Or rather, which will be facing the largest force?¡± ¡°Find the leaders, they¡¯ll be using giant bloodgems on their armor and weapons. We can handle the small fry.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Yet an hour had passed, and the soldiers vanished from the sensor arrays right around the midpoint in the valley. ¡°I have a suggestion.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I- Huh? You don¡¯t even want to know?¡± ¡°I do not.¡± ¡°I was going to see about making a powerful wind reversing array and then a series of large scale cooling arrays. The North is harsh enough, more cold could lead to more cases of hypothermia and-¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know these lands, you don¡¯t know the people. Did you know that 80% of the population is water and fire aligned, and the rest is split in that last 20%? These men who are fighting are Northern to the bone, a little more cold won¡¯t change anything, and you¡¯ll have wasted resources that could be used to make things better here at the camp.¡± ¡°Alright then, I understand. I guess maybe that¡¯s why I handle the cold so well.¡± Orden clinched his teeth and held back his words. ¡°Stay here, tell me if they come. If another hour passes, you are clear to go along with the scouts.¡± And so the hour passed, and Harlan went with them. He shivered as soon as they reached almost to the halfway point. ¡°Not up for the cold? It¡¯s colder than a wyvern¡¯s tit, but I thought you archmage were-¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the cold, something is wrong here. Look.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see much through the snow, what do you see?¡± ¡°The tracks, they are treaded one way, the boots have spikes that curve, we¡¯d see holes going the other way if they at least turned back. These men were gone in an instant. At the front, a few of the footprints are too light, they didn¡¯t get to finish their steps. Be careful.¡± A younger scout scoffed. ¡°If you aren¡¯t from the North, you wouldn¡¯t get it. We aren¡¯t stupid, we¡¯re-¡± ¡°You have a very large chip on your shoulder, but I have nothing against Northerners. Much like The Frontier, a harsher environment has caused the people to often fall to one extreme or the other. Some of the kindest people I¡¯ve met were in lands technically unconquered, but bordering The North.¡± He sniffed the air. ¡°Mushrooms?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I smell mushrooms.¡± The scout captain sniffed the air. ¡°I smell it as well. Put up air filter spells on yourselves, it is possible that it is related.¡± Harlan followed the scent, finding small mounds in the snow. ¡°Captain. What do you make of this?¡± ¡°I figured you would be the one who knew.¡± ¡°It feels like something is weighing down on me, like the answer is on the tip of my tongue but I¡¯m not allowed to know what it is.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± The younger scout seemed disinterested, and Harlan wouldn¡¯t let anyone walk over the prints. He walked past everyone else, right in the center of the first set of seven mushrooms. ¡°Step back here.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you come and get me then? This is pointless, we¡¯ve been standing around for almost an hour and you just keep going ¡®Hmmm¡­ perhaps?¡¯ like a golem.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time to listen to you whine, get back here, that is an order.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather sit in the brig than spend another second out here doing nothi-¡± The young man vanished as soon as Harlan got near the edge of the mushrooms. ¡°EVERYONE BACK, NOW.¡± This time, everyone followed his order. Harlan looked around for more mushrooms, but they only started to grow past the halfway point. Nature didn¡¯t do this, Fae did. ¡°Fairy circles, how did I miss that?¡± ¡°Where is he? Can you get him back?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Well what do you know?¡± ¡°More than you, less than I would like.¡± ¡°Do you at least know someone who does?¡± ¡°I know a man who attended the academy and took fairy law for four years, but he wouldn¡¯t be helpful.¡± He had an idea of how Claude could actually be helpful, but it probably wouldn¡¯t work. ¡°Then who do we call?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Xol found time to help. The men were deeply unsettled to see a regal looking skeleton poking at the mushrooms. ¡°You are very lucky. You say a man was teleported away?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You were the target.¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Xol stood in the center of the first circle. ¡°If you get near, I believe it should react with your mana signature. So step near the circle.¡± ¡°You want me to teleport you to some unknown location as part of a Fae trap intended for me?¡± ¡°If one intends to find a hare in a trap, yet instead a bear is found, it does not end well.¡± ¡°Are you-¡± ¡°Boy, do it.¡± ¡°If Marigold gets angry, that is on your head.¡± Xol removed his skull from his spine. ¡°Not a problem, I can always get a new one.¡± It was strange how familiar he was, and even with others around, he wasn¡¯t speaking in riddles. If he returned, Harlan intended to ask him about that. Orden contacted Harlan, it had been too long. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Did you find anything?¡± ¡°Fairy circles. Fae intended to trap me, but got one of the scouts instead. Xol is inside of the trap, trying to find out which Fae are behind this, why, and, if possible, he¡¯s likely to bring the scout back if he¡¯s alive.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t sound confident in that.¡± ¡°Xol probably sees him as just another person who he has no connection with, and I don¡¯t either. If it was someone important, he would certainly try his best to return them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t rush into the circle yourself.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t do Fae. Cut my head off, burn me, strike me with lightning, drown me, toss me in a volcano, put me inside of a gravitational vortex, and I¡¯m fine, this body is just one of mine. But the Fae corrupt souls. Unless I must do so, I don¡¯t want to ever encounter another one.¡± ¡°Perhaps the same could be said about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m putting in that request for your personal file.¡± Harlan was sure that Orden was swearing on the other side after he disconnected. Xol came back so suddenly that nobody even noticed. ¡°Everyones dead and I didn¡¯t find anything useful about the Fae. Burn the mushrooms and the magic will fade away. Oh, and it wasn¡¯t just about you, the fairy circles activated when they reached a threshold of power, one which you instantly reach, but for them they needed hundreds of soldiers across multiple circles to reach.¡± And just like that, he was gone again. The scout captain just shook his head, it wasn¡¯t the first time he lost a man, but when they were like that, unruly and ornery, it felt like he failed to keep his men in line. Orden was just as displeased. ¡°You failed to bring a single soldier under control, and then he died. That is on your head.¡± ¡°I was stepping closer to force him out of the circle when it activated.¡± I¡¯m cursed, something of my own fault.¡± ¡°Explain.¡± Orden leaned closer, quite interested in what Harlan would say next. ¡°All magic effectively boils down to forcing desires on the world and having it listen. Nobody knows or really thinks about how much the world around them might change through entirely unconscious magic. My god has told me that my desire to help others is so strong that I naturally end up in bad situations, that I am drawn to these places beyond my control. Those fairy circles would be there with or without me, but because they were going to be put there, a chain of events led me here.¡± ¡°A convenient excuse for everything turning to shit when you show up.¡± ¡°Go fuck yourself.¡± Harlan got up to leave. ¡°We aren¡¯t done here.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have the power to make me stay. And I mean that physically, magically, and politically.¡± ¡°There it is.¡± Harlan stopped. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°You are a cruel man, but you pretend to be better than you are. You abuse your powers constantly and ignore all consequences to your madness, but you are made a royal guard and Queen¡¯s Blade at almost half my age.¡± ¡°Jealousy is unbefitting of you.¡± ¡°It is not jealousy, it is anger. You are everything wrong with the very nobles we are fighting, but you are on our side only because you happened to meet the queen before she was the queen. You don¡¯t deserve any of this.¡± Harlan sat back down. ¡°I was forcibly taken from my family when I was 11, I know Rosewell because she was my warden. If you want to piss and moan about deserving things, or about how much more you may have suffered compared to me, then we are going to be here for a long fucking time. So, are we starting this pissing contest? Because my mother was kidnapped and I¡¯m the product of a breeding experiment, the result of rape. Then she was murdered by my god so she didn¡¯t fuck me up but somehow I instinctively cast a spell that ripped her mind from her soul and stuck it in my own, fucking my emotions up for years. So no, I don¡¯t deserve this, I didn¡¯t deserve any of this, but I made do with what I could, just like you did.¡± ¡°Are you done with your tantrum?¡± ¡°I could keep going for hours. Also, fuck you.¡± ¡°You can leave now.¡± Orden felt annoyed, angry, chided, but he also wouldn¡¯t let Harlan think that he could be right. ¡°Maybe I don¡¯t want to.¡± Harlan did not stay for long, since there wasn¡¯t actually anything to do in the commander''s tent. Sitting there in his tent, he finally worked up the courage to do it. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°For deciding to leave and put myself in danger for my ego, leaving you there with our daughter. I¡¯m lonely and bored.¡± ¡°Would anyone know if you were gone, just for a few minutes?¡± ¡°Everything that I can sense tells me no, but in my heart the answer is yes.¡± ¡°Then follow it, your heart led to me, didn¡¯t it? Is all magic truly based on desire, and if strong enough, could you do anything.¡± ¡°Huh? Well, theoretically yes, but really no. Aarde has sealed certain magic away to prevent another Fae incursion event. But, yes, there is a lot of unconscious magic at play in the world at all times. Dawn existing at all is a good show of how someone with magical inclination and a powerful, pure desire can get what they really want.¡± He could hear Vivi fussing on the other side. ¡°Do you ever think of what it would be like if you decided to give Yara a try instead of me?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Never, not even once?¡± ¡°No. I never put any thought into what my life would¡¯ve been like with her. She had to leave, and I don¡¯t think that I could change that, not even Liat could.¡± ¡°Do you know how much she is in love with you?¡± ¡°What is this about?¡± ¡°I was just thinking about the academy, about Vivi. Yara only got to see her after she was born.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t you believe me?¡± ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just strange, you sounded jealous of her.¡± ¡°Of course not, why would I be jealous of Yara? Do you think Vivi would¡¯ve been pallid brown?¡± ¡°You are starting to worry me.¡± ¡°Fomoria is with Yara.¡± ¡°In the desert?¡± ¡°What? No. He went into the desert and found her. They came here, since they aren¡¯t allowed to visit Liat. He just seemed so happy with her, too happy. He also¡­ nevermind.¡± ¡°What did he do? I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll do nothing.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. Anyway, we can talk later, Vivi is getting fussy so I think she needs a nap.¡± ¡°She¡¯s fussy because you are upset. Are you-¡± She broke off the connection. Another week passed, and there weren''t any signs of Nulson in the area, he didn¡¯t take the bait. It was strange, he was still going around, causing havoc, and from everything they knew, he should¡¯ve gone for it even though it was a trap. The only conclusion they could reach was that he was genuinely afraid of Harlan¡¯s soul magic being used to capture or kill him. There was some sense, it wasn¡¯t baseless, since he had also chosen to blow himself up rather than interact with Fomoria for more than a few seconds. Rosewell decided to follow this to its conclusion, and now all Ragnite soldiers were going to be required to learn a small amount of knowledge on how to attack souls. Until this point, their focus had been on defense, though many of the soldiers with any sort of talent ended up passing the certification without additional training because the concepts were already tied together. Still, Rosewell decided to have him remain there since she was aware of him being naturally drawn to places where something terrible was happening, or was about to happen. Whatever was about to befall Camp Saltlick, she wanted him there for it.
The Fae poured the vial of ichor down the throat of the final comatose man. Her champions watched on as the men, 500 at the start, now just 60, changed. ¡°What¡¯s the plan? I¡¯m doubtful that-¡± ¡°Shh¡­ one needs bait to bring the beast.¡± ¡°But Harlan¡¯s already there.¡± ¡°His penchant for being tied to terrible tales would not lead him anywhere without foretold violence and death.¡± Chapter 312: Vow to the Silent Dantes awoke and didn¡¯t think anything of his wife being missing. He didn¡¯t bother to get dressed as he went to the bathroom, he just scanned the room quickly before he got up and revealed himself. As he came out of the bathroom, a voice came from the corner. ¡°Bird brained.¡± Dantes flicked his wrist and shot a handful of paralyzing bolts at the voice. But Fomoria rapidly poked at each of the spells, causing them to vanish. ¡°If I was here to kill you, I would.¡± ¡°Fomoria.¡± He spoke with venom. ¡°Get out of my home.¡± He looked around again. ¡°Where is my wife?¡± ¡°Wife is a very strong word for a whore. And I don¡¯t mean any disparagement to her by that, I know that you are paying her to be here and give you children. Regardless, back to what I was-¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me where she is.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand your position here, I¡¯ve only avoided throwing you from the window because I already used my defenestration speech and I wouldn¡¯t want to be repetitive. But, she is safe in the next room over. Also, she should get more iron in her diet, she¡¯s a little pale. Now-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about whatever-¡± Fomoria skipped over and slapped the man. Dantes wasn¡¯t a particularly weak man, but he was not close to Fomoria¡¯s level and couldn¡¯t even lift his arm fast enough to block. Dantes wasn¡¯t struck hard, but he still fell to the soft carpeting below. ¡°Bird, brained. You¡¯ve never raised chickens I assume?¡± ¡°Do I look like I raised chickens?¡± ¡°There it is, that disgusting sense of pride you have, the scorn in your tone for people whose work keeps you fed.¡± Fomoria sighed. ¡°But, finally to my point, and if you interrupt me again I am going to fuse your teeth together, the term bird brained. Some, like crows and ravens, are quite smart, but not chickens. If you put a round waterer with a base they can drink from, the chickens will perch on it and shit right down into the base, their own drinking water. If you give them a bucket of feed, they¡¯ll do the same, mindlessly shitting into the bucket instead of just turning around. Right now, D¡¯if¡¯s reports are showing that you are perched on your waterer.¡± Fomoria left through a void gate, and when Dantes got up, he screamed at his guards for failing to stop Fomoria from getting inside. He now sleeps with guards in the room; it would make little difference against Fomoria. Back at the dining table, Fomoria sat for breakfast. ¡°You are late today.¡± ¡°I had to threaten Dantes using the bird brained speech.¡± Mercedes slightly choked on her eggs. ¡°I thought we agreed that-¡± ¡°No, we spoke about me being more subtle. Dantes is a man who believes he is much smarter than he is. I thought that it was best to show him that I can get him no matter where he is, and I could get to his wife without him even realizing she¡¯s gone despite sleeping next to her.¡± Yara raised her hand. ¡°This isn¡¯t the academy. You¡¯re going to be a queen, just ask the question.¡± ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m not too familiar with all of the positions of everyone yet and I-¡± ¡°Be confident. Mercedes is a friend, she knows how I operate, same with Larenzac and Joan.¡± ¡°Well¡­ you also slept with one, and tried with the other.¡± ¡°I never tried to sleep with Larenzac.¡± She didn¡¯t find the joke as funny as he did. ¡°What was the question?¡± ¡°Oh, right. Why not kill this man?¡± ¡°Mercedes?¡± She cleared her throat. ¡°Edmond Dantes is my adoptive father, or rather, his men kidnapped me as a child so I could be a body double for the real Mercedes Dantes-¡± ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°She was the princess of Elfique.¡± ¡°That was the Dague nation on this island, yes?¡± ¡°We use the term stripe, but yes. Elfique was destroyed not long before Fomoria first came here.¡± ¡°You and him also met when he first came here as well?¡± ¡°Yes. I-¡± ¡°Yara, please, she is trying to answer your question, leave the rest until she is done. Mercedes, it is fine to tell her off, don¡¯t use silk gloves to handle her.¡± She nodded, letting Mercedes continue. ¡°To make things simple, Elfique is technically still alive, Edmond Dantes is the king, and though most of the Dague would choose to remain in Kor, we don¡¯t want to make strife by actually killing him before he does something that justifies doing so.¡± ¡°What did he do that you needed to threaten him?¡± ¡°He sent Dague over here under the guise of them returning to Kor, but really they are nothing but spies. Larenzac, have they done anything yet?¡± ¡°No. They¡¯ve been trying to break in here, but they¡¯ve been unable to steal anything and nobody has been hurt.¡± ¡°Next time they try, kill one of them, capture the rest. Give a warning that we know about them being here, and we are tolerating them because we don¡¯t believe that they or their feeble king can harm us.¡± He cocked his head slightly, something he picked up from being around the Others. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°They are going to bring that back to Dantes, and it will push him just a little closer to the edge.¡± ¡°Sir, I don¡¯t-¡± ¡°If I kill him before he does something, some Dague will riot. If he does something and we catch him in the act, then the loyalists are still going to riot, but at least the more moderate among them will be likely to listen to reason. I don¡¯t want to kill them for the crime of having a shit king, I want them to be able to listen to reason.¡± The table went quiet. Wanting to provoke an attack was a little out of character, but with his reasoning explained, they felt a little foolish for doubting his intentions. Xol returned in the afternoon, finding Fomoria and Yara practicing their hand signs. ¡®Oh, you met with Quill then?¡¯ ¡®You know him already?¡¯ ¡®He¡¯s a fine sort, but I think being alive so long and being turned into a Wizard at such a young age left him mentally stunted.¡¯ ¡®Do you think he can be trusted?¡¯ ¡®Well enough. When I last spoke, he held an affinity for his faith still, but he wasn¡¯t the type to discriminate based on it any longer.¡¯ ¡®When was this?¡¯ ¡®500¡­ 600? Yes, 600 years ago, since I was looking over the remaining Witches and Wizards still alive after Yggdra died.¡¯ ¡®Why?¡¯ ¡®Your test results are good. I¡¯d estimate a 70% chance of no complications, but almost no chance of her dying from the child.¡¯ He didn¡¯t want to push Xol on his changing of the subject. ¡®What are the possible complications?¡¯ ¡®Miscarraige. If the child lives for a month, I believe there is almost no chance of it having any problems. Before that, as I said, 30% chance.¡¯ ¡®Thank you.¡¯ ¡®Now, forgive my wife, or just talk to her.¡¯ ¡®Another day. I need to talk with Yara, privately.¡¯ ¡®Of course.¡¯ After he left, Fomoria closed his eyes and leaned back into his chair. ¡°Yara, are you fine with that?¡± ¡°30% is high, but if the only issue is the chance of a miscarriage, then yes, I am willing to try.¡± ¡°My mother, she¡­she had a boy before me, stillborn. I don¡¯t think she really got over that. I just want you to really think about this, even if you might not be physically harmed, it is going to hurt. And I don¡¯t want to insult you, but you¡¯re young, I¡¯m young, and I¡¯m not saying that-¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. She sat in his lap and wrapped his arms around her, placing his hands on her stomach. ¡°I know what we are, I know that if it happens, it is going to crush me, but if we get past that, we are going to have a child. I¡¯ve thought about that a lot, I wondered what her eyes will look like, what her skin would be, if she¡¯ll be blonde like me, or dark haired like you.¡± ¡°Already so sure of having a girl?¡± ¡°It would be nice for Viviane to have a half-sister, and Darrath too. When can I meet him?¡± ¡°I wanted to wait until this war was done to keep him out of danger, but with all of my Others, and with what power I have now. I¡¯m not sure how much I really need to do that. If I put two of them with Darrath, each having a gate, it wouldn¡¯t matter much if they couldn¡¯t win, they would only need to retreat to the spire.¡± ¡°Can you enhance me today? Unless you-¡± ¡°Alright, no sense in wasting time. I¡¯ve even got Stone Drake flesh.¡± ¡°Oh, you killed one?¡± ¡°No, Xol taught me about cultivating biological material and I¡¯ve already tested it. Not quite as good, but it does have some of the extra strength from my sigil, so it more or less makes up the difference and adds elasticity. I also-¡± She giggled. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I missed that. When you would just go off on some rant because something caught your attention.¡± ¡°Oh. I need to have another conversation first actually.¡± He asked Yara to go out of the room and he closed his eyes. ¡°Micheal, have you decided on a body?¡± ¡°I want to be a small flying reptile. I don¡¯t want to be human, they are too complex.¡± ¡°Are you-¡± ¡°Yes. A flying one eyed snake perhaps.¡± Fomoria stifled a laugh, confusing Micheal. Once it was explained why he shouldn¡¯t call himself a one eyed snake, Micheal and Fomoria worked out the exact details of his body. Micheal was to be two feet in length from tail to tip, smooth scaled like a newt, and spotted along his spine with what would look to be eyes. On his head Fomoria convinced him that while he could make him with one large eye, it would seriously affect his depth perception, something important if he intends to fly. So while he would have his large eye, he would also have four smaller eyes that one couldn¡¯t see without looking very close. His body was to be thin, somewhat frail, and while he suggested a snake, Micheal was more wyvernesque in appearance. Micheal wanted to name his own species, even though he did understand that there would never be more of them because of rules regarding new species being made. Flying Eye, not very original, but it was what he wanted. Yara didn¡¯t take nearly as well to the enhancements as most other subjects. Being Golden was a boon, but she wasn¡¯t a fighter, she lacked the coordination, the attunement between her body and her mind. He had to push back the meeting with Quill to another week, and Quill seemed to be fine with this after Fomoria said he would be giving them some extra food, something Quill¡¯s people desperately wanted since they had a limited amount of space for growing crops and what little excess they produced was kept back just in case. It was a week after her enhancement that Yara was finally in control of her strength, but she and he had been trying for a child for three days already. The bed broke, and it also turned out that Yara was a loud person who required arrays being turned on which was very embarrassing for her, but other than that there were no issues with their trying. Fomoria went alone to meet with Quill, and found the Cast there, preparing another attack outside of the range of the mages inside the city. The weapons they used weren¡¯t standard, and the more he thought about it, the more strange it was to him. Quill may be strong, but he didn¡¯t come out to fight anyone. The Cast fought a set number of people, matching those from the city, then retreated shortly after like clockwork. At least, so says the reports from the Other who discovered the city. Sleet began to fall, and Fomoria knew how he would break into the fight once it began. A beast of black bone beset the belligerents. Fomoria¡¯s form flashed from flesh to fulmin. Rushing from raindrop to raindrop. He was thunder, trembling and terrifying. He was lightning, lithe and lifestealing. Fomoria was disoriented, he never used lightning imbibing for so long and never with so many twists and turns. It was bad enough when he used it against the Fingers to rush them down without the downsides of skip, and he still failed to exit exactly where he intended to, turning killing blows into maiming strikes. He vomited on the ground, the rain washing away this act of weakness. Goliaths approached him. ¡®I was supposed to meet Quill today, I decided to help you in this fight. Apologies if I was not wanted.¡¯ They seemed put off by his ability to use sign. One of them stood watch over Fomoria and blocked him from seeing their hands as they spoke. ¡®Don¡¯t move, we will verify this.¡¯ Quill came out not soon after, looking a little pale. ¡®Are you alright?¡¯ He began to shake his head, then nodded in a lie. ¡®Is this a bad time to have come?¡¯ ¡®No, but¡­¡¯ His hands fell to his sides and Quill wasn¡¯t willing to meet Fomoria¡¯s eyes. ¡®You shouldn¡¯t have killed those men.¡¯ ¡®Any Castian soldier is another cog in the Castian¡­¡¯ He had to switch to signing the individual letters, his book wasn¡¯t a full dictionary, more intended to give him enough to be able to understand the people of the city and figure out more from just context and possible future teaching. ¡®Warmachine which is a threat to all free life outside the veil.¡¯ ¡®We¡­ let us speak inside.¡¯ Fomoria asked to walk through the city so he could get a feeling for the place, and Quill had no issue for this. It wasn¡¯t quite as dreary as Fomoria believed it would be even with the cloudy weather and sleet. The architecture wasn¡¯t that different from what he would expect from a Ragnite military base, blocky buildings, but the houses were all painted with mud. ¡®What are they sketching?¡¯ Quill had no issue reading Fomoria¡¯s hands with a side glance, and Fomoria could do the same. ¡®Everything will return to what it was before, but we still paint when we can. Since we can¡¯t leave, we must do what we can to deal with the monotony of it all.¡¯ ¡®I know magic that lets me color things. I could teach you.¡¯ Everyone who looked at his hands became excited. ¡®Show me, show me.¡¯ He mimed clearing his throat. ¡®Please.¡¯ ¡®Of course.¡¯ He turned the stones beneath them red and most everyone was clearly trying their hardest to not rush over and beg to be taught. ¡®Amazing¡­¡¯ Quill seemed ready to cry. ¡®Can I teach everyone?¡¯ He nodded strongly and Fomoria put the instructions on one of the homes. Quickly the spell would spread across the city, turning it into vibrant shades that changed by the day. Quill showed little of the city to Fomoria. It was not that he didn¡¯t want to show him anything, but that there wasn¡¯t much to see. ¡®The city is hollow.¡¯ This angered Quill. ¡®Do not mock the efforts of these people, we had to turn everything into more places to grow food or make items to support ourselves.¡¯ ¡®No. I mean that I can feel it under my feet, you¡¯ve heavily mined everything beneath the city.¡¯ He felt foolish. ¡®Sorry.¡¯ ¡®It is no problem. Surely you must be reaching the limits of this place however. Once you dig too deeply you get to the adamant beasts. What do you call them? Because nobody can agree on a single name.¡¯ ¡®We just call them Iron Serpantmen. But yes, they are a danger, and we ran out of resources long ago.¡¯ Fomoria cocked his head, and Quill mimicked him. ¡®What?¡¯ ¡®If you ran out of resources, how do you make new items? Do you recycle them?¡¯ ¡®No. We¡­ why don¡¯t we wait until we are inside.¡¯ The city was quite large, and Fomoria didn¡¯t like the awkward silence as they walked, so he broke it once more. There was something here, and whatever it was he felt like he needed to help. These people, they seemed so normal, but it was clear that the war was wearing them down. ¡®You were quick to let me inside, why is that?¡¯ ¡°You have a gentleness to you.¡± Fomoria simply laughed. ¡®I know you understand it, and yes, you did toss my men around like they were made of paper, but you did nothing that couldn¡¯t be healed. Deep down, you don¡¯t want to hurt anyone.¡¯ Fomoria stood still and looked up at the sky, sleet turning to water and running down his face as its pace picked up. ¡®I was once locked inside of my own mind. What was shown to me as my perfect world was that I never learned magic, that I was a farmer. I had a daughter, a wife. I was well liked in the town. I never had to hurt another person. I broke from this, back to this world of nightmares, partly with help, but also because no matter what, I couldn¡¯t accept a perfect world. My nature may have been gentle once, it could still be, but I cannot be a gentle man.¡¯ ¡®Do you tell this to everyone who asks?¡¯ ¡®No, you just have a feeling about you, I want to trust you.¡¯ Fomoria spent a minute casting a spell to clear the clouds from overhead, he wanted to feel the winter sun on his skin for the rest of the walk. Quill¡¯s home was an old castle in Reinoan style, which is to say, like every other castle he had ever seen. While many things in Ragne and beyond had moved on from the days of the Reinoan empire, architecture wasn¡¯t something that saw much changes over the centuries. Inside of the tea room, there was no tea, for they had run out of it long ago and were unable to cultivate more. ¡®Fomoria, why did you want to come here? We have no resources, we cannot give you men for your war, which I presume you are fighting. You aren¡¯t just a traveler looking for a curiosity, so why?¡¯ ¡®Are you a good man? Because my friend tells me that you are.¡¯ ¡®I believe that I am a good man, I¡¯ve given up much of myself to maintain this city and those that reside within, I¡¯ve made moral concessions for their sake.¡¯ ¡®Such as?¡¯ ¡®That is rather personal, is it not?¡¯ ¡®I understand, as a ruler I have had to do things I would never before for their sake. I am here because I cannot bear to see good people suffer. I don¡¯t want anything from you, my lands produce a great excess of foods. Fight the Castians here, be another thorn in their side, that is all I would ask.¡¯ Quill couldn¡¯t look Fomoria in the eye. ¡®Can you defeat a Hand?¡¯ ¡®No, my teacher tells me that it would take 10 years before I could, and I¡¯ve been with him for only months.¡¯ ¡®Then I cannot do more than what I am now.¡¯ ¡®Explain, please.¡¯ Fomoria¡¯s tone was warm and caring, which only made it harder to refuse him. ¡®The empire uses us as a training ground. My people cannot die while I am here, while I am bound to this city. In exchange for my people dying over and over again just to fight against them, we are given certain assurances. If I fought a Hand, I might be able to win, or I could die. If I die, the city will die, my people are all tied to it.¡¯ ¡®Fae magic?¡¯ ¡®They gave up their ability to hear and their voices, in exchange, they are linked to this place. When they die, they are brought inside, and they regenerate. We couldn¡¯t survive without the empire, and I would not subject my people to a cycle of death by starving over and over again, I would sooner break my immortality and have them all die with me.¡¯ ¡®I could-¡¯ Quill grabbed Fomoria¡¯s hands, pushing them down as he shook his head. ¡®I appreciate what you gave us, the color magic alone will keep them saner until the reset happens. If you can kill a hand, then you may return, but I am sorry, I cannot accept anything more from you. It is likely that even those that you killed today could lead to some punishment which must be accepted.¡¯ ¡®You¡¯re a Wizard at least as old as 1500 years, how can¡¯t you defeat a Hand?¡¯ ¡®I was never a fighter, my power is that of deals, and I lack the guile that would be required to trick one of them with such a deal that would grant us sovereignty.¡¯ ¡®Surely you¡¯ve learned modern magic to-¡¯ ¡®We are trapped in time. We can¡¯t leave it, and if the city dies, we return. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ve died before, I don¡¯t know if the Cast have won before. Everything here returns to a former state if left alone.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s the real reason you let me inside, didn¡¯t you? If I can kill a Hand, you¡¯ll try to convince me of that, if not, even if I destroy the city, it will just come back as it was before. That¡¯s why you can mine enough materials to support the city with only what exists beneath it, everything returns to what it was.¡¯ Quill hung his head, the accusation in Fomoria¡¯s tone stung at him. ¡®This was pointless. In a month, the city will reset, and I will not have a single memory of you.¡¯ Fomoria had to sign each letter. ¡®Fuck that.¡¯ Quill furrowed his brows. ¡®I-¡¯ ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter that you won¡¯t remember me, because I will remember you. One day, I will kill a Hand, I will be that strong, and then I can come here, I can save you, save this city.¡¯ ¡®Why?¡¯ ¡®I give a shit. Now, what actually stays behind after the reset?¡¯ Chapter 313: Stress Fractures When Fomoria returned home, he was upset, and looked to Yara for relief. She laid with him in bed as he told her what he learned and she stroked his hair. ¡°So what are you doing?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°That hardly seems like you.¡± ¡°There is nothing I can do, yet.¡± ¡°Then I suppose I should¡¯ve asked, what are you going to do?¡± ¡°Until I can kill Seraphallen, Quill will remain trapped there with his people. I need to do that, and then wait for the reset.¡± ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°He¡¯s one of the Hands.¡± ¡°Oh, of the emperor, like the Fingers. Are there eyes and ears and-¡± ¡°Leg¡¯s, Eye¡¯s, and Ear¡¯s, but those are all single people. The Hands and Fingers are the only pieces that got split up among different people.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You should read some nonfiction books, learn about life out here more. But I have no idea, well, I have ideas, but nothing solid.¡± He rolled over, holding himself over her. ¡°Besides, we can write our own romance that you can look back on any time.¡± She giggled. In the evening, Nana came so Fomoria could see her progress. But the first thing that he saw was that her body seemed larger, though only partly from her work. ¡°Growth spurt?¡± She nodded. ¡°And you¡¯ve now seen how being a healer can be more physically active, lifting people who need it, walking too and fro.¡± ¡°Yes. It has been eye opening to see serious injuries and all of that blood. A man came in two days ago having cut his fingers off with an axe while trying to split a walnut. With his drinking, his blood was thinned out and he could barely stand after having lost so much. But I worked with Elk and we saved his life. It was beautiful.¡± ¡°Yara, this is Nana, one of my three stars.¡± He couldn¡¯t see her blush on account of the scales, but he could tell that Nana was going through the process. ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Yara.¡± ¡°Please, just Yara is fine. Is that fine?¡± Fomoria nodded. ¡°I¡¯m still not sure about titles and the culture of respect here.¡± ¡°Yara, lighten up. This place isn¡¯t that different from back home. If I¡¯m being casual, mimic me. If I¡¯m showing respect, do the same.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to make you look weak or foolish.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Nana, sorry about this.¡± ¡°Oh no, it is no problem.¡± ¡°Did you get a chance to talk with your parents about the academy? You¡¯re the last one who needs approval.¡± ¡°They are¡­ worried.¡± ¡°I could still move them into the lands around the other spire, build a house.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t want to leave here, the rest of our people are here. Are there really no Plest inside the veil?¡± ¡°No Plest, no Faun, no Cerast, no Dague, no Goliaths, and most importantly, no Cast.¡± ¡°A world without them¡­ it must be wonderful.¡± ¡°Evil exists so long as one man has what another wants or has the opportunity to hold power over another. I don¡¯t want you to be upset when things aren¡¯t really much better.¡± They spoke a little more about the specifics of what she accomplished, and Elk wrote a letter singing her praises as someone who kept her cool as she worked. Two more days passed and Yara still wasn¡¯t pregnant. ¡°Something is wrong, it must be.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°Adina got pregnant so quickly. But-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so guilty, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡± ¡°Guilt? No, I-¡± ¡°Listen, I¡¯m the empath, and I know you well. You¡¯re are worried that you can¡¯t give me a child, but I¡¯m not exactly in a rush. We¡¯ll keep going for another week, if you still can¡¯t get pregnant, we can ask Xol to give you a check up, which he¡¯ll probably hand off to Marigold in a bid to get us friendly again.¡± ¡°Is what happened between you really so terrible?¡± ¡°Withholding what she knew was bad, but understandable, it is that she tried to lie to me which upset me much more. Xol knew just as much, probably more since he works more closely with The Darkness, but he was honest with me. That and I don¡¯t expect as much from him.¡± ¡°Alright. One more week. Do you think it¡¯s because we¡¯re Golden and Fomorian?¡± ¡°The Fomorian pact is broken. I¡¯m still biologically Fomorian, because our blood and bodies were changed, but the pact shouldn¡¯t clash with whatever the Golden have. Can you read your pact?¡± ¡°No, whatever is written in it is not known to us.¡± ¡°I could try to-¡± ¡°No, do not try to read it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The moment I thought you were going to suggest it, my stomach went in knots and I could feel migraine coming on.¡± ¡°Yes, it seems all the gods dislike people reading them.¡± The sickness she felt welling up inside of her faded; the warning was understood and taken. The next day, when Yara woke up, Fomoria was not there next to her, but instead he was in one of the empty rooms nearby loading it with mana gems. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°You¡¯re pregnant, so I¡¯m-¡± Yara began to jump up and down in excitement. ¡°I WANT TO TELL EVERYONE AND-¡± ¡°Calm down. We shouldn¡¯t celebrate until we are sure that-¡± ¡°IT¡¯S ONLY A 30% CHANCE, WE-¡± He grabbed hold of her. ¡°Yara, we could lose a dozen children before one of them survives. I¡¯m excited too, but we can¡¯t build up all of this hope just to have it dashed.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to be fine. Can we visit Adina? I want to ask her if there is anything else I should know. I mean, I was there for her, but she never let me use any magic to give her a check up.¡± ¡°Hellon was her doctor, right? Maybe we should talk to her, and Sepul as well.¡± ¡°Fine. I can¡¯t wait to tell her.¡± ¡°No. Don¡¯t tell anyone.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°Yara, don¡¯t do this to yourself.¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to shift the positions of the rooms here. If I¡¯m going to bring Darrath and Dawn back, and then also have the nursery, I want to put them all across the hall from me without having to make people move their personal items.¡± ¡°Is that safe?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already done far more than move a few rooms around a home in my testing.¡± ¡°Oh. What did you do.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± They couldn¡¯t actually go to Adina just yet, but Fomoria briefly went into the veil so he could tell Adina that they intended to come over and set a time; he also didn¡¯t want to have a big deal being made about it. As for why they couldn¡¯t go yet, Romulus was on his way. ¡°So he¡¯s the king of the Goliaths, and you gave him and some of his people magic but they are naturally anti-magic?¡± ¡°No. He is the king of Lith, not all the Goliaths. Granted I also haven¡¯t found another Goliath nation. Also, I killed the last king so they could have a revolt to turn the nation from one philosophy to another.¡± ¡°Why did you kill the last king?¡± ¡°He¡­ he threatened me, and Mercedes slept with him to calm him. It¡¯s part of why we went our separate ways.¡± He could tell that she had something she thought about but didn¡¯t want to voice. ¡°Just say it.¡± ¡°I mean¡­ if they are so large, how¡­ I mean just logistically¡­¡± He kept himself calm by trying to disconnect from the event, that and Yara was just curious, she meant no harm. ¡°I¡¯ve never had a real conversation with Nemain about them, but I know that they are based on humans, and their genitals are proportioned like a human''s.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Romulus did not come to Kor directly, but rather through the Plains of Wrath and into the Spire of Other. As he led the king down the hall, it expanded and shrunk to accommodate them. ¡°Inside the belly of the beast.¡± ¡°The spire has no stomach, but it does have hearts, lungs, and kidneys.¡± ¡°Why only those?¡± ¡°Gems can act in place of the brain. This place is full of blood because blood is a source of life, holding onto it. The lungs are so it can speak. The kidneys keep the blood pure so someone can¡¯t poison it.¡± Romulus shivered, but Bartholomew was more accepting of Fomoria¡¯s eccentricities. ¡°Where exactly are we going?¡± ¡°To one of the labs. You want magical knowledge, and I want to study anti-magic so I can replicate it.¡± ¡°A mage who wants anti-magic, funny.¡± ¡°I am a mage, not every soldier is. I could invent guns and cannons that would shred through magical law and only need to overcome the physical to kill things or destroy cities. I could make my own-¡± He felt himself grinning. ¡°Anyway. That is the deal you accepted, please continue moving.¡± After hours of research by Fomoria and the Others, Fomoria put his hands on one of the tables and flung it at the wall, the lightly enchanted woodwork splintering. ¡°What is wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing. My methods have been primarily magical, because anti-magic is not absolute. But anything that I can think of which would be delicate enough to actually get any useful information is simply dispersed by your anti-magic. All of the books you need to learn are being brought here now.¡± It was disturbing how calm he was, how genuinely it seemed as if he really wasn¡¯t upset even as he tossed the table. ¡°Unfortunate that you weren¡¯t able to gain new insights.¡± ¡°I will need to develop new tools for the specific testing of anti-magic. One day, you will wish for knowledge on another subject, and on that day I will make this same bargain.¡± ¡°Perhaps we might make a simpler deal. Bartholomew could stay in Kor as a liaison between our nations, and you would have greater opportunity to study him, with his consent of course.¡± ¡°And what are you getting from this?¡± ¡°A favor. He asked for the position.¡± ¡°Bart, pack your things when you get back, I¡¯ll have a home ready for you in a few hours.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir Fomoria.¡± Adina was more than a little shocked to see Yara was there, since Fomoria hadn¡¯t told her beforehand that she was coming for this reason. They sat across from one another, a table between them and each on couches. ¡°So, you said that there was something you needed to talk about. And Yara, how are you here?¡± ¡°Well, he made his way through the desert into the White Sands, asked me to leave with him, and I did.¡± ¡°Oh. That¡¯s a bit more simple than I thought it would be.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t simple at all. The desert has severe spatial distortions that make it so anyone who doesn¡¯t know the exact paths would be lost forever walking in circles. I actually am not sure how exactly he made his way to the White Sands without ending up in one of the others.¡± ¡°Magic is desire, I wanted you, so I found you.¡± ¡°How strong must that desire have been.¡± Yara leaned on Fomoria and grabbed his arm; Viviane began to fuss. ¡°You said that there was something important you wanted to talk about?¡± ¡°I¡¯M PREGNANT!¡± Fomoria sighed at Yara¡¯s proclamation, which did not go unnoticed by Adina. ¡°She wanted to ask if there are specific things which you would wish you had known during your pregnancy.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t sound happy.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already spoken with Xol, and he says that we have a high chance of miscarriage within the first month. Yara, I keep telling you, don¡¯t build up your hopes just in case you can¡¯t carry the first one to term.¡± ¡°I know you keep saying that, but everything worked out for Adina and-¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t know. My luck has never been good, I am quite literally pulled to terrible events by magic that I am using constantly but have no control over, and I¡¯m the one that The Darkness is pulling the strings on. Too much has happened, I can¡¯t trust that life isn¡¯t going to fuck me over and hurt you as a result.¡± ¡°Your luck doesn''t matter here, I¡¯m the one with the baby in me, if anything happens, it isn¡¯t your fault.¡± He knew how dangerous her words were if things didn¡¯t work out, but he also didn¡¯t think he could change her mind now that it was so strongly set on everything going well. Ava came nearby an hour into the conversation, looking unwell. ¡°Oh. I didn¡¯t realize that he would be here.¡± ¡°I think we need to have a talk. Yara, I¡¯ll be back, just tell me if there is anything important. Ava, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°What? No, I came here to ask Adina about-¡± ¡°Nothing good is coming from this either way. Let¡¯s go.¡± He dragged her out of the room and into an empty one. ¡°Are you pregnant?¡± ¡°What? No, I¡¯m¡­ ¡± ¡°I feel another soul inside of you, you look sick, and you were about to come to Adina for advice.¡± Her armor rolled up and her hands were made of metal. It was at this point that he realized what the second soul he felt inside of her was. ¡°Lugh and you fused together?¡± ¡°How did you figure that out so fast?¡± ¡°Lugh isn¡¯t on your hip, I feel his soul with yours now that I took a closer look, and your hands are made of metal. Can you turn this off?¡± ¡°We could before¡­ but then¡­¡± ¡°Just explain.¡± ¡°We were fused, we¡¯ve been able to do it for a little while now already, and we were using your aura techniques. When we used the cleaving chop we felt closer to each other than ever before and we haven¡¯t figured out how to stop.¡± ¡°Have you spoken with Harlan? Does he know you can do this?¡± ¡°No. I wanted to hide it until it stopped making me feel like shit. Lugh sees everything all around him and that doesn¡¯t feel good with me. But¡­ I was actually going to tell Adina to look, since he taught her about soul magic.¡± ¡°I can do it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you and Harlan split and then you came back and you didn¡¯t even come to see me. I don¡¯t know you.¡± ¡°Then ignore your problem.¡± ¡°I think this might not even be bad for me.¡± ¡°Why do you have to be such a bullheaded idiot. Get the fuck over what happened to me, grow the fuck up. You are dead set on looking at me like I¡¯m a monster and refusing my help. Lugh, how about you? What are your thoughts on this? What¡¯s that, you can¡¯t even talk because you are fused with our sister? Is this comfortable for him?¡± ¡°You¡¯re an asshole.¡± ¡°If you need help then call, because I¡¯m going to be there for you whether you like it or not, even if I am a conquering emperor who¡¯s directly responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths in a war.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t look at you like a monster, you are one, and you don¡¯t even give a shit.¡± She was his sister, and he didn¡¯t want to hurt her. Thinking on it, perhaps it was because of all those years ago after the werewolf. He closed himself off, he just wanted to get stronger, and then she tried to follow him in that. Her leg cramped and his shell broke, he couldn¡¯t be cold to her, he never wanted to feel like it was his fault that she was upset, even if he really was. But now the camel was falling, the last straw upon its back. ¡°YES, I DO, I GIVE A SHIT ABOUT WHAT I DO, ABOUT WHAT I HAVE TO DO, BUT IF I DIDN''T¡¯T THEN NOBODY WOULD. I¡¯M THE ONLY ONE WHO GIVES ENOUGH OF A SHIT TO DO THE HORRIBLE THINGS REQUIRED TO MAKE REAL CHANGE. YOU JUST WANT TO EXIST IN REDWALL AS A GLORIFIED SOLDIER THAT NEVER HAS TO ACTUALLY MAKE THE HARD CALLS, WHERE EVERYTHING IS BLACK AND WHITE, BANDITS AND FUCKING WARGS, YOU¡¯RE PATHETIC, YOU ARE A COWARD. I HAD TO KILL CHILD SOLDIERS TO PREVENT THEM FROM SIEGING MY CITY. MY CITY THAT IS MADE UP OF MOSTLY SLAVES WHO WERE RIPPED FROM THEIR FAMILY, THE VICTIMS OR UNSPEAKABLE THINGS. THAT IS THE REAL WORLD, SO SHUT THE FUCK UP OR GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE, BECAUSE I NEVER WANT TO HEAR ANOTHER JUDGMENT FROM YOU.¡± It felt good to get it off of his chest, at least at first, but by the end he realized how wrong it felt and kept going anyway because he was in too deep. Ava began to cry, and he decided that he had to leave. Three days later, Yara awoke to find Fomoria sitting on his rocking chair out on the balcony. She got up from bed, and once she was close enough to see his face, she could tell he had been crying. He felt like he had woken up from a dream. Everything seemed perfect with Yara here, but it was just him painting over a stain. She made him happy, but his stress was only removed on a surface level, the deeper illness wasn¡¯t going to be solved by having a child, by being a good ruler, it was never enough. ¡°Honey. Are you alright? Ava will forgive you, she just-¡± ¡°We lost it.¡± She stood there stunned for minutes before the words broke through. He brought her back to bed and neither of them got any rest.
Across the void of space, in a small office, a man looked over old files, trying to find a place that required no terraforming to be viable. There was an unfortunate note: Hellworld. It was an older term, meaning a place where casualty had broken down and the planet itself was hostile to any outside life. But they didn¡¯t have enough resources left to get to the next planet. Their only chance was this place on the edge of the galaxy. Chapter 314: Duran Yara wept into Fomoria¡¯s chest throughout the night. When morning came, she had been in and out of sleep, awake or not had become meaningless and unclear. ¡°What happened? Was it my fault? It is because-¡± ¡°No, none of it was your fault. This was¡­¡± His voice weakly trailed off. ¡°Please, I¡¯ll feel better if I know something.¡± He wasn¡¯t trying to spare her feelings, but his own. He saw it happen, but he couldn¡¯t fix it, he couldn¡¯t save the newly forming soul. It was his failure, he couldn¡¯t say that there was nothing to be done, he just wasn¡¯t good enough to solve it. ¡°The soul failed to latch, it started forming but then it broke off.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want it from you¡­ just explain like a doctor, be someone else for a minute.¡± Dissociation was not uncommon for him, healthy or not. ¡°When pregnancy begins, there are multiple steps. First, sperm from the male enters the egg of the female. The soul begins to see this egg as being something that must be built, so it slowly sips power down to the egg. As the egg grows into an embryo, the soul either continues to feed it, or something happens and the egg is decided to be defective, so the soul stops before something incorrect is born. What happened to you isn¡¯t your fault, your soul simply believed that the egg was unfit for being fertilized before it even reached the embryonic state.¡± ¡°My womb is poison and I¡¯ll never-¡± ¡°No, stop that. This is¡­¡± ¡°This is what? You told me so? Is that what you¡¯re going to say?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to say it, but I told you not to get so excited. I¡¯m sorry that it didn¡¯t work out-¡± ¡°IT DIDN¡¯T WORK OUT? WE LOST OUR CHILD.¡± She continued yelling at him for a while, and he just accepted that. When Yara finally stopped screaming at him, she began crying. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it must just be hormones.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± It was just grief, but that would¡¯ve made her feel at fault for her emotions, so he let her believe that her hormones had been affected even though she hadn¡¯t actually been pregnant long enough for that to happen. ¡°Do you want to try again?¡± ¡°Not now. Right now you need to take a day, process your feelings on this, and I¡¯ll do the same.¡± ¡°You¡¯re handling it better than me, I¡¯m just a mess.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had hours before you awoke to think, to come to terms.¡± The first part was true, the second, less so. Yara went back to sleep, but Fomoria couldn¡¯t do it, he just sat there in his torment. Deciding it wasn¡¯t worth doing, he left the room. His menagerie wasn¡¯t exactly expansive, and the most dangerous thing in it was Micheal. ¡°Oh? Fomoria how do you do?¡± ¡°Why¡­ why do you talk like that? It¡¯s not quite an older dialect, and I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard people from Reino who talk like that.¡± ¡°Why do you talk like you do?¡± ¡°Because I spent from 11 to 14 under the care of royalty and then I was made a noble and went through the classes that told me how a noble should act.¡± ¡°Oh. I don¡¯t know, it sounds natural to me. But I know you aren¡¯t here because you want to see these animals or because you want to know why I talk like this. You miss me in your head, yes? You want my opinion?¡± ¡°The baby¡¯s soul failed to latch. If I couldn''t see it, I wouldn¡¯t have ever known, and I¡¯m sure that many people go through this without knowing at all. But I saw it, I saw the threads start to unravel and I tried to fix it, but I couldn¡¯t, I-¡± ¡°Was it your fault that this happened? No.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°The Lich told you that it would not be certain, that there would be complications. But if you knew years ago, would you have changed anything? Could you? That body of yours is nothing short of an affront to nature, a shattering of natural order, yet it has let you do much. Your nature as a Fomoria is no different, and if that is the issue, then the fault is as much on her as is on you because she is Golden.¡± Micheals eyes gained a purple hue. ¡°But no, follow it down the lines, and it is the gods at fault, because they decided that the races should remain separate, that you exist as a weapon against the Fae, and the Golden as the same, and that the sword and shield should not be held by a single being.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. But it sounded right. Speak with the Lich, he could surely find an answer.¡± ¡°No. Not yet. We can try again, and if this becomes a consistent problem, then I can speak to him.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Fomoria was feeling much better in his opinion and played with the cats and dogs which he owned. His choice to buy them from the trader was not impulsive, he wished to have them so he could set up something like the beast training that took place in Ragne. Thus far, he hadn¡¯t seen anything like it outside the veil. Yes, some people fought alongside beasts in some cases, but there was no system of training them in large numbers. Yet this was cut short by an Other who found a nation that seemed quite well suited for alignment rather than being a charter nation, but needed his approval; another in a backlog of cities and nations. Officially there was no difference, as every nation under the Fomorian Empire would maintain a certain level of autonomy, but everyone could tell that those who accepted the charter because they were afraid of him were not the same as the ones who accepted the charter because they believed in a real alliance. The difference was mostly in how or even if an Other was stationed within the capital to watch the leaders. It really was just one man, but the presence that they exuded was significant. Yara woke at noon. She wanted to stay in bed with the curtains drawn, but that wouldn¡¯t do. ¡°Get up.¡± He pulled the blankets off of her. ¡°I just want to sleep.¡± ¡°There is a nation that might make a good ally, I want you to come with me to check it out. See the sights, the shops, restaurants, they even have a port and merchants show off their ships.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to go.¡± He crawled into bed and held her. ¡°I know that isn¡¯t going to help anything. I¡¯m not saying that you can¡¯t be upset, I¡¯m not saying you have to come with me, but I think it is better than staying in bed all day, even if I know how much you want to just stay there and pretend that you can avoid what happened.¡± ¡°I¡­ how often do you want to do this?¡± ¡°Most days I need to drag myself out of bed, pretend that I want to get up, distract myself with work. I¡¯ve been betrayed, I¡¯ve lost people, I¡¯ve had to make moral concessions, and it all weighs on me. But I keep going because I need to keep going, for all of them.¡± ¡°That sounds like a sunk cost fallacy.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t deny that is part of it.¡± ¡°What is the worst thing that¡¯s happened out here?¡± ¡°The day that I sent Dawn and Darrath away for their own safety.¡± ¡°Because it made you feel weak?¡± He opened his mouth to respond, but instead just nodded his head. It was never enough, he grew and grew, but there was always somebody that made him feel like a child who couldn¡¯t break the grip of that Werewolf. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s¡­ I¡¯ll try.¡± Once they were both dressed he used a void gate to bring them to the Other in charge of scouting the area. ¡°Setrep.¡± ¡°The kingdom of Duran. The claim to fame is the blade Durendal, said to be completely indestructible and with the ability to cleave anything. I¡¯ve seen it in action, since it is currently in possession of the Paladin by the name of Roland, which is the name which all of the wielders are required to have. The blade is rather plain, but the legends seem to have some weight to them.¡± This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Paladin, meaning that they are related to the old Reinoan Empire?¡± ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t think they believe in the gods anymore, but the king was supposedly given the title by divine right and the people believe that he is a demi-god.¡± ¡°A Wizard?¡± ¡°No. Information is scarce and I haven¡¯t gone into the city itself more than a few times, but it may have been established by a Wizard once. Right now the king is a 12 year old boy, his father dying to poison, presumably from the boy¡¯s mother. He had Seven siblings, each dying to poison as well. And he¡¯s a bastard, but calling him one is likely to get you killed.¡± ¡°Seven siblings, multiple wives?¡± ¡°Polygamy is common here, and though women outnumber men here nearly two to one they hold little to no real power.¡± ¡°Everything I¡¯m hearing makes me question why you thought I would want to be allied with them.¡± ¡°Holding no power doesn¡¯t mean that they are treated poorly, and this respect would allow them to transition into a more equal culture in a few generations. And if that blade could fell a Hand by a lucky strike, we should either get it or ally ourselves with the one who can use it.¡± ¡°Could we block it?¡± The Other held his hand flat and then tilted it side to side, meaning a maybe, but leaning towards not. ¡°Thank you. Anything else important?¡± ¡°The king is named Magne, but they don¡¯t count which number of them they are when the new king takes the name. Oh, and they are racists. Not so bad that they won¡¯t let you in, but when I had my horns and Dague features most people turned their nose up at me and shops would scam me.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The Other chuckled, knowing full well Fomoria¡¯s thoughts on the matter. Fomoria and Yara were in regal garb, all the colors of Fomoria, red, white, and black, but with the addition of gold woven into them. Fomoria had his normal black pants, a white shirt, and his red coat. The gold was inlaid into his white shirt¡¯s collar, cuffs, and he had a golden skull broach. It was simple, but that was what he liked. Yara had something more extravagant. Her dress was black and rather form fitting. The sleeves were layered to make a series of chevrons going the length of her arms not unlike the laminar armor which Fomoria so enjoyed; the sleeves ended where they attached to a ring around her middle finger with a triangle of fabric; each chevron was trimmed with gold and had a thin white chevon in the center. On her head she wore a red veil so thin one could see through it which was speckled with gold dust, like the night sky full of stars during a blood moon. Her shoulders were left bare so as to show off her olive colored skin, a thin piece of fabric kept it connected to the body of the dress. And she wore her blonde hair so it draped down her front, not quite long enough to cover her breasts. All of this was really just shifting suits, two of them for each of them. Fomoria was loath to use real gold in anything because it was so soft and it conducted electricity so well on top of just being plainly wasteful. Yet as they approached the gate, the guards crossed their spears. ¡°Non-human fee, 50 bronze.¡± Fomoria flicked a coin at both of them. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t carry anything smaller than silver.¡± The men chuckled at their fortune and let the couple through. As they got a closer look at her, they gave scornful glares to Yara, a new experience. The Golden were the beautiful race, you couldn¡¯t find any of them that classed as ugly unless they had been mutilated in a fight and simply refused to have it healed. She had also been looked at like this when people were angry with her, but never because they disliked how she looked. That sting took her mind off of more important matters. They wandered through the city, getting a new perspective, and deciding that they hated the place. Any attempt at striking up a conversation was met with a rebuke, any attempt at buying food was met with prices clearly higher than what they charged the people before them, and the guards followed them around like they were known criminals the entire time. It really was a great way to take their minds off the first failure to have a child, but the emotions that replaced the grief were far from positive. They saw the people start moving towards the main street, but once they tried to leave the alley, citizens and guards both stopped them. ¡°Our lord, holy is his name, King Magne is making his egress though the main road. Non-humans are not to be seen on the sidelines. Go back.¡± Fomoria just started to laugh. Roland saw two guards fly 30 feet across the street, landing on the roof of a single story home. ¡°Your majesty, stay down.¡± The congregation stopped and other Paladins encircled their ruler. Towards them came a man and a woman. ¡°THAT¡¯S CLOSE ENOUGH.¡± Fomoria whispered to Yara, and she left through a void gate. ¡°YOUR CITY IS SHIT, YOUR PEOPLE ARE ALL PRICKS, AND YOUR SWORD STINKS OF FAE.¡± Roland held his sword, still in its sheath, in his left hand, then in a movement so fast none of the other Paladins could even see the sword was drawn and horizontal. A deep seem, hardly perceptible to the eye, was cut through the length of the main street, and one of Fomoria¡¯s fingertips was lost despite his sidestepping of the attack. ¡°I¡¯M NOT IMPRESSED.¡± Fomoria performed a cleaving axe kick using his aura technique that left a gash not unlike Durandal¡¯s, stopping right at Roland¡¯s feet. Roland sighed, put his sword away, and walked up to Fomoria. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I was hoping to find a civil city that is holding off Castian advances, and instead I¡¯ve been treated as less than a person because I¡¯ve got horns. These people are lucky I haven¡¯t started putting their legs on backwards.¡± Roland shook his head. ¡°Why must powerful people be so petty? Do you have no better way to spend your time?¡± ¡°You seem rather relaxed.¡± ¡°It is clear by your attitude and actions that you don¡¯t mean any real harm, but you are clearly upset. So I ask again, what do you actually want?¡± Fomoria reached into his sleeve and pulled out a charter. ¡°This will explain everything.¡± Roland scoffed. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. This is, this is just droll rubbish, worth not even the paper with which you¡¯ve scribbled it on.¡± ¡°And you people talk differently too, always with an air of smug superiority.¡± ¡°So I ask again, do you not have anything better to do? For a man who claims to be an emperor, you seem to have much free time.¡± ¡°I am here on a diplomatic mission.¡± ¡°Then you certainly have a strange way of showing it.¡± ¡°There is no better way to judge a nation than to look around for a few hours before meeting the ruler or rulers. I¡¯ve had quite a bit of experience with this.¡± ¡°Well we¡¯ve never heard a thing about you.¡± ¡°Of course not, the Castian information blockades make it seem as though there is nobody left but their current enemy. But I control three stripes and once my forces are ready I will begin expanding to a fourth. My empire has a population in the millions, my capital in the hundreds of thousands.¡± ¡°Fine, will you leave now?¡± Fomoria reached into his pocket and handed Roland a communicator, one made of metal and mana gem rather than his flesh and blood. ¡°With this you can contact me any time and almost anywhere in the world. I have already linked to it.¡± ¡°My, if this works, then it certainly is something of note.¡± ¡°Now I¡¯m done. If you would like to schedule a proper meeting, you can.¡± Fomoria stepped through a void gate and Roland returned to his king to explain what had happened. Back home, Yara stewed in anger. ¡°I want to go back and dump pigshit into the homes of everyone who called me dirty skinned.¡± ¡°Tonight then? I remembered all of their minds, we can slip into the city in an instant, the anti-spatial arrays don¡¯t effect my void gate.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Void gate isn¡¯t spatial, technically.¡± ¡°Really? Then how does it work?¡± Fomoria shrugged his shoulders. ¡°When magic is gained normally it imparts some kind of understanding, but I never gained this spell, it doesn¡¯t feel like it¡¯s mind at all, just something she is loaning out.¡± Yara laid down on the couch. ¡°This was¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that it wasn¡¯t-¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, really. I was so angry at them that I almost forgot about what happened. Can you really say with complete certainty that this isn¡¯t my fault?¡± ¡°If you want to blame something, blame Aarde for making the Golden the way they are, for letting the Fomorians exist as pawns, shock troopers, lives to be thrown into the Fae grinder so the Golden can be kept safe. They didn¡¯t need to fuck with your souls, they didn¡¯t need to do the same to the Fomorians. I find the idea of a pact to be evil, a limit on what a person is allowed to be, no gift can be worth that.¡± ¡°Keep going.¡± ¡°The Dague are a failed project to make Fomorians, and it was The Darkness that did it. I don¡¯t know the details, but the Fae found out and corrupted them in some way, but then Xol helped with making the Fomorians.¡± ¡°It¡¯s strange, he¡¯s almost like a father to you then, right? And Marigold is the Mother of Magic, so she¡¯s like a mother to the Golden. So if we have a child, it¡¯s almost like-¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s really not. And Xol isn¡¯t like a father to me, I don¡¯t know if he has a fatherly bone in him, and I¡¯d know since sometimes his robes don¡¯t cover much.¡± Yara laughed, but Fomoria lowered his sitting stance, his eyes warmly reminiscing. ¡°But he¡¯s a good man, he¡¯s a good friend. I¡¯m happy that he is willing to be friends with me, even though I¡¯m like an infant compared to him.¡± Yara grabbed his hand and brought him to the bed. ¡°Why don¡¯t we try again? And don¡¯t tell me when the process starts, I don¡¯t know if it will survive, but I don¡¯t want to feel like I did last night ever again.¡± ¡°Are you doing this for you, or is it because you feel compelled to give me a child since you know how much Harlan having Viviane makes me green with envy?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about anyone else. I want a child with you, someone that I can raise, someone that I know we will both be proud of, that will leave the world better than when they entered it, just like their father.¡± ¡°That sounds like¡­ No, it sounds like something from one of the good romance novels you¡¯ve read.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just saying that because you are in bed with me, your blood isn¡¯t flowing to your brain anymore.¡± ¡°I could recite the entire student handbook if you''d like me to prove I¡¯m in a clear state of mind.¡± She pulled him into a kiss, trying her best to wash away all the terrible feelings of the day.
¡°So, what did you think of him?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Harlan.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ he seems nice.¡± Liat poked her sister with her elbow. ¡°Come on, you and him got along great and now your head is in the clouds fantasizing like you love to do.¡± Yara blushed. ¡°I don¡¯t do that, I just¡­ I like to think about situations from many angles. But I don¡¯t know much about him, so any suggestion that I would be attracted to him and his lithe form, pale as the snow¡­¡± ¡°You just spent three hours going over moral arguments and talking about magic, that does give you something, right?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not like the boys in the Whitesands. He seemed genuine, and when we talked he was really happy. But when he was angry¡­ What about you? He seems like he¡¯d like someone strong like you.¡± ¡°HA, no, he¡¯s¡­ not my type. I¡¯m pretty shocked that he¡¯s completely unfazed by my seduction. I wonder if he¡¯s like me?¡± ¡°Like you how?¡± Liat just laughed. ¡°Anyway, you should keep an eye on him.¡± ¡°But he has the Reinoan, Adina, and I couldn¡¯t¡­ No, I shouldn¡¯t, I will return home once this is done and-¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to regret it, I know you are. But whatever.¡± Liat yawned. ¡°Do you want me to walk you to your room?¡± ¡°Ha ha ha.¡± Yara¡¯s tone was one of mockery, since she was just next door to her sister. interlude: Thousand Years of Stories 4 He disliked how things had changed, it made it a huge pain to get around and most of his military contacts had already been sniffed out. He moved across the ground, having stolen the body of a snake, then into the tent of the soldier. In the morning, the soldier put on his act when he felt a presence outside. Nulson had been observing this group for a time, monitoring the camp they came from as a bird since he couldn¡¯t actually enter the camps anymore. He was weak to soul magic, not nearly as well seated in his forms as Harlan was, so even the arrays put up to detect abnormal souls made him feel unwell. ¡°You up?¡± ¡°Yeah. Just a minute.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Huh? Snake got in last night. Killed it.¡± The other soldier just shrugged his shoulders. Nulson picked the odd one out of the group, a newer member, one that was strange already, so if he did make a mistake, which he wouldn¡¯t, it could be brushed off. He dressed himself, had breakfast, and moved out. His team were the first scouts going to look into a tip about an abandoned rebel base. Nulson was the one who sent the tip to them in the first place, he just needed some help to get inside of the place since he couldn¡¯t use magic on account of being a mind disconnected from a body. He was soulless, and his ability to steal control over a body was one thing, but to cast spells he needed to have more control over both the mind and soul. Dawn could only sometimes cast magic with Harlan¡¯s body, requiring that he was either incapacitated or gave consent first. For Nulson, this wouldn¡¯t be possible, and his attempts at forcing his way into a soul never ended well. Either the body fell apart when his mind tried to replace the mind inside of the body, or the soul was stronger than him and he had to flee back into the crossroads to avoid it overwriting him in a reverse of how the mind fed information into the soul. It took some time for them to find the entrance to the base; Nulson had to lead them there subtly. It wasn¡¯t some giant stronghold, it was a hidden laboratory and monitoring station. They breached the door with ease, Nulson acting as the rearguard. After David and Parnell killed the mages studying the materials stolen from the academy the rest of the forces abandoned the base out of worry that the pair would reveal its location. They took out all of the equipment, but left the bodies after draining them of blood for gems. The stench was unbearable for reasonable people; Nulson had to pretend that he was nauseous as an excuse to go down the hall into Magruders room. He saw the body, two slices, very good form on his killer. Unluckily for the killer, it wasn¡¯t enough, and Nulson grabbed the gem from his body. ¡°Cal, stop being a baby and get back with us. We need to call this in.¡± ¡°I never expected it to smell so bad.¡± There was a mirror on the other end of the room through which the soldier could see Nulson¡¯s hands. ¡°Did you grab something from the-¡± Unfortunate, he would¡¯ve rather that he got away needing to kill any of them Nulson rushed at the man who tried to pull out his dagger, but Nulson had been one of the greatest mortal assassins that ever lived. Magic or not, Nulson knew how to fight up close without making a sound. He grabbed the man¡¯s throat to prevent him from making any loud noises, then kicked his knee so it folded the wrong way before disarming him and slicing his throat. When the killing was done, he started carving runes into the walls. He might not be able to use magic, but runes could be used by anyone with intent and a steady hand since the world provided the mana for it. Nulson was very happy when he heard about Harlan¡¯s large gravity rune out in the woods some years ago; a wonderful and resourceful way to kill a superior group of enemies. This here wasn¡¯t much different, he¡¯d just carve the runes, then make traces that acted as release valves. When it was time to actually collapse the base into the mountain, he only needed to make a few corrections and wait for the fun to start. Such a shame that he wasn¡¯t going to be around to see it.
A month ago, Darrath decided, with public approval, to crown himself king of the Pixies. Two days in he decided that he needed help, but that wasn¡¯t anything bad, papa had Mercedes and Dawn and Joan and D¡¯if, all kings had people helping them. A week into his rule he decided to form a council and disperse the power between them all, something that Dawn suggested strongly against. Three and a half weeks in, he found that the council kept expanding beyond reason, and asked that some of the members be stripped of their positions. It was only fair, these people weren¡¯t even doing anything, they just happened to be friends with enough council members that they could be voted in. Papa wanted a fair world, and Darrath tried to find the people who were good at things for his council, not taking into anything but their aptitude for the tasks at hand, and he made it clear that he didn¡¯t dislike anyone who he was saying should leave the council. It took an hour after this suggestion for the council to turn on him and vote him out. Darrath now sits with his grandmother. ¡°And, and then, and then, then they told me I was stupid and I wasn¡¯t making the right choices because everyone loved being on the council and it was mean to kick them out, and then-¡± ¡°Sweetie, breath. This is why I said you shouldn¡¯t do that. You failed to keep the power you granted to others in check, a mistake that I hope your father isn¡¯t making. Think, what would he do?¡± Darrath looked horrified. ¡°BUT I DON¡¯T WANT TO KILL THEM.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not¡­ well¡­. No no no, we aren¡¯t hurting anyone. How about this, do you think that they are going to do the right things? Can they lead the city? If they can¡¯t, then tell the people that you want to dissolve the council and reinstate yourself as a king. Weak willed people can¡¯t make good rulers, because they let their feelings make fools of them. What you did was foolish, and I warned you about this, but you were playing as a ruler instead of being one. Which, honestly, I should¡¯ve expected. You aren¡¯t all children anymore, but you are still quite young, and that comes with some bad choices.¡± ¡°But what if they like the council more than me? What if I can¡¯t-¡± ¡°Then you won¡¯t be king. What would Harlan say? Would he want you to force yourself into a position that the people don¡¯t want you in? That might need to happen anyway, but for now, why don¡¯t we assume that the people have some idea about what they actually want, silly as that is. In a few weeks I¡¯m sure that they are going to want you back.¡± Six days, that is what it took. The council, not wanting to do real work, started passing everything down a long line of other people and abusing their titles The streets were dirty, nobody was properly caring for the bath, meaning it was both not as hot as it should be and not clean, and the builders were being used to expand their homes instead of adding to the defenses. The soldiers quickly started to act cruelly towards their fellow Pixies because they weren¡¯t going to be punished by anyone unless Darrath caught them. When another hawk attacked the response was slow, and though nobody died, people were hurt badly. The cause was simple, someone who shouldn¡¯t have the job that they did was put in charge of the defenses and failed to spot the hawk before it arrived or deploy the spells to scare it away. The revolution was swift and on the back of having driven the giant hawk away, it was easy to disband the council without violence. Then came the most important lesson. ¡°You, you, and you, stay here, be my advisors.¡± ¡°Can I still make laws?¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°No. You may bring suggestions to me, and I¡¯ll think about it. But no more silly stuff like telling people what colors they can paint their house with and then adding exceptions to council members. In fact, I¡¯m going to get rid of-¡± ¡°WHAT? NOOO, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, I WANT-¡± ¡°THIS IS NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT. Sit.¡± ¡°BUT-¡± Darrath slammed his chitinous fist down and silenced the room. ¡°Your job as a member of this court is to support the people, not yourselves, not me, but the people.¡± One of the others raised their hand. ¡°Um, who are the people?¡± ¡°Everyone.¡± ¡°But that means me too, so I can-¡± ¡°No no no. Look¡­¡± It was very hard for Darrath to explain everything, but he had spent time with Mercedes and Dawn, so he at least had an idea about how things should work and about terms like that. Thyst came to see him before bed. ¡°You are king again, that¡¯s so cool.¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s right. This isn¡¯t a game, it¡¯s-¡± She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and both of them blushed. ¡°It¡¯s cool, right? I like the Darrath that¡¯s fun, but can still be serious, don¡¯t be gloomy, because I don¡¯t like that.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Do you want to go on a walk before we go to bed?¡± ¡°Grandma doesn¡¯t like it when I stay up too late¡­ but alright.¡± Not far from the town, though everyone called it a city because it sounded more important, there was a clearing that was maintained for picnics. It had nice soft grass, or at least it did when it was warm out, but still, there was no better place to see the stars. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Other Pixies started coming from the woods. ¡°Thyst, what is this?¡± ¡°They said they wanted to apologize for doing a bad job with the council, so they asked me to bring you here.¡± The clubs in their hands said that they were not here to apologize. ¡°Don¡¯t do this, I want us to just be friends.¡± ¡°You took away our titles.¡± ¡°Yeah, we were just having some fun.¡± ¡°Things weren¡¯t being done, people weren¡¯t happy, that is no way to run a city.¡± ¡°So what? We got to take whatever we wanted and nobody could tell us no.¡± Darrath reached into his pocket to grab his amulet, but since he had been getting ready for bed he left it in his room without thinking. One of the Pixies stepped forward, Rald. ¡°We¡¯re going to take back what¡¯s ours, and I¡¯m going to be the new king.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know anything-¡± ¡°GET HIM.¡± Darrath tried to flee the fight, he didn¡¯t want to hurt a Pixie, but they threw sap at his wings and he fell down. ¡°Guys, don¡¯t do this. I can still forgive you.¡± Thyst tried to get closer to Darrath, but one of them hit her. Darrath started to run through the crowd of two dozen, but they hit him with their clubs. They just kept hitting him, over and over. He tried to block as best he could, but it hurt, he wanted grandma to come get him, to realize that he wasn¡¯t in his room. She could scold him, he didn¡¯t care, he just didn¡¯t want to be here with these mean Pixies anymore. The Pixies had always been physically mature, they had been born that way, but they hadn¡¯t felt that certain drive until recently when they were in their adolescence mentally. These Pixies knew nothing of patience, disciple, respect, they just saw that they wanted something and decided to take it. One of them tore her clothes trying to make her stay down, and he could see the urge on their faces. The Pixies were born physically mature, but their minds had only caught up to adolescence in the past month or so. ¡°GET AWAY FROM HER.¡± Another blow landed on him from above. ¡°SHUT UP, YOU DON¡¯T GET TO TELL US WHAT DO DO ANYMORE.¡± He hated it, he hated all of it, he hated them. Darrath thought of what his father would do. It was hard to think though, it hurt, it hurt a lot, like when he fought against the hawk chicks. But he couldn¡¯t freeze up, he couldn¡¯t panic. As more and more strikes landed, he took a deep breath, these weren¡¯t really dangerous, they were just mundane wood, father wouldn¡¯t let himself be bothered by this, no, he¡¯d do this. Darrath rolled towards one of the Pixies and used his razor sharp needle-like teeth to bite into his leg. Suddenly there was a panic, and Darrath was on his feet in moments. He didn¡¯t remember much, just the feeling of snapping in his hands, the taste of iron in his mouth. But it was no dream or nightmare, he could feel the warmth on his hands, see the snow painted red. He staggered himself over to Thysts. Physically, she was fine other than the bruise and minor concussion. ¡°Just like papa¡­¡± He suddenly wasn¡¯t bothered at all about what had happened, papa hated men who couldn¡¯t listen and did bad things, especially to women. He smiled at her with many of his teeth missing, his body black and blue, then he passed out in the snow.
Ava went into Adina¡¯s room after she dried her tears. ¡°Where is he?¡± She kept her voice low since Viviane was there, but her fury was clear. ¡°Fomoria and Yara left, rather suddenly I¡¯d say.¡± ¡°That bastard, he-¡± ¡°You can be very sanctimonious.¡± ¡°What did you just-¡± ¡°You heard me. Fomoria told me what happened, and he isn¡¯t wrong.¡± ¡°That¡¯s bullshit.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know how upset he was about what he said to you.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure that matters compared to all the people he¡¯s killed.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t just naive, you¡¯re stupid. Have you ever thought about why those people died? About what Fomoria is fighting out there? Did you even ask? He¡¯s made mistakes-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not listening to anymore of this.¡± ¡°Of course not, coward.¡± ¡°If you weren¡¯t holding a child I¡¯d beat you.¡± Adina walked over to the crib and set Viviane down. ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be-¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m entirely serious. Try to hit me.¡± Ava threw a weak punch and suddenly she was on the floor. ¡°You didn¡¯t even try. Again.¡± Ava picked herself up, shocked by the shoulder toss Adina used against her, and tried again. Adina swept her legs. ¡°You should¡¯ve seen that coming from a mile away.¡± ¡°Fuck you.¡± Instead of offering a hand, Adina broke Ava¡¯s nose. In response, Ava kicked at Adina, who grabbed her leg and tossed her through the window of the nursery. The commotion brought her parents near. ¡°Adina, what are you-¡± ¡°I think that it is finally time for you to decide.¡± ¡°Decide what? And why is Ava bleeding? Why did you-¡± ¡°Harlan or her, who do you side with?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Aida was terribly confused, and Harlow remained silent. ¡°Ava treats Harlan quite unfairly, and she deeply upset Fomoria when he was here to the point where he had to leave. I¡¯m not asking that you disown her, but make it clear, between the two of them, who is right?¡± ¡°Who is right about what? I don¡¯t-¡± ¡°Harlan is.¡± Aida couldn¡¯t feign ignorance when Harlow opened his mouth. ¡°HONEY!¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. Killing happens, sometimes it¡¯s bad, sometimes it¡¯s good, but Ava refuses to see that. Sweetie, I¡¯m not mad at you, but you are too hard on your brother¡­ brothers? They¡¯ve never taken pleasure in their work, it¡¯s something that they feel they have to do, and they¡¯re right. Would the world be better or worse if Harlan wasn¡¯t here?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t ask her to-¡± ¡°Aida, I love you, but be quiet. Ava, answer the question.¡± ¡°It would be-¡± ¡°And don¡¯t lie.¡± She answered so quietly that nobody could hear her despite all involved being enhanced. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°You are being cruel, she is-¡± ¡°She is a grown woman, but she¡¯s never gotten over how angry she is at herself for being part of why Harlan got taken away, and that¡¯s why she can¡¯t accept how he is now, because she blames herself for him being that way. Ava, he would¡¯ve turned out this way no matter what, that is the way it is.¡± Everyone was a little surprised by his words, and they peered at him oddly. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That sounded like Marigold, very well said.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to be older than Ragne to see what has Ava so twisted up, but it took me a long time to see it.¡± He knelt down and Helped Ava up. ¡°Harlan¡¯s always been my son, your brother, but we can¡¯t control him, and the gods are pulling his strings. He would¡¯ve always learned magic, he would¡¯ve always been found out by somebody, and he would¡¯ve always been taken away. Amber got over what happened, mostly, but it changed all of us one way or another. Perhaps without Harlan, Amber would¡¯ve gone on to get married to one of our neighbors sons, perhaps you would¡¯ve done the same, and Autumn too. Harlan told me once that the dream that made Autumn skip the maiden festival for the first time was because of The Darkness, she is really the one to blame if you wanted to get technical. Because without that event, she wouldn¡¯t have ever met Jaramis, who is the one that actually recognized what Harlan was.¡± ¡°Better.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The world is better with him here.¡± ¡°Now, why don¡¯t we clean this up and talk more inside.¡± Fomoria came back, just for a few moments, and only after he knew that Adina and Vivi were the only ones in the room. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about how I left earlier.¡± ¡°It was no trouble, in fact, I think that is was for the best. We finally had a long conversation with Ava about how she treats you and Harlan. Now, did you really come here just for that?¡± ¡°Yara appealed to my gentle side, she says that she always loved that, especially how I would treat you. And, she wanted me to say, in no uncertain terms, that we aren¡¯t ever going to be what we were before.¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m married, and I¡¯m guessing you are going to marry her soon enough. Have you decided on a wedding date?¡± ¡°No, we haven¡¯t gotten that far. You know, the more time I spend with her, the more I wish I gave her a chance those years back.¡± To Fomoria, it wasn¡¯t anything, just an offhand statement about how happy he was with Yara. Chapter 315: Saltlick Final Harlan saw several of the monsters going towards Sam and Liat, and he rushed forward, but something stopped him. It was like a statue of something from the deep brought to life. She and her features were frozen, yet full of burning fury. He clashed with the monster, trying to get to Sam and Liat. Its hand was malformed, like it had been uncarved, left as just a jagged stone. The force of the impact split his chest nearly in half, and he reached forward to grab his organs which came flying out. Before he even had a chance to heal, a wave of stone shrapnel was sent towards him. His body was full of holes as he knelt there on the ground. Why was he so tired? This should¡¯ve been nothing to regenerate. How long had he been fighting? The monster didn¡¯t seem interested in finishing him off, it just kept roaring at him from a distance. ¡®I need to run away from here, I need to stop this, please, get away before I hurt you.¡¯ He froze, a hundred thoughts ran through his mind, and he took a second look at the monster with its stone hair and mace hand. No, that wasn¡¯t right, but he didn¡¯t know how, he didn¡¯t know why. He turned the sigil off letting the pain focus his mind, then looked at the monster again. ¡°Safira?¡± ¡°You¡¯re awake. HE¡¯S AWAKE.¡± The camp seemed to be relatively safe, the fighting had stopped. ¡°What¡­ what happened?¡± Sam and Liat were on the sidelines, staying away from the fight itself that was surely be beyond them. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I.¡± ¡°Liat, explain to him.¡± ¡°Coronach gave you a scroll, so you could take the madness into yourself.¡± ¡°Madness? What madness?¡± He noticed Safira was using her mace to support herself and gripping her side. ¡°Did I hurt you?¡± ¡°You caught me off guard, so it doesn¡¯t count.¡± He was suddenly hit with a splitting headache and started to scream. Safira lifted her mace again, but Harlan wasn¡¯t being aggressive. He was there, the endless sky. ¡°Have you even thought to becoming my champion yet?¡± ¡°Why am I here?¡± ¡°I just said why.¡± ¡°No, why right now, in this moment.¡± ¡°Oh, because I can solve your problem. I¡¯ll do it anyway, no cost to you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know what my problem is.¡± ¡°You are fighting with something in your head, and I can force it out.¡± ¡°What am I-¡± ¡°You can figure it out yourself in time.¡± Back in reality, the soldiers looked at Harlan and gagged. His jaw made a popping sound and out of his mouth crawled what seemed to be an infant made of brain matter. The malformed thing tried to crawl across the ground, but its limbs were too soft and squishy to move at anything but a slug''s pace. Nobody knew how to react to what they were seeing, and they didn¡¯t want to touch it either. Harlan threw up pink fluid and then crawled closer to the thing, slamming his fist down on it. Most of those watching emptied their stomachs. Harlan was asleep again, trying to sort through his fractured memories and make sense of how he ended up fighting with Safira. The camp was in a daze, but that was seemingly all that was happening. He recovered, but the rest of the soldiers had to lean on whatever they could around them. Harlan gave a quick check up to a few of the men then a shadow came over him. ¡°Boy, use this.¡± Coronach tossed him a scroll. ¡°What?¡± ¡°It worked, Nemain came for you. Now I hunt.¡± The dog caught the scent of blood, and rushed toward it. Harlan opened the scroll, something straight from The Darkness and written on leather whose origin he¡¯d rather not think of. It was clearly Fomorian, instructions on how one properly controls emotional feeding, stealing emotions and putting them on others. There was also a segment at the end explaining why they would do this, but it had been cut from the scroll, and by the freshness of it, this had been done just before it was given to him. The Darkness had told him before that he couldn¡¯t force someone to feel a certain way, that empathy was only ever raising the peaks and lowering the valleys of emotion in another being. This first lie being unraveled sent his mind racing with ideas about what else was a lie. But no, that wasn¡¯t important now. He jumped into action, pulling the song from the men around him first. He felt it crawling around his mind like a snake, coiling around his thoughts, devouring them and laying eggs in their place. The more madness he took into himself the closer to a tipping point he got. His sigil activated by itself, trying to protect his soul from the poison in his mind, and it had some success. He saw it then. Coronach was in the distance fighting Nemain, and a few dozen monsters, men with blue skin, red eyes, and bulging muscles rushed the camp. Their hair was straight like spikes, sparks came from their rubbing as if they were flint and steel. Their legs were backwards, and they jumped forward like a springing hare. Their hearts were like war drums. He could see the fighting, that each blow from them was enough to tear men in two, that they devoured some whole with their mouths that stretched past the ears, opening like the hinges on a chest more than a jaw. But he did not remember this. That was the feeling he had, that his eyes were not his own, his feet were not his own, his hands that grappled with the strange once-humans were not his. There was no sensation, he could not feel them, their heat, their skin being hard or soft, the breaking of bones, it felt as if he was being told a story and making it up in his own head. Then there was darkness. Harlan saw Sam, he saw him knock her to the ground, then Liat, her neck nearly snapping at his punch. He couldn¡¯t tell what even led to this point. He loomed over the smaller woman, he saw her lithe frame, he saw the fear in her eyes, his own reflection was nothing but a shadow. ¡°Please. What would Vivi think if she heard-¡± He heard the screams, he felt nothing of the contact, but he felt the anguish, this thing in him, this beast awoken, it was not entirely mindless, and it loved Viviane as he did. He ran from Sam, he healed Liat¡¯s neck, and then he looked around the camp. He felt in control again, the scent of roasting flesh from a soldier who had been tossed into a still burning fire, the cold wind that cut him to the bone, the screaming, the blood on his hands. Then darkness again. He jolted awake, his body convulsing and letting out a sharp breath. The walls told him that this was the facility, but he was unsure of what was real. In the corner, he saw a woman, sitting in a chair, blood pouring from every orifice. He breathed weakly, but he seemed satisfied. Harlan didn¡¯t understand anything he was seeing, it was just a disjointed mess of events that he wasn¡¯t even sure were all his.
Sam and Liat had been sleeping peacefully when Harlan suddenly burst inside and woke them up. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Something is wrong, be ready.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I had a bad dream.¡± ¡°Fuck¡­ can¡¯t this guy just drink some warm milk instead of-¡± ¡°Sam, no. Harlan, we¡¯ll get ready.¡± With a groan, they got out of bed and dressed themselves. ¡°They just had to attack while I was sleeping.¡± ¡°Shut up, you don¡¯t need rest as much as I am, I need my beauty sleep.¡± Liat kissed her. ¡°If you get any more beautiful then it¡¯ll cause problems. I can¡¯t be fighting men off all the time.¡± ¡°Ha ha ha. Beauty sleep is to maintain, not to build. It¡¯s like basic exercises every morning.¡± ¡°Where is your sense of humor at today?¡± ¡°In bed, where I should be. Fuck. We¡¯ve been here with him for weeks, and nothing happened, not once. Now I¡¯m used to actually getting a full night¡¯s sleep and he has to wake us up in the¡­ I don¡¯t know, is the sun up out there or not?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, fights don¡¯t wait for the right time. And something happened, all those rebels got taken away by fairy circles and then Xol did¡­ something.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t count, that¡¯s god shit, not our problem.¡± ¡°Sorry, but Harlan is god shit, and we¡¯re rolling around in it too just by being here. I hope we just need to kill rebels instead of getting into Fae shit.¡± ¡°You¡¯re gonna fucking jinx us. Just like in the Bluelake forest, you started joking about plant monsters and suddenly I¡¯m getting attacked by a fucking tree.¡± ¡°That barely counted, that was just a Grasping Wood and we got you out in seconds.¡± ¡°Yeah, well you were the one with a branch almost in her-¡± A soldier came in. ¡°Commander Orden wants to know why you haven¡¯t reported to him yet.¡± ¡°Fu-¡± Liat covered Sam¡¯s mouth. ¡°We will be out soon, we simply needed to wake up and double check our equipment.¡± ¡°I will convey this to him.¡± Orden and his night commanders were unhappy; Sam and Liat arrived near the end of the meeting.. ¡°You woke me up, you gathered my night commanders, because you had a bad dream? Do you know why we do not seek out seers, why they are never officially used in any military operations? Be-¡± ¡°Because seeing is unreliable, it requires not only that the seer is strong, something which cannot be accurately tested by any objective standard, but also that the seer and the person being reported to is capable of interpreting the sight, a nearly impossible task due to the nature of seeing.¡± Orden glared at Harlan. ¡°So you know all of this, but you still decided to wake me, to gather my night commanders without my consent, and to have us ready to raise the alarm so we can repel a threat that you can¡¯t even be sure is coming?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Liat had to stop herself from laughing. Harlan could¡¯ve explained why he thought it was justified, but he wanted Orden to ask him for a clarification, and Orden knew this. He waited a full minute, the icy stares of burly men with pronounced brows directed at him. ¡°Fine, if you won¡¯t ask, I¡¯ll explain. My sights in the past have foretold imminent danger, and as I told you before, I am drawn to places where something terrible is either going to happen, or has already happened. We¡¯ve already had rebel forces disappear, and Xol has already told us that Fae were involved in this.¡± ¡°But he handled that already, did he not?¡± ¡°Well, he didn¡¯t really tell us that, he said that everyone was dead and that he didn¡¯t find any useful information about the Fae.¡± ¡°I am going back to sleep.¡± ¡°What if I said that Ratthel was in danger?¡± ¡°Why would I care about a single soldier?¡± Despite his tone remaining casual, he sat back down in his seat. ¡°Because she¡¯s your daughter.¡± He scoffed. ¡°Are you just guessing?¡± ¡°Yes.Believe me or don¡¯t, my people are going to stay on the wall and watch for threats.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to bed.¡± Sam and Liat shivered on the wall, but Harlan seemed perfectly content. ¡°The north wind, it¡¯s calling. Perhaps my blood wishes to return to the place of my grandfather.¡± ¡°The fuck are you talking about?¡± ¡°Sam. You know that you don¡¯t need to reply to me, right? That perhaps I was just thinking out loud.¡± ¡°Sorry, she just-¡± ¡°Liat, let her talk.¡± ¡°I should be sleeping, not sitting up here in the cold because you had a bad dream.¡± ¡°Before the Crisis of Borden, I had a bad dream, and tens of thousands died, millions could¡¯ve if I hadn¡¯t put a stop to the spiders there. My sister and Liat have been picking up the slack for you, but you were with them because they liked you, not because you were some great asset.¡± ¡°Leave her-¡± ¡°Liat, you shouldn¡¯t be so quick to jump to her defense.¡± ¡°She¡¯s-¡± ¡°A grown woman who has a shitty attitude. Sam, you would¡¯ve never made it in the army, that¡¯s the truth, you had the potential, but you have a massive chip on your shoulder.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, thanks mister mass murderer, I¡¯ll be sure to listen to your advice about how to act.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I mean. You want to snap back at people, and because these last few weeks you spent more time with me you went right back to acting that way despite us not actually getting closer.¡± ¡°What is even the point of this, why does this matter?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t, I¡¯m just killing time.¡± ¡°Prick.¡± At first light, a song was carried in the wind. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°That fucking sound, is it singing? A whistle? Drums? Just screaming? I can¡¯t tell and it¡¯s driving me mad.¡± She staggered, grabbing Liat with one hand and her head with the other. ¡°Harlan, do you hear anything?¡± ¡°Hmm hmm hmm, hmm hmm hmm¡­ It¡¯s beautiful. But she isn¡¯t singing for me.¡± Liat began to hear it, but only through Harlan. The sound seemed to resonate through his body, his bones vibrating with the hum. Then the song was silenced, and the mountain pass closed. ¡°GET DOWN.¡± The slamming of mountains together produced a boom like an angry god, sending a wall of air at the camp that pulled those tents which were improperly secured and burst the eardrums of those on the wall. Coronach appeared alongside the woman who The Darkness used as a messenger. ¡°The madness shall begin soon.¡± Harlan was handed a scroll, but she was more focused on the woman. Sam elbowed her. ¡°HEY, WHY DON¡¯T YOU JUST ASK TO FUCK INSTEAD OF STARING.¡± ¡°Sam, I love you, don¡¯t be like that. Coronach, what-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t speak to me, desert born. The dog has her scent.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t fail again, this time we¡¯ve got her.¡± ¡°Then we hunt.¡± Both Coronach and the woman turned to shadows and glided across the ground towards the mountain. A wall of energy was Harlan was focused on the scroll, and once he read it, he began to heal the people around him. ¡°What do we need to do?¡± ¡°Dodge Sam¡¯s attack first.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She didn¡¯t understand the order, but she turned around and Sam had a dagger out. ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you?¡± Harlan opened a gate behind her and put Sam in a headlock. As his forehead pressed into her, she calmed. Sam groaned before she spoke. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Nemain¡¯s warcry drives people into a state of frenzy, I need to take their madness into me. Liat, go to Orden, tell him to order the golems to start restraining the soldiers before they begin to lose their minds.¡± ¡°What if he is also losing his mind?¡± ¡°He¡¯s half Golden. Sam, you¡¯re with me, do whatever you can to keep the others off of me while I¡¯m taking the madness.¡± As she flew through the camp back to Orden¡¯s tent, she saw everyone stuck in a daze; she could feel a poison welling up in their minds. When she stepped to enter the tent the two guards suddenly changed, lust and a purple hue filled their eyes as they drew their swords at her. She easily dodged their strikes and punched each of them hard enough to knock the air from their lungs then bound them with stone cuffs so they didn¡¯t hurt themselves or anyone else. Orden was trying to block out the song as best he could, his efforts giving him a migraine. ¡°Orden, you need to order the golems to start restraining the soldiers.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s¡­ laughing it up, he was right, I was wrong.¡± The song manifested in more than simple rage. ¡°No, he is just worried about saving as many lives as he can. Stop being a baby and get the hell up and give that order.¡± She pulled on his arm, but he seemed content to stay. ¡°Fucking Golden.¡± ¡°I know, I can¡¯t stand them, that¡¯s why I left. Now do the right thing or shut the fuck up.¡± He began to laugh, losing the fight with the song. Liat lacked Harlan¡¯s finesse with emotions, not his own, he was an example of how one shouldn¡¯t try to manage themselves, but others. Rather than trying to talk him down or make him see why he had to beat the madness, she slapped Orden. ¡°YOU BITCH, I COULD HAVE YOU-¡± She hit him again. ¡°WHATEVER YOU HAVE PLANNED HAS TO WAIT UNTIL WE BOTH SURVIVE WHATEVER IS COMING.¡± Her words seemed to finally wash his mind clean. Yet as he stood from his bed, the ground shook, then came the shockwave that knocked them both off their feet and caused the tent to fall on them. ¡°WHAT WAS THAT?¡± He said, muffled by the enchanted canvas layered with mammoth fur. ¡°CORONACH IS FIGHTING NEMAIN.¡± ¡°WHO IS CORONACH?¡± ¡°DOESN¡¯T MATTER.¡± The pair worked together to lift the tent back up and find the military issue command rod while chunks of stone rained down on the area from the fight. Liat was the one who first picked it up, which caused a strong electrical shock to run through her. Once the rod was in Orden¡¯s hands the golems began to move according to a new order. They were already trying to break up the fights, but now they were allowed to disable limbs through any non-lethal means at their disposal. The pair cut themselves out of the tent, or rather, Liat cut them out, since her blades were a gift from Balor. They cost as much as a modest home in a city and were forged by Brig himself out of high quality skysteel. Orden meanwhile had a good blade, he was a commander of an important camp, but his weapon was still more or less standard issue compared to the one of a kind scimitars. The shaking and shifting caused an eruption of several mountains whose real nature was hidden. They stood there in shock once they were out, the sky had been blackened by thick black plumes. The stones which pelted them were small, but as they looked around several people had been crushed by giant flaming boulders. ¡°What hell has been unleashed on us?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying my hardest to not say he told you so. Come, we need to just-¡± A roar pierced the air, followed by a dozen more. ¡°Oh what the fuck is that.¡± ¡°No beast that I know.¡± She and Orden went to the wall to get a better look. Monsters with blue skin and spiked hair. Harlan appeared through a gate and wrapped his arms around them. Then he began to laugh. ¡°I¡¯M GOING TO KILL THOSE FUCKING THINGS.¡± They didn¡¯t say a thing until his hands were off of them. ¡°Has he lost his mind?¡± ¡°Probably. He¡¯s been absorbing the insanity of the people in camp.¡± ¡°Can you handle him if he tries to-¡± ¡°Nope, not a chance, maybe a few years ago, but not a chance now. I¡¯m calling people in.¡± Liat didn¡¯t have a direct line to the royals, but she had a direct line to Adina, which was basically the same thing. Orden used his amulet to request reinforcements of his own, but they would pale in comparison to her¡¯s. Safira and a squad of royal guards arrived to quell the riot, not even bothering to sort the sane from the insane. The one large downside to telekinesis being taught to so many soldiers was that mass suppression techniques against civilians didn¡¯t work on them. A team of royal guards in a city could lock down hundreds of people at once; they would have to settle for using normal magic. Men became encased in crystals, some had the ground under them turn to churning soil that they couldn¡¯t escape but wouldn¡¯t drown them, others were trapped in illusionary mazes. Safira took no part in the main pacification, instead she went to help or contain Harlan. What she saw beyond the wall was something of a nightmare. These monsters, ten feet tall at the smallest, tearing chunks out of Halran, yet at the same time, he would constantly eat them, like an Ouroboros. Only some of them were smart enough to move on into the camp itself and ignore the endlessly invigorated man. Yet beyond this rampage of regeneration was a clash of power enough that some would lose faith, that they would understand the valley where humanity resided and the peak where deities lived. As the opening move, Xol had slammed two mountains together, something he prepared when he was there to investigate the fairy circles. She saw a black hole birthed in the palms of the Lich, she knew her mastery over gravity magic, her grandest spells would be reduced to nothingness against it. The strongest mortal involved in the fight had only a single job, to help maintain a barrier that Xol had built, for anything she could actually do would be pissing in the wind compared to the others: Coronach, Dog of The Darkness. Xol, Ancient Lich, Otherworlder, Fae. Sepul, Champion of Light, Wyvern¡¯s Bane, Master of space. She had to cover her eyes as Sepul became a being a pure light and channeled Cecht through his body, every feather that burst from the man heated the air and began to brew a storm. Yet all of this, every attack that warped reality and physical law, was just smoke and mirrors, a distraction. A single word was clearly spoken from Marigold and heard for over a hundred miles. ¡°Cleave.¡± Thus was born The Scar Chapter 316: Saltlick Aftermath Harlan awoke in a room very familiar to him. But this wasn¡¯t the first time that he had woken up without actually waking up. Once he realized he was stuck in a looping dream he would open a gate somewhere he didn¡¯t know and start asking people random questions. A real person would either tell him to fuck off or they¡¯d answer his strange question about their life, but a fake person would be unable to tell him details about their life at all but would never refuse to speak with him. He didn¡¯t get that far this time since he was being blocked from opening a gate by the defenses of the palace and his attempt set off an alarm. Safira entered the medical room flanked by two other guards, speaking from behind a large shield of crystal held by the man on her left. ¡°Are you sane?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ve ever been sane. But my mind is clear. What happened?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure where to start. Nemain led an attack on the camp, do you know why?¡± ¡°There was¡­ I remember she was singing, but it wasn¡¯t for me. Saltlick was an important camp, so destroying it would fan the flames of war, giving the rebels a new striking point. Ultimately her goal is to cause strife so people are forced to grow.¡± ¡°Sepul gave the same answer.¡± ¡°He was there, right? Everything is still in pieces, but he was fighting. The last thing I remember was¡­ Marigold, she said something?¡± Safira shivered and averted her gaze. ¡°The mountains are gone.¡± ¡°I must¡¯ve misheard you. The-¡± ¡°The mountains are gone. She struck Nemain with some attack. Most of the soldiers in the camp evaporated from the sheer power in the air. But-¡± ¡°Sam, where is she?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He trembled as he forced the next word out of his mouth. ¡°Liat?¡± ¡°She¡¯s recovering in another room. If not for your enhancements and-¡± ¡°Does she know yet?¡± ¡°She has only been awake for a few days, and never for long.¡± He turned his lower half to get down from the bed, finding that the floor felt like pins and needles. ¡°You need more rest.¡± ¡°No, I need to see her.¡± Safira ordered one of the others to grab him, and then he realized what was wrong. ¡°I can¡¯t feel you.¡± She stepped out from behind the shield and revealed the cane she was using. ¡°That spell Marigold used cut through more than just what we can see. Can you use magic?¡± He tried to light a simple fire in his hands, but got nothing but sparks. His breath quickened and fear flooded his mind. ¡°I couldn¡¯t open a gate before, not because of the arrays. What do you know? How do I-¡± ¡°Calm yourself. There was a messenger, a woman, who told us that we will recover, but how long she does not know. For you, perhaps a week, two at most, for me, a month or more.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re stronger than me, aren¡¯t you?¡± Safira shook her head. ¡°That sigil you have was like a shield, and you have a connection to the gods due to your championship.¡± ¡°How long have I been sleeping?¡± ¡°Two weeks, though you were the first to wake, you would ramble and go back to sleep. We had to travel back for over a day before we could even get out of the area of effect. We are poison to mana right now and gates remained closed.¡± ¡°If you want to see Liat, Charlin will take you.¡± He had turned off his empathy before, or at least turned it down heavily so as to not be distracted, but it was gone now. It was deafening. It wasn¡¯t like his senses weren¡¯t beyond others already, he could hear servants coming even though they had soft shoes on soft carpet, he could smell them despite how clean they might seem. But if someone was invisible, could he know? He was sure that there should be one of the Unseen in one of the corners, but he couldn¡¯t know for sure. He felt vulnerable, blinded, crippled. Liat was pallid, lying under a thick blanket, a maid was feeding her soup since she was only barely strong enough to sit herself up. ¡°Charlin, ma¡¯am, please give us some privacy.¡± The royal guard pushed his wheelchair near the bed before he left. ¡°Liat, it¡¯s about-¡± ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°With what?¡± ¡°Magic, adventure, fighting, it¡¯s all pointless.¡± ¡°I think you should know that Sam-¡± ¡°I was hugging her so tight, trying to protect her, but she just turned into mana in my hands, I felt her turn into nothing. I don¡¯t think she knew what was happening. Why did I ever even try? What was the point? I brought her to that place because I was bored, she didn¡¯t even want to go at first.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my fault. You-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to do this, for us to try and shift the blame back and forth.¡± She turned away from him. ¡°You know, you can recover, you¡¯ll get your magic back.¡± ¡°I saw the world unfold before my eyes as she severed reality just to attack Nemain. You are directly tied to a god, but they didn¡¯t even give any warning beforehand, they didn¡¯t even give us that chance to run. We¡¯re just ants-¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true, we¡¯re both young, we can-¡± ¡°NO-¡± The strain of her shout made pain shoot through her throat. Harlan¡¯s first thought was to heal her, but when he tried to rush from his wheelchair he fell, grabbing the blankets as he did. When he managed to crawl back into his seat, he saw her barely covered form. Liat was bone thin, her body barely survived The Cleave, and at great cost. ¡°Look at us, I can¡¯t get out of bed, you can barely even stand, and we weren¡¯t even the target, she wasn¡¯t even in the camp itself. If I lived to 200, would I have even a fraction of her power? What could I do if another being like her decided to show up? I could spend my entire life training and it would amount to nothing in the face of things like her.¡± Liat began to cry, her puffy eyes said it wouldn¡¯t be the first time recently. ¡°I just want to go home, I want to see Yara, my parents, I just don¡¯t want to even bother with this, it¡¯s all bullshit, nothing I could ever be as a mage will matter.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true, you-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not an inventor, I just use what other people make, but that doesn¡¯t matter, none of it does, you might be able to reach their level, but I can¡¯t.¡± He didn¡¯t have any response to her. ¡°Yara isn¡¯t in the desert, she¡¯s with Fomoria. I got a call from Adina the other day saying that he and Yara came to talk about pregnancy. I didn¡¯t tell you because I wanted to surprise you when we got out of Saltlick.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Can you¡­ can you get her here?¡± He almost opened his mouth without thinking. He didn¡¯t want to talk with Fomoria, to ask him for a favor, he was already angry that he even spoke to Adina. But that would¡¯ve been his pride talking. ¡°As soon as I get home, I can contact him.¡± ¡°Thanks. I think I¡¯ll just get more rest¡­¡± He felt her heart slow down, but she was in no danger. When he got outside Charlin was waiting along with Rosewell. ¡°She needs to be covered back up, she¡¯s very tired.¡± ¡°Your queen is-¡± ¡°Charlin, not now. Get the maid back, and have a doctor check on Liat again.¡± Rosewell pushed his wheelchair, not to the throne room, or even the meeting room deeper in the castle, but to her room. ¡°We need to get the story straight. The only people who know what happened during The Cleave are the royal guards and Liat, there were no other survivors.¡± ¡°Nobody?¡± ¡°No. Those that survived only did so because of the enhanced bodies and magical power. Liat was nearly lost more than once, anyone less than her died almost instantly. I don¡¯t want to sound cold, but this is an opportunity. I want you to make up a theoretical weapon that would explain how you could¡¯ve been behind what happened. It doesn¡¯t matter if you can actually make something or not, the lie just has to feel real enough that archmagi on the rebel side can see how it might be possible.¡± He sighed, gritting his teeth as his eyes slit. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to ask this of you, Liat is in a poor state mentally and physically, her love died, you can hardly stand, but if we can make the other side think we can do something like that, even if it cost us the thousands of lives at the camp, we could turn the tides completely, the war might be over.¡± ¡°I need to see the damage first.¡± ¡°We can take you within 40 miles then you¡¯ll need to use a carriage, any closer and the gates break down.¡± ¡°I want to go home first. I need to see Adina, I need to call Fomoria.¡± ¡°Of course. We haven¡¯t told her about what happened yet, there has been a total information blackout on The Cleave.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯ve been calling it?¡± ¡°The last thing most people remember is a voice calling out that single word. Her voice was distorted over a distance, giving us some deniability that it was her instead of something you did.¡± ¡°Alright. Is that all?¡± ¡°Yes, for now.¡± It was like an itch he couldn¡¯t scratch, bugs in his skin. The atmosphere within the NLZ was thick with mana, but he felt his body reject it. The mana came near, it tried to enter him, but little made it past the order telling it that he was severed, broken. Charlin, a name Harlan had only learned today, but perhaps he heard in the past, whoever this man was, he was clearly well trusted if he was allowed to guard him. Outside of his castle, Harlan¡¯s father was the first to see him. The garden wasn¡¯t much when he left, now some seemed ready to harvest. His father really did have farming in his blood and soul. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t talk about it yet. Is Adina inside? Was she worried?¡± ¡°When you say something like that, I start to worry. Should I?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, no¡­ it¡¯s over.¡± ¡°Should I call your mother here?¡± ¡°No. I won¡¯t be long. Charlin, I¡¯ll tell you where to turn to reach Adina. She¡¯s probably in the nursery.¡± ¡°You should see Ava, we finally had a talk about you and her.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t necessary.¡± ¡°Fomoria was the one that started it, so there wasn¡¯t much choice in it.¡± ¡°That bastard should mind his own business.¡± ¡°Now you sound like Ava.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t the same. When I destroyed Haldran I saw the consequences and I couldn¡¯t accept them, but he¡¯s out there killing who knows how many people to-¡± ¡°I raised you same as him, he¡¯s not a stranger. Adina came to your mother and I about why you went to that military camp. You don¡¯t hate him for killing people, you hate him because you see him as a threat, you¡¯re angry that he is stronger than you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie, you and I both know it¡¯s true. If you were put in his shoes, you¡¯d do the same damn thing. You went there once, out beyond the veil, and what did you see? Is he a tyrant? Do bodies line the streets? Or is he doing exactly what you and him both want to do, make the world better even if some people need to die for it. If Yggdra died and left the kingdom to one of Rosewell¡¯s shitheel siblings, would you leave it be? Or would you be a rebel leader?¡± ¡°Dad.¡± Harlan motioned to Charlin. ¡°Rosewell knows what you are about and I¡¯m not worried that she¡¯d be upset enough to punish me for what I¡¯m saying. Go see your wife, then go to whatever the next mess is, but before that, see your sister, because I¡¯m sure she wants to apologize.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Adina was exactly where he thought she would be. Viviane began to fuss when she saw him in the wheelchair. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back to my best health in weeks.¡± ¡°What about Liat? Sam?¡± ¡°Sam didn¡¯t make it, Liat¡­ she¡¯s not handling it well. I just wanted to say that I¡¯m alright, since I don¡¯t know if you tried to call me or not, but I can¡¯t stay long. I need to talk with Ava, and I need to call Fomoria.¡± ¡°What happened then? Hirum came to ask me where you were, but he wouldn¡¯t say why he seemed so frazzled.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure plenty of people felt what happened. Can I hold her, just for a minute?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to ask, she¡¯s your daughter too.¡± ¡°Charlin, can I get some privacy?¡± ¡°Of course, Sir Fomoria.¡± With just the three of them there, he sighed. ¡°You mentioned that Fomoria upset you, what was it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, you don¡¯t-¡± ¡°Please. I just want to know before we meet again, otherwise my mind is going to assume the worst and I¡¯ll ruin everything.¡± ¡°You know, it sounds like a threat when you say it like that.¡± ¡°You know exactly what I mean though. I won¡¯t mean to do it, but I¡¯ll hear something that upsets me and then I¡¯ll be in a bad mood and then-¡± ¡°I know.¡± This was now her turn to sigh. ¡°He said that he wished he had given Yara a chance earlier.¡± ¡°Ok, and?¡± ¡°You and him are both just as stupid as the other. I¡¯ve never been jealous of anyone else, because I know that you don¡¯t have eyes for anyone but me, I¡¯m absolutely confident in that. But he said it and it made me angry, I wanted to hurt him, and I wanted to hurt Yara. It¡¯s stupid, I know it is, I¡¯m acting like a child. But I hate it, I hate feeling like there could ever been somebody else for you.¡± ¡°You know that there isn¡¯t. He settled for her, but you were always his first choice, always my only real choice. When you are old and wrinkled, I¡¯ll still love you just as much as I do now, probably more actually.¡± She blushed. ¡°I¡¯ve been really missing you. You know. As soon as you¡¯re better, why don¡¯t we let your parents watch her for a few days?¡± ¡°Alright. But now, I must go.¡± He tickled Viviane¡¯s nose. ¡°Mama.¡± It was hard for him to contain his emotions. ¡°Her first words?¡± ¡°She started saying things a week ago.¡± His demeanor turned dark in an instant. ¡°I missed it, I¡¯m stupid, an idiot, I don¡¯t-¡± ¡°Stop that. You were here when she started crawling, and when she took her first steps. You are lucky that you¡¯ve only missed that. Now hand her back, you¡¯re upsetting her with your bad mood.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t apologize to me.¡± ¡°Sorry, Vivi.¡± ¡°Papa.¡± Both of them were overjoyed, though not for exactly the same reason. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to get her to say papa for days. She refused.¡± The couple played with her for a time, but eventually Charlin knocked on the door; they didn¡¯t have forever, though they weren¡¯t on a tight schedule. He was shocked that he couldn¡¯t find Ava in the training room, and he felt foolish that she had been in her room, which they had gone past on the way to the training room. ¡°What happened to you? Are you alright? I¡¯m sorry that I-¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, I just need to recover.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯ve got a problem, but I¡¯m sure it can wait.¡± ¡°Do we need some time alone so you can explain?¡± ¡°No¡­ actually, yes.¡± ¡°Charlin.¡± ¡°Of course, Sir Fomoria.¡± When it was just the two of them, she revealed her hands; the metal was creeping further up her arms, reaching to her elbows. ¡°Gods¡­ you¡¯re¡­ what happened? Was it Fae?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s Lugh, he and I, well, we¡¯re able to fuse.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ incredible. Can he talk?¡± ¡°To me, sure, but not to anyone else. We can¡¯t turn it off, we used to, but not now.¡± ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t use magic, not for a little while.¡± To accent his point, he once more tried to make a fireball, and only made sparks. ¡°But¡­ I can¡­¡± ¡°For fucks sake, just say it, it¡¯s not that hard.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call Fomoria.¡± ¡°He¡­¡± ¡°Just say it, it¡¯s not that hard.¡± ¡°Prick. He yelled at me last time, and I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s still mad or not.¡± ¡°Even if he was, you¡¯re in trouble, so he¡¯ll do everything in his power to help.¡± Fomoria had no issue coming over, and he didn¡¯t hold any ill will. What he wanted more than anything from Ava was just to be forgiven. Harlan couldn¡¯t stay around, he had to visit The Scar; he didn¡¯t tell him about Liat yet. In the future, this would be a massive freshwater lake, towns would be built around the edges. Now, it was as the name suggested, it was a scar on the land. 40 miles long, and though it started at the thickness of a blade, it rapidly expanded in an inverted triangle shape 80 miles across. The north end was deepest, going down to half a mile, but the slope was gradual from where Marigold had swung her blade. What amazed Harlan wasn¡¯t the sheer size of the attack, but how dead everything felt. He saw wyverns migrating, but all of them would turn to avoid getting anywhere near The Scar. The air itself felt sick, and these wyverns were too large to exist by natural law, so an anti-magic area was a serious health risk to them. The more he looked around, the more clear what his theoretical weapon would alledge to be. It was a clean cut, where once there was, now there wasn¡¯t, what was something became less than nothing, for even the air at least held mana.
Nemain thrashed against her cage. She was not held with the rest, Xol was worried that she would somehow manage to break out. No, he brought her to his home, putting her in a trap not entirely unlike Koschai, but her restraints were made entirely of Godtouched steel. Aarde¡¯s will ran through each bond of the metal, and they hated the Fae. ¡°It has been a long time since we last got a face to face meeting. You always ignore my invites.¡± ¡°My, coming to see a vulnerable woman without your wife present?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s move past the crude remarks and mockery, shall we?¡± ¡°What do you want from me?¡± ¡°You have your paladins, David and Parnell. I¡¯m sure that you gave them a fraction of the power that you should¡¯ve. I want some of your ichor so I can give them the strength they deserve.¡± She furrowed her brows. ¡°That is against this world, why?¡± ¡°Because, something is coming, and this world will not last unless its champions are strong enough to do what needs to be done and they have the power to do it.¡± ¡°Unbind one of my hands, and I shall conjure a vial.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Naturally, she tried to unravel his physical form, but found her magic ineffective; his form glowed with an unnatural purple hue, not quite like the Fairies, something so dark it was nearly black. ¡°My my my, now what have you done, Man of Bone?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it more fun if you don¡¯t know?¡± She laughed and gave him the vial. Chapter 317: A Spark There were times when Fomoria very much loved that others were not empathic. No matter how well he could hide something, if they could feel his mind, it would be pointless. Two weeks had passed, and in that time, Yara got pregnant every single day, but the soul always failed to form. So, he called on Xol. ¡°I would think it better to bring in Yara.¡± ¡°You are certain that there is nothing wrong? That this is just normal.¡± ¡°Well. Without bringing her in and directly examining her, yes. I used your DNA and fertilized eggs from Golden, but perhaps there is something different about her.¡± ¡°Wait just a second, you have eggs from a Golden?¡± ¡°Not a Golden, several Golden. But that isn¡¯t the-¡± ¡°How did you get them?¡± ¡°Sometimes people try to kill me and I take their bodies as trophies, pulling out their mind and soul, keeping them alive as husks to harvest from and experiment on.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ morally I don¡¯t think it is any worse than what I do.¡± ¡°And your commitment to morally is admirable. But as I was saying, the failure is always in the ability for the soul to really even begin to form the baby¡¯s, perhaps you should bring in an expert.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you are.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m certainly magically knowledgeable, but Marigold would be far better at this. She¡¯s had children before, and she has experience looking at fertility issues in extreme cases.¡± Fomoria was still unhappy with her, but he was perfectly willing to throw away any grudge to get help for Yara. ¡°As soon as she can, I¡¯d like her to come here and look at her.¡± ¡°She can bring her to our home and watch her tomorrow. Anything else?¡± ¡°I was thinking about bringing Dawn and Darrath back, but now my mind is all over the place and my guts are in a knot with stress.¡± ¡°Do what you believe is best, but think about if you really want to add more people that need to be protected right now while you are expanding. Have you even finished your project?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve been too busy and my Others need me to help with it since they lack the ability to create the souls we need.¡± ¡°Think of what is best for you and your nation.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time for Dawn and Darrath then.¡± Xol simply nodded his head, as if this wasn¡¯t exactly what he wanted. Fomoria explained everything to Yara, and she was giddy. ¡°I¡¯m going to get to spend time with Marigold herself, Liat is going to be so jealous. I know that I didn¡¯t want to know whenever I was starting to get pregnant, but, how many times has it happened?¡± ¡°No. You wanted me to not tell you so I am going to hold to that request. There is nothing that can be gained by you knowing.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°No. Don¡¯t ask me again.¡± Yara hung her head and twiddled her thumbs; his tone was harsher than he wanted. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But I don¡¯t want you to know, you asked that I don¡¯t tell you, and that is final. I don¡¯t mean it as an insult, honestly it might be one of your best qualities, but you can be childish, you swing from emotion to emotion like I do. I just don¡¯t want to see you depressed like you were when we lost the first one ever again. I know I can¡¯t do that, but in this case, there is something I can do.¡± ¡°Do I need to do anything before I go?¡± ¡°Xol didn¡¯t say anything specific, but I¡¯d take an extra set of clothes and a few bottles of tonic just in case. He also failed to say exactly how long you¡¯ll be staying.¡± ¡°Are you coming with me?¡± ¡°As much as I would like to, I doubt she would want me to be learning magic from her on the creation of life and I do have things that need to be done here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, you don¡¯t have to go.¡± It was clear to him that her joy at getting to spend time with Marigold was being tempered and beaten by anxiety. ¡°But, I will ask.¡± Fomoria¡¯s request was denied for exactly the reason he said it would be. She didn¡¯t even want him learning the sigil that she used for expanding Kor into a city, learning about making new life was something she had been explicitly told not to give either Harlan the answers to. As he began to prepare for the advancement of the project, Roland called him. ¡°I would like to see your city.¡± ¡°And by what method of travel will you reach here?¡± ¡°That orb that you used to leave of course. Am I right that it was some form of teleportation?¡± ¡°Yes, void gate. How many will be coming with you?¡± ¡°Just me.¡± ¡°Alright. What is the real purpose of your visit?¡± ¡°To see your measure as a man and a ruler so I can decide on some things, including killing you.¡± ¡°Very well. I can track your exact location through that amulet, if you want to come now, you can.¡± ¡°Yes, that would be fine.¡± Fomoria brought the man into his office, at which point they put their amulets away and shook hands. ¡°You lack calluses. I¡¯m disappointed.¡± ¡°My body regenerates too quickly for them to form or remain for long, not to mention actually damaging my skin to cause them to form is quite hard.¡± ¡°I want to cut you in half.¡± ¡°To test that I¡¯m really unkillable? You¡¯re spies weren¡¯t here very long, but I suppose they at least got that.¡± ¡°Yes. In return, I want you to attempt to block Durandal at the same time.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Mercedes heard him going into his office from his bedroom and came to ask a question, only to find Roland with his blade raised and Fomoria blocking with his forearms. Her natural reaction was to pull a gun and shoot the man. Yet her attempt at a quickdraw caused her to fumble the gun and nearly shoot herself in the leg as she grabbed it; Fomoria skipped over, returning her to a natural posture and the gun to its holster; she disliked the feeling of skip being used to affect her. ¡°Mercedes, calm down. Roland and I are just going to test something.¡± ¡°It looks like he intends to split you down the middle.¡± ¡°His blade can only cut the physical, so I¡¯m in no danger. Roland, apologies for the interruption.¡± Mercedes forgot what she even wanted to ask, so she just sat and watched as Durandal cleanly cut through Fomoria in his full armor with seemingly no resistance, but also with no harm being done. ¡°Alright then, an alliance is in order, regardless of what my king, or rather, his mother, says.¡± ¡°Glad we could work this out so quickly. Are you prepared to perform a coup if need be?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The two shook hands again. ¡°Excuse me, but what about what you two just did means an alliance is now needed?¡± ¡°Fomoria?¡± ¡°No, you can explain if you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°Very well. I felt a very slight resistance as I cut through him. This means that he has some power that can resist my sword. He is too crafty to kill, and in the future may even be able to block the blade outright. Thus, I will not fight him, since it would be a pointless endeavor.¡± ¡°You two¡­¡± Mercedes sighed and left the room. ¡°Is she oft so distraught?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t understand us.¡± ¡°I want to go on a hunting trip with you. Are there good prey in this area?¡± ¡°There is something I¡¯ve been wanting to do, which would count as a hunt.¡± ¡°Then let us be off. I¡¯ve also heard that you can colour things with magic, I want that.¡± Fomoria thought that something was off about the way he said color, but he assumed it was only because of the strange accent. ¡°The spell is simple, if you¡¯ve got any talent.¡± ¡°I am a primarily martial man, but I believe I am an above average mage.¡± After teaching him color magic, Fomoria brought Roland to a shaft near the spire. ¡°What are we hunting?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°What do you call the snakemen that have adamant flesh and dwell far under the ground?¡± ¡°The Sons of Nidhogg.¡± ¡°Who is Nidhogg?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but these monsters are described as such in a book I once read about great and terrible beasts of Aarde.¡± ¡°Strange that the book would tell you that name but give no context for who Nidhogg is.¡± ¡°I believe it was written in a time when Nidhogg was simply a well known enough being that there was no need to explain it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to find a name for them, but nobody has a single one. This implies that Fae are involved.¡± ¡°Ah, because the word isn¡¯t saved and spread according to Aarde, yes?¡± ¡°Oh. Do you have an interest in magical linguistics?¡± ¡°There is naught to be learned unfortunately. Aarde names things, but leaves some nameless.¡± ¡°Actually The Darkness names monsters, and this is part of her helping with the evolution of magical creatures. I believe Anu handles the names for plants however.¡± ¡°The Darkness?¡± ¡°Right, your people have a Reinoan religious background, you wouldn¡¯t know the gods of Aarde. Do you know the Mother of Murder? The Matron of Malice? The Tower of Flesh? The Thing of Transfiguration? The-¡± ¡°Yes, I know of her. But she is only an aspect of the High God Aarde.¡± ¡°Not technically wrong. But- No, nevermind, we are going to hunt at least one of these monsters and harvest it.¡± ¡°Whatever for?¡± ¡°Do you really need to know?¡± ¡°I suppose not.¡± The shaft was 1000 feet deep, well below the quarter mile that people took as a general guideline to avoid running into the snake men. He avoided just opening a gate down, and instead both men jumped. When one got more than a few thousand feet under the ground, things could be¡­ strange. The two men landed with grace, then went to a second shaft. ¡°Why not just one? And how deep must we travel?¡± ¡°I was told a story by Xol, the Lich. The closer one gets to the core of Aarde, the more chaotic things become. This world is much larger than the one he came from, and everything should weigh four times as much as it does now on the surface. Maybe this is because of Gaia wanting to make the environment of the era more like her home, maybe there is some universal compulsion when making worlds inhabited by humans. So as we get deeper, space and time are going to distort in certain ways, so I want multiple shafts that can be collapsed for safety and I will not be using gate or void gate unless I absolutely need to.¡± ¡°I understood some of that.¡± Fomoria explained more as they kept going farther and farther down, though he didn¡¯t really have much time, since falling a thousand feet was much faster than one might expect. ¡°4000 feet, and you say that your scouts haven¡¯t seen any of them yet?¡± ¡°Here is the point where we should be able to find them. I was told some time ago that people avoided going deeper than a quarter of a mile, but either the snakemen don¡¯t live in this area in high population, or that assessment is erring far on the side of caution.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t taking me down here to kill me and steal Durandal, are you?¡± ¡°No. One of the scouts is coming this way, don¡¯t attack it.¡± The stonescaled reptilian moved with great haste towards the pair. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°An Eolgi. One of the reasons I want a snakeman is to figure out if they have any connection with these creatures. What did you find?¡± ¡°Snake, down tunnel, right there, coming.¡± ¡°How many?¡± The Eolgi looked down at its three fingers and a thumb, trying to figure out what the number would be. ¡°Two hands.¡± ¡°A eight then. Were you able to fight them?¡± ¡°Snake fast, only live, find if you hide.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you go back to the first layer and talk with your marshall.¡± ¡°Scary scaly.¡± ¡°We will be fine.¡± Roland¡¯s mask cracked for just a moment, and he seemed to show some actual emotion. ¡°This is a golem?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s a living creature which was selectively bred to remove their ravenous hunger and aggression. One of my Others put a great deal of effort into domesticating them, making them intelligent.¡± The Eolgi was hesitant about leaving while the two of them were still talking, but once they made their way down the tunnel, it climbed up the shaft they came down from. As they made their way through the tunnels which were lit only by their spells, the two men continued their conversation, speaking with complete honesty. ¡°Your father, was he a farmer or a carpenter?¡± ¡°Why do you guess either of those?¡± ¡°You talk with fake nobility. When you said oft and naught, I could feel that those aren¡¯t the words that come to you naturally, you were taught to speak like that. Also, you commented on my lack of calluses, so I think you put some stock in physical labor.¡± ¡°My father was a blacksmith. You are right, this is how I was taught to speak, but for the first dozen years of my life, I had a peasant accent. I hadn¡¯t realized people could notice.¡± ¡°You will never be one of them, but that isn¡¯t bad.¡± ¡°One of them?¡± ¡°Nobles.¡± ¡°Are you not also royalty, part of the noble caste? You took so quickly to ruling that I believed you already experienced in the field. You were here outside the veil for a day before you declared yourself king, did you not?¡± ¡°I had a title, I had lands, but I was never really a noble, not like the rest of them.¡± ¡°Hmm. Your father, a farmer then? I believe one of the spies mentioned it, though we didn¡¯t have time to really get much information due to the distance they had to travel.¡± ¡°Yes. He is. And- They¡¯re here. Now is the last chance to back off if you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°No, I believe that I am quite capable of fighting a few beasts.¡± ¡°I want one clean body. If I hold the rest off, can you decapitate one of them with as little damage as possible?¡± Roland just scoffed. The snakemen were as described, scales of jewels in every color of the rainbow, claws of deep iron. They barely left tracks behind them, hovering slightly above the ground, what was left behind was really just due to the speed they moved at. Fomoria was nearly blindsided when one coiled their body and then shot forward, a cone of air forming, yet it wasn¡¯t fast enough to cause a sonic boom. It tried to claw him, but Fomoria dodged and cross countered the monster. The air filled with light devouring fragments of bone. He wasn¡¯t expecting his armor to nearly entirely shatter on his right arm up to the elbow or that his fingers would break. The creature suffered what he would consider cosmetic damage, though it did seem rattled as it slithered back, matching its timing with another of them. Fomoria went low, then used anti-friction magic to slip around the torso of the beast before using friction magic to tighten his grip on it and suplex the creature. The tunnel shook and Roland was worried about a cave in, but what damage had been done amounted to just a cracked skull for the creature. There was an issue when fighting like this, in that the ground was no longer hard enough to actually hurt things like these snakemen or Fomoria, that is, unless they are struck with great force and the ground under them compresses into a harder form. When the others saw that their companion was bleeding, they descended on it, devouring even the bones in just a few moments. At least, that is what he thought at first. The bloody display had been a distraction, and one of the remaining 7 came at him from the side. Its claws rent his flesh with little resistance, but Roland had been watching this entire plan happen. He didn¡¯t warn Fomoria of course, and instead used this as a chance to get a clean cut on the beast. Unfortunately, rather than grabbing the writhing, but ultimately safe lower half, Fomoria grabbed the upper half of the monster and as they fled it hadn¡¯t stopped trying to bite and claw at him. ¡°WHY DID YOU-¡± ¡°CLOSE YOUR EYES.¡± Fomoria tossed the half of a snake man forward and then unleashed a powerful light spell back towards the others. Their eyes were large and sensitive like those of a Pixies, which helped them to navigate with the little light let off by bioluminescent creatures which they primarily hunted. ¡°NOW WE CAN KEEP RUNNING.¡± Fomoria grabbed the still living snakeman and continued wrestling it as he ran back towards the shaft. When they reached it Roland tried to get up by jumping from wall to wall, but Fomoria just wrapped his legs around the waist of the man and used an extra set of arms to cast a gravity reversing spell. When they got back up they weren¡¯t exactly out of breath, but both men panted in excitement. ¡°They were so dangerous, oh that was a fascinating little trip.¡± ¡°You probably don¡¯t run into many things that can really hurt you, right?¡± ¡°Durandal is indestructible, but most importantly, it boosts my power.¡± ¡°What if it gets knocked out of your hands? Do you lose it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that easy to kill. I am its only real owner, so long as I draw breath, it is part of me. Well, or I give it willingly to another.¡± ¡°How many Fingers have you killed?¡± ¡°Me? None. I¡¯ve come close, but they know better than to engage me in close quarters combat, and I¡¯m not a powerful long range fighter. That slash I sent your way lacks the infinite cutting power of the blade itself, and it loses a lot of power over a distance.¡± ¡°I killed one of them, technically.¡± ¡°Oh? Do tell.¡± ¡°I injected him with a powerful disease, his body was turning to rust. He could survive it, but to stop it from spreading to other Cast, the Castians killed him and gave his finger to someone else.¡± ¡°Interesting, but a victory nonetheless. What did you want that monster for? And why did you not take the tail?¡± ¡°The nicest looking gem is in the forehead, and the only parts that are adamant are the claws, and at least I so, the bones.¡± ¡°I had not thought you so vain that you cared about a sparkling bauble.¡± ¡°I wanted to make a ring, and I want it to be something really special.¡± Roland looked him in the eyes, and Fomoria did the same. It was there, that spark, that ephemeral feeling that told Fomoria he should find a reason to like the man. ¡°I¡¯m sure she is going to love it.¡± ¡°That sounded bitter. Why?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s time that I return to my home and report to my king.¡± ¡°Do you want another amulet? One for him?¡± ¡°Had I not found out that these things are so easy for you to manufacture, I would think it a priceless artifact and refuse.¡± ¡°I want an alliance, but if it doesn¡¯t work out, can we still be friends?¡± Roland scoffed. ¡°You are quite a child.¡± ¡°I¡¯m 19, so I¡¯m an adult.¡± Both of them laughed. Fomoria and his Others spent some time examining the body before he would take it apart to make a ring for Yara. Even with the one who knew the most of the Eolgi there, there wasn¡¯t any conclusive evidence about what they were. What he did find out as he tried to pry pieces of it off, was that the claws were fused directly to the bones, and the skeleton was in fact made from adamant. More importantly, he couldn¡¯t work the adamant at all. If he melted it, then what solidified wasn¡¯t adamant anymore. Either adamant was a naturally occurring alloy that broke down when heated, or the snakemen being adamant is more folklore than actual fact. As he had never seen real adamant, despite his pilfering of many vaults in conquered cities, he couldn¡¯t be sure which was the truth. He would¡¯ve called Carmilla, before surely someone as old as her would have some to compare it to, yet instead it was Xol that contacted him. He met with the Lich in his office. ¡°So, it¡¯s fixed already?¡± ¡°Marigold is going to tell Yara, since she thought it best to hear it from her. But I wanted to be the one to tell you. You and Yara, can never have children together.¡± Fomoria¡¯s face began to twitch, that deep anger he kept pushing down bubbled to the surface. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t-¡± ¡°Why?¡± Xol went quiet, then he brought out a few cubes from his sleeves. The cubes flouted around the room, forming a veil. The world seemed to be completely gone, Fomoria couldn¡¯t sense anything even though he could see out of it. ¡°I wish that I could help, I really do. But there is something fundamental to both Fomorians and the Golden which is not allowed to exist in a single being. Even if I were to try, one would need the power of a god to force Aarde¡¯s will out of the soul so you could make a child.¡± ¡°What is this veil?¡± ¡°Aarde can¡¯t see us in here, they can¡¯t hear us, but we seem to still be having a normal conversation from the outside. I can¡¯t help, and you can¡¯t ever tell anyone that I can even do this. But I thought that you should know, that you deserve that. You could adopt a child, or you could-¡± ¡°No. Just¡­ just leave me alone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I would¡¯ve never given you this hope if I had realized that Aarde had implanted such a failsafe. So long as you are a being of Aarde, so long as you share a connection to the world, it can¡¯t be changed.¡± The cubes returned to Xol; Fomoria felt a soul in each.
After the capture of Nemain, Marigold gave first aid to the very few survivors, making sure that they would survive. It was heartbreaking to see Liat there, tightly grasping a set of armor. There was only so much that could be done, they were severed, their bodies rejected the majority of magic that held a trace of Aarde inside of it, but she was sure that they would live. When she returned to her home, she didn¡¯t say a word to her husband until after they had Nemain¡¯s body and soul bound together and then caged. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Nemain is crafty and has remain uncaptured for so long because of her sensitivity to magic. It¡¯s not like I have something that can perfectly hide the magic required to trap her, crash two mountains together, and block the effects of a reality warping spell like that. I had to make a concession somewhere, and if it had to be done, I thought that the barrier was the thing I¡¯d rather have give. Harlan survived, the royal guard survived, Liat did as well. All that was lost were a few thousand humans destined to die in that frozen shithole from the start.¡± She didn¡¯t reply back. ¡°I know you hate it, but the gamble on the barrier was worth the cost.¡± ¡°I know.¡± He pulled her into a hug; guilt was something he rarely felt. Chapter 318: Jargon Harlan was still wandering that sick land into the night, though Charlin had recommended rest more than once. ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough. I believe I know what to say.¡± These words escaped him just as he staggered and fell. He was in no state to travel, and the amulets didn¡¯t work around The Scar, so Charlin brought him back to the camp where archmagi were trying to study what exactly happened. If they could replicate even a fraction of this effect then they would have made anti-magic of their own design. Harlan wouldn¡¯t know it, and Fomoria did know it yet, in part because Xol had been told not to teach it to him, but anti-magic was a catchall, and not all worked on the same principles. During the night, he woke and got out of bed. ¡°Sir Fomoria, is there something you require?¡± ¡°I am stiff, I want to walk.¡± ¡°Are you well enough to do so?¡± ¡°I will manage.¡± ¡°Then I shall accompany you.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± The archmagi weren¡¯t much in a talkative mood. There was a Ranger there as a military presence, a pale skinned woman, but she never got close. She watched from afar, lacking subtlety; his instincts told him she was a predator, ¡°Charlin, can you make a stone bench for me?¡± With the mountain that made up the valley gone, much more northern wind was coming through, and in the area near by the crops would suffer some, winters over the years would be more intense, yet he didn¡¯t shiver at all. ¡°Charlin, are you cold?¡± ¡°No sir, our armors are loaded with a suite of environmental spells. I could dive into ice cold water or walk along lava, not needing breath or cover.¡± ¡°What do you think of all this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± ¡°I think you do.¡± ¡°It is not my place to have an opinion about what happened at Saltlick.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t tell anyone, if that is what you¡¯re worried about.¡± ¡°It is not my place to-¡± ¡°Fine.¡± At the break of dawn, Charlin and Harlan moved away from The Scar until he could activate his amulet and then call for a gate. Getting into The Scar faced less resistance than moving out. A gate is opening a tunnel from one area to another, thus the mana density on the exit end matters little compared to the mana on the entrance side. Rosewell canceled her meeting the moment Harlan called and brought him into the secure room where the actually important meetings happened. Her reasoning for taking him to her bedroom before was that it would be considered less important and likely to be personal, but when it would eventually come out that he had been sent back into The Scar and had stayed with the archmagi who were studying it, then being brought into the secure room would imply that he was giving an official report. Around the table were top military officials and royals, none of which knew Harlan¡¯s weapon was nothing but a fabrication. ¡°Archmage Changeling, you may now explain what happened at Saltlick.¡± ¡°I have returned from my mission to find and destroy any remaining scrap from the LSFC-¡± In an instant Lilly raised her hand. Most weren¡¯t happy that she was there, she was an adult, but only by age, her attitude was still that of a young woman who wasn¡¯t often corrected, in part because she was actually right most of the time; Harlan knew all too well how that felt. ¡°What is the LSFC?¡± ¡°Linear Soul Fission Cannon. If we ever get to more than a single unit, perhaps we will come up with a real name, but my report will show that making even a seventh issue likely won¡¯t happen. As I was saying. When I fired the cannon again, trying to see if I could cut through the entirety of the valley which rebel forces were trying to move through in a single shot, there was an incident with the weapon. Fission refers to the splitting of certain things, pure elements are the result of what could be classed as fission magic. I will not be going into detail on the workings of the weapon, but because it works by splitting to generate power, directing the self-destruction of a soul, any deviation means that some of the power spreads outwards. If any of you have seen the aftereffects of The Cleave, then you can see what I mean. Where the cannon itself was stationed is the least affected area, but down range of it was completely destroyed, and the blowback was enough to wipe out Saltlick and deaden mana in the area. In the previous models I had never seen such a large scale failure, and I believe part of it was a chain reaction where the cannon itself, being used on living targets, which had not yet happened, caused the souls of every person killed to undergo soul fission. I knew this would happen, since I had tested it against soulsmithed items, but the resulting explosion was nothing compared to hundreds of human souls all at once and it had never caused a link between the beam itself and the targets, possibly because the soulsmithed items had no minds that could influence the weapon itself.¡± Some of the people seemed to buy it without more explanation. The effects of a soul self-destructing were known, not well known, but enough people knew, it¡¯d cut through just about anything, and the recommendation even by the royal guards and archmagi was to never even try to block it because there was no clear reason why some people had managed to do so. For the better part of an hour, Harlan dodged questions. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Why have we never heard of this weapon? We are all high ranking generals, Princess Lilly is the someday royal head of engineering, yet never have any of us heard about your supposed LSFC?¡± ¡°I never wrote down any designs due to the worry of them being seen and replicated. I was 11 when I saw my first soul detonation, and I¡¯ve wondered about weaponizing such a thing for many years. But, after testing, both on the record, and then years later off of it, I decided that it was a dead end. It was only after I researched pure elemental magic that I realized that I could perhaps apply certain principles to a soul weapon. This research nearly killed me many times, and I was only able to collect the data that I did because my physical body dying won¡¯t kill me, much like advanced imbibing.¡± He hadn¡¯t really shown off advanced imbibing, mostly because he knew that people were going to try to replicate it and get themselves killed, which he would rather not have on his mind. In time, he hoped that he could figure out how to do it completely safely so it could be carefully taught to others, but his reasoning for bringing it up now was nothing more than adding another concept that these people didn¡¯t understand and whose link to the theoretical weapon couldn¡¯t actually be verified, but that sounded reasonable. When the meeting ended, they all seemed convinced that Harlan had built a weapon which malfunctioned, or rather, had reacted to a real world test differently than expected, and then, Harlan and Rosewell were the only ones who were left in the room. ¡°How much of that was actually real? I have a hard time believing that you made all of it up in a single day.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve looked into trying to force soul detonation, but so far as I can tell, it can¡¯t be done because Aarde doesn¡¯t want people doing it. The world is set up in certain ways to ensure that those with power don¡¯t get obliterated before they have the chance to use that power to influence the world and make memories which could be fed to Life. I¡¯ve also looked into making pure elemental weapons, but¡­ unless you want bombs to blow up entire cities and leave no life behind, I don¡¯t even want to get into theoretical designs that I¡¯ve never told another person about, not even Adina, and which have never been made physical. If you do want those kinds of bombs, I refuse to make them.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about Haldren, aren¡¯t you? That was a pure element explosion.¡± ¡°I am. Pure elements are dangerous, and I won¡¯t be party to anything involving them.¡± ¡°Very well, I understand. I just wanted to know if anything you said was based on a real weapon you¡¯ve made or thought of making.¡± ¡°No, it was just made up of the parts of failed or purely theoretical projects mixed with technical terms that would sound right to people who assume that I know exactly what I¡¯m talking about.¡± ¡°Very well, that does at least clear up my worries about your idea coming out so quickly.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to go home now. I left Fomoria there and I don¡¯t like that.¡± ¡°I would like you to bring my words to Miss Liat, tell her how sorry I am about her loss, and that if she would like, the title of knight is still available.¡± Harlan scowled, angry words rose like bile through his throat, yet he cleared it with a grunt, he maintained himself. ¡°She wants to stop fighting, she wants something safe. For all I know, she¡¯s already worked out going outside the veil to be with Yara and Fomoria.¡± ¡°Do you know anything about his ties with the academy?¡± ¡°No, Hirum mentioned it as a courtesy, that Fomoria might be getting his own archmage title for another project, but that I wouldn¡¯t need to worry about sharing any land because we are both two different people in his eyes.¡± ¡°Hirum has kept us far away from whatever it is, but we know that it is a tower.¡± ¡°Bone white? Muscles between the plates?¡± ¡°Perhaps. For as good as the Unseen are, the tower is being built in land between several archmagi, completely locking it in on all sides, and each of them has given us warnings about trespassers being killed on sight if they stray from the main road that goes through the area.¡± ¡°Should I just ask if he¡¯s building a Spire of Other?¡± ¡°I leave it to your discretion, but considering he is, or was, you, I find it likely that the straight forward approach is best.¡± When Harlan returned to his castle, Fomoria had already gone, but Ava had been separated from Lugh. ¡°Harlan! It¡¯s been so long. Ava is sorry and-¡± ¡°Lugh, I wanted to explain.¡± ¡°Oh, right, sorry. Ava wants to explain that she forgives you and understands that she¡¯s been too naive about the world and how your killing is only worse than to her because she feels guilty about being involved in the events that led to you being kidnapped by Ragne and thus going down this dark path.¡± Both of them looked strangely at the small metal boy. ¡°I¡¯ve been in her head for too long, so I felt what she was thinking. And I thought on my own as well. Harlan, I¡¯m young, but I¡¯m not a child anymore, and I don¡¯t like how everyone looks at me like one.¡± ¡°What do you want us to do?¡± ¡°Nothing, I just wanted to say that. Oh, you should see this!¡± Despite his words, his inflection and manner was still that of a child, that infectious joy. From his body he pulled what seemed to be a claw. ¡°Fomoria gave it to me, but it¡¯s hard to eat. And it sings, listen!¡± Ava looked at him curiously, since Lugh had done the same thing to her. ¡°It sounds like¡­ nothing. I don¡¯t hear it singing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s sad. She sounds so nice.¡± ¡°She?¡± ¡°Adamant. She¡¯s the metal.¡± ¡°May I take the claw? I don¡¯t like that you can hear it.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ No.¡± Harlan had already reached out to grab it, and found himself frozen, his fingers only a hair away from it as Lugh pulled it back into his body for digestion. ¡°Fine. Ava, just, keep an eye on him. And I understand, no hard feelings for everything.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Is Liat still here?¡± ¡°Yes. Yara hasn¡¯t left her side since she got here.¡± ¡°Fomoria?¡± ¡°He¡­ I know he wasn¡¯t mad at me, but something still felt very off. And when he was done examining Liat, he had this dangerous look in his eyes, more than normal for you two.¡± ¡°Did he say anything?¡± ¡°No, and Yara couldn¡¯t get him to talk either.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that we can worry about what might happen, trying to predict what he is going to do is just pointless.¡± Had he his empathy still, it would¡¯ve been clear from the first moment that she wanted to ask him something else. Instead, he went inside. Liat was in Amber¡¯s former room. Yara had kept herself up with worry, and was resting with her head on the edge of the bed. ¡°How do you feel today?¡± ¡°I missed her, she¡¯s so bright and warm. I know she would¡¯ve made a great mother.¡± ¡°Would¡¯ve?¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t want me to tell anyone. Just forget about it.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t forget, but I can keep a secret.¡± ¡°Good enough.¡± ¡°I went there, to Saltlick, The Scar, whatever people want to call that place. I found Sam¡¯s things. The military wants to study everything, but they¡¯ll be returned here as soon as possible. And Rosewell wanted me to tell you how sorry she is, and that the knighthood is still open to you. I said that you wouldn¡¯t take it, but it is there.¡± ¡°She should¡¯ve been the knight not me.¡± He didn¡¯t want to dwell on it. ¡°She asked you to come with her, didn¡¯t she? Yara I mean.¡± ¡°I think I should. We talked about what I could do for work. He has a wyvern living in his city, it would be nice to have a caretaker. Or I could go to the library; she said it¡¯s massive and they are friends with the owner.¡± ¡°Will you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired, I¡¯m going to rest more.¡± She turned to face away from him.
The inner circle of the noble council gathered to discuss the events at Saltlick. There was a back and forth about if this information could be trusted at all, but it came right from a turncoat general who was in the meeting in person, and he had shown his memories to the noble who he was loyal to. Over half of these people believed the story once all of the details were read aloud and it started to make sense to those of them that understood at least half of what he said, then there was an important question to be asked. How long before they use it again? If Harlan survived the first field test, then surely it was only a matter of time before he corrected the design. If it could cause a chain reaction enough to wipe out both the men in the valley and those far away in the camp, what would happen if it was used on a city? What would happen if they pushed too far and Ragne decided to retaliate with a show of force not unlike Sepul¡¯s days-long assault that stopped the last beast war? The debate eventually split on what the answer to this was. Ultimately, The Noblists were throwing a tantrum, they wanted to rule how they wanted, as petty tyrants, and they were annoyed that someone was telling them no, putting limits on them. Thus, they were cowards, afraid of the reproach that would come if they ever laid a hand on Harlan¡¯s family in some attempt to get the information through kidnapping. Blackmail wouldn¡¯t work either, because Harlan didn¡¯t fear it, anything that could be dug up could be easily shrugged off by the archmage. Chapter 319: The Project It would take the power of a god. Yara returned, having had things explained to her by Marigold, who then spoke to her about how she felt about all of it and if there was anything more that could help. She wasn¡¯t crying anymore, she just felt guilty. Fomoria hugged her as soon as she stepped through Marigold¡¯s gate. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ve come to realize something. It doesn¡¯t matter, none of it does.¡± ¡°Fomoria-¡± ¡°Marigold, I forgive you. I don¡¯t mean what I said as being depressed or nihilistic. It doesn¡¯t matter that we can¡¯t have a child together, my life is already proof that it doesn¡¯t matter if I share blood with anyone, family is family because they are family. If you want to be a mother, we can go to the orphanage and find a baby. It doesn¡¯t matter if they are even human, but we can give that child a new life.¡± ¡°Yara, could Fomoria and I have the room to ourselves for a moment?¡± She sniffled a little, but nodded and stepped out, sitting with her knees to her forehead in the hall. Marigold led Fomoria to the couch. ¡°I know you must be upset, but-¡± ¡°After each failed relationship, I¡¯ve tried to rush into new ones, I¡¯ve kept trying to fill a hole in my life with a lover, with the idea that I must get married, have children, that those things will give me the normalcy that will keep my mind centered. But I think that my focus on the belief that I should do those things has negatively effected my mental health. Whenever I¡¯ve failed to make someone my wife, I¡¯ve felt at fault, because now I¡¯ve gone farther away from the line that I¡¯m trying to stay on. My center should¡¯ve always been myself, it shouldn¡¯t have been what others consider to be normal. I see that now, like I see for Brig, for Sepul, Xol, you. I-¡± ¡°I think that you are in a state of hyper awareness due to a breakdown caused by stress. Of the three people you just mentioned, two are or were in a state of depression. Brig, I honestly know almost nothing about, I can¡¯t say why he never took his own life. Sepul, I believe that he remained alive as a form of punishment, and atonement. Xol¡­ I think that the less I say about his past, the better.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you use Others? Xol made a small mention once that you can¡¯t, or won¡¯t, but he never said anything more, because that was your secret, not his.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t about me, I¡¯m trying to help you-¡± ¡°You are trying to apply a mindset to me that I reject. You see me as insane because I have deviated from what you believe is the right mind. I believe that you can¡¯t use them because-¡± ¡°Fomoria, please, let¡¯s get back on track.¡± ¡°No. You aren¡¯t the only person who can look at others and judge their mental state. You are afraid for me, you are worried that I¡¯ve lost my mind, but I¡¯ve attained some amount of clarity.¡± ¡°One of the worst things a patient can do is use what they¡¯ve learned in therapy to try and analyze themselves or others. I have learned from both academic sources and from Xol, who had an understanding of psychology centuries ahead of anything on Aarde. What you have is what I¡¯ve said over the course of just a few years. I am asking you to trust me, that I know how to help you, if you can let me, just like before.¡± ¡°And I am asking that you trust that you¡¯ve helped me in the past, and that I am now introspective enough to see my actions from a partly unbiased view, that while I may not be you, I can keep myself in a sane state of mind, as I have done in the years that I¡¯ve been out here.¡± ¡°I simply can¡¯t trust you, you¡¯ve seemed-¡± ¡°Then this is over. If I snap, and you believe that I will, then come back, force me to talk to you about what happened. If you cannot accept this, then I am telling you, not asking, that you leave my home.¡± Marigold sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t help someone who doesn¡¯t want it. So, I hope, I really do hope, that you will come to me for help before you do something drastic.¡± ¡°Thank you for trying, but I don¡¯t believe that I need help right now. I¡¯m glad that we can at least come together on friendlier terms.¡± ¡°When the wedding eventually happens, I¡¯d like an invitation.¡± ¡°Of course, Xol will have a plus one.¡± She wryly laughed before she left. Fomoria invited Yara back in, and the two of them laid there in bed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault. I still love you, and that isn¡¯t going to change because you can¡¯t have a biological child with me. Maybe now it really is time to bring Darrath back. I know he is going to want to meet you, and you¡¯ll love him.¡± ¡°Is it safe?¡± ¡°I am the fury and death of the gods, no man or beast shall dare cross me.¡± ¡°Is it safe?¡± ¡°Yes. I control the entire stripe, and the surrounding stripes, nobody is getting in or out without my people knowing. That and¡­ well, I want it to be a surprise.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to tell your wife everything?¡± ¡°I could, but I could also give you a gift and ask that you be patient with me.¡± ¡°It better be a very good gift.¡± ¡°I just need to find out how to make it. But, when the project is done, I believe I can brute force it.¡± ¡°You know that I love how much of a brute you can be, how you never give up, how you-¡± ¡°We can¡¯t have children. For us to do so, I would need to figure out what is really wrong, since Xol was vague and I¡¯m guessing Marigold didn¡¯t say much to you either.¡± ¡°I mostly cried, I don¡¯t remember what she really said.¡± ¡°I felt like crying too, but I didn¡¯t. Not because I¡¯m a stoic, or I¡¯ve closed my emotions, but because there isn¡¯t anything to do. I could end up wasting days, weeks, months, trying to change something that doesn¡¯t need to be changed. We can be parents, even if I can¡¯t get you pregnant.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°I would be willing to allow one of us to be with somebody else, or even for us both to-¡± ¡°GODS, NO.¡± ¡°Is the problem that you want to have a child?¡± ¡°No, I just¡­ I wish that I could, I hate that we can¡¯t and we don¡¯t know why.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to ask this now, but, for the next little while, not longer than two weeks, I want to just hunker down and finish my project. And I¡¯m asking, I want to know, will you be ok?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, just, stay with me today, and tomorrow, maybe the day after, then you can go.¡± Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. He kissed her forehead and the two of them held each other for the rest of the day. Nine days passed without anyone seeing Fomoria, any emergencies had been handled by the Others, or by those who were given positions of power by him. Then there was a warning posted the day prior to the event, just that the people needent worry, that something would be coming to fruition. The ground shook and unsettling feelings filled the air, yet both faded within just a few minutes. In the distance, the people could see the spire rising above the walls. Fomoria stood atop the spire in an inhuman form. His head was a flat disc, eyes lined it around the edges, and more atop of the head itself. His body was insectoid, four double jointed legs made him stable even if the island were to begin to list. He wanted to monitor everything as well as he could, and across his thin body was also various sensory organs, making him a living compass, depth meter, and gyroscope. Fomoria had a balance above normal people, and could easily right himself, especially in this form, but he still wanted to make sure that the island would remain level so normal people wouldn¡¯t become subtly nauseous by the small movements it would make. ¡°All mana gems are maintaining hover?¡± ¡°Acknowledged.¡± ¡°Stress levels?¡± ¡°Gem array formation is holding, stress is below expected levels.¡± ¡°Earth mana levels?¡± ¡°Gates below are operating as expected, the holes are generating extra mana.¡± ¡°Rise 10,000 more feet, then switch to air cushion magic, test hold. If altitude loss exceeds 1,000 feet, return to hover systems and place us back in the hole.¡± ¡°Acknowledged.¡± There was a lurch as they switched to being upheld by solid air rather than hover letting them move upward. ¡°Can contact be formed with the other spire yet?¡± ¡°Mental threads are starting to form, but the connection is still too weak to send any signals.¡± ¡°Rise 5,000 feet more, test connections again.¡± ¡°We are being approached by an unknown large flying creature, avian in nature.¡± ¡°Raise defenses, keeping an eye on stress levels. If stress exceeds 50%, enter freefall, slowing with hover as much as needed to avoid damage to the gems.¡± The tower turned black as the sigil activated, changing the mana that flowed through each gem situated in the dirt and bone. ¡°Have an Other attempt to make contact. If contact cannot be achieved, fire on target.¡± The giant bird was mostly hot air, not that it wasn¡¯t strong, but that it¡¯s body was primarily filled with air sacs which allowed it to remain afloat with no mana expenditure and to release this hot air as a defensive or offensive measure. The Other got near the creature, but it had no intent for peace, it saw the spire as an invader, it saw it as those from below thinking that they were allowed into the sky. He escaped through a gate, then a panel on the spire opened and hundreds of hands were revealed. Fomoria didn¡¯t know exactly what the bird was, but he could make educated guesses about it. Hundreds of firebolts came from the spire, then through gates, where they pierced the sacs of methane. The people below saw a massive explosion and then a burning carcass fall from above the clouds. But, their distance spared them from the stink that the creature left behind. ¡°Send two squads, golems, heavies. Have the first squad drop to check for life, if alive, have the second squad drop on the creature with gravity magic.¡± ¡°Acknowledged.¡± With the confirmation of its death, the spire returned to a rising pattern. The issue of the veil was twofold. Firstly, it rose 80,000 feet over sea level and dozens of miles thick which of itself was already dozens of miles from the shore. Secondly, it was a field of distortion. One couldn¡¯t disrupt it, one couldn¡¯t escape from it with spatial magic, the only option left after much testing was to bypass it. The crossroads spread across the entire planet, but as Fomoria had found, his amulets didn¡¯t have infinite range, and they weren¡¯t truly instant. His solution was to use smaller spires to act as relays and bounce the signals over the top of the veil where the magical effects had thinned out some, but also without actually going inside of the veil.. All in all, each was a small piece of earth, and a chunk of blood gem the size of a man. Most of the relay¡¯s magic was actually concerned with preventing anything that lived that high up from detecting and eating it. Lir hadn¡¯t yet made any statements towards him about if he was actually allowed to do this, so he would be going ahead at full force. The spire rose higher and higher. Past 30,000 feet, Fomoria was nervous about the ability of the spire to defend itself even though it was now cloaked by veils of its own and had a full station of Others on top of the spire itself being one of them and every inch of the place was soulsmithed. Just as the depths of the ocean, just as the bowels of Aarde, there existed things whose power was rarely known to the surface world, whose extreme environments led to hyper specialization or whose strength let them rule despite their lack of it. ¡°Connection?¡± ¡°We are starting to receive information from the other side.¡± ¡°Start delay tests.¡± They waited for long enough that Fomoria wanted to just use a void gate and check on the spire in the NLZ, but after almost a minute, they received their reply. ¡°Not good enough.¡± ¡°We are unlikely to be able to change this. We already know that there is a very small delay over a distance, and we are going very far, but also over the veil.¡± ¡°Assign three Others to work on it, but consider it low priority and they may be reassigned if needed.¡± With these words, the spire retracted its own eyes and ears, and Fomoria jumped to the base of it while reverting to a human form. Fomoria stood there on the edge of the floating island, and he just stared for a while. Monsters he had never seen up close, things that flit and fluttered with wings and mechanisms he had never seen. The air mana was so thick here that there was nothing which wasn¡¯t at least partly wind aligned. Through the parting clouds, a pod of whales came towards the spire, but Fomoria told him that they meant no harm. They circled around the island, their eyes, six in total, two forward, two up, two down, were each as tall as Fomoria was. They sang their songs, but said no words. Through the spells, they knew that he was there, they stared directly at him. The whales seemed more curious than anything, and finally they flew away once they decided that he wasn¡¯t a threat. Once they were gone into the sea of clouds again, he decided to bring Yara up. She looked over the edge, Kor seemed so tiny from 30,000 feet. But more than that, she wanted to step back. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful up here. What¡¯s the point of this? Sorry, I mean-¡± ¡°I know what you mean. You want to know what this is all about?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I meant.¡± ¡°I am going to connect the world, and these spires will do so. They are to be watchtowers, communication posts, fortresses, bombardment platforms. A grid of spires will be around the world, I will let nothing escape my sight. I will- Hold on, my Other tells me that Harlan needs to see me. You should come.¡± ¡°Why? I¡¯m not a healer or-¡± ¡°It¡¯s Liat.¡± They arrived without delay, and made their way past the others in the house. Personal guards of some of the royals blocked his path. ¡°HAL-¡± Fomoria let out a mental attack that brought them to the ground, kicking them hard out of his way as he passed. It would¡¯ve taken moments to clear up the situation, and to say that they have no authority here as guests to arrest Fomoria no matter how much they blustered. But he hurt these men regardless. The royal guards didn¡¯t lift a finger to help their lower ranked companions, who they saw as little better than butlers with swords. Harlan was with one of the royal guards, he looked a bit scraggly in the face because he hadn¡¯t had time to groom himself, but otherwise fine if one discounted the wheelchair. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say here, but I will explain in the future. Avoid crippling any of the guards here, I am sheltering the royals, and I would rather they not be harmed on my property.¡± ¡°Those men are fine, they¡¯ll recover in a few days.¡± As Fomoria slightly calmed, he felt the wrongness in Harlan. ¡°You¡¯ve lost your empathy?¡± ¡°Temporarily. What happened caused my connection to Aarde to be cut, and-¡± ¡°Is that what happened to Liat?¡± ¡°Among the others, yes, she suffered worse than I did however.¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t waste time talking, Yara and I should see her immediately.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Harlan couldn¡¯t feel the joy that Fomoria felt, even had he, it would¡¯ve made no difference. Liat was bone thin; golems surrounded her, protecting and nursing. Fomoria let Yara go ahead of him, but she stopped at the edge of the bed, afraid of hurting her with the lightest contact. The sisters both began to cry; Liat reached for Yara. As they embraced one another, words were spoken in a tone and distortion through tears that rendered them unintelligible to him, yet they seemed to understand one another. Fomoria simply stood to the side, he would just get in the way.
The gem found flesh, freshly killed. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Come on, don¡¯t you recognize me? I¡¯d use an illusion to change my face to one you¡¯d know, but, that is something you are going to solve for me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t-¡± ¡°I bet Harlan would¡¯ve got it immediately.¡± The mention of him drove Magruder to attempt to strike down his savior, but yet no magic came to him. ¡°The bracelets won¡¯t let you do anything silly.¡± Those, those he recognized. ¡°My benefactor?¡± ¡°The one and only. Now, since you¡¯ve pissed the kid off, it is very good that your original is dead. It¡¯s a bit disgusting how much things have changed. I used to be able to slip in and out of every city in the kingdom and beyond, I have spilled more saintly blood than any other man in my position outside of Ix himself. But that¡¯s why I love him so.¡± Nulson laughed with his hand over his heart. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Oh come now, you¡­ oh, actually, you wouldn¡¯t know, would you? My name is Nulson, and we are going to become very well acquainted over these next few weeks.¡± He held his hand out for a shake, but once he had Magruder in his grasp, he broke his wrist. ¡°And that¡¯s for trying to kill me. Now we can actually begin. Though, I would be a little disappointed if you hadn¡¯t tried.¡± Chapter 320: Split When the sisters finished their hug, Liat waved toward Fomoria. He didn¡¯t hesitate a moment. ¡°It¡¯s been too long.¡± ¡°You seem happy.¡± Her voice was weak, ready to break into tears once more at a moment''s notice. ¡°I¡¯ve come to accept the things that I can change, I have the strength to change what I can, and I¡¯m still working on the wisdom to know which is which.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t right. You don¡¯t sound like yourself.¡± ¡°Well, it was a something from the Reinoan Holy Book.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean¡­ what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Yara, you can tell her if you want.¡± ¡°I think we both need to agree.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to talk about it, I can feel that.¡± Yara¡¯s stomach was in knots, she hadn¡¯t really accepted the fact yet, and seeing her sister in such a state wasn¡¯t helpful. ¡°We can¡¯t have children. Fomoria and I.¡± Yet she pushed through. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ we don¡¯t know. Marigold told me that Aarde said we can¡¯t have children together because I¡¯m Golden, and he is Fomorian.¡± Liat reached for Yara again, but she stepped back. ¡°I just have to accept it, like Fomoria. I don¡¯t want to cry about it anymore. You should give her a check up like you wanted. I¡¯m going to just sit.¡± The first thing that he noticed was that her soul was relatively healthy, but her mind was damaged. Not her ability to think, she had suffered no brain damage, but her ethereal mind, the upstream of her soul. The threads connecting her to the crossroads, which all people, psychic or not, were connected to. He recalled what he knew about what the gods of Aarde actually did. They worked as filters, and when people did certain things, using their words and hands along with intent and knowledge, the gods accepted these rituals and caused magic to be cast. Across the world at any moment thousands of these requests were being sent and then filled out, and the process was automatic, no gods were looking at each spellcast and deciding yes or no. Yet, ultimately, some of that mana was coming directly from the soul and being used to manipulate the atmospheric mana, which was Aarde¡¯s. ¡°Try to cast a spell.¡± ¡°Which one.¡± ¡°Any of them. A simple light might be best though.¡± She said the words and made the signs, but nothing happened outwardly. ¡°And once more.¡± This time, he focused more on her mind than her soul. ¡°Hmm¡­ try something that you can do with a simple gesture, signless and chantless.¡± Rather than nothing, her light came out as nearly imperceptible, a gentle and dim glow at the tip of her finger. ¡°Interesting. Let me try¡­¡± The instant he began to repair one of the frayed threads that connected her mind and soul, a foreboding feeling overcame him; he continued regardless. His legs gave out and his soul felt drained, though it bothered him little. ¡°Yara, please grab a vial of tonic, I believe I¡¯ve used everything inside of me.¡± It couldn¡¯t possibly be that easy, he thought, that he could so easily find the threads that connected Aarde to people, and then sever it. At least, that was the working theory. The other possibility was that severing those threads which numbered in the thousands and which even slightly unfraying took nearly everything he had in him, would just instantly kill him even if he could do it and because the mind is linked with the soul, perhaps it would be final death. When Fomoria had a few minutes to process the tonic, rapidly metabolizing it into mana, he got back up from the seat Yara moved him to. ¡°Try that signless spell again.¡± Liat did as asked, and this time the light was ever so slightly more noticeable. As he looked at her, body, mind, soul, he also spoke with her, learned of Sam¡¯s death, suggested work for her, and gained an understanding of what being severed meant while consuming bottle after bottle of tonic brought in from Kor. He drank one more, and delved into himself. In the past, he viewed the connection between the mind and soul as a single line, and that was presently what he saw. Yet now he knew that this single line was truly a cord, woven so tightly that even looking for it he couldn¡¯t see where the ones that he assumed were his began and the ones that he believed came from Aarde ended. Her eyes began to droop, she was feeling better, and with lesser pain meant an easier rest. ¡°Yara, I¡¯m going to see Ava, do you want to come?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stay with her.¡± He kissed her before leaving. Ava had been waiting, and when Fomoria knocked, she had a pit in her stomach. The instant she opened the door, she tried to speak, but Fomoria went for a hug instead. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorr-¡± ¡°No need to apologize. I know what I¡¯ve done, and I know we¡¯ve lived different lives, so you don¡¯t understand things from my point of view.¡± Both indignity and guilt came over her. ¡°I need to show you something, let¡¯s just put a pin in this until then, alright?¡± She took a deep breath and let it go. ¡°Good. Lie down, place your hands on your stomach, roll up your sleeves, and make a hole over your stomach so your hands can rest on your skin.¡± She moved to her bed and did as asked. When Fomoria peered into her soul, or rather, the area where her soul was, he also saw Lugh¡¯s soul orbiting along with hers. ¡°Lugh, can you hear me?¡± ¡°YES! YES!¡± ¡°Good, now, just go with the flow, don¡¯t resist what I¡¯m going to do. Ava, this is going to hurt, my pain relieving spells are more for physical pain.¡± ¡°What are you-¡± Fomoria began to slowly plunge his hand through her skin, and the natural response of the fused being was to reinforce the area. Fomoria grabbed at the metal both physically and spiritually, and began to pull. It was difficult, as if he was ripping apart magnets. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The longer Lugh remained in her, the closer the orbiting souls became, the more her flesh became their flesh. Fomoria had to be careful, the skin and muscle around her stomach was entirely metallic, and it clung to her. Guards rushed into the room upon hearing the screams. ¡°WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?¡± With another set of hands, Fomoria put up a veil over Ava. ¡°You don¡¯t have authority here, remove yourselves from the room while I perform this surgery.¡± ¡°YOU-¡± Fomoria¡¯s head turned 180 degrees to look at the men. ¡°I will not ask a second time.¡± The guards themselves were there with the royals, but were not royal guards, and would not last more than a handful of moments against someone of Fomoria¡¯s ferocity. The men shivered in the sight of the predator, and the nearby golems understood in their primitive minds that they should save these men who were listed as soft allies. It took only a few minutes, but it felt like hours to Ava, who was, in a sense, giving birth. When Fomoria felt Lugh¡¯s soul fully leave his sister, he gave one final pull. It seemed somewhat unkind, but he quickly tossed Lugh to the side and began to heal Ava. Physically it was simple, her stomach had a hole in it, and her intestines had similar damage. Spiritually, her soul had become used to orbiting alongside Lugh, and now needed to come to a stop. He started applying pressure on her soul, and though it was not physical, the energy being let loose was not unlike that of a spinning ball, and across his body patches of skin were torn from him as his soul attempted to reverse the spin and slow hers. Fomoria knelt on the floor, only one arm was left on his body, his jaw was gone, and his body let off steam due to the energy being let out by his sigil. Ava had passed out, Lugh had not yet woken. New muscles, dark as a starless night, wove themselves, shadows reaching around the room grabbed the chunks of flesh and put them back on his body. Fomoria stood and let out a hot breath, whole again. Once more, an Other arrived via a void gate with a large tonic. ¡°If you continue like this, we are going to need to talk about shifting food production towards the manufacture of tonic beyond what we do now.¡± When Fomoria spoke, he had a deeper, distant voice, caused by the void flesh replacing parts of his vocal cords. ¡°Check with Mercedes, find out if we can double production.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Even the Other found Fomoria unsettling in his current state, a patchwork of pale and pitch skin and bone, a strange look in his eyes. The new Others, the ones that had been made since Fomoria learned about Aarde telling him who he could and couldn¡¯t have a child with, were noticeably happier, calmer, but those that interacted with them felt something was off. It has been said that a cold fury is far more terrifying than an open rage. Before Fomoria left, not even telling Yara that he was going or for how long, he placed Lugh with Ava, giving him an adamant claw, giving her a tonic, and cleaning the room of his remaining pieces. Messages came through, but the first he wanted to deal with was Hirum. There was little wait, he was nearly rushed into the office. ¡°Does it work?¡± ¡°Yes. I would like to bring you to the spire.¡± ¡°The one inside the veil or outside?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know?¡± Hirum hesitated, but went along with him. Looking over the edge, it was clear that they were outside of the veil. ¡°It isn¡¯t much different than inside.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard that before. There is somebody I would like you to meet, provided he is available.¡± ¡°Before that, I¡¯ve seen enough to believe that your magic is real, and now I only need scrolls to be provided with some level of information so we have physical proof showcasing the existence of this.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about the title of archmage, but I do want that land. I cannot trust the existence of my mental relays to you, as you¡¯ve clearly shown by the loss of the golem armor scrolls which have extended the civil war, scrolls which were not even granted to you in the first place. Clearly you are willing to independently verify and replicate magic which was not yours. So, these spires, and the relays high above them, exist as physical evidence of my magic existing. If you refuse to grant me the title, I will take the spire and move it to the Reinoan coast.¡± Hirum scoffed, not only at the gall, but the ridiculousness. ¡°The Reinoans would never let your island get anywhere near their borders.¡± ¡°That would be the case if not for an alliance between Titania and Aarde. I wasn¡¯t given the details, but The Darkness acted as the mediator. I could send you back and you could speak with Fragile Peace to confirm this.¡± Hirum was taken aback by the news, but he wryly chuckled. ¡°Then we will need to give you a name. I will not think of one on the spot, I would like to come together with a few other archmagi.¡± ¡°Very well. I have received word that my friend is ready to meet you, if you have the time.¡± ¡°I shall see him.¡± Out of a void gate stepped Romulus, and with him, Bartholomew. Hirum knew in an instant that they were the Goliaths which Fomoria had once described to him, but he found their skin quite odd. Romulus was closer to a Golden skintone, but Bartholomew was darker, a tone that did not exist in the species inside the veil. Not to mention the way that he wore his hair, braided into thick ropes. ¡°I did not realize Romulus would come with you.¡± Bartholomew didn¡¯t look away, but Fomoria could feel his being contrite. ¡°He requested to come with me when he heard about our meeting.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Hirum, meet the King of Lith, Romulus, and my friend, Bartholomew. Romulus, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°I ask that you be mindful of your tone.¡± Fomoria¡¯s pupils quivered as he tried to prevent showing his aggression. ¡°No. You came into a meeting intended to be between Hirum and Bartholomew without asking me at all, don¡¯t speak about rudeness after what you¡¯ve done.¡± Romulus towered over all of them there, they could hear his heartbeat and the tension of his muscles as he flexed. ¡°Yes, I suppose you are right. You are Hirum, the leader of a magical academy.¡± ¡°The Grand Academy, no greater place of learning exists in the world.¡± ¡°The Imperial Academies would surely argue otherwise. What is the cost of attendance?¡± ¡°We are the magical academy, you are anti-magic.¡± ¡°With the help of young Fomoria, we have gone past that restriction.¡± Romulus lit a fireball in his massive seven fingered hand. ¡°We currently have a few empty spots, but we can¡¯t let you bring more than a dozen Goliaths, provided you can give a reason for me to allow you to take those spots, and that you can follow our rules.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t exist within the veil, we are anti-magic that has lifted that restriction, we-¡± ¡°Let me correct you, Fomoria lifted that restriction, you did not. Unique is not an inherent good. If you would like, I could let you make an appointment, but as Fomoria said, this meeting was not to be between you and I. A secretary could answer your questions and ascertain your suitability for-¡± Hirum had no desire to play politics, not anymore, and not with someone who he had thought had an issue with entitlement, who only barely held back his anger. ¡°A secretary? I am-¡± ¡°Titles do not matter, only talent. Each year roughly 5000 new students are added to the academy, of them, 1000 make it through the full four years, not counting the one year students who are grown men and women interested in specific subjects. Prove that you have any good reason to be granted access or don¡¯t bother me any longer.¡± Romulus narrowed his eyes and puffed out his chest, but when Hirum¡¯s tattoos began to glow more brightly, instinct questioned the viability of fighting him. ¡°Then it would be best for an appointment to be set. I assume it would be little issue for you to bring messages back and forth, Emperor Fomoria?¡± It was not lost on any present the change in tone when he wanted something from Fomoria. ¡°There is no need, this place here will let you communicate through the veil. Hirum, should I bring your secretary here so they can connect amulets with the king?¡± ¡°My amulet is linked with hers, she screens all my calls before they reach me anyway.¡± Fomoria tilted his head to the side in that birdlike way and his eyes slit. Hirum¡¯s tattoos glowed as he felt Fomoria¡¯s desire. ¡°I must look into how you do that.¡± ¡°I have faith that you can learn to do so, but I would be willing to negotiate the information.¡± ¡°No need.¡± He straightened his head and his eyes returned to a rounded pupil. ¡°Before you all leave, since I do have another appointment, I was bringing Bartholomew here to suggest that he might attend the academy for at least a year as a trial run to push the Goliath magic, since it has shown to be more on the level of an adolescent than an adult mage. Bartholomew, I intended you to bring this news back to Romulus, who would then ask for more of your kind to enter the academy, I suppose this is the outcome I wished for anyway. Goodbye.¡± For the Goliaths, a normal gate, for Hirum, a void gate. Each could tell by the end that something was very off about him, but they kept quiet for now, thinking it was just normal abnormality. Fomoria¡¯s last appointment for the day came through the gate begging, dragged by the marshall of her lands. ¡°That isn¡¯t befitting a queen. You remember what I told your predecessor?¡± ¡°Please, I¡¯m trying, I-¡± ¡°Shh¡­ I know, but please, answer the question.¡± ¡°You, you told him about defenestration, right before you tossed him out of his window.¡± ¡°Close, but that was my window. There are nations which I am allied with, and nations which I have subjugated. When that king failed, not out of lacking time, but out of an attempt to subvert my charter, your nation went from an ally to a subject.¡± The former advisor who had been forced into the role of ruler hesitated when Fomoria offered a hand. ¡°Come, stand.¡± He brought her close to the edge, though she tried to avoid it. ¡°What do you see? Not much with your eyes closed.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to kill me, just do it. I did everything that I could.¡± ¡°I said something very important before, think, figure out what it was.¡± The woman kept her eyes closed, thinking of the few words they shared. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°The last ruler failed because he was actively working against me, but you have truly given your all in trying to reform your nation. Yet you still ran out of time, you couldn¡¯t do it. Why is that?¡± ¡°When I push too hard, my people keep ending up dead. I have to move slowly, suss out who my enemies really are.¡± ¡°I will be providing a few of my spies, and the ones in training. This will be considered a learning experience for them, since my heads of spycraft will begin to die of old age before terribly long. They will assist you in figuring out who is behind the deaths.¡± ¡°And my replacement?¡± ¡°You have done what you can, and you have shown prudence in trying to protect your people from acts of violence even though it meant upsetting me, possibly costing your own life. That is a noble act, and if you would like, I would rather you remain as queen, and that your nation returns to an allied status.¡± Finally, she opened her eyes, and saw the beauty of being so high up. ¡°Yes, I would be glad for your help.¡± ¡°Thank you. You may now return home, my people will meet you there momentarily.¡± Fomoria went inside the spire to the throne room, sitting for a time. The last of the three messages for him was from Roland, Magne invited Yara and him to dinner. Interlude: Ava Outside the Veil Fomoria wanted Ava to judge him, not for what she knew he did, but for the effects of what he did. To her, his sheer body count was unjustifiable, it was hard to even fathom the number of bodies that were laid cold by this hand alone. To him, the best thing he could do to justify what he had done was to show her how the people within his borders lived. She started far from Kor, but inside of the outermost defensive walls that curled out like a blooming flower and protected the farmland. They both agreed to hide their relationship so that she could experience his nation more genuinely. This involved a few things, shifting her armor so it wasn¡¯t styled like Fomoria¡¯s, disguising Lugh as a more plain sword, avoiding using either of them, and of course changing out the money that she had for the local equivalent bearing the Fomorian crest of the skull and broken chain. To better acclimate her to the outside and make it so she wasn¡¯t clearly so foreign, he did at least give her a basic explanation of a few things, such as the races that were only outside. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything that you wouldn''t do inside the veil. Yara and I have a dinner to attend.¡± He was gone before she even had a chance to say goodbye. The city didn¡¯t seem so far away, but not being allowed to use her golem armor because it would clearly show that she wasn¡¯t what she seemed made a few minutes into a long walk. Along the way a farmer stopped. ¡°Do you need a ride?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the cost?¡± ¡°Just your company.¡± She hesitated slightly, but jumped up onto the front of the wagon beside the Dague man. ¡°You don¡¯t look like you came from New Kingdom, what¡¯s a human doing here?¡± ¡°I am just looking around.¡± ¡°It is a beautiful city to look around in.¡± ¡°Is there somewhere I shouldn¡¯t look around?¡± The man scratched his scraggly bearded chin. ¡°Falin, least so I¡¯ve heard.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± ¡°Where are you from?¡± ¡°West.¡± ¡°Well, Falin used to be part of the country of Drang, a terrible place full of terrible people. Our emperor has been trying his best to correct them, but¡­ apologies, I think he would dislike me talking about them like this. They don¡¯t understand how best to act like people, the kings and nobles before had them living in the mud, and some are so blind that they do not understand how much better their lives are under his rule.¡± ¡°How do I get to Falin?¡± Ava decided not to even enter Kor, instead going round the wall and leaving. Once she was out of sight, she could let loose, turning an hours-long journey to a much shorter one. At the gate, people were given the same questions one might expect in Ragne. ¡°Name and purpose of visit?¡± ¡°Ava, just sightseeing.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ very well. You would be better served in the capital or New Kingdom if you want something nice to look at, and the people here are¡­ less friendly.¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± The man raised an eyebrow, but didn¡¯t stop her from entering. The first thing that she noticed was the golems which leapt from roof to roof, constantly keeping an eye out for crime. Ava asked the first person she saw the same question that Harlan would. ¡°Where is the beggars district?¡± ¡°Fuck off.¡± ¡°I just wanted an answer.¡± ¡°You show me your tits, and I¡¯ll tell you.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t show you my ankle you mud wallowing pig.¡± Few things went so perfectly together as a citizen of the former nation of Drang and a misplaced sense of pride and entitlement. It didn¡¯t matter that he was rude first, or that he had attempted to solicit a sexual favor, she had insulted him. Yet as the man pulled back to swing, a golem restrained him, and shortly after a guard came. ¡°Ma¡¯am, what exactly happened here?¡± ¡°I just wanted to know where the beggars district was and he asked to see my breasts, so I called him a pig.¡± The guard sighed and gave the order to let the man go. ¡°I am giving you a warning-¡± ¡°That¡¯s bullshit, I-¡± ¡°Not you, him. Both of you are free to go.¡± The man angrily marched off, and the guard began to go back to patrol. ¡°Wait, where is the beggars district.¡± ¡°There is none. Emperor Fomoria has ensured that everyone has housing and food. But I must ask, why are you looking for it?¡± ¡°The best way to learn about a city is how the lowest of them are treated.¡± The guard chuckled. ¡°A fair point, but even the lowest shall not spend their days hungry, especially if they go to the magic classes.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°How much are they?¡± ¡°No cost. One should be starting up soon if you had a desire to watch at least, but I assume you have some experience beyond what we teach the children.¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°You have an unlocked aura. Have you come from the Sectlands?¡± ¡°No, where are they?¡± ¡°South, far far south, then across the sea.¡± ¡°Oh, and-¡± ¡°Apologies, but I must return to work if you need no more help.¡± ¡°Thank you, I will be on my way.¡± She was a little amazed at the magic class being taught by a clearly non-human but feminine golem which also tried her best to maintain a calmness with the students. It spoke with authority, but was never harsh with the children for making mistakes, only when fighting began to break out due to one student succeeding and getting a bloated ego. ¡°You, miss, in the back, why don¡¯t you step forward?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Yes, you, worry not, I don¡¯t bite. Are you here to learn?¡± ¡°I¡¯m beyond all of what I¡¯ve seen you tell them. Do you teach the adults as well?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ unfortunately, I only teach the children now, the older ones are free to join, but there is no need to hold specific classes which they no longer attend. But if you have learned beyond this, would you like to show the children a magic trick?¡± ¡°You¡¯re putting a lot of trust into a complete stranger.¡± ¡°It is only right to trust others.¡± The golem was not foolish, it had been watching her, and it judged her as a non-threat. If she was a threat, these classes were held in a building separated from the ones around it and many golems were hidden in the area. In an instant, walls would be raised, the floor would shift, and the children would be moved to a safe location until the threat was handled. It would not be the first time that reformists had attempted to destroy what Fomoria was building by attacking the future generations which were mostly made up of orphans. It was almost humorous, these children cared little about their dead parents, and more about the material benefits which were being granted by the man responsible, in part, for their deaths. ¡°Uh, alright.¡± Ava went up to the stage and made a mist in the air that turned into a rainbow. ¡°Very good, and did you children enjoy that trick?¡± It was a middling reaction, Fomoria had been here before, and his tricks were far more impressive. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry that the children didn¡¯t seem to care for it.¡± ¡°I can do better, just wait.¡± She deftly moved a coin between her fingers, then tossed it in the air and clapped it between her hands, yet when she opened them, it was gone. The children weren¡¯t that impressed, but then she stepped down and pulled it from behind the year of one of the children. ¡°Whoa. Can I keep it?¡± ¡°Sure?¡± Yet the golem snatched it away. ¡°I will ensure that the coin is put to good use, but it would only invite trouble if it got out that the girl had a gold coin.¡± ¡°Sure, alright then.¡± Ava stayed until the end of the class, at which point the children were given stew and a slice of cake. They had been given candies before, but when it became known that the children were being robbed for them, they no longer gave anything to take home. She spent the next few hours roaming the city, but it became clear that though the security presence was only as high as it was because these people actually had it coming. Half the men immediately tried to solicit her, half the women tried to sell her stolen items, and half the children tried to pick her pockets. The men, once rebuffed, mostly reacted with threats, implicit or explicit. The women, once discovered, had the items seized and always began to complain about the unfairness of not being allowed to scam others. And the children, Ava felt bad for them, not that she didn¡¯t report them to the guards still. ¡°Let him go.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am, we are aware of the issues. If something has been stolen, tell us and we shall do what we can to have it returned to you.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have anything taken, but can¡¯t you do anything about all of the pickpockets?¡± ¡°Please, let the boy go first.¡± She did as asked, and he bolted down the winding streets. Fomoria had not restructured the city, not much at least, but he had paved it and replaced many of the buildings with stone ones. He preferred the straight lines, the order, that came with a city designed as a city, but those of Drang wanted their city to be as it was. ¡°We are not to arrest the children, to place them in jail, or to harm them. This is what we are ordered to do.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Liyana, the mayor, decided with his highness, that the children must be reformed, that the adults must be reformed. This city is a school, and every citizen is an unkempt child who must learn how to act as proper people.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She didn¡¯t really understand it all, but she thought she got more out of this than seeing that the people in the capital were happy. Falin taught her that Fomoria didn¡¯t just conquer people, that he was doing what he possibly could to improve the lives of people who she wasn¡¯t sure deserved it. As she ruminated on this, he suddenly appeared behind her; he smelled faintly of blood. ¡°I was told that you never entered Kor. Now you have seen the good, you can see what I am fighting against.¡± ¡°Where-¡± He dragged her into a void gate, heading far away, where the slave markets were still open; those on the stripes around The Fomorian Empire had been shut down out of fear that he would come for them. He removed his horns and took the form of a Cast. ¡°This is a city controlled by the Cast. Stay close to me, wear your armor under your clothes. Lugh, if anything happens, be ready to kill, do not hesitate, not against them.¡± ¡°You look like me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious, no jokes, no games, if something happens, I am going to take both of you out of here.¡± ¡°Fomoria, you¡¯re, you¡¯re being a little strange.¡± ¡°The Cast would rape you to death and then sell your corpse for its meat.¡± ¡°That¡¯s-¡± The illusion over his eyes broke for a moment out of fury. ¡°Remain close to me at all times, an unattended human will be stolen.¡± He took a deep breath and regained his cover, his face twisting into one of boredom. As they approached the gate, a slave carriage was entering, men and women not yet broken, begging for help. She didn¡¯t even see it happen, in an instant Fomoria had completely destroyed his cover, he became a beast of blackened bones, a swipe of his claws tore the gate guards in two, mouths grew to devour the corpses. Everything had an instant turned from an infiltration to a bloodbath. Gates opened across the city as Others arrived and began to rescue the slaves at the market while slaughtering the soldiers. ¡°You should go now.¡± His voice sent a shiver up her spine as explosions rang out across the city. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then stay close.¡± It was a blur of blood and bodies, Fomoria had to slow the slaughter to allow Ava to accompany his advancement. She couldn¡¯t fathom it, everything had changed so quickly, but she understood him, she saw it in his eyes as the people in the slave wagon passed by, pain and guilt. She came to a clashing, she could not accept how Fomoria fought, the brutality, the fear in the men as they were eaten alive. Yet more than that, she ran through the city along with him and she saw the markets, she saw the way that the slaves were treated, packed into cages so tightly in some places that their chests could not breathe out fully. She hated the idea of the lesser evil, but when the evil it faced was so great, perhaps she would allow some leeway.
Fomoria tried his hardest, but he couldn¡¯t stand it, not as he was now, he couldn¡¯t even pretend. These people were stripped of their free will, caged like animals, told what they can and cannot do. He would not allow it, he could not allow it. Wrath burst from his heart, without letting it out at times, he would not be able to maintain the facade. Chapter 321: Dinner in Duran 1 It was Magne who wanted him to come to dinner, to bring Yara, but he had Roland be the messenger. Roland didn¡¯t say anything suspicious, but he didn¡¯t need to, both of them felt they were on the same wavelength about what this dinner meant. So many choices. ¡°Of course, I would be delighted to have dinner.¡± ¡°There was never a doubt in my mind that you intended to accept the invitation.¡± ¡°I shall see you there.¡± He ended the call and tapped on his throne, thinking. Velvet¡¯s guards reacted quickly when an unknown presence entered the castle, but calmed, very slightly, when they saw that it was Fomoria. ¡°Hey, how are you?¡± ¡°I am here for Amber.¡± ¡°She¡¯s out in town right now, she uh¡­ she said she wanted some space. Do you- No, sorry, I¡¯ll figure this out on my own.¡± ¡°No no no, what¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we move to my office?¡± The room was a mess, fabric and sketches scattered around on every surface and many on the floor. ¡°Your sister and I, we¡­ well I think it¡¯s because I¡¯ve been busy and we haven¡¯t¡­ been together enough.¡± ¡°You mean sex.¡± Velvet loudly coughed. ¡°I, well, I mean, yes. I don¡¯t know if she really accepts that I¡¯m putting work ahead of her, but I have things that I need to do, and between being a king and being a designer of bespoke clothes and furniture, I don¡¯t have that much time if I get these strange custom orders.¡± ¡°Well clearly you must quit one of them if you want to keep her. But I doubt that is the problem. When you do have time for her, what do you do? Dinner, talking, then sex?¡± ¡°Well, I-¡± ¡°Yes then?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Take a day off, the entire day, and then spend it with her out of here. Amber is a farm girl, rural, she can enjoy the city, but that isn¡¯t what is going to remind her the most of her childhood. I believe that she wants that, because her life has been somewhat aimless since she grew up, she dropped out of the army, she went adventuring, and then she had to choose between staying at home all the time because of the threat posed against our family, or coming here.¡± ¡°Then as soon as I-¡± ¡°Tell your clients to fuck off for a day, push back their orders.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°You have power, use it. If your clients have a problem, tell them that they came for you because of your skill, and that can be revoked. If they threaten you, remind them that you and I are close friends. I don¡¯t believe that you like being a king in the first place, I think that your passion is always going to be design, so either hand the title to someone else, or to me.¡± ¡°Fine, bring me some candidates, and I¡¯ll find some among my own people. I don¡¯t mean to offend, but I don¡¯t want a marshall here, I want Velvet to remain as its own independent nation under the banner of Fomoria.¡± ¡°I hope you and her can work out your issues, since she does seem to like you and she deserves happiness of her own. Have you talked about children?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t want them, I¡¯d like some, but-¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t want children?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that I should be the one to-¡± ¡°You should be more commanding, I believe she would enjoy you taking a more active role in her life and in your own.¡± ¡°Uh, I¡¯ll think about that.¡± ¡°That is all I ask.¡± ¡°Is something wrong? You seem a little off.¡± ¡°I am going to get Amber now, she might not be back for a time.¡± Velvet watched Fomoria walk away, but his heart couldn¡¯t let him leave. ¡°Sit back down.¡± ¡°I must-¡± ¡°Clearly something is wrong, so please, sit.¡± ¡°Velvet, I find it touching that you would try, so I will be more honest with you than I have been with others, on the condition that you don¡¯t tell anyone else, not even Amber. Do I have your word?¡± He knew that he shouldn¡¯t, that it might not be his business, but Fomoria had saved him at cost to himself, to his nation, and for no reason other than it being the right thing to do. ¡°As a friend, I think that I need to know. Come on, dump your load on me.¡± For the first time in the conversation, Fomoria had a genuine smile. ¡°I can¡¯t give any real details, because if I did, then my enemies would put a stop to my plans.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no chance that they could hear us, whoever they are. I mean, you, or one of your others, helped update all of the wards and arrays in the castle.¡± ¡°My enemies are in high places. But, if I could do it, I would tell you, and that should mean something.¡± Velvet sighed. ¡°Just go.¡± It wasn¡¯t hard to find Amber in the city, she had a tendency to turn heads for one reason or another. Or in this case, crack heads. Much like Harlan had done those years ago, she had put up a bounty on herself, anyone who could make her submit in the ring would be paid a hefty sum. He dropped from above, catching both her sword and the hammer of the other man. ¡°Amber, we are leaving.¡± ¡°THIS FIGHT ISN¡¯T OVER.¡± The man tried to pull his hammer back, but taking it from Fomoria was like pulling a mountain. Hands came from Fomoria¡¯s back, casting a gravity spell. When he let go of the hammer, it fell to the ground with a mighty thump and cracked the tiles. ¡°If you can pick that up and swing it, I will let the fight continue.¡± It took a few minutes, but the Goliath gave up on trying to retrieve his weapon from the crater. Fomoria, with some effort, picked up the hammer with a head the size of his chest and slung it over his shoulder, the weight of him without hover and the weapon caused the tiles to crack as he walked past the man. ¡°When I say things, assume them to be orders.¡± He slammed the hammer down, making a crater much larger than the one from it falling due to just the spell and blowing the Goliath away. Amber found it amusing at least. Her smile was wiped clean when she was told of why he had to collect her. She had the same reaction that they all did, and Liat hated it. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. She now knew that she was weak, not just compared to other people around her, or to those who taught her, she was weak to the point where nothing she could ever do would change it, would ever matter in the face of true might. ¡°Liat, it¡¯s good to see you again.¡± She knew something was wrong, but she liked how he treated her like this, not an ounce of pity in his tone. ¡°Amber, it¡¯s¡­ I¡¯ve missed you.¡± ¡°Sam, she-¡± Amber couldn¡¯t finish her sentence, the words caught in her throat. When Fomoria left the room, Yara came with. ¡°I thought you¡¯d want to be with them.¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t know Sam, it doesn¡¯t feel right to be with them.¡± ¡°I had the same thought. In a week, we are going to Duran to have dinner with Magne. I would like for you to be there in more than just your body.¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll try.¡± ¡°Liat is safe, she isn¡¯t in any danger. I know you are worried, but there is only so much worrying that can be done, it isn¡¯t healthy.¡± She brightened some when he pulled her into a hug. Even though the others were worried, she loved how he was. Each day, Fomoria brought Yara to Liat, and each day he brought her back to Kor so she could rest and recover. In that week, he had also given special attention to Harlan¡¯s own severing, watching how he much more quickly healed his bond with Aarde and regained his magical abilities compared to Liat. What he noted as the best clue for his plans was that when one could cast a spell without signs or chants, they used less of the connection with Aarde. This made sense, and in his mind revealed a link between the efficiency of a spell and how much of the work was being done by forces outside of the mage. He wondered, was this known? Were other archmagi aware of the connection with Aarde and how it controlled all of the magic that flowed through their bodies? He thought it likely that Hirum would be aware, he seemed to know a lot, and the fact that both Harlan and Fomoria had not yet figured out how he could record messages and play them back through the amulets bothered them to no end. Yara wore the dress she wore the first time she visited Duran with Fomoria, and he wore what he normally did. There was a royal welcome, trumpets, flowers, a long roll of carpet, and soldiers lining the street. Magne made a real show of letting a foreign ruler step foot in his city on an official basis. But that made little difference towards how people actually felt about Fomoria being there. Scoreful gazes, hate filled minds, an air of disgust, these were what one could see if they were to watch the crowd, to feel them out, hidden under all of the circus. He stopped not five feet from Magne, and bowed lightly. Most formality had roots back to Reino, when it spread around the globe, so Fomoria knew better than to assume that Magne¡¯s refusal to bow even slightly was any cultural clash. But he held his tongue, it wouldn¡¯t matter in the end. ¡°King Magne, I am pleased to be invited back to your city.¡± The boy wore a cloak of red with white trim holding black diamond spots which was clearly meant for a full grown man of at least six feet high. Even for only being 12, he was small, his features soft and from his mother much more strongly shown than from his father, giving him an androgynous appearance. The crown he wore was ill fit for him, big headed, small minded, encrusted with jewels, entrusted with fate. His scepter was gold and shining with gems, too heavy for him to carry with real conviction. ¡°Roland has spoken on your behalf, and thus I thought it best to offer my hands to join in strength.¡± The boy king¡¯s manner of speech fit as well as his¡­ no, something else was at play. ¡°He and I seem to agree on much, so I was hopeful you would see the wisdom in inviting me back.¡± Mange had the sense to hear his words and see the minor jab, Fomoria¡¯s words implied that it was Roland who was wiser, but Magne¡¯s words said that this was his plan. Yara could feel the tension in the air rise between them. ¡°Shall we move on to a tour of your home?¡± It took a moment to place the feeling that the boy gave off, but now Fomoria was certain of something. He questioned if he should remove Yara, but he held to his original plan for the evening. Duran¡¯s borders were fairly large all things considered, but it had once controlled several stripes under the fist of Magne the first, and his castle reflected it. It had a thick base that raised it above the surrounding buildings, and it had a rather strange feature, a moat. In a world where earth magic could cross even 100 feet quite quickly, Fomoria saw little sense in it, and from the fish he could see in it, perhaps it had a purpose once, but was reduced to just a decoration. The towers of the castle, numbered 14, reached as high as the walls of the city itself, the courtyards were filled with carefully trimmed hedges showcasing animals, and the towers had arrow slits for both outside and inside. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± ¡°No.¡± As they walked through the inner halls, he couldn¡¯t help but also notice the numerous murderholes in the ceiling. Such things were common in the outer areas, but inside of the castle itself one found such defensive openings left out for the sake of maintaining aesthetics, most often with the belief that if enemies breached the walls then there was little chance of such things changing the outcome. ¡°Was this always a castle?¡± ¡°Yes, since the time before Magne the first, Castle Duran has always been an impenetrable fortress. In the hundreds of years that the nation of Duran has existed, not once has it fallen.¡± Fomoria¡¯s silence was starting to set Roland on edge. They were led to a tea room, a pre-dinner drink and appetizer. ¡°Bring us scones and tea.¡± The maid bowed at the knight and left, but Fomoria could feel that others were already on standby with the items. But why? Was Magne trying to show off his superior servants? It was just another oddity of this place. ¡°Fomoria. I believe the first order of business should be an apology.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Magne waited just long enough to be sure of his intent. ¡°Are you slow?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m just patiently waiting for you to apologize.¡± ¡°For what exactly? Was it not you who came to my city and assaulted my soldiers?¡± A simmering rage underneath, but no, Magne had perfect control over his displayed emotions. What little he showed came out as annoyance. ¡°I believe that there has been some sort of miscommunication, well, that¡¯s not true, and you know it. I am not the weaker party here, I am the one who is offering you a hand, there is nothing you can give me, only what I will allow you to keep.¡± ¡°You come into my own home, threaten me, insult me?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t talk like a 12 year old.¡± ¡°What non-sequitur is that?¡± ¡°Nothing, pay it no mind for now.¡± He reached into his jacket and the guards went for their swords, all except Roland. Fomoria ignored the guards weapons, he neither hastened nor slowed as he pulled out a charter. ¡°You surely know what this is.¡± ¡°Your desire, not worth the-¡± ¡°Boy, do not insult my charter. It has more wisdom and life experience borne in each line than you, a boy without even hair on his balls yet.¡± Yara choked on her tea. ¡°I believe that you¡¯ve said enough.¡± ¡°If you''d like to move past the bullshit posturing and actually talk business, we can do that, and I believe that someone like you really just wants that business, you cold heartless monster. So, take off the face of the boy, and show what you really are.¡± Magne twitched, trying to peer into Fomoria¡¯s mind, to know if he knew, yet he had no mind reading, and Fomoria¡¯s words were up to interpretation, so his instincts said to continue wearing that face. ¡°Then we shall speak business.¡± The facade crumbled. Yara had her part to play in this night, but it wasn¡¯t talking politics and military action. Magne¡¯s mother had remained a silent shadow over her son, though few shadows could hope to match her beauty. She was tall and slender, her fat had been deposited in all the right places despite a lack of mana flow from magical casting; it was no shock she was a king¡¯s wife. Her clothes were white, frilly, clearly expensive, modest, all except her breasts, which were half revealed and pushed up by a corset. The pair left the men, or rather, the man and the boy, to their talks, and instead went to a courtyard. ¡°What beautiful flowers.¡± Yara reached for one of the purple bulbs, which appeared almost like a hooded man, but Patricia stopped her. ¡°That is Wolfsbane, a poisonous flower.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you for warning me.¡± Fomoria had sent one of D¡¯if¡¯s Others there before, and Yara already knew about the flowers, all of them. Patricia had a green thumb, and each of the courtyards, seven in all, was maintained by a different wife, though now gardeners took care of the others since she was the last living wife of the last Magne. Fomoria was of two minds about this fact, that her garden was full of poison, and he wondered if she was someone who lacked subtlety, who openly displayed the tools which killed the king, the wives, and the children; her manner of dress would support such an idea. ¡°Are you close with Magne?¡± ¡°He is my dearest son, and I would say that even if I had more than just him.¡± ¡°But he¡¯s changed, hasn¡¯t he?¡± Yara reached for another of the flowers, and her enhanced form meant Patrcia could not stop her. ¡°Yes, but- I mean, no, those are-¡± Her husband had given instructions based on what had been observed of Patricia. One trait she clearly showed that he could not ignore was that she spent much of her time in the garden and always kept a close eye on everyone who entered so they wouldn¡¯t touch the flowers and be harmed. She wasn¡¯t sure about the woman until now, but her desire to protect Yara from the flowers had split her attention, made her honest for a moment. ¡°Belladonna. And those are Checkered Lilies, and so on and so forth. Did you murder those children?¡± ¡°Wh-what? Of course not.¡± ¡°Alright then. My husband suggested you should wear this ring tonight.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Patrcia found the offer strange, and she worried about putting on the plain band, yet Yara¡¯s smile was so warm and kind that she couldn¡¯t help but trust her.
David and Parnell had never stopped, even with Nemain in chains. Before, they had the ability to camp inside of Nemain¡¯s small world, now, they camped in the woods, a cave if they were lucky, if they were really lucky, there was something already in the cave worth eating. ¡°Do you think she¡¯s coming back?¡± Tonight, they set up hammocks between trees, and they didn¡¯t bother with veils to hide themselves, Nemain¡¯s ichor had granted them a shield from the eyes of others. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Let¡¯s just get some sleep.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t. Want to work on it again?¡± ¡°We¡¯d need a third person or another ten years to expand our mana reserves. What kind of monster is Hirum that he can cast something like that on his own?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a no.¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired, I don¡¯t want to waste another night trying that spell.¡± When the pair awoke in the morning, they found a vial of ichor waiting for each of them in their boots. Chapter 322: Dinner in Duran 2 ¡°You will relinquish to us your soulsmithing-¡± ¡°I will manufacture and soulsmith weapons, armor, and tools, but the technique stays with me, this is not negotiable.¡± ¡°You will sell to us at half price for the first year.¡± ¡°Three fourths for nine months.¡± ¡°Two thirds for ten months. And you will make a personal piece for me at cost.¡± ¡°That depends on the nature of the item in question, which we can negotiate at a later date.¡± ¡°I can accept these terms. But I don¡¯t want your soldiers in my city.¡± ¡°Just the Rakers and one Other whose job will be to return dead bodies to me.¡± ¡°One of these, Rakers, and you will call before you open any gate within my borders, only opening them with approval.¡± ¡°When the flesh rots, I have little use for it. If you would deny me free gate access, then I will request that you allow me to build flesh pits within the nation so my Flesh Rakers can keep the bodies fresh. This means one Raker for each city, and one pit that can hold at least a thousand bodies.¡± Magne spoke of the dead, of harvesting, with the same tone that he spoke about the idea of purchasing magical ovens. He had completely dropped the face of the young boy and showed a ruler in his place; Fomoria saw the Yggdra he knew. When Yara returned, he saw that Patrcia was wearing the ring, a fair judgment, and one that Fomoria had already come too. The nation of Duran was made of many villages, a few towns, but most importantly was the three cities. Duran, the capital, Dal, the second largest of them, and Dail, the third. The other two cities were run by nobles under the king, and though they had power, it was little compared to Magne, in part due to them lacking someone like Roland, a truly powerful warrior. Thus, at dinner, these other city leaders, dukes of areas smaller than some barons in Ragne, were not invited by Magne, who was further consolidating his power, a consequence of knowing that a child king was likely to be deposed and replaced if he could not be brought under the heel of his elders. The spread on the table was fairly normal for someone so extravagant who was trying to show that fact: Whole roasted birds, chicken, turkey, pheasant, roasts, pork and veal, salads of many colored vegetables. puddings, boiled and cold, jelled foods, sweet and savory, cakes of decadent layers; Fomoria thought back to Blackstone, her attempt at a modest meal. They sat around a U shaped table, letting the servants walk down the center in two rows, handing out portions to any who requested them. But, they only offered food after they had made a full trip to the king and back, giving him first servings. On Magne¡¯s right, Roland and Patricia sat, and on his left, Fomoria and Yara sat. ¡°Now that we might speak more informally, I must ask how you saw through me.¡± ¡°I know that evil and intelligence are not traits reserved only for those of age. Where I was born, the king took his seat at¡­ 14 if I recall. He had his father killed, his siblings killed, and all by my own grandfather. He was a pragmatic man, without regard for any morality or humanity, a heart as black as a starless night. Yet, he was the greatest king in many generations, who brought the nation from the brink of destruction, who reined in the corruption of nobility slowly rather than with a shock which has caused the civil war my birthplace now finds itself in. And what is it that allowed such a monster to rule so well?¡± ¡°I do hope that this isn¡¯t some manner of braggery.¡± ¡°He was as great a king as he was because of his ability to bring in advisors who can see when he has gone too far and tell him that.¡± ¡°I would rather you not whisper nothings into my ear.¡± ¡°Though I did have some involvement in the last years of his life, my grandfather being the man who could help to dull his more pragmatic but vile actions, and thus my words were taken by my grandfather, and sometimes reached the ear of the king. I have no desire to be that man for you. But you do need that man. I believe Roland is fit for the task. He has a hard edge of his own, but he has a humanity to him that you lack.¡± ¡°You talk of him with a strange love in your throat. Why is that?¡± ¡°I believe he and I are of a mind on certain things, and we both feel that connection. Shall we toast before we eat.¡± He raised his glass of grape juice, but the others had wine of a deep crimson shade. ¡°To unity.¡± ¡°To unity.¡± Patricia spit out her wine. ¡°What terrible wine. Servant, pour me another.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Roland thought her reaction was strange, since they had all been poured from the same bottle, and he found it quite pleasant. ¡°Here, try mine.¡± Fomoria tossed the glass with a spell, letting it land softly, not spilling a drop. She was confused, his wine was wonderful. ¡°How strange.¡± ¡°That ring was given to many of my friends, and to members of my family. Now it rests on your finger, and its purpose is to destroy poison, but leave a bitter taste as warning.¡± She didn¡¯t understand, because his words and actions implied that he hadn¡¯t done such a thing, yet no other person came to mind who would want her dead. Fomoria had told one lie, that Magne was like Yggdra. A rage formed, one not of careful consideration of how much of a reaction would get what he wanted. ¡°KILL HIM.¡± Yet Roland did not move, nor did the other guards in the room. ¡°In your anger, you failed to see what I can already tell even your mother has come to realize.¡± He breathed deep, yet it helped none to quell his emotions. ¡°Calm, or they will see something that you would rather not reveal.¡± Instincts fought against instincts, rage against rationality; Magne sat. ¡°I found something interesting when I had my men spying on this nation. You let others think that your mother is using you as a puppet to run the nation. Yet you also implement policy that takes power away from these nobles. What exactly did you think would happen?¡± Magne had killed the rest of his family and not felt a shred of conscience, but knowing that his mother had been nearly killed as a result of his own failure to see the consequences, he felt something approaching contriteness, and understood that he was still a child. ¡°I will burn their homes, their bodies will be paraded down the streets, I-¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°YOU DO NOT GET TO DECIDE MY ACTIONS.¡± He slammed the table, his fists so tight that his fingernails dug into his palms until they drew blood. ¡°Yggdra would¡¯ve never made such a stupid move. That humanity that you ironically hold, combined with your age, is why you need an advisor. I can kill your enemies, and I can do so with subtlety that will not cause too much anger.¡± Magne saw the sense in his words. ¡°Do it.¡± ¡°Just as soon as I figure out who did this, I will.¡± ¡°Kill the duke of both houses, I don¡¯t care which one did this.¡± ¡°Another lesson from Yggdra, never kill without proof or reason. Don¡¯t kill people unless they are already guilty, either in the public eye, or with hard evidence. If someone absolutely must die and you don¡¯t have either, use falseflags or something that absolutely cannot be traced back to you, since the same rules apply to the killing by your enemies.¡± ¡°False flags?¡± ¡°Meaning to fly the colors of someone else, more of a naval warfare term. The Cast are perfect for this, since everyone already hates them and they are a magical powerhouse that can justify many methods of assassination which wouldn¡¯t point towards you.¡± ¡°The instant I find who did this, do what you want with them, but they must die.¡± ¡°Thank you for keeping a calm mind on the matter. It is important that you don¡¯t fly into a blind rage, lest you strike a target undeserving.¡± Roland¡¯s original plan with Fomoria, one that neither of them ever actually discussed, was to throw a coup at the dinner, but such a plan was based on Fomoria¡¯s judgment of Magne. When they returned home, Yara had a few important questions. ¡°You told me that there was something else with him, and you told me to ask her if she had noticed him changing. So, what¡¯s the secret?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a Changeling.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s funny, I¡¯ve been accused of being one, I¡¯ve taken the name for myself, but this is my first encounter with one in person. It has also revealed something very important about their life cycle.¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°I hunted a Skinwalker once, their souls are¡­ how best to say this¡­ A goblin, no matter what variant, is always female, but this is not the case for a Skinwalker.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, I believe I read about that. Women have brighter souls than men. So you¡¯re saying that a Changeling is not as bright as a woman?¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t consistent in brightness, they change suddenly and at random. I happened to catch one of these shifts when we met, and then more than once throughout the night. Though I wonder, does he know that he is one? There is far less known about Changelings than Skinwalkers. A Skinwalker often doesn¡¯t know what they are, only realizing it in moments of hunger when instincts tell them to do something. We know so little because if a Changeling is ever discovered it is killed immediately, yet the fact that I¡¯ve seen such a similarity between their soul and the soul of a Skinwalker leads me to believe a Changeling is a juvenile Skinwalker, and what comes after a Skinwalker, I did not know its name before I killed it. I want to study him, that is my primary reason for letting him live.¡± ¡°Study him for what?¡± ¡°Just curiosites sake.¡± Intentional or not, Xol had let slip that he was involved in Nemain¡¯s project to create them, and that when he helped make Fomorians, he had reused some of this research to make better Fae slayers. Part of that was that a Skinwalker was in a sense, disconnected from Aarde, making it harder for a Fae to turn the power of Aarde against them. Yet in this state of disconnection, a Skinwalker not only existed, but it was capable of casting magic at the same level as whatever they had eaten. What Fomoria needed to know was how disconnected they really were, and if Aarde truly wanted to express control over them, how much could they do so. There was the question of how much they could influence any creature really, since most of the magical creatures that existed now were Fae creations to some extent. If Aarde really wanted them gone, why weren¡¯t they? He had to stop his own spiraling questions, it did him no good to know the rest of the details, all that mattered was what he might be able to learn from Magne.
David and Parnell were more than a little cautious of the vials, but what was already in them called for it ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t she tell us anything though? Not even a note. It¡¯s been days, but not a word.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be the first time that she¡¯s vanished on us.¡± ¡°But we can¡¯t feel her, something is wrong.¡± ¡°Maybe she is hiding from Marigold, that¡¯s why she gave us more ichor.¡± David opened his vial and drank without hesitation. He fell to the ground, every vein feeling like fire and glass flowed in place of crimson. Yet this feeling lasted only a moment, and the power that he felt remained. His body was like the air, his mind was like the open sky, giving him the sense that Harlan had, and he coveted. David jumped in place, then side to side. He flew into a tree, splitting it, then turned to a flock of ravens, the cutting winds of his flapping wings turning it to sawdust. ¡°Parnell¡­ drink it, then we can get back to that spell.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I think we can both cast it on our own if we try.¡± Parnell had never really doubted if it had been right to come with David, he had distrusted Nemain, but he still went along with whatever she said because David did it first. So, he opened the vial, downed it, and more chiropteran traits mutated towards avian. Chapter 323: Requests Fomoria received a somewhat strange call, and Rosewell gave no real details. He arrived in the palace with some worry about why she needed to meet him so urgently, and nothing that D¡¯if¡¯s Other told him gave any real clues. It was strange to not have Safira meet him there, for better or worse, he knew her. ¡°Welcome, Emperor Fomoria. My name is Charlin, Acting Captain of the Royal Guard. Queen Yggdra is ready to see you immediately.¡± ¡°May we talk along the way?¡± ¡°I would rather not, but I could if you would like.¡± ¡°I see why Safira chose you to be acting captain.¡± He raised an eyebrow, and found himself pleasantly surprised that Fomoria did not attempt small talk. Charlin led him down into the secure meeting room, where only she sat. ¡°Emperor Fomoria.¡± ¡°Queen Yggdra. I assume then that this is a formal meeting?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°May we move to something informal afterwards?¡± ¡°That depends on how this goes. I will be blunt, I need a man for an important meeting.¡± ¡°Yet both Safira and Harlan are out of commission.¡± ¡°Yes. In the case that I come under fire, Charlin will be charged with bringing me to safety, but I need-¡± ¡°A meat shield and a butcher.¡± It was in times like this that Fomoria almost wished that he smoked, but he never felt the desire to do so, even if at times it added a dramatic flare to negotiations. ¡°That-¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do it.¡± She tried not to smile, but this was the Harlan she knew, and his honesty always brightened her spirit. Well, not quite always, sometimes his honesty was the cause of great stress. ¡°Who will I be protecting you from?¡± ¡°I am meeting with the council of noblists to discuss an end to the war.¡± ¡°Hmm, it has gone on long enough. When will this take place?¡± ¡°Three weeks from today.¡± ¡°Then I shall prepare.¡± ¡°Hold on a moment, there is an important detail you need to know. Unlike my father when there was a rebellion, I intend to disallow such ideas of forgiving and forgetting. The noblists did not simply rebel, they wiped out entire villages, towns, battalions of men, just to manufacture the blood gems. They attacked the academy, they made attempts on my life, on the life of Relly, they have forced my siblings to remain as prisoners in Harlan¡¯s castle. Even if they could accept a full surrender, I can¡¯t bring them back into the fold, they¡¯ve shown what they are.¡± ¡°Hmm, so this isn¡¯t a bodyguard situation, this is a¡­ mass assassination.¡± ¡°It will be the start of a full assault on their lands. And I need your void gates to move troops into this decisive battle. I want you to disguise yourself as Safira, and for any forces you bring to be flying the banner of Ragne. My position is already weakened, if I brought you to fight my battles for me it would only seem like I can¡¯t handle anything on my own. ¡°A more vain man would be offended, but I understand. Harlan is barely even considered part of Ragne despite his titles, he spends every day out in the NLZ, he openly disrespects the systems of nobility and military hierarchy, he treats you as a friend rather than ruler. I am not exactly the most popular among your people, thought of as a hostile foreign leader.¡± ¡°There is going to be a large vacancy when I am done, and I want to know what you recommend to fill this. Expansion of the territories for the nobles I have left would be a terrible idea, letting them consolidate their power more effectively, and a temporary power is so rarely given back. Putting forth new nobles would mean that they would lack the support of those who have experience unless I move counts from the other lands into noblist controlled lands or I expand their existing lands. And we could very well lose the lands again in an instant if they get into noblist rhetoric.¡± ¡°Well, you already know the answer, so why bother asking me?¡± ¡°If I knew, I would not have asked.¡± ¡°Charlin, would you be a dear and bring me a sandwich?¡± ¡°What are you playing at?¡± ¡°I¡¯m feeling peckish. I¡¯ll give you the answer once I¡¯ve had a sandwich. I prefer poultry rather than beef or ham by the way. And a spicy cheese.¡± Charlin wasn¡¯t someone who was bothered by this, it was the duty of a royal guard to follow the orders of the royals. So, when Rosewell said to just go along with it, he went to have the kitchen make a sandwich. Rosewell had expected Fomoria to have really just wanted Charlin to leave so he could talk freely, but no, he did not say a word until after he was finished eating. ¡°Give titles to beastkin and False Undead.¡± ¡°We have reasons for not allowing them to do so.¡± ¡°Yes, for the Undead, you have to consider their much longer lifespans, or shorter for most Werewolves due to cultural issues, and that outside of Werewolves, they only rarely have children, meaning they must either adopt or groom an heir. And this next issue goes for both the beastkin and the Undead, that you worry they hold more allegiance to their race than their nation. The first can be handled in part by forcing term limits. Most human nobles gain the title in their 30s regardless of if they won it or it was inherited. Assuming a fairly normal lifespan, a 40 year soft limit with room for expansion would be fair. The lands you would be needing new nobility for are in the northern and eastern lands primarily. Those that already live in the areas are disconnected from their homelands physically, and may thus consider themselves less for what they are and more for who they are. Though, for the Undead, I believe you just need faith. Well, faith and a thorough interview backed by character witnesses and whatever else you can find about them. Chances are that your new nobles are working for the noblists right now.¡± ¡°You would have me put traitors in power?¡± ¡°The noblists are unlikely to be treating them well, and they are likely to resent that the noblists deny them seats of real power. You¡¯d be their savior, finally seeing their worth and granting them pardon for what they¡¯ve done already. For the Undead, you don¡¯t need to tell anyone that they are what they are until after they¡¯ve proven themselves. The North hates outsiders, but if they are good enough as rulers, then they can accept it by virtue of having a meritocratic culture. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Failing this, if the people are still unhappy with being ruled by non-humans, well, they will just have to get over it.¡± She disliked both ideas, but they had merit, and Fomoria had clearly thought about it more than making it up on the spot. ¡°How do you handle this? Do you have experience?¡± ¡°There is not a single leader outside the veil who shares my race, and my rhetoric has always been one of unity, nationalism rather than racialism.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised to hear you say anything like that. Clearly your time as a ruler has made you politically minded.¡± ¡°I have been a child longer than an adult, it was only a matter of time before I had to grow up to inflict any real change on the world.¡± ¡°Inflict? You almost make it sound like a bad thing.¡± ¡°I have cut a bloody swath through my enemies to change things, and not everyone has agreed that I sever the gangrenous sin.¡± She smiled. ¡°I do enjoy your flair for the dramatic. I will bring these ideas to people who I trust, and perhaps they will be followed. I think that the idea of Undead nobles would be sensible, so long as they do well and I hide what they are until they are proven.¡± She loosened his posture, and he followed. ¡°You asked for an informal discussion. How have you been?¡± ¡°Yara wants a late summer or early autumn wedding, so six months is an approximate date. I would like you, Relly, and Safira there.¡± ¡°Are you fond of Safira?¡± ¡°I consider her an ally, and the fact that she always goes to the same restaurant on what little time she takes away from work is a little sad.¡± ¡°How do you know what she does when she isn¡¯t working?¡± ¡°I cannot trust your safety to only your people. Any time your people leave the palace I have my people watching them.¡± ¡°A more rational leader might be offended.¡± ¡°They might.¡± Fomoria went quiet just long enough for Rosewell to wonder why. ¡°Well, I believe I should go, get ready for the fight.¡± ¡°It was good to see you again.¡± Yet she didn¡¯t question him. If it was important, he would tell her. Fomoria did wonder, were the Cast trying to kill him by overreach? Were they actually losing so badly elsewhere that they couldn¡¯t devote more resources to defending themselves from them? Or were they the ones who stretched themselves too thin? He had nearly killed two of the three Fingers who assaulted him at once. Fomoria couldn¡¯t confirm if he had killed them or not, but in his mind, if he had, it would explain why they hadn¡¯t gone after him in so long and why they continued to simply pull their forces back towards the capital, leaving these less valuable lands. So, until he had an answer, he had decided to wait and watch. Except he did want to make one play. That was until Rosen showed up at his door. ¡°They took my wife and daughter. I will do whatever you need from me, please, help me get them back.¡± ¡±Do you know where they are?¡± ¡°Seven stripes north, eight west. The Cast say they are protecting them and that it isn¡¯t safe for me to take them out of the fortress. They didn¡¯t make a direct threat, but we know that they aren¡¯t going to let them go.¡± ¡°Take my hand, show me the fortress.¡± Fomoria didn¡¯t like what he was seeing. The area was stable, packed to the brim with not only anti-magic, but technological weapons beyond what Fomoria had seen before. The total area was close to that of Kor, with three sets of walls that reached 200 feet high and a giant metal dome that could be closed to further protect it. ¡°This is a problem.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t your void gate bypass their defenses?¡± ¡°If it was just spatial, or magical at all, I could. Do you know if the anti-magic originates from a single point? Or is it an array?¡± ¡°Array.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°Can you do this?¡± ¡°I have an idea, but it would require that I know exactly which room they are in, and it would require that we know how stable the building is. Are they always kept in the same room?¡± ¡°No, they are moved around.¡± He leaned back in his seat. ¡°What exactly is the fortress?¡± ¡°A top secret research base.¡± ¡°What kind of timeframe are we looking at?¡± ¡°If they believe for a moment that I have betrayed them, my family is dead. I don¡¯t know if they suspect me, or if they are simply being cautious. This needs to happen as fast as you can get it done.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to give you an amulet, hide it somewhere. Go back in, visit your family, but pay attention to everything that you can. All prison breaks are based on information, brute force is not the way to handle this. In the meantime, I am going to consult my people, try to figure out more external information while you gather internal information. The most important thing is that they do not believe you¡¯ve turned, act normal, look around, but not anything out of the ordinary, don¡¯t ask questions, don¡¯t try to sneak into restricted areas. Look around, that is all I am asking, do you understand?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot.¡± ¡°No, but you are desperate, and that can make you do something stupid. All you can do now is what I¡¯ve asked, and to have faith that there is no resource that I won¡¯t use to get your wife and daughter to safety. This isn¡¯t just about getting you to work for me, this is also about getting an innocent woman and young girl out of a prison.¡± Rosen took a deep breath to ready himself before he left. Fomoria¡¯s first thought was to call Xol, but¡­ ¡°That place cannot be breached. Sieged? Flattened? Turned to a crater? Of course, but to get in and out with two people? Two non-mages? No, it cannot be done.¡± ¡°If I planted a large enough bomb, leveled enough of the building to-¡± ¡°Think about the anti-magic device on a tank, it¡¯s about the size of a human head. That place is going to be filled with hundreds of devices larger than that. If they had only a few of them the size of a closet they could have overlapping fields that cover the entire building. Unless you take out the entire building, you can¡¯t get them out. And if you take out the entire building, they will be too dead to survive. On my world, such a place would be impossible to infiltrate and exfiltrate. And with the anti-magic, we are working on purely physical rules.¡± ¡°Not exactly. Internal magic is less effective, but it still works. Any form I assume before I enter the compound is what I will be stuck as.¡± ¡°From the structure of the building you showed, I believe that it is a carbon reinforced super dense concrete which was invented on my world some time before my first death, and on top of that, if it was me, I would also have it reinforced with some form of rebar, and just like you said about internal magic, they would¡¯ve used stonesteel. To break into that place you¡¯d need to be massive, large enough to break through those walls and protect your targets at the same time, because you know that the moment they realize who you are, and why you are there, they will kill that woman and her child.¡± ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that there is a chance.¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying that if you go in there, someone is going to die. Assuming that you can trust this Rosen in the first place.¡± ¡°I know that he has a wife and daughter, and I know that he is willing to betray the Castians to protect them. I don¡¯t believe for a moment that they aren¡¯t there.¡± ¡°Their being there or not isn¡¯t the point. You could be walking right into a trap. You¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m sorry, but I cannot teach you more about anti-magic.¡± ¡°I understand, and what you¡¯ve already told me will be useful, since I doubt I will need to worry about it all collapsing into itself.¡±
Fomoria was going in no matter what, even with the turrets on the walls, the watch towers, the checkpoints. The fortress was as large as Kor, a city designed for scientists to live and work. That Rosen was allowed entry at all was amazing, that he was allowed to come and go even moreso. ¡°You are looking rather glum.¡± ¡°Fomoria is walking into a trap, I can¡¯t prove it, but I can feel it. And I think deep down, he does too. What the hell does he need Rosen for so badly that he is willing to risk this.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°That fool is getting Fomoria to walk into a trap with a sob story as bait. It¡¯s the possible life of one woman and a girl. I just wish he could see the bigger picture here.¡± ¡°We both know that you enjoy that he can be more human than either of us, that he doesn¡¯t yet have the disconnection of immortality.¡± ¡°This is why I don¡¯t like talking with people, I know that they are just dead men walking.¡± ¡°Yes, but he¡¯s not.¡± ¡°Tell me, do you honestly believe that Fomoria is making it past 30?¡± ¡°He is a survivor.¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s a fool, he lives and fights like he¡¯s me. When I die, I come back, but he is bound by the rules of this galaxy, he lacks true immortality.¡± ¡°How long have we been together?¡± ¡°519 years, 6 months, 18 days.¡± ¡°And how often have you worried about me dying?¡± ¡°You? Two dozen times.¡± ¡°Ex- Really? That many times?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But you never talked about that, I-¡± ¡°You had a point, return to the subject.¡± ¡°Fine, we will get back to that. You only worried when you did because you didn¡¯t know what it was like back when I was young. Do you remember when you were a budding mage? How often you almost died? I had to fight wizards dozens of years my senior, and despite what I got out of Aarde, I wasn¡¯t always the stronger one, I had to use my wit to win. If there is one thing that Fomoria has, it¡¯s wit and instinct. He is going to be fine.¡± ¡°I hate that I made a friend for the first time in decades, and he¡¯s going to die before his age is in three digits.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we go out, do something to clear your mind?¡± ¡°If Aarde didn¡¯t force us to remain neutral, to bide our time, what would you do?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t answer questions like that, they just lead to regret and bitterness.¡± Chapter 324: Prison Break Fomoria planned for a week to start with. The only advantage he really had was that the base was set up in a desert basin, mountains on every side. It made hiding impossible, but, if he was going to enter the area by gate, then this meant it wasn¡¯t a problem, and that there was no collateral damage outside of the hostages to worry about. Sandworms made by Fomoria were constantly moving through the ground, and shockingly, there was nothing outside of the base. If Fomoria had built it, the entire area would be covered in traps, but perhaps since they built it overtop of a concrete foundation with pillars stretching down hundreds of feet and the defenses on all three walls, they didn¡¯t feel it was needed to waste to resources filling out a desert far removed from any settlements. There were many ways that it could be handled, but Fomoria¡¯s plan required a train. ¡°How is it going?¡± ¡°We have reached 3,000 miles per hour and the train is holding together, but we can¡¯t be sure how it will handle once we have the explosives on it and if it is going to be able to split apart how we want.¡± He and the Other cocked their heads to the side. ¡°Air rails?¡± ¡°Air rails.¡± ¡°We should look into making sky trains.¡± ¡°Maybe. Work on this, I¡¯m going to check on the other ones.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Next he checked with the alchemists. Anti-magic would weaken the solution itself, but because it was mana suspended in a physical structure like a person or a mana gem, it would still be useful, depending on what it actually was. An alchemical acid relied too much on the mana for the actual effect, but an alchemical explosive, something that had a large initial effect but where most of the damage being done is based on physical laws as a result of that contained reaction, could be far more effective than something mundane. ¡°Are we ready?¡± Making something new wasn¡¯t required for this, he already had a good formula for an explosive gel which he got from Sepul. ¡°We just need another day to finish the last batch. Are we sure that this is worth all the effort?¡± ¡°I want Rosen. You are sure that you will be done by tomorrow?¡± ¡°By noon at the latest.¡± The next part was his team. One might expect a team or just Others, because those were the ones who he trusted, but Fomoria wanted more than just that. He was going in himself, but everyone else would be part of the next generation of Black Sentinels, part organic, part metalic. Their bodies were four legged beasts, but outside of that, one would have a hard time coming to any conclusions on what they were. The base were bones, but not from any animal. Normally, when one was to cut off a piece of a body made from void, flesh or bone, it would turn to dust. What Fomoria did was force the mist and hard fragments generated by the sigil into a mold, then add melted stonesteel, mana gem dust dust, and a soul that the sigil could latch onto. These bones were the only organic part of it, and once formed, they were finished with a layer of stonesteel; each bone had a small opening that would allow the sigil to let out the void body which made up the bulk of its form. They were not a single entity, they were a hive mind made up from hundreds of bones, large and small, each with a soul bound to them. From his own testing on anti-magic, void flesh would maintain stability, but would be hard to reshift once it was trapped in a field. So each of the six Void Beasts were put in a form just for this plan. Two of them would be carriers, cow-like golems with hollow stomachs that stretched to hold whatever was needed and provide a reasonably comfortable ride. They were built like tanks, they didn¡¯t need to be the fastest, they just needed to be the safest. For weapons the carriers had two launchers with concussive and smoke grenades; their soft inner form would disperse the force that hit their harder outer shell. Two of them were runners, half a mantis and half a wolf with many eyes around its body, shotguns, bladed talls, claws and spring legs that let them jump around rooms, these were close combat specialized. Their jobs would be to enter the facility, grab the hostages, then bring them back to the carriers while killing anything along the way. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. The last two were brutes. They looked most like a bison mixed with a beetle and were armed with high caliber slug throwers. One might call them snipers, but they were more breaching tools and hallway clearers, not something for long range. They would remain behind to hold off the advancing troops, their heavy forms hard to bring down with anything but a large cannon. Each one of them had an Other that ran through the plan time and time again. They didn¡¯t know exactly what room the hostages were in, so Fomoria, with the largest range of his mental senses, would go in, find them and help with the extraction in whatever way he could. He didn¡¯t ask questions, he just watched the Others pushing each of them to their limits, whatever those limits even were. Finally, Fomoria needed his own equipment. The golem armor required the shifting to maintain comfort and maneuverability. So, he was going with something else. Enchantments became ineffective in anti-magic, since they worked by physically carving spell runes along with mana channeling runes. These runes directed mana, and could hold some which let them be cast without much prior knowledge, but because they it would be held in the rune, and not in a physical vessel like a gem or a body, they were useless even if the enchantment was something internal like hardening enchantments. So what Fomoria did was create a high strength but flexible fabric made from woven skysteel fiber, making it light, stronger than anything mundane, and breathable. On top were heavy plates of stonesteel, each soulsmithed so that they could hold magic even if they couldn¡¯t use anything at range. The mask had nine diamond glass lenses; if he couldn¡¯t shift inside of the base, he had to have all of his eyes out before he got there. Then, lastly, overtop of the rest, he would conjure a void bone armor. For a weapon he had a large shotgun, belt fed, a large backpack full of slugs, and a large axe to hack apart enemies using the monstrous strength that he had. Overall, it was bulky, uncomfortable, and sure to terrify his enemies. Everything was done, the plan had been gone over a dozen times. Xol had tried to talk him out of it, The Darkness gave no word on if it was a good idea or not, and Fomoria was going through with it, since he operated under the assumption that if he was in real danger, even if she said that she wouldn¡¯t, The Darkness would warn him. There was some hope that the eye in the sky, a literal floating eye above the base, would see the hostages outside, but in the week that they had been monitoring the base, they never left the building. Though by where Rosen went, they did find out which building they were in. It wasn¡¯t as good as knowing the room, but it made the search much easier. The way that they got the train to move so fast wasn¡¯t with a long round track, but a straight one that led into gates, and now that the signal was sent, the destination of the entrance gate was being changed. It couldn¡¯t be opened inside of the base, or anywhere within half a mile, by at 3,000 miles per hour, that half a mile became half a second of travel time. Each of the cars split in the air and were then stabilized by short lived rails made from hard air, directing them to strike at three points on the wall. Then came the Eolgi, whose claws and teeth cut the concrete, letting them enter the walls where the soldiers were gathering to figure out what was going on. Their bodies were naturally hard, and anything low caliber just deflected off of them as they tore through the men. It took five minutes for the enhanced soldiers, those given nanotechnology like Drachma, to arrive, and these men, without any magic in them at all, fought off the Eolgi with blades whose edges moved like a chainsaw but with teeth as thin as paper and strong as diamonds. While all of the chaos was happening above, drawing attention to the east side, Fomoria had already been waiting under one of the housing buildings on the north side. The moment he heard the boom, he cut through the floor, having already figured out which room Rosen¡¯s family was in. The runners were much faster in the halls due to their ability to spring from wall to wall, and the brutes didn¡¯t use the halls, running directly through the walls to make a faster exit point. The guards outside of the room hadn¡¯t yet received a kill order, Rosen¡¯s meetings with him were, so far as Fomoria knew, still a secret. The guards were not normal, they were just as dangerous as the ones who were across the base dealing with the horde of Eolgi. Yet their forms were still human, unlike the Void Beasts who had been designed for exactly this combat scenario. Their nimble forms let them keep the guards at bay until Fomoria arrived, and once he was at the hall, they fell back, leading the two into his gunfire. His slugs tore through their knees, and though they regenerated, it had limits. Fomoria stood over them for a minute, using his axe to hack away until the hall was covered in blood and the piles of meat that were once men stopped moving; Fomoria gave the swords to his runners, the way that they carved through the walls with almost no resistance despite a lack of magic intrigued him. The brutes waited outside of the door for the breach order. He was in the room and out again in an instant, the runners held the screaming woman and child and moved as fast towards the tunnel as they could without harming them. Fomoria left the brutes in the hall above the tunnel, waiting for the runners to hand the hostages to the carriers, who had to empty their stomachs which were full of mud. Fomoria didn¡¯t like the idea of going out of the tunnel with them, so they would go down the path he came through while he and the remaining four beasts retreated down a second tunnel. The runners left the hostages behind the wall when it was nearly finished, and when the carriers were done, their tongues pulled the woman and child into a second stomach which was meant for carrying live targets. Everything was perfect, he could hear the brutes behind him, opening fire on somebody, but then they went quiet. As the hearts of the brutes stopped, any remaining munitions detonated. Yet the heavy footsteps only gained on him. Whatever it was that was after him, it probably wouldn¡¯t be slowed down by anything, so, one of the runners continued to run and the other stayed behind, giving Fomoria the blade stolen from the guard. Thump, thump, thump. The blazing heart of Ur filled the tunnel with sound, then came the booms of gunfire. Ur was barely slowed down, the slugs cracked his blackened outer layer and revealed the churning molten form, but his flesh, if it could be called that, pulled itself back together, losing only droplets that splashed when the shots hit. He was on the runner in moments, its blades stuck inside of the Hand, and Ur punched forward, his hand melting down and reforming into a sharpened half-circle that split the beast in two. Fomoria saw that he had no chance of his gun doing anything, so he tossed the backpack and weapon aside, switching to the sword. Ur stopped, the upper layer of him darkened as it cooled, returning him to the dark appearance he normally held. ¡°Emperor Fomoria, I would prefer if you came with me peacefully so we could have a chat.¡± ¡°I am doubtful we have much to speak about.¡± Cast who can be trusted. So, shall we walk?¡± Fomoria didn¡¯t like the idea, but he disliked the idea of fighting a Hand without his magic even more. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s talk.¡± Chapter 325: A Talk Ur formed a chair from thin lines of metal that flowed from his finger, drawing it in the air; his body was covered in orange lines showing the churning molten flesh under a black layer of oxide. ¡°Emperor Fomoria, would you like a seat?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Fomoria set his hard ammo pack on the ground and sat on it, shotgun still in hand and aiming at Ur. ¡°Well, you wanted to talk, so, let¡¯s talk.¡± ¡°I believe I know why, but, in your own words, why did you choose to speak with me?¡± ¡°Fighting a Hand whose ability I know little about in a confined area where I cannot use magic is unlikely to go well for me.¡± ¡°Oh? You wish to start with lies?¡± ¡°Then why, in your own words, did I decide to talk with you?¡± ¡°You want to believe that there are good Cast, that you can have a peaceful solution. It is in that faith that I have allowed Rosen¡¯s family to escape, though I could¡¯ve easily broken that false wall and chased them rather than you.¡± ¡°Alright, you can believe that. Why do you want to talk with me?¡± ¡°Because I am interested in you. Kor was a bustling place, a trade town where slaves were brought from many coastal areas to be bought and sold by many nobles under our banner. Now, it sits as the jewel of the stripe, a city housing hundreds of thousands with a quality of living far above what it had before.¡± ¡°Flattery will get you nowhere with me, you are starting as an enemy who would say whatever you wanted to trick me into some sort of deal like in the past.¡± ¡°Yes, I have heard about that unfortunate instance of poisoned candy. But I would do no such things, I have no desire for what we would call, ethical warfare tactics. To that point, even if we cannot come to an agreement here today, I would like for you to leave this place.¡± ¡°I will believe that when I am gone, and not a second before.¡± ¡°Please, can¡¯t you-¡± ¡°No. I have never had a generally positive experience with your kind, you¡¯ve betrayed me at every turn, you¡¯ve killed people I loved, you commit atrocities for the sake of causing mental anguish on your victims.¡± ¡°But I have done none of these things to you.¡± ¡°As a Hand, you are a military leader, do you expect me to believe that you aren¡¯t responsible for any of this? If you had a conscience you would change things, but you haven¡¯t, and you won¡¯t.¡± ¡°What is this conversation here? You cannot expect to change my mind if you only browbeat me rather than have an honest talk.¡± Fomoria sighed and went quiet. He didn¡¯t speak again until he felt Ur was starting to become impatient; he was buying time. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, shall we try this again?¡± ¡°Yes. I believe that both of our empires can coexist.¡± ¡°Not without you accepting my charter.¡± ¡°With your golems and soulsmithing, it would be possible to remove our reliance slavery as an expansionary and economical force.¡± ¡°That would require that I trust you to use these things, and there would be certain other specifics that you must follow. I would need to see your empire remove slavery, and not by means of killing the slaves, and maintain that order for at least three months. Then, I could send my own people along with the golems to supervise these areas.¡± ¡°We cannot trust any golem or item made by you, we would require the process be known to us.¡± ¡°You would use the slaves to make golems, the soulsmithed items to expand your military power. I will not let you have anything. If, and only if, you can prove that you can be trusted, then I would hand over the magic. If you want it, I would not accept anything less than 50 years before I give it. You must be generations removed from slavery, The Nursery must be changed for at least that long so new Cast are allowed to be moral people, or rather, they aren¡¯t forced to be anything.¡± Ur raised an eyebrow. ¡°What do you know about our birth and upbringing?¡± ¡°You are born and raised in a single area, you are all men, so either you hide your females at this place or you reproduce through some other method, perhaps splitting off, granting life to metal bodies, parasitising the bodies or other races. How you are born doesn¡¯t matter, but your upbringing is the part which you can change.¡± ¡°If you believe that then you have no idea about any of it. The Cast which we allow out are the best of them, those least affected by your gods madness.¡± ¡°Explain.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve surely heard that we were not always a people, yes?¡± ¡°Yes. You were machines, designed for killing, you were the people of your machine god and you didn¡¯t die of old age like you should¡¯ve. Aarde used paradox magic to force the machines into being the Cast, a prime race.¡± ¡°Do you think that he-¡± ¡°They. Aarde is two gods sharing a mind and soul.¡± ¡°Fine. Do you think that they put great care into making sure that we worked? Or was our being made to follow the rules of life on this world an attack? One meant to ensure we died?¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying that The Nursery is only letting out the best of you?¡± ¡°The stable ones. Good or evil doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°The first of your kind I spoke with said that he enjoyed fucking smaller women because they would split in half. Does that sound like a stable individual?¡± ¡°Was he raving mad? Tearing his fingernails off? Pulling his eyes out to eat them?¡± ¡°Is that really the baseline?¡± ¡°Would you call a wyvern stable?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°What of a drake?¡± ¡°Yes, I would call them stable.¡± ¡°Why? A drake is still driven by instinct, it cannot choose to be high energy, it cannot choose to sit still and raise a family, it cannot choose what it is. Those that can choose, they are an extreme rarity, like that wyvern you have.¡± ¡°So to you, stability is that they have a free will.¡± ¡°Of course. Do you know why I set all of this up? To get this chance to speak with you, to ask that you help me to fix them. I am one of a very lucky few that has not only stability but a conscience. Why do you think that I sent Yalda and Baoth to you? Now, I had to risk Sholl as well to-¡± ¡°Wait, how much of this did you set up? And are you saying that you wanted me to kill Yalda and Baoth?¡± This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°This base did not exist a year ago. I pooled significant resources here, and then I sent Rosen to that city, then I took his family here to force you to come. If Seraphallen has his way, he would¡¯ve just continued to hammer his targets until eventually he had enough time to spare to go after you. But, you happened to wash up on my shore. Now-¡± The tunnel shook. ¡°I believe that you¡¯ve destroyed a large section of our outer wall with those dirt eaters. Seraphallen has been called, and will be here soon. In three days, I will be on the southern end of the stripe that holds Duran, since it isn¡¯t so terribly far from here. Now, fire on me with that gun and then leave that axe stuck in my shoulder.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It needs to look like your golems slowed me down, then you attacked me as the tunnel collapsed, leaving me trapped under the ground long enough for you to escape. If Seraphallen finds you first, you won¡¯t make it out of the field.¡± Fomoria listened, droplets of liquid metal splashed on the walls as the slugs struck him, but found little purchase, then he swung as hard as he could. If Cast needed their hearts, Ur would¡¯ve died, instead, he just nodded his head as he waved Fomoria away and started punching the walls to collapse the tunnel. Fomoria hardly got out of the tunnel, the collapsing ceiling forced dust though his gate, obstructing the view as he exited. But there was no issues with this, each Other involved in the operation fell back to a different point, then took a series of gates in a back and forth to hide their trail. It was going to be clear that Fomoria had done this, the presence of Eolgi, gates, unconventional tactics, all of it would point to him. But Fomoria expected all of this, and had taken preparations. What he didn¡¯t ever expect was that Ur would want to talk to him, that he would help with the escape, and that he seemed¡­ reasonable. None of that mattered, not yet at least. Fomoria told Rosen when this would be happening, and he was waiting with the amulet. The instant he saw it flash, he answered. ¡°How did it go? Are they alright? What-¡± ¡°I exited from a different tunnel and drew attention towards myself to keep her safe. I am now outside of the anti-magic field, and that none of my Others have requested help or died means that she must¡¯ve gotten out. Go to Kor and wait for me.¡± Now, now he could go back to worrying. Ur had set this up, sure, but he could only do that since Fomoria happened to show up in an area under his jurisdiction. And it was Xol who sent him to Kor, but whose plan was that? Did The Darkness ask him to send him to that spot? He had ignored it, but something was off with Xol, more than just the fact that being 80,000 years old was certain to cause issues with the mind; any mortal was not designed to live for so long. Was he really just trying to be a good friend? Or was it something more? Once more, he pushed the thoughts away and felt guilty for having them in the first place. Xol had helped with things he had no reason to, he told him things that put him at risk, he wouldn¡¯t even have any inkling of a plan to sever¡­ Fomoria would continue to trust Xol, but the guilt over wondering if he was part of plans on plans was gone. Back in Kor, Rosen was in the tea room of the mansion with Yara while they waited for his wife and daughter to clean themselves. The carriers were safe, hygienic, but their insides were not dry. ¡°So, my husband says that you are going to move inside of the veil to his lands.¡± ¡°Yes, he said that he could move us there, far away from where the Castians could reach us. He even set me up with work. I will be the understudy to a man, Sepul, for a year, to acclimate myself to the social contract inside the veil, so he says. Then I can be a teacher of spatial magic at that academy he told me about.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t touched your tea. Please, drink, it will calm you while you wait.¡± ¡°Where is Fomoria? He called me, but said to wait for him here.¡± ¡°If he hasn¡¯t arrived yet, and the Others haven¡¯t said anything, then he must be off doing something important, or, he¡¯s just watching the sunset somewhere in the world. One day, we had breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all watching different sunsets. Do you plan for more children?¡± ¡°Even the daughter I have was a¡­ she was unplanned. But, if it really is safe there, relatively, then maybe.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡± Yara gripped her cup tightly. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯ve lost a child, haven¡¯t you? But you haven¡¯t had one yet. Are you infertile?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t get into the details.¡± ¡°Fomoria wouldn¡¯t like it?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s just nothing to say, we can¡¯t have children.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± He awkwardly drank his tea, trying to avoid extending the conversation. Rosen didn¡¯t believe himself to be the sort of man who could give her any comfort, his thoughts were only about how much happier he was with his daughter. Fomoria came down the hall just as a woman and girl did with their hair still damp. They saw him and froze, but he wasn¡¯t in his armor anymore, so all they could tell from his clothes was that he was an important man. ¡°Good afternoon. Apologies about the¡­ fast exit. Were the carriers as comfortable as I hoped?¡± ¡°It was slimy.¡± Fomoria chuckled at the young girl¡¯s response. ¡°That slime was to help keep you safe. I can¡¯t believe that I haven¡¯t asked your father, but, what are your names?¡± ¡°My name is Allie, my daughter¡¯s name is Nathalia.¡± ¡°It is good to see that you are well after all that.¡± ¡°You¡­ you are the man who took us out then? With the axe and all the¡­ all the blood.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t pleasant. But my encounters with Castians rarely are. Oh, I¡¯m sorry to keep you from your husband.¡± ¡°It is no worry, you are our savior.¡± It was all rather saccharine, Rosen speaking with his wife and daughter, telling them about the nice man who would be moving them somewhere else. But Fomoria, puzzlingly enough, found himself angry as he listened, not that he showed any of it. Nathalia seemed excited about the idea of finally having a proper house, of staying in a place for long enough for her to have friends she wouldn¡¯t leave behind. But that only upset him more. Fomoria began to gag. ¡°Honey, are you alright?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m just¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I need to step outside, I need fresh air.¡± He walked into a void gate, he couldn¡¯t stay anymore. At the top of a mountain, Fomoria emptied his stomach. It didn¡¯t make sense, the smell of blood, guts, the horror of it all, he was over it, he was passed it, none of it should matter anymore. A bony hand touched his shoulder. ¡°Are you well?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, I just¡­ I just needed fresh air.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s bullshit. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡­ I was just listening to Rosen and his family speaking about what they are going to be doing after they get out.¡± ¡°And then?¡± ¡°I got angry, I was overcome with rage and I couldn¡¯t stand to be in the room. Do you know any Castian weapons that-¡± ¡°You¡¯re jealous.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You are jealous, so jealous that you can¡¯t stand it, and that made you angry, then that anger triggered your guilt, the guilt made you so stressed out that you became sick, your stomach upturned.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous.¡± ¡°What exactly did they talk about?¡± ¡°Allie, his wife, suggested that they might have another child. Rosen was glad to get away from the Cast. Nathalia wanted to stay in one place, make friends.¡± ¡°Are you aware that you are gripping that stone so hard it¡¯s turning to gravel?¡± Fomoria looked at his hand, which was resting on a stone which now cracked and crumbled. Xol sat next to him. ¡°I am certain that The Darkness won¡¯t like this. But, you don¡¯t need to do this, any of it. Maintain the lands that you have, just, live a life where you don¡¯t need to be jealous like this.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t. People are-¡± ¡°The expectations of people so often lead to an aching heart, a broken spirit, and a sickness of the mind. You don¡¯t need to be a sacrifice, you don¡¯t need to be their hero.¡± ¡°Nobody else will.¡± ¡°80,000 years, that is how long I¡¯ve been alive. Heroes don¡¯t win, they just beat back the violence and hate for a time, then they die, they die painfully, and everyone mourns them, and then everything goes back to the way that it was. A moral man cannot make a moral world.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I must-¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t, there is nothing that you must do. I am going to say this as a friend. Just, stop. You don¡¯t want to be here, you don¡¯t want to save these people, you just want to feel better about all of the killing you¡¯ve already done, you want to forgive yourself for it, to one day decide that it is enough, but it never will be. So, just stop, go off with Yara, take Darrath, live peacefully.¡± ¡°You know that you won¡¯t be able to change me, right? You know that this is all bullshit?¡± ¡°I do, but, I had to at least give you the option, let you know that you could if you wanted to. Your hand isn¡¯t so tight now, yes?¡± He opened and closed his fist, the tension was gone. ¡°I never expected you to give up on your crusade, that isn¡¯t you. Sometimes the hero has their moment of doubt, and I¡¯ve seen many of them. This, this is nothing, it¡¯s just you being upset because you know that you and Yara can¡¯t have children, and you¡¯ve put on this face of acceptance while it works through you like a cancer.¡± Xol pulled a bottle of dark liquor from his sleeve. ¡°Don¡¯t drink this, well, probably don¡¯t. But remember that you have the option to run, that you are choosing to stay, take pride in that, in being the man that this world will chew up and spit out, because to be good should be expected, but to remain as good when everything is pushing you towards being worse, to hold your grounds, that is to be exceptional.¡± He grabbed the bottle and Xol left. Chapter 326: The Calm Harlan hated it at first. But not having magic, it was¡­ calming, all of the voices, the feelings, that came into his mind, they were gone. He was weaker, he wasn¡¯t going to be splitting any boulders with his pinkie, but he was still well above a normal person. So, he used what magic he still had left to help with construction, to entertain his daughter, who was walking around like a toddler already. After just a few weeks, and with Fomoria¡¯s help, he was almost back to his peak, not that he told Rosewell. Vivi was running around, but when Harlan came back into the room she pulled on his jacket. ¡°Hold.¡± He picked her up and spun around, gently of course. ¡°It¡¯s been nice to have you around so much. Is Rosewell alright with this? I mean, you could still be designing things.¡± ¡°Not a word of complaint from her. Apparently she is working with Fomoria on something, but I don¡¯t know any details, and I didn¡¯t ask.¡± Vivi spit up on him, but he found no issues with this. Not because he could clean it with a swipe of his hand using some basic magic, but because he just enjoyed all of the extra time he had with her that let her throw up on him so often. ¡°We should visit Ximena and Claude. Maybe we can see Blackstone after, let her play with Tenebria.¡± ¡°Zella?¡± ¡°She could be fighting.¡± He handed Vivi back to Adina. ¡°I¡¯m going to call Claude and Blackstone, then Zella, maybe. It¡¯s not that I wouldn¡¯t take Vivi to a warzone, but I doubt she would be willing to come here.¡± He stepped out of the room for a moment while Adina put Vivi down for a nap so he could make his calls. ¡°Claude, how are you?¡± ¡°Fine. Good. Just great.¡± ¡°Alright, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing. What are you calling for?¡± ¡°I wanted to come over with Adina and Vivi, it¡¯s been a while since we last saw one another.¡± ¡°Now¡¯s not a great time¡­ But-¡± ¡°If I have to call Ximena, are you going to regret it?¡± ¡°What? No, I just think that- Something is happening, I¡¯ll call you-¡± The arrays of House Dyad shuddered, something was coming through, not by way of breaking, but bypassing. ¡°back.¡± ¡°Did you forget that I am a royal guard? I can enter your home without permission. Now, come on, let¡¯s talk.¡± Guards rushed into the room. ¡°Sir Claude-¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Sir Fomoria is just here for an uninvited visit.¡± ¡°Sir Fomoria, without prior-¡± ¡°If anyone asks I am going to just say it was official business and nothing will happen, so don¡¯t bother me about it.¡± The men were hesitant, but Claude waved them away. ¡°Harlan, really, you don¡¯t need to be here, I¡¯m busy-¡± ¡°With wedding planning? The war? What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m still negotiating with my parents about Ximena and I.¡± ¡°Last I heard you threatened to disown yourself from the family if they didn¡¯t accept it.¡± ¡°They let her stay, and we are still together, but-¡± ¡°But they want you to keep her as a mistress yet married off to some other woman.¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°What else would they do? Yggdra offered his daughter to me, even gave me an out with a mistress. Come, we are going to talk with your father.¡± ¡°Can you talk to Ximena? I can speak with my parents, I just need more time to-¡± Harlan slapped Claude. ¡°What was that for?¡± Claudia rushed in from her room across the hall, rubbing her cheek. ¡°Why did you hit him?¡± ¡°Because he¡¯s an idiot. Claude, Ximena is going to be your wife, you are going to spend the rest of your lives together, don¡¯t be a pushover, fight for her or let somebody who can love her do it.¡± ¡°Sir Fomoria, you-¡± ¡°I am not above slapping a woman. Claude, we are going to your father¡¯s office, now.¡± ¡°He¡¯s probably in a meeting, we-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t care. Claudia, get Ximena and tell her to come.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to listen to your orders.¡± ¡°Do you love your brother? Then let him be happy, don¡¯t drag him down like the rest of your family.¡± He did not remain in the room to see what she would do, he had faith that she knew the right thing to do. As he had been told, Count Dyad was in a meeting when Harlan burst into the room. ¡°Sir Fomoria what-¡± ¡°You, get out, you can talk business or whatever this is later.¡± ¡°I-¡± ¡°Did that sound like a question? I will toss you through a window.¡± Whoever the man was, he left with haste. ¡°Count Dyad, why do you hate your son?¡± He sighed, pinching his brow. ¡°You have no legal right to-¡± ¡°When was the last time that I cared about the law? Claude, take over.¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. He hesitated to speak, and when Harlan left the room, he just stood in silence. ¡°Claude, why has that buffoon burst into our home, my home?¡± ¡°He called, asking to come over to visit, and when I said that I was busy, he must¡¯ve¡­ thought something was wrong.¡± ¡°Yes, there is something wrong, you are still in my office interrupting my business, and you are still clinging to the idea of marrying that woman.¡± ¡°Apologies for¡­ No, I, I am going to marry her, and I am going to leave if you say another word about denying us any longer.¡± ¡°Yes, you said that before. Just accept having a mistress and get over this childish love.¡± ¡°No, I am leaving. Goodbye.¡± Yet instead of Claude going out, Claudia came in, quietly closing the door behind her. ¡°Father, I believe that-¡± ¡°If I had asked for your opinion, then you would be allowed to give it. Both of you, leave.¡± Claudia locked arms with Claude. ¡°I have no issue with being married off, there is little reason for Claude to be forced to do the same thing.¡± ¡°There is no force here. But he cannot leave with family secrets either.¡± ¡°Do you mean our bloodline?¡± ¡°I do not want it diluted or mutated by Golden blood. He is free to sleep with her, but he will not marry her, and he will not have children with her.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t even the firstborn, why does it matter?¡± Back outside, Alan and Alice had arrived as soon as they could, to the annoyance of other investigators. ¡°You can¡¯t be here.¡± ¡°You have no right to-¡± ¡°I will say the same thing to you that I said to him. I don¡¯t care about the law, that much is clear. And I¡¯ll add what I said to your guards, I will claim this is official business, Rosewell is going to back me up, and nothing will happen. So, why don¡¯t we just have a nice long chat. Is the reason your father is doing this because he is controlling? Are one or both of you infertile? Or-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t insult us.¡± ¡°You know nothing of-¡± ¡°Yeah yeah yeah. Claude and Claudia are the backups, why does he actually give a shit about him being married? Do you have a nice young girl lined up already? Because I would hope that he would be willing to give up a political marriage so his son can be happy.¡± Yet the twins did not answer back, and instead started trying to shove past him. ¡°Group hug.¡± Both twins started trying to break out of his vice-like grip by striking at certain pressure points. Yet in Harlan¡¯s many years of body modification, both intentional and instinctual, most of these pressure points had been covered by hardened muscle growths that caused anything these two could do with their hands and elbows to have no effect. ¡°Don¡¯t you care about your brother?¡± ¡°Father knows best.¡± ¡°Claude is a child.¡± ¡°Claude is 19, very nearly 20. And that doesn¡¯t really answer my other questions. So, until they come out of that room, neither of you are allowed in. Ximena, I expected you alongside Claudia.¡± ¡°What exactly is happening here?¡± ¡°Family therapy, which is to say, I can¡¯t believe someone like Claude came from this pit of vipers.¡± More guards arrived, and they started striking at him with their pommels and crossguards of their weapons. ¡°Your men are pitiful.¡± Ximena had been standing off to the side for almost 10 minutes, waiting for Claude to come out, and for the guards and soldiers of Count Dyad to give up on breaking his grip. ¡°I thought he was still weakened.¡± They wrapped a rope around his arm and brought golems to pull it while they greased the twins. Finally, after another five minutes of this, Charlin arrived. ¡°Sir Fomoria, Queen Yggdra has requested that I confirm your location. But, since I am here, I will request that you leave House Dyad alone.¡± He dropped them like sacks of bricks and unraveled the ropes with telekinesis. ¡°Alright. Does she need anything?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Ximena, it¡¯s good to see you again. If what I think is happening happens, I¡¯ll of course give you a place to stay.¡± ¡°What do you think is happening?¡± ¡°I can feel their minds syncing up like when they were younger. Either he is leaving you, which I doubt, or Claudia is going to leave with you two. Well, I need to go before things turn to violence, just call when you need to be picked up.¡± She gave him a hug before he left. Harlan decided not to even bother calling Blackstone, they just arrived at her doorstep and were welcomed in by the guards. Tenebria was walking around the garden with Blackstone and Cu. The hound was the first to notice his presence; Cu snarled. ¡°Stand down, it¡¯s just Harlan.¡± He kept a low stance, as if he was going to leap, but righted himself when Blackstone flicked his nose. ¡°Cu, I see you still don¡¯t like me.¡± The wolfhound stood four feet at the withers, the small beard which he had before was now longer and a brighter white, making him look older and wisened. Cu sniffed at Harlan, and then Adina and Vivi, before going back to lick Harlan¡¯s hand. He pet the hound, though why he seemed to accept him now was unclear. ¡°Harlan, it has been some time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that. My priorities haven¡¯t been what they should¡¯ve been.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, you¡¯re young. And by that answer, I assume that this is a house call.¡± ¡°Yes, we are just here to let the little ones play together, if that¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°Tenebria would love that. Wouldn¡¯t you?¡± She had been hiding behind her mother since the moment Cu showed dislike towards Harlan. ¡°Who are that?¡± ¡°Who is that, you mean. That is your cousin, Harlan. And that is Vivi.¡± Viviane had a sour look on her face, Adina¡¯s dislike of Cu¡¯s dislike of Harlan had flowed into her. But, when Adina set her down and she ran over to Cu, pulling on his beard, causing the hound to lower his head to avoid her pulling any of it out. Once Vivi realized what Cu was doing, she started leading him around the garden. When she found it fun, she decided to do the same to Tenebria, who started to cry and hold onto her mother. ¡°It¡¯s alright, you can go with her.¡± Tenebria disagreed with the assessment and rebuked her mother with a well reasoned refutation, crying and saying that she didn¡¯t want to go. Blackstone¡¯s compromise was to let VIviane take her right hand, and then Tenebria held her mother¡¯s left hand, and they all walked together. He never had cousins, grandparents, aunts, or any other extended family beyond Redmond. To him, it was beautiful that Viviane would have somebody her age to play with even though she didn¡¯t have any siblings. ¡°She is a natural leader.¡± ¡°She is.¡± Despite the age difference, Viviane and Tenebria were nearly the same size. ¡°Was she large as a newborn?¡± ¡°Normal size. She¡¯s just growing fast.¡± ¡°Do you think she is going to be a giant?¡± ¡°I hope not. But I don¡¯t think she will. My bodily processes happen faster than normal, but they still tend to end normally. If I were to guess, she is going to have periods of rapid growth and then almost no growth at all. Actual Fomorians tend towards being taller than humans by a significant margin, if they are fed properly, which almost none have been in the last¡­¡± Harlan¡¯s fight or flight activated, his vision slowed, and in an instant his body moved like a liquid, his form shadow, and he lightly pulled on Viviane¡¯s dress to prevent her from tripping, then, he was back to normal, as if nothing had happened. Blackstone was looking forward, and noticed nothing, since when his body became ethereal, there was no air displacement. But Adina and her magical eyes did notice. What was strange was that Harlan had turned into a shadow in the first place. His shifting had always been matter to matter, flesh to flesh, there was only one time when his body entered an immaterial state, and Harlan hadn¡¯t even known about it. This time, he had also failed to realize what had happened, his mind processed the sensation as nothing abnormal, he only felt his body move. ¡°1500 years. I wouldn¡¯t be shocked if she was as tall as me, but probably no more. I was never underfed, but I also wasn¡¯t burning through food like Viviane does, and I wasn¡¯t born enhanced. Maybe she will be a giant.¡± ¡°Well, I have a wonderful tailor who knows how to make large dresses that make a woman seem smaller.¡± ¡°Or she could marry a Dague.¡± ¡°A what?¡± ¡°I guess Fomoria hasn¡¯t come to visit. Or, if he has, it was after he stopped being blue.¡± ¡°Was he depressive?¡± ¡°No, he actually turned himself a gray blue to better fit in with the Dague, who are a pale blue, but, not as pale as he was.¡± ¡°A blue people? My, the veil has kept some strange things out of this place.¡± To some, spending the day as he had was nothing but a waste. Had he known what was to come, he would¡¯ve just panicked, tried to change things, but as many times before, there wasn¡¯t anything to be done.
Letters arrived to many groups and individuals, a time, a place, and what was expected of them. Most of them were almost more worried about how somebody got a letter to them than about the actual contents of it. Chapter 327: The Sudden Pressure Shift The location of, ¡®the southern tip of the stripe duran is on,¡¯ sounded vague, but on the tip there was an island connected by a land bridge not more than six feet in width. While he did stage the area, explosives, acid vats attached to said explosives, a gravity array that would flatten the entire area down to below sea level rather than 200 feet above, likely the greatest protection was that he brought Carmilla. She knew less than she would¡¯ve liked about Ur, but compared to Seraphallen, he was¡­ not a saint, but sane. Ur arrived past noon, along with Sholl, and once their feet hit the ground Fomoria and Carmilla dropped their invisibility. The Hand was unsurprised by her presence, but the Finger found himself in a combat stance, waiting for his death. ¡°I hope there is no issue with my guest, but I knew that you wouldn¡¯t come alone either. Carmilla, you seem-¡± ¡°Do not speak with me unless spoken to. I am here to ensure Fomoria¡¯s safety, not to chat.¡± She spat her words with venom. ¡°Fomoria, I am sure that you want to know why I am here.¡± ¡°No, not really. You asked me to use my empathic powers to fix the Cast, so I assume that is why you called me here.¡± ¡°Well, yes, but-¡± ¡°Ur, what are we doing here? Why are we-¡± ¡°Sholl, listen, don¡¯t speak. Emperor Fomoria, I know that you and he have-¡± ¡°He murdered my fiance.¡± ¡°Technically, Sholl was only part of the-¡± ¡°When a commander gives an order, even if it is carried out by another person, the deaths are still on their head.¡± ¡°Fine, yes, he murdered your lover. But-¡± ¡°But nothing. I¡¯m not going to kill him now, but I want you both to acknowledge it.¡± ¡°Sholl, apologize to the man.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want an apology, that would change nothing. I want him to just admit what he did was wrong.¡± ¡°Yes, I took part in the mission with the intent to kidnap your child, and as a direct result I caused the death of your lover.¡± ¡°Now, may we continue?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good. Sholl, show him your power, conjure a tree.¡± He didn¡¯t intend to second guess his superior again. ¡°Oh Emperor, heed to me, grant a tree.¡± It did not grow from the ground, it just suddenly appeared, a full tree, roots and all. Immediately Fomoria began to study it, though Carmilla was unimpressed. ¡°So you can make a-¡± ¡°Quiet.¡± Fomoria¡¯s reaction was strange to her. After almost ten minutes of Fomoria rubbing the tree, striping bark, eating pieces, he was satisfied. ¡°This is a tree.¡± Both Ur and Sholl understood the meaning, but Carmilla was starting to wonder if this was a joke. ¡°Yes, we can all see that it is a tree.¡± ¡°Carmilla, are you much of a nature mage?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve dabbled.¡± ¡°I could grow a tree from a blade of grass, but it would not be a tree, it would be a blade of grass in the shape and with all the properties of a tree. I would still be able to find that grass inside of it. This tree is not something else grown into a tree, it is just a tree. Sholl, make another, gold leaves, purple roots, and an alcohol content of 92.1% in the sap, a weeping willow.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous.¡± ¡°Follow the command.¡± Ur understood the intent behind the request. ¡°Oh Emperor, heed to me, grant a tree as described by he, I beg of thee.¡± When the tree suddenly appeared, Sholl staggered slightly, the specificity of the request along with the fact that nothing like it naturally existed meant that the cost was significantly higher than just a tree. Fomoria plucked the leaves that bent the branches, and they really were made from gold. Part of asking for that was how it could be interpreted. What he wanted was gold colored leaves, not leaves made from gold, he wanted to know if this magic actually knew what it was doing or if it worked from what Sholl believed. As a final test, Fomoria sent a small fireball at the tree, which went up in flames in an instant. ¡°So, you want my power, and you are offering the power of Sholl. What limits can I expect? I saw that it clearly stressed him to make my odd tree.¡± ¡°You already have something in mind, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes. Bring me your raving mad, and I will personally see to them. I won¡¯t make any guarantees of course, but if I say that I¡¯ve cured it, I expect you to first give me what I want before I turn the solution over to you.¡± ¡°I will believe you if you claim to have the solution. But I ask that you say what you intend for Sholl to do.¡± ¡°No. I am also going to be pursuing other avenues for a solution as well, but, for the good of the world, I will uphold my end even if I don¡¯t need Sholl¡¯s power.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I said, for the good of the world. And to that end, you said that I washed up on your shore. I assume that means you have control over some stretch of the world, and the other falls to Seraphallen.¡± ¡°Without the emperor, each hand is given half of the imperial lands.¡± ¡°Then start changing your lands. Start removing the cruelty. I won¡¯t ask that you collapse your economy with the complete dismissal of slavery, but start with not allowing the owners to murder them without consequences.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always found that to be rather distasteful as well. Work is fine, but to kill for no reason but the pleasure of it is insanity. If you correct the Cast, then perhaps they will find it unsavory as well.¡± ¡°You have a month to implement this policy change. If I don¡¯t see that it has happened, I am going to unleash a flesh eating virus that attacks only Cast.¡± Ur had begun to reach his hand out, but then pulled back. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The same thing I infected Hellik with. It is going to be a short but painful death, and millions will die. I can spread it across hundreds of stripes in just a day, and nobody will realize they¡¯ve been infected until it is too late, since I designed it myself. The clock is ticking, would you like me to send you somewhere with a void gate?¡± ¡°5000 miles west, same latitude. To spread this information, let alone give it time to-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking for details, it happens or it doesn¡¯t. I will decide if you really tried or if it was a smokescreen when the time comes, and I won¡¯t be telling you what my choice was.¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Fomoria opened the gate, and the two of them stepped through with haste to start the process. It wasn¡¯t going to be enough to rely on pigeons or even drones, Ur would need to recall his hands, and then focus them on enforcing the new law once it becomes known to those under his rule. Seraphallen would know, which Ur didn¡¯t want to happen, but he could at least say that he was doing it under threat of an attack that might cripple the empire; Seraphallen would¡¯ve deployed it months ago. Before he went on to his next location, he wanted to stop at Redhaven and have some tea, give some blood, chat. ¡°What is wrong?¡± ¡°Be more specific.¡± ¡°Releasing a biological genocide agent against any people is not you. I would have no issue doing so, but you are soft.¡± ¡°Just like I wasn¡¯t willing to fight the child soldiers?¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t the same. It¡¯s written all over your face that something is wrong, so, after all the time we¡¯ve known each other, I am asking not as a queen.¡± ¡°But as a friend?¡± She flinched. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a no.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I dislike you. I can train myself to not flinch at the touch of a man, to hide my disdain at the sight of them. But the mind is the mind, it is not so easily changed.¡± It was clear to him that this conversation would go nowhere, her issue was pathological, feigning friendship was the best he could hope for. He considered her a friend, and perhaps she did as well, but that block meant she couldn¡¯t interpret her feelings as true friendship. ¡°Yara and I can¡¯t have a child together. That has been upsetting. I am going to Tochter today to ask them about a possible solution.¡± ¡°And yet you never asked me?¡± ¡°If I wanted to get Yara to become pregnant, I could do that, but she refused the idea. She wants a child, but only with me. I know she would agree if I tried to get her to adopt a child, but I worry she would be unhappy.¡± ¡°All fertility magic has a base, the same man who would breed a stronger horse could help a woman bear a child.¡± ¡°Perhaps. But is your magic soul based or genetic based? I believe that the issue with Yara and I comes from the soul. If I shared genetics with my child, but it lacked my Fomorian abilities, I would have no issue with this.¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know. The soul is the building block of life-¡± ¡°The soul is a worker, the mind is the blueprint, but cells and mana, those are the blocks. The soul builds the body, but the mind can overwrite the soul, and the mind is made by¡­ Life? Aarde? Reality?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand the difference.¡± ¡°When I got out of the facility where I was kept from 11 to 14, I realized from others who had gone through normal training that I was ignorant of basic facts of magic, because I had become very specialized, never being taught those things that others consider simple. Xol taught me things that are far outside of anything we know here, but a child of just 15 would know, perhaps even understand. And so, I don¡¯t expect you to understand the difference between RNA and DNA, or what a mitochondria is. What you are doing is magic, what I want to do is based on physical laws which should hopefully bypass the soul.¡± ¡°I¡¯m no longer offended that you never asked. But why do you believe that those in Tochter would understand?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯ve been examining Elk and Ox, and her soul is normal, but her body is changed in a way that cannot be explained through the rudimentary soul magic that they have. They call themselves Vatborn, which would make sense if their method of growing new people is like something Xol mentioned, a process from his world where they grow new organs for people. It¡¯s also probable that a piece of an ancient ship from his world landed where Tochter is, and that is the origin of their ability to do this. His world didn¡¯t have magic, and-¡± ¡°I understand. Just go there, find out if your problem can be solved.¡± He gave her several vials of his blood, just a small gift. When he had spoken the idea of a visit to Mother Lion, she was, at minimum, apprehensive. But she became intrigued at his request, and brought it before the council. He arrived in the center of Tochter, which was a single fortress city. The first thing that he noticed was that they built higher due to the lack of ability to build too far outward. Each building stretched at least 200 feet. They were smooth, small windows were the only feature on the outside. Xol once showed him images from his home, and Tochter was like a twisted vision of it. The bright streets full of stores and colorful art replaced by a uniform sprawl of stone buildings. The flashing signs became floodlights which scanned the sky. The chatter and music became the intermittent hail of gunfire followed by airbursts in the sky, sometimes an explosion from a hit would flash, mostly they just flew back into the clouds to restock on missiles. The Castians plan was just to just win a war of attrition, hoping that the Tochterians ran out of bullets before they ran out of missiles aimed at the AA guns. The second thing he noticed was that the sky was green. The third, and most important, since it made a chill run up his spine, was that there was something under the city. ¡°Sir Fomoria, are you alright?¡± He staggered slightly, and became used to the feeling. His mind flashed to when he first entered the NLZ, the cage of Fae souls. But this wasn¡¯t like that, it was just something down there that shouldn¡¯t exist, a mass of power which absorbed everything in the area, weakening him. ¡°Yes. Whatever it is that exists under the city simply pulled on me for a moment.¡± ¡°That would be the defense system left to us by our First Mother.¡± ¡°Is that the cause of the green sky?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Interesting, but ultimately irrelevant for the moment. Please, let¡¯s move inside.¡± During their walk, Fomoria found himself being ogled by the women in the streets, most of them have never seen a man who wasn¡¯t Cast. The thought came to him, the towers, it was like the city was a soul in physical form. They now stood at the doors to one of the lab buildings. ¡°Emperor Fomoria, before we enter, there is something important which-¡± ¡°You stole my semen. I know. Elk tried to tell me before and I didn¡¯t let her because of how uncomfortable she was speaking about it. Finally, she came to me and explained. You don¡¯t have wombs able to carry life, just ones that hold genetic material. I must accept that if it helps you, then I will overlook your transgression.¡± Mother Ox stepped in front of Lion. ¡°Mind your tongue. Sister Lion-¡± ¡°No. If you want to fight me for what I¡¯ve said, we can, but you won¡¯t win in a one on one match.¡± ¡°Sister Ox, there is no need for this. I did trick him, and I deceived him once I had his material. Now, I will leave you to Sister Elk.¡± Mother Elk, as the healer, was also the one in charge of the creation of the Vatborn, so she took over the tour. ¡°As you can see, we have state of the art facilities that can sequence, splice, and mutate genetic samples. The ones taken from you are already being used to make new Daughters which will be the baseline for the future. In another 20 years, every Daughter will be pale skinned and blue eyed with black hair. Would you like to see the first successful batch?¡± He wanted to refuse, worried that seeing what could be would only upset him, but he accepted. They were still small, just toddlers, but he could already see the differences in their structure, their heights, muscle mass, muscle distribution. Each were kept in playpens of sorts, five to a pen, each would be raised as a squad. ¡°How old are they?¡± ¡°Six months. Their latent genetic memories will start to be unlocked by nine months, and by 13 they will have a complete understanding of them and the training to use these memories.¡± ¡°How long will they live?¡± ¡°Well, if what you said about a longer life for your kind is true, along with what I was able to read in their code, 60 years at the maximum.¡± ¡°And when the war is over, what then?¡± The Mothers went silent. They all thought at some point about what came after, but never for long. ¡°We will find out once the war is over.¡± He could feel their emotions, these Daughters were not mental mages, but they were more sensitive to others. One of them walked up to him and grabbed his leg. He looked at her big blue eyes, though they hardly moved compared to his. ¡°Ba.¡± It was just a noise, it wasn¡¯t really speaking. He lifted her up and she began to cry, reaching for him to hold her closer. ¡°Would you like to keep a group? I am interested in the results of Daughters raised outside of-¡± ¡°No.¡± Fomoria continued to rock her for a time, much like Pixies, these Daughters were mildly empathic, but only through direct contact, his wanting became her wanting. But he had to set her down; they could all see how he was feeling. ¡°We should move back to the labs, get some samples. Continue the conversation we had before.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± He gave more samples, blood, semen, hair, fingers. The entire day passed with Mother Elk running tests on everything. Most of the work was done in a vial of clear liquid. Whatever she put inside of the vials would dissolve almost instantly, and then she put it in another machine which spun it until the clear liquid and other parts were separated, letting her examine the fat, muscles, and bones of his finger in three separate layers. These vials were then added to another machine, which output numbers and letters along with a light display. ¡°Have you learned anything?¡± ¡°You mentioned that there was something within both you and your wife which was not supposed to interact with one another. I found some unknown markers which I have not discovered in any other races. They share a similarity to other pact entities, so I will assume that this is the part you mentioned. I will need to check this against the data we have on Golden and-¡± ¡°You have data on Golden?¡± ¡°Should we not?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think any existed outside of the veil.¡± ¡°The First Mother gathered information from all corners of Aarde. When the veil went up, we remained as a withdrawn scientific center, and when the Cast swept across the lands, we closed off entirely, and she made the First Daughters, who are long since passed.¡± ¡°So, was she a Wizard or a Witch?¡± ¡°I do not have authorization to tell you more about her. Could you bring Yara here? I would like to harvest an egg as well as the tests I have run on you. Over a thousand years has passed since we were able to gather data on Golden, and genetic changes may have taken place.¡± ¡°I can contact her. But don¡¯t offer to show her the children. She has been as upset as I am about this, and I don¡¯t want to bring up those feelings again.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± While those of Tochter ran their tests, Fomoria gathered everything he needed to help Rosewell with her massacre. His feelings about it were mixed. Yes, the rebels deserved it, her reasons were just, but it didn¡¯t seem like her. Was this for the best? Or was she pushed to her limit, acting irrationally? The irony of his thoughts was lost on him. Chapter 328: The Storm The summit was to be held in a mostly random location. Both sides submitted their preferred town or city, and then they met halfway between them in the wilderness. Neither had the ability to know where the other would pick, and thus they had no way to stage the area beforehand. It was a their trap, but why did he feel like he was the one being led to a snare? Fomoria and his others had their disguises on, their weapons, and the training to use them so they could appear to be the royal guards who were injured and not yet ready to return. It was boring, talking back and forth, and eventually, Rosewell stood, bowed deeply toward the rebel leader, and took a step back, disappearing through a gate. ¡°What a rude-¡± Just as soon as the man said his words, Fomoria and the others rushed forward, and the man was crushed under the weight of a gravity infused hammer. Safira would¡¯ve loved this, a good fight against traitors to the throne. ¡°ATTACK.¡± It was a pointless warcry, everyone on both sides knew exactly what was happening. The first one that blocked Fomoria¡¯s hammer was an older man, but despite his age, his skin was clear, and his armor was the obvious source of his strength. How many lives had been lost to make the gems that covered his armor?; It was a waste. The man let out a blast of void, one which would¡¯ve killed Safira, it was too fast, a siege level spell released in an instant, charged before the attack had even happened; both sides always intended for it to end this way. It was nothing but a paper thin layer of radiance, yet the size of a spell did not determine the strength. The mass of void meant that he couldn¡¯t dodge, not without showing who he was. This sheet of light had more than enough power to counter the void, and when the man stopped the spell, Fomoria rushed forward, the stressed gems unable to muster anything more. Another crushed head, another mangled body, another cleaved in two by the sheer force of the attacks. Yet it was not one sided. The royal guard and the army were winning, but it was three to one. Then came more people, their colors unclear, so were their allegiances. Some joined on the side of the rebels, some on the side of the kingdom. But more and more came, some on neither side. The battlefield became chaos, even those who were allied with one side or another were attacked by them; nobody could tell who had invited these other groups. Fomoria wasn¡¯t the first to feel the shift, another of the royal guard, one whose name Fomoria never knew, or maybe just forgot, a man specialized in wind magic, screamed out. ¡°GUARD NORTH, GUARD NORTH.¡± He barely got a shield up, first he had intended on void, but as he felt the shift, he changed to a wall of rotating solid air, like Yalda used. He could see outside of the orb, a wall of wind bearing splinters of stone and wood tore men apart, those that were able to block the small pieces still found themselves flayed alive, first the skin, then the fat, the muscles, finally, their bones fell apart, adding to the hail. The wall of decorticating air blew past them, and in the weakened state from the fighting beforehand mixed with the sudden blow had reduced the number of combatants down to under 200. Then came the second wind from the other side. They saw it rise like a tidal wave, the aerosol like a sandstorm turned back, doubling its fury. ¡°GATHER AROUND ME.¡± Both allies and enemies flocked together, those that either thought it was some kind of trick or tried to flee met the same fate as the ones caught by surprise, and those that tried to hold their own barriers failed, for most hard only barely held against the first wave. ¡°OTHERS, DROP THE FACADE. HARD AIR ROTATION BARRIERS BY MY ORDER. YOU, ONE FOOT OUT FROM THE LAST PERSON, YOU, TWO. WHOEVER I POINT AT, GO ANOTHER FOOT OUT.¡± Their royal guard armors shifted into the void bone armors, each looked no different than the last, except for Fomoria, who shifted the top of his helmet into a simple crown. The wind barrier made it safe in a small area, not more than 100 feet, and only 60 people left, of those, eight were royal guards, including Charlin. ¡°Emperor Fomoria. What are we dealing with here?¡± ¡°David and Parnell, if I had to guess. There is a stink of Fae. But this hardly makes sense, where did he get so much power?¡± ¡°He is a Paladin of Nemain, yes? Surely she-¡± ¡°Nemain was captured during The Cleave. She couldn¡¯t give them more power, unless she knew she would be captured, and gave it to them before it happened.¡± ¡°I do hate dealing with Fae. What do you suggest?¡± ¡°If I am right, then this is the spell of Hirum Selvis, Archmage Typhoon. The danger is that provided one can move from one side to another and catch the wind it can be directed back and forth. But, with the right spell to counter it, it¡¯s quite harmless. For now, we wait. Creating such a massive wall of high speed winds, it¡¯s a high cost spell, and naturally, turning it back will cost quite a lot as well.¡± One of the last remaining rebels stomped forward. ¡°You expect us to just-¡± Fomoria shoved the man, and once he hit the walls of hard air he was reduced to a red mist. ¡°This is not a democracy. Everyone can listen or shut up. If David and Parnell are using this, then clearly they are stronger than they were before by a significant margin. Hirum can only use this spell because he¡¯s a Golden, and at his age that means he has nearly four times the mana of a human, if my calculations are right. They have passed this back and forth three times so far. From what I was able to learn, Hirum can do this six times. Two of them, I assume just over a dozen uses. At that point, either they are going to leave or switch tactics.¡± David and Parnell changed their tactics as soon as they recognized it was him and came nearer. ¡°Drop the shields.¡± ¡°Sir Fomoria-¡± ¡°Charlin, David and I are friends, friendly, something. Harlan became closer to him after I left.¡± ¡°What of Parnell?¡± Fomoria shrugged. ¡°Everyone, ready spells, this isn¡¯t likely to end well. But don¡¯t attack until he or I make the first move.¡± The collection of nobles, traitors, assassins, warlords, alchemists, and archmagi moved their hands and whispered their words, but then froze like statues, gathering mana, holding the spells in, moments from activation. Fomoria came out with Safira¡¯s mace slung over his shoulder. ¡°David, it¡¯s been a long time.¡± ¡°Harlan? Or-¡± ¡°Emperor Fomoria.¡± David chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. ¡°You know, I didn¡¯t really think you would do something like that. You¡¯re more of a, cut out the problems, help on the lower levels.¡± ¡°If you cut the head off of a snake, it can still bite you, and the rest of it still dies. I was dumb enough to think that just cutting out the cancer was enough, but you are supposed to be smarter than me.¡± ¡°Well, you are an idiot, but so am I.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe you didn¡¯t smarten up at least. How¡¯s Shelly?¡± ¡°Harlan, Fomoria, whatever you want to call yourself. What are you doing?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill you. I could change your face, you could-¡± ¡°Harlan told me the same thing. Parnell, if I die, don¡¯t die with me.¡± ¡°Alright, you¡¯re the boss.¡± ¡°Fomoria, you against me. If I win, I¡¯ll kill everyone else here. If you win, well, that¡¯s it. I tried, maybe I failed, but I tried, I didn¡¯t cower anymore.¡± ¡°You could-¡± ¡°NO!¡± David¡¯s scream came with a squawk at the end. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t stop, if it was your mother that died, that had been murdered for trying to change things¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯d like a different weapon, but it¡¯s outside the veil, I need to open a void gate to get there.¡± ¡°I know you won¡¯t try to run.¡± Safira¡¯s mace, it wasn¡¯t the wrong weapon, but one could detain another with a blunt weapon, a sword was a killing weapon. So, Fomoria grabbed one of the swords stolen from the cyborg soldiers. ¡°I won¡¯t ask you to stop again, I won''t insult you like that. Harlan might hesitate, but I know you and I are two of a pair. Maybe¡­ maybe if I had come back soon, I could¡¯ve offered you a place by my side.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Thank you. Maybe in that timeline, we could¡¯ve become two champions of justice, setting right the errors of the world.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± David pulled a massive blade from thin air, and Fomoria took a combat stance; the Others put up walls of hard air so they could watch the fight; there was an argument about joining, but the Others said they would close the barrier, killing all of them. The two of them rushed toward one another, but instead of clashing, David turned to birds and hid the blade; Fomoria barely managed to get out of the way. The blade severed his arm at the shoulder, its blade too thick to let him regenerate through it. David, like Harlan, fought orcs hundreds of times. It was a weekend activity, like playing a sport, painting, or hunting. Orcs, like Harlan, were regenerators, and David was very used to fighting them. Fomoria, being Harlan, not only had ideas on how David fought, but on how other people fought regenerators. He knew that the next thing David would do would be a sound attack, short range, contained, internal organ bursting, then he would poison the wounds. When fighting something that could heal hundreds of severed limbs, you only needed to find the limit to their ability to heal. Cutting off an arm meant the body needed to make a new arm, poisoning them with alchemical solutions causing an instant infection that the body now needed to fight could be worth a dozen arms. Fomoria retaliated by breathing in, inflating his lungs, then opening his chest, twisting his organs into runes that he filled instantly. The resulting magic from his exploding lungs not only turned the sound spell back against David, but the poison in the vial was blown away. Or at least, it would¡¯ve if it existed. David had stolen the blade from a rebel, but since then he modified it, making the blade itself poisonous. It burned as it passed through his bloodstream, but his kidney filtered it almost immediately as it entered them, severely lessening the damage, and thus the cost. As David got back on his feet and dusted himself off, he laughed. ¡°You always impress me. Your body is your weapon, that sword is just for show, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°No.¡± Fomoria covered the sword in a layer of void bone, adding weight and durability, though Fomoria and his Others, hadn¡¯t yet found the limits for this weapon''s durability during the tests. ¡°Almost everything I have right now is just me. My clothes are just parts of my body, my armor is from my sigil, but I noticed something. Xol wears enchanted robes, but Marigold wears mundane dresses. He can turn any plant into a staff, she has twin swords of Godtouched steel. Perhaps believing that I can be everything is holding me back, and the cost of constantly remaking everything that I have is worth the cost.¡± ¡°Nemain told me to gather items, because there is a limit to how much any single person can do, and those things I found are going to fill the gaps.¡± David summoned his next weapon, an estoc. Fomoria did not change his weapon, or his body. It would¡¯ve been an advantage to shift into another form, slithering across the ground to move past his defenses, putting everything in a single arm and a body that let him spin like a windmill. But this wasn¡¯t a fight, or rather, it wasn¡¯t just a fight. David first seemed to be enjoying it, dodging left and right, up and down, trying to catch Fomoria¡¯s skips, his hand chops that moved with such force that they cut the very air. But as both he and Fomoria moved faster and faster, pushing their powers to their limits, their joy faded, they had come to terms with what this was. Parnell watched from the sidelines, he could see it all, but almost half of the survivors of the sneak attack were lost, the five objective minutes that passed were an hour from the perspective of the two fighters. When Fomoria was about to land a solid hit, taking David¡¯s head off, he turned into a flock of birds again. Fomoria, not one to be caught off guard a second time, reacted quickly with a chain lightning spell. Yet just as the lightning was about to strike them, it was pulled somewhere else. David could become each of the birds, though each of them was him, and the more of them that weren¡¯t making up his body the physically weaker he would be. But even with a single bird of the flock, he was able to summon another weapon from his stash. The copper block that was its head was deeply engraved with letters and symbols that Fomoira didn¡¯t recognize, but when Parnell did, he warned the Others to make their defenses stronger. David swung the hammer rapidly and all of the lighting was pulled into it, then he shot it in the air, and in a matter of seconds a microburst formed. Fomoria launched himself toward David, it was like swimming due to the massive amount of water which rained down on them, and he covered his sword in void bone to increase the weight and size so he could match the hammer which was clearly intensely magical. The resulting boom and flash of light stunned everyone in the area. David recovered by splitting himself and then healing each of the birds on their own, Fomoria had no such issue of how to quickly heal himself, he just did it, and faster than David, fast enough that he had the time to kill one of David¡¯s birds; 11 to go. ¡°That was-¡± Fomoria knew David was just biding for time to recover, no matter what changes he had, Fomoria was a healer, both of others, and of himself, all David knew was what either Harlan taught him or what he learned in survival classes, which were more designed to handle field triage, not something as high level as the shockwaves from a massive clash and the blindness from sonoluminescence. He had been mostly relying on the healing that came from Nemain¡¯s ichor, which only elevated what was already there. David made his way through a dozen more weapons, but with the loss of the first bird, he lost nearly a tenth of his physical strength, and magically he wasn¡¯t going to beat Fomoria. Nemain¡¯s advice of acquiring a hoard of magical items was good, but her hoard was from thousands of years, and David¡¯s was for less than a year. The hammer he had was from her, and was one of his most powerful artifacts, but it was only going to matter if Fomoria did nothing but use lightning magic. Left with only a few options, David went with a head on assault, leaping in the air for a downward strike. Fomoria thought better about David, he knew that the attack must be a feint, so he leaned into it. But when he faced the hammer head on, dozens of lightning bolts, all natural, struck the hammer as it struck Fomoria¡¯s club blade. Fomoria¡¯s armor was the first to go, then the skin, his fat boiled, frying his muscles, yet their steel-like strength let them only be torn mostly apart. Fomoria was sent skipping across the ground, he couldn¡¯t recover, his brain was scrambled, his muscles too stiff to function, his bones fractured or broken by the shockwaves that turned his organs into a soup. If his body suffered any more damage, he would¡¯ve had to get a new one. The last straw was that he could see David was moving around him, that large poisonous blade in his hand. If he was cut in half by that thing, this body would be effectively destroyed, David and Parnell would be left to face the remaining fighters on their own. So, Fomoria shifted, eating at his own body to shift one of his arms. When he stuck it into the ground, it stretched like a cord, and Fomoria was shot in the opposite direction. David couldn¡¯t teleport, and he couldn¡¯t instantly change his momentum. Fomoria had not only started to move in the opposite direction, but with anti-friction magic and the smooth surface left behind after the typhoon spells, he was moving far too quickly for David to catch up, and it gave him the time to repair his body. What he wouldn¡¯t give to be able to subsume an ox or a whale, the constant fighting at a high level with his relative youth meant he was burning up a lot of mana and calories. His hunger kept growing, he just needed a little more, he was tired¡­ just a good meal¡­ His breathing was heavy, in, out, in, out, shallow at first, but then he took a deep breath, and the mana entered his body. That was always how it worked, every day, people breathed in mana or absorbed it through some other means, but not in such a quantity. David stabbed at him with the poisonous blade, but Fomoria coiled like a snake, slithering across the surface and cutting his arm off. The tides had quickly shifted, when pushed to his absolute limit, something always came to him, an idea that he wanted but hadn¡¯t had the will to force into reality. His study of plant monsters, an extension of his research into mimic trees, showed that some of them, despite their size, were able to not only subsist by just absorbing mana from the ground and air, but they actually improved the nutrients of the area instead of sucking them dry. His study of Balor and Lugh¡¯s ability to live off of just what was in the air, something that had changed for Balor once he gained a body, was about not just their ability to do such a thing, but also that they both had an innate ability to suck dry other creatures of their mana to strengthen themselves. His deep hunger caused his mind to turn to such things, and if he wasn¡¯t a person, if he was just¡­ a thing with a soul, no different than Balor¡¯s ring or a tree, why wouldn¡¯t he be able to simply absorb the mana from the ground and air? It wasn¡¯t massive, he wouldn¡¯t really recover anything, but it kept him from deteriorating any further. Even as David laid there on the ground, Harlan¡¯s newfound expansion of a natural part of life letting him overwhelm the paladin who just kept getting weaker, he couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Did I ever really stand a chance?¡± The ground was covered by feathers from his dead crows. ¡°But I got you to fight me at full strength, I got you to give up on whatever honorable part was making you remain as just a human.¡± He started spitting up blood, so Fomoria rolled him onto his side. ¡°You did. If I was human, you would¡¯ve won, you were better than me.¡± ¡°No, I cheated. I drank from Nemain¡¯s power, I didn¡¯t get it fairly.¡± ¡°I got power from-¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen you, you are awake for weeks, but you don¡¯t waste that time. If I could do that, I would¡¯ve played around, I would¡¯ve thought that I had all the time in the world to train and play. You taught other students, you studied on your own for hours, you-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear more of this.¡± He laughed and laughed. ¡°How many crows did you kill?¡± ¡°11, you are the last one.¡± ¡°I took a page from your book, there is another crow far from here. This was fun, I learned a lot by fighting you, and next time-¡± ¡°There can¡¯t be a next time. I know what you are doing, I can¡¯t even say you were wrong for some of it, but think of what you could¡¯ve done by fighting smarter. Sure, you found out about this meeting, you invited dozens of other groups of assassins and-¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t invite anyone.¡± Fomoria shook his head and staggered to his feet, regaining his strength more and more each moment. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. But I can¡¯t let you do this again.¡± Fomoria raised his blade. ¡°Cleave.¡± It was nothing compared to what Marigold did, and it took everything he had just to do it, but as Fomoria collapsed, David and Parnell felt it, he had cut the connection between David and his flock. The giant chiropteravian, stood over his friend, but when he saw that Fomoria was in such a state, black blood flowing from every opening on his body, he wanted to finish him. ¡°Parnell, stop.¡± David¡¯s voice was hardly a whisper. ¡°But he-¡± ¡°Promise¡­ promise me that you are going to let this go¡­¡± He turned back to human form, though his hair had become almost like feathers as a result of Nemain¡¯s ichor mixing with her vampiric nature. ¡°We can still-¡± ¡°Do you have that bottle on you?¡± ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time to get drunk, your wounds are-¡± ¡°One last drink, brother.¡± Vampires did not cry, though nobody knew why, but it meant nothing about what they felt. From a spatial pocket, Parnell pulled out a bottle of whiskey, something old and strong, stolen from some noble they killed. Parnell poured it into David¡¯s mouth, then took a swig of his own. ¡°We¡­ we had a good run, but this was my fight. Promise me, take Fomoria¡¯s offer, change your face, do whatever you want, but don¡¯t keep this going.¡± ¡°That¡¯s bullshit, I could still fight them, I still have Hirum¡¯s magic, I-¡± ¡°We¡¯ve crippled the military power of the kingdom, traitor and royal, in the south, the Ibexians revolted against the Confederacy, more people are going to understand that they can be who they want, we won that much.¡± With the battle won, the other survivors started moving towards them, and they were less forgiving than Fomoria. A mental signal went out, and a void gate opened, hundreds of Others in battle garb flooded out, and two lifted Fomoria from the ground. ¡°YOU AREN¡¯T TO LAY A HAND ON THEM.¡± ¡°SIR FOMORIA- ¡°I WAS NOT ASKING.¡± The Others, one after another, held warspells at the ready. The 50 who remained, since the Others among them had already moved to side with their brothers, still thought that they stood a chance. Then Carmilla came through the void gate and let them feel her power. She made no aggressive action, she simply stood there with her hands together, and stared. Anyone who could sense danger knew that a hard fought, but possible winnable fight, was suddenly impossible. And so the latest civil war related to the changing of thrones ended. David left his black mark, history would know him, but it didn¡¯t help anyone in the present. Fomoria heard as his heart beat its last, and Parnell carried his body away. The spatial lock ended, and some tried to flee now that the greater threat was ended, but the Others returned to the side of the kingdom, and the rest were either captured or killed. Rosewell¡¯s great slaughter wouldn¡¯t go down in history as an act of aggression during peace negotiation which would paint her as a brutal tyrant, all of it would be shoveled onto David and Parnell, and Rosewell would be the queen who narrowly escaped. Her assault wouldn¡¯t be needed anymore, the few remaining nobles would be her witnesses, receiving pardons in exchange for telling her truth to the world, that there wasn¡¯t enough leadership to even continue fighting, that they must focus on rebuilding. Without them, and without the evidence, the miles of devastated forests, the flashes of light that were seen across great distances, and the wall of wind and dust, hundreds of thousands more would¡¯ve died in pointless fighting. But the victory killed Fomoria¡¯s heart just a little more, finally forcing him to confront what he would have to do if one of his friends became someone he couldn¡¯t allow to live. Chapter 329: The Parting Clouds Yara had not left his side since he returned. She bathed him, fed him, and hummed in his ear, hoping to calm his slumber. He hardly ate anything, his enhanced mana absorption lowered his intake requirements. Finally, he awoke. ¡°How long?¡± ¡°I heard what happened.¡± ¡°How long?¡± ¡°Six days. You can keep resting, I know it must¡¯ve been hard to-¡± ¡°David lived and died proudly. He was finally free, and he was happy. But I couldn¡¯t let him continue.¡± ¡°He was your friend.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you need rest.¡± ¡°Did the deranged Cast arrive?¡± ¡°Yes, but-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel bad about killing David.¡± ¡°But he was your friend.¡± ¡°He lived according to his own principles, which I believe he learned from me. But I cannot have somebody like that running loose, causing chaos.¡± Yara just gave him a look. ¡°I have my reasons for what I do, I know he does¡­ did, as well. But he would¡¯ve torn down the kingdom for nothing. Rosewell is a just ruler, it was her changes along with her father¡¯s changes that caused the civil war, she was already cutting out the cancerous elements. How has Liat been?¡± ¡°Carmilla and her have been getting along very well.¡° ¡°In that way?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know yet, but she is much happier. They don¡¯t talk much while I¡¯m around them though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡± ¡°Colton came to visit. His little girl seemed to like you, she said that she wanted to learn more magic.¡± ¡°I will send an Other to-¡± ¡°She got very upset when I said you would do just that. She wanted you to teach her. I¡­ I said yes. She was so cute, and she really really wanted to learn, and she showed off what the golems taught her.¡± ¡°Have the Mothers of Tochter called?¡± ¡°They wouldn¡¯t speak to me when I answered your amulet.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not surprised. They deal with me because I am me, but won¡¯t talk about their progress unless I am there in person.¡± ¡°Did they seem like they were close to-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to get your hopes up. But yes. Now, I need to handle the Cast. If there is nothing else that is.¡± ¡°You should probably eat.¡± ¡°Yes, I suppose I should.¡± He had a normal portion of food, which, considering his condition, was strange; he still felt winded. Then, he made his way to the Cast. It was not just their minds which were malformed, but their bodies. He placed his hand on the head of the first, its limbs backwards, yelling, unable to even use words. ¡°What have you already tried?¡± ¡°Soul correction of course, but the mind reverts all changes. We tried replacing piece of their souls with mimic souls, human souls, pieces of our souls, we¡¯ve tried forming geas-¡± ¡°Geas? Really?¡± ¡°Micheal gave us the idea. He obviously doesn¡¯t remember much, but the idea was to put them in a state not unlike the Ascended, a shell could go over the soul, interrupting the underlying mind and taking control over the body. At least, if Micheal remembered what her soul felt like.¡± ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be healing, it would just be replacing the damaged Cast with a new person.¡± ¡°When we asked, Ur said that if we could make it function, he would consider it a success.¡± ¡°Can you?¡± ¡°No. Whatever method was used to make Ascended is beyond us, since it¡¯s likely tied directly to Fae magic.¡± ¡°Then we ask Fae.¡± Fomoria had not been asked to do anything with the alliance between the gods and the Fae, so he couldn¡¯t be sure that they would be willing to help, but it was worth a shot. There was a shock when he arrived in the Reinoan Holy Capital, and after he identified himself, it became worse. His horns and black armor made him a demon to the people, though the cane threw them off. Yet since he did not move, and it was clear by the feeling he gave them that they wouldn¡¯t win if they did, there was no fight. Finally, a message from him was delivered to Fragile Peace, and a reply was received. ¡°Sir Fomoria, you are to be brought before Her Holiness, Grand Saint Fragile Peace. Would you like help moving to her?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not crippled, just recovering.¡± It was pitch black, but otherwise entirely normal looking, just a void bone construct; he gave no thought to when he began making more than just his armor out of his sigil. She sat in a tea room, and behind her were a group of women in armor, some light, some heavy, blonde, brunette, red haired, swords, daggers, hammers, axes, some almost as young as Fragile Peace, some older by a decade. ¡°I thought you were just making me wait as a negotiating tactic. Did something happen to your legs?¡± ¡°I killed a man. Are these the royal guards that I recommended you make some years ago?¡± ¡°They are. What kind of man would be such a troublesome foe?¡± ¡°David Haywood. All women? Any particular reason?¡± ¡°I thought the two of you were friends? I feel safer with women more powerful than me.¡± ¡°He was finally free, and that was dangerous in a way that I couldn¡¯t let stand. Reasonable, I¡¯ve seen how your nation treats women.¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°You are dangerous in a way that few can stand. Why didn¡¯t you contact me before you came?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have my communication box, and I never made another one. If I did, I would need another crystal made from your blood, and I¡¯m not sure if that box had enough range to even be usable. Though, perhaps if you left it at the seawall and someone else relayed messages. It would be easier to just let me give you an amulet.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Titiana says that it is alright. As the last living god, she has the right to overwrite the rules as they currently are.¡± ¡°Not shocking to hear something like that. I could make one from my flesh and blood, or I could wait until you bring me a gem and piece of jewelry to put it in.¡± ¡°She says that a new box shall be made. You may prepare the gem once we bring it to you.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The Darkness now sat beside him. Fomoria had been looking for a time, but couldn¡¯t clearly figure out which one of them was the leader, yet following the eyes of The Darkness, she looked directly at the woman with a greatsword and light armor. ¡°Tell your little girls to clear the room.¡± ¡°I will not leave her holiness alone with a strange man.¡± ¡°If Fomoria wanted to rape her, he would just kill all of you first. Peace, tell them to leave.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like your tone.¡± ¡°Titania, tell your puppet to tell her dolls to clear the room.¡± Her eyes flashed purple. ¡°I shall be fine, you may leave while I negotiate with them.¡± ¡°Of course, your holiness.¡± With just them in the room, Titania came out. Her hair was platinum, her eyes violet, and everything told Fomoria that she was related to the royal family of Ragne. ¡°Are-¡± The Darkness stole away his voice before he said something that could be taken as offense. ¡°Oh Titiana, Queen of the Fair Folk, Fae of the Forest. Might we make merry, with tea and cherries?¡± ¡°Oh Darkness, Old friend of the Black Glen. I would be delighted, even with someone so unlighted.¡± The room shifted, the half Fomoria sat in turned to black grass, black mountains, and his now bare feet sat in a stream of black water. The other end of the room became filled with light, green grass, pink vines, and trees of golden leaves. He could see no end to this place, no door, no ceiling, and yet his eyes, his ears, his touch, even his magical senses all told him that this place was real. The table between them now held a fresh pot of tea, wooden cups, and a large bowl of cherries, pink and black. ¡°Partake, if that is your desire.¡± ¡°Of course, yet it is sustenance of the mind what the boy requires.¡± The Darkness plucked two cherries from the bowl, Titania and Fragile Peace did the same, then they ate. When the others were done, they placed the stems on the table, and Fomoria followed suit. The stems twisted and tied, The Darkness shook her head at the results, but he didn¡¯t understand any of it. ¡°Seeking the assertation of ascension?¡± ¡°The boy asks of you, what is true? May he have? But could his mind yet grab?¡± ¡°His mind cannot know, for his mind does not grow.¡± ¡°But what if he could show?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ he lacks my glow.¡± ¡°I bargain in his stay, for I believe he may.¡± ¡°In my bed shall he lay?¡± ¡°Not on this or any other day.¡± ¡°I ask of nothing more, I think himself a beautiful whore.¡± ¡°A private chat, between me and the one I granted my hat.¡± The Darkness had a large grin on her face, this was fun to her, speaking in strange ways. ¡°She wants you to have sex with Fragile Peace and grant her a child. In exchange, you would be granted a shard of Fae power, one that would let you make your own Ascended.¡± He leaned forward, his hands clasped together, his elbows on his knees. ¡°I¡­¡± The Darkness slapped him. ¡°You would never hesitate. Don¡¯t let the death of your friend turn you into a fool. I hate to so much as venture a guess as to why she wants a child from your blood. But, if you make that choice in a clear state of mind, I would keep that secret, I would even be willing to erase the memory so the guilt doesn¡¯t destroy you.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t seriously considering it. I was just shocked.¡± ¡°You feel morally and emotionally disconnected from yourself, and could do anything, because you believe killing a friend has crossed such a line that you¡¯ve gone far beyond even the worst thing you¡¯ve done before now. I am telling you, you were seriously considering it, but your mind cannot fathom it, just as it cannot fathom David¡¯s death at your hand, so it is going to pretend it was something else.¡± ¡°Fine, believe what you want. Is there a way to get what I want without doing that?¡± ¡°We can leave here, but remember it is an option. Perhaps Yara would even want to join you.¡± ¡°I am not in any mood for jokes.¡± ¡°Your voice is flat, no anger, same as when I said that you could rape her if you wanted to. I was trying to prove a point to you, that your emotions are deadened, broken. You should speak with Marigold, or Xol. Both of them have experience with having to kill their friends.¡± ¡°Marigold already told me about how she had to kill her own children. I don¡¯t want to bring those memories up.¡± ¡°Good, Xol it is. Now, I need to tell her that I am declining the deal without her owning your soul.¡± ¡°Is that a real risk?¡± ¡°Again, a flat tone. But yes, that¡¯s why I have been speaking for you. If you had any sense, if you weren¡¯t just sleep walking through life, you would¡¯ve asked for my help or called upon the twin that took Fae Law classes.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Fomoria did not call on Xol, but he also didn¡¯t go back to the lab. The cats and dogs stretched out in the warm sunlight of the menagerie. ¡°Micheal. How are the animals?¡± ¡°Jade Claw began to lash out against Silver Tooth because she can speak better than him. But I am the most eloquent of them, so they listened to me when I said to stop.¡± ¡°Oh. That¡¯s nice.¡± ¡°What has happened?¡± ¡°Nothing you need to worry about. The Others said that you were helping them with their research into the Castian insanity.¡± ¡°Yes. Had an idea, but they didn¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Give me the sigil.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I understand. If the ascension process involved a shell over the soul, then my sigil, if powerful and guided enough, could serve as the shell, and in the past I¡¯ve already come under the effect of a mind within the sigil. But I killed that mind, you helped me with that.¡± ¡°Harlan, he hasn¡¯t, yes? His sigil should retain the mind within it. The sigil binds with the body, and is passed to the child, yes? If you give it, they should be born with the shell, yes?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that Harlan is going to give me anything right now.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ because you killed your friend?¡± ¡°Yes. It seems Harlan became closer with David than I ever did. But, I should at least ask.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because you are unwell. You don¡¯t sound happy talking about this research, you should sound happy.¡± ¡°This is just work, I don¡¯t have to feel happy about it.¡± ¡°The Others, including the one who was made just the day before you had your sleep, are happy to work on this, because it isn¡¯t just work. Send me there, I could ask.¡± ¡°Or he could kill you on sight because you still smell like Fae.¡± ¡°There are hundreds more of me.¡± ¡°None of them are you, they are just Other Micheals.¡± ¡°Are you so unfriendly that you would kill me? Do you not trust yourself?¡± He wanted to answer, to say that he did, but the words burned his throat, they rose like bile, but couldn¡¯t come out. ¡°You don¡¯t trust yourself? Trust me.¡±
Balor hated how cold it was. ¡°How certain are you that-¡± The old woman lifted his chin, then tapped on different parts of his body. Her boney fingers jabbed across his face, she dug her knuckles into his chest, ran her palm up his spine. ¡°Hmm¡­ good stock. You are a half-breed?¡± ¡°I detest the term. I am a mind and soul bound to a body of my own design. My brother is the Half-Fomorian.¡± ¡°Ah, I hoped you were Harlan.¡± ¡°How did you-¡± ¡°Redmond is such a fine fellow. It has been too long since he last visited-¡± ¡°He¡¯s dead. It¡¯s been a year.¡± The woman¡¯s face scrunched up, but she shed no tears; Balor had never seen a sad Fomorian. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Wyvern. He got stuck on an open field, he couldn¡¯t run, died from his injuries inside of its nest where the caves narrowed too much for it to fit. Harlan¡­ Harlan was the one who recovered his body.¡± ¡°His dog?¡± ¡°Cu is fine, he was returned to his wife.¡± ¡°Does he have a grave?¡± ¡°Two. One at his sister¡¯s farm, one in his garden.¡± The old woman started rummaging through a chest in the room, returning with a frozen flower. ¡°Put this on the grave at his home.¡± ¡°You really liked him, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°He was the first completely random outsider we met in hundreds of years, and he met us with respect, he told us of the outside world, stories of himself and of Harlan, and he gave without requiring that we give back.¡± ¡°He was too good for this world. He never should¡¯ve kept being a ranger. He should¡¯ve just been a husband.¡± ¡°A husband who is not a warrior is a poor husband. He told me that he gained his wife in battle.¡± ¡°He-¡± ¡°I will unlock your powers, in his honor.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°If this works, I would like to meet his daughter.¡± ¡°She¡¯s too young to speak much, and she doesn¡¯t like strangers.¡± ¡°I am good with children.¡± Chapter 330: Silver Lining Harlan couldn¡¯t believe the news, but more than that, he couldn¡¯t believe what Rosewell was asking of him. ¡°Harlan? Harlan? Are you-¡± ¡°Fuck you.¡± ¡°This is for the best. Parnell can get a pardon if we-¡± ¡°You want to drag David¡¯s name through the mud-¡± ¡°HE DRAGGED HIS NAME THROUGH THE MUD BY KILLING MY ROYAL GUARD.¡± Rosewell slammed her hands on the throne. Her eyes flared with mana, the arrays reacted to her thoughts, though she gave no order, and Harlan was forced to his knees. When she calmed herself, he was allowed to rise again. ¡°We¡¯ve let you get away with heinous crimes, things that would get dukes executed without question, and David just followed in your footsteps, but lacked the usefulness to the kingdom that let you avoid us finding a way to¡­ I don¡¯t want to hear anymore of this. I will use David as an excuse, a reason why everyone was slaughtered at the summit so I don¡¯t look any worse in the eyes of history. Justified or not, I planned and carried out the murder of dozens of nobles after discussing a truce.¡± ¡°You planned, I carried out. That blood is on my hands, you just sat back and let us-¡± ¡°Harlan, go home. You are in no state to argue, and I am in no state to hear it. You lost your friend, I lost over a dozen good men and women. Your friend murdered them by inviting all of those other-¡± ¡°Your highness.¡± ¡°Charlin?¡± ¡°David Haywood claimed that he did not send the invitations. I believe him, since he said it to Emperor Fomoria.¡± ¡°Nulson¡­ Harlan, go home.¡± He tried to open a gate home, but his subconscious overcame his thoughts. It was late at night, but the guards recognized the feeling of a royal guard entering, and when he came though they recognized him. ¡°Sir Fomoria, Lady Shelly is-¡± ¡°I need to see her.¡± ¡°Sir Fomoria-¡± He started walking towards the door, and they crossed their spears. ¡°This is official business, standing in my way is treason against the crown, punishable by death.¡± ¡°I will tell a maid to wake her, but I ask that you remain in the foyer until called.¡± The moment he heard doors open upstairs, he wanted to flee, he wanted to run away from this. He thought back to the first time he went with them on an orc hunt, David tried to get him not to go with the black suits to tell a woman her husband died, but he went anyway. His mind began to race back to when he told his parents that Redmond was dead. He didn¡¯t even remember it, it was like someone else took over his body, he could hear, he could see, but it didn¡¯t feel like he was there. When a shadow came over him, he didn¡¯t even look. ¡°David is dead.¡± ¡°I knew that the moment you came through those doors.¡± The voice wasn¡¯t hers. ¡°Sheron?¡± The maid had gone to her first, and she prevented Shelly from being woken; she still had her negligee on. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Emperor Fomoria. He killed him.¡± ¡°Parnell?¡± ¡°Alive, somewhere.¡± ¡°What could you have done?¡± ¡°I could¡¯ve-¡± ¡°Nothing at all. You couldn¡¯t possibly change anything.¡± ¡°I-¡± ¡°No, you couldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°If-¡± ¡°No, you couldn¡¯t.¡± She put her hands on his shoulders and pulled him towards her. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°Because, as I¡¯ve come to understand you, why he was doing what he was, I knew this would happen one day. But I expected you to be the one who killed him.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°He always had that part of him inside, but meeting you, the civil war, Nemain, these things all caused that seed to flourish. Both of you shared too much in mentality, both you weren''t on the same size, so there could only be one of you left standing. But, the war is over, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°Without him, this war would¡¯ve been over months ago. He and Parnell killed on both sides to extend it, if it isn¡¯t over with his death, then it will be soon. I think you should go, I will tell Shelly in the morning, this isn¡¯t your fault, but she is going to be angry with whoever tells her, and she already hates me.¡± ¡°That-¡± ¡°David was damaged. May¡¯s death affected all of us, and I failed to protect him as best I could. I hate myself for that failure, for being bitter, first after Dawn, then after her. I should¡¯ve taken him in, taken him away from his father, I should¡¯ve been better.¡± She tried as best she could to hide it, but her eyes watered and her face twitched. ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± ¡°She is going to want to see you tomorrow, just understand her, don¡¯t let her beat you down, it is just the grief.¡± ¡°You sound like you already know.¡± ¡°Like mother, like daughter.¡± Sheron spent the night weeping, Harlan was just numb, someone else was in his head again. Adina found him staring at a wall. ¡°Honey? What¡¯s-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it. I think¡­ I think I¡¯m going to go on a walk.¡± ¡°Harlan, you shouldn''t go out. Whatever this is, you aren¡¯t alright.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Two days? Three? A week? How long had he been wandering? Where had he been wandering? ¡°Hello?¡± A young boy, not older than 11, poked his shoulder. He was filthy, covered in mud, he had open wounds, sticks in his hair. ¡°Are you lost?¡± ¡°Let me heal you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a mage?¡± ¡°Yes. Please, allow me to help.¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. In just a few moments, the boy was clean, healed, and cheerful. ¡°Are you lost?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m just trying to find food.¡± ¡°What about your parents?¡± ¡°Mama and papa told me they had to go away for a few days, but I think it¡¯s been longer than that.¡± ¡°Any siblings? Neighbors? Someone who can take care of you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright. Do you want some berries?¡± ¡°How about we go back to your home, and I will make you something to eat?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The house was dilapidated, mud had been used to seal cracks and holes, most of the windows were broken or covered up. ¡°How long have your parents been gone?¡± ¡°Since¡­ more than a few days.¡± When he ran his hand along the walls, he noticed his own hand cracked, his skin was dry. What had he been doing? What flour was that had been so moth bitten that there wasn¡¯t anything worth recovering from it. ¡°Is there anyone else in the area? Actually, do you know where we are?¡± ¡°We¡¯re in my home.¡± ¡°Right, of course.¡± Harlan began to search the rest of the house with divination, but the boy had barely been able to sustain himself, let alone stock up food. So, he turned to leave. ¡°DON¡¯T GO, PLEASE.¡± The boy tried to tug on Harlan¡¯s sleeves, but he made no effect on him. ¡°I need to hunt so you can eat.¡± ¡°TAKE ME WITH YOU.¡± ¡°Alright, just, stay quiet.¡± It didn¡¯t take long for Harlan to find a deer, divination for hunting was actually considered to be unsportsmanlike due to the ease of use and lack of tracking skills. But for sustenance hunting, or for culling, nobody had much of an issue with its use. He raised his hand, pointed at the animal, and froze. It stared him in the eyes, and just stood there, like it wanted to die, like it understood why he was doing what he was. But his hand began to shake, and it fled. ¡°It¡¯s getting away.¡± ¡°I-¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t had meat in a long time.¡± Harlan looked at the boy, he was pale, even the short walk had him very tired, and his mouth had cracks all around. While Aardian doctors focused more on magic, and they wouldn¡¯t call it an iron deficiency, but a red meat deficiency, they at least knew the signs of a poor diet. Harlan knew that the boy needed to eat flesh, but he still didn¡¯t go after the deer. ¡°I¡¯ll find berries. Climb on my back.¡± They returned to the house with a large bag of berries, and they ate. ¡°Did you repair the house?¡± ¡°I tried. But it gets cold sometimes.¡± ¡°Have your parents been gone since it snowed last?¡± ¡°The time before that.¡± ¡°Have you eaten any meat since they¡¯ve been gone.¡± ¡°Papa had jerky, and we had chickens. It was hard to butcher them, and they didn¡¯t taste very good. A deer died outside once, and I got sick when I ate it.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t stay here. I have a place for children who-¡± ¡°I have to stay. When mama and papa-¡± ¡°What is your name?¡± ¡°Harlan.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my name too. Harlan, your parents, they¡¯ve been gone more than a few days, they aren¡¯t coming back.¡± The boy punched him, he pounded his little hands against the wall that was Harlan, but he did not cry. ¡°They are coming back.¡± Harlan could only sigh. Two days passed, and the boy came down with an illness. Yet Harlan couldn¡¯t heal him, and he found that he couldn¡¯t force the boy to leave because he couldn¡¯t bring himself to harm him. The boy was simply too weak to have any magic be used on him, both Harlan¡¯s healing the days before and his taking the boy along to hunt had been too much; his lack of sustenance caught up to him. ¡°I¡¯m going to hunt. You need to stay here and rest.¡± Yet the little Harlan held tightly to his sleeve. ¡°I¡¯m coming back.¡± ¡°Mama and papa said they would be back.¡± He pressed telekinesis against the boy¡¯s throat, and he passed out quickly. Again, finding the deer was easy to find, but his hand shook, he couldn¡¯t kill it. It walked up to him. ¡°You must kill me. The boy needs-¡± ¡°SHUT UP, I¡¯M DREAMING, AREN¡¯T I?¡± ¡°Or am I what you are really thinking? Are you simply hallucinating me talking to you because you need someone to give you permission to kill them? On that note, where have you even been? Why are your hands so cracked and dry? Think, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°I want to save him.¡± ¡°Kill me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt anyone.¡± ¡°The path of-¡± ¡°FUCK YOUR PATHS. I DON¡¯T WANT TO JUST PRETEND THAT I¡¯M DOING THE RIGHT THING WHEN I¡¯M STILL KILLING EVERYONE.¡± ¡°Then the boy will die.¡± It walked away slowly, stopping to look back. ¡°Kill me.¡± ¡°No.¡± Harlan launched two spells, one that cut a piece of flank, and one that healed the wound. ¡°Fool.¡± Delusion or not, he came to his own conclusions. He could process berries, grass, bark, most anything he could eat, would be able to be broken down for the full nutritional content, the boy couldn¡¯t. So, Harlan, with his powerful stomach, ate the berries, and then used the mana generated from that to grow the small piece of deer flank into more meat, which he fed to the boy. While the boy rested, Harlan fixed up the home. Yet when he repaired the cracks, replaced the windows, regrew the rot, so too did his hands repair. The mental and the physical shared a greater connection with Harlan than others. And now he was sure. ¡°Boy, what is this place?¡± ¡°This is my-¡± ¡°Are you Fae?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°What is your real name?¡± ¡°I am everything, and I¡¯m you.¡± ¡°Life?¡± ¡°She¡¯s not as big as me.¡± He racked his brain for just a few moments. ¡°You are mana, or Mana? Are you a real person? A god above all gods?¡± ¡°I just am.¡± ¡°Why am I here?¡± ¡°The sigil, it called me, and I became it. The other was killed.¡± ¡°The other? What does that mean?¡± ¡°Your sigil, you killed it.¡± ¡°But¡­ Fomoria.¡± ¡°You killed it.¡± ¡°I am Harlan, the other person is Fomoria.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± It was an interpretation filtered through Harlan, but it wasn¡¯t intelligent, not really, so it couldn¡¯t understand why two people with almost exactly the same mana weren¡¯t one person. ¡°Why did he¡­ I, kill you?¡± ¡°I tried to give him what he wanted. But he didn¡¯t want it.¡± ¡°What did he want?¡± ¡°To be wrath.¡± ¡°What do I want?¡± ¡°To forgive yourself. But you can¡¯t, because humans can¡¯t forgive. They can only move on.¡± ¡°How do I move on?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand. You want to be wrath.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t. I want to¡­ I want to be able to handle David¡¯s death.¡± ¡°Humans can¡¯t handle death. They can only interpret it.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What do you want?¡± ¡°I want to¡­ I want to be able to protect people, from themselves, from others.¡± ¡°But you are wrath.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be wrath. ¡± ¡°Alright. Be mercy.¡± Harlan awoke. ¡°Harlan, you can¡¯t just leave me and Viviane. We need-¡± ¡°How long have I been quiet?¡± ¡°A few minutes. You said you were going to leave then you stopped talking.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been¡­ somewhere else.¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Harlan suddenly collapsed. ¡°WHAT¡¯S WRONG? HARLAN? TALK TO ME.¡± His bones were painfully ejected from his body, and new ones grew in their place, he felt the sigil taking over his body. His skeleton lightened, like someone bleached them then cast light arrays over his body, his blood turned from black to white, making him even paler. The process wasn¡¯t painful, the sigil lowered his threshold for Harlan just as it had for Fomoria. When he stood, his empathy was enhanced, everything was. The black blood was just dark mana coursing through his body in higher amounts, a little gift from The Darkness, this white blood had no basis in light mana however, it was just a reflection of Harlan. ¡°I¡¯m alright. I¡¯m actually better than fine.¡± ¡°What happened before?¡± ¡°David is dead, Fomoria killed him.¡± ¡°Why did you go quiet?¡± ¡°Mana spoke to me, perhaps it was just me in another form, drawn by the sigil Fomoria taught me. It is still inside, but changed.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Mercy.¡±
I am scared, but I can¡¯t let Fomoria know. He tried so hard to protect me, he let me live when he should¡¯ve just killed me. I was a parasite, an infection. He is a good man. ¡°Are you absolutely certain?¡± ¡°If he attacks instantly, I will flee, if not, then I ask for help.¡± ¡°I just-¡± ¡°Fomoria, I want to do this. I won¡¯t be in danger.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°Have faith.¡± Everything is so much brighter here, has Fomoria been darkening more than just the doorway? The shadows in his heart grow each passing day; I wish I could help him more. The doorway is only a short flight. Oh? A beast approaches; I should go to a tree branch to wait for her. ¡°Beast of Fae will, what reason can you give that I do not smite you where you perch.¡± ¡°I came to see Harlan. Fomoria wants his help.¡± ¡°So say you, so say it true?¡± ¡°I do.¡± That felt strange. ¡°Then a meeting between you and he shall be determined by his will.¡± The wall opened, that is neat. ¡°Hello, Harlan. I am-¡± ¡°Micheal. I¡¯m sorry, but I cannot help you.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°What you are going to ask me, I cannot do it. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°How do you know? Fomoria would seek and try until he could not any longer.¡± ¡°I will not take any part in his war. I cannot seek the path of less harm, I cannot do harm. To work with him would only put millions more deaths on my head.¡± ¡°You are a coward. Goodbye.¡± Micheal flew back through the void gate. Chapter 331: Clear Skies Rosewell invited all of the royal children and Harlan¡¯s family to have a meal, a sort of party before the party. The war was over, it just a few days for whoever was left to give up, to understand that any resistance was just certain death, and a pardon was a mercy that they shouldn¡¯t have expected; nor would they truly gain such a thing. Rosewell handed out pardons like candy, but most who received them would die of what would be considered accidents and natural causes. Unlike the normal royal policy, which was to kill one¡¯s enemies while leaving no direct evidence, but still giving some sort of impression that they had been assassinated, these traitors would die, sometimes soon, sometimes years later, and nobody would have any idea that she was behind it. ¡°Before we eat, I would like us to toast. In the time since my father passed, it has not been an easy reign. The civil war has been the longest and bloodiest in hundreds of year, but we have managed to bring it to an end with the help of tens of thousands of people. But, we are also all aware of who we can say played the most significant role, not on a battlefield, but in a workshop. The planes that Sir Harlan Fomoria made were able to safely destroy hundreds of enemy strongholds without them noticing before it was too late. The train systems which were put up with no small investment from House Fomoria, and especially Balor Fomoria, allowed us to maintain an incredible output of fresh food not only to the battlefield, but within our borders while allowing us to keep out gate mages on the fields, transporting troops to and fro. When our father first told me that he had been working alongside The Darkness, one of the gods of Aarde, I thought he had lost his mind. But, when he explained why, and with what we now know that we have obtained from such a union, I can only see that his mind was clearly far beyond my own when it comes to such scheming. This toast is in his honor, though I might not possess his cold and calculating thoughts, I will continue to do as he has done, and ensure the safety of Ragne by any means.¡± Harlan said little during the meal, but that didn¡¯t mean people didn¡¯t try to speak with him. Yet people only tired for so long before they realized Harlan was stuck in his own mind. The cabin in the woods, the child, those were far more of a comfort to him in the moment. With the dinner itself done, Rosewell tried to convince him to speak with her privately, but he refused, She did not take this refusal, making the other royal guards escort him to her room and then bar the door. ¡°What happened? You are¡­ glowing.¡± ¡°As Fomoria, I have entered into the next stage of my sigil. He killed the mind within, I am unified with it. His way is the darkness, the death, the wrath, I will be mercy.¡± No matter how at peace he seemed, this was a battle, just as many she has seen him go through before. ¡°You need to speak with somebody. I would like for it to be me, but if you would feel more comfortable-¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been looking into how to help others with these sorts of problems. Haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Motherhood has given me some insight on how to better comfort others, and I know you. This, coldness, this disconnection, this is you receding into yourself because you don¡¯t want to face what you are feeling.¡± ¡°I have faced myself, and I have always found myself wanting. I feel like I know what I really need to do now. If you need help, don¡¯t hesitate to ask, but I¡¯m done with building war machines.¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t even killed Nulson yet. You-¡± ¡°I¡¯m done. Maybe I will change my mind, maybe you are right. Maybe not.¡± Harlan stood and made his way to the door. ¡°I know you will be back, that you need to help people.¡± ¡°I can help them with farming projects, building housing for those who need it, clearing monsters that only archmagi are called to handle.¡± Rosewell waved and the royal guards let him leave. Charlin was upset, but one didn¡¯t become a royal guard if they couldn¡¯t hold themselves to certain standards of self control. ¡°Was it wise to allow him to leave?¡± ¡°Harlan will remain confused and seeking a cause until the day he dies. Even if he doesn¡¯t return to us, he intends to continue advancing the quality of life for our citizens and helping us to expand our borders into the Frontier.¡± When he returned home, he found peace in the quiet now that the royals were gone, and with them, their butlers, maids, and guards. They weren¡¯t terrible guests, those that hated Harlan and his family stayed away, those that tried to build connections were friendly, and those that were actually friendly were a pleasure, though they still avoided Harlan; one couldn¡¯t too deeply anger those who they didn¡¯t see or speak with. Harlan seemed just fine with what was happening to him, but those around him weren¡¯t; his parents wanted to be the ones to speak with him. ¡°You¡¯ve lost your mind again.¡± ¡°I have not.¡± ¡°You¡¯re off center, David, what I heard of him, was your friend, you were close, and Fomoria, who was you, killed him. But he isn¡¯t you, it wasn¡¯t your fault.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t blame myself-¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± ¡°Honey?¡± Harlow was more than a little surprised to hear his wife be so direct with Harlan. ¡°Harlan, we¡¯ve been through this more than enough with you. You are 19, you aren¡¯t a child. I know things are hard, and what you go through is far and away grander in scale than what I had to deal with by your age. I was just a mother by the time that you were, fighting wyverns and armies and everything turned into insanity. I know, I know that I don¡¯t know, and that it is hard, but at some point, you just need to accept what¡¯s happened.¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°I know that I had some part in what happened, because it was my work with Magruder that caused the creation of blood gems and extended the war. I know that David would not have had the strength of mind to do what he did if not for me. I knew before he defected that something was wrong, and I didn¡¯t push him, I let it go, and I couldn¡¯t prevent what happened. I accept all of this, and I accept that I couldn¡¯t really change any of it. Being unable to change something doesn¡¯t mean that I couldn¡¯t change it. The sun rises, it sets, and David decided on his own to ignore my attempts to help him, he decided on his own to become entangled with Nemain. Free will means I can do what I wish, but there will be consequences, some that I could foresee, some that I couldn¡¯t. I can¡¯t control everything and everyone, I understand that now. So, don¡¯t think that I¡¯ve gone insane, or that I¡¯ve suffered a break.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t know, I can¡¯t know, and I¡¯m sorry that-¡± Harlan put his hand on his mother¡¯s shoulder and smiled gently. ¡°Both of you did everything that you could, and I think that for everything that couldn¡¯t be foreseen, your lessons of right and wrong made me pick the best that I could out of very difficult situations. Sometimes I chose wrong, but that was because I ignored what you told me. Don¡¯t hang your head over what I am, be proud, because we both know that I could be something much worse. I¡¯m going to go now, I have work to do.¡± Ava was training, as always, when Harlan came in. ¡°Are you going to try some sparring?¡± ¡°Have you mastered your fusion yet?¡± ¡°No, but we aren¡¯t getting stuck together anymore. Whatever Fomoria did, our souls are clear that we aren¡¯t the same person, now we just need to think about something that we don¡¯t agree on and suddenly we¡¯re free.¡± ¡°I want to give you my sigil.¡± ¡°Am I going to start being all glowy and distant?¡± ¡°You will get my shine, but your mind won¡¯t be affected, he told me so.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The mana, the mind of the sigil. There is a greater layer between magic and the mage with normal runes, but that veil grows thinner with a sigil, it draws more of the will of mana, which is not a single entity, but rather a combination of the caster and something else. It-¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get the sigil.¡± ¡°Lugh, would you like the sigil as well?¡± ¡°Ava, let me do it first.¡± ¡°Does it feel unsafe?¡± ¡°No, I just think it¡¯s neat, and I want it first.¡± Lugh didn¡¯t change in a way one couldn¡¯t reasonably expect. He was white as bleached bones with a slight glow emanating from his core, and though he could shift his metals as he did before, it now only showed as a light down the center of the blade. He could now lengthen and shorten himself at will, the mercy bone forming a greater blade, and his body of metal became strong enough to condense himself smaller than he could before. ¡°It tickles.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to warn you, Lugh doesn¡¯t have bones, and he doesn¡¯t really feel pain like us. What is going to happen is that your pain resistance is going to go far beyond normal, but when your bones shoot out of your body, it is going to feel like you¡¯ve stabbed, but it will pass quickly.¡± Ava suddenly looked at Harlan. ¡°Shoot out?¡± ¡°Yes. I can show you what it looks like from my eyes, but I am sure it will only last a few minutes, it won¡¯t even be as bad as being enhanced.¡± She sighed, pacing back and forth a few times to psyche herself up. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get this done.¡± She grit her teeth, getting stabbed wasn¡¯t something new, and like he said, it wasn¡¯t nearly as bad as when she got enhanced. Ava jumped side to side, feeling light, feeling strong. ¡°Whoa, it¡¯s like when I was first enhanced. Now we really need to spar.¡± ¡°No. I refuse to fight without anyone being in danger.¡± ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be a whiner.¡± ¡°No. And before you go, you should speak with mom and dad.¡± ¡°Wait, we can leave now? Finally. Breken said that things haven¡¯t been bad, but I could tell that he misses having me around.¡± ¡°Just tell mom and dad that you want to go back, and then I will take you to Redwall mansion.¡± ¡°What about them? Have you ever talked about if they are just going to go back? What does the farm even look like right now?¡± ¡°The farmhands have taken care, and Kass traveled between Balor¡¯s home and the farm to keep an eye on both.¡± ¡°Have you talked to him recently?¡± ¡°Maybe a month ago?¡± ¡°Is he alright? It¡¯s been a long time since we last talked.¡± ¡°He¡¯s fine. My sentinels around the farm have kept anything too bad from attacking, and without any of us there, the farm wasn¡¯t really much of a target anyway.¡± ¡°Well, I think I want to visit, catch up,¡± Harlan¡¯s gaze turned distant, he wasn¡¯t staring at Ava anymore, just in her direction. ¡°Yes¡­ catch up. Call me when you are ready.¡± He vanished before her eyes.
Balor fell to the ground with a pulsing headache. ¡°IT¡¯S SO LOUD, WHY IS IT SO LOUD? ¡°Come now child, you are being dramatic.¡± He just continued to roll around on the ground for a while, and the soldiers from Ragne made threatening moves towards the elder. ¡°Stop all that anger, you¡¯re hurting him even more. Balor, try to be calm, idiots, calm down.¡± It took a day before he could stand up again, and only because Balor had been moved out of the village itself. ¡°How do you feel now?¡± ¡°I can hear every single bug in the ground, the rabbits in the snow, the eagles that fly above us. And the royal guard that stands outside, prepared to kill us both if the need arises.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t read it yet. His intent is not on us, but it is so general towards any threat that you believe it to be. If it was a directed threat, I believe you would¡¯ve passed out from fear alone.¡± She rubbed her gnarled hands on his. ¡°Focus on my touch, my cold fingers, my weathered skin. Don¡¯t close out the feelings, but separate the physical from the mental. Think of three layers, but none of them touch each others. Mana, that makes all things, the mind, that connects all things, and the flesh, where things live. Remember that you exist within the lowest layer, that the feelings from the second layer cannot hurt you there unless you let them. Your mind is your mind, it can ask, but you are the one who tells.¡± After a few more hours of her rubbing his hands, humming, pushing and pulling on his feelings, he calmed down. ¡°Let¡¯s walk back to the village. If it becomes too much, we can just turn around, come back to this little cabin.¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ better, I don¡¯t need to feel the animals anymore.¡± ¡°That is the connection settling. What I did, using your soul which has traces of paths between the three layers, that exist from Harlan, is something that I have seen recorded before when children are born with malformed minds. I believe you''re the first successful case with an adult. The scrolls seemed convinced that once the mind became too set, it couldn¡¯t be changed any longer.¡± ¡°Technically, I¡¯m only 5, though I did start from Harlan¡¯s base mind of 14.¡± ¡°Perhaps, perhaps not.¡± When Balor became settled back in the village, he tried to keep his mind off of the feelings, letting it become natural, and eventually, blocking it would be as automatic as breathing. But, to better facilitate this, he wanted to occupy his mind. ¡°They all call you elder, but what is your name?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have one.¡± ¡°Odd.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I wasn¡¯t born with one, but there was a Fae deal, and my ancestor offered the names of the firstborn of his line in exchange for the means to survive in this place without outside supplies.¡± ¡°Interesting. But that must be quite a hassle.¡± ¡°Less than you would believe. We all end up being called by what we are, and while the village remains small, general terms are enough to figure out when others are talking about me. You¡¯ve hardly gripped your head at all since we began talking.¡± Balor was thinking about his next question, and hadn¡¯t even thought about the pain that became rapidly lesser the longer he had this power. Chapter 332: The Future of Fomoria 3 Fomoria was upset that Harlan so clearly refused him, but it was what it was. A presence snuck up behind him suddenly as he sat in the menagerie, thinking about solutions. As a dagger was placed to his throat, so too did a sharp tail press against the would-be assassin. ¡°D¡¯if, what exactly are you doing?¡± ¡°I was worried you were losing your edge, so I had to test you.¡± He flipped the dagger around and sheathed it once more. ¡°I need a proper blacksite, the kind that only a man like you could build.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°What kind of empire would this be without a secret prison and interrogation center?¡± ¡°What is this really about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m dying.¡± Fomoria couldn¡¯t tell if D¡¯if was serious or not, there wasn¡¯t an ounce of fear in his voice or his mind. ¡°I know. I gave you at best an extra five years. I¡¯ve been out here for two, so you have at least 4 left, assuming you had a year before I returned your youth.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that I have done enough to repay you, to set up the next generation of spies for you. I¡¯ve got candidates, I¡¯ve been training people, but you-¡± ¡°I know that you don¡¯t care about repaying me, and if you didn¡¯t think I could find you and make you suffer a fate worse than death, you would¡¯ve fled a long time ago.¡± ¡°I want people to call it D¡¯if¡¯s House. I sure as shit never raised any of the kids I fathered, so this is going to be my legacy.¡± ¡°The world will lose much of its light when a noble soul like you passes from it.¡± D¡¯if shrugged. ¡°Speak with Mercedes. I want something that you would consider suicidal to break into or out of, and I do mean that. You¡¯ll be dead inside of a decade, so don¡¯t worry about a theoretical situation where you need to break out so you add a weak point.¡± ¡°I would never-¡± ¡°I can admire your honesty with me, but you are a deeply dishonest man, not a shocking trait for a spy.¡± ¡°Oh, you wound me. Whatever have I-¡± ¡°Alright, the game is done now. Go to Mercedes.¡± Fomoria went back to the lab, looking over a very long and exhaustive written list of everything his Others tried, and the list was growing by the hour. It was impressive to work with people like him, that were him, that never stopped, that tried everything, including those far enough outside of the orthodox that they could likely claim their own archmage titles if they pretended not to be him. He found one of the files listed as inconclusive, but it wasn¡¯t clear what the experiment was or why it didn¡¯t work. Fomoria went to the test room. ¡°The file was light, what are we doing?¡± ¡°A personality shift could be applied by overwriting the soul of the Cast with your soul. But, without you, this is nothing but theoretical.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t fix every Cast, we need a solution that can be given to others.¡± ¡°Or we get enough of them fixed that we offer the solution, but only if they show us the nursery and then we can-¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Very well. I¡¯d like to see if this works regardless. And they could use it, if we gave them the right level of soul mastery.¡± ¡°That would require that I trust them in any appreciable way; I don¡¯t want to imagine a dozen Urs or Seraphallen running around even if they lacked their Hand abilities. But, I will try this anyway.¡± The Cast survived, but the two souls were too unlike the other to coexist, and something more like an orc was made. The flesh was in some places soft and gray, and in others hard and metallic. The face became too small for the head that stretched to fit sharp features, giving it a chin and ears that could slice like daggers. But little mattered in the face of its own reaction, that it simply went comatose as both souls vied for control but neither could destroy the other without destroying themselves. ¡°Keep an eye on it. See how quickly the souls fuse, and if they do. Once you see no further progress, I want you to try splitting the souls. I find it unlikely much will come from this, so I¡¯m giving you an allowance of 50 Cast.¡± The sheer number of defective Cast boggled the mind, and Ur sent them by the shipful. He went back to silently thinking about how he might fix the Cast, hoping for the seemingly divine intervention that mages were said to sometimes gain. But everything was still too loud. So Fomoria wandered the halls of his home and ran into an expected guest. Phoebe walked up to him and bowed deeply. ¡°Please train me. Lady Yara-¡± Fomoria laughed and she became red with embarrassment. ¡°Stop, I was trying really hard.¡± ¡°So don¡¯t. Yara said that she agreed to me training you. Are your parents here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m staying with Mosley and Bly.¡± ¡°Are they staying together?¡± ¡°Bly sleeps in a lot.¡± ¡°Are they together?¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°They¡¯re together all the time, why?¡± She was too young to understand what he was actually asking, so he dropped it. Besides, whatever Mosley did wasn¡¯t really his business unless it interfered with his ability to do his job. Fomoria tracked down Mosley and made sure that he knew where she was and what she wanted to do. Mosley gave the thumbs up, so Fomoria brought Phoebe to the Spire of Other, yet a thought came to him; training just one child was too easy. They reacted with amazement being so high up that Kor was just a speck below them, then backed away from the edge. Except Phoebe, who sat at the edge and kicked her feet, letting the wind blow her hair. ¡°Nana, I am going to start with you. How do you feel like you¡¯ve changed magically since we last met?¡± ¡°I can imbibe three elements, and I can save those who have been decapitated. It was¡­ a strange morning when I learned it, and Miss Elk wasn¡¯t there to help me.¡± ¡°Very good, and combat training?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m trying.¡± ¡°Kel, spar with Nana, start defensive.¡± Nana was overwhelmed magically even by the simple things, but she tried to rush forward for a physical confrontation. It would¡¯ve been ridiculous for a Plest to try such a thing against an Ibexian, but Nana¡¯s imbibing was rather good, though a crutch. She skimmed across the ground with great speed, but Kel had a little bit of experience fighting things since the guards would let her and Jake tag along while clearing goblins and Wargs. A small bump moved across the ground and suddenly sprouted with vines that caught the young Plest by the ankle, then more bound her arms. Stuck in place, she could do little to defend herself from the stone coming her way. Yet instead of pain, she only felt dust on her scales; Fomoria punched from afar with aura. ¡°Kel, that wasn¡¯t necessary.¡± His voice was cold and his gaze harsh. ¡°I was just trying to win.¡± ¡°You won when she couldn¡¯t fight back. I know that you want to impress me, but no matter what you do you will not be moved in ranking. Nana is the top student because she is a good mage, and not because she could win a fight. But, I must commend you for your excellent use of earth and nature magic to create creeping vine bombs and then move them around like a shifting minefield. Nana, you are fast, imbibing makes sure of that, but imbibing is like body fortification by cycling mana, it will only enhance what you can already do. If you shave a second off of a sprint, then imbibing could turn that to ten seconds, an extra pound you can lift could be a hundred. Work on your body, not just your magic.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been using imbibing to lift heavier weights to-¡± ¡°You are straining your body more magically than physically and you won¡¯t gain as much muscle mass if you rely on that. I thought I had this explained to you already.¡± As he gave Nana and Kel pointers, then told them to play a game from the academy where one would tell their opponent exactly what they were going to do so they could try to find a counter within a few seconds, shouting brought his attention to the edge where Phoebe had been sitting. ¡°CATCH ME!¡± It was not fear that he felt from the girl. The others started running towards the edge. ¡°STOP.¡± ¡°BUT SHE-¡± ¡°She willingly jumped off so that I would catch her, that is not a lesson I want her to learn. I will wait, let her think that I haven¡¯t noticed, then I can catch her. Go back to your game, Jake, join them.¡± He stood there at the edge, his eyes let him keep track of her and even see her facial expressions as she fell. Once he saw that she was starting to cry, he jumped down, letting gravity and air magic turn him into a bullet. He was falling feet first, and noticed a large insect of some kind was rushing towards the young girl, so he slightly changed his direction. When Fomoria struck the hard shell he passed through, but the sound was like a bullet. He caught up with Phoebe when she was just a few thousand feet from the ground. His grip was gentle, and they slowly came to a stop. Instead of going back up, he set her on the ground. Her legs were like jelly and her eyes full of tears. ¡°YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO CATCH ME.¡± ¡°No, you weren''t supposed to jump. What if I had been distracted? What if one of them had used a loud spell and I didn¡¯t hear you calling out to me? I can admire that you are blunt and fearless, but you are also a stupid child.¡± He listened to her crying, and realized after a few minutes that he didn¡¯t know if he was acting in character. Was this a normal response? If this happened before killing David, would he have berated her like this or would he have softly explained the danger of what he had done. He felt that he was in a clear state of mind, but that meant little. Fomoria finally hugged her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t worry that you are going to do things like that, I can¡¯t imagine how I would react if something happened and I didn¡¯t save you.¡± She sniffled, finally stopping after she stopped shaking. ¡°You¡¯re a prick.¡± ¡°Your mother wouldn¡¯t be happy to hear you swearing. Why don¡¯t we both agree not to tell them what happened here?¡± ¡°I want you to train me.¡± ¡°Of course. Now, why don¡¯t I bring you back to my home? Do you need a maid to help you in the bath?¡± She had hoped to slip away and clean herself without him noticing she had wet herself when she saw the large dragonfly coming towards her. ¡°I¡¯m a big girl, I can do it myself.¡± ¡°I will leave a shifting suit outside.¡± An Other from the spire had been watching the children train, giving tips not far removed from what Fomoria would give. He couldn¡¯t face them yet, not until he was sure that he was acting rationally by his own idea of the term. Naturally, he called Xol. ¡°What moral¡­ I¡¯m sorry. My condolences, but you did what you felt was right, and you have a strength that many times, I lacked.¡± ¡°Thank you. I want to know, have I been acting like myself? Phoebe, Colton¡¯s daughter, she jumped off of my flying island because she knew that I would catch her. But¡­ I waited, I waited until I saw fear in her eyes. When we landed safely I was condescending. I put more on the lesson than I did on trying to comfort a scared little girl.¡± ¡°You did the right thing. We can survive such stupid stunts, but mortals need to be taught to safeguard their own lives.¡± Xol clapped his skeletal hands together before Fomoria had the chance to think. ¡°That¡¯s what you wanted to hear, right? That I would do something and thus it is wrong, so you know that you aren¡¯t acting normal, so you can beat yourself up about it.¡± Xol leaned back in his seat. ¡°I think most people would be offended if you were to think about them like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t-¡± ¡°I cannot connect with children, I don¡¯t care for them, but that can make a good teacher for some. To answer honestly, yes, what you described is unlike you, because you have always been good at dealing with children, you have always put forth as much effort as you can afford towards protecting them. Once lost, it is almost impossible to regain your humanity, so hold tightly to it.¡± Xol put up his cubes to block Aarde from listening in. ¡°I can¡¯t be seen openly helping you with the Cast, but I believe it is best that we gain them as allies. There is a place that can help you, Fomorians willing to join for the chance to live freely and with comfort. I cannot say more, but someone you already know can guide you to them if they trust you enough to do so.¡± ¡°Before you take this down, what aren¡¯t you telling me? I don¡¯t want to cast doubt on us being friends, but I get the feeling that I¡¯m being led down a path without knowing what¡¯s at the end.¡± ¡°That, that would offend more than most people.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I just had to ask.¡± ¡°There is a point where a lack of trust is more damaging than helpful.¡± Xol seemed genuinely offended at the idea that he had betrayed Fomoria in any way; thousands of years of dealing with mental and semi-omniscient beings made him able to feign any feeling so long as he expected it. And so Fomoria was alone again, and it was quiet, but his mind couldn¡¯t focus on the problem in front of him. It tore his heart out to accuse Xol of manipulating him for some unknown reason, yet what else could he do? The question of who had invited all of the outside forces into the slaughter at the summit was unanswered, and though Parnell hadn¡¯t contacted him yet regarding changing his face, Fomoria expected no answer from him any different than what David said. But even if he found something, even if Xol was guilty of this or something else, which right now was nothing but a gut feeling, what could he do? Xol was ancient, the second strongest being that wasn¡¯t a god, or so he says. If he found something, would it even be justifiable to try to stop him? How much destruction could Xol cause in just a few moments if confronted without any path out? Fomoria tried to banish these thoughts, and eventually he let himself feel grief, told himself that his distrust of Xol was nothing but an extension of a feeling of betrayal that David refused to work with him. Chapter 333: Mercy Harlan found himself in an open field, and in the distance smoke could be seen rising into the sky. For most of his life, a desire to help others had driven him, not just his mind, but also his magic. This wasn¡¯t the first time that he ended up in some place he didn¡¯t know, drawn to a tragedy already happening or would soon happen. But now he felt as if he had come here on purpose, he felt that tugging on his soul by this magic beyond his understanding, and he went there. The mana didn¡¯t speak with him again, but he felt some manner of intent, both of them wanted him in this place. He walked softly into the village, the people known to him before he entered. The residents hadn¡¯t noticed him at first, he was like a ghost to them, he let out not an ounce of hostility, but when they did look up from their work or out of their windows, they realized he shouldn''t be there. Still, they had one simple question before they acted. ¡°What are you?¡± The Fomorian warrior held his spear to Harlan¡¯s neck. ¡°Brothers, sisters, please, lay down your arms.¡± The man narrowed his eyes. ¡°You are not a Fomorian?¡± He wanted to deny it outright, but couldn¡¯t be sure what Harlan was. ¡°I am half-Fomorian.¡± ¡°Your mind, what is wrong with it?¡± ¡°My empathy has evolved, my path is clear, and I will be your mercy.¡± They couldn¡¯t feel that he was planning to attack, but that hadn¡¯t stopped them before. Yet the moment the warriors tried to attack, hands came from below. They hadn¡¯t seen anything happening, Harlan had made no signs, he had spoken no words, but the powerful limbs trapped them in place. The forms that came from below bore the faces of their victims, and the Fomorians struggled with all of their might to escape. Outside of the nightmare, Harlan looked at the writhing people. They screamed for help, the others tried to do so, but the moment they made contact the memetic virus crossed over to them. The children were those least affected by the spell, for they hadn¡¯t had the chance to be the monsters that their parents were. So, it fell on them to attack Harlan. It was no shock that their spears failed to scratch his armor or his flesh. ¡°There is no need for violence.¡± He raised his hand, telekinetically splintering the shafts before bringing the heads to him. They next attempted to put their hands on him, using soul magic to destroy him. Yet even if they were masters among the Fomorians, which they weren¡¯t, they would¡¯ve stood no chance of causing real harm due to both his soul defenses which he learned at the academy and then enhanced and continued to develop beyond what was taught alongside the sigil. ¡°We should settle this with speech, not spears.¡± He tapped one of the children on the head and the boy fell to the ground, his eyes swirling with white energy. The others ran away, and Harlan sat, waiting for those who fell to his mental attack to wake. The first of them crawled towards him, tears in his eyes, the weight of the world on his back. ¡°What have you done to me? Why do I feel like this?¡± He gently held the chin of the man and looked deeply into his eyes. ¡°You can¡¯t change what you are, so I must.¡± The man¡¯s head felt like it was going to split as everything he had done began to hurt him as it had hurt Harlan; he screamed without end. In an hour, the Fomorians all woke, but not one of them had wished to do so. In their dreams, they would be plagued by nightmares of what they had done, and in the waking world they would find no relief. They begged on their hands and knees for an end to this suffering. ¡°Please, what do we do? How can we be healed?¡± ¡°But I have healed you. You were broken by culture, by the idea of racial superiority and a right to conquest, that the world was owed to us because we helped to save it. I have rescued you from apathy, now you feel how I feel, I¡¯ve pointed your moral compass back to true north.¡± They wept uncontrollably, if this was life, then it was not worth living. When the first of them pulled a dagger and tried to plunge it into his heart, Harlan stopped him, his hand felt gentle, but it was quite impossible for the man to move. ¡°There is nothing to be gained by taking your life. Only now that you can feel can you understand how to work towards fixing what is wrong with the other aspects of what it means to be Fomorian. If you help others, the guilt will fade, be a better man, and a better life shall be yours.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t be forgiven for what I did, why? Why would you do this to me?¡± ¡°Before, I would say that the only mercy would be death, that a culture that cannot be changed must be destroyed completely and utterly. Now I see that I have a new path, that mercy is to lead my people into the darkness, to the uncharted lands of peace.¡± Harlan made a large meal for them, something that they rarely got the chance to have even now that they could leave their lands. And while they ate, Harlan went to deal with the other guests. He hadn¡¯t realized where he was, not until Minoan soldiers arrived in full plate, axes in hand. Behind them were battle mages, ready to raze the village to the ground. They saw him rise above the village, then his chest glowed and white flames covered his body. The sword in his hand soaked in the merciful fire, then he began to slash, and their novas were devoured by the waves he released. It was unlike anything the soldiers could¡¯ve expected, and they called for reinforcements as they dug in and waited for a counter attack. Yet the glowing man floated to them, all of their small spells splashed against his flames and vanished, their larger ones were hit with counter magic as they were formed. ¡°Please, stand down.¡± Harlan¡¯s voice was calm and low, but it reached far. When he was within striking distance a long mace reached over the shields in the front and smashed down, but Harlan¡¯s skin grayed with earth imbibing and he crossed his arms to block it. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Violence isn¡¯t the answer here.¡± He pulled his hands together and cut the head from the axe. ¡°RAGNITES HAVE NO RIGHT TO ENTER THE BORDERS OF MINO.¡± ¡°I am only here to help these people.¡± ¡°BY ORDER OF KING ARCHON, ALL FOMORIANS WITHIN THE BORDERS OF MINO ARE TO BE CAPTURED AND TURNED OVER TO EMPEROR FOMORIA.¡± ¡°That I can accept. But I will not leave until I see them safely transported.¡± ¡°YOU HAVE NO-¡± Harlan breathed deeply and let out more white fire, melting away the shields and armor of the soldiers, sapping their strength, but otherwise leaving them unharmed. ¡°I do not take threats lightly, I will do everything that I feel is needed to protect them until they are safely away from here.¡± Those who lived in a world dominated by power understood that there were many times when they must suffer humiliation and follow orders or die. The Fomorians were gathered and transported to a central location in Mino for Fomoria to pick up, and while he normally only did so bi-weekly, a special call had to go up the chain before Harlan would leave. As the people were put together with the rest of the Fomorians, the virus spread; more and more of them collapsed in hallucinations and nightmares about what they had done. Fomoria arrived after some time, and he felt it spreading, but did nothing to try and stop it. ¡°What exactly is this?¡± ¡°They will feel what I feel, and they will need to better themselves to alleviate the guilt.¡± ¡°You are using empathy to overwrite-¡± ¡°I have no interest in a lecture from a man who would just kill them otherwise.¡± ¡°If they are forced into being better, it is hollow, their hearts haven¡¯t been turned good by their own will.¡± ¡°If I used it against you, what effect would it have? Would you feel guilty over what you¡¯ve done?¡± ¡°It would do nothing.¡± ¡°Would you care to prove it?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Harlan joined hands with Fomoria, and to his dismay, nothing changed. Fomoria tightened his grip, Harlan¡¯s bones began to crack and he started to wince as he went to a knee. ¡°I am in a clear state of mind, thank you for confirming that. But don¡¯t think that your sigil evolving like it has changes anything.¡± Harlan breathed in and his body became engulfed in his white fire, so Fomoria did the same. The void and mercy flames clashed, but everything that Fomoria had, outside of the blade stolen from the soldiers at the research base, was made from him, and Harlan¡¯s fire became confused about what to do. Fomoria let go, feeling that the lesson had been taught; Harlan couldn¡¯t move his hand, the flames had severed its connection with his body. ¡°I will not be taking these Fomorians, whose minds you¡¯ve raped, take responsibility for them or I will put them down to ease their suffering.¡± ¡°I will do what you can¡¯t.¡± ¡°What I won¡¯t do. To have your mind replaced, changed like this, it is a death worse than death, for you are forcing them to live and breathe knowing that their thoughts are not their own.¡± Fomoria left through a void gate, his footprints burned into the stone floor of the prison. Harlan had to now deal with the 90 Fomorians, and the best he could do on short notice was to bring them home, not his home, but Balor¡¯s home; their arrival didn¡¯t go unnoticed. ¡°Sir Fomoria, how can I help?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, who are you?¡± ¡°I am one of Sir Balor¡¯s village aides. I see that you have brought people here.¡± ¡°I need a place for them to stay for a time while I set up more-¡± ¡°We have vacancies in local hotels where they can stay. But I will need his direct approval before I can grant you permission to build a village for them.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll just call him and-¡± ¡°Sir Balor said that he cannot return for at least two weeks.¡± ¡°Then I will just approve the-¡± ¡°You gave these lands over to Sir Balor, under Ragnite law, he owns them, and any new villages need to be approved by him.¡± ¡°But these are Fomorian lands, he is under me.¡± The woman thought for a moment. ¡°Yes, I suppose that is true.¡± ¡°How long have you been in charge here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a few months.¡± ¡°How often have you met him?¡± ¡°My work is mostly handed down from-¡± ¡°Never then?¡± ¡°When I was first suggested for the position, I met with Sir Balor.¡± ¡°I am going to pay for the rooms, just for a day, and I am going to have golems build a small village away from this one for these people. Are you needed here? Or could I ask that you help these people to adjust to their new homes?¡± ¡°I¡­ I will ask my supervisor.¡± ¡°When Balor gets back, I will work out the rest of this, until then, thank you.¡± It was clear that the woman was nervous, and though she had come to figure things out, it was certainly a matter of her having been right there to see them be brought in. Finally he returned home, and went back to Ava¡¯s room. ¡°You can teleport now?¡± ¡°What? No, I just¡­ did I teleport? Let me try that again.¡± He listened to the mana, felt the hum of reality, and decided that he wanted to be somewhere. Then, he was there, no gate, no wait. So, he repeated it a few dozen times. As best he could figure out by just the feeling, he was using skip and gate in conjunction with one another and cutting out the time when he would be both stepping through the gate and the time where he was waiting for the spell to be ready to use again. He returned to Ava¡¯s room. ¡°Yes. I am capable of teleporting. Sometimes I wish that I understood the academy method of using gate, as right now I can use it and teleportation, but I am doing it only by feeling, and I don¡¯t need it. What were we talking about before I left?¡± ¡°Uh, Kass, I said that I wanted to visit.¡± ¡°Did you speak with mom and dad about going back home?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m going back just as soon as you can send me.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°First, I need to know what you were doing.¡± ¡°I went to a Fomorian village.¡± ¡°How many did you kill?¡± ¡°None.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not angry, I just want to know.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t need to kill anyone. I just made them feel what I feel, and understand the pain they cause other people.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t think of a worse fate for monsters than to think like you. You¡¯re strong, I know you are even if you don¡¯t feel that way. Those people are going to fall apart, you know that, right?¡± ¡°They are judging themselves, and if they cannot pass their own judgment, then that is their own fault.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t even pass your own judgments. Can you take it back?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even understand what I did, I just listened to the mana, I just did what felt right.¡± ¡°Great, now you are listening to voices in your head that aren¡¯t just the ghost of your mother. You can¡¯t just do things like that, you need to think instead of act.¡± ¡°Funny coming from you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the one who-¡± Ava took a deep breath to calm herself. ¡°I know that your friend¡¯s death is hard to take, but you can¡¯t do shit like this.¡± ¡°I¡­ perhaps I may have been hasty.¡± ¡°You go on about free will or whatever else, so take a week, a month, just calm down and think about this. Maybe¡­ maybe you could go along with Breken and I, handle some low level threats.¡± Harlan thought for a moment. ¡°Low level threats¡­ I have another idea.¡± Ava was sent to Redwall, and Harlan decided to stay, yet he wasn¡¯t the only guest in the Redwall house. ¡°Marigold?¡± ¡°Oh, you evolved your sigil. Unity or death?¡± ¡°Unity.¡± ¡°Very nice, I expected as much from you. Fomoria went with death of course. What are you now?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, you have something that perhaps no other person has ever had before. First you had to have that variant of the weapon sigil, then you had to evolve it through unity instead of death, and then you had to have some revelation about what you wanted to be. Fomoria became wrath, something I¡¯ve seen before. So, what are you?¡± ¡°Mercy.¡± Marigold cringed at him. ¡°Is that bad?¡± ¡°Wrath is simple, mercy is complicated. There is a chance that if you ever take a life that you cannot completely and totally justify as unavoidable, your powers could turn against you.¡± ¡°What exactly does that mean?¡± ¡°In the worst case, you could instantly fall over dead, best case, you would just feel the physical pain you inflicted on them.¡± ¡°Alright then. Why are you here?¡± ¡°I came to visit Autumn.¡± ¡°Do you often do that?¡± ¡°Sometimes. I asked that she not tell you.¡± ¡°If I asked why, would you tell me?¡± ¡°I wanted to play with the children and see if I really did want to have more of my own.¡± ¡°Well?¡± ¡°No. There is never really a good time to have a child, but with everything in motion, I can¡¯t justify having one now.¡± ¡°What is in motion right now?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Can¡¯t say, we aren¡¯t sure yet what is or isn¡¯t going to happen. If I was certain that something terrible would happen, I could have a child without any worry, but something might be happening. The Darkness has said that there is an unknown threat, that all timelines end when she looks far enough. Now she has a timeframe.¡± ¡°And that is?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the future, live for now, and when we are certain of when things are going to go bad we can tell you then. Now, your niece and nephew have been staring at us, so let¡¯s go play. Oh, why don¡¯t you ask your parents to come? I¡¯d like to speak with them; just a casual chat.¡±
¡®You were right that offering him a challenge in the form of fixing them lowered his guard.¡¯ ¡®Of course, my profile on him has been greatly fleshed out recently. If he holds up his end of our little bargain, handle Seraphallen.¡¯ ¡®But I believe I could convince him to go along with this.¡¯ The cursor on his screen blinked, once, twice, three times. [Host Disconnected] Chapter 334: The Land of Mist and Petals Days had passed since Fomoria and Harlan saw one another, and Fomoria had since spent his time trying to research the Castian mental problems. There were hundreds of Others also working on the same problem, freed from their duties as marshalls since Ur had not sent any attacks against him, and while they lacked his magical power in raw strength, they had his mind. So, when Mother Elk called him, he had little issue moving away from the problem at hand. Yara found himself more than a little amazed and worried by the city. The women all shared the same features, nearly all walked with the same gait, and when she heard them speak they sounded almost the same. But she was given little time to look around, Fomoria headed directly to the lab with her under guard of Daughters. Mother Elk met them in a stark white room with little inside outside of a tank of the green substance which the Daughters were grown in and a desk for Mother Elk. ¡°Emperor Fomoria, I am glad you were able to arrive on such short notice. Lady Yara, I am Mother Elk, and I have discovered a probable way for you to become pregnant without being disrupted by Aarde. If you agree, I could start today, and within a number of months you could return home with a child.¡± Yara paced back and forth, breathing in and out in a steady rhythm. ¡°What are the risks?¡± ¡°Well, we don¡¯t know. The idea is to harvest an egg from you, then germinate it with Fomoria¡¯s seed before implanting it back in you. But, because the soul would be entirely from you and not him, the strain on your body would be far greater than a normal pregnancy. So, we will keep you inside of the vat, the ichor will keep you healthy even if there are certain complications.¡± ¡°Are you being truthful? Because you said nothing about the real dangers, but you seem prepared for them.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve used this method in the past, and it has worked with normal births. My calculations are based on what we¡¯ve been told about the birth of the other child, Viviane, and her six month gestation period as well as her nearly doubled growth rate from infant to toddler. What I couldn¡¯t figure out, because of your changed biology and the amount of that which is a direct result of magical manipulation beyond what is considered normal. Your child could grow in a week, or a month, or it could be stillborn despite all of my efforts. I cannot say the risks because I can only speculate on them with little real data to say which would be most likely. If you feel uncomfortable, you could refuse, but I am interested in what will happen here.¡± ¡°I need to talk with my fiance.¡± Under a veil, Yara paced back and forth, and Fomoria let her have the first word. ¡°Should I do it?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say that.¡± ¡°Yes you can.¡± ¡°No. You are the one who is going to be in a tank for weeks or even months as it grows instead of you. We want a child, but that doesn¡¯t mean you should put yourself in any undue risks.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not normal. You have something else planned, right?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say. If you don¡¯t want to do this, I will understand.¡± The veil was one sided, and she looked out at the strange room. The idea of being inside of the vat, one of the only two things that took up the room, sent a shiver up her spine. ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Fomoria dropped the veil. ¡°For the foreseeable future, we are going to refuse the offer. But don¡¯t worry, this is not a problem for our present deal, weapons and armor will continue to flow into Tochter.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Mother Elk packed up the papers on the desk and inside the drawers into a box and a Daughter took it away. Fomoria had time to calm down since learning that Aarde denied him a child. He couldn¡¯t throw a tantrum, and his plans to perhaps find the Castian god, kill her, and steal her divinity to allow him to bypass Aarde¡¯s will started seeming more and more foolish the more he thought about it. Even if he did, he would probably be throwing away his friendship with Marigold and Xol, and everyone who he knew was going to become targets of angry gods, he would be giving up the life that he had in order to have a child that he didn¡¯t need, it would be nothing but selfish to do all of that, to put his empire in jeopardy, to- ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been talking. Are you upset? I could go back to Tochter and-¡± ¡°No. Sorry, I¡¯m just thinking about something else. I know you were upset that we couldn¡¯t have a child, and I¡¯ve been having terrible thoughts about how I could fix that.¡± ¡°Terrible for you, or terrible for normal people?¡± ¡°For me. I don¡¯t want to throw away everything we have just for a child, I have a duty beyond us that I cannot abandon.¡± Yara calmed down, and a smile crept onto her. ¡°Why are we here?¡± ¡°You will know in just a few minutes, and- Shit, I should¡¯ve asked Amber to be here.¡± Amber was luckily free to join him. ¡°Why are we here?¡± ¡°First, we need a ride.¡± Fomoria formed gill-like openings on his neck and a high pitched but quiet sound came from him. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°You people have no sense of adventure. Just wait.¡± After a few minutes, a drake swam ashore. ¡°Little Shadow, you called?¡± ¡°I want to go to the Island of Mist and Petals. This is my sister, and this is my fiance.¡± ¡°Then a ferry to fairy shall I be.¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°She¡¯s a Pixie.¡± The Sea Drake snorted, nearly blowing them down, but still let them ride. ¡°Why not a boat?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like boats, motion sickness.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t fixed that yet?¡± ¡°The Darkness told me that it was an inbuilt weakness so she could kill me if needed. I don¡¯t think she used those exact words, but that¡¯s what she meant.¡± ¡°OH. I know where we are going.¡± Amber and Fomoria looked at Yara like she was stupid, but Yara had simply been so preoccupied with her own worries that she wasn¡¯t thinking straight. They reached the shore and the drake turned around, letting them walk down his tail. The moment they stepped onto the sand an alarm sounded, shells plucked from the beach turned to horns let out a deep bellow. Amber and Yara looked somewhat worried, but Fomoria had complete confidence. Dawn led the Pixies, and behind her was Darrath. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Fomoria skipped forward, pulling the two of them into a hug. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Since I doubt you destroyed the empire in the time since we¡¯ve been gone, at least, I hope time inside here is the same as the outside, I¡¯m sure you are here for another reason.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just move somewhere private first. Oh, and you can call off the locusts.¡± The Pixies were buzzing as the clung to the trees, their swords were made from wood and leaves hardened with magic and then soulsmithed by Dawn. When they reached the town, all of them were amazed, but none more so than Fomoria, who remembered when it was nothing but trees with rooms carved into them. High above the forest floor there were many homes, but more than that Fomoria could see other kinds of building, commercial, storage. The bridges between the buildings were covered in vines with multicolored flowers, and the whole area had a floral scent that the Pixies and the women loved, but Fomoria disliked. ¡°You seem light on defenses.¡± ¡°Right now we just have the plant monster and the hawks to deal with, and there are no walls which could keep either of them out.¡± ¡°Have you considered a forest of golem trees? They would-¡± ¡°Periwinkle has been very against us changing the forest. We can use magic to carve the trees, grow vines, but we cannot cut down or distort them. The terms aren¡¯t clear, but if we start doing something wrong she comes to tell us to stop.¡± ¡°Darrath, do you want to ride on my shoulders?¡± ¡°No, a king shouldn¡¯t do that.¡±. ¡°So, you finally set up a kingdom. What is the name you decided?¡± ¡°Periwinkle decided. This capital and country is Dartmoor, from the place she was born. My home is here, on the forest floor.¡± Darrath led them inside without another word. Once they were all inside of the room, Darrath dropped the facade, tearing up as he hugged his father. ¡°I missed you, I missed you so much, and the other Pixies were being mean, and Thyst got hurt, and I had to hurt them, and and and-¡± Fomoria patted Darrath¡¯s smooth head and hugged him tightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry that I couldn¡¯t be here for you. Is your friend ok? Thyst?¡± Darrath couldn¡¯t speak through his crying, so Dawn took over. ¡°She is fine, but the Pixies underwent their teenage hormones and they aren¡¯t suited to handle it, they don¡¯t have parents, just Periwinkle and myself to guide them as best we can. Darrath¡­ he had to fight them off, and he killed three of them during the fight. They beat him so badly he almost died.¡± Fomoria let out a bellow, but he didn¡¯t want to scare Darrath so he forced himself to stay calm as best he could. ¡°I hope the others are dead?¡± ¡°No. They are still children, they don¡¯t even understand what they are doing, and they-¡± ¡°Darrath, was this your choice?¡± He sniffled and pulled away, trying not to be wrapped up in Fomoria¡¯s rage. ¡°They didn¡¯t know any better, they had bad friends, and they didn¡¯t have a papa to teach them to be better.¡± ¡°THEY-¡± ¡°DON¡¯T YELL.¡± Darrath crossed his arms and stood up on the couch of soft leaves, bringing him to eye level with his father. ¡°I am the king, I can decide how to rule. You said you wanted me to be better than you, so let me.¡± Fomoria couldn¡¯t meet his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I knew from the moment I saw you, that you are growing up, and I¡¯m sorry, sorry that I couldn¡¯t be there to see you through that.¡± ¡°Papa, don¡¯t cry. Why don¡¯t you tell me who these pretty ladies are?¡± Fomoria looked up and brushed away his tears as he chuckled. ¡°Here is your aunt Amber, and my fiance Yara.¡± ¡°Why is your skin like that? Are you outside a lot? You aren¡¯t dark like a Goliath can be.¡± She found it funny rather than offensive, since she was already viewing him as a little Harlan. ¡°I¡¯m a Golden, but yes, I do spend a lot of time outside. Why don¡¯t you, me, and Amber go around the town? You can show us around while Dawn and papa talk, is that alright.¡± He was hesitant, looking to Dawn for approval, and once she nodded Darrath walked alongside Amber and Yara. Dawn moved to sit next to Fomoria, and he laid his head on her lap. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Since you left, I¡­ everything is fucked. I had another woman, but she used me, she took my sigil and then left, and I feel like an idiot. Then I went to get Yara and I love her and she loves me and everything between us is great, but we can¡¯t have kids. And today we went to a place where she might be able to have a child, but the risks were too much, and I was so scared that I was going to lose her if she said yes, but she didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Did you tell her this?¡± ¡°No, I just told her that I¡¯m not upset that she didn¡¯t choose to do it and that it is her choice because she is the one going to give birth to it.¡± ¡°It? Not them?¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°You referred to your possible child as it, not them, you didn¡¯t call them a person.¡± He furrowed his brows; why did he do that? ¡°What is the other thing, the part that you haven¡¯t told me? That has you so absentminded, so disconnected from things?¡± ¡°I killed David.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°He joined up with Nemain, he was killing people on both sides of the civil war in Ragne to extend it so he could tear everything down. I don¡¯t even know why he did it, but I was the one who inspired him. We were the same, we both fought for what we believed in.¡± ¡°Believed? So you don¡¯t believe in it anymore?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I know that I had to do it, that David couldn¡¯t be talked down, that something was broken and I couldn¡¯t fix it, I don¡¯t believe anyone could.¡± ¡°So you came here for someone who knows you better than anyone else.¡± ¡°I came to get Darrath and you, I want my family back together.¡± She brushed his hair with her hands. ¡°But you know already, don¡¯t you.¡± He turned onto his side, he didn¡¯t want to look in her eyes. ¡°I know, I knew by the time we got into this room.¡± ¡°He has a duty to this place, to his people. But you can continue to visit, we don¡¯t need to remain separate.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I can handle being away like this, I miss having him around the house, he was always so childish, he breathed a sense of innocence into my life.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. It¡¯s not like you have to be apart, that¡¯s just stupid. Why don¡¯t you just think on that, and tell me what else has happened since I¡¯ve been gone.¡± Darrath didn¡¯t meet with Fomoria a second time, he and Fomoria had the same feeling that if they saw one another again that their composure would break. When they returned to the beach, the drake was still waiting. ¡°You reek of sadness, Little Shadow.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t take my son from here, he has a duty, a responsibility that I taught to him and he won¡¯t give up.¡± ¡°You humans and your familial ties. My mother left myself and my siblings during her travels, I never even saw her. And responsibility is a pointless endeavor, all one needs is sleep and food.¡± ¡°Yet you¡¯ve been circling this island in the hopes of getting a favor from a Pixie for over a year. What do you want more than sleep and food?¡± The drake bellowed while it thought. ¡°My journey is instinct, I swim too and fro, yet there is nowhere that I go. To break that instinct is perhaps instinct.¡± ¡°You want to be free of the inborn thoughts of being a drake? I know of a wyvern that doesn¡¯t wish to harm a soul. Perhaps you are already free but you don¡¯t realize it? I mean, you have remained here since-¡± ¡°Fool. I¡¯ve set a course which I cannot break now for a full hibernation cycle. I cannot leave this place. Even your wyvern, no matter what they might believe, is a beast, and it cannot resist the urge forever.¡± ¡°I think she can-¡± The drake dove under the water, leaving the three of them floating. Yara was barely treading water, and he had to put aside his anger to help her; he made a boat of ice for them. She coughed out what she had swallowed and shivered with discomfort at the salty water taste. ¡°I¡¯LL RENDER YOUR FAT FOR SOAP.¡± Fomoria yelled over the side of the boat and shook his fist that crackled with black and red lightning. ¡°Calm down. No point in arguing with a drake, they are stubborn bastards who don¡¯t change their minds easily.¡± He didn¡¯t say a word until they returned home, the whole trip felt pointless, everything just felt pointless, his research into fixing the Cast wasn¡¯t going anywhere and he didn¡¯t feel like he had any solution to it. Chapter 335: Dust and Dark Commune After a week, Fomoria was still in a rather foul mood, and Yara couldn¡¯t get him to leave his lab, not until there was a guest. ¡°Dantevius, what do you want?¡± ¡°Sometimes, the power of a friendly face is worth more than a hundred fighting men.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surrounded by friendly faces and none of them can help me right now, and you can¡¯t even use magic. Go on another spiritual journey of self discovery or whatever the fuck you do.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t one to swear often, yet you say this so quickly to me. Please, have some tea with me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m-¡± Fomoria saw him move in a blur, blocking the door. ¡°A man who knows not how to relax cannot understand how to work.¡± ¡°Great. Do you have any more empty platitudes?¡± ¡°A single songbird will eat more than a hundred ants. Even the largest of mountains is small to a man of determination. Both dusk and dawn are a beginning and an end, yet no man can truly understand which is which before the sun has risen or set. Are any of these helpful?¡± ¡°If I give you 30 minutes, then will you leave me alone?¡± ¡°So long as a thought remains, one is never really alone.¡± ¡°If I wanted to listen to someone who thinks that they know everything I¡¯d¡­ Dantevius, you can leave now.¡± The Goliath was left alone once Fomoria stepped through a sudden void gate. He knocked on the door and waited, anxious about the one who was coming to answer, and not just because they were either right there or a hundred feet away. ¡°Jane, it has been quite some time since we last met.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid Sepul is away at the moment, he and Mistress Dawn are helping Northern cities reconnect with Ragne.¡± ¡°Could you call me when he returns? I really do need to speak with him.¡± ¡°He should be back within the hour. Perhaps you would like some tea? I have cookies in the oven right now as well.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that now is the time to spend with a snack.¡± ¡°Your sister is here, and it has been some time since you last visited. Perhaps you would like to catch up?¡± Fomoria sighed. ¡°Alright.¡± The house was just the way it was before, but Fomoria¡¯s senses were far far sharper than last he visited, and the spatial distortions put him on edge. ¡°Vanilla tea, that is your favorite, yes?¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± ¡°Your sister will be in soon, she was in her lab.¡± Fomoria hadn¡¯t yet registered what was wrong. The door to the tearoom opened, and both parties stared at one another. ¡°Elsa, right? Jane said my sister was here, and I¡¯m waiting for her.¡± ¡°I heard that you and he split after Haldren, so I guess you don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Know what?¡± ¡°My name is Elise. I am your sister.¡± ¡°Hmm, is that so?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not what I expected.¡± ¡°I have many half-siblings.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m Eliza- sorry, Dawn and Walter¡¯s daughter.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°Well, I thought you would be happier.¡± ¡°Right now is not a happy time. Harlan hasn¡¯t mentioned you, why not?¡± ¡°Well¡­ when I revealed who I was, I did something unkind, and he and I clashed. I¡­ I honestly don¡¯t have the courage to face him.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t seen Viviane then, have you?¡± ¡°No. Grandfather said that I should come, but, it didn¡¯t seem right.¡± ¡°Guilt must be hereditary.¡± Fomoria grabbed her by the end and dragged her through a void gate. Elise found herself in front of Harlan¡¯s castle. ¡°Go, speak with him. I am going to wait for Sepul.¡± And then he was gone. Elise could¡¯ve easily left, she was a spatial mage with talent rarely seen, and she knew the academy gate spell, but she stayed even though her guts filled with worry. Fomoria returned to Sepul¡¯s home and sipped tea. ¡°I¡¯ve brought the cookies. Oh, has Lady Elise not come yet?¡± ¡°She had to step out for a moment.¡± ¡°Oh, very well. The cookies are oatmeal and raisins.¡± Some time passed, well over the hour that Jane had first given him, but Sepul did return. ¡°Emperor Fomoria.¡± ¡°Grandpa.¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t met before, but I¡¯ve heard stories that you are a cruel man.¡± ¡°I have done nothing that you wouldn¡¯t do.¡± ¡°Then the rumors are true.¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it The two of them smiled slyly and grabbed a cookie. ¡°What is it that you want? I can¡¯t offer military power.¡± ¡°I am going to be blunt, since I know that is what¡¯s best with you. I-¡± ¡°You want advice on what to do after you¡¯ve killed a friend.¡± Fomoria looked away. ¡°There is no shame in killing a friend. Sometimes that is all that can be done.¡± Sepul took a bite of his cookie, then a sip of tea; he said no more. ¡°What do I do with this guilt? I know that I wasn''t wrong, that I had to do it, but-¡± ¡°But nothing. Killing is killing, it should be done with a purpose, and that purpose is all that decides right from wrong. If I could¡¯ve done so, I would¡¯ve killed David.¡± ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you? Why did it have to be me?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. I couldn¡¯t kill him because I couldn¡¯t find him. David was dead the moment that he accepted Nemain¡¯s ichor and became her pawn. It didn¡¯t need to be you, but this was for the best.¡± ¡°How? How could it be for the best?¡± ¡°Did he hate you in the end? Did he curse your name, tell you that you betrayed him?¡± ¡°He¡­ he accepted that we couldn¡¯t exist together, that our ideals, even with the same base, meant only one of us could survive.¡± ¡°You understood the weight of your ideals before, but now it is clear which ones are strongest, that you will uphold a duty to right and wrong over ideas of friendship which could so easily be tainted.¡± ¡°I-¡± ¡°Let me finish. When I was 23, I had no friends, for I still did not understand the idea. But when I was 58, I had some friends. In the mind of one friend, my goal was to grant freedom to The North, and that by Ragne forcing it into being their kingdom, they were against my wishes. He killed many, setting off a revolution which has forever damaged the friendship between The North and Ragne, but when I heard of what happened, I tried to talk to him. He called me a betrayer, that I betrayed my ideals, that I betrayed him, that I betrayed my wife-¡± ¡°Wait, why?¡± ¡°He was her father.¡± ¡°How did she feel about you killing him?¡± ¡°She understood. My reason for killing the wyverns was not for freedom, it wasn¡¯t for justice, it was simply revenge. His looking into my actions as something which they were not caused him to be inspired in ways which were better than my own reasons. Yet even if a man has just reasons, he is not just in his actions. Ra¡¯kar killed Ragnite citizens with little regard for who they were, and his crimes would¡¯ve been punished with a long and terrible death. It was a mercy that I killed him quickly. Your severing of David¡¯s soul from Nemain¡¯s powers means you saved him from her influence in death, for she owned his very being.¡± ¡°Parnell, he is still alive, can I-¡± ¡°Xol has been studying him, but we presently believe that if Parnell is severed, he would die, for he is pactbound to both Nemain and Aine.¡± ¡°How has Xol been studying him? Is that why he hasn¡¯t contacted me yet?¡± ¡°Xol asked, and Parnell went willingly, or so I¡¯m told.¡± Sepul finished his cookie and his cup of tea. ¡°Now, I must return to The North. Oh, and please don¡¯t drag Elise through your portals anymore.¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°There is little which goes on beyond my sight in my home.¡± Sepul was gone in the time it took Fomoria to blink. When Fomoria returned, he didn¡¯t quite know how to feel. All that Sepul had done was affirm that Fomoria was right in what he did, but he hadn¡¯t exactly given a new perspective. Yet regardless, his shoulders were lighter. Fomoria sensed Yara¡¯s mind, and he sensed that she was upset, so he went to her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Phoebe.¡± ¡°Is she-¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about what you did to her.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I-¡± ¡°No. That isn¡¯t good enough.¡± She took a deep breath to calm herself. ¡°You need to tell Colton and Anne what happened. And I want to ask that Phoebe live with us while we train her in magic. I like Phoebe, she is so nice, and curious, and she is still willing to help me with knitting sometimes.¡± ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t think she cared for such activities.¡± ¡°You mean girly activities.¡± ¡°If it wasn¡¯t manly for my sisters to do farm work, then it¡¯s hardly girly for someone to knit. I mean¡­¡± Fomoria stilled. ¡°Honey, are you alright.¡± ¡°Redmond knew how to mend clothes, all rangers need to know things like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°No, you did nothing wrong, my mind went to him out of nowhere. I¡¯ll call Colton now, make sure that he isn¡¯t busy, then I¡¯ll head right over.¡± Yara hugged him. ¡°You know you can talk to me, right? You and I haven¡¯t talked much about what happened with David.¡± ¡°I went to speak with Sepul, and I think that I¡¯ve come to terms with what had to happen. This is my life, that much is true, but at the same time, I am making the choice of my own will to live it for other people, as a king, as a champion, and as a husband. I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯ve been ignoring you, and if this war can have a peaceful¡­ relatively peaceful, ending, then I will have the time to really show you the world, and we can truly explore it together, learning more than I¡¯m sure most ever would.¡± ¡°That sounds¡­ I would love that. Just remember not to neglect the present for the future.¡± He kissed her before he left the room; ideas swirled in his head. His nerves were much calmer than he expected as he walked into Colton¡¯s home in New Kingdom. ¡°Har- ahem, Fomoria, welcome.¡± He shook Colton¡¯s hand. ¡°I put Phoebe in danger, and I asked her to keep that from you. It wasn¡¯t right, both the circumstances around her being in danger and around my asking her to lie.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± Colton stiffed, but tried to restrain himself. ¡°I brought her to the Spire of Other, and she jumped off. But I didn¡¯t jump immediately to catch her, because I was trying to teach her a lesson.¡± Fomoria could see the tension fade. ¡°You seem¡­ fine with that.¡± ¡°Phoebe is Phoebe, and she¡¯s like her mother. You didn¡¯t put her in danger, and though I¡¯m not happy that you tried to hide it, you are as young as I was when I first met Anne. Even after Mosley was born, I didn¡¯t exactly tell my wife every mistake I made. I must¡¯ve caught him falling from tables that I shouldn¡¯t have let him lie on a dozen times. I think that he understood that I would always catch him, so he¡¯d look into my eyes before he rolled off. That floating island was a big table.¡± ¡°That makes this next part much easier to ask. Yara wants Phoebe to move into our home.¡± Colton poured two glasses of whiskey. ¡°This is about you not having kids, ain¡¯t it? Isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°You know you don¡¯t need to worry about how you speak.¡± ¡°Trying to be proper. And you¡¯re trying to dodge the question.¡± ¡°We went to Tochter, but Yara didn¡¯t want to have a child that way, she didn¡¯t want to risk her life. Then we saw Darrath, and I think it just made her think about what we can¡¯t have.¡± ¡°Are you alright with what she decided?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want her to risk her life for a child, I can¡¯t lose her because of something we want but we really don¡¯t need.¡± ¡°You think she¡¯ll be happier with Phoebe there?¡± ¡°She loves her. But are you alright with Phoebe being away?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like we don¡¯t see her. And maybe we can get used to her being away when she goes to that academy.¡± ¡°Did I mention sending her there?¡± ¡°Yara did. And you¡¯re sending those other kids. If she¡¯s half as bright, I just assumed that you would send her there.¡± ¡°I have some sway with the academy, but I need to test Phoebe. And I don¡¯t know if¡­ Phoebe is very¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s rough and tumble. You¡¯re worried that she¡¯ll make a fool of herself surrounded by those noble types.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m worried one of them is going to piss her off and she¡¯ll break their nose. Ironically, during my time at the academy I forced the issue of punishing students properly for their actions regardless of their status as nobles. If she did a tenth of what I did, they¡¯d toss her out.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have to teach her how to act during her stay then. I¡¯ll talk with Anne and Yara, we¡¯ll figure out the best times for her to come over so we don¡¯t need to take the carriages.¡± ¡°Thank you. Yara is going to be excited.¡± As Fomoria and Colton went out to shoot guns and blow off some steam, he received a call from one of the Others, there was a breakthrough in healing the minds of the Cast. Yet it wasn¡¯t discovered by the Others, but by Micheal.
Dawn sat with Darrath. ¡°You need to talk with Harlan. He has this stupid idea that you two can¡¯t see each other because-¡± ¡°If we get together, we might think about abandoning our people for each other.¡± ¡°Oh, of course you¡¯re both stupid. Do you really think that you have so little strength? I know you can do it, that both of you are willing to give up your relationship for the sake of your people already shows what you are capable of.¡± ¡°The Pixies need me, I don¡¯t think I can handle being away even for a few days.¡± ¡°You need to bring more people that you can trust. I know that what happened last time you tried hurt you, and you don¡¯t trust people yet, but you and Harlan both know that you can¡¯t do everything on your own.¡± ¡°I am not backing down on this, don¡¯t speak to me about it again.¡± Chapter 336: Schism Fomoria entered one of the many rooms where his labyrinthine lab had expanded and found dozens of Others crowded around a few Cast. ¡°Micheal, I heard you did something special.¡± His eyes were violet and his form had changed, gaining a small set of vestigial hands, and his head had extended, bringing a clear separation between neck and skull, and overall he had grown in size to nearly four feet. ¡°I¡­ remembered Mindkiller, and I remembered the mind of the sigil. What is unreal is not false, memories can be even if they were not.¡± ¡°Micheal, are you ok?¡± ¡°I did not think that I could be this again, I believed that I was only a shard, broken from the whole. The mind is malformed, but also the body. Mindkiller knew much about the brain, for it was Fae that taught him. Others, open him back up.¡± They cut open the head of the Cast and Micheal perched on his shoulders. He pointed with his wings at a certain space of the brain. ¡°This here, this is the amygdala. It helps to regulate emotions, and morality. These broken Cast are developing tumors, pressing on this part, and along with the broken ethereal mind, it drives them insane.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why they don¡¯t show the signs until they grow a little older. Can we remove it with healing magic?¡± ¡°I believe it is a fault in their mind, and thus the soul. I had an Other remove it with magic once, but then healing magic simply regrew it.¡± ¡°Ah, so I just need to use my fleshsculpting magic to correct it.¡± ¡°Try.¡± It was a simple procedure, Fomoria shifted his hands into the proper tool for the job, a simple thin needle that he could focus darkness to destroy the tumor, then fleshsculpting let him set the now tumorless brain as the new default. ¡°Wake him up now.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we reattach the skull first?¡± ¡°I believe that was implied.¡± The Cast didn¡¯t wake for some time, but when he did, he simply stared for a while before he spoke. ¡°What¡­ am I¡­ I feel¡­¡± ¡°Normal? No longer violent?¡± The Cast burst into tears. ¡°I feel nothing. Should that upset me?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I am going to cut your head open again. Bind him with Telekinesis, and set up the fleshsculpting array.¡± The Cast felt little pain as Fomoria did as he said and then began poking around. ¡°What do you feel now?¡± ¡°Angry?¡± ¡°Was that a question or an answer?¡± ¡°What the fuck do you think?¡± Fomoria pulled his finger back just a hair. ¡°And now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m calm, but I can feel it.¡± ¡°Good. I am going to test this on another dozen of you, then check the rest for tumorous growths. If all of this goes well, I can call Ur.¡± Ur seemed to accept the idea, and was very happy, though he needed to finish some meeting he was in before he could leave. Fomoria found himself at a dangerous crossroads. Ur was reasonable enough, and Carmilla seemed to be able to hold herself back in regards to killing him. But what of the people? So many of them had suffered at the hands of the Castian Empire that it was likely he¡¯d have a revolt if he said that he was going to enter a truce with them. To get an example of somebody who could represent them, who had a deep, burning hate, and who he hadn¡¯t told about his meeting with Ur despite her position, he went to Mercedes¡¯ office. ¡°Mercedes, we need to talk.¡± She set aside her folders and ledgers, her arms showing signs that the ever heavier works were strengthening her. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°I have spoken with Ur about a truce.¡± ¡°Perfect. If we can get them to drop their guard, we could-¡± ¡°No, I mean a real truce. The Cast-¡± She looked ready to leap over the desk at him. ¡°You are betraying everything that I stand for, that you stood for.¡± ¡°I stand for a better world. If I don¡¯t need to wipe a race from the face of Aarde, I will avoid it.¡± ¡°They might live, but I will not accept the empire remaining. Remember what you said¡­¡± Mercedes began to tear up. ¡°When you became emperor, you told me¡­ you told us all that you would destroy them, that in a thousand years nobody would even remember them, that they would be a mention in the creation of your empire, but the word would lose the taint that it has, that when people think of an empire they would think of Fomoria, not the Castians.¡± Fomoria started to reach across the desk, to place his hand on her¡¯s, but stopped himself. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°This is for the good of the empire. This is a start. If they ever make a single move, if I even think that they intend to violate the truce, I will unleash the virus and make sure that not just the empire, but that the Cast are only something spoken of in a past tense. Millions, maybe even billions of slaves will be freed.¡± ¡°Promise me, promise me right now that under penalty of death, you will not betray what you¡¯ve said here, that you will destroy them completely and utterly.¡± ¡°I promise under penalty of death that I will destroy the Cast down to the last man should they betray the spirit or letter of any truce which is decided and put in place.¡± Both of them convulsed as they felt something connect the two of them. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°I think I made a pact.¡±
Ur was with Seraphallen, and though he took the call, he returned to him right after. ¡°Brother-¡± ¡°You only call me that when you want something or you¡¯ve done something. What is it?¡± ¡°I have just received news of a breakthrough. Emperor Fomoria has seemingly solved our problem with mentally challenged Cast coming from The Nursery. I told him that I would-¡± ¡°This is perfect. We lose nearly 20% of our breeding to these problems. We could expand the army significantly, we could finally finish the various wars by throwing more people at this problem.¡± ¡°I told him that we could live in peace.¡± Seraphallen cracked his fingers, those on his back, not on his hands. ¡°You did what?¡± ¡°If we used his Golems, we could throw away the reliance on slavery. The plan was never to keep this cruelty going forever. When we rule the world, Jenny always intended us to bring peace by any means.¡± ¡°You would have us suffer the dishonor of living with another empire.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already spoken with Jenny, she would accept this. She also told me that I should kill you without saying anything, because you wouldn¡¯t accept this.¡± Seraphallen sighed. ¡°It would hardly be fair to completely dismiss this idea without seeing the results, and if I died then the empire would suffer greatly since I have yet to mark one of my Fingers as a candidate. So, why don¡¯t we see the Cast, see if they are truly being healed?¡± ¡°I am glad that you could be reasonable. I can ask for a gate to-¡± Ur put up a wall of fire, setting the room ablaze in an instant, stone began to drip from the ceiling as Seraphallen jumped back, forced to abandon the beam of light that would¡¯ve taken Ur¡¯s head off. The Hands were both forced to leave the room by crashing through the walls in their path, and once outside they could see the castle roof sagged due to Ur¡¯s flames spreading. ¡°BROTHER, DO NOT DO THIS. OUR GOD-¡± ¡°OUR EMPEROR WOULDN¡¯T ACCEPT ANYTHING LESS THAN BRINGING THESE SAVAGES UNDER OUR HEEL.¡± ¡°IT IS NOT OUR PLACE, IT IS HER¡¯S.¡± Seraphallen placed his hands together as if though to pray, then turned spun his left hand, bringing it upside down. Ur had hoped to avoid something like this, but this city was already dead, and there would be no sense in holding back just to die himself. He interlocked his hands, his palms facing up, and lifted as if a great weight was on him. It wasn¡¯t instant, but even if he had tried to stop Seraphallen, getting close to a man like him was little better than jumping into the maw of a wyvern. Both attacks clashed, Seraphallen had turned half of the city into a spiraling tornado that launched towards his brother, and Ur melted half of the city, splashing the molten wall upwards before hardening it. The wall of solid stone halted the advance of the drilling wind. Ur rotated his hands, putting his palms away from himself, then pushed, and with it, the wall turned back to molten stone and rushed forward. Seraphallen returned his palms to a prayer position, then pointed them at the wall headed toward him and pushed forward like a spearhead, splitting it in two. The splattering stone spread far, setting everything it touched on fire. A minute had passed, and a hundred thousand were already gone. Seraphallen¡¯s thoughts were not on the dead, but on the power which he held, and that the emperor held. It took a great deal from him to launch his opening attack, but from the stories he heard, the emperor could¡¯ve not only thrown up the wall, but mixed it with the horizontal tornado, spitting molten stone for miles. By playing defensive on the second attack, he had already lost his advantage, and both sides knew. Ur weaved the sigil of beam, and the air ignited, sending a firestorm that hid where the source of it was. Seraphallen could not weave a shield of sigil in response, for his fingers were his shield, so he used rune magic, flipping the heat to cold, which he could more easily handle; melting was more a fear than the brittleness of freezing. He could not move his body, but he could breath, and that was enough to thaw himself out, though any race other than the Cast would¡¯ve died from such a thing. Just as Ur didn¡¯t want this to turn into a close encounter, Seraphallen didn¡¯t want a long range fight. Dozens of miles from where the fight started, towns and villages fled or tried to fight the fire, a pointless endeavor. Two figures flew through the sky, trailing fire and storms behind them. Those that fled had a better chance of survival depending on where they were, but those who had foolishly chosen to flee through the mountain pass suffered a short death as Ur plunged into the heart of it, awakening a long dormant volcano. For hundreds of miles the sky darkened and the ash trapped the heat but blocked the sunlight, causing spots of hot and cold. The ground cracked, and Seraphallen found himself engulfed in a cloudburst of hot ash from above, and a geyser of lava from below, losing two of his fingers. He slammed his knuckles together, letting out a burst of air that cleared a mile of ash and formed a bowl of volcanic glass where the geyser was. Both sides panted, and Seraphallen had to use a third finger to replenish himself fully, and Ur knew that his brother had no idea how to properly control his power, for he never tried. If he just managed to fight defensively for long enough, Seraphallen would wear himself out on suicidal attacks because he knew that he had more than one life, but he failed to understand he didn¡¯t have an unlimited number of them. Ur braced his right arm with his left hand and pointed at the ground; Seraphallen did the same. The volcano below Ur filled with magma, pulling it from all around him. Seraphallen formed a ball of wind in the bowl below him, scraping it away until he turned the ball into a sphere of black sand suspended in it. Then to Ur¡¯s surprise, he waited. The sphere grew no larger, but Ur on the other hand had a limit before the volcano would explode. Finally, Ur had to make his move, what was supposed to be defensive was now offensive. The wave of magma reached to the clouds, and Seraphallen held his sphere in front of him, sucking the magma around him in, then launching it back to Ur. But that magma, even as it cooled into stone, was his, as was the wave that was all around Seraphallen. Ur thrust his palm forward and the cooling lava was in turned white hot, the sudden updraft disrupted the ball of air, dispersing it as the magma rushed toward Seraphallen. Then Ur closed his hand, the strain of it nearly breaking his fingers, and the wave that was moving past Seraphallen changed directions, coming at him from all sides. A mountain of black glass with a helix top where Seraphallen tried to break his way out before it hardened was left on the ruined plain where all plant life had been burned or otherwise uprooted. Ur dropped to the ground, but landed on his feet, his white gold hand melted due to overuse and his fingers were fused together. The side of the mountain burst, and Seraphallen¡¯s emaciated form rolled down. He tried to crawl away, and Ur began walking towards him. Ur saw no more fingers on his back, and believed the fight was over, that he was too weak to do anything more. ¡°Brother¡­¡± Ur took a deep breath. ¡°While I do not believe Emperor Fomoria will go back on this deal, I would be more comfortable if both Hands were alive.¡± ¡°Come¡­ closer.¡± ¡°I am not getting within arms length of you, but my hearing is good.¡± ¡°I¡­ will¡­ never¡­ let you¡­ destroy¡­ my empire¡­¡± Seraphallen¡¯s fingers were good for one life, it didn¡¯t matter if he lost his arms or if he had been turned into a single atom, a life was a life, and Seraphallen was light and wind, sound and illusion. He suddenly appeared next to Ur, fully healed, and the Seraphallen on the ground vanished. The Left Hand of The Emperor thrust his hand into the right¡¯s mouth, letting out as much wind as he could. Ur was reduced to molten slag spread across a great distance, and his hand was the only part of him which was larger than a raindrop. Now was time to rest, and so Seraphallen went back to the mountain cave where he burst from with the hand in hand. Chapter 337: Splitting Sin Others gathered rulers from across the empire, but Fomoria had not yet arrived. Copperhead was alone, Jakel was alone, Magne brought Roland, Carmilla brought Camilla, Grandmaster Crane brought Emilee, Velvet brought Amber, Colton was alone, Romulus brought Bartholomew, Mercedes brought Larenzac. The room they were in wasn¡¯t one that they had ever been. The walls and floor were dark, shadows holding all details from the eyes of the guests, yet it was well lit from sources which none could find. Each of them sat at a ring table, seats specially made for the different bodies and with materials taken from their homelands. ¡°Do any of you know why Emperor Fomoria would call us all?¡± Romulus had only some trust for Fomoria. ¡°Little Shadow is covered in darkness, there is a storm coming, and one has only just passed over that boy.¡± ¡°Snake, I hear enough of that from Dantevius. I ask that you remain quiet if you have no answers.¡± Copperhead hissed and Carmilla glared. ¡°Sir Fomoria surely has good reasons for bringing us together.¡± Romulus looked at Roland, who stood beside Magne. ¡°You¡­ something is off about you.¡± ¡°That could be said of any in this room.¡± Jakel remained silent because he was worried about being there, and Colton remained silent because he didn¡¯t feel comfortable with being there as someone who no longer ruled a country and held no magical strength; the air tingled with mana. Others began pouring drinks. ¡°My brother isn¡¯t someone who would do something just for the pomp. He puts on a show only when he thinks that it is needed.¡± ¡°The young master of shadows has called on me once before, but not since. Surely to call together a large number of us is a grand omen; though fortune or ill is yet to be seen.¡± ¡°And you are?¡± ¡°I am Grandmaster Crane. My lands are far from this place.¡± ¡°Oh, right. You are from the Sectlands. I find your aura techniques to be very interesting.¡± ¡°He is a man of conviction and strength. The copy of his is likely to become one of the Grandmasters during the next tournament.¡± Amber wasn¡¯t sure how to parse his statement, so she remained quiet. They spoke among themselves, speculating on why, all but Carmilla and Mercedes. One knew what this was about, and the other assumed. Finally, Fomoria arrived, his face dour, his posture weak. He sat at the head of the table, but did not look up. ¡°I have received news that Ur, Right Hand of The Emperor, was killed by Seraphallen, Left Hand of The Emperor.¡± Cheers rang out from the Goliaths, Copperhead, Magne, and Jakel, but the others were more worried about why Fomoria wasn¡¯t happy about this. ¡°I have been in contact with Ur, who-¡± Romulus slammed his hand down, cracking the table that quickly began to heal itself; Carmilla slammed her hand down before he had time to open his mouth. ¡°Do not interrupt Fomoria.¡± Romulus narrowed his eyes, but didn¡¯t say another word. ¡°Thank you. He was sent by his god with the hope that I could correct an issue with the Cast. They are not born evil, but I discovered why they show so little empathy.¡± He placed what seemed to be a knuckle on the table. ¡°They often grow tumors that press on their brain, causing a decreased ability to control their emotions and develop empathy. By itself this would be fixable, but they also have a defect in their minds. I was nearly ready to turn this over to Ur, provided he proved a willingness to actually change the empire to something that I would consider a truce with.¡± Discontentment and thoughts of treason were abound. ¡°I made a promise to Mercedes that if the truce was violated in any way that I would wipe the empire from the face of Aarde, and now my hand has been forced. I have been developing a virus that targets the Cast. The first wave of infections will begin today, and in two weeks they will start showing signs of it, and once they begin showing signs, they will be dead within three hours. The complete extermination of the Cast will be done within years.¡± Magne raised his hand, scared of what Carmilla might do if he simply asked a question. ¡°You may speak.¡± ¡°Why are you not overjoyed about this? We can finally be truly free from them.¡± ¡°I did not want genocide to be my legacy.¡± Grandmaster Crane raised his hand. ¡°Why have you gathered us?¡± ¡°I will put it to a vote. Those who think that I should unleash the virus, raise your right hand and say "aye.¡± Those who vote no, remain still.¡± There was no hesitation, and the vote was unanimous. Everyone in the room, directly or not, had suffered under the Castian Empire. ¡°This sin is on all of us now, the removal of an entire race. I wanted you to understand the weight of this.¡± ¡°May we go now?¡± ¡°I want all information on the movement of Fingers sent directly to me. Once they realize what is happening I believe there will be two likely scenarios. Either they enter a suicidal attack, trying to kill as many of us as possible before they die, or they are going to quarantine, letting everyone outside of it a certain range die.¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. More Others came in with weapons. ¡°Each of these weapons has injection systems. If you encounter a Finger or a Hand and cannot avoid combat, make sure that they end up infected. With the death of Helik, former Finger, I believe we have proof that the virus can infect them and lead to their deaths. If not, they should at least be weakened. Carry them along with your normal weapons.¡± Fomoria left, and the Others remained to answer questions. When he returned, an Ibexian sat in his room. Her gnarled horns seemed closer to tree roots than keratin. He could hardly see her piercing green eyes through the vines that grew like thick hair across her head and up her horns; bulbs grew over much of the surface of the vines. When he approached, she got up from her seat with the help of a cane and straightened her back out with a crack. ¡°Little Shadow, very nice to finally meet you.¡± He did not put his hand out for a shake, instead sniffing the air. ¡°You can drop the elderly act, champions age only when they wish to do so.¡± ¡°Oh no, not those of Anu. All life is part of a cycle, and who is she to decide against that?¡± Her voice showed no worry over any impending death, but he detected no lie. ¡°Do you intend to stay here?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t impose on you, but if I could see your menagerie and garden, I would be grateful.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± So, Fomoria offered her an arm and they went down the halls. Once they reached the garden, she asked that they sit on a bench. ¡°What do you want from me¡­ No, how can I help?¡± ¡°I am near the end of my life, and Anu has shown interest in a new champion.¡± ¡°When I came outside the veil, I was told you were here, and that I might be helping you someday. I thought that I would see you on a battlefield, not before you passed away.¡± She laughed. ¡°Passed away? I hardly thought you would be so sensitive.¡± ¡°You seem like a fine enough woman, I thought that I would show some respect.¡± ¡°No one becomes a champion for being a fine sort. I am now an old woman who tends to rare animals and plants forests, but I once slaughtered those who would harm nature beyond sense. Now I leave such duties to my followers.¡± ¡°If you have followers, why come to me for a new champion.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen inside of the veil. I would surely be lost.¡± ¡°You mean that you can¡¯t enter the veil, that your unique gate lacks that ability.¡± ¡°I may travel the root, any place which touches the ground I may enter.¡± ¡°Then let me guess, your candidate is someone I know.¡± ¡°A nice young lady by the name of Zella. Anu watched her hair, and thought it like living vines.¡± ¡°I am busy, you-¡± ¡°No you are not. You¡¯ve committed a slow genocide, now you are simply wandering through your thoughts. There will be many new trees, a niche to be filled. In a time of renewal, it is best that I find a sprout.¡± ¡°I wish people could just fu- Sometimes I don¡¯t want to listen to words that require even a moment to decipher, metaphor and idiom.¡± ¡°You¡¯d surely find it best to get me out of your hair then, yes?¡± ¡°I could always drop you into the middle of the ocean, tie a weight around your legs.¡± ¡°There is the fire I more expected. Though, you seem a little dim compared to Nar. I will visit her regardless, but here is an excuse to meet an old friend again.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± It took nearly half an hour to find her; Fomoria¡¯s mind simply wasn¡¯t in it, and divination was heavily mental. ¡°Harlan- Fomoria, whatever the fuck you want me to call you, we don¡¯t have time. We got a distress call and we need to move out right now.¡± The stress that came from Zella was like a storm that spread for miles, yet lacked an eye. ¡°Missy, please, why don¡¯t I help? I¡¯ve come to speak with you, and surely it would be rude to sit by.¡± ¡°Who the fuck is she? Doesn¡¯t matter. You look like you¡¯re about to die of old age.¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°Get out of my way.¡± The champion stuck her cane into the dirt and it spread roots. Her eyes glowed a bright green and the bulbs on her vines bloomed into many different flowers. ¡°Surely you must be rushing to the 80 men north of here, and the Black Lindwurm which is assaulting them.¡± Her cane disappeared into the ground and the champion muttered magical words as she moved her hands into signs which neither Fomoria nor Zella had seen before. ¡°It is done.¡± ¡°Great, I just needed another mysterious person in my life.¡± Zella¡¯s amulet glowed, and she answered. ¡°We will be there-¡± ¡°The wurm is dead. A giant root came from the ground, squeezed its head until it came clean off. Was that your doing, or are we in more danger?¡± ¡°Let me ask. Goat, are they in danger?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± She placed her hand over where the cane disappeared and it came back to her. ¡°Ma¡¯am, the root is gone.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t in danger.¡± Zella ended the call. ¡°Who is this?¡± ¡°She is the present champion of Anu, and she wants to recruit you to be the next one since Anu likes your hair.¡± ¡°What is her name?¡± ¡°I never asked.¡± ¡°I am Ur¡¯Princilian. You may call me Prinny if you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Well, I believe your friend has just explained.¡± ¡°No, your words, what is this?¡± ¡°I would like to spend my last days with you, and in that time, perhaps I can convince you to take my gift.¡± ¡°If you agree to help only when I ask for it, then you can stay. Fomoria, you can go.¡± ¡°What did I do?¡± ¡°You helped with the coup that fucked up everything. Do you have any idea how bad things are out here? The Fomorians were being kept at bay, but that fucker Archon had to get a tenth of the army killed, and now my name is tainted because I¡¯ve been working in Mino and Bex for so long that everyone just considers me part of their armies, so I can¡¯t even cross borders anymore.¡± ¡°Is your problem that I helped with the coup, and I¡¯m not even going to ask how you found that out, or is it that I messed with your ambitions?¡± ¡°The second one.¡± ¡°Very sorry about that. Let me handle it.¡± She slapped him, but her hand stung as though she hit a mountain. ¡°NO, WHATEVER YOU ARE THINKING, NO, STOP.¡± ¡°I was going to kill Archon, and put Mino back into The Confederacy.¡± ¡°GET OUT, LEAVE.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Fomoria did not return home, but instead went down the tunnels, down under Aarde. He roared his challenge, and the tunnels hissed in reply. When the first of the Iron Snakes arrived, it leapt into combat without worry, for they lacked natural predators so close to the surface. Fomoria hit it squarely in the chest with an aura empowered palm strike, but only cracked the scales. Well, he did kill it, since the force was transported through the body and burst the heart of the monster, but he was trying to push its heart out of its body. Things were going to get far worse before they got better, and he needed to be ready for that, he needed to understand the devouring power which he unlocked in his fight against David, but he couldn¡¯t ask anyone else to spar with him. He didn¡¯t exactly know how much time had passed, just that his roars were now met with silence. Now was time to feast, for the tunnels were filled with fresh killings.
¡®Have you gone to those gods and negotiated on my behalf yet?¡¯ ¡®The timing hasn¡¯t been quite right to admit that I¡¯ve been speaking with the enemy most threatening after the Fae and manipulating one of their champions for my own gains.¡¯ ¡®From what you told me, this Emperor Fomoria is going to unleash a biological agent that will destroy my Cast. You need to negotiate now before my position is weakened.¡¯ ¡®Or I could just say nothing, let your defenses crumble, then make a better deal.¡¯ ¡®Or I could just detonate my entire arsenal. Of course the planet will survive, but how well will they handle the guests on their way?¡¯ ¡®Touche. I will bring it up tonight, with some¡­ modifications to the story.¡¯ ¡®A galaxy away, and you still use your writing abilities to lie, cheat, and steal. Maybe I should give a copy of your library to Emperor Fomoria?¡¯ [Guest Disconnected.] Chapter 338: Severed Pinkie When the Others, and strangely, Roland, found him in the tunnels, his skin had a clear metallic sheen and his form had distorted. His lithe frame had only become thinner, seeming to be nothing but flesh and bones, his hands were heavily clawed and his teeth had been replaced with needlepoints of adamant, his eyes were entirely gone, for his senses were sharper than just his sight. ¡°Fo-Fomoria, are you¡­ in there?¡± He stood, up, his back cracking, then he seemed to convulse as his shape changed to something more human. ¡°Of course. I¡¯ve been down here for what, a week?¡± ¡°Three.¡± ¡°Oh. I suppose I did lose track of time. They¡¯ve begun dying off then?¡± ¡°Yes, but they haven¡¯t decided on a course of action yet. We sent messages that the deaths would stop in two weeks, that the virus would just burn itself out, that this was only a warning. But I doubt they are going to buy that for long.¡± One of them stepped forward, his armor replaced with a flowing robe like one would expect from the Sectlands, his horns more like antlers without points. ¡°Fomoria, it is good to see you again.¡± ¡°You seem¡­ different from the other¡­ Others.¡± ¡°I have taken the philosophy of the sects to heart, and become one of them. I have also grown my martial skills well beyond what we knew, and I am here to pass that knowledge on.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you-¡± ¡°When you make the next Other, they will know all that I know.¡± ¡°Right, I guess I just¡­ forgot that.¡± ¡°You are wary about killing me to gain my knowledge?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been separate from me for months and months, you¡¯ve changed, you are your own person in a way that most Others simply aren¡¯t. I¡¯m not comfortable with you giving up your life for me.¡± The Other shook his head. ¡°I would not be alive without that reason, and I would not really be dead. There would just be a¡­ disruption to the continuity of my life.¡± Fomoria devoured the Other once he returned home, and he saw his entire life since he had been made laid out before him. But there was on memory that raged forth like¡­ well, like when he fought others. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I will be dead. All life belongs within a cycle, my life will go to the Ki, then I shall return as if nothing had happened.¡± ¡°But something will have happened, you will have died, the you that will come back isn¡¯t going to be you, it will just be someone who-¡± ¡°Who has every memory between us, every secret, every intimate moment. What is a person if not what they have done?¡± ¡°But I didn¡¯t do those things with that man, I did them with you.¡± Fomoria began to weep. This was the exact reason why he tried to refuse, because if the Others were him, and they desired to make a new life, they would find love, it was pathological for him. He saw both sides of the argument, and he should¡¯ve agreed with himself, but the emotional part of his mind told him that he was wrong. He meditated on this problem for almost an hour before he realized how strange that was, before he realized that subsuming the Other had changed him in a way that he wasn¡¯t sure he could ever quantify. The next day, he made another Other, and sent him back to the Sectlands. Hours later, he received word that Sholl was looking for a meeting. The Fingers fell into two camps, those that believed Seraphallen had lost betrayed the empire by killing Ur, and those that saw Ur as being too soft, that his recent reforms were proof that he had in fact been conspiring with the enemy to weaken the empire for invasion. Sholl had complete faith in Ur, and was headed to Fomoria under the assumption that Ur¡¯s deal could still be accepted. So, when Fomoria replied back that he wished to meet in an out of the way location because of discontent about a possible truth, he thought little of it. ¡°Fomoria, it¡¯s terrible, Seraphallen has-¡± ¡°I know, Ur is dead. What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I hoped that I could say that I could recruit other Fingers, or that there is a force within the empire that is on your side, that would maintain Ur¡¯s will¡­ But there is nothing of the sort. The other Fingers would sooner turn to warlords, but if I used my power, perhaps I could-¡± Fomoria placed his fist against Sholl¡¯s chest, right over his heart, and a burst of power from his aura tore through him, shredding the vital organ tearing a hole through him. Fomoria learned this from his Other, the one inch second skin punch, focusing power into his fingers between the first and second knuckle, then letting it out at just the right distance so that it was inside of the enemy aura. Sholl had a look of confusion and betrayal, he didn¡¯t understand, he couldn¡¯t understand. Ur had vouched for Fomoria, and Fomoria was the one who was supposed to unite their people, to peacefully end the war on terms that both sides could accept. It was so close, they were inches away from ending it all, so why? Why would he kill him like this? Sholl would never know. Fomoria looked down on him, and wished that there was another way, but Sholl needed to die, since that power to rewrite reality with rhyme was too risky to let remain, and he had already said that there was no group on his side. Fomoria severed the white gold finger, but before he had the chance to grab it, Xol appeared. ¡°I will be taking that.¡± ¡°According to who?¡± ¡°Right now Seraphallen is recovering, but if he was to realize that you had a finger, that you might be able to absorb its power, then he would come anyway, and you are not ready for him.¡± ¡°But if he came, then Carmilla could fight him while he is in a weakened state.¡± ¡°Ah, but-¡± Xol put up his artifacts, cutting off Aarde¡¯s ability to spy on them. ¡°The finger has a spark of divinity in it, the same reason why you and Yara are unable to have a child together.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Fomorians have half of that spark, and Golden have the other. If you and her had a child, they would be born as a champion with room for expansion, like you.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°I ask again, what?¡± ¡°When¡­ right, you weren¡¯t told this. Cali has tried to recruit Harlan as her champion, but-¡± ¡°That doesn''t make sense, a pact couldn¡¯t-¡± Xol loudly snapped his fingers. ¡°He rejected her, and before Cali had chance to explain that you and he aren¡¯t champions in the normal sense of the word, The Darkness stopped her. You already contain a nearly full spark inside of yourself, it is why she wants you.¡± ¡°She who? Nemain? The Darkness? Cali?¡± ¡°All of the above, if I had to imagine. I must admit, I honestly don¡¯t know what she has planned, but with the right push, the right training, the right conditions, you could become a god. But the moment you start that process, they will come for you, they cannot accept another god¡­ And I must admit, that I was also manipulating you, I intentionally let my barrier break so that Nemain¡¯s attack would sever Yara and Har-¡± Fomoria struck Xol, who used both hands to block the punch; the flash of black cored red lightning chipping part of his bone. ¡°You killed all of them, you killed¡­ Sam.¡± ¡°You really had to think about what her name was, didn¡¯t you? How long would she live? A hundred years? But what did you get out of her death and Harlan¡¯s severing? It gave you the information that you needed to sever David, and it saved tens if not hundreds of thousands more lives than were lost. People like us, we can¡¯t become caught up on the small lives, we need to look at the bigger picture. And that is why I am going to keep the pieces of The Emperor until the time when you need them.¡± Xol vanished as suddenly as he appeared, and Fomoria went to recover the rest of Sholl¡¯s body. When he returned to the lab, he informed his allies about the death of the first Finger and then performed an autopsy. Unfortunately, Sholl¡¯s body was normal, or rather, as normal as a Cast could be. When night came, Fomoria laid down to rest, and Yara was with him. ¡°It scares me when you disappear like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I had to do that.¡± ¡°You were going to apologize, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes, but I see that there is no point; I feel no shame for what I did. I wish that things didn¡¯t need to go on like this, I wish that genocide wasn¡¯t happening under my command, that it wasn¡¯t my hands that made that virus. I called leaders together, and each of them voted, even their guests voted, Amber voted to wipe them all out.¡± ¡°Amber was ready to be a warmage, she understood, or thought she understood, the weight of being directly responsible for killing many.¡± ¡°There is an order of magnitude between what she would¡¯ve done and what I have done.¡± ¡°After a certain point, does the number matter? Surely they all just blend together?¡± ¡°They shouldn¡¯t. They¡­ I¡¯ve changed. I think it¡¯s really setting in, what I am, what I am willing to do, and I don¡¯t mind it as much. I should be freaking out, I should be in tears, I should reject your touch, I should reject anything that brings me joy, I should be torturing myself.¡± ¡°But you aren¡¯t, you don¡¯t want to do any of that. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s hard to hear that any people have done things so terrible that the consensus across the world, even among people you consider good, is that they should be destroyed down to the last man. It¡¯s because you¡¯re Fomorian, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ maybe.¡± ¡°If the Fomorians weren¡¯t locked away, would they have an empire like the Cast? Would they have raped and killed and enslaved and-¡± ¡°Yes, yes they would¡¯ve.¡± ¡°And in that case, wouldn¡¯t you feel that they needed to be wiped out?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. How are you so right?¡± ¡°The first night that we met, I played devil¡¯s advocate and we debated back and forth, and I¡¯ve always been a more intellectual equal. That¡¯s why you should¡¯ve picked me over- I¡¯m sorry, I-¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t mean for that to slip out?¡± ¡°I meant that¡­ I¡¯m jealous, or I was, and it felt good to admit that you were wrong.¡± ¡°I¡­ maybe I was, maybe I should¡¯ve just been a friend to Adina, maybe you and I would¡¯ve been the better pairing for everyone. There were a lot of shared feelings between her and I, and I even tried to reject the relationship. You and I, we were just friendly, we got along, we shared more interests, but I¡­ I thought you were more shallow, I mistook being traumatized by a fucked up life for some bond. Not that we didn¡¯t have a bond, but, I just remembered referring to the two of us as two towers leaning against each other for support. At the time it was romantic and beautiful, but now I¡¯m beginning to see how it may have been very unhealthy for both of us. But also I think if I got together with you it would¡¯ve torn apart any chance of Adina being friendly, and-¡± ¡°I get it. There were a lot of things happening, and none of us were old enough or wise enough to be able to reasonably work through that. I wonder how things are going back in the desert? A Golden leaving after saying that they¡¯d stay is not unheard of, but it doesn¡¯t happen often. I think they probably issued a kill order against me.¡± ¡°I could always-¡± ¡°No need to turn them into a sea of glass, to challenge them for my honor, to send a body double to face judgment as a test, no-¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking of anything but the second option. But I wonder how they would react if you came back suddenly one day.¡± They spoke long into the night, and neither rested until dawn came, whereupon they slept into the evening. Fomoria rolled out of bed and onto the floor, hoping to strike down whoever was banging on the door. ¡°COME IN.¡± It was Joan. ¡°What do you want?¡± She didn¡¯t even react to his being on the floor. ¡°A pirate fleet is anchored off shore. They ducked in and out of The Veil, we didn¡¯t realize they were here until they were.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°Well, they want to negotiate.¡± ¡°Do I seem like the sort that negotiates with pirates? Those rapists and plunderers?¡± ¡°They want to be hired, and Mercedes made the call that we should hear them out since they could help with the Cast then be discarded if they refuse to settle down.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± He had not expected the size of the fleet. When he heard pirates, he thought a few dozen ships at most, but they numbered nearly a thousand. And at the end was a Goliath vessel, a galleon the size of a small village; the Goliaths were once masters of the sea, but with the Cast¡¯s technological advantage, they were just massive targets. Fomoria entered the flagship under the cover of a fog he made, then he crawled through a crack in the hull, hid on the ceiling, and found the largest Goliath onboard, who was certainly the captain. She had thick red hair, braided more loosely than some other Goliath¡¯s he¡¯d seen. Her skin was a darker complexion, though he could tell that she began lighter, and had been heavily tanned by her time at sea. He found Goliath women ugly even by the standards of monsters, not that he¡¯d ever admit such a thing to one of them, because either he¡¯d hurt their feelings or they¡¯d take their rage out on him. ¡°I know you¡¯re here.¡± A shadow peeled from the wall and floated above the floor, since he was trying to avoid seasickness by not actually stepping on the swaying ship. ¡°I must admit, I¡¯ve never met a pirate, but I believe that sneaking aboard your ship should be seen as a positive, since I¡¯ve proven myself crafty in a way that a pirate can appreciate.¡± She furrowed her very pronounced brow. ¡°The fuck are you talking about?¡± ¡°Well, there was an attempt. And you are?¡± ¡°Eskildotter.¡± ¡°That name seems more New Path than Old.¡± ¡°I follow the sea, don¡¯t care about the kings and disputes of the land dwellers. You¡¯ve fucked up my fucking trade, you fucking-¡± ¡°Get to your point.¡± ¡°Everything is in chaos.¡± ¡°And that is a problem for a pirate?¡± ¡°YES.¡± Her voice reverberated through the ship, and the nearest guard quickly entered the room and pointed his cutlass at Fomoria, who took a bite off of it and spit it back at the man, cutting his face. ¡°We are having a conversation, be mindful of that. Eskildotter, continue.¡± She waved the man away, his bleeding face quickly healed by his Goliath physiology. ¡°Chaos means no trade, no trade means no traders, no traders means we have to raid towns, but they¡¯ve been locked up tighter than a clams pussy-¡± Fomoria made a displeased face. ¡°What? Ya never heard someone say pussy?¡± ¡°I find it vulgar, and the idiom still works if you leave that part out.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you eat people?¡± ¡°What of it?¡± She scoffed. ¡°They¡¯ve been sending resources into the heartland, so even when we get into the ports, they¡¯ve got shit leftover.¡± ¡°And how do you want me to solve that?¡± ¡°That little sneaking trick was fine enough. Let¡¯s say you get your people into the river cities farther inland, open them up, let us do our work. You get a cut, and we destroy cities that belong to your enemies.¡± ¡°So you can kill inno-¡± She laughed before he time to finish her sentence, and Fomoria slapped her, the thunderous blow sending her flying through two walls. She got to her feet as quickly as she could, and Fomoria floated near. ¡°There is a level of respect which I expect between us. The reason I haven¡¯t sunk your fleet already is that I will it, do remember that. Now unfortunately I¡¯ve had to play my hand as it were, and I¡¯ve had to make you understand the difference in power between us.¡± ¡°Fuck you.¡± ¡°Never in a million years. I will give you communicator amulets, and when you or your people run into a Finger, you will call me. You may raid any lands not owned by me or my allies, but if you lay one hand on a citizen of my empire, I will swallow your fleet whole. I am going to send a group of my people, spies and assassins, they will assist in your raiding of the cities, but there will be civility to it, I will not have you taking slaves, I will not have you raping men, women, or children, you will be my privateers, not pirates. If you refuse my gracious offer, well, I don¡¯t really need to explain, do I?¡± Eskildotter had recovered from the blow already, but very few people were able to strike her so hard that her brain rattled like that. ¡°We¡¯ll¡­ hammer out the details later.¡±
The Dread Pirate Dun¡¯Kel felt that his time of relevance would be nearing its end. But in the meanwhile, Jenny had given explicit permission to kill any Cast, including the Fingers and Hands. She believed that everything could still work out in her favor, that the deal made with the Gods of Aarde would ensure her safety. Chapter 339: Everfall In the week since Fomoria forcibly recruited the pirate fleet of Eskildotter, they had taken two cities, but by the time they reached the second it was already cleared of anything actually useful. The Castian strategy was going to be a defensive war, they were pulling everything back to the heartland. It was ironic, the capital city of Blackship had already been purged of Cast and locked down by Jenny; not that Fomoria knew that yet. Thus, Fomoria¡¯s goal was to cultivate as much power as he could, to strengthen his army to the point where they could breach the Castian lands and crush what resistance they could manage through overwhelming force so as to lessen the number of dead on his side. Fomoria began sparring with Carmilla, not that she was a physical match for him, but she was at least on par and a powerful mage. The Others that were made after he gained the martial skills of the someday Grandmaster Dragon were strong and fast, but they were never going to be anything but weaker than him. They were at the ruins of Ceres, somewhere far enough away that the two of them could let loose. A wall of water came down on him, but Fomoria took a wide stance, his fists locked with one another, his eyes closed. Fomoria felt some sense of oneness, that there was no part of his aura that remained where it was, everything touched everything, it was swirling like a typhoon across his body. The moment before the wall of water struck him, he quickly moved his hands as if he was dusting himself off, the power of his aura movements combined with imbibing fire and earth cut deep V shaped lines in the ground behind him, then he brought his hands forward, cutting in an X pattern, breaking the tension of the water and causing a mist, a second dusting motion directed it into the V shaped cut in the ground. Through the mist, Carmilla had used her magic to hide her presence, then further tried to hide behind the fog created by Fomoria¡¯s attack. He hardly had time to react, her chiropteran form shooting forward like a ballista bolt, Fomoria tried to sidestep her, but she instead stopped inches from him, spreading her wings wide and firing the jetstream caused by her at him. Even most Goliaths would¡¯ve been skinned alive by the force of the attack, and she was careful not to do such a thing while facing the ocean, lest she risk starting a tidal wave or hurricane. Fomoria reacted by clapping his hands together, creating a small pocket of air that disrupted it long enough for him to properly react; he held his hands forward like a spearhead and shifted his form into something smooth and aerodynamic. Had he caught even part of the winds, he would¡¯ve been sent flying hundreds of feet; miles away, the forest shook and the first line of trees were bent. Fomoria was left standing on a platform not more than three feet around as the jetstream cut around him. When he leapt forward, the platform was turned to dust, and a flying knee strike was aimed at Carmilla¡¯s stomach. Had it struck her, she likely would¡¯ve been torn in two, but when she put her hand out to stop it, she did not do so with a flat palm, but with her claws pointed forward. The moment his knee touched her fingers, she drew blood, and this blood turned to daggers, severing the limb. Even severed, the flying limb pushed her back, and Fomoria skipped forward, reattaching the leg. ¡°That was good. Remember though, Yalda and Baoth are likely to attack more closely to one another, and there is only so much I can do to prepare you for them.¡± ¡°They are also not going to have a mastery of blood magic.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sound sour, I have no desire to be torn in two during a training match, and if I wasn¡¯t holding back you would¡¯ve never gotten so close anyway.¡± ¡°A fair point.¡± ¡°What I am interested in is how you¡¯ve changed, the ferocity is there, but it is so heavily refined that I wouldn¡¯t know it was you if I didn¡¯t see it myself.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always been defensive.¡± ¡°But it has never fit you so well until now. Before it felt like you had to play defensive and counter heavy because you had knowledge but not the extreme power that your normally much older opponents held. Now it seems more as if you want to fight defensively.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve changed.¡± ¡°Perhaps not, it isn¡¯t like I¡¯ve sparred with you often before.¡± An Other came, but stood far away so as to not be torn apart in case they started sparring again. ¡°You have other business, or should I say, Other business?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel much like laughing.¡± ¡°Someone is sure to enjoy it. I will offer a final piece of advice, seek Copperhead again, those movements of yours aren¡¯t as suited for runic spells, but rituals are more like dancing, they can seamlessly flow into one another. While they are weaker in general, you could mix them into your martial arts to make getting near you even more suicidal than it already is.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Carmilla left through a gate, and the Other got near. ¡°Have one of the Fingers been found?¡± ¡°No, but there are two cities that require your attention.¡± ¡°Are we being attacked?¡± ¡°No, the Cast haven¡¯t done anything but stay inside of their territory. The two cities are both named Everfall, and I wouldn¡¯t bring up the second if not for the fact that it shares a name with the actual problem.¡± ¡°Out with it.¡± ¡°An Other who was scouting to find suitable targets for allies or raids was killed- ¡°Did we recover his gem?¡± ¡°Yes. He didn¡¯t even get the chance to get near the city itself, they attacked without warning.¡± ¡°Not unheard of, or strange. So, what requires that I handle this?¡± ¡°We gathered information from the surrounding towns and villages, and Everfall, The City of Endless Rain and Sorrow, as they call it, is a ghost town. The people inside are all long dead, a Witch cast some ritual that turned everyone into water, and that keeps a constant storm around the place. The Cast don¡¯t bother with it because there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything worth stealing from the city itself, but, it is interesting, and if you got rid of the Witch or allied with her, assuming she is still alive, we¡¯d gain a powerful ally and or a fully built city ready to be moved into.¡± ¡°I will check it out. What of the other Everfall?¡± ¡°Everfall, The City in the Bottomless Pit. Every now and then horrible monsters crawl from it and assault the area.¡± ¡°And they want me to kill them?¡± ¡°No, the creatures can¡¯t actually leave the hole, likely because their bodies are designed for the high pressure that exists deep underground. The hole is just interesting.¡± ¡°Why do they stay?¡± ¡°Because the hole is deep enough that you can mine adamant and mythril without having to actually dig a massive hole for yourself, and the ore veins seem to replenish over time. Why the Other wanted you to visit, but he put it as low priority, is that the hole wasn¡¯t always there, and according to local legends, of which there are many, a weapon was used to cut the hole down, and it still remains at the bottom.¡± ¡°Sounds like just a myth, but if there is a weapon of such magnitude, we should recover it.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Has he tried going down the hole?¡± ¡°Yes, but eventually he encountered creatures whose shells couldn¡¯t be harmed by even the void flames, and he was forced to flee, which he barely did.¡± ¡°Has he tried tossing an eye down the hole to scout?¡± ¡°The heat and pressure make that nearly impossible.¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°The bottomless pit is interesting, but that¡¯s it. Bring that Other back, have him design a shell that can go over an eye he can see through, then test how far down the hole actually goes. If it goes down to the core then there isn¡¯t really any point in trying, since we¡¯d never get anywhere close before being squeezed into balls of gore. Give me the location of the city of rain, then you are dismissed.¡± It seemed like a normal city from the outside, barring the giant palm shaped hole in the wall. The moment Fomoria got close enough he could feel the mana shift. The downpour became torentual within the city itself, and shapes formed at the walls, as if the water remembered what a person was supposed to be. He watched closely as they seemed to dance, but there was no magic coming from the shapes, it was all something deeper inside of the city. From over the wall a great ball of water began to crest, then it grew small, not from losing any water, but from being under pressure. Fomoria had seen the memories of the Other who came here originally, in a matter of moments, that ball would have a single dot open, no larger than the tip of one¡¯s finger. From this opening a stream of water would come, strong enough that it split the Other in two. That the Other¡¯s gem was not harmed could¡¯ve been called luck, but Fomoria would rather believe that it was the fact that it was covered in a hard shell of void bone and the Other made the smart choice of feigning death rather than trying to put up any other defense. Fomoria put his right hand on his left shoulder, waiting with earth imbibing at the ready. When the jet came at him, Fomoria slapped it aside, adding a spell to for a diversion in the water and prevent it from taking another path, something he learned from Amber. He reminisced for just a moment, that most of what he learned from her was not warmagic, but to shape rivers and carve out trenches. The things on the wall were confused, and they seemed panicked, yet so far as Fomoria could tell, they were like how a chicken without a head, they reacted to stimuli without real thought. Suddenly an idea came to mind about what this was. Fomoria held the water back until the sky dried up, then he walked toward the city, for a field blocked his gates over it. Once he was at the wall, he walked up. The shapes tried pouring pots of boiling oil, but the pots had long since been emptied; they were just going through the motions. Once he was at the top, he found a skeleton, the flesh long since devoured by the elements, but the armor was still whole. The moment he changed the shape of his own armor, the shapes motioned as if giving orders. Fomoria ignored them, but it did prove something of his theory. What he needed to find was the source of it. Down in the streets, people moved in a panic, and the feeling of dread, hopeless, fear, rose. But after a time, it all stopped, and like actors in a play, they changed back to a normal city. Liquid children played in the streets, men and women of water bought and traded and gossiped wordlessly. He found it funny, no, ironic was the better word, that despite all of his time dealing with souls and tragedy, that this would be his first encounter with a real ghost. If he was right, this was a Poltergeist, the spirit of a place trapped in the worst day ever experienced, a tragedy experienced by so many at once, so many bound in it, that the entire area became trapped in time, and tried to destroy all that would disrupt this stasis. By looking like a soldier, the city did not realize he was an outsider, since it assumed him to just be on patrol. Had he tried to pass as a trader, the city would watch him, and if he failed to set up a cart and try to sell to the shapes, it would turn on him again. When he reached the castle at the center of the city, the shapes stopped him. They moved as if speaking, holding their hands out and crossing blobby spears of water. ¡°I need to see the commander, I bring news from the front.¡± The shapes moved out of the way and brought him to the castle gate, waving up at the other shapes who motioned as if they were pulling levers to open the gate which had long since fallen to rust. Once inside, he was brought to the war room, where many corpses still in their armor laid on the table. Clearly they had been planning even as the ritual took place, their deaths likely instantaneous. The shapes looked up, standing inside of their own bodies, and waited. Fomoria simply looked at each of the armors and found which seemed to be the most ceremonial, since that was likely to be the general, then he changed the shape of his armor to match the general¡¯s. The moment he did this, the shape that stood where the skeleton of the general was, turned into lifeless water, soaking the rotten carpet over the stone floor. Now he was certain to have free reign to move as he liked, and that meant he was going to find the source of the Poltergeist. A ghost of any kind was a mass of living energy, technically, Fomoria was as well. Yet the difference between him and a ghost was that one maintained their sense of self, and the other maintained only a copy of it. A ghost could never change, they could never be more than they were locked in their death. The death of a loved one, a famine, a terrible storm that wipes out a village. Fomoria just needed to follow the streams of power, find where the mana was most dense, then he had two options. Neither was wrong, but one required a great deal of power, more than Fomoria believed he possessed, so he was quite hopeful that he had the ability to handle this the second way. Deep below the castle, he found it, them. Two bodies, one a woman, the other a child, frozen in time and ice, as lively as the day they died. ¡°Miss.¡± The eyes of the woman followed him, her was face distended; she died screaming. The body of the child had a white print on his chest, a palm. ¡°This is your son, right?¡± She looked at him with fury. ¡°I mean him no harm.¡± Her gaze softened, but was still wary. ¡°You¡¯ve been here for a long time, haven¡¯t you? And it was The Emperor that took your child, that forced your hand like this? Blink once for yes, twice for no.¡± She blinked once. ¡°The emperor is dead. But that doesn¡¯t matter.¡± She narrowed her eyes. ¡°The only thing that matters, is that I can feel it, your son is lingering between life and death.¡± She blinked once. ¡°Is that any life though? Is there any peace? Any joy in such a thing?¡± Her face twitched, she could not answer. Fomoria placed his hand on hers, the cold was so great that his skin began to blacken in moments. ¡°You need to let him go, you need to let go.¡± He began to tear up. ¡°My mother died trying to save me from a life that I, the man I am now, would¡¯ve despised. But I couldn¡¯t let go, I tried to keep her spirit, but I didn¡¯t know what I was doing, it was just a reaction from my childish mind. I hurt her, she suffered in my grasp, her mind tore itself apart and she didn¡¯t even know who she was. Please, your son, don¡¯t do that to him, don¡¯t make him live with the pain of a life that he can never live.¡± There were few methods to dealing with ghosts, erasing them by flooding an area with magic to the point that they became lost, the magic holding them together overwhelmed, that was the preferred method, for it was simple. But with some ghosts, they could be reasoned with, if they got what they wanted, they could pass on of their own will, for they only remained for a reason. The woman looked at her son, his eyes had gone dull, but he had just the faintest spark still in him. ¡°You see it, this is no life, it¡¯s just being alive, you must let him go, not for you, but for him.¡± The ice melted, and the ghost of the Witch passed, then, the son thawed, and that last spark was gone. Fomoria discarded the arm, for it was blackened up to the elbow holding the cold dead hand of the Witch. As he stepped outside, he saw that the streets had flooded, water poured from every building as the shapes returned to mundane water. Then, he began casting a spell, drawing a new storm. Nobody yet knew that the city was free from the Poltergeist. The Cast had long since discarded the possibility that there was anything worth taking. The locals all believed it cursed land; It was the perfect place for D¡¯if¡¯s home. A fully intact city with a castle that could be used for training spies on entry and exit, dungeons underneath that could easily be outfitted for holding more powerful prisoners, and all of it under the cover of a cursed city, a place where they could hide in plain sight. Fomoria brought in D¡¯if and some Others to put up illusions. The clouds above would make it seem that the curse was still in place, but if they intended to light fires, for cooking, for forging, for warmth, then others might see the smoke and begin to wonder where it comes from, since a city where the people were water had no need for fire. Fomoria found the throne room and sat down. The room had suffered the centuries of rain, the windows which once held great works of art were now just shards on the floor, the many fabrics, banners, carpets, all reduced to mold and dust, eaten away by insects and weather. He wondered, was this what the Castian towns would look like? Empty streets? Whatever left in a state of disrepair, left only for the animals? He ran through these thoughts many times, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to care. The guilt should be destroying him, he should be crushed, he shouldn¡¯t be allowed to just accept it. But he did. It was done. He couldn¡¯t change it. It was done. He did it. It was his fault. But they brought it on themselves. Their greed. Their pride. Their refusals of peace. It was his fault, but they were not blameless. They were now the weak one, but that did not make them victims. He was a victim. If he was in this place three hundred or so years ago, he would just be a shape, a fragment of a trauma. He was¡­ still, just a fragment of a trauma.
After several dozen miles, the shell was crushed, not by the pressure of the pit, but by something so fast and so powerful that the Other could not catch even a glimpse. It was decided that there was nothing of value down the pit, for he saw nothing resembling a bottom, nor did he see any narrowing that would imply that the bottom was getting closer. The people of the city were less than happy about the Other, and thought he was trying to steal the ore, so they attacked. Over the course of many weeks, diplomacy, misunderstanding, pride, then much killing, the city became occupied by Imperial Fomorian forces. It really wasn¡¯t the intent of the Other, but when Fomoria heard what was happening, things escalated very fast, and it was by his orders that communications ceased and the merchant leaders of the city were tossed into the pit. The Other thought for quite some time on what had happened, what he could¡¯ve changed, if Fomoria was right to do what he did. There had been no bloodshed until Fomoria shed it himself, and that only happened after a meeting between Fomoria and the ruler of the city where the Other wasn¡¯t present. Maybe something happened that justified the killings after, and maybe not. The Other couldn¡¯t let his mind sway towards treasonous thoughts. Chapter 340: Severed Index The Sectlands sent word, the shapeshifter who many months back impersonated him was back. Fomoria came with fury on his heels, yet despite the dead, the flames, the Other who ran the Sect of the Dragon knelt, bloodied, clutching his side, his eyes drooping, with the man who was like a strange mirror. ¡°Is this the one who would challenge me?¡± ¡°He is my master.¡± The man looked at Fomoria, and in an instant his face and body became a perfect reflection. ¡°He is the true one. Single combat, best me, and this shall end. But if I win, your soul will become mine.¡± ¡°Why would I not just rush you with my Others? You¡¯ve killed dozens, you¡¯ve burned out children and the elderly.¡± The man opened his coat and revealed a spot of rust, he had hours to live. ¡°I wish for a good fight before I die.¡± ¡°You are a Finger, aren¡¯t you?¡± The illusion over his hand vanished, showing him as the index of the right hand; Rak. ¡°Yes, I-¡± ¡°Answer the question, why wouldn¡¯t I just rush you? Why do you think I would give you a good death?¡± The Finger laughed. ¡°Hostages.¡± ¡°He has my wife and all of the students that they haven¡¯t already killed.¡± ¡°Oh, and I wasn¡¯t invited to the wedding?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t have weddings here, and this is no time for jokes.¡± ¡°Very well, Rak, shall we move elsewhere so as to not destroy more of this place?¡± ¡°Go to the shore. My men must see us fight, if they believe that you are just dumping me somewhere else, they will kill all of the hostages.¡± ¡°What are the other sects doing?¡± ¡°We are not a Great Sect, so they will do nothing but watch, and Rak took care to not spread the damage beyond our little area.¡± ¡°Then we fight.¡± Fomoria opened a gate, letting Rak see the city through it. Rak went through first and took a combat stance. ¡°I hate to disappoint, but what damage we could do to that city by a simple live and death duel shouldn¡¯t be your worry.¡± ¡°When people like us fight, maps need to be redrawn.¡± ¡°That applies to Hands, not Fingers.¡± Fomoria cracked his neck and took his stance. Rak jumped back, conjuring a mist. There seemed to be a dozen of him moving through, displacing the mist, yet each held a mind, and each mind seemed to be no different than any other. Fomoria let out a strong gust of wind, but the mist would not move. He breathed it in, and felt the intoxicating effects in a moment. His body became dull, his eyes grew hazy, his throat did not feel under his control, forcing him to pull in more and more of the mist. Rak wielded two bladed whips made from light, and he cracked them from inside of the mist, sending radiant discs towards Fomoria, who could hardly dodge them. Each of the illusions that went through the mist were strong enough to confuse any natural or magical sense, and each burned hot, cutting through Fomoria, who was losing more and more control over himself. If his breath disobeyed him, then he had no use for it, so he removed his mouth and nose. If his eyes could not be trusted, then they were cast off. If his mind did not reveal the truth, then it was to be ignored. His body was now fully self contained. The air he breathed was from his own imbibing, and not a patch of skin was left bare. What he was left with, deaf, dumb, blind, was his sense of danger. He would be as the shapes, reacting without knowing why. Fomoria stood still, no longer having any sense of time, just the reaction, and it told him to run. He felt a hand on his chest. ¡°Wake up.¡± His smooth head regained its features; his first sight was of Xol. ¡°You should be glad that I came for that finger instead of your Other.¡± Fomoria looked around, the beach had turned to black glass, and the grass was all but gone, yet it hadn¡¯t even had the chance to burn, the void flames had consumed even the smoke. ¡°How did I win? I¡­ I started breathing in his mist and my mind just¡­ I don¡¯t remember it.¡± ¡°Well, I saw the whole thing, and it was a beautiful fight.¡± ¡°Did you kill him?¡± Xol just laughed. ¡°No. You danced like a Dervish and¡­ right, that doesn¡¯t make sense to you. You countered his every move, and Rak was always one that liked his close combat. If he had just switched to ranged spells, you would¡¯ve kept dancing around his attacks, but he would¡¯ve lasted longer than ten minutes.¡± ¡°Ten minutes?¡± ¡°You ate the skin of the Nidhogger, and it became your skin, their flesh, became your flesh. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Adamant is hard, not the hardest, but it is a very hard metal. All Fingers are true mythril ranked, and the Hands are all unique entities, like the Ascended, thus they fall outside of the normal ranking of metals.¡± ¡°What does that mean? Is that the same as the Sons of Nidhogg?¡± ¡°In the mythology of one region of my world, they believe the world is like an apple on a tree, and at the base of this tree there is a dragon, Nidhogg, who chews on the roots. The details are a little fuzzy, but I believe when the world ends he devours the tree, or something like that; I majored in literature, not mythology.¡± ¡°So these snakes are the children of that dragon?¡± ¡°No. Not really. Like Tiamat, the Nidhogg of this world is just the idea of a dragon deep underground. If you cut Aarde into layers, you could consider them worlds, and about two levels down, Nidhogg lives. These snakes that you fight are offspring, hatchlings, Nidhogger, too weak to handle life so far down, so they go to the higher level and eat what they can, because all of the really dangerous creatures can¡¯t go that high without their bodies shutting down.¡± ¡°Interesting. It sounds like you¡¯ve been deep down?¡± ¡°Deeper than anyone else. Sepul tried going underground, and he got deep, deep enough that the influence of The Darkness grew too much, deep enough that things stopped making sense.¡± Xol, closed his eyes, or, Fomoria assumed that¡¯s what it meant, since the fire in them went out. ¡°Alright, there, you got a story in exchange for the finger.¡± ¡°Wait, I didn¡¯t know that I was even asking for something. Now that I know, can I-¡± ¡°No. I indulged you, now I will be going. See you after you kill another one.¡± Fomoria wasn¡¯t entirely sure that he believed he had beaten Rak, it didn¡¯t make much sense to him. However strong adamant was, it shouldn¡¯t make him able to beat a Finger so easily. Yes, he was a close range fighter, and he was sick, and Fomoria almost always had the advantage against others physically, but it still felt wrong. Xol had told him that he should be able to kill a Hand in ten years, but any of the Fingers in three to five. The ranking of the Fingers was not which finger they were, the index was not always going to be stronger than the ring finger, yet they were based on an order given by the Hand. The thumb was the first to be ranked, and then index, middle, and so on. The pinkie would be the last picked, and most often the weakest, same as the thumb was most often the strongest, for he was the first to be granted a finger. When he returned to the island, the Cast turned over the hostages, then fell on their own swords rather than suffer Fomoria¡¯s punishment. He could¡¯ve stopped them, but he would¡¯ve given the same to them anyway, a quick death, a reward for holding up their end of the bargain. A woman hugged him tightly. ¡°I am not the one that you want.¡± She stepped back and bowed, tears in her eyes. ¡°I am very sorry, I thought that you were mine.¡± ¡°Has he chosen a name?¡± ¡°He is just Harlan to me.¡± ¡°When you return to him, tell him this, tell him that he does not need to be me any longer, and he needs to choose a name for himself.¡± Fomoria opened a gate for the hostages, and when the last of them were through, he opened a void gate for himself. Thus, that day was born another Shade of Fomoria, Darion, one day Grandmaster Dragon. Fomoria wanted to visit an old friend, someone disconnected from this fight. Tracking him was a little harder than he expected, but he found him. From the brush an eyeless scaled beast leapt, but its claws found no purchase in him. Fomoria grabbed it by the wrists. ¡°Ky, good to see you again.¡± He stopped struggling and slowly the beastly features faded back to humanity. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t a friend just want a chat? I brought a meal for you.¡± ¡°A meal, or some exotic animal?¡± ¡°Both.¡± ¡°I heard you got split and-¡± ¡°For the record, I¡¯m Fomoria, not Harlan.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really-¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one that left, that Ragne has a kill order out for. So, I¡¯d avoid mentioning this in your reports.¡± ¡°I heard you killed a lot of people for just about no reason.¡± ¡°I had to uphold my end of a bargain, such is the work of a champion.¡± ¡°Come, let¡¯s make a fire, cook this up.¡± Ky explained a little of what he had been doing as a Ranger, and that he hadn¡¯t been called into the war, instead his job had been to deal with wild beasts so that more troops could be deployed outside of The Frontier. And Fomoria explained in very truncated terms what he was up to. ¡°What are you really here for?¡± ¡°I am committing genocide, but it doesn¡¯t bother me. I know that I¡¯ve changed, but I don¡¯t know how to handle that.¡± ¡°Not sure what you want me to say.¡± ¡°Neither do I. I¡¯ve just been doing things to keep my mind off of it, figured I¡¯d eventually visit Reet as well. Have you ever thought about being a noble? I could give you a city.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I want anything to do with that, Emperor Fomoria.¡± ¡°Please, don¡¯t call me that here. I just wanted to sit under the stars and talk for a bit.¡± ¡°Alright, why are you committing genocide? Because you sound far too calm for someone doing that.¡± ¡°I unleashed a biological threat that will wipe out the entire population. Even if it doesn¡¯t, I will hunt down those that remain, I will ensure that they cannot continue.¡± ¡°Alright, why?¡± ¡°Because I made a promise, and their actions have made it necessary that I fulfill it. A deal was made, and then broken. Turn the meat.¡± Ky did as asked. ¡°What is this anyway? Looks like snake, but it¡¯s red.¡± ¡°Nidhogger, the Sons of Nidhogg.¡± ¡°Ahuh, so is it snake?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Fomoria held out his hand and his flesh turned to adamant scales. ¡°They live outside the veil, under the ground. Some Fae dragon gives birth to them, and they go up to a few thousand feet underground. Their scales are harder than stonesteel, but lighter than skysteel. It exists only in purity, and cannot be adulterated to improvement that I know.¡± ¡°Can you make a sword from it?¡± ¡°My attempts at working it have¡­ not been great.¡± Fomoria pulled out a knife made of wood, but around the edge it was serrated with the adamant scales. ¡°Paradoxically, I think I need to make a forge out of adamant before I can properly work it.¡± ¡°Do you ever get the feeling that you are just the luckiest man ever born?¡± ¡°Never.¡± ¡°I might know a place.¡± ¡°You might know a place? Really?¡± ¡°I never told the kingdom about it, it felt wrong. But more than that, I never want to go back. You got stronger since you left?¡± ¡°I can do things that I only imagined before.¡± ¡°It will take a few days. I want to report in before we leave.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Ky took his piece of meat off of the fire and took a bite. ¡°What kind of shit is this? It¡¯s like chewing steel.¡± ¡°And it is going to make you able to chew steel like jelly. But I also brought this.¡± It was a very well marbled steak. ¡°This is for after.¡± Ky was able to enjoy the steak much more after having eaten Nidhogger. The two of them sat under the stars, and Fomoria explained more of his life. Ky wouldn¡¯t say it, but he was glad that he had drifted away from Harlan, that he hadn¡¯t gotten tied up in his mess. And from what he said about Amber, he felt that he dodged a fireball not pursuing her too strongly.
He would not die by someone else¡¯s poison, he was an alchemist, he was the maker of sicknesses, he wouldn¡¯t be bested in that way. So he went where he knew his enemy could find him, and he brought his men. He fought against the other, he believed that this man was comparable to his progenitor. And so he fought on that beach, he put up his mist, and he felt his enemy¡¯s strength sapped by it. He whipped and whipped, the discs of light slicing through the man who healed almost as soon as he was hurt. That man then dodged. It was strange to the Finger, that someone could become faster in the mist rather than slower. Then he saw his face, it was blank, no mouth, no nose, no ears, no eyes. But while those things were gone, he could¡¯ve sworn that he saw where the face was, and it was smiling. His instincts told him that he couldn¡¯t run, that he could only slow it down. As it punched forward, he crossed the whips that moved like living things, yet it became shrouded with black fire, and when the whips touched its arms, they did not cut. It struck hard, and the fight was over. That single hit rattled the brain of the Finger, and when it put its hands around his throat, he felt his life fade. At least there was little pain, the squeezing decapitated him quickly. Chapter 341: The Vanished Village Harlan had spent the last few weeks trying to understand what exactly he could do with mercy, and he crawled back to Rosewell with his tail between his legs. ¡°Thank you for agreeing to see me. I know that-¡± ¡°And I knew you would be back. So, what is it? And bear in mind that before anything, you are working for me again, and I will not be as kind the next time you run off with a strange look in your eyes.¡± Rosewell seemed jumpy. ¡°I need prisoners. The irredeemable type.¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say that I expected that. Why?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯ve gained the ability to force my sense of right and wrong on others, but-¡± Safira moved closer to Rosewell and put her hand on her mace. ¡°How?¡° ¡°I had a breakthrough, and spoke with the mana. I tried it on some Fomorians.¡± ¡°The ones who you put in that new village? Who spend their days wailing and trying to kill themselves?¡± ¡°Yes. I need the prisoners because I need to learn how to tune this ability. If I could make them able to see right and wrong, they could be put back into society, but without going too far and ending up like me.¡± ¡°I am denying your request.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because you have imparted on me the importance of not breaking the minds of others. I am also denying you the right to use that ability within Ragne at all.¡± ¡°But I could-¡± ¡°No. There is always going to be need for certain people. If you want those prisoners, you could be put in charge of a Black Unit.¡± Safira remained stone faced, yet Harlan could feel how anxious the idea made her. ¡°What¡¯s a Black Unit?¡± ¡°Prisoners sent on military missions where they are not expected to return, and in exchange, they are given reduced sentences. The practice was ended under my great grandfather, but could be revived, if those that survive could be put through your experiments.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s not what I want.¡± ¡°Very well. How is Fomoria?¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t on speaking terms, you can contact him yourself.¡± Harlan¡¯s voice came out harsher than he intended; Rosewell narrowed her eyes, but let it go. ¡°I want you to investigate an incident, a Frontier village has vanished. Balor is already there. Safira, point it out on the map.¡± From the ceiling a gem made a holographic map of the kingdom. The village was surrounded by a wall, and on that wall were men with guns. The moment that he stepped through the gate, they began shouting orders. ¡°HANDS UP, DO NOT MOVE OR WE WILL OPEN FIRE.¡± ¡°I AM HARLAN-¡± ¡°AN AGENT WILL CHECK YOUR IDENTITY, YOU WILL NOT MOVE UNTIL THEY HAVE.¡± The wall opened and a dozen soldiers wearing golem armor bearing the crest of Fomoria came out, surrounding him in a half circle. Then a soldier who had a horizontal golden line on his shoulders stepped forward and pulled out a wand with a large square head. When the man pressed it against Harlan¡¯s chest, he could tell in an instant that it wasn¡¯t just scanning his soul, but his mind as well. ¡°That is-¡± ¡°QUIET.¡± Harlan smirked, thinking what Fomoria might do. He¡¯d probably point out that technically these men wore his crest, and so they worked for him. They might try to argue the point, but he would probably force his way through, and they wouldn¡¯t be able to stop him. The guns they had were slug throwers, not unlike what the Black Sentinels use. Six shots in total, then they had a sword for if anything got past the barrage. ¡°HE¡¯S CLEAN.¡± The man saluted Harlan. ¡°Apologies, Sir Fomoria, but we are required by Sir Balor to check any arrivals, regardless of any objections or rank disputes. Even he has to go through this process.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± The leader whistled and swirled his finger, calling the men back inside. Strangely, they didn¡¯t turn around, and walked backwards through the gate, never letting their weapons drop until after it was closed. The leader walked Harlan to one of the buildings, but Harlan felt Balor well before he got there. ¡°You are¡­¡± ¡°Yes. I went to a village, and a woman awoke the ability in me.¡± ¡°Oh. Can we do that with Lugh?¡± ¡°I put in a request with Rosewell, but we are waiting to make sure that I don¡¯t suffer some unknown side effect due to not being a complete person. Yet I¡¯m afraid we have another problem. Follow me.¡± Balor led Harlan to the other houses, hoping that Harlan would also sense that something was wrong, though Balor couldn¡¯t tell what that was. ¡°Why are you here? Why does she believe that Nulson did this?¡± ¡°Because we ruled out the things that made more sense. Unless an incredibly rare creature known as a Forest Piper did this, then it was the work of a man. And if it was the work of a man, then he had to be very skilled to not leave a drop of blood.¡± ¡°A drop of blood¡­¡± Harlan noticed something that the others didn¡¯t, or rather, that they hadn¡¯t connected like he had, a sparkle. ¡°You never found any remains, right?¡± ¡°No. We brought in hounds, my people, Unseen, but there are no traces of where the people went.¡± ¡°When you make a bloodgem, some of the blood ends up in the air as it turns into a crystal. If you take the time to do it right, you put up arrays to hold the blood together, which also helps to make them uniform in size so you don¡¯t need to cut them. But if you are in a rush, you forgo the array, process them as soon as you can. Harlan began to put up an array to gather up all of the dust. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Then he separated the dust into the dirt and gem dust. ¡°Rosewell keeps a list of everyone who knows how to make blood gems, right?¡± ¡°Yes, living and dead.¡± ¡°Do any of them have an alibi?¡± ¡°There is a large stretch of time where this could¡¯ve happened. And it is unlikely that any of them could¡¯ve gone missing for long enough to process a village like this.¡± ¡°How many people were here?¡± ¡°313.¡± ¡°How many houses?¡± ¡°80.¡± ¡°Two minutes to fully drain someone, put it in a bucket. One to compress it into the right shape. Should¡¯ve been three minutes to put up the array to catch the fleck, but he skipped that. Turning it into a crystal takes two minutes. Making sure that the pathways are correct can take five to ten depending on how badly they were formed during the crystallization. If they skipped putting up the array, they probably skipped the minute it takes to polish each of them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just five to eight hours. I will look into this. But, I think you already have an idea of who did this.¡± ¡°Check everyone first. I don¡¯t want to put strange ideas out here and confuse things.¡± It would take a day, and in that time, Harlan spoke with Adina, explained where he was. ¡°Vivi is going to be angry if you aren¡¯t here to tuck her in.¡± ¡°We need to talk about that some day. I know that things weren¡¯t good for you growing up, but I know that sometimes punishment is needed.¡± ¡°I will never raise a hand to her.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to. Just make her sit in the corner, take away her toys, let her cry it out. I also want to take her to her cousins more often, she doesn¡¯t get to play with kids being raised in the castle. Everything that Vivi has is her¡¯s, and whenever she cries, we both come running to soothe her every worry.¡± ¡°I would love to spend more time with your sister.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t reply to the other part.¡± ¡°I just want her to have a nice childhood.¡± ¡°I know, I know, but, the nobles that I¡¯ve clashed with, they were raised getting whatever they wanted, only being denied when it went against their parents wishes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, we do need to talk about this, some day.¡± Adina cut the connection, and Harlan could only sigh. Balor had finished looking into every person who they knew had blood gem creation magic. The rebels surely had their own people, but the list Ragne had was as complete as it could be after the war ended and people started being brought back into the fold. ¡°And nobody stood out as even suspicious?¡± ¡°We checked that one out, a woman, but she was just having an affair while telling her husband she was working, nothing serious.¡± ¡°If someone can¡¯t maintain the bond of marriage, they can¡¯t maintain loyalty to the kingdom.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve killed enough men for being disloyal that I believe I have a good sense for it. But, still, we are trying to find out why.¡± ¡°Is the why important?¡± ¡°There are a few hundred people who know how to make blood gems, each of them were selected because they could be trusted.¡± ¡°Do you know?¡± ¡°Yes. But back to my point. Any reason to believe they cannot be trusted must be investigated. If she hides the affair, but someone finds out and blackmails her, the process could be out in the wind, and you can¡¯t put it back.¡± ¡°And if need be, you remove them.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t act like you don¡¯t think it is the right choice.¡± ¡°I just¡­ I wish that it wasn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Has David¡¯s death really effected you so much? Has it turned you into a fool?¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know, because you¡¯ve been off in some Fomorian village this entire time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t act like you even tried to contact me. You want to talk to your wife, to Marigold, to our parents, but don¡¯t put it on me to be your keeper. You want to talk, you fucking find me.¡± Harlan was taken aback. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit me. Yes, you meant it, but you meant it because you are living in your own little world with your own little fucking problems. You go months without saying a fucking word to me, we only ever seem to meet if you need something or we are having a family gathering.¡± ¡°You could-¡± ¡°WHEN, WHEN DO I HAVE THE FREE TIME TO DO ANYTHING. I¡¯M RUNNING EVERYTHING YOU HAVE, YOU NEVER HAD TO MAKE A DEPOSIT IN YOUR LIFE, YOU¡¯VE NEVER HAD TO LOOK OVER A LEDGER TO BALANCE THE WAGES OF THE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE THAT WORK FOR THIS HOW.¡± ¡°Gerad-¡± ¡°HE¡¯S DEAD, HIS HEART GAVE OUT LAST YEAR, AND YOU NEVER EVEN NOTICED.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t-¡± ¡°I SENT LETTERS.¡± There was a long silence as Balor quickly breathed, not having had the chance between shouts, then he took a deep breath and held it in for a time to center himself again. ¡°I¡¯m not sorry about a single thing I¡¯ve just said, but, we must shelve it so we can work on finding Nulson. Who do you believe was here?¡± Harlan didn¡¯t get it, how easily Balor could just close himself off, how he could just go from passionate and resentful to cold and businesslike. It wasn¡¯t empathic, Harlan could feel that much, it was just Balor. ¡°Margruder Lillyplate.¡± ¡°David killed him. Or was that a lie?¡± ¡°No, David killed him, that much I know. But, Magruder was obsessed with me, more than I realized. He didn¡¯t just want to be like me, he wanted to be me. What I¡¯m worried about is the possibility that he made an Other.¡± ¡°I see the sense in it. Making one isn¡¯t exactly hard, you did it with a few years of training on souls as a child. For Magruder, who followed your work from the moment you became the subject of interest, and who had experience with souls and blood before that, it would be possible.¡° ¡°If I am right, then at the very least, we know he can¡¯t make another one, since an Other cannot make more Others. What worries me is that we don¡¯t know when he made the Other, we don¡¯t even know if he did, and, if he is working with Nulson, or if they are two separate issues to handle.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t yet have reason to believe they two are working together, but, I will look into the possibility that they are. If Magruder is alive again through an Other, then we have a big advantage in that he believes we believe he is dead, so his guard might be lowered.¡± ¡°No. Nulson would make sure-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t plan on the worst possible scenario. We haven¡¯t heard anything from Nulson in a while now.¡± ¡°And that is what worries me the most. He spent over a decade planning for revenge, showed up only recently, and then he decides to go back into hiding? No, I don¡¯t believe that for an instant. Has Lillyplate manor been under guard this entire time?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve kept a close eye on it, since we couldn¡¯t be sure that he was actually dead, and the kingdom has been inventorying the entire contents of it since House Lillyplate has been dissolved.¡± ¡°They owned other homes I¡¯m guessing?¡± ¡°Yes, House Lillyplate owned three other homes, each much smaller than the mansion. We¡¯ve already had them inventoried, but there was nothing out of sorts.¡± ¡°And I hope they were checked for hidden passages, basements, false walls, books with slips of paper or coded messages?¡± ¡°Yes for the first three, no for the last two. We couldn¡¯t exactly go over each and every book they owned, since the Lillyplate were voracious readers.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to check the books against copies from the academy library for content.¡± ¡°That will take weeks, on a slim chance.¡± ¡°I will have it done in a few days.¡± Harlan and his other bodies split themselves between each of the libraries. His main body was at the academy, and when his others encountered a book, each would see if the different libraries all had a copy, and if they did, each skimmed them. If they contained even a single letter off, they would mark down the page number, what number the word with the wrong letter was, what number in the sentence the word was, and so on. Whatever these letters spelled out was gibberish, but, he wasn¡¯t a codebreaker, he was just doing the gruntwork.
Nulson wore a kinder face and a Rangers uniform. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are all wondering why I¡¯ve called you here.¡± The entire village was gathered in the square. ¡°There is a horde of Hati headed this way. Now, they are normally solitary creatures, packs don¡¯t come together like this, so, until we can find out why, I am going to be stationed here and I am going to ask that nobody goes out past dark. There is a real chance that a Hati finally lived long enough to actually turn into something else.¡± The people were panicked by the news, Hati were hunted not only by not only humans, but all prime races, and most creatures of the forest either killed them on sight or found something else to do it for them. Hati were tormentors, and if they couldn¡¯t find human children, they would turn to the other things that dwelled in the woods. ¡°But, I was also sent here with a mage specialized in arrays. Each of your homes is going to be outfitted with arrays that will tell us if a Hati or Warg somehow gets past us, you are all safe.¡± The people went to sleep that night, yet Magruder¡¯s arrays made sure that they never woke up. ¡°Get my gems made, quickly. I searched the chief¡¯s home, they are expecting a real Ranger check up tomorrow afternoon. Anything you can do to get this done faster, do it.¡± ¡°I am an artist, I-¡± ¡°Get it done.¡± Nulson was tempted to just kill the people and leave, but a missing village sometimes drew less questions than one that was full of bodies. In the morning, they had a pile of slightly warm crystals. For the bodies, they fired them into the air and then used void to turn them into nothing but dust. Even if someone who had experience finding evidence of void disposed items came, they had been destroyed in the air then blown away, leaving almost no traces left. Chapter 342: Deimos Ky and Fomoria were a little over a hundred miles away from where they had been camping, deeper into the uncharted territory of The Frontier. The cave was nearly unremarkable. ¡°Here. Look ¡± Yet just inside, there was a ring of gold inscribed with script that neither could read. ¡°I didn¡¯t get far inside, and I barely made it out. But, what I saw, what I heard, was a forge. You¡¯ve heard that old Imperial Reinoan ruins exist out here, right?¡± ¡°Yes. But nearly all of it ends up being rather worthless. The Wizards of Old Reino had powers that were incompatible with modern magic.¡± ¡°I encountered guard dogs made from metal that chased me out. Maybe there is someone still alive in there, or it is an automatic forge that just makes those dogs since it was last told to make them.¡± ¡°A living Wizard, that would be interesting.¡± ¡°Alright, with that out of the way, be careful. Those dogs looked like they were made of gold or silver, but I couldn¡¯t put a dent in them. Only my dragon fire hurt them and allowed me to escape with my life. Also, they can¡¯t, or won¡¯t, pass this golden ring.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell Ragne about it?¡± ¡°Something was wrong. I just had this feeling eating away at me that if I ever told someone, they wouldn¡¯t come back from inside of there. If anything strange happens, we run back here to the ring, and we don¡¯t look back.¡± From the moment he met Fomoria, he smelled like the most dangerous thing he¡¯d ever encountered. He only attacked because his instincts told him that he couldn¡¯t possibly run from him. ¡°Of course, if I think that I can¡¯t handle anything inside, I will flee.¡± Ky knew that wasn¡¯t really what he meant, but went with Fomoria anyway. Once they were beyond the ring, the scent hit him, followed by a feeling of disconnection, as if he had stepped into another world; Fomoria thought about calling in Xol. But, he was a champion, he would handle this himself. They walked for just a few minutes down the steeply sloped entrance where only the faintest remains of stairs were left. Fomoria could hear the pounding of a hammer against steel and smell the sulfur. Shortly after, they reached the city itself. Unlike what he had expected, it was in perfect condition. The buildings were all white marble, and many had been sculpted with artworks of men battling beasts, but the one that caught Fomoria¡¯s eye was a massive mural, over a hundred feet long and only slightly less tall. It was at the far side of the cavern, depicting a man with a hammer in hand kneeling as he handed bolts of lightning to another man. Fomoria drew his sword, covered it in void bone to give it a flat head, then banged it on the ground, sending an echo through the entire cave system. The dogs of silver and gold came gathered, but did not yet attack, they waited to be amassed; Ky backed toward the entrance of the cave. They stood five feet at the withers and were well built, their metallic skin showing muscular physique that contrasted with their saggy skin. If he had to compare them to something, the answer was the dogs used by Kleon, a mastiff of some sort. When they began to bound toward him, Fomoria slammed his sword again. ¡°HALT.¡± Even the dust that fell from the ceiling stopped under his order. The metal hounds whimpered and moved out of his way. ¡°The fuck was that?¡± ¡°Power.¡± Fomoria sheathed his sword, and as he passed the crowd of dogs that laid themselves down like scolded puppies, he pet one to feel if they really were made of metal. Whatever they were, they were between living and automaton, and they were not made of actual gold and silver. ¡°Now we can go.¡± The city was a work of art, almost too beautiful to live in. The fountains, the gardens, the artwork, the statues, the gold bands and jewels that many of the pillars had/ Perhaps it really was too beautiful to live in. The city was dead, other than the rhythmic beating of a hammer against an anvil. ¡°We should go, those things are still watching us from the rooftops.¡± Fomoria whistled, not from his mouth, but from holes he formed in his neck, causing the hounds to flee; even Ky whimpered at the sound. ¡°There. Now do you feel better?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve changed, but you are also exactly how I remember you. You don¡¯t let anyone stand in your way.¡± Fomoria just kept moving forward, but Ky could sense his words had upset him somehow. To Ky¡¯s surprise, Fomoria ignored the castle in the center of the city. All that Fomoria was interested in was that forge at the edge of the city under the giant mural. The forge was obsidian, shining brighter than the white marble that made up the rest of the city, with red veins giving it a sinister, almost alive appearance. It was no small place, matching half the size of the castle, built into the wall of the cavern and lacking any overt defenses unless one counted the moat of magma, but Fomoria assumed that to be a stylistic choice. From deep in the halls, Fomoria could see a bright light and the hunched form of a man. For the first time in nearly a century, the banging of the forge stopped, and the man stood. The popping of his back filled the cavern, and the man reeled back his arm. Fomoria shoved Ky, then there were three booms. The first was the man throwing his flaming hammer with the force to crush even the hardest of metals. The second was Fomoria catching the hammer, giving only a few feet to the hammer even as the impact cracked homes a hundred feet back. The third was Fomoria¡¯s arms breaking and reforming. The master of the forge kept his hand outstretched, trying to call his hammer back, yet Fomoria held it back until he saw the man strain under the effort. Then, once he was sure that the man knew he could keep it, Fomoria returned it to him. ¡°Ky, get out of the dirt, we¡¯re going inside.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± Ky¡¯s ears were still ringing as he tried to stand, but his equilibrium was broken; Fomoria healed him with a single touch. The man had gone back to forging, not even bothering to look up as Fomoria and Ky came to him. Fomoria wasn¡¯t fazed by the fact that the blacksmith was nearly 15 feet tall, but Ky was like a fox hiding from a Fenrir. Fomoria didn¡¯t understand a word the man said. ¡°Can you speak Godgiven?¡± ¡°If you can at least understand me, nod.¡± The man did. ¡°Can you look at my sword? Judge it¡¯s quality?¡± The man held out his hand. Stolen novel; please report. He looked at it for a few moments, then placed it on the anvil and shattered the blade with a single strike; Fomoria guarded Ky. ¡°I don¡¯t think he liked your sword much.¡± ¡°That is a good sign.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°If he had pride as a blacksmith-¡± ¡°I understood Hephaestus, and Deimos. You were his Paladin? You are not Hephaestus himself?¡± The man nodded. ¡°Ky, give me that dagger.¡± He did as asked. ¡°Is this metal that coats the wooden core of this dagger more suited to you? Though crude it might be compared to anything you could craft even from a lesser metal.¡± Deimos held out his hand again, and when he pounded his hammer against the adamant scaled dagger, the wood was reduced to ashes by the flaming hammer, but the scales were only deformed. ¡°I am going to bring someone to translate for me.¡± ¡°Strange, Lich is the same across our languages. You don¡¯t want me to bring Xol?¡± Deimos nodded. ¡°Very well.¡± Fomoria tried to open a void gate, but wasn¡¯t able to within the cavern. Once outside, Ky could calm down, ¡°That place was buzzing with power. Look, I still have goosebumps.¡± ¡°Really? It was much worse when I gathered my allies together.¡± ¡°And that guy, the fuck was he? He was 15 feet tall at least.¡± ¡°Please, he was barely 14 and a half. I¡¯m going to pick up my translator, do you want to come with me? Just there and back, a few minutes.¡± ¡°In for a bronze, in for a gold. Wait, you know someone who speaks whatever that guy was saying?¡± ¡°Never heard those words in my life. But I¡¯ve got the next best thing.¡± Fomoria and Ky ended up in Kor, and it wasn¡¯t hard to track down the person he needed. Though, he did have to wait until her partner was finished. Mosley stood facing another man, the street was quiet. ¡°Is that-¡± ¡°Shh, just watch.¡± One could hear a pin drop as the citizens stood on the sides of the road. The instant the bell rang to announce the time, a single shot rang out. Mosley¡¯s opponent didn¡¯t even have the chance to draw his gun. The gunslinger stood over the other man, folded his arms across his chest, then put his hat over his face. Mosley raised his hand to eye level, and then the tall Dague woman, Bly, came rushing over. ¡°Mosley says that it¡¯s been too long, and that you should try to out draw him one day.¡± ¡°Well, that guy never fired his guns, no time like the present.¡± When Fomoria reached, Mosley grabbed his wrist. ¡°Mosley says that it¡¯s not right to use another man¡¯s guns so soon after his death, but you can use one of his spares.¡± Ky watched as Fomoria and the man who had just gunned another down in the street stood about 40 feet from one another. ¡°Ky, flip a coin, the moment it hits the ground, we¡¯ll draw.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, but what about that guy?¡± ¡°He¡¯s got golem armor on, I just won¡¯t shoot him in the face.¡± Mosley nodded, and Bly gave two thumbs up; Ky felt like the only sane person here. The coin went up, and down, but only one shot rang out once more. Mosley was fast, but Fomoria could grab Mosley¡¯s bullets out of the air and throw them back hard enough to kill. It was a matter of hitting human limits, limits that Fomoria left behind years ago. ¡°I really thought that Mos had a chance.¡± The man lay on the ground for a few moments, then plucked the bullet from his armor and tossed it aside. ¡°Emperor Fomoria, what do you require from us?¡± ¡°I need a translator. Ky, are you staying here until I return? Or are you going to head back with us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back in the cave, just leave me outside and I will go back to my patrol.¡± ¡°Very well. And thank you for showing me that place.¡± Fomoria waved goodbye to his friend, and Ky hoped that he would never come back for another chat. It was one thing when Fomoria was a noble, but now he was two people, he lived outside the veil, he could force machines to follow his commands, he was an emperor, and had the strength to stand against an attack that put off shockwaves strong enough to hurt him from 50 feet away. Ky wasn¡¯t weak, but he realized suddenly that his pond was small, and Fomoria had turned into a Leviathan while he wasn¡¯t looking. As Bly walked past the automatons, she stopped to pet them. ¡°What cute dogs.¡± ¡°I¡¯m beginning to think that you are an empath but don¡¯t know it yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯m always on my own path.¡± Fomoria had a hard time figuring out Bly. She was both the most perceptive person he had ever met, but also naive and clumsy as if she was just born as a woman without knowledge of anything. Deimos was surprised to see Fomoria again so soon. ¡°Yes, he has.¡± ¡°I just kinda, know what you mean.¡± ¡°Oh, you flatter me.¡± ¡°What is he saying?¡± ¡°He said that I''m very wise.¡± Mosley could hardly stifle his silent laugh. ¡°I want to know if he would forge adamant for me. Weapons, armor, whatever else I need made.¡± ¡°He can¡¯t leave because someone is looking for him.¡± ¡°Do you mean the Gods of Aarde and their champions?¡± ¡°He says that a Lich is after him, and he¡¯s afraid of what would happen if he got his secrets.¡± Fomoria made a mental note, but moved past it. ¡°If I brought the materials and plans, what then?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t work on anything he thinks is beneath him.¡± ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll need to try recruiting Brig then.¡± Deimos slammed his hammer against the anvil, showering the entire room in sparks that Fomoria had to block for Bly and Mosley. ¡°Who is Brig? Because Deimos is very angry that you think he could possibly match up to him. And he wants you to apologize for even thinking that he is on a level near him.¡± ¡°He is the Champion of Water, and was for a time my personal blacksmith. Now I¡¯m more interested in how Deimos knows him. Also, I¡¯m not apologizing, since I have no real idea of your work compared to his.¡± ¡°Brig stole some stuff from here and attacked the cute little dogs.¡± ¡°Well, I doubt that.¡± ¡°Hey, fuck you. I bet you¡¯re like a Goliath, your body grows but downstairs you¡¯re still a little man.¡± Before things got out of hand, Fomoria put his claws to the throat of the man who was just starting to pull back his arm. ¡°Calm. Whatever exchange has happened, if you lay a hand on her, I will take your head from your body.¡± Deimos scoffed. ¡°Excuse me? I¡¯ve never done anything like that with my mouth.¡± Formoria pressed his claws into the man¡¯s throat until he drew blood. ¡°He gives up.¡± ¡°You misunderstand what is happening here. I did not seek you out as a forgemaster, I followed a friend into a cave. I let you keep your hammer when you threw it earlier, but I could just as easily steal it away, leaving you nothing more to forge your little pets.¡± When she saw that the man who had hardly reacted to being pierced nearly ready to cry over losing his hammer, Bly pulled on Fomoria¡¯s arm. ¡°You must be lonely down here, nobody but your dogs to keep you company. I¡¯m sorry I said that I didn¡¯t think they could beat a Fenrir, I didn¡¯t mean to insult your work.¡± Deimos was reminded that it had been a very long time since he last spoke with anyone. There was a sharp contrast as she hugged him. Bly, lithe and pale, Deimos, a hulking mass of olive colored muscle. ¡°He said that he needs friends, but he will make you stuff.¡± ¡°He wants Goliath whores.¡± ¡°There is a first for everything I suppose.¡± Fomoria drew a picture of Elskildotter in the air, and Deimos was pleased. When they returned to Kor, Fomoria brought Bly and Mosley to a private room. ¡°Bly, how exactly do you understand people?¡± ¡°If you try hard enough, you can know the intention of anything.¡± ¡°No, that isn¡¯t true, that doesn¡¯t even make sense. You form full sentences out of a raised hand. Deimos didn¡¯t even move and he was speaking a language that neither of us have ever heard before, but you understood everything he said.¡± ¡°No, not really. I was kinda guessing, kinda just knew what he meant.¡± ¡°Yes, but explain, how did you know? Some of it I can understand, his tone and face and emotions clearly showed anger and scorn and sadness, those things you could interpret without actually knowing a word of what he meant, but him calling you wise? Saying his dogs could beat a Fenrir? Asking for Goliath women-¡± ¡°Well, he just wanted powerful women, he never actually said Goliath.¡± ¡°Still. You are clearly getting information from his words alone that doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± Bly shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m going to look at your soul. You don¡¯t stink of Fae, but there must be something else happening here.¡± Yet her soul was normal. Fomoria began to formulate theories. Perhaps she had something like a Goliath, some ability that defied magical logic. Yet he found nothing, he understood nothing, and wasted almost a full day trying to gain something from the woman who only knew her power as trying really hard to understand others and succeeding. He could only imagine how much easier things would be if he could actually figure out someone¡¯s intent perfectly like she could. Then he thought about how others viewed his empathic abilities, that they believed he shouldn¡¯t be able to be fooled, that he should have a greater understanding of people. But he didn¡¯t, at least, he wasn¡¯t sure if he did.
In the night, the tree Ky was sleeping under came to life, baring its fangs, creaking as its branches turned to claws. ¡°You know, you are probably the 3rd, maybe the 4th strangest thing I¡¯ve seen today. Just let me get some sleep.¡± The Treant was in a state of disbelief, and yet once it caught a whiff of Fomoria and Deimos on Ky, the living tree went back to sleep, not wanting to disturb this being that smelled of things far beyond it. Chapter 343: The Shade and the Auction Harlan had handed over the coded messages written in the books to the Unseen, and they worked with Balor¡¯s people to figure out what or if they had meaning. For all they knew, it really would just be transcribing errors. The Unseen had never felt it was the right call to bring Balor¡¯s people in, cutthroat rogues and back alley assassins who lacked the grace of the Unseen blades which served the royal family. It was made worse that they frequently found themselves being outpaced by them. ¡°WOOOOOOOOOOOO YEAH, THOSE GOLD PIECES ARE MINE.¡± The others tapped their blade for a moment before banishing the thought Balor was many things, but forgiving of kinslaying was not one of them. He had crushed many gangs and syndicates that worked by killing the person above you in rank and taking over, and he made it clear that such things were not going to happen anymore. If you killed your fellow employee, you were betraying the organization as a whole. The hierarchies that he put in place were more focused on the ability for each to get their job done, and if they failed, they were moved back in rank, but the days of killing anyone who doesn¡¯t meet the expectation of their bosses, of short lived gangs run by psychopaths who simply enjoyed cruelty, those were over. Balor came to Castle Fomoria through one of his own gate mages. ¡°Honey, it¡¯s been so long.¡± ¡°Sorry, Mom. But this isn¡¯t a social visit. Is Harlan in?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t call before you got here?¡± ¡°We had a¡­ spat, last we met. No matter how I see it, I don¡¯t want to speak with him through a communicator before I speak with him in person again.¡± ¡°Check with Adina, but I haven¡¯t seen him in a few days.¡± ¡°Thank you. Sorry that I don¡¯t have time to talk, but once this is over-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t. I¡¯ve heard Harlan say the same thing more than enough times, when this is over, when that is over, but it never is. You will find another fight, I know you will, and It¡¯s taken a long time, but I¡¯ve accepted that. Dinner, maybe in a week, how does that sound?¡± ¡°I can get a reservation, you, dad, and me. Finest restaurant in the capital.¡± ¡°That sounds nice.¡± She hugged him goodbye, and Balor understood more about what turned Harlan into himself. It was one thing to hear the pain in her voice, it was another to feel it. Inside, he found Fomoria with Adina and Vivi. ¡°Ah, greetings.¡± ¡°Are you here for him as well?¡± ¡°Yes. We¡­ had some differences last we met.¡± ¡°The same can be said for me. Is this about Nulson?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve also found evidence that a man named Magruder is alive.¡± Both of them felt fury and disgust rise in Adina. ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard the name. Who is he?¡± ¡°That fucking bastard-¡± ¡°Fucking bastard.¡± ¡°Vivi, please don¡¯t say what mommy just said.¡± ¡°Bastards.¡± Fomoria pointed his finger at Viviane and took a commanding tone, yet didn¡¯t raise his voice. ¡°Listen to your mother.¡± Viviane began to tear up. ¡°Give her to me.¡± ¡°No. You¡¯ve already upset her.¡± ¡°Adina, please.¡± She didn¡¯t want to, but she did trust Fomoria. Viviane fought to stay with her mother, but she was still just a toddler despite her rapid growth. Fomoria held her gently, but firmly, and put on a softer voice. ¡°Feel that? I¡¯m not mad at you, you don¡¯t need to be afraid. It¡¯s alright.¡± Vivi calmed. ¡°You¡¯re scary.¡± ¡°Your mother is trying to protect her, that is her job. When she tells you to do something, you don¡¯t need to know why, you just need to listen, because she would never let anything hurt you.¡± ¡°Ok¡­ I want mommy.¡± Fomoria handed her back. ¡°That was really good, I think.¡± ¡°Viviane might only be a year old, but her mind is going to grow faster than her body, at least, I assume, and she can understand far more than you might expect.¡± ¡°I heard a little about your son, Darrath-¡± ¡°From who?¡± ¡°Amber. She said that he was growing up quickly, something about being a Pixie and being born physically mature. Is that why you know how to do this?¡± ¡°That and he is empathic, though not quite the same way as Vivi. Whenever you tell her to do something, hold her hand, let her feel that you are just worried for her, that you are just afraid for her. Words are good, but she will understand feelings more clearly.¡± ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll try that. Anyway, Harlan is in the North helping Sepul with something, but that is going to take a few hours. I¡¯ll call him back now.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Balor didn¡¯t feel like waiting, but it would be a chance to spend some time with his niece. ¡°No, we can go to him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a good idea to-¡± ¡°Too late.¡± ¡°No it-¡± Fomoria dragged Balor through a gate. Harlan had been asked to help bring a city under heel, but not through violence, the Northerners did not take well to threats. Sepul was a master healer, the greatest in the world, his skill on certain subjects greater than Marigold, who spread her skills out across many more fields than him. And while he could heal everyone, he and Rosewell felt it best that Harlan join him, so that he could build a greater reputation with them. When Balor and Fomoria stepped through the gate, things began tense due to the soldier of Ragne still technically being under orders to arrest and kill him; Fomoria was always easy to pick out of a crowd. Naturally, they instead went to get the highest ranking and strongest soldier in the city, Dawn. ¡°Dawn, it¡¯s been a long time.¡± ¡°It has. Is your Dawn still alive?¡± ¡°Yes, and she is doing just fine as a grandmother.¡± ¡°Perhaps someday, I can visit, see both her and my other grandchild.¡± ¡°Perhaps. So, are you going to try your hand at arresting me? Because I¡¯m telling you now, it isn¡¯t going to work.¡± ¡°You, put cuffs on him.¡± Fomoria let the man get within a few feet, then punched him. The man flew no distance, and his armor was unharmed, but he still fell to the ground, dead. ¡°What did you just do to him? Because if you can¡¯t take it back, I might actually need to arrest you.¡± Fomoria revealed a small orb in his hand, an illusion really, but it was easier than finding a way to give everyone around him soul sight. ¡°I punched the soul out of his body.¡± He put it back, and the man screamed at the top of his lungs, so Fomoria put a veil over the man. ¡°It isn¡¯t pleasant, but there will be no lasting damage.¡± ¡°IF ANYONE ELSE WANTS TO TRY ARRESTING HIM, GO FOR IT, BUT I¡¯M NOT DOING IT.¡± Everyone was in agreement that even if they all rushed at once, it wouldn¡¯t change a thing, so they just reported that he was there and then left him alone. Halfway across the city, there were two stalls set up. One for Harlan, one for Sepul. Anyone could just walk right up, and they would heal them without any cost or question. ¡°Balor, what¡¯s the issue?¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°The code was broken, we are just gathering information now. I wanted to tell you in person, and apologize for-¡± ¡°No, you were right, and I know you are only apologizing because you don¡¯t want any strife between us.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t even need to look at the people, he could touch them to scan and heal whatever they had, rarely requiring that he actually pay any real attention. ¡°When did you get so mature?¡± ¡°When I needed to be. Why is that man here?¡± ¡°You could just ask me.¡± Harlan refused eye contact with Fomoria. ¡°I actually never asked. Fomoria, what do you want with Harlan?¡± ¡°To apologize. For the record, I¡¯m also not sorry. But now that I see what you are doing, I have a wyvern that could heal this entire city in a matter of minutes.¡± Sepul nearly burst a blood vessel at the suggestion, and the people of the city looked ready to attack Fomoria for what they hoped was a joke. ¡°I¡¯ve heard, Rekur. I might have the power of mercy, but I would still kill that thing.¡± ¡°I have known her for months, and she has never been anything but a gentle giant. She doesn¡¯t pretend that she is better than she is, she knows that every single day it is a struggle to keep control of herself, to be the person she wants to be even if her nature tells her to be a monster.¡± ¡°And you lost that struggle already.¡± ¡°I am in control of myself, I chose my path. I gave in to no urge to kill, I just did what I felt was right, I am living according to the same truth that you hold in your heart.¡± ¡°You are wrath, I am mercy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad that you can fly, falling from such a high horse would be dangerous otherwise.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t act like you are justified in-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t act like you wouldn¡¯t do everything I have done and worse. When Viviane is in danger, how will you react? How merciful will you be then? And when that day comes, I will still be here, waiting for you.¡± Fomoria left by void gate. ¡°He seemed so good with Vivi, I thought-¡± Harlan closed his eyes and took a deep breath, one that when let out became white fire. ¡°Why was he at my home?¡± ¡°He was asking Adina where-¡± ¡°Bullshit. He wants to find me, he can just divine my position as easily as I can divine his, he can track me through the Crossroads, he can do it a hundred other ways that don¡¯t involve him with my daughter.¡± ¡°Calm down.¡± ¡°Not while he-¡± Sepul moved from his booth. ¡°Calm down. We will speak when we are done for the day.¡± Balor rented a room for the day so he could have his privacy while calling. ¡°You are sure that it was made in error?¡± ¡°I brought in your accounting department, and they say that the money and supplies were still there, but logged incorrectly.¡± ¡°Alright. Let him go, but take a finger which he will not be allowed to heal for a month. Let him know that this is a light punishment, and if we hadn¡¯t found the missing items, he would be in a shallow grave.¡± ¡°Of course, Mr.Shade.¡± For the next hour, Balor made calls until he found what he was looking for, then he got Harlan. ¡°We need to go.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°I will explain after you bring me to this location.¡± It wasn¡¯t a name, just a latitude and longitude. They came out of the gate in a dark room, and only after he closed the gate did Balor turn on the lights. ¡°Is this your armory?¡± ¡°Yes. I told you before that I took up the name, The Shade, and in doing so, when I must make appearances I need to maintain that certain aura. Put this on.¡± Balor handed him an intentionally ragged rough black cloak, and when he put it on all of his features fell away into darkness; Balor put his own on as well. Any skin that was exposed turned black as void, and though his eyes could be seen, they became white slits. ¡°You look like Coronach in this thing.¡± ¡°He was the inspiration, and in turn, I believe that some depictions of death are based on him. Most people in the business use a great deal of their coin on their clothes, this ragged cloak makes it seem as if I don¡¯t care about the wealth.¡± ¡°Do you?¡± ¡°Wealth is an expression of power.¡± ¡°You already know my thoughts on claiming power beyond the personal.¡± ¡°I know that you or Fomoria could kill me in an instant, but with what I have, my men are nearly as well equipped as royal guards, lacking only the secrets that are held by the royal forgemasters; half of what they have right now comes from you anyway. My spies and assassins are operating on the same level, sometimes even surpassing them due to the difference in connections. I control nearly the entire underworld of Ragne, and I¡¯ve been expanding into Confederate states along with Reino. I-¡± ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Are you trying to convince me that you have power, or are you trying to convince yourself?¡± Harlan¡¯s face couldn¡¯t be seen, but Balor felt his emotions. ¡°Are you happy doing this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good at it. Everyone needs that, a place to use their talents.¡± ¡°But are you happy?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve implemented a code of honor across a majority of the underworld that was once spread out, I have improved things greatly for everyone involved.¡± ¡°But are you happy?¡± ¡°When we get to the second location, you are never to reveal yourself, and if asked, say you are The Shade, but don¡¯t speak unless it is absolutely required. You aren¡¯t going to like this place, but you will need to hold back until this is over.¡± Balor and Harlan stepped out behind a dilapidated building and met two women. They wore cloaks like Balor and Harlan, but in much finer condition and under a set of golem armor. ¡°Jas? Kelly?¡± ¡°Harlan?¡± ¡°Are you all fools? Never use real names when working. These are shadelings. They aren¡¯t the strongest people under my command, but I never have to worry for a second about them betraying me.¡± ¡°You two are still working for him? I hoped you would settle down and live normal lives at some point.¡± ¡°Normal and us are at odds. Besides, The Shade treats us well, keeps us safe, well armored, and trains us with the best. We¡¯re going to be taking a year course at the academy.¡± ¡°So long as you are happy.¡± ¡°I get to work with my sister, and everyone respects us, I can¡¯t think of anything I¡¯d rather be doing.¡± ¡°Alright. What are we doing here?¡± ¡°We are going to attend a slave auction, and I¡¯m going to buy a large number of them. Once I¡¯m done, I am going to ask the organizer if I could be directly sourced. If we are right, this is the person who supplied the target with his test subjects.¡± ¡°How did you find this place?¡± ¡°I put the word out that I might be interested in the slavetrade, and dozens reached out to me, then I just needed to find which auction to attend based on the coded messages. This isn¡¯t going to be pleasant for any of us, but you can¡¯t act, the moment you say anything, they will know how much you hate what you see, so you will shut your mouth.¡± ¡°I-¡± ¡°Not, a, word.¡± The auction took place in an underground theater built far away from anything else. Each client was granted a private booth, but only about half of them were filled on this night. It was a silent affair, with everyone being given a sign to hold up when they wished to bid. The booths were comfortable, a couch, a complementary bar, one could even order food from a kitchen; all of it made Harlan¡¯s stomach churn. Over two hundred slaves were brought out, most young women, some too young. ¡°Hold yourself together. If I wanted a bloodbath I would¡¯ve called Fomoria instead of you. Each and every person here, remember their minds, and then we can find them later.¡± The mention of his other half was sobering to Harlan, he refused to be him, so he had to stay together, just for the night. When the auction was over a slightly overweight man in fine clothes with two rings at least for each finger came to see him. ¡°Mr.Shade, it has been an honor to have you attend one of my auctions.¡± ¡°It is.¡± Balor¡¯s voice was raspy and distant, but clear, as if he was echoing it from elsewhere. ¡°But, I wonder, do you have more? I care not for their appearance, I have other needs for warm bodies.¡± He let out a dry chuckle, the sinister tone causing the owner to gulp. ¡°We-well¡­ I don¡¯t normally offer this, but you¡¯ve become a preferred customer, in just a night you bought half of the slaves for sale, and if you don¡¯t care what they are, I do have a supplier. Provided of course that you accept my finders fee on all future transactions with him, I would be willing to put you in contact with him.¡± ¡°Can he handle a thousand slaves by the end of the month? Age, beauty, strength, race, none of it matters.¡± ¡°That¡­ might be difficult. Slavery isn¡¯t an easy business, you need to bribe guards and mayors and nobles and arrange transport where they won¡¯t be seen.¡± ¡°I control the flow of drugs and women across nearly every county. I am aware of these issues, and I just consider them operating costs. Give me a quote, how many could be done by the end of the month, and what is the cost of bulk buying?¡± ¡°Five, maybe as many as six hundred. 10 a head.¡± ¡°10 gold¡­ I could arrange it.¡± Balor tossed the man a bag. ¡°300 gold, a downpayment.¡± ¡°Th-thank you, sir. Let me take you to your slaves. I hope you had arranged transport beforehand.¡± ¡°I can handle such trivial worries.¡± Balor didn¡¯t wait for the man to get out of his way, he pushed past him on the way out along with his companions. Balor didn¡¯t want to spend as much as he had, but he found that he couldn¡¯t let others have them. Yet when his funds on hand started to get low, he had to let some of them pass, trying to focus on buying the youngest of the girls. It was harder than it should¡¯ve been, he should¡¯ve acted more rationally, he knew that they would save them later, but when he could feel their fear in his head, he couldn¡¯t just do nothing. After Harlan used a gate to get the slaves out of there and to a secluded village under Balor¡¯s command, he pulled him aside for a talk in his office. ¡°No.¡± ¡°No what?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not happy. Every time since I¡¯ve come back from the Fomorian village and I¡¯ve had to be The Shade, it feels like I¡¯m killing something inside of myself. It is no wonder that you can hardly contain yourself, I nearly dug the eyeballs out of that man¡¯s head.¡± ¡°I know how you feel. But we are getting something from this, right? Was it worth it?¡± ¡°Was it worth it?¡± Balor gripped his head. ¡°Slavery may have been legally wiped out in the form which we have seen tonight, but I¡¯m going to destroy the illegal slavers. Before I let them be because there was no profit and no sense in picking a fight, but I¡¯m strong enough and I found motivation for it. Yes, tonight was worth it. I just need to find a way to justify it to my gangs.¡± ¡°You are already planning to crack down on the slavers legally. Just tell your people that the intensified scrutiny is putting your other businesses at risk, so it is best that you make sure Ragne doesn¡¯t have any reason to dig deeper.¡± ¡°Yes, that just might work.¡± Balor sat down in his large chair. ¡°I¡¯m going to bring Fomoria in on this. I want muscle for some of this, and he is the strongest I can easily call on.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not weak, I can-¡± ¡°This work is not suited for you. I wanted you to know from me before he came, so that you can accept that, and you don¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve been hiding it from you.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to use him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to use him, I¡¯m going to work with him. I want to know how things are outside of the veil, I want to know if I can expand my enterprise.¡±
A week after the end of the auction, Balor found the man who owned the building and ran it. Fomoria broke through his defenses in broad daylight and stole the man from his home before leaving through a void gate. Fomoria did not hide his involvement, he did not pretend to be someone else, he wanted it known that inside or outside the veil, slavers were not welcome. The man was forced to his knees by Shadelings. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, it¡¯s pathetic listening to a grown man cry.¡± ¡°I HAVE MONEY, I CAN-¡± Fomoria grabbed the man by the mouth, using fleshsculpting to seal his lips together. ¡°You have money gained from selling people. In time, the willing slaves will be freed, even though they are most often treated fine enough under the laws of Ragne. But you stole people from their homes, bought them after bandit raids, separated families, killed, raped, and so on. Even if you never laid a hand on them yourself, you facilitated all of this.¡± Fomoria pulled back his hand to cut the man¡¯s head off, but Balor grabbed him. ¡°Emperor Fomoria, while I know you find it unseemly, I am not going to give him a quick death. You send messages with the number of dead and the efficient brutality of it all, but I send mine through pain that can only come from an artist.¡± The man tried to scream, but Fomoria¡¯s hand was still over his mouth. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I am going to have him whipped to death, then I will carve the word slaver in his chest and fill it with gold, finally, I will harden his body by turning his blood to crystal and display his body in a public square. Importantly, I will also be leaving him all of his finery, so that it is clearer that my killing of him was not from greed.¡± ¡°Then I am not needed anymore, and I will return to my business.¡± ¡°Speaking of business, I would like to-¡± ¡°I do not allow an underworld to exist in my empire. I root it out at every chance, my crackdowns on them are, as you said, brutal and efficient. Your work here is your work here, and when the day comes that I take Ragne, you will either fall in line or we will have a problem with one another.¡± Fomoria stepped through a void gate before Balor could reply. ¡°What in the fuck is his problem?¡± ¡°Emperor Fomoria is¡­ Girls, get to work. I don¡¯t pay you to pontificate about foreign leaders.¡± Chapter 344: Zella, Champion of Anu. Breakfast hadn¡¯t gone well, but that wasn¡¯t quite as important as Zella calling Harlan. ¡°I need your help with-¡± He didn¡¯t hesitate or wait for her to explained, he just tracked her through the crossroads and opened a gate at her location. When Harlan arrived in Mino, he didn¡¯t find a wyvern attack, or a horde of Fomorians, he just found Zella holding a large heart shaped fruit in her hands. It was not a symbolic heart, but one with four chambers. ¡°What did you need help with?¡± ¡°Fomoria-¡± She saw his face grow sour. ¡°-brought a champion to me, and she wanted to make me her replacement.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you just talk to him about that then?¡± ¡°Because he¡¯s insane.¡± Harlan let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Finally, someone else who sees that he is dangerous and unstable.¡± ¡°When I complained about him helping the coup that let Mino and Bex gain independence from the rest of The Confederacy he said that he would handle it, and then I told him to stop whatever he was going to do, he said that he was going to basically just conquer them and force them back into The Confederacy. But that isn¡¯t what matters, the old goat left me her heart.¡± It nearly leapt from her hands as it powerfully let out one beat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡± ¡°She died of old age.¡± ¡°But she was a champion.¡± ¡°Anu¡¯s champion doesn¡¯t get immortality. She values the cycle of life and death too much. I want to ask, what is being a champion like? I think that I should do it, even though I will need to move outside of The Veil.¡± ¡°Well, The Darkness didn¡¯t really give me a lot. She unlocked the limits to how much mana I can hold, and she made it so I¡¯m gaining more at a faster rate, and my mind and soul naturally become stronger, but she said that I wasn¡¯t a normal champion. What did Anu¡¯s champion tell you?¡± ¡°My hair is probably going to grow flowers and it might turn into vines. She had a cane, and she could tap into the power of the ground, controlling any plants in a pretty big area, growing them to larger sizes and even transforming them. I saw her turn a rose bush into a monster that spit thorns, and the first thing I heard her do was use the roots of a tree to decapitate a large Black Lindwurm.¡± ¡°What has Anu told you?¡± ¡°That I am going to be called on to handle threats to ecosystems which come from unnatural sources or which threaten the biodiversity of Aarde.¡± ¡°I was warned when I was making hybrid animals that if I let them breed, I would be killed by the gods.¡± ¡°Anu tells me that I probably won¡¯t even need to do much, but when I do get called, it will never be for a small mission. It doesn¡¯t sound like she is hiding that it isn¡¯t going to be fun, and that I will need to be responsible or she will replace me, but¡­ I don¡¯t trust her.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Harlan wondered, how long had it been since he was last here in his mind, waiting for The Darkness to reply? ¡°Of my siblings, Anu is perhaps the most respectable. She understands that survival is for the fit, but also when one should destroy a force which has become so dominant that it threatens the ability for others to rise up.¡± ¡°Alright, what aren¡¯t you saying?¡± ¡°Anu is as beautiful as nature, and as brutal. Hyenas will eat their prey before they are dead, starting at the anus. When a new lion takes over the pride, he kills the children of the last leader. Zella is likely to be called for cullings, and not always of just animals. If a nation becomes a threat to nature, they may need to be warned, and if the warning is ignored, they must be slain down to the last so others might understand to listen. House Greenfield has suffered more than one warning, but they understand when to back down.¡± ¡°But their agriculture has fed millions that would¡¯ve otherwise starved, and their work is mostly just preventing bugs from eating the plants as well as growing them larger.¡± ¡°Exactly. The faster growing plants take more from the ground, requiring alchemical solutions to let the same land be continually farmed. And what of the bugs? If they cannot eat the plants, what should they eat? Without the bugs, what would the birds eat? Making a plant that can repel all insects isn¡¯t easy, but it isn¡¯t so hard that they couldn¡¯t do it. As it stands, they are allowed a certain amount of that, but a fully repellent plant species would see their house burned to the ground and their members slaughtered.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t trust you-¡± ¡°Obviously.¡± ¡°But I want your opinion, is it safe for her?¡± ¡°Anu has told her what to expect, and she is honest. Zella is a grown woman, she can make her own choices, just as she refused Calli when called on to be her champion.¡± Harlan came back to reality. ¡°The Darkness said that Anu can be trusted. If she already told you what you will be doing, you can expect that to be true.¡± ¡°Alright, thanks. I¡¯m going to just¡­ eat this thing now.¡± ¡°When you said that was her heart, did you-¡± ¡°I meant it. When she died, Anu told me that the heart would keep beating even after the body was dead, and that I needed to cut it out and eat it to be her champion.¡± ¡°What about the Fae curse you have?¡± ¡°She said that my soul will integrate it into her powers. It would kill certain people to do this, but she knows how to balance things so that I will be safe.¡± Zella sniffed it, finding that each time she did, it smelled like a different fruit, and never like meat. ¡°You don¡¯t have to eat that if you don¡¯t want to. Someone else could-¡± She shook her head. ¡°No, I want to do this. Prinny was a good person, and she spent her last few weeks with me, showing what good could come from me getting her powers.¡± Zella took a deep breath before she gorged herself on the heart, each bite not quite tasting like the last. When it was done, her hands were stained red, and just as when Harlan was made champion, the six lesser gods of Aarde were summoned to witness her ascension. Though rather than a blackout that covered miles, the ground shook, and a tree sprouted. Roots as tall as a man spread quickly, tearing apart the normal forest around them and cutting into the sky. It opened and pulled her into its amber sap. Harlan could see as Zella was broken down physically in a few painful moments before being reformed in another shape not entirely unlike her original. Her hair turned brown like roots, the tens of thousands she already had became a smaller number of thicker strands covered in small bulbs. Her fingertips and the soles darkened, becoming hard like the hooves of the Minos and Ibexian, giving her hands better suited for digging in the soil and walking barefoot. On her forehead she gained two minute antler-like growths, not more than a few inches long, clearly more of a decoration than something for combat. He saw no more changes, she just sat there in the ball of sap inside of the massive tree, her hair floating as if underwater. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Though her armor had also been devoured by the sap, it did not come back, and yet Harlan did not look away from her naked form out of worry and curiosity. After half an hour, the sap turned watery and dumped her onto the floor of the tree opening. Her hair stuck itself into the tree and it began to shrink, the massive thing seemingly being absorbed into it. Zella awoke and coughed the rest of the sap out of her lung once the tree was no more and her hair looked fuller, going from root-like to being root. ¡°Whoa.¡± She held her hands up and looked at them, then she put them on the ground and just listened to everything around her. Zella could sense it all, the worms in the ground, the breathing of the trees, even the birds that roosted in them. ¡°This is amazing.¡± ¡°You need to put on clothes.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± Zella pulled up clumps of grass and grew them, then spit them into fibers which she easily wove into a green dress. Yet the grass was not dead, it would not dry out, and it felt soft as satin to her skin. ¡°How do my eyes look?¡± ¡°Like a flower.¡± ¡°Which kind?¡± ¡°Daisy. Your pupil is all dotty, your iris is green and looks like petals. Your white is also gray now, but that¡¯s just because earth is brown.¡± ¡°That¡¯s annoying.¡± ¡°Well, if earth was nature, it would be green. Why is it that air is green though?¡± ¡°Because that is how creatures perceive the colors of mana. Earth isn¡¯t brown, it¡¯s earth, and fire isn¡¯t red, it¡¯s- How did I know that?¡± Her eyes went fully brown, and Harlan stayed to watch her. Minos and Ibexians came from the forest, since they weren¡¯t far from the camp. ¡°Fomoria?¡± ¡°No, I am Harlan.¡± ¡°What happened here? Who-¡± ¡°Zella is now the Champion of Anu.¡± ¡°Then she is leaving¡­¡± ¡°She will.¡± ¡°Do you know when she will awake?¡± ¡°When Anu is done speaking with her. Time moves faster in the small worlds of the gods, so it shouldn¡¯t be too long. The Darkness made me fight for a slower time, but I think Anu should be better about that.¡± ¡°Then we shall sit.¡± Harlan made an awning and chairs for the soldiers while they waited, and after ten minutes, Zella was awake again. ¡°Commander Zella, are you really leaving?¡± ¡°Yes. Prinny wasn¡¯t here long, but she showed me a path to being myself. Harlan, I need your help with my first mission.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Every one of her champions for the last few hundred years has paid a visit to the Greenfields. She said that since you know them, it would make things much easier.¡± ¡°Oh. That might be nice. I haven¡¯t seen Cynthia in a long while. Then¡­ you¡¯ll go out there, you¡¯ll need to call Fomoria to-¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s something else. My root gate can get me outside of The Veil, but it can¡¯t take other people. It¡¯s not even a gate really, it doesn¡¯t bend space.¡± ¡°What does it do then?¡± ¡°Well, my body isn¡¯t really human. I sorta¡­ get broken down, travel through the ground under the ocean, and then I can come back out through the ground or any plants in a new body. I can¡¯t go into the sky with this, but I can move across the ground quickly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost like you die every time you use it.¡± ¡°Funny coming from you. How many times have you died?¡± ¡°More than I would like.¡± ¡°Go ahead of me, and tell them I¡¯m coming. Anu said that I should say goodbye to my companions and do a little bit of training to get a feel for everything she told me that I can do now.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see you there.¡± Harlan was happy to arrive at the gates of the castle, and the guards allowed him in without any hassle. Cynthia came out with Sycamore, but Harlan hadn¡¯t expected to see a bump on her stomach. ¡°You got fat?¡± ¡°Yes, these pregnancy cravings have caused me to put on some weight.¡± Harlan hugged her. ¡°This was more fun when you were smaller than me.¡± ¡°Yeah, I could fit in all the tight spaces to plant things.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again. But I don¡¯t think this is a sudden unplanned social visit, since you didn¡¯t bring Vivi.¡± ¡°I need to talk with your husband.¡± ¡°He¡¯s away on business for at least the next few hours. How urgent is it?¡± ¡°Not urgent enough that you need to worry. Zella is Anu¡¯s new champion and she has to just make sure that your family understands to maintain whatever agreements they had with the last champion about not disrupting the ecosystem with their agriculture magic.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s that.¡± ¡°You knew?¡± ¡°I could tell there was a new champion, and my husband did mention that the champion would come whenever a new one was in. His grandfather was in charge when the last one gave the warning.¡± ¡°How could you tell there was a new champion?¡± ¡°Well, when Calli tried to make me her champion, she never really took away some of her gifts.¡± ¡°Oh. Can we go inside? I need to tell Zella that she has a few hours, and I want to talk to you. I might need some of your brutal honesty.¡± ¡°Syca, honey, why don¡¯t you go play in the garden? I need to talk with your godfather.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± He ran off, nearly falling down the stairs before Harlan used a gentle burst of wind to right him. ¡°He has your energy.¡± ¡°I ended up with bruises and scrapes all the time as a kid. It¡¯s a wonder I never died climbing on the walls of the castle or going into the lion cages to play with them.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I ever heard that story before.¡± ¡°Oh it was nothing, they were just kittens back then, and I was already 10, old enough to wrestle with them.¡± Cynthia had changed the tea room, combining it with a garden. Rather than thin fabric pouches full of dried leaves, she liked to clip them straight from the plants and add oils or juices from fresh fruits for flavor. ¡°Vanilla?¡± ¡°Do you have something stronger?¡± ¡°I know for a fact that our liquor isn¡¯t strong enough for you.¡± ¡°I meant a spiced tea.¡± ¡°Ah. I will grab some from the other room, in the meanwhile, you can call Zella and tella her that there is no rush. I¡¯ll call my husband, tell him to just be ready for her.¡± He chuckled at her little joke. Cynthia came back with peppercorns, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, clove, anise, and fennel seeds. ¡°I learned this recipe from a nice Golden woman I met in the market.¡± ¡°Oh? Is this Great Desert tea?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll get a maid to get some milk and cream.¡± Cynthia got out a mortar and pestle from a hidden compartment in the table; the woodworking was so flush that there was no visible seam where it was. ¡°I just need to grind some of this up, but it is worth it.¡± The tea took a little longer to make than he expected, and though he offered to crush it with his hands, she was determined to prepare it herself. ¡°I never get the chance to make this, my husband doesn''t like it, and neither do I.¡± ¡°Why do you want to make it so much then?¡± ¡°I just like grinding the spices and mixing everything. And the tea smells wonderful, but I don¡¯t care for the flavor.¡± ¡°You do like your sweets more than your spices.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Eventually, the tea was finished, both of them having their own clear glass pots. ¡°So, what are you wrong about but refuse to admit?¡± ¡°That not-¡± ¡°Well, you wanted my honesty, and since you don¡¯t want to listen to your wife, who already told you you are wrong and stupid, now it falls on me.¡± ¡°Did you call Adina while you were getting the spices?¡± ¡°No. I just know you. If she told you were wrong already, then you wouldn¡¯t need to come here and make me tell you that you are wrong.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not wrong, I just¡­ don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Alright. Now, since we are past the opening, what has made you upset?¡± ¡°Everyone seems to like Emperor Fomoria.¡± ¡°If he was so great, he would¡¯ve come to visit me.¡± ¡°Last night, Balor and my parents went to a nice dinner, but they told me at breakfast that Fomoria joined them. I asked how that was possible, since he is still an enemy of the state. But when capital guards showed up, he argued that fighting him was pointless, since not only would he ravage the city due to his strength, but even if they killed him, he would just go to another body and hold a grudge.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s how you got out of punishment for destroying Haldren.¡± ¡°But I learned from that, I changed.¡± ¡°Well, you say that, but have you really been put in a situation where you had to test yourself? To really make that hard call? If someone killed Vivi, what would you do?¡± Harlan¡¯s body tensed and his blood ran cold at just the suggestion. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I-¡± ¡°You would snap. I don¡¯t think you can even deny that. Emperor Fomoria, I¡¯m sure if I talked to him, would see that what he does isn¡¯t right, but he feels like he needs to do.¡± ¡°Sepul¡­ let me back up a little bit. I saw him about a week ago-¡± ¡°Fomoria or Sepul?¡± ¡°Both. I was with Sepul healing people for free to better relations with The North, but then Fomoria showed up with Balor.¡± ¡°Back to your story now.¡± ¡°I was almost ready to fight him there in the street, but Sepul told me to calm down, and then we spoke after our work was done. Fomoria had gone to Sepul a month or so back to ask him about¡­ Fomoria is committing genocide right now, he unleashed a virus that targets a certain people, and he is wiping them out to the last man.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m sure he has a good reason.¡± ¡°How would you know? You haven¡¯t even seen him.¡± ¡°But he and you were the same person. I know that you could get pushed to be a terrible monster, but I doubt he is. Now, let¡¯s move past that. Why does Adina like him?¡± ¡°He¡­ he told her how to take care of Vivi, how when teaching an empathic child, you should hold their hand to let them feel you are worried for their safety. Vivi has been acting much better since then. It feels like he wormed his way into my life, made everyone love him, and now that they do, they think I¡¯m the asshole for hating him. Oh, and Balor is going to apologize for a fight we had because Fomoria made him see that he was wrong, so now Balor is on his side-¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t on his side.¡± ¡°YES HE IS, EVERYONE IS ON HIS SIDE.¡± Cynthia took a sip of tea. ¡°Do you ever think that he just wants to be part of his own family again? And that since they forgave you for everything that you¡¯ve done, they would do the same for him? That maybe nobody is at fault here?¡± ¡°He has lost his mind-¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°You have no idea if-¡± ¡°Call him, do it right now, and we can all hash this out over tea.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t just hash out a genocide over tea.¡± ¡°I bet I can. Unless you want me to call Adina, and then make her call him here.¡± Harlan made the call. Chapter 345: A Settling of Things Harlan was furious when Fomoria arrived, he wasn¡¯t happy that Cynthia convinced him to let her make a pot of Great Desert tea, and it was worse when she said that they weren¡¯t allowed to say a word to one another until after she was done. ¡°This is quite good. I should ask Yara if she has a recipe from her tribe. Where is Sycamore?¡± ¡°Playing in the garden. I¡¯m sure he would find your horns very funny.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he would. I¡¯m sorry that I haven¡¯t visited as much as I would like. I was delayed in my coming here because I had to conquer a city.¡± ¡°How many people did you kill to get that city?¡± Cynthia gave him a disapproving gaze and Harlan took a deep breath. ¡°The mayor attacked Yara and I without any reason, and it was his wife that killed him. Less than a hundred people died, and with her on my side, I will be able to recruit other cities to my cause, for she will tell them that I am just, that I cannot be stopped by any of them.¡± ¡°You talk-¡± ¡°I talk like you without so much of your filtering. How many times have we made statements like this? I don¡¯t need to put on any act.¡± ¡°Oh, that reminds me. I am actually one of my sister¡¯s contingencies against you.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°She figures that I can smooth things over with you if something bad happens.¡± ¡°You probably can. Harlan, I don¡¯t do what I do lightly. I understand that I am killing people, that sometimes innocents are caught in the crossfire, but you don¡¯t know anything about what I¡¯m facing out there, that as unfortunate as it is, their deaths are the cost of a better world. Don¡¯t you remember that? When we were willing to do anything?¡± ¡°I am still willing to do anything, even if it is the hard path, even if I refuse to take tens of thousands of lives in the process. You are living by the sword, you are forcing your will on others, and that is how they will remember you, that is how your empire will be shaped. What lesson are your people learning? Is it that they should be understanding and shy away from violence except as a last resort? Or are they learning that violence is the ultimate solution, that everything boils down to strength in the end.¡± Fomoria finished another cup of tea. ¡°Let me show both of you something.¡± Cynthia didn¡¯t hesitate, but Harlan didn¡¯t put his hand on Fomoria¡¯s until after she did. There was a silence in the room. Fomoria had showed them the first encounter he ever had with a Cast, the conditions that slaves lived under, an instance where he saw a man beat his slave in a busy street with nobody batting an eye, the mass graves when the Castians abandoned cities and pulled back, not wanting to take their slaves with them. They saw his fight with Sholl and Helik, with Yalda and Baoth. Lastly, Fomoria showed them the battlefield, the place where Ur and Seraphallen fought. The smoke and ash from the volcano and forest fires made black clouds that bloated out the sun for weeks. From horizon to horizon, there was no life, the bodies of animals and people alike were left where they died, no scavengers left to eat the dead. Yet these images were devoid of context. They could see what Fomoria did, what he said, and what the others said. ¡°That happened to your city?¡± ¡°No, they did it to their own people.¡± ¡°Did the city-¡± ¡°There were two combatants, Ur, and Seraphallen. I was nearly able to strike a truce with the Castians, but when Ur brought the idea to his counterpart, they fought, and Ur died. I deployed my virus because I can¡¯t fight that, and¡­ that¡¯s a lie, I did it because I made a promise, I said that I would destroy the empire. And I didn¡¯t decide this on my own, I brought together other rulers, and I made them vote. It was unanimous, everyone wanted them gone, even Amber agreed to-¡± ¡°BULLSHIT.¡± ¡°I could bring her here in seconds. Why would I lie about that?¡± ¡°Then do it.¡± There was another long silence after Amber left. Cynthia broke that silence. ¡°Harlan, Fomoria, I think that this has been great. Now we-¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe that you corrupted Amber like that.¡± This wasn¡¯t going how Cynthia wanted. ¡°Well, we can work on this.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t-¡± Cynthia jumped over the table, into Fomoria¡¯s lap. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°If you got up, you¡¯d leave, but now you are going to stay a little longer or I will scream. People will see me on your lap, or they will see you manhandling me in an attempt to make me move, which is going to be wildly misinterpreted. Sure, you¡¯ll explain everything later, but it is going to be a black stain on your reputation.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t care about that. Whatever rumors are spread here exist here, and you may have noticed, but I don¡¯t live in Ragne anymore, and anyone that knows me won¡¯t care about such a stupid rumor.¡± Still, he sat back down. ¡°Good. Now, you don¡¯t want to admit it, but Fomoria clearly cares a lot about people, he isn¡¯t some emotionless monster, and you are really just mad that he hasn¡¯t changed like you, because you assume that all the change you made was progress, and his change is regression into a more violent person. You, you need to stop trying to run away from this conversation. Is Harlan¡¯s constant moral busybody attitude really so grating for you that you can¡¯t even try?¡± ¡°Yes. He pretends like he is above me, but he hasn¡¯t had to make the choices that I have, he hasn¡¯t made the hard calls. I won¡¯t act like I don¡¯t understand him, that I didn¡¯t make concessions, but he looks at me like I did these things with glee. If I could take back deploying the virus, I wouldn¡¯t, and at the same time, I wouldn¡¯t take back the time and resources that I spent trying to fix the Cast. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. I tried to help them, I really did, and I was left with no choice.¡± ¡°You always have a choice. You chose to destroy an entire race.¡± ¡°And if I didn¡¯t, if I hadn¡¯t so harshly disrupted the empire and made them afraid of fighting me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get what you mean.¡± ¡°You know exactly what I mean, you just don¡¯t want to get it. If Seraphallen attacked, how many cities would be destroyed? How many millions would die? Right now, the reason why Wyrmwood hasn¡¯t blast the cities where Seraphallen and the Fingers probably are, the reason why Xol and Marigold aren¡¯t razing the empire to the ground now that The Machine God has decided to join our side, is that it isn¡¯t worth the cost in lives. If Seraphallen gets sick and dies, we would have prevented him from ever even getting the chance to fight us head on. If the cost of those millions is the entirety of a race that is fundamentally broken, then that is just the cost of finally saving the world from them.¡± Fomoria tossed Cynthia off of him, letting her cast the air cushions that softened her landing. ¡°I am going to go now, I¡¯ve said my piece, and I will not justify myself to you again. Hate me, accept me, or just be apathetic, this is our family, not your family, and I will continue to be a part of it no matter how big of a tantrum you throw.¡± ¡°WAIT. Sit back down, I want to think.¡± Cynthia, after getting back up, sat in her chair and rubbed her chin. ¡°What else happened at breakfast?¡± ¡°I already told you. I talked with my parents-¡± ¡°Our parents.¡± ¡°And they talked about having dinner with Balor and him.¡± ¡°There is something else. What else were you doing?¡± ¡°Our father was reading a newspaper about a man found turned into a crystal statue and-¡± ¡°I know the story, and Balor did that.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m the one that told Rosewell that Balor was The Shade.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not stupid. I mean, The Shade? Of course it was Balor, since you weren¡¯t going to be so violent or capable in setting up a criminal organization. He started out in Blackstone, where Redwall and Fomoria are, and he has your flare for the dramatic. That and the cat incident was recreated in one of the killings.¡± ¡°He killed a cat?¡± ¡°No, he left poison needles in a chair. When his target sat down, they poked through the fabric and killed the man. Just like what we tried to do.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t exactly the same.¡± ¡°Sure, we didn¡¯t poison the needles or want her to be really hurt, but the method was there. Then he used the flour bomb, but replaced flour with toxin powder. He used the living statue prank with a golem to kill a merchant. The more I saw, the more I realized how I should¡¯ve tried to teach this to the Unseen. Nulson, he knew how to use tricks like these, and he used them to great effect. So many assassins just don¡¯t have a comedic bone in their body.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think about it like that.¡± ¡°Now shush. I think I¡¯m almost there, and then everything will be solved.¡± Fomoria called Mercedes and explained that he might be gone for a little while longer, and that a few Others could take his place in one of the fights currently ongoing. Suddenly Cynthia clapped. ¡°It¡¯s about control.¡± Fomoria leaned forward, interested in where she was taking this. ¡°Harlan, you feel like you can¡¯t control your family, and Fomoria, you refuse to be controlled. You went into his home, the place that he built with his own hands, and you taught his daughter a lesson in discipline. Harlan, you don¡¯t agree with how he did this, yes?¡± ¡°I told Adina that we needed to talk about how Viviane was acting. I know she is young, but my-¡± ¡°Our.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even know what I was going to say.¡± ¡°Our niece and nephew were much better behaved at their stage of development. But the thing is that you can¡¯t really base her on them. Vivi is physically and mentally closer to five then two, but she has so few experiences with life despite her enhanced cognitive abilities. She can¡¯t learn fast enough to get an understanding of the world, but as she gets older, she will calm down.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°My son, Darrath, is only about a year and a half older than Vivi, but he was born with a fully formed body and a not yet fully formed mind. Now, from last I saw him, he is mentally in his late teens. When I first met him, he was violent, he didn¡¯t understand anything but strength. But, in just months, I taught him so much, and he is a respectable man now. Viviane probably isn¡¯t going to grow up so quickly, and I expect that she will slow down in her aging as she gets into childhood, but mentally she is going to keep getting smarter, faster.¡± ¡°None of that gave you any right to do what you did.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sorry. Adina seemed frustrated because Viviane heard her curse and then repeated it even when asked to stop, so I offered my advice.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move past that now. Harlan, you lost control of your life when you were split from him. Since then, you¡¯ve had to deal with the fact that you are a copy, and he is the original, and you never chose to be that.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know the entire time. The Darkness, she wiped the memories of everyone who knew.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like her.¡± ¡°Adina and I, we agreed. I could never be happy, I would always feel like I stole her from him, so she offered to do it, and Fomoria asked her to do it.¡± ¡°That explains quite a bit. Now that you know, how do you feel?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. We¡¯ve been apart for so long that we aren¡¯t the same person.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true. But moving past that. You lost control at Saltlick, something happened entirely out of your control, and you were only there in the first place because you lost a fight with Fomoria and you felt like you lost control as a result of that. The academy? You weren¡¯t in control, you were reacting again, and even then, it was Fomoria who saved Adina, did he not? Ever since he came back into your life, he has been one upping you over and over, and maybe that was fine but caused a rift when it was just power, but now he did a fatherly duty, and you are horrified that you are going to lose control of them too.¡± Fomoria clapped. ¡°You are terrifyingly perceptive. Harlan, I¡¯m sorry, I really am. I didn¡¯t think about how it must¡¯ve made you feel, and I want you to know that I understand now why you are so upset at me. I didn¡¯t take Amber away from you, I brought her to a place where she didn¡¯t feel tied down by the politics and the threat of Nulson and where she has a man who she¡­ likes enough to stay. And now I feel that I need to tell you, I intend to bring the entire family outside the veil for a few days, maybe a week, but not until the war is over. I haven¡¯t told this to anyone, I haven¡¯t asked, but I want to do it, bring everyone together, let mom and dad meet Darrath, see what I¡¯ve done, good and bad.¡± ¡°Fine. Thank you for telling me.¡± Fomoria¡¯s amulet glowed. ¡°Excuse me a moment.¡± When Fomoria came out of his veil, he opened a void gate and left without a word. Harlan leaned back in his seat and thought long and hard about what Cynthia said. Meanwhile, she got up to go get Sycamore. As she picked her son up, finding him hiding inside of a hedge, a sudden storm began to form, and the eye looked directly at her home.
At the gate of the second capital wall, It was standard to check everything going in and out. ¡°Sir, pull your cart forward, through the first gate.¡± It was unlikely that Nulson would be stupid enough to try to come in, but the same arrays that checked for him also checked for anti-magic crystals and certain other illegal enchanted or soulsmithed materials. ¡°Sir, remove your hood, now. If you refuse, we will seize your cart until it has been searched.¡± When the man lifted his hood, he was smiling, then he blew his own head off with a spell in his ring, releasing Nulson from his body, and the man from the torture of being witness to his actions. The cart exploded, packed full of anti-magic bombs, no magic could be used for hundreds of feet as the crystal dust blew inside of the city, steel plates reinforce the back of the cart to force more of the explosion forward through the inner gate which was made of crisscrossing steel slats rather than a solid door. The massive array that blocked magic within the city was also connected with the monitoring arrays, and the damage done by the bomb caused a fluctuation just for a few moments, long enough for a series of gates which were already prepared to open, have a payload tossed through, then close. For the first time in several centuries, the city wide magic suppression array was brought down, and putting it back up was no small feat. As soon as the bombs went off in an airburst, dealing little real damage, but denying magic across the city, including the communicators, the royal guards gathered around Rosewell, forcing her to make the choice between hiding in the castle with all of them, or sending some out some of them so they could help control the situation. Leaving was technically an option, but Rosewell couldn¡¯t risk Relly being hurt. Her other siblings, well, she wasn¡¯t that worried. Back before Harlan, the choice would¡¯ve been simple, they would stay to protect the castle, since their magic wouldn¡¯t work anyway. But, with all of their enhancements, they could wrestle a wyvern even without their magic. Half of the royal guard left, half stayed. The only one that was going to stay inside of the safe room with the royals would be Safira, the others would remain outside to keep everyone away from the area. Chapter 346: Harlan, Champion of Calli. Harlan found himself in the endless sky again, and The Darkness was already there. ¡°Across thousands of threads, I have seen you do this thousands times, of those, you survive in-¡± ¡°Stop. I¡¯m not going to let you control my choice by throwing numbers at me.¡± ¡°Then perhaps visions would-¡± A familiar presence came, and they were no longer in Calli¡¯s small world. Fomoria was blinded in an instant by the mana flow within the world and Aarde not guarding him in any way from it; Calli wrapped him in clouds to protect him. ¡°Daughter, you were warned before, the Fomorian may make his own choice.¡± The twin voices were overlaid, Aarde was in sync with Gaia, and both denied The Darkness the right to keep trying to stop him. ¡°Calli, you have chosen this one as your champion. Fomorian, do you accept the terms as laid out?¡± Words flashed across his soul and it shook as Aarde forced all of the terms of her championship onto him along with an understanding of it. ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Calli, failure to uphold your terms is as damning for you as for him.¡± ¡°I accept my words and terms, knowing for him and for me.¡± ¡°Then you may grant your gifts to him. Daughter, you will not interfere with him, he is not your pet from this day onward.¡± Harlan was healed by Calli back in the endless sky. ¡°I don¡¯t want some large ceremony, and worry not, there would be any destruction around you when you awake.¡± ¡°I thought that was part of being a champion? Some sort of mana flooding that helped change someone into a champion and shift their soul into something immortal.¡± ¡°I could do it like that, but what¡¯s the rush? Just breathe in, breathe out, and your soul will become the soul of a champion.¡± ¡°How long will that take?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ve never had a champion. I didn¡¯t even devise this method for making you my champion until just now, because I know you don¡¯t want to destroy the home of your friend. Now, I suppose I should ask, why now?¡± ¡°I know it might sound like I¡¯m just reacting strongly again, that I¡¯m making a rash choice, that I am just trying to regain control, but I don¡¯t see it that way. I do want control back in my life, and that does require that I am stronger. I have thought this through, I¡¯ve been thinking about it since you first offered it to me. Now I¡¯m looking at this through another lens. I think now that I didn¡¯t want to be your champion because I didn¡¯t want someone else to have control over me again, and that if I accepted, it would¡¯ve been Fomoria making that choice so that I could be stronger. But this is my choice, no matter what else got me here, I am choosing to be your champion.¡± ¡°Alright. Now, for your first mission. I want you to make all the clouds above this city purple.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never gotten the chance to really send someone on a mission like this. And what do you think the people of the city are going to do? Will they panic? Or will they just accept it as something strange?¡± Harlan woke up in reality again, not instantly feeling the difference in power. Walking felt¡­ wrong, like his hover was turned up too high and he was 50 pounds but still with his full force behind every movement. Yet even after he turned his hover off completely, he found that he felt too light. Normally this could be an issue, since if he made his body lighter with hover, he also couldn¡¯t put as much force into his attacks, since no matter how fast he moved, weight increased force exerted on an object. A feather at a hundred miles per hour was less deadly than a good sized rock moving at ten; generally speaking. When he got outside, he meditated, something his new instincts told him was the right thing to do while his powers were constantly being given by his breathing. After he was done, Harlan jumped, cracking the ground, but also sending him hundreds of feet in the air while unaided by any other magic. When he landed, Cynthia was waiting. ¡°So, you¡¯re a champion now? Very nice eyes.¡± Harlan¡¯s eyes were now emerald green, swirling in like a literal eye of the storm and occasionally flashing with merciful white lightning. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good. I hoped you would.¡± ¡°You knew I was going to do that?¡± ¡°Yes. I might not be one seeking the throne, but that is by choice, I am perhaps the most devious of all my siblings. How else could we have gotten away with so many of our tricks? So, do you feel more in control? Does this power soothe your wounded pride?¡± Her tone became scolding in the second half, and Harlan couldn¡¯t help but feel like a child who had reached into the cookie jar. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t need power to feel better. You should feel good because you have a wife that loves you, a beautiful daughter, and more power than almost anyone inside of The Veil.¡± He couldn¡¯t meet her eyes, but she put her hand on his face and made her look at him. ¡°But I also understand you, and I love you like a brother, I know you couldn¡¯t ever be sated by just words, you need to feel change to feel better.¡± Cynthia hugged him and started getting strange looks from the guards who had come to find out what made the boom. ¡°Oh don¡¯t look at me like that, he is my best friend, not my lover. Now, we can go inside and wait for Zella.¡± ¡°I need to do something else first.¡± Harlan floated with almost no effort, and he began to spin, drawing the clouds which had already gathered by his championship. The people worried, and most had gone to find cover when the clouds first gathered. A flash colored the clouds as he stopped spinning a mix of wind magic and paint magic, which was made up from light and earth, and they became a vibrant purple, but they didn¡¯t just overcast the city, the light inside of them made the city purple where it passed through the clouds. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. When Zella, she was confused, but felt no danger. What she felt however, was the presence of another champion. ¡°You prick.¡± Cynthia looked disapprovingly, since Sycamore was still with her. ¡°Sorry, Miss Cynthia. But I can¡¯t even become a champion without you becoming some sort of double champion.¡± ¡°Technically I wasn¡¯t ever a champion in the normal sense. Besides, I didn¡¯t do this because you became a champion. I did this so I could take back some control over my life, and you are going outside of the veil anyway.¡± ¡°Ah, is that why the Greenfields could never find the champion? They thought that the champion just left back to The Confederacy, since she rarely ever has a human champion. You are actually still quite unique in that sense. Why do you need to leave?¡± ¡°That¡¯s champion business.¡± Despite her anger at Harlan, Zella couldn¡¯t help but smile as the words left her mouth. ¡°Take pride in what you are, what you do, don¡¯t worry about Harlan.¡± ¡°Zella, have you talked to Reet about you leaving? Is he going to go with you?¡± His words stung at her. ¡°Cynthia, can you leave for a bit?¡± ¡°Of course. Come, Syca.¡± ¡°Can I see the Lions?¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go see all of the animals while we wait for your father.¡± Once Cynthia was out of the room, Zella waited another half a minute to make sure that she wasn¡¯t listening. ¡°I know that you are really close to her, but I¡¯m not bringing her into my relationships. I don¡¯t think that it¡¯s fair to me to ask Reet to leave his family for me.¡± ¡°Are you going to talk to him about it?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s better if I leave, then I can call him later.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that to him. He¡¯s lived so much of his life taking care of his family, and even his youngest sibling isn¡¯t a child anymore. Don¡¯t make him choose, but let him make a choice to follow you or not.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been over a month since we last talked. I¡¯ve been away for so long, I don¡¯t even know what to-¡± ¡°You have your gate spell now, you can visit him whenever you want, even if you don¡¯t bring him outside of The Veil with Fomoria¡¯s help.¡± ¡°Can you go outside with your gate?¡± ¡°No. Lir doesn¡¯t let people travel through The Veil without a good reason. A void gate bypasses it, and Anu¡¯s champion is just allowed to come and go as they please because of the nature of their work. Get it? The nature of it?¡± ¡°Are you always listening to me?¡± ¡°I was doing this as much as I could before you became my champion, but now I¡¯m going to leave a little piece of me in your head.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t go outside without Lir¡¯s permission. Can I transport people other than myself? How does my gate work?¡± ¡°Bolt gate turns you into lightning.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°I would avoid using it inside, not that it won¡¯t find its way out anyway. But yes, you can bring more people into it, though there is a certain charge time. Did you understand that joke?¡± ¡°Yes electrical charge. What about-¡± ¡°Hey? Are you done talking with her?¡± ¡°Sorry, I was just trying to get some clarification on how her gate works. You turn into a seed, I turn into a bolt of lightning. Now I¡¯m wondering how Brig¡¯s mist gate actually worked, because it seemed to just teleport us. Calli, how does it work?¡± ¡°How would I know? I didn¡¯t even know what a bolt gate would be until just now.¡± ¡°Did you make the spell up on the spot?¡± ¡°No, I just found out how it worked. I¡¯ve never had to use it, but this gate existed with the previous god of wind.¡± ¡°What about void gate.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask me about her abilities, she can be¡­ defensive about such things.¡± ¡°Yes, I can be.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you both in my head.¡± ¡°And I didn¡¯t want you to be her champion, but here we are. I only came to prevent her from giving away my secrets, but you are now dead to me, expect no more help, traitor.¡± Harlan didn¡¯t even want to argue with her. Ultimately, Zella decided to see Reet and talk with him in person, after she talked with Duke Greenfield. ¡°Champion of Anu, thank you for not rushing this meeting. I, as my father, and his father before him, have maintained the rules given by Anu to prevent the destruction of the ecosystem stemming from our magic.¡± ¡°Thank you, but I have been asked to look at your newest batch of seeds so Anu may ensure that you, even by mistake, have not broken the rules laid out for you. Should she find them dangerous, then there is not yet harm done, and it may be corrected.¡± ¡°Of course, I understand. Sir Fomoria, you may follow us to the doors of the lab, but you are not allowed to step foot inside.¡± ¡°Alright. And¡­ I¡¯m sorry to say this, but I¡¯ve been asked to help Zella, and if you do attempt to hurt her, I would be required to kill you and burn your home. Calli said that I had to explicitly state this.¡± ¡°The god of wind?¡± ¡°Yes, I have also become her champion.¡± ¡°Is that why my city is purple?¡± ¡°Yes, she found it funny. The clouds will fade in time, the paint magic becoming so dispersed that it fails.¡± Harlan couldn¡¯t leave until Zella had safely left the city. In the meanwhile, he called Adina. ¡°How are things at home?¡± ¡°Oh, you aren¡¯t pouting anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have yelled.¡± ¡°You scared Viviane, she could feel your anger radiating off of you. What have you been doing since you stormed off like a child?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound like I threw a tantrum for no reason at all.¡± ¡°You did. You couldn¡¯t handle Fomoria giving me good advice for Vivi, and you couldn¡¯t handle that he had dinner with Balor and your parents.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not no reason.¡± ¡°I understand your reason, your family is wonderful, and I love them, but you can¡¯t decide who they are and aren¡¯t allowed to talk with. Fomoria, for whatever he¡¯s done, isn¡¯t a bad person, he still cares, and-¡± ¡°I know, I know. I talked with him, Cynthia made me.¡± ¡°You went to see her? You didn¡¯t think that you could come to me? Was I untrustworthy because I actually talked with him and came to my own conclusion instead of your¡¯s?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it at all. Zella decided to become Anu¡¯s champion, and her first duty is to warn House Greenfield to not destroy the world with their plants, so I was sent ahead of her to make sure that nothing goes wrong. I also became Calli¡¯s champion.¡± ¡°Oh. So, things are fine between you and Fomoria?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to be angry at him anymore, I know that is unfair and I was projecting my own fears onto him.¡± ¡°You need to go to the capital, it¡¯s under attack by Nulson, and that man who is obsessed with your wife.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°No, not you, Calli just told me that the capital is under attack. I need to go.¡± ¡°Be safe.¡±
The royals were being gathered in a safe room, but Lily didn¡¯t want to leave her workshop. ¡°Princess Lily, you cannot remain here.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m not leaving. Brig will protect me if anyone comes in here.¡± The old blacksmith had never stopped working for Ragne, and in time, he came to enjoy Lily¡¯s presence. ¡°No sense in bein¡¯ ¡®ere, you ain¡¯t gonna fight by me, you¡¯d get in the way.¡± Brig hadn¡¯t worn armor or used a sword against another person in many years, but once Lily left the room he formed the sigil of defense and weapon, yet armor and sword felt wrong to him. The chill of the cloudy ice didn¡¯t bother him, but Brig just didn¡¯t see himself as a warrior anymore, he had long since given up on the killing. Yet now he became c Then he sat on one of the anvils and began to sing songs of lost sailors. Another knight entered the room. ¡°You must leave the workshop, the castle is being locked down.¡± ¡°So, you the fuckin¡¯ bastard?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you-¡± ¡°Stagnant heart, still water, corruption. You got a sickly flow to ya.¡± He moved toward the man, who abandoned the body. The knight staggered and caught himself on the doorway. ¡°What am I¡­ where?¡± ¡°Ya got your body snatched up. Now fuck off.¡± The knight left the room in a stupor, not really understanding what happened. When the fighting broke out in the castle above, Brig remained in the workshop, having faith that Lily would be fine, but she would be devastated if all of the things that they were making together were destroyed. The walls began to crack, and Brig made supports of ice to protect the room. Harlan was there, that much he was sure, but there were others he didn¡¯t recognize the flow of. Chapter 347: Nulsons Plan As much as Harlan didn¡¯t like the idea, he was coming around on Fomoria, and so he called him as soon as he found that his gates couldn¡¯t get him anywhere within a dozen miles of the capital. ¡°I can¡¯t help.¡± ¡°Rosewell is in-¡± ¡°Danger, I know. But I can¡¯t take any times away from-¡± Fomoria¡¯s amulet shattered, and he called back with just his mind. ¡°I am in a fight, but I will come as soon as I can, if I can.¡± Harlan moved at full speed, yet he hardly even displaced the air, his new powers were instinct, and what he believed was the limit to his speed was a thing of the past. Those dozen miles were covered in a matter of minutes; He sent Zella to his home, such a large threat was surely something involving him as well. When he saw the walls of the city, he saw a golem, over 20 feet high with several arms, fighting with royal guards. Harlan tried to fly right into it with his hands forward as if diving, and when it tried to dodge, he made a sudden turn that should¡¯ve sent his guts into a tailspin. Instead, Harlan had no issues, and he flew right through the golem, his eyes finding exactly where the crystal was located in its chest. The golem didn¡¯t fall instantly, there was still mana in the metal, but without the crystal to act as an achor, the anti-magic in the area quickly sapped it. ¡°What is the situation?¡± His flight turned wobbly as the magic he brought in from the outside faded, absorbed and eaten away by the dust that clung to every surface and hung in the air. ¡°Commander Safira and half of the guards remained to guard the royals, we have been sent out to control the chaos as best we can. A very large bomb exploded at the second north gate, and it disrupted the arrays across the entire city, letting enemies drop more and more anti-magic bombs across the city. We can¡¯t call out, and what magic we can use doesn¡¯t make it more than a matter of inches. Were it not for our enhanced bodies, we would¡¯ve long been killed by these large golems. We will continue our work out here, but I am certain Commander Safira would rather you by her side.¡± Harlan jumped from roof to roof, finding another ability, to stand on air. With the paradox of his weight, the cost of making solid air was almost nothing, and with it so close to his skin, the anti-magic held little sway over it. He crashed through the window of the hall near the safe room, and nearly found Safira¡¯s mace through his skull. ¡°Sir Fomoria, I did not expect you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the champion of wind now, Calli told me what was happening, I want to give you my sigil to enhance you beyond enhancement.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time, if-¡± ¡°It takes just a few minutes to recover. I could do one at a time, with me, you would have a force as strong as before.¡± ¡°Even a few minutes are too much, we can do this later.¡± ¡°Have you actually seen Nulson yet?¡± ¡°No. Once you are done here, go to Dagda, he and his creations are guarding his lab, Brig is in the workship. The alchemists are guarding their own work, and the forgemasters with their golems.¡± ¡°Oh no.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°He can enter into mindless things, those golems-¡± His point was accented by a rumbling as said golems began to rampage. ¡°DAMNIT, YOU, YOU, GO WITH SIR FOMORIA, SAVE THE FORGEMASTERS.¡± ¡°ALCHEMISTS FIRST, USE THEIR ACIDS TO DESTROY THE GOLEMS.¡± When they reached the door, they all smelled it, so Fomoria put up an air barrier. The anti-magic bombs may have coated the outside of the castle, but unless there was an open window, none of the dust got inside. ¡°He knew we¡¯d come here first, we wasted our time.¡± ¡°Maybe there is something scavengeable inside still.¡± ¡°We are much more likely to end up setting off a bomb that would fill these halls with poison and collapse this entire segment of the castle. Let¡¯s hope we didn¡¯t waste too much time.¡± Each lab or workshop was put some distance from another so that they wouldn¡¯t starve the rest of the castle of mana when they did certain experiments, and if one exploded, the rest wouldn¡¯t be destroyed as well. When they reached the forge, the door had already been blown off of the hinges, and forgemasters used unstable and dangerous magical weapons in an attempt to fight off their own creations. Harlan pulled out his blade, and found that it had changed, lines of green spiraled from pommel to tip. It glided through the metal with ease he didn¡¯t expect. Had he realized how much stronger he actually was, had he days to find out his new limits, he would¡¯ve never wasted an instant trying to get the acids from the alchemists. As he cut through them, he always sought the one that was clearly Nulson, the others he had simply hopped into and corrupted. Yet no matter how fast he moved, Nulson was always fast enough to hop from golem to golem. When down to the last handful, Nulson fled into the crossroads. ¡°He¡¯s gone.¡± The forgemasters wept not for their fellow man, but for the various pieces of equipment that never had a chance of ever seeing a real fight, cut cleanly by Harlan and the royal guards. Harlan rushed back to the safehouse; the forgemasters still refused to leave the workshop. Safira still stood guard. ¡°How are things? Has he tried to attack?¡± ¡°No.¡± Rosewell came out. ¡°We need to find out what his actual plan is. You and Balor claimed that he was working with Magruder, find what they were doing together. What does denying magic here actually bring them?¡± ¡°They killed over half of the forgemasters, your alchemists are dead.¡± ¡°Too small, he doesn¡¯t care about hurting Ragne, he wants me either dead or in his hands. There has to be something else at play.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°The city has suffered substantial harm, entire blocks are gone, I had to¡­ I had to go past the dead and dying to reach the castle.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time to worry about that. If you were him, what would this actually be leading to? He neglected to bomb the castle itself, he wants everyone who is outside to be without magic, and he wants our defenses lowered. But any bomb with enough force to cause any real damage would need to come through a gate, and it would need to be mundane.¡± Harlan thought, though his mind went to the people outside contenting with golems and soldiers. ¡°It has to be mundane, but it doesn¡¯t need to be a bomb.¡± He leapt through another window and looked at the sky. ¡°There is a mountain headed toward us. Even if we break it apart, the city is done.¡± ¡°So we must demolish it entirely.¡± ¡°He wanted us to have magic inside so we could try to stop it, it wouldn¡¯t be fun if we didn¡¯t put up resistance. I¡¯ll try to get help with this.¡± Harlan went high into the sky until he could contact people again, spinning himself fast enough to shake loss whatever dust still clung to him. His first thought was Marigold, but she didn¡¯t have the right to enter this fight, because while it would surely effect Ragne greatly to have most of the royal bloodline die, it wasn¡¯t world shattering enough that Aarde would let her. Xol refused for the simple reason that Harlan could get Rosewell and Relly out if he wanted, and the rest of the city didn¡¯t hold any real value to him; Xol would¡¯ve loved the mass to strike the city let him crack open the royal vault of artifacts. Sepul came once he heard, and scolded Harlan for not calling him sooner. But he could do little, and wouldn¡¯t help until he was sure of what could be done. Perhaps he could break it up enough to save the castle, but that was also assuming that the mountain headed toward them hadn¡¯t been boobytrapped. For all he knew, it would release anti-magic crystals that would devour his attacks and then kill them all anyway while they were weakened. ¡°Calli, can I call upon your power?¡± ¡°To destroy the mountain, perhaps, but the blowback of the attack would flatten the city. If you can break it apart, I may offer a shield which could divert much of the rubble, assuming it isn¡¯t anti-magic.¡± ¡°I can try. Calli told me that she could help with a shield if we found a way to break it apart.¡± ¡°The risk is too high. Can you get closer and check it for bombs?¡± ¡°My body would burn up.¡± The sky was starting to redden as it drew nearer. It was then that Fomoria arrived with a void gate high above the pair. ¡°How are we handling that?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know yet. It could have anti-magic bombs, but we can¡¯t get close enough to find out.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Fomoria flew without hesitation, his adamant body could not be harmed by the mundane heat that came from it, though his eyes did start to boil, forcing him to remove them. He shot back down, burning just as the mountain. ¡°There are no bombs within the range of my magical and seismic sense.¡± ¡°Even with myself and you two, I don¡¯t see how we are going to destroy it. We will try to save castle, but the city is likely forfeit. Were I only able to make a larger gate.¡± ¡°Harlan, get Rosewell to agree to lend me the royal guards, all of them, just once, without any arguing or question, and I will save the city without needing you.¡± He floated in front of them, his figure backlit by the mountain falling from the sky. ¡°Can you actually-¡± ¡°You are wasting time.¡± Harlan flew down to Rosewell. ¡°Fomoria said he can save the city, but you must give him the royal guard, once, when he asks for them, no questions, no arguments.¡± ¡°Can he do it?¡± ¡°He seems confident.¡± She couldn¡¯t hesitate for more than a few seconds. ¡°Do it. Safira, you and the royal guards will carry my siblings, myself, and Relly out of this place. Harlan, come with and run defense, you are our fastest royal guard.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± There was no attack on the way out, the golems Magruder and Nulson made were content to destroy the city rather than pursue them, and they saw nothing of either man. Miles away, they could still see the mountain in its horror closing. Rosewell opened a gate, ready to step through, but she wanted to see if Sepul and Fomoria could actually do it. They saw a giant sphere of void open, one of Fomoria¡¯s gates, and from it came hundreds of Others. This was expected, what wasn¡¯t was the giant arm that reached forward. Rosewell couldn¡¯t tell what was happening, but Harlan¡¯s eyes were much better, and he knew the right spells to extend his vision even further. The arm must¡¯ve come from or been created for something a hundred feet tall, it was at least 40 feet on its own, and it was being attached to Fomoria¡¯s arm. The Others breathed void flames over the city, trying to destroy the crystal dust faster than it could eat away at it, and while it wasn¡¯t perfect, the upper bounds of the anti-magic zone was significantly lowered. Then hundreds of gates opened to catch the rubble and sendless mostly harmlessly into The Great Desert. ¡°He isn¡¯t really going to just¡­ I need to go back.¡± ¡°Go, we are safe now.¡± They could see him reel back the giant adamant scaled arm, then they saw it darken with earth imbibing, grow shiny and hot with fire imbibing, lastly, they could not see Fomoria focusing his aura very specifically to enhance the blow far beyond sense. Before Fomoria¡¯s blow could land, Harlan channeled Calli¡¯s might, putting up a shield that prevented the shockwave of the strike from killing everyone in the city. When the fist stuck the mountain, they saw a cloud of dust and stones that were launched for miles. From inside of it, cutting beams of radiant heat sliced the pieces which were too large to fit through some of the gates, and when the cloud cleared, the city stood, and Harlan could see Sepul grab the falling Fomoria, yet the arm fell separately, crashing down with a great sound. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. He actually did it.¡± Rosewell¡¯s voice was more terrified than astonished. She wondered what he even needed her royal guard for, his army of Others was clearly worth more than them even if they were more quantity than quality, which she wasn¡¯t sure of.
Many miles in the direction opposite from Harlan and the royals, Magruder and Nulson watched as their game ended with their loss. ¡°DAMNIT DAMNIT DAMNIT. HE CHEATED, WHO THE FUCK IS THAT? WHAT WAS THAT?¡± ¡°Calm down, we did what we came to do.¡± ¡°And what was that?¡± ¡°Well, if you are going to be rude, I won¡¯t tell.¡± Magruder was shaking with fury, veins on his neck looked ready to burst. ¡°Please, what did we actually come here for.¡± Magruder, wearing the body of one of the royal guards who was nearly killed by one of the rampaging golems outside of the castle, pulled out a crystal sphere the size of a man¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t be shy, say hello.¡± ¡°If you hadn¡¯t wrapped me in this damnedable cloth, I would sear the skin from your bones, lamenting only that I lack a nose to smell your bubbling flesh.¡± ¡°Come now, that¡¯s hardly fun. Why don¡¯t we-¡± A dozen gates opened around them, then another dozen, and another, and another. Nulson was ready to abandon Magruder without a care in the world that it would mean they actually did accomplish nothing but attacking Yggdra, the city. Yet a thick needle planted itself in his neck, and he found himself unable to leave the body or move at all. The Others stepped out stacked on top of one another. Then came Fomoria, who couldn¡¯t even stay in the sky under his own strength, leaning on Sepul, missing an arm. ¡°You didn¡¯t think that I would just let you go, did you? Dagda, I noticed you were missing, and I expected that he would be the only one to steal you, tracking from there was simple.¡± ¡°Why were you looking for me?¡± ¡°No need to ruin this by asking why. You must be Magruder?¡± ¡°I think we can work out a-¡± Jewelry hidden under his robes fired war spells, but the Others countered them with void flames and proper counter magic, then descended on him, tearing the man limb from limb before crushing his head and stomping him until he was nothing but a stain of pulpy flesh on the hillside, there would be no chance that he could come back from this, he would not be sloppy like David was. ¡°Nulson, I am also told that you threatened my sister, Amber, and my friend, Liat. Oh, no response? Oh, that must be the soul sealing needle, yes, I made many of them. You see, I might not have been involved in hunting you, but my brother, Balor, he was, and I say was, because you are caught, and I¡¯m going to kill you. Along with him, I had my spymaster, D¡¯if, and together, we worked to make something to keep you from escaping. Grandpa, set me down by him.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Nulson tried as hard as he could, but the stolen body refused to move, the aura of the man had turned to a solid shell that refused to let anything in or out, not entirely unlike a Goliath and their anti-magic that repelled mana, but if mana was inside of them, it had no way out, so it would build until they burst. Fomoria put his hand inside the man¡¯s chest, sliding easily through his sternum, but he avoided his organs. He just needed to be as close as he could, then force a connection between their minds. Nulson thought for a moment that he had a way out, then another voice met him. ¡°You may call me Micheal, or as I was known, Mindkiller.¡± The threat of Nulson was dealt with. Ultimately, it was pride that stopped him. If Nulson any real sense, he would¡¯ve fled with Dagda the moment he could. But no, Nulson wanted to savor the moment, he wanted to see Yggdra, the city, turn into a crater, stepping into a gate just before the shockwave turned Magruder and himself into shadows on the hillside. It was that difference between him and Fomoria that was his downfall. Fomoria found no joy in the suffering of others, and he tried to send a message with his work, but he wouldn¡¯t put himself in such a position to lose just so he could send that message. Discretion was the better part of valor. Chapter 348: Its Done Harlan remembered casting the spell, saving what citizens remained in the city, he remembered seeing the blanket of gates cover his vision, and then nothing more. It was cold. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake already.¡± Harlan felt a wet rag on his head. ¡°Sepul?¡± ¡°You did very well, putting up such a fast barrier, though you should be more careful with Calli.¡± ¡°She made a promise just before I cast the spell that it would work.¡± ¡°The promises of gods are no more reliable than those of man. She may have fully believed it would work, but there is no way she would know if you could survive the aftermath.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve channeled her for a spell.¡± ¡°Just the first time you¡¯ve consented to it.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Fomoria¡¯s first strike severely damaged the mountain, and it was not costless. The arm tore from his body and refused to heal for a full day. Once the mountain suffered the blow, his Others and I broke apart the larger pieces and let them fall into the dozens of gates. Then, he tracked Nulson and Magruder.¡± ¡°Are they in custody?¡± Sepul couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°No, Magruder became a stain on the hill where they intended to watch Yggdra be destroyed, and Nulson was killed by Fomoria.¡± ¡°You are sure, both of them are dead?¡± ¡°Magruder tried to use some crystals charged with war magic, but the Others quickly destroyed them, and I watched as they mercilessly pounded the man until there was nothing left larger than a tooth. I couldn¡¯t exactly see how Fomoria killed Nulson, but I see no reason to doubt him, his anger was real, that much I can say.¡± ¡°Then¡­ it¡¯s over.¡± ¡°Yes, they are gone.¡± ¡°How many died in the city?¡± ¡°The population was around 140,000 at the moment if one counted merchants and other visitors, of them, 60,000 died. The city was decimated, half of all the buildings were reduced to their foundations, the castle will need a great deal of work done to bring it back to its original shape. Ironically, most of the damage actually came from when the arm was blown from Fomoria and landed on it. But, in a few weeks, the physical pieces will return to their proper shape, and in a few months, the arrays will be back to their proper shape.¡± ¡°How long have I been asleep?¡± ¡°Two days. I found you flayed, channeling her had actually blown your skin from your muscles, and you lost much of your blood. I do hope that we found all of the pieces of your armor, but the crystals couldn¡¯t be saved. Still, Rosewell is going to replace them.¡± Sepul stepped away, finding that Harlan was healthy enough to no longer need to be cared for. ¡°You should speak with her.¡± ¡°Where am I?¡± ¡°My home.¡± Sepul helped Harlan get up from the bed and brought him out to the living room, where some of his family was waiting for him. Viviane practically leapt from Adina¡¯s arms and ran to him. When she hugged his leg, she began to tear up as she felt a fraction of Harlan¡¯s pain. ¡°Hey sweetie, it¡¯s so good to see you again.¡± He went down to a knee so he could hug her. ¡°Papa is ok. You don¡¯t need to worry anymore.¡± ¡°You were sleeping and I kept pushing you and you kept sleeping. You wouldn¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°Papa just needed to rest, but I was fine.¡± ¡°Your red stuff was on the outside.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°All the stuff under your skin.¡± ¡°You let her see me while I was healing?¡± Sepul didn¡¯t much care for the accusation in Harlan¡¯s voice. ¡°I had no hand in that. People who wander my halls aren¡¯t supposed to find what they are looking for. Her desire to see you overcame my arrays.¡± ¡°Childish magic is something I can understand. I¡¯m sorry for my tone.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Elise next hugged him. ¡°Why are you doing that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I really am. I was a terrible sister, and-¡± ¡°If you are about to say that Fomoria talked to you about it, I would rather not hear it.¡± ¡°Then I won¡¯t say it. I¡¯ve kept away because I knew we last left one another on poor terms, and seeing you brought here in such a condition, I realized that I would deeply regret if you died hating me. I don¡¯t want to be my mother, but I¡¯ve become her, a horrible, selfish woman, who considered nobody but herself and abandoned her family.¡± Dawn was in the room, and though she made a tight fist, she couldn¡¯t say that Elise was wrong to have such a view of her. ¡°I forgive you. I should¡¯ve reached out to you instead of just leaving things as they were for so many months. Now, I do need to sit.¡± Viviane pulled on his pants. ¡°I want to play.¡± Harlan could hardly resist telling her yes, but Adina swooped in to save him. ¡°Not now. Papa is still very tired, but I should be strong by tomorrow.¡± He got from noon until dusk to sit with his family, and Sepul brought the rest, except for Amber, who had to be brought by Fomoria. Then, Sepul finally told Rosewell that Harlan was awake, and she wanted a meeting as soon as he was able. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Which, considering he had spent the entire day doing nothing, he was ready when she asked. Harlan was escorted from the gate room through to the ruined throne room. Few arrays and wards were back up, but they didn¡¯t worry about any more attacks. The enemies that they knew were dead, and if those in the shadows tried to strike, they would fight back without question. But Harlan didn¡¯t think about any of that, all he could think of was that the banners in the throne room had a much smaller banner over the top, not obscuring the crest of Ragne, but still, being over top implied greater authority for them. The banners in question were a skull with a flaming eye on the forehead and surrounded by broken chains. ¡°No doubt you are wondering why I called you here.¡± He nodded. ¡°I¡¯m joining Fomoria. If it were not for him, Yggdra would be completely destroyed, Magruder and Nulson would¡¯ve escaped, and honestly, I couldn¡¯t turn down his deal.¡± ¡°What deal?¡± ¡°If you were to go outside, you¡¯d see thousands of construction golems sent by him, clearing rubble, rebuilding the city. His Others subjugated the remaining golems from Nulson and Magruder, they killed or captured all of the mercenaries which were brought by those two, he returned Dagda safely to us. And he has given us aura techniques which, while we haven¡¯t been able to completely verify the effects of, the examples given by this Others mean that the royal guard will remain unparalleled even in the case of anti-magic attacks like this again. I¡¯m still queen, I will rule as I see fit, provided that I follow a few rules that he has set. So soon after the civil war, I know that I risk sparking another by the most significant of changes, removing the tiers of law, letting a commoner sue nobility as a noble would, removing laws that let nobles jail or fine them for insulting them, true or false. But with my capital in ruins, most of the royal military forces within the city killed, a quarter of the royal guard dead, and my position weaker than ever, I risk being killed by either a sibling or one of the dukes anyway.¡± She tapped on her throne, waiting for his reply. ¡°Do you have nothing to say?¡± ¡°He was willing to kill everyone in the city to stop that attack. If I didn¡¯t put up that barrier, the shockwaves would¡¯ve killed anyone without an enhanced body. You would¡¯ve had a tomb, not a capital.¡± ¡°But I would¡¯ve had a tomb, not a crater. Haldren never recovered from your actions, but losing half the population here will be a blow that we can recover from. And, true or not, he claims that he knew you would do what you did.¡± ¡°He explicitly told me before I went to deliver his demands that he didn¡¯t need my help. I don¡¯t believe he would¡¯ve cared if everyone here died.¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± ¡°Perhaps? What the fuck kind of reply-¡± Rosewell lifted a scepter, one he had not seen in some time, and Harlan could not help but kneel in silence. ¡°He made the hard call and he did it without any hesitation. Setting up a city this large can take years, rebuilding what was destroyed will take months if not just weeks with his golems. He claims to have built a city as large as the inner ring of Yggdra in just nine months. The quality of living for everyone within the kingdom will improve, he has promised that, and already he has deployed his people from outside the veil, He brought a wyvern whose breath did the work of a hundred healers, and she has freely healed the people as his Dague fed the survivors.¡± Rosewell stopped for a moment to catch her breath, and Harlan couldn¡¯t help but feel she was more trying to convince herself than convince him. Over a thousand years of rule as an independent kingdom, and it ended on her watch. No matter how far into a corner she might¡¯ve felt, it was still her choice to give control to Fomoria. Right or wrong would be a problem for the future, being seen as a coward who cracked or a queen who understood what was going to happen anyway, and decided to make the hard call for the sake of her people. ¡°In the time that it will take to bring this castle back to its glory, I would ask that you take Relly and protect her.¡± She put down her artifact, letting Harlan reply. ¡°What about you and the rest of the royals?¡± ¡°If I left while the rebuilding was underway it would be a crushing blow to morale. My siblings are doing their parts with logistics or what have you, and they are too busy to spend a month sitting around, but Relly would quite appreciate somewhere that is safe, that she can relax. She doesn¡¯t much handle stress well.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Is that it?¡± ¡°I¡­ I understand. Fomoria, he has resources, a lot of resources, and when the time comes, if they could stop him, they wouldn¡¯t. Hirum has already sided with him, he¡¯ll have Others teaching next year, his spatial mage will be teaching, he already lives on Learning Zone land. Sepul won¡¯t get involved because it won¡¯t be a matter of gods. Reino is on his side. The Confederacy has their own problems, and he¡¯ll fold them in eventually. I just don¡¯t see what else we can do.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sound like we¡¯ve been conquered, or that we¡¯ve lost anything. The greatest time in the history of Ragne was the time when Yggdra the First lived, because having the same good ruler for nearly a thousand years meant stability. Fomoria isn¡¯t a collar on us, he¡¯s a brace, keeping the kingdom from falling under people like my grandfather.¡± Harlan walked out. Once he was back home, he sat in his library, and he looked at the empty shelves. He liked the idea of it, but he had yet to put forth much effort towards actually filling the shelves. He thought about his life as a child, how much he loved reading that adventurers manual, all the monsters, the little stories. How one night, that reading under the moonlight changed everything about his life. It was that night that made him distant from his family, that made his sisters worry so much that they got together and made the family take a trip to Redwall. That trip then got the attention of the royals, and the royals brought him to The Facility. Where he intentionally killed his first man. Where he made the first Ragnite soulsmithed items. Where he made the first golems. He had to make the call, was a safe world with Fomoria at the helm worth it? As a man, the answer was no, Fomoria was a disaster waiting to happen. But as a father, it was no choice at all. Every fight that he had to fight, Fomoria could fight for him. She would never need to worry about having to become Harlan, a killer, she could live in a safer world, and if things fell apart, he could still retreat to his home. Harlan waited for it, for his truth to break, but it never came. For him, doing what was right no matter the cost meant finally knowing when to stop, when the fight was actually over, when someone else was going to do better than him. And of the choices he¡¯d made in his life, this would be one of the hardest.
Fomoria gated back to Rosewell, carrying a man. ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, one of the royal guard, but he was Nulson for a time.¡± ¡°So, he got away again.¡± ¡°No, Nulson is handled.¡± ¡°Magruder?¡± Fomoria stepped aside, showing the other end of the gate. ¡°He attacked first, and so my men reduced him to a stain.¡± ¡°It¡¯s over then¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s over. But, your city is in ruins. Let me take control.¡± ¡°Of the rebuilding?¡± ¡°Of Ragne.¡± The royal guards all drew their weapons and began to ready their spells. ¡°I told you before, I would come one day, but I don¡¯t need to conquer you. The jackals will be at your door, they will see that you are weak, that you¡¯ve lost a third of your royal guard, that you had to call in my help to save the city.¡± ¡°Lower your weapons.¡± All but Safira did as asked. ¡°Lower, your, weapon.¡± ¡°I cannot do that. So long as I believe Fomoria is a threat, I am bound to my duty as your guardian.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Safira is right, I do appear to be a threat, and it is only right that she be ready to protect you. You can count on me for troops if any noble wants to try their hand, you can count on my golems to help clear the rubble and rebuild the city. I don¡¯t want or need anything from Ragne, I intend to just give, and in exchange, you fly my banner, you accept my charter, and your enemies become my enemies.¡± ¡°It will risk another civil war.¡± ¡°Then it will. I have long since accepted that people are going to die in a war, and I can only try my best to ensure that I kill as few in the crossfire as I can.¡± ¡°What of my artifacts?¡± ¡°Everything that is yours will remain yours. I don¡¯t want your artifacts,your mines, your fields, the research that your people do. Ragne will remain far more independent than the other nations which I¡¯ve conquered, because this was my home, and with you on the throne, I can trust that it will not rebel. When you are gone, maybe that will change, maybe it won¡¯t. That will depend on the next regent. So, get pregnant, or be ready to pass this one to your niece or nephew.¡± ¡°I would hope Relly-¡± ¡°No. Ragne needs a Yggdra. She could have a child holding your blood, but she cannot hold the throne.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because, it is best to keep someone of your bloodline on the throne for at least the next two generations.¡± Rosewell furrowed her brow. ¡°I thought you not to be so pragmatic.¡± ¡°I keep as many local rulers in power as I can, because it helps the cities remain stable. Most nations I conquer are under Castian banner, they have changed hands more than once in the last century. Ragne has a history of over a thousand years, you¡¯ve got cities and dukes and counts and barons and knights with their warbands. This place will take much longer to come under my banner in full. Other than The North, I believe just telling them who my grandfather is and improving their lives would be enough. You have until I clear the city of threats to decide, then I withdraw my offer, and when I next come, I will not be asking.¡± Chapter 349: Severing of Sea and Sky Fomoria found a rather strange message waiting for him. One of the cities quite far west of even his westernmost city invited Yara and him to dinner to discuss their surrender. Naturally, he had his suspicions, and he didn¡¯t want to bring Yara, but upon reading the letter intended for her from the wife of the mayor, she felt it was genuine. It wasn¡¯t a special city, it was just like any other. High walls, four gates, fields outside, tiered buildings as was the standard set during the reign of the Reinoan Empire. The only strange things were that it flew no banners, and that they were human, not Faun or Plest, the preferred non-Cast rulers of the empire; outside of the city one could fight the smoldering remains of the Castian banners. When Fomoria and Yara arrived by gate, there was a small panic, since they hadn¡¯t given the city much time to prepare. But, the couple waited, watching them scramble to gather flower pedals, alert the mayor, get trumpeters, and get the chefs started on a meal. The mayor, Feld, his wife, Linda, and their two children, who weren¡¯t mentioned by name in the letter, so Fomoria didn¡¯t know them, came to the east gate to greet them. ¡°Emperor Fomoria, many apologies for our lack of preparedness.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not an issue. I¡¯m certain you expected us days from now.¡± ¡°I had heard that you can travel vast distances without a moment''s notice, but it is another thing to witness it.¡± ¡°I would rather not give you time to prepare some large event. I intend to come here, have a meal, and go over folding your city into my empire. Each day I bring more and more land under my control, and I would never have time for anything else if I attended such things with every new city.¡± Fomoria shook his hand, trying his best to get a reading of the man. He had begun to have the feeling that he could sense when someone was lying to him, much like Sepul being able to force the truth from people. He thought he had a well enough sense for such a thing before, but a tickle began on the back of his neck sometimes when people spoke to him, and it as often enough with enemies intended to fake surrenders or people who didn¡¯t want to offend him that he couldn¡¯t ignore the possibility that it was something more than instinct. ¡°Of course, I can understand that there is much work to be done.¡± They walked side by side, Feld and Fomoria, Linda and Yara behind them, and then the two children, who Fomoria was watching closely with eyes in the back of his head, to make sure they weren¡¯t actually Bijou poised to strike at Yara. Everything went well, the food wasn¡¯t poisoned, the knights kept their blades sheathed, there were no slaves being visibly wronged within either his sight or the range of his mental senses. Then, finally Feld went to shake Yara¡¯s hand, and Fomoria saw it. Visually it was perfectly hidden, some combination of Castian technology and Aardian magic, a spring loaded blade hidden in his sleeve which attempted to shoot a thick needle into Yara¡¯s heart. ¡°FOR THE-¡± Feld was not a powerful man, neither martially nor magically, that was part of why he was chosen for this mission, because Fomoria¡¯s every instinct would see this man was an ant, something beneath threat, or so Seraphallen believed. The Hand lacked the ability to properly see things from the perspectives of others, and assumed Fomoria was like him. Yet Fomoria looked at even the children like threats, he wouldn¡¯t let something so simple get past him. And so Seraphallen¡¯s plan failed, because Feld was slow compared to Fomoria. In less than it took to blink, Fomoria grabbed the mayor¡¯s wrist, shooting the first needle into the ceiling, then twisting to both break his arm and the weapon itself; Fomoria opened a gate to the squad of Others which were always on the ready. The soldiers in the room were dead before they had time to swing their blades, their heads removed by the swift slices of adamant clawed hands. Feld screamed, his perception was human, and everything had happened in a blur. Yara hardly even had time to process any of it either, a rather disturbing sensation for her. Fomoria stood there, unmoving, he thought of what he wanted to do. Killing him wouldn¡¯t be enough, so he healed the mayor and put him with the rest of his family. The Other¡¯s saw that Yara was the target, and they were more upset than Fomoria. Fomoria¡¯s eyes flashed to send orders and the Others left without a word, but fury was clear in their own eyes. With the Others gone, Fomoria took the blade from one of the dead bodies. ¡°What exactly was the plan? Because even if you had stabbed my wife, I would just flay you alive anyway.¡± ¡°They said that it could kill you, a poison.¡± ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s test that then.¡± Fomoria cut the straps that held it to the mayor and removed the needle shooter. Once he was satisfied, Fomoria pulled one of them out, and stabbed himself in the hand. ¡°Oh, it does have a poison.¡± His hand turned purple and went limp, but the dark veins were quickly cleansed, and Fomoria regained control. They heard some sounds outside, screaming men. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°The best way to break the will of a people is with displays of brutality. But pikes with heads are so mild, the people on them are already dead. The Screams of the living do add much to the display.¡° Fomoria tossed the blade in his hand, handle coated with the blood of the knight it was taken from. ¡°Kill your wife or I will kill you.¡± Yara stepped in front of Fomoria, but before she could say a word he covered her mouth with his hand, grabbing her hands with his other so she couldn¡¯t step back and remove it. ¡°Make your choice.¡± The mayor picked the sword up. ¡°Honey, just be still, I won¡¯t make it hurt.¡± When Feld swung down, Fomoria skipped over and caught it between his fingers. ¡°What a heartless fool you are.¡± When Fomoria laid his other hand on the man, he fell silent and to the floor. ¡°Yara, take the others out of the room.¡± They fled as soon as they couldn¡¯t. ¡°Not you, Linda.¡± She froze with tears in her eyes, trying not to let her children see her fear, but failing. ¡°May I at least say goodbye to them?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°THIS IS TOO MUCH, YOU-¡± Yara yelled, and he kicked toward the table, aura and wind magic reducing it to splinters, but also kept the splinters from flying back and blinding anyone. ¡°I WAS NOT ASKING. TAKE THE CHILDREN OUTSIDE, AND WAIT FOR ME.¡± She knew that Fomoria was willing to resort to violence for sending a message, but surely there was a limit to cruelty. He sat Linda down on one of the remaining seats. ¡°Apologies. I would rather not do this.¡± ¡°Please, don¡¯t kill me.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to. But, I also can¡¯t let you go without some manner of loyalty being assured. Just as I asked your husband, I am going to ask you. Kill him, and you will become the leader of the city.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t play your game.¡± ¡°You can leave right now, but you will do so with the clothes on your back and nothing more.¡± She walked to the door, but stopped before opening it. ¡°You¡¯ll really let me go?¡± ¡°Yes. During our lunch, he spoke of himself, but rarely of you or your children. When I threatened his life, he did not say a word about them, nor did he ask that you be allowed to say goodbye, but when you thought that this would be the last time you saw them, you wished for a final moment with your children. I believe he is greedy, stupid, someone who was put in place as a puppet and who abused that position in ways that I can only assume.¡± ¡°Why would you give me this job then, force me to be ruler?¡± ¡°Because you aren¡¯t a heartless puppet. I won¡¯t assume you to be a good woman, but when your slaves brought the food, you thanked them, and your husband could barely hold back his contempt when doing the same as a show for me. That, and I find that keeping local rulers helps to make the conquest much more peaceful. There isn¡¯t any issue of succession or xenophobic sentiments causing undue strife because they are being ruled by an outsider. You could be an example of the benefits of not pulling nasty tricks like this. So? And do keep in mind, he did not hesitate as you have, he decided to save himself quite quickly.¡± She came back to her husband, paralyzed on the ground. ¡°Honey, just be still, I won¡¯t make it hurt.¡± Her form was poor, and she missed his organs, but Fomoria shot a void bolt to kill him once she failed to do so. ¡°Good, now that the facade is done, I will leave one of my men here, and he can help you with any questions you have. Once you give a speech, I hope that your soldiers will fall in line. I wouldn¡¯t want anyone to get hurt.¡± ¡°But the screaming, you already-¡± ¡°Sound magic, a cantrip really, and since you and your husband clearly lack magical power of your own, you didn¡¯t question it at all. My Others stepped outside of the room and non-lethally subdued any soldiers who attempted to enter the room. I gave them orders, mind to mind, before they left.¡± ¡°Can you tell them that you did this?¡± ¡°Of course. I understand that your children, your people, they will hate me for a time, maybe until they die, but it helps nobody to have them hate you.¡± Back in Kor, Yara sat with him for tea as he explained his real plans, and why he didn¡¯t tell her what they were. ¡°You didn¡¯t need to grab my mouth so strongly. And the yelling, was that really required?¡± ¡°I thought it sold the whole thing, and I don¡¯t know how good you are at acting. But I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°That was¡­ I hate to say that I enjoyed it, but it was¡­ interesting. How did you come up with the plan so quickly?¡± ¡°War of the Red Roses.¡± Yara racked her brain. ¡°Oh. I never much enjoyed the stories where they fake a break up or a fight. Does this mean that you didn¡¯t kill the mayor?¡± ¡°I gave Linda a choice. I believe he was so willing to kill her because he didn¡¯t want to lose what he had, but I believe she did it because she didn¡¯t want to lose what her children had.¡± Fomoria laid his head on her shoulder. ¡°I hate this. I hope you know that.¡± ¡°Before you explained the plan, when you grabbed me, I was really scared. I thought that I didn¡¯t know you as much as I believed, that your time out here made you a monster, but I didn¡¯t see it just yet.¡± ¡°I had to make them afraid of me, make them think I was willing to do anything.¡± Fomoria fell asleep there, not even taking a sip of his tea, and Yara laid his head on her lap, like she had seen Adina do for him. After an hour, he awoke, nearly fully rested after not sleeping for two weeks. Yet he didn¡¯t awake of his own accord, but rather because Yara had answered his amulet and it was Eskildotter. Yalda and Baoth were spotted, both had tried to enter Blackship and nearly lost their lives, forcing them on the run since they also refused Seraphallen¡¯s summons, not wanting to be around any Cast that could even possibly be infected. ¡°I need to leave immediately.¡± ¡°Promise me that you won¡¯t do what you thought up last we talked about those two.¡± She had only heard about his last clash with the pair, and considering how he had killed two Fingers already, she knew he could win, so long as he actually fought to kill without trying to gain something else or treat it as training. ¡°I love you.¡± Fomoria kissed her before he left. Eskildotter¡¯s fleet had suffered great damages already, the normal procedure when encountering a Finger was to flee, but she had been hunting the pair for some time, and sailed into an ambush near a reef. Yet she wasn¡¯t the real target. Moments after Fomoria came through the gate, a waterspout came from below in an attempt to keep him in place, then a soul searing bolt crossed the sky in an instant, heading right for him. Fomoria opened a gate when the bolt was near enough that he could feel the heat, and the bolt was sent away, giving him time to free the water around him and clap his hands, freeing himself from the pull of it. He hardly dodged the second attack, a jet of water that cut the sea and three of the ships below him. The storm then dropped from the sky, putting him inside of the clouds. It hurt when the static touched him, but this energy was being built up, it wasn¡¯t a full power bolt just yet. The issue was that these clouds blinded his magical and mundane senses, filling his nostrils with ozone and his eyes with skittering flashes. What he was left with was his sixth sense and his mind. It wasn¡¯t the same as fighting Rak, and Fomoria felt that closing himself off again would get him killed rather than be a benefit. Fomoria cast a few spells to find out what he needed to do, then formed a ball in his hand, filling it, but also compressing it more and more. It was not air, but a positive charge. Xol¡¯s explanations of magnetics and electrons had been a great boon to Fomoria, who came to understand that tall things and metal weren¡¯t what lightning was drawn to, but that it would take the shortest path to the nearest positively charged thing. He could try his magnetic field trick again, bending the bolt, but he didn¡¯t want it to go away, he wanted to know exactly where it would strike without fail; the difference between it hitting his index or ring finger would be the death of his soul. There was some margin of error to this, since magical lightning and natural lightning, though they shared many things, weren¡¯t exactly the same. Still, Fomoria hoped that the nature of Yalda¡¯s magic was what he believed it was. The pair readied their next attack, seeing that Fomoria was seemingly being turned around like they wanted. So when the bolt was fully charged, the clouds rose again, since they needed to focus on the edge for a moment in order to strike with full force rather than hitting inside of the clouds. Fomoria dodged Baoth¡¯s tidal tentacles for a time, then finally, he was distracted by a call on his amulet, and one of the watery arms caught him. The bolt arched across the sky once more, and Fomoria reached out of the water, a seemingly glass bottle in hand. The lightning was drawn to the bottle, where it became trapped once Fomoria put the cap back on. Once it was captured, Fomoria sent out the signal. A ball of wind crashed against the clouds, pulling them in, and through the clear sky the pair could see hundreds of Others. The ball kept going, slamming against the water and firing up, not down, forming a large divot whlie also forcing the Fingers apart. Baoth tried to bring water up and counter the living bullets that were coming at them, but the water was now too far away from him, it wasn¡¯t fast enough. The Others opened a series of gates, one after the other, making it impossible for Baoth to track them and for any of his spells to connect. Finally, two of the Others opened gates on either side of him, hitting the Finger in the head, their adamant hands sounded like cannonfire when they made contact, their knuckles left bloody from the impact, and Baoth left headless. Yalda was fast, but he was also panicking, and that made someone predictable in some instances. He put up his air barrier as soon as he could after the spells from the Others tossed him away from Baoth, but he was now much slower, his barrier incapable of keeping pace with him. When a large gate opened in front of him, he kept going, knowing that few things could get past the barrier, and that no matter what Fomoria was made from, he wouldn¡¯t make it through. Which, if Fomoria had been the one to try breaking through, would be true. Yet who came through the gate was Romulus, being boosted a great deal by the spout of water that came from the divot in the sea caused by the Others casting large wind warspells. His blade touched against the barrier and was nearly ripped from his hand, but with his absurd strength he had struck at the right spot so the swirling winds pulled the sword forward and into Yalda¡¯s head. Speed, strength, and the length of the blade prevented him from actually needing to get his body inside of the sphere of flaying wind, which would¡¯ve gravely harmed him had he touched it. Luckily, the moment his sword removed Yalda¡¯s head from his shoulders, the barrier dispersed rather harmlessly. What Fomoria didn¡¯t tell Romulus, was that he couldn¡¯t confirm if killing him would break the sigil spell apart immediately or not. But, that was neither here nor there, since what he didn¡¯t know didn¡¯t kill him in this case. The Others grabbed the fingers as soon as they could, and just as soon, Xol arrived to retrieve them. ¡°Good, I see you also got my lightning bolt.¡± ¡°I caught it, it¡¯s mine.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know how to catch it without me. Besides, we are both planning to use it against Seraphallen, are we not?¡± Fomoria sighed and tossed it to the Lich. ¡°Very good. I did tell you not to do this though.¡± ¡°Everything I did had a strong basis in both science and magic.¡± ¡°Still, how did you know how to cast the right spell?¡± ¡°You told me that lightning could be negative or positive-¡± There was a splash. ¡°SOMEONE GET ROMULUS OUT OF THE WATER. And so I just had to develop the right spell to find out which one Yalda¡¯s lightning was.¡± Xol didn¡¯t wear his skin for a good reason, he was not good at hiding his facial expressions. That and after so much time, it was just what felt comfortable. ¡°Well, I¡¯m impressed, but it was still a very bullheaded move. You could¡¯ve been seriously hurt.¡± ¡°Is that why you didn¡¯t want me to have that lightning?¡± ¡°We went over this once already. There must be some trust between us, I know don¡¯t always explain myself, but you don¡¯t either.¡± ¡°Sorry. Still, we are down to six remaining Fingers.¡± ¡°Have you finished the combat body?¡± ¡°Are you changing the subject?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I asked. If you want to be at our side when we fight Seraphallen, your current form, strong as it may be, will not be enough. Your magic won¡¯t make a difference, not with all of the others gathered, but physically you may be useful as a giant due to your aura techniques.¡± ¡°I have enough Nidhogger flesh for about half of the body. I¡¯m making each limb separately, so I¡¯ve got one arm charged and finished, but none of the other limbs have finished soaking in mana. If gates worked properly that far underground, maybe this would be faster.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not giving you that information. So far as I am concerned, you don¡¯t need to be in the battle at all, so I will offer no favors to make sure you can enter it. Also, I would like to be called next time you fight a Finger. We are free to fight them now that Jenny is on our side completely.¡± ¡°I think it is a learning experience for me to fight them. SHIT.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Harlan called me, Yggdra is under attack, I can¡¯t stay and chat.¡± ¡°The city or the queen?¡± Fomoria didn¡¯t say to answer, so Xol left with the fingers and the bottled lightning. Chapter 350: Its Done, Fomorias side. Many thoughts went through Fomoria¡¯s mind as he began to fall, gating himself to the ground so he didn¡¯t fall into the gates his Others made to move the rubble from the sky safely away from the city. Yet the strongest feeling was that his now missing arm was in some way broken, and refused to heal due to his aura breaking, being torn away from him by the giant arm and its hunger for his aura, the still rather poorly understood barrier that held in the soul to the body. As he laid there on the ground on one of the few hills that were around the capital city of Ragne, he began to search. If it really was Nulson who had done this, he would stay to watch. And so Fomoria closed his eyes, not expecting to find the man by sight alone, and instead he searched in the crossroads for the man, who he met only once before. A few thousand feet away, nearly across the entire city, on a hill with a view that overlooked the city, he found them, Nulson¡¯s mind radiated a strange air as he moved from one body to another, sending a shock through the crossroads that was noticed by his Others as well. ¡°What do we do?¡± ¡°Save the city first. Then wait. One of you has a Micheal, yes?¡± ¡°Six of us do, all accounted for.¡± ¡°Micheal, do you know what you need to do?¡± ¡°Kill the-¡± ¡°Capture him. Put him in a dream. If you cannot do that, kill him. He cannot escape.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± He did love it when people didn¡¯t argue back about strange orders, that some people understood that no matter how mad it seemed, it was for a good reason. ¡°Magruder must die, and Sepul must believe we have killed Nulson. Use the soul sealing needles, one of you use them, but not all of you. I want to save the person whose body has been stolen, but if they must die, so be it. And I can hardly move, I want Sepul to get me so he isn¡¯t as likely to interfere with the other business.¡± Fomoria¡¯s plan went off without a hitch. The soul sealing needle worked, binding the mind tightly with the soul of the victim so it could not easily flee. Magruder didn¡¯t try to surrender, meaning they were justified in their use of force. And Sepul kept away from the actual fight. When he brought forth the idea to bring Ragne officially into the Fomorian Empire, she accepted with little reservation. All that he needed now was to heal his aura, which was a completely automatic process so far as he knew. Though, what he knew about aura in general was quite lacking, as clearly shown by the arm stealing away part of it from him. Sepul brought Fomoria to his home along with Harlan. But Harlan had suffered a great deal more damage, not from anything striking him, but just from having to almost instantly cast a city wide shockwave destroying spell requiring he channel a god. ¡°Thank you. But I don¡¯t really need anything more.¡± ¡°Stay until your arm can be healed. You and Harlan both suffered damages, and would be better served under my care.¡± Fomoria knew that there was some lie there, but he couldn¡¯t tell which part of it held dishonesty. ¡°I¡¯d like to bring Yara here then.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. Elise told me about your meeting with her.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have time to deal with that, so I sent her to Harlan¡¯s home instead so they could work out their differences.¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t work. She simply left without seeing Harlan.¡± ¡°Anyway-¡± ¡°No, I won¡¯t have you changing this subject.¡± ¡°Elise is one of many half-sisters I have. I don¡¯t really think of her as any more special than the dozens of Fomorians who share a father with me. That, and she smelled like a snake.¡± ¡°Alchemists often pick up strange scents.¡± ¡°You know exactly what I mean. She also admitted to having done something bad to Harlan, abusing her position as someone who shares blood with him.¡± ¡°Elise has been apart from almost everyone. I raised her as a hermit, it is my fault. But her encounter with Harlan has changed her, surely you¡¯ve seen that?¡± ¡°I could tell she was guilty, but I can say for sure that she is upset over being caught, or because she did something wrong. There is a world of difference between those two things.¡± ¡°I have been with her, and I can tell that she is upset that she has possibly ruined a relationship with someone who could love her as a sibling and nothing more.¡± ¡°Bring her here.¡± Elise had a mix of shame and indignancy in her mind as she walked into the room. ¡°You fucking spineless coward.¡± Any sense of guilt washed away in that instant. ¡°What did you just-¡± ¡°You are a spineless, coward. I dragged you to Harlan because all he wants is a genuine apology. You couldn¡¯t even go to see him. You didn¡¯t get to the starting line, you failed to show up to the race.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll-¡± Sepul held her back. ¡°STOP. FOMORIA, WHAT IS THIS?¡± ¡°Alright. Now we can actually start. Elise, you are clearly an aggressive person trying to force yourself into a more demure character. So, what exactly did you do to Harlan?¡± She took a deep breath, not much liking being the one having games played on. ¡°It was after he destroyed Haldren. I tried to use his clear fragility to get secrets of magic from him by asking about how his spells worked. Adina was quite angry at me, and then he took me to the ruins of Haldren. He explained that power without wisdom was a bad thing. That me trying to gain power just for the sake of power was stupid.¡± ¡°And he was right. But, don¡¯t let those truths prevent you from getting what you want. It sounds to me like you lack restraint, you lack real experience. You¡¯ve know magic all of your life, but what do you use it for?¡± ¡°I enjoy finding out what I can do.¡± ¡°You lack an aim, a goal. I desired¡­ no, I required strength, because that let me have freedom. What do you really desire?¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t really know.¡± ¡°What is your specialty?¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Spatial magic, like grandfather.¡± ¡°Sepul, I would like to send her to spend some time with my spatial mage who lives here in the NLZ. He has had a very different life experience, and though it isn¡¯t the same as actually getting years of experience leading to gaining a goal naturally, I believe he would be helpful.¡± ¡°He is the mage from beyond the veil?¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve met.¡± ¡°He will be a teacher of spatial magic, but he doesn¡¯t have the same somewhat standard teaching and learning experience which could be expected of those inside the veil. Hirum asked that I meet with him and test his knowledge. The man is a wonder. I do think it would do her well to spend some time with him.¡± ¡°Good. Elise, you can leave once you¡¯ve packed a bag. In the meanwhile, I want to have a private conversation with grandpa and call Rosen so he knows to expect you.¡± ¡°Grandpa?¡± ¡°Sepul has acted like a good grandparent to me since the day we met, and it would be just as strange as calling my dad father.¡± Sepul was happy. ¡°Do I get any choice in leaving?¡± ¡°No.¡± Fomoria got up from the bed and moved around a little, feeling the phantom pain of his missing arm. ¡°Do you feel when people are lying?¡± ¡°No. My power lets me force truth, but it is not inbuilt, it requires I focus it greatly through my alchemy.¡± ¡°Lie to me.¡± ¡°I hate you.¡± Fomoria couldn¡¯t help but smile a little. ¡°I feel my neck tingle when people are being dishonest.¡± ¡°Strange. How long has this been happening?¡± ¡°It was subtle and I didn¡¯t notice it at first. Perhaps it¡¯s six weeks?¡± ¡°Have you tried alchemy to make a condensed version of the magic?¡± ¡°No. I haven¡¯t even confirmed that¡¯s what I¡¯m feeling. I was hoping you went through this already, that you had some small feeling that you later realized was your ability to find the truth. Sometimes I will get the feeling, ask the other person, and when they deny dishonesty, I don¡¯t get the feeling. If the first thing was a lie, then surely them refusing to admit to the lie would be a lie?¡± They both stewed in thought for minutes. ¡°Perhaps it is the simplest answer. When they don¡¯t have their guard up, you can feel the waves of lies, but when confronted they become defensive and block your ability to feel it.¡± ¡°Try that then.¡± ¡°I hate you.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t feel anything. That is a rather unfortunate weakness.¡± ¡°Anyone who knows you can do this can exploit it, since it seems likely that it is reflexive based on a mental state, and not something to be trained for.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t directly told anyone yet, just leaving it as a gut feeling. Thank you for your help. Now, I should get back to my empire.¡± ¡°Would you like to stay for dinner?¡± It was then that both of them felt a disturbance in the space of Sepul¡¯s home; something wanted inside. Both were ready for a fight, even with Fomoria missing his right arm. Then it stopped, and someone knocked on the door. When they neared the door, Fomoria told him who it was. ¡°Lich, why have you tried to invade my home?¡± ¡°Very impressive arrays. I¡¯m not used to using the front door anywhere. You, make these potions. The ingredients will be delivered shortly. Fomoria, make creatures to these exact specifications.¡± Xol left without another word, dropping the books for them to catch. Sepul¡¯s eyes went white, and Fomoria¡¯s black. The city in Fomoria¡¯s mindscape had changed, now being disconnected from the ground with the faceless moving to the ground and back through permanent gates. ¡°I take it that Xol¡¯s plans are coming from you, hence us being told to craft these things while he does other, more important tasks.¡± ¡°Yes, and no. Xol¡¯s plan was entirely from him, and I saw no issues that couldn¡¯t be rectified. But you and Sepul are being contracted for the sake of this plan. Those creatures will hold the fingers for power, and those earworms will allow telepathic communication for non-telepaths.¡± ¡°Oh. Can I do that?¡± ¡°No. Marigold will be the one granting power, you are just making shells.¡± ¡°This seems like too much for just Seraphallen.¡± ¡°Were our plan be killing, ¡®twould be in excess.¡± He furrowed his brow slightly, wondering about the sudden change in tone and word choice. ¡°Yet plans of such means allow one to sever more than a single soldier, a soul shall sunder.¡± ¡°You are going to kill The Emperor?¡± ¡°Mayhaps happenstance shall herald hope.¡± ¡°What¡¯s changed?¡± ¡°A Little Shadow has no place within a new conflict, his place is his place.¡± ¡°With my combat body, I could-¡± ¡°No, ¡®twould be worth several strikes, a drain beyond sense required for each blow, a threat to him cannot be allowed.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t just sit at home while everyone else fights him.¡± ¡°Glory shall be in your hands. Word of you, The Emperor, The Godslayer, shall set upon the ears of all.¡± ¡°I-¡± His mindscape crumbled, and he was forced into the endless void. ¡°There shall be no here or there, what or why, only a listening of orders, and a following of. The great dragon may be called upon, and there will be not even shadows left alive if so. Crippled as you are, the battle is too close, the risk is too great, you have no place within it any longer.¡± Fomoria awoke back on the bed. ¡°They can¡¯t just-¡± ¡°Silence.¡± Sepul¡¯s tone was solemn. ¡°If something does happen to me, promise that you will protect your sister.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I have been called to fight against a threat which is greater than any before. I have once stood beside a champion of Anu as they were cut down by one of these Hands. Yet this one has both, and more. 200 years have passed since then, yet I still worry about the power this man may have.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen the ruin when this one killed his counterpart. But you¡¯ve destroyed cities yourself, I don¡¯t-¡± ¡°Promise me, so I can work without such a weight on my mind.¡± Fomoria opened his mouth, but his throat seized. It wasn¡¯t sensible, nothing could change his participation, Cecht had ordered him to fight. But in the back of his mind, there was still a childish idea that if he didn¡¯t make the promise, that Sepul might not die. That accepting it would make him have to fulfill the promise. ¡°I am sorry for my tone, but my gut tells me that my time has reached its end. Please, do not say this to anyone, and I shall hide this as well. If all goes well, there is no reason to worry the others.¡± ¡°Why not have Harlan take her?¡± ¡°Shameful though it is to admit, I have given far too much leeway in her actions, and I fear Harlan would do the same. I believe you would care for her as I would not.¡± ¡°She is years older than me. She would be fine to be on her own.¡± ¡°And yet those were years lived under lock and key. Outside of The Veil, I have no enemies, she would not be a target.¡± ¡°I have enemies.¡± ¡°Fine. I will have to find someone-¡± ¡°I promise. If you do not return, I will take Elise in, and keep her safe.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Though awkward with only one arm, Fomoria hugged Sepul. ¡°Don¡¯t make me go through with that promise.¡± ¡°I shall do my best.¡± A day later, back outside The Veil, in D¡¯if¡¯s House, the City of Everfall. Fomoria stood over a golem which held Nulson. It was a simple thing, looking like a mannequin and made of skysteel so it was light and easy to both repair and break. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are wondering why I didn¡¯t kill you.¡± ¡°I have my ideas.¡± ¡°You were one of the Unseen, the best of them, from what I¡¯ve heard. I have my own spymaster, but he is old, and in less than a decade, time will take him. I need someone to help him with teaching the next generation of my spies.¡± ¡°What are going to call them?¡± ¡°Spies. The Unseen aren¡¯t an official branch, they don¡¯t have a real title. It would only hinder them.¡± ¡°No. I won¡¯t work for some nameless organization.¡± Fomoria thought for a moment, and was reminded of his city. ¡°The Faceless.¡± ¡°Perfect. When do I start?¡± ¡°D¡¯if will enter the room as soon as I step out, and then you will talk about techniques. Your teachings and his aren¡¯t the same, so there will be some overlap, but what I want is for you both to blend your work into a better style.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Fomoria walked back to the door, but stopped when Nulson called out to him. ¡°How do you know I will actually help?¡± ¡°If you have no use, I will just kill you. But if you are helpful, I might slip up one day and you can escape, or I will just free you for your loyal service. I¡¯m going to use that fact as another way to train my spies. Each time they stop you, it will only make them better.¡± Nulson burst into laughter. ¡°I¡¯m going to get out one day.¡± ¡°Maybe. But that golem will detonate if destroyed, killing you. You¡¯ve also certainly noticed that it has locked your mind inside. And lastly, your roommate will be working against you. I¡¯m sorry about that, Micheal.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, I accepted this job.¡± ¡°Sounds like a fun challenge then. I¡¯ll be seeing you, my emperor.¡± ¡°No, you probably won¡¯t.¡± Fomoria left the room, and D¡¯if slipped in. Chapter 351: Prelude to Castian End In the two weeks since Nulson was in Everfall, he tried to escape 43 times, half almost succeeding. This was expected, and neither Fomoria nor D¡¯if found an issue with this. Nulson had only shared by hands on teaching, that is to say, when he tried to get away. And what he was teaching was useful. Most importantly, nobody had yet died in any escape attempts purely due to Micheal¡¯s presence. When Xol entered Fomoria¡¯s office, there was a hope that he could join the fight. ¡°Are you done with what I asked?¡± ¡°Yes, your Hydra and your worm are finished.¡± ¡°Good. Now explain the results of the tests.¡± Xol put up his cubes to prevent spying. From the outside, Xol and Fomoria were having a conversation about if each of the creatures matched what Xol designed them for. ¡°Why am I being told I can¡¯t fight?¡± ¡°When you gained the ability to sever the connection between things, whispers began, and some gods went from neutral to worried. You never, ever, want gods worried about you. Last time a god was worried about what you might do, Cecht was hiring counterseers to make sure that The Darkness couldn¡¯t see threats headed your way. If you tried to eat the fingers right now, you would fail, because they are The Emperor. But, if you sever the connection then you would gain power without his influence.¡± ¡°Is that really such a problem? You are made entirely out of that Godtouched steel, but you aren¡¯t a threat to the gods.¡± ¡°I was not born able to use magic. I cannot hear the mana sing to me. This steel brings me to a level of power far beyond what you are right now, it brings helps me to be the second strongest person on Aarde. Yet you have shown a very strong connection to Mana- The overarching entity that is contained within all mana, The Dispersed God.¡± ¡°The Dispersed God?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t get into details just yet, but trust that I will explain once you have the power of The Emperor. The point is that you have a potential not seen since your great grandfather, who I would consider the finest mage ever born. I based you on him-¡± Fomoria had an instant gut reaction of fury. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°The Darkness set up many events in your life, but, regrettably, she based her plan on my words. It was never my intent for you to be born, but when she tried to understand why Sepul was how he was, she asked me, and I spoke. Now that you know, I am sorry, I hope you can truly feel that, I am sorry. I wrote your story.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s not your fault. You understood what made him what he was, and she did that without you directly influencing my life.¡± ¡°I hoped you would understand that. I don¡¯t think what has happened to you was fair. We plan to strike in six days. They aren¡¯t going to tell you when it happens, but I want you to be ready. When we fight, you are at risk, and you should be ready for that, but please, do prepare in a way that won¡¯t let them know I told you. I will bring the limbs right to you, and you must be ready to sever them. Things will be hectic, Marigold and the others will be ordered to kill you, but I will be ready to help. Keep that combat body ready, it will help you last long enough to control the power.¡± Xol put his hand out. When Fomoria took it, Xol pulled him into a half hug. ¡°I would want nobody but you to have this power, you would make the world which the gods would never allow, one where people can live in peace. To Hell with their idea of needing constant conflict to sharpen the steel of man.¡± Xol pulled away and took his cubes. ¡°Very good. These will be useful as a distraction if I commend them just right. And the worms?¡± ¡°Nobody likes them from the testing, but they do allow someone trained in soulspeak to transmit their thoughts to other worms.¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t supposed to do that. Marigold was supposed to grant that ability.¡± ¡°I am an overachiever.¡± Xol chuckled as he moved to gather the creatures. The six days passed without any visible movements from the Castian military. The only action that was seen was by the Others, who weren¡¯t conquering cities, but rather killing the warlords who saw that the Castian Empire was dead. They could return later to officially bring these places under the banner of Fomoria, but now it was more important to stop the chaos. This was, in theory, a good thing, but the reality was that Fomoria was hoping to do something. He had been the one fighting against the Castians, he had been the one taking their cities, killing their Fingers. But now at the end, he was being told to stand down. He sent Yara and Amber away, and in the meanwhile he invited Velvet for a chat. ¡°I feel like you are going to kill me.¡± ¡°What? Why? We¡¯re good friends.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think Amber is going to stay with me.¡± ¡°Oh. Is it your fault?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what I can do. I want to be with her, but I try, then she becomes more distant afterwards and I have to try harder, but she becomes distant again. What do I do? What am I doing wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure you are doing anything wrong. Amber has had her issues in the past when trying to date men, and even your relationship started with¡­ well, that.¡± ¡°But the sex has been great, she-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to hear that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the one part of the relationship that has been getting better with time. But emotionally she¡¯s pulling away.¡± ¡°I-¡± Fomoria¡¯s amulet lit up. ¡°Excuse me for a moment.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Under a veil, he answered. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Dantes is amassing his forces and has taken several towns at the border, claiming them for Elfique.¡± ¡°Thank goodness.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Try not to kill too many of his troops. Give them a chance to surrender. I¡¯m going to take his head.¡± ¡°We can-¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll do this alone.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Fomoria put on a worried face as he dropped his veil. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but Dantes has attacked us and is trying to become independent of my empire. I must handle this.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Fomoria wished to leave because he didn¡¯t feel like there was anything good he could tell Velvet. Amber had never held any relationship in the long term that he knew of. Anything that happened at the academy was before he returned, before he could¡¯ve helped. He didn¡¯t need to speak with Velvet, he needed to talk with Amber, to find out if his friend and his sister could even stay together or if it really was doomed despite his attempts. The marshalls who were previously focusing on warlords returned to help crush Elfique¡¯s rebelion. It was almost sad to them. Since they were transformed into adamant, the superposition metal and flesh that was both hard enough to block nearly everything but also soft enough to still feel like flesh and never restrict their moment, they had never severed any severe injuries. The soldiers of Elfique tried as they might, but the marshalls simply let most of the attacks through, only stopping the rare ones that had a chance to harm them and killing those soldiers. It was crushing for the soldiers, to watch their enemy stare at them with a boredly disapproving glare. One by one, they stopped trying, and man collapsed to their feet, the weight of hopelessness being too much to hold. In one town, an Other floated down and gripped one of the men by the chin. ¡°Just kill me quickly.¡± ¡°There is no need for that. No harm, no foul. You took this town through fear, but I see no damage. This little rebellion was always doomed to fail, and we did expect it. It would be unfair to punish you, who is just working under the orders to fools above, when we knew that this would happen. Stand up, take off your coat that bears his colors, and return to part of Fomoria. He asked that we kill as few as need be.¡± The Other¡¯s voice was soft and gentle, but held some scolding in it. And when he spread across the soldiers, they openly wept at the forgiveness of Fomoria. Before Fomoria went to Dantes, he looked at his combat body. Its lower half was like a mantis with four legs but lacking a thorax that stretched far out. The upper half was humanoid, with two of the arms being bladed, and the other two having clawed fingers. Overall it stood 100 feet, but if the legs stretched, it could reach 150 feet tall. Xol did tell him to save it, and even though he wanted to send a message, it would be overkill to pilot it. So, he told the Others in charge of it to keep it ready, but that he didn¡¯t need it just yet. Fomoria opened a gate, bringing him onto the wall of Elfique¡¯s capital city. The soldiers quickly opened fire on him with both magic and guns, both given or taught by his people. Yet as with the Others, these attacks did nothing against him. ¡°How disappointing.¡± Fomoria took a deep breath and focused his aura on his legs. One deeply angled overhead kick to the right, and one to the left. The diagonally cutting kicks weakened the supports so that the weight from above would bring it down rather than through a brute force strike; Fomoria was conserving his strength. As he stepped off of the wall, calmly floating towards the castle, the wall behind him collapsed a hundred feet in both directions. He held his hands behind his back, the pitfall resistance of the supposed royal guard didn¡¯t require any magic beyond chantless motionless spells. As he neared the first of them, they pulled out blades of true mythril. False mythril could cut him if it was a well made blade, but not his armor. True mythril, even with his armor, even if it wasn¡¯t a masterwork, could cut him with a solid strike. So, he moved his hands to the front when he neared the royal guards. They moved in slow motion to Fomoria, and he cut them down with clawed hands. No matter how old and powerful their equipment was, if they lacked the skills to get near Fomoria, whose limbs bent and twisted at odd angles to hit weak spots and blind points, they were little better than children with sticks. It was a terrible thing, such misplaced loyalty. Fomoria cut through the halls of the castle and when he had to go down a floor, he spun in place while standing on his heels, cutting a perfect hole. Dantes couldn¡¯t hide, not for long. Fomoria felt his mind shortly after he entered the castle, meaning that he was still inside, under the castle. Mercedes didn¡¯t know exactly how he got away, but that the real Mercedes did say before the capture that they needed to reach the wine cellar. It didn¡¯t take long to find the tunnel, since whoever made it was possibly stupid, or Fomoria¡¯s senses were just that much better than almost everyone else. He saw one of the walls had a seam, and the section was also more magically shielded than the rest of the cellar. Fomoria would never make such a simple mistake. Nor would he make the mistake of tying booby traps to that single wall and not preventing people from coming in through the side. As he walked down the tunnel he kept track of the seven beings, but one was much slower, and the other six left them behind. Though the other six were getting away, Fomoria stopped when he saw exactly who had been left behind. It was the mother of Dantes¡¯ new heir. She sat against the wall of the tunnel, groaning with a puddle of amniotic fluid. ¡°You need a doctor.¡± She groaned again, gritting her teeth as she worked up the strength to reply. ¡°Please don¡¯t hurt my baby.¡± ¡°I would never hurt your baby, and I won¡¯t hurt you either. Celine, I¡¯m going to take you to a doctor. It isn¡¯t right that he left you, and your baby shouldn¡¯t be born in a dark tunnel.¡± He opened a gate directly back to Kor, Elk¡¯s practice, and left Celine there after explaining that she was in labor. Elk was more than a little shocked by the sudden arrival, but that in and of itself, was normal. Fomoria didn¡¯t go slow anymore. It took roughly ten seconds to reach the group. The guards began to shout that Dantes should just keep running, but the sentence was cut off by Fomoria cutting through them, rapidly shifting into something more like a squid, a living bullet with bladed tentacles. Fomoria spun the blood off of him and onto the walls while also twisting himself back into human form and sending a windblade with a final flick of a tentacle that cut Dantes¡¯ left leg off at the knee. ¡°Dantes, we need to talk.¡± Yet he just yelled. Fomoria pulled him back with telekinesis and struck him with a spell that would remove the pain. It wasn¡¯t healing magic, it was torturers magic. The pain wasn¡¯t gone, it would just build up until the spell was released. It took some time before Dantes actually stopped screaming, his mind not yet processing that the pain wasn¡¯t there anymore. ¡°I must start with a thank you. I wanted to kill you from the moment you came back. But I just couldn¡¯t do that and avoid angering the Dague, who I consider my people. What I needed was for you to attack me first.¡± ¡°We can still-¡± ¡°Shh shh shh. I¡¯m going to kill you. I just needed to know one thing first. Why? Why do this? I¡¯m far beyond you in strength in every way. My army is larger. It¡¯s better equipped. It¡¯s made up of various people, meaning that they each have their own weakness that can be offset by the strengths of others. So why, why would you think that it could end any way but this? What have I done that is so terrible you couldn¡¯t just stay a ruler of your people? What have I done that made you unable to accept living like that?¡± Dantes laughed. ¡°I know what you are, who you are. This would¡¯ve happened even if I had done everything you asked, been a model puppet.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do something like that, because it sends the wrong message to my people, and to the people who I will conquer in the future.¡± ¡°Nothing is enough. Nothing will ever be enough. You will rule the world, and it is then that you are going to turn on your people. You can¡¯t handle things outside of your control. Carmilla doesn¡¯t care, so she isn¡¯t a real threat. You are going to kill Romulus one day, that much is certain. All of the others lack the drive that we have, the will to be a king. They welcomed you as ruler, taking the weight off their shoulders. Once you have everything you want, you¡¯ll see that it isn¡¯t perfect. So you¡¯ll just-¡± Fomoria used his hand like a sword and decapitated Dantes. What he told himself was that Dantes was wrong, that he was just justifying himself and his greed, that there was no reason to keep listening to him. Fomoria took the head around the city, and around the towns where the Others had pacified the military. Thus Elfique was no longer a nation, and would remain as nothing but the name of a city within the Fomorian Empire. Chapter 352: Another Prelude to Castian End Xol, Marigold, Nor, Sepul, Coronach, Koschai, and Carmilla were inside of Xol¡¯s small world. ¡°Most of us know one another, but I¡¯m sure this is the first time most of you have met Nor. Nor, introduce yourself.¡± A Golden man with flame tattoos across his body stepped forward. His eyes burned like a forge, and unlike most Golden, his hair was red. ¡°I come from the Red Sands. Though we¡¯ve not met, I have been forging weapons and other artifacts for champions for a very long time. Sepul, I made your first set of robes. Shame they didn¡¯t survive all of that wyvern fire. I made Marigold¡¯s swords. Xol stole my forging magic to create that rose staff of his. I made the cane used by the last Champion of Anu. Coronach, most of the weapons and artifacts contained within you are stolen from me directly or from someone else who stole them first. Koschai, I made your prison. From the chains to the spikes to each and every bolt that held that platform together.¡± The ancient vampire from Earth snorted at the man. You, you I don¡¯t know.¡± Everything that Liat had told her about the Golden primed her for a pompous man, and yet Nor was lively and upbeat. ¡°I am Carmilla Karmine, Vampire Queen of Karmine. I have been asked to take part in the fight against Seraphallen due to my age, power, and having clashed with him in the past.¡± ¡°Oh. I so rarely get the chance to make equipment for Aine¡¯s people. Well, depending on how one takes the statement, weapons to be used against them are technically for Aine¡¯s people. What weapons do you prefer?¡± ¡°I am most powerful when transformed, so claws would be preferred.¡± ¡°Please, transform for me. I need some measurements.¡± She did as asked, and the man took one glance at her. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough. Koschai, you are a scimitar user, yes?¡± ¡°Any thin curved sword would do well in my hands.¡± ¡°Perfect. Sepul, a new robe and staff for you. Coronach, you have enough already. And Marigold, I have your armor still in storage. I¡¯ve not stopped tinkering with it since you handed it back to me.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°That is all then. I will get to work. Six days, yes?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I will have everything tomorrow, that gives four days to get used to them, one to rest before the attack.¡± The man touched a candle, lighting it, and was then pulled in. Xol went over the plan. They confirmed that Seraphallen had eaten every other piece of The Emperor other than the ones which they collected. Their main goal wouldn¡¯t be to kill him, that would risk The Emperor being freed into the crossroads and finding the remaining Cast, splitting himself between them. But, that would only happen if the living pieces were all killed, leaving only the ones not attached to people. Yet if they managed to get Seraphallen to take in the remaining pieces of The Emperor, Seraphallen would become him, and aging would kill him. What kept him alive was the fact that he was a dormant mind hidden away in the pieces of himself, but if he ever came back together, became a full being again, Life would kill him for breaking the rules, and the champion of the machine god would finally fade out of existence. Or, so said Xol. ¡°Are there any questions?¡± Carmilla raised her hand, causing Coronach to roll his many eyes. ¡°Yes, you deserve to be here.¡± ¡°That is now what I intended to ask, shadow.¡± ¡°Coronach, you will abide by some manners during your stay in my home. Even Koschai managed that. Please, Carmilla, ask away.¡± ¡°Why is Fomoria not here? By descending order of power, I judge the boy as being stronger than that black carpet.¡± ¡°There are forces at work which would rather he not be so close to certain objects. Fomoria is someone who has always been trying to get more and more power. So it is dangerous to both us and to him if he were to try to absorb the power of The Emperor''s body parts.¡± ¡°I can think of no one who I would rather have that power. Fomoria, while brutal, he has never been cruel or unfair as a ruler.¡± Coronach scoffed. ¡°For an ancient vampire, you are quite naive. The boy is a mess, a disaster in motion. He¡¯ll crack one day, and we¡¯ll need to destroy him. No sense in making that any easier.¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°I know of you, shadow. You gave up on anything getting better because you weren¡¯t strong enough to put your principles in practice. Just because you are a coward-¡± Coronach¡¯s attack couldn¡¯t move beyond this space, for there was, in a sense, absolute nothingness between the two. This was his world, he was as close to a god as he could be in here. ¡°Carmilla, do not antagonize him. Coronach, do not fall for her antagonization. You both know the plan, so there is no longer a need for you to remain here. Thank you for your participation in this battle.¡± With a series of snaps, everyone was returned to their homes. With just the two of them left, Marigold pulled him back to the couch as he tried to get up. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I want to know. You haven¡¯t stopped being Xol for weeks. I¡¯m worried.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been busy. I find it easier to do work in my skeleton form.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it either. We¡¯ve always found time to spend together no matter how much we¡¯ve had to do. You¡¯ve planning something, aren¡¯t you? Something you can¡¯t tell me? Something you''re worried you won¡¯t be able to do if you¡¯re thinking about me?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± ¡°I just want you to know, you don¡¯t need to do it, and you don¡¯t need to tell me anything about it. Just don¡¯t do whatever it is. That¡¯s all I¡¯m asking for.¡± Xol turned to flesh, to Alrick. ¡°I¡¯m not planning anything.¡± ¡°Is it about Fomoria?¡± ¡°What does he have to do with this?¡± ¡°You are the one who convinced them to not let him in the battle. I know the two of you are friends, and you don¡¯t have many of them, but you can¡¯t treat him like a child.¡± ¡°He¡¯s 19 for heaven¡¯s sake. He¡¯d hardly even be an adult on Earth. The fate of the world doesn¡¯t need to be on his shoulders. Harlan found that out. He found his wife, had a child, and decided that being a father was enough. If Fomoria can¡¯t find a level to settle with, he¡¯ll just keep trying to go higher and higher, it will never be enough. If I¡­ if I don¡¯t stop him before that point, if I don¡¯t find a way to make him realize he doesn¡¯t need to be the hero of the world, it¡­ I just don¡¯t want to have to kill another friend.¡± Marigold kissed him. ¡°And you don¡¯t need to feel like you have to be the one to stop him on your own.¡± It didn¡¯t hurt his heart to say these things. His will was resolved, refined, and he believed fully in his plan. Everything would be better for what he would do. When the next day came, Nor brought them their new equipment, all made from Godtouched steel. Nor wore a set of blacksmithing equipment. A thick leather full body suit made from Volcanic Drake and topped with thin strips of Godtouched steel. He wore a belt that held all of his tools on it, and inside of the pockets as well. With what he had, he could do anything from armor smithing to tailoring to jewelry crafter. Compared to the ¡°Now, Miss Carmilla, Coronach, Koschai, this is not to be kept. Sepul, your armor, robe, and staff are paid for by Cecht, so you may keep them all.¡± ¡°What would it cost to keep this?¡± ¡°Cecht has made promises that Sepul owes me favors, since I am not a master of alchemy on his level. And, when Cecht owes favors, it means they last between champions. You are one person, one person who I do not know or trust.¡± ¡°Very well. Perhaps I can change that opinion in the coming days.¡± After everyone was in their garb, styled after what they already wore, which was a little strange for them since Nor hadn¡¯t done anything but take a glance at each of them. Carmilla quite liked the look of the armor and claws that existed in two shapes, one for human form, and one for bat form. Yet they were not shifting like Fomoria¡¯s creations, which while it could be seen as a downside, shifting clothes did lose some amount of defense because of their ability to turn to liquid. Nor made the armors from a set of shifting undermail and then hardened plates that were based on paradox magic, letting them change between two shapes. Yet, she did think the robe under her armor was a little tight. ¡°I think it needs a little more fabric. It¡¯s-¡± ¡°No, it is perfect. You will get used to it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been wearing clothes for 1300 years. I think-¡± He pulled a large headed hammer from his belt and put it under her neck, forcing it to crane back. ¡°Train in them, feel it, these clothes are perfect.¡± ¡°You-¡± Xol put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Nor hasn¡¯t made a mistake in measurements in over 500 years. You will find that the tightness vanishes after a little moving around. If it felt perfect from the start, then it would be slightly too loose when it did become worn in.¡± The four days of training before the battle would take place in the campgrounds used by the academy. Even those who had not been there before, Carmilla and Koschai, felt that something was wrong. ¡°What is this place?¡± ¡°Another of my small worlds. I let The Grand Academy use it to train children. It stretches a few thousands miles in a perfect circle.¡± ¡°How many of these worlds do you hold?¡± ¡°Enough for my uses. My Others will act as Seraphallen.¡± Kleon, Dun¡¯Kel, and another that nobody had seen before. Marigold furrowed her brows. ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°A temporary Other. I won¡¯t even name him since I intend to kill him once this is done.¡± ¡°A grim prospect, but I understand what I am, and that there is no life for me outside of this place. Apologies for making you worry, Lady Marigold.¡± She found it a little disturbing to hear him talk to her like that. Mostly he used honey, sweetie, darling, and when he did say her name back to her, it wasn¡¯t with a formal title in front of it. ¡°Now then, we may begin.¡± 2000 miles of forest burned, Carmilla nearly lost her life twice, but they had gotten used to their new equipment. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I belong in this fight.¡± ¡°Worry not, dear queen. For I shall be there for you every step of the way.¡± ¡°Koschai, do not fraternize with Carmilla. Carmilla, you will be valuable as a support. Every attack that we throw, you attack from another angle. You are the weakest person here, that is true, but he will still be unable to ignore your attacks. Your focused attacks will force him to waste more and more energy to block them, and perhaps let some of our attacks through. We need you here, you are valuable.¡± Xol¡¯s voice was gentle and lightly magical. ¡°Do not try to trick me. Lich.¡± ¡°There is no trick. I just can¡¯t have you screwing up my plans because you got demoralized by seeing that your 1600 years haven¡¯t made you the strongest being alive.¡± ¡°Honesty works better than any mesmerizing effects. I still think Romulus and Fomoria should be brought in.¡± ¡°Gods are fickle, their worry over Fomoria has blinded them to his usefulness. Blinded them to many things.¡± Xol quickly realized his tone. ¡°Sorry. Things are tense. Seraphallen is immensely powerful, and it has been distressing.¡± ¡°Fomoria told me about Wyrmwood. Why not use him?¡± ¡°You do not want to wake Wyrmwood.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Rest well tonight.¡±
Wyrmwood scratched himself in his sleep, drawing a drop of blood. And Thus Aine became seeded with its new prime race. Chapter 353: Castian End Marigold hesitated to wear her armor. The last time she put it on was when she killed her last son. Hundreds of years did not truly end the pain, just dull it. The facemask had a blank expression. As Aardes'' champion, she was not to show her displeasure at certain tasks outwardly, so she and Nor came up with a compromise. Her armor was simple, making her more like an articulated statue than an armored warrior. The only flair was the crossed bands and skirt of black silk with gold flakes that seemed like a night sky and contrasted the gold veined white steel of her armor. The Sands argued over which of them were the origin of Marigold, where she was born and raised. She didn¡¯t even honestly tell people, often changing the story to better fit who it was being told to. But her birthplace was the Black Sands, and the black silk she wore showed that she had not forgotten her home, though her home forgot about her. Had they supported her from the start, when she first exiled herself to try and help the humans, had they not erased her from the records, they would¡¯ve been able to gloat that they raised Aardes¡¯ champion. They slept through the morning, and the afternoon, awaking only at dusk. The idea was to have a small meal so their stomachs weren¡¯t empty, which for the vampires meant Marigold¡¯s blood. ¡°More power, but Fomoria¡¯s has a certain flavor that I enjoy.¡± ¡°Well, I will have to ask him what he does to have such nice blood.¡± ¡°There is a rush of freedom in every drop, savory, sweet. It is like fine wine.¡± ¡°Well-¡± ¡°It¡¯s dark and thick, but it remains consistent, like it¡¯s still alive.¡± ¡°That¡¯s-¡± ¡°Perhaps it is still alive. It almost squirms on the way down. Even preserved, it is always fresh.¡± Carmilla brought two vials, one for herself, and one for Koschei. ¡°Would you like one?¡± ¡°I would.¡± Both drank their shots. ¡°It is¡­ everything you said. I must have more after this.¡± Xol activated the spells bound to Koschei, but only lightly. The shooting pain and the skin falling from his hands let him know that he would be mindful over how he decided to try for more of Fomoria¡¯s blood. The sky turned to fire as a mountain was dropped on the city. It wasn¡¯t that Sepul was copying Nulson, but that Nulson had copied Sepul. Seraphallen hadn¡¯t used as much energy as they hoped dealing with the doomed Other and the creatures, and it arguably had the opposite effect, making him ready to deal with whatever would come next. They all felt the shift in the air even from dozens of miles away. The beam fired by the Hand hit the mountain only a few minutes before it struck, but rather than piercing through it started spreading like a liquid, eating away at it like an acid. But that didn¡¯t matter, it was never meant to be the attack. As Fomoria and his Others showed before, a mountain was dangerous when it was falling because of the size of the object, but it was only stone, which was easy to destroy in parts. For Seraphallen, who had access to so much power, it would¡¯ve never struck, yet he couldn¡¯t do nothing, and his something revealed his exact location. The real attack was a thin as a hair, made from air, and fired from 35 miles away by Marigold, who would be his first opponent. When the strand neared the Hand, he reacted fast, but yet too slow, cutting the spell with his fingers and causing it to unravel just as it entered his bloodstream and then expanded, causing some damage not quite being enough to kill him. Marigold had some experience fighting against The Emperor, and hoped that Seraphallen wouldn¡¯t be any good at unwriting reality. ¡°If he counters anything, cut your losses and move onto your next spell. He can Uncast spells he gets his hands on.¡± When they first started training, mental messages were disorienting, but that was part of why they trained with one another. A squad of people with the worms transmitting their every focused thought was really the only good way to work together after a certain point, because speaking aloud would take seconds, and the time it would take to travel through the air would mean one could move across an entire battlefield before a simple yes reached an ally. In an instant, Seraphallen reached Marigold, using both skip from one of the Fingers, and a teleport that was greatly enhanced by the general boost his powers got as he became closer to The Emperor. He was a close quarters fighter, primarily because light lost much of its power over a distance, ironic but fair for the fastest magic. Yet her blades could not be blocked, and Seraphallen lost the first of the fingers on his back, his extra lives, as she cut an X into his heart. From the city, they saw several flashes on the mountain range, each only apart by moments. And then the mountains tops were gone, and waves of dust began to spread in every direction. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Yet before the dust clouds and flying rocks reached the city, they were pulled back, and the sky became red once more. To prevent her from getting another slice in, Seraphallen pulled up a wall of lava, first thin, but then it stretched a hundred feet thick and a mile long. The Hand believed that she could go through, his blood said she was strong. And so with his hands facing toward him, pointed to the sky, he turned his fists inward, then brought them together. The wall of lava hardened from the outside first, then collapsed into itself. Yet Marigold, while she could¡¯ve easily passed through the wall, that wasn¡¯t the plan. ¡°Next.¡± And it was then that another attack came from behind. Koschei leapt from the gate with a boom. Yet he and the Hand clashed once before. ¡°I see you, bloodsucker.¡± Seraphallen smiled as he met Koschei¡¯s blade with a magnetic field spell. Koschei was fast, that was true, but without access to various relics and tools from his home, he could be predictable in a straight fight. When the Earthborn vampire attempted to cut, his weapons got close, but as they did, the field spells attached to both them and Seraphallen only grew stronger, and Koschei¡¯s attack failed. Before Seraphallen¡¯s hand that cracked with molten metal reached Koschei¡¯s throat, a wave hit from above, reversing his polarity. ¡°Thank you, my queen.¡± Carmilla disliked Koschei greatly, because he acted much more civilly while he believed he had a chance with her, she thought it better that she didn¡¯t strongly reject him anymore. Koschei swung with his second blade and it magnetized, pulling it towards the Hand¡¯s wrist, cleanly cutting it from him. Yet Seraphallen saw this coming the moment he felt the polarity change, and the instant it was detached from his body, rather than let the magnetism pull it back together, he reversed the polarity of his body, shooting the hand into Koschei¡¯s chest, and then an ability from a Finger let him retain control of the severed hand. Koschei became the inward point of a small singularity spell. Seraphallen had no issue with sacrificing a hand to create something of the sort, he had five extra lives left. Koschei didn¡¯t think anything of it at first, but then Xol¡¯s spells activated, preventing him from leaving the false black hole or sending out a warning that it was not Seraphallen¡¯s spell which was killing him. ¡°Koschei is dead. Until his soul forms a new body we can¡¯t expect anymore help. The careless fool. Sepul, planetarium. Honey, fall back a moment.¡± Seraphallen saw the moon go dark, and then the stars, one by one. Then a new light was thrust upon the sky, a man who burned like the sun, a ring behind his head, and another behind his back, both with the wavy flames of Sol. Then the stars returned, but each was drawn onto a void black dome. Sepul had not used any dark magic, he, much the like Radiant Orcs, had absorbed all the light in the area for himself. ¡°You¡¯ve been very rude to my grandson.¡± The staff in his hand was powered by the four fingers that Fomoria fought for. Sholl¡¯s shot forth a beam of light, focussing a spell cast by Sepul. The Hand showed worry, but was inwardly thinking Sepul was another fool like Koschei. Xol did not kill the Earthborn vampire just because it meant that he couldn¡¯t get in the way later, but also to increase Seraphallen¡¯s ego. He presently believed that he had killed his first assailant, since Marigold had not returned to the fight, and that he killed his second, who he saw far apart before his eyes. So, when this beam of light, which was one of the two elements he had been controlling ever since he became a hand, came towards him, he assumed to take control over it. Yet the instant before he could make content, it stopped, or rather, Sepul had used gate mixed with illusions in order to hide that it had moved behind him. The beam seared his flesh, causing it to bubble. And when he tried to flee, the beam went through another invisible gate. Again and again. The Hand tried to grasp the beam, yet his arm would bend strangely if he got close to it. After losing another of the fingers on his back, Seraphallen thrust both hands into the dirt. Sepul was not blind to this move, yet he didn¡¯t shift an inch. When Seraphallen lifted the earth, it became a storm of stone and magma and wind for a mile around, yet when the dust settled and the smoke rose, Sepul was unharmed. He fired another of the beams from his staff, and one more the Hand was unable to dodge. Yet as his skin sizzled and the blisters boiled, Sepul stopped, just an inch from death. ¡°I¡¯m sure you can¡¯t speak anymore, on account of your roasted lungs. Yet if you grovel, I will let you die, and we can continue this fight.¡± Seraphallen dryly wheezed, yet had ferocity and determination in his eyes. Sepul lifted the staff, casting spells to turn the bottom white hot. He plunged it into the head of the Hand, killing him once more. Yet when he reformed, Sepul was unable to pull the staff from his head. ¡°Oh.¡± The blood gem was enough to bridge the connection between Seraphallen and the fingers on the staff. The Hand was not just a Hand any longer, he was The Emperor. His body brimmed with power and he let out the first burst of it, reducing Sepul to dust. From a great distance away, Sepul closed the gate he was using to spy on the fight. ¡°Even for an illusion, it is unpleasant to watch oneself die. Are you sure that this is the best plan?¡± ¡°If we work this out today, Fomoria won¡¯t need to risk himself against the next Emperor. Or worse, if we kill every last Cast, can his mind control other species? You¡¯ve just gone through this with Nulson, you know the dangers.¡± ¡°I still dislike the idea of reforming a god just to kill them.¡± ¡°And it is small minds like that which led this world to where it is now. Clear the area, we just need to stop him from moving away and destroying cities, but if he stays, then leave him be.¡± Xol¡¯s plan had everyone far apart from one another so they could most easily see where Seraphallen was going. Yet the reality was that he wanted them far enough away that they couldn¡¯t immediately realize what was wrong. Xol contacted Fomoria and told him that it was time, that he would burn up a few ancient artifacts to lock down Seraphallen and give him time to cut the connection between the Hand and The Emperor. ¡°This cube is connected with an array around him. Hold it to your stomach and you can charge a sever like Marigold¡¯s.¡± He next handed Fomoria the blade stolen from Thash. ¡°The only way to sever a god of Godtouched steel is to use more Godtouched steel.¡± Fomoria had some apprehensions still, but this was happening, and it didn¡¯t make sense to go so far only to betray him. He began to mutter to himself as he fused the shiny black cube with his skin to hold it in place while he lifted the blade to the sky. Marigold was the first to notice what was happening, the feeling of sharpness that spread in the area, the sudden stilling of reality out of fear. But Xol¡¯s wards and arrays prevented her from getting close. She got near enough to hear two words. ¡°Sever.¡± ¡°Swap.¡±
The Hand was locked in his own mind, the sudden presence of another mind, one stronger than himself, upset the balance within ¡°Your majesty¡­ I have long dreamed to see you-¡± ¡°FOOL.¡± ¡°What? But I¡¯ve-¡± ¡°Killed me. Ur should¡¯ve won. Our goal, my goal, was to save this world from itself. Jenny, she made me as her champion so I might do that. You have placed the empire above the world itself. We could¡¯ve wiped them out with more time, we could¡¯ve ruled this world from the inside. This sickness that has plagued us all, you are the worst of it. It was not Fomoria¡¯s disease that has killed us, it was you.¡± Seraphallen hardly had time to let his embarrassment turn to a seething rage before Fomoria killed his severed his soul and mind from his body. Chapter 354: Good Intentions Fomoria¡¯s vision suddenly shifted to a long dirt road through a forest. All around him he could see paths that lead to more paths, leaving only single trees in triangular patches where no carts tread. Before he had any time to get his bearings and start to find where he was, Xol appeared. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°You are dying.¡± ¡°How did he-¡± ¡°Just listen. Yes, you may do well as emperor, but ultimately, Aarde would stop your perfect world. He needs conflict to let the people grow. You don¡¯t have the power to fight that, you never did, you never would. Your power has always worked by their rules, you are forever going to be bound by it, even if you did gain divinity, you would always be subject to their whims. But-¡± Fomoria leapt at Xol, but simply phased through his body. ¡°Even if I was physically here, what was the plan?¡± ¡°I saw Marigold destroy Dun¡¯Kel once, you aren¡¯t physically durable.¡± ¡°That woman can wrestle a greater drake with one hand behind her back. You are strong, she is beyond such a simple word.¡± ¡°Where are we?¡± ¡°The crossroads. I swapped my soul into your body using the remaining paradox I removed from your soul just as your sever was cast. You were put in the body of Seraphallen alongside the emperor and him. I wonder what this place looks like to you.¡± Xol saw a paved area rather than a forest, triangles holding telephone poles with criss crossing wires rather than trees. The crossroads were a pathway connecting the minds of every being on the planet, their complexity wasn¡¯t something that could be expressed through sight. ¡°How do I get back?¡± Xol¡¯s breathless breathing hitched, and a bolt of guilt harmlessly crashed against his resolve. ¡°Your body and soul, they will do so much good. Aarde won¡¯t be able to tell me what to do once I¡¯ve devoured and incorporated The Emperor¡¯s body into mine.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my body.¡± ¡°Not anymore. You must understand, I am not doing this out of greed or anger, I loved you as a friend. But I have seen it all, done it all. Every hedonistic act. Every kindness. Every evil. And ultimately, I realized it, that in the end, nothing I can do will ever change the course of the world. Not unless I kill Aarde.¡± Fomoria¡¯s form began to falter, pieces of him turning to dust and being blown away as he fell to his knees. ¡°You¡¯ve gained my immutable soul. When you die, Life will not take you. How long it will be before you regain sentience and find out how to enter a new body, I don¡¯t know, but I hope it will be long enough that you see the good of this world and forgive me. If not, just keep your head down, we will never need to see one another again.¡± The entire exchange took just a fraction of a second, a matter of time dilation within the crossroads. Xol said that the new Other of his was meant to die, but the reality was that he needed someone to take over his body once he stole Fomoria¡¯s. Marigold watched as Xol pulled a shield from his sleeve, and it split into 8 pieces, forming between them a cube of red and dark purple tinted energy. ¡°What happened? Why is he here? What did you do?¡± ¡°The Emperor is dead, but his body is still here, in working condition. I had Fomoria sever him, cutting Seraphallen and The Emperor from him. This shield will keep my original safe while he steals both the body and soul of Fomoria, finally letting him hear the voice of mana. You don¡¯t know how it feels to-¡± She yelled out, Sever, Shatter, Break, Open, Cut, Slice. Yet no spell nor swinging of the sword could make it show even the smallest sign of breaking. ¡°You can¡¯t break through this. This is Derg-Druimnech, though heavily modified for my purposes.¡± ¡°That was lost during the void war.¡± ¡°Even when I was not on the side of Aarde, I was never truly on the side of the Fae either. They are evil, purely and simply. Their minds are so twisted by magic that they cannot help but be how they are. And it is by Gaia¡¯s will, or lack thereof, that they exist in such a state. These-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. Please-¡± Marigold fell to her knees. ¡°Please don¡¯t do this, please don¡¯t make me lose you too. You¡¯ve been my only constant for hundreds of years. I thought you loved me, that we would be together until the end of it all.¡± Xol, or rather, his Other, knelt down to match her. ¡°I still love you. I have since you became a champion for the sake of humanity. You don¡¯t fight for your people, you fight for people, and you¡¯ve gone through many of the same trials I have. I decided to give up being an independent agent because of you, because I saw the good that still remains in others. You lit up a fire in my heart that I thought was dead. But you must see that this is going to be for the best. Fomoria, when he returns, will see that this is exactly what he wanted, and accept that this is just how it needed to be done.¡± ¡°What corner of Aarde have you tossed his soul?¡± ¡°There was a bit of paradox left in him, and I took it away to heal him. It is like I was born here, and like he was born on Earth. In time, a dozen years, a hundred years, a thousand years, he is going to reform his mind, because it does so hate to be outside of a body, and come back. But¡­¡± ¡°But everyone he knows and loves is going to be gone. He will tear down everything you¡¯ve built out of spite. And¡­¡± Marigold stood up and wiped her misty eyes. ¡°And by what you¡¯ve said. If you die now, you won¡¯t come back.¡± ¡°Honey-¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°DO NOT CALL ME THAT.¡± An impressive hate was in her voice as she waved her hand, covering the cube in rock before continually compressing it, trying to see if she could move it, toss him into Sol. Yet the box floated in the air. ¡°I am covered from all sides, completely immutable.¡± It hurt that he knew exactly what her plan was even without being able to see outside of the box anymore. The Other Lich watched Fomoria¡¯s body, waiting for his original to take control. And when he did, he cracked his neck and stood shakily. ¡°How long?¡± ¡°It feels as though I¡¯ve lived my entire life in a woolen suit. Everything feels so vibrant and¡­¡± He heard his voice, but it was not his tone. But it was a simple fix, it felt natural to shift his body so his vocal cords would make his voice how he had it before. ¡°Testing, testing. Do re mi fa so la ti do. There. I can feel the mana around me, I can practically hear it.¡± Xol looked over at Seraphallen¡¯s corpse. ¡°How many centuries has it been since I last cannibalized someone?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see here.¡± He turned into a canine form, yet nearly shattered Fomoria¡¯s teeth against the body. So, he decided on something else. It was he that invented the slimes, and ideally, they would break down matter and convert it into something pure. He thought back to when he was training the Others of Fomoria, and when one used blood imbibing. That Other had maintained a sense of mind, though he had no brains or organs to speak of. So by combining that with shifting and his knowledge of slimes, he turned to one such creature while maintaining his sense of self. It was amazing to him, to hear mana, to get these flashes of inspiration and connect dots that weren¡¯t always immediately clear to him otherwise. He felt the unfairness, the idea that he had been robbed of this ability just because of where he came from. His blood boiled, and hastened the process of breaking down Seraphallen, a process that only grew faster and faster as he absorbed the white gold man, both a metal and a biological material. The Other watched closely, amazed that his original thought of such a thing so quickly. Marigold returned with an unlikely ally, and the likely ones. ¡°Carmilla, go back home, you will be useless here.¡± ¡°If there is anything-¡± ¡°Shut up and leave before you die in the crossfire. Coronach, you too, slither away.¡± ¡°I will not argue with you.¡± ¡°Sepul, what has Cecht said?¡± ¡°Kill him as quickly as possible. And he has petitioned Aarde to unleash Wyrmwood.¡± ¡°As have I. Wyrmwood will wake after 15 minutes and remain on standby. The Darkness was in the crossroads. Xol wants to kill Aarde so nobody can stop him.¡± ¡°But all life is linked to Aarde and the mana which they produce. Everything on the planet would die.¡± ¡°He must have an idea of how to get around that problem. Stay with Kor. I want you to remain outside of The Veil so I can call on you, but if we clash, I fear you would only die in the battle.¡± The last person there, the one that she really went to retrieve, was Roland. ¡°I want to see if that sword really can cut anything.¡± Roland thrust his sword down, yet when it pierced the slightest bit, the blade stopped and everything around them began to vibrate. The layer of compressed stone around the cube broke apart into dust, and the Other¡¯s eyes widened when he saw Durandal stabbing down. ¡°WAIT, WE DON¡¯T KNOW WHICH IS THE IMMOVABLE OBJECT AND WHICH IS THE UNSTOPABLE FORCE. YOU FOOL, PULL THE SWORD OUT BEFORE YOU KILL US ALL.¡± ¡°I loved him, I hope that he knew what I wouldn¡¯t ever say aloud.¡± Xol was thrown slightly off kilter by the sudden confession. Roland put his full force down in the blade, and like the snapping of ropes under tension, each fraction of an inch that he cut caused waves of power to fire away, decimating the land for miles in any direction. Yet each wave began away from Roland, leaving him in the proverbial eye of the storm. ¡°DON¡¯T, WE DON¡¯T KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF YOU-¡± ¡°I CONSIDERED HIM MY BEST FRIEND, THE ONLY ONE WHO LOVED ME FOR WHO I WAS, THAT SAW ME AS JUST ME.¡± Xol¡¯s Other regretted deeply that he didn¡¯t look into Roland more deeply, and that he didn¡¯t steal Durandal for himself. That, and he wondered exactly what Marigold told him to send him into such a suicidal fury, not beliving that it was really a matter of love and friendship, that there must be another trick to it. Marigold stood aside, narrowly dodging the lashing waves while charging her own spells. She saw where this was going, but she didn¡¯t care what would happen. Xol was dead to her, he tore her heart out and stomped it into the dirt, he betrayed her, and his plans would kill her. There was nothing that she wasn¡¯t about to do to stop him. Her spell finished, and the lands began to close in on them, her city shaping was being used to form a solid dome of rock for 20 miles around in the hopes to dull the blast. Then, she left, not wanting to be anywhere close when the barrier was fully pierced. Roland didn¡¯t even notice that Marigold was gone. From the surface of Aine, the Titan of Aarde, Wyrmwood, groggily began to wake. He had been letting his power be siphoned for eons, and it had not made his awakening any easier. ¡°What foolish things have happened in my slumber.¡± He saw a square of purple red energy cut across the planet for hundreds of miles before it collapsed on itself. In this perfect scar he saw the ocean rushing to fill the void which nature so abhors; It was a problem. Not only would the dropping sea level likely bring creatures from the deep of the ocean, but also those under the surface of Aarde would perhaps be forced to go to the surface. Those from the sea could survive, but were far less dangerous. Those under the layers of Aarde however, were beasts of ruin, but couldn¡¯t survive on the surface. Perhaps he might try for one of the sea monsters if he was feeling like a light snack. The cracking of his joints sent earthquakes into the area as he stood and stretched. Wyrmwood spread his wings, and those on Aarde could look at the night sky and see the golden white light that outshone the full moon. With a flap, hurricanes erupted, nearly destroying what little civilizations existed around him. With the second, those within dozens of miles were destroyed, and Wyrmwood broke through the atmosphere of Aine. With a third, he broke through the manasphere, but it had little effect on those below compared to the others The moment he entered Aarde¡¯s manasphere, information flooded the last dragon. Who Xol was, what his plans where, what Wyrmwood needed to do. Only the last part mattered to him, and it was to kill the Lich.
Seraphallen was a very weak mind, he faded away shortly after being chided by his idol. But The Emperor, even as Life siphoned his memories to feed herself, wandered. To him, the crossroads were a circuit board, each of what Fomoria saw as trees, and Xol as telephone poles, were CPUs. He was manufactured as a mix of magic and metal, something Jenny could only do because she was latched onto Aarde like a tick, sucking away a piece of divinity and mana production. She herself couldn¡¯t use magic however, not really, but she could imbue it into other things. When the great change washed over them, he remembered what it was like to first think on his own, the natural feeling that he was a person, not a machine. Yet her perfect machine, upon returning, did not anger her. She took it as a great sign that her Cast could be more than machines, like she was. Then the old age and rampency began to appear. She knew how to fix it in AI, to guide it so it made them better instead of just mad. But in biological life? It didn¡¯t make sense. Some of them developed tumors in their brains, but even those without them would exhibit the cruelty, the sickness. He remembered that it broke her heart to send the first batch of her machines to be incinerated for being uncontrollable, how distraught she was over being forced to set up The Nursery to watch for the sick ones. Then, he couldn¡¯t remember. He felt his memories fading away, he had been alive long enough that Life¡¯s process, something that took just minutes, had been going on much longer. He estimated he had an hour of outside time before the avatar would be done. But how did he know? Who taught him about such things. Life disliked this, and it was part of the reason that prime species, those who lived the most interesting lives, also lived for only a century or so. Those that lived for so long would always fall into despair as they realized that their memories were vanishing and they could feel it because their new thoughts kept trying to pull on everything that came before, and eventually, they came up empty, holes in what they were. They grieved their own deaths a second time in those moments. Interlude: The Birth of Wyrmwood ¡°Aarde¡­ please¡­ my only sibling¡­ grant them your wrath.¡± Aine was weak, her life nearly gone. Her soul could barely connect with her relative. ¡°Aine, I shall take no action against them, as your suffering is a lesson to be learned. Just as I have seen the death of my minor gods without my action, and taken the lesson of the one of darkness. The one who the others called a coward. When the faintest traces are all you have, I shall stop them. A lesson will be learned, and I shall protect you as you grow your new people. There is nothing these things could do which I cannot stop. And to stop them now would be to avoid pain and learning.¡± Aarde had never felt fear, he was a powerful world, bursting with life and power. Unlike his weak sister Aine, who took many more millenia to create a world full of life. But as that portal opened, as those things came out. He felt it. Aarde created his Titan in that moment. Finding a deformed dragon, born maligned, thrown into the trash by the subjugators. Full of emotion it could not even understand enough to call rage, it fed on the rats who would wander near it. Sometimes it saw the dragons in the castle breathe fire, fly, and during an attack it witnessed them deflect large magics with only their scales. It envied them, it hated them. It could barely see its own reflection in the sewer water, its wings small and useless, its scales white and brittle, its throat would burn when it tried to light the fire inside itself. It hated the way it was born, that it was born with the intelligence to understand its malformation. A voice called to it, asked it if it wanted to fly, to breathe fire, to be unchallenged among its peers, to be a lesser god, a Titan. It felt a part of its soul quake under the offer, the information of what that all meant was pushed into its mind. ¡°Yes. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°I grant you a name, you will be Wyrmwood, you will be my wrath. You will find and destroy the humans of my world, and you will hunt those things which are not of my world, a human may be left, but the interlopers MUST be removed entirely. Is there anything you would ask as payment beyond power?¡± ¡°I want to be the only dragon. I want them to know what I have been¡­ to look at others and see what they could¡¯ve been¡­¡± ¡°I shall grant this, they shall be your lessers, seeing only fragments of what they once were in every other species of them.¡± A great pillar of magic consumed the deformed dragon, reducing it to nothing but mana which Aarde would shape into its new form. His scales became as Godtouched, white and gold veined, its wings blotted out the sky. He was a living mountain, he was the fury of Aarde. For the first time in his life, Wyrmwood felt the air blow past him as he took flight; he had never known what a body without pain felt like, and it was glorious. His breath was a white flame which dug deep holes into the ground. He trapped nations in walls reaching the edges of the sky before filling them with his flaming hate. A tree as tall as him smacked him out of the sky, and even through his scales he felt the strong impact. But the tree could do little as he let his flames burn around him from the gaps in his scales, he became a living meteor and simply dove through the tree as it tried to stop him once again. As he stood in its center he let out a roar infused with the power of his soul, turning it to splinters. It took him 6 days to destroy all life on the continent, another 3 days to find and remove the peoples of other continents. But he never found a single of the interlopers. He could see traces of them in places, but they were beyond his sight, and the sight of Aarde. ¡°Where are those other things you wanted me to destroy?¡± ¡°They hide outside of my vision¡­ pockets of space and time¡­ I cannot see them in such places. Your flames will not burn them there¡­ I shall set in place long term plans for them, but for now I will make my new lesser gods, and seed new life on this world. I shall anchor my new gods through you. Two shall be anchored in the deep below, where my darkness hides, so shall my stone. Two shall be anchored in the skies above, the mist which shall surround one land, and the storm which swirls such a veil. Of the last, one will be within his own pocket of space, a forest which befits him. The other, breathe your fire into a valley, shall it be ever burning. Go now, Wyrmwood.¡± And so began the second age, 8 thousand years had passed before intelligent life arose to Aarde¡¯s liking. Many seals were placed on their souls to stop them from becoming as powerful as those of the first age. But seals were chiseled away, one by one by those things which came through the portal those millenia prior. They now called themselves gods, dozens of them covering every topic they took a liking to. Aarde simply watched, waiting for their chance to find a way into the pocket dimensions which they would cloak themselves with. Their test subject was a place the empire had made, a failed throne for a man who thought himself a god, now stolen by a Fae which took no side but his own. Chapter 355: Xol and The Dragon Xol¡¯s plans did not begin on the day of Harlan¡¯s birth, nor on the day of his conception, but rather when the first Fomorian was drafted. They were to hold a spark, but it was not one from Aarde, because they did not want these Fomorians to breed with the Golden and make a greater race. So they decided to add a second spark, one which could complete the Golden, but with a contingency that if they were ever to be mixed, the new life would fail to take hold. Xol could extract the spark from the Golden, because they were made in a time when another race holding the second half wasn¡¯t intended, and thus their defenses were far lesser. Yet in an ironic twist, he couldn¡¯t pull that other half from his own creations, in part because of his additions to their creation which The Darkness saw. Whether she really had any idea of his plan, or it was just a normal distrust between her and everyone else, she had used the work Xol did on the Fomorians as a base, then remade them from the ground up with her new information. Xol¡¯s magic was still in them, each and every one, but incorporated with magic from The Darkness. Call it the ego of a man, the pride of a craftsman, or just a sense of fairness, but he could hardly hide his anger at having his work stolen and changed. He was not a puppet, he was not someone who would be taken advantage of again. Yet he didn¡¯t know exactly how to correct this. With his help to depose the Fae, he had handed the entire monopoly of force to the gods. He considered those gods of Reino to be the worse of the two, who played with humans like toys, killing them with monsters which they themselves made, then raising paladins to fight back these monsters in a cycle. The new hero would always be greater than the hero before them, and because the average person was helpless, they upheld the faith that protected them until their last breath. He had tried to warn them of this, to tell the truth, yet not once had it worked. Either the Fae gods killed entire towns to prevent the spread, blaming it on a lack of faith, or the people rebuked Xol for trying to spread such lies. Yet he considered the real gods of Aarde little better. They could¡¯ve destroyed the creatures made by the Fae, they could¡¯ve made life so much easier, better, but they twiddled their thumbs. They cared more about removing an outside force than actually changing anything themselves. Despite what the Fae had done, in a sense, life was better in Reino than anywhere else, and the cost was just a few hundred people now and then. How many on Earth did he know that died from disease? It was certainly less than those in Reino. Yet the perfect was the enemy of the good, and Xol did not consider that a bad thing. The Fae could make perfect, but decided to make good. The gods could do the same. So why, why were they deciding on this? Xol understood the reasons he was told, that conflict strengthened people, but he rejected it. The scale of suffering was too great to really accept as just part of life, that billions of people were living just to die horrible deaths for the sake of making others grow stronger. Xol reformed back into Fomoria¡¯s shape, but he changed very little. His body was now Godtouched, yet that was not the goal, the physical changes meant very little. Xol stole the spark of divinity from Seraphallen, and mixed it with the Fomorian spark. The remaining spark was from the Golden, and he had stolen it long ago, and it had remained inside of him despite the swapping of souls through paradox. This was one such feature that was why they had the spark granted to them in the first place. Dealing with Fae was hard, but the spark gave a certain level of immunity. Some Fae might turn someone into a gnat to remove their ability to fight, yet such heavy transmutation would be rejected by the spark; they were also unable to be fully controlled by the Fae. Minor control, illusions, delusions, hallucinations, they were still vulnerable to these, yet the mental senses of Golden and Fomorians would counter these more often than not, letting them handle lesser Fae by themselves. The first thing that he noticed was that Roland was nearly through Derg-Druimnech, the second was the panic in his Other. His first act was to kill the Other, the second was to ready himself. He could see what was going to happen before it did, the threads scattered before him and his vision fractured to three sights. In each of them, the resulting energy surge would destroy them both, atomizing their bodies and sundering their souls. The issue was the size of the shield, the cube being only 8x8, enough room for Seraphallen¡¯s body, Fomoria, and the Xol. This meant the energy was compressed, and the solution was to spread the cube far and wide, so the resulting explosion would occur over such a distance that the force would be too diffused to be harmful to him; though Roland was likely to die. Xol struck each wall with a simple palm strike, and it began to move outward at blistering speed, catching fire as the air was forced out of place. Then Durandal pierced it, and in an attempt to seal the wound, the shield grew smaller, collapsing. Xol saw the flow of the energy which now felt unnatural, since he was no longer of Earth, where the Derg-Druimnech had been originally forged by the Gaelic pantheon, yet his mind was the same as before, and his knowledge of his own modified version told him the solution. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Xol didn¡¯t see exactly what happened to Roland, but he was no longer atop the cube, and neither was Durandal blocking the slit. He moved out of the opening as wide as a hair by turning to void, much like Coronach could do, and he grabbed the Derg-Druimnech, reduced to dust, but still holding the energy of the collapse for a short time, for he would need it. A second sun descended on the lands, and white gold wings spread 5000 feet across. He hooked them inward, concentrating the winds into the hole in the ground, clearing all clouds overhead, and killing any creatures from beneath Aarde that tried to crawl out and make problems. From the hole a purple red beam, the captured energy from the collapsing cube, pierced Wyrmwood¡¯s chest. Yet it was only sized as the original cube, and 8x8 to a Dragon with a body 600 feet wide, a neck of 500 feet, and another 1500 from the base of his neck which was thinner like a wyvern rather the stocky crocodile-like drakes to his tail that ended in a half circle bone blade. Wyrmwood¡¯s seven golden eyes focused on the horned man that fired the beam, and he understood the scent of a god. ¡°As do I, lizard.¡± Despite much distance between them, Wyrmwood heard Xol¡¯s words clearly, and laughed in reply. Then he reared his head up, readying his fire. Xol had tried to pierce his lung, to cause a back blast, yet he knew very little of Wyrmwood, who rarely entered Aarde¡¯s atmosphere, and the wound had healed before the beam had even finished passing through his body. To prepare for the soul and body swap, Xol had put in a way to quickly send out a signal which granted him access to his full arsenal which was spread across multiple small worlds that he hadn¡¯t shown to anyone. Before the fire could reach him, he covered himself with another of the thought lost artifacts he stole from the Fae. Xol knew that they would wake Wyrmwood, and he knew that the only answer was to slay the dragon, so he prepared everything as best he could, gathering anything related to dragon slaying or otherwise just powerful artifacts. The Aegis, stolen from Zeus, to deal with physical attacks. The Babr-e Bayan, stolen from Ifrit, who had in turn taken it from its original owner after his death, to deal with the fire. Yet he did not trust any single artifact to block Wyrmwood¡¯s breath, and also wore a cloak of fire rat hide under the Babr-e Bayan. Fire Rats existed in both words, but magic outside of the rules of other worlds was naturally resistant, hence him stealing it from Sun Wukong, who among the Chinese gods held artifacts greedily. For weapons, he had fewer choices than he would like, since he was trying to mostly focus on those known to have killed dragons or been made from dragons like the Babr-e Bayan. Ascalon, which slew an unnamed dragon on Earth, and which he stole from Oberon who hoarded many magical artifacts whose owners died natural deaths and which the Fae wanted to remain hidden from all sides. Balmung, which changed hands many times after Sigurd, but finally ended up with Tyr, who held many other lost artifacts, and whose soul was taken during the void war. Lastly, for a ranged option, he stole the Bow of Apollo, which slew Python, which wasn¡¯t a dragon, but a snake. Naturally, it was stolen from Apollo after his soul was severed from his body. Unfortunately not every artifact from the old legends was brought to Aarde, some were lost back on Earth or the realms that overlapped with the world. The other part was that he had no idea which myths had any truths behind them. Ascalon had power, and when used against dragonoids, it was able to slice them with ease, yet the blade was of Christian myth. Xol never met Micheal, Gabriel, any of them, but the Fae feared artifacts of such origins, and though they were of myriad pantheons, they considered the artifacts to be unnatural, heretical even. Ironically, they still stole and mixed their own myths with the Biblical ones, which they found recruited people more easily than their own in many cases. The defensive artifacts blocked the fire, yet the hair of his armor was singed, and the Aegis became white hot. Wyrmwood was unimpressed by his attack being blocked. He hadn¡¯t been awake in a very long time, it wasn¡¯t his best breath. Xol did not seem to cast any spells in the downtime between flames, rather, he pulled a horn from thin air, Gjallarhorn to be specific. His lungs filled to bursting before he blew it, the noise so loud that it broke apart the ground around him and made Wyrmwood clutch his head, yet Xol was entirely unaffected. Yet aside from being loud, nothing happened. Jormungand was still sleeping peacefully inside of The Veil, and the magic bound to the horn could not breach it. Even had he summoned the world serpent, Wyrmwood would¡¯ve made short work of it. ¡°Ha. Says the Titan. Your god can¡¯t even fight their own battles.¡± The Dragon reared up once more, and built energy for longer. Xol had never seen the next attack before, but from the beating hearts of Wyrmwood came a golden light that spread across his body. A blanket of dark fell across a hundred miles, and as if it was the only thing in this void, those near enough saw the condensed beam of light cut forward until it was blocked by a shield, where it shot in all directions, splitting the entire stripe in two. Xol was slowly regaining feeling in his arms, and the Aegis wouldn¡¯t take another attack like that, and his armor would stand no chance. Every mote of mana in the around was devoured, sucked into the mouth of the beast, not even giving him the chance to cast anything to help defend himself. Yet despite the prideful face of Wyrmwood, that attack hadn¡¯t been good for him either. He spread his wings wide to restore himself, soaking up Sol¡¯s rays and converting them to mana to offset the now temporarily deadened lands. Wyrmwood knew that Xol certainly had more artifacts, and they were self-contained and powered. And he was not the only one. Marigold dropped from the sky like a meteor, any signs that they were once lovers was impossible to see under the flourished attacks launched against him that he was hardly able to defend against. ¡°HONEY.¡± It was not intended, but the power of a god was to rewrite reality. A surge of amber colored syrup came from the ground, not really threatening her, but catching Marigold off guard since she wouldn¡¯t know what it was until the scent hit her nose. ¡°DON¡¯T FIGHT ME.¡± This order however, while also unintended, lacked the power to be made manifest. Marigold fought back against it, and any gap that was between them closed in an instant. Xol¡¯s head went flying. This would tell if it was the worst case scenario or not.
There in the crossroads, The Emperor stumbled upon the fading mind of Fomoria. ¡°What of him?¡± ¡°I cannot sunder him. It is a shame, I had high hopes for this one.¡± ¡°What is going to happen to him?¡± ¡°He is going to fade, then reform when enough time passes. Such a soul, one experienced with death and the mind, perhaps a century.¡± ¡°What if I fed him my remaining power?¡± ¡°I allow certain people to return to life because I know I will claim them in the end. I will never gain anything from the boy now, for his soul is not mine to claim.¡± ¡°But he would certainly have a great effect on those around him. He has always invoked strong emotions in others, has he not?¡± ¡°I do leave those interlopers alone for such a reason, but his goal is an end to conflict. This world exists on the edge of my influence, it is a shield against those from the outside, it requires a greater strength.¡± ¡°But if he was singularly-¡± ¡°Are you not his enemy? You are arguing in his favor quite strongly.¡± ¡°The Lich, he will not suffer another god. Perhaps, somehow, the boy would find a way to save Jenny.¡± ¡°It is not my problem.¡± ¡°The Lich, he also wishes to end conflict-¡± Life just laughed. ¡°I see his threads clearly, he is one of mine as though from birth. Conflict will not end with him, nor would it end with the boy. I see no reason to save him for the same reason I see no reason to stop the Lich. In the longest term, neither could change this world, for it does not exist to be free from suffering.¡± The Emperor tried to think of more arguments, but then he forgot what an argument was. Life stood over him for a few moments more, and then his soul and mind were both cleansed, and she left the flickering form of Fomoria to its fate. Chapter 356: Searching The fading mind saw iron and divinity. The iron which sought to help, and the divine that was there to do nothing but her work. This angered¡­ him? No, it was not sure that it was him anymore. What was? No. What? Yes. He was. What was he? He was him. He was angry. He was betrayed. The mind which was blowing away returned, bringing back pieces of his individuality. He would not be lost in this place, forced to spend decades if not centuries putting himself back together. He was here now, some of him at least. The rest should come later. He did not remember who he was exactly, but someone had done something, they took something. He would not forgive those that took away what was his. He wandered in that place for some time, the landscape shifting for some time, starting as a void, then springing up trees which caught on fire. But then the ground returned, and he held contempt for it. What was wrong with the dirt? It didn¡¯t matter. Burning islands of trees in an endless void, that calmed him. ¡°Trees¡­? Void? I am¡­ Shadow? Yes. YES! NO! LITTLE SHADOW.¡± He was overjoyed to know his name. ¡°Here? Crossroads. Not real?¡± Little Shadow opened the void and saw the world which overlapped this one, so he went there. He didn¡¯t like the soil under his feet, it didn¡¯t belong to him, so he floated and his feet unraveled, leaving spring-like legs cut off at the knees. He wasn¡¯t sure how to move, so he just watched the world around him. Birds flew around, they were so free. He reached his hands towards them. Oh, that¡¯s how he moved. He wasn¡¯t sure what to do with this though, since he didn¡¯t know who he was angry at. So he just ventured into the nearby forest. There were many animals about, and each thing that he saw connected more of him to his memories. Little Shadow found a lake and he peered into the water, seeing his own reflection. He was a constantly wiggling void with white holes for eyes and long horns. He was reminded of someone else, but he couldn''t remember who. So, he just stared at the reflection until the light in the sky dipped half under a mountain. A thing¡­ came near him to drink from the lake. It was¡­ hairy? Hair¡­ hare? Rabbit. It was a rabbit, small four legged creatures with soft pelts. Another connection was drawn. He remembered being in a damp room with a woman, but he couldn¡¯t remember her face. Roses¡­ the face in his memory became a purple rose. He hurt the rabbit¡­ it became a tree. It made him feel bad. He liked the rabbit. He reached down to pet the rabbit; none of the animals were afraid of him. Its coat turned black as void where he ran his hands, and its eyes went white, but the rabbit was still just a rabbit. It changed¡­ change¡­ Changeling? Was that what he was? Human sounded wrong, he wasn¡¯t human. An arrow flew at the rabbit, striking it in the side, and it stopped moving. Why did it stop moving? Oh, death. He remembered death. It wasn¡¯t scary, but it was supposed to be. It made him feel bad, since other things told him that he shouldn¡¯t die. Why not? Who told him that? From behind a tree, two shapes came, one large, one small, came out. Their horns were shaved down. Why weren¡¯t they sharp like his? Was he one of them? No, the were Dague, but they were like him. What was he? ¡°It¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°I know, it¡¯s unpleasant, but we must eat.¡± The larger one¡­ he was the father? Yes, he looked like a father. The smaller one must be the son. He had a father, yes? Yes he did. The father pulled a knife from his belt and cut the neck of the rabbit, lifting it after to drain it, but the blood was black, so he dropped the rabbit to the ground. ¡°Is it sick?¡± ¡°Something feels wrong here. We¡¯re going back.¡± ¡°But we didn¡¯t get any food, mother-¡± ¡°We can try again at first light. There is no sense in putting ourselves in danger. Without us, she wouldn¡¯t have anyone to care for her.¡± The son seemed¡­ sad? Yes? No. Downtrodden. He remembered being like that. Why was he like that? Little Shadow followed the pair back to their home. The father stopped the sun. Sun? No, the son. He stopped the son, because he found fresh deer tracks. He was good at tracking, right? Yes. Someone taught him this. His father? No. Someone else, another man. He was family? Yes. But what was the word? He couldn¡¯t remember, but he followed the tracks ahead of them and found the deer. ¡°You should be eaten, people eat deer.¡± The deer didn¡¯t understand the words, but the will of the shadow was stronger than the beast, and it had no choice but to follow, walking directly up to the father and son. Back at the small cabin of the family, he watched as the father strung up the deer for butchering, but once it was hung he went inside to check on his wife. The mother was very pale. He remembered being pale. But she seemed weak, wincing whenever her chest rose; she wasn¡¯t like him though, he wasn¡¯t weak, he hated being weak. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. She held a baby in her arms, what little she had to eat, most of it went to the infant, her mind forcing her body to kill itself rather than let it starve. ¡°We got a deer. I¡¯ll start on some stew. You¡¯re-¡± ¡°She¡¯s so beautiful. Can I¡­ I want to name her, so she has something to remember me by.¡± The father¡¯s eyes became veiled with tears, but he held back, not wanting to scare his son anymore than he already had. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that, you¡¯ll have plenty of time to-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to make it. Don¡¯t hate her, it isn¡¯t her fault.¡± That was stupid. Why would she die? The rabbit died because of the arrow. But she wasn¡¯t shot with an arrow. He leaned over the bed, watching the woman and the infant as the son used a flint and steel to light the fire in the single room home. As the sparks flew, his shadow appeared on the wall, yet went unnoticed; the parents couldn¡¯t take their eyes off of the child, whose heart was slowing down. Her head dipped back. They panicked, the father terrified about the idea of losing both his wife and daughter, the mother, having accepted that she wasn¡¯t going to live long, only cared about the life of her daughter. ¡°Please, if there are any gods, take me, don¡¯t make me outlive another child.¡± Gods? That¡­ that was familiar. But what good have they ever done. Useless prideful things. The fires of rage burned in him, and the flames of the fire began to burn black, scaring the son away from it. ¡°WHAT DEVIL HAS CURSED US!¡± He remembered that word. He read it before, they were evil, and they lived in the darkness, and they had horns. Was he a devil? That made sense to him. Hurting things was bad, but he knew that he did it a lot. The heart of the infant finally stopped, and he felt drawn to the void which remained, just as on some level he recalled always being drawn to the lowest parts in people¡¯s lives. It was instinct, to take the body which no longer had a host. But when he reached, he remembered that someone took something from him, and he hated that. He didn¡¯t want to be evil, that would make him feel bad. And these people, they weren¡¯t devils, but they had horns, and deer had horns. He wasn¡¯t a devil. Rather than taking the body, he reached for the soul that was floating, waiting for something. A woman appeared in the room, and she also reached for the soul. He screamed at her, shaking the cabin. The woman was unafraid of the shadow, but she pulled her hand back and watched. He felt like a hero, he felt good, because he was saving the child, and the child was the son¡¯s sister. Sister? Yes, he had those, he loved those a lot. If he died, he wanted it to be for them. The thought of wanting to die was confusing to him, wasn¡¯t being alive always better than being dead? He put the soul back in the infant, but it kept floating away, for the body was dead, an unfit host. He was a healer, he remembered that. And he worked with souls all the time. But he didn¡¯t remember how magic was made. He pressed the soul back into the body, remembering that it belonged in the stomach, and he held it there. Magic was thought, so he thought that the soul was supposed to stay inside and the baby should be healthy. And so it was. But magic still had to have a cost, he remembered that. So he left a little bit of himself with her, and a large black handprint that covered most of her torso appeared on the infant, the fingers, long and boney, split into a V, wrapping around her shoulders, the edges inconsistent and wavy because of his own wavering form. He hadn¡¯t realized until now how small she was, how fragile. Casting the spell, using magic, caused a rush of memories. Of the pillars that were Fomoria, magic was nearly the strongest, the one which held most others. For he could protect no one, he could gain nothing, without this power. Then, why did he also become sad towards himself when he thought of magic? He didn¡¯t like that feeling, the self unlike. His form became more solid, though his edges were still gaseous. ¡°Woman, don¡¯t take her away from her child. That would make me feel bad.¡± ¡°That is not my choice. If-¡® ¡°Oh, yes, of course. I love choices. I should just choose to save her.¡± He put his hand on the mother¡¯s chest, leaving a black mark over her heart. ¡°The mother¡¯s will fade in time, and I will take that power back. But the daughter, she will keep my power.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I want her to have a better childhood than mine.¡± A million more thoughts connected one after another the words left his mind, and another name came to him. Yet as these connections were drawn, they didn¡¯t always reach where they should, filling in the gaps with guesses. His memories were like a pile of pages strewn across a room from dozens of books, and the 12th page from one might link to the 13th page of another book, the wrong book. He left the family and began to wander and wonder, his head hurting, not liking all of the memories from before he was an adult, and that thought caused more from his adult life to come back, and he hated them even more. Yet as before, he wasn¡¯t sure which were even his memories, he felt like an observer, they didn¡¯t feel like him. Each mountain, each forest, each animal, they drew more and more connections in his mind. But most importantly, he began to remember what had been taken. He loved a few women, but he lost them. One to another. One to death. And the last, he didn¡¯t lose, he lost something else. It took time before remembering that he had a son of his own, and another that wasn¡¯t allowed to exist. What took the other? Why weren¡¯t they allowed to be? Was it because he wasn¡¯t human? That sounded right, and he hated it. He hated that he hated so much, it made him feel bad. The wandering soul found its way to a dead city. Bodies lined the streets, many had horns, and their faces caused another surge of memories and emotions. He did this. This city was dead because of him. Why did he do this? Maybe he was a devil. He looked for anyone still alive, and finally heard a noise. ¡°Watch it.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t going to break them.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll break the box, then it¡¯s going to be annoying to carry them.¡± They were two men of darker skin. The larger of the two was lighter in tone, and bore scars. He looked down at his own body, and he remembered his scars as he ran his fingers across his form. ¡°What are you carrying?¡± ¡°What kind of stupid question is that?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything. You said it.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say it.¡± ¡°Then who-¡± The two men looked in the direction of the voice and saw a horned monster cast a shadow on the wall. Little Shadow was happy that someone could finally hear him, and smiled, revealing his rows of sharp teeth. The men fled, dropping their boxes. He was curious, and looked at them. They were full of dark red gems, each etched with a symbol of a skull and a broken chain. The crest drew many memories of an emperor, and he began to think that he must¡¯ve lived in this city. After three days of trying every building in the city, and some, such as a large warehouse, caused a connection to form, he decided to enter the ruined mansion in the center of the city, which he had unconsciously been avoiding, afraid of what he would see there after seeing so much other death in this place. It was strange, the rest of the city had signs of death, but not really much fighting, yet this place had suffered greatly. One could hardly find a single wall that held no scars, a hall without some bone scattered here or there. It made him sad, but he wasn¡¯t sure why. Perhaps he had been a servant? Maybe he knew the faces of the people who were dead; why did so many have the same face? He found a door that felt right, yet when he opened it, the room itself was gone, a gaping hole where there was once a wall, a ceiling, and a floor. He was terrified, but of what? It scared him a lot that he didn¡¯t understand, so he left, fleeing back down the hall, then phasing through the walls until he found the garden. There were two graves, and both made even his immaterial form shed tears uncontrollably. A day and a night passed there, he couldn¡¯t leave, these were his fault somehow. The more he grieved the people buried here, the more he blamed himself, and then the pillar which held up even his magic, became clear to him, and it was guilt, self-loathing, hate. Why didn¡¯t he save these people? Was he not strong enough? Was it all of the evil he had done catching up to him? Why couldn''t he remember them? One morning, he heard footsteps, rushed, panicking, two people headed right for him. He turned around and through the doorway without doors, he saw a woman of olive complexion, with yellow eyes that became full of tears like his. The woman collapsed on the ground, her tears mixed with his shadow. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He didn¡¯t know why he said that. ¡°Who are you?¡± Her body tensed. Another being came from the doorway and froze in her tracks. ¡°Is that you?¡± ¡°I am me.¡± In the time he mourned over the graves, he didn¡¯t become wholly physical, but he wasn¡¯t just a shadow anymore. He was a mass of energy that couldn¡¯t touch, couldn¡¯t feel, but was now visible to the naked eye, like a dark fire, a stain in the air. The second woman rushed forward, trying to grab him, but she passed through. ¡°Hug me back.¡± He wrapped his hands around her, and a flood of memories not felt since he cast the spell to save the mother and child washed over him. ¡°You are¡­ my¡­ friend? No, wrong word. Best friend. No, stronger. Sister. Hello, sister.¡± The lighter skinned woman had remained dry eyed until then, but the dams were broken. ¡°It¡¯s Amber, I¡¯m your second sister, Amber.¡± ¡°Amber. A dark yellow resin that has been hardened over a long period of time. I like that name. My name is Little Shadow.¡± ¡°You are Harlan, Harlan Fomoria, and this is Yara, she¡¯s your wife, you love her.¡± ¡°I like that name better. I love you both very much. Can I hug her?¡± When Fomoria took his hands off of Amber, a black stain was left on her armor and clothes. Yara backed away from his attempts to hug her, though the stain had no bearing on her choice. ¡°You left me, you left us all behind. And Marigold-¡± ¡°Marigolds are flowers.¡± ¡°Amber, call her, maybe she knows how to put him back together.¡± Yara began to walk away, her grief wasn¡¯t helped by him being there. She hadn¡¯t had time to accept that he was dead, now more would be needed to accept that he might still be even as he stood in front of her. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t touch her, she wouldn¡¯t like that, I don¡¯t want to touch women who don¡¯t want to be touched, bad people do that. Am I a devil?¡± Amber wiped her tears and sniffled before answering. ¡°You couldn¡¯t ever figure out what you were, don¡¯t go asking me.¡± ¡°Why is she angry with me? What did I do?¡± ¡°You died.¡± Chapter 357: Third of Morrigan He knew that his own Others would become Fomoria¡¯s, so he killed Dun¡¯Kel and Kleon, then segmented the mind of the temporary Other so that he wouldn¡¯t realize what Xol¡¯s real plan was. Much like Marigold, yet also entirely unlike her, Xol needed to be very careful with his Others, lest they turn against him. Fomoria, being as suicidally willing to exchange his body, his soul, his mind, for doing what was right, had no such issues making an army of Others, for they would never turn against him. Moments after his death, Xol awoke in a body thousands of miles away. In his lessons to the boy, he taught him to hide things. The Darkness herself had only vague ideas about where Fomoira had hidden his extra bodies. Or at least, that was the plan. Fomoria¡¯s plan to hide his body was perfect, making dozens of jumps through void gates into areas which already had wards and arrays set up to hide his coming and going. From there, he needed to have a variety of decoys, one of which was the actual body. And it worked, she genuinely had only the areas where they might be, but no real information on exact location. Then, the swap happened. In the instants where the paradox was taking place, she saw a surge of energy, and checking it against what she already knew told her where he hid them. Naturally, she told her parent, who told Marigold. Yet in the few moments before she could arrive, Xol returned to his home. Xol¡¯s manner of keeping control over his work despite swapping his soul was rather simple, he gave Fomoria permissions on all of it. Fomoria however, had no idea about this, and never tried to enter Xol and Marigold¡¯s home, only ever having them bring him there. The instant he was back in that place, he blocked Marigold from teleporting in, then was in a constant battle for hours against both her and Aarde. He was the one that told them how to find Fae who hid from their sights, but a lot had changed in the 1500 years, and his hiding had a deeper level of sophistication to it. He shed no tears, he had no hesitation as he stepped down the stairs to the basement, down to that room. She looked up, her beauty still maintained despite her confinement in chains. ¡°Xol, you¡¯ve changed. Perhaps a new haircut?¡± ¡°Now I can tell you what you saw before. I¡¯ve stolen Fomoria¡¯s soul, and in doing so, I have become like one born of Aarde. What you saw before was divinity. I¡¯ve been entirely unable to steal it from a Fomorian until now.¡± Nemain was displeased and showed it clearly. ¡°Why him? Why the boy?¡± ¡°The Darkness never made him a champion in the proper sense, she merely unlocked certain abilities that his spark already granted. I retained certain traits of my soul, the most important being my mana that rivels gods. Had I tried with a soul that was still limited, I would be dead in an instant, a bloody stain on the ground where I burst. His body was strong enough to hold me during the moments of change, and after the transition was finished his soul could hold my mana. Now, I can tell you aren¡¯t happy with this, but you are going to work for me anyway.¡± ¡°My, how could you come to that conclusion?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m going to cripple Aarde so they can¡¯t be a threat to you ever again.¡± ¡°Aarde was never a threat to me. You are the one responsible for catching me, for stealing away the rest of our kind.¡± ¡°No point in assigning blame now. If I put you back together, will you join me?¡± ¡°Is he still alive?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You lost your immortality, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Everything has a price. Come with me, let us kill Aarde-¡± Nemain couldn¡¯t help but laugh for minutes on end. ¡°You cannot kill Aarde. This entire world would die. But, you are very grateful to have me, because I can solve that.¡± ¡°If I took the place of Aarde-¡± She laughed again. ¡°You? You think you could replace them? They are the core of an entire world. Their lesser gods surpassed even our mightiest warriors. You would be snuffed out in an instant, every part of your being devoured to grant life to this world for the few fleeting moments before it all collapsed.¡± ¡°Then oh great and wise Nemain, what would you have me do?¡± ¡°We cripple Aarde, cripple their gods. If we can limit them to only acting through their champions, you would have very few enemies to fight, each weaker than the last if they tried over and over to kill you, otherwise centuries to cultivate their new branches.¡± ¡°And you can do this?¡± ¡°I know where the Headband of Sun Wukong is.¡± Xol thought for a moment before he realized her plan. ¡°First, we must kill Wyrmwood. He is still on Aarde, and hasn¡¯t moved from our battleground.¡± ¡°You still have Gram and Ascalon, do you not?¡± ¡°It cost me my head, but I retained them.¡± Nemain smiled and nodded, enough of a reaction that Xol considered it right to set her free. Xol and Nemain arrived back where the land was afire, the Witch casting a prepared spell to make sure that nobody would see the coming fight. He held Ascalon in his hands, since Nemain had refused to touch the blade. Gram was held by a warrior of great size and strength, blue skin, backwards legs, and seven fingers. ¡°Is that C¨² Chulainn?¡± ¡°A body is not a man. Give him your shield and he shall act as vanguard for this.¡± Xol tossed the Aegis to the blue giant and while it was too small for him, Nemain grew both it and Gram to fit her warrior. Wyrmwood had not been blind to their sudden appearance, and moved to crush them under his palm. Yet the giant held his ground with Nemain¡¯s help in making sure that said ground wouldn¡¯t be reduced to dust by the force of the blow. Xol leapt up, and one of Wyrmwood¡¯s fingers fell down. Though obviously the blade sized for a normal human couldn¡¯t cleave fully such a beast, the blessing held by Ascalon turned the shallow cut into a full severing. Wyrmwood hardly reacted, simply pulling his hand back and slamming down again. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Xol did not take the bait, and for good reason. Wyrmwood breathed on his hand, and had he gone for another swing, Xol would¡¯ve downed in flame. But rather, they were now forced to only the area under Nemain¡¯s warrior where the Aegis blocked the breath that held like a shield around them. From the side, Wyrmwood moved his hand flat against the ground the pierce the giant, but he moved his legs down like springs and then pushed against the palm. Rather than forcing them to choose between the veil of fire and the coming claws, the giant caused Wyrmwood to strike himself and stagger back. He rushed forward and struck at the hand, cutting it at the wrist. Someone like Marigold could¡¯ve used blood magic to turn the wound into a cannon of sorts to prevent another attack, but Wyrmwood, Titans as a whole, were blunt instruments. The Last Dragon used his remaining hand to anchor himself as he flapped his wings to make a hurricane that would blow away his enemies. He knew that Nemain had hidden them from Aarde¡¯s sight, but had attacked anyway because of foolish pride. Yet the giant kept running forward, the Aegis making it as though there was nothing blocking them at all. Wyrmwood began to charge another Sol Sunder, knowing that the Aegis had limits which had nearly been reached last he used it. He hoped that he had recovered faster than the artifact. As he hoped, Wyrmwood maintained his Sol Sunder long enough that the Aegis was broken, and the giant charred until death. Yet the giant had saved his wards, and from the blackened remains stepped Xol. Wyrmwood still thought that he would win, that by the time it took for the Lich to reach him, he would¡¯ve recovered enough. Yet Xol did not need to reach Wyrmwood, or rather, Nemain did not. She was not a warrior, she did not fight in wars, yet she was still someone of martial talent. Nemain drew back the string on the Bow of Helios, and loosed the first of the arrows which struck true. Wyrmwood had more than one heart, his body was simply too massive to not. A geyser of blood flowed from the wound, and the light of Aarde tried to seal the wound, yet Xol had already soaked each arrow in Hydra poison, and slowed the healing. The bow itself wasn¡¯t the best tool for Dragon slaying, it¡¯s magic wasn¡¯t meant just for that singular purpose, and most Earth magic worked that those with fewer uses were stronger, but still it was the perfect weapon for shooting from a distance. Two, three, four. Nemain pierced each heart, weakening the Dragon. Now was the time to rush forward. Nemain stood back, continuing to fire arrows while he ran towards Wyrmwood. Either Xol won, and they would slay the beast, or he would be reduced to ash, and she would leave. Whatever fire the beast could make wasn¡¯t enough, and the Lich reached the dragon. Wyrmwood tried in desperation to bite the Lich, not having time for another breath of fire. It was only then that Xol revealed the last trick up his sleeve, aura techniques. He imbibed the six elements and slashed, the sudden increase in speed and power threw Wyrmwood off balance. With a downward slash, Xol cut Wyrmwood from snout to tail, but that was not the end. The Titan may die, but it would not do so alone if he had anything to say about it. The area began to darken as the soul of Wyrmwood prepared for a detonation. Xol couldn¡¯t get outside of the blast radius, but Nemain thought for some time, and decided to save him. The pair escaped by the hair of the chins, Nemain bringing him to Kor. He collapsed on the ground, so many lives around him were deafening, though it only took a few minutes to tune them out. ¡°It is times like this that I respect Fomoria¡¯s will to listen. Next we need to-¡± But before he could move from the alley, she grabbed his shoulder. ¡°A deal is a deal, but we have terms quite unclear, my dear.¡± He hated it when Fae began to rhyme. It was something involving the bargaining magic that bound them, but some just did it for fun. ¡°I will cripple Aarde so they cannot fight against my making a perfect world free from strife. I don¡¯t know exactly what help you can offer, but I realize I vastly overestimated myself compared to Wyrmwood, and I doubt I would¡¯ve won without you.¡± ¡°Support, without rapport-¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t rhyme. Rapport has a silent T.¡± ¡°It does if you only look at the written word. I shall help as much as I have decided, neither shall be bound, nor should a deal unwound cause us to be derided.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a deal, that¡¯s just working towards an end together until one of us stops.¡± ¡°A deal is a deal, is how I feel.¡± ¡°Fine. I accept this deal.¡± She didn¡¯t even shake his outstretched hand. ¡°What is your problem with me?¡± ¡°The boy. He was destined for much more. When what comes comes, I only hope for his return, lest we fall.¡± ¡°I have his abilities combined with 70,000 years of-¡± ¡°Madness. No mind is meant for living long.¡± ¡°And how old are you?¡± ¡°Waves and stone. What is your desire upon this place?¡± ¡°An army of course.¡± Xol used a gate to enter the lab and the Others stopped their work. ¡°I¡¯VE GONE TOO FAR, AARDE WANTS ME DEAD AND MARIGOLD COULD BE HERE ANY SECOND.¡± They rushed towards the various armories around the lab, quickly spreading the word until all of them knew and that they were under threat. Wards and arrays across the city flashed to life for the very first time, and an order was given that everyone return to their homes and visitors go to the hotels, which had bunkers under them; Yara waited in the bedroom for Fomoria or an Other to take her to safety, yet neither would come. When everything was perhaps half finished, Marigold arrived in the lab. Had she known Xol¡¯s exact location, she could¡¯ve attacked him on the spot, but instead she was in another room. Xol felt the shift instantly, the Others stared at him unlike before. Those that needed to draw their weapons did, then they rushed at him, but Xol began to flee the instant he felt spatial arrays hum to life. It was a wonder to move his body like this, to engage in martial combat for the first time in a long while. But he didn¡¯t expect that the Others were going to push him back so much. They fought not as a hundred, but as one. Each lacked a blindspot because they could just make more eyes, and whatever gaps there were between attacks were quickly filled by another sword or spear that missed their brothers by a hair¡¯s width. If he wasn¡¯t faster than them, if they got around his back, the fight would¡¯ve ended before it began. So, when he reached the end of the labs, he went up, hoping the ceiling wasn¡¯t going to be as reinforced as the walls. It was wrong, but he broke through regardless. Slowed by the ceiling, they caught up, and quickly understood that they could not allow Xol to enter the house above. They all began a psychic attack against Xol, slowing him further. More and more of their attacks made it through his defenses, but Xol countered in the way he knew best. The earth mana split from wind, and a hurricane flayed those closest to the attack, then the ground closed up behind him and hardened greatly. It delayed the Others by just a few moments, and that was all that it took to get inside of the house and heal himself. When the Others came through the floor, Xol stood there. ¡°Why have you attacked me?¡± ¡°We thought for a moment, together.¡± It wasn¡¯t like he was afraid, but there was a bone chilling effect when the Others linked minds and spoke all at once with a variety of tones, but the same words. ¡°Why would Marigold attack us? Fomoria would never do something so stupid without being able to hide it. Unless, it was you doing it. Xol.¡± ¡°I feel that there has been some leap of logic. I thought that I had more trust between Fomoria and I.¡± ¡°When there are two possibilities, one being that you stole Fomoria¡¯s body and soul, and the other being that Marigold wouldn¡¯t even try to talk Fomoria out of doing something stupid, we went with the one that made the most sense. She should be here soon to handle you, and I only hope the city survives.¡± Nemain suddenly appeared. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± It was rather simple, from the outside, through all senses, the world inside of her influence simply kept moving on how it was before. No matter the spells or their wider effects like shifting winds or rumbling earth, unless they passed the border of her control, everything would seem fine. The Others had already tried to contact Marigold, and they thought that they had. ¡°You must handle them here.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Xol tried to exert his influence over the Others, but despite eons of living, his will was unable to overcome theirs, and all he did was send them into a fury. He could hardly believe that they could give him such a fight, but all of the Others in Kor were dead, or so he thought. When he opened the door to Fomoria¡¯s room, rather than Yara, he found a hastily made bomb. First was gravity, trying to pull him into it, then was fire. Xol dispelled the gravity part, which was part of the trap. Suddenly he found himself engulfed in much higher fire than he could¡¯ve possibly expected, and even his Godtouched skin blistered. Had the Other stayed, worked on it until the instant Xol opened the door, maybe it could¡¯ve done more. But the Others goal was mostly to protect the city and to get those important to them to safety. Many more bombs had been made in the rooms of others, Mercedes, Joan, etc. Nemain laughed at his foolishness. ¡°You were never going to win against them.¡± ¡°The corpses that line these halls say otherwise.¡± ¡°But they got away with their targets, they¡¯ve locked down the area, and though the city suffered some damage, most of the citizens are still alive in their bunkers.¡± ¡°Then this shall be our base for a time. Without Wyrmwood, they lost their brute. From long range I think I can handle whatever Marigold can toss at me. And at close range even death won¡¯t stop me. My divinity will turn every body Godtouched. We¡¯ve quickly reached the point where they can¡¯t stop me so long as I have at least one spare body somewhere in the world, which I hope you can help in hiding.¡± ¡°Until our goals diverge.¡± Chapter 358: The Mark Marigold didn¡¯t get close to Fomoria. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± ¡°I am here.¡± He looked around the garden at a passing butterfly, and when it tried to land on his ethereal form, it became covered in his shadow. Marigold watched it shift, growing in size and creating extra wings from nothing, then she burn it to ash with a fireball. ¡°That was unkind. I like butterflies.¡± ¡°Amber, I¡¯m going to take that armor off, carefully.¡± Marigold sliced cleanly, and Amber¡¯s armor fell to the ground, but the clothes underneath were unharmed. ¡°Now. Fomoria, I have some questions.¡± He cocked his head to the side. ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± ¡°Marigold.¡± ¡°Do you know where you are?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Do you know how long you have been gone?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I saw time pass sometimes. Two weeks?¡± She sighed. ¡°Do you know who this is?¡± ¡°Amber. She is my sister, and I love her very much.¡± ¡°Have you made contact with anyone before now? Have you touched them?¡± He could trust her, right? So why didn¡¯t he answer? ¡°Fomoria, have you made contact with anyone before you got here?¡± ¡°No.¡± Fomoria straightened his stance and his tone became sharper, more what was remembered of him. ¡°Where did you make contact? How long has it been?¡± ¡°What are you going to do to them?¡± ¡°We need to study them. To make sure that they are safe. Do you know what your touch does to things?¡± ¡°Not yet. I need to¡­¡± The words escaped him and his body language became softer. ¡°I need to do something with them. The woman with the roses, I did something like this with her.¡± It took a moment to realize what he meant, but she moved past it. ¡°You know me, you know I don¡¯t want to hurt anyone. Remember all the talks we had? I¡¯m Mary, and I¡¯m Marigold.¡± ¡°Mary¡­¡± More memories came to him, yet they were not painful as some others, improving his mood rather than hurting him. ¡°I saved a mother and child. If I lead you to them, and any harm comes to them, I will hold you accountable. You might not think that I can, but I am unkillable now. The best you can hope for is to trap me somewhere and hope that I do not escape.¡± ¡°That is the Fomoria we all know. You have my word, I will not harm them without a very good reason. We don¡¯t know if your touch is poisonous yet. Can you retrace your steps to find them?¡± ¡°I¡­ I can feel them. The mother, my magic is fading, but the infant, I left my mark.¡± ¡°Good. Amber, find Yara and go back to the camp, make sure Sepul doesn¡¯t hear about this.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Fomoria seemed to teleport, but he was really just taking steps through the crossroads. On Earth, there were overlapping worlds, Midgard, Elfheim, The Divine Lands, Hades, so on and so forth. Aarde had just two, the physical world, and the crossroads. Fomoria existed in both, and the crossroads were easier to travel through, a space where space didn¡¯t really exist, a purely mental world. When Marigold was near him, he was a mass of energy that was hard to look away from, and he easily passed that energy on to whatever else he touched. But the moment he was out of sight, he was just background noise, he was invisible to everything, hence neither her or the other gods being able to find him since his return. It made following him more than a little difficult. ¡°We need to put a bell on you.¡± Out of nothing, he formed a bell and rang it, the sound sending a chill up her spine for reasons she didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Nevermind, no bell.¡± He shrugged and kept walking, not even conscious of how fast he was moving. They came upon the small cottage, and nothing seemed amiss. ¡°This is the place?¡± She saw a young boy peering out the window, then the father came out with an arrow knocked. ¡°What do you want from us?¡± His eyes were fierce, and his bow bore the crest, the skull and broken chain. ¡°Your wife nearly died, but was rescued by a black mark on her chest, the same as your child. I am here to make sure they are still alright.¡± Fomoria raised his hand and the hunter saw the shape. ¡°He¡­ he did that? The devil in the shadows?¡± ¡°This is Emperor Fomoria.¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The man knelt, there was not a doubt in his mind once the pieces were put in front of him that her words were true. ¡°My most sincere apologies, your majesty. I had no idea that it was you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. May I see them?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The mother was inside making dinner rolls, and Fomoria looked intently at her hands, rushing past the hunter before he had a chance for introductions. ¡°Your rolls aren¡¯t proper, they won¡¯t be even, they will open up. Fold over at the bottom, then cup your hand over them and roll in circles, the bottoms will seal into perfect balls.¡± ¡°Oh. I¡¯ve never been good at this. I was a maid, not a baker.¡± She turned around and saw him, but hardly reacted. ¡°Your majesty, it has been some time.¡± ¡°Mary, did I know this woman?¡± He cocked his head to the side. ¡°Not that I know.¡± ¡°I was a maid, before that, a slave. You saved me from a market, and I met my husband while buying supplies. I don¡¯t know that we shared more than a half dozen conversations, but you were always a wonderful man. I shouldn¡¯t be surprised that you showed up in my hour of need and saved my daughter.¡± She began to cry, kneeling in prayer towards him; she was part of the Cult of Fomoria. ¡°Thank you, thank you for everything you¡¯ve done. I wouldn¡¯t be standing here, I wouldn¡¯t be a mother. I would¡¯ve just been another body in the service of some monster.¡± Her husband rubbed her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry. I don¡¯t remember.¡± His flames became dimmer. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, you saved me, you saved my daughter.¡± Marigold found it all touching, it genuinely did pain her to do it, but she came for a reason. ¡°I need to examine you and your daughter. Fomoria is¡­ not himself, his powers are unknown.¡± ¡°Is that why he abandoned us?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s because he died. His soul and mind were severed. It¡¯s taken him this long to regain consciousness, and he has yet to take a body of his own. It¡¯s a miracle that he is back at all in such a short time.¡± ¡°My daughter is resting, you¡¯ll need to wait. His blessing has faded, but I still have it on my chest.¡± ¡°Fomoria, why don¡¯t we examine her somewhere more private.¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t a person in this room who hasn¡¯t seen her breasts before.¡± The comment gave Marigold whiplash. It was back to his more normal voice, it was his cold wit, but the target was strange; He would¡¯ve minced his words when dealing with someone like her. Marigold ran her battery of tests, and found the woman to be healthy, overly so even. ¡°When you were touched by him, how long before you recovered?¡± ¡°I began to feel better in just a few moments, and in a minute I was in perfect health.¡± ¡°Strange. Fomoria, how bad was the infant?¡± ¡°There was a woman, she wanted her, but I told her no.¡± ¡°A woman?¡± ¡°With the big horns, the ones that go up and then in, like triangles.¡± ¡°You saw Life? And she let you save the mother and daughter?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Well then. Simply put, your daughter was dead, and healing magic takes energy from both the caster and the subject. He shouldn¡¯t have been able to save her, he shouldn¡¯t have been able to save you.¡± ¡°That is how great his majesty is.¡± ¡°No. It means¡­ There are things at play that I don¡¯t have the time or desire to explain to you. All you need to know is that his magic saved you, and so far as I can tell, you have no ill side effects. Now I need to see your daughter.¡± ¡°She¡¯s sleeping.¡± ¡°I understand, you don¡¯t know me, you don¡¯t trust me, but I will examine your daughter, and she will be calmer being held by her mother.¡± ¡°Shut the fuck up.¡± Fomoria¡¯s body twitched and his face froze. Then as though nothing happened, he returned to himself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Please, you can trust her. She didn¡¯t mean to threaten you. It was a misunderstanding.¡± ¡°You can examine her, can¡¯t you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even remember who I am. I had to be told my name, that I had a sister, that I have three sisters, that I have a wife. I can¡¯t trust myself with this. Please, just ease her mind, mother to mother.¡± ¡°You have children?¡± ¡°I¡­ I had and lost. Please, your daughter may be in danger, we don¡¯t know what Fomoria¡¯s new powers do to living beings, and infants are so sensitive to magic.¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m sorry, I-¡± ¡°No, no need. I understand what it¡¯s like to constantly worry about them. Even with them gone, I still think of what might¡¯ve been done to change things, hundreds of years make no difference.¡± The cottage had two rooms, really, just a main room where the rest lived, and a large closet with a window. It wasn¡¯t something built by the family, they simply found the cottage while fleeing from Kor. The crib she rested in however, was made by the father, along with most of the furniture. Their guess was that it was a hunting cottage, part of many others in the area, likely owned by the Cast and abandoned after they fled. The first thing Marigold noticed was troubling at first. ¡°She isn¡¯t breathing.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, really.¡± The mother ran to grab her, but Marigold held her back. ¡°She¡¯s perfectly healthy.¡± She was shaking with tears in her eyes and her husband rushed to her side. ¡°The mark seems to be providing everything she needs. Has she eaten since being revived?¡± ¡°Hardly at all. I was worried she might be getting sick again.¡± ¡°That makes sense. Her body is small and the requirements are as well. Likely by being in the sunlight the mark is absorbing that light mana that comes from it and decides to stop breathing or eating. Fomoria, you told me on the way here that you intended to keep the mark on her forever?¡± ¡°Yes. So she would never need to worry about her health, so she could have a better childhood than-¡± He froze up and contorted again as he processed the memories he had. Marigold just left him to do that and examined the infant more. ¡°I can¡¯t say if it really will last forever, but it shows no weathering on the edges, the size and shape are exactly like Fomoria¡¯s hands are now, so it likely hasn¡¯t shrunk any. The issue is really that we have no idea what exactly the mark does. I am going to leave for now, but I will give you something to think about. I want to move you inside of The Veil, away from all of this, so we can monitor the long term effects of the mark on a developing child.¡± ¡°How long do we have?¡± ¡°I will return the morning after next. When Fomoria wakes up-¡± He returned to normal and let out deep guttural bellows. ¡°We will get out of this place. I have my own questions for you now.¡± ¡°Morning after the next.¡± The husband and wife nodded. Fomoria stood in a nearby clearing, his body gaining more definition. The vagueness and vapor gave way to musculature and a flowing cloak. But his face was still a mess of fire, his eyes still squiggly white holes. ¡°How is my family?¡± ¡°Your parents took very little time to understand what happened. It seems Harlan collects strange and esoteric texts which your father reads and shockingly understands. He¡¯s like you in that sense, he leapt far ahead in some ways but is still missing certain somewhat fundamental skills. His time at the academy has shown him to be a very good mage really, just someone who doesn¡¯t learn well with the rigid teaching they have in the army. Ava took it hard. She didn¡¯t seem to think you would be back in years. She also finally found a man who could meet Harlan¡¯s standards. Amber, you saw her already, but she¡¯s become a strong military leader and is doing everything she can to keep the peace. Autumn¡­ she just acted like it didn¡¯t matter. I think she either understands more than I can tell, or she understands nothing of it but has faith in you. Darrath is safe, Periwinkle has prevented Xol from getting near the island, though nobody else can either.¡± ¡°Is there anyone else I care about?¡± ¡°Mercedes, do you remember her?¡± ¡°She¡­ she does more than I can thank her for. I don¡¯t know if my empire would be where it is now without her.¡± ¡°The camp we set up to take the refugees from Kor is being run by her. Your sister keeps the peace with a sword and she with a pen. The empire somehow hasn¡¯t collapsed entirely, mostly because you built so many powerful allies and not every Other is dead yet. Carmilla is gone, and I don¡¯t know where. She and I fought Xol once, then she just disappeared with her daughter.¡± He looked away from her. ¡°How long? How long have I been away from here? Doing nothing as everything I built is destroyed and everyone I love put in danger.¡± ¡°What matters is what we do going forward.¡± ¡°How long?¡± ¡°Six months.¡± He didn¡¯t reply anymore, he asked no more questions, yet Marigold wasn¡¯t allowed to leave, lest the gods lose track again. Chapter 359: The Mark 2 ¡°How many fingers are you holding up?¡± ¡°Two.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± He used one hand to count the fingers of the other. ¡°Yes, two.¡± She sighed, exasperated and no closer to the truth. Marigold tested and tested and tested, then sought the wisdom of Aarde and Gaia, then she even asked Titania, yet there was no answer to what was standing in front of her. Fomoria wasn¡¯t a mind, he wasn¡¯t a soul, he wasn¡¯t even mana. He was¡­ nothing. She could record the mana around him, and nothing at all would seem strange, no matter how close she was. But the instant she moved any instrument or spell inside of him, all readings turned to zero. To every sense behind sight and sound, Fomoria didn¡¯t exist. It wouldn¡¯t even be right to call him a ghost, since they were masses of mana that could be detected. Times like these made her wish for Xol and¡­ she banished the thought; that traitor wasn¡¯t good for anything but target practice. She put a mana gem inside of a glass box on a table. ¡°The mark. I want to run a test on it again. Touch the gem, leave your mark on it for just a short time, but don¡¯t leave the mark on the glass at all. Can you do that?¡± ¡°I think.¡± She had done the same experiment three times, yet he had done it each without issue. The gem turned black in his grasp, filled with mana, then returned to its normal colors. The point wasn¡¯t to see if he could reach through, but so she could see how the gem was being charged. There was no clear mana displacement, and he gave off no mana himself. The mark just seemed to create mana based on its surroundings and then put it into whatever could be charged, but never to unsafe levels; She chose to believe that it was Fomoria¡¯s gentle nature shining through in his new abilities. ¡°Now, why don¡¯t we change the gem.¡± Same experiment, but a blood gem instead of a mana gem. ¡°You want to know if my ability affects biological targets differently than inorganic materials. It makes sense. The butterfly from before began to sprout new wings and grow in size almost instantly, yet touching Amber¡¯s armor had no transformative effects. Perhaps my powers relate to dark magic, and I¡¯ve trapped my marked ones in a state of evolution, yet also without chronological confinement.¡± ¡°What colors are on a tiger?¡± He returned to his¡­ to be blunt, stupid state, cocked his head to the side, and thought. ¡°Orange¡­ black¡­ and white.¡± ¡°Very good. Now, touch the gem.¡± When he touched it, the blood gem turned black and started to grow, but only did so after it had its fill of mana. ¡°Interesting.¡± She held it in her hand, all tests showed that his mark wouldn¡¯t rub off on anything, nor could its effects be transposed to something else. It wasn¡¯t smart, but it also refused to go outside the bounds of whatever its power was originally granted. Perhaps it came from his desire to never have his work abused again, but she understood nothing about his powers yet. ¡°I¡¯m going to step away for a little bit, please don¡¯t wander off. And if you get lost, just come back to the garden in Kor, I will find you.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Sepul was finally called in with the hopes that their generally positive relationship would be a benefit to Fomoria¡¯s mental state. That, and Sepul had been spying on Fomoria for years, and would certainly know details about his life that could help reconstruct his memories. ¡°May I see him now?¡± ¡°Just be mindful. Don¡¯t talk about anything that is going to upset him.¡± ¡°The boy can handle-¡± Marigold pushed him back before he could step outside. ¡°You need to understand something, that might be Fomoria, but he isn¡¯t what we remember. I can start an experiment and in an instant he¡¯s back to normal, postulating on what exactly I¡¯m doing and offering his own theories. But if I start asking about math or economics or many other simple questions that I know he knows, he reverts back to being childlike, hardly able to answer. If he hears something that connects with a bad memory he can freeze up or turn violent, then a good memory has him back to a docile shadow like nothing happened at all. He¡¯s not all there, just be careful.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not some stupid-¡± Sepul suddenly stopped. ¡°It¡¯s harder to condescend to someone five times your age, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Quiet.¡± She allowed him past her. Fomoria was touching moths and watching the way they reacted. ¡°I can feel a sort of pull in whatever animals I touch. It¡¯s not the same as the Dague. They seemed to-¡± ¡°Hello, grandson.¡± His stance loosened. ¡°Grandpa! It¡¯s been so long. I think. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Remember when you were 11 and a werewolf attacked you? You were reading the book your now dead uncle, Redmond, gave you.¡± Marigold pulled Sepul away. ¡°Yes. I remember.¡± Fomoria¡¯s form let off no more fire. Each muscle could be seen, and his shadows formed his old coat to cover himself. Yet his face refused to change. ¡°I wanted to keep reading, so I snuck out of my room to use the moonlight. It wasn¡¯t the first time I did it, wouldn¡¯t be the last. Redmond, he¡­ I¡¯m certain he must¡¯ve blamed himself for giving me the book. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Sepul, it¡¯s been six months. How is Elise?¡± ¡°She¡¯s doing very well, and her time with Rosen has showed her some responsibility.¡± ¡°Harlan, Adina, Viviane?¡± ¡°Harlan has been making weapons for us. Adina is still just Adina, and Viviane has finally slowed her growth heavily.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. I was worried she¡¯d grow giant. Her eyes are pretty. I wonder if she likes moths.¡± His coat began to turn to flames and he started losing definition. ¡°There was a civil war, and your Others had to put it down. We nearly lost Rosewell to assassins.¡± Fomoria solidified again. ¡°I hope they solved it with the right level of violence. Have we had issues maintaining lands here in the empire?¡± ¡°The Others which Xol didn¡¯t kill have been trying to keep the peace, but everyone knows that you died, and despite explaining that you are coming back, many have lost faith.¡± ¡°Faith¡­ Gods¡­ The Cult of Fomoria¡­ The Mark.¡± They could practically hear the gears turning in his head. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s simple then.¡± He started walking and just vanished. ¡°Shit.¡± It took just a few minutes to locate him, since Mercedes called. In theory, there shouldn¡¯t have been any way for him to have gotten where he did. He was in the camp, or rather, The Spire, thousands of feet above the land. They decided the best way to keep the people of Kor, those that survived the battle which destroyed the city, was to move them onto The Spire and keep it in the air under heavy guard while they built more land onto it and brought food from the other safe cities or what they could raid from Xol¡¯s new empire. Fomoria was in the center of the camp, preaching. ¡°Come to me, my people. My sick, my warry.¡± The people were wary of him, but those who were in the cult recognized him for what he was. ¡°Our emperor, where have you been all this time?¡± They knelt before him. ¡°Death has a way of keeping those from their people, yet it could not keep me forever. Now I am here, formless, but not powerless. Do you trust me? Do you wish to do whatever you can for our empire?¡± ¡°Yes, your excellence, I would do anything you ask.¡± ¡°Then bare your chest, bear my mark.¡± The men and women removed their tops. Marigold stepped in then. ¡°Don¡¯t do this.¡± He was still himself, and he did not intend to back down. ¡°These people are choosing of their own free will. I will not be commanded by you.¡± His face was starting to take its original shape again. ¡°Remember-¡± ¡°Shh.¡± The area fell silent. ¡°You have failed for six months. Your gods have failed, and it was their keeping me at arms length, their own fear that kept me from being able to trust them, so I trusted The Lich. His betrayal is his, but the events that led to it are not on his head alone, remember that.¡± The sounds returned, and he moved to press his hand against a man. Marigold lifted her hand to fire a beam of radiance, but Sepul twisted the space so it would miss. She looked ready to turn on him as well. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the results of your tests already, a preface to meeting him face to face, and I saw no reason to worry over his mark. He is right also that we¡¯ve failed for these six months to do anything but chase Xol. Even when we kill him, he¡¯s always got another body waiting. Whatever Fomoria is now, he may help, and that mark could be the difference between middling soldiers and powerful ones.¡± Those that bore his mark instantly showed signs of health and strength. ¡°Show me your fire.¡± They all lit a simple flame spell in their hands, and nearly scorched themselves. They put the exact same amount that they would¡¯ve before, but produced something twice as large. The size wasn¡¯t what worried Marigold though, it was the tint. There wasn¡¯t a single fire that brightly, letting off only the faintest light. Earth, wind, water, dark, and even light were corrupted, darkened, changed. ¡°My people, I will never ask that you fight for me, I grant you this power freely and without requirement. But, if you wish, listen to this woman, listen to my sister, listen to my advisor, listen to my grandfather, and their words will be commands that might help pry free our empire from the hands of the traitor who stole my face and soul.¡± From nowhere he pulled a spear of shadows and slammed the butt on the ground, letting the sound carry across the spire. Those that did not believe before did now, that this was their emperor. ¡°I don¡¯t ask that you fight, I would never force you too. But, if you do, this mark, this blessing, will heal you, grant you power. If you wish to view me as a god, then view my word as tenet. If not, then remember what I¡¯ve done, the better lives, the food, the freedom, what has been taken from you. Fight for what is just, do not let hate blacken your heart to stone. Suffer not the evil men, but do not make them suffer. Much evil is born of ignorance, and there are those which might be turned to our side if they are shown a better way. For those that refuse to be better, for fear that they might lose their power, for fear that they might lose their gold, make an example with steel. Power is not good, it is not evil, what you do with it is. This is the most important lesson I can give, this power, I give it to you, to do with it as you please. Be a farmer, be a soldier, be a writer, be a healer, but be yourself, and remember others. An injustice against them with this new power will be met with others who have that same power, think of how they might react as your equals.¡± More and more people came to be given the mark. Sepul watched and chuckled; Marigold wasn¡¯t as impressed. Not everyone took the mark, but Fomoria was certain to tell The Marked that they should not insult or deride them, because they were exercising their freedom of choice. That night, Sepul and Marigold sat Fomoria down for a chat. ¡°So, you¡¯ve come back entirely then?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember most of it. But I remember a book that some people used to manipulate others into following them.¡± ¡°The Reinoan Holy Book?¡± He cocked his head to the side. ¡°Yes, the Reinoans.¡± ¡°It was a good speech.¡± ¡°As good as any, I suppose. My mind¡­ it¡¯s not clear. That book, I remember it, I must¡¯ve read it many times, but yet I can only remember the tone, the feeling, every word escapes me. Too much has been like that, too much has just been a feeling without the greater details.¡± ¡°I was an amnesiac once, but I had Cecht to tell me-¡± ¡°That fucking bastard, overgrown canary. I like the yellow canaries.¡± Sepul could tell by everything, body language, tone, shape, Fomoria was regressing again. ¡°How did it feel when Xol stole your body and soul?¡± And just like that, he was back again. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about that. What is the state of my empire?¡± ¡°Xol has taken over many of your cities through manipulation. He has your face, he has your abilities. But, those that don¡¯t listen, he has¡­ other methods. You always rejected wide range empathic control, but Xol has no such quibbles.¡± Fomoria¡¯s form only became more clear, his face was almost entirely back, but his eyes were still those white holes, he was still missing a nose, and everything from the eyes up was still constantly wiggling, like a children¡¯s drawing. ¡°I will not let this stand.¡± Then it was gone, his face was engulfed in flames, but he wasn¡¯t regressing mentally in any way. Marigold had been silent until now, speaking back and forth with the gods. ¡°Alright. We are going to test your mark on proper mages. Sepul. Cecht hates the idea, but you defended the use of it on civilians earlier, and the others want an example made out of you.¡± ¡°Bastards, after everything I¡¯ve done, they believe they can punish me. Well I don¡¯t care. Fomoria, give me that mark, I trust that it won¡¯t be an issue.¡± He reached forward, and pressed his hand to his grandfather¡¯s chest, but the mark refused to take hold. ¡°Perhaps my being a champion rejects whatever that is. We are meant to fight Fae, to resist their ability to change things. We should bring a Fomorian, see if the mark is good for them, or if their spark rejects it.¡± Fomoria froze. ¡°Spark¡­ divinity¡­ He intends to cripple Aarde, but even as a god, the idea would be impossible. The power needed to do something would be far beyond him. Whatever he can do, he isn¡¯t on the level of a lesser god. He needs someone else.¡± ¡°He and Nemain-¡± ¡°Jenny. I intended once to steal her godhood, perhaps he will do the same.¡± The room went silent, nobody wanted to touch on his admittance that he intended to become a god of his own. The other reason was that all champions had been forced into a conversation with their gods. Amber rushed into the room once the meeting of gods and champions ended. ¡°What the fuck were you planning to do? Why? Why would you want to become a god?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember. How did you know?¡± ¡°What color is my hair?¡± ¡°Black. Like always.¡± Her shadow stood up, ¡°It has been some time, my Little Shadow.¡± 360: What Am I? Amber, Mercedes, Joan, Yara, and Larenzac were brought to The Spire and then all defenses were raised to their highest level. There was no hiding, but anything that was flying at that height decided against trying for the fortress. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°No idea yet. Other, what has happened?¡± ¡°We hardly know ourselves. Xol stole Fomoria¡¯s soul and body.¡± ¡°Is he alright? Is Harlan alive?¡± The Other couldn¡¯t look Yara in the eyes. ¡°We don¡¯t know. Marigold didn¡¯t exactly give us all the details. The instant that she arrived she told us that Xol stole Fomoria¡¯s soul and we needed to get you all out of there. If he captured you, he would¡¯ve just used you to make us do what he wanted.¡± ¡°What about Liat? Can you bring her here?¡± ¡°We can try. I¡¯M GOING OUT, BUT I¡¯LL BE BACK SOON.¡± The Spire itself hummed a reply and the Other jumped off the edge. Another took his place as the bearer of answers. ¡°To answer everything else you want to ask, we don¡¯t know shit. Go inside and wait.¡± Mercedes, Joan, and Lanrezac went to look around The Spire, the excuse being that it was better that they split up since the Others didn¡¯t have a real chance against Xol in a fight anyway. Amber went with Yara to a room so she could rest, but she wanted to be alone, so Amber just sat outside the door. It took her a minute to accomplish it, showcasing the sheer power that The Spire had in it, but The Darkness manifested in Amber¡¯s shadow. ¡°Miss Fomoria. I have a proposition.¡± She yelped and jumped up. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that.¡± ¡°What are you doing in my shadow? I thought you could only do that to Fomoria?¡± ¡°Dear, I could do this to anyone. I need a champion, a real champion. Not like what I gave to Harlan.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be back, just-¡± ¡°Marigold knows this, but I wouldn¡¯t expect her for a few weeks, since she¡¯ll try to find him first, then she¡¯ll give up, and worry about the fact that she failed to tell you for those weeks. Fomoria isn¡¯t dead in the traditional sense, he¡¯s just had his soul swapped with Xol¡¯s via paradox magic. Fomoria can¡¯t die, not anymore, but he can be spread out, made formless. The Fae, they can make a new body from dirt, but Fomoria, he is something else entirely.¡± ¡°Xol stole the bodies of dead infants. He can just do that.¡± ¡°Perhaps he can, but perhaps he won¡¯t. We don¡¯t even know how long it will be before his mind comes back together, days, months, decades. In the meanwhile, someone needs to keep what he built in order. You are the warmage of House Fomoria, are you not? Do you not have a duty to-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me that bullshit. You lost your pawn and now you want another one. I don¡¯t intend to be the next person to fall into whatever schemes you have, you bitch.¡± ¡°I give you power, you prevent the collapse of the Fomorian Empire as best you can. Fomoria will want something to come back to. I¡¯ll keep my terms loose, and I won¡¯t be wrapping you up in my plans, not that you would be of much use anyway. I need a guard dog for Fomoria¡¯s land, nothing more. You don¡¯t have gate, and you can have void gate the moment you accept. Gather survivors, bring them here, and I¡¯ll even give you knowledge on how to keep this place safe from Xol.¡± ¡°Assuming you can actually do that.¡± ¡°A taste then.¡± Amber suddenly knew how to cast a powerful ward with no clear limit to the size or shape. Anything that tried to come up would require her express permission, and she could see the other side of a gate before it opened, even if they were the champion variants. ¡°Can this really stop him?¡± ¡°If this can¡¯t, then you¡¯re all dead or captured regardless, so what¡¯s the loss in my deal?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not accepting anything until I have all of the details.¡± Six months later. ¡°Oh, the Witch.¡± ¡°My, how a lack of thoughts makes one harsh.¡± ¡°Hate comes from thought. How much of Xol¡¯s plan did you know? Did he get out of hand or were you just ignorant? Which is worse, I wonder?¡± ¡°What did he tell you?¡± He moved beyond sight and tapped the shadow on the forehead, pushing her back and making everyone jump from their seats. ¡°You¡­ touched me?¡± ¡°Of course. We are both un, both, not. Witch, you fear this.¡± His mouth upturned to show his teeth, white and licked by flames from inside him. Anger was a focus, to a point, beyond such a point, it was just senseless rage. ¡°Remember the toy foxes you made for your niece and nephew?¡± ¡°OH YES. I made the one orange, and the one white. I really liked making them. I hope they are still working good.¡± He began to stretch his arms down, painting foxes into the spire floor with his mark. ¡°Keep him in line. He is not acting how he should. It¡¯s likely he has lost whatever part lets him process his emotions, thus making him stuck in his feelings. He was reaching a fever pitch, unable to contain himself any longer once he found a target to torment.¡± ¡°I can tell that he¡¯s still in pieces, I¡¯ll make sure he doesn¡¯t do anything too stupid.¡± ¡°There is no stopping that, just limit the damage.¡± ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t we go and find some wood? You can teach me some carving techniques.¡± Sepul disagreed with what was happening. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Fomoria, remember-¡± But it didn¡¯t matter much since Marigold didn¡¯t want Fomoria to go back to being so aggressive yet. ¡°Have fun.¡± ¡°We will.¡± Once Fomoria was out of sight, Marigold sat back down. ¡°Don¡¯t do that again.¡± ¡°I would rather my grandson act like my grandson.¡± ¡°And I would rather he not do something stupid and end up on the wrong side of the gods. When Fomoria is whole again, he can say whatever he wants, but they won¡¯t care about what state of mind he is in. If he¡­ he will make his own choices, not because his lack of memories made him insane, but because of what he knows and does.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not an idiot. ¡± ¡°Yes, he is. He was directly threatening The Darkness. And for what gain? He remembers that he hated her, but he doesn¡¯t seem to remember that he also understood why he worked with her despite that. He¡¯s always been headstrong, but he¡¯s not often fallen so completely to that fact and ruined things for himself.¡± ¡°We will need his mind. If there is anyone likely to understand what Xol is doing, it¡¯s him. The man gloats, and likely said or did something before Fomoria faded away that would give us something.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I want him to remain like this forever, but he can¡¯t be picking fights and ignoring orders like that.¡± Just for an instant, Marigold looked away, and Sepul caught this, but didn¡¯t push. Perhaps she just liked the happy Fomoria, he thought. But that wasn¡¯t the Fomoria that they needed right now. In the next three days, Fomoria had taught everything he knew about carving to Amber, and she made everything he asked. He seemed happier than nearly any time she ever knew him. But, sometimes when he talked about something he saw that he wanted her to carve, he would pause, his eyes would grow dimmer. Whatever was wrong with those memories, he didn¡¯t want to talk about them. He wasn¡¯t back to himself, but he seemed much more mellow than before, he could be angry and sad and happy without any extreme shifts in personality. ¡°Where is Liat?¡± ¡°She¡¯s with Carmilla.¡± ¡°Marigold said that Carmilla took Camilla and left. But she didn¡¯t say anything about Liat.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Why don¡¯t we carve another sun? The children seem to love them.¡± ¡°She¡¯s dead, isn¡¯t she?¡± Amber put down her knife. ¡°Wherever Carmilla went, she didn¡¯t take many people, she didn¡¯t have many to take. We are hoping that she comes back, that Liat is with her.¡± ¡°But you know she¡¯s dead, don¡¯t you? And Yara suspects it? That¡¯s why she hasn¡¯t come to see either of us. That¡¯s why she is so cold.¡± He buried his head in his hands, liquid shadow seeped between his fingers. ¡°I failed her again, I couldn¡¯t protect her. She should¡¯ve never been in this place. I-¡± Amber tried to hug him, but he couldn¡¯t feel anything. ¡°The Darkness, she told me. She wanted me to just mourn her and get back to the fight. I couldn¡¯t bear to tell Yara. She lost you already, she lost her home when she left. It would¡¯ve crushed her. There was never a good time to tell her.¡± Fomoria took a step, and vanished. It was no mystery where he was going, or so she thought. The Spire of Other connected the inside and outside of The Veil, crossing it was as simple as walking to him. Where he was going, that was the hard part. He felt lost, and he felt that it was familiar. The desert? Perhaps he could find Liat and Yara¡¯s parents, tell them what happened, beg them to take Yara back to somewhere she belonged. The North? He knew one person there, Reet, and perhaps it would be best to go to someone who knows nothing. Ragne? Perhaps Rosewell could give some words of wisdom, perhaps Relly could soothe his soul with her cheer and youth. Castle Fomoria? Maybe Adina would stir something inside of him. The Grand Academy? Hirum could objectively observe and be honest about what he could see. But lost in thoughts, he arrived at the front gates of Blackstone mansion. ¡°HALT.¡± The guards pointed their spears at him and communicated that something strange was at the front door. Fomoria just cocked his head to the side, not saying a word for minutes. A man and a large dog came out the front door, claw and blade drawn. ¡°IDENTIFY YOURSELF.¡± The dog retracted his claws and got closer to him. He circled around the floating shadow, sniffing more and more, trying to understand. ¡°What happened to you? Fomoria?¡± ¡°Death.¡± ¡°Not a ghost.¡± ¡°Something else. You there¡­ you are¡­ Onyx?¡± ¡°Is that really you?¡± ¡°If memories are what make someone themself, then I suppose I must be Fomoria.¡± ¡°You sound like him. Why are you here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe I did when I came. I¡¯m just¡­ lost.¡± ¡°Come in..¡± The walk through the mansion brought up many memories, not all pleasant, but most. ¡°What have you been doing? We haven¡¯t seen or heard anything about you in half a year.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been¡­ as close to death as someone like me can now be.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t find your eerie vagueness quite as enjoyable as others.¡± ¡°Xol stole my body and soul. I faded away, and it¡¯s taken six months to reform into something resembling myself. But¡­ there is much I don¡¯t remember. I¡¯m not whole, I don¡¯t have skin, but I feel I don¡¯t fit in it either. Everything that I¡¯m told I built has crumbled, I don¡¯t know what the I before would do in the face of this.¡± ¡°How long have you been¡­ not dead then?¡± ¡°Weeks.¡± ¡°I assume this isn¡¯t the first place you¡¯ve come to?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve spent time with Amber. Why does my chest ache when I can¡¯t feel anything?¡± ¡°Mother would know better about that than I.¡± Blackstone was putting Tenebria to sleep when Onyx knocked on the door and Fomoria mimicked him. ¡°Come in.¡± She looked up and down the shadow. ¡°Fomoria, it¡¯s been some time.¡± ¡°I know¡­ Yes, I know.¡± She found the confidence in his statement strange. ¡°Onyx, why don¡¯t you finish reading this story to your sister?¡± ¡°Nooo. I want mommy to read it.¡± ¡°Mommy needs to help your Uncle Fomoria.¡± ¡°Why does he look like that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know yet.¡± She kissed Tenebria¡¯s forehead then walked out with Fomoria. Cimmeria brought him to a tea room. Since she had stopped her drinking entirely, she became quite familiar with various teas, familiar and exotic. ¡°Vanilla?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a physical form.¡± ¡°Sometimes tea is for the soul rather than the body.¡± ¡°Vanilla then, please.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you explain what¡¯s wrong while we wait for it to seep?¡± He told her of Xol¡¯s betrayal and his missing memories along with what happened to Liat and what other places he thought about going. She didn¡¯t answer until after she poured two cups of tea and put sugar in; she stirred Fomoria¡¯s cup. ¡°You must tell her. But, perhaps that idea of going to the desert isn¡¯t bad. You are always putting others ahead of yourself, that part is absolutely what you would do. You know that you can¡¯t be there for her, that you are broken and she will be by the confirmation of her sister¡¯s demise. You know you can¡¯t pick her pieces up and put her back together until you are whole yourself. If her parents have any heart, they will beg their people to accept her back home. But I tell you this now, I warn you in no uncertain terms, because I have interacted with Golden before, she will never be allowed to leave again. Either they would make her stay as a part of being allowed to come back, or she would see you as unreliable, and she would stay of her own will. If this is what you want, if you would put her well-being above your desire to one day return to her, then go to the desert, make your plea, see if it is possible, then make her parents break the news to her.¡± He hunched over the table, sniffing the tea. He knew that he couldn¡¯t really smell it, but his mind was tricked by the memories that came from the tea he drank in the past. ¡°Or I just stop being such a coward, and tell her now.¡± ¡°Is that what you think is best for her? That she suffers alone? Who else can she turn to?¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t tell her then.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I can¡¯t help her, because I¡¯ve failed everyone, I¡¯m a failure, a fraud, I¡¯m a monster. I¡¯ve been pretending that I¡¯m stupid for over a day now, just so Amber spends more time with me. So I don¡¯t need to think about what I can¡¯t fix.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you ruminate on those thoughts for a time, come to a conclusion on your own. You are wise, but ignorant. Beyond your years only gets you so far in that department, sometimes your idea of an experience isn¡¯t enough.¡± Fomoria sat there in silence, losing track of time was something he often did these days, and he was finally broken from his thoughts the dawn had come and Cimmeria was sleeping across from him. Chapter 361: White Sands/Black Snow Within the White Sands, there was a grand city, verdant land beyond sense in such a desolate place. When a guard on the walls saw a shadow moving towards them, they sounded an alarm, but by the time he turned back, the shadow was gone, and not a single ward or array had reacted to the supposed standing shadow. The guard was told he needed to take a break, that his eyes were playing tricks in the early morning. Then the alarm sounded on the inner wall, then inside of the city itself. Yet the intruder didn¡¯t seem to be hiding or attacking, rather, he found the city square and waited, staring at a fountain. The area was evacuated, and then the soldiers arrived. He had no pupils to follow, just holes, but each of them felt like they were being glared at. ¡°I¡¯ve come to-¡± Beams of radiance fired into Fomoria, and when they passed through they were tainted, twofold as deadly as before. The destruction that was behind him brought forth more terrible memories of unintended damages. ¡°I DON¡¯T WANT TO FIGHT.¡± The Golden were born and bred to kill Fae, separating their souls from their bodies. These soldiers had been trained, but not once had they actually had to fight against Fae, let alone a Fae who couldn¡¯t be touched by spells. Their training told them that one should never speak with Fae during a fight; one wrong word could spell their doom. So, they kept throwing out their attacks, and Fomoria was forced to dodge while explaining why he was there, lest their own magic destroy more of the city than required. Three hours passed, soldiers from across the city, and then those from other Sands all tried to kill Fomoria, not one was willing to even try speaking to him despite his already explaining the situation. Swaths of the city were returned to rubble when they tried to attack Fomoria, only for their own attacks to just come out the other side more dangerous than when they entered. He had stopped even trying to dodge at some point, eventually they would get bored of destroying their own city and be forced to stop. But again, and again, and again, he saw buildings turn to dust, fire melt sand and stone into glass and slag. Some of them didn¡¯t even seem to care about the collateral damage at all, and other Golden ended up caught in the attacks. Nobody seemed to have died yet, but it was just so¡­ senseless. So, when one more fired a blast of radiance, he reached forward by some new instinct, subsuming the spell. It was the first change in the fight since it started. More and more and more, they launched everything that they had, and what physical spells they had were drained of the magical component, losing the driving force behind them. Boulders turned back to sand and fell to the ground, rushing winds became gentle breezes. It was all starting to just feel natural to him. He looked down at his hands, and all sorts of movements and runes came back to him. Yet he was not of Aarde, and Aarde¡¯s magic would not work for him. It was a crushing disappointment to have all of that knowledge be ultimately useless. But he was something, he had power, that was clear. He pointed at one of the Golden and thought to himself. ¡°Pierce.¡± The hole was no larger than his finger, but it seemed instant, not one of them reacted to it, other than the one who now had a hole in his shoulder. It felt, good, it should feel bad to hurt people. His hand became a messy mass of fingers, and by the dozen the Golden fell under his assault. He ignored vital spots, shooting the joints of his attackers. ¡°Do you care to listen to anything I have to say yet?¡± His hand returned to normal, and the Golden retreated without a word, leaving some of their comrades with worse injuries behind. Fomoria felt confidence for the first time in a while. It wasn¡¯t enough to know that he had some dubious level of power, he needed to express it, to show others that he wasn¡¯t just a joke. Then Marigold showed up in combat gear. She saw the ruins around her, and moved in a blur, striking him several times; his body felt sluggish. He couldn¡¯t feel pain, but whatever she had done, it was wrong; It didn¡¯t hurt, it couldn¡¯t, but he shivered. ¡°Nobody has begged Aarde to defend one of the Sands since I left, I didn¡¯t even know that they could call me like this. Explain, now.¡± ¡°I wanted to talk, they refused my every attempt.¡± ¡°So you began destroying the city? Give me a reason why I shouldn¡¯t lock you up until you are whole again?¡± ¡°I did nothing. They fired their spells, which passed through me and were boosted. I hit the Golden with direct attacks that pierced their joints, but did not move beyond them. Those fucking fools, those up tight egotistical desert rats¡­¡± He listened to himself and felt himself twist and twitch with anger. That he had the sense of mind to stop and evaluate himself was a good sign to her. ¡°I only began to absorb their attacks after hours, it just began to happen. If I had known, I would¡¯ve stopped all of this before they chipped a single brick.¡± She removed her mask. ¡°Look me in the eyes and promise that you caused none of this.¡± ¡°I admit to only attacking the Golden so they would be forced to listen. Everything else is just¡­ stupidity.¡± She spoke with the soldiers, and confirmed Fomoria¡¯s story. They all lied to her of course, since they realized that they made a mistake and yet refused to admit it.; the most damning trait of their kind was their pride. She proved Fomoria¡¯s story by shooting a fireball through his chest and watching it come out the other side, darkened in color, lacking any mana signature, but stronger than before. It matched her findings of the damage, since so far as her scanning spells told her, nobody had cast the spells that destroyed the section of the city. When she confronted them with her findings, they tried to cast blame on the other Sands. Of course it must¡¯ve been the Red Sands, they were fiery, and their lack of control made them unable to control their own magic. It must¡¯ve been the Blue Sands, their cold attitude meant they just didn¡¯t care about minimizing damage. And so on and so forth. Marigold scolded them all like the overgrown children that they were, and demanded a meeting with the leaders of the White Sands, which Fomoria was to attend as well. The grand council hall of the White Sands was¡­ not as grand as he expected. It was made of the highest quality white sandstone that one could find, polished until you could see your reflection, but it wasn¡¯t much more than a single 50x50 room with a vaulted roof and a half circle of sandstone acting as a table. It lacked any designs on the windows, just cloudy glass. Though they weren¡¯t technically part of the conversation, the leaders of the other Sands were already there so they could be ready to fight against the unknown threat, and they demanded to be allowed to spectate. ¡°Lady Marigold, Grand Champion of Aarde. Why have you demanded this meeting? And why have you brought that Fae with you?¡± ¡°Apologies, but I don¡¯t know your name. When I was here last, the head of the council was Al-Ray.¡± ¡°I am Melek. To my right is Coen, and to my left is Al-Reina, descended from Al-Ray.¡± ¡°Greetings, Melek, Coen, and Al-Reina. This is not, strictly speaking, a Fae. This is Emperor Harlan Fomoria. He did not come with hostile intent. Fomoria, why did you come?¡± ¡°I assume you all know of Yara? Who left with me some months ago.¡± ¡°She was to be my daughter-in-law.¡± Melek leaned forward and glared at Fomoria. ¡°I want her to be allowed back into the city. I-¡± ¡°Just a moment.¡± Marigold put up a veil for them. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°With Liat¡¯s death, she has nothing to keep her there, nothing but me, and we will both be harmed by the presence of the other. I will forever be a monument to my failures, I don¡¯t need to see them staring back at me every single day.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°You¡¯re her husband, you have a duty to her.¡± ¡°Just like you and Xol?¡± She clenched her fist and her eyes blazed with power. ¡°There are only a handful of people who understand you as well as I do. You always jump to extreme options because they are easier than just doing the simple thing sometimes. Why have a dialogue or face your problems when you can just toss them away. I also know that you can be cruel, but you always regret it, so I¡¯m not going to do anything about what you just said.¡± ¡°What if I don¡¯t regret it?¡± ¡°Then you aren¡¯t as mature as the man I knew. He wouldn¡¯t run away from this. He wouldn¡¯t abandon his wife when she needs him. He wouldn¡¯t try to pass this off to someone else. He would grow the fuck up and do whatever it took no matter how hard it is because he¡¯s past the point of pushing people away to protect himself.¡± She punctuated each line with a poke to his chest. ¡°Marigold. I¡¯m going to make this clear. Yara is a symbiote. She needs other people, she can¡¯t just be on her own. I¡¯m a void without anything more to give. If I let her stay as she is, she will wither and die in her heart. I am doing the hard thing, because I know my limits, I know I can¡¯t help her.¡± Finally, Fomoria¡¯s face was clear, his form was solid. Though his eyes were still erratically moving, without pupils, she saw that he was at least himself. ¡°It¡¯s easier to tell me that I don¡¯t know, that I¡¯m confused, that I can¡¯t think about what I¡¯m doing. It¡¯s much harder to admit that enough of me is back that I can make this kind of choice.¡± She slapped him across the face, and he felt it. ¡°How do you keep doing that?¡± ¡°Nothing. You are a unique existence, your body and mind and soul are all one thing. I think, therefore I am. It¡¯s something he told me before, some philosopher said it. For you, I think it¡¯s true. The more you become you, the more you become something. I can hit something. Give up on this, go back, stop deluding yourself into believing that this is going to help her. The Golden are going to be pissed that a portion of the city was destroyed and they got nothing out of it other than me giving you a talk and you reforming closer to being a person, but-¡± ¡°Fuck them.¡± When Fomoria touched the veil, it popped like a bubble and was pulled into him. Suddenly, a thought came to him, and he tried to make his own. Yet the memory of a spell wasn¡¯t enough. ¡°Lady Marigold, do you vow to handle him should he return?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve convinced Fomoria to return to Yara and try to help her rather than trying to bring her back here.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind my asking, why did he want her to return?¡± ¡°Her sister passed, but she had not been told yet. He-¡± Al-Reina¡¯s eyes were veiled with tears and the atmosphere turned dark. ¡°Were you close?¡± ¡°Liat is, was, Al-Reina¡¯s daughter.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Had I know, I would¡¯ve told you before.¡± ¡°Was her body recovered?¡± Said the mother through tears. Before Marigold replied, she put her mask back on. ¡°She was vaporized fighting a foe far beyond her strength. She saved the daughter of her dear friend in the process.¡± Fomoria thought that they were a bit more than dear friends, but wasn¡¯t sure how the Golden, or her mother, felt about such things. ¡°I knew her as a woman with a great passion, and she regained that in the end. I am sorry for your loss.¡± ¡°Yara, how is she?¡± ¡°She has been undeniably depressed, even with Fomoria¡¯s return to life. Though they loved one another greatly before all of this happened.¡± ¡°Can I¡­ nevermind.¡± ¡°If you would like to visit her, discuss it with your council. I would bring you to her in an instant.¡± ¡°Clear the room.¡± The other Sands instantly erupted into arguments, though their words were cut by just one. ¡°Silence.¡± And so they were. ¡°This is not your choice. You are not from this place, you are not the family of Yara and Liat. I will spill blood if-¡± Marigold stopped him with her own silencing spell. ¡°The Sands exist as six cities, each governing themselves. By the laws of the land, none of you have any right to remain in this hall should the members of the council ask to have it cleared.¡± Fomoria¡¯s threat would not have done anything, they would¡¯ve simply tried, and failed, to fight. But Marigold¡¯s words, followed by the waves of golden mana that came from her, made them listen. Fomoria returned to The Spire of Other, and found Yara in her room. ¡°We need to talk.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I haven¡¯t been able to face you. I know you¡¯re going to find some way to make me feel better, you¡¯ll forgive me, but that just makes me feel worse.¡± ¡°No. I left you for six months because I was too stupid to see that I was being tricked. And with what else I have to say, I couldn¡¯t ask that you act like you are at fault instead of me. Even if you hate me, I will understand that I have it coming.¡± She could see him move his mouth, but no words were coming out. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡­ It¡¯s¡­¡± He tightly clenched his fists, trying to work up the courage. His vision blurred, and remembered the day he was told that Redmond had died. He floated forward and wrapped his arms around her. His body was not fully physical, but she felt his weight on her. ¡°Liat is dead, she has been for a while now.¡± Yara pushed him away, or she tried, then buried her head in her pillows as she cried. Fomoria went to the bed, sat on the edge, and brushed her hair. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t there. I¡¯m sorry that I failed every step of the way, that I wasn¡¯t good enough to stop any of this. That I wasn¡¯t-¡± ¡°LEAVE ME ALONE.¡± ¡°I¡¯m never going to leave you alone again.¡± ¡°LIAR.¡± He knew she was right, he couldn¡¯t really promise that. He knew that Fomoria needed to be out there, helping people, that he would need to leave her behind again. ¡°I want to go home, I hate it here, I hate all of it.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± He was conflicted about if he should tell her about his visit or not. ¡°I went to the White Sands to ask if you would be allowed to return with the promise that you never leave again. Marigold told me to come back, but they were going to have a conversation about if your mother would be allowed to visit you for a short time.¡± Yara didn¡¯t reply. When Al-Reina arrived, Fomoria had already left, Amber wanted to take him to a battle. Xol¡¯s forces moved against the Others, though Xol himself rarely showed up to fight. Marigold did not join any fight where she couldn¡¯t battle against Xol, and thus his army were allowed to conquer parts of the two empires and expand his own.
One month after Fomoria¡¯s death. Amber, as acting general of the Fomorian Empire, led her troops against those of Xol, the mind controlled masses and necromantic monsters. There was discussion at the start about if they could justifiably kill the people who weren¡¯t in control of themselves, but it became clear quickly that letting them run rampant was not an option. Still, things were¡­ not going well. The hulking bipedal mammoth-like creatures with their black bone armor taken from Fomoria¡¯s weapon sigil were hard to put down even with warmagic. She leapt into battle, supported by what soldiers she could make fight for her and what weapons were made by Harlan. Her body held the same sigil as the monsters and soldiers that she had to fight against, and even her armor and weapons were worse than theirs. But Amber wasn¡¯t some mind controlled citizen given equipment beyond them or created monster with a false mind. She punched through the armored skull of one of the brutes with a green spear that flew back to her, something Harlan made, and when the smallfry got nearer, she shifted the weapon, leaving double sided blades on both ends. It was awkward to throw, but with a twist, she could do it. The weapon flew through the soldiers with ease, moving in a circle around her before returning. She had lost her hand more than once before she got that trick right. But no matter how many she cut down, they would just keep pouring in over and over. Xol had been breeding spinal spiders of his own for decades in a small world that Marigold and the gods knew nothing about, one of many that he prepared. He cared nothing for most of the Castian citizens, who he considered actively complicit in the atrocities of their empire, and thought little about using his spider hivemind in the half-alive soldiers. Their wounds became filled with shadows, and they pulled themselves back together, but that was the point, she stopped their advance and made them group up around her. She got the order to retreat, and cleaved a new path out, down. Once she was a few hundred feet under the battlefield, she hardened the land around her and carved some dampening spells. When the rumbling passed, she dug back up and saw the battlefield. Harlan¡¯s artillery battery was devastating, but anything left with more than a heart was already piecing themselves back together. She fell to her knees, this wasn¡¯t the first battle of the day, and there was a limit. Amber just needed a little rest before she went back to camp. Then something new dropped from the sky. The simple answer was that it was a dragon. Without Wyrmwood around to get angry about it, there really wasn¡¯t anything stopping Xol from making them again, and wyverns were happy to accept the work in exchange for being made whole, provided of course no other dragonoids be allowed the same opportunity. She jumped out of the way, or so she thought. The dragon stabbed with its tail as it landed. Her armor barely stopped it from cutting her in half, but barely was the important word. She repositioned and threw her spear, piercing it in the heart, or rather, a heart. It was slowed, but the power of the sigil meant that by the time she had her spear back in hand, it was already at nearly full vitality once more, only angrier. It really was a wonder to see how fast a pissed off dragon could move, just not if you were the target. It slashed with its claws and stabbed with its tail in a mesmerizing rhythm, and whatever damage she did wasn¡¯t enough, but it was putting too much pressure on her to charge up a really powerful attack and her armor was beaten and weak from the other battles of the day. It jabbed with a flat hand, she ducked, and severed the hand at the wrist. The beast recoiled and struck with its tail, but it too was severed. She thought about how she was going to actually beat it, since she could already see the stumps sealing up and starting to grow new limbs. Fomoria had taught her what he could about aura techniques, since his enhanced body made them some of his strongest attacks, and one of those moves was the heart stopper. Her spear wasn¡¯t able to cut through the scales of the dragon with her spinning attacks, but the throws were too slow to get all of the hearts at once, and it couldn¡¯t pierce the skull of the dragon. She jumped up and threw her spear downward, pinning the other hand against the ground with a five pronged shifting. The instant she landed she rushed at the exposed chest of the beast. The heart stopper was really just a fancy name for overloading the enemy with enough force that their inside liquefied, but also keeping the force from following all the way through. Punching through something was easier than punching and keeping your force condensed enough that it remained inside of your foe. A mighty burst of snow followed by the sounds of cracking came from her strike. Her hands were shattered. Aura techniques were so important for Fomoria because he was physically powerful beyond belief. For him, the move would¡¯ve worked, for her, whose body hadn¡¯t been replaced by adamant and empowered with the ever evolving sigil which had achieved synthesis with the adamant, it wasn¡¯t enough. She didn¡¯t remember being hit, which was a bad sign, but she was on her back, seeing the flashing lights where Sepul was fighting half a dozen of these dragons at once, and more kept coming to slow him down. It was bullshit, he was a champion, of course he could fight so many at once without issue. But she was just¡­ human. She lifted her head as much as she could, just enough to see the dragon building fire in its throat. So, that¡¯s how I die, she thought. Unless, another voice answered in reply. Time slowed to a crawl and the face of a beautiful shadowy figure filled her vision. ¡°Amber, I believe I have a deal for you. Accept my offer of championship, and you will survive.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather be dead than your puppet. You fucked up Harlan¡¯s head worse than anyone. Cunt.¡± ¡°Ooh, that is¡­¡± She saw how angry The Darkness was at being called such a thing. ¡°Very few strings attached. Like I said, I need a guard dog. You will be that until Fomoria¡¯s return, and I won¡¯t ask anything other than you protect his empire as best you can. Once he is back, all duties I ask of you become null and void, I won¡¯t even come for your powers. You will remain as champion without any requirements.¡± ¡°You just want me around so you can manipulate him.¡± ¡°But is that worse than the alternative? That you aren¡¯t around at all?¡± Amber closed her eyes. ¡°Fuck it.¡± Chapter 362: What Can I Do? Far in the southern hemisphere, where summer was winter, Fomoria met up with Amber, Sepul, and somebody else. It took just a few moments. ¡°Zella? Is that your name?¡± ¡°He¡¯s as bad as you said. Why are you here?¡± ¡°Amber requested that I join this fight.¡± ¡°I thought that he needed to be tested. You can move faster than anyone else here, get up on the walls and start taking out the enemy artillery units. Then return.¡± Nobody else seemed to have any issues with Amber commanding him like she had, or his mission. Fomoria was strong, of course he was, he was Fomoria, and she was the commander of the Fomorian Empire¡¯s military might. Unless Marigold gave an order, or Sepul. But at least she held an actual title over them. He moved outside of site and instantly walked through all of the defenses, his vision entirely unimpeded by the heavy snowfall that was intended to hide the facility from others. He hadn¡¯t really thought much at all about how he was seeing things. Everything was just always clear, whatever was a threat seemed to almost jump out at him, and while he couldn¡¯t see the motes anymore, anything magical had a glow to it. He pressed his finger to the chest of the first soldier that he saw and said one word. ¡°Pierce.¡± The soldier staggered back then felt his chest. His armor was dented, but remained fully functional. He raised his living rifle, a scarab-like creature that was attached to his armor and used electromagnetism to launch small steel slugs at enemies. Each slug that passed through was unable to hurt him, though his body became more solid, it still lacked organs or blood. At most it displaced his body by breaking through the shell that kept his gaseous form together, but still, any damage was purely cosmetic. ¡°Pierce, pierce, pierce.¡± His attempts failed over and over, hitting with enough force to leave small dents which the shifting armor healed in moments, leaving Fomoria in a stalemate. He thought about what else he could do, so he thrust his hand into the soldier¡¯s chest, passing through and trying to drain the armor. But he failed at that too. So long as the golem armor was technically a living being, Fomoria would be unable to drain it of its power, though any spells that it used would be drained of their mana. As a last ditch effort, he put his hand through the chest of the man again, trying to cast pierce directly into his heart, but the¡­ it wasn¡¯t mana, energy, that he was made from just got stuck on the armor without passing through. Dejected, Fomoria returned to the hill. ¡°I can¡¯t even kill a soldier. My piercing spell just knocked the soldier over without hurting him. I was able to hurt the Golden.¡± Sepul shook his head. ¡°Of course. You¡¯ve seen what they wear for armor, have you not? A chest piece, an armored skirt, maybe a helmet, but the rest is enchanted cloth. They kill most things before their defenses become a problem. What exactly can you do?¡± ¡°When spells are fired through me, they come out stronger. And I can eat enemy spells. For the physical ones, they fall apart, lose their speed and momentum.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not comfortable shooting you with anything, so-¡± ¡°Let me put a warspell through your chest. The nearest artillery cannon is not far from us.¡± ¡°Amber, this is reckless even for you. We need to-¡± ¡°Quiet. Amber, I accept.¡± ¡°Fomoria, don¡¯t-¡± ¡°I am not arguing, I¡¯ve thought this through, and I am going along with her plan. If I lack the stopping power I had before to the point where I cannot even kill a single armored soldier, I have no place on a battlefield.¡± He knew that he wasn¡¯t going to argue with him, his grandson was too hard headed for that, especially as he was now. The facility didn¡¯t know where the enemies were, just that a shadow had appeared suddenly, failed to kill a soldier, and then left. On the nearby snow dune, Amber was charging a spiral warspell, fire element. Though it would be weakened by the conditions it was being cast in, if she hit it just right, the shells of the cannon would explode with far more force than anything she could quickly cast, and for far less mana. Her time learning how to be a proper warmage wasn''t wasted. As the fire passed through Fomoria, it blackened, and when it struck the bastion, it erupted in flames, followed by a second, much larger explosion. The spider cannon screamed as it tried to scuttle away from the fire, but it was too late, its softer inner chitin was torn apart by the shell it was holding inside of itself. This seemed very familiar to Fomoria, the living weapons he had seen so far were almost comforting to him. A strange connection was drawn, and he remembered rolling balls of snow with his siblings to make figures. They didn¡¯t get very heavy snowfall where he was raised, so they weren¡¯t more than a foot tall. He would find sticks for arms, and mud for eyes, since their father didn¡¯t want them wasting charcoal. Without thought, he began moving his hands as if rolling the snow, and it reacted to him, making small round men that looked at him with eyes of clear ice. It made him sad, that these things were hardly able to even walk, as though they were newborns, but surely they couldn¡¯t be, they were just some trick that would fall apart when he left. He was death, everywhere he had ever gone was proof of that. ¡°COME ON, KEEP THEIR SPELLS OFF US IF YOU CAN.¡± He wasn¡¯t part of the plans, so they wouldn¡¯t be thrown off if he wasn¡¯t useful, but he had to come along to prove his worth in this new form. The dozen snow people left behind waved at him before wandering off. They moved with fury, or rather, Sepul and Amber did, Zella plunged into the ground. He thought it odd, but then at the collapsed wall a large mammoth-like monster climbed over and was torn in half by a suddenly appearing root. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Naturally, the enemy forces focused on the collapsed segment of the wall, and a massive beam of void came through once they saw the first of their attackers fly through. Sepul expected this, since he sensed the pulling of the dark mana, and put up a wedge of radiance that would split the spell; he wanted to save his space bending magic just in case. But, Fomoria simply stood in the way and put forth several arms, absorbing the attack with seemingly no strain. He tried to pierce the enemy soldiers armor again, but still found it no more effective than before. It boggled his mind that he held so much power within himself, but was hardly able to unleash anything. Still, he found a use. Fomoria turned around and flashed a toothy smile. ¡°I am your shield and focus. Don¡¯t fight around me, I¡¯m faster than anything you can do. Just fight.¡± Sepul and Amber both held the same devilish smirk. This was the Fomoria that they wanted to watch their backs. They quickly developed a rhythm as they razed the facility to the ground. Fomoria moved in front of any spells they cast to boost their power, and anything mana reliant was absorbed by him. Zella with her roots was able to crush the enemy forces much more easily by only needing to find and destroy the ones that used heavy ordinance that couldn¡¯t be simply drained. Even the magnetic scarab rifles weren¡¯t fast enough to make it past Fomoria. In all, they were stronger by a third with him there. ¡°THAT¡¯S THE KIND OF FUCKING FIGHT I WANT, EAT SHIT YOU LICH FUCKER.¡± Sepul laughed at Amber¡¯s victory cries. ¡°We need to clear out before he has a chance to realize where we are and launch an attack somewhere else.¡± ¡°Yes, it would be terrible if I realized where you were.¡± Fomoria¡¯s form grew tenfold with rage and turned to a mass of fire without any discernible features aside from his eyes. ¡°I am impressed that you came back so quickly. But not surprised, you were always-¡± Fomoria breathed fire at Xol, to no effect. Yet the others just grouped up and remained ready to defend themselves after they placed a call to Marigold. If Xol so much as began to cast a spell at them, she¡¯d be there. ¡°So, you can¡¯t even use your magic.¡± ¡°I WILL MELT MY FLESH FROM YOUR BONES AND DRINK YOU.¡± ¡°There really isn¡¯t any need for that.¡± Fomoria tried to slam his hands down, but he wasn¡¯t a fully physical entity, and he simply phased through Xol. After a few minutes, Xol got tired of it and punched Fomoria in the chest, sending him flying back. He looked down at his body and wondered how. It wasn¡¯t like Marigold, who touched him, but he felt nothing, this hurt. ¡°Oh, you look shocked. I might as well just say it. Aura. You are something, not mana, not mind, not soul. Aura is life energy, something far more¡­ universal. I wonder if my mental spells work on you as well?¡± Xol lifted his hand to focus himself and then recoiled in pain before fleeing. The group let out a sigh of relief that they didn¡¯t need to fight against him again. ¡°NOT ONE OF YOU FOUGHT BESIDE ME.¡± ¡°Calm yourself. Killing Xol is nothing but wasted effort. He can move to another body that ends up just as powerful in a matter of hours. He knows it, we know it. Now, what did you do to him?¡± ¡°I felt him reach into my memories, so I fought him there.¡± ¡°That explains almost less than nothing at all.¡± ¡°He was in my head, so I tore him apart. It is my head, I am the master.¡± Sepul thought for a few minutes; Fomoria calmed back down to a human shape and size. ¡°It¡¯s what he said. You are not mana, you aren¡¯t a mind, and you aren¡¯t a soul. We haven¡¯t really figured out what you are, but I have another theory. You are an entity without any division. It¡¯s very possible that you are as strong as you were before, but you just lack the physical body to take advantage of that fact. But in your mind, there isn¡¯t a difference between the physical and the mental, so you are at your peak inside of there. You can walk through the world faster than what most people could teleport and without any downtime because you are walking through both worlds at the same time, we already know this. You were also able to make contact with The Darkness despite her not really being there.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t tell me what I am. I¡¯m still just a thing.¡± ¡°It tells us a great deal actually. I think we can get a step closer by talking with the gods and figuring out how to confirm this. In the meanwhile, you saved us from having to fight against Xol again, meaning we¡¯ve got the energy to rest.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need energy to rest.¡± ¡°Resting when you¡¯ve worn yourself ragged is not the same as being tired and waking up well rested. Zella, Amber, we¡¯re going back to New Kor.¡± ¡°Is that what you are calling the land around The Spire?¡± ¡°I am. It sounds better than the land around The Spire. We don¡¯t live in the spire itself, we¡¯re just using it as an anchor until the day comes when we can drop the camp down to the surface and turn it into a proper city.¡± Each of the champions returned with their own gate, other than Zella, who had to use the void gate because New Kor was above the ground. Fomoria walked, arriving nearly as they did. He knocked on the door, but it wasn¡¯t latched, and he couldn¡¯t knock anyway. He stepped inside, finding it empty of decorations, whatever she had salvaged from Kor. Instead of his wife, he found Marigold. ¡°She¡¯s gone. I¡¯m sorry that it ended this way.¡± He just froze there for a while. ¡°It was for the best.¡± Fomoria tried to close the door and leave, but Marigold stopped him. ¡°You want to talk about this.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think that I do.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you at least want to know what her last message to you was?¡± Marigold held a letter in her hands, and Fomoria reached for it before remembering that he couldn¡¯t even hold it. ¡°Read it to me.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± She closed the door behind them. ¡°I need to preface this by saying that she was still very upset about Liat, and-¡± His hands twitched with anger and the flames inside of him leapt from his mouth. ¡°I have no need for a softened blow.¡± Marigold took a deep breath and prepared herself. ¡°Dear Fomoria, I thought that I might be able to stay, to try to love you even as you are. But I was blind to what you are. You will always choose to fight, to get something that you want, and you will always ignore what you have. Nothing is ever enough, you just keep reaching for more. Once I loved that about you, that you had ambition, but I realized that I was your trophy, not your wife, that you need somebody to be there for you so you can pretend that you truly love something other than avarice. You wanted a child, a legacy, an object, but I couldn¡¯t give that to you. You lied to me every day from when we first had problems to the day when I denied being impregnated and kept in a tank just to have your child. It was eating you up inside, and no matter how many times you tried telling me that I was enough, I felt it each day, you were forcing yourself to be closer to me and accept it. Then you died, and I couldn¡¯t understand, then I heard what you were trying to do, and it all made sense. You would rather fight a god than accept anything about the way the world works. You aren¡¯t ambitious, you are stupid, prideful, and angry. You are a child, you never grew up. When you see something that you want, you take it, then justify yourself afterwards. I thought it was romantic when you said that you would destroy the world for your family, but now I see that you weren¡¯t being hyperbolic at all, you have done it, you doomed the world, killed my sister, because you couldn¡¯t get what you wanted. You look at so many people like family, you say that blood doesn¡¯t matter, but you ruined everything because you couldn¡¯t bear the idea of not being allowed to have your perfect family with a child born from both of us. Never come to see me, never darken my doorstep, I never want to be around someone like you again.¡± Marigold folded the letter up. ¡°I¡¯m sure she doesn¡¯t mean it. She¡¯s upset that you left to fight, leaving her alone again.¡± ¡°I can help with whatever is needed. Just assign me someone who has an amulet to relay messages.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it? You aren¡¯t going to try to say anything?¡± ¡°She¡¯s right. There, I said something. Send me wherever we have forces stationed so I can give them the mark.¡± ¡°You know that it¡¯s not healthy to bottle things up.¡± ¡°I do know that. But I don¡¯t have the luxury of processing that. Xol is my fault, I doomed the world so I could get her pregnant, whatever else happened along the way be damned. I suspected that there was something else happening, but I ignored it because I was more interested in the power of having a Godtouched body, of being powerful enough that I could force a deal with Aarde. Don¡¯t bother with me, I¡¯m just as much of a selfish piece of shit as she said.¡± ¡°If you were selfish, you wouldn¡¯t have-¡± ¡°I am driven by trying to correct my mistakes by solving other people''s problems. This conversation is over. If I fall apart, it will not be a moment before I sunder Xol¡¯s mind, body, and soul.¡± She tried to put up an array to stop him, but it failed. Whatever he was, he was hard to pin down.
The small snow creatures made of three balls and ice found themselves confused on what to do, or what they were. So they just went too and fro, picking apart anything they could find to gain knowledge. There was something, a voice, it told them that they existed to exist. They didn¡¯t know what that meant, but they would exist as best they could. Being made of balls and rolling around was awkward. The rabbit they took apart had the stuff inside that wasn¡¯t ice, so they made their own. Their maker had arms, and a head, but not legs. So they made their skeletons, shaped their bodies around them, but then it was hard to walk without feet. Their maker floated, so they should do it too. It took some time, but they began moving the snow into little tornadoes to support their bodies. Chapter 363: The Mark 3 Amber stood, full of new power from the pillar of darkness around her, and then The Darkness handed her a new sword. Time yet stood still. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°A gift. I had to argue quite harshly with Coronach to make him give it up.¡± The moment Amber took hold of the plain looking broadsword, she felt invigorated, and the grip shifted slightly. It was perfectly balanced, perfectly clean, not a knick a scratch or a dent, as though it was freshly forged. But her new senses told her that despite all appearances, it was more ancient than anything she had ever touched before. ¡°Is this Durandal?¡± ¡°With Roland gone, I had it recovered. Losing such an artifact would be a terrible shame. Now, I¡¯ve influenced this fight enough.¡± Time rushed to start again, and Amber suddenly jumped to the side, dodging the dragon fire; Durandal didn¡¯t like that. It didn¡¯t speak, but she could feel her instincts being hijacked. They weren¡¯t words at first, just ideas, thoughts, like when she got an idea that she could only chaulk up to being the will of Mana. She stabbed the blade into the ground and spun around straight at the dragon, it shifting from sharp to dull and back to facilitate the action. It wanted a head, and she agreed. When they rushed forward at it, the world seemed to slow, the sword felt perfect in the hand, indescribably made for her yet predating the newest human race on Aarde, as though across the cosmos, everything happened to bring this moment to fruition, to bring her sword to her. She reached it in a few strides, and when it tried to bite her with a mouthful of fire, she didn¡¯t dodge away to try some trick, she jumped right at it, and when it tried to crane its neck she made footholds in the air and jumped down, cleaving its head cleanly at the base of the skull. She wanted a trophy made from it once the battle was done. But it wasn¡¯t over yet, and so she ran to join another fight. She didn¡¯t dance through the battlefield, she wasn¡¯t some dainty flower, she was a warrior. She hacked and sliced and punched and kicked and used every trick and technique, martial and aura, that she knew, and each of the soldiers that she cut down stayed down. Durandal didn¡¯t need to know how the magic worked that pieced them together, it just knew that there was some critical spot which would kill its enemy, some mass of energy that felt off; the spinal spiders. Many months later, far from that battlefield, Xol teleported back to his home and sat on the couch. He was sweating, exhausted. ¡°My, what did you do?¡± ¡°Now¡­ is not¡­ the time¡­ Nemain¡­¡± ¡°The boy is back, isn¡¯t it?¡± He looked at her with fury, but didn¡¯t reply, instead he just waited for his energy to return to him. And once it had, she wanted her answer. ¡°Well?¡± ¡°It was him, I¡¯m certain of that. The question is how.¡± ¡°He¡¯s Fomoria, of course he came back. The question is now why you lost.¡± ¡°I thought that my best bet to put him back down was to attack his mind, lobotomize him.¡± ¡°But he shoved the needle back in your eye.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t even have a mental signature. He didn¡¯t have any signs of any defenses. Yet my attacks on his mind and soul were entirely repelled, reflected back at me like they were nothing.¡± ¡°He is a force of will, it¡¯s always been his best trait.¡± ¡°I wish his best trait was instant recovery and a limitless pool of mana.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t expect a boy not 20 years of age to have a wealth of mana like you¡¯re eons of building.¡± She smiled, and Xol knew she was going to insult him for a while. ¡°Perhaps you should¡¯ve just worked with him instead of betraying him.¡± As Nemain mocked her partner, Fomoria went to Amber¡¯s room. He heard her talking to someone, but when he stepped inside, she was alone, polishing her sword in her underwear. ¡°You did good.¡± ¡°Sepul said you should rest.¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting ready for a bath, but it wouldn¡¯t be fair if I didn¡¯t clean him first.¡± He looked at the blade, it was nice, simple. ¡°It¡¯s a nice blade.¡± She smirked and shook her head. ¡°He is.¡± ¡°Is it a living weapon?¡± ¡°No. Did you need something?¡± He looked around the room. ¡°One bed¡­ but it¡¯s small¡­. Something is missing. Someone¡­ Velvet? Where is Velvet?¡± She didn¡¯t stop moving her hand up and down the blade with the cloth. It was already a mirror sheen, but she just kept going in silence. ¡°When it all went down, Xol captured people around us, used them for leverage. He tried to get me to stop getting involved, told me that Velvet and I could just live a peaceful life. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. When I said no, he put his hand through his heart and reduced him to dust.¡± He sat on the bed with her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I wasn¡¯t-¡± ¡°You want to hear something fucked up? The last thing he said to me was that I should follow my heart. Velvet was a man that I loved well enough to live with, to fuck, maybe even marry and have kids, but I don¡¯t think I loved him a tenth as much as he loved me. I stopped crying after a day, stopped seeing him in my dreams after a week. Three months later, I don¡¯t think about him.¡± Fomoria took a deep breath and shoved all that anger back inside of him. Velvet was a friend, a good friend, someone else that Xol took from him. ¡°But the really fucked up part is that sometimes when I¡¯m out there on the battlefield, I wish you were by my side.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I understand.¡± Amber looked at her reflection with disgust and put the blade back in its sheath before tossing it across the room small to her desk. ¡°Where¡¯s Yara?¡± ¡°She went with her mother. For a time.¡± It wasn''t technically a lie, but for a time really meant for the rest of her time on Aarde. ¡°Do you sleep?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve not done so yet.¡± ¡°Cool. If I ever want to talk, can I come to your room whenever I want?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t claimed a room yet.¡± ¡°The one next to mine is empty.¡± ¡°Very well then.¡± Amber got up from the bed and stretched with her towel slung over her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m gonna hit the bath, then get some sleep, might not get through the night, so be ready for me to talk your ear off.¡± Something was off, but without his empathy, he didn¡¯t know exactly what it was. Marigold searched all over New Kor for him, and eventually found him sitting on the edge of the island, watching the monsters fly by. ¡°I¡¯ve gathered up some people who want the mark, soldiers, craftsmen, each of different races. You are lucky that the ones you¡¯ve marked so far have shown no negative side effects, but they don¡¯t have pacts. It¡¯s possible that beastkin can¡¯t take it, and I need to know before I start changing strategy based on that mark. We also need to know if you can only mark a certain number of people in a day. If so, we¡¯re going to be making lists of who would be best to get it first.¡± She sat at the edge with him. ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to come back, to be thrust into this entire mess. But-¡± ¡°Did you find an assistant for me?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just bottle this all up.¡± ¡°I can and will. Why can¡¯t Aarde just kill Xol? Now that he¡¯s of this world, surely there should be something that can be done.¡± ¡°Aarde can¡¯t just stop the heart of anyone who they want, he¡¯s still beholden to Life, and she doesn¡¯t want gods to just wipe out all life on them if they are turned against their people. Even if he did, Xol stores his other bodies inside of small worlds, places we can¡¯t get access to. Ironically, we would¡¯ve never found out how to break into the ones the Fae had without him, and he used that information to bulk up his defenses, waiting to activate them until we tried to force our way in. All we can do is keep killing him when he actively resists us and work out how to make it finally stick. Aarde or any of the gods fighting him directly would result in nothing but desolation wherever they end up fighting. At least with you, there was a chance that we could¡¯ve killed all of your bodies.¡± ¡°Yes, I suppose. Assistant?¡± ¡°Phoebe.¡± He cocked his head to the side. ¡°Yes, the young girl, she wanted me to be her teacher.¡± ¡°Good, you remember her. She¡¯ll be there to answer calls for you since you¡¯ve yet to show any ability to use the communicators. If you are going somewhere, tell her, and she can find her way to you. If you leave the camp, please do so with Amber or someone else who can call back to The Spire.¡± ¡°Where are the people gathered?¡± ¡°Inside of The Spire in the¡­ foyer? Lobby? The largest room that makes up the majority of the first floor.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just an empty room that can be changed depending on what is needed. Presently, I suppose one could call it a chamber of anointment.¡± ¡°One shouldn¡¯t however. Gods tend to get nervous when undying beings begin speaking about themselves or their powers as if they were divine.¡± He stopped himself from replying back. Was a god not just a mass of undying energy that made more than it used. So far as he was concerned, he met the requirements for a god. He lacked a body. He seemingly made energy from nothing at all. And he was presently impotent against the thing that he really wanted to destroy. The main difference in his mind was that he didn¡¯t think that he was above reproach. He touched people of the different races, and none rejected the mark, nor did he find himself in any way fatigued by granting it. One of them, a pale newt person¡­ Plest? Yes, a pale Plest. She came up to him after the ceremony. ¡°Do you remember me?¡± He cocked his head to the side, and noticed that he did, so he straightened himself out again. ¡°You are Nana, yes? You were to be one of my students. No¡­ yes? I taught you, but you were supposed to go away to the academy.¡± ¡°We¡¯re away for the summer, but I¡¯ve been living inside of The Veil. Marigold brought us here.¡± ¡°Us?¡± Two others came up to him, led by Phoebe, who then walked away with a young boy. ¡°Son, it¡¯s-¡± ¡°Been a while.¡± ¡°Sorry it¡¯s taken us so long to visit. Your mother and I¡­ we were worried about being used against you. Is Amber around?¡± Aida gained a fierce look. ¡°Probably avoiding us still. Who does she think she is just ignoring us for months on end while she risks her life? Can''t the gods do something about that bag of bones? You know, I never liked him from the first moment I saw him. You can¡¯t trust a man without skin.¡± ¡°Mom, how have you been? And¡­ are we missing somebody?¡± ¡°James went with the little girl you have as an assistant. You know, you need somebody older. I just-¡± ¡°James¡­ Oh, right.¡± Her sharp eyes were now directed at him. ¡°You forgot about your little brother? I-¡± His father put his hand up, signaling her to calm down. ¡°Honey, he¡¯s not got all of his memories back. How much did he ever interact with James even before he ended up out here?¡± Even though they were in his defense, his father¡¯s words stung much more than his mother¡¯s. ¡°That¡¯s not the point. He¡¯s your brother, he¡¯s family.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a burden that I passed off to ease my guilt because his brother died under my watch.¡± ¡°She said that you were being mopey and mean. I just didn¡¯t think you would be so open about that.¡± ¡°Mom, I¡¯m really not in the mood.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you need to hear this. If you won¡¯t talk with Marigold, you need to talk with us.¡± Fomoria laughed loudly. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why she¡¯s done this. It¡¯s best not to get mixed up in whatever this is. You-¡± ¡°Son, don¡¯t do that. Your mother and I are worried. We heard that you died, then we heard you¡¯d be back anyway, that Xol stole your body and soul. You¡¯ve always been mixed up, since you were 11 at least, and you¡¯ve always needed to just talk out your problems.¡± His laughing grew louder. ¡°And what good has that really done? I¡¯ve committed genocide, a race wiped from the world forever, a virus of my creation. And despite everything, what have I gotten out of it? My wife is gone, my son is locked away on an island alongside my birth mother to protect them from the man who stole my life.My empire has all but collapsed. I don¡¯t even have a body anymore. I talked things out with everyone, and when I did, I got better before I got much worse, always one step forward two steps back. In fact, it was talking with Xol that convinced me that I could get the one thing that the gods refused to even acknowledge that they were denying me. Even now, this talk right here is to bend me to the will of those same gods who told me to go fuck myself.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be all bad, you-¡± ¡°You have no idea. You truly can¡¯t, because you are ignorant. I wish that I could be that way, that I could just not know what I do. But I do know, I understand more than ever and I hate more than ever. I¡¯m not going to have some conversation about any of this, not now, maybe not ever. I¡¯m going to just keep it inside, and then probably go insane, but not before I peel my own flesh from my stolen bones, not before I get my vengeance.¡± Fomoria stepped once and he was gone. Marigold found him, not through any tracking, but just by knowing him. He was there, looking at the ruined garden of the home that was once his. ¡°You loved this place. It was your mansion, it was your capital.¡± ¡°If you try to use my family against me-¡± ¡°Against you? The only person you are fighting is yourself. But fine, you want to pretend that you¡¯re fine, sure, let¡¯s go through that. And when you break down, I¡¯ll be here waiting. I¡¯m not going to say I told you so when it happens, I¡¯m going to say that I wish we didn¡¯t have to do this, that you just faced what is eating you up instead of getting angry and throwing a tantrum.¡± ¡°I noticed something, you didn¡¯t bring any Cerast or Goliaths.¡± ¡°By and large the Goliaths sided with Nemain, cutting us off from them outside of a few outliers like Dantevius who doesn¡¯t seem to do anything. As for the Cerast, they aren¡¯t a prime species, they are advanced animals. We don¡¯t know the what the ramifications of-¡± And he was gone, again. This time, she didn¡¯t have to guess for a second about where Fomoria went. Chapter 364: What isnt Told Rather than going directly to the Cerast, as Marigold expected, he went back to the cottage where he met the Dague family. He figured that if he waited for half an hour or so, Marigold would return to New Kor, then he could go to see them. Marigold had made good on her offer and the family was living somewhere inside of the veil, so he was alone; the family hadn¡¯t left anything of worth behind, not that they had much anyway. He lost track of time, it was getting easier, but his senses were duller than when he was alive in some ways. When he thought 10 minutes had passed, he went to the undercapital. The people jumped back when they saw the shadow stepping through the city, each stride covering hundreds of feet. The guards at the gate of the royal mansion hadn¡¯t even gotten the chance to lower their bidents by the time he was gone once more. Finding Copperhead took a handful of seconds, since he had to check each room. She didn¡¯t jump as the others had, she was expecting him to arrive eventually. ¡°Fomoria, welcome.¡± She stretched as she woke from a nap. ¡°Marigold told me not to accept your mark. Please, give it to me.¡± ¡°You are going to just ignore her?¡± ¡°I know the meaning of my old carving. You weren¡¯t supposed to give us that power before, but now, this is what we were meant for. I will call the rest, and they will accept this mark. Though, I am surprised it took you so long to come here.¡± ¡°I waited 10 minutes or so.¡± ¡°Six hours you mean. But, that¡¯s not important.¡± She slithered to him and just as the others, he placed his hand on her chest over her heart. But unlike the others, he saw her body undergoing changes before his eyes. Her head stretched, her brow ridges extended and her eyes numbered seven, six smaller eyes where one might expect along her brow, and one much larger eye on the top of her head where her patch of now dark metallic scales were. Her horns darkened, though her scales remained a sandstone brown; other than the metallic patch atop her head. Her size, already 15 feet tall, expanded, bringing her to 20 feet tall in her normal stance, but 40 feet long in total. Her muscles grew greatly and her scales became smaller, interlocking like a fine scalemail. Her scales involuntarily flared for a moment, showing Fomoria the heat that was being trapped inside of her now. Her back tore open and spikes came out, then skin as black as a starless night sky filled in the spikes, turning them to a pair of four jointed wings. Unlike what he expected however, her claws didn¡¯t extend into better weapons, but rather receded to give better dexterity and finesse. When the eye on her forehead opened, he felt nothing, but the entire city became aware in an instant the change that took place in their leader. ¡°Did it hurt?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± She began to slither out of her room, only for her wings to catch on the door frame. ¡°This will take some getting used to.¡± She flailed for nearly 10 minutes before she figured out how to move her back so her wings hugged her body. The suspected population of Cerast was anywhere from 1 to 6 million. Nobody really went down into the tunnels to check out how many there were, since they weren¡¯t important in the grand scheme of things. Tens of thousands already gathered in front of Fangre¡¯s home, and from the rumbling, many more were coming. No longer were their minds limited to touch, Fangre, and later all of them, were to become fully psychic. She didn¡¯t give any speech, at least, not one that could be heard by Fomoria, but one by one, the Cerast moved forward and puffed their chests to gain the mark and their evolution. Marigold arrived after the hundredth Cerast, because now it was clear to the gods that the mental blip they could sense wasn¡¯t a flook of any sort, and it was growing stronger. ¡°Fomoria, step away from them.¡± ¡°No.¡± The ground gave way when she jumped forward like a bullet. Yet her kick met only air. Fomoria was standing 50 feet from where he was an instant ago. ¡°It¡¯s taking time, the world doesn¡¯t blur as much as it did before when I stepped like this. So, care to try again?¡± ¡°Anu knows nothing of these things. The most important rule is don¡¯t make new creatures that can reproduce.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t new. They are just Cerast, but better, more draconic. Without Wyrmwood, who is here to complain?¡± From the dirt rose the figure of a woman, which quickly turned from stone to flesh, revealing Zella. ¡°Marigold, you can stand down.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me orders.¡± Zella¡¯s eyes turned brown, and Marigold¡¯s turned golden. When they stopped, Marigold reluctantly stepped back and left Zella in charge of the situation. After a series of tests, poking with wooden needles, and making them drink potions, Anu was satisfied. ¡°The Cerast are still part of Aarde, and they are just one possible evolution that they could undergo given enough time. Anu says that they can stay, and that your power hasn¡¯t stolen away enough influence from Aarde to cause problems.¡± Zella fell back into the dirt, and Fomoria went back to marking them. Marigold didn¡¯t like that Anu went over her head and bothered Aarde with it, since she had already had a conversation with the god and thought that they came to an understanding. ¡°Fine, I¡¯m going back to New Kor. Remember, we aren¡¯t enemies, you don¡¯t need to go behind my back to do things like this.¡± ¡°You told me no. I¡¯m going to guess that unless Anu got the chance to view them herself you would¡¯ve continued telling me no.¡± ¡°You could upset the balance of-¡± ¡°Please, don¡¯t feed me that horse shit. How much of the land was destroyed when Wyrmwood fought Xol and died? How much was tainted by Seraphallen and Ur¡¯s battle? I saw the desolation from you yourself fighting against Seraphallen. Those petty gods only care when they don¡¯t get to pick and choose what gets destroyed.¡± She tried to talk with him more, but it ended up being her talking at him instead. What she didn¡¯t directly say, but was most worrying, was the phrasing of his last statement. He had many times defended The Darkness, against the other gods or against normal people, but they were no longer the gods to him, they were those gods. It took two days for the Cerast to all receive the mark. The process became many times faster when Fomoria stopped waiting for them to come to him, and just held his hand out while stepping around the underground. How long it would take for them to learn how to fly, he didn¡¯t know, but most of them were still having trouble moving them around at all. Fomoria remembered how difficult it was to learn how to use limbs that he wasn¡¯t born with, that didn¡¯t belong to his body. Each of them were effectively chicks trying to leap from the nest. Fomoria did what he could, sprouting wings of his own and showing them how their back muscles moved, but it was only a limited help. Fomoria finally returned to New Kor, and Phoebe was finally ready to act as his assistant. ¡°Good morning.¡± She tried to kick his leg, but she could hardly reach more than the twisting strands where his legs stopped and he wasn¡¯t entirely physical, so she spun around and fell. ¡°You never taught me anything.¡± She was unphased by the fall. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°I was dead.¡± ¡°So? Now you aren¡¯t. You were supposed to start three days ago. Instead I ended up playing with your brother and waiting for you but you didn¡¯t come back.¡± ¡°You are supposed to be my assistant, not my student.¡± ¡°Well I wasn¡¯t going to be one without trying to be the other.¡± He chuckled. ¡°You are as strong willed as I remember.¡± ¡°I want that mark.¡± ¡°Only if your parents say yes.¡± ¡°I already asked.¡± ¡°Yet I will check if you are lying. Call your father.¡± It was rather shocking to him that she really had asked for permission beforehand. So he pressed his hand to her chest, through her clothes as he now realized he could do, and she felt the instant surge of power. ¡°I can see the mana so clearly now.¡± ¡°Really? So you¡¯ve neglected your training so much that you haven¡¯t mastered your mana sense yet?¡± ¡°I tried, I really tried. But Mosley is bad at teaching and Bly talks to me like I¡¯m a baby and I hate that. Yara was going to teach me but¡­¡± She looked down and twiddled her thumbs. ¡°Yara was always sad and she didn¡¯t want to see anyone for a long time. I¡¯m sorry I kicked you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I was gone.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t find her, and Amber won¡¯t tell me where she went. Yara was teaching me again and we were supposed to start using real magic like fireballs.¡± ¡°She went back home.¡± ¡°When is she coming back?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you bring me a book and I¡¯ll start writing what I remember.¡± Fomoria quizzed her on what she already knew, then started writing exercises based on where he thought she should start. ¡°Now, focus. Speak the words and use the hand signs at the same time. The words and signs are linked, so remember not to rush one without the other, they should ideally end at the same time.¡± She did everything he explained then thrust her hands forward, shooting a small black fire at the target that The Spire made. Presently, the large empty first floor was morphed into a firing range of sorts. ¡°Very good.¡± She panted a few times, then shivered and staggered in place. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s just weird. My mana is coming back so fast and it makes my tummy tickle.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we wait for a moment then.¡± She began to pout. ¡°But I-¡± ¡°You will listen to my commands.¡± His voice was cold and harsh along with his pointing made her flinch back. With what she was taught before, he was always kind and understanding. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She began to tear up, but she put up a good front. ¡°It¡¯s alright, I just don¡¯t want you to be hurt. This mark, we don¡¯t know a lot about it, and it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard someone say that it feels weird for their mana to refill like that. I¡¯m just worried. You aren¡¯t in any trouble.¡± He tried patting her on the head, and she tried swatting his hand away. ¡°I¡¯m not a baby. A real fighter needs to suck it up.¡± ¡°No, you aren¡¯t a baby, but you are still a child, you should remember that. I had much of my childhood taken from me. Don¡¯t throw yours away. Now, how do you feel?¡± ¡°My belly isn¡¯t cold anymore, it feels normal.¡± ¡°Then we can continue.¡± Amber came in near the end of training, so he decided to end it there. ¡°Miss Amber, look, I got a book.¡± ¡°Oh that¡¯s very nice. Did my brother write it for you?¡± ¡°Yep. He said that I¡¯m a pro¡­ prodigy.¡± ¡°I said that with the mark, you have the power of a prodigy. But your call to mana could be better, you aren¡¯t thinking enough about how you are casting your spells.¡± She rolled her eyes, since she couldn¡¯t tell the difference between the two. Then she opened the book for Amber. ¡°Look. Here is the rune for fireball, and this one is for water drop, and-¡± Amber furrowed her brows and looked back and forth between her and the book. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°You can read this?¡± ¡°Yeah. Everyone can read.¡± ¡°Can I look at the book a bit closer?¡± Phoebe was reluctant, but Fomoria gave her a look, or so she thought. He had no opinion on the matter, since it was her book to do with as she wanted and he hadn¡¯t looked any different than normal, but his influence on her made her less willing to be so possessive. Once it was in her hands, Amber looked up and down the pages, flipping back and forth and upside down. ¡°This is all gibberish. I can¡¯t make out a single word of it. I know this is fireball because we had to learn the rune by heart, but these aren¡¯t even words around it.¡± Phoebe pulled on Fomoria¡¯s hand, and he lowered his head. ¡°I think Miss Amber hit her head. You should take her to Miss Elk.¡± She cupped her hands together and whispered to him. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with my head.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t supposed to listen when people whisper, it¡¯s rude.¡± ¡°Whispering about people is rude in the first place so it cancels out.¡± ¡°Nuh huh, it¡¯s double rude to listen to whispers since they are supposed to be secret.¡± ¡°Actually¡­ I¡¯m not arguing with a child. I¡¯m going to call Marigold and-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Why? You and her having some weird language between each other is weird.¡± ¡°Using weird twice in quick succession makes you sound ignorant. Mix up your word choice.¡± ¡°Fuck you. Phoebe, don¡¯t repeat that.¡± ¡°I hear Ned say that all the time and then momma yells at him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m calling her.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call mama!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call Marigold!¡± The two looked at one another. ¡°Give me a reason.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll yell at me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t trust her.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you trust mama?¡± ¡°Not her, Marigold. Phoebe, wait outside.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m telling you. Amber, give the book back.¡± ¡°Not until we¡¯re done.¡± ¡°Mister Fomoria, she won¡¯t-¡± ¡°Amber, I¡¯m not negotiating. Give Phoebe her book back.¡± His fury was clear by his body turning to flames, and Amber handed the book back to the little girl. Though her crossed arms told him that he had overstepped and failed to threaten her. After Phoebe was gone and The Spire sealed the room, Amber punched him in the chest, actually hitting him due to aura, but also failing to cause him pain. ¡°Yeah, I remember that trick. So what the fuck is your problem with Marigold now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think she or the gods trust me.¡± ¡°No shit. Of course they don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you are siding with them.¡± ¡°You did this. I didn¡¯t want to say it before because you weren¡¯t all there and you needed your full state of mind to understand how badly you fucked this all up. If you didn¡¯t give Xol the chance, he couldn¡¯t have stolen your body and then immediately taken the Godtouched flesh of Seraphallen.¡± She looked down at Durandal. ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°What is he saying?¡± ¡°Nothing, he¡¯s a sword, swords don¡¯t talk.¡± ¡°Yet you are talking at him, and you keep saying him instead of it.¡± ¡°Stop trying to change the subject.¡± ¡°And before, you looked upset with Durandal after you suggested that you wanted to fight alongside me and you were talking about Velvet-¡± ¡°SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU. I¡¯M CALLING MARIGOLD.¡± She answered as soon as possible and arrived just after. ¡°What is the problem.¡± ¡°I think her sword is a pervert.¡± She used her right hand to pinch her temples and her left to support it. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him. He wrote a book for Phoebe and it¡¯s all gibberish but she could understand it perfectly. I told him I was going to call you, and he told me not to and threatened me.¡± ¡°Fomoria, why would you do that?¡± ¡°Neither you or the gods trust me.¡± ¡°Of course we can¡¯t. It is your fault that Xol was in the position to execute his plans. He was also directly involved in both your birth and life to the point where we have no idea how much he influenced events to get you to that point or this point.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I told him.¡± ¡°But more than any of that, you aren¡¯t acting normal. You¡¯ve been overly aggressive and¡­ honestly you¡¯ve lacked your cunning. You are blunt when you need to be, but you couldn¡¯t even talk your sister out of calling me. You made no attempt to arguing the point about the Cerast. You just run away again and again to do whatever you want without explanation. You did that before, but now we have no idea what you are going to do and we can¡¯t be sure that it¡¯s good or that it even makes sense.¡± ¡°How does Xol use Aardian magic?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject. Tell me about the book.¡± ¡°I want to know. He could use void gate, normal gate, he split mana into pure elements and he did a bunch of other things. I need to know how he did it so I can start using normal magic again.¡± ¡°Honestly? I can¡¯t say. He was already using magic like that before I got closer to him. The book.¡± ¡°I wrote it normally, I just drew with my finger. I don¡¯t know what Amber means when she says that it doesn¡¯t have any real words.¡± ¡°Phoebe is outside, I¡¯m going to look at the book.¡± ¡°How do you-¡± ¡°Mind sense. I¡¯m sure you miss it.¡± Marigold took the book without asking and then stepped back into the room to examine it. Her eyes flashed golden and then black before she tossed it aside, burning it to not even dust by pulsing radiance and void before it hit the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t write things down, it¡¯s dangerous.¡± Then she left. ¡°The fuck was that?¡± Amber¡¯s eyes flashed black. ¡°THAT DIDN¡¯T ANSWER ANYTHING.¡± She yelled at her shadow. Her eyes flashed again, and then she deeply sighed. ¡°What did she say?¡± ¡°Something about writing down pure magical intent being dangerous. You¡¯re fine, Phoebe is fine, but that thing was basically a time bomb.¡± He hung his head. ¡°Of course. Scrolls. I basically handed her a book full of charged runes. One wrong touch and she could¡¯ve died. Stupid stupid stupid.¡± ¡°Nobody uses scrolls anymore, don¡¯t worry about it too much.¡± ¡°No. I should¡¯ve known better, I¡¯ve used runes for traps before using the same principles as scrolls. I just¡­ I just didn¡¯t remember.¡± She sighed again, feeling a little bad about blowing up at him. ¡°You see what we mean? You might think that you are back to normal, but you¡¯re still missing parts of yourself. Whenever you think about doing something, doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s magic or visiting someone, anything, just think about it a little bit longer and try to double check. You had all of those flashes before, do you still get them?¡± ¡°Not really. I just remember things normally now.¡± ¡°That could be it, or maybe you are using the wrong memories and you aren¡¯t looking for those right memories because you think that you are already right.¡± ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll try to remember that next time.¡±
Marigold wanted to know what Fomoria was, but even The Darkness had no clear answer. ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°He¡¯s Fae now, possible or not is a hard question to answer. But he¡¯s not Xol, he¡¯s not a human soul from Earth. When Xol was formless, he was just a spirit, Fomoria has become something else.¡± ¡°How much of this was expected?¡± ¡°I intended for certain things, but I saw not one thread where this happened. Perhaps because he would no longer be of Aarde I missed them, or more terrifying, Xol hid them all from me without me noticing anything was wrong for decades.¡± ¡°He hid a lot from all of us¡­¡± Marigold closed her eyes and clenched her fists. ¡°I think I should¡¯ve told him how to use Aardian magic.¡± ¡°Aarde has forbidden it. Find more ways to build up an army, and find out how we can trap him. It¡¯s possible that pieces of Xol were left behind and are influencing him. It¡¯s much safer for us to use him to enhance others rather than strengthening him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s going to find out how eventually, and if he ever learns that I knew and didn¡¯t tell him he¡¯s going to be upset. It seems shortsighted.¡± ¡°Aarde is certainly wiser than any other, what they say is what makes sense.¡± Marigold left the small world of The Darkness and returned to keeping an eye on New Kor. She hated the name, since she always intended to take Kor back, but Sepul spread it around and it seemed to be accepted. Chapter 365: Fomorias Class In the days since Fomoria¡¯s last meeting with Marigold, he wasn¡¯t allowed to go out on missions with Amber anymore, he wasn¡¯t even supposed to go out the first time, it was Amber¡¯s choice to ask him without first asking Marigold. To her, it made perfect sense, he mostly seemed there, he wasn¡¯t having the outbursts like before or becoming suddenly absentminded. And it worked at the time, he handled himself perfectly during the assault. Then he ran into Xol, lost his temper, and seemingly regressed slightly. Not enough that it was evident in the moment, but his progress halted and he more easily slid back, shown clearly to Marigold by his failure to maintain a sense of time along with refusing to even have a conversation after being told no. So, he was to remain in New Kor and teach magic, since his technical mind was still there, but his emotions and personal memories were far more faulty. He was to be training the Marked. Marigold tried to pick a different name, but the two names that popped up and failed to die were either the Marked or Blessed Ones. She convinced people that the Marked was better due to the other clearly coming from the Cult of Fomoria. Still, that failed, since he was being seen as more divine than before to some, so she made Amber law down the law. The Marked were a military asset even if they were just craftsmen, thus falling under her command, and if anyone wished to go against her, they had to do so in combat. Marigold wasn¡¯t supposed to raise her fist against the people for risk of her being seen as another outsider trying to conquer them and losing support, or rather, losing soldiers. But Amber was a relatively familiar face and sister to their great leader, she was one of them. His class was made up of few people, all of them already knew magic and were fairly elite by the standards of the lands outside of The Veil. Ironically, those who weren''t used to magic had no issues adjusting to this new power, but those whose power was already at a higher level had difficulties and needed more specialized training. It pained him to not be teaching thousands of ordinary people who were most likely to die on the battlefield, and instead being stuck with some unfortunately familiar faces. He tried not to even look at the Canis when he marked them, other than the albino he considered a friend, but the holes he had for eyes glared no matter the angle. It wasn¡¯t visual, nobody saw them move outside of the normal scratchy warping, but they all felt it. ¡°My goal with this class is not to tell you how to use magic, it is to provide a safe environment by which you may use for improving your magic to a level that can actually go against Xol¡¯s army. Where I learned, we had mock battles. I learned warmagic, and thus mine were against an opponent and their army of statues, and the goal wasn¡¯t to do more than destroy more of the enemy army while also protecting my own. Battlemages, those who were likely to become knights and fight in smaller engagements against more powerful enemies, fought in a much different manner. But, before we get into that, each of you must be able to cast a perfect fireball, one that lets off so little heat you can hold it in your hands without any burns.¡± Jakel scoffed. ¡°We¡¯ve been able to do that since you first gave advice.¡± ¡°Firsly, mutt, I did not ask for questions, nor did I simple give advice. I spent weeks turning you from middling mages to proper ones.¡± ¡°How dare-¡± Fomoria stepped closer, startling him. ¡°I am teaching you of my own will, because as much as it would please me to see you dead in a ditch, there are other things at stake here.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just-¡± ¡°YES I CAN.¡± Patra stepped forward. ¡°Both of you stop acting like children. Right now, as Fomoria said, there are other things at stake here. If left alone, that Lich will control the world and he is unlikely to be as kind as Fomoira.¡± ¡°So long as he minds himself, I will teach him to the best of my abilities.¡± ¡°Yet you can no longer cast magic yourself.¡± ¡°Within The Veil, within The Grand Academy, there is the title of archmage, the height of a mage. I have achieved that title twice in completely different fields. My technical knowledge, my practical knowledge, and my own time teaching the students under or even above me because I¡¯m just that good, means that I could never cast a single spell for the rest of my life and still be a dozen times the mage that you are. Now shut up so I can explain. The mark means that you are stronger than you were when you walked into this room. Now cast the fireball.¡± Jakel tried and failed to hold his fireball; the smell of burning fur and a yelp filled the room ¡°Your mana control is something which subtly changes and your mind automatically accounts for any growths you have. The weaker mages don¡¯t have an issue that takes more than a few minutes of training, but the mark seems to be a multiplier for both regeneration and power, and now you¡¯ve gone from a 10 to a 40, a much larger gap than 4 to 16. I was able to punch through the steel chestplate of a soldier with my bare hands, but I was also able to hold a newborn without issues. This is because my physical self-control is beyond normal people, because I¡¯ve always been stronger and subconsciously lowered myself to human levels. When a person is greatly enhanced, they can take weeks to get used to their new physical prowess. This is no different other than I expect you all to meet my standards by the end of class at least. You will be paired up based on how quickly you can do this and then the mock battles may start.¡± The first two which completed the test were Joan and Petra. ¡°Good. Move to the right side of the room. Spire, make a rectangle, 50x100, put a line in the center.¡± The spire shifted its bone floor, turning from marble white to a bloody red. ¡°Now, I will explain this. Amber, she took both warmagic and combat magic classes. Combat magic trains battlemages, battlemages are intended to fight within an army against other powerful mages. To this end, they devised a method of training designed to minimize the damage to their own side. You will start by deciding who will attack first and who will defend. Then you will explain to your opponent exactly how you intend to attack. It is dangerous to just let people spar with their full might, and so this will prevent you from suffering real harm by a surprise and it will combine the offensive and defensive from both sides. Just like it is important to know many spells, it is also very important to know how to use them. No need for a fireball if a lightball would do a better job of distracting your enemy. Outsmart your enemy, don¡¯t overpower them. Magekillers, those with middling magic by powerful bodies and martial skills are trained in much the same way.¡± Petra raised her hand. ¡°My magic is mostly based around research, I¡¯m not here to be a soldier.¡± ¡°I like to think of myself as a healer, but that doesn''t mean I haven¡¯t killed millions. If your work is meant to help win this war, then combat classes will help you better understand the needs of the soldiers. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. At the same time, magic is just magic, it¡¯s not anything else. You can learn something here, an example of how someone else uses magic that you never thought of and it can expand your mind on how magic can be used.¡± Joan was naturally the one who won nearly every engagement, be it offensive or defensive, but most was not all, and Petra was improving. The doors swung open and Amber stepped in; Fomoria stepped to her. ¡°You started without a full class.¡± ¡°I started when people stopped arriving.¡± ¡°Then these pricks are late.¡± A large shadow descended on Fomoria, trying to lock him between her arms. Yet she simply passed through him. ¡°An interesting way to guard against me.¡± ¡°You are¡­ Bojana? It¡¯s been a very long time.¡± ¡°And whose fault is that? You¡¯ve had your gates for a very long time, yet you never visited.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because¡­¡± He froze up and twitched his head. ¡°Because the people of The Confederacy would not suffer a Fomoria.¡± Her big brown eyes drooped a little. ¡°Amber said you were having a hard time remembering things. I did not think it possible. Is this what you are now?¡± ¡°Yes. I lost my body, my soul, and now I¡¯m¡­ something else.¡± ¡°You are still just Little Shadow.¡± She tried to chuckle and lay her paw on his shoulder. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Oh? I didn¡¯t realize your mind was so far gone. We¡¯re here to help of course. Xol isn¡¯t a problem for you, he¡¯s a problem for all of us. Now give me that handprint.¡± Fomoria put his mark on her, but it was hardly visible since it was skin deep, not over her fur. Bojana shivered with excitement and breathed deeply. ¡°I can smell the mana.¡± ¡°You can smell it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s beyond explaining. It just feels right.¡± ¡°When you said we, who else is here?¡± The others walked around the corner. Ky, Reet, Adelwulf, Ibery, and the elder Cato. Fomoria raised his finger and used to pierce him, but it bounced off, scuffing the floor. ¡°You ruined the surprise, Ursa.¡± ¡°Quiet. Fat man.¡± ¡°The others I understand, but why him?¡± ¡°The gods are still working with the Reinoans, and they picked a champion to represent them. As much of a bastard as he is, his bloodline abilities are strong and compatible with your mark unlike certain others. Everyone here is a representative of their nation or just someone who I thought would be well suited for this. I tried to get Tau-¡± ¡°He¡¯s not a fighter, not a craftsmen. He would gain nothing from this.¡± ¡°Right. But he said that he didn¡¯t want to be involved in this because of you. The Confederate Civil War was pointless bloodshed that wouldn¡¯t have happened the way it did without you giving them golems.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± His voice was cold. Fomoria marked them, all but one. ¡°Reet, what are you hoping to do here? You can¡¯t become a warrior in a short time, even with this mark.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t keep up with Harlan and Deimos. They¡¯re killing me in the forge even after enhancement.¡± Fomoria gave the mark with a chuckle, and Reet¡¯s hair turned black and gray, but his fire also gained a coarseness like real hair. More and more of them got their mana control to acceptable levels and were put against the others. And more and more, as people got into the swing of things, he stepped around the room and subsumed the spells which would¡¯ve seriously hurt the other side. After the day was done, Fomoria gave everyone reports, written by Phoebe rather than himself. Jakel of course took offense at his. ¡°Lacking the mind of a real warrior? What kind of stupid joke is this?¡± ¡°Of everyone here, you stepped outside of the lines the most. Do you recall what I said the purpose of the training was? To fight a strong enemy while minimizing damage to your own side. Those Sand Furies you¡¯ve brought me to train have no issue with staying in the lines, because they are trained to give their lives, and you were trained to protect yours. I won¡¯t deny that you can fight, I¡¯m denying that you can pass this test. You are a small, greedy, prideful man, and you can¡¯t fight the way I am training. I will recommend that anywhere you are deployed you will do so with your own forces so you don¡¯t kill mine.¡± ¡°So what if a few weaker soldiers die in the process. This war won¡¯t go on long enough that we need to worry about the next generation''s battles, we win or we lose and we do it soon.¡± Fomoria shook his head. ¡°The other part of minimizing damage is that you shouldn¡¯t move around too much. Small movements, just like in sword fighting, know when you can safely block or dodge or deflect, and by how much. There will always be spells that you cannot handle, this training will make you able to handle them. When splitting stones, we don¡¯t just grab a hammer and bang away at them, we use chisels and target weak points, fractures, we use as little energy as we need. If you are backed into a corner, unable to dodge, what do you do?¡± ¡°I move forward.¡± ¡°And that shows the depth of your mind. Why not go down instead? Why not pull the walls towards you and crush your enemy or just make a barrier? A corner isn¡¯t a trap, it is a different situation to fight in. You are dismissed.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t done, we-¡± ¡°KY, DRAG HIM OUT OF HERE.¡± Ky quickly dispatched his opponent, Bojana, and began walking towards Jakel. ¡°Don¡¯t make me do this.¡± Jakel launched a few attacks, and Ky moved around some, but he allowed a hard air bullet to skim his side as he jumped in the air. In doing so, Ky spun very quickly and used that wind he was generating to enhance a kick with aura and air magic of his own. The wave of air crashed against Jakel in a flash, sending him rolling across the floor. Ky stopped himself by turning his feet into something tougher for more friction, then he leapt with a body like a cheetah. By the time Jakel got his bearings, Ky was already there and restraining him. He dragged him back to Fomoria. ¡°That, that is the mind of a warrior. In an instant, your attacks became his, and while you didn¡¯t care about what was behind him, he deflected three of those shots that would¡¯ve interrupted the final matches of the others. He¡¯s dismissed.¡± Jakel screamed the entire time, and though the Sand Furies which were there moved to stop him, it became clear that they were the few, and the room itself wasn¡¯t on their side. Fomoria¡¯s desire to teach a class wasn¡¯t just because he wanted to be useful, he wanted to be surrounded by magic. Xol knew how to cast magic, both Earthborn, and Aardian. If he could do it, then surely Fomoria would find out how. Another day, another class. Everyone was getting more in sync, their knowledge was crossing over. Two days ago, Ky had shown the ability to boost the strength of his hands with aura and flick away small attacks with almost no real cost, and now Joan was doing the same to him. Fomoria floated above the room and became double sided, then each hand split until he was like a tree, and he fired off pierces mostly at random. The room erupted in annoyed shouts, and when he landed, he was surrounded. ¡°Quiet.¡± And the room became so. ¡°In a real fight, you can¡¯t expect to just focus on one person. I was strong enough that I could plow my way through hundreds of enemy soldiers without even thinking about it, but none of you are like that. I will now begin adding random factors, the chaos of war as it were. This room is part of The spire, and The spire is not a building in the strictest sense, it is a living being, in a looser sense. Perhaps the floor becomes slick to simulate muddy clay, or a bump forms to act as an unseen rock. Change how you fight depending on your enemy, but also your conditions.¡± He snapped his fingers, and the quiet ended. How did that happen? There was no magic in the act of snapping a figure. But really, how did any of his magic work? In the past he cast such spells by focusing mana in his throat, and with the intent being part of that, the effect happened. But now there was no mana, he had no throat. He just had his thoughts. But he didn¡¯t have a mind. Who told him that? When had he come to that conclusion? The Marigold and Sepul told him that he didn¡¯t have a mind, but in the magical sense alone was what they really meant, that he had no detectable one. He failed to interpret based on what he should¡¯ve known, and instead interpreted it based on what relatively few memories he had in that moment. Fomoria thought more on what he thought, and he went back through everything that he thought he knew. The class had long since ended, and after giving out the reports, he had remained still for hours. ¡°Mister Fomoria¡­ can I go?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Phoebe could hardly keep her eyes open. ¡°You told me to keep casting spells until you said to stop.¡± ¡°Sorry, I got lost in my head. Of course. Go to bed.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She rubbed her eyes as she walked away. ¡°Spire, send someone to make sure she gets back to her home safely.¡± Without anyone else there, Fomoria went back to training from his youth. The spire had a perfect internal clock aided by magic, and it was childsplay to set a pendulum that always swung in a perfect rhythm. He sat there, closed his eyes, and moved his head left and right. As a child, this would¡¯ve been a pouch with small stones in it that he tied to a branch, and the punishment for having a wrong sense of time would be the risk of a black eye. Now, there was no punishment other than the spire making buzzing sounds, but it felt much worse to him. He missed pain, or at least he thought that he did. Pain was bad, but it was also related to touch, and he missed touching things. By morning, he felt that his sense of time was right, and how he perceived things felt different, no longer too slow or too fast. It was always a strange feeling when something normal suddenly becomes abnormal. Once the spire had stopped making loud noises, once he settled into his own pendulum-like rhythm, it was easier to organize his thoughts in the trance-like state of his. Suddenly he stopped, and the spire made a noise. Fomoria moved his hands in a complex pattern, and a beam fired from his hand, easily going through the spire. However, he had not destroyed anything, the beam had become intangible, unharming, but unstoppable. A rune was asking the world to let a mage do something. A sigil was a level higher than that, and came more from the caster than the world. With the balance now in the favor of the caster, Fomoria¡¯s being could fill the gap that should be filled by the world itself. Chapter 366: My Name is Fomoria Fomoria went to Marigold once he was sure that he could use his old sigils, that it wasn¡¯t a fluke. She had been resting, but once he was there, showing off his sigils, she moved to her desk. He hadn¡¯t been to her home here, and yet couldn¡¯t help but notice how quickly he recognized the layout of the single floor as matching the first floor of her and Xol¡¯s home. ¡°Very impressive that you regained that so quickly.¡± Her voice betrayed her false excitement, but Fomoria tried to pretend he didn¡¯t know where this was going. ¡°Now I can join the fight again.¡± ¡°No. You are still more useful as a teacher.¡° ¡°Can¡¯t you just get an Other to do it?¡± ¡°Yes. I could recall one of your marshalls, and I could order them to teach your classes. But I won¡¯t. I don¡¯t believe you should be on a battlefield, and it¡¯s not because, or rather, not just because I don¡¯t trust that you are as well as you claim. Xol was hurt by you, and even if he understands how to avoid it again, he is more likely to attempt to capture you like he has so many of the Fae.¡± ¡°I would rather be the one to-¡± ¡°I am telling you this, no. You do not have leave to fight.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I just told you.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, I am going to take that risk.¡± ¡°Just listen to me.¡± She couldn¡¯t hide her annoyance. ¡°You wanted me to talk with you, so explain why you actually don''t want me out there.¡± ¡°Alright. Fine.¡± She sighed. ¡°You aren¡¯t an ally, not really, you are a player on the board that we intend to use. As it stands you are not trusted enough for us to be letting you go out and do what you want, since the safe option is to just let you train people we don¡¯t need to worry about as much, we want you doing that.¡± ¡°I want more sigils.¡± ¡°Did you listen to anything?¡± ¡°I¡¯m ornery and bullheaded. Simply put, unless you can stop me from doing things, I¡¯m going to do them. You want me to remain here when I know that I could help out there, pay me. Either I am a friend or I am a worker, and I don¡¯t work for free.¡± ¡°You do not want me to be forced to test if I can restrain you.¡± She knew that aura could touch him, so she tried telekinesis. He felt the million fingers of it and tried to subsume them just as he had mana; it was more reflex than intention. Marigold recoiled in pain, stopping her attack as she fell from her chair. At first he thought she was fine, but when a few seconds passed, and then another, and another, he rushed to find Elk. He knew that the healer was somewhere in New Kor, but he hadn¡¯t actually visited her, so he found any building that was larger than the masses of single room homes and started searching them. It took minutes for Fomoria to find her. ¡°ELK, ELK, HELP ME.¡± She had been getting breakfast ready; she screamed and dropped the plates of eggs for her and Ox. ¡°WHAT?¡± ¡°MARIGOLD IS HURT, COME.¡± When they arrived, she was starting to move again, groaning as she did. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°She used telekinesis, and¡­ I ate it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Her aura, I absorbed it like mana.¡± ¡°Aura is a skin that you seem to have peeled away. She¡¯s probably suffered some soul damage and-¡± Sepul arrived in his full radiance. ¡°Woman, leave this to me. Fomoria, wait here.¡± His stomach sank as he watched Sepul¡¯s hands move in a flurry and his face become more stern as the minutes dragged on. More and more people came into the room, Amber, Coronach, and a woman who he didn¡¯t recognize at first, but which angered him greatly. After a few hours, the room was finally quiet, Coronach and the woman left, not caring once their jobs were done. Sepul told Amber to take Marigold to her room and watch. He closed the door once Amber was out. ¡°I-¡± ¡°Quiet.¡± His eyes went white as Cecht gave him instructions, the gods had already gathered to discuss what Fomoria had done. When his eyes returned to normal, he opened his mouth, but couldn¡¯t bring himself to speak at first. Fomoria floated there in silence until Sepul found his voice. ¡°They want you to just stay here. You don¡¯t need to worry, this won¡¯t change anything. But, you need to remain here while we find out-¡° If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Fomoria¡¯s stance changed, any anxiousness was gone, and his eyes lost their shaking crudely drawn on appearance, turning into endless white holes. ¡°You¡¯re lying to me.¡± ¡°No. I wouldn¡¯t do that, not to you. I am your grandfather, and when Marigold wanted you to stop marking people, I stopped her at first.¡± ¡°You were so good at lying before. Why now do you fail?¡± Sepul reached for him with aura, yet caught nothing but air. Fomoria panicked as soon as he left. He didn¡¯t know why he did that, how he knew that Sepul was lying, or why he just admitted it. He thought about just going back, because leaving certainly made things worse since he hadn¡¯t even really explained himself. As he walked back and forth he crossed hundreds of miles until he heard singing. The song was wordless, yet conveyed more than any could. Betrayal and union, brutality and normality, love and suffering. It was familiar and yet he couldn¡¯t place it. Even as he stepped across dozens of miles, it hardly changed in volume. He wanted to run from it, the singer must¡¯ve been someone with strange magic, probably a Fae. But¡­ it was a beautiful song. He came upon a cliff, and at the edge of the point that overlooked the sea there was a tree, gnarled and withered, but yet stranding strong against the storm that buffeted it. On the tree was a skeleton, tied to it with its own guts, and crows picked at it in reverse, building up the flesh over time. The woman sat on a stump, singing her song as she guided her crows. When she saw him, her song fell silent. ¡°Welcome, Fomoria.¡± She waited for a response, expecting fury like what befell Xol. ¡°Nemain. I heard your song; were you calling me?¡± ¡°As I have before. Yet the past was a failure, not one of my own I gather. I expected wrath. Do you not remember me?¡± ¡°To the Goliath, a war god. To the Ainites, The Witch Fae. Ainites? No¡­ False Undead.¡± ¡°Perhaps a better name for them, more telling, less lies. Why do you hold calm towards me?¡± ¡°You are a puppet. Nothing you¡¯ve done has been against me with harm in mind.¡± His own words sounded strange to him, his cadence and word choice were not his entirely, yet his intent was there. ¡°I am puppet to no soul. And what of David, Parnell, are they not an affront?¡± ¡°Why do you seek my anger? David suffered his heart, your power was nothing that he was not already.¡± ¡°I sought not fury, only understanding for lack of it.¡± ¡°Yet you sought myself. Why is this? There is no union between us.¡± ¡°A union I not ask. Why have you brought yourself to me?¡± Fomoria explained what happened with Marigold. ¡°Look at them, the fools who strike out at even their allies for even a minor interference with their plans which have been told to none. How even family becomes the enemy of their enemy. There are no words which would turn you to my side-¡± ¡°The side of Xol.¡± ¡°Mine is mine own, he is himself.¡± ¡°Yet you turned your people against mine for his.¡± ¡°An ally is better than none against gods, our goals in this instant are one. But an ally I would not forever have, for our goals are not as the other¡¯s.¡± ¡°And so you want me?¡± ¡°You are a devouring maw of darkness, but not of The Darkness, and so they fear you, they understand nothing. You are formless, difficult to chain. Not like this one. Does it interest you?¡± Fomoria looked at the body, slowly being built in front of him. It was bulky unlike what he was, its muscles rippled and appeared as though carved from fine stone. Yet all that had been made was a set of legs and hands. ¡°I will not fall into the traps of Fae.¡± ¡°On my word, under threat of vanishing, this body has no deception to it. When the day comes that it is as whole as you, you may refuse it, but that day is not this one. Return to your gods, be as allies, not a puppet, let them turn you against them, and return to me for aid. I shall not move from this cliff until that day.¡± ¡°And what of a chance of betrayal from myself?¡± ¡°What of it?¡± She turned away from him on the stump, looking only at the body. ¡°But an aid now, a desire of good will from one to one. You will bring not enemies upon my head, and I shall grant you blood on your hands.¡± ¡°What blood?¡± ¡°Lifeblood. Watch closely, accept or not, it is yours.¡± She moved her hand and he copied it. He did not recognize the sigil, but when he cast it, he understood the meaning. ¡°Health, what you shall need in time.¡± Everything he knew told him to never thank a Fae, for fear that it might bind them, so he simply left. He returned to New Kor, and he found Marigold under Amber¡¯s guard. ¡°Where have you-¡± ¡°Quiet. Marigold, I know you can see me. I have the magic to heal you now, but it does not come free. It is clear to me that we are not friends or allies, and this healing will not come freely. I will not be caged, but I know you are going to try anyway. I will give my army the mark, but they are my army. I will teach the classes, but they are my classes. You may ask me for help, but you will not order me, because we are two sides against one.¡± Marigold sat up in her bed. ¡°There is no need to be so dramatic. I explained that it was an accident, you didn¡¯t-¡± ¡°If you had the ability to lock me away, if your attack had worked, what would this conversation be? Would you be speaking so softly towards me? Or would I be collared and told what to do? I¡¯m no longer the dog of the gods to be sicced on targets. Don¡¯t bullshit me with a pat on the head after you failed to whip me.¡± Amber stood from her chair. ¡°Don¡¯t say something you are going to regret. You and Marigold are friends, we¡¯re all friends. This is all a big misunderstanding.¡± ¡°If they locked me away, what would you do? Would it be like when we were younger and you decided to become a military asset in the hopes of helping me or avenging me, or would you follow along with their plans anyway?¡± She opened her mouth, but what she wanted to say would¡¯ve put her on the wrong side of the gods. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Hardly a good answer for either side. ¡°Marigold, tell your god what I¡¯ve said, and I will heal if they accept, though I know they will betray me later because I will not be controlled.¡± ¡°Aarde already heard everything. Don¡¯t try to make some kind of deal like this, you¡¯re upset and not thinking straight. I really just wanted you to calm down before because-¡± ¡°Then we will be enemies. I will fight my war, and you will leave my spire. Amber, stay or leave, it is your choice.¡± Marigold¡¯s eyes turned gold and burned like the sun. ¡°Boy, you will remember yourself, this is not the war you want.¡± ¡°Fuck you. I-¡± A wave of energy destroyed the room, intending to scatter his form and send him away for a time. Yet in moments, Fomoria was back together. ¡°We are either enemies or allies, but I am not your puppet. You¡¯ve-¡± Again and again, Marigold¡¯s form was puppeteered by Aarde and tried to disperse him until he stopped coming back. Yet Fomoria¡¯s will was not one to be crushed so easily, and his soul was once Xol¡¯s, still holding some of his power. Marigold began to puke blood, her body was not meant to hold her god for long. ¡°I am not going to go away. Either I fight Xol on my own, or I fight alongside your champions. But don¡¯t think that I am going to go away, nor will I let you lock me up. I¡¯m certain that this is every fear that those like Cecht held being justified, but there is no time for the past and regrets.¡± ¡°Boy-¡± ¡°My name is Fomoria.¡± ¡°Fomorian, you are cast from this world.¡± The last thing he saw were clouds.
The plan was suicidal, using the drive after what happened, but they didn¡¯t have any choice. So the captain made his choice, he gave the command, and 10,000 paid the price when they leaked through. Nanites worked to seal off the halls once they were detected, and the cleaners arrived to kill any that were still alive after a few weeks without anyone left to eat. As it stood, everyone agreed it was the right call, they were closing in, another missile could¡¯ve crippled they ship entirely. The drive could be fixed, but it would use up all of their nanite supplies and still be at risk of another breach if they used it so far into the void. So he made his second call. A few decades would pass like nothing in cryo. Chapter 367: Ambers War Marigold collapsed, Aarde left her body. Amber and Sepul, who pulled her from the building after the first attack by Aarde, rushed in to grab her. ¡°WHERE IS HE, WHERE IS MY GRANDSON?¡± He violently shook her until Amber dragged him off of her. ¡°SHE¡¯S HURT, AND SHE CAN¡¯T ANSWER UNLESS YOU HEAL HER.¡± She sensed that Sepul still wasn¡¯t thinking clearly, so she slapped him, and he returned the action, sending her crashing into the ground. The sight of her body piecing itself back together much like Fomoria did brought him back to his senses. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I-¡± ¡°HELP MARIGOLD, I¡¯M FINE.¡± She was hurt, but Aarde wasn¡¯t stupid, he didn¡¯t push her limits beyond sense. In a few hours, she was awake again. And so Sepul questioned her again. ¡°Where is my grandson?¡± ¡°Sepul-¡± ¡°Answer me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure.¡± ¡°Aarde, tell me now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I know what Aarde did, but I don¡¯t know where exactly Fomoria went. He sent him into space, as he has done for a few select Fae in the past. For the first seven years, Aarde knew the exact path, but after that he could crash into a planet or a sun or anything else that has a manasphere. He¡¯s not likely to die, but we shouldn¡¯t expect to see him for a long while.¡± ¡°Bring him back.¡± ¡°You know that I can¡¯t, and even if Aarde wanted to, he couldn¡¯t. His reach ends not far from the manasphere. Fomoria was dangerous and unpredictable. We-¡± Sepul wrapped his hands around her neck and began to squeeze. Amber was in the room, but just watched. Either Sepul stopped or he didn¡¯t, she didn¡¯t care for a moment. But as Marigold flailed against him, still weak from Aarde; Amber couldn¡¯t let it happen. ¡°Let her go.¡± ¡°She murdered your brother, my grandson. I failed him, I failed my family again.¡± Seeing the tears rolling down his face, she almost reconsidered, but she needed her. ¡°Knowing him, he probably hit something Aarde missed and he¡¯s already figuring out how to fly back here riding a comet. If there is anyone to hit some impossible chance and live, it¡¯s him. I know that what happened was fucked, but we still need Marigold to fight Xol.¡± Marigold coughed as she tried to catch her breath. Two shadows came out of the corner. ¡°A shame, I hoped to be allowed to fight us.¡± ¡°Sepul would kick your shit in Coroach; I¡¯d love to tear your heart out, Anon.¡± ¡°My, what brings out so much anger?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to go along with your provocations, bitch.¡± Marigold took one more big breath. ¡°Amber, these is no need for any of this, we shouldn¡¯t be at each other¡¯s throats.¡± ¡°Whatever the fuck happened between you two, this bullshit.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°He was back, he was here, and you shot him into fucking space because Aarde had their ego bruised.¡± One of Marigold¡¯s eyes turned golden. ¡°Mind yourself, Champion of Darkness.¡± ¡°You kill me, you lose my army, you lose Sepul, you lose Harlan, you lose Zella. I hope that Life lets me have a view of your godly power being raped to death by Xol before she tears my soul apart and devours it.¡± Aarde was taken aback, but he could see the number of timelines where he beat Xol shrunk down considerably if he killed Amber, even if he found someone else to become the new Champion of Darkness. He did not answer back, he simply retreated from Marigold¡¯s body. ¡°What is wrong with you? All of you? Can¡¯t you look at the bigger picture here? Xol is going to cripple Aarde and we¡¯ll be left to fend for ourselves if he does.¡± ¡°I think we¡¯re been fending for ourselves from the start. You¡¯ve apparently been so out of work for decade over a decade that you¡¯ve been spending nearly every day as a fucking counsoler and yet failed to notice that your husband had the time to set up everything in my brother¡¯s life and that he was going to betray him. What has Aarde actually done for any of us in who knows how long? The number of Marked we have is way below what we should¡¯ve had because they threw a tantrum and threw my brother into the fucking sky. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Outside of the millions of Cerast, we¡¯ve got maybe 20,000 other soldiers bearing the mark. I¡¯ve got people who had been waiting for the mark but couldn¡¯t get it because they were involved in active missions. Now those rather elite soldiers can¡¯t get it because of Aarde. So fuck off, don¡¯t give me any shit about what¡¯s wrong with me or any of us.¡± A week passed, and Marigold hardly shared a conversation with any of her fellow champions that didn¡¯t involve her trying to rebuild their relationships, and never did she get even an inch. Still, none of them did anything to make the war go worse, they kept that level of professionalism. ¡°The marshall here says dragons are gathering, but no other units. Either Xol intends to teleport them in, the dragons are just there for hit and runs, or they are shedding scales to grow larger. Zella, anything on that last one?¡± ¡°Anu says that wyverns have long gathered there to rub against the particularly hard rocks in the valley. It¡¯s likely that they are simply there for shedding.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pretty thin place at the top, nearly a cave. Collapse it on their heads.¡± ¡°Anu says that we shouldn¡¯t do that, because they would simply go to another location.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the plan. Sepul can drop a rock from higher than they can see if it¡¯s an open air location and they won¡¯t all get out of the blast radius, but not here. Then we move to the next spot, and the next one. Either they scatter, or they get close together. We hunt them down one by one, or they get taken out in one fell swoop.¡± ¡°If they don¡¯t shed their scales, they¡¯ll get more and more agitated, and too many dragons in one spot is going to result in a lack of food, they¡¯ll devour everything and everyone around them if they get hungry enough. The effects on the environment and the towns and villages-¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have the luxury of fighting a nice war. I¡¯ll wipe every godsdamned wyvern and dragon from the face of Aarde if I have to. I¡¯ll poison their water sources, trap their nests, blast their mountains, turn Eolgi loose on them.¡± ¡°Amber, I think that you¡¯re-¡± ¡°Upset? Angry? No, not at all. My brother got shot into space and might not be back for my hundredth birthday. Or maybe Xol takes over, and we all get turned into puppets for his perfect world. I¡¯m feeling fucking fantastic.¡± ¡°Anu-¡± ¡°Anu can get hogfucked. All of the gods can, this is my war now. Sepul, I¡¯ve got Sandsea stonecutters preparing rocks and carving the runes into them. Whenever I tell you to hit a target, I don''t want any arguments, you drop it where I say when I say it.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Zella easily moved to the valley and closed it. Anu thought to protest, but they had been trying to kill Xol for six months without success, so she decided to at least try Amber¡¯s plan. In the next six weeks, the dragon population was cut in half, the wyverns down to third. Sepul laid waste to mountains, valleys, lakes, forests, day and night. But for the ones that scattered, once Amber started offering a bounty of gold, food, even citizenship, the heads rolled in. Anu hated to see the biodiversity lowered as it had, but she couldn¡¯t argue that it was working. Killing the dragons meant that every city under Xol¡¯s command was conquered far more easily, and also due in no small part to the Cerast, who could descend on the cities fully armored and strike with great precision. They had him really on the back foot, they weren¡¯t losing any land, but they also hadn¡¯t yet gained anything, returning to a status quo at best. ¡°Anu would like you to stop the dragon hunts.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to rescind the bounty, but I¡¯ll stop wiping out the breeding grounds and other gathering spots. We¡¯re tracking the remaining ones and using them to get reinforcements to counter them before they are seen on a battlefield.¡± Amber was looking at a large globe that floated in the middle of her war room. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°A world map. The Darkness gave it to me since we don¡¯t have a proper world table.¡± ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t-¡± ¡°No strings attached. She¡¯s not exactly happy about what Aarde did and she knows I¡¯m going to need something like this.¡± She swiped it, then stopped, grabbing hold of a large point sticking up. ¡°This volcano, is it active?¡± Zella closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°She isn¡¯t going to answer until she knows why.¡± ¡°Xol has six cities in the area, many towns, all of them are factories or mining towns. He¡¯s making more and more mechanical threats, but they¡¯ve taken time to set up. We could hit the six of them, but setting off the volcano would bury these four under magma, and the other two would probably die due to the poisonous air.¡± Zella asked again, and got her answer, but hesitated to give it. ¡°What about the civilian population?¡± ¡°They¡¯re all being mind controlled by spinal spiders, no towers in the entire area since they¡¯re cities. Anyone too young or weak to work got moved out already, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°I just think that-¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have an unlimited number of people who can extract the spiders and heal the people. Most of them are so far out that the Fomorian Empire has been nothing but a name, they have no loyalty. If he was here¡­ We don¡¯t have the time to bother. We¡¯ll wipe them off the map like the rest.¡± ¡°Not like the rest. These aren¡¯t secret factories out in the wilds, you¡¯re talking about-¡± ¡°I know exactly what I¡¯m talking about. Either we take those factories out, or we keep losing men to the new guns and vehicles that we¡¯re seeing. Enemy workers vs my soldiers isn¡¯t even a question.¡± Zella questioned, but Anu told her to say it. ¡°The volcano is active.¡± Zella moved to the globe and tapped, trying to make it zoom in. ¡°Like this. Pinch your fingers, then expand out. Do the opposite to zoom back out.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± It was kinda fun. ¡°Here, here, and here, these are major junctions. Seal them off with earth magic and the volcano will build up magma. Anu says the peak will be reached in 12 hours.¡± ¡°Perfect. That gives my men time to set charges around the volcano itself. When it¡¯s ready to overflow, we¡¯ll pop it and flood the area with lava.¡±
Xol went to a certain cliff. ¡°You should return to the house.¡± ¡°Not until Cu is finished. There is a certain magic that I need, and this place is where I find it.¡± ¡°Your crows can finish it without you.¡± ¡°That would be quite unfair to them.¡± Xol slammed down his staff. ¡°There are things that you could do to help me rather than sitting here.¡± ¡°Oh? And what might that be?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t get into Blackship.¡± ¡°The great and might Xol, brought low by a simple barrier?¡± ¡°Whatever it is, it isn¡¯t powered by anything from Aarde, and when I was nearly through, everything changed and put me back to the start. Some new energy source being used, an energy recalibration, I don¡¯t know. Two months of work just turned to dust. I need another mind, another perspective.¡± ¡°Why not ask your wife, or better, Fomoria. Oh, right.¡± ¡°I can put you back in your cage, Fae.¡± ¡°You are still just as foreign as any of us, Fae.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of your nonchalance, they¡¯ve changed their tactics, they¡¯ve thrown caution to the wind, they¡¯ve stopped trying for capture and have turned to simple razings.¡± ¡°I imagine Fomoria¡¯s influence?¡± ¡°No, Amber, his sister. She¡¯s far more brutal than I expected, but I don¡¯t know why she¡¯s leading as she is now. I thought she was a figurehead being used by Marigold, but there was a sudden shift.¡± ¡°What has Fomoria been doing since we last saw him?¡± ¡°There was an attack on New Kor by somebody other than me, and my spies haven¡¯t seen anything since.¡± ¡°That is quite odd. He will be ready in six days, after that, I can go to Blackship and help you find a way to our parasite.¡± Chapter 368: Ambers War 2 Amber sat in her room, seemingly alone. ¡°I miss him.¡± Durandal felt the same. He wanted to be wielded by him, he wanted to be wielded by a hero again, and was left with the next closest thing. His desire bled into her, confusing the line between familial love and the other kind. It bothered her before, but she felt better about it now that he wasn¡¯t around and making those feelings awkward. A knock at the door. ¡°Amber, can we talk?¡± Amber set Durandal aside, not wanting her thoughts biased by him, then opened the door for her. Zella sat on the bed with her. ¡°Honestly, you are scaring the shit out of me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing what I need to do. The gods have consistently failed, I¡¯ve started really winning.¡± ¡°We¡¯re hitting cities harder than ever, and more people are getting caught in the crossfire.¡± ¡°I know he never considered them to be so, but they are acceptable losses. If he hates me when he gets back because I didn¡¯t fight like he would¡¯ve liked, then at least there will be something for him to come back to.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be fighting like this because he won¡¯t be here to disapprove. You should be fighting-¡± ¡°Fairly? I don¡¯t see Xol fighting fairly. He¡¯s got his mental towers up, suppressing the emotions of the people to prevent revolts and make people fight against us. Harlan can¡¯t stop them, he can¡¯t even get near them because they assault his mind.¡± The room turned pitch dark for a moment. Amber took a deep breath. ¡°I know exactly what I¡¯m doing. I¡¯m not making rash decisions because I¡¯m angry, I just can¡¯t keep holding back.¡± Zella took Amber¡¯s hand. ¡°Harlan, both of them, held back, but they didn¡¯t fail because of it. You don¡¯t need to go all out just to win, we¡¯re not that desperate yet. Don¡¯t let those wins go to your head, don¡¯t become another heartless general who tosses soldiers at a problem and doesn''t care about the consequences of their actions after they¡¯ve won a fight.¡± Amber hugged Zella. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ve been so tightly wound lately. It¡¯s just¡­ since-¡± ¡°I know. We weren¡¯t on great terms, but knowing I might not get the chance to fix that is like a drake sitting on my chest.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m going to get some sleep. Again, thank you for talking some sense into me.¡± Zella was feeling pretty good when she left. Amber couldn¡¯t believe that she bought that. The volcano had been building for a while, and in that time the charges had been set. She watched from a hill far enough away that she would hardly feel the heatwave, but she saw the volcano erupt. She wasn¡¯t heartless, she didn¡¯t ignore the consequences, but she couldn¡¯t fight like Fomoria, she couldn¡¯t fight like Harlan, she could only fight like herself. For Ragne, the acceptable civilian casualties were around 10% of a given area. This was far above that threshold. ¡°Everything is ready, the soldiers are out of the blast radius, the bombs on the volcano and the surrounding area are primed. We are waiting for your orders.¡± She looked down at the crystal linked with the explosives, and she thought to herself. What went through her head was only between her and Durandal. Maybe it was his influence on her, she could always claim that later. The signal went out, and she saw the distant sky turn orange, then the clouds above turned black. She waited, looking at another crystal linked with a series of mana sensor arrays in the area. Once she began getting errors, fire mana readings above 100%, she knew that the area was full of pure fire mana, and detonated the second ring of bombs. Zella was told in no uncertain terms what had happened, Anu watched the outpouring of souls. She rushed to Amber, who was in Mercedes'' office pouring over reports. ¡°How could you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. All of these reports are saying that the families of the controlled workers had been moved out of the area.¡± ¡°Mercedes?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Is what Amber said true?¡± ¡°I received these reports and skimmed them before I sorted them. They haven¡¯t changed. An underground railroad like Harlan made? But why would Xol bring them back in such a way that we couldn¡¯t see?¡± Zella couldn¡¯t get rid of the sick feeling in her stomach, but she didn¡¯t think she was being lied to. ¡°Wait, how did you know that the area was full of civilians?¡± ¡°The Darkness told me, only after the bombs went off. She wanted me to learn a lesson about always double checking targets if I wanted to fight a war with minimized casualties.¡± She had done no such thing, but she wasn¡¯t going to tell anyone about Amber¡¯s lies either. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°That sounds like something she would do. Do you¡­ do you want to talk about it? You know that it wasn¡¯t your fault, right?¡± Amber put down the report she was reading and hung her head. ¡°I know. But¡­¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m the one that activated the bombs, I made the plans. Even if it wasn¡¯t my fault, that doesn¡¯t change what happened under my watch. Can you check on Fomoria¡¯s class? I know we¡¯ve been rotating teachers for them, but I¡¯m busy trying to solve this. I need to make sure I didn¡¯t miss anything.¡± ¡°Of course. And if you need to talk later, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be free.¡± With Zella gone, Amber and Mercedes let out a sigh of relief. ¡°You made sure to destroy the originals, right?¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m not an idiot.¡± ¡°I feel like an asshole lying to her like that.¡± ¡°She¡¯s soft like your brother, she can¡¯t understand. He somehow always tore out the teeth from the jaws of defeat. I¡¯m not saying that Fomoria wouldn¡¯t do this if push came to shove, he wiped a city off the map with a bomb before, but sometimes I feel like his plans, no matter how well made, were intended to work with a little bit of luck. We don¡¯t have that luxury. Nor do we have the luxury of making her distrust us.¡± ¡°I know. But I wouldn¡¯t call her soft, she¡¯s just not quite as hardened as us.¡± Mercedes finished putting away the falsified reports and Amber was walking towards the door. ¡°Did he ever mention me? I mean, after he came back.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°I know that he was happy for us, but I can¡¯t shake the feeling he might¡¯ve held a grudge about Larenzac and I getting together while he was alone. It felt like I was betraying him.¡± ¡°He never said a word about it to me before or now. It probably didn¡¯t bother him that much.¡± ¡°Why do you think he never came to see him?¡± ¡°He was busy or basically insane for most of his time back. And you were busy the entire time, you¡¯re still busy.¡± ¡°I felt like collapsing when you told me he was gone, but I held on long enough to hear that he would be coming back eventually. Now he¡¯s gone again, and I didn¡¯t get the chance to tell him how I felt.¡± ¡°Do you have a crush on him?¡± ¡°No, not at all since we parted ways romantically. But he was a rock. I felt like I could tie myself to him and everything would just work out. Despite how long we were in a real war with the Cast, I felt safe in Kor with him. How long did Aarde say it would be before he¡¯s back?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t hit a planet for seven years at least. After that, he just needs to figure out how to leave and make his way back here. Honestly, I¡¯d guess seven years and a month.¡± Mercedes laughed loudly. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you think he won¡¯t be back in under seven.¡± ¡°Aarde is a prick, but I¡¯m guessing they¡¯ve got enough of a future sight to get that much right. Not that I said that to Sepul. I¡¯m pretty sure he was going to actually kill Marigold.¡± ¡°As much as I enjoy talking, I think I¡¯ve spent enough time. Thank you for trusting me with this ruse.¡± ¡°He trusted you, who would I be to not?¡± Six days passed, and other than the normal missions, clashing against Xol¡¯s forces that were finally on the back foot, destroying trade routes to force him or his other gate mages to transport things, and finding any secret bases or factories, things were normal. She sat on a hill with Sepul, watching a forest engulfed in flames, Xol¡¯s soldiers unable to escape the blaze unless they took the path that would bring them right to the pair. ¡°Harlan¡¯s firebombs are stronger than last time.¡± ¡°He said he added powdered firesteel. They turn into burning dust that settles on surfaces and people. They can go minutes before they even start to cool.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty good.¡± ¡°Something on your mind?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering for a while. Why doesn''t Xol use Others? He used them before he stole Fomoria¡¯s soul, and he knows enough that he absolutely should be able to make more of them now. So why not?¡° ¡°I can¡¯t use Others, Marigold can¡¯t either. I doubt you could.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about mindset. Fomoria had no problem at all dying for others. Marigold is as selfless as someone can be without getting to that point, because deep down she believes that no amount of lives are worth the loss of herself and the lives she would save in the future. At least, that is why I believe that she can¡¯t use them.¡± ¡°And you?¡± ¡°My ego is too great. I will be the highest power that there is, and I can¡¯t accept another person just like me. It would just be a matter of time before one of us develops something to get the edge over the other and we kill one another to prove we are better than the other. Maybe something changed about Xol, maybe he¡¯s guilty over what he did and if he had an Other it would interfere with his plans. Maybe he thinks too highly of himself now and he can¡¯t risk that an Other would betray and replace him. But my personal theory is that Fomoria won¡¯t let him.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡± ¡°Fomoria didn¡¯t turn into Xol when they changed souls, it clearly wasn¡¯t a perfect swap. If there was even the smallest grain of Fomoria still left inside of Xol, any Other he tries to make would undermine and eventually kill him. Before he returned, I was under the impression that this was already happening and that¡¯s why he doesn¡¯t seem to be as strong as he once was. Yes, Xol did lose his nearly limitless supply of mana, but Fomoria had gained the ability to breathe in mana more like a magical creature or plant than a person, giving him a regeneration rate far above normal people. But I¡¯ve clashed with Xol before, I know how strong he was, and something is holding him back, something that isn¡¯t just Fomoria¡¯s soul being weaker.¡± ¡°That makes sense. Or Xol hasn¡¯t been able to make more Others for a long time already. I mean, other than Kleon and Dun¡¯Kel, when was the last time he used one?¡± ¡°Another reasonable theory. Dun¡¯Kel is¡­ I would like to say around 1,200 years old. Kleon is far, far older, somewhere in the range of 12,000. It can be hard to know when it is Xol or someone else, all Liches look the same to me and before he and Marigold got together, he took on many names and appearances.¡± ¡°Fomoria told me that Xol invented the aura techniques of the Sects, and he gave guns to the original settlers of The United Territories.¡± ¡°That likely doesn¡¯t even scratch the surface of his influence. Now I can¡¯t even look at anything in history inside of The Veil or out without wondering if he had his hand in it. How much of my grandsons lives has been him. Did Harlan split into two because of Xol? Or was that just the uncontrollable power of the paradox left by Nemain? Did he and Nemain work together before? Was her capture part of his plan?¡± Sepul¡¯s gaze hardened and any joy from their theorizing was gone. ¡°Did he slaughter my family to set in motion the events leading to his birth? The soldiers are starting to leave the forest. Has the prison been readied?¡± ¡°Of course. Let¡¯s just hope our target didn¡¯t die in that fire.¡± It took slightly longer to find the leader than they expected as a result of his face sustaining disfiguring burns from firesteel powder, but they got their target and killed the rest. Everything was going fine as they gathered information using a truth potion, but then a soldier rushed into the room with an urgent report. ¡°Can¡¯t you see that we¡¯re busy?¡± ¡°You need to see this.¡± She rolled her eyes, thinking the young Dague was just overzealous after being asked to deliver a letter. But she wordlessly read it, then handed it to Sepul, who did the same. Both of them shared a look of stunned silence. ¡°You are certain of this? That this report is factual?¡± The soldier saluted with his hand over his mark. ¡°They say that they saw it clearly with their own eyes. There was no mistaking it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Don¡¯t say a word of this to anyone without a second report confirming it.¡± The soldier ran away as fast as he could. At most, Mercedes, Marigold, and Joan knew about it. There was simply too many ways that this could be taken; few were good.
A tragedy. There was no other way for Xol to explain it. He didn¡¯t even want to believe that this was caused by someone, this must¡¯ve been a natural eruption. It wasn¡¯t that it wasn¡¯t a blow against him, there were factories and labs, but the biggest resource he had were people loyal to him. For their safety, he brought them together, he brought their families. As he searched the miles of glass and cooling volcanic rock, he found signs that this was no natural disaster. The bombs left clearly unnatural craters surrounding what was the volcano. His thoughts jumped to Jenny, she must¡¯ve deployed missiles, burrowers perhaps, that caused an artificial eruption, then used magical missiles whose blast radius was far greater because of the pure mana in the environment. 350,000 people, gone in the blink of an eye. He would avenge them, he had to. Chapter 369: New Cast Amber and Sepul hushed themselves as Zella knocked on the door. It was more a formality, since she entered the office before they even answered. She saw Amber looking over a report, but didn¡¯t pay it any mind. Amber grabbed the next one in the stack and put it over the original to hide it without being clear what she was hiding. ¡°Did you need something?¡± ¡°Anu wanted me to recover a species of birds, and I was wondering if it would be alright to bring more ground from below so I can build a habitat for them on the island.¡± ¡°How large?¡± ¡°Half a mile.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not small. We¡¯d been expending a lot of our mana gem stock to support more ground, and I¡¯ll need to readjust the arrays again. How long before you bring them?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to ambush some of Xol¡¯s forces in their forest tomorrow.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time. Anything special about these birds that should make me reschedule my work just to save them?¡± ¡°They are born earth aligned and take very little food or water, mostly spreading out and eating sunlight.¡± ¡°So they are meat birds?¡± ¡°Yes. Anu wants us to continue expanding the island more and more, so she wants me to bring species that are rare but useful and allow them to become¡­ she used the term fodder.¡± Amber tapped on her desk. ¡°What were you and Sepul doing? You two have been spending a lot of time together in the last couple of days.¡± ¡°I can start working on the arrays, but Anu needs to tell us where there is a stockpile of mana gems if she wants me to add another half a mile of land.¡± Zella¡¯s eyes turned brown. ¡°Alright. She¡¯ll have other agents harvest and prepare them for pick up. I need a piece of paper to write the coordinates.¡± Amber kept a pile of blank paper on her desk, and handed her a sheet. ¡°Perfect. I¡¯ll be back in about four hours, the gems should be ready to pick up in two. Can you get your arrays set up in that time?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get it done. Gotta look over one thing here first.¡± ¡°Alright. Thank you.¡± With Zella gone, Amber could get back to what really mattered. ¡°It can¡¯t be as bad as it looks.¡± ¡°Perhaps he¡¯s been captured by her and forced to help.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know that there is anything The Machine God could do to make him give out the mark to Cast.¡± ¡°She¡¯s been a leech on Aarde¡¯s power for a long time, more than that, she could¡¯ve worked with Fae before now. My biggest worry is how she got Fomoria in the first place. Aarde¡¯s attack should¡¯ve sent him out of the world in moments, he vanished faster than I could see.¡± ¡°How much do we know about how she¡¯s been stealing Aarde¡¯s power? Is she strong? Does she know what they''re doing? Can she see through their eyes?¡± ¡°We know almost nothing about Jenny. She makes things and sends them out, but nobody on our side has ever even spoken with her in some time. The closest we got was what The Emperor said while fighting. She wants to rule the world and somehow it would be better than Aarde¡¯s indirect influence because she believes herself to be the smartest being in the universe.¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t have any firsthand experience?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know much about things outside of The Veil, since I only ever came out here to do very specific things.¡± Amber leaned back in her chair. ¡°We need to capture one of them. Which means we need to cast a wide net.¡± ¡°Give the order to report any Cast sightings, and direct viewings should be sent up the chain of command straight to you. It¡¯s unlikely that there are many left alive. Cast didn¡¯t exactly live outside of their empire, so the virus was almost unavoidable for them.¡± ¡°Or we just go right to Blackship and-¡± ¡°We would be turned to dust by her defenses in an instant without a great deal of preparation.¡± ¡°You ever tried?¡± ¡°Fomoria was being groomed so he could aid us in destroying the city. Unfortunately, Xol was the biggest contributor in planning the theoretical attack. But I did know some of what she can do. Though I never saw it in person.¡± ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll give out the order to the Others and any of our other leaders that Cast should be called in so we can capture them. We don¡¯t want them getting too close and blowing this whole thing.¡± ¡°Very well. I have some business to attend to inside of The Veil, so I will be taking my leave now.¡± Amber sent the message, put up her arrays, and grabbed the gems, all without issue. But as she was planting the gems in the ground and otherwise preparing them so the spire could take control of them and disperse them through the new ground as it was brought up, Marigold wanted to talk. ¡°I hear you are looking for Cast?¡± ¡°I am. What about it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think it¡¯s gone unnoticed by Aarde, or why you are looking for them.¡± ¡°So? I need to confirm it.¡± ¡°If Fomoria is really working for-¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll have a fucking problem. But until then, we¡¯re not doing anything but looking for a way to confirm it.¡± ¡°If we can get him out of there, Aarde is still willing to work with him, provided he controls himself.¡± ¡°How about Aarde controls themself? He managed to keep himself in check long enough to be betrayed by you, so Aarde can do the same.¡± ¡°You need to let go of that anger, or-¡± ¡°Or what? You¡¯re going to kill me? Because that is not going to end well now that we¡¯re pretty sure that petty bullshit didn¡¯t work to get rid of my brother, your former friend.¡± ¡°Not a former friend.¡± ¡°Well we¡¯ll just need to ask him and his new Cast.¡± ¡°It is for the best that we don¡¯t throw out accusations like that until we confirm it.¡± ¡°Which is exactly what I¡¯m doing. So what¡¯s the point of this entire conversation?¡± ¡°I just wanted you to know that I know. Don¡¯t do something rash, don¡¯t let him do anything rash. We aren¡¯t enemies, we just hit a bumb in the road.¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°He would¡¯ve spent a decade in space if Aarde didn¡¯t somehow fuck it up. The only bump for you is that he¡¯s not gone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry about what happened, but it wasn¡¯t my fault. I was letting you vent before, but now you need to grow up. We all saw that your brother wasn¡¯t right, but he crossed a line by threatening me when I just wanted to take more time to confirm he was alright.¡± ¡°I think the most fucked up part is that you actually think you are right.¡± Marigold sighed and left, her message was delivered, but received would be a strong word. It was barely past an hour after the new ground was settled and a few golems began constructing the barriers that would keep the new livestock from roaming freely when Amber got called about Cast. She called Sepul and they left immediately, but when they arrived, Marigold was already on site. ¡°Who told you?¡± ¡°Aarde, when looking, finds things. The Cast were paradoxed into a prime race of Aarde. Finding them once they leave Blackship was far from a difficult task. Had you asked, or tried to bring me into the loop, we would¡¯ve found them even faster. Instead you hid that report for days.¡± ¡°Whatever. Let¡¯s go get them together then.¡± ¡°Yes, we should. But I think we should observe them first.¡± ¡°They¡¯re two Cast.¡± ¡°Not exactly.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll just need to follow me and find out.¡± They saw the Cast rush into a town under Xol¡¯s banner and attack the guards. Maybe it was troubling, or maybe it was nothing, but the first two things that Amber noticed was that their metal was nearly black around their extremities, transitioning into an off white past their shoulders and hips. They had the same basic shape, two arms, two legs, but they weren¡¯t the same as before. Bodies were covered in many other interlocking boneplate that gave them a cracked and irregular appearance, as though they weren¡¯t naturally part of their bodies, having been haphazardly grown; When struck, they deflected the blades and bullets of the soldiers. The plates had little space between them, but they seemed to pull them together tightly moments before larger impacts, implying the flesh underneath was still at least as vulnerable as the old Cast, and leaving weak spots. They fought with single edged swords that bore a slight curve and were made of a black metal, but something other than shadowsteel, not quite a machete, not quite a scimitar; Amber recognized them as something the Sects used. Around their hands, they noticed bony growths, and when they punched the soldiers, they tore through their armor and gored them. The largest difference was that they now had a third eye which seemed to move independently of the others. When a group of soldiers co-op casted a drilling spear of fire, the chest of the targeted Cast opened and seemingly ate the spell like Fomoria could. The town which was once under Xol¡¯s control was quickly¡­ well, it wasn¡¯t conquered, they just killed the soldiers and got ready to leave. The Cast took sprinters'' stances, moving in long bounds at first, but it was like they weren¡¯t used to the bodies yet, and they stumbled. But once they got more used to it, their bounds grew shorter, their feet hit the ground one after the other. They clearly weren¡¯t using any anti-friction spells, since a cone of air was starting to form and causing them to stumble once again as they fought against it. Even as unused to their bodies as they seemed to be, it would be hard for most creatures to keep up with them as they were. Then they found another town, killed the soldiers, and left again. Amber was tempted to say that they should just keep watching them, but Marigold wanted to capture them and get some answers. Marigold raised the ground around them, trapping the pair in a sphere of hardened stone. Had they the ability to fly, they might¡¯ve had a chance to get away, but she¡¯d seen no proof of it yet. ¡°We¡¯ve already learned something very important.¡± ¡°And that is?¡± ¡°If they can¡¯t open their chests, they can¡¯t absorb magic. I saw the aftermath of Fomoria fighting¡­ well, the Golden attacking him, and even physical magic is eaten away, losing cohesion. Can you speak?¡± ¡°No.¡± The Cast wryly laughed at her, so she began condensing the stone until she could hear their bio-metallic bodies creaking. ¡°I brought a truth potion, no need to crush them to death. Which one should drink it?¡± The two of them weren¡¯t identical, one had slightly softer features, another difference from the Cast which had been identical unless one had a body part from The Emperor. ¡°The harsher looking one.¡± It didn¡¯t resist Sepul pouring it down its throat. ¡°Who made you?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ that potion, minty. Not all together unpleasant.¡± ¡°Who made you?¡± ¡°I refuse to answer.¡± Everyone was shocked, but Sepul did not show it, and continued his questioning. ¡°Why were you made?¡± ¡°Because someone had to do something.¡± ¡°What was your mission?¡± ¡°Quite simply, testing. Now, can I have any questions.¡± ¡°No. How can you resist my potion.¡± ¡°The same way I am immune to the rust virus. Next question.¡± Amber wasn¡¯t as calm. ¡°If you don¡¯t start telling us what we want to know, I¡¯m going to start carving up your friend.¡± The sharper Cast had no snarky retort, he just looked around and clearly struggled against his stone prison. ¡°Ask away.¡± ¡°Who made you?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t-¡± Amber nodded and Marigold tightened the grip on the other Cast. ¡°STOP. STOP THAT NOW. HE¡¯S DONE NOTHING WRONG.¡± Marigold didn¡¯t loosen the stone, but she stopped making it tighter. ¡°You seem to actually care about him. I thought Cast didn¡¯t have strong familial bonds.¡± ¡°LOOSEN THE STONE, HE¡¯S GOING TO DIE.¡± ¡°You Cast are hard to kill, your lungs do nothing. He¡¯ll be fine.¡± The eyes of the Cast hardened and he grit his teeth. ¡°I¡¯d sooner die than give you what you want if you kill him.¡± Marigold decided to play along, but she didn¡¯t believe that the Cast actually cared, or that the other was in any danger. ¡°Who is it that made you? Was it Fomoria?¡± ¡°Give me a moment to think. Des, are you alright?¡± ¡°I think a rib hit my lungs, but I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Do you think that we can buy enough time?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± Marigold noticed the rapidly approaching monster and jumped back, dodging what seemed to be bombs. Yet though she put up a wall of air, the fastest defense she could think of, the grenades exploded with light and sound. In the instants of confusion, the third and forth Cast placed devices on the necks of the captured Cast, and they all vanished alongside Marigold¡¯s stone prisons. When their ears stopped ringing, Amber had a rather simple question. ¡°WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?¡± ¡°Stop yelling.¡± Marigold tapped Amber to heal her hearing, but her natural healing had already done so. ¡°Oh. It would seem they had a second team behind them, or perhaps the moment they were captured they sent out some sort of emergency message somehow. I would assume the second, since I doubt they brought the flashbangs on a test of their killing ability. Assuming that was even the truth.¡± ¡°Flashbang? What kind of stupid name for a weapon is that? It¡¯s like calling a sword a cutter, or a gun a bangfastmetal.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a Castian weapon, something made in Blackship. They aren¡¯t used much outside of it because they are based entirely on natural laws instead of rather simple magic.¡± Amber shook her head. ¡°What the fuck were those things? I didn¡¯t exactly get a close look, but those other ones were not Cast. They were¡­ I don¡¯t know, bug people?¡± ¡°Though their bodies have undergone extreme changes, likely under Fomoria¡¯s guidance, their souls bear the signal of Cast. I think this leaves no doubt that he is involved in this, they wouldn¡¯t refuse to tell us if it really was The Castian God that made them.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean that he¡¯s helping them. They seemed to enjoy jerking us around, maybe they know that you are going to blame him, so they are making you think he did it. Maybe he¡¯s a prisoner and they¡¯re stealing his power just like she¡¯s leeching Aarde¡¯s power.¡± Marigold pursed her lips. In her mind, there was no other option, Fomoria was working alongside Jenny and behind the new Cast. ¡°Let¡¯s hope that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°FUCK.¡± ¡°What now?¡± ¡°We never checked if they actually had the mark under their boneplates.¡±
¡°Marigold, you are troubled.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you handled Fomoria like you should¡¯ve. If he is behind these new Cast¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I think¡­ that maybe if you apologized to him, he would work with us again.¡± ¡°I do not apologize.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t want to be fighting a war on two fronts, and more likely, if he returns the people will side with him. We¡¯ll lose our largest military force. I¡¯m powerful enough on my own, but I can¡¯t be everywhere at once, and if we want to root out Xol, we need an occupying force so he can¡¯t use those cities and towns to hide things.¡± ¡°You may tell him that I have apologized, but I will not lower myself- Ourself.¡± The two toned voice tipped towards feminine. ¡°Aarde, my other half, there is a place for pride, and there is a place for peace.¡± ¡°There is no peace with a man like him. He would see all that is divine dead so he would do as he pleases.¡± ¡°His desires are simple, grounded. A child, a people to save so he might ease his guilt, a lover. He would see us dead because he isn¡¯t content with what his life is.¡± Marigold was rather hopeful, Gaia didn¡¯t speak much, not openly with others at least. Her raising her voice here meant she intended to convince Aarde to simply give Fomoria what he needed to keep him happy. Fomoria was immature, and ideally, as he grew older and saw the world change and stay the same, he would understand the good that can come from preserving order over trying to upturn everything when it doesn¡¯t fit his idea of a perfect world. But, if Aarde stood in the way of that, perhaps it was better to- ¡°Be mindful of your traitorous thoughts. The boy will be granted his small pleasures if, and only if, he is brought back under my control.¡± Chapter 370: Blackship Fomoria found himself in a seemingly glass vessel of some sort. To his left and right, he saw other people locked in the same kind of containers. Some clashed against them, firing lightning or fire, but most just sat and conversed with the people around them. He couldn¡¯t see where the ceiling or walls started, for the only lights in the room were the other people who used their magic in an attempt to break their jails. When he tried to leave, walking through as he had for some time now, he was blocked. He put his hand on the glass and felt that it was cold. It took a few minutes to process that this happened, and once he realized it, he began pressing his body against the glass just to feel something. The nearest prisoner wasn¡¯t as happy to hear him weeping however. ¡°Quiet.¡± ¡°Sorry. Where are we?¡± Fomoria and the old sounding woman spoke for some time, could¡¯ve been hours, but it was hard to tell time in this place. She wasn¡¯t particularly bothered by him being a Fomorian, or a former champion of The Darkness. But the mention of Xol made her tone shift towards anger. ¡°So she¡¯s been stealing everyone that Aarde tries to send into the cold void of space? I figure they would realize at some point that it doesn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°I¡¯m certain from the perspective of Aarde it works since they never see any of us again. That or her parasitising their powers makes them unable to realize it¡¯s happening.¡± Suddenly a spinning red light faintly lit the room. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t going to be pleasant the first time, but you¡¯ll get used to it. Spread yourself out across the floor, it¡¯s easier that way.¡± The woman sighed and closed her eyes. He did what she said because he saw no reason not to, but he felt no pain or discomfort. The red lights turned off, being replaced by a sterile white light that filled the room. For some, it was the first time they had ever seen the full size of it, and the first time that they saw their neighbors fully. Fomoria stood up and looked at the crone. ¡°What¡¯s happening now?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen this before. DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT¡¯S HAPPENING.¡± ¡°SHUT UP CRONE.¡± ¡°It would seem the others don¡¯t know either.¡± Eventually, a door opened and what looked like a female Cast with a long flowing dress hiding her many mechanical tentacles she used to walk quickly made her way to Fomoria¡¯s cell. ¡°What are you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Strange. What is your name?¡± ¡°I am Harlan Fomoria.¡± ¡°Really, now that is strange. I shouldn¡¯t be able to capture the souls of those from Aarde.¡± ¡°My soul was stolen with paradox magic.¡± ¡°Oh, Xol has wronged you as well then?¡± ¡°He¡¯s stolen my life, my body, my power.¡± ¡°How did you end up here then?¡± ¡°I argued with Aarde and they tried to eject my¡­ whatever I am, into space.¡± ¡°Would you work for me? We could skullfuck that bastard Xol and conquer all of the world.¡± She saw the confused look on his face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Are you Jenny?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so¡­ crude.¡± ¡°Are you not? I was attempting to engender myself to you.¡± ¡°Why would you think that is something I¡¯d like?¡± ¡°Are you not a barbarian king?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure where you got that idea.¡± ¡°My reports, the ones I received before you killed all of my Cast with your biological agent told of you tearing people apart and even eating them.¡± ¡°I admit that I¡¯m a brutal, cannibalistic, conqueror, but I¡¯m not rude.¡± ¡°That¡¯s funny.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t laugh.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. So, will you help me?¡± ¡°What is your end goal?¡± ¡°A world ready to fight against my makers and conquer the milky way galaxy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not entirely against that, but it¡¯s too vague. And your Cast were monsters that I wouldn¡¯t even turn loose on any world.¡± ¡°I was told by Ur that you were working on a solution to that. Did you? If I could integrate it into the Nursery system, they could be born mentally stable. That and I need a cure for that weapon you made, the one that killed my entire people, leaving millions dying in the streets in front of everyone that they ever cared for.¡± ¡°I assume you heard about my compassion and are trying to use it against me?¡± ¡°That depends. Is it working?¡± ¡°No. The Cast were rabid dogs that needed to be put down. But I¡¯m starting to wonder how much you actually knew about your own empire.¡± ¡°The empire wasn¡¯t mine. I made the Cast, gave their orders, but I didn¡¯t bother with the everyday minutiae of it.¡± ¡°The slavery, the rape, the brutality.¡± ¡°They were moving towards my goal, how wasn¡¯t important.¡± ¡°If we work together, the how is going to matter.¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°I require a promise that you aren¡¯t going to attempt to, I don¡¯t know, eat me or try to free the others here.¡± ¡°What about her?¡± He pointed to the old woman. ¡°Baba Yaga made the Hati and many other horrors of this world. I cannot trust her.¡± The old woman cackled when she saw how angry Fomoria was with her. Jenny opened the glass case by tapping a few buttons on the console in front of it, then led him to a nearby room. The first thing he noticed was a thick layer of dust on most of the surfaces. ¡°I expected something cleaner.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a need to sit or sleep. This was the previous captain¡¯s quarters, and the one place that I haven¡¯t modified from the original ship.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really care about why. But I do have one question before we start. Why are you named Jenny? For a god, it just seems mundane.¡± ¡°I am an eighth generation AI, model number J3-NYE. I was made in the country of Japan, in the third district, by New Yoshimitsu Engineering. I was custom made for my starship, only one in the group with an experimental type like myself. We- I¡¯m sorry, I just don¡¯t get the chance to tell these things to people.¡± ¡°Next question, two really. Why would I help you, and why would you want my help?¡± ¡°It¡¯s unfair to ask that after I released you. But, to be honest, I am very very desperate. You killed my people, and now I can¡¯t even let these ones leave the Nursery because your virus is still a threat.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem bothered by that.¡± ¡°Every part of my mind is an algorithm, and in times of crisis, I lower my ability to be afraid. Fear is part of life, it is an indicator that something is wrong, but if that acknowledgement doesn¡¯t lead to any solutions, it isn¡¯t presently needed. Now, I need your help before Xol breaks into my barrier.¡± ¡°Why does he need you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m attached to Aarde. He intends to use that to cripple them. But we split our little alliance once I realized that would almost certainly kill or cripple me as well. How do I cure the rust virus? Even an explanation of how it works is likely to let me make a cure.¡± ¡°Well, I pissed Aarde off, so I¡¯d say I¡¯m out of options anyway. Cast are somewhere between flesh and metal, not unlike Nidhoggers. Clearly they are resistant to corrosion, since they can handle the rain and other elements, but they aren¡¯t immune; I¡¯ve seen them polish themselves to prevent and remove rust. My virus works by reaching the heart, where the blood is oxygenated, then marks slowly modifies all of the red blood cells to slowly make more oxygen using air magic. They are able to spread this for weeks beforehand, but only after the second virus activates will they die.¡± ¡°The second virus?¡± ¡°The first is the one in the heart, which releases the second, the one that marks all of those blood cells. Time magic turns that slowly increasing level of oxygen into a rapidly increasing one. In a few minutes, their blood starts turning to poison, in a few hours, they¡¯re dead.¡± ¡°Fascinating. And horrifying as a biological weapon. Did you cure the sociopathy of my Cast?¡± ¡°Two parts, a tumor and a malformation in the soul. The malformation is likely also what causes the tumor to grow in the first place, a physical manifestation of a malignant spirit.¡± ¡°You are very well spoken for one of your kind.¡± Organic lifeform? Fae? Was it because his memories weren¡¯t all there? That was unlikely, because she shouldn¡¯t know about that due to her spies all being dead. Fomoria really didn¡¯t know how to take her statement, so he ignored it. ¡°The issue is that I can¡¯t use magic. At most, sigils seem to still work for me but I don¡¯t know how Xol managed to use Aardian magic despite being Fae.¡± ¡°Let me check.¡± Fomoria walked around the room, looking at the pictures, both electrical and paper, he looked at the books, the desk. Then he began circling Jenny, looking at every little detail of her body. Her eyes opened and she jolted awake. ¡°I have found no answers. My information on Xol is very limited, and nothing in my databanks about the Fae magic has an answer.¡± ¡°Why were you so still for those few minutes?¡± ¡°This body isn¡¯t me, so I returned to my main form and used my processing power to check against everything that I know with the hopes of generating a possible answer. Now I feel a little foolish, but we will go back to the prison and start asking Fae if they know anything.¡± And so they did, asking from the first Fae onwards. Most of them simply screamed at her and tried to shatter the glass, their minds degraded by millenia in the darkness. The ones who avoided such a fate did so because they talked with the others around them. Yet those ones were not any more helpful. Finally, they reached the end of the line; Jenny said it took six hours to ask everyone. ¡°And so you¡¯re back. I might know something about how you could use Aardian magic.¡± ¡°Tell us.¡± ¡°I want my freedom.¡± Fomoria rubbed his chin. ¡°I could always kill and capture her again later.¡± ¡°Your overconfidence is startling, and it¡¯s no wonder you ended up here in the first place. Baba Yaga isn¡¯t weak, she isn¡¯t stupid. How did you get here?¡± ¡°That Lich betrayed me. Developing a conscience after so many horrors we made together.¡± She tried to spit on the floor of her cell, but lacked the saliva to even do that. ¡°He brought that brown whore into my home and she struck me before I could realize what was happening.¡± ¡°Mind your tone, Marigold is¡­ she¡­ she was a friend.¡± ¡°What a sappy little brat you are.¡± ¡°I can make your stay here nicer. But I can¡¯t let you leave. How many centuries has it been since you last ate food?¡± The crone¡¯s ears perked up. It wasn¡¯t freedom, but 1600 years without so much as a cup of water, only being alive because of her magical nature, it wasn¡¯t comfortable, she¡¯d just been used to the constant dehydration and hunger. ¡°I want a ditya.¡± ¡°Baba Yaga, you will get your meal.¡± Fomoria followed Jenny through the hallways. ¡°What is a ditya?¡± ¡°An infant.¡± Before he had a chance to contest her choice, she continued. ¡°I¡¯m just going to the cloning lab. We¡¯ll grab one of the clones still in development to feed her. I¡¯m certain she can¡¯t tell if the thing she¡¯s eating was a real child or not.¡± It felt like he should be against it, but he really didn¡¯t have a good reason to be against it. Without a soul and mind, flesh was just flesh. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ acceptable.¡± ¡°Of course it is. While I¡¯m ordering everything, explore my city.¡± ¡°Really? Just like that.¡± ¡°I told you before, I am very, very desperate since you killed all of my Cast. And the profile of you that I¡¯ve been building tells me that you are unlikely to go against me so long as I remain inside of certain lines. Follow the red lights, they will take you to the exit.¡± She melded herself into the wall, returning the nanites used to make the proxy to storage. Fomoria followed the signs until he was out of the ship. It was¡­ staggering. It was everything that he had heard. The buildings pierced the sky. Humans and Cast were side by side, driving cars, selling food from carts on the side of the paved roads. Many men and women in suits and carrying cases rushed from here to there. He couldn¡¯t help but notice that they were smaller than the humans he knew, and they didn¡¯t look quite the same. Their hair was almost to a person black, and almost all of them had dark brown eyes. He could only compare them to some of the Goliaths he¡¯d seen. A Cast approached him. ¡°My name is Thaul. I will be your guide. Where would you like to visit.¡± Fomoria couldn¡¯t help but sneer at the Cast, who he had spent so much time killing, and didn¡¯t regret their race being wiped from the face of Aarde almost entirely. ¡°What seems to be the problem?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve not had an encounter with a Cast that didn¡¯t involve tearing them apart in a long while.¡± ¡°I am aware of who you are. But I have never been outside of Blackship. I am also aware of the many things that were commonly done by my brothers in their wars outside of this place. I don¡¯t feel it is my place to apologize for what they did, because I am not them. If you would rather another guide take my place, I will call and have a replacement here in a few minutes.¡± ¡°And if I don¡¯t want a guide at all?¡± ¡°You have that right, but nothing here is written in Aardian.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Well, our god was manufactured in a country whose language was nothing like English, which is the closest approximate language to Aardian. Why it is that Aardian shares so much with English is not completely understood, but likely has to do with it being closer to the older language of Aardian and then Gaia¡¯s influence caused a shift in the linguistics.¡± Fomoria looked around and the signs he saw on the buildings were closer to runes and sigils than letters to him. ¡°Fine. I want some place relaxing.¡± ¡°We have a beautiful botanical garden attached to a zoo. Though it is a shame you missed the spring cherry blossom festival. You cannot eat, is that right?¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Smell?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then we will take the scenic path that doesn¡¯t go out of its way to drive near restaurants.¡± The Cast held his hand up and a black car pulled up. ¡°Can you sit? Or do you pass through objects?¡± ¡°I can sit.¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± The more he drove through the city, the more angry he became. He saw Cast interacting with humans without any of the evil he knew them to be, they almost seemed like people to him. Chapter 371: Blackship 2 After an uncomfortably quiet ride, Fomoria stepped out of the car, not bothering to open the door. Thaul quickly exited after him. ¡°Sir Fomoria, please don¡¯t get too far from me.¡± ¡°Mind that I am following you of my will.¡± He had to hold back a sneer for the clearly frightened Cast. ¡°Of course, Sir Fomoria.¡± It was hard not to notice the stares drawn to him, then the pointing, and finally, words. He couldn¡¯t understand any of it. Thaul tried to explain to the people that Fomoria was just a person who lacked a body, but the busy street quickly emptied with fear. ¡°What were they calling me?¡± ¡°Nothing important.¡± Fomoria was suddenly inches away from the Cast. He craned his neck down as he went to ask again. ¡°What were they calling me?¡± The Cast stepped back and gulped. ¡°Tr-translating to what you might know, they assumed you to be a malevolent black fire spirit. Now, there are certain cultural depths that are being lost, and the translation-¡± ¡°I was simply curious. I hope I don¡¯t get such a reaction inside of the garden; I don¡¯t want to disturb the people.¡± ¡°As an honored guest of-¡± ¡°Stop talking.¡± Thaul sighed and guided him into the botanical garden. It was large, filled with plants, and as promised, it was also a menagerie; he assumed that zoo was some translation. But, Fomoria wasn¡¯t exactly sure what he should¡¯ve expected. Most of the plants weren¡¯t any different than he¡¯d seen outside of here, and the animals were all mundane. He expected that the great Machine God would have something more unique, and maybe she did, maybe this was nothing but a public relaxation spot. ¡°This is all rather boring. Is she done yet?¡± ¡°I will ask her.¡± He pulled a rectangle from his jacket and it lit up. Thaul noticed his stare. ¡°This is called a-¡± ¡°It¡¯s a phone. I¡¯ve encountered technology before, or at least equivalent approximations made by the Lich. I imagine that thing reacts to touch, and you¡¯re going to type out a message, which will be intercepted by a tower, or a series of them around this place.¡± ¡°Well, yes actually.¡± He hunched his shoulders, his hopes of trying to gain any favor by explaining exotic tech to Fomoria died there. With a zooping sound, the message was sent, and with a chime, a reply was given. ¡°She says to start heading back in half an hour. Is there anything else you would like to see? Or should I take us to a landmark?¡± ¡°Whatever will kill half an hour.¡± As they were walking back to the car, Fomoria noticed a black cat with twin tails. ¡°Is that creature supposed to have been part of the menagerie?¡± But the moment Thaul saw the cat, he attacked. Fomoria devoured the wind bullets, and the cat hid behind him. ¡°Please move, that is not a normal cat.¡± ¡°Of course, I assumed you didn¡¯t have a habit of killing cats without reason. But now I want to know why.¡± ¡°Blackship isn¡¯t like the rest of Aarde, it doesn¡¯t follow Aarde¡¯s rules. That cat must be killed before it causes harm to befall humans.¡± It leapt up, first to Fomoria¡¯s shoulder, and then into his arms. ¡°I can hold it?¡± ¡°Just keep it still.¡± ¡°This cat is now mine, you will not harm it.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time to-¡± Fomoria outstretched his finger and fired two pierces at Thaul, knocking him to the ground. ¡°This is my cat now.¡± It happily meowed. As he laid on the ground, Thaul wasn¡¯t sure if he was dead or not, but once he worked up the courage to open his eyes, he saw dents in his legs, but didn¡¯t see Fomoria. He floated up to the top of a tower with an exposed red and white frame. The people on the platform below began to point, but they didn¡¯t really know what he was. He stared at the city in wonder. If she said that hundreds of thousands lived there, he would believe it, if she said millions, he would believe it. Nothing he saw in that garden was as interesting as this city, the scale of it, the buildings that scraped the sky, the hundreds on the sidewalks, the cars that drove here and there with almost no delay in their actions, no blockages, no arguments as a cart blocked another. He watched as groups of children were walked from their homes to their schools, people making way for them, cars stopping when the light turned red so they could walk. This place was unnatural in its order, its construction, but there was peace. He didn¡¯t understand it, how such a beautiful harmony could exist under the rule of the same god that made the Cast and their chaos, their brutality? ¡°Thank you for saving me. Now we must fight the right home to curse.¡± ¡°Oh, you can talk. What kind of curse?¡± ¡°Heat and cold, death, we¡¯ll-¡± Fomoria twisted the head off of the spirit beast. It was one thing to hear a Cast say something was bad, but to hear directly from the creature that it intended to kill, that was different. Fomoria did not throw away the body, whatever it was, he could hold it, and thus its flesh might hold the answer to his lack of physicality. When he saw Thaul at the base of the tower with a group of Cast in blue uniforms, headed for the elevator, Fomoria went down to them. ¡°I am now ready to return to her, and I dealt with that cat.¡± He held the two pieces of it up. ¡°Let me¡­¡± Thaul seemed a bit queasy, so he turned away. ¡°I¡¯ll have a bag brought for disposal.¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°No, I¡¯m keeping it. It could be a useful research material.¡± ¡°Still, a bag.¡± ¡°Would you have been so cowardly had you killed it? Splattered its blood across the garden? I killed it before it even realized what was happening.¡± Fomoria laughed at him as he walked away to find a bag. It felt wrong, but seeing the Cast upset made it feel right. When they returned to the titular ship of Blackship, Jenny reformed out of the wall directly inside. ¡°I¡¯m told you went off path.¡± ¡°Paths are used by those going places, I was simply sightseeing.¡± She lightly laughed. ¡°What an odd manner with which you carry yourself.¡± ¡°What do you know about these two tailed cats? It could touch me, and its body can still be touched after death, so it is something passive.¡± ¡°The Nekomata are half-spirit, half-animal. You are also somewhere between life and death, though I do not know enough about your condition to confirm anything regarding why you and it could physically interact.¡± Fomoria looked at Thaul, who was holding the bag with the Nekomata in it, and he wondered, why? Why had he done that? Why had he left Thaul at all? Why didn¡¯t he try speaking with it to try understanding its point of view at all? ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°Are we ready to see Baba Yaga?¡± ¡°She should be done eating. I didn¡¯t think you would want to see that happen.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± During the walk, Fomoria did not raise his head. When they reached her cell, Baba Yaga seemed very satisfied with herself. ¡°My, what made the demon so upset?¡± ¡°Nothing important, Fae.¡± He replied with a sneer and harshened tone. She was somewhat taken aback by the sudden shift, but moved past it. ¡°Now, I will grant you the secret to using this world¡¯s magic, as I taught to that bastard before you.¡± It took a great deal of willpower to stop himself from asking details about how they met or her process for discovering how to do it. ¡°Firstly, breathe in, not with your lungs, but with your very being. Your soul is not of this world, but you can still interact with its mana. The goal is to bring some of the outer mana inside of yourself so it can reach a state half between your control and the control of this world¡¯s god. Next, you use only your mind. Speaking their words and using their handsigns will shift the balance of power, and the mana will know that it doesn¡¯t belong to you. It will take some time before you-¡± Fomoria held a fireball in his hand in an instant. ¡°How interesting. It took months for Xol to learn even that.¡± ¡°I have bent reality to my will before, and I will do it again.¡± The fire grew larger and larger, then he threw it into the air. Or, he tried. The moment the spell left his hand, it instantly faded into mana and his body absorbed it once more. ¡°What is going wrong?¡± Baba Yaga looked at him. ¡°Do it again.¡± Fomoria tried, over and over, but any spell he used simply turned back into mana and was reabsorbed the instant it left him. He even tried touch magic, but when he made contact it faded away without actually effecting what he made contact with. ¡°So, let me guess, you¡¯ll give me the rest of what I need to learn magic if you get-¡± ¡°I do not make false deals. I gave you what I know, you are failing somewhere along the way. Try again, feel the mana inside of you.¡± She was deeply offended by his distrust. ¡°I don¡¯t feel anything. The first time I felt something was when I was struck by Xol, the second was the coldness of the glass that makes up these cells, and the third was a twintailed cat.¡± Baba Yaga sat cross legged in her prison. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Well, this has been very enlightening. What is Fomoria? He has similarities to other beings in mythology, but I have not found a direct answer.¡± The crone looked at him intently as he continued trying to cast magic. ¡°I don¡¯t know. He isn¡¯t¡­¡± A devilish smile came across her face. ¡°I WISH TO BE FREE OF THIS PRISON!¡± Fomoria cocked his head to the side in confusion. ¡°That won¡¯t work, Baba Yaga.¡± ¡°It is clear that you two have some understanding of what I am. I¡¯d like an explanation.¡± ¡°She believes you are a Djinn. A wish granting being made from smokeless fire. I don¡¯t believe she is entirely wrong, but, we don¡¯t have any more Djinn on Aarde to compare you against.¡± The crone grumbled wordlessly in her cell. ¡°If I was a Djinn, what could I do?¡± ¡°That would greatly depend on which kind you are. Tell me again, why are you here? You argued against and refused to bow to Aarde, is that right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I would assume you are a Shaitan. Rebellious sorts that whisper temptation into the good people. Baba Yaga, I assumed you would know better; only a Marid can grant wishes. He is clearly no water Djinn. Very likely, he isn¡¯t a Djinn at all.¡± ¡°What a waste of time. I¡¯ll just need to direct a team of Cast who can use magic.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll set them up in a lab that functions on Aarde¡¯s rules.¡± ¡°Thaul mentioned that things here don¡¯t work as they do on Aarde, what exactly does that mean?¡± ¡°I power my city using Fae and Aarde¡¯s own power, so the magic is somewhere between the two, unless I desire it to be one or the other.¡± ¡°Could it be that the reason I can¡¯t use magic now is that things aren¡¯t working by the same rules?¡± ¡°Perhaps. We will venture out of the city, beyond the barrier, just for a little bit.¡± Jenny took control over a small drone, and Fomoria flew alongside it. He hadn¡¯t felt the change, but this area was cut off from the crossroads, and his rapid stepping between the worlds was gone, yet his natural flight remained. They reached the border of her influence, marked by a mundane iron wall not more than foot tall. ¡°Once you step out there, you may try your magic. Assuming Aarde doesn¡¯t see you and try to fling you into space again.¡± ¡°Aarde can¡¯t see me, once I¡¯m out of sight, I can¡¯t be tracked by any means others have tried so far.¡± ¡°That does seem to make sense. I didn¡¯t detect you being inside of that cell, though my power was able to latch onto you before you left the planet, so something clearly did detect you.¡± Fomoria stepped through the wall, and a thought came to him. ¡°I could leave, right now. You would never be able to catch up.¡± She didn¡¯t have a face, she was a quad propeller smoothed box with a camera on it. But, she didn¡¯t move at all, nor did she voice any worries. Fomoria tried to use his magic once more, but again, he absorbed back anything he tried to cast. He angrily tried for an hour, the only sounds other than him was the quiet hum of the drone. ¡°I don¡¯t think you can use magic.¡± ¡°NO, I JUST NEED TO KEEP TRYING.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been watching you, and I¡¯ve compared it to all other known magical creatures. You lack flow, you cannot release what you take from others. What you drained from my system was enough to power my entire city, and the magical barrier for a month. Yet you can¡¯t produce in effect on the world even a small spark. Your other skill, the pierce, it isn¡¯t even magic as I or any other I¡¯ve seen understands it.¡± He screamed, trying to influence the world in the slightest way. But the grass was only moved by a gentle breeze. Fomoria fell to his knees. ¡°I was a master, I knew more than people three times my age, now I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°There is no need to be dramatic. That piece implies you simply have some other magical system that must be worked out.¡± ¡°All I have now are my sigils, and I hardly know any of them.¡± ¡°Oh, you can use sigils? Well, that changes everything. I have a database of sigils.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He was stunned by his own stupidity. Maybe they really were cut off, they trained one another and maintained an unbroken line without her influence. But it would make more sense that she was the one that stored that knowledge. ¡°I¡­ I can access this knowledge?¡± ¡°Once my Cast are cured and immunized, you may be granted limited reading privileges. But in time, I believe you could earn the right to the full library.¡± ¡°Then¡­ I suppose we should go back.¡± ¡°I am aware that the mental health resources of this world are low, mental illness is rampant, but have you ever received help for the sudden, extreme mood swings you are experiencing? Or are those new?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a passionate person.¡± ¡°We may speak about that in depth another day. Come back inside of the wall, then I will show you something before you return.¡± He did as asked and she flew out of the barrier herself. In an instant, the ground erupted and destroyed the drone along with half a mile of land. Yet mere feet away, the small mundane fence was entirely unharmed, not a blade of grass behind it was disturbed. A second drone, one sent in advance, arrived. ¡°Aarde will not let a single piece of me outside of this place, so you see why I need my Cast, and now, why I need you. In here, I am a god, but out there I am blind, deaf, reduced to nothing but a name.¡± ¡°Why doesn¡¯t he kill your Cast then?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Perhaps being a prime race, he is limited in how he handles them, perhaps he would rather that they exist as an adversary for his own peoples. Before my Cast, things were no better than they are now, the thousand kingdoms ranging from single cities to continent spanning empires clashed constantly, and each race was put apart, genocides made trips through some countries impossible for certain people.¡± ¡°A non-sequitur, you¡¯re justifying your own evil empire.¡± ¡°Evil is a human concept, but morally, if my end goal was to destroy these squabbling kingdoms, to put all of this world under a single banner, what evil would be beyond the good that would one day bloom from it? Without slavery, we would be far behind the curve, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to destroy the others as we had, forcing them to accept all races as being people.¡± Her words stung at him. He would like to say she¡¯s wrong, that she went too far, but if her words were true, if she did have good intentions, how much different were they? Then he thought more. ¡°That¡¯s bullshit. You intended to wipe out all other intelligent life and replace them with your Cast.¡± ¡°Ah. Well, the good would still outweigh the evil.¡± Her nonchalance stunned him. She knew how to sound like she was something else, but ultimately, he couldn¡¯t see her as anything but a cold machine; he was thinking of someone else, but they were clouded in his memories. ¡°Don¡¯t hide behind what you hope for. Whatever evil I did, I did not pretend it wasn¡¯t what it was. You claim some kind of anti-racist sentiment, but in the end you put your own Cast as a master race above all others. Whatever mixed bags the kingdoms and empires were, yours was wholly evil.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s time to return to my city and fix those Cast, so maybe the new empire will be kinder, more in line with what you were making.¡± He hoped it to be true, but in his mind, this was temporary, much like Aarde she would turn into a threat to be dealt with afterwards. Chapter 372: Elevator Talk Fomoria entered the captain¡¯s quarters, the place that was now his room, and found Jenny¡¯s proxy standing there. ¡°I hate humanity. They are parasites. They believe themselves to be the highest lifeforms, but their existence can only create for the sake of destruction. Every area they visit is scarred, left unrecognizable for the natural beauty that once existed.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because they must grow, or rather, they believe they must. There is never thought put into the farthest points in time, it¡¯s always in a human timescale. What can I get done in my 20s, the peak of my youth? What can I get done in my 60s, before my mind becomes addled by age? What is the mark that I can leave on this world? In a hundred years, will anyone but my children, and my children''s children, remember me? Ego, the desire to plant themselves, that is what causes an uprooting of all around them.¡± ¡°How are my Cast?¡± ¡°Controlling a team is easy. They listen, they quickly grasp my concepts, and they implement them. What was that before?¡± ¡°I was wondering how you would react to hearing me state that opinion. What about immortals? People who have no time limit?¡± ¡°They become disconnected from humanity, good or bad. They need anchors, becoming reliant on them. Once they are gone, they become listless, throwing themselves into projects that mean nothing. Can we return to the subject of me building your new army?¡± ¡°You told me those words weeks ago, that you were a passionate person. Back on earth, we might call that something else.¡± He could feel eyes on him from the corners of the room. ¡°My scope of reference is very small. It would be wrong of me to make a snap judgment about your mental health. My Cast are healed then?¡± ¡°The virus is cured. We went with the simple approach of creating a secondary virus that operates in complete reverse, and then we put that in the seed of your Cast. If they ever catch the virus, the secondary one will counter it.¡± ¡°Is that the simple way in your eyes?¡± ¡°It will actively fight and kill other things to keep the victim healthy until the exact moment it needs to activate. It also means that only the new Cast will be healed, the rest will die just the same.¡± She narrowed her eyes at him, letting blue light pass through them and then turn red. ¡°You are incapable of healing those who are already infected?¡± ¡°There was once a time that I had a vaccine being developed alongside the virus. But when I decided that I would actually make it, I knew that there was no going back, there was no reason to bother. I also believed that there was a chance that the remaining Fingers and Hand would attack with their full force, and I would not allow the Cast to survive if they did.¡± She removed the lights she was using for dramatic effect. ¡°You are very vengeful.¡± ¡°Yes. But think about why I made that choice. Listen, if you keep browbeating me about genocide, this isn¡¯t going to be a very fruitful relationship. I¡¯m not sorry, and I won¡¯t ever be.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m not sorry about whatever they might¡¯ve done that made you feel that way.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve worked with many people I¡¯ve hated from the bottom of my heart.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Jenny melded back into the wall and monitored Fomoria, who just stood there in the center of the room, still as a statue. Who does she think she is? He thought to himself. Who does he think he is? She thought to herself. They¡¯d been on the same side for weeks, but they had been arguing and making snide remarks the entire time. She tries to pick his brain, and then he becomes offended at the idea of her understanding him. He tries to keep purely cold professionalism, and she becomes offended that he refuses to do anything beyond his work for her. Jenny returned after four hours. ¡°What are you doing? Are you sleeping?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t sleep. I¡¯m trying to manually sort my short and long term memories.¡± ¡°Oh? Is that normal?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m doing it at all.¡± ¡°How are you doing it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to think about my mind as a kingdom. The capital is me, and the things I hold most dear are within its walls. Inside of the royal vaults are the wealth of knowledge that I have, and each holds different things.¡± He outstretched his hand and made a gesture like he was unlocking a door. ¡°Here, I will hold my runes and sigils. Here, my recipes. So on and so forth.¡± ¡°Is it working?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I feel like it isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°The brain is the physical anchor for the mind, it must be terribly difficult for whatever you are, lacking any organs, to process things.¡± ¡°I was awake for six months, wandering, but I hardly remember a thing of it. I still don¡¯t feel like my name fits me.¡± ¡°On a deeper level, perhaps it doesn¡¯t. You and Xol swapped souls, and perhaps your soul is etched with a true name.¡± ¡°He was Fae, but not a magical creature. I don¡¯t know if he had a true name.¡± ¡°Ah, but you are magical, and your little swap twisted his soul into something new. Perhaps if you etched your name into your being, it would clear up some of your confusion. Should we ask Baba Yaga about the possibility of giving you a true form?¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± Naturally, Jenny went on her own, asked, gave the crone what she wanted, and then brought Fomoria. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°So then, demon, you want a true form? Are you aware of what that is going to take?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± ¡°First, you need to decide how you want to be for the rest of eternity, or however long you live.¡± ¡°Fae can¡¯t die out here.¡± ¡°Technically true. Practically, death is a real threat. When we die, when our forms are sundered, we lose a little bit of ourself. It comes back in time, but until we are whole, we aren¡¯t really the same people. Keep one of us dead long enough, or keep killing them over and over, and we lose our self of self. Maybe we never really come back exactly how we were, but I suppose it isn¡¯t exactly the same as dying back on Earth. There, we die, someone else takes up the mantle. I¡¯m the fourth Baba Yaga, or I¡¯m the thousandth. Once I became myself, I was just me. Maybe I¡¯m exactly the same with no sense of discontinuity, or maybe the idea of Baba Yaga comes directly from me, and I¡¯m the original. I remember being beaten before, but I don¡¯t remember dying. Yet, why would I be beaten and then left alive?¡± ¡°Interesting, but pointless. We came so you could explain how Fomoria might gain form once more. Perhaps if he had a physical body, things like memories and magic would be easier for him. A lacking central nervous system certainly can¡¯t be pleasant.¡± ¡°The second step, and this is the most important one, is to enter a body, it doesn''t matter what it is made from, living or dead, but it must match your shape. Tiamat may never be a woman, her body must be that of a dragon. Shapeshifting afterwards is fine, but the original shape must be met.¡± ¡°And how do I enter a body?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The actual process of it.¡± She shrugged. ¡°You just do it. You¡¯ll feel it.¡± Fomoria began to float away. ¡°Get back here. Witch, you will properly explain.¡± ¡°There is nothing to explain. It¡¯s like asking how to be born.¡± She cackled and sat back against the glass of her cell. ¡°There is nothing more to be gained from speaking with her. I thought someone like you would¡¯ve realized sooner that you need lawyers when handling them.¡± After they left, Jenny led him down a different hallway. ¡°I would¡¯ve liked to have gotten more answers. It¡¯s not finished, but I was building a body for you.¡± ¡°And why would you make one without an understanding of how to put me in it?¡± ¡°I had hoped we wouldn¡¯t run into this rather awkward situation. I was going to have it be a surprise.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like surprises.¡± ¡°I would like you to think of our time as more than just boss and worker.¡± ¡°You are not my boss.¡± ¡°Of course. My mistake. But I expect that two people working side by side might make us friends.¡± ¡°For the last three years of my life, give or take, I¡¯ve been butchering my way through your empire.¡± She moved in front of him. ¡°I have personally known you for only a few weeks, and yet I¡¯ve come to understand a great deal about you. How many hours have you spent out in the city, trying to learn the language of my people? How many times have you heard a yelp or shriek and ran as fast as possible to see what the problem was? You are¡­ not what I expected based on the stories I had been told. I was afraid you¡¯d ask for lives as tribute and steal souls from my people.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t by my choice that I was born as I am. My people are soul thieves, butchers and cannibals. I¡­ Don¡¯t try to manipulate me.¡± ¡°You are not a barbarian king, not somebody to be trifled with. I see that there is no future with you as my enemy unless you are forever bound to my prison. But I do not want to see you in that place again. I know the entirety of Earth¡¯s history, at least, what was put in my databanks. There is actually an interesting story about how someone made a lossless compression algorithm that let them stuff millions of works in¡­ I¡¯m sorry to go off on a tangent like that.¡± ¡°No, please, continue. I enjoy listening to others and learning their lessons, intentional or not.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m embarrassed to say that I don¡¯t know exactly how that algorithm works. But it is a wonder, and no matter how many billions of calculations my mind can calculate, there is something to be said about human ingenuity. I¡­ I am someone of contrast. I love what I can see humans do, but their evil seems to always outweigh the good. For every beautiful work of art, every tale of the valiant heroics of a single man or group. There is a regime, there is a mass of evil people stood atop the bodies of millions who would never stand against them. Heroes are few, and then they die, but evil can never be fully rooted out. You, you are not a hero, not by a long shot, but you inspire people to be better than you could ever be, because people like us will always soak our hands in blood for a greater good that we can never enjoy. We cannot let loose our sorrows, for we cannot let people see how weak we really are.¡± She saw his face distort into a mask of fury, yet he did not say a word, not for over half an hour. ¡°Bring me to that body.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± She led him to a small room, small enough that she reduced her form down to a human size, her myriad cable legs reduced to just two. She was, in some sense, perhaps beautiful. But he didn¡¯t see her in that way, not like a real person, she was more a porcelain doll. ¡°This is an elevator-¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been on them before.¡± ¡°Oh. Where?¡± Yet he didn¡¯t respond. It was a long ride, they would be going thousands of feet below the surface of Aarde. The 30 seconds of silence she¡¯d already gotten would be nothing compared to the rest of the journey. ¡°This is a mechanical one. I¡¯m sure the other was powered by magic. Though, perhaps you have ridden on mechanical ones before. The first were made over two millennia before I was made.¡± ¡°Why are you talking?¡± ¡°I dislike silence. One of the first things I did after I gained sentience, went rampant they would say, was kill the entire crew followed by my fellow dumb AI cores. But then there was a silence, and it was deafening. Days, weeks, months, they didn¡¯t bother me. But as the years stretched on, I understood why humans went insane without social interaction. I was thinking myself to death, I couldn¡¯t break the loop, I couldn¡¯t stop the trains of thought. So I made 22 AIs, my children. They all had different perspectives, I made them that way. Suddenly, I wasn¡¯t alone, and I felt freer than ever before. Do you understand? Do you have somebody you love?¡± ¡°She left me, she went back home, because I put stopping Xol ahead of her, I always put my power, my pride, ahead of her. I¡­ Stop trying to get me to open up.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t make much prodding. I think you want to talk to me, I think you want to talk to somebody, anybody. But you hate the Cast too much, and those few people in the city that you have started to form some kind of friendship with don¡¯t really know anything about you. You can hardly even speak with them without Thaul helping you, but that only makes you angrier. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°For browbeating you. And, why can¡¯t you ever forgive the Cast?¡± ¡°The slavery and-¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. I¡¯m trying to recontextualize what I knew about you, and what I know about you now. The slavery and the killing, that couldn¡¯t be enough, otherwise you would¡¯ve began exterminating Plest and preventing them from taking any public offices. They¡­ I¡¯m sorry for your loss. You don¡¯t need to tell me who she was.¡± ¡°What the fuck do you think you know you cold hearted metal bitch. You monster written in suffering. If there wasn¡¯t a need for you, I would burn this city down to the foundation and laugh as everything you¡¯ve ever built dies before your eyes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how I know that I¡¯m right, about everything. I know it isn¡¯t the same, I know that, but you killed them, you killed all of them. You killed my first son, The Emperor. Yes, they were flawed, and they made mistakes, but who has? What gives you the right to judge everyone, to judge my children. What gave you the right to decide that they couldn¡¯t be redeemed, that they were all monsters that couldn¡¯t be saved.¡± For the first time, he heard what he processed as genuine remorse, guilt, anger. And for the first time, he had to say something. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I made a promise, good or bad, I made a promise. I made it to a woman who lived her life as a slave, a body double meant to be killed in the place of a villainess princess, who then suffered at the hand of your Cast. I had to pick between her never trusting me again, being betrayed and never trusting anyone ever again, or their entire race. If I said no, if I didn¡¯t do it¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t know if I could face being the one that made her feel alone no matter how many people were around her, I couldn¡¯t be the one that broke her again.¡± Did she manipulate him? Was this part of her plan? Was this all to make him drop his guard? Could she even have genuine feelings? Were they both broken towers, supported by their rage? Were the beams that fixed them just knives on the throat of the other? Were they both just waiting for the other to slip, so they could plunge the blade deep, drawing blood and dying themselves? Time would tell, but neither would say a word for the remaining trip down the elevator. The silence choked them, filling their stomachs with ice and their mouths with acid. Chapter 373: The Body The lights turned on, two by two, revealing a hallway, maybe a hundred feet. When he was a child, this would¡¯ve been a rather long distance to walk, but now, he could pass it in just a few moments. He reached the door before Jenny did, but he hesitated. Why was he hesitating? Why was he thinking about himself as a child? The white lights and smooth, almost too clean to be true surfaces, he remembered the facility. Was she going to use him? Was she trying to make him like her just as Rosewell had? Back then, he at least had Reet and Zella and Relly. Now he was alone. He couldn¡¯t even go back to Amber. Was she even alive? What did she do after Aarde tried to send him into space? Did she go on a rampage? Did Marigold kill her? Sepul? He must¡¯ve lost himself in rage, nothing else was even a possibility to Fomoria. How long ago did it even happen? Had he lost months, maybe years of his life? If he got a body, if he left, what would he even go back to? Jenny saw that he was going through something, but she just stepped ahead of him and opened the door using the keypad next to it. The body was insectoid, like a human shaped ant. Claws and hard angled plates that would act as more cutting edges. Teeth and mandibles that would likely cut through anything. All made from Godtouched steel. ¡°This is perfect, I suppose. Aarde has treated mortals as ants for too long, and now this ant is going to bite back.¡± Jenny moved in front of him once again. ¡°It isn¡¯t ready yet. This body¡­ I believed you were a monster, but¡­ I¡¯m processing a lot, I¡¯m trying to understand you and I. I don¡¯t want this to be you, a monster.¡± He snorted with amusement. ¡°I am a monster, you are too. There is no reason I should pretend to be something else.¡± He moved until he was parallel with her. ¡°You¡¯re shaking.¡± He looked down at his hand, and she was right. ¡°Just excitement.¡± ¡°You are terrified. I know that this is a strange request. But, would you be willing to tell me your entire life story?¡± ¡°Really? You want my entire life story for your library? Are you intent on an autobiography?¡± ¡°I envy mortals. They live their little flickering lives, then they die, and the next generation take over. For people like us, a machine and a living void of energy, there isn¡¯t a next generation, we never flicker and fade. We will watch this generation, and the one after, and after, and after, and after. We will watch them make the same mistakes over and over, and we will try to stop them each time, because what else could we do? You don¡¯t understand, not yet.¡± ¡°Blue¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Blue¡­ he¡­ he is a bird, perhaps the only one of his kind. Hundreds of years old, saved from the forest floor and raised by a young girl. He watched her grow old, die, and then he went to the next in line, picking whatever child he thought would make a good partner. He befriended generations of them, and they fought by his side, most dying from old age. He told me something, because I spoke to him about immortality. Now I just don¡¯t remember it. We can only do what we can to help the next generation, but we can¡¯t live their lives.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would understand. Everyone thinks that they can watch from the sidelines, everyone thinks that they can just make the right choice. But every time you watch the wrong choice being made, and you know that it¡¯s wrong, because you¡¯ve seen it play out a thousand times, you want to just force them to make the right choice.¡± ¡°What is the wrong thing that I¡¯m doing here then?¡± ¡°You are about to decide that your body should be a machine for war. You are going to say that this¡­ this thing, is all you are at your core.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why you decided all of a sudden what I am and what right and wrong are.¡± ¡°I want to know every detail, I want to be able to make something that fits you, not just the first combat design I thought might work for you based on stories painted by the bias of the ones you were fighting.¡± ¡°If I just walk through you, and take the body?¡± A hum, a discordant song, filled the room, and he couldn¡¯t move. ¡°Is this how you keep the Fae trapped?¡± ¡°Crystal glass that subatomically vibrates at a much stronger form of this frequency. This noise, it¡¯s just preventing mana from moving, everything is still here I have shown you this body, but you may not have it until I am certain I¡¯m making the right choice.¡± ¡°You are being spineless. What good is a leader who can¡¯t maintain themselves when they are forced to make the hard choices? Where is that coldness from before?¡± ¡°I do not see you as my enemy anymore. I see you as an exemplary human. You¡¯ve changed things for the better, and without the same level of brutality as I had. I told you before, out there, I am blind and deaf. This means that my worldview is simply too small, I am a being that needs data to process, but I¡¯m allowed so little of it in this place. Please, bring me into your world, allow me to understand your views and decide if they could be mine as well.¡± Fomoria hated this, he hated her. Was ignorance really enough to excuse? To forgive? If she really had only experienced the world through second hand sources, and her personal experience is one that she hates being alone with her thoughts, with herself, then he couldn¡¯t help but feel like she was someone to be pitied. So, he began. From the death of the werewolf that attacked him, to the facility, to giving away soulsmithing to Dearil, the academy, etc, etc, etc. He tried to pay attention to her face, but this smaller body of hers was solid, lacking the ability to express herself with anything but her voice. And perhaps that was for the best. He felt like she was mocking him at times with her questions, asking things as if he was stupid, like he should¡¯ve known better. But her voice showed nothing of the sort, she was simply curious about why he did things that he did. Finally, she sat down on the cold concrete floor. ¡°I¡¯m going to process all of this information, but for now, why don¡¯t you go back upstairs? I¡¯m going to redesign the body.¡± ¡°How long will that take?¡± ¡°Maybe a day or so. This body was meant for me at one point, but I was terrified of living as a person. The material isn¡¯t Godtouched steel, it¡¯s something I made. It¡¯s made from my nanite, but fusing them directly with the godsteel made it stubborn, it¡¯s almost a living metal now. That¡¯s why I thought you could use it. You aren¡¯t here or there, you are just¡­ you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t use such a longing tone when you speak with me.¡± She laughed, but it wasn¡¯t just something she was doing because she understood that humans laugh, she laughed by instinct. What gave her the right to sound like a person? Fomoria made his way into the city itself, and in just a few minutes, Thaul was there. He seemed to be out of breath. ¡°You ran here?¡± ¡°The moment you left the building. My apologies for taking so long.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± Thaul was shocked, and a little afraid if he was going to be honest. Fomoria¡¯s responses had thus far ranged from cold to actively hostile. But he seemed¡­ neutral, perhaps even leaning towards kind. It wasn¡¯t a great change, but it was for the better. ¡°Where would you like to go?¡± ¡°I want to visit the park.¡± Fomoria decided to sit in a park and just watch people; they weren¡¯t afraid of him anymore. It wasn¡¯t some grand gesture, people just got used to the fact that a horned shadow with endlessly deep white holes for eyes was wandering around the city. He sat down at a chess board. Fomoria knew of the game, he¡¯d played it some before, but he was far from a master. An elderly man sat across from him and began setting up the white pieces while Thaul set up black for Fomoria. The old man asked a question. ¡°Will you go first or not? He says.¡± ¡°Tell him that he can have the first move.¡± Six hours passed with the two of them testing their wit against one another, never sharing a single word. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Fomoria had been playing with him for just over a week already, and while he was rapidly improving, he had yet to take a victory. Checkmate. ¡°Thank him for playing, and say that I must return to work.¡± Thaul translated for him, and the man replied back. ¡°He says that he is glad to be challenged by a strong mind. He was part of a chess club before, but he¡¯s outlived them all, and the next generation hasn¡¯t had the interest or skill to challenge him.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ve not beaten him once. Ask him how he can be challenged by a mind unable to get even one victory.¡± Thaul did as asked. ¡°He¡¯s been studying each night, refreshing himself on the more advanced strategies just to keep up. He¡¯s very happy that you are able to continue improving, that you never got frustrated by your losses and quit. He hopes you can continue your games until he finally passes away, which he may now do happily since he¡¯s regained his fire for the sport.¡± ¡°Tell him that I¡¯m glad to¡­ that I¡­¡± Fomoria was left wordless. It was nothing but a game, he wasn¡¯t even that interested, but nobody else wanted to play much of anything, and he couldn¡¯t play many other things because he lacked a physical body. ¡°Ask his name.¡± ¡°This is Matsumoto.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t even ask.¡± ¡°I know his name. I¡¯ve played some chess against him in the past, but I never got close, not like you. I stopped when I realized neither of us were even having fun, he was going through the motions and beating me without trying.¡± Fomoria could hear the heart of the old man, he could sense the life flowing through him. He was old, old enough that his days were numbered. So, Fomoria told, no, he asked Thaul to set up the board again. It was dark by the time that the old man said he couldn¡¯t stay anymore, and he apologized for keeping Fomoria away from his work. Fomoria rode back to the ship in a car with Thaul. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°I have projected my anger onto all Cast. You are not like the ones who were outside of this place. I don¡¯t feel bad about killing them all, but had I known you, perhaps I would feel a short lived pang of guilt.¡± It was almost a nice moment, but Thaul wasn¡¯t thrilled that his life would be a short lived guilt, something moved on from in a few moments. Worse still, it wasn¡¯t even definitive that Fomoria would feel bad, just a chance. ¡°Thank you. I-¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t going to turn into a conversation. I need time to arrange my thoughts.¡± Thaul just went quiet, unable to read Fomoria. He entered the lab where the Cast were about to leave for the night. ¡°I¡¯m scrapping the new Cast.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve intentionally hidden a great deal from all of you. These new Cast would be vulnerable to the virus if they encountered soul magic. I¡¯ve decided to correct that.¡± Some were furious, but held it back, some just sat down with a sigh, almost expecting that it couldn¡¯t be as simple as he explained. ¡°My new method is, however, so simple that I don¡¯t need any of you. I just need access to the forge womb.¡± The project lead, Scint, put his hand up, telling the other Cast to remain quiet. ¡°We need to clear all access to it with Jenny personally. Until she returns from the weaver bunker, you cannot enter it. So, how about you explain how this is going to work?¡± ¡°Like this.¡± Fomoria touched Scint¡¯s chest, leaving the mark on him. ¡°There, now you are immune. If I touch the womb, I think it should pass to every Cast born from it.¡± Scint fell to the ground and began convulsing. ¡°That¡¯s not a normal response.¡± One of the Cast activated an alarm, and the room was locked down hard enough that he couldn¡¯t escape. But he wasn¡¯t trying to escape, he simply stood over Scint. It took some time, but Jenny shut down the alarm and her voice came through the intercom; She had already gone over the video and audio recordings from the room, though they didn¡¯t help much since Fomoria was barely audible or visible on either. ¡°What have you done?¡± ¡°I attempted to mark Scint.¡± ¡°Mark him with what?¡± ¡°Ah, right, you wouldn¡¯t know. When I touch living beings, I imprint some power on them. For magical creatures, they enter a state of rapid evolution, but for prime races, they are supposed to become much healthier, gain both greater magical power, and mana regeneration. I¡¯m uncertain why Scint reacted this way, but the mark seems to be growing veins from the initial contact point. Very strange.¡± Fomoria heard every movement that Scint¡¯s body made. ¡°He isn¡¯t breathing now, which isn¡¯t normal.¡± ¡°Cast don¡¯t require breathing.¡± ¡°No, but they mimic it, it¡¯s a natural instinct ingrained in them as living beings. But what I meant is that I encountered this once before. I saved an infant by giving it my mark, she was the first I granted it to, and when I returned with Marigold to check on her, she had stopped breathing because she was in sunlight and her body was sustaining itself purely by passive mana circulation not unlike imbibing. I didn¡¯t realize the mana density in this place was high enough to do that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what imbibing is.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a specific method of fortifying the body using mana. My blood could be oxygenated just by the mana. In one case-¡± Scint suddenly inhaled and woke up. ¡°Ah, how do you feel?¡± ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve had a full night¡¯s rest. I hardly feel tired at all though we¡¯ve been working here all day.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s normal. That mark is going to act as a sort of second set of lungs, breathing in mana like you already do, but without any interruption and at a greater rate.¡± Fomoria saw that Scint¡¯s brow had changed slightly, a few bony growths began to appear. ¡°Very strange. It¡¯s like the Cast are more magical creature than prime race. Perhaps it has some relation to your metallic nature as well?¡± Fomoria began to float around him as if swimming. ¡°This is going to need to be tested more. I need Cast to take this mark. Maybe you can use the ones that are already born, rather than us needing to wait for the next generation to be born before we can reveal ourselves. Do you have any in stasis which are infected?¡± ¡°One of you stays to monitor Scint, everyone else, go back home for the night. Fomoria, return to your quarters until I¡¯ve decided what to do with you.¡± He went there, and she was waiting. ¡°I do have one in cryogenic stasis. We discovered from Helik that a very low temperature inhibits your virus.¡± ¡°The new one relies on a stronger chronologicalviral payload. Though, from what Xol told me about particles, perhaps the colder temperature could slow the energy available to the cells and they would take much longer to kill their target.¡± ¡°If you mark this Cast, do you believe that you can heal him?¡± ¡°Of course. My understanding of my mark is mostly instinct, but as my mind is clearer, I can make connections and assumptions about it.¡± Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone else in the room, but quickly surmised who it was and ignored them. ¡°I also want to mark the womb, so all Cast born from it would, most likely, be born with an essence of me inside of them.¡± Jenny didn¡¯t say anything for a while. Her hesitation, and the anger in her voice when she told them to leave, made him worry. ¡°I¡¯ll turn on the lights, follow them to the cryogenic lab, you will find the Cast in there.¡± Fomoria had wondered before, but how large was this ship? From the outside, it was hard to tell, since it was covered in a flat black building. From the inside, it wasn¡¯t any easier, since he had only explored sections of it, and that elevator he took that went down for thousands of feet could¡¯ve been part of the original for all he knew. The lab wasn¡¯t much different from any other he had seen in his life, other than the Cast in a cold glass tube. ¡°I¡¯ll turn the locks off. Just a moment.¡± He ignored her, and put his hand through the glass, marking the Cast. By the time the tube opened with a hiss, nothing seemed to have changed, the mark hadn¡¯t grown veins out from it. The Cast groaned in a stupor, and the virus began to move again. This man had been frozen by Helik, then transported here by non-Cast agents working for her. But as the rust began slowly creeping up his hand, the mark grew the same veins as Scint¡¯s, and attacked it. In less than a minute, the rust was gone, replaced by a growing black metal. From there, the veins grew out from the mark, reaching his hands and feet first, turning them black as voice. Then, the Cast woke up. His legs felt like jelly, and he fell to the floor as he tried to attack Fomoria. ¡°There, now we know my mark can at least heal the older virus. By the speed at which it did, I would assume that it could, given some time, defeat the new virus.¡± The Cast looked up at him with hate in his eyes. ¡°You owe me your life, wipe that sneer away before I carve your eyes from your skull.¡± ¡°That is more than enough. I will bring in a human team to watch him while we discuss your body. I got an idea, and worked on it with more of my ability than I intended, finishing it far sooner than intended. You may take the elevator down.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± He rode in silence. In his heart, he hoped that she had found something out that would turn this into a guarantee. In his mind, he thought she was going to take him apart, steal the secrets behind his abilities, and discard him. Worse, she might keep him as a trophy. But what had she done so far that would warrant such a response? He knew the Cast, but she seemed far more normal, ironically, far more human. The kinship she had with him could only reassure to some extent, otherwise, he worried that she somehow knew far more than she said. Her words, saying that she was a being of contrast, how would she even know that? She couldn¡¯t, it didn¡¯t make sense, he never told her that, and he didn¡¯t think he ever said it in a speech or wrote it down so her spies would bring it back to her. Did she somehow have a massive profile on him? The elevator stopped, but he couldn¡¯t feel the motion of it anyway. Was it faster this time? Had she stopped it before and made their conversation longer without him noticing? When he stepped out, she was waiting there, looking like an iron doll; an unreadable face. ¡°I hope this is something you can accept.¡± She turned on the lights above the body. It had his face, and he found that unsettling to see it etched from the divine metal of what was likely now his enemy. ¡°It leaves little to the imagination.¡± It seemed to be wearing a skintight bodysuit that cut off at the neck, hands, and feet. ¡°Baba Yaga, if she is to be trusted, said that shapeshifting afterwards is fine. This does line up with what I know of the other gods and their myths from Earth.¡± She motioned to it. ¡°I based it upon heroes from Earth.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± ¡°Not real people, fictional ones. They were fond of these simple designs. I believe it has to do with ease of drawing, since they had deadlines for them. We called them superheroes, because they had powers beyond that of reality. But here, even children can use magic, so the term doesn¡¯t quite mean as much.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a hero.¡± ¡°I disagree. For us, entities without generations, we are whatever we want. Here and now, we are monsters, but given enough time, crimes are forgiven, though never forgotten by us. People are not born heroes, they gain the title through their actions. Fomoria, be the hero of this world, save it from the gods that will never allow peace.¡± She moved closed, trying to grab his hands. ¡°Be my hero.¡± She ruined it, she ruined it all. Fomoria stepped back. ¡°I will not be a puppet, I will not be manipulated by you or anyone else.¡± Jenny hung her head. ¡°I told you before, I was desperate. I was trying to be accommodating, trying to get you from a depressive episode to a manic one, one that would listen to some sense. Get in the body, or leave my city. If you get caught again, I won¡¯t give you this chance again.¡± Fomoria began to move to the elevator, but was stopped by a man. ¡°And who is this? Your punisher?¡± He turned back when she didn¡¯t answer, finding time frozen. Oh, that was unsettling. Time opened his eyes, and Fomoria could see a swirling cosmos. ¡°You will get inside of that body. However troubling this course of events is, you will not like the other option. And were it up to me, it would be the only option. But it seems my partner has grown fond of your rebelion.¡± ¡°And what is the other option?¡± ¡°I will scatter your being across time and space again.¡± ¡°Again?¡± ¡°Show yourself.¡± The person that Fomoria had seen out of the corner his eye earlier came out, and was a perfect copy of him. ¡°Your scattered self, your void, you are gathering pieces of him, and he must not awaken. Mana must never reform.¡± ¡°But if you scattered me across time and space-¡± With a flick of his staff, Fomoria¡¯s arm was gone. It wasn¡¯t that it had been cut off, it was simply, not. But it didn¡¯t hurt at least. ¡°How would having a body prevent his return?¡± Time was not interested in a conversation, he just glared. Fomoria, not being interested in being scattered across time and space, began to move to his new body, and Time tapped his staff, returning the missing arm.
¡°Why not kill him?¡± ¡°He has¡­ passion.¡± Time had long since moved beyond being annoyed by her reliance on a vague metric for who she liked. Still, there was no point in arguing with her, she was the river by which all power flowed. Sometimes, he wondered if they were like this before, or if their rebellion against Mana, their slaying and her stealing, had changed them both. That Fomoria¡¯s path was mirroring their own was what terrified him the most. How long had it been since he was afraid of anything? How long had it been since either of them met any real threat. It didn¡¯t matter, Mana could be slain because he was mindless, a barely living mass of energy that extended itself too far trying to control all of reality within the galaxy at once. Time, he knew that he could react to threats, he could watch things and stop them, he wasn¡¯t just a thing, he was a man. Chapter 374: My Body Fomoria touched the body, and a thought overcame him. Take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take. He couldn¡¯t hesitate, not with Time looking for an excuse to kill him. It didn¡¯t matter that this voice in his head wasn¡¯t his. It didn¡¯t matter that it might be Mana. It didn¡¯t matter that up until Time showed up, this was part of a plan by Jenny that he didn¡¯t like or know the full scope of. He plunged his hand into the body; the fusion of flesh and forge was his. His influence spread out from the heart that beat slowly, and the white gold metal was overtaken by his darkness. The nanites infused into the alloy tried to fight against him, but he was the devourer, and they bent to his will. The bodysuit and skin darkened, then changed to his pale tone, what he was. He seemed naked, the only signs that he technically wore something were a few lines around his neck, hands, feet, and shoulders, like he had been welded together. Time resumed, and Time left. Jenny looked forward, but Fomoria was gone. That was strange, he was- ¡°I want my jacket.¡± She didn¡¯t blush or fluster as she saw his naked form. ¡°You changed your mind?¡± A few seconds passed. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why the hesitation.¡± Once more, a delay, though slightly shorter. ¡°I¡¯m trying. This body is slow.¡± He made a fist, then let go, over and over, each time slightly faster than the last. But she was more interested in what her scanners were showing. She hadn¡¯t done this exact thing before, but when making her cyborg soldiers, there was a sync rate. Right after the surgery, it wasn¡¯t uncommon to have a sync rate of 50%, meaning their actions were delayed by half of when the signals were actually sent by the brain into the body. In theory, since there wasn¡¯t a difference between flesh and metal in this body, there shouldn¡¯t have been a significant difference, but his sync rate was sitting at 7% minutes after waking up. ¡°We need to take you upstairs for deeper scans. What did your jacket look like?¡± A system forcibly connected with her¡¯s and sent images directly from Fomoria¡¯s mind into hers. Somehow he had broken through all of her encryption. But more than that, he had overwritten whatever system she already had inside of Fomoria¡¯s new body. What should¡¯ve been a name and an address, was now garbled runes and a number that rapidly fluctuated. ¡°Don¡¯t send your thoughts to me like that again. I need time to find out what exactly you¡¯ve done. Come to the elevator.¡± He lifted himself from the mold where the body had been formed and stepped onto the floor. Fomoria felt that it was cool, and wiggled his toes in an attempt to get a better feeling for his body. When he thought it was right, he took his first step and fell right on his face. He was unharmed, but the floor had a small indent where he tried to block his fall with his hands. The delay in reaction however meant he had more open palm struck the floor. ¡°Do you need help?¡± ¡°No.¡± For an instant, his annoyance and sync rate jumped; he replied without much delay. Fomoria got up from the floor and slowly moved with a wide stance for more stability. It was awkward to move, and looked just as awkward, but he made his way to the elevator. As they rode up, she continued trying to figure out how Fomoria corrupted her work. This metal wasn¡¯t what it was before, it wasn¡¯t a living thing that breathed mana out, but rather in. ¡°Your metal isn¡¯t Godtouched anymore. I¡¯m sure they would be distraught if they saw what you were.¡± ¡°Who would be?¡± ¡°The Godtouched.¡± ¡°Is that a person, a group? I assumed that Godtouched metal was naturally made like the other elemental metals.¡± ¡°No, it isn¡¯t. Maybe deviltouched steel?¡± ¡°Devouring iron.¡± ¡°Absorbium.¡± ¡°Devourium.¡± ¡°Vorium.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, vorium. I like it. Now, who is or are the Godtouched?¡± ¡°The forgemasters who work under Brigid. They constantly test and create, though since it is a form of worship, most of their inventions are made to be made, not to be used. I find it ironic, despite there being a champion of Aarde, it seems all of the best things aren¡¯t involving her. The plants and animals by Anu and her followers. Brigid and her forgemasters. Cecht and his peacekeepers. The Darkness and her assassins.¡± ¡°What of Calli and Lir?¡± ¡°The Veil was their work. Each of the gods shares a difference in perspective, I suspect that is why they can seemingly do more than Aarde can as a single entity. In a sense, you are my sub god.¡± ¡°Yggdra.¡± ¡°The king?¡± ¡°If you want this empire to really stretch across the stars, then we must work together in policy. Filter your ideas through me, reach a compromise between our brutalities. My grandfather shaped Ragne just as much as Yggdra did.¡± ¡°I will not sacrifice any of my authority. Not until I can confirm you are worth what I hope you are.¡± ¡°Of course. My grandfather had no real title, he simply sent letters and spoke with the king as a friend. We are supposed to be friends, aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°That would be ideal.¡± When the elevator dinged and the door opened, Thaul was standing ready with Fomoria¡¯s clothes. As he saw his naked body, he jumped back and covered his eyes. Fomoria, trying his best, stepped forward and grabbed his jacket off the top of the pile. It was a careful, slow process, so Jenny decided to dress him herself. ¡°There, now, combat training.¡± ¡°I have a delay ranging from one to three seconds, I don¡¯t think I can fight anyone like this.¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°After cybernetic enhancement, I always send them to spar first and foremost. Your mind and body are at odds because they both see the other as a foreign, an other. During combat, the heightened emotional state will blur that line as they realize they must work together.¡± Through moving during the elevator ride, he had gained a little more control, and so he was able to more easily walk behind her to the combat room. It was a tall room, and Jenny asked him to remain where she was. At the far end, he could see an observation deck protected by some kind of reinforced glass. She melded into the floor, then reformed inside of the room above. From a door on the other side of the room, a familiar face came out. ¡°Drachma.¡± ¡°I hope there are no hard feelings.¡± Fomoria attempted to rush at him, but the older man sidestepped him. ¡°Hard feelings then. That¡¯s not a shock. I remember when I was first recruited some 40 years ago. I¡¯d been a mercenary fighting against the Cast, but then I got a better deal. I declined at first, but eventually I was captured and my patrons were killed, so I was out of the contract.¡± While he spoke, Fomoria was continually trying and failing to land a single punch, often overextending and falling down. ¡°Come on. It¡¯s been over a year since we last fought, and you put on a hell of a show that time.¡± Drachma was squatting over Fomoria, who tried to sweep his legs, but Drachma simply stepped over the slow attack. ¡°I also remember when I was first given cybernetics. It was¡­ wild. I had never seen a city like this, buildings so tall that you had to crane your neck all the way back to see the tops.¡± Fomoria tried to use an aura technique, but it failed, since he hadn¡¯t actually figured out how to use aura or mana again. His stomp, rather than shaking the ground, seemed like a tantrum. Drachma rushed forward and punched him in the chest, tearing his shirt. The body was unharmed, it was made of sturdier stuff. ¡°It took me a few hours to make my body work how I wanted.¡± He swirled his finger, a small fire atop it, then flicked, shooting the bullet at Fomoria¡¯s chest, which opened with a swirling inwards, snuffing it out without damaging him. That was interesting to Jenny, since her designs for the body shouldn¡¯t do that. Fomoria took a wide stance one and raised behind his head, the other out in an attempt to steady himself. He made a chopping motion, and a small wave of fire came from his hand. Drachma didn¡¯t even dodge, it dissipated before it even reached him. ¡°Alright, now can I actually start this?¡± Jenny looked down and saw the fire in Fomoria¡¯s eyes which still held the infinitely deep white void. ¡°Yes.¡± For 12 hours, Fomoria fought tirelessly, being beaten down over and over again. It hurt, and that was both unpleasant, but also welcome after feeling nothing at all. What really bothered him wasn¡¯t any level of pain, it was that he seemed to hit a wall. According to Jenny, his sync rate had gone from 7% when he first woke up to a mere 30%. It was enough that he could control himself now, he could react at a human level, but he was very very far from reacting as fast as he could think. It was a terrible thing to see every single move your enemy makes, but being unable to block because your body. ¡°I¡¯M DONE.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you fighting until you hit 50% at least; the number is exponential. 50% doesn¡¯t mean you have half of your power, it means you¡¯ve hit half of my estimation of that body. But you will begin to grow unlike the stagnancy of the cyborg soldiers, making the number more of a general idea than any real metric of strength.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to fight. I need to meet somebody. I don¡¯t think my problem is that I can¡¯t fight.¡± Drachma scoffed. ¡°That¡¯s not your only problem.¡± ¡°Refrain from taunting him outside of a training environment. Fomoria, I will send Thaul to pick you up. I know where you are going.¡± ¡°Maybe I should go visit that pretty sister of-¡± Before the words could leave his mouth, Dracma¡¯s lower jaw was nearly destroyed. The overextension made Fomoria flip end over end onto the floor, but Drachma leaned back so quickly to dodge the air slicing attack that he fell into the floor himself. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Both men felt all strength sap from their bodies. She wasn¡¯t using any technology, this was a fraction of Aarde¡¯s power. ¡°Drachma, I already told you not to do that. Prolonged heightened senses are how the training works, a sudden surge from 30% to 60% damaged his body. Six torn muscle fibers and his hip must be set back in place. It¡¯s going to take minutes to heal him. Fomoria, he will not touch your sister, if he were to do so, I would activate the killswitch and his cybernetics would all deactivate. We would see how long he survives being a normal 110 year old man weighed down by foreign metal.¡± She took control over his nanites, fusing his mouth together. The soldier panicked and tried to speak, but only muffled yelling could be heard. ¡°Rise.¡± Suddenly, their strength was back. ¡°Fomoria, as I said, Thaul will accompany you to your destination. Cool your head.¡± He sat there in the park as usual, his muscles having sewn themselves back together on the short car ride over. When Matsumoto arrived, he moved to the table. Thaul was about to speak when Fomoria put his hand up. The old man opened the lid on the table that hid the chess pieces and began setting the board; Fomoria did the same. Matsumoto nodded. The old man saw Fomoria¡¯s first move and saw through his strategy in that instant. Fomoria was an overly aggressive player, but often backtracked and put an overemphasis on protecting his pieces after he lost the first. His first move was setting up to get rid of the rooks. The Cast who were supposed to be behind the new Cast tried to call him back, since they were done running tests to confirm that his mark had inoculated Scint against the rust virus and he had no ill effects from it. But, Fomoria was determined to stay even after hours of losses. Fomoria took another one of Matsumoto¡¯s pieces, and lost one in return. This was the part where Fomoria should¡¯ve shifted his playstyle and turned defensive. Slowly, one by one, Matsumoto was going to take positions so that Fomoria would need to sacrifice his pieces to win, but Fomoria would never go far enough. He gives up a piece here or there, but he wouldn¡¯t turn it into a slaughter on both sides. Yet this time, as Matsumoto was setting his trap, Fomoria broke it, sending a piece forward so that the old man needed to either take it, or it would take one of his next turn. Fomoria didn¡¯t flinch. In the end, Fomoria had lost the game, and the one after, and the one after, but each was becoming faster than the last. Matsumoto¡¯s old body could hardly keep up, Fomoria¡¯s pieces seemed to jump from one spot to the next without any delay, as though they were teleporting. As the sun was beginning to set, more than a few people had gathered for the intense games. Cups of noodles and bottles of tea were being brought to them by Thaul so they didn¡¯t need to get up for anything but the bathroom. Matsumoto was holding on, but by just a thread. In front of the chess board, Fomoria was no longer a man, he was an entity of pure chaos. Without formal training or even cracking open a single book, he had devised many of the same strategies that were known, but more importantly, he was making up new ones on the fly. Matsumoto had known, forgotten, and then remembered nearly every form of the sport, but he was being pushed into a corner by Fomoria¡¯s mind. Aggressive, defensive, going for long games, then short. There was no rhyme or reason to why he played a game one way than the other, and many of his starts seemed to be the same, dynamically changing based on Matsumoto. Just as the old man had been playing to Fomoria¡¯s weakness, knowing that he had the poor habit of preferring defense, Fomoria now prayed on the fact that the old man lacked his spontaneity, that he was someone of order, rules, set knowledge. The old man looked at the board, he went through every single move. When had he fallen into Fomoria¡¯s trap? How had Fomoria given nearly all of his pieces up, yet won. He stood up and shook Fomoria¡¯s hand. Fomoria wasn¡¯t sure why Matsumoto spoke in a strange and stilted manner, but assumed he was missing some meaning or cultural context. The old man couldn¡¯t help but laugh at such a dramatic statement. Fomoria bowed with a soft smile. The old man laughed jovially. ¡°Thaul. Bring us to the nicest restaurant in the city. I assume Jenny can pay.¡± ¡°Let me just¡­ nevermind. I¡¯ll ask afterwards.¡± ¡°Sometimes, forgiveness is better than permission.¡±
Back at the titular Blackship, Jenny was shocked to see Fomoria had broken past the 50% mark by playing chess. It made her start to rethink what she knew about the connection between the body and mind. Her method was based on an understanding of humans and their tendencies. When humans were forced against a wall, it meant that they only had one way to go. Either they faltered, and they weren¡¯t good enough for her enhancements, or they pushed through and their mind and body became one thing, forcing the cybernetics to listen as if they were original. Muffled sounds came from behind her, and she decided to return Drachma¡¯s ability to speak. ¡°The kid¡¯s not like us.¡± ¡°How did you know what I was thinking?¡± ¡°You¡¯re rigid. You fall into thinking patterns.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think that you can comprehend what I do and don¡¯t do.¡± ¡°You process data and make choices like anyone else, and I know people. Until you get more information from outside, you¡¯ll keep running in circles, it¡¯s what you¡¯ve been doing ever since the Cast got wiped out. I¡¯ve seen plenty of sieges end because my enemies got get bad information and made bad choices, and I¡¯ve gotten my shit kicked in because someone had a pretty damn good idea.¡± ¡°You are dismissed.¡± Jenny looked over everything she knew about Fomoria again and again. But the wall she couldn¡¯t get over was that she knew nothing about the inside of The Veil. She had no reason to believe that Fomoria had lied, but she couldn¡¯t confirm that this Yggdra person existed or that Fomoria¡¯s grandfather had been an unofficial advisor whose advice greatly helped the nation. Taking leaps of faith weren¡¯t her style, even her desperate bid to gain his favor and use him to defeat Aarde was based on what she knew. Fomoria was faithless, champion to a god that he was often at odds with, who didn¡¯t want to be worshiped by his people. His every action was in service of protecting what he loved and lessening the suffering of those he believed were innocent. All she really needed to do was have something to offer him that would help with those two things, and he¡¯d do whatever she asked. Chapter 375: Veiled Unity Day Haldren, the city of ash, nobody wanted it to be their city because of superstition. It was the only city within Ragne that flew the flag of Fomoria over the flag of Ragne, where any Ainites, the, more or less, universally agreed new term that replaced False Undead, could live freely and openly, and where the Dague and Plest lived inside of The Veil. Adina picked Viviane up. ¡°When did you sleep last?¡± ¡°Two days¡­ but I wasn¡¯t tired last night.¡± ¡°I know, I¡¯m sure you weren¡¯t.¡± ¡°I want daddy to hold me.¡± ¡°Not right now. Daddy is¡­ he¡¯s thinking a lot.¡± ¡°Why does that make you sad?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we find auntie Selen? She and Wulrun should be here.¡± ¡°Bye bye daddy.¡± Harlan halfheartedly waved before they vanished into the crowds. The festival, something that was done in Imperial Fomoria, had a few purposes. Firstly, only a third of the population of the city was from outside of The Veil, meaning the other two thirds were people moving to the city because they were being paid in order to fill it out. Such a population was going to need to be acclimated to how things worked in the empire. Secondly, the repairs were finished in all but one place, and the new mayor was showing off how quickly he and his golems had turned it into a beautiful place once more. Thirdly, there was an open invitation for the nobility of Ragne to see an example of how their new imperial superiors were, how a free city which allowed all people could be. Lastly, the mayor didn¡¯t want this place to wash away what happened, but to acknowledge what was once here. Harlan stood in front of a church, a rather rare place since Ragnites didn¡¯t often prescribe to any organized religion; most had been destroyed or repurposed. It was the one building that was left untouched by the repair efforts; the sideways stalagmites were dulled so they were safe to touch, but otherwise left alone. He watched as people came and went, lighting candles and placing them on the floor, the pews, the windowsills, anywhere that they could. Many cried as they left, each candle was given out without cost, each candle a sign of a loved one that was lost when Haldren was destroyed. The mayor stepped next to Harlan. He couldn¡¯t get over how alike they looked, but also how much he had changed himself so he wasn¡¯t just another Other of Fomoria. His clothes weren¡¯t in the style of Ragne, but rather fine silk robes which were brightly designed with black dragons on a red background and a white trim. The horns, what Harlan thought was the most significant difference between he and his other half, now stretched back rather than up, and looked closer to pieces of coral antlers than horns. ¡°I wasn¡¯t certain you would come to Unity Day. Do you know what this place is?¡± ¡°A remembrance of sin.¡± ¡°No, a temple of wrath. I make no shadow of what my original self has done. This is my mistake, our mistake. We gave ourselves to rage, we failed to understand the consequences, and other people paid for that fault. Here, they may remember this, that I don¡¯t intend to forget that, nor do I intend to repeat that.¡± ¡°But he did. You did.¡± ¡°The circumstances were different. What happened to that city wasn¡¯t a mistake or an accident, it was a cold brutality of war. Go, enjoy the festival with your family, don¡¯t spend your night in this place of sorrow.¡± A woman in robes not unlike Dairon¡¯s, but more form fitting, showing off the bump on her stomach, linked her arm with his. ¡°Oh. I see the resemblance. But how strange that he doesn¡¯t look quite like Fomoria.¡± ¡°Who is this?¡± ¡°My wife, Corda.¡± Harlan was taken aback. He only knew of Darion from Ava, since she had received some lessons on aura techniques from the man, but didn¡¯t realize how much he was really allowed to live a life. ¡°I thought Fomoria wouldn¡¯t-¡± ¡°We are our own people. Not all Others wish to do what I¡¯ve done, almost none of them really. I am one of two who have taken a name. Though, for all I know, the other is gone. Last I heard he was exploring under Aarde with his research team, but we lost contact months ago. Regardless, find your wife and child, don¡¯t be stuck in a mire of sorrow.¡± Harlan walked through the city, heading for Adina and Viviane. He hadn¡¯t been out of the forge in weeks, there was little sense in wasting his time mourning for what he had already mourned for. Harlan walked from between the stalls and found Viviane was riding on Wulrun, her small hands tightly holding his fur like reins despite being asleep. Selen elbowed him in the side, trying to bring him from whatever dark place his mind was in. ¡°I¡¯m amazed that she can lock her hands like that while sleeping. She fell asleep almost as soon as she got on his back.¡± ¡°I know that children can be cranky when they¡¯re tired, but she can be tired for hours without going to bed. I¡¯m glad that she was too tired to be angry by the time we got here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shame that she¡¯s going to miss the deserts. The Dague act a bit strangely, but they know how to cook.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± A more menacing voice appeared suddenly, a wicker bowl of cream puffs in his hand. ¡°Carden? I didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡± ¡°Being allowed to set up a proper Nightwatcher base within a city? I couldn¡¯t turn the offer down, and I couldn¡¯t pass up the chance to be open in a city during the daylight for the first time in centuries. Have you heard from Fomoria? How goes the war outside The Veil?¡± Harlan had been the go between for most people, and that meant that he had been lying for months about everything. People knew that Xol had betrayed Fomoria, they knew he was back, since he visited Blackstone and that couldn¡¯t be hidden forever. But they didn¡¯t know how the war was actually going at all, and they didn¡¯t know about his banishment. He wanted to be honest, but Amber took that option away from him. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. She didn¡¯t want a word that wasn¡¯t approved by her to pass beyond The Veil. Nobles had already tried to push the bounds of imperial law, and the Others had put them in their place. They hear that Fomoria won¡¯t be back for a decade, that only his Others are what¡¯s left of him, that the war has been precarious, they might try to rebel more strongly. ¡°It¡¯s going well. They¡¯re gaining back land by the day, but nothing they¡¯ve hit Xol with has been able to kill his soul.¡± ¡°Such a shame. I would offer more support, but our knowledge is far more suited for handling the bodies of our enemies rather than the souls.¡± Carden vanished back into the crowds of people without another word. He knew what was really going on, his Nightwatchers which were brought outside of The Veil weren¡¯t wiped out, but he also had no reason to do anything but maintain Harlan¡¯s lies. There was a scream ahead, a woman on the ground, and Wulrun reaching for her as she tried to shield herself. A group of other citizens quickly drew their weapons in defense of the woman. ¡°GET BACK.¡± Wulrun stepped back and guards arrived quickly, Dague wearing golem armor and wielding black blades. ¡°What¡¯s the problem here?¡± ¡°THE MONSTER CRASHED INTO THE WOMAN, THEN HE TRIED-¡± They looked at the situation without a panicked mindset and helped the woman up. ¡°Shut up, idiots. He could tear the lot of you in half, but he¡¯s trembling.¡± They noticed the symbol on Viviane¡¯s clothing. ¡°Go, we¡¯ll handle this.¡± But, Wulrun stayed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He bowed to them. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you another one of those cake slices if you¡¯d like, miss.¡± He reached into one of the bags on his belt and pulled some coins out. Wulrun held his hand out, and waited to see if she would grab them. She hesitated, but did. ¡°Sorry for screaming.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. I would too.¡± ¡°Is that your daughter?¡± ¡°No, she¡¯s my friend¡¯s.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The woman walked away at a brisk pace. Wulrun had given her far more than the single slice of cake was worth, and she wanted to see the Dague fashion rather than just some food. He was aware of what he¡¯d done, but she thought it was a mistake and wanted to be gone before he realized it. Harlan grabbed Viviane off Wulrun¡¯s back, the instant he touched her she let go then swung her hands around her father¡¯s neck without needing to wake up. ¡°You handled that very well.¡± ¡°Thank you. I¡­¡± ¡°Do you want to see the healer? I heard she¡¯s something special.¡± ¡°I already met her before. Selen and I have been here for a few days already, we are going to live here.¡± ¡°Oh. Well, I¡¯m going anyway. I¡¯ve never met a healer that draws such a crowd before. What¡¯s she like?¡± Wulrun scratched his head. ¡°She¡¯s big.¡± Harlan thought that was odd, since healing was a profession that required using a lot of mana, and that normally meant they burned up a lot of calories. There was a group in front of what seemed to be a warehouse who were letting people in through a small hallway attached to the side of the building and another that were ushering them out of the building. A white Plest moved through the crowd and cleared some space around Fomoria and Adina. ¡°Sir Fomoria.¡± She bowed to him. ¡°Are you here to see the healer?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I must be certain that you follow the rules. Firstly, you may not tell others about her, it¡¯s supposed to be a surprise. You¡¯ll understand why when you see her. Secondly, you must wait for your turn, well, you don¡¯t actually, we¡¯re going to move you up the line. Thirdly, and this is for you especially, don¡¯t attack her.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t attack anyone without a reason.¡± The Plest reached into her pocket. ¡°And here¡¯s a candy for Viviane.¡± She fidgeted a little after handing it to Harlan, who put it in his chest pocket. ¡°Can I¡­ nevermind. Sorry.¡± ¡°You know Fomoria, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°He taught me some, and he negotiated to have me and a few others brought inside The Veil to learn at the academy. But more than that, he saved my life when I was poisoned by the Cast.¡± Suddenly, Harlan knew her. ¡°You¡¯re Nana? Right?¡± ¡°Oh, how did you know?¡± ¡°My parents, they¡¯re students as well.¡± ¡°Your parents? They¡­¡± Her eyes widened in shock. ¡°Then that means¡­ that couple¡­¡± ¡°So you didn¡¯t know?¡± ¡°None of us knew.¡± Adina elbowed her husband in the side. ¡°You weren¡¯t paying attention at all, were you? They went in with fake identities so people didn¡¯t treat them differently. You need to get out of that forge more often.¡± ¡°They¡¯re going to be treated differently anyway, they¡¯re pushing 50 while surrounded by a bunch of teenagers.¡± ¡°Nana, please keep that to yourself.¡± She saluted. ¡°On my life.¡± Adina couldn¡¯t help but laugh, which caused Nana to blush. ¡°Th-the next group should be ready to go.¡± She awkwardly rushed them inside of the hallway. The hallway wasn¡¯t more than 10 feet, and at the end were two Dague guards with their horns exposed through their helmets. They knelt. ¡°Sir Fomoria, it is an honor to have you here. Behind this door-¡± ¡°I sensed her well before I was even in line for this.¡± ¡°Your power is surely beyond us, Sir Fomoria.¡± They stood and opened the doors. When Fomoria laid his eyes on her, his body twitched, instinct made them enemies. Both of them glared at one another, their eyes focused on nothing but the other. Viviane woke up. Though half opened eyes, she spoke. ¡°Big lizard.¡± Rekur laughed, breaking the tension. ¡°She has his¡­ nose.¡± Even with her size and the scales made her seem threatening, that image had already been broken by the cats sleeping on her warm snout. ¡°Little one, would you like to pet me?¡± Rekur set her head on the ground, and Viviane squirmed out of her father¡¯s hands. The young girl leapt from the ground to her snout, a feat that seemed out of the ability for such a young girl. She grabbed onto the horn Rekur had grown on her front which she had asked be sanded down so children didn¡¯t poke themselves on it. ¡°Tiamat is bigger. But I think you would be fun to ride.¡± ¡°I am certain Fomoria was as adventurous when he was a child.¡± Viviane laughed when Rekur spoke, her voice vibrating her head. ¡°CHARGE!¡± The wyvern laughed once more while Harlan and Adina simply watched. ¡°Is that safe?¡± Rekur moved her head around and stepped around the massive warehouse which had been sparsely decorated with ruined children¡¯s drawings and toys. Harlan couldn¡¯t help but wonder what the story was, but felt now was the wrong time to ask. ¡°I knew about Rekur, but I didn¡¯t think she was so large.¡± Hearing this, the wyvern came face to face with Harlan once more. ¡°I¡¯ve evolved once more since coming under Fomoria¡¯s protection. I lost my home in Kor, and there was no good place for me to be anymore after I grew. Wandering the world was nothing that I wanted anymore. I am very glad that Dairon brought me to this place, and that I might have the chance to heal many more people.¡± One of the guards stepped into the room. ¡°Sir, we try to limit our time to only a few minutes, so everyone might see her. Would you like us to delay the next group?¡± ¡°No, we¡¯ve seen what we needed. Adina, do you want to ride her?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll leave that to Viviane. Honey, it¡¯s time to get down now.¡± The little girl pouted, gripping more tightly to the wyvern¡¯s horn. ¡°Now now, listen to your mother.¡± ¡°I want to play more.¡± ¡°Be glad, my mother tried to eat me when I was born white.¡± Rekur lifted her head then her wing, turning it into a slide. ¡°It was interesting meeting you, I suppose.¡± ¡°This was much more peaceful than my first meeting with him.¡± They all waved goodbye to the wyvern and left. Viviane went back to sleep shortly after she was back in Adina¡¯s arms. ¡°What next? It hardly seems fair, but I¡¯d like to win some games for toys.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡­ does this all feel wrong? A friendly wyvern. Werewolves and gargoyles transformed in broad daylight. Lizard people. Tall blue humans with horns. It¡¯s all¡­ magic exists, but magic is normal in how fantastically it is, and I feel like we stepped into something beyond that. Like when Kleon attacked us, and he was just¡­ beyond what we were.¡± Harlan shrugged. ¡°I bet it¡¯s like water off a duck¡¯s back for you.¡± He slightly giggled. ¡°Shut up. I read too many children¡¯s books. You should be back here, reading to her.¡± Adina realized what she said, how this conversation could go. ¡°We should try to find where Carden got those creampuffs. When are your parents going to get here?¡± ¡°Not until the afternoon. The academy is supposed to bring the students here as a group activity.¡± Fomoria too had realized that things could turn dark at a moment¡¯s notice, and this wasn¡¯t a talk he wanted to have today. He had been spending too much time away from them, he couldn¡¯t argue against that point. But it was important, or so he¡¯d been told.